History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

Sad and lovely tale
An Enjoyable Read
a true depiction
An enjoyable read.
Life of the mines

Baker Towers: A Novel
Jennifer Haigh
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060509422
Release Date: 2005-12-27

Amazon.com

Jennifer Haigh's first novel, Mrs. Kimble, was an auspicious debut about three women who marry the same man--consecutively--and their ability to kid themselves about who he is, and, more to the point, who they are. It won the PEN/Hemingway Award, given annually for best first fiction. Haigh has beaten the sophomore slump with another page-turner: Baker Towers. The action, such as it is, takes place in post-World War II Bakerton, a Pennsylvania mining town. "...[T]he town's most famous landmark, known locally as the Towers, two looming piles of mine waste. They are forty feet high and growing... The mines were not named for Bakerton; Bakerton was named for the mines. This is an important distinction. It explains the order of things. Haigh lets us know this on page two, setting the backdrop for the family drama of the Novaks.

The story begins with the death of Stanley Novak, wife of Rose and father of Georgie, Dorothy, Joyce, Lucy, and Sandy. This is an Italian-Polish marriage, tolerated, but a break with the town's tradition. The personality, temperament and needs of all five Novaks are made clear to us by their choices--although they are not always clear to the Novaks. Their interaction, with each other and their community, is the stuff of the novel. Life revolves around the mines, the Church, gossip, and sports. Many times throughout the book it seems that Haigh is using a camera rather than a pen, so perfectly does she create a scene for the reader.

Georgie struggles to get away from Bakerton after his military service by going to Philadelphia and marrying the boss's daughter, a decision he lives to regret. Dorothy gets a job in D.C., but never really fits into the scene. A breakdown brings her home for good. Joyce joins the military, is appalled by the way she is treated, and hastens home to care for her ailing mother. Lucy, overweight and unwelcome with the "in" crowd, longs to be Fire Queen, the pinnacle of acceptance in Bakerton. Sandy, handsome and unreliable, leaves for big city life, finds it, and comes home periodically to hide out.

Haigh has captured these people's lives as they play out, more acted upon than acting. None of the Novaks is self-reflective; the girls accept the status quo, the boys escape and find that they have taken themselves with them. A foreshadowing of the changes that will take place is symbolized by a horrific mine explosion at the end of the book. This life that Haigh has so carefully described will soon disappear forever, for good or ill, but she has illuminated its current reality with a sure hand. --Valerie Ryan

Book Description

Bakerton is a community of company houses and church festivals, of union squabbles and firemen's parades. Its neighborhoods include Little Italy, Swedetown, and Polish Hill. For its tight-knit citizens -- and the five children of the Novak family -- the 1940s will be a decade of excitement, tragedy, and stunning change. Baker Towers is a family saga and a love story, a hymn to a time and place long gone, to America's industrial past, and to the men and women we now call the Greatest Generation. It is a feat of imagination from an extraordinary voice in American fiction, a writer of enormous power and skill.

Download Description

"E-Book Extras: ONE: An Interview with Jennifer Haigh; TWO: Reading Group Guide

A stunning follow-up to her bestselling debut,
Mrs. Kimble, Jennifer Haigh returns with
Baker Towers, a compelling story of love and loss
in a western Pennsylvania mining town in
the years after World War II

Bakerton is a company town built on coal, a town of church festivals and ethnic neighborhoods, hunters' breakfasts and firemen's parades. Its children are raised in company houses -- three rooms upstairs, three rooms downstairs. Its ball club leads the coal company league. The twelve Baker mines offer good union jobs, and the looming black piles of mine dirt don't bother anyone. Called Baker Towers, they are local landmarks, clear evidence that the mines are booming. Baker Towers mean good wages and meat on the table, two weeks' paid vacation and presents under the Christmas tree.

The mines were not named for Bakerton; Bakerton was named for the mines. This is an important distinction. It explains the order of things.

Born and raised on Bakerton's Polish Hill, the five Novak children come of age during wartime, a thrilling era when the world seems on the verge of changing forever. The oldest, Georgie, serves on a minesweeper in the South Pacific and glimpses life beyond Bakerton, a promising future he is determined to secure at all costs. His sister Dorothy, a fragile beauty, takes a job in Washington, D.C., and finds she is unprepared for city life. Brilliant Joyce longs to devote herself to something of consequence but instead becomes the family's keystone, bitterly aware of the opportunities she might have had elsewhere. Sandy sails through life on looks and charm, and Lucy, the volatile baby, devours the family's attention and develops a bottomless appetite for love.

Baker Towers is a family saga and a love story, a hymn to a time and place long gone, to America's industrial past and the men and women we now call the Greatest Generation. This is a feat of imagination from an extraordinary new voice in American fiction, a writer of enormous power and skill.

Customer Reviews:

Sad and lovely tale.......2007-04-11

This novel revolves around Bakerton, a coal-mining town in Pennsylvania, mainly centering on the Novak family, who live on Polish Hill. Rose Novak, the matriarch, is Italian, and of course grew up in Little Italy, across town. We see how life in this hilly and remote town variously but invariably affects all of its residents. Some ache to get out, others can't wait to leave, still others try to leave but somehow can't. The story is set from just after World War II to some time in the 60s. During that time, a lot happened in small industrial towns like Bakerton: women got jobs then lost them; men got educated and moved away; women tried to move away, but often had to come back to care for relatives; mines and mills closed down because of increasing competition. This book captures all of that beautifully, without too much sentiment, but with an affection mixed with melancholy. I recognized a bit of my own hometown in Bakerton, and the story rings true to me. I found this a well-crafted tale of regular folks doing the best they could in their little corner of the world.

An Enjoyable Read.......2007-03-01

I couldn't wait to read this book by Jennifer Haigh after reading her first novel, "Mrs. Kimble". I was not disappointed. Her first book was excellent--this one, very good.

a true depiction.......2006-12-08

I enjoyed reading this, my grandparents are Slavish and were raised in a coal mining town and the depiction of even the minor details is on cue. It reminds me of my Grandfather's stories. I couldn't put it down.

An enjoyable read........2006-11-22

I also read 'Mrs Kimble',which I think has the edge over this book, by same author. The reader is educated about the happenings of a mining town, where at least once a year a miner is killed in an explosion or injured in a rockfall. (12). I loved the descriptions and nuances used by this author.The empty lives of women is depicted repeatedly in this book. It was hard for males too but at least they could get away. Women had no such outlet other than to get attached to men who were often "drunken louts who communicated mainly by cursing..." (117) Bigotry between different ethnic groups is palpable. Diabetes and its associated hazzards are dealt with through the character of Rose. Well done!

Life of the mines.......2006-11-07

This is an interesting look at how working in the mines affects a family and a town. I liked the family and got lost in their lives.

Twin Towers: The Life of New York City's World Trade Center

Average customer rating:

History of the Twin Towers
The Complete History of a Tragedy that was bound to happen
2-star coffee table book becomes 4-star window into history
Good book
The Port Authority's WTC

Twin Towers: The Life of New York City's World Trade Center
Angus K. Gillespie
Manufacturer: Rutgers University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0813527422

Book Description

This is a unique history that covers the complete life of the Twin Towers: the sky-high hopes during their planning and construction, the years during which they stood at the pinnacle of the Manhattan skyline, their symbolic meaning to the city, the nation, and the world-and, in a new chapter written for this edition, their heartbreaking demise on September 11, 2001.

The New York Times bestseller -now with photographs and a new updated chapter.

"Well-researched...gives us a sense of the historical richness and complexity of what we have lost." (New York Times)

"Brilliant." (Larry King )

"[A] thread to grasp as we unravel the meaning of the World Trade Center in history, and in myth." (Boston Herald)

"An absorbing account incorporating personal interviews and observation, exuding enthusiasm and empathy." (Library Journal )

"Offers a fascinating section on the engineering challenges faced by [architect] Yamasaki and the Port Authority project managers." (The Wall Street Journal)

Customer Reviews:

History of the Twin Towers.......2002-10-31

This book was written in 1999 as pressure was mounting for the Port Authority to turn the WTC over to a private agency. The book was reissued shortly after September 11 as the only scholarly history of the WTC. It's a fascinating study of political pressures and engineering feats.

It's impossible to discuss the World Trade Center Towers without first understanding the New York/New Jersey Port Authority. Conceptually, it was unique when it was created in 1921. Authorities - quasi-governmental agencies that were authorized to build projects and then levy user fees to pay for them - had a long and well-established history in England. What made this new authority unique in 1921, when it was created to build the Holland Tunnel, was that it was granted a charter to build facilities, i.e., multiple projects.

The idea for the WTC was conceived during a period of relentless optimism [Kenney] but "completed during a period of national gloom and retreat [Vietnam, 1970's, and Nixon's collapse.]" There were political aspects, aside from the desire to build the world's tallest building, and there was always the pressure from New Jersey to reduce bridge and tunnel tolls. A new project that would use these surplus funds would help to relieve that pressure. It was a project that was lauded by the critics at first, then reviled, only to be resurrected in the minds of New Yorkers, but never as an architectural triumph. It had the misfortune to fall between two architectural periods: International Style, with massive amounts of glass, and Postmodern, which represented a return to the more colorful and decorative building facades. Its Japanese architect, Minoru Yamasaki, used unique aluminum curtain walls that had been dyed to reflect light in unusual ways. The floor-to-ceiling windows were smaller, about the width of a large man, and set back from the curtain. This reduced heating and cooling expenses and eliminated the sense of vertigo that plagued other skyscrapers that had office space right up to the edge of the window, a more floor-efficient design. Yamasaki went through eighty iterations of the design, sometimes using three or four towers, but eventually settling on two. The spacing between them became critical because if placed too close together the winds sweeping down could create sympathetic vibrations in the buildings, destroying their integrity, i.e., a euphemism for causing them to fall down.

The engineering was incredible, and the building could not have been built without technologies developed in other countries. The "Kangaroo" cranes that hoisted themselves up the elevator shafts were developed in Australia. Nothing like them was available in the United States. They were needed to raise the very heavy steel columns that were the load- bearing walls, another unique design feature of the buildings, and the floors. It was initially thought that only U.S. Steel or Bethlehem Steel, the two largest steel companies in the United States, would be able to supply the enormous quantity of steel needed - the drawings for the steel construction weighed over 650 pounds - and Andrew Tobin, the Port Authority's director, thought that by involving them early in the design stage he would get a reasonable bid from them. Not so, and Tobin was so angry with their overbidding, which bore suspicions of collusion - a later investigation revealed no evidence of that - that he contracted portions of the steel to smaller companies, thereby saving over 30% of the anticipated costs. Going to different companies and subcontracting and bidding for smaller lots was to become the industry standard because of the cost savings.

Because the building was so close to the river and excavation for the huge buildings had to go deep down to hit bedrock (enough soil and material was excavated to create Battery Park, an eighteen-acre site that extended Manhattan Island an extra 700 feet into the river and creating additional real estate worth [$]), some method to keep the water out was needed that would not affect the adjacent structures. A slurry method imported from Italy permitted concrete and steel reinforcement for the huge "bathtub" that kept the water out. Slurry containing betonite clay was pumped in as the trenches were dug and then pumped out as concrete and rebar were placed to create the final walls.

The effect of sway on humans had to be tested. The buildings had to be flexible; any degree of stiffness could be built in, but it could not be changed after the building was complete. At its top the Empire State Building sways three inches in a one hundred-mile-per-hour wind. Swaying rooms were built to test people's reactions. Psychologists found that people would tolerate up to eleven inches of slow sway. That represented winds of 140 miles per hour, wind speeds that had never occurred in New York. The building was designed to withstand much higher gusts than that.

Wind can cause other problems. On a gusty day, the buildings twisted and moved so much that the freight elevators could not be used. They were the only elevators to go all the way to the top - all the others had shorter runs to assorted lobbies where commuters changed cars - and the 1350-foot cables would slap around too much. Everything had to be inspected daily. The elevators made 450,000 "movements" (one person on one trip) per day.

The Port Authority has its own police force, and forty-two officers were assigned to the WTC buildings. It is a unique force in that the officers have bi-state authority, the only police force in the country to have such authority. In fact, their jurisdiction lies in a circle with a twenty-five mile radius from the Statue of Liberty.

It's impossible to recount all the riveting (not a pun, since no rivets were used) details of the gargantuan buildings. It's a fascinating story of a building, and, aside from the enormous human tragedies of September 11, it was a great engineering loss as well.

The Complete History of a Tragedy that was bound to happen.......2002-10-01

This book gives a inside view of the birth and the death of the World Trade Center. It shows how the rush to construct this late edifice led to many defects that were exposed on 9-11-01.

2-star coffee table book becomes 4-star window into history.......2002-04-03

Let's be honest. If September 11, 2001 doesn't happen, this is a two-dollar steal at a Kiwanis Club book sale. But now, Mr. Gillespie has given us a nicely written obituary of a monument to urban America. Pre-9/11, I wouldn't have given this book a second look. Now, I'd recommend it as a necessary part of any person's library.

Good book.......2002-03-26

This book describes what went into the desigin, planning and construction of the World Trade Centers. If you like to find out what goes on behind the sceens to make things happen, get this book and remenber a great land mark.

The Port Authority's WTC.......2002-02-25

Twin Towers is one of the few successful endeavors to capture the spirit of the World Trade Center. It is not a photo album, and it only contains a few black and white figures. Nevertheless, it gives a comprehensive description of all aspects of the Trade Center project, from the political motivation that lead to its construction to the way architectural trends evolved in the seventies and caused the Twin Towers to be despised by most architects. It also depicts the Port Authority as an ambitious success-driven and proud agency and the Twin Towers as an American icon. Given his biases, the author does not linger too much on the grievances of the tenants that were dislodged from the WTC site to allow its construction nor does he question the legitimity of such a project. He merely states the facts: progress is mercyless.

The colorful style of the book makes it easy to read and anecdotes and quotes of some of the people who actually participated to the construction of the center abound.
What can be regretted is the book's absence of cohesion at times: it seems like each chapter has been written separately, resulting in numerous repetitions from chapter to chapter. Twin Towers also looses some marks for its endless description of the author's attendance to an introductory course to world trade, which could have been better incorporated within the text.

Overall, the merit of Twin Towers is that through the pages of the book, the reader discovers the World Trade Center through the eyes of those who were directly involved with its construction; the grievance is that this is mosly a Port Authoriry's view of the World Trade Center project.

Average customer rating:

Supplement on Sharn

All roads lead to Sharn

Sharn: City of Adventure!

Love of Sharn

Great Book - Index available
Sharn: City of Towers (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying, Eberron Supplement)
Keith Baker , and James Wyatt
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Five Nations (Dungeon & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying, Eberron Supplement)

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ASIN: 0786934344
Release Date: 2004-11-18

Book Description

The first sourcebook detailing the central metropolis of the Eberron campaign setting.
Sharn: City of Towers illustrates and characterizes the most important city in the entire Eberron setting. The city of Sharn is a source of great intrigue and adventure on Eberron, making it the launching point for most campaigns and adventures. Sharn: City of Towers describes how Sharn looks and works, from power and politics to trade and commerce, and with four-color illustrations throughout. There are detailed geographical descriptions of every part of the city, with a complement of maps for visual reference. Monsters and villains prevalent in the city make an appearance, and there is detailed information on what characters can do and obtain in Sharn to improve their adventuring skills. Dungeon Masters will find a wealth of information on running campaigns in Sharn, and adventure hooks are provided for immediate gameplay.

Customer Reviews:

Supplement on Sharn.......2007-02-12

Sharn: City of Towers is a nice addition to any Eberron collection. I found that it was a good book to help plan an adventure or a course of action because the layout of the book is not very good. So it actually takes a while to find a district of Sharn on the spot. There is no index in the book so you kinda have to guess where to look. Unless you read this book all the way through you will never really know what's in it. It does do a good job laying out the different districts of Sharn and gives some good NPC info. Otherwise I would say the book is a DM manual for sure.
I do enjoy this book and the content of it is useful, it's just hard to figure out. Also the CD that comes with this book is a nice soundtrack for gameplay.

All roads lead to Sharn.......2006-03-19

This book is only useful if you are a DM running an Eberron Champagn. If that describes you, then this book is a must have. Most modules, characters or general adventures start out in Sharn, the capital of Korrivare's melting pot. It's the onlt place really that anyone of any race and nation can meet up, without half of them being persicuted and hunted before you start. This book details down to every districe and level what Sharn is. It also provides NPCs, such as the Mayor of Sharn. This book also normalizes an important city, in that since you don't need to invent it, the city's integrity will run throughout your champagn and someone elses. Take note that this book is only background fluff. There are a few city maps, but other then that it's purely information.
Also take note that the CD is poor at best.

Sharn: City of Adventure!.......2006-03-05

If you're looking for a highly detailed city book for an Eberron campaign you can't go wrong here. Sharn provides endless outlets for adventure, from thieves guilds to corrupt officials to exotic and interesting locales in the city itself.

This setting book is focused almost exclusively on the city of Sharn itself, with only a brief discussion of the rest of Eberron and how it relates to Sharn politically and economically. Those who are looking for additional crunch - rules and Prestige Class - will be disappointed, though what is here is very well integrated with the city.

The bulk of the book breaks the city down into Districts and presents extensive information on these smaller sections of the city. Prominent businesses, guilds, NPCs, and other such information is presented. Politics, law and order, and life in Sharn each receive their own detailed chapter.

Eberron fans can't pass this one up. While the information is only focused on the city of Sharn, the feel of the book is entirely Eberron.

Love of Sharn.......2006-03-02

I found the book to paint the city in vibrant tones. It took the immense job of describing a multilevel edifice of a city in a way that was while general provided specifics for character where needed. Over all a very enjoyable read as well as informative.

Great Book - Index available.......2005-02-04

I would agree with the other reviewers in that this book is an excellent buy but for it not having an index. Luckily, the author of the book, Keith Baker, has been putting together a detailed index on his website.

You can download it for free here:
http://www.bossythecow.com/sharnindex.htm

The NPC, Locations, Services, and Organizations sections have been put together with the rest, I believe, coming soon.

The City of Towers (Eberron: The Dreaming Dark, Book 1)

Average customer rating:

Great introduction to Eberron
this book was great
Hung up on the typos
Decent First Book, bad editing.
Surprisingly fun first outing...

The City of Towers (Eberron: The Dreaming Dark, Book 1)
Keith Baker
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0786935847
Release Date: 2005-02-01

Book Description

The City of Towers launches a brand new novel line set in the world of Eberron, Wizards of the Coast's newest D&D campaign setting. Author Keith Baker's proposal for the exciting world of Eberron was chosen from 11,000 submissions, and he is the co-author of the Eberron Campaign Setting, the RPG product that launched the setting. The Eberron world will continue to grow through new roleplaying game products, novels, miniatures, and electronic games.

Customer Reviews:

Great introduction to Eberron.......2007-08-05

Given that this is Keith Baker's first novel, and that it has more of a mystery theme to it than your typical fantasy adventure novel, I think this book does an incredibly great job of introducing the reader to the world of Eberron. This book gives good examples of everything from warforged, to artificers, to dragon shards and even more of the new stuff in Eberron including the different takes on the usual D&D races like the Drow and more new races. Most importantly this first novel of the trilogy gives a great inside view of Eberron's largest city, Sharn. I highly recommend the Dreaming Dark Trilogy for anyone who wants to learn about Eberron, or just read a great fantasy trilogy as the next two books are filled with fast paced adventure etc....

this book was great.......2007-03-03

I read the book the city of towers it was very good.Itwith four travelers perice,jode,dane, and ali they wake up and are on there way to the city of towers.while they were traveling they were attacked by thives that they easily took down.It had alot of action and sword fights.It is one of the best books ive ever read.

If you enjoy fantasy I highly recomend it.It didn't win an award but if it were up to me I would give it one.It really did deserve it.

Hung up on the typos.......2007-02-21

Good intro to the world of Eberron, but a so-so story, and simply awful editing. This book is replete with typos, which was a constant distraction that really took away from my enjoyment of the novel and which made it really difficult to immerse myself.

Decent First Book, bad editing........2006-08-17

Let me preface this by saying that I love the world Baker has created. It is excellent. There is a great deal of detail in the world, a good deal of mystery, and to me the more important thing is a move away from the more traditional worlds, while still feeling familiar and not entirely alien. My only real complaint about the world was that it seemed very much like a comic book to me. It felt like everyone and their monkey had some sort of super power to me, and by the end of the book I wondered why the main character didn't have some superhuman ability (though I'm making a guess that he will in a future book). This to me was distracting, I don't want my fantasy book to feel like a superhero book, and it did to me a little. I like the ideas that Baker had, but think he may have gone a bit overboard with how many ways there are to become a super hero.

For the book, I didn't really feel it was that great, though considering it was Baker's first book I think he did a pretty good job. Many authors struggle in their first foray into the field of fantasy and I don't think Baker is an exception to this. This doesn't mean he won't do good in the future, it just means he isn't there yet.

The plot was good, but I think the interludes spread throughout the book took away from it for me. I think it would have been a lot better going through it from the point of view of the main characters and not knowing what was going on with the characters, and discovering it for myself. I think it would have made the mystery portion of the book that much greater. I realize that empowering the reader with information the characters don't know is a popular writing technique, it just didn't work well here. I almost felt like Baker himself didn't want the interludes but his editor forced him into it. They just didn't feel natural.

The characters were good. I liked them all fairly well, though the halfling felt a tad forced. It seemed that Baker may have been trying to get the reader to like him a little too hard, but he was still a decent character (although maybe overly mysterious as the previous reviewer has mentioned).

I agree with a previous reviewer... the editing of this book was atrocious. There were issues all over this book with grammar and spelling. I don't blame Baker particularly that much, though he should have looked over the book himself more, but he obviously did not have a very good editor going over the book.

Surprisingly fun first outing..........2006-06-24

Despite having been a gamer for decades, I generally avoid RPG-based novels like the plague, just because as a rule they're simply awful. However, I've been reading up on Eberron preparatory to starting a campaign, and decided to pick this upon a lark, just for background noise, and was very pleasantly surprised. Not exactly Lord of the Rings, of course, but really a remarkably fun and surprisingly well written fantasy with mystery overtones. Especially remarkable in that it's the first novel by Keith Baker, creator of the Eberron game world. Reasonably complex plot, nice characterizations, good description without being overly wordy, a nice quick read. Genuinely worth a look, and I look forward to checking out its sequels.

Ghosts of Vesuvius: A New Look at the Last Days of Pompeii, How Towers Fall, and Other Strange Connections

Average customer rating:

An engrossing look at Vesuvius (79 AD) ... and 9-11 (2001)
Self-important Jumble
Going To and Fro In The Earth, and Up and Down
Judith Petres Balogh
Rambling.

Ghosts of Vesuvius: A New Look at the Last Days of Pompeii, How Towers Fall, and Other Strange Connections
Charles R. Pellegrino
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0380973103
Release Date: 2004-08-10

Book Description

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79 and the subsequent destruction of the thriving Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum are historic disasters of monumental proportions, resonating across millennia and remembered to this very day. Now Dr. Charles Pellegrino -- the acclaimed author who unearthed Atlantis, returned readers to Sodom and Gomorrah, and revealed startling new secrets about the most fabled sea tragedy of all in his superb New York Times bestseller Her Name, Titanic -- takes us back to the final days of an extraordinary civilization to experience an earth-shattering catastrophe with remarkable and unsettling ties to the unthinkable disaster of September 11, 2001.

Through the modern wonders of forensic archaeology, astonishing facts about the everyday lives of the doomed citizens of Pompeii and Herculaneum have been brought to light, revealing a society that enjoyed "modern" amenities such as central heating, sliding glass doors, penicillin, hot and cold running water -- and a standard of living and life expectancy that would not be achieved again until the 1950s. But these thriving twin cities would be buried along with every hapless citizen in less than twenty-four hours when Vesuvius came frighteningly alive, sending a fearsome column of smoke and fire twenty miles into the sky.

Employing volcano physics, Pellegrino shows that the Vesuvius eruption was one thousand times more powerful than the bomb that leveled Hiroshima, bringing to vivid life the frightful majesty of that volcanic apocalypse. Yet Pellegrino digs deeper, exploring fascinating comparisons and connections to other catastrophic events throughout history, in particular the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. As one of the world's only experts on downblast and surge physics, Pellegrino was invited to Ground Zero to examine the site and compare it with devastation wreaked by Vesuvius, in the hope of saving lives during future volcanic eruptions. In doing so, he offers us a poignant and unforgettable glimpse into the final moments of our own "American Vesuvius."

A stunning combination of science, history, humanity, and riveting storytelling, Charles Pellegrino's Ghosts of Vesuvius is an extraordinary accomplishment, an electrifying, edifying, astonishing, and powerful work of literary art.

Customer Reviews:

An engrossing look at Vesuvius (79 AD) ... and 9-11 (2001).......2007-08-18

[Review of Hardcover edition]

This is a tremendously interesting and engrossing book, on many different levels. "GoV", contrary to what the title might lead one to suspect, is NOT just a book about Mt. Vesuvius - it's a tour de force exploration of the effect of volcanic forces on people, on civilizations, on religion(s), on species and evolution in general, on the landscape, and even on the very formation of life itself ... and the author draws upon a wide array of scientific disciplines in order to tell the tale effectively.

In similar fashion to Brian Greene's "The Elegant Universe", the book opens with a bang ... or more specifically, with the origins of the universe, the formation of heavier elements in the hearts of stars, the evolution of solid matter (planets, asteroids and dark matter), the formation of volcanoes on those planets, and the role that volcanic forces play in the formation of life. From there, the author gives the reader an introductory taste of some of the possible connective threads between volcanic calamities of recent millennia, their appearances in (and possible influence on) religious accounts & beliefs, and how the tripartite aspects of creation, destruction, and preservation directly mimic the aspects of certain deities recurring throughout human history in various different religions ... a theme touched on indirectly by Fritjof Capra's Hindu-slanted poetic paradigm for viewing physical reality "The Tao of Physics".

From there, the authors pauses (in Chapter 3, "The Time Gate") to neatly tie together a broad range of different fields of human study into a single and innovatively coherent view of time. In it, the author telescopes backwards, in accelerating fashion, as he zooms further and further outwards - from recent history, through archeology (deep history), past paleontology (biological history), past geology (planetary history), and onward into astrophysics (stellar history) ... with major volcanic events as the connective thread every step of the way. A larger and more robust treatment of this material is also covered in a stand-alone novel entitled "Time Gate".

Next, the author reels the reader's time focus back in closer to home again, and delves into the heart of the book, and the author's chief love: archeology. In this case, the primary focus are the twin cities destroyed by Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD: Pompeii and Herculaneum. The author treats us to a veritable smorgasbord of some of the written accounts dating near, relating to, or directly affected by the eruption:

* Historical accounts (ex: the Plinys, Democritus, Josephus, Spartacus the Gladiator, etc),
* Biblical references (ex: the Council of Nicea that originally collated, edited and winnowed down the scattered accounts of the time into "The Bible" as we know it today),
* Legal records (ex: the legal case of the ex-slave Justa who was suing to retain her freedom at the time of the eruption) recovered from the carbonized remains of a large cache of library scrolls.

Reading those accounts drives home in dramatic fashion the terrible and lasting impact Vesuvius had on both the personal lives of the people nearby, on the surrounding nations and empires, and on the bible itself ... effects that are being felt even today, in ways that we're only just now beginning to understand.

From classic archeology, the author then re-focuses closer still into the subtle nuances and intimate details offered by forensic science, and the oh-so-human stories that the latter is allowing to emerge from the archeological strata. The bones can literally speak to us now ... telling us their exact age & gender, their most likely profession and social status, their dietary habits, wounds and diseases they suffered from, and so much more ... details that truly reinforce that archeology is not just about biology or dead civilizations - it's also about individuals.

It was shortly after the author finished writing the draft of this book that history and fate played a cruel joke ... on September 11th, 2001, hijackers crashed two passenger jets into the Word Trade Center in New York City. The buildings subsequently imploded and down blasted into the Manhattan Bedrock, and massive debris clouds radiated throughout southern Manhattan, burying, damaging and destroying much in it's path. The resemblance to Pompeii and Herculaneum was uncanny ... and that brings us to Chapter 10, the final chapter of GoV, in which several archeologists (including the author) converge on NYC to study the still-fresh archeological record.

Central to Chapter 10 is the story of NYFD Ladder 4 that emerged from the archeological evidence, and subsequent attempts (by certain unscrupulous people) to censor/delay/suppress the publication of this very book for daring to tell the truth ... a truth that exposed an earlier journalistic claim (of looting) as a slanderous hoax. For the details on that matter, I refer interested readers to the author's official discussion forum, which contains a thread on that subject, with additional information by the author.

To conclude, GOV is a must-read for anyone who's interested in the sciences in general, in history (both real and biblical), and in the ongoing efforts by determined researchers to carry forward the bright torch of knowledge & truth across the dark wastelands of time, superstition, ignorance ... and sometimes across the barbed wire boundaries of 'accepted theory', through toxic pools of opportunistic lies, and through suffocating clouds of censorship.

To quote Dr. Pellegrino: "History [and Truth] will eventually have it's way ... it always does."

I enjoyed it immensely, and I was engrossed throughout, from cover to cover.

I'd also like to compliment the author for his steadfast commitment to "Keep faith with the dead", regardless of the risk to his career as a published author. I've seen some of the consequences of that decision, first hand.

Self-important Jumble.......2007-05-08

Charles Pellegrino's stream-of-consciousness ramblings about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the collapse of the Twin Towers offer excellent descriptions of just how such catastrophes play out, but little else of interest. Reading the book is an exercise in frustration; just when the author throws out juicy tidbits regarding Pompeii or Herculaneum, he veers off into discussions of conditions on Earth in 1,000,000 B.C. or Gnostic philosophy. Pellegrino clearly possesses an active, imaginative mind but, just as clearly, has difficulty focusing it on something as mundane as maintaining focus. In this manner he reminds one of Tim Robbins' baseball pitcher Nuke LaLoush in "Field of Dreams," who possessed a phenonomenal fastball but was just as apt to hit the team mascot as the strike zone. In "Ghosts of Vesuvius," Pellegrino throws a few strikes. Unfortunately, these are overshadowed by his spectacular wild pitches. Mascots, and readers, beware.

Going To and Fro In The Earth, and Up and Down.......2007-04-12

Ghosts of Vesuvius
by Charles Pellegrino.
Harper. 496 pages.

I picked up this book after listening to the author on a talk radio show. He impressed me, holding forth on the universe in a distinct Long Island accent, so I thought why not? What I got was an incredibly ambitious work that takes the reader back, literally, to the non-time before the universe was born, then barrels forward faster than the speed of light to the non-time post-omega of the universe, and then drops the reader on the edge of the pit left behind after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center after lengthy disquisitions on Pompeii, Herculaneum--the incredible forces unleashed there--and how they were repeated at various intervals of volcanism through the eons. Not content with this, Pellegrino dove-tails these dynamics with the collapse of the Twin Towers and shows how various fire fighters and rescue workers met or survived their fates through the phenomenon of "shock cocoons"--the uncanny interventions that appear in the midst of disasters and which allowed paper documents to survive the searing heat in Herculaneum as well as one fire-fighter to glide on his back for hundreds of feet through the closest equivalent to hell on earth this side of the atomic bomb. A less capacious mind would be content to call it quits after these feats of mental gymnastics, but Pellegrino plows on, Diderot-fashion, to consider, simultaneously, rustcicles, the sinking of the Titanic, the Book of Thomas, Josephus and the early Christian church, the Stoics, the history of Rome, Roman technology and hundreds of other subjects. This man Pellegrino, if he ran a pizza parlor, would most probably offer the Pellegrino Special, which would be the very embodiment of abundanza!--all conceivable toppings, plus a sprinkling of star dust--and all for a reasonable $15.95, U.S.D.! (And, by the way, it appears that the folks of Herculaneum and Pompeii actually had a pizza-like dish, as well as their own hamburgers, hotdogs and a great-tasting fish topping--facts I learned from the author in question.) In addition Pellegrino succeeds in putting a human face on these tragedies--both natural and man-made. We are taken through the last nano-seconds of the life of a beautiful Asian-European slave girl of 14--16 years of age, who was lying on her side with her mistress' baby in her arms trying to comfort it when the searing gasses from Vesuvius caused her brains to boil and explode. We stand on the deck of the Titanic watching an officer with a pistol in his hand holding off the surging crowds of desperate passengers as women and children find seats on the final life boats, the freezing water lapping around their ankles. We are taken into the private hell of a man buried with his dog under tons of volcanic dust, who managed to live for weeks after Pompeii's extinction, yet still died far from the picks and shovels of potential rescuers.

With any such massive undertaking there will be of course some problems. Even War and Peace has arid passages that one would like to tear out and feed to the swine--especially when Tolstoy the philosopher begins to lecture us about history. With the Ghosts of Vesuvius the problems involve structure and editing. Towards the end of the book Pellegrino seems to be writing under the old rule of so many cents a page. We've seen the results in Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi when what begins as an excellent book is buried, in part two, under so much filler. I believe that the author simply had a space requirement that was assigned to him by his agent and by hook or crook, he managed to fill it. In addition, Mr. Pellegrino sometimes needs a fact-checker. However, having said these things, I recommend both the author and his book. Obviously the man is brilliant in the best possible sense of the word, and the book is the near-barbaric yawp of an American original.

Judith Petres Balogh.......2007-03-01

I embraced this book. It is informative, sensitive and superbly written. The paralell Mr. Pellegrino draws between the tragedies of Vesuvius and the Towers in unique, and there is so much information contained on the pages, that at times I had to slow down my reading, in order to fully absorb all the details. I read this book while in Europe, in a Hungarian translation, and it lost nothing through this process; the language is still powerful, even as translated into a language that is not related to any other modern language. As soon as I returned to the USA, I bought his other books.

Rambling........2006-10-30

If this book had a coherent topic I might have enjoyed it. It doesn't. It is supposedly about the explosion of Vesuvius in A.D. 79, the destruction of Herculaneum and Pompeii, and the social and cultural disruptions that followed. For reasons that are quite obscure the author rambles on for the first 127 pages about the origins of the universe, the origins of life, evolution, the appearance of the Big Dipper, panspermia, and more or less everything in between. Why? Who knows? Not me, and I read the book. He then prattles on about the slave revolt of Spartacus, which is at best tangentially relevant - but I guess he has a sense of humor, this chapter is called "Then listen, Josephus, for I digress"- never a truer word. The sections on Vesuvius are gripping and follow a coherent narrative line, until Pellegrino wanders off into yet another massive digression in a disjointed discussion of Gnosticism in the early church. I think the point was that the apocalyptic vision of early Christianity owed its origins to the calamitous explosion of Vesuvius, which is ingenious but he doesn't get even close to proving it, if only because nowhere are his arguments stated, it is all implication, imprecation and hand waving. We are then hurled through time to the sinking of the Titanic, an event that has nothing to do with Vesuvius, the Roman Empire, or volcanoes. The single point of comparison is the loss of life, and nothing in the Titanic chapters serves this book in any way whatsoever; pointless verbiage. Pellegrino then sets off on a gratuitous discussion of the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York. The only link to Vesuvius that Pellegrino could muster was the shared physics of the collapse column in both a volcanic cloud and a falling building. I'd call that a stretch. Perhaps a more valid comparison would have been to talk to survivors of the atom bombs in Japan. Surprisingly, given that the book is about a volcanic explosion, there is no discussion of volcanic events in recent times- Krakatoa, Mount St. Helens, Etna. It is not even clear from the book that Vesuvius is still active, or that the Bay of Naples has been devastated by earthquakes in living memory. This is just lazy. There are errors of fact; a message in a bottle thrown into the Atlantic seems to have washed up in Surrey, England, which is not a small feat since Surrey is a landlocked county with not an inch of shoreline (perhaps it floated up the river Thames?). Pellegrino appears to place the fall of Constantinople to around 535, which is nonsense. This is in the middle of the reign of Justinian I (527-565), who expanded the Byzantine Empire to include all the Mediterranean including Southern Spain, and who between 532 and 537 oversaw the building of the Sancta Sophia- one of the greatest churches ever constructed. These are hardly the signs of a dieing civilization. With inevitable ups and downs Constantinople remained the centre of a major Christian civilization until it fell to the Turks in 1453, whereupon it became the centre of a major Muslim civilization. Finally, the style is clumsy with the same phrase frequently repeated in the same sentence, as in, (just one example of many) "her first officer had (in a manner of speaking) given me a promise to keep and pointed me (in a manner of speaking) toward..." It could have been a good book, it isn't.

Bell Towers of Paris: A Stroll through the City of Light

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Like a trip to Paris without the hassles of air travel
Bell Towers of Paris

Bell Towers of Paris: A Stroll through the City of Light
Pierre Guicheney
Manufacturer: "Harry N. Abrams, Inc."
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Turtleback

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ASIN: 0810954893

Book Description

Part of the photographer's challenge lies in capturing a familiar scene in a startling and original way, and Michel Setboun has succeeded in his beautiful work, Bell Towers of Paris. The acclaimed photojournalist spent five years climbing the steps of the French capital's famed bell towers (most of them inaccessible to the public), cutting a bird's-eye-view trail through the city that he records lovingly in the pages of this spectacular book.

From Notre Dame to Invalides, Sacré- Cœur to Hôtel de Ville, here are 160 breathtaking views of the City of Light as even its long-term residents have never experienced it—adrift and timeless. With a helpful map, and informative historical text by French journalist Pierre Guicheney, Bell Towers of Paris provides a whole new way of seeing one of the world's most beguiling cities.

Customer Reviews:

Like a trip to Paris without the hassles of air travel.......2007-09-30

Beautiful images. The author's descriptions are confusing and poorly organized but you can get information on the churches in other books.

Bell Towers of Paris.......2007-01-12

The 'romance of Paris' is all thoughout the pages of this beautiful book! Highly recommended for anyone who wants to be taken away without having to leave home!!

Bernini and the Bell Towers: Architecture and Politics at the Vatican

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Bernini and the Bell Towers: Architecture and Politics at the Vatican
Sarah McPhee
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0300089821

Book Description

In 1638, the great artist-architect Gianlorenzo Bernini began one of the most ambitious architectural projects of his career: to design and construct massive twin bell towers atop St. Peter's basilica at the Vatican. But the project failed spectacularly. Bernini's reputation was permanently tarnished, and the scandal of the bell towers sparked a controversy that persists to this day. What happened? Who was responsible? How did events unfold in this dramatic episode of architectural history?

This engaging and beautifully illustrated book tells the complete story of the bell towers for the first time. Presenting a wealth of new visual and documentary evidence, Sarah McPhee reconstructs the entire affair, the architectural and political milieu, the evolution of the designs, and the varying influences of all those involved in the project. McPhee examines the multiple constraints under which Bernini worked, including the ambitions of the pope, the criticisms of rival architects, the financial and political constraints of the building committee, the monumental history of the basilica, and the geology of the site. She reinterprets Bernini's role as architect and shows convincingly that the failure of the bell tower was not Bernini's own. Instead, it was the failure of the institution of the Vatican, driven by liturgical and political imperatives, that doomed the project despite the architect's heroic efforts.

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Introduction to Urban Housing Design: At Home in the City
Graham Towers
Manufacturer: Architectural Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meanings Through History

ASIN: 0750659025

Book Description

This clear and concise guide is the ideal introduction to contemporary housing design for students and professionals of architecture, urban design and planning.

With the increasing commitment to sustainable design and with an ever-increasing demand for houses in urban areas, housing design has taken on a new and crucial role in urban planning. This guide introduces the reader to the key aspects of housing design, and outlines the discussion about form and planning of urban housing. Using chapter summaries and with many illustrations, it presents contemporary concerns such as energy efficient design and high density development in a clear and accessible way. It looks at practical design solutions to real urban problems and includes advice on reclamation and re-use of buildings. The guidance it presents is universally relevant. Part two of the book features current case studies that illustrate the best in high density, sustainable housing design providing the reader with design information, and design inspiration, for their own projects.

1. Unique introductory guide to urban housing design
2. An accessible text that outlines the current debate on urban planning and presents guidance for design solutions
3. Contemporary case studies showcase the best examples for high density housing design

Ancient Structures: Remarkable Pyramids, Forts, Towers, Stone Chambers, Cities, Complexes (Catalog of Archeological Anomalies)

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This is a great book on a fascinating subject

Ancient Structures: Remarkable Pyramids, Forts, Towers, Stone Chambers, Cities, Complexes (Catalog of Archeological Anomalies)
William R. Corliss
Manufacturer: Sourcebook Project
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0915554356

Customer Reviews:

This is a great book on a fascinating subject.......2002-04-08

This book is the nineteenth in the Catalogue of Anomalies, and has a companion entitled, Ancient Infrastructure. This book is divided into eight chapters: ancient astronomical observatories; miscellaneous ancient structures; forts; ancient furnaces, smelters, hearths; pyramids, especially the great pyramid; cities and complexes; ancient towers; and anomalous stone chambers and passage graves. Each entry has a clearly delineated description, data evaluation, anomaly evaluation, possible explanation, list of similar and related phenomena, and then an in-depth examination of the structure.

This is quite a fascinating book! Unlike some books on similar subjects, this book treats its subjects in a no-nonsense, scientific manner, providing a real understanding of the structures. My one complaint against this book is that it reads like a textbook, being too often dry, making it rather heavy for the light reader. That said, though, this is a great book on a fascinating subject. If you are interested in anomalous structures, then I cannot recommend this book too much!

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