Central Cambridge : A Guide to the University and Colleges
by H R H The Prince Philip Kevin Taylor
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (31 March, 1994)
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Reviews (1)

breathtaking
This is one of the best books about Cambridge that i own. It's a hybrid of a picture book, full of dazzling photos of the colleges and surrounding town, and a brief history of each college and the town of Cambridge itself. It isn't as long or as wordy as a full history might have been but take it for what it is.
For those who've been there, it is a trip down memory lane which showcases the most beautiful, the most intriguing, and the most fascinating sights in Cambridge, with a good bit of information about each.
For those who haven't been, or are planning to go, this book acts as a tourguide, complete with map. It points out the very best there is to see and how to get there.
I would (and have) recommend this book for anyone with an interest in Cambridge. It's almost like taking a daytrip there. ... Read more

Isbn: 0521459133
Sales Rank: 76161
Subjects:  1. Europe - Great Britain - General    2. Europe - Gt. Britain/England    3. Guidebooks    4. Higher    5. Individual Institutions Of Higher Education    6. Travel    7. Travel - Foreign    8. Travel Guides    9. University of Cambridge    10. Western Europe - General    11. England    12. Higher & further education    13. History / Europe / Western    14. Local history   

Chariots of Fire
Director: Hugh Hudson
Average Customer Review:
VHS Tape (13 March, 2001)
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Editorial Review

The come-from-behind winner of the 1981 Oscar for best picture, Chariots of Fire either strikes you as either a cold exercise in mechanical manipulation or as a tale of true determination and inspiration. The heroes are an unlikely pair of young athletes who ran for Great Britain in the 1924 Paris Olympics: devout Protestant Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), a divinity student whose running makes him feel closer to God, and Jewish Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), a highly competitive Cambridge student who has to surmount the institutional hurdles of class prejudice and anti-Semitism. There's delicious support from Ian Holm (as Abrahams's coach) and John Gielgud and Lindsay Anderson as a couple of Cambridge fogies. Vangelis's soaring synthesized score, which seemed to be everywhere in the early 1980s, also won an Oscar. Chariots of Fire was the debut film of British television commercial director Hugh Hudson (Greystoke) and was produced by David Puttnam. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Dolby
• NTSC

Reviews (144)

Feeling His pleasure! Gulp.
What a statement! I remember the first time I saw this I was maybe 5 years old, and the scene that stuck with me was when Eric Liddell got knocked down, got back up, and won the race early in the movie! Being a baseball and football fan, I still have no idea why that scene in particular stuck with me. But over 20 years later, I know why it will always be one of my favorites. The stubborn, yet amazing faith of 2 men, but with faith in 2 different things. The amazing thing is that ultimately, they both came out winners!

I say that because I myself am like Harold Abrahams. You better believe that this man hates to lose! And he's seeking top prize, not for just 1 competition, but for everything he enters. 2nd place isn't good enough. Not even close to being good enough. The woman he's dating scolds him by telling him he's acting like a child after a close 2nd place finish, and he still can't accept it. And that's my kind of man! By the way, I love the Gilbert and Sullivan through parts of this, you can't go wrong with a classice duo such as Gilbert and Sullivan, amen?

But then you have Scottish missionary, Eric Liddell. This is a man after God's own heart, and there are certain things that he will not compromise, it just isn't going to happen. He has it in him to stand up to people with the right amount of grace, yet with boldness! You won't find Eric Liddell back down. Also I find that I am at times in awe of how Liddell loves what he does, because he's doing it for his Lord. He knows God made him for China, but God also made him fast, and then he says something that everyone should pay attention to, "And when I run, I can feel His pleasure!" Hey, sometimes you can't help but go, "GULP!" as you try and choke back a tear or two.

These guys are both faced with adversity, yet they both triumph! And they never gave in!

Still Gripping After All These Years
Hard to believe Chariots will be 25 next year.Holds up surprisingly well considering its basically a stuffy Edwardian Brit drama. The kind Merchant & Ivory spent the 80's and 90's making. The movie is set between the wars and towards the end of the British Empire. Chariots can be read as little more than 2 hours of British cheerleading & self congratulations.Classism, rascism, anti-semitism, nationalism and any other unsavory aspect of the English ruling class are perfunctatorily mentioned and delicately set aside in favor of King, country and running really fast. The Vangelis theme, sympathetic characters, sumptious cinematography and fine acting are the keys here.

Chariots of Fire (Two-Disc Special Edition) (1981)
I am a really huge fan of this movie - in fact when it came out in the Theaters I saw it twice that same day -- and we are talking about 1981 - almost 25 years ago.I know why this picture qualifies as Best Picture -- it is tremendous -- a real period piece set back in early century England and surrounding areas.The photography, sets, costumes and dialgoue are all superb.The pace and music are also very moving and really bring you into the drama that unfolds.Iam Holm as the Coach is marvellous and it is really neat to see a movie that focuses on the Olympics when they were on a smaller scale, yet of such importance to the athletes because of the feeling of national pride.

I am so delighted to see Special Features as well -- can't wait to listen to the entire commentary to hear how the film was made.

MY ONLY COMPLAINT WITH THIS DVD IS --YIKES --IT IS A WORSE VISUAL PRINT THAN THE PREVIOUS DVD, IN TERMS OF CLARITY, COLOR, SHARPNESS AND COMPLETENESS.Supposedly this is a "First Time Wide Screen" presentation of this Best Picture, but the company that produced this disc should be more responsible. They CROPPED a good 10% of the height of the picture that the previous DVD (that was already "formatted to fit your screen") contained.Plus on the sideways dimension (i.e., the width) they have improved the coverage on the left by about 3%, but have stolen that picture area from the far right hand side of the print.All these measurements were carfully taken by comparing the old DVD (from 1997) to this one, supposedly in Widescreen!

Boy, now I have to keep track of both discs and can't even look forward to seeing the whole picture area (and "see" the Director'screative genius) like I did way back in 1981 when I was in the theater.

I know this disc says that this version uses a "matted" widescreen process to preserve the original aspect ratio, but , boy, they really ZOOMED in too much {with their 16 x 9 "camera"}.So I'll be watching the movie on the old DVD, then switching to the new DVD to hear the commentary (but not really watching the film that closely) and then popping in the Special Feature DVD disc for all the extra jazz.

I sure wish the Studios that manufacture these discs treasured them as much as us film students.I guess I'll really never "see" that complete version again -- unless the Studio takes our input seriously!!Maybe if enough of us speak up, they'll re-issue an improved print!

HAVE A GREAT DAY -- and buy this one (but keep your old DVD for more than nostalgia purposes) ... Read more

Asin: 6300271498
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

Shadowlands
Director: Richard Attenborough
Average Customer Review:
VHS Tape (13 January, 1998)
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Editorial Review

This emotionally moving romantic drama was adapted by William Nicholson from his own acclaimed play, based upon the real-life romance (during the 1950s) between the British writer C.S. Lewis and a divorced American poet named Joy Gresham. Best known for writing The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Lewis (Anthony Hopkins) is living comfortably as a respected Oxford don, his academic lifestyle a kind of shell protecting him from the emotional risk of love. Joy Gresham (Debra Winger) arrives at Oxford as an avid admirer of Lewis's writing, and the safety of his collegiate routine is quickly disrupted when Lewis realizes that he's fallen deeply and unexpectedly in love. Their courtship is uniquely engaging; he's shy and uncertain, she's outspoken and bold. But when Joy is diagnosed with cancer, Lewis's Christian faith is put to the test--he cannot fathom why their happiness together would be so drastically challenged. Together, they find a way to accept and honor the time they have shared together, and under the sensitive direction of Richard Attenborough, Shadowlands arrives at a conclusion that is both heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. Hopkins and Winger are equally superb in this absorbing story of personal and spiritual transformation--a story previously filmed for British television in 1985, with Joss Ackland and Claire Bloom. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Dolby
• Closed-captioned
• NTSC

Reviews (93)

"We read to know we are not alone."


This movie is the perfect vehicle for the subtleties of Anthony Hopkins' acting talent, the slow shifting of emotions as author CS Lewis awakens to life and, through it, love. In this enactment of the romance between Lewis and Joy Gresham, a divorced American with a young son, Hopkins portrays an extremely private man and he does so with great sensitivity.

The stolid Oxford professor has insulated himself from any real intimacy with the world. As his friend Joy Gresham says, Lewis keeps everyone at a distance, either by years or by position. Secure in the book-lined rooms of academia, CS Lewis is enshrined in the world of the intellect, recoiling from the pain of real personal investment.

When Lewis meets Gresham and her son, the professor makes an elaborate show of friendship unbound by commitment. But Joy (Debra Winger) is more direct, unwilling to endure his self-protective posturing. In order to remain in London, Gresham must marry and Lewis accommodates her request and they wed in a civil ceremony. It is only after she is diagnosed with cancer that Lewis realizes the depth of his feelings for this woman, their time together now severely restricted. Lewis recognizes the rarity of such opportunity, throwing himself into new-found passion in middle age.

Hopkins flexes his acting muscles as this stolid, reserved man slowly awakens after a lifetime of self-control, embracing whole-heartedly an affection towards another, suddenly exuberant after years of emotional quietude. Unable to deal with his own grief at Gresham's impending death, Lewis is finally reminded that her son, Douglas, is suffering as well. In one of the most powerful scenes of the movie, Lewis approaches the young boy now in his care, reaching into the deepest reserves of compassion to as they both grieve, the beginning of healing.

The cinematography adds to the texture of the movie, verdant green hills, the weight of an Oxford winter, the bustling London streets. Winger is adequate as Gresham, but no match for Hopkins. Winger doesn't shine, simply reflects Hopkins' tour de force performance. A more memorable actress than Winger might have made this film perfect, but the emotional tenor of Hopkins' acting dwarfs the rest of the characters. "The boy chose safety. The man chose suffering." Luan Gaines/ 2005.

Excellent film
'We read to know that we are not alone!' I guess one can also say 'we watch movies to find humanity or common human experiences' I didn't mean to sound deep, but this movie is in perfect pitch right down to the intricate details. I can't add anymore to what the previous reviewers have written. BUY THIS DVD!

Best emotional scene in all of cinema
This movie simply sparkles.Although I've never really liked Debra Winger in her movie roles, she brought a refreshing sense of realism to her role of Joy in this film.The tour de force, however, belongs to Anthony Hopkins.We understand all his detachments and his eventual great emotional entanglements that allow him to finally live a life that had been held at arms length before.
One of the last scenes in which C.S. Lewis sits upstairs with his step-son trying to piece together the effects of Joy's death cuts me to the heart every time I see it.Anthony Hopkins is so genuine and finally lets that emotional dam break in a most believable while still subtle way.I treasure this movie and only wish it had received more acclaim in theaters.It is a jewel to add to your home collection.I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Asin: 6303115454
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (02 November, 1999)
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Editorial Review

This disc could be more succinctly titled Christmas for Anglophiles. Few sounds are more British than the boy soprano-dominated Choir of King's College in Cambridge. And the group is heard--in some sections recorded live--in an actual Christmastide service amid the generous reverberation of a cathedral acoustic with little more than a tasteful though austere organ accompaniment. The repertoire isn't just conservative, traditional hymns and carols. One is harmonized by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and there are a number of contributions by contemporary composers Thomas Adès, Judith Weir, and John Tavener, all of which are probing, sincere, even personal examples of their art (and some are daringly liberated, harmonically speaking). The downside for some listeners--at least on repeated hearings--is that the entire service is heard, sermons and all. Others may take this in the spirit of a Paul McCreesh liturgical reconstruction, with congregational singing included. --David Patrick Stearns ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Truely inspirational!!!!
A holiday classic.It has been a tradtion in our family for years. This is the first time I've seen it available on CD.I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Don't let this recording pass you by!
Do yourself a favor and buy this CD - even if you don't think you like Christmas music. People stand in line for hours to hear the Choir of King's College's annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, and when you hear this recording, you will understand why. Rarely does a choir sound quite as pure, smooth, and "together" as they do on this recording. The selection of music is wonderful. You get a few traditional favorites like "O Come All Ye Faithful", recorded live with the choir and the congregation singing along (I thought this would annoy me but it really doesn't - it only makes me feel the spirit of the ceremony even more). You also get plenty of wonderful choir-only pieces that you've probably never heard before unless you're a big cathedral music enthusiast. It all begins, of course, with a single choirboy singing the first verse of "Once in Royal David's City". It's impossible for me to pick an absolute favorite from this recording. I find "The Fayrfax Carol" by Thomas Ades to be particularly haunting and beautiful. Vaughan Williams' "The Truth from Above" is also very, very lovely. And how could you not enjoy "Up! Good Christen folk, and listen"? There is also Ord's short, but beautiful, "Adam lay ybounden". I like all of these pieces in and of themselves, but I think having them sung so expertly and sweetly by the choir makes me like them even more.

To top it all off, you get about 20 minutes worth of readings and prayers recorded live at the service, interspersed among all of the music. I suppose this could be seen as the recording's only drawback (people talking), but I think it makes the recording much more authentic as a representation of the world-famous service. The readings make the recording more than just a musical experience, but a complete Christmas experience - which is what the ceremony is supposed to be. Besides, if you really hate the talking, that's what the skip button is for.

Go ahead and buy this -- you'll be very glad you did.

A Shining Star
To the other fine and informative reviews here, I would add the following.Though the Festival service and the recording are 80% musical, the "lessons", which are brief scripture passages given moving dramatic readings by college personnel, are the backbone of the Festival and the riverbed through which the carols flow.There is a chronological order to the lessons, beginning in Genesis, and each musical selection is tied to the reading which preceded it.This synthesis makes listening to this CD a very spiritual experience that transports one well beyond what is felt listening to other recorded compilations of carols.

The music is primarily drawn from traditional British Christmas repertoire.Well-known British composers over centuries and King's College's organists and music directors over the past century wrote or arranged most of the selections.Several texts are in Olde English or Latin.Three recent compositions are here, too, but the first priority of the Festival director is clearly the tradition and the history of this service and of Christmas in England.There is nothing, however, "musty" about this CD.The tempi are modern and sprightly where indicated, and the performances are transcendent.The Choir of King's College, directed by Stephen Cleobury, consists of 35 young men chosen by highly competitive audition, and they are among the finest choral ensembles in the world.A superb pipe organ played by Benjamin Bayl is the only supplement to the voices.

The sound of the recording is a major improvement from radio broadcasts and earlier (now out-of-print) releases of this service.For this CD, the four-and-a-half hymns in which the congregation sings with the choir were recorded during services in December 1998.The balance of the recording was made in the same chapel in July 1999, without the congregation present, so the coughing and shuffling heard during live broadcasts and earlier live recordings is happily absent.The only small problem is that the reverberating acoustics of the chapel, though gorgeous, make many lyrics difficult to discern.Keep the booklet handy.Highest recommendation. ... Read more

Asin: B00002CF12
Subjects:  1. Ballet    2. Chanukah    3. Choral    4. Christmas    5. Christmas / Chanukkah    6. Classical    7. Film    8. Keyboard    9. Miscellaneous    10. Orchestral   

The Holly & Ivy
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (30 May, 1990)
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Editorial Review

Initially released in 1979, this album built on the success of the legendary Carols for Choirs volumes in establishing John Rutter's name with the wider public, and it gave a strong hint that he was more than just a talented composer-arranger. As the many subsequent releases on the Collegium label have also shown, Rutter is a deeply sensitive and musical conductor, alive to the color of words, always allowing phrases to breathe naturally. The accomplished Clare College Choir features male and female voices, the latter providing a more rounded alternative to those world-famous neighbors in Cambridge. Included are many of Rutter's own easy-listening carol arrangements ("King Jesus Hath a Garden" and "Wexford Carol," for example), plus others by the likes of Vaughan Williams and David Willcocks, while "Donkey Carol" and "Mary's Lullaby" are quintessential Rutter originals. Only a few numbers can be classed (statistically) as all-time Christmas faves--the likes of "The Holly and the Ivy" and "Ding Dong Merrily on High"--but this needn't deter anyone from snapping up what is the perfect album to accompany Christmas pud mixing (preferably by candlelight, imagining the twilight scene in Ely Cathedral's Lady Chapel, whose glorious acoustic graces the sound). --Andrew Green ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Blissful
As many have mentioned here, this is a simply beautiful cd.The selections are some you may not have heard before, but they rapidly become old familiar favorites.Everything is perfect, from the blissful arrangements to the choir's and orchestra's soothing timbres to the enveloping emotion the performances convey.The flow of the first five tracks just completely sucks you in - Up! Good Christian Folk and Listen, Gabriel's Message, Donkey Carol, and Wexford Carol are wonderful back to back.Mary's Lullaby is, as others have described this disc, abosolutely Heavenly.I, as well, am thankful to the other reviewers whose words encouraged me to give this disc a chance.It is undoubtedly a holiday favorite I listen to repeatedly; often, I even go right back to the beginning and play it again.I'll definitely be looking for more similar discs this year to round out my collection.

************* BEAUTIFUL ******************
If you are looking for a good solid traditonal Christmas CD to add to your collection this is it.

If you can only afford one Christmas cd and you want a soothing, uplifting, beautiful and magical cd........this is it.

Simple yet complex.....The voices are pure ethereal, like angels.Words to discribe this album would be magical, beautiful, light, pure, spiritual, moving, comforting, joyous.

This album captures the true essence of the season.

I have spent almost double on most of my other Christmas cd's and yet this is destined to be one of my very favorite.

A reviewer from Georgia said "breath taking" and I agree.

************* BEAUTIFUL ******************
If you are looking for a good solid traditonal Christmas CD to add to your collection this is it.

If you can only afford one Christmas cd and you want a soothing, uplifting, beautiful and magical cd........this is it.

Simple yet complex.....The voices are pure ethereal, like angels.Words to discribe this album would be magical, beautiful, light, pure, spiritual, moving, comforting, joyous.

This album captures the essence of the season.

I have spent almost double on most of my other Christmas cd's and yet this is destined to be one of my very favorite.

A reviewer from Indiana said "breath taking" and I agree. ... Read more

Asin: B0000041VV
Subjects:  1. Choral    2. Christmas    3. Christmas / Chanukkah    4. Classical    5. Keyboard    6. Miscellaneous    7. Vocal   

Bedders, Bulldogs and Bedells : A Cambridge Glossary
by Frank Stubbings
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (27 January, 1995)
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Reviews (1)

Charming and enlightening
This charming small volume is an alphabetical dictionary of terms common to and distinctive of Cambridge University in England. Stubbings is a Classicist by profession, and he explains both the origins of the terms (many of which come from Latin of course) as well as their present and past meanings. Far from being a simple dictionary, many of the entries are delightful small essays on some aspect of university life, from colleges to fellows, from gowns to orators, from scholars to sizars.

While many of the terms in the volume refer to practices and offices that no longer exist, others are very much alive today, and some deserve wider currency. My own favorite is the verb "to be progged" (to be caught by a proctor while committing some offense).

If you are fond of life in the academic world, or of the history of education, or of odd dialects and strange vocabularies, you will derive much pleasure from this volume. It is a window into a rich and often quirky social environment that is very different from the bureaucratized and slogan-filled universities of today.

By the way, "bedders" are (or were) college bedmakers, largely supplanted today by modern custodians of one sort or another; "bulldogs" are university constables; and "bedells" were once the attendants of the head of the university but now their office involves little more than carrying the university mace on ceremonial occasions. ... Read more

Isbn: 0521479789
Sales Rank: 1465843
Subjects:  1. Cambridge    2. College students    3. Dialects    4. Dictionaries    5. England    6. English Dialectology    7. English language    8. General    9. Glossaries, vocabularies, etc    10. Language    11. Language Arts & Disciplines    12. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    13. University of Cambridge    14. Dialectology    15. English    16. Language Arts & Disciplines / General    17. Literary & Linguistic Reference Works   

The Oxford Book of Oxford
by Jan Morris
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Hardcover (01 June, 1978)
list price: $22.95
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Reviews (1)

A Great Leisure Read
Jan Morris captures the history of Oxford with many delightful stories and quotes. The book is great because it takes you on a journey of Oxford through the ages. The dons, the students, formal hall, college rowing are all familiar to someone who have studied at Oxford. There are also things that current students may not be as familiar with such as the history of women in Oxford. This is a great read but I am disappointed that more recent stories are not collected from the newer colleges such as Lady Margaret Hall, St. Anthony's or Mansfield, etc. Overall, this is a highly enjoyable read. ... Read more

Isbn: 019214104X
Sales Rank: 1229012
Subjects:  1. 272    2. Addresses and essays    3. Addresses, essays, lectures    4. History    5. University of Oxford   

Harvard Observed: An Illustrated History of the University in the Twentieth Century
by John T. Bethell
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 November, 1998)
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Reviews (2)

Well-written, thoughtful, and definitive
HARVARD OBSERVED is a cogent and thought-provoking history that belongs onthe shelf of every Harvard alumnus or alumna--and also in the library ofanyone who is interested in American higher education. The illustrationsare well-chosen; the anecdotes are often surprising; and though one comesaway with great respect for Harvard, Bethell's warts-and-all presentationgives this book anything but an institutional feel. The book would be worthbuying even if one read nothing but the section on SDS's takeover ofUniversity Hall in 1969, which is a model of fairness and careful reportage(the author was obviously on the scene). A splendid book throughout

The captivating tale of an institution in transition
The author sorts through the major and minor events of Harvard's lasthundred years to show how one of the world's great institutions haschanged, and been changed by, the twentieth century.Thoroughly researchedand written with an emphasis on the telling detail, Harvard Observed shouldbe a treat for anyone with a Harvard connection or an interest in twentiethcentury history. [Reviewed in galleys] ... Read more

Isbn: 0674377338
Sales Rank: 610235
Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. College Life    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. Harvard University    6. Higher    7. History    8. Individual Institutions Of Higher Education    9. United States - State & Local - General   

Princeton University
by Don Oberdorfer
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (30 October, 1995)
list price: $69.50
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Reviews (1)

Beautiful and Interesting Book on Old Nassau
I think that this is one of the best coffee table books out there and certainly a must have for alumni.The book includes not only an interesting history of the university and its transformation over its longhistory, but also some of the most beautiful pictures of the campus thatI've seen.Any alumnus would enjoy revisiting Princeton and seeing her ina new light through this book. ... Read more

Isbn: 0691011222
Sales Rank: 153415
Subjects:  1. Education    2. General    3. Higher    4. History    5. History - General History    6. Individual Institutions Of Higher Education    7. Princeton University    8. American History    9. Education / Higher   

The Abandoned Generation: Rethinking Higher Education
by William H. Willimon Thomas H. Naylor Wb Eerdmans Pub Co
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 August, 1995)
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Reviews (1)

An important, not faddish, book on university reform
Along with Kors and Silverglate's The Shadow University, this is one of the most important higher education books published in many years. Based on their studies of the Duke University campus, Willimon and Naylor correctly identify the real problem in American higher education as the poverty of student life, not the politicization of the curriculum.

For more than a generation, student life has been under the control of a vacuous bureaucracy of "student affairs" and "residence life" workers who exist in a state of co-dependency with underprepared and delinquent students. Out-of-control dormitories, alcohol abuse and vandalism, institutionally-promoted segregation, and a complete disconnection between the classroom and life outside the classroom -- all these problems have been endemic for a generation in institutions that advertise themselves as "caring" and "student-centered."

The solution to these problems, Willimon and Naylor show, is not left politics, nor right politics, nor politics of any kind: it is sustained, personal contact between students and faculty throughout the institution.

It is unlikely that this book will have much effect on university administrators who profit from the existing problems, but it should be read by all students, parents, and (especially) legislators who want to improve the quality of higher education. ... Read more

Isbn: 0802841198
Sales Rank: 652332
Subjects:  1. College students    2. Conduct of life    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. Education, Higher    6. Higher    7. Institutions Of Higher Education    8. Philosophy Of Higher Education    9. Sociological aspects    10. United States    11. Universities and colleges   

Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds
by Richard J. Light
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 March, 2001)
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Reviews (30)

Excellent book for well prepared students.
I found this book a valuable addition to readings we will assign to our graduating seniors. In my role as Head of an Independent Day School, we like to assign our students a common reading for all our older high school students to discuss. This book fills the bill in a great way. It is full of ideas, some of which seem a bit obvious at first glance.

Yet when I ask whether we at our high school are actually putting these ideas into practice, I realize we are only using a few. Starting this year we will implementing several of the author's ideas, ranging from studying in groups outside of class to more specific instructions for how to revise papers.

My guess is other schools with students who will be attending many different colleges, especially stronger colleges, will be able to put many of the excellent ideas from this book into practice. The author's arguments seem well documented. It is well worth reading for any good student, and probably for their parents too. I will be asking our faculty members, and all seniors and juniors, to read it this coming year.

Not really for students...
As a professor, I found the book excellent, both for its many insightful suggestions and as a reminder of the student experience. If I were evaluating this book for faculty, I'd give it five stars.

But the book's title and marketing indicate that this is a how-to book for college students. That's deceptive: It is a summary of findings by Harvard's self-assessment team. Suggestions for students are good when they come, but they're spread between suggestions more useful to college faculty and administration. As an example, one idea is to schedule discussion classes just before dinner, so that students in the class could eat togetherafterward and possibly continue discussion. That's a great idea for administrators, but students can't make much use of it. The book would be stronger if it were separated for the two potential audiences.

The book also suffers from not being up-front about its origins: It summarizes findings of an assessment project at Harvard, but you won't find it described until you reach the appendix. I realize that fewer copies would be sold if they admitted this in the introduction. But until I reached the appendix, where the project's major questions were finally described, I was left wondering why the book's organization was so lopsided. Particularly, the part on campus diversity was much longer than I expected; it wasn't until I reached the appendix that I learned why. (The appendix was one of the best parts. In fact, I recommend reading it first.)

I'd certainly recommend the book to faculty and administrators from any college. The work is clearly based on extensive, well-done interviews, and the analysis is both well-organized and rich in ideas. Just recognize it for what it is.

For all first year students at Drake - - required reading.
Working with a group of Deans, we chose this book as a common reading for all of our new, first year students for academic year 2002 -2003.

Our goal is to have groups of 20 first year students, led by regular faculty members, all reading and discussing "Making the Most of College."Our curriculum committee reviewed about eight competitors and decided this was the most useful book for new college students. Professor Light will speak to all of our new first years when he visits here in the fall.

So far student response has been very enthusiastic. Our honors students seem especially captivated by the various suggestions.

The particular suggestion in this book that many students seem to "resonate" to is the author's suggestion that students find classes where they are able to "make some connections" between what may sometimes be relatively abstract academic work in classes, and something in their own backgrounds or personal lives.

This suggestion has seemed to encourage faculty to plan their classes to cover all of the usual substantive topics, yet to try to "build in" some time for students to relate the readings to their own experiences as well.This may be not at all easy in certain classes in math or the sciences, yet certainly we believe any faculty member in the social sciences or humanities will help students by making this effort.

So far the adoption of this book has been a success on campus, and I am very pleased that many students have actually "re-named" it, and now refer to it as "Making the Most of Drake."The author should take that as a great compliment. ... Read more

Isbn: 0674004787
Sales Rank: 50050
Subjects:  1. Attitudes    2. College seniors    3. College students    4. Education    5. Education / Teaching    6. Harvard University    7. Higher    8. Longitudinal studies    9. Students    10. Students & Student Life   

A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (Center for Environmental Structure Series)
by Christopher Alexander Sara Ishikawa Murray Silverstein
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (1977)
list price: $65.00 -- our price: $40.95
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Editorial Review

The second of three books published by the Center for Environmental Structure to provide a "working alternative to our present ideas about architecture, building, and planning," A Pattern Language offers a practical language for building and planning based on natural considerations. The reader is given an overview of some 250 patterns that are the units of this language, each consisting of a design problem, discussion, illustration, and solution. By understanding recurrent design problems in our environment, readers can identify extant patterns in their own design projects and use these patterns to create a language of their own. Extraordinarily thorough, coherent, and accessible, this book has become a bible for homebuilders, contractors, and developers who care about creating healthy, high-level design. ... Read more

Reviews (55)

If I could have ONLY one design book.....
This one would be it. Hands down, no question about it.Very enjoyable to browse through.Very "organic" in develpment.I think I got the gist of the book in 2 minutes, but I'll be going deeper into it for as long as I continue to think.Brilliant ideas, clear crisp writing, and the perfect little sketches/photos to illustrate each pattern. Truly worthwhile.This purchase will be my second copy.

Content good, navigation bad
I will not add to the enthusiastic recommendations of others except to say I thoroughly endorse them.But readers who have not encountered the book should be aware of serious deficiencies in its structure that make it difficult to use.
In some respects, this book is like a thesaurus of ideas for arranging built space.As such, each pattern description also contains cross-references to subpatterns and related patterns.
Well and good.But it desperately needs an index.For example, there is a "stairs as seats" pattern and a "stairs as a stage" pattern.Wouldn't it be nice to be able to look up these index entries (dots inserted to ensure correct indenting):

seats
...stairs as
stages
...stairs as
stairs
...as seats
...as stages

This is a massive book similar in length to the one-volume edition of "The Lord of the Rings" which has been reprinted steadily without any updates since 1977.(The copy I saw was the 27th printing.)Surely in all that time, Oxford could have afforded for it to be revised and indexed.Since the patterns form a web of related ideas, somebody could come up with a beautiful foldout wall chart that shows all the interconnections between patterns, with colours indicating closely related pattern groups.And the nodes on this chart could give the page number in the book.

brilliant series
i first learned about alexander through my study of software engineering. i'm an artist working on generative/evolutionary digital art, both visual and sonic, and i'm also in the process of studying to build a house. alexander's books have been an inspiration to me in all of these fields. i won't expound on the positives, as others have already done so, and my five stars give you an idea of how i feel about these books. there are quite a few negatives though:

a) the price of these books is outrageous, why are they not available in a cheap paperback edition. if mr. alexander really wants to change the world he would do well to look at the open source software movement, specifically the ideal of open documentation. mr. alexander has a website on which he talks about freedom and idealism, etc... however, the book is not free, instead, it is very expensive, but more importantly, is not free to copy and redistribute. one gets the feeling that there is an element of the california guru in all of this. that he is peddling utopia to the hyper-comfortable. ok that sounds really harsh, but it makes me very angry that such a resource is not distributed freely, especially in the developing world. mr. alexander if you read this, please consider establishing an open on-line repository of your patterns, perhaps in wiki format, so that other patterns can be added, and so that your existing patterns can be amended through time and translated to other languages. i realize that most people in the developing world do not have access to the internet btw, but at least it would allow the people or organizations who do to print and distribute copies freely.

b) there is quite a stark difference between the more rigorous and engineering oriented 'notes on the synthesis of form' and the later work. i think in the later work he correctly ditched the engineering jargon because he deemed it unnecessarily cumbersome, and also realized that it is not necessary to build a house. peasants with no engineering or mathematical background have been building beautiful buildings for ages, however in NOTSOF he spends considerable time espousing the idea of a generative grammar as a way of managing the immense complexity of most engineering/design tasks. for instance when he gets into the problem of manufacturing a tea kettle which solves both manufacturing and design constraints. i'd really like to see more patterns dealing directly with issues of energy management and ecological well being, which by definition would have to be more technical, but not by a great margin if explained in simple language. this way a house could be organically "grown", but with energy efficiency there as a morphological force from the outset.

c) in general the books could be shorter and less repetitive. there is a bit too much advocacy, and they often read like a some kind of new age self help manual, on the surface that is. these books can survive the new age surface feel precisely because they are so deep, but i think that less self-advocacy would significantly lighten them and would probably also manage to shave off most of the new age baggage.

and finally, my advice to the software engineer, is to first read 'a timeless way of building', which will give you a strong idea about how patterns work. i also highly recommend 'notes on the synthesis of form' to anybody designing anything. i don't think that 'a pattern language' is that necessary to read, unless you want to build houses, or are just a big fan of alexander's (of which i am both).

i based this review on 'the timeless way of building', 'a pattern language', 'notes on the synthesis of form', and 'the production of houses'.

i can't wait to read 'the nature of order'

thanks mr. alexander!! ... Read more

Isbn: 0195019199
Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. City planning    3. Criticism    4. Design & Drafting    5. Planning    6. Semiotics    7. Symbolism in architecture    8. City & town planning - architectural aspects   

An Evening Wasted With Tom Lehrer
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (12 April, 1990)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Editorial Review

"If, after hearing my songs," Lehrer says in this disc's liner notes, "just one human being is inspired to say something nasty to a friend, or perhaps strike a loved one, it will all have been worth the while." Makes him sound like a modern punk, eh? Not so, though. Lehrer, ever the king of jolly vitriol, recorded these still potent parodies in the '50s--and the best of them, "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park," "The Masochism Tango," and "The Elements" (which joins science with Gilbert & Sullivan) remain both nasty and striking. Musically, Lehrer comes across like a demented Cole Porter, wrapping sophisticated, showy tunes around his acerbic jokes. Lyrically, he's a clear forebear to folks like Phil Ochs and Barry Crimmins, who also cloak their commentary in comedy. --Michael Ruby ... Read more

Features

• Live

Reviews (18)

Quality always holds up.
One reason why the great songs of Tom Lehrer hold up after all these decades is that some of the issues they cover have not gone away. The Cold War may be over, but the weapons remain. And anyway there are other ways Armegeddon may arrive. Misunderstanding between the sexes will never vanish.

But I think the real reason Tom Lehrer's "An Evening Wasted..." has held up so well for so long is that his humor and craft are top quality. We still read Mark Twain's acerbic satires. Will Rogers is still an American icon, while others have come and gone. And in the tradition of Twain and Rogers, Lehrer, while commenting on contemporary conditions, takes them and twists them in a way that is nothing short of brilliant. And, without realizing it, has given us a better understanding of his times, while making us laugh (or weep) at ours.

Forget all that heavy stuff: this is just a darned funny collection!

hilarious
I have to say that I would never have piccked this CD up and listened to it if it hadn't been for my dad. He listens to the oddest selection of music, so I, being his child, have grown accustomed to it; but this CD was the best out of all my dad's CDs.Although I am only a teen, and I do not understand all the references, political and otherwise, the CD gave me a chance to sit back and relax for 45 minutes and laugh.I enjoy Lehrer's dry sense of humor and it is entertaining to try to decifer what Lehrer is saying(as in the song The Elements, has to wait till I took chemistry to figure out what all he was saying!).
ok, basically what I am trying to say is that this CD is just perfect!

The far side of music. . ..
Tom Lehrer really WAS a Harvard Professor, but his work in math didn't get him what he most dearly loved -- money.So, despite the counsel of several friends and coworkers (none the same, alas) he launched off into a musical career that shall remain infamous for a lunchtime!From defiling cutesiness in Poisoning Pigeons in the Park, to the almost serious "The elements," Lehrer never fails to amuse old and Jung alike.
Remember that Lehrer told us that an Innuendo is "An italian suppository."
This album is dangerous: you may repeatedly fall out of your seat trying to listen to it. ... Read more

Asin: B000002KO8
Subjects:  1. Comedy    2. Musical Comedy    3. Novelty    4. Piano    5. Pop    6. Spoken / Comedy / Radio Shows    7. Standup Comedy    8. Vocals   

Bushnell PowerView 10x50 Wide Angle Binocular
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $69.99 -- our price: $40.99
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Editorial Review

The Bushnell 10x50 wide-angle PowerView binoculars combine contemporary styling and design with traditional Bushnell quality and durability. They are easy to use and feature Porro prisms. They offer 10x magnification and a field of view of 341 feet at 1,000 yards.Insta-Focus enables you to focus on your desired object with the single touch of your finger. Black rubber armoring ensures that these binoculars can sustain active use.Bushnell's 10x50 wide-angle PowerView binoculars include a carrying case and a neck strap for convenience and comfort on the go. ... Read more

Features

• Includes carrying case and neck strap
• Wide-angle view
• 10x magnification
• Field of view of 341 feet at 1,000 yards
• Insta-Focus 1-touch focusing system

Reviews (59)

Very nice product
The only knock on these binoculars is that the image can be unsteady, but that's a product of the 16X magnification, so it's not really a product fault. If you've got a steady hand, you'll love these things. Great for sporting events or the theater, and great bang for the buck. Highly recommended.

They're OK
I gave it only 3 stars because the focus is just a marketing gimmick that creates a cheap focusing mechanism.A decent traditional wheel for focusing is superior.You can't easily get a good focus, pressing your eyes against the eyepiece can force them out of focus, and it's easy to bump the rocker bar.At 16x power, you have to carefully adjust focus and a rocker bar is an awful design.You have to use both hands to focus: you can press down on one side of the rocker bar, but not up, so to go in and out of focus to get good sharpness, you have to press down with one hand's finger and then press down with the other hand's finger.The rocker bar is terrible idea, especially for 16x!To make matter's worse, there is a fair amount of play in the rocker bar.The rocker bar seems to be the limiting factor on short distances. 40 feet seemed to be the shortest distance they would focus.Stars come into focus well before the limit of the long-distance focus is reached, possibly indicating questionable workmanship, or maybe it makes it better for those who are really-bad near-sighted.

The moons of jupiter were clear and sharp even under city lights.Since it was the brightest "star" in the sky I thuoght i was looking at venus, but when i saw the 3 sharp dots surrounding the round disk, i knew it had to be jupiter.You have to rest them on a chair to see the moons.

The price here at Amazon (with free shipping) is $20 less than my local Walmart after our 10% taxes.

16x requires a fence or car or window to provide the stability needed to make full use of 16x. Even without a prop, it's good, but if your not going to use a prop, 12x50 is better because the amount of light is greater and the field of view is larger.

From someone who knows nothing about binoculars!
I was reading reviews on these binoculars, and I thought it would be nice to have a pair.All I know about binoculars is what 16x50 means.That's it.I love nature, so I love to look at things.I have spent about three days trying to "work" these binoculars, and I finally figured it out tonight!I gave them 4 stars because the carrying case and strap are not very good quality.I don't really like the cheap rubber-like lens caps.After a lot of use, I can see that they will be useless.

As for the binoculars, they are great.I can see things around the yard really close.Great for watching the birds!!!:)I also wanted to test them to see what I could see of the moon and stars.I figured out that if I turned the focus knob clockwise and push the square-looking thing in the middle with the right side pointing up--- you can see a very clear image of the moon.You CAN see the craters.I even looked at several constellations.I don't know many names specifically, but I could see all the stars from one that was hard to see with the naked eye.It was awesome!!!You really need to have steady hands to see well.My hands are pretty unsteady, but I could see enough to make me happy.I think a tripod or something for these would help.

Overall, I think this is a great pair of binoculars for the price.I'm glad I bought them.Just think of what you could do if you know how to use them!:) ... Read more

Asin: B00004SABJ
Subjects:  1. Power view    2. 10 x 50    3. Binoculars (Binocular)    4. Camouflage