Book Description
Yarns made from plant fibers, modern synthetics, and silk take the spotlight in this collection of 21 classic knitting patterns for socks, scarves, hats, bags, vests, sweaters, and even a luxurious bathrobe. Some knitters are discouraged by the thought of baggy hemp sweaters and droopy cotton socks when they consider vegetable fibers, but this authoritative, fun, and light-hearted guide promises that, while wool has no equal when it comes to elasticity and warmth, the right tricks and techniques produce non-wool fashions that fit well, wear well, and hang beautifully. Knitters are taught to knit swatches to study the behavior of a yarn, to choose an appropriate pattern, and to master techniques for reinforcing stitches and inserting knit-ins of springier yarn to keep cotton, silk, and other fibers from sagging. Key information about durability, weight, pilling, and special handling is provided for acrylic, bamboo, cotton, hemp, Ingeo, linen, lycra, nylon, polyester, rayon, silk, soy, Tencel, and viscose yarns, and a chapter of helpful tips advises on needles to use (and avoid), how to start new balls and weave in ends, how to work intarsia and Fair Isle patterns, smart ways to control the cost of materials, and the right methods for washing, drying, and blocking the finished pieces.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Resource for non-wool fibers.......2007-09-23
I love this book. I didn't think I would, but in the first chapter there is a detailed explanation of many fibers and how they are transformed into knittable goodness.
Amy Singer also talks about possible allergies - that sometimes it is the chemicals that are used to treat fibers that cause allergies. I learned a lot. I love Merino - don't get me wrong - but I am more likely to itch from it, and from any kind of wool. Before this book, I felt like I was a knitter-persona-non-grata. Not that I want to be -- just that I am of the 'wool and some acrylics can be itchy' camp.
The patterns are fun and different, and introduce a whole new way of thinking about knitting! Hooray!!
Informative & inspiring.......2007-07-30
I picked up this book thinking, I don't need another knitting book -- but this is not just another book of patterns. I am not allergic, but I don't always love wearing wool (esp. in warmer weather). Her patterns are unique and interesting, and she has inspired me to just pick up things that might be interesting just to swatch. Ms. Singer has filled a gap in my knitting library.
Interesting Ideas.......2007-07-08
I purchased this book mainly out of curiosity & to explore using other fibers than your normal wools, cottons, blends & synthetics. I haven't had a chance to actually read the book (we're a very busy family), but I found the patterns & the idea of using different natural & plant fibers to be very enticing. I consider myself to be an intermediate knitter, but because of time allowance, I prefer to stick to the simpler patterns that won't take as long to finish. I have become very good at adapting patterns to suit my own preferences. The yarns suggested in the book can be very pricey. I would suggest searching the fair trade market from such places as the Rain Forest Rescue Site, where recycled silk yarns & banana fiber yarns are available at a very reasonable price. Since I'm personally not in the position to spend a fortune on the expensive yarns, I prefer to substitute yarns with similar qualities or textures & I also try to stay as close to the gauge of yarn & needle size as possible. I'm no expert, but I always suggest to people - don't be afraid to experiment, have fun & if it doesn't turn out the way you wanted it to? Just learn from it! Start small, get a feel for it & go from there! Beautiful pictures & patterns! The book is worth adding to your personal library!
Not enough patterns for bamboo yarn........2007-05-23
I purchased this book because I had recently purchased some silk and bamboo yarn. I found the technical information at the beginning very interesting. Amy Singer goes through the structure of each type of yarn in great detail including care of each yarn. What I did find disappointing was that of all the knitting patterns (and there are many in silk, hemp, linen etc) there was no garment made from bamboo (apart from small scarf). This was the only area I thought was lacking.
Excellent reference for non-sheepy knitting.......2007-05-13
For those who can't/don't knit with wool or other animal-based yarns, or simply those who prefer cooler fare for summer knitting, No Sheep for You is an invaluable reference. Amy Singer gives a lot more than patterns (though the patterns are lovely). Her notes on the various types of fibers, their properties and how the construction of the yarn alters them, makes substituting these yarns in your own patterns much more doable. One star loss for a) not enough charting in the patterns (which echoes Knitty, Singer's on-line magazine), and b) rather hideously expensive yarns given in the patterns. I priced out the yarn as given in one of the sweater patterns at over $600, which is a good deal more than I'll be spending on yarn for one pattern in the foreseeable future. The information on yarn substitution is good enough to give me hope of finding more affordable alternatives, though, even if I have to spin them myself.
Average customer rating:
- Fantastic!
- great book!
- Excellent book, on various farm animals
- Best farm book yet
- it is what the title says!
|
Barnyard in Your Backyard: A Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Rabbits, Goats, Sheep, and Cows
Gail Damerow
Manufacturer: Storey Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Agricultural Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Animal Husbandry
| Agricultural Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Agricultural Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Animal Husbandry
| Agricultural Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
| Animal Production
| Bees
| Breeding
| Dairy Science
| Livestock Management
| Meat
| Nutrition
| Poultry
| Range Management
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
How to Build Animal Housing: 60 Plans for Coops, Hutches, Barns, Sheds, Pens, Nestboxes, Feeders, Stanchions, and Much More
-
Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens: Care / Feeding / Facilities
-
Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance
-
Hobby Farm: Living Your Rural Dream for Pleasure and Profit
-
Five Acres and Independence
ASIN: 1580174566 |
Book Description
When is the right time to shear a sheep? Is there a market for manure? What time of day is best to collect eggs? What is the correct way to milk a goat? What does a duck eat? Can a cow and a sheep share the same pasture? Which types of rabbits are easiest to raise?
The perfect book for anyone who has ever dreamed of having that little place in the country, Barnyard in Your Backyard offers tried-and-true, expert advice on raising healthy, happy, productive farm animals: chickens, geese, ducks, rabbits, goats, sheep, and dairy cows.
Each chapter focuses on a different animal, discussing the pros and cons of raising the animal, housing and land requirements, feeding guidelines, health concerns, and a schedule for routine care. Species that are easy to raise, hardy, and companionable are profiled. First-time farmers will discover simple, clear instructions for caring for animals throughout the year, as well as guidelines for processing barnyard products such as milk, wool, and eggs. Combining practical advice from real experts, easy-to-use checklists and charts, a seasonal care calendar, and detailed black-and-white illustrations, Barnyard in Your Backyard offers a comprehensive review of the ins and outs - the tribulations and triumphs - of living with and caring for a small barnyard.
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic!.......2007-09-09
This book tells you everything you need to know for the novice to the experienced. Suggestions for those who want ornamental animals to the getting down to farming people. Pictures are great. Highly suggest this book!
great book!.......2007-08-10
This book works great and spells everything out very easily. Not the most comprehensive I am sure but I actually learned alot from it. I was mostly interested in chicken and sheep as well as ducks and geese. great book for a beginner like myself.
Excellent book, on various farm animals.......2007-08-08
This book is a wealth of knowledge! I own lots of books on raising ducks and chickens, and I have to say this book matches up well with all of my other books. Why is this impressive? Because the other books I'm comparing this book to are books that deal with only one type of animal (ducks, geese, chickens, exc). This book gives almost the same amount of detail as my other books plus it covers: Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Rabbits, Sheep, and Cattle. If your going to raise three or more different forms of live stock as a hobby, this is the only book you will need. If your going to try your hand at commercial production than you will need other books to supplement this book. I gave this 4 stars because the chicken and duck sections were not quite a thorough as some of my other books I own (though it came amazingly close). This is a no brainer purchase for anyone raising three or more of the animals listed above. A must buy...
Best farm book yet.......2007-07-19
Have read lots of books in trying to get spun up on hobby farm life, and this by far takes the cake as number one animal 101. It is well presented, covers all the facts and includes diagrams and discriptions. Will recommend to others as first resource to start with.
it is what the title says!.......2007-07-05
if you've just moved somewhere with a little land and are thinking of adding a few farm-type animals to your yard, this is a great book. It will tell you the demands that each of these little furry/fluffy/downy creatures will make on you, your property, and your bank account! The author gives a great overview of each of the animals mentioned in the title. BUT once you actually purchase the critters, you'll probably need a book that gives more in-depth information, especially in the health area. A great book to help you make educated decisions about what to toss in your ark!!
Average customer rating:
- What exactly makes the difference between man and machine?
- Classic Dick
- One of the best sci-fi books ever....
- What a Vision
- Are Humans Better than Machines? Let's Hope So...
|
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Philip K. Dick
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Dick, Philip K.
| ( D )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Teen Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Neuromancer
-
The Man in the High Castle
-
Ubik
-
A Scanner Darkly
-
Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick
ASIN: 0345404475
Release Date: 1996-05-28 |
Book Description
"The most consistently brilliant science fiction writer in the world."
--John Brunner
THE INSPIRATION FOR BLADERUNNER. . .
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was published in 1968. Grim and foreboding, even today it is a masterpiece ahead of its time.
By 2021, the World War had killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remained coveted any living creature, and for people who couldn't afford one, companies built incredibly realistic simulacrae: horses, birds, cats, sheep. . .
They even built humans.
Emigrees to Mars received androids so sophisticated it was impossible to tell them from true men or women. Fearful of the havoc these artificial humans could wreak, the government banned them from Earth. But when androids didn't want to be identified, they just blended in.
Rick Deckard was an officially sanctioned bounty hunter whose job was to find rogue androids, and to retire them. But cornered, androids tended to fight back, with deadly results.
"[Dick] sees all the sparkling and terrifying possibilities. . . that other authors shy away from."
--Paul Williams
Rolling Stone
Customer Reviews:
What exactly makes the difference between man and machine?.......2007-09-15
In this second piece found in the omnibus "Counterfeit Unrealities (contains Ubik, A Scanner Darkly, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep [aka Blade Runner], The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch)," we find ourselves working between two intertwining plot lines. One is based around Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter who "retires" escaped androids - who have killed their owners off-world in the colonies and then come to Earth to live and try to blend in. The latest model - the Nexus-6 - can only be told from humans through use of a sophisticated psychological testing mechanism that measures empathy levels; empathy being the one thing that androids quite simply lack. The other plot line revolves around J. R. Isadore, a "chickenhead" (that is to say, a man who has mutated enough that he is starting to lose his cognitive abilities, but not so much that he cannot still manage to take care of himself and serve the public in some small way). He works for the Van Ness Pet Hospital, which serves people who own electric animals. However, his day gets off to an uneven start when first he discovers another tenant in his previously empty building, and then he is given a real cat - which subsequently dies on the way in to the hospital before he even realizes it is actually alive.
Similar in theme to the previous Philip Dick novel I reviewed, this book explores the differences between reality and fantasy by probing the differences between man and machine, as shown by the differences between human and android (sometimes that line is very blurred), electric animal and real animal, and so forth. Always in the background is the constant back and forth of Mercerism vs. Buster Friendly, who always gently (and sometimes not so gently) accuses Mercer as a fraud and fake.
Please note, those who have seen "Blade Runner"; it has been years since I have seen the movie, but from what I recall - the movie is only VERY LOOSELY based upon this novel.
Nonetheless, I did find the story enjoyable; dense and difficult at times, but the interchange and interplays are always deft and intriguing. This classic bit of surreal sci-fi is not to be missed.
Classic Dick.......2007-09-10
(This review is based on the novel as it is printed in the Library of America edition.)
Famed for being the basis of the cult movie "Blade Runner", this novel is, in my opinion, not as good a book as the movie is as a movie. There are big differences between the two, as far as the plot is concerned, and the mood, and quite frankly, I prefer that of the movie. But to the novel itself.
If you are familiar with Dick's style, you will not be in foreign territories here. All the features that define Dick's prose are there. Interestingly enough, and as for his other novels that I read, I never find myself bored, and it's always a pleasure to read Dick's work; and that, despite the shortcomings.
If you've never heard of "Blade Runner" or this novel, then here is a short sum up of the basics: it's set in the future, where humans colonise the universe, and have reached the level of technology enabling us to create androids, a sort of organic machines resembling humans. Those androids are illegal on earth and whenever some of them flee to this planet, bounty hunters are after them. The main Character of the book, Rick Deckard (named after René Descartes, the French thinker famous for his "cogito ergo sum", or "I think therefore I am") is one of those bounty hunters. As usual, Dick creates a very interesting dystopian world, the kind that you can't get enough information.
The story is a lot more complicated than that, and for those who know "Blade Runner", there are many things that you never heard of in the movie. Mercerism, to name but one. The fact that Deckard is a married man, and not much like the Deckard of the movie.
What I disliked about the novel was similar that what I dislike in every Dick novel I know of. For one, this novel has one of the worst titles in existence that I had the displeasure to lay eyes on. "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", I cannot think this is anything close to a good title. Dick is quite bad when it comes to naming things. One reflex he has that I cannot stand is that he somehow feels obliged to give ridiculous names to either people or companies, and it just makes the whole thing sound grotesque. In "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch", one big company was called "Perky Pat Layouts"; in this novel, a TV host is named "Buster Friendly", and I won't list the others. Or just this one more: "andy". That is the word by which Dick has his novel call the androids. In plural form, this becomes "andys". Not very thrilling.
The movie changed those things. "Andys" become "replicants" and "bounty hunters" become "blade runners". All for the better, if you want my opinion. I believe the plotline of the movie to be far superior to that of the novel even though they share a lot, as would be expected. My feeling on Dick is that he crams so much material in his relatively short novels that he cannot get the best of it. Mercerism, mentioned above, is a quite obscure religion that never gets fully explained in the book, and is completely absent from the movie, and one understands why all too easily.
Another thing I think Dick is short on is descriptions. For all I remember, Dick rarely, if ever, describes much; and the result of this is that one doesn't really see the world in which the characters evolve. If you expect visions similar to those in the movie, you will be disappointed. In Dick's novel, Earth is being abandoned by everyone, and it's mostly desert and gets less and less populated. Quite unlike the Earth of the movie, quite unlike the megacities people live in. I think it's an impressive feat that the people who made "Blade Runner" based it on this book. The themes are excellent, and Dick, in my opinion, doesn't reach the full extent of what he could have done. To name one example, the relation between creator and creature, à la Frankenstein, is entirely nonexistent in the novel, whereas it's central in the movie.
If you love the movie, you will only get disappointed by this book if you expect it to do the movie justice; it won't. But it's nevertheless a good read and an interesting one with regards to the "Blade Runner" universe. It won't be as good as the movie - that's hard - but it is a good read, and that is why despite all my negative comments I still gave this novel 4 stars. I would recommend to people who enjoy the movie, but I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the book the same had I not known of the movie first. Yet, there definitely are good things in the book.
One of the best sci-fi books ever...........2007-09-08
Really I don't know what I can add that hasn't already been said about this fantastic book. A must read for even non-sci-fi fans as it could be the book that converts you to the genre!
What a Vision.......2007-09-04
I noticed that many commented on the quality of Dick's writing. This may not be Shakespeare-quality prose, but what sci-fi novel is? (Dune was actually exceedingly well written, though.) Dick is so committed to his vision that he draws you in, and by the end it's hard to escape the eerie despair of life after World War Terminus. It may be clearer after a second or third read, but my only objection is the concept of Mercerism as it's developed late in the book. Its relation to the characters is not explained in-depth, and I was left wondering why it affected certain characters in certain ways. But I don't want to give too much away! This is a definite buy if you enjoy sci-fi lit of any kind.
Are Humans Better than Machines? Let's Hope So..........2007-08-09
Dick presents us with yet another bizarre vision of the future in this fast-paced adventure novel. The protagonist is a bounty hunter who tracks down renegade androids who have killed their off-planet masters and fled to Earth to lose themselves among the general human populace. Complicating his job is the inevitable fact that as technology improves, it becomes increasingly more difficult to tell the androids from real people. So the hunter has to administer very subtle tests to his subjects in order to verify their non-humanity. These tests require the co-operation of the subject, even as the androids - knowing they are about to be detected - are preparing to kill him.
The title is a riff on the reigning philosophy of the period, a faith called Mercerism, which advocates the sanctity of all life (spiders, chickens, goats, whatever) and provides a communal experience that validates human empathy. Dick postulates that no matter how closely the machine mind may approximate humanity, it can never achieve empathy with the living, and so must ultimately fail. Even if Mercerism is a sham, it is better to believe in humanity, it is better to believe that we are not alone, it is better to believe that someone will help us when we find ourselves stuck in the tomb world, than to give in to despair. The machines, which know neither despair nor empathy, have nothing to bind them together, to take them beyond the confines of their own short existences, while humanity, which has the potential for community, can see a bigger, and ultimately more lasting picture.
This is one of Dick's best novels: well-constructed around a strong central character, with a reasonable ending instead of the jaw-dropping "twist" that (while cool) sometimes mars his books. Readers new to this giant of the genre might do well to start here.
Average customer rating:
- It's a Jeep thing...
- Sheep in a Jeep
- Beep Beep....
- ANOTHER WINNER FOR THESE TWO FOLKS.
- Laugh and Laugh
|
Sheep in a Jeep
Nancy E. Shaw
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book
Fiction
| Farm Animals
| Animals
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Action & Adventure
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Humorous
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Baby-3
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Children's Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Fiction
| Farm Animals
| Animals
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Baby-3
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Action & Adventure
| Literature
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Humorous
| Literature
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Sheep in a Shop
-
Jamberry
-
Is Your Mama A Llama?
-
Sheep Out to Eat
-
Sheep on a Ship (Sandpiper Houghton Mifflin Books)
ASIN: 039586786X |
Amazon.com
"Beep! Beep! Sheep in a jeep on a hill that's steep."
This story, much like the jeep, gathers momentum from page one. When five foolish sheep cram into one jeep, their high spirits and occasional lack of foresight (like forgetting to steer) combine to make a riotous, if ill-fated, road trip. Plummeting over a hill, tumbling into a mud puddle, yelping for help, these muttonheads just can't get their act together, much to the delight of young readers.
Nancy Shaw's Seussian rhymes are guaranteed to tickle every reader's funny bone, while providing a great little learning tool, as well. Who wouldn't want to learn how to read, after hearing lines like this: "Jeep goes splash! Jeep goes thud! Jeep goes deep in gooey mud!" Well-loved illustrator Margot Apple humorously captures the dopey expressions and preposterous predicaments of Shaw's sheep. More wild and woolly misadventures can be found in any of Shaw and Apple's other sheepish titles, including Sheep on a Ship and Sheep Take a Hike. (Ages 2 to 7) --Emilie Coulter
Book Description
What could be better than a misadventure from that rambunctious flock of sheep in board-book form? Two! Now sized perfectly for even the smallest hands, two of Nancy Shaw and Margot Apple's enchanting titles from their sheep series are board books. In Sheep in a Jeep, the hapless flock goes for a drive in the country. In Sheep in a Shop, the sheep are off to the store in search of the perfect birthday gift. With these muttonheads, a normal outing is sure to turn into a joyous lark. Rhyming text and disarming illustrations make these shear delights!
Customer Reviews:
It's a Jeep thing..........2007-09-10
As a Jeep owner, when I saw this book at my library's book fair - I just HAD to get it for my toddler. A year later, we still love reading it. The rhymes are great and so memorable that we find ourselves using some of the lines whenever a mishap occurs in our daily lives. Whether you're a Jeep owner or not - this book is a MUST have!
Sheep in a Jeep.......2007-08-11
Good basic rhyming vocabulary with plenty of humor. Nicely done lesson on consequences of not focusing on the task at hand. Good clear illustrations. Good to hear now with lots of sound effects and to read alone later.
Beep Beep...........2007-06-11
Excellent rhyming, good morals, sturdy construction. The favorite book of my 18 month old, for almost a year now. Allows kids to empathize and show emotions as the characters traverse their misadventure. I wish I could give it 6 stars.
ANOTHER WINNER FOR THESE TWO FOLKS........2007-05-12
The team of Shaw and Apple is seemingly a winner and they are in the process of creating a collection of children's classics. With this offering, our funny band of sheep take a jeep ride and you can only imagine the results, or better yet, let these two ladies imagine for you. The rhyming text is one that will stick with you and you will find many of the lines going through your head later in the day after a couple of readings with your child. The illustrations are of their usualy high quality and, as always, go perfectly with the text. This is a good one to read to your child one on one or is a great one to read to the entire class. I do home these two keep turning them out.
Laugh and Laugh.......2007-01-23
I read this to my 4 month old and he loves it. It rhymes, has lots of onomatopoeia, and plenty of opportunities for adding sound effects and emotional expression.
Book Description
What you see is not always what you get - and this true story of a man and his dog is no exception. Woven just under the surface of this simple parable, Keller presents profound spiritual truth. It is the story of Lass, a worthless animal thought to be untrainable, who becomes a magnificent and valuable sheepdog - not terribly unlike how God's love can transform our worst characteristics into blessings that serve to further His Kingdom. Allow yourself to see Biblical truth in this classic tale of what can happen when you yield to the Master.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Books / Excellent Buy.......2007-09-28
Loved this book - a wonderful story of Love through the eyes of a shepherd. Lass is a sheepdog who is abused and unloved. Her transformation when she is loved by her master is a picture of our transformation when we receive God's (our master's) love.
Lessons from a Sheep Dog.......2007-04-28
The write ups were misleading. I bought this book for my grandson, only to find it contained Christian propaganda. "Obey the Master's voice" ??? please...
Engaging, light read - recommend for all.......2006-10-09
This book is warm story that shows the relationship of trust and loyalty built between an abused dog and his new owner. I highly recommend it to any and all.
Worthy of a re-read from time to time. Among other messages, a gentle reminder of the spirit of service we are all meant to demonstrate!
Great book for dog lovers.......2006-07-09
I gave this book to a friend for her birthday. She has a dog just like Lass and could relate very closely to the author's experiences. She loved the book. I am reading it now and agree completely. Great book for any dog lover.
Lessons from a Sheep Dog.......2006-03-20
Be sure to get this little book to go with "A shepherd looks at psalm 23". It will open you eyes to your relationship with our good shepherd and it may put you to shame as to how willing are you to follow His call.
Book Description
The new 10th edition of this well-respected reference includes thoroughly revised and reviewed information with content on new diseases for the most up-to-date information on diseases effecting sheep, pigs, goats, horses, and cattle. Divided into two sections, General Medicine and Special Medicine, the book covers topics ranging from the clinical examination and manifestation of disease in organ systems to specific diseases of the large animal species.
Book Description
A marvelous hybrid of mythology and mystery,
A Wild Sheep Chase is the extraordinary literary thriller that launched Haruki Murakami’s international reputation.
It begins simply enough: A twenty-something advertising executive receives a postcard from a friend, and casually appropriates the image for an insurance company’s advertisement. What he doesn’t realize is that included in the pastoral scene is a mutant sheep with a star on its back, and in using this photo he has unwittingly captured the attention of a man in black who offers a menacing ultimatum: find the sheep or face dire consequences. Thus begins a surreal and elaborate quest that takes our hero from the urban haunts of Tokyo to the remote and snowy mountains of northern Japan, where he confronts not only the mythological sheep, but the confines of tradition and the demons deep within himself. Quirky and utterly captivating,
A Wild Sheep Chase is Murakami at his astounding best.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book. .......2007-07-31
I think Murakami is an excellent author. He has proven to contain more imagination in a single paragraph than other authors have in an entire novel.
If you haven't read any books by him, I recommend starting with this one.
PROS 1) Brilliant imagination. 2) genuinely intriguing and intelligent. 3) completely unique 4) mysterious in a very strange way 5) absurd humor 6) very strange
CONS 1) This book is a translation. I don't know about you, but I don't like translations. Yes, it's true, you lose something in translation. I find the prose in his book to be stale and uninteresting. This particular book isn't his worst translated novel, but it's still below my satisfactory level. You read Murakami for his imagination, not for his wirting style. 2) It's got a hard-boiled first-person narrative style. This could be a pro or it could be a con. For myself, I believe it is a con. In fact, if you absolutely despise the idea of a hard-boiled narrative you probably won't enjoy Murakami very much. 3) It's a bit too long. One downfall of Murakami, in my opinion, is that his novels are overwritten. I don't need every little mundane detail when I read a book. You decide whether that is a pro or a con yourself.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in magic-realism, bizarro fiction, subversive writing, and offbeat speculative fiction.
One morning I awoke and the sheep was gone.......2007-07-23
This is not the first time I'm reading this book but the first time I'm reading it after reading Dance Dance Dance which its sequel is.
I enjoyed it much better this time, finish reading after intensive 4 hours.
A Lonely 29 old guy meet lonely weird girl with ultra power ears. They enjoy chain-smoking and casual sex. A photograph of the wild sheep has appeared accidentally in a newsletter the guy had published. He is asked by a business man with plan face to go out on a quest to find the sheep. This is a mystery story with a long chase. On the way we meet interesting characters. One is called the Sheep Professor, another Rat, a rather nice fellow despite his name.
The story is both realistic and fantastic. It is humorous and surreal, and at the same time reflects loneliness, and longing for love.
I'm reading Murakami's books on the wrong order... if you think of reading this, you might consider reading 'Pinball, 1973' and Hear the Wind Sing first. 'The Wild Sheep Chase' is the sequel to Pinball, and is the third book in Murakami's "Trilogy of the Rat". Both 'Pinball' and 'Hear the Wind Sing' are out of print in the US and are available online for free.
wild sheep chase for the identity of postmodern Japan.......2007-07-07
The first book I read by Murakami,(South of the Border, West of the Sun) I hated. The second, (Kafka on the Shore) I had mixed feelings about. The third, I loved -- this was the third. A Wild Sheep chase is in my opinion a great place to start if one has never read Murakami before. It is easily accessible, intriguing, and interesting, while still being thought-provoking. The fact is, you can read this book on vacation for fun and you can also spend half a year exploring all of the allegorical possibilities.
The general academic consensus is that this book explores the search for the identity of Japan in a postmodern world. There are several different interpretations, however -- see Dances With Sheep: The Quest for Identity in the Fiction of Murakami Haruki (Stretcher)
It's important to note that this book is the third book of Murakami's Trilogy of the Rat (although the first two are out of print because Murakami considers the fledgling novels weak) and there is also something of a sequel (Dance, Dance, Dance -- also recommended but very different).
Classic Murakami, But Way Too Long.......2007-05-04
I'm going to make this brief in honor of how much shorter the book should have been. I love Murakami and did enjoy this book, but frankly, the whole thing seemed like a short story that ballooned into a novel. I can't help but think Murakami was sitting around one day, came up with a great idea, then decided to write about it only to find that he had written a novel-length piece that he had originally intended to be 40 or 50 pages. The story centers on a guy who gets a postcard from a friend of some sheep that he puts in an ad. Unfortunately, this starts a series of bizarre events that lead to a stunning conclusion (I would say more, but you really have to read it to get a sense of how hard it is to capture the small details Murakami includes in this story). I think what may have eventually turned me off to this book is the ending and Murakami's desire to explain everything to us, something that is not present in his later books. But everything he writes is enjoyable, so this is a chance to see a writer growing and improving his craft over time.
Another madcap inquiry into the mystery of existence...and sheep........2007-04-14
Murakami is an acquired taste, but fortunately he's very easily acquired. His novels are typically a mixed bag of comic absurdity, pathos, suspense, and philosophical speculation but written in a straight-ahead, colloquial style. *A Wild Sheep Chase* is no exception. Here a struggling adman ends up recruited by a mysterious client in black to find a sheep that has appeared in an insurance company advertisement our hero's firm has designed. The sheep in this ad is special...it takes over people's consciousness.
That's the least of what you need to know to understand what kind of novel *A Wild Sheep Chase* is. And yet for all its imaginative "wildness," the novel has a traditional, hardboiled-style first-person narrative that easily draws you into the story. In fact, I'd say that three-quarters of the pleasure of this novel comes from spending time with the likeable, hard-luck narrator. Witty but not a wisecracker, laid-back but no Joe Cool, fatalistic but not cynical, he's a guy who is thoroughly convinced of his mediocrity and okay with it. He's got the kind of applied equanimity to life's vicissitudes that you wish you had, taking things as they come, taking things as they go. He knows life is heading for loss and sadness, but he's not whining about it. If he's not the kind of guy you could ever be, than he's the kind of guy you wish you had for a friend--and that makes spending 350+ pages in his company a pleasurable experience. And that's a good thing because if I had one criticism about *A Wild Sheep Chase* it's that it's about 70 pages too long. In the last third of the novel, there's a lot of description of the narrator sitting around waiting for the climax to occur when it could have occurred pages and pages beforehand. Well, as I said, he's pleasant enough company so it wasn't intolerable. Still...I got a little tired of hearing what he cooked for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, how long he slept, what things he saw upon looking out the window.
And, as for the climax...well, don't expect the usual resolution in a Murakami novel. The original mystery--or what seemed to be the original mystery at the start--has a way of shifting around to become something else entirely. It's the kind of mystery where the search becomes even more important than the answer and the answer is often left open to a good deal of reader interpretation. In this instance, however, things seem even more obscure than usual and I found the resolution of the novel unnecessarily muddied. In a novel that depends a lot on chance, coincidence, and the arbitrary, the pay-off struck me as a little too much dependent on all of these. Perhaps something was lost in the translation from the Japanese, but I found the ending of *A Wild Sheep Chase* rather unsatisfying.
These caveats aside, Murakami is more than just a mystery writer. With his reality-bending plots, ambiguity, and philosophical questioning, he is a genuinely thought-provoking literary artist and a *A Wild Sheep Chase* is an ultimately intriguing, rewarding, and, perhaps most of all, fun read.
Adobe Press
Stop Stealing Sheep, Second Edition is a unique, entertaining, and educational tour through the most basic unit of written communication: type. World-renowned type experts Erik Spiekermann and E.M. Ginger explain in everyday laymen's terms what type is and how you can use it to enhance the legibility, meaning, and aesthetic level of your work. They elegantly touch on all aspects of typography, including the history and mechanics of type, how to train your eye to recognize and choose typefaces, and how to use space and layout to improve overall communication. Because type reaches across all boundaries and continually evolves, this edition is revised and updated to include new chapters on Web typography and other forms of online text display. You need no previous knowledge of typography to enjoy this book and apply its tenets to your daily work. A perennial bestseller since the first edition was published in 1993, Stop Stealing Sheep will draw you in with its beautiful design and layout, which makes liberal use of more than 200 illustrations and photographs.
Customer Reviews:
Overly basic and poorly organized.......2007-07-15
I am a relative newbie to the study of typography, but still this book is far too basic. I learned a single fact which I had always been curious about - that the letterforms of smaller-point type are different from (not just smaller than) larger-point type in the same face - and that is a pretty elemental thing that most people interested in type are already aware of.
More suprisingly, there are some serious issues with the layout and typography of this book. Some sidebars, which are in small type, are set in yellow. Small yellow print on white paper? Surely a legibility no-no. Also, each page serves as its own mini-essay (and I do mean MINI; on most spreads, only the right-hand page has any text, and even then sometimes only half a page) but lacks a headline, so the reader has no idea what the page is about.
The only useful element in this book is the various type examples, which could easily be found elsewhere.
Good Introduction to Typography.......2007-06-13
I read this book for my first typography class at design school. It does a good job of giving the reader a feeling for different styles and personalities of letterforms. It is also written in a fun style that makes the book entertaining and easy to read for those just entering the design field.
Good type initiation book.......2007-01-02
The first time I saw this book it was in a fellow designer's bookshelf and I thought the title was humorous and very well targeted. Anybody who knows type understand the joke in "anyone who letterspaces blackletter type would steal sheep" and if you haven't heard of the quote nor get the joke then you are probably a type beginner who could use this book.
I don't agree with other reviews stating that the book is too basic and so it serves no purpose. Yes, it is basic, but 170+ pages of good basic introductory material. I would recommend it for student graphic designers, artists and multimedia designers who work with type but are not necessarily drawn to it. This book gives you the basics with a lot of examples and a humoristic approach that should keep you entertained long enough for you to grasp the ideas.
This is not a reference and it doesn't talk about advanced matters, but it will provide a tremendous wealth of knowledge to anybody new to type specifics. Sure one could get the basics from a 7-page pamphlet, but design is about making sense of the ideas and I can't imagine a beginner understanding all these concepts without the help of an array of examples such as the ones contained in this small book.
worthless...........2006-08-02
This is without a doubt the worst reference on typography that I have ever read. It is filled with useless metaphors and examples. I really expected more from the Adobe Press.
5 Quick Truths.......2006-01-24
1. Entertainment, not resource. Provides insight into the uses of type, as well as a brief history of many different typefaces. Robert Bringhurst's "The Elements of Typography" (0881792063) is a better book for those in need of a resource.
2. Aimed at a less experienced audience. Discusses type in relation to emotions, legibility, etc, though not in great depth. It does a great job of showing a beginner how important type is, showing a large number of examples of typefaces, and, possibly, inspiring them to look into the subject more thoroughly.
3. The quote used in the title did not come from the authors, it came from F. Goudy in 1936. Also, most of the fonts mentioned in the book cannot be found in Adobe's font library, some are over 100 years old. The book is not trying to sell you anything.
4. The book itself is a great example of what can be accomplished with type. It also contains many instances of type being used to great effect, while explaining how and why it works so well.
5. As someone interested in type, you could do much worse than this book. However, its simple nature, though complete and well-constructed, whets the appetite more than actually satisfying it.
Book Description
"This book clearly illustrates the true nature of disturbed characters, exposes the tactics the most manipulative characters use to pull the wool over the eyes of others, and outlines powerful, practical ways to deal more effectively with manipulative people."
Customer Reviews:
A good start.......2007-10-02
This book describes the manipulative personality quite well, however, I found it rather superficial compared to Snakes in Suits or Who is Pulling Your Strings.
A Real Eye Opener!.......2007-09-25
I devoured this book the very same day it arrived.
I was always left with a tangled up knot of various emotions in trying to deal with a certain family member but could never put my finger on *why*.
This book really opened my eyes!
Wasted money on this one.......2007-09-24
I learned a few new terms, such as "covert aggressive" but I still don't really know how I'm supposed to handle people like this. The book was disappointing, contained case studies and specific suggestions for handling the people in the case studies, but I did not find it valuable or informative.
Cuts to the Chase.......2007-08-29
Wow. I received this book on Monday and have already read it (it's Wednesday) - twice. Until now, I took it for granted that people everywhere are pretty much the same and are all just struggling along, trying to make it the best they can. The manipulators were "out there" in politics, far away in what seemed like another world. I also assumed that many manipulators are driven by insecurity or fear, even though those assumptions never felt quite right. It never occurred to me that some people manipulate others just for the sake of having the upper hand. It also never occurred to me that some people are highly skilled manipulators who target only people they know they can manipulate. Behavior that once seemed inexplicable to me now makes sense, now that I have some insight into what makes covert-aggressive people tick. Although I read this book too late in regards to a certain "friendship," this book has provided me with some tools on dealing with these people in the future.
An unfortunate necessity for performing arts professionals and church staff.......2007-08-15
I am an acoustical and systems design consultant who specializes in the design and functional rehabilitation of worship and performing arts facilities. In my practice, I often encounter what should be easily resolved misunderstandings between technical staff, performers, committee members, and/or clergy, which instead turn into intractable standoffs, or endless sagas of intrigue and treachery. While I have been well-equipped to diagnose and prescribe solutions to technical problems for many years, I had been largely ill-equipped to interact with highly skilled manipulators, or to provide resources to ministry leaders who are often no better prepared for them than I once was, and who fall into many of the manipulative traps described in this book.
While not all such conflicts are the result of covert aggression, I do find that such behavior is disproportionately common in churches, for the same reasons that Simon observes. Church leaders tend to focus on the relational aspects of conflicts to the exclusion of the substance, and thereby make churches exceptionally vulnerable to the skilled manipulator, who is very adept at exploiting the good will of trusting but naive people. I have watched manipulators have a field day with such tactics as blame-shifting, playing victim, playing servant (while building an empire in plain view), slander campaigns against anyone wise to their motives, and most of the other tactics thrown in for good measure.
Covert aggression is also common in the secular performing arts, as many performers find that their character issues will be overlooked so long as other attributes, such as talent or popularity, are at least perceived to be present by key decision-makers. See also Rory Noland's excellent The Heart of the Artist. Those performers with covert aggressive personalities often gravitate to roles of artistic leadership, such as the conductor, director, producer, etc. Such people see themselves as having a birthright to be in charge, and once entrusted with a position of leadership, they will stop at nothing to build the most grandiose artistic empire they can envision. Many of these attitudes and behavior patterns from the secular performing arts world have been transplanted into the worship arts world with only changes in pretext. In either place, they victimize the majority of sincere artists along with most of the other people that, through no fault of their own, come into contact with those few who are character-disordered.
So far, I have found Simon's book to be quite useful as an accessible but accurate introduction to this subject. It is the perfect book to put in the long-suffering victim's hands to help them understand what has really been happening in the nightmare they have been living. Once they have learned to recognize and name the offender's tactics, they can then try out some of the new tools they have been given to start changing the pattern of interaction with their abuser. It is also a necessary introduction for leaders who are called upon to correct these situations, especially when they are partly culpable due to having failed to exercise due discernment, and have unwittingly aided and abetted the manipulator. Finally, I believe that this book's greatest value is as a "vaccine" of knowledge to help potential future victims or unwitting enablers to identify manipulative behavior and "nip it in the bud."
I would urge every minister, church administrator, and lay leader, as well as every secular and religious artist, artistic leader, technical professional or volunteer, and technical leader, to buy and read this book as if your career depended on it - because it just might. Each of those listed above, as well as many others in today's working world, are just one bad hiring or promotion decision away from *needing* this book.
Customer Reviews:
Great book to answer questions.......2007-06-05
This book was a lamb and ewe saver. My very first lambing season I had the lambing chapter practically memorized before hand. And my first ewe had problems. But by reading the hints, encouragement from my husband and gritting my teeth - I got the lamb pulled out. Saved both the lamb and ewe - second lamb born with no problems. Lambs are now six weeks old and growing like weeds.
Managing Your Ewe.......2000-07-07
If you can only afford one book on breeding or managing ewes and lambs, make it this one. The format for diagnosing your ewes problem, condition, emergency or whatever, is absolutely clear and accurate. This is the best information available. Highly recommended.
NO BARN SHOULD BE WITHOUT ONE !!!.......1998-03-09
I am a vet tech and this book has gotten me through alot of questions, not to mention helping me with my own flock of sheep. This book is right on the seat of my truck along side my Border Collie "Don" when I go out on farm calls. Never leave without it. I like the fact that all the dosages are right in the book no need to take time to figure it out. Great book !
Books:
- Nursing Home Administration
- Oxford Textbook of Medicine: 3-Volume Set (Oxford Textbook)
- Plagues and Peoples
- Practical Ophthalmology: A Manual for Beginning Residents
- Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements ... A-To-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies)
- Scientific Farm Animal Production (8th Edition)
- Seasons of Delight
- Seasons of Delight
- Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating
- Service Oriented Architecture For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- History: Fiction or Science
- Eldest
- Advanced ESR Methods in Polymer Research
- Against the Tide of Years
- Art of Computer Programming, The, Volumes 1-3 Boxed Set
- Color Drawing: Design Drawing Skills and Techniques for Architects, Landscape Architects, and Interi
- Brothers And Sisters: 100 Reasons Our Relationship Is Like No Other
- Micromosaics: The Gilbert Collection
- A Question of Balance: Artists and Writers on Motherhood
- A Basket of Herbs: A Book of American Sentiments
Lace Style: Traditional to Innovative, 21 Inspired Designs to Knit
Fitted Knits: 25 Designs for the Fashionable Knitter
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off: The Yarn Harlot's Guide to the Land of Knitting
Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave
The Natural Knitter: How to Choose, Use, and Knit Natural Fibers from Alpaca to Yak
