Form-T Books

This book completes very well the taiji studies, but I accept other people's opinion: the book is not enough. You will need a DVD or following a master's instructions in a real cours, because without it you cannot imagine how it works. But if you have a bit of experience about taiji sword, this book completes very well the studies. For exemple during a cours if I am far from the master I cannot see well how he holds his hand, so at home I can search the position from the book and check myshelf. It is also important that this book shows the martial use of movements. At the cours we study the official competition form of taiji sword and I have to admit, sometimes I do not see the reason of a movement, but this book explains it and after that it is easier to follow the master's instructions.

This book is an excellent tool to teach the Taiji Jian and along with the video, you'll be able to capture the flavor and nature of energy patterns that are detailed in the book. I disagree with the previous reviewer in that he states that you need an instructor adjunct to this book. If the instructor has a different methodology, this book would circumvent the instructor and you'd end up creating your own methodology between the two. Why not simply learn from Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming, his clear and concise instruction is replete with all the necessary information that anyone could want with regards to Taiji Jian principle, exercise and practice. I highly recommend both the book and DVD for a complete practice.

If you are getting ready to learn the Yang style Taiji sword, then this book should be on your shelf. If you are trying to learn on your own- go out and get a real teacher.

There are several things in this book that help suplement the instruction you can find in many Taiji schools that teach the sword. But this book is a supplement, not a replacement for that instruction.

Many schools only teach the form, not the reality behind it. They will give you a sword and say, "do it like this." Going through the motions does not mean that you understand what is going on. This book can help fill in the gaps.

A typical experience of someone learning the taiji sword is to come home after a long session and then find he/she can not even remember the sequence that the form is supposed to be in. This book can help jog your memory and help you in the sessions between training. But, again, if there are no training session with a teacher, you should just leave this book aside for now.

I should point out that this book is for the traditional form and not the 32 sequence form that seems so common now.

The book is a great source for the Yang tai-chi sword, easy to follow and filled with exercises and some applications, but, you also need the video, because always is good to see other people doing the form.

As 2008 rolled to a close in the early days of December I gripped the steering wheel of a U-Haul truck as it shimmied through the plains on I-80, heading towards Wyoming, Utah, Idaho,and finally Oregon. Virginia and Florida were falling to my stern. Right before I left for our big move I read Stegner's "Angle of Repose." Maybe I left because of "Repose." Once I settled at my destination, Portland, I visited Powell's book store and purchased, "Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs: Living and Writing in the West." I'll make no pretensions about being able to impartially point out this anthology's strengths or weaknesses. My appreciation for Stegner's work is so profound my judgment is dimmed. I'm still in receive mode, and my thoughts float around digesting what I take as illumination.

Previously here, one reviewer retained sobriety and concluded that Stegner's Lemonade Springs was insular and xenophobic. I think there's some truth that Stegner's work had a geographic focus, and maybe a moral purpose, but that wasn't because he believed in the infallibility of the West, but rather because he loved it with its faults. In his generation, Perhaps he felt his generation under-appreciated, or more likely, misunderstood his Western context. I think that the reviewer's analysis may have more weight if she were from the West, but being from Texas, maybe she was surprised by someone from outside the lone star state celebrating their home.

Stegner's work could be considered advocation, but it is also approachable from all corners because he was inspired by the good, and wounded by the bad. His precision in defining the rough, scrubby edges of his cultural landscape reveal more passion than desire for domination. Stegner not only attempted to define, but genuinely wanted to share whatever nuggets he felt he picked up along the way. Maya Angelou admitted to an audience in New York this year that she was a teacher who writes, and this is a sentiment expressed in Stegner's writing, as well as his years as a professor.

The sense of place is a strong backdrop, maybe too much so, but he also calms us with easy prose, allays our fears about the sometimes biographical nature of fiction, convinces us we're not alone in familial pain of a certain type, and provides lingering analogies about his art.

One question about his work for me that this volume didn't answer was his view of God and spirituality. He said he was, "not-so-Christian." At times he admired the Mormons, but not completely. He probably meant for it to be this way, not wanting to drift into the ambiguity of the Transcendentalists. I think that these lingering questions become the most important about his work: Did he believe that Nature, dominating the Western man's experience, was a reflection of something higher, or the end itself? Did he view his existence along an arch that began and ended in the arid desert, or did he see the Divine as he gazed across the Great Divide?
I don't think that it was his nature to give it all away, but he did give us Lemonade Springs: a literary gem, a completely engaging book, and a must-read for those interested in learning about living and writing in the West.

"Easterners are constantly being surprised and somehow offended that California's summer hills are gold, not green. We are creatures shaped by our experiences; we like what we know, more than we know what we like. ... Sagebrush is an acquired taste."
Stegner taught writing at the University of Wisconsin and at Harvard, but he had a strong sense of place and his place was the West. He accepted a position at Stanford University where he spent many years, and became, what many consider to be, 'the dean of Western writing' (by which we do not mean that he wrote "Westerns"). In this volume, Stegner sacks the Hollywood myths, and addresses the far more fascinating realities of the West. Featured here is a studied and caring investigation of what lies between the 98th meridian and the Pacific Ocean; of the land's great beauty and vulnerability to human foolishness. The compilation of essays also includes the author's reflections on his own life and work in the West, and examines critically the work of several significant literary "witnesses" of the American West. He reminds the reader of what criticism is: "A critic ... is not a synthesizer but an analyzer. He picks apart, he lifts a few cells onto a slide and puts a coverglass over them... His is a useful function and done well, ... may even give the reader the illusion of understanding both the product and the process. But ... whatever they can analyze has to be dead before it can be dissected ... critical analysis explains everything but the mystery of literary creation."
If you enjoy the works of John Steinbeck or Norman Maclean, or the powerful but fragile beauty of western lands, the essays collected in the Lemonade Springs are highly recommended.

Stegner has a way with words, and this collection of excerpts and essays shows them off. In fact, reading Stegner in these discrete chunks may be the best way to appreciate him - especially if you read it out loud, letting the cadences of his writing drive the tempo. This is true for the fiction, non-fiction, and even the literary analyses he includes here. This was the book that got me excited about reading Stegner.

I have the utmost respect for Wallace Stegner as a writer, but this collection of essays takes provincialism to far greater lengths than even his great works of local fiction. Stegner's definition of the West is based on an almost arbitrary measurement of rainfall--less than 20 inches per year. Any area that gets more than that (like Seattle) isn't the West. And that's not all. Cities don't count either, for the cities are just the East brought west in the form of middle-class America. So, the West for this author is the unspoiled, unsettled arid West, which dramatically excludes huge portions of the region that properly belong to it. If Spokane isn't the West, what is it?

I love the region, so I appreciate this author's attempts to capture its essence. But I can't get past the overly romantic and exceptionally patronizing attitiude of the writer. It's as if he's saying: I understand the West. You don't, so I'm going to tell you. I'm a Westerner. You're not, so quit pretending. I live in the West. You don't, so stay the hell out. The whole thing comes off as reverent, but also xenophobic. I wish Stegner had written western history and fiction as an exploration of frontier conditions, from Kentucky to California.

In "Don't Squat With Yer Spurs On! II," Texas Bix Bender continues his cowboy wisdom.

Linda Bark'karie once more does the illustrations superbly, and this time receives title-page credit.

The pages may seem a bit bare because of omission of the double-line page borders and the upper right corner flip images.

However, the illustrations, sayings, and fun continue.

"If your job is to shovel, and all you can see ahead is dirt, it's time to change jobs."

"A good pard will ride with you till hell freezes over -- and a little while on the ice."

"When you can't find somethin', either it's lost or you are."

"Things have a way of workin' out if you just keep your head."

"If your knees hurt too much, your stirrups are too short.
If your tail end hurts too much, your stirrups are too long.
If they both hurt, your stirrups are just right."

"Enjoy being yourself . . . whatever that is."

If I am correct, L. Barkkarie is Lynn Barkkarie, and if i'm not mistaken she is from Eugene,Ore. I have a pencil drawing by L.Barkkarie i procured in 1990. It is one of 20 artist proofs(if my memory serves me)and the only one with a bit of color contrasting the shades of grey from pencil. It's of an appaloosa with feather and trade cloth.

I loved the first version of this book, "Don't Squat With Yer Spurs On". This book is as fresh as the first book, with the funny one-liners from a cowboy's point of view. This book outshines the first version in the visual department. The cover and illustrations are wonderful! The illustrations are the icing on the cake of quotes, directly related to each quip by an artist I suspect has a sense of humor equal to that of the author.

oh this guys is Great!!! Thanks for Far Side Gary!!!

I am telling you if u have never read any of gary larson's books or comics, you have to start right now. The things are just pure genius i tell you. I mean some you wont get until you got and read them over but that is the beauty of these things. Haiya if u dont have any buy one today and see what i'm talking about. This is one the best buys u could have.

Each page outdoes the next. I read this late at night, and nearly exploded trying not to laugh out loud so as not to wake up my mother. The strangest, the funniest, the best of the Far Side books.

It provides every form you need for a divorce, and drafts on the separation agreeement. Is all you need if your divorce will be uncontested, no child support, etc. You can have your divorce for less than $150. If it will be contested, or if there are children involved, you may want to get a lawyer anyway.

I bought this book last february because I didn't want to pay the high cost of a lawyer and my divorce was uncontested and we had worked out all the details ourself. Well, the book was great yestersay 12/03/99 we were granted a divorce and it cost us each $55.00! Yup that's it!

This is a very helpful book because of its concise explanation of the filing process and principally useful because of the forms, some of which are now obsolete (the financial statement). This book needs updating to bring it back to its original usefulness. If the forms were current this would be a five star rated book.

I bought this book to give to a long time friend who was the guest of honor at a surprise birthday party. While it is funny, some of the remarks are a little off-color. Also it is really aimed at men (which the guest of honor was, fortunately.) I don't think women would find the jokes about balding and impotence funny.

60 is the new 40, or so I've concluded from this punchy joke book for the well over 50 set. A fun book that will surely produce knowing groans for those of us closing in on our second adulthood.

An entertaining look at the aging process. The author has a keen eye and sharp wit when it comes to our obsession with staying young. There are lots of memorable quotes and quips to share with friends and family. I found it to to be a nice little conversation piece and welcome addition to our coffee table. Guaranteed to amuse and highly recommended for all!

S.T. Joshi has done the reader a great service, taking several of the most accomplished supernatural tales that the American fictional tradition has to offer, and placing them together in just one 477-page book. With the exception of Robert E. Howard's "Old Garfield's Heart" (a clunker that is so poorly written that it comes off as humorous), all the tales are either competent or good... But the most satisfying stories in the collection are, in my humble opinion:

Fitz-James O'Brien's "What Was It?"
Howard P. Lovecraft's "The Call of Cthulhu"
Clark Ashton Smith's "The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis"
Shirley Jackson's "A Visit"
T.E.D. Klein's "The Events at Poroth Farm"
Thomas Ligotti's "Vastarien"
Caitlin R. Kiernan's "In the Water Works (Birmingham, Alabama 1888)"

These are the ones which I found to have deft characterization, superb description, and/or exceptionally interesting plotting. If I had to pick just one favorite from the aforementioned stories, I'd tentatively say Smith's "The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis"... The author's brooding and creative rendition of Martian landscapes, history, and life puts most contemporary dark fantasy to shame. Whatever your tastes, though, there should be at least one story you can appreciate... Joshi's anthology is truly a worthwhile investment, and I strongly recommend it.

I found this at my university library. The first story I read was a T.E.D. Klein tale, and after that I was hooked. I grew up reading pulpy horror, and vividly remember being caught by my stern housemaster, hiding crouched in a coat closet with a copy of "The Doll Who Ate His Mother" when I should have been at congregation practice, and then being dragged down the hall while he reprimanded me for reading "this rubbish." (He confiscated the book, but eventually returned it.) O, how I suffered for my horror stories!

Then, I gave up such rubbish in my late teens-early 20's when I went to college. Recently, though, I rediscovered it reading the Blackwater books by Michael McDowell. There is some fine writing in horror fiction.

So. While reading Blackwater, I discovered this book, and read a few stories. They are of uneven quality, and although some of them are really not very good--sophomoric prose, thin characterization, simplistic plot--they are nevertheless interesting as examples of vintage "weird" genre. And, refreshingly, Joshi does not worship at the altar of Stephen King (although there is a story by him in this collection) and in fact offers some unkind--but accurate--words about his work. From this book, I went on to read Lovecraft, and what a treat he has been...how had I missed him in my youth?

This is a worthwhile collection of short stories, good reading for anyone interested in supernatural fiction. It set me on a new path. Or realigned me on an old one, I dunno....In any case, it's worth a look at at the used book prices I see currently. There is some fine fiction in this volume; I enjoyed it a great deal.

I red the French Translation, the title of which is "Thomas pris de doutes". (Van Dieren Ed.) Two hours are enough to read the novel, but maybe two years are required to think about it.

First, it seems to be a novel, with a yong asistant to the pastor who discovers that the lady-pastor he had to support... doesn't believe in Jesus'divinity nor, maybe in divine trinity...

I let you guess the following events but, to solve the problem he meets Thomas goes around to a lot of studying friends, to his wife, and to a Roman Catholic teacher and also to feminist theology groups and to Korean christologies.....

I has few typically French details : Protestant people are only 2 or 3 % of the population and the most part of them in ERF (Eglise Reformée de France), The Liberal trend of which should be only 1%. Pastors in ERF are among 490 persons among which around 50 ladies.

So you can get an idea of the way it may impact the main part of French readers.

In an easy read, John Cobb presents several approaches to the historical Jesus, never evaluating, never revealing his own opinion. This book is an invitation to think about Jesus' role in history, both for oneself and for others. I do not nearly agree with all the views presented, but some of the questions Cobb poses still are with me and continue to challenge me, as often the answer in the Bible is (relatively) clear, but the people one might discuss those questions with probably won't accept the Bible's authority. My roommate and I had a lengthy discussion on whether this thinking is for everyone or limited to the intellectually and theologically interested - a first outcome of having read this book. You, too, might find yourself thinking at the end of this book - or you will most likely have laid it aside in indignation.

Clearly describes a wide range of sculptural terms, techniques and materials. Enteries are concise yet are often in-depth providing a clear understanding of complex or obscure subjects in this field of art. For the non-art school sculptor (like myself) or the new art student, it is invaluable reference book. Well-written with a personal and occassionally witty voice, I found it easy to read it from front to back. Pictures and diagrams instructive and relevant although more would be helpful for a few enteries to assist in understanding the subject in question. Well-bound and sturdy book for a paperback. A must-have for a student of sculpture.

A revised & updated version of the 1991 edition. This reference work now encompasses new materials such as resin & metal particle castings, synthetic clays, alloys, polymers.

The book serves as an indispensable encyclopedia for sculptors/studio practitioners or enthusiasts/collectors - describing all methods of sculptural creation from the lost wax casting process to contemporary materials and associated techniques and tools.

It covers sculpting techniques (hand-building, carving, forging, casting, moulding, modelling, welding etc) materials, processes, tools, patinas, finishes, glazes, fixings, mountings, how to light sculptural work, and many such creative options. It's well illustrated (photographs and drawings).

Wide-ranging, with real depth and breadth - for example, on materials alone, it includes types of stone, categories of rock formation, plastics, metals, clays, woods, concrete, glass, plaster of Paris, polystyrene, papier mâché, wax, gelatine and so on.

There's a sense of the history of art in many of the explanations and the rich cumulative inheritance of sculptors, sculpture and sculpting.

A major achievement by accomplished sculptor John Mills, who provides an indispensable reference work for any practitioner, art historian or committed collector whether beginner or experienced.

This is a collection of satires written by Ambrose Bierce. The collection containes a number of lesser known short works by the author, all dealing with political satire. Bierce bills himself as another Voltaire or Swift; however, I don't think the writings in this book compare to the works of those authors. Reading the satires in this book reminds me more of the writings of Lucian and the story of the "Adventures of Baron von Munchausen". These later works are more bizzar and off the wall than the former works. A few of the stories come close to the writings of Swift (e.g., "Ashes of the Beacon, "A Scientific Dream", and "Annals of the Future Historian"); however, I found most of the stories not on par with the stories of Voltaire or Swift. There is a reason these stories are not well known and Bierce had a difficult time finding anyone who would publish these.

The best part of the book is the second half of the writings. There are a collection of essays by Bierce with political topics. These elaborate on many of the ideas touched on in the stories.

I am a huge fan of Bierce (along with Mark Twain), I was hoping to find some rare gems with this collection. I have used Swift for years in my AP European history classes, I was hoping to find something usable from Bierce in my AP U.S. history classes - but in the end, I really found nothing I can use. The collection is interesting and if you are a Bierce fan, you should read these stories, especially the essays.

Overall good collection, but will be of interest most to those individuals who are Bierce fans, or fans of satire. Reminds me more of Lucian rather than Voltaire or Swift.

It seems incredible that much of the work in this volume has not been widely available since the publication of Bierce's Collected Works more than ninety years ago. It seems particularly incredible in the case of the two long satires, "Ashes of the Beacon" and "The Land Beyond the Blow", since these constitute perhaps his most sustained attack on the absurdities of American society, and contain some of his most pointed and iconoclastic writing. Bierce himself seems to have held them in high regard, but until the Collected Works no publisher took an interest. "The Land Beyond the Blow" is a voyage to strange lands, undertaken courtesy of a large hairy fist applied to the narrator's eye; the various customs and other foibles of the peoples encountered serve to parody the government, judiciary, public taste, dog lovers, etc., etc., of Bierce's own time and place. "Ashes of the Beacon" purports to be "An Historical Monograph Written in 4930" and gives a few indications concerning the lamentable failure of "self-government" in America. It is less amusing and more analytical; and while practically everyone will find much in it to disagree with, there is also plenty to think about. Though generally conservative (with some startling exceptions) and frequently pigheaded, Bierce is neither a fool nor a hypocrite, and he makes his points with thoroughgoing clarity. His work as a whole is (among many other things) a lifelong battle against woolly thinking, murky logic and bad writing, and the pieces in The Fall of the Republic are no exception. Besides the long satires, the book includes a number of short essays on such topics as capital punishment (which Bierce favours), insurance (which he does not favour), temperance (which he demolishes completely) and the Decay of the Nose (upon which he is coolly judicious and commendably straight-faced). A further section is devoted to the Annals of the Future Historian, a series of pieces in which the Future Historian's misconceptions and presuppositions serve to point the reader towards uncomfortable questions not only about the present but, by implication, about the possible misconceptions and presuppositions embedded in our own perception of history. There is also a scholarly and sympathetic critical introduction by the editors who, in hunting out this work and making it available to a general readership, have done satire, literature and the rest of us an immense service.