Singer Reviews

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Book reviews for "Singer" sorted by average review score:
Recursive Partitioning in the Health Sciences (Statistics for Biology and Health)
Published in Hardcover by Springer Verlag (May, 1999)
Authors: Heping Zhang and Burton Singer
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Recursive Partitioning
Recursive Partitioning in the Health Sciences is one of the few statistical texts specifically written with the epidemiologist as a target end user, similar in genre to Schlesselman's Case Control Studies. The subject matter is relatively new in the field of epidemiology and as such needs to be related contextually to more traditional statistical approaches. The authors accomplish this by incorporating introductory chapters on methods corresponding to those being addressed by the nonparametric methods of recursive partitioning and multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS). Additionally, they compare results between these tried and true statistical methods and recursive partitioning and MARS with many illustrative examples. This last is a strength of this book. Examples of each topic under discussion are carefully considered in a stepwise manner. The book is nicely balanced in terms of theoretic background and practical applications, with the writing generally intelligible to the non-statistician. The book has provided our group with background material to allow utilization of recursive partitioning in our research. As the technique of recursive partitioning becomes recognized and subsequently applied in the epidemiological field, this book may well become a classic.

sequel to CART
Brieman, Olshen, Friedman and Stone introduced CART in their 1984 book. It is an effective methodology and software tool for constructin classification and regression trees. The procedure is also referred to as recursive partitioning. There has been a great deal of research over the past 16 on this topic and the authors cover the basics and the new material well. New ideas include survival trees and adaptive splines (including MARS). It provides interesting applications to health science problems. Th authors compare tree based methods to logistic regression. This is a notable successor to the CART text.

Recursive Partitioning in the Health Sciences
Zhang and Singer have done a splendid job of explaining recursive partitioning, a topic that should be of great interest to anyone who wants to make sense of data in which there are many potentially important variables contributing to some outcome or variable of interest. One should not be put off by the "... in the Health Sciences" part of the book's title; the potential audience of readers who can benefit from reading it is much greater than this implies (I'm an ecologist, for example). Why? First, because the topics covered have wide applicability in many fields; and second, because the writing is exceptionally clear and easy to follow. If you are able to use a typical introductory text on multiple regression, for example, you should have no difficulty getting a lot out of Zhang and Singer. If you are able to handle a mathematically rigorous approach to statistics but are new to the topics covered here, this book will provide an excellent starting place before you jump into the many references to the recent literature provided by the authors.

Rethinking Life & Death: The Collapse of Our Traditional Ethics
Published in Hardcover by DIANE Publishing Co (February, 1900)
Author: Peter Albert David Singer
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an eye opener
This book adresses some serious questions about human acceptance to the the putting to sleep of brain dead and other humans that have no capacity for life. The ethical considerations and implications are discussed and argued well. The extension to the abortion issue and where to draw the line (if any) between abortion and murder is discussed. as well as with regards to malformed foetus'. Well written

A must read
This book is both stunning and disturbing. It asks questions regarding our ethical stand on abortion, euthanasia, and the line we draw between life & death. Singer, as he did in Animal Liberation, forces us to ponder these thought provoking issues.

Thought provoking volume on what makes a being human.
The author gives many examples of situations which make one think about when a being is actually human or deserves the rights we commonly associate with humans. Singer discusses both ends of the question: when should medical personnel be allowed to terminate the life of a patient without hope of recovery, and when should a woman be allowed to abort her pregnancy. He also argues that non-human animals deserve more thought as to whether are subject to the same ethics as we apply to humans. In all the book is quite fascinating and well worth reading

Ricky Martin: A Scrapbook in Words and Pictures
Published in Paperback by Dell Publishing (July, 1999)
Author: Anne M. Raso
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It was great
The book was great. There were a lot of beautiful pictures to look at. I love it. The only thing is that the author made quite few mistakes. In the Mexican soap one of the groups members was Sasha not Sacha. In the Mexican play he worked with Angelica Maria and her daughter Angelica Vale not the other way around.

A "NEED TO KNOW" book for TRUE Ricky Martin fans !
I bought the book as a birthday gift for my 11 year old daughter and I proofread it first to see what kind of celebrity she is looking up to. This book reveals that Ricky Martin is not a 'flash in the pan' star. He has an impressive history in the arts and seems to be ultra- talented as well as one nice guy. Our kids could use more idols like Ricky Martin these days.

IT WAS GREAT!!! I LOVED IT!!!
The book was sooo good!! I love Ricky Martin. He is so sexy and good looking! I loved the book because it tells all about Ricky and a LOT of great photos and things like that!

Rosa Raisa: A Biography of a Diva With Selections from Her Memoirs
Published in Hardcover by Northeastern University Press (December, 2001)
Author: Charles Mintzer
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The other Rosa
Charles Mintzer has given us a labour of love. Whereas Rosa Ponselle's life and art is amply documented, Rosa Raisa's was largely forgotten. A pity, as Raisa had the more interesting life, being Jewish at a time when that was not whithout danger. And Raisa definitely had the more interesting career than Ponselle, singing a more unhackneyed repertoire and crowning it with the glory of being the first Turandot (and spoiling it by not recording one single note). Mintzer painstakingly reveals it all, profiting of course from his decades-long acquaintance with the soprano's relatives. He easily passes the most important test for this kind of biography: the reader's urgent need to play Raisa's records which however, even in Marston's fine reissue, will disappoint a little as Raisa's huge voice didn't record too well.

A wonderful labor of love
I am a big nut about singer biographies. I think they are
invariably revealing, sometimes not for what they do reveal but for what
they do not. But it's a rare occasion to find a biography as well-written
and thoroughly researched as Charles Mintzer's "Rosa Raisa."
In a way Mintzer was lucky. Unlike many opera singers there was never
anything 'unrespectable' about her early career - she studied, she sang, the
audience loved her, and that was that. She also had a good memory and most
of her recollections seem supported by the 'hard' evidence, give or take one
or two years. Thus Mintzer's use of Rosa Raisa's own unpublished memoirs is
not frustrating but revealing. No shocking lapses in long-term and
short-term memory are 'necessary' for this diva. Mintzer is lucky in other
ways. Raisa is a sympathetic subject. And even though she was born almost
110 years ago, modern readers will no doubt identify with facets of her
life. Victims of discrimination, racial, religious, or otherwise, will
identify with the difficulty Raisa had in remaining true to her 'roots' and
becoming a more 'mainstream' celebrity. One of the most chilling passages in
the book relates how Raisa once sang for Hitler, who was unaware this
Italian diva was in fact a Russian Jew born in a Polish ghetto. People in
interfaith marriages might be interested in how Raisa balanced her loyalty
to her husband and her own religious convictions. Celebrities who were

'advised' the change their name into something more ostensibly marketable
will understand the pain Raisa felt in dropping her birth name, Raitza
Burchstein. Raisa's efforts to balance a career and family will strike a
cord with many working women. And Raisa is just a funny, engaging, lively
person. You like the gal.
On the other hand, the same things that make Raisa such a sympathetic
subject are drawbacks as well. Raisa isn't a 'typical' diva. She did not
make outrageously critical remarks of her colleagues, she did not feud
openly with conductors/managers/other singers, she did not have scandalous
affairs and secret love-childs. Thus, those looking for catty gossip and
juicy backstage tales will be disappointed. It simply wasn't her style.
Although the book relates Raisa's dislike of Mary Garden, there are no grand
proclamations of deep undying hatred for Garden, only some subtle
passive-aggressive comments that can be construed in different ways. For
instance, Raisa's comments that Garden was well-suited to be an impresario
can either be taken as genuine or a backhanded compliment about Garden's
personality. And Raisa was generally happy in her personal life. Wonderful,
but perhaps a biography needs some unhappiness for 'juice.' I mean, let's
face it, part of reading a Callas biography is her disastrous affair with
Onassis, part of reading about Lillian Nordica is the fascination from her
unhappy personal life. Likewise one reads a Melba biography not only for
tales of her success but also for her imperious, unique, somewhat bitchy
personality, and her many feuds with her colleagues. There's none of that
here, except for the eternal argument with Maria Jeritza over "Who did
Puccini write Turandot for?"
This book is copiously researched. Part of the biography's strength is how
it has 'testimonials' from many other witnesses. It does not simply rely on
Raisa's own colorful tales of her glorious career. There are countless
reviews, not all of which are uniformly positive, and some of which are
hilarious: one critic wryly noted "Emotion is not properly expressed by
frenzied rolling of the eyeballs." There are also accounts by people who
'were there.' This is especially important, because it's generally agreed
that Raisa's recordings are not a fair representation of her art. Thus
reading so many reviews of Raisa's performances gives the reader a better
idea of Raisa's qualities as a performer, both positive and negative. It
seems Raisa relied more on pure voice and good looks than any deep
characterization or acting ability. But again the live reviews are
conflicting and fascinating to read. There are many wonderful pictures of
Raisa in all stages of her life. She's not bad on the eyes either. There's
also a chronology of performances, discography, and a critical appraisal of
her problematic records to round out the biography.
I highly recommend this book, and I highly recommend getting Ward Marston's
three CD set of Raisa's recordings as a companion. Besides listening to the
voice itself, there is also an interview at the end of the set, where the
aged Raisa reminisces about her life and career. She sounds funny,
delightful, a great woman. I thought she'd be maybe fun to party with. She
was not a crotchety, cranky lady at all in the interview. (Compare her
upbeat style to many of the relentlessly negative, self-absorbed, bitter,
divas in Rasponi's Last Prima Donnas to see what I mean). Rosa Raisa always
complained that her recorded legacy did her no justice. But with the
wonderful book and comprehensive set of her recordings, I really feel like I
'know' this first-ever Turandot.

A Top-Notch Biography of a Great Singer
The soprano Rosa Raisa had an extremely important career from her debut in 1912 to her retirement in the late 1930s. Because she was not a Metropolitan Opera artist and because her records didn't adequately capture the glorious voice about which reviewers raved, she is not well known today - her contemporary Rosa Ponselle, who had a much smaller repertory and career, is far better known.

Raisa also had a fascinating life: born in a Jewish family in Bialystock, she fled pogroms at 12 and emigrated with a cousin to Italy. There, her beautiful voice won her the support of a wealthy family, and she became a conservatory student. Great things were foreseen for her, and she made her debut at 19. Among other accomplishments, she went on to create important roles in Puccini's "Turandot" and Boito's "Nerone," and became the prima donna of the Chicago Opera.

Charles Mintzer, who has been researching her life for 40 years, tells her story gracefully and compellingly in this fine biography. His work is interspersed with selections from Raisa's unpublished memoir, lending the volume great immediacy. He includes a very fair and interesting assessment of Raisa the singer and a review of her discography, as well as a chronology of her opera and concert performances. Moreover, the book is copiously illustrated with photographs from his collection, and they explain some of Raisa's impact as a stage performer, as she was a strikingly beautiful woman.

This wonderful book will be of great interest to anyone interested in operatic or recent Jewish history.

Sargent: Painting Out-Of-Doors
Published in Hardcover by Universe Books (June, 1900)
Authors: John Esten and John Singer Sargent
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This book expressed Sargent's Outdoor Life
Sargent had deep love and respect for outdoors. His parents have instilled in him and his sisters their love of travel, the natural environment, and open-mindedness which naturally led him to a career in art, especially painting. This book tells about Sargent and his quest to constantly broaden his outlook on life by traveling and exploring different cultures and lifestyles other than the bourgeois world, which had molded him in his formative years. He had done at least 500 paintings depicting the outdoor life or landscapes/seascapes. Examples are "Alligators," "Corfu," "Fumee d'Ambergris," and the Venetian paintings of the 1880s. I would recommend this book to those with an open mind about this amazingly brilliant artist, whose pictures depicted late 19th century life around the world and whose talent has taken him to the farthest reaches of the world.

Sargent: Painting Out-Of-Doors by John Esten
"... The whole problem with our contemporary art market, as I see it, is that our standards for professionalism have been too low. We have been missing the mark because we have been aiming at the wrong mark. Masters in plein air painting like Sargent, Sorolla, Courbet, Homer...are the historical standards for this type of work. A contemporary artist is not a Master Artist despite publicity labeling. A Master artist, can only be determined by the historical sorting out that takes place at the end of an era or epoch. If we set our standards by comparison of our work to contemporaries, whose work has not been proven in the historical context then our standards are open to question. This allows us to easily be mislead by marketing interests." Quote from Professional Plein Air Painters Discussion ...
... [this] is why I believe this book is so valuable, because everytime you go back to the historically proven source of information you can't help but improve your knowledge.

Review: Painting Out-Of-Doors

As a high school art student, money is tight and investing in expensive art books can be a pain. =-= However, this book truly is an excellent purchase.

From the dust jacket to the glossy high-quality pages, John Esten covers the span of Sargent's life, providing a sound background for someone who is unfamiliar with Sargent.

Regarding the images included in this book, there are a few less popular on-the-edge-of-rare pictures including a few paintings and drawings done by Sargent when he was a child/teen (which are coupled with his later watercolor and oil paintings). Note: A majority of the paintings in here are watercolor. (If you are looking for an affordable book which focuses on Sargent's oil paintings, I recommend "The Age of Elegance : The Paintings of John Singer Sargent.")

Commentaries by Sargent's closests friends and family accompany Esten's text. Other bonuses include photographs of Sargent painting, a watercolor done by his mother (an amateur artist), and drawings/paintings done by his friends.

(Important: this is NOT a picture book. Text and images are, for the most art, evenly distributed.)

If you enjoy Sargent's works or paintings filled with beautiful light, then this collection, is definitely worth every penny. ^-^

A Touch of Classic Soul: Soul Singers of the Early 1970s
Published in Paperback by Aloiv Pub Co (December, 1996)
Author: Marc E. Taylor
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An almost perfect book
This book is like an "Encyclopedia of Soul Music of the 70's", except that, instead of entries, you get a full chapter for each artist or group. It fills an important gap in the bibliography of pop music. The author understandably did not include such big names as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye or the Jackson 5, as these acts had their own biographies published at one time or another. But then, Tavares and The Hues Corporation would have been welcome. We do get the stories of Blue Magic, Chi-Lites, Billy Paul, First Choice, Stylistics, Spinners, Three Degrees, Barry White and many others. I would have given this book five stars if it had included the complete discography for each artist, which would have been invaluable information for collectors. Unfortunately, it doesn't (though the albums are mentioned in the text). Also, in some cases, the biographies you can find in CD booklets seem to be more in-depth. For instance, in the Blue Magic chapter, there is no mention of the fact that their first single, "Spell", was actually recorded by Ted Mills' original group, before Blue Magic was formed. This piece of information can be found on the booklet of the CD "Soulful Spell, The Best of Blue Magic", which Marc E. Taylor could have used for reference. But don't get me wrong: this book may not be perfect, but it is still an excellent addition to anyone's library. It chronicles those good old days when black singers were accompanied by real drums, real strings, real horns... and made music that was real magic!

Very In Depth
this is the kind of Book Every 70's Lover of R&B must have ASAP.very detail&interesting from start to finish.a MUST!A MUST!

A great resource for lovers of Classic Soul music!
Mr. Taylor! This is a real up close and personal interviews and encounters with these guys... that fans of this music genre and the people in it like to know. Tommy webb

The Quilting Bible (Singer Sewing Reference Library)
Published in Paperback by Creative Publishing International (February, 1998)
Authors: The Editors of Creative Publishing international and Singer
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Not for beginners!
I am a complete newbie to quilting...in fact, I haven't even made one yet. I read through this entire book and felt so overwhelmed and lost at the same time. I feel it is a bit over a newbie's head but probably excellent for a person who has quilted before. It has beautiful photos of various quilting patterns and is written in a very concise manner. I am only disappointed in the fact that I would consider a "bible" to be basic enough for anyone. I am going to purchase another book instead...called "Quilts, quilts, quilts The complete Guide to Quiltmaking" by Diana McClun. Everyone I know who quilts has recommended it to me.

A Complete Reference Book
If you want detail for every step of the quilting process, this is the book for you. It tells you what size needle to use for piecing vs. quilting; type of thread; types of batting; fabric quality; stitch length; how to determine the grain of the fabric; how to press seams; how to assemble a quilt; quick tips for cutting and sewing; how to make borders; the best way to fold and store a quilt; how to create articles other than a bed quilt (purse, tote bag, place mats, pillow covers, table runner, clothing); what equipment you need; how to organize your work space; how to move a full-size quilt through your machine. I took my highlighter and went crazy. It could be a bit daunting for a beginner so I would pair this book with Marsha McCloskey's "Quick Classic Quilts" (for traditional quilts) or with Margaret Rolfe's "A Quilter's Ark" (for contemporary foundation quilts with animal designs). They have much abbreviated instructions that would be easier to follow for a first-time quilter. Then I would use "The Quilting Bible" as a reference to make sure I understood the techniques to get truly professional results.

Another excellent sewing reference from Singer!
I think this book is great! I borrowed a friend's, and I just can't give it back! I have done some quilting before, but have learned so much more from this book. Great photographs - and very helpful information. I highly recommend this book for any quilter!

Race With the Devil: Gene Vincent's Life in the Fast Lane
Published in Hardcover by St. Martin's Press (August, 2000)
Authors: Susan Vanhecke and Susan Van Hecke
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The soul of rockabilly
There isn't a song that Gene put out that I didn't enjoy. The book does a good job giving a pretty in depth overview of his short and frantic life. What came out was his total love for rockabilly and rock music. He sacrificed his health and eventually his life for it. The book tends to "race" much like it's title and dates tend to be ignored and events, concerts etc. aren't fully explained. But the good far outweighs the bad. After reading the book I fully realized the (physical and mental) pain he went through to perform the music he loved so much. Money was secondary to performing for his audiences. Hard to believe that today isn't it? Gene's personal life was a shambles but he rocked on. He was one of a kind and they won't be making any more like him.

Considering...
...that this is the only in-print bio on Vincent, I have to say this is an excellent book. Despite the tone of the writer at times to try to seem "country," and her habit of not really pointing out too many specific dates (or years even!), I did enjoy this. The extensive after-notes, and interview list were quite impressive and obviously a lot of research went into it. I guess I just wish it seemed more in depth than it read. It will definitely do for now...

Hit Between The Legs
Gene Vincent was the prototype rock 'n' roller, and his contributions were formidable, influencing The Beatles, Van Morrison, Robert Plant, John Fogarty, Jeff Beck, Chris Issac and Jim Morrison to name some of the most vocal with their praises. This book widely explores Mr. Vincent's youth, establishing step-by-step how his Norfolk, Virginia roots helped mold "The Sound" he started in music. Before Mr. Vincent, popular music aimed to hit listeners between the ears or between the arms. "Be-Bop-A-Lula" clobbered listeners between their legs, and rock 'n' roll would never be the same. The author's obviously deep love and respect for Mr. Vincent and his music translates to an extremely intricate -- albeit highly readable -- study, I would say the best ever written on the subject. To her credit, Ms. VanHecke never lets her admiration overshadow reality. Mr. Vincent was no candidate for sainthood, either by destiny or by his own choice. And it's precisely this aspect of Mr. Vincent's personality that's so wonderful about the book. While it's quite easy to track the direct musical lineage created by Mr. Vincent, millions of rock music fans probably never recognized that the rebel personna also started with him. This book is a must-read for anyone who remotely appreciates rock 'n' roll.

Sewing for Special Occasions: Bridal, Prom & Evening Dresses (Singer Sewing Reference Library)
Published in Paperback by Creative Publishing International (April, 1994)
Authors: The Editors of Creative Publishing international and Singer
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A guide fot the experienced sewer.
I bought this book to help me to construct a dress for my daughter but I soon found that much is assumed by the author and very little in depth detail given. The photos are wonderful, however there is no follow-up with where to buy the patterns or fabrics depicted in the book. Current catalogs in stores do not have any gowns similar to the ones displayed so one would have to have extensive knowledge of drafting patterns if one wished to make a dress similar to any of the ones in the book. It was also difficult to locate some of the sewing notions listed and I got some strange looks from the sales clerks. This is really a very brief 'ideas' book only and quite unlike the usual in depth Singer publications. If you're looking for a comprehensive guide to bridal fashion sewing don't buy this book.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
The signature style of the Singer Sewing Reference Series, this book is chock full of photographs. It also contains simple concise directions to make bridal and eveningwear. It is a great accompaniment to pattern instructions.

The essential guide
Have no fear about the bride who presents you with three or more patterns, blithely saying I want this skirt, on this bodice with that sleeve, and I want the whole bodice covered with shaped but, uncut lace.

With this book by your side you can make as many changes to a pattern as you would ever need and never go wrong. Step by step pictures and clear instructions will help you through each of the elements of a dress - bodice, skirt, final construction and tell you when to apply a particular embellishing technique.

The book also offers all you need to know about special details such as pressing and fitting. Throw out the pattern instructions, follow the book and kiss the bride.

The Song Stars: The Ladies Who Sang With the Bands and Beyond
Published in Paperback by Celebrity Profiles Inc (01 March, 1997)
Authors: Richard Grudens, C. Camille Smith, Gus Young, and Marylou Facciola
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Stars from beyond
I did enjoy this book and am glad I purchased it. It has been well researched and a lot of thought has gone into the text, although there are a few glaring omissions.

The girls sing the greatest
This book is so readable and so filled with anecdotes and facts about the girl singers, the best of all time, those who sang with big bands and on recordings. There is everyone from Doris Day to Patti Page, even Teresa Brewer. An easy read too. All the girls were the best of the era. There is even Diana Krall that Grudens picks up on as a future best, and it has come true. He knows about all of them, mostly through personal interviews. The photos are simply wonderful. if you want to read about your favorites, Helen Forrest, Rosemary Clooney, Jo Stafford, Lynn Roberts, Connie Haines, and Lena Horne, get this book. There is also a tribute to Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. The book is worth the price and is a timeless book for your collection.

Another great Big Band singer's book
The stories about the girl singers are so rarely written about. Interviews with Doris Day, Kitty Kallen, Rosemary Clooney, Jo Stafford, Teresa Brewer, Lynn Roberts, Diana Krall, Helen O'Connell, Connie Haines ( the best of them all) Helen Forrest, Peggy Lee and others are simply wonderful. I feel I now know them all. And the tribute to Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald is beautiful. There's even a nice story about Josephine Baker that I loved. Five stars for sure.

Related Subjects: Saab
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