EG Books

If you're writing add-ins for Outlook, then this book is essential. The small cost of the book will save you days of trying to work out the best most appropriate ways to do things with the new object model.
Programming Outlook 2007? Writing an add-in? Want to speed up the development time? This is the book for you...

I found this book quite helpful since I am familiar with C# yet new to Programming with Outlook. My current assignment is to use VS 2008/C# to integrate with Outlook 2003 and 2007, I could apply some of the examples to my needs. Since I need to use VS 2008, then some of the steps are different and stick with events that would work for both Outlook versions, however, I have managed to figure them out.

Anyone who develops on Outlook should buy this book -- even if you don't have Outlook 2007. The beginning chapters review best practices and underlying architecture that every Outlook developer should understand, regardless of which version of Outlook you're using. Plus, you'll see all the great new stuff in 2007 which you'll want, so you can convince your stakeholders to upgrade. Later chapters drill into the technical details with surprising depth so you can find out what you need with only minimal trips to MSDN. Code samples are generous, albeit limited to only managed code... but that's understandable given the obvious advantages to using it for rapid application development.

The difference between this book and previous attempts to document the Outlook development experience is like night and day. Kudos to Randy and Ryan for understanding what we face and doing an admirable job at enlightening us.

This book provides a good basic understanding of the process for programming Office Outlook 2007 plug-ins. It has a good spread of information about all the underlying office/outlook types and objects, although only briefly touches on their use. Demo's of using these objects are provided, covering typical basic tasks, but more advanced functionality is not really shown, though alluded to. The book makes extensive use (for C# programming) of a Shim Wizard which provides the interlinking functionality between the managed code and the COM interfaces. Unfortunately this wizard has been extensively modified since the book was published, and some of the instructions provided are out of date, resulting in the plug-in not functioning correctly. As very little information is provided with the book (and with the Wizard) working through these issues takes some time. The book's website does not include any errata to indicate the correct use of the modified wizard, though the site does contain links to the latest version of the wizard. Other than that the book is well worth it.

"...Rhythm Reading offers, in addition, concise explanations of musical terms, concepts, and performance indications; helpful hints on practicing and performing the exercises; conducting patterns for the more common meters; 22 written worksheets that FOCUS ON SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF METER; AND A SELF-TEST FOR EVERY CHAPTER....."
[from the book of the back cover]

This was a college text book for me...thanks for getting me through class!

This book of rhythmic studies is intended for undergraduate college/university level study.

Features include:
-lots of exercises in simple and compound metres and some in irregular metres.
-beginning chapters introducing rhythmic cells in simple time (with quarter note beat) and compond time (with dotted quarter note beat)
-following chapters using different note values as the beat (dotted half note, half note, eighth note, dotted eighth note, etc.)
-practice in reading economical notational devices such as measured tremolo, multi-measure rests etc.
-brief introduction to hypermetre
-chapters on different sub-divisions of the beat (e.g. quintuplets)
-introduction of basic conducting patterns
-some 2 pt exercises (for one player) and some with two & three parts for ensemble playing

Kazez introduces many rhythmic cells in both simple and compound time and gives suggested speech cues for each as memory aids. Some examples of speech cues used in this book:

-"ba-ker" - two even eighth notes performed in the place of a quarter note beat (or two even quarter notes in the place of a half note beat, etc.)

-"te-le-phone" sixteenth note, sixteenth note, eighth note - performed over one quarter note beat.

-"pa-sta" Dotted eight note, sixteenth note

-etc.

The speech cues aren't essential to the book though. It's possible to use other rhythmic syllable systems, such as Takadimi or Kodaly-based syllables.

For any of you looking for a good book on rhythm reading the book by Daniel Kazez titled "Rhythm Reading - Elementary Through Advanced Training" is quite good. Daniel Kazez is a cellist and teaches at Wittenberg, University in Springfield, Ohio.

It moves from simple rhythmic principles to more complex with lots of practice exercises. It introduces each rhythmic figure as a cell and focuses on the rhythmic patterns with simple word patterns that help in the initial learning. The book also has exercises that contain many rests. So many other books of this type consist of endless patterns of rhythmic figures without rests. Having to count through rests increases the difficulty and gives much better overall musical practice. Most of the exercises are written on single lines and really focus on the rhythm rather than trying to read notes on the usual 5 line staff. Later in the book there are more musical examples to help put the rhythms in musical context. There are review questions after each chapter and listings of pieces of music that illustrate the various rhythms just studied.

All in all it is a very good book for anyone wanting to improve their rhythmic skills.

When I was in music school, we used Robert Ottman's Sight Singing book, and I still think the current edition is terrific. He also wrote texts on elementary harmony and this text on advanced harmony. This is an interesting and practical guide to the basics of harmony. The subtitle is "theory and practice" and that is right, but by theory it really means musical grammar and the emphasis in the book is really on practice. What have composers actually done, what to look for, and how to hear it.

The text is concise, without long and labored explanations. However, for those who want detailed explanations of harmony, it might seem terse. The real emphasis in this text is on the rich selection of musical examples. A CD accompanies the text that plays the musical samples so the student can hear them (if you can't hear them by looking at them music or play them on your piano). So, the text is really for a practicing musician who wants to know the steps, say, to a "pivot chord" without an extended explication of the implications of such a thing.

Ottman also deals with aspects of orchestration, figuration, and musical form. Again, his approach is always practical and does not delve into the topics in an extended way. He lets the student examine the musical samples to get the point of what the text says. I think this is the way musicians actually prefer learning about music, anyway. If they wanted to read lots of text they would have pursued a different profession, right? Sure, those of us who study music theory dig into things a bit differently, but it is the music analysis written in some form of notation we always find most compelling.

This book begins with modulation and has chapters on diminished triads, seventh chords, secondary leading tone functions, modulation using diminished seventh chords, binary and ternary forms, extending part-writing to instrumental music, diatonic seventh chords, chromatic chords, augmented sixth chords and their uses, ninth - eleventh & thirteenth chords, special chords and progressions, harmony in the late 19th Century, Debussy and Impressionism, and post Debussy 20th Century music, and ends with a chapter on Serialism.

Appendix A covers conventional procedures for part-writing. Appendix B provides information on orchestration (instrumental ranges and transpositions). There is also an index of compositions, and a subject index.

This is a useful and practical book for the practicing musician wanting to become proficient with the (advanced) basics of harmonic grammar.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

Ottman's Elementary Harmony:
Elementary Harmony Theory and Practice

Ottman's Sight Singing 7th edition:
Music for Sight Singing (7th Edition)

As aa former computer science professor who is trying to teach himself the fundamentals of music theory, I have found this book exceedingly easy to read and learn from. Along with his book on Elementary Harmony, I feel I have received a sound and very useful emersion into the world of music harmony.

This book and its companion, the author's "Elementary Harmony", though a bit plodding, are the most practical part-writing texts still available. (Consider, however, that I am familiar only with an earlier edition.)

Also recommended: PENTATONIC SCALES FOR THE JAZZ-ROCK KEYBOARDIST by JEFF BURNS.

This is a good book for a quick overview of oncology for a starting point. Appropriate for surgical, medical, and radiation oncologist as well as medical students interested in oncology.

I have read bethesda handbook of oncology. It is a well written, user friendly book with many pictures, algorithms, tables and charts. I use it regularly as a quick bedside reference. I will recommend this book for anybody in clinical oncology. Moreover it is written by some of the well known names in the field. Many of authors have written chapters in the famous oncology text book written by Devita also.

The Bethesda Handbook of Clinical Oncology by Jame Abraham, MD, and Carmen J. Allegra, MD, comprehensively reviews the clinical features, current management & etio-pathology of all common malignancies. The chapters on supportive care, oncological emergencies and therapeutic procedures in medical oncology though brief are quite precise and informative. The best part of the book is its tables, flow charts and algorithms, which are a ready reference for uptodate information. It truly provides a quick access to information on most common practical problems encountered by clinicians in their daily practice and their solutions .The field of oncology is ever changing and new information is added each year. This handbook would certainly be of great help as an affordable ready reckoner for physicians practicing oncology in remote areas without much access to latest literature. However there are a few suggestions for improvement: (1) inclusion of a chapter on gestational trophoblastic tumors (2) inclusion of a basic chapter on cell cycle and (3) a more detailed description on anti cancer drugs

I'm sure lots of people have been in this situation: you blitz through species counterpoint in your freshman year as a music major, only to realize its importance much later (i.e. after your extensive tour of the rest of music theory). Books like Salzer/Schachter's are a good way to go back and do it properly. This book is excellent and thorough, covering counterpoint not only as a theoretical grounding for later harmonic theory, but also examining its use in large-scale composition. The only problem with the book is the Salzer/Schachter's prose- it's like they're bringing down the counterpoint rules on tablets from the sacred mountain. Some procedures are flatly forbidden that more relaxed authors -- like Jeppesen -- excuse (in instances where fudging the rules produces a beautiful voice leading). In some cases, they contradict other authors- Jeppesen cannot encourage voice-crossing enough, Salzer/Schachter list it as a mortal sin. Worse, Salzer/Schachter write their exercises for 'The Student', an individual of impossible concentration and diligence who can compose whole exercises in his/her head and would be ashamed to even touch a piano. In other words, their tone is not exactly encouraging- compared to 'The Student', your early efforts are bound to feel pretty clumsy (at least mine were). Still, this is a nice book with lots of good exercises and examples drawn from real music literature. Between Salzer/Schachter, Fux, and Jeppesen, it's more than possible to make a thorough review of counterpoint working by yourself.

The Salzer counterpoint book is a must for any serious musician. This book adresses counterpoint not as a theoretical abstraction but as a concrete musical experience. All too often counterpoint is reduced to meaningless exercises not connected with real world music. This book combines Fux's species counterpoint whith Schenkerian thought (with out overdoing it) to create the one of the most solid counterpoint book to date.

I must differ with the reviewer who said (in 2000) that this book is "fairly new." It first came out in the late 1960s or early 1970s, because I used to use it as a textbook in my theory courses at a midwestern liberal arts college. My experience was that the typical undergraduate music major found it rather rough going, but maybe I wasn't the best teacher back then, either! I myself learned a lot from the book. As far as I know, it's the only book on counterpoint that successfully illustrates how composed music (e.g., by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, etc.) is built on the same principles as species counterpoint. This should be an answer to the student who has trouble seeing the value of those seemingly endless (and amazingly difficult!) species counterpoint exercises. While the traditional answer has been "it teaches you discipline," S & S are able to show (convincingly, in my opinion) that beneath the surface of a brilliant piano sonata of Beethoven can be found the basic principles of voice leading that only species counterpoint can teach.

I agree with the reviewer who pointed out that the authors are not always consistent with earlier books with respect to the rules of species counterpoint. However, it must be said that in most cases they point this out and supply a reason for their departure from tradition. For example, I think that part of the reason they don't allow voice crossing in the species exercises is that part crossing is a "pure" contrapuntal technique that would severely weaken the polarity or independence between the two voices, and make cloudy the connection they seek to establish between the species approach and the techniques of prolonged counterpoint (aka "real" music) they discuss later in the book. I have no problem with that. Neither do I have a problem with Jeppesen allowing voice crossing in species counterpoint, because he's approaching the technique with a different goal in mind, namely that of imitating the style of Palestrina. The two books have different aims, and the prospective user should be aware of that.

The point about the authors' prose style that one reviewer made is very well taken. To me it is overly pompous and inflated, and many of their points could be made in far fewer words. It's a little suggestive of the image that the authors occupy a lofty perch from which they toss down a few crumbs of learning from time to time to students, but even as they do so, they don't think the students are really worthy of receiving this wisdom. Maybe that's a bit harsh, but I really can't see my current students warming up very much to this kind of writing. There is definitely no feeling that "you too can succeed in writing excellent counterpoint" here. Times do change, after all.

If you are reading this review you are perhaps either a teacher looking for a good text, or a musician who wants a stronger theory background. By all means get this book and learn from it. But don't let the authors' prose style make you feel inferior, like a lowly worm who, no matter how hard he or she tries, can never achieve results worthy of the masters. Better just to accept them for the pretentious pedants they are, and forgive them for it.

I am a CNM and refer to this book often. It is well organized, easy to use and condenses the current research in a clear and succinct manner.

I do locum tenens (temporary) doctoring and when I go on an assignment this is the first book to go in my suitcase. I take it to the office with me in the morning and take it home at night in case I get a question that I need it for. It is clear, concise, comprehensive and as authoritative as any text can be. If you care for or prescribe meds to pregnant or lactating women, this is a "must have".

Big, bountiful, beautiful book. Heavy, hard to get around, huge for transport reference guide. Quite expensive and not very portable... palm pilot version would be nice or quick, pocket reference....

If you are looking for a detailed,technical manual on etching this book might not be the right choice even though the process is explained very well.

If you want to understand the principles of creativity in art,but not only in art, this is a great source no matter whether you be an artist and art lover or not.

Kathan Brown the founder of Crown Point Press,San Francisco explains 13 secrets that artist use to come to superior results in their field. These secrets are patterns of behaviour or strategies that she observed over decades working with such outstanding artists like Richard Diebenkorn,Wayne Thiebaud,Kiki Smith and others. Kathan Brown publishes the essence of her very long experience with numerous artist that worked at her studio. Each secret is featured in one chapter and each chapter is dedicated to one artist.

"Magical secrets" is an extraordinary book that has a singular position in the literature on art and creativity, because it is routed in lived experience with artists. I don't know of any other publication that offers such clear,precise and complete insight into the principles of creative work. Instead of lengthy,difficult theories Kathan Brown explains straight and in an entertaining way what are the driving forces behind artists actions.

Together with the book there comes a CD-rom with videos, a lecture by Kathan Brown and interesting interviews with the artists featured. The book is printed in excellent quality with numerous colored reproductions of artist works,rare photographs taken of artists in her studio and others.

In a culture where art and life are often inextricable, Magical Secrets comes as the latest in a series of books, sites and magazines that keep them entwined. In the last few years, the number of magazines and websites devoted to art criticism, art projects and found art, has ballooned, a sign of rising enthusiasm about art among people from all walks of life. There is an abundance of new books, on one hand (the hand of cultural criticism), Michael Kimmelman's The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa, John Updike's Still Looking: Essays on American Art; on the other hand (the hand of pure pop culture) an insurgence of immensely successful novels based as much on art as on life: Girl with a Pearl Earring, Jonathan Harr's The Lost Painting, last but not least, The Da Vinci Code. And then there are plenty of examples of pop cultural criticism, such as Hal Niedzvieki's Hello, I'm Special: How Individuality Became the New Conformity, along with countless books and products on the market designed to help everyone from businessmen to babies to bus drivers embrace their own creative genius.

Magical Secrets, which is at once a book, a DVD, and a website (www.magical-secrets.com), is one of the smartest of these forays into exploring creativity. The book is formulaic without being predictable: Author Kathan Brown has organized it into thirteen chapters, one for each "magical secret," (my favorites are chapters five and six, "Don't Know What You Want" and "Know What You Don't Want," a very Zen-like juxtaposition). Magical Secrets manages to pack a lot in, from stories about artists to musings on the creative thought process. Yet Brown spends no more than a handful of pages on any one Secret, and addresses her reader clearly and concisely, not as an entertainer or an academic but as a confidant, pupil and friend. She guides her audience confidently on a path that leads inward, but still somehow ends up outside the self.

It is a feat in itself simply that Magical Secrets conveys a lot of information. Etching, one finds, is a centuries-old technique of incising an image into metal with acid. The artist begins by covering the surface of a copper plate with a hard, waxy ground. He cuts the image he wants into the ground with an etching needle or other sharp tool, then submerges the plate in acid. The acid bites into the grooves and crevices, the waxy ground is rubbed off, and the image is left engrained in the smooth surface of the plate. The resulting incisions are filled with ink, a piece of paper is placed on the plate, and the whole thing is run through the printing press. Scraping and burnishing the copper, rubbing the ink into the grooves, and pulling the plate through the press are highly physical, labor-intensive processes that involve a lot of painstaking, detailed work, yet the resulting lines an artist can get are often the most delicate you've ever seen, and the textures the most subtle. Though etching is appreciated by many art lovers, the number of master etchers in the United States might be comparable to the number of virtuoso organists or rare orchid cultivators. It is not the first thing most people think of when faced with something as huge as Life.

But etching has been Kathan Brown's life. Despite the beauty of etching, it was not taken seriously in the United States contemporary art market until Brown made it her mission to revive it. Since Crown Point Press's inception in 1962, artists from all over the world who work in different mediums--from San Francisco conceptual sculptor Tom Marioni to New York composer John Cage; from Australian Aboriginal artist Dorothy Napangardi to Pakistani-born miniature painter Shahzia Sikander--have been drawn there for a unique experience in art making. Magical Secrets about Thinking Creatively marks the forty-fourth year in Brown's highly energetic and passionate career.

The variety of art represented at Crown Point speaks to the depth of Brown's understanding of it; while her technique is narrow, her scope is broad, and that is what makes Magical Secrets a compelling read. Brown offers a broad understanding of the etching process, and ultimately steps back to examine creativity itself. "Many artists have told me that after working with etching they have a new awareness of what they are doing in their painting or sculpture," she writes in the preface. "You can share their awareness through this book, which is for artists and people who have - or would like to have - the spirit of an artist." Indeed, Brown's style makes it difficult not to share this awareness: like good art, her writing makes her subject seem both obvious and somehow profound.

I read this book in one sitting, but have turned back to it frequently. The poignant and refreshing artist quotes and the lessons on creativity are inspirational and relevant. I scrawled down this quote by John Cage in my notebook, "As you continue, which you will do, the way to proceed will become apparent." I like its honest, composed approach to life's challenges. "Magical Secrets about Thinking Creatively: The Art of Etching and the Truth of Life," is quite a hefty title to chomp into. But then again isn't there that thing in all of us that is searching around, like a chicken scratching in the sand, for that thing we are meant to do? Maybe that Laura Owens chicken perched on a bow on the cover is really some mystical sage reincarnated, and contains the wisdom of the ages in one multi-colored feather. Or maybe it's just a fancy chicken. This book will not show you nirvana but it will expand your creative approach to work and life, and may inspire you to think and do things in unique ways. It will introduce you to intaglio printmaking and explain the processes with illustrations from contemporary artists like Peter Doig, Shahzia Sikander, Dorothy Napangardi, and Richard Tuttle. "Magical Secrets" is the introduction to a continuing series of 5 books on intaglio printmaking processes-- each successive book gives valuable, in-depth information on the techniques, tools, and processes. This book is broken down into 13 chapters, and each chapter highlights a "secret" or lesson on creativity drawn from the artists. They are ingredients for the reader to take and make into their own special recipe. The writing is straightforward and informative, yet casual. The author does not preach to the reader. Also, there is a helpful glossary of terms, detailed artist biographies, and a dvd of the author talking about the points she illustrates in the book. I would recommend this book to an art student, teacher, or individual who is looking to be more creative in their life or work. The design and layout is very appealing and the bright red backing with the chicken on the cover makes a great gift idea! I gave this book to my mom who is a life skills/general arts school teacher, and she used the idea of Tom Marioni's drypoint, "Flying with Friends" as a motivational class activity. Her students ran and jumped with paint brushes and they called it "Soaring with Friends." Check out the "Secrets" and see for yourself.

It may not be fair to critique a book that is not what I expected to be. Perhaps the better course may be to critique the presentation. The attempt is both narrow and superficial. The topics of creativity are just that, topics, without delving into what they mean and the explanations about the art of etching are also superficial. If one read the glossary in the back of the book you would pick up what information was available in the body of the book. I would not take the time to read this book if your are looking for etching information or exploring the topic of creativity.

Very quick shipping. The book was in the same condition that the seller stated. Good purchase! Thanks.

The Modern Conductor is an amazingly straight-forward book. Its directions are constructive and clear, and by following Elizabeth Green's suggested exercises and drills, you will develop great conducting "grammar." Arm motions become second-nature, and the aspiring conductor can focus instead on expressing musical ideas clearly to the orchestra.

I was Elizabeth Green's last student before she died in 1995. This book brought me to this wonderful musical sage. Nothing can replace the lessons I had with her as senior in high school, but the Modern Conductor encapsulates her method and primary teachings. It is an essential book for any conductor who wants to speak clearly with the hands.

This book written by the legendary conducting teacher Elizabeth A.H. Green is very insightful and shows the beginnings of conducting from an old master like Malko.

I would reccommend buying the Max Rudolf text (used by most major conservatories and universities) for a more substantial basis. Then read this book and get a whole new perspective on several different baton techniques, rehearsal techniques, and conducting in general.

My only problem is that I don't think this book is worth the 68 dollars that the publisher is asking. First get the Rudolf (much thicker, more info for a basis, and cheaper) and get this book. It's great despite the price and somewhat limited explanation.

Good book. Does a very good job of explaining concepts and methods, especially to someone new to music theory.

i received the Music Kit promptly in the mail and in new condition like it said in the details. the only thing i missed out on was the CD-ROM that i thought was suppose to come with it. But apparently you need to look for the words "Computer Assisted Version" when ordering this book.
i just wish i knew that before ordering this book.
other than that i give it a 4 out of 5 stars.
THANKS AMAZON!

(wow this is the most boring thing i've done all day and its only 8:30am)

This book was used in my Introduction to Music Theory class which was the entry level music theory class for music majors at Fullerton College.IN the class we covered up to chapter ten so becuase we would cover the material for the rest of the book in our next semester music theory course which is called "Harmony I". I think it did a good job at providing the essentials and basics of music theory. THe book was not boring and provided in a very interactive way. The book goest from the very rudiments to some of the topics found in first year harmony. This book also did a great job at introducing elementary sight-singing using several methods based on the instructors choice. I think the book should include elementary ear training so that the book would be complete. It did a good job of introducing rythms from easy to more complex. This book should provide a proper foundation for students who are advancing to high studies of music theory and muscianship. This book was easy to understand for the most part and did not go into scholary jargon. I would reccoment this text to anyone who wants a proper foundation of music theory. This book was very well written.

It was cheap and brand new!

boyd does a nice job of providing solid overviews of major crises that impact the lives of children, such as abuse, illness, divorce. however, the book doesn't provide in-depth coverage of any individual topic. for those just starting out, the book gives a good general idea of assessment, treatment planning, and some specific techniques for use with this population. however, for those with more advanced skills, the book falls short of providing information that will enhance practice. an excellent grad school textbook, or for those who lack experience with this population. the book does provide good tools for use in assessment, and does cover the assessment process in depth. the chapter on childhood bereavement is particularly good.

good general overview of how to treat children whove experienced a crisis. the material on assessment is very helpful and detailed. each chapter is writen by an expert in a particular area of childhood crisis. since the book covers so many potential sources of trauma, there isn't really as much in-depth coverage of each topic as i would've liked to see. the book seems to be geared more to entry level professionals than to those experienced in dealing with childhood crisis and trauma.