Subjects:  1. Capsule Recordings Reviews    2. Consumer Guides    3. Genres & Styles - Jazz    4. Jazz    5. Music    6. Music/Songbooks    7. Reference    8. Bibliographies, catalogues, discographies    9. Music / Jazz   

Reviews (6)

A Travel Writer Rates It "Pretty good, but..."
So you're ready to dive into TRAVEL WRITING?Better see what's floating in the pool first.
Refreshing Treatment of Familiar Subject
Cutting right to the chase, this is a delightful read.Travel books can range from deadly to enlightening...and this is on the truly enjoyable end of the scale. There is nothing more tedious than a 1000 page Fromer's guide to some place you will never visit in two lifetimes.Don George has done a nice job assembling the contributors and arranging the order of pieces...some by old hands and others by promising new comers. I particularly enjoyed the one by Joshua Clark.

Comprehensive and Realistic Guide to Travel Writing
This book is both sobering and inspiring, but most importantly, practical.Starting from an important place, "What It Takes To Be a Travel Writer," this may well convince you that travel writing isn't really a dream job for most people.Relationships with close friends can be strained, travel isn't as fun when it's a job, pay isn't usually too great, and there is such a thing as burning out from traveling too much.Some travel writers even forget to stop taking notes when they're on an actual vacation.
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    3. General    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    6. Travel    7. Travel writing    8. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (14)

You gotta love Ray.
This book like all Ray Bradbury books makes you smile and gives a glimpse of the day to day working (or playing) of a true craftsman.He shows how he jumps off the cliff and builds his wings on the way down - and though most of us will never succeed to the extent that we ever soar like Ray Bradbury, it's still fun to watch.

Zest. Gusto. Curiosity.
I thought when I saw the title and the author that the book would be related to just Sci-Fi writing, but it goes beyond that. This is one of those easy reads that provides pleasant inspiration.
Bradbury shines
This is a unique little book of essays and poetry.
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Bradbury, Ray - Prose & Criticism    3. Composition & Creative Writing - General    4. Creative ability    5. Essays    6. Literary Collections    7. Literary Criticism    8. Literature - Classics / Criticism    9. Literature: Classics    10. Zen Buddhism    11. Literary Collections / Essays   

Editorial Review

Annie Dillard has spent a lot of time in remote, bare-bones shelters doing something she claims to hate: writing. Slender though it is, Read more

Reviews (34)

Hollow inspiration
While this book is sometimes inspiration, as I would hope it to be, it also wanders off subject in ways that are only distracting.Any book on the craft of writing is liable to have lofty portions that make great analogies between the craft and other things, but Dillard stretches things much too far while spending much too much time on it.Hearing the details of a writer's life, their quirks and struggles, is heartening and it is in this that Dillard enlightens, but I also expect a book on craft to spend more time on craft.While I want to hear how hard it was to find time to write and how priorities shift when in the throes of creative vision, but I also want to consider the details.I want to hear what other writers think about the use of first person, on whether or not one must like or at least sympathize with a protagonist.The Writing Life did none of these things.It left me feeling pretty hollow.At least it is a thin little book.

Less Than Writing
The book is beautifully written but--if you are looking for practical advice to improve your writing--go elsewhere. If you are looking for insight into how Annie creates her magic on the page, you won't find much of it.The book is little more than a series of well crafted journal entries on a series of barely related topics.I smiled once or twice, but the book was a lot less than I expected.

More than writing
Ostensibly about writing, I found The Writing Life to be profound on many levels and applicable to any pursuit of art.The honesty and profoundly moving turns of phrase are compelling. This is one of those books that when it first came out went to call my read-aholic friends that year...and now they've discovered Dillard's other, wonderous works.A book to be re-read every once in a while...and given away and enjoyed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Authors, American    3. Authorship    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Dillard, Annie    9. General    10. Literary    11. Women    12. Literary Criticism & Collections / General   

Reviews (1)

an important contribution to the literature
I am familiar with this author's work, and appreciate her detailed bibliography.Researchers of Latin American women artists will find this tool indispensable. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th Century Art    2. 20th century    3. Art    4. Art & Art Instruction    5. Art, Latin American    6. Bibliography    7. Criticism    8. General    9. Latin America    10. Latin America - South America    11. Reference    12. Women And Art    13. Women artists    14. Women's Studies - General    15. Art / General    16. Bibliographies, catalogues, discographies    17. Central America    18. History of art & design styles: from c 1900 -    19. South America   

Reviews (1)

must-have for students of literature
Harner's most recent edition is the "bible" for those studying literature and/or related disciplines.An absolute must-have for graduate students in literature, women's studies, ethnic studies, and other textually-based disciplines. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bibliographies & Indexes    2. Bibliography    3. Bibliography of bibliographies    4. Commonwealth literature (English)    5. English literature    6. English-speaking countries    7. History and criticism    8. Intellectual life    9. Literature - Classics / Criticism    10. Reference    11. Research   

Reviews (8)

Naked No More
I purchased Randall Wixen's "Guide" on a whim, having never made a cent off of my home-brewed ditties and not sure I ever would.Now, nine months after moving to Los Angeles, I'm approaching a meeting with a major 'performing rights organization,' and I couldn't be armed with a better tool.
Good
Music producers and musicians know all too well the hardships of producing ad distributing good music and some of the agreed to share their experiences with novices to improve their chances of success. This book is a simple but effective guide to the music world, a good book but it doesn't come close to Ty Cohen's "How To Make A Fortune In The Music Industry By Doing It Yourself: Your Personal Step-By-Step Guide To Having A Successful Career In The Music Business. ... To Sell Music, Book Shows And Get Noticed!" ,a book that contains all of the above plus information never revealed in another title before.

Expert Tells Songwriters and Musicians How To Avoid Pitfalls
Randall Wixon rose though the ranks of music publishers to become the largest independent in the business, known for his integrity, insight and sharp wit.Here he provides us with an easy-to read guide that makes common sense out of the seemingly complex financial side of the Music Business.No one could make this subject easy--Randall does as good a job as humanly possible to make it interesting and digestable.Anyone with a financial stake in a song, a lyric, a recording, will count this as must reading, even if they then go out to hire professional representation.I am a member of ASCAP with about 10 songwriting credits garnered over the years as a professional writer in Hollywood (Mostly at Disney Studios and Warner Bros), and yet I was embarrassed at how little I actually knew about my own rights.So anyone from a beginner to a semi-irregular song writer like myself to a prolific musician with hundreds of credits can and will profit from a careful reading of this book.
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Subjects:  1. Business Aspects    2. Copyright    3. Economic Aspects Of Music    4. Economic aspects    5. Music    6. Music publishing    7. Music/Songbooks    8. Publishing    9. Publishing (General)    10. Reference    11. United States    12. Music / Reference   

Editorial Review

Patricia T. O'Conner's Read more

Reviews (39)

Finally, a real book on writing.
Over the years I have purchased many books on writing, only to find that most of the writing is about how to find a publisher, with very little devoted to how to write.This book is an exception.It covers many of the nuances of writing that slip through the cracks, and is written with humor.

One of the best!
Indispensable tool for anyone that writes anything, be it novels, e-mails, memos, or book reports. Get it with "Woe is I" (all about proper grammar) and hit them with a highlighter & notepad handy. Together they may not cover everything writers need to know, but EVERYTHING they cover MUST be known by all writers. Basic rules are forgotten all the time & these 2 jewels read fast, providing easy to remember examples of proper English.Invaluable!

A Nice Book
This is quite a nice book, most suitable for those who have not thought a lot or read widely about good writing but who are looking for a broad beginning. The book is light on grammar, and the science of clear writing is not to be found. It improves in later chapters, where examples of good writing are well chosen.
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. Creative writing    4. Language Arts & Disciplines    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    6. Reference    7. Report writing    8. Writing Skills    9. Adult literacy guides & handbooks   

Subjects:  1. Bibliographies & Indexes    2. Bibliography    3. Christianity - General    4. General    5. Holiness churches    6. Reference    7. Religion    8. Religion / General   

Reviews (3)

A Standard
This book is essential for students of Hebrew. This belongs with HALOT and Waltke/O'Connor as a book that the exegete cannot live without.

the book is necessary for exegesis and research
It's very useful for the process of the exegesis and study of the OT.

Great resource
This thorough and scholarly resource book is an invaluable guide to the process of determining the meaning of Old Testament passages. It contains examples and though it is written for scholars and pastors, it is accessible (and provides helpful guidance) to the layperson, such as myself, that desires to develop a less superficial understanding of scripture. The bibliography in the back is terrific and is probably worth the cost of the book by itself. The updated bibliography in the revised edition is worth buying it even if you already own prior editions. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible    2. Bible - CriticismInterpretation - Old Testament    3. Bible - Hermeneutics    4. Bible - Study - Old Testament    5. Bible.    6. Bibliography    7. Hermeneutics    8. Homiletical use    9. O.T    10. O.T.    11. Religion    12. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    13. Biblical concordances & commentaries    14. Biblical studies, criticism & exegesis    15. Books of the Old Testament   

Reviews (4)

Handbook for Academic Authors
This is a good book, just not what I needed. (I was looking more for information on copyright rules.) But for an academic author learning the ropes, it has some solid information.

Good advice for professors trying to publish academic books
This is a useful book, although I think that the title is somewhat misleading.The book covers a very specific topic: the many details of submitting and publishing an academic book.It does not cover writing for peer-review journals and thus will be rather unhelpful for the academics in fields where articles rather than books are the royal road to tenure.
Beth Luey - Handbook for Academic Authors
Very comprehensive, especially, of course for the American market.I bought it because I wanted to have ideas about how to find a publisher after I had all but finished my book;but I wish I had seen it before I started writing, because it makes many technical points about how to prepare a typescript.It will take a fair amount of time to adjust my script to satisfy the technical requirements publishers apparently make. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authors and publishers    2. Authorship    3. General    4. Psychology    5. Reference    6. Social Psychology    7. Bibliographies, catalogues, discographies    8. Directories    9. Reference / General    10. Serials, periodicals, abstracts, indexes    11. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (9)

Changed my approach to writing
I was asked to write a proposal for JBoss World by my company. The request also included suggestions on what to propose, which I did not really like. I had read far enough into this book to have the first rule about; only write stuff in which you are interested.
This Book Set Me Free as a Writer
Jerry Weinberg is my favorite author in the Information Technology field. I'll never forget where I was when I first read "The Psychology of Computer Programming" as a senior in college. As a student just getting ready to enter the real world of programming, that book gave me about a 10 year head-start in understanding the mindset of software development. Since then, his books have always been helpful to me and have always shown keen insight to the core issues.
A book for real people about writing
A few years ago I had a peer who was often frustrated.People would ask him questions and he would reply "Go check your in-box!I sent the entire company an email about that last week!
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. Language    4. Language Arts & Disciplines    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy   

Reviews (7)

Writing Books
One of the best books on writing I have read.
Is LaRocque America's Foremost Writing Coach?
This author has impeccable credentials, having worked in journalism all her professional life.She has been a newspaper editor, corporate seminar leader (in writing and communication), college professor, and author of many books.She puts a lifetime of writing, editing, and the teaching of writing into this book.No wonder it is so good.
LaRocque Practices What She Preaches
Over the years, I have relied on various works to instruct and guide my efforts to write more effectively. For example, Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, Zinnser's On Writing Well, and Hacker's Rules for Writers. To them I now add this book. The Book on Writing is widely adopted (or recommended) by school, college, and university instructors. I think it will also be of great value to just about anyone else who needs to improve reasoning and reading as well as writing skills.LaRocque divides her 22 chapters within two parts, "A Dozen Guidelines to Good Writing" and "Language and Mechanics." The chapter titles suggest several key points, all of which are evident in the non-fiction of masters such as George Orwell and E.B. White. For example:
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. General    4. Language    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Language Arts & Disciplines / General    8. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (1)

pity this is the best such reader available
The editors have attempted to cram half a century of various scholarly musings on the written word, the uses of reading and literacy, the materiality and production of books, the reception and interpretation of meaning in books by readers and consumers, and the evolution of print culture into a couple hundred pages of really teeny tiny print.This has required creative editing and the use of FAR too many ellipses -- a number of important pieces are so gutted here that they're rendered almost meaningless, which is worse than frustrating.However, there is no other book available that provides the same kind of overview of the basic relevant literature on these subjects -- and the motivated reader, I hope, will search out the unabridged versions of those articles she finds interesting. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Books    3. Books & Reading    4. Books and reading    5. History    6. Language    7. Language Arts & Disciplines    8. Library & Information Science    9. Literature - Classics / Criticism    10. Social aspects    11. History / General    12. History of specific subjects    13. Language & Linguistics    14. Literature: History & Criticism    15. Publishing industry   

Reviews (4)

Useful for scholars and trade authors alike!
Having read a number of books on publishing in the past several months, I was delighted to stumble upon "Getting It Published."Although it isn't directly related to my current career path - presently, I'm self-publishing a general trade nonfiction book, as opposed to a scholarly tome - I found Germano's advice to be helpful, thoughtful, and eloquent nonetheless.
useful handbook
Gives consistent and straight-forward advice, with a few bits of practical inspiration.There are no real trade secrets here, and Germano makes some points that are certainly arguable, but these qualities may be why this guide will remain current and useful for some time.

Tremendous
The former editorial director of the Columbia University Press lays it all out for aspiring non-fiction authors. From finding a publishing house to choosing a title for your work Germano provides solid advice which the would-be writer should ignore at his or her peril. His advice certainly made me re-think the working title "Get Over the Schmuck: Bereavement for Dummies" when submitting my motivational guide to coping with loss, and it paid dividends. An indispensible guide. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - Academic    3. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    4. Marketing    5. Reference    6. Writing Skills    7. Advice on careers & achieving success    8. Language Arts & Disciplines / Authorship    9. Publishing industry    10. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (14)

...Horsemen Pass By...
Cast a cold eye on life on death; horsemen pass by. That's an epitaph. Was it Yeats, or just one he suggested in a poem? How does it apply to Blundell's book? Just this: Here is the one and only worthwhile book ever written for writers. I know, because I that's how I earn my living. Blundell is the best bar none. Throw all the others out. Unless, of course you're another wound-licker who thinks he wants to "learn" to write, in which case, horsemen pass by, and bring on the clowns!

Unique, Refreshing approach!
There is a voice in this book, and you can just HEARthis guy as he admonishes writers and drills into their heads the step-by step guide to reporting and writing. The tone is firm with a direct approach to feature writing as the author is adamant that, "reporting and writing can NOT be divorced." Writing as critical thinking
One of the biggest mistakes young reporters make is viewing reporting and writing as separate exercises, one following the other. Bill Blundell rightly sees them as one process. Good reporting begets good writing. It begins with critical thinking about your subject, which if done properly brings strong focus and organization to your story. In 20 years as a newspaper reporter and editor I've not run across a more practical, common sense approach to writing than that offered by the Art & Craft of Feature Writing. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - Newspapers/Magazines    3. Feature Article Writing    4. Feature writing    5. General    6. Handbooks, manuals, etc    7. Journalism    8. Reference    9. Technical writing    10. Language Arts & Disciplines / Journalism    11. Literary studies: general   

Reviews (1)

No prior familiarity with the writing world is assumed
The Author's Toolkit: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing And Publishing Your Book offers beginners a handy basic reference to writing a book; from nurturing initial ideas and changing them to first drafts to creating a polished, finished work and understanding publishing options. No prior familiarity with the writing world is assumed, making this a perfect introduction for beginners. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    4. Marketing    5. Publishing    6. Reference    7. Writing Skills    8. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (1)

Great Deal!!!!
I found a paperback version of the text book I needed at half the price! It was brand new and in perfect condition. I received the book within just a few days. I couldn't have asked for more. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bibliography    2. Books and reading    3. Children    4. Children's literature    5. Children's literature, English    6. Education    7. Education / Teaching    8. General    9. United States    10. Education / General   

Reviews (9)

Useful Resource - a review of the NY Time Guide to Childrens Books
It's not the end-all of children's book research (Amazon is just as useful) but the NY Times Guide can be a valuable tool and resource for parents in the early years.
For New Parents.If your kids are 6 - up, not for you
This is great for early books, for books for toddlers and early readers.The description gives the impression that it is a guide for many years of childhood.My boys are 7 and 8 and there is nothing in this book for them.
An updated review.
Now is 2005, so this book is four years old.I wanted to write an updated review here to let anyone who is considering a copy of this volume that I think it would be worth it to pick up a used copy for five bucks or so.Obviously, it doesn't include anything that's been published in the last four years, so in that sense, it's utility can be limiting, but most of the books that are reviewed are still in print.One of the book's features that I appreciated the most was that it includes a bibliography of wordless books, and unlike other such lists I have found, most of the books are actually in print and I don't have to try to order a copy from some small press overseas.
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Subjects:  1. Bibliography    2. Books & Reading    3. Books and reading    4. Children    5. Children's Literature - General    6. Children's literature    7. Education    8. Family & Relationships    9. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    10. Family/Marriage    11. Parent participation    12. Parenting - General    13. Reading    14. Family & Relationships / Parenting   

Reviews (9)

Respect and admiration for a brave bibliophile
Wow...this lady can READ! If she's read half of those she's recommended in two volumes, RE-read many of them, AND found the time to write these books-listing-books atop that, well...I'm truly impressed. That's a life well-lived in the world of reading.
Another disappointment
Even though I didn't like the first Book Lust, I couldn't help giving this one a try too, because I usually love books full of suggestions of other books to read. Unfortunately it is much like this first (as was to be expected): a massive list of books arranged into somewhat random categories. It was impossible to tell from what she said which of the books I would actually enjoy reading. (Amazon lists and reader reviews are much more helpful.) Also, from those of the books she recommended that I had read, her taste is too all-inclusive for me. She seems to love everything, a lot of which I don't think is very good.

Book Luster!
Nancy Pearl is the ultimate librarian and book-nut. This book follows in the same vein as her original Book Lust, but with different lists. Pearl provides an annotated list to each book she has enjoyed in categories such as: Best for Teens, Fantasy for Young and Old, Graphica, Libraries and Librarians, and many more. It was a quick read and I kept pen and paper handy to make my own TBR list from Pearl's findings.
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Subjects:  1. Best books    2. Bibliographies & Indexes    3. Bibliography    4. Books & Reading    5. Books and reading    6. General    7. Library & Information Science    8. Literary Criticism    9. Literature - Classics / Criticism    10. Public Libraries    11. Reference    12. United States    13. Bibliographies, catalogues, discographies    14. Libraries & information centres    15. Literacy    16. Literature: History & Criticism