effect

No one would ever have guessed that when Industrial Light & Magic opened its doors in Maren County that day way back in 1975 that they would produce the standard by which other special effects and other effects houses would be judged. ILM has formed the cornerstone of LucasFilm Ltd. a company that has spawned more spin-offs such as THX Sound, Skywalker Sound, all held neatly under the Lucas Digitial banner. Back in the days of Star Wars it was mostly using what was already known, and inventing everything else. ILM has been at the forefront ever since, from the early days of motion control cameras controlled by Apple computers the latest CG marvel like Galaxy Quest, Phantom Menace or Mission to Mars.

The Art of Special Effects deals more with the older films-those before 1986, illustrating a time when computers were not so large a part in the film-making process. It gives the reader a great look at the sheer amount of detail that went into the models, the props, costumes from Star Wars to Explorers, from Raiders of the Lost Ark to the some of the Star Trek films, ILM constantly and consistently proven to innovative. The book as a whole is on a level lower than, say, Cinefex magazine, assuming that the reader doesn't know how blue screening and rotoscoping works or how miniatures are lensed. It is light reading without getting itself bogged down in too much technicality, for those who want that, read Cinefex.

It also strikes me that this book is also best at presenting a dying era. A time when model makers kit bashed hundreds of plastic models just to build a Super Star Destroyer - few companies bother with that any more when everything can be rendered on a Silicon Graphics box and Maya and Soft Image software. Such films as Star Trek: Insurrection used few practical models and a completely CG Enterprise-E. The time of the supremely detailed, hand crafted model or set may be at an end, and I think the industry will be sadder for it. Partially because when I read Cinefex, a lot of what I see is the same-different movie, different space ship, but they're all rendered the same way and most use the same software, with only minor modifications or original code going into it to get a certain look or solve a certain problem.

I suspect the Digital Realm of the movies, while producing better special effects, lacks the mystique of knowing that several people labored for months to build that model. That instead it was modeled by a few people over a period of a week. (Though it should be noted that a lot of films, including the Phantom Menace, used practical models). I suspect their days are number.

Thomas Smith was general manager of Industrial Light and Magic a year before he came to write this impressive book. The book is centred around the film special effects creations of ILM between 1975 and 1985. This includes the then "Star Wars" trilogy, two Indiana Jones movies and other lesser known projects. For the Star Wars fan theres plenty to learn about one of your favourite movies. This book is lavishly illustrated with full colour photos including triple page or gatefold images. The focus though is on how the effects are done and who did them at ILM. From the art work in developing concepts of storylines, through modelling, creature creation, the actual filming methods and matte image creation to the finishing touches of animation and optical compositing this book gives a gradual demonstration of the work of a special effects company. For someone with no knowledge what so ever of special effects this is a good introduction and to those involved it must be fascinating as well. As Thomas Smith points out, while film fans still love the movies from this era (1975-85), movie goers constantly seek new visions on screen. The digital era has brought movies like Toy Story etc but these were just figments of imagination at the writing of this book so its worth noting Thomas Smith's far-sightedness in the final chapter on digitized movies. The format of the book is to take each department of the special effects process and show what it does and where its part comes in the crafting of a movie. In each chapter there are short biographies of the leading people in each area of effects, this is a nice touch as it can serve as guide for those interested in getting involved. Its worth noting, many of those profiled have a long interest in their specialty going back to their youth and through the various twists and turns of working in an industry knew of other members of the ILM company before actually joining this now esteemed organisation. Thomas Smith by no means is setting out to sell ILM's considerable expertise though he tells the story of a company making dreams into reality, itself moving from an idea to a serious business proposition. (As a final note another book on movies of this period Paul Sammons "Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner" contains insightful descriptions about the crafting of a movie not least its special effects.)

Years ago I longed for this book, as it sat on the shelf in the local book store(it was not cheap). I received it with much gratitude on my birthday. Now as a teenager I found a reinterest in this book, and was overjoyed when the next book "into the digital realm" came out. For anyone who is captured by the magic of special effects, this is for you.

I thought that the book was pretty cool! I really liked all the different types of alien races and the many ways they dealt with war. Especially the Warbringers. And the way that the aliens are described, in full detail, really lets me imagine what they look like. I also liked the way that Xan was portrayed, very calm and thoughtful yet sometimes rash, it really reminded me of myself which drew me closer to the characters.

I read a variety of books with all different types of characters and plot twists, but I must say that this particular book is up there with the best of them. The way that the characters interact is so much like real life that you become involved in their lives. I felt upset when I found out that Dennis and Lindsay couldn't have a child. Also I thought that the way the different alien races were described sort of magnified a certain human trait. Like the WarBringers were gung ho about fighting. And the screamers were pleasure seekers, and the WorldBuilders were very intellectual. I'm not sure if this is what the writer intended but it really adds a different aspect that most sci-fi books don't have. Overall definitely a great read.

I thought that THE NEUTRINO EFFECT was a very good book. The dynamic characters and the many plot twists left me wanting to read more. Also it was pretty neat how the author made the one transmission to outer space have so many different repercussions for all of the members of the team. I especially liked Dennis and Lindsay. They seemed to add a more " down to earth" flare to the book and the problems they faced made them more real. Also I get a real sense of what the characters are like through the way they handle the same problem in so many different ways. Over all I think that this book will be a best seller!

When I picked up this book to begin reading it, I was quite frankly nervous. I'd heard it recommended in so many places that I wanted to read it, but I am not an economist by training and so was not sure that I was going to be able to follow the arguments that it laid out.

While I'm certainly not going to claim that I understood everything, I think that I did manage to follow the majority of Olson's points. Furthermore, I believe that this owes more to the lucid and well-structured nature of the book than it does to me being blessed with any unusual intelligence.

_The Rise and Decline of Nations_ begins with an explanation of the questions that the book will explore and sets the standards for the consideration of a satisfactory answer. It then works out the logic of the offered argument and breaks that argument down into 9 well-described implications. It then goes on to test and explain that logic and those implications. Olson does a wonderful job of providing adequate support the concepts that he introduces, even to the point of pointing out areas where non-economists might have special trouble or require further information. As a result of all his hard work, the book has the feeling of being exactly as long as it needs to be, and no longer.

I was certainly convinced by his arguments about how special interest groups affect economic growth. I understood why he was unwilling to take it farther into the area of policy, but couldn't help but wonder what the eventual policy implications would be, assuming that his theory is further tested and developed. I also found myself wondering if this argument would work in the same way *within* a corporation and whether it might say something about reorganisation and restructuring exercises.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and recommend it wholeheartedly.

In this extremely well written book Mancur Olson applies his Noble Price winning 'Logic of Collective Action' to the real world. It tries to give a partial answer to the question: why do some countries get rich and others do not? Well: power groups emerge and make a society rigid. The society cannot properly respond to changes anymore. The theory is applied to a very large number of nations throughout recorded histrory: from ancient China and caste India to apartheid South Africa and post-industrial-revolution England. The only country/nation throughout the entire human histry he admids he has trouble understanding with this great theory is France. Read it!

Professor Olson describes a wide range of social/economic structures and processes (unions, big government, high and rising taxes, regulation, monopolies, etc.) that characterize most economies but more so the aging economies of Western Europe (This book was written before the unification of eastern and western Europe). He then proceeds to show us what these all have in common: They each, together and with time, contribute in increasingly slowing down and stifling a nation's economy. Reading this book leads one to see that the USA is also involved in a similar progression, albeit at an earlier stage. I first read this book as an Economics student about 15 years ago. I enjoyed it tremendously. I also learned from it. His clear and powerful conveyance of concepts have kept the ideas with me. He explains the economics simply yet completely. One need not have studied Economics to follow him. I highly recommend this book. Even though the author's forescast is gloomy, his book is brilliant. Sherry S.

Animation studios are desperate to find proven material for their feature films--especially in the wake of disappointments like "Treasure Planet."

That's why I'm surprised nobody has optioned the rights to one of the greatest children's books ever; it has emotion, thrills, an important lesson, and one of the cutest lead characters I've ever seen.

That book is, of course, "Scuffy the Tugboat."

Scuffy is a toy tugboat (hence the title) who dreams of something more than "sailing" in his little bathtub. When he is taken outside and accidentally swept away in a river, his harrowing adventure makes him realize that he should never have taken his old life for granted.

Just imagine Scuffy the Tugboat brought to life by CGI, charging down rivers, dodging logs and old tires...and facing the bustle of a busy shipyard before being miraculously recovered by his owner.

I can practically hear a popular actor like Ed Burns lending his distinctive voice to the little red tugboat, and Sting's nautical motif from "the Soul Cages" leads me to nominate him for the soundtrack.

As long as it's a faithful adaptation of this classic tugboat tale, nobody would ever be able to say: "the book was better!"

It's been years since I've read this, so I really don't remember it much. I just remember Scuffy. But I do remember that this was always one of my favorites. I read other reviews of people growing up in the 1950s and reading this. Well, this has been a favorite since 1982. Scuffy is still going strong.

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"Scuffy the Tugboat" is a classic in childrens literature. It has an almost iconic status with people who grew up in the early Baby Boomer years.

Way back in 1946, toy stores were quiet uncrowded places. In one toy shop there was a rocking horse, a GI Joe Doll and a few cuddly soft toys ........ and one grumpy red painted tugboat called Scuffy.

Scuffy was ambitious. He thought he was meant for bigger things, than just sailing in a bathtub.

The toy shop owner (with his memorable polka dot tie) and his little boy, took Scuffy off to a laughing brook. It was springtime and the brook was running fast. Scuffy was soon off on his adventure.

The pastoral world he passed through seemed placid, but at night the hooting owl gave him a fright.

The river got bigger and busier. Scuffy was proud because he knew it was HIS river. He was nearly squashed between two logs that were on their way to the sawmill. With the spring melt a great flood burst the rivers banks. A lady and her cow had to be rescued off her roof.

Pushed along by the floodwaters Scuffy arrived in the big city. It was a very noisy and busy place. When Scuffy tooted nobody noticed.

Scuffy was just about to be swept out to sea. He wished the man with the polka dot tie and his little boy could rescue him. Miracle of miracles, there they were just as Scuffy was about to pass the last bit off land. He was rescued.

Scuffy realises that sailing in the bathtub is not such a bad thing ...... in fact he said "this is the life for me".

The illustrations by Tibor Gergely are what make this book so appealing. The scenes are full of life and activity, be it the pastoral river scene with its friendly animals and the colourful towns and cities. Look for the details in the city scene. Try to find the horses.

Tibor Gergely was a great children's book illustrator from this period. In addition to his artwork in Scuffy you can enjoy his illustrations in those other "Little Golden Book" classics, "The Little Red Caboose" and "Tootle". These three books are perfect companions in any young person's library.

I have struggled with crack cocaine abuse for fifteen years and sought out many different forms of treatment with little or no success.After countless N.A.meetings,5 treatment centers and several private counsellors,I was unable to find a solution to my overpowering cravings.After reading 7 weeks to sobriety,I inquired about a cocaine formula which to my suprise they had.I immediatly ordered and began using the formula,which to my(and my families)amazement,began to work within 48 hours.Since that time I have not experienced a single craving for cocaine and have completly changed my outlook and behavior.I always knew there was something missing in traditional treatment and am grateful to Dr.Larson for finding that missing link.I encourage everyone who is struggling with an addiction to get a copy of 7 weeks to sobriety and follow her recommendations and I am sure you will find success as I have.

I am a family therapist specializing in women's addictions therapy. I am the clinical director of a treatment program that admits over 100 women per year. I have also been the coordinator of substance abuse training for the past four years. Three years ago I invited all the addictions counsellors in our system of care to read "seven weeks". For most of us, the information changed our approach to early sobriety counselling. Clients who were previously diagnosed as chronically relapse prone were experiencing great success following Dr. Mathews Larson's advice. Accessing the vitamin formulas is difficult in Canada, but higher quality pharmacies are helpful in producing what clients require on an individual basis. Clients are deeply appreciative that so much of their problem is in their diets. They can change their diets without years of painful emotional therapy. It is incredibly empowering. Seven Weeks is a gift to society. Of the women who follow the "Seven Weeks" plan, more than 90% report dramatically lower incidence of depression. The combination of psychotherapy and sound bio-chemical management is a guarantee for success.

Larson's book is based on good science, clinical experience and the author's research. Even better, it works. I was sober most of the time, but didn't really feel good in my body & mind. My sobriety was difficult. I relapsed periodically for years. Following Laron's advice I killed off my cravings, cleared my mind, boosted my mood and energy level and stopped relapsing. No kidding. This book provides what AA and talk therapy do not and cannot. It's the missing link. I know many people who have been helped by Larson's book. This should be required reading for every health professional in the country.

Williams is the greatest writer we have in America at this moment!

Death and suffering are a big part of writing. A big part. (To paraphrase and turn upon the gifted Joy Williams; see page 49.) And you can't waste satire or pure hardcore ridicule on targets unworthy of the name. You've got to go after the people who kill animals, and you can't spare anybody. Sure it's duck soup to take aim at the National Rifle Association and the few Big Game Machos left in the world. Duck soup. And the sickie scientists who lobotomize chimps and torture rabbits just to see how long they can take it, their white coats starched and pressed, their nimble fingers taking copious notes. These targets are too easy. In the final analysis you gotta get the burger eaters, every one of them, not just the Super-Sized that waddle into the Burger King or the suburban Mommas sneaking out of the Krispy Kreme, bags of donuts like warm puppies under both arms, mouths stuffed. No, you've got to get the photo safari people who kill merely with their privileged, ignorant, dilettante PRESENCE in jungleland, a lily-livered affront to nature, over-tipping the guides and spilling martinis and overexposed film onto the purity of the veldt.

At any rate, this is the Joy Williams rant, and what I say is rant on, Voltaire!

This collection of magazine essays begins with "Save the Whales, Screw the Shrimp" in which Williams goes after the wishy-washy, faux lovers of nature, addressing them (in effect) as hey "you" with the "Big Gulp cups." Next is a short-short about rhesus monkeys being raised for laboratory research on an island charmingly called "Key Lois" (Laboratory Observing Island Simians). Williams follows this with "Safariland" in which she makes fun of the photo safari experience, reducing it to a kind of Disneyland with mosquito netting.

So far Joy Williams is just satirizing. Next comes a particularly brutal short-short on wildebeests, how they can't migrate to water during the dry season as they have for millions of years because there's a cattle fence that keeps them from the water they can smell. Williams is particularly vivid as she describes thousands of them up against the fence dying of thirst. But she's only warming up. In the next piece, "The Killing Game" and in a later piece, "The Animal People" we experience the full monty of Joy Williams unleashed. Now her writing becomes (as she describes it in the final essay entitled "Why I Write") "unelusive and strident and brashly one-sided." Her words are "meant to annoy and trouble and polarize, and they made readers...half nuts with rage and disdain." (pp. 209-210)

I believe it. I too love the animals, but I'd bet protozoa to primates that she'd find my efforts sadly lacking and my attitude wimpishly laissez faire.

I guess the best way to demonstrate the intent and style of this remarkable book is to just quote Joy Williams. Here's the opening lines of "The Case against Babies":

BABIES, BABIES, BABIES. There's a plague of babies. Too many rabbits or elephants or mustangs or swans brings out the myxomatosis, the culling guns, the sterility drugs, the scientific brigade of egg smashers. Other species can "strain their environments" or "overrun their range" or clash with their human "neighbors," but human babies are always welcome at life's banquet. Welcome, Welcome, Welcome--Live Long and Consume!

Joy Williams really is a kind of earthy Voltaire, a kind of meat cleaver (as opposed to rapier) Voltaire, a kind of take no prisoners master of satire, burlesque, ridicule and just plain old verbal assassination.

But she raises a profound and demoralizing question: what IS going to happen to all the animals that we claim to love so much? Both Joy Williams and I know. Only those fully compatible with humans (dogs, cats, aquarium fish) or those we can't do anything about (rats, mice, crows, sea gulls, sparrows) will survive. Joy knows this and she's angry. Her anger shows. But she's also resigned and that shows too. I know this not merely because of her tone but because of what she writes on page 209: "Nothing the writer can do is ever enough."

The denouement of the book (strangely it has one; Joy Williams is an artist) comes in the penultimate essay, "Hawk." Here we are stunned to learn that "Hawk," her German shepherd dog, whom she referred to as "my sweetie pie, my honey, my handsome boy, my love," whom she would kiss fondly on the nose, turned on her one day as she was leaving him at the vet and savagely bit into and ripped at her breast and then gnawed her arms, and had to be not destroyed, but given euthanasia and cremated.

I don't know what to say about this benumbing turn. Really I think Joy Williams is an artist whose inner artistic nature rises over and above her normal consciousness and tells us the truth in a way ordinary consciousness never could; and even here in a collection of non-fictional essays she has consciously or unconsciously employed the techniques of the master story teller that she is, and left us with a queasy sense of the madness of life while demonstrating that there is so much beyond our understanding.

This extraordinary book should be read not so much for the overpowering arguments against our misuse of animals, or for the undeniable demonstration of our "ill nature," but for the perfect power of her words. Anyone with any pretension toward mastery of language ought to read Joy Williams. In doing so we too might learn to write, as she does, in a manner that is "beautiful and menacing and slightly out of control." (p. 210)

Joy Williams takes a clear-eyed look at the greedy, short-sighted and uncompassionate ways of humans, particularly the gluttonous, over-consuming American horde, and what small-brained humanoids have done to the natural world and the creatures who share this water planet.

The truth may set you free, but first it will make you miserable --- if your heart has not been sanitized, plasticized, and chemicalized into stuporous numbness. Williams outlines the enormity of the forces arrayed against those who would preserve some of this beleaguered planet for the plants and animals and natural lifeforms.

With ironical humor, razor wit and passionate uncommon sense, Williams takes aim at industrial agriculture, federal Wildlife Services (which "manages" wildlife by killing it), fertility clinics which allows infertile women to birth litters of babies on this overtaxed planet, hunters and the whole panoply of unbridled growth-is-good ideologues.(Unbridled growth, Edward Abbey wrote, is the ideology of the cancer cell.)

What gourmands call veal and seafood are, in reality, the corpses of slaughtered animals. Williams opens the blinders to reveal the reality behind the modern consumerist lifestyle and while it is not pretty, there is a dark and twisted humor to it.

Williams puts her money where her mouth is. When she had to sell some land she owned in Florida, she insisted, over the bellowing of the realtors, on deed restrictions that would preserve the land's natural character. Eventually, a nature-loving buyer appeared. Good show. I have had similar thoughts about preserving the trees on my little land; thanks to this author for giving me hope that I can protect them. Keep writing, Joy Williams, words can make a difference.

Buy this book, take it to heart, hear the clarion call, get sane, change your life!

I found this book very enlightening. A must read for anyone who is interesed in holistic healing, especially with light and color. In the book Dr. Liberman tells of healing with a series of 20 colors. It would be great if he revealed in the book what these colors are. Missing is a "how to" section that would enable people to put his discoveries into practice.

This book is excellent and opens the reader to the possibilities of alternative practices through the use of color therapy for healing that are potent, powerful, and profound. I would also recommend "Light Years Ahead" for the first book, followed by this book. Dr. Liberman reveals a strength of vision and depth of experience in his new book which connects the reader to the many possibilities of very real healing with color.

The Bible says, "The light of the body is your eye", when your eye is clear, your whole body is clear..." Lieberman has this knack for blending scienctific thought with phenomena revealed in optical research. For instance, does the common virus have a certain "color" to it? Can people be healed by being exposed to certain colors to counteract the effects of their illnesses? I think Lieberman is onto something here - it's just the tip of the iceberg. Why do so many of us require glasses as we age? Are we on the wrong track during our lives; are we disengaging something within our brains and causing a blurring to our vision? Food for thought.

This collection of beautifully-crafted essays should be required reading in all Appalachian Studies classes. When readers tell me that they enjoy the natural history references in my Ballad novels, I urge them to read Scott Weidensaul. This wonderful book traces the natural history of the Appalachian Mountains all the way from Alabama to New Brunswick, Canada. In clear and lyrical prose, Weidensaul describes the formation of the mountain chain, touching on plate tectonics and the configuration of the prehistoric continents. Several chapters describe the plants and animals past and present which make for the unique ecosystem that is Appalachia: the use of the mountains as a migration path for birds and monarch butterflies; the 20th century chestnut blight which destroyed a species of tree, and the extermination of the passenger pigeon. With a keen understanding of nature and an obvious love of the land, Scott Weidensaul writes a guide to the mountains that is both informative and enchanting.

Scott Weidensaul has produced with "Mountains of the Heart" one of the finest examples of popular natural history writing I have ever seen. Thorough and authoritative, yet an easy read and quite engaging, he tackles an immensense subject with enthusiasm and obvious experience. Discussing the geology, ecology, fauna, flora, and conservation of the entire Appalachian mountain chain from central Alabama to Belle Isle, Newfoundland, you will never find a better book on the subject.

In reading the book I have learned so much about the natural history of this great eastern wilderness. Unlike many other natural history books which discuss faraway, exotic lands like Antarctica, Thailand, the Amazon jungle, or the Australian Outback, Weidensaul makes an area where I live in fascinating, bringing to my attention a variety of things I never even suspected, making this book a unique treasure. An area I took for granted, had lost my sense of wonder about now seems new and interesting to me. I am sure those reading this review would be similarly enlightened.

No you say? Do you know why leaves change color in fall, and how? Or why some trees turn one colors while others don't? Do you know what effect this leaf change has on the animal community in forests (ever hear of foliar fruit flagging?)? Did you know that many Appalachian tree species can survive winter temperatures as low as 80 degrees below zero, far colder than the mountains ever get today? Do you know what tannin is, and why trees produce it, and what effects this has on the forest community? Weidensaul makes what to me was a fairly mundane subject, perhaps suitable for a grade school science book, fascinating and weird. Trees are rightly one of the stars in this book, as Weidensaul recounts the sad tale of the American chestnut, the plight of the Fraser fir, the role of oaks in modern forests (and the potential problems their predominance could cause), and the magnifence of the white pine among many other plants.

However, animals receive a great deal of attention in this book as well, as by no means it is only about botany. Almost an entire chapter is devoted to the awe-inspiring annual hawk migrations down the length of the Appalachians. The many unique and highly local species of the mountains salamander fauna, one of the richest in the world, are recounted in great detail. Another unique fauna, the mussel fauna, again one of the world's richest, is also discussed, a subject not much to the lay naturalist. Weidensaul discusses some of the chain's fauna winners - such as black bears, successfully co-exisiting with people in crowded Pennsylvania, moose, which are rebounding in the northern Appalachians, and the raven, formerly a bird of deep wilderness but that one that is increasingly adapting to disturbed habitat - and its losers as well - such as brook trout, a species in decline in all but the most pristine streams, the red wolf, long gone from most of the range and yet to be successfully reintroduced, and the passenger pigeon, once a the most common land bird in the world, thriving on the vast crop of acorns in the Appalachians, now extinct.

A truly excellent book with nice illustrations in it, this will please any lover of natural history.

If someone assigned you the task of writing a history of the Appalachian Mountains, how would you organize it? Keep the information in its separate realms of geology, botany, zoology, and anthropology? Start in Alabama and work northward? Go state by state, province by province, and look at the smaller specific mountain ranges? Well, Scott Weidensaul has taken none of those approaches, thank goodness. His is an education by general themes: basic geology (for it must start there), bird migrations, habitat specialization, forestry, mammalian zoology, archaeology, pollination, extinction, survival. Each chapter has a pure focus; and yet all of the chapters somehow touch on all of these topics. Weidensaul's conversational style has the reader walking through the woods with him, chatting seemingly aimlessly, all the time seeing and learning about the life that abounds. Gems of detail sneak up on us while we read. If you travel 1000 feet up, the habitat and ecosystems change as if you had traveled 100 miles north. Wow. And then there are the interspecies connections, some well-known and some new to us: squirrels and oaks, oaks and gypsy moths, migratory birds and fatty fruits, white pines and ship masts, bears and wetlands, fishers and porcupines, crossbills and spruces. The natural world makes sense after reading this book. Highly recommended for naturalists everywhere and mandatory reading for residents of the Appalachian states and provinces.

This is the third edition of this book that I own. As a dual diagnosis counselor I have found this book to be an invaluable resource. The psychopharmacology of both drugs of abuse and mental health medications are explained in a detailed manner that is very accessible. I find it a valuable resource in helping me educate clients about drug action.

First, I divulge a long-time professional relationship with the author. In the years when I served as Director of Training in a large community mental health center, I contracted with Dr. Julien to provide In-service training to our staff of over 350.
His sessions always filled our training room and received positive evaluations from both persons with medical training and our case manager/counselors.

I focus my review on two portions of the book's sub-title. 1)Non-technical and 2) Revised and Updated.

Robert Julien writes as he speaks. He demystifies the vast information in this field and clarifies it. However, for the reader who wants in-depth information about the topics, there are treasures to be found. Your "aha !" and "ohhhh" buttons will be pushed constantly.

I appreciate the conscientious way Dr. Julien and his publisher have kept the book "revised and updated." There are so many research findings being reported all the time. New medications come on line. This makes many excellent (and expensive) books obsolete within a couple of years. "A Primer of Drug Action" remains current and useful.

But seriously, they sometimes are slow in being returned. I buy them two at a time.

A Primer Of Drug Action is a nontechnical guide to the actions, uses and side effects of psychoactive drugs which will prove important for any psychology or health library collection. A Primer Of Drug Action covers everything from herbal applications to clinical treatments of psychological disorders, revealing the latest findings in the applications of drug therapy to various conditions.

As a child psychiatrist who treats adolescents with substance dependence disorders, I was very pleased to read this well written scientific review from Dr. Iversen, a pharmacologist. It really does appear to be reasonably unbiased on the question of whether cannabis has medicinal value, and attempts to review the scientific evidence in a rational way. However, the scientific evidence so far is nowhere near the level of proof of safety and efficacy required to get new medications approved for use by the FDA, and Dr. Iversen conveniently ignores this vital issue.
Additionally, he glosses over the very real and known physical and mental health risks associated with heavy chronic marijuana smoking. ... His perspective is that of scientist concerned with the effects of THC, rather than mine, as a physician concerned with the mental and physical health of children who seek my help. I generally agree with his conclusions, that cannabis may have some potential for therapeutic use if we can find a way to dissociate its adverse effects and its habit-forming potential from its therapeutic effects. However, the current science is far from achieving such a goal. It concerns me that Dr. Iversen has left a very vital branch of biomedical science out of his review, namely, the epidemiology, comorbidity, and health consequences of cannabis abuse and dependence. While it is true that most people who smoke pot occasionally are probably not going to become addicted or escalate use into more dangerous drugs, it remains the major "gateway drug" by which adolescents are introduced into the addictive downward spiral that can destroy their lives, if they are one of the unfortunate who are biologically predisposed to addiction. The failure to review the science of cannabis dependence and the substantial scientific literature on the psychobiology of addictive behavior is the only major shortcoming of an otherwise fascinating book.

First off as a pro-legalization person i must say this is not a book written by a "hippy" or Drug Prohibitionist; Leslie L. Iversen is Professor of Pharmacology at University of Oxford, he is the right person to be talking about THE SCIENCE OF MARIJUANA. This book helped me understand how Cannabis (a.k.a. Marijuana, Hemp, etc.) affects the mind based on the research & studies of the past. The book speaks of what is known about the interactions of the substance on the body & mind while not determining the effects of most of the long term health effects which are not known well enoft for Dr. Iversen to conclude. A main reason for the lack of research on Cannabis is because of, yes the U.S. government and others who would not allow any unbaised research after Pres. Nixion had the Schaffer report (which recommend full legalization of Marijuana) blew up in his face. This book gets into the technical working of Thc and is quite fascinating at times. Althought I would not reccomend it to those who can't handle a long books. So it might not be the best book to educate your teenager about the harms of drugs (even though i read it at 17). The book does leave you well informed on the medical aspects of Cannabis. I would say that this would be good to read if you want to take a stand of either side of the drug debate, cause if all the info you go by is form the anti-drug campain or NORML then you are uninformed and should shut-up if dont atleast take the time to find out the half of the whole story that surrounds Cannabis.

This is an interesting read about the science of marijuana. It has lots of information for anybody who is interested in the science of cannabis and the medical issues surrounding it. The scientific evidence in terms of medical value is now extremely abundant, so much so that Canada recently legalized it for medical use and recreational use although this is still the subject of some minor controversy. Who can deny people medicine? Well the US government has been doing that simply to prevent cross-border marijuana trade with South America for years. South America has the best climate for marijuana production and could certainly output it cheaply. This is a massive economic fear for the current US government. The bottom line remains the same. Children should not do drugs. The one thing that is very interesting is that regardless of cannabis prohibition some children still use cannabis, so prohibition is pretty much useless in curbing that problem. Cannabis does not have a physical habit forming potential but possibly a psychological one. We know that the physical habit forming ideologies are not valid because the FDA has always rejected cannabis-dependence treatment pills that some pharmaceutical giants have tried to push onto the market. This is because the pharmaceutical giants have not been adequately able to prove the existence of physical cannabis dependence. The Gateway drug theory is also invalid which is why it is not brought up here. The EU drug commission simply does not refer to it anymore. The US government does use it but it is as incorrect as saying - people who ride bicycles will grow up to ride motorbikes. There is also the negative gateway effect. In countries, like Holland, where cannabis is legal there is less hard drug use and cannabis users per head of population when compared to the US. We now know that the link to harder drugs is the drug dealer and not cannabis. Remove cannabis from the illegal drug dealers and cannabis users will not come into contact with harder drugs there. This is yet another good reason to legalize cannabis.