Columbia Reviews

Love Tony and Price Shadowbrook, a husband and wife writing team who are entertainingly portrayed in a hidden west locale full of adventures and struggles. Price fights for her place in the co-writing and comforts a new friend and widow who suspects her husband's death wasn't accidental. Tony fights for a private place to write while tourists traipse through their unusual summer home. Meanwhile, their adult kids provide complications. It's fun and inspirational reading.

I highly recommend all of Stephen and Janet's books. I was able to meet them Labor Day weekend 1999(after having written to them for several years). They are such a wonderful couple as well as great authors. I can't wait until the next book comes out, no matter what the series is!

This is a book written in easy to understand terms, that takes away much of the fear-out-of-ignorance associated with mental illness. It has the potential of taking the reader from a state of ignorance to the level of being able to take a first crack at diagnosis.

These doctors do the general public a great service by sharing their thoughts on mental health issues. Columbia University is one of the premier colleges to participate in the revolution going on in the field of psychiatry. This book is recommended for any public or private library.

Bill Wolversten in this, the first in a three-volume guide to Cruising the British Columbia waters, does a great job helping both the "Yachties" and the "Sporties" find the best places to spend an enjoyable time in BC. Bill offers a foundation of answers to: Where is it? How do I get there? and What is there? For enjoyment, he seasons this solid information with historical background and local knowledge. And finally, in case you didn't get the message from the text that Canada's BC is one of the world's best cruising ground, he drives the point home with stunningly beautiful pictures of the area. For anybody venturing into British Columbia in a pleasure boat, this and the other two books in the series are a must-add to your collection of cruising guides.

Bill Wolversten in this, the last in a three-volume guide to Cruising the British Columbia waters, does again a great job helping both the "Yachties" and the "Sporties" find the best places to spend an enjoyable time in BC. Bill offers a foundation of answers to: Where is it? How do I get there? and What is there? For enjoyment, he seasons this solid information with historical background and local knowledge. And finally, in case you didn't get the message from the text that Canada's BC is one of the world's best cruising ground, he drives the point home with stunningly beautiful pictures of the area. For anybody venturing into British Columbia in a pleasure boat, this book is a must-add to your collection of cruising guides.

Debbie tells her story with great energy....just like she has in all aspects of her life.......you want to laugh and cry with her....she is honest about her life and those around her....you walk away feeling good........just like you do after you've seen her on stage......Bravo Debbie

I was not able to put this book down! It is so wonderfully entertaining, just like Debbie Reynolds herself! "My Life" is full of great Hollywood stories and focuses on one of the most interesting stories I've ever heard--Debbie's life story. It's funny and it brings you right in, as though Debbie is telling you the story, not just writing it. I HIGHLY recommend this stellar book, "Debbie:My Life."

Like many other good books, I'm puzzled why this is currently out of print. Kodera's work makes fascinating reading for anyone curious about Dogen's background in Sung China. A sterling translation of Dogen's Hokyo-Ki, supported by careful annotations and historical background material, this work formed the basis for Kodera's Ph.D. thesis at Columbia. Happily,it has the merit of being informative without ever being stuffy - not always the case with academic studies offered to the general market.

Rather more than what the title suggests, Kodera's work actually begins with an analysis of Dogen's background in the Buddhist centres of his native Japan, culminating in his search for the 'authentic teacher'in the temples of Sung China. The background of Ch'an or Zen in Sung China also comes in for assessment, and in fact, the translation of the Hokyo-Ki per se (a relatively short document), comprises a mere twenty-four pages, followed by copious annotations, an extensive glossary, bibliography - with the original kanji text. Minus Kodera's careful annotations, much about this text would remain obscure and the author's work helps to put it in proper context.

In this age of jet travel, we tend to forget the perils facing Buddhist monks who ventured across the sea in flimsy wooden boats - if needs be, vowing to 'bury their bones' in far-off lands - or risk being lost at sea, in order to acquire experience of the Dharma - and transmit it to their fellow men. Such, also, was Dogen's journey. Needless to say, the high point of Dogen's trip and mission, was his encounter with Master Tendo Nyojo (Tien Tung Ju Ching) on Mount T'ien-Tung. Depicted in highly moving terms, it was, of course, the defining moment in Dogen's career. Curiously, it seems that the crucial idiom - 'shinjin datsuraku' 'casting off mind and body' was in fact Dogen's homophonous reconstruction of his Chinese master's words, meaning to 'drop dust from the mind.' Be that as it may, this was the decisive encounter - for Dogen. Still, Dogen's earlier encounter with the Chinese 'Tenzo' or cook-monk, while still aboard the boat, was also crucial in its own way, the discovery that drying mushrooms for the community of monks, was no less Dharma-work, something re-stated by Dogen, when stressing the need for Zen-ki or 'total exertion' with the practice.

My only reservation about this text, concerns Dogen's rather jaundiced view of Rinzai Zen, in the person of Ta-hui Tsung Kao. Kodera acknowledges the infidelities in Dogen's account (i.e. the claim that Ta-hui advocated a 'dissolution of consciousness') but left it at that. Oddly, Hee Jin Kim (cf. Dogen; Mystical Realist) also raised the issue, only to drop it, leaving it unresolved. Prof. Yanagida Seizan - usually reliable, also ducked the issue (virtually in 'denial' over it) - attributing it to 'early senility.' Here, we must understand Dogen as a man of flesh and blood, rather than a flawless 'patriarch.' There is great beauty in Dogen's spiritual writings and poetry.We might also learn to understand him as a person, with his own hopes and fears. Hokyo-ki is part of that.

I was lucky enough to run across this book in a used bookstore, having only read brief synopses of Dogen's life in other Zen books. I had not even realized such a biographical document in Dogen's own hand existed! So many touching details of the master/student spiritual relationship are revealed here; both stories that are timeless in their humanity, as well as stories that reveal the unique character of the Zen culture of 13th century China. Though, the famous story of 'body-mind drop-off' is not recounted by Dogen himself, as I was surprised to learn, other revealing anecdotes are - such as Dogen involuntarily weeping whenever he sees his teacher, and the teacher himself commenting on the auspiciousness of that sign. It is a true love story, in a way.

This book rocks! It inspires as well as informs! The line drawings are especially amazing. Van Pelt selects specific angles for each drawing, such that he captures the unique qualities of each individual tree. These renderings are beautiful and accurate. Each one can be studied for hours. The photographs could have been a bit more creative, but he follows an effective strategy by showing a human in most pictures. This allows the reader to understand the immense size of these giants. The text provides an excellent natural history, conveying to the reader an intertwined tale of ecology, history, and discovery. Lastly, I was especially impressed with the fact that Van Pelt included so many tree species and individuals. By doing this he has allowed us to truly appreciate the diversity, beauty and uniqueness of these amazing trees.

This is an awesome book of personal accounts, illustrations, and photographs of magnificent individuals of Pacific coast conifers. Van Pelt knows these trees like no one else, having journied to, measured, and stood in awe at each of the giants depicted. His writes with witty reverence and from a deep understanding of the ecology of giant trees. Featured in the book are the author's beautiful line drawings of the trees, which capture the amazing structural complexity of their crowns in a way not possible with photographs. This book is a must for all tree lovers and those interested in coffee table adventuring into the last great forests of the Pacific coast.

This is a fascinating book. Tara Singh is an interesting individual with a strong belief system. The book describes this man's life journey. He has included his life in the Punjab, being brought up by a very harsh father, his travails serving in the Indian Army and the challenges that he faced. In so doing he presents a history of the Punjab over a number of decades, all presented through one man's personal experiences. These included suffering from illnesses with no money for getting treatment; and having to transport his pregnant wife from West Punjab to East Punjab during the partition of India. He proceeds to tell about his times in Canada which are equally fascinating. My parents emigrated to England in the 1960s so I empathized with Tara Singh immensely. However, the true character of the man comes out in the book. It is well worth reading.

The Four Quarters of the Night is a creatively scripted bibliography of an immigrant Sikh facing many hardships. Tara Singh Bains takes the reader into a timecapsule to the racial era of the 50's and 60's. In this unbias book we see how Mr.Bains dealt with having to leave behind his wife and little children in India while trying to make a living in Canada. Living with his sister and brother-in-law, Mr.Bains takes the reader through a journey of juggling several manual labour jobs to survive and how he kept his religious faith alive when faced against the pressures of trying to "fit in." Mr. Bains kept his religious spirit alive by praying and turning spritual. I was so engulfed in Mr. Bains' journey of life, I could barely put the book down. It is definately something all immigrants should read. And all those who don't know the dept of the hardships of immigrants. A book well done!

This 500 page book by historian Paul Pitzer provides an in depth look at the Grand Coulee Dam in north-central Washington state and the politics and decsions which made the dam what it is today. The book is very thoroughly researched with an extensive bibliography and over 100 pages of endnotes. Anyone who is interested in Grand Coulee Dam or the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project needs to read this book!

The back cover reads:

"The Eighth Wonder of the World"

"The Largest Reclamation Project Ever Undertaken"

Those were among the accolades frequently lavished on Grand Coulee Dam and the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. They hightlight a monumental construction effort that spanned the 1930s through the 1980s. Now, for the first time, the story of this gigantic undertaking is told in this definitive, spirited history.

When completed, the huge monolith at Grand Coulee on the Columbia River in north-central Washington became the biggest single block of concrete ever laid. One of the largest energy-producing stations in the world, it also supports one of the world's largest irrigation projects.

In the capable hands of Paul Pitzer, the fight for Grand Coulee Dam and the Columbia Basin Project is a vital, animated saga of people strving for dazzling goals and then working to build something spectacular.

This 500 page book provides an in depth look at the Grand Coulee Dam in north-central Washington state and the politics and decsions which made the dam what it is today. The book is very thoroughly researched with an extensive bibliography and over 100 pages of endnotes. Anyone who is interested in Grand Coulee Dam or the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project needs to read this book!

The back cover reads:

"The Eighth Wonder of the World"

"The Largest Reclamation Project Ever Undertaken"

Those were among the accolades frequently lavished on Grand Coulee Dam and the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. They hightlight a monumental construction effort that spanned the 1930s through the 1980s. Now, for the first time, the story of this gigantic undertaking is told in this definitive, spirited history.

When completed, the huge monolith at Grand Coulee on the Columbia River in north-central Washington became the biggest single block of concrete ever laid. One of the largest energy-producing stations in the world, it also supports one of the world's largest irrigation projects.

In the capable hands of Paul Pitzer, the fight for Grand Coulee Dam and the Columbia Basin Project is a vital, animated saga of people strving for dazzling goals and then working to build something spectacular.

I actually bough my first one from a gas station when I was hopelessly lost in Vancouver. It quickly got me "un-lost". Since that day this book has become an indispensable part of any road trip to Vancouver. (If you plan on venturing further out of the city I'd recommend you get the Frazier Valley City Maps Book, too.)

It became so indispensable that I am now buying a second one so that both my husband and I can each have one in the car. The nice part is that at this price, you can easily afford to do that.

colorful, easy to read, accurate and very affordable...I use this for business and to give clients....they love it too!

I have quite a few other historical atlases, and this one is one of my favorites. One attraction is that it's focused on the northwest US, where I live. Even without the local interest I still think I'd like the book though.

Unlike a typical historical atlas, this book collects historical maps, rather than using modern maps to illustrate historical events. In the accompanying text, it tells stories about the explorers who created the maps.

The book flap text is a good summary of the contents, not just empty marketing.

I have other historical atlases, but this one is my favorite. For one thing, it covers the area where I live, but even without the local interest it's great. Instead of drawing broad historical themes on modern maps, like most historical atlases do, this book collects historical maps, showing how people through history thought the world looked. In addition to the many interesting historical maps, there are lots of interesting stories about the people who created the maps.

The stuff in the book flap text and the excerpt isn't just hype -- the book really is as good as it sounds.