Product Description
A major new biography of the doctor who invented modern surgery. Brilliant, driven, but haunted by demons, William Stewart Halsted took surgery from a horrific, dangerous practice to what we now know as a lifesaving art.

Halsted was born to wealth and privilege in New York City in the mid-1800s. He attended the finest schools, but he was a mediocre student. His academic interests blossomed at medical school and he quickly became a celebrated surgeon. Experimenting with cocaine as a local anesthetic, he became addicted. He was hospitalized and treated with morphine to control his craving for cocaine. For the remaining 40 years of his life he was addicted to both drugs.

Halsted resurrected his career at Johns Hopkins, where he became the first chief of surgery. Among his accomplishments, he introduced the residency training system, the use of sterile gloves, the first successful hernia repair, radical mastectomy, fine silk sutures, and anatomically correct surgical technique. Halsted is without doubt the father of modern surgery, and his eccentric behavior, unusual lifestyle, and counterintuitive productivity in the face of lifelong addiction make his story unusually compelling.

Gerald Imber, a renowned surgeon himself, evokes Halsted’s extraordinary life and achievements and places them squarely in the historical and social context of the late 19th century. The result is an illuminating biography of a complex and troubled man, whose genius we continue to benefit from today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

the beginnings at Johhs Hopkins
Especially for those in the medical profession, this book provides an actual doorway into modern medicine with detailed information of the surgical and medical pioneers and innovators that developed procedures and policies that started professional medicine at Johns Hopkins.Thoroughly enjoyable reading about the lives of those that we had only heard refereed to as Lister, Halstead, etc.

A MUST FOR ALL MEDICAL STUDENTS
... and if I was the Program Director, I would mail this book to all my incoming residents and make it a mandatory read before they start as surgical interns.

This is one of my top 3 books and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a great perspective on the medical happenings around the turn of the 19th century. It's fascinating to realize how the changes that took place and led to modern surgery hinged on a single person, Dr. Halsted (incorporating work of many over decades, of course).

Some reviewers complained about the style, including some medical lingo, however other than 2 or 3 expressions that went unexplained, everything makes good sense even for the non-healthcare related reader. It's really hard to put this book down.

If you want to get a feel for what it was like to live in the late 1800s, what the health care was before and after Johns Hopkins as well as the intricate minds of those visionary men that revolutionized the medical/surgical practice and education, this is the book to read, hands down.

On a personal note, I greatly enjoyed reading on a few golden nuggets on Dr. George Heuer and Dr. Mont Reid, especially because they went on the become the founding Chairmen of the Department of Surgery at the University of Cincinnati, where I proudly practice.

GENIUSES are good for Society.
Like most people, I never gave any thought whatsoever to how our modern surgeries evolved, and took for granted that Westernized modern surgeries require a sterile field, sterile rooms and sterile gloves. This book, "Genius on the Edge; the Bizarre Double Life of Dr. William Stewart Halsted", grabbed me by my collar at the bookstore, and after reading the first two pages, "the Prologue," I was hooked. I bought this book, not hearing anything about it, or even the legendary genius, Dr. Halsted. I read the whole thing in two days.

"Surgery would be delightful if you did not have to operate," was the opening statement of this fine book, given many years ago - by the brilliant Dr. Halsted. Back in the day, when surgery was just being figured out, most `surgeons' were mere "butchers" by today's standards, or "meat carvers" - whose surgical prowess and technique was judged on how fast they could do the deed. Surgery was excruciatingly painful and left physical and emotional scars that never healed. Many surgeons of that era were very hard on the body parts they operated on; and a patient of that era was fortunate if their surgeon knew how to use a bar of soap & water prior to operating. A huge percentage of early patients did poorly post-op, so consequently, surgery was the last resort any person chose. Most persons died of the resulting infection than the original malady, and Dr. Halsted was painfully aware of this and set out to correct it.

The true story of this book was really never fully explored. A lot was said in regards to Dr. Halsted's self-experimentation with Cocaine, and how he carefully calibrated small doses as he experimented with Coke for dental procedures. Dr Halsted was extremely careful; he invited and involved multiple medical students who were made to take small doses of Cocaine; all in the name of Medical Research, but a not legal or ethical practice. They reported feeling no pain when taking Cocaine, and also reported having felt an enjoyable sense of exhilaration after taking the Coke. Cocaine dosaging was either inhaled or injected, and was used in social circumstances as well. Gradually, the good doctor and his students became addicted. One by one, the students began to behave erratically and eventually dropped out of medical school and dropped out of sight. Dr. Halsted hung in because he was a professor and chief surgeon, but he himself became lost in the netherworld of Coke addiction - and temporarily lost the ability to write papers coherently.He required long vacations for the rest of his illustrious career. He would manage to focus intensely on his work 6 months out of a year, but then he would drop out for 6 months at a time, where he could indulge his secret chemical habit. He tried hard to quit Cocaine and mistakenly took Morphine to "cure" himself - thus only winding up becoming dually addicted to both substances. This dual addiction would destroy most strong men, but it did not destroy Dr. Halsted...somehow, he was able to compartmentalize his addictions versus his life-works / but how he did this remains unknown. This book glosses over how Dr. Halsted was able to maintain such a rigorous and relentless work schedule while remaining hooked. This juicy tidbit remains a mystery is how the good doctor managed to maintain his coke addiction and simultaneously build and develop massive innovations in surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. I still don't know how Dr. Halsted managed this...one can only wonder and think.

Halsted was strongly influenced by other medical giants in his medical world: Luis Pasteur, Robert Koch and Joseph Lister. As Halsted became a surgeon at New York Hospital, and ultimately Johns Hopkins - where he spent as much time as he possibly could observing surgeries in that hallowed house of pain. In 1881 he performed the first emergency blood transfusion by withdrawing a large amount of blood from his own arm and injecting it into his sister's arm, in order to save her life immediately post-partum.Thus the ABO blood groups were later identified by Karl Landsteiner but not until 1900.

What I love about this book is that a lot of discussions are included regarding many medical discoveries, and the reader gets the back story on how certain innovations came about.

This book was written strong enough to reach across the aisle and compell me to reach back to read it. I found it to be fascinating and intriguing. I am a registered nurse, so perhaps this is why I devoured this book and relished every bite. I encourage all scientifically minded persons to buy this book and read it and save it forever so you can re-read it and refer to it's historic significance.

Dr. Gerald Imber is the author who created this book and I wish to thank the good doctor for doing all his exhaustive research on the matter of Dr. William Stewart Halsted and his peers. This is an excellent book, receiving 5 out of 5 stars. * * * * *

Was Halsted on the Autism spectrum?
Working as one of the founding physicians at John Hopkins, Halsted pioneered the use of local anaesthesia, aseptic surgery, "gentle" tissue-sparing methodology, vascular surgery and several other kinds of operations that simply would not be possible without his painstaking, anatomically-informed approach.He also engaged in a decades-long addiction to cocaine (acquired during his early anaesthesia research) and morphine (which he used to blunt the cocaine effects).

The author details a number of Halsted's behavioral quirks (fanatical attention to detail combined with absolute blindness to the requirements of social interactions) that IMO look a lot like high-function autism although Imber never uses the word in the book.Conversely, the book raises the question of Halsted's sexual orientation despite an admitted complete lack of evidence to support any claim from the gay community.

However, Imber does occasionally allow his surgical MD degree to show -- if you enjoy sentences like, "Progressive occlusion of the vessel proximal to the aneurysm promoted collateral circulation," then you'll find the book fascinating, but otherwise it can be a daunting read.

Strangely fascinating
By far the best biography I have read. I did not have to skip over any boring parts or risk falling asleep.It was strange to realize that not only did people not always use sterile practices but that within the last 100 years people did not use sterile practices. Dr Halsted snd his peers were the creators of modern medicine as we still know it, and their story is a fascinating one. ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of five screenplays by this Academy Award-winning writer. Includes: All the PresidentÕs Men ¥ Magic ¥ Harper ¥ Maverick ¥ The Great Waldo Pepper. Also features essays by Goldman: "Getting Even or Creative Accounting," "Sneak Previews, or Why Did She Have to Die?," "Hype or Consequences: A Brief History of the Future," "Shooting from the Hip: DonÕt You Know Anything About Screenwriting?," and "Nothing for Me to Steal: The Secret Life of an Adaptation." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

To love screenwriting, is to love William Goldman
Just go ahead and try to write a screenplay like William Goldman and you'll get slammed!

Yet despite the "flowery phrasing" the author of some of cinema's greatest screenplays is a master at getting you to play the movie in your head! It's the great ones that get to break the rules.

Every script is an enjoyable read, instantly and visually compelling, and a real lesson for writers on how to use language to give Actors, Directors, Cinematographers, and Script supervisors what they need to know as poetically and economically as possible.

I particularly enjoyed reading about the decisions that went into the making of The Great Waldo Pepper. As a kid, this movie really turned me around. It was a life affirming tragedy and it painted an emotional picture of a man's life using every color on this writer's pallette. Worth the price for this one alone!

All the essays prefacing the screenplays are a fascinating read, and a window into a facet of film history. ... Read more

Product Description
With his take-no-prisoners 1994 book Winner Takes All, Bill Gallacher first carved out a reputation as a no-nonsense authority on the futures trading game. Now, with The Options Edge, he focuses on the world of options on futures, exposing the shortcomings of current theoretical pricing formulae and offering a simple, understandable, and widely applicable option pricing model without invoking any complicated mathematics whatsoever. Gallacher¿s watershed book represents nothing less than a new mindset for trading options on futures, a revolutionary approach that depends less on esoteric, theoretical abstractions and more on empirical evidence gathered from the real world of options trading. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Practical Analysis
The major question that is answered in the book is can the option trading be profitable in the long run? Is it possible make money as an option buyer? The book is the distillation of the results of the author's major empirical investigation into option pricing carried out over a 2-year period from 1996 to 1998.

Many, many theoretical works have been written (by mathematicians anxious to display an encyclopedic knowledge of the Greek alphabet) on the topic of option pricing. Virtually all theoretical works on options are needlessly complex and of limited practical use in the real world of options valuation and options trading. Much of this complexity stems from the option trading community's uncritical allegiance to the million dollar formula.

This book, in the opposite, is mostly empirical. The author has directed the reader's attention to egregious instances of misleading information in the literature, especially where this information has been widely disseminated and even accepted as gospel. For all that, The Options Edge is concerned more with pragmatic issues than with theoretical arguments. The author would rather search for something of practical value than come up with another set of abstruse mathematical equations of limited applicability in the real world. There is but one Greek letter (unavoidable) in this entire book.

Whereas much of what the author says applies to options in general, including stock options, the findings of The Options Edge derive from, and are specifically relevant to, options on commodity futures. The Options Edge will most likely appeal to readers with some practical experience in the trading of options. It should not be, however, your first book on options or commodity futures. Compared with other technical books on the subject, The Options Edge is rather sparing in the use of algebra and complex statistical formulae. However, the book does delve deeply into the principles of statistical inference. It also analyzes a great deal of data, but data structured in a way that anyone with an affinity for numbers should find easily digestible. The author takes it for granted that anyone interested in options is interested in numbers.

Enough said, this analyzes popular misconceptions and irrational beliefs, when it comes to options on commodity futures. If you are interested in similar analysis to the market in general, I would recommend The Only Three Questions That Count by Ken Fisher.

Fast and enjoyable read
This book contains some very useful information for people who write options and wonder if their profitability is sustainable over the long run (hence the title "options edge"). Although Gallacher states that the edge between writers and buyers is zero (based on his empirical evidence); he illustrates that writers still can make consistent positive return on their trading, as long as they sell implied volatility which exceeds historic volatility and as long as they cover their short positions in options with futures at strike. Unfortunately, Gallacher doesn't compare LEAPS to futures as a way to cover short positions in options. An easy and enjoyable read!

Interesting book for option writers
This book contains some useful information for option writers who wonder if their profitability is sustainable over the long run (hence the title "options edge"). Although Gallacher states that the edge between writers and buyers is zero (based on empirical evidence); he illustrates that writers still can make consistent returns if they sell implied volatility which exceeds historic volatility and if they cover their short positions with futures at strike. The book is easy to read and I finished it in half a day.

yes, but the risk
The research work is better than most available and the writing very good(See his other book as well).However if somebody can answer thefollowing: Isn't there a risk of blowing up the strategy with a string oflimit days?They may be rare, but their effects are extreme (see NassimTaleb's site and/or book).At one point limit days are mentioned; they arehandled by using the price at the limit.This assumes that one can tradefutures at the limit price, which is not a guaranteed thing. Otherwise, thenew and refreshing look at option pricing is excellent.Clearly accuracyis more important than precision in markets with bid/ask spreads and Mr.Gallacher is able to cut to the core of the issue.Lots to consider, butthat one problem remains.

Highly readable and full of wisdom
This book is a very enjoyable read. The author uses real world data from options on futures to demonstrate where the edge really lies, allowing the trader to improve his chances. It is written in a very practical manner,showing the many weaknesses of highly theoretical option pricing models andwhy they rely on needless mathematics. The reader will see how options workin the real world. This book has been written by a real trader not atheorist. As a options trader myself, I would highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The Only Book on Old Rosey
"The Edge of Glory" remains the best biography on William Rosecrans despite having been published over 40 years ago. It is also the only biography on that important figure of the Civil War era. While the book is useful, William Lamers, who was a school official and not a historian, was only looking at a limited portion of his subject's career. Lamers does a solid job in offering the basic narrative of Rosecrans' roller coaster ride in the Union command; covering "Old Rosey's" roles in West Virginia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia. Less satisfying is Lamer's covering Rosecrans' tenure in Missouri and his oddly mismanaged bid to be Lincoln's VP in 1864.

There are three major failings in this book. Lamers is overly sympathetic to his subject and, on almost every point of controversy, gives Rosecrans the benefit of the doubt. Rosecrans was a very lively man with a great deal of energy and character however Lamers simply does not capture this. The chief flaw of the book is its limited scope. Despite being overly partial in favor of Gen. Rosecrans, Lamers does a very good job in covering his subject's role in the war. The problems are the other stages of Rosecrans' life. Rosecrans was an important public figure who had an important role in politics, railroads and developing California. For example, Rosecrans served as ambassador to Mexico during a crucial period in American-Mexican relations and chaired the Committee on Military Affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives. These parts of Rosecrans' life are barely covered. Rosecrans was also an intellectual who was something of an inventor and a devout Catholic in an age of anti-Catholicism in America. Again, Lamers barely covers these subjects.

"The Edge of Glory" is certainly useful and covers the basics about Rosecrans' military career fairly well. But the book ignores other aspects of his life which were important, if not quite as dramatic. It's time for a new biography on this important 19th century American. Until then, "The Edge of Glory" passes the edge of acceptability if only barely.

Excellent Read on Interesting Character
In my opinion, Lamers has written an excellent biography of a general, William Rosecrans, who indeed was on the edge of glory as the book's title suggests.

While the focus is on Rosecrans' Civil War service, there are also descriptions of his involvement with his family, businesses, early life, and political involvements.

Indeed, had Rosecrans won the Battle of Chickamauga, quite possibly he, not Grant or Sherman, would have come out of the Civil War as the preeminant Northern general and could very well have been President of the United States had he chosen to run for the office.With Rosecrans' previous victories at Corinth, Iuka, Stone's River, the Tullahoma Campaign, and his earlier victories over Robert E. Lee, he could very well have been the General-in-Chief of the Northern Armies and would have faced Lee again in Virginia.However, this is only speculation and we will probably never know what would have been.

Lamers does an excellent job of describing Rosecrans' personality and how he managed to make friends and enemies in high places.The insights into Rosecrans' personality can be valuable to anyone in the military, business world, ministry, or anywhere else.Specifically, I learned:

1.Get plenty of rest - Lamers and other authors mention that while Rosecrans had tremendous nervous energy, he would at times let the lack of sleep get the best of him.These same authors believe his poor decisions at Chickamauga were due to lack of rest that eventually caught up with him.
2.Know when to talk and when to shut up - while Rosecrans made many friends, he also had the knack for alienating people with his foul language and scathing criticism.Had Rosecrans followed Grant's example of not being particularly critical of others, particularly fellow officers, Rosecrans and not Grant would have been General-in-Chief of the Union armies.Because of this, it apparently took only one mistake on the battlefied to doom him.
3.Do not badger your superiors - Rosecrans continually bothered Halleck, Grant, Stanton, Lincoln, and other superiors with incessant demands and was not willing to maintain a low profile when necessary.According to Lamers, Stanton eventually had enough and was ultimately the one who took the command of the Army of the Cumberland from Rosecrans and demoted him to the obscure outpost of Missouri in 1864 after that state had ceased to be a major battlefield during the years 1861-1863.

In summary, an excellent book and read.My major complaint was the lack of maps.Since Rosecrans was involved in so many important Civil War battles, it would have been nice to have had more maps to follow troop movements.

Still, this is an excellent read.Highly recommended.

The Edge of Glory
I found this book to be one of my favorite Civil War biographies.Lamers provided insight into the mind of a great warrior; a gifted if not eccentric intellect; a commander loved by his subordinates if resented by his superiors; a general that is by far underated due to antagonistic relationships with those in significant positions.A must read for any Civil War enthusiasts.

Good but not perfect biography of an important man
Lamer's biography of William Rosecrans is by far the best ever written on him. It's also the only one, and it's over forty years old.That having been said, it's quite good, and stands the test of time rather well.

The biggest problem with reviewing this book is that there is no others to compare it too. Civil War military historians tend to run in packs, writing and rewriting the same themes such as Lee, Grant, Gettysburg, Lincoln, etc. but leaving other fields as bare as a Georgia field after Sherman marched through it.Rosecrans and his Army of the Cumberland are good examples of worthy but nearly ignored subjects.

The book views Rosecrans entire life, with the lion's share of it on his Civil War generalship.Lamer's view of Rosecrans is that he was a brilliant but flawed general who combined great successes with an amazing ability to irritate superiors (such as Stanton), fellow generals (like Grant) and subordinates (future President Garfield) alike.Rosecrans also has the distinction of winning all of his battles from West Virginia toMurfreesboro and brilliantly outmaneuvering Bragg at Tullahoma and Chattanooga, losing only once at Chickamauga, but it was an important loss and cost him his job and his reputation.Lamers takes the viewpoint that Ole' Rosey was partly but not wholly responsible for the fatal order to Wood telling him to move out of the line just as Longstreet was attacking with half of the Army of the Tennessee.As a comparison, Cozzens' This Terrible Sound, the most authorative account of the battle, placed much more of the fault at Rosecrans' feet.His later service in Missouri was anticlimactic but important.

The book has a few flaws, aside from not being long enough.The maps are inadequate.His conversion to Catholicism, one of the more interesting aspects of Rosecrans' personality, isn't covered in nearly enough detail.Neither was his post-war career, aside from a final chapter which basically said he was something of a failure as a businessman.Finally, his own writings are not nearly quoted enough.I didn't get the feeling I was meeting the man, only that I was hearing somebody else write about him.His personal life is all but ignored, despite the wealth of material available to Lamers, who was an excellent researcher.These quibbles aside, Lamer's book is a very good start, although a more detailed and up to date study is badly needed.

The Edge of Glory
The Edge of glory is an exceptional book about a Civil War general who is much maligned in history. Lamers portrays Rosecrans as an exceptional General who was successful (if not brilliant) at the strategic and tactical level. At the same time he demonstrates his weaknesses that led to his own downfall and the mistakes that drove his enemies to relieve him. It is a great book for historians and military officers with many lessons that can be learned from both his successes and his failings. ... Read more

Product Description
"Mr. Kornblum has helped me see a piece of New York with fresh eyes. . . . On page after page, I've learned something new. "
--Pete Hamill (from the Foreword)

As we sailed out into the ocean under an endless sky, Manhattan's towers were barely visible beyond a broad expanse of waves. Only the highest buildings peaked above a silver of sand and a sea of green marsh.-
-From At Sea in the City

New York is a city of few boundaries, a city of well-known streets and blocks that ramble on and on, into our literature, dreams, and nightmares. We know the city by the byways that split it, streets like Broadway and Madison and Flatbush and Delancey. From those streets, peering down the blocks and up at the top floors, the city seems immense and endless.

But long before Broadway was a muddy cart track, the water was the city's most distinguishing feature and the rivers the only byways of importance.

For people like William Kornblum, the city is shaped by the water and the people who have sailed it for goods, money, pirate's loot, and freedom. For them, the city is ever an island, and Kornblum -- New York City native, longtime sailor, and urban sociologist -- has spent decades plying its waterways in his ancient catboat, Tradition.

In At Sea in the City, he takes the reader along as he sails through his hometown, retelling the history of the city's waterfront and maritime culture and the stories of the men and women who made the water their own.

Along the way, he lays bare the character of New York, the world's city, in all its resilience and audacity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

An interesting description of the, um, New York City archipelego
I recommend this book, especially to those who know a little about New York City and about sailing.I like the writing style and the descriptions of New York as seen from the water.

Thoroughly enjoyable
This is a delightful view of some of the Big Apple's waterfront.William Kornblum writes well, and I am pleased to meet the family, friends, and acquaintances of his journey.Having explored much of our city, and having studied many of the coasts from opposite shorelines, I nevertheless learned much from Kornblum's views from his catboat.I also enjoyed his flash-backs, particularly his days as a youth working at the Transit Mix dock.As another reader noted, the book has a few errors that should have been caught. The A train travels neither through The Bronx nor over Williamsburg Bridge (p. 91).In Red Hook, the parish school is within the Brooklyn diocese, not archdiocese (p. 122).When I find errors on topics I know well, I begin to worry that the publishing industry has a problem with fact-checking in non-fiction.Yet, I must say that this book is a thoroughly enjoyable meeting of humans, views, and story.I recommend this book as a gift.

A good read, but....
This is the account of a sailboat cruise, but rather than crossing an ocean the author travels maybe 40 miles from home, into the maelstrom that is NY harbor. It's an interesting book, sort of, but I expected more history of the harbor, more about what the place is, and less of the author's personal experience.

I expected the former thanks to a review in the NY Times, I think -- some newspaper, anyway -- that suggested it was less an ecological than an historical journey. Without this preconception, I probably would have liked the book more. If you're from NYC, it's worth a read, but there are many better sailing accounts if you want hairy-chested adventure, or to learn something about sailing in general. There are also better books about ecology of the shoreline.

But the style is pleasant and the author seems like a man who would be an enjoyable sailing companion. That's worth three stars.

Charming and pleasant, but a bit slight
The author, a sociology professor at City University of New York, was raised in the Big Apple and has lived most of his life in the area. In 1979 he bought a 24-foot New England catboat, built on Cape Cod in 1910, and proceeded to fix it and sail it around the New York area.

With this book he presents a portrait -- and sketchy history -- of the city from an angle few people know it. Structuring the story as a fairly continuous though interrupted sail from his home in Long Beach, around the southern tip of Rockaway and into Jamaica Bay, then into Upper New York Bay and the East River, and ultimately to Long Island Sound, Kornblum offers both close-up looks at the water and shoreline, and their past history.

The approach is light and pleasant: Few stories -- whether of the freezing disaster of the privateer "Castel Del Rey" in New York harbor in 1704, knowledgeable black sailors impressed by the British Navy in the War of 1812 and jailed in England for refusing to serve against the US, various ferry disasters, or the vagaries of Robert Moses -- last more than a page or three. The only sections where Kornblum lingers are in Jamaica Bay (its environmental degradation and return), and the dockside concrete industry that built New York's towers and for which the author worked as a kid. Manhattan itself is quickly bypassed though given a loving nod, and there is no venturing into the Hudson side.

In the typo sweepstakes, the book does all right, although it says "mechanical break" on p. 156 when "brake" was meant, and I believe I saw an unintended sentence fragment on p. 143. Most egregious, the great A.J. Liebling is identified on p. 103 as "Libeling" (though the name is correct in the bibliography)! A pity there apparently are youthful editors (I don't suppose there is such a thing as a proofreader in publishing anymore) who do not know this great journalist's work backward and forward.

Another ominous development -- to this reader, anyway -- is that the lovely cover photograph is an unreal composite. Different photographers are credited for different portions of it. I find this vaguely disturbing.

The writing is definitely four-star quality or better. Here's my favorite passage: "Up another shadowy bend stood two snowy egrets, with their outrageous yellow boots and platinum punk haircuts. How chic, these mudbank sushi bars. The egrets were spearing for sand bugs, moving along the edge of the marsh with the herky giant steps of students at a party stepping over empty beer cans."

I give the book only three stars because it is slight. Probably an excellent gift for the average non-reader who happens to love sailing or New York City, or the casual reader who knows little about either, but I would have liked to know more.

Great tour of the New York archipelago
City University of New York Professor Kornblum pays homage to what he describes as the New York archipelago.The full city consists mostly of three large islands, a bunch of small islands, and a peninsular.Professor Kornblum takes readers on a tour of the various waterways that tie the city together.Readers visit City Island off the Bronx Peninsular, Ellis and Liberty islands off lower Manhattan Island, and the Rikers Island Prison as well as several much smaller and less known rocks within the waterways.The author provides historical references and a crystal ball look into the future where nature in the present is fighting to regain a foothold from the vast urbanization.AT SEA IN THE CITY is an engaging look at the Big Apple from a different lens as the highways cross waters connecting the city such as the "byway" from Fulton St. in lower Manhattan to Fulton St. Brooklyn.Not just for natives, this is a wonderfully different perspective on New York that makes for a leisurely yet educational and enjoyable reading.

Harriet Klausner ... Read more

Product Description

The impressive young scholar Bert Mosselmans, analyzing the theory and policy of Jevons, a major figure in the field of the history of economics, has put together a volume with broad international appeal, particularly in Europe, North America and Japan, that offers a synthetic approach to Jevons’ economic theory, applied economics and economic policy.

Adopting a relativist approach to his subject, Mosselmans focuses on all aspects of Jevons’ theory, tying the different strands together where appropriate and discriminating where necessary. Examining the relation between theory and practise he situates Jevons within the history of economic thought and in relation to his logic, ethics, religion and aesthetics.

Ideal for scholars working in the fields of philosophy and history as well as economics, this ambitious and insightful work offers a comprehensive analysis of one of the founding fathers of modern economic thought, whose work marked a new chapter in its history, bridging the gap between classical and neo-classical economics.

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Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent guidebook to Silicon Valley
This is an excellent book to describe all thinkable crosssections of Silicon Valley through interviews in the social science methods and through writing by prominent figures in Silicon Valley.The only drawback I found is that the book has too rich contents for a reader to read through casually.I strongly recommend this book to those serious readers who are engaged in Silicon Valley, associated with venture businesses, interested in mechanisms and histories of Silicon Valley, or interested in business models.
The book has a big reference table to illustrate how different Silicon Valley entrepreneurs are from small business owners and traditional entrepreneurs, and describes four distinct types of entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley.The book also enumerates ten reasons why Silicon Valley has been prosperous.
This is really a good book for a reader to learn what Silicon Valley is like.

A Fantastic Book with Intensive Stuffs
Practically useful for entrepreneurs, venture capitalists andprofessionals. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (19)

A memorable story
In any event, Blue Clay People is a really cool title. The cover is a wonderful photograph of smiling children frolicking in the ocean.My readers know by now that those two things are surefire hooks for me.

Blue Clay People is Powers' story of his time as a relief worker in Liberia.He struggles with the local dialect of English, the proper handshake, having servants in his home.Deep in his heart he wrestles with creating more dependency as he sets out to break the cycle of poverty.

This is a deeply moving account of life in Liberia where malaria, AIDS, deforestation, under the control of a money hungry dictator is considered the norm.Mr. Powers came to this country believing he could change all that.He didn't leave Liberia as the new land he dreamed it could be.But he left it better in small individual ways.I think he learned alot about himself along the way.

Blue Clay People isn't a particularly well written or well edited for that matter.As a writer that drove me nuts.Getting past that, Blue Clay People taught me that my existence is connected to a place on the other side of the world.Even small acts of compassion will make a difference in our world.I rate this book 3 out of 5, an average when I combine writing skill with a memorable story.

Linda C. Wright
Author
One Clown Short

Blue Clay People: Seasons of Africa's Fragile Edge
Blue Clay People: Seasons on Africa's Fragile Edge. This book is a compelling current events memoir about Liberia. Mr. Power's strives towards understanding not just contemporary Liberia, but West Africa as a whole. It's a fast-paced book that reads like a novel. For example, the book explores what having enough "really" means. The Liberians have too little. They lack food, water, shelter, and security; the things Westerners take for granted. The writing style holds interest and the subject, Liberia and Mr. Power's first-hand account of his experiences is captivating. For those visiting West Africa, this book is truly significant. Mr. Powers did the world justice by sharing his experiences. You should help spread the word to those with a social conscience, or those who are just interested in what's going on in the world.

Blue Clay People
For a country coming from such dark, dense, violent political upheaval, and it's unique spot in the African continent as a former colony of the U.S.A, for a lack of a better way to put it, "Blue Clay People" can be sometimes surprisingly pithy.The book is an easy read and that's not what I'd expect from a novel about the plight of Liberia.It was interesting reading about the how difficult it was to get anything done over there, but it wasn't interesting reading about his love life.Is the novel about Liberia?Is it about William Powers?Is it about William Power's experience in Liberia?It is more the latter, and while I did not expect a piece of journalistic narrative, a la Aidian Hartley and Howard French, I did want more than the dramatization of a long-distance relationship that was doomed from the start.Anybody over 25 could have told him that.It was equally depressing reading about his relationship with the young Liberian Ciatta.What these asides did was make Powers seem incredibly ill-prepared for the job, as well as unconcerned.He'd have been better off joining the Peace Corps, and writing that memoir.As such, he was put in charge of millions of dollars worth of aid through the Catholic Relief Services.I just don't think he seemed qualified enough to take on that responsibility.With all that being said, it is important that books like this get published, not only to shed light on what is happening in West Africa, but to make us question the various aspects of international aid that sometimes go horribly wrong.As for his love life, hopefully that won't make much of a difference in the grand scheme of African history.

An interesting look into the complicated problems of poverty, corruption, and sustainability in the Third (and Fourth) World.
William Powers writes a compelling story of idealism and reality in the war-torn country of Liberia, where he lived for two years while working for Catholic Relief Services.

What intrigued me the most?How he avoided placing all blame in one corner, but rather shared it amongst all the participants.Relief agencies create too much dependence through simple distributions.Governments fuel violence and bathe themselves in corruption.Americans and others in First World nations demand goods at rates and levels that siphon necessary resources from countries that need them for development.The poor lie, cheat, and steal in order to keep their families fed (thus focusing on the short-term and ignoring the long-term.)All in all, a thought-provking, well written story with an important moral!

Seeking "enough" for all of us
In this powerful and compelling account, William Powers helps us all strive toward having "enough". The Liberians have too little. They lack food, water, shelter, and security. But too many westerners have too much. The excessive natural resources consumed by each westerner are obtained at immense cost to the environment and the people of third and fourth world countries. The mahogany of old growth trees clear cut from the Liberian rain forest is sold to Westerners to enrich Charles Taylor and finance war on his own people. Engagement rings made with "conflict diamonds" pay to oppress many poor Africans. But intervention is difficult as William Powers found out as he worked in Liberia to "reduce poverty and dependency while preserving the rain forest". Western ways do not solve fourth world problems; instead they usually add to the problems. Simple, elegant, sustainable solutions, integrated into each unique physical and cultural environment can make a difference. This book is a fascinating invitation to listen to nature, rather than dominate it. ... Read more

Product Description

Foundations of Mac OS X Leopard Security is written in part as a companion to the SANS Institute course for Mac OS X. It contains detailed Mac OS X security information, but also walkthroughs on securing systems. By using the SANS Institute course as a sister to the book, the focus includes both the beginning home user and the seasoned security professional not accustomed to the Mac, and allows this title to establish the “best practices” for Mac OS X for a wide audience. Additionally, the authors of the book are seasoned Mac and security professionals, having built many of the largest network infrastructures for Apple and spoken at both DefCon and Black Hat on OS X security.

What you’ll learn

• Security overview
• Walkthroughs to secure systems
• Walkthroughs and suggestions for third–party applications on systems
• Mac forensics
• Mac hacking
• Apple wireless security
• Mac OS X security

Who is this book for?

A wide audience of users, power users, and administrators who wish to make sure their Mac platform is secure.

Customer Reviews (4)

Should be in your Shelf,, but better in PDF
This Apress book probably deserved a space in your shelf 12 months ago when Leopard was in wide use. I bought it at the time and STILL refer to it from time to time.

That being said, a lot of the fundamentals in the book still apply. What I recommend is get the PDF version of this book and have it on your admin machine. It's still very useful and searching the PDF that you can get from APRESS makes it worth it to have a soft copy over having this book in paper.

Suffers from poor editing
The major problem with this book is that it is poorly edited.

Examples #1 & #2, from pages 177-178: There are two sections with the following names: "Working with Default Services in Tiger" and "Allowing Non-Apple Services in Tiger". But the book is about *Leopard*.

The index has a block of entries under the subject "Tiger" - and *no* entry for "Leopard".

Screenshots in various places are sometimes either wrong (p. 345, where a HenWen config screen is placed instead of a Kerio login screen) or from previous versions of OS X (the Bluetooth Preference panes shown are *not* from Leopard; the location of the Firewall preferences pane being in the Security preferences rather than Sharing); other times the captions for screenshots haven't been updated from the Tiger version of the book.

The firewall section refers to a feature (including screenshots of it) - UDP blocking - that no longer exists in the firewall settings pane.

The section on ACLs omits any discussion of how to view them, or how to set them.

There are one or two mentions of "Sandbox" but no discussion of what it is nor how to use it.

There is a rather ridiculous editing gaffe where the text recommends using the Unix "mkdir" command to create a *file* (this command creates folders or directories, not files).

Examples could be multiplied, but these are some of the most egregious ones.

Lastly, the style is rather tedious. It reads like an oral presentation, but written English isn't spoken English.

I don't fault the authors for any of these issues. All of these problems should have been caught and fixed during editing. But these technical problems make me a bit uneasy about trusting the information in the book. This is the sort of book I would normally keep for reference purposes after reading it, but I'm going to give this one away. It's just not reliable as a source of security information.

It's not a one-star book - there is *some* useful information in it. But beginners should stay away, and others will need to be careful to verify what it says thanks to the editing problems.

Best volume of its kind
At least a half-dozen times in the book "Foundations of Mac OS X Leopard Security"the authors state that there is a misconception that the Macintosh computer is immune from security problems. That allegation may explain why there are very few books published (and nearly none in recent years) about security for the Mac. This book is meant to change all that. The authors acknowledge that the Mac OS Xsoftware has had little of the security problem experience of Windows (and other operating systems, to a lesser extent) but they spend488 pages detailing exactly where and how the Macintosh platform is (or may be?) vulnerable.

Many of the security issues raised in the book are theoretical or deal with added elements of the Mac software install that contain non-Apple components -- Apache Web server and Perl and PHP scripting packages, for example. Many of the items of concern deal with generic problem areas of computer usage in general, both software and hardware, which affect the Mac as well as any other computers and networks. While the perspective of the book is on the Mac, much of the security review will apply to any type of computer or network.

Messieurs Edge, Barker, and Smith are seasoned Mac and security professionals who point out in a very systematic and comprehensive way the potential problems of running the Mac both in single use and networked environments.The focus is primarily on Mac OS X Leopard and the other software which comes with any new Mac computer, although there is some discussion of earlier OS X versions and earlier generations of Apple applications like Airport.

The book has five main parts covering general security matters, essential security fundamentals, networking, sharing, and workplace security issues.There are four very short appendices of modest value.

The initial first three chapters deal with general security and security fundamentals is basic stuff discussing how technical computer security issues are entwined with practical realities of using computers in a business or home, and that compromises between security and practicality generally must be made.There is discussion of types of security attacks, how the Windows booting programs, Parallels and Boot Camp, implicate Windows security issues on the Mac, and how the UNIX underpinnings of the Mac OS X allow for more sophisticated techniques and tools in securing the Mac computer and networks. Chapter 1 is a useful "quick start" guide of items which can be addressed readily by nearly any level of user to safeguard the Mac from many security concerns.Apple has provided a lot of built-in security features and services which can be adjusted by individual users to his or her own needs, like FileVault, Secure Trash, Keychain, permissions, and others. Higher-level users and maybe experienced security professionals not used to the Mac may be bored with the first part of the book.

Part two deals with protecting the Mac from malware and exploitable services in the OS and major applications like the Safari browser and Mail applications. It explains how malware can affect the Mac through script viruses, social engineering techniques, and other exploits. The book lists a number of available software tools which can help solve some of the potential problems.The section on reviewing and configuring monitoring processes and logs is especially interesting.

Securing networks, using and configuring firewalls, and wireless networking make up the bulk of part three.The content in chapters 7 through 9 is quite technical covering types of networks; routers, hubs and switches;proxy, DMZ, and other servers and hardware setups, advanced firewall configuration using both GUI and command line interfaces; filtering; traffic throttling; and more.The sections describing testing of firewalls and hacking wireless networks using tools like Kismac and iStumbler are especially useful.

Chapter 11, in part four, dealing with website security when utilizing the built-in Apple web services, includes a checklist of at least a dozen items to be dealt with in locking down a site. Security for remote conductivity is addressed also, with particular emphasis given to VPN, secure shell, and the use of network administration tools like Timbuktu and DAVE.Attention is given to both the standard MacOS X installation as well as to OS X Server.The most complex discussions involve using Open Directory in a security plan. My favorite sections were in chapters 14 on network scanning, monitoring, and intrusion prevention tools.The book describes how to understand your own machine/network security status by learning how to attack other networks. And how to use techniques like white/black box testing, fingerprinting, enumeration, port and TCP/UDP scans, ping sweeps, and more.

The book describes how intrusion detection is accomplished.Guidance is provided on software tools like Tripwire, snort, Checkmate, and others.The last chapter concerns forensics and how to handle attempted or successful intrusions to both understand security weaknesses and to preserve evidence for civil or criminal proceedings, CSI-like.

Nearly all of the presentations cover two levels of interactivity using either GUI-based tools or the command line.Except for a handful of sections, the presentations are useful even for higher-end users, including those dealing with medium to large networks.

The writing is workmanlike and without style or wit, but carefully organized and expressed. There are plenty of (grayscale) screenshots of relevant software application configurations, and sidebar Notes and Tips on many topics. Anyone who has a serious interest in Mac OS X security will benefit from this book as its main virtue is its systematic and comprehensive approach to the issues.It is designed to inform users of all levels how and why to think about OS X security.Geeks who want or need to know Mac OS X security will get a nicely organized book sufficiently filled with useful content.This is not a book intended to raise all security issues or to provide all the answers.Itdoes answer many problems, and will point nearly all users in the right direction for their specific needs.

Extremely Useful
I can't overstate my satisfaction with this book. This is a wealth of information that is presented in a clear and easy to follow manner.Working in the IT industry, it is important to keep up on developments (as they occur daily).For Leopard security, this is THE BOOK to have. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
To Which Is Added, A Brief Explanation Of Certain Passages In The Burial Service. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Should be read by every person who is decended from Willliam Henry Chapman
This book should be read by every person who is decended from William Henry Chapman. My Uncle Billie Chapman spent years gaining knowledge of our geneology and many of the names in my family are in this book. A fascinating read. ... Read more

Product Description
An Excerpt from the book-

PETE'S GIRL


She stood in the doorway, a patched and ragged Cinderella of the desert.
Upon her slim, ill-poised figure the descending sun slanted a shaft of
glory. It caught in a spotlight the cheap, dingy gown, the coarse
stockings through the holes of which white flesh peeped, the heavy,
broken brogans that disfigured the feet. It beat upon a small head with a
mass of black, wild-flying hair, on red lips curved with discontent, into
dark eyes passionate and resentful at what fate had made of her young
life. A silent, sullen lass, one might have guessed, and the judgment
would have been true as most first impressions.

The girl watched her father drive half a dozen dogies into the mountain
corral perched precariously on the hillside. Soon now it would be dusk.
She went back into the cabin and began to prepare supper.

In the rickety stove she made a fire of cottonwood. There was a
business-like efficiency in the way she peeled potatoes, prepared the
venison for the frying-pan, and mixed the biscuit dough.

June Tolliver and her father lived alone on Piceance[1] Creek. Their
nearest neighbor was a trapper on Eighteen-Mile Hill. From one month's
end to another she did not see a woman. The still repression in the
girl's face was due not wholly to loneliness. She lived on the edge of a
secret she intuitively felt was shameful. It colored her thoughts and
feelings, set her apart from the rest of the world. Her physical
reactions were dominated by it. Yet what this secret was she could only
guess at.
... Read more