Book Description
Principles of Corporate Finance is the worldwide leading text that describes the theory and practice of corporate finance. Throughout the book the authors show how managers use financial theory to solve practical problems and as a way of learning how to respond to change by showing not just how but why companies and management act as they do. The text is comprehensive, authoritative, and modern and yet the material is presented at a common sense level. The discussions and illustrations are unique due to the depth of detail blended with a distinct sense of humor for which the book is well known and highly regarded. This text is a valued reference for thousands of practicing financial managers. Richard A. Brealey and Stewart C. Myers welcome Franklin Allen as a new coauthor to this Eighth Edition. Sometimes the addition of a new coauthor means that one of the existing authors proposes to take a back seat. That is not the case with this team. Dr. Allen’s addition represents a genuine increase in capacity and brings fresh expertise and ideas to an already tremendously successful textbook and partnership.
Customer Reviews:
Just perfect........2007-09-06
Although I did not pass the exam that I took. The problem was with the exam not the book. This is an excellent book with lot of work done to ensure that the book is perfect.
The presentations available online with this book have a few mistakes.
Not great for the beginner.......2007-07-17
This book is not very clear in its explanations and does not have too many worked examples. Not sure why my MBA school prescribes this. I recommend reading Fundamentals of Corporate Finance Standard Edition by Stephen Ross, Randolph Westerfield.
Lacking Full Explanations.......2007-06-07
This book leaves me with more questions about finance than I have answers. Who do the authors think they are writing for? It surely is not the beginner MBA student. It seems like words are expensive because they do not fully or even partially explain concepts. Finance is difficult but it should not be impossible. I should not have to read and reread to figure out what the heck they are talking about. Maybe they should serve as advisors to this text and let someone who knows how to write actually write the book. These guys may be leaders and brillant but they are poor communicators. I'm not thrilled with my professor either. Is he a cheerleader or a teacher?
Good introductory finance book.......2007-04-11
This is an easy to ready comprehensive introduction to basic finance concepts. I would not recommend it to finance majors but I consider it a good choice for general MBA or other students that do not have a stong quantitative finance background.
Comprehensive text - you get your money's worth.......2007-01-09
I got this book for my Intro to Corp Finance class. The professor was aweful, but the book got me through the class. There are several other finance classes that use the same text, so for once I feel like I'll get my money's worth out of a textbook.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent for experienced engineers
- Excellent book for an introductory control design course...
- There are better options
- Sucks
- Good Sections on PID and Multivariable
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Feedback Control of Dynamic Systems (5th Edition)
Gene Franklin ,
J.D. Powell , and
Abbas Emami-Naeini
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
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ASIN: 0131499300 |
Book Description
This introduction provides an in-depth, comprehensive treatment of a collection of classical and state-space approaches to control system design. It ties the methods together so that a designer is able to pick the method that best fits the problem at hand. Includes case studies and comprehensive examples with close integration of MATLAB throughout. Clearly marks problems to indicate which section they are drawn from for easier reference. Provides a logical presentation of a control engineer’s approach to key problems (such as rejection of disturbances, improvement in steady-state errors, and better dynamic response); compares the performance of the feedback structure to that of open-loop control. A useful reference for aerospace, mechanical, or electrical engineers who want to brush up on their skills in dynamic systems.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent for experienced engineers.......2007-06-14
I found lots of answers to practical situations encountered in electro-mech. systems. If you are working with signals, this book gives you good advice in general, and sufficient theory background to back it up. It is well written and has lots of plots - uses Matlab.
Excellent book for an introductory control design course..........2007-05-01
As a student learning this material, I have to say that from beginning to end, just about everything you'd want to know about control system design is in this book. Well compiled and collated off, with enough pictures to satisfy any engineer, I've got the important pages tabbed and it's now a part of my permanent reference library. The examples and the motivations behind everything done in the book are enough to get you designing your own feedback control systems.
A few things you should know: the book examples jump around a LOT. Examples from chapter 7 draw on diagrams and examples in chapter 4, etc... and consecutive pages will often refer to figures and diagrams that aren't even on the current page, nor will they tell you where they are sometimes. I found myself flipping back and for and back and forth often when trying to follow examples or read chapters.
Second, I really hope you aren't trying to learn control system design without MATLAB. All I gotta say is... DON'T. For example: the intricacies of linear quadratic regulator theory are not as important as learning how to apply it in a design project. Plus, the iterative nature of control system design means that you will want to save your process as an m-file. Don't try this stuff without a copy of, or access to a copy of MATLAB.
There are better options.......2006-07-10
I own several books on Control Systems (including this one), but if you have to buy just one and you are in the process of choosing it, I would recommend Katsuhiko Ogata's Modern Control Engineering.
This is not a good textbook for a beginner, and considering its price, it's not a good buy.
Sucks.......2005-09-28
Well first off the book does not do a good job of providing sufficient examples on how to do things. On top of that the solution manual you can get online through those 2 ppl that are selling it is useless. It has all the problems worked out wrong...just my luck!
Good Sections on PID and Multivariable.......2005-06-15
As a practicing engineer, I found the book's sections on PID controllers and Multivariable control to be more informative than my other references, including the venerable Ogata.
Though perhaps the objections listed in the other reviews are valid when the text is used for an introductory course, I would just like to point out the text had value for me in understanding real-world PID controllers. Not sure if I would recommend it over Ogata for an introductory course, though.
Both Ogata and this text make extensive use of Matlab, which is almost a requirement to have in order to follow the examples. The author makes available all his Matlab source code on his website, as well.
Average customer rating:
- Wish there was something better out there.
- Good Catalog
- Packed with Information, Riddled with Typos and Omissions
- Bible of Wastewater Engineering
- MUST HAVE FOR ALL SANITARY ENGINEERS
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Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Reuse
George Tchobanoglous , and
H. David Stensel
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math
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Water and Wastewater Calculations Manual
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ASIN: 0070418780 |
Book Description
Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Reuse, 4/e is a thorough update of McGraw-Hill's authoritative book on wastewater treatment. No environmental engineering professional or civil or and environmental engineering major should be without a copy of this book- tt describes the technological and regulatory changes that have occurred over the last ten years in this discipline, including: improved techniques for the characterization of wastewaters; improved fundamental understanding of many of the existing unit operations and processes used for wastewater treatment, especially those processes used for the biological removal of nutrients; greater implementation of several newer treatment technologies (e.g., UV disinfection, membrane filtration, and heat drying); greater concern for the long term health and environmental impacts of wastewater constituents; greater emphasis on advanced wastewater treatment and risk assessment for water reuse applications; changes in regulations and the development of new technologies for wastewater disinfection; and new regulations governing the treatment, reuse, and disposal of sludge (biosolids). Greater concern for infrastructure renewal including upgrading the design and performance of wastewater treatment plants.
This revision contains a strong focus on advanced wastewater treatment technologies and stresses the reuse aspects of wastewater and biosolids.
Customer Reviews:
Wish there was something better out there........2007-03-06
Although this book is one of the largest information sources for WWTP design, it is also poorly formatted and illogical in presentation of material. The reason is because it is a compilation of many individuals so there is much redundancy, some conflicting information and incoherency in the overall text. If you are looking to LEARN how to design a WWTP you will need a good aid in addition to this text. Otherwise, it is fine if you know what you are looking for.
Good Catalog.......2007-01-13
I bought this huge volume so I could develop some puzzles in our magazine. Chemical engineers need to expand into this area largely inhabited by misplaced civil engineers. As water shortages become more prevalent, continuous recycling of water will become a necessity in chemical plants. Then, there is the cost of process chemicals needed to treat water. Many of these are hazardous wastes. You will need to know what your options are for conditioning these waters.
The author covers every form of wastewater treatment in significant detail for its genre (handbooks). I especially liked the block diagrams showing process steps. As with most handbooks, more examples would improve its use. However, with that aside, it shares a space on my shelf.
If this review helped, add your vote.
Packed with Information, Riddled with Typos and Omissions.......2005-06-09
I have been using this text in a wastewater engineering course. It covers the different aspects of wastewater engineering well, providing in depth treatments of each. However, the great size of this book (over 1800 pages) may also be its weakness, making it an unmanageable project for the editors.
In one month of usage, I have found serious gaps in the problems. Many cross-references are incorrect, and there are some problems which omit values required for solution.
In short, this is a good source of information. With closer editing, it could be better.
Bible of Wastewater Engineering.......2005-03-11
This is the bible of Wastewater Engineering. I'm currently a student studying Civil/Environmental Engineering and every professor I've talked to in my department has recommended this book for any type of Wastewater Treatment Plant design. If this book doesn't have the information you want (unlikely), the WEF MOP might.
MUST HAVE FOR ALL SANITARY ENGINEERS.......2004-12-08
I can't stress enough the value in this text. Like my title states this is a must have for all sanitary engineers. The book covers everything you must know concerning wastewater treatment written by professionals working in the field. I would hope some day that they publish a book on pump stations and sanitary sewer design as well. I think that they would also be on the top of the list for these areas as well.
Book Description
A chilling, mesmerizing novel that combines the best of modern forensic thrillers with the detail and drama of historical fiction.
In medieval Cambridge, England, four children have been murdered. The crimes are immediately blamed on the town's Jewish community, taken as evidence that Jews sacrifice Christian children in blasphemous ceremonies. To save them from the rioting mob, the king places the Cambridge Jews under his protection and hides them in a castle fortress. King Henry I is no friend of the Jews-or anyone, really-but he is invested in their fate. Without the taxes received from Jewish merchants, his treasuries would go bankrupt. Hoping scientific investigation will exonerate the Jews, Henry calls on his cousin the King of Sicily-whose subjects include the best medical experts in Europe-and asks for his finest "master of the art of death," an early version of the medical examiner. The Italian doctor chosen for the task is a young prodigy from the University of Salerno. But her name is Adelia-the king has been sent a mistress of the art of death.
Adelia and her companions-Simon, a Jew, and Mansur, a Moor-travel to England to unravel the mystery of the Cambridge murders, which turn out to be the work of a serial killer, most likely one who has been on Crusade with the king. In a backward and superstitious country like England, Adelia must conceal her true identity as a doctor in order to avoid accusations of witchcraft. Along the way, she is assisted by Sir Rowley Picot, one of the king's tax collectors, a man with a personal stake in the investigation. Rowley may be a needed friend, or the fiend for whom they are searching. As Adelia's investigation takes her into Cambridge's shadowy river paths and behind the closed doors of its churches and nunneries, the hunt intensifies and the killer prepares to strike again . .
Customer Reviews:
An excellent beginning to a new series.......2007-10-09
First Sentence: Here they come.
A child has been murdered and residents in Cambridge claim he was crucified by the Jews. The Jews provide Henry II with a large part of his revenue and requires that the real killer be quickly found. From Naples come Simon of Naples, an renowned investigator, Mansur the Saracen, and a woman doctor trained in the study of corpses at the School of Medicine in Salerno, Adelia Aguilar. The bodies of other children are found, and Adelia is determined to find their killer.
I am about to gush! This book was judged the best researched of its year by the BBC and historian Dr. David Starkey. Happily, it is not written in Middle English and, as the author admits, some liberties were taken. Others more versed in this time than am I, may be able to find historic fault with it. I don't care. I found the history fascinating and learned even more about life in this period. The style of writing was wonderful; from that first three-word sentence, I was entranced. I loved the characters; Adelia, Simon, Mansur, Ulf, Gyltha, Prior Geoffrey, Henry II (whose voice I shall always hear as Peter O'Toole's) were real to me and others became so as the story progressed. The language was a bit challenging at first, but soon became easy to read. The sights, sounds and smells of the town were described to place me within the story. The story kept me involved from beginning to end and tapped all my emotions. There is a wonderful romance which arises to warm the heart and quicken the pulse. I laughed, cried; was moved, frightened and appalled and I can't wait until the next book comes out next May. What can I say; I loved it.
Yes, it's good forensics, but..........2007-10-02
Doesn't anyone know history any more? Spanish Jews with sidelocks speaking Yiddish (not Arabic)? Um, the Hasidim lived in Poland, and I don't think they were styling their hair that way or even a religious movement quite as early as the 1100s...
A sign posted on the convent door listing the local motels? Who could read besides the occasional priest? And not *all* priests could read, either, or knew more Latin than what was in the Eucharistic ceremony (many of them just garbled the liturgy). Thatcher's children actually attending school?
Every anachronism made me flinch, and I have twitched a lot while reading this book. I usually give up on such books after a couple of chapters (like "Da Vinci Code" --awful book), but the CSI aspects are keeping me going. I'm at page 145, but I might give up yet.
For a writer who is supposed to be so experienced (and published), she could have taken more care to be more accurate.
Unique.......2007-10-01
Great plot and interesting characters. Very different and great period in history.
Highly recommended
An Unlikely Page-Turner .......2007-09-28
Start with Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales." Throw in a cameo of a calculating and brash King Henry II straight from "The Lion in Winter." Add some medieval mystery on par with Umberto Eco's groundbreaking "The Name of the Rose". And finish it off with the forensics of "CSI", and you'll have some appreciation for Ariana Franklin's remarkable achievement in "Mistress of the Art of Death", a fresh and inspired twist of historical fiction and crime thriller, a blockbuster of murder and mayhem told through lively, darkly humorous prose that is as educational as it is entertaining.
The setting is 12th century England. King Henry II, still smarting from the Church's reaction to the murder of archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket, is anxious to get to the bottom of the grisly murders of four children in Cambridge. The Cambridge townspeople, steeped in superstition and New Testament legend, blame the murders on the local Jewish population, who are banished to Cambridge Castle for protection against a mob bent on retribution. The wily Henry, coming to the Jews defense not from love but for the sake of continued tax revenue from his affluent moneylenders, reaches out for help from his cousin, the King of Sicily, and Italy's renowned medical school in Salerno. In response to this request, Adelia, a talented young female doctor in "the art of death" - essentially the forensics of the time - is sent to assist. In a time when women barely rate above stable animals and medical treatment is limited by an overwhelmingly powerful to relics and prayer, Adelia faces not only the formidable task of tracking down a serial killer who is obviously still on the loose, but also overcoming ignorance and prejudice in cracking a case of unthinkable evil. Notwithstanding some anachronisms - some noted and others ignored - Franklin delivers her tale with the historical authority of Edward Rutherford or Bernard Cornwell, while told in dialogue as engaging as Grisham, Forsythe, or Follett at the tops of their games. I found myself glued to the top notch "whodunit", while at the same time captivated by the vivid period detail and political intrigue of the time.
If this is not the best new fiction of 2007, it is certainly among the most original as it takes more than a few unsuspected twists in getting to a climax that is as insightful, ironic, and intelligent as it is white-knuckled. Well done, Ms. Franklin!
CSI: Medieval.......2007-09-26
All the way through this book, I felt like I was watching an extended episode of CSI set in miedieval England. Just like the shows, the book wasn't realistic and some of the characters and clues were contrived.
Still, there were some definite good points. The mystery didn't get buried in the romantic sub-plot. King Henry was a fantasticly portrayed character. And if you're just looking for some good escapist reading where you don't already know the who the bad guy is by the second chapter, this is a great choice.
Average customer rating:
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Fundamentals of Ground Water
Franklin W. Schwartz , and
Hubao Zhang
Manufacturer: Wiley
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ASIN: 0471137855 |
Book Description
Introduction to Ground Water provides the reader with the fundamental principles of the hydraulic cycle. Also complete with illustrations and real-life case studies, this text takes a comprehensive and realistic approach to the subject of hydrology. It also contains strong interactive computer-based programs for solving and simulating hydraulics groundwater processes.
Book Description
One of today’s premier biographers has written a modern, comprehensive, indeed ultimate book on the epic life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In this superlative volume, Jean Edward Smith combines contemporary scholarship and a broad range of primary source material to provide an engrossing narrative of one of America’s greatest presidents.
This is a portrait painted in broad strokes and fine details. We see how Roosevelt’s restless energy, fierce intellect, personal magnetism, and ability to project effortless grace permitted him to master countless challenges throughout his life. Smith recounts FDR’s battles with polio and physical disability, and how these experiences helped forge the resolve that FDR used to surmount the economic turmoil of the Great Depression and the wartime threat of totalitarianism. Here also is FDR’s private life depicted with unprecedented candor and nuance, with close attention paid to the four women who molded his personality and helped to inform his worldview: His mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, formidable yet ever supportive and tender; his wife, Eleanor, whose counsel and affection were instrumental to FDR’s public and individual achievements; Lucy Mercer, the great romantic love of FDR’s life; and Missy LeHand, FDR’s longtime secretary, companion, and confidante, whose adoration of her boss was practically limitless.
Smith also tackles head-on and in-depth the numerous failures and miscues of Roosevelt’s public career, including his disastrous attempt to reconstruct the Judiciary; the shameful internment of Japanese-Americans; and Roosevelt’s occasionally self-defeating Executive overreach. Additionally, Smith offers a sensitive and balanced assessment of Roosevelt’s response to the Holocaust, noting its breakthroughs and shortcomings.
Summing up Roosevelt’s legacy, Jean Smith declares that FDR, more than any other individual, changed the relationship between the American people and their government. It was Roosevelt who revolutionized the art of campaigning and used the burgeoning mass media to garner public support and allay fears. But more important, Smith gives us the clearest picture yet of how this quintessential Knickerbocker aristocrat, a man who never had to depend on a paycheck, became the common man’s president. The result is a powerful account that adds fresh perspectives and draws profound conclusions about a man whose story is widely known but far less well understood. Written for the general reader and scholars alike, FDR is a stunning biography in every way worthy of its subject.
Customer Reviews:
The Best FDR Biography out there.......2007-09-17
This is without a doubt the greatest biography of Franklin Delano Roosevelt that has ever been composed. The book has a tremendous attention to detail, and Smith is able to record even the driest bits of history with the liveliness of a village storyteller.
Now, this book is not without faults. At some times the story shifts from incident to incident with every paragraph, and he doesn't give some events the attention that they deserve. On the other hand, he may have perhaps given too much attention to insignificant events, and could have used that space elaborating on other points. However, I still feel that this is the best possible biography, and it is not so long as to make it impossible to read (although it is still rather long).
An introduction to FDR.......2007-09-10
This is a well-written and engaging introduction to the life of Franklin Roosevelt, for the reader who knows little or nothing about him. That is the strength of this one-volume biography. The weakness is what Smith had to leave out to keep it to one volume (as he admitted himself recently during a question-answer session on Book TV).
For instance, before reading this book, I had not known about the role FDR's mother played in his youth and adulthood, or his relationship with Teddy Roosevelt, or how and when he contracted polio, or about his early government service. Smith introduced me to all of those subjects. I did know something about the last years of FDR's life, because I had read Doris Kearns Goodwin's No Ordinary Time. So, when I read through the last part of Smith's biography, I was shocked by how much he omitted as he skimmed over the surface of the World War II years. I suspect that someone with more knowledge of FDR would have the same reaction to the earlier chapters.
For someone new to the subject, this book provides introductory context for further reading on Franklin Roosevelt. Smith footnotes copiously (to an irritating extent, in fact), and provides a good bibliography. If you've read a good bit about FDR, though, this volume will only tell you what you already know.
Enjoyable and educational.......2007-09-06
I had read NO ORDINARY TIMES prior to reading FDR. Put together, the two books give you a good feel for the life of FDR and ER..two very interesting people in a very important time for the life of the US. I was able to bring all of this together with a visit to Hyde Park, Val-Kill and the FDR Presidential Library in June. Read this book and you will get a sense of the times and the decisions made that still effect every citizen today.
Useful FDR biography.......2007-09-06
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was such a remarkable man who served as President during such a remarkable time, that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between biography and hagiography. Jean Edward Smith's "FDR" comes perilously close to being hagiography. But it is also a superior one-volume biography of one of the greatest men in American history.
There is nothing new in this biography. Everything here has been written about previously by other authors. What Smith, much to his credit, does is to bring it all together in an eminently readable volume. This would be a near ideal place for anyone wanting to improve their understanding of 20th Century American history to begin, for Roosevelt's Presidency covered the most important years and events of the century.
Political partisans will find much to criticize since Smith avoids some - but certainly not all - of the aspects of Roosevelt's political life that are arguable. On the whole though, Smith is to be commended for producing a comprehensive biography.
It's a solid effort easily on a par with Conrad Black's effort of a few years back. Like Lincoln, Roosevelt is the subject of thousands of books. While Smith's biography won't stop anyone from writing yet another, this is an excellent overall biography of the man.
Jerry
The best single-volume on FDR's life now available.......2007-09-03
Smith's volume on U.S. Grant was one of the finest biographies I have ever read, a truly masterful work, which led me enthusiastically to his new book on FDR. While the FDR biography contains few new revelations for true Roosevelt devotees, it is a superb work and a "must read" for anyone with an interest in the man or his times. Finely researched, beautifully written and nicely balanced, it is the best single-volume modern biography of Roosevelt now available.
Book Description
The Ninth Edition retains all of the traditional features that have made History of the Theatre a classic for over thirty years, including over 530 photos and illustrations, useful maps, and the expertise of Oscar Brockett, one of the most widely respected theatre historians in the field.
Franklin J. Hildy contributes his scholarship and experience throughout the book and, in particular, to a discussion of English Theatre/Shakespeare (Ch. 5). Reorganized with more uniform chapter lengths and a clearer chronology, the ninth edition continues to provide the most thorough and accurate assessment of theatre history available.
For anyone involved with, or interested in, the theatre.
Customer Reviews:
Beware false idols........2007-05-06
Some theatre students and teachers take this book for a theatre history bible of sorts. Unfortunately, this results in readers switching off their critical thinking skills and accepting Dr. Brockett's values and opinions as facts. The scholar makes history and Brockett's history privileges debated concepts such as ritual-origin theory and drastically undervalues accomplishments of othered groups such as 17th century English actresses. (They get a whopping two sentences!) While this book is good for pedestrian and generalized descriptions of major figures and events (from a 20th century perspective), it is far from exhaustive. Alternative historical theories are not given much thought and the author presents opinion and theory as empirical fact regularly throughout the text.
God is dead.
dry, but good.......2001-11-06
Having taken a course that required reading the book I can safely say that it is dry in some sections of history due to the "PC" nature of it's telling. But it's mostly an interesting resource and reference book for theatre buffs and history buffs alike.
Yes, Oscar Brockett is God.......2000-02-19
I had the pleasure of being Brock's student for three years at the University of Texas. The book is phenomenal, easy to read and amazingly complete. The History of the Theatre experience should also be augmented by the opportunity to hear Brockett speak. He is erudite, funny, a lively teacher and an incredible intellect. There is no other book to serve as a reference and introduction to theatre history. No other book and no other teacher so expertly and informatively makes you realize the interweaving of theatre and society throughout its long history. IMHO, Brockett should write the history not just of theatre but of everything. His non-didactic, straight-forward and lively prose would make any work of history or criticism on any subject a delight.
An Excellent and Thorough Text Under Great Editorship.......2000-01-25
As a former student of Franklin J. Hildy's, and a reader of the Brockett text for several theater courses, I must highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a detailed, yet expansive, overview of the history of the theatrical arts throughout the world. Dr. Hildy's passion for and knowledge of the subject matter is rivaled by none and the complete scope of this project would have daunted many editors less competent to undertake such a task. A great reference text as well as course material. I often find mine useful in day-to-day queries as well as research on period and scenic styles.
Oscar Brockett is God........1999-09-17
No other theatrical historian today commands the respect and authority that Oscar Brockett receives, and "The History of the Theatre" is his master work. As complete a guide to theatre history as any on the market, this book abounds with illustrations, maps, and helpful details. When you want ideas about theatre history, find an article. When you want facts and answers, consult the Brockett. A "must have" for any true scholar of the theatre.
Book Description
- A new more usable organization...every section has been reformatted so that you will never have to search outside of that area for information on the topic you are exploring.
- 30%
MORE math coverage...from the basic to the advanced, you'll find fractions, positive and negative numbers, derivatives and integrals, analytical geometry, circular segments, matrices and engineering economics.
- New or revised material on...cutting tools, screw threads, symbols and abbreviations, threads and threading, disc springs, properties and materials, sine bars, and sheet metal.
- Updated Standards.
- New individual indices for standards, materials, and interactive equations.
Customer Reviews:
Big Help.......2007-09-24
I got the handbook because it was required for one of my classes, and I am glad i got it because we can use it on tests and and while we are doing assignments.
Engineer's Best Friend!.......2007-09-13
I am a Mechanical Engineer in the Aerospace/Defense industry, and if my work caught on fire and I could save only one book during my escape, this would be it! Any Engineer, Machinist, Mechanic, etc., basically anyone who deals with machinery, should get this book. It provides the utmost in reference. I would highly recommend making the investment and buying your own, since I would not let anyone borrow my copy (unless I took a $100 deposit, but then again everyone at my work has one). Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering students should at least borrow a copy when they take machine design class, since it will supplement your textbook and give you a taste of real-world application of fasteners, machine elements, etc. A must have! Just buy it and you'll wonder how you ever got by without it.
good comprehensive reference.......2007-07-17
I love the large print, definitely glad i did not get the old microprint version. I feel like the tables are a bit out of date, who doesn't use a CAM, excel, or a calculator to convert RPM and SFM? I'd recommend looking at the CD version just for searchability.
Engineer at Work.......2007-07-13
The book was in perfect condition and was a decent price. Shipping was good , too. I'm happy.
Design Engineer's book.......2007-06-06
Mechanical engineer's must have book. Without it you'll probably be searching for incorrect information on the internet.
Amazon.com
In an Author's Note at the end of his book The Widow of the South, Robert Hicks tells us that "when Oscar Wilde made his infamous tour of America in 1882, he told his hosts that his itinerary should include a visit to 'sunny Tennessee to meet the Widow McGavock, the high priestess of the temple of dead boys.'" Carrie McGavock, The Widow of the South, did indeed take it upon herself to grieve the loss of so many young men in the battle of Franklin, Tennessee, which took place on November 30, 1864. Nine thousand men lost their lives that day. She and her husband John eventually re-buried on their own land 1,481 Confederate soldiers killed at Franklin, when the family that owned the land on which the original shallow graves had been dug decided to plow it under and put it into cultivation.
Before the battle begins, Carrie's house is commandeered for a field hospital and all normal life is suspended. Carrie is anything but normal, however. She has buried three children, has two living children she pays little attention to, has turned the running of the house over to her slave, Mariah, and spends her time dressed in black walking around in the dark or lying down lamenting her loss. She is a morbid figure from the outset but becomes less so as the novel progresses. The death going on all around her shakes her out of her torpor, but death is definitely her comfort zone.
One of the soldiers who is treated at the house is Zachariah Cashwell, who loses his leg when Carrie sends him to surgery rather than watch him die. They are inextricably bound in some kind of a spiritual dance from then on. Their reasons for being drawn to each other are inexplicable, apparently, because they remain unexplained, and when Cashwell tells Carrie he loves her, she beats him nearly to death because she loves him too. At least, that is the reason Hicks gives. He violates that first caveat given to all writers: "show us, don't tell us." There is doubtless something deeply flawed in Carrie and screamingly symbolic about her behavior; it is surely elusive. Too bad, because Carrie was a real person whom Hicks lauds for her compassion and ability to grieve without end. Then, he throws in this gratuitous "love story" and confuses the issue. Carrie's relationship with her husband and children remains unexamined. Hicks is better at describing death and "the stink of war" than he is at life. If you read War and Peace and loved all the war parts and were bored senseless by the peace parts, this is your cup of tea. --Valerie Ryan
Book Description
In an Author's Note at the end of his book The Widow of the South, Robert Hicks tells us that "when Oscar Wilde made his infamous tour of America in 1882, he told his hosts that his itinerary should include a visit to 'sunny Tennessee to meet the Widow McGavock, the high priestess of the temple of dead boys.'"Carrie McGavock, The Widow of the South, did indeed take it upon herself to grieve the loss of so many young men in the battle of Franklin, Tennessee, which took place on November 30, 1864.Nine thousand men lost their lives that day.She and her husband John eventually re-buried on their own land 1,481 Confederate soldiers killed at Franklin, when the family that owned the land on which the original shallow graves had been dug decided to plow it under and put it into cultivation.Before the battle begins, Carrie's house is commandeered for a field hospital and all normal life is suspended.Carrie is anything but normal, however.She has buried three children, has two living children she pays little attention to, has turned the running of the house over to her slave, Mariah, and spends her time dressed in black walking around in the dark or lying down lamenting her loss.She is a morbid figure from the outset but becomes less so as the novel progresses.The death going on all around her shakes her out of her torpor, but death is definitely her comfort zone.One of the soldiers who is treated at the house is Zachariah Cashwell, who loses his leg when Carrie sends him to surgery rather than watch him die.They are inextricably bound in some kind of a spiritual dance from then on.Their reasons for being drawn to each other are inexplicable, apparently, because they remain unexplained, and when Cashwell tells Carrie he loves her, she beats him nearly to death because she loves him too.At least, that is the reason Hicks gives.He violates that first caveat given to all writers: "show us, don't tell us."There is doubtless something deeply flawed in Carrie and screamingly symbolic about her behavior; it is surely elusive.Too bad, because Carrie was a real person whom Hicks lauds for her compassion and ability to grieve without end.Then, he throws in this gratuitous "love story" and confuses the issue.Carrie's relationship with her husband and children remains unexamined. Hicks is better at describing death and "the stink of war" than he is at life.If you read War and Peace and loved all the war parts and were bored senseless by the peace parts, this is your cup of tea. --Valerie Ryan
Customer Reviews:
Who are you Kidding?!.......2007-08-10
The historical portions of the novel are researched and present a clear picture of the battle of Franklin and the futility of the Civil War as it was being pressed by the South at this juncture. The war was essentially lost after the fall of Atlanta and the graphic and accurate description of the needless deaths of so many on this battlefield cause pain to me even after over 150 years.
The writer lost me with his "romance" between the two main characters. I could have accepted an attraction, magnetism, fascination, etc., between them. But having Carrie crawling around on a dirt floor of a cellar exchanging a kiss with someone seriously unwashed and whose breath had been described two or three pages before as having the smell of rotten hay?! I doubt it.
This could have been a great book.
Good history, poor love story........2007-08-01
THE WIDOW OF THE SOUTH BOOK REVIEW
By Mary Olivera
On the eve of November 30, 1864, Carrie McGavock was languishing in her home over the deaths of three of her five children, unprepared for a battle that would take place at her doorsteps the next day. She would be abruptly awakened from her depression to come face to face with the realities of a war she did not care for and had wanted to hide from. Instead, she found within herself a strength she did not know she had and became a person with a purpose.
"The Widow of the South" by Robert Hicks is the fictional account of the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee, one of the last battles of the Civil War, and its aftermath. Confederate General John Hood, against the advice of fellow officers, marched his army against the well-fortified forces of Union Major General John Schofield into the town of Franklin, Tennessee. Confederate soldiers charged through about two miles of open field to be slaughtered by the entrenched Union forces. By the end of the day over 9,000 soldiers, both Union and Confederate were dead or wounded on the fields, including six Confederate generals.
The story centers on Carrie McGavock, whose home was commandeered into a field hospital for the Confederate soldiers. The book highlights Carrie's efforts to nurse the wounded soldiers in her home and later her efforts to re-inter over one thousand Confederate soldiers in her family's cemetery. Because of these efforts and the fact that she maintained this privately owned cemetery for the rest of her life, Carrie became nationally known as "The Widow of the South".
The book's style is very vivid and eloquent. The author relies on flashbacks from different peoples' perspectives to take the reader through the story. I enjoyed this approach but others may find it difficult to follow. It is apparent that Hicks did his research before writing this novel. His scenes of the battlefield were especially grim and his anti-war stance is evident. The description of the death of a young Confederate soldier is difficult to forget:
"I watched a little rebel boy, couldn't have been more than 12 years old, suffocate under the weight of the dead piled atop him. Suffocated. I had never considered the possibility. Only his head stuck through the pile, and I thought for a second that he was looking at me and trying to say something, only he didn't have the air to do it. He couldn't breathe, and God knows where he'd been shot. His jaws moved, and his eyes welled with tears. The last I saw of him he was closing his eyes just as another body landed on him covering him completely. It was as if a wave had crashed over him, and he'd been pulled out to sea." (Page 84)
Mr. Hicks pays a great amount of detail to Carnton House, Carrie's home. It's only fitting since he has served on the Board of Historic Carnton Plantation and wrote the book to bring the Battle of Franklin, Carrie McGavock, and Carnton House to national attention. Some readers may feel that more information about the Civil War should have been included, but this is Carrie's story, and it wasn't important to her.
I felt that the book could have worked better as non-fiction. I enjoyed reading the Author's Note and would like to see that fleshed out more, especially why Carrie felt that she had to re-inter the soldiers' bodies on her land. Still, historical fiction lovers, especially Civil War aficionados, will enjoy the tale.
My next issue was the "love story" between Carrie and Sergeant Zachariah Cashwell, a patient in her home. Although the romance was important to the novel, the reason why remained unclear.
The Widow of the South is a tribute to Carrie McGavock's strength of character. It shows how a person so unprepared for the horrors that suddenly surrounded her persevered and found a purpose for her life. Carrie selflessly sacrificed her own life in order to honor the memory of the men who died outside her doorsteps.
Outstanding! Simply Outstanding!.......2007-07-26
I would give this one 6 stars if possible. Robert Hicks has written a wonderful book. He intertwines fact and fiction in a manner that will hold your interest from beginning to end. I have been to Franklin, Tennessee and to Carnton, but will never look at them the same way. This work is based on a true story about a remarkable woman with passion unequaled; a passion for the dead and those facing death. You will ride an emotional roller coaster throughout this book. I have read Civil War books for many, many years and can truthfully say, "This is one of the best."
A Gem The Restless Can Relate To .......2007-07-13
My daughter and I picked up several books a few months back when Border's was having a buy 3 get 1 free sale. Ky picked this one out and I figured that simply based on the cover I'd give it a trial read. Wow, I did more than a chapter! I crawled into this novel and couldn't believe that it was from a first time writer who is not a historian. Hicks focuses on the human element of the Civil War which is not far from Gone With The Wind, but with far more depth and less dramatic angst. The story of Carrie McGavock and her place during and well after the Battle of Franklin is told from many different perspectives, with multi characters telling the story. None of the carnage of war is lost here, but more importantly neither is its long term effects on the individual. Carrie is a real person and her feelings, short-comings, fears, and revelations are moving and timeless. As a women who often feels lost in the world, I could relate to this brave women who lived and died a century and a half before me. Her reasons may have been odd to her contemporaries or even to those who read the story now, but they were not lost on me. I cannot recommend this book enough if for any reason than to learn about the Battle of Franklin. Robert Hicks should be commended on his work and research and most importantly his preservation of this story and these real American Heroes. As a historian my final opinion is, at the very least it can inspire more interest or study of an important time in our nation's history.
Interesting perspective changes.......2007-07-09
Having lived in Thompsons Station, TN, I was familiar with the Carnton Plantation and the "lay of the land". The style of this book was different from any I've read previously. I was first annoyed by how the perspective kept changing back-and-forth from the point of view of Carrie and Zacariah. As the book progressed however, I enjoyed and anticipated what the other's perspective was going to be as I was reading the first account. It was an "interesting" book.
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