The glass gaffers of New Jersey, and their creations from 1739 to the present

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The glass gaffers of New Jersey, and their creations from 1739 to the present
Adeline Pepper
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0684104598

A Magician Among the Spirits (Collector's Library of the Unknown)

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Something to ponder before heading down an endless road
Houdini exposes mediums' and spiritualists' methods

A Magician Among the Spirits (Collector's Library of the Unknown)
Harry Houdini
Manufacturer: Time Life Education
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Parapsychology | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0809480700

The whole country got excited by Houdini's campaign against faking spiritualists. He careened through the country, offering money for spirit contacts he couldn't duplicate by admitted magical chicanery. It was a heyday not only for Houdini but for the spirit-callers and there was an equally famous protagonist who thought the spirits could indeed be contacted, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A photo at the front records a meeting between Houdini and Doyle and Houdini gives Doyle his own chapter. There's an earlier chapter on Daniel Dunglas Home, the English engineer of spectacular paranormal effects. Houdini raises hell with spiritualists who were giving their (usually paying) clients a vision of heavens to come, and shares the methods used to practice "fake" and sensational spiritualism.

Houdini was nothing if not unrelenting. As a taste of things to come, he ends his introduction with the words: "Up to the present time everything that I have investigated has been the result of deluded brains."

Using exhaustive research in archives all over the world, Chang and Halliday recast Mao's ascent to power and subsequent grip on China in the context of global events. Sino-Soviet relations, the strengths and weakness of Chiang Kai-shek, the Japanese invasion of China, World War II, the Korean War, the disastrous Great Leap Forward, the vicious Cultural Revolution, the Vietnam War, Nixon's visit, and the constant, unending purges all, understandably, provide the backdrop for Mao's unscrupulous but invincible political maneuverings and betrayals. No one escaped unharmed. Rivals, families, peasants, city dwellers, soldiers, and lifelong allies such as Chou En-lai were all sacrificed to Mao's ambition and paranoia. Appropriately, the authors' consciences are appalled. Their biggest fear is that Mao will escape the global condemnation and infamy he deserves. Their astonishing book will go a long way to ensure that the pendulum of history will adjust itself accordingly. --Silvana Tropea

10 Second Interview: A Few Words with Jung Chang and Jon Halliday

Q: From idea to finished book, how long did Mao: The Unknown Story take to research and write?
A: Over a decade.

Q: What was your writing process like? How did you two collaborate on this project?
A: The research shook itself out by language. Jung did all the Chinese-language research, and Jon did the other languages, of which Russian was the most important, as Mao had a long-term intimate relationship with Stalin. After our research trips around the world, we would work in our separate studies in London. We would then rendezvous at lunch to exchange discoveries.

Q: Do you have any thoughts about how the book is, or will be received in China? Did that play a part in your writing of the book?
A: The book is banned in China, because the current Communist regime is fiercely perpetuating the myth of Mao. Today Mao's portrait and his corpse still dominate Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing, and the regime declares itself to be Mao's heir. The government blocked the distribution of an issue of The Far Eastern Economic Review, and told the magazine's owners, Dow Jones, that this was because that issue contained a review of our book. The regime also tore the review of our book out of The Economist magazine that was going to (very restricted) newsstands. We are not surprised that the book is banned. The regime's attitude had no influence on how we wrote the book. We hope many copies will find their way into China.

Q: What is the one thing you hope readers get from your book?
A: Mao was responsible for the deaths of well over 70 million Chinese in peacetime, and he was bent on dominating the world. As China is today emerging as an economic and military power, the world can never regard it as a benign force unless Beijing rejects Mao and all his legacies. We hope our book will help push China in this direction by telling the truth about Mao.

Breakdown of a BIG Book: 5 Things You'll Learn from Mao: The Unknown Story

1. Mao became a Communist at the age of 27 for purely pragmatic reasons: a job and income from the Russians.

2. Far from organizing the Long March in 1934, Mao was nearly left behind by his colleagues who could not stand him and had tried to oust him several times. The aim of the March was to link up with Russia to get arms. The Reds survived the March because Chiang Kai-shek let them, in a secret horse-trade for his son and heir, whom Stalin was holding hostage in Russia.

3. Mao grew opium on a large scale.

4. After he conquered China, Mao's over-riding goal was to become a superpower and dominate the world: "Control the Earth," as he put it.

5. Mao caused the greatest famine in history by exporting food to Russia to buy nuclear and arms industries: 38 million people were starved and slave-driven to death in 1958-61. Mao knew exactly what was happening, saying: "half of China may well have to die."

Book Description

The most authoritative life of the Chinese leader every written, Mao: The Unknown Story is based on a decade of research, and on interviews with many of Mao’s close circle in China who have never talked before — and with virtually everyone outside China who had significant dealings with him. It is full of startling revelations, exploding the myth of the Long March, and showing a completely unknown Mao: he was not driven by idealism or ideology; his intimate and intricate relationship with Stalin went back to the 1920s, ultimately bringing him to power; he welcomed Japanese occupation of much of China; and he schemed, poisoned, and blackmailed to get his way. After Mao conquered China in 1949, his secret goal was to dominate the world. In chasing this dream he caused the deaths of 38 million people in the greatest famine in history. In all, well over 70 million Chinese perished under Mao’s rule — in peacetime.

Customer Reviews:

Evil Mao.......2007-09-24

Very well researched book. Gives you an overlook on the real Mao and how the rest of the world misinterpreted him. Shows how America was superficial in assessing how the real Mao would be and how it applied pressure on Chiang Kai Shek to enforce cease fire on Mao's critical turning point of the civil war thus making it possible for Mao to conquer China. Mao killed his colleagues and his enemies alike for the sole purpose of gaining and retaining power. All means were legitimate in his eyes to achieve that goal. It looks like we never learn from these mistakes. This attitude makes us helping the Taliban to be a prominent force and Al Qaeda flourish in Iraq, a place they have never been before the invasion. Easy reading with simple language with tons of new info reflecting our lack of knowledge about someone so important.

what a joke!.......2007-09-22

The newest tome of bathroom entertainment. "Entertainment" is what this is. you know when movies are "based on true events"? this book is like that. I don't blame the authors for trying to make a couple of dollars by sensationalize and distort history to their liking. no one can really say their version of history is 100% accurate, but this is almost cartoonish in nature. I just hope some poor person don't actually believes any of this non-sense.

So read this book for fun, but please don't take it seriously, and god forbid please do not bring anything up from this in a discussion with your friends or family who are knowledgeable in Chinese history. You will be laughed right out of the room.

The Black Book...and the Red one... .......2007-09-14

Amidst all the controversy over this book, I can't fault the authors for their claim of Mao's responsibility for 70 million domestic peacetime deaths. That figure is indeed confirmed by the Black Book of Communism, which was written by avowed leftists.

It seems such a short time since it was oh so trendy to be seen carrying around campus a copy of the Chairman's Little Red Book.

Caveats, but well worth the price of admission.......2007-09-13

If nothing else, this book is deeply fascinating. The questions of historical precision are raised in even a rudimentary Google search for reviews, yet this is still a book very much worth your time to read. The authors make it eminently obvious they hold no love for Mao, but partisanship or bias are not synonyms for dishonesty - they simply require the reader to attach qualifications to the conclusions. We would not discard out of hand a biography of Hitler written by an Auschwitz Jew.

Concerns for the precision of her statistics and conclusions are justified, but only to a point. Discrepancies, such as whether or not the Great Leap Forward killed 30 million or 38 million, do potentially indicate scholarly sloppiness, but myopic focus on C&H's precision only validates Stalin's notation that once you kill enough people, they're only numbers. I'm willing to accept they exaggerated their numbers, but frankly, I don't care. I'm more concerned about a lot of people getting killed than about exactly how many it was.

Ultimately, this book asks you to weigh the benefits of Mao's life by exposing his awesome sins. Exaggerated though some numbers might be, and partisan though the arguments are, to dismiss this portrait of Mao on those grounds only encourages history to repeat itself. I don't disagree with the other reviews that this books neglects the "benefits" of Mao's reign, but starting down that road is extremely dangerous. By turning analysis of Mao's reign into a cost-benefit analysis between the lives he killed and the lives he raised from poverty or the advances in issues like women's rights, we only make it easier to repeat these mistakes. I am far more comfortable using Mao's biography as a morality tale that damns him unconditionally than I am with utilitarian calculations, however correct or honest those calculations might be. I appreciate the loss in nuance, historical accuracy, and objectivity, but are we really comfortable with the idea that presiding over the deaths of tens of millions of people is ultimately justified if future generations are lifted from poverty?

This is a book with caveats, no doubt, but also a book that makes one think that if you were given one chance to change the course of history, there might be few better choices than wishing Mao was never born.

Very disapointing.......2007-09-06

Before I started reading this book I had great expectations. I knew nothing about Mao at the time and this book seemed like a good place to start. This was a mistake. To make it short, the author's aim is not to tell the story of Mao, but to break his reputation. According to the author, Mao did not believe in communism, he just happened to join the communist party (although when he did join there were very few members and nothing really worth to take advantage of), he was not a great military commander (the writer explains that in all the battles that Mao won, he won because those that were against him were either spies or idiots, or because he was lucky, or because someone from the communist party did all the work and Mao took credit). The author also tried to tell us that Mao was lucky to acquire the nuclear bomb and he actually miscalculated but as in most cases luck was by his side. The issue that the writer really failed to tackle was that when Mao came to power China was in a terrible mess and no one really ruled it. The Russians and the Japanese attacked when they wished and no one could stop them. By the time Mao died China was one of the strongest countries in the world and was united under a single leadership. Yes Mao was a mass murderer, but that doesnt mean he cant be smart or calculating.

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Tiffany at auction
Alastair Duncan
Manufacturer: Christie's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0847803791

Beating muscle injuries for horses: [25 common muscular problems, their cause, correction, prevention]

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Great book - very informative

Beating muscle injuries for horses: [25 common muscular problems, their cause, correction, prevention]
Jack Meagher
Manufacturer: Hamilton Horse Associates
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

ASIN: B00070QZAC

Customer Reviews:

Great book - very informative.......2005-05-01

I read this book over 15 years ago. I wanted to see if I could get another copy as mine was stolen (it was so good). Helped me a lot with horses. As I heard that Jack Meagher died last week, I thought I would look for it. I think I only paid $15 for my paperback copy years ago and would not suggest anyone pay $70 for this book but it was very good. The price is so high I think because of recent demand due to the author's death. I will keep looking rather than purchase a copy here.

Preparing for your ACS examination in organic chemistry: The official guide

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DON'T BUY IT FROM AMAZON
For Orgo Review.
YOU CAN BUY IT NEW FOR $18 WITH SHIPPING FROM PUBLISHER!!!!
DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK HERE RIPPPPPPPPPP OFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
great study aid!

Preparing for your ACS examination in organic chemistry: The official guide
I. Dwaine Eubanks
Manufacturer: American Chemical Society, Division of Chemical Education, Examinations Institute
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General & Reference | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0970804210

Customer Reviews:

DON'T BUY IT FROM AMAZON.......2006-11-28

ASC sells it on their website for $18 plus $9 for ground shipping. That's still less than the lowest price on amazon! Can you say rip-off?

For Orgo Review........2006-07-22

I took the ACS examination and I purchased this book for review. I found it quite helpful. Even though I did not ace the exam, there were many reactions that were easier to recognize because I had reveiwed this book. I felt better prepared and did considerably better than fellow classmates who did not have this resource. As has already been mentioned..this book is not easy to find.

I highly recommend this book for review purposes, and I would also keep it in reach for reference.

YOU CAN BUY IT NEW FOR $18 WITH SHIPPING FROM PUBLISHER!!!!.......2006-07-22

I can't believe how horribly ridiculous these sellers are. They are trying to sell a book that can be purchased brand new for $18 from ASC themselves. They are trying to sell it for $30, $40, $50...$80 dollars!!!????!!!!! Poor college students beware of these horrible people trying to rip you off. They should all be banned from Amazon.

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK HERE RIPPPPPPPPPP OFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF.......2006-04-13

whatever you do not buy this book here.... you can buy it directly from the source, sorry amazon doesn't sell on here but sometimes people with their own old copies sell them and try to make a rip roaring profit... the book is only 18 bucks plus shipping from the ACS.... DO not buy this book please do your self a favor and save 50 bucks... I can't believe this guy is doing this...

great study aid!.......2006-04-05

This book is very helpful for studying for ACS final in both Organic 1 & 2, but it is hard to find. Make sure to check with sellers before purchase on the condition of the book -- it is more difficult to use when it has been extensively written in.

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Monograph 1914-1923 ([Complete works])
Frank Lloyd Wright
Manufacturer: A.D.A. Edita
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007B5J8K

Keys to the ultimate freedom: Thoughts and talks on personal transformation

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There Is A Cheaper Way
One of the best books one could possibly read!
A Pure Privilege To Review This Wonderful Book

Keys to the ultimate freedom: Thoughts and talks on personal transformation
Lester Levenson
Manufacturer: Sedona Institute
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

ASIN: 0915721031

Customer Reviews:

There Is A Cheaper Way.......2006-04-06

I love this book. I have a copy and have read it twice. I have thought about selling it, since the price for it is so high but I just can't bring myself to do it. Even if I were to sell it for $2,000.00, I would feel that I didn't charge enough. The money would soon be spent and then I wouldn't have this book. However, there may be a cheaper way for one to purchase the information contained in this book. Basically, Hale Dwoskin has taken the content from this book and placed it in the five (5) books: "Happiness Is Free and it is easier than you think", series. So, while this book is excellent and I won't part with mine, one can still receive the information contained in it from these other books. In fact, Hale has added some of his own releasing techniques in these other books, so they are even better. So, if you are lucky enough to purchase a copy of "Keys", good for you, but if you can't, you can get the same information a cheaper way: "Happiness Is Free" five (5) book set.

One of the best books one could possibly read!.......2005-08-04

The keyes book is the most amazing book and truly worthwhile. However it is out of print and much too expensive for most people. I highly recomend Lester's book the Ultimate Truth Book which is very inexpensive and just as good and in some ways even better. I also recomend Lesters Abundance course...

A Pure Privilege To Review This Wonderful Book.......2000-04-26

My own copy of this great and moving book is worn out and dog-eared from constant re-reading. It is the most profound and important book I have ever read. Lester Levenson's words point us in the right direction to find real freedom. They come from his own direct experience and the reader is encouraged to prove things to him or herself and accept nothing on faith. For anyone who has put off their quest for truth, for happiness with no sorrow, for our real purpose, this book can put them back on the path and take them all the way to their true self. Lester was a fully realized being, and a great teacher. The work he started at the Sedona Institute has shown thousands the benefits of Releasing uncomfortable thoughts and feelings using the "Sedona Method". This beautiful book is full of the love that Lester was.

The Good housekeeping illustrated encyclopedia of gardening

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The Good housekeeping illustrated encyclopedia of gardening

Manufacturer: Book Division, Hearst Magazines
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Gardening | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0878512004

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The moral case for the free market
AMAZON! PLEASE READ THIS
Very well written book about capitalism and democracy
Propaganda?
greenspan

Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal
Ayn Rand , Nathaniel Branden , Alan Greenspan , and Robert Hessen
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0451147952

Customer Reviews:

The moral case for the free market.......2007-09-14

For anyone interested in an economic case for capitalism, this is not the right book - Rand was a philosopher, not an economist (in spite of her sound understanding of economic theorems.) However, for anyone interested in a moral defence of the system and an understanding of its intellectual history and opponents, this is a vital piece of work. Rand includes essays on voluminous topics, such as the gold standard, distortions of what actually happened during the Industrial Revolution, the proper role of government (I disagree with her on this), and so on. It is essential to understand that Rand was not a corporate shill, nor did she approve of the status quo - to the contrary, she strongly opposed the notion of corporate welfare and the like, and believed in a free market economy. Unfortunately, her adulation of big business gave ample ammunition to her critics. She replicates her essay on the rights of individuals toward the end of the book, which is in itself an excellent read. Taken in conjunction with The Virtue of Selfishness, this work will spur the youthful mind into further inquiry on the philosophical origins and defences of laissez-faire.

AMAZON! PLEASE READ THIS.......2007-07-17

Can you please take down that disgraceful "editorial review" you've allowed to creep its slimy way onto this site (and somehow barnes and nobles as well? who is pushing this stuff?). It is a smear on this book's page, and frankly it makes your site look tawdry and muckraking.

Unless of course, you posted that review to get all of these wonderful reviews defending the author of this book from attack by its own salesman.

Take that review down and replace it with something neutral at the very least.

Really, its almost criminal.

Very well written book about capitalism and democracy.......2007-04-06

Although this book was written many years ago, it rings true for today's issues. The book is made up of multiple (25 or so) mini essays, each about 5-10 pages long.

The book has a clear and logical philosophy that is consistent. Its' basic premise is that pure capitalism is the first and only moral system for man. This is because capitalism equals freedom which frees a man from coercive oppression, and that man can only create wealth and new ideas when free to use his mind. The book states that the US briefly came close to pure capitalism in the 1700 and 1800s, but is now heading to fascism, as the state leaves property in private ownership, but the state controls output and use of the private property.

This book is the best I've read in several years, because it helped me unify my outlook on several fronts (political, economic, legal, social, etc) into one grand, consistent theory. I think this book will appeal to liberals and conservatives alike. Both are damned in this book by Rand, but I think the left, right, and center will recognize parts of Rand's philosophy that are dear to them too.

Read it for yourself to see, the book is cheap.

Propaganda?.......2007-04-06

The only "outlandish piece of propaganda" about this book is the Library Journal's unabashed hit-piece pseudo-review of it on this website. The essence of capitalism is a political-economic system based on individual rights where all property is owned privately. If you wish to engage in thought about the authentic meaning of capitalism, read Ayn Rand's articles in this book, then if you decide to reject capitalism for statism, do so with the full knowledge of what capitalism is and be prepared to take the consequences for selling your soul.

greenspan.......2007-04-05

this book with its essays by greenspan show a good example of a guy who used to fight against courruption & the federal reserve and then sold out to those who battled against.

Our money was taken from us in the middle of the night by corrupt bankers. The federal Reserve is bogus.

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