Product Description
The increase in environmentally induced diseases and the loosening of regulation and safety measures have inspired a massive challenge to established ways of looking at health and the environment. Communities with disease clusters, women facing a growing breast cancer incidence rate, and people of color concerned about the asthma epidemic have become critical of biomedical models that emphasize the role of genetic makeup and individual lifestyle practices. Likewise, scientists have lost patience with their colleagues' and government's failure to adequately address environmental health issues and to safeguard research from corporate manipulation.Focusing specifically on breast cancer, asthma, and Gulf War-related health conditions-"contested illnesses" that have generated intense debate in the medical and political communities-Phil Brown shows how these concerns have launched an environmental health movement that has revolutionized scientific thinking and policy. Before the last three decades of widespread activism regarding toxic exposures, people had little opportunity to get information.Few sympathetic professionals were available, the scientific knowledge base was weak, government agencies were largely unprepared, laypeople were not considered bearers of useful knowledge, and ordinary people lacked their own resources for discovery and action.Brown argues that organized social movements are crucial in recognizing and acting to combat environmental diseases. His book draws on environmental and medical sociology, environmental justice, environmental health science, and social movement studies to show how citizen-science alliances have fought to overturn dominant epidemiological paradigms. His probing look at the ways scientific findings are made available to the public and the changing nature of policy offers a new perspective on health and the environment and the relationship among people, knowledge, power, and authority. ... Read more

Product Description
He had a number one hit at eighteen. He was a millionaire with his own record label at twenty-two. He was, according to Tom Wolfe, “the first tycoon of teen.”Phil Spector owned pop music. From the Crystals, the Ronettes (whose lead singer, Ronnie, would become his second wife), and the Righteous Brothers to the Beatles (together and singly) and finally the seventies punk icons The Ramones, Spector produced hit after hit. But then he became pop music's most famous recluse. Until one day in the spring of 2007, when his name hit the tabloids, connected to a horrible crime. In Tearing Down the Wall of Sound, Mick Brown, who was the last journalist to interview Spector before his arrest, tells the full story of the troubled musical genius. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

Fascinating ... Great narration, too.
I bought the audible version of Mick Brown's book. The narrator chosen for an audio version of a book (whether it's the author or someone else) can often make the most interesting book seem dull. A good narrator can often make a dull book seem interesting. The best of both worlds is to have a very interesting book read by a good narrator (for the audio version),

Fortunately, the audio very version of "Tearing Down the Wall of Sound" contains the best of both worlds. The content of this book is very fascinating, and the narrator, Ray Porter, did a masterful job as the narrator. Even though it's a long book, the author left me wanting to read more. I hope a another addition covering the outcome of Phil Spector's two trials will be forthcoming.

One criticism, though. The author needs to be careful about quoting other sources - autobiographies - that were not written or even read by the alleged author, e.g., Brian Wilson's "autobiography". At a minimum, Mick Brown should offer a caveat before quoting such sources (some of the content of such sources may still be true even though the authorship is in question).

Still, I easily give "Tearing Down the Wall of Sound" five stars.

Excellent biography of a tragic figure
Phil Spector is easily one of the best producers in the history of rock and pop. His meteoric rise to stardom in the New York Music scene in the early 60s was legendary as was his work with the Crystals, the Ronettes, John Lennon and George Harrison.Unfortunately, his personal life was as disastrous as his professional life was stellar.This book dispassionately chronicles Spector's life from a child who endured his father's suicide to the accusations of murder which he eventually succumbed to. A sad, tragic story of yet another individual who seemed to have the world but really couldn't stop the demons from consuming him.....

Portrait of a Troubled Man
Phil Spector will probably spend the rest of his life in prison for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson, but that doesn't make him any less of an influential and luminary figure in the history of pop music. "Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector" is exactly that - a very detailed book about Spector's spectacular rise, decline, and eventual self-imposed exile on the very fringes of the Hollywood music establishment culminating in the murder of Lana Clarkson in 2003. This book not only spans Spector's life and career as a producer and a musician, but it also dives deeply into his personal life and relationships in an attempt to paint an unbiased portrait of the man. What ultimately comes out is a portrait of a very troubled, insecure soul with a napoleon complex and a constant need to prove himself at the expense of others.

This book doesn't end where Spector's life has ended up. And that is probably its biggest flaw of all, but one has to wonder if the Spector story is truly over for good. That this is the almost anticlimactic end of the "first tycoon of teen" and the genius who brought us the Wall of Sound.

One can only wonder at this point.

Now we know.
Before reading this book, I had no idea which version of the Lana Clarkson story to believe:Did Phil Spector kill her, or did she commit suicide?After reading it, there is little doubt.

Brown does an excellent job of tracing Spector's life, and of giving us a glimpse of the recording industry in the golden age of rock and roll.But his signal achievement -- and I would guess, the primary purpose of the book -- is to establish a clear pattern of behavior over a several-decade period.Brown has documented so many examples of Spector's bizarre habit over the years of locking people inside his house when they expressed a desire to leave, and threatening them with firearms, that an eventual tragic ending seemed inevitable.(Indeed, one wonders why it didn't happen sooner.)Further, the idea that a young woman who displayed no evidence of depression, let alone suicidal ideation, would enter the house of a man she had met for the first time, and kill herself in the entryway as he stood directly in front of her (as evidenced by the blood spray on his coat), with that man's gun, is preposterous on its face.

Phil Spector is of course a tragic figure, the classic self-isolating genius; a man so afraid of being alone that he forcibly prevented guests from leaving his home, but so afraid of interpersonal relationships that he could not allow anyone to get close enough to help him find enduring relief from his mental illness or his alcoholism, despite an army of psychiatrists and a polypharmacy of psychoactive medications. Perhaps now, within the California correctional system, he will finally find the help he needs.It's just a shame that an innocent young woman had to die in the process.

Compelling bio of a complex man
Tearing Down The Wall Of Sound is a balanced presentation of the Phil Spector story.He was a very complicated man who, at the age of nine years old, was traumatized by his father's suicide.Spector idolized his father and spent the rest of his life engaged in conflicts with those closest to him (his mother, sister, wives, etc.).He was a brilliant musician who treated his session players with respect.However, he treated all of his singers as disposable chattel as he was obsessed with his fame and stature in the pop music scene and did not want them to get the primary credit for his hit records.This book presents both sides of this complex individual; the hard detailed work he put into his revolutionary productions, his musical genius, and his ability to push the musical envelope.On the other hand, his callous treatment of most people he was involved with is detailed as well.Brown presents Spector as a bi-polar user of most of the people he personally knew.He did, however, lionize Lenny Bruce and John Lennon and treated them (and their legacy) with the utmost respect.The book makes an interesting point regarding his musical legacy.Most people regard "River Deep, Mountain High" as the pinnacle of his career.However, the author makes a convincing point that his greatest achievement is "You've Lost That Loving Feeling".Like most biographies of 1960's musical legends who peaked early, his story gets tedious from around the mid-1970's onwards as he spirals downward and deeper into a morass of unchecked mental illness.Brown gives numerous accounts of incidences where he threatened to kill various women.The book ends before his second murder trial.This is a very compelling account of a conflicted, unhappy musical genius.Here's hoping that Spector gets the proper psychological treatment he so obviously requires while spending the rest of his life in prison. ... Read more

Product Description
This comprehensive, up-to-date collection of 38 articles represents a broad range of research methods and data sources in medical sociology from the perspectives of public health, medicine, epidemiology, political science, history, and anthropology. In addition to eleven new readings, eight of the seminal articles from the previous edition have been revised for the fourth edition.The overarching theme of this authoritative compendium is that medical sociology should focus on large-scale social structural factors as well as a micro-level exploration of lay illness experience, including the interaction between people and their health providers. Linking these levels of analysis is essential for a holistic understanding of medical sociology. A second important theme concerns social movements, which not only aim to achieve specific goals, but in the process can also alter our perspectives on the very definitions of health and illness as well as the proper ways to create and sustain a healthy society. ... Read more

Product Description
Dr. Nuernberger provides a holistic view of stress and human functioning. He shows how you can learn to take conscious control of your life and regain physical and mental balance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

STRESS MEDICAL-TEXTBOOK
book was dated dated not exactly what i expected-thank you very much

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Knowledge is power.
Dr. Nuernberger first teaches you how the body and nervous system function in response to your thoughts, and then shows how you can control those reactions and thereby control your stress levels.Simple, natural, and effective.

Freedom from Stress by Phil Nuernberger
The author espouses the holistic view toward stress identification and reduction. He explains that we may have
very little control over the external environment. In addition,
attitudes and unreasoned belief systems fuel stress. The
type A person tends to hurry; whereas the type B person
has little sense of urgency. Type B persons have lower stress
risk and ;therefore, lower incidence of heart disease.
Lowered stress levels should be combined with eating lean
meat, eliminating whole milk and increasing exercise.
Lastly, salt should be used sparingly. This book provides
simple non-invasive ways to recognize and reduce stress
to a manageable level before its unhealthy manifestations
require extensive medical treatment. ... Read more

Product Description
Toxic waste, contaminated water, cancer clustersthese phrases suggest deception and irresponsibility. But more significantly, they are watchwords for a growing struggle between communities, corporations, and government. In No Safe Place, sociologists, public policy professionals, and activists will learn how residents of Woburn, Massachusetts discovered a childhood leukemia cluster and eventually sued two corporate giants.Their story gives rise to questions important to any concerned citizen:What kind of government regulatory action can control pollution?Just how effective can the recent upsurge of popular participation in science and technology be? Phil Brown, a medical sociologist, and Edwin Mikkelsen, psychiatric consultant to the plaintiffs, look at the Woburn experience in light of similar cases, such as Love Canal, in order to show that toxic waste contamination reveals fundamental flaws in the corporate, governmental, and scientific spheres.The authors strike a humane, constructive note amidst chilling odds, advocating extensive lay involvement based on the Woburn model of civic action. Finally, they propose a safe policy for toxic wastes and governmental/corporate responsibility. Woburn, the authors predict, will become a code word for environmental struggles. ... Read more

Product Description
The masters of astonishing military technology that enables them to deploy almost instantaneously to any part of the Earth, the Dreamland team must now stop a dangerous revolution in the making in Eastern Europe – where a mysterious group of insurgents has blown up an essential pipeline, thereby disrupting Europe’s gas supply. With NATO and the EU paralyzed by the crisis, it falls to Dreamland’s best and brightest to keep the world from the brink of another Cold War. But the secret hand of an old enemy is pulling the strings from the shadows, hoping to reap the rewards of chaos. And the devastating results could erupt with intense, white-hot fury.

“DALE BROWN IS A SUPERB STORYTELLER.” – W.E.B. Griffin, Washington Post

“THE NOVELS OF DALE BROWN BRIM WITH VIOLENT ACTION, DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF SOPHISTICATED WEAPONRY, AND POLITICAL INTRIGUE...HIS ABILITY TO BRING TECHNICAL WEAPONRY TO LIFE IS AMAZING.” – San Francisco Chronicle ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Another Great Dale Brown Novel
It is important for the potential reader to know that this is Another Great Dale Brown Novel

Exceptional
Yet another exceptional offering in the Dale Brown/Jim DeFelice Dreamland series. Nonstop action beginning to end.

so so
The story line is ok, same old, same old mostly. The strength as always is the technological imagination and imaginative battles. Unfortunately, the research and writing (and copy editing) have gotten so sloppy as to be disracting. Several times in the first few pages "criteria" is used as a singular noun (ie, the criteria is...). Biceps is parsed to bicep, as if that makes it singular, and, most amusingly, during a scene at a Lakers' game, Kobe Bryant banks in a foul shot to win the game. I'm pretty sure Kobe has never banked in a foul shot intentionally. All in all, a lazy effort.

Fred
Consistently good as the rest of the Dreamland series.Increased tie-in with original Dale Brown series.

Dreamland Revolution
The book is excellent and Dale Brown and my friend Jim DeFelice just keep putting out incredible work.I used to fly B-52G's out of Guam in the 80's as a non-rated crew member and they make it real to me. Guys, keep it up! ... Read more

Product Description

Lecturing can be a terror, a chore or an exhilarating experience. For most lecturers, at one time or another, it is all of these things. For many in HE & FE it remains the staple form of teaching and, as student groups get ever larger, good lecturing becomes ever more important.

This is an accessible, friendly and confidence-boosting book for inexperienced and experienced lecturers alike. Written in a lively and straightforward style, it guides readers through the art of good lecturing. This is a book to use both to gain confidence, and to work with as the your lecturing becomes more assured. The authors show how to improve lecturing, and how lecturing is a flexible and essential tool for enhancing learning and understanding. Illustrated throughout with fascinating case studies and scenarios and with helpful hints and tips, key issues covered include:

* the place and types of lecture
* voice and body language
* causing learning in lectures
* making lectures more effective
* lecturing tools and processes
* engaging groups
* ensuring and developing quality
* tips for day-to-day use.

Customer Reviews (2)

A useful read
Sally Brown co-authors Lecturing: A Practical Guide with her husband, Phil Race. Sally Brown is Pro Vice-Chancellor at Leeds Metropolitan University, in the United Kingdom. Brown has authored a number of books in the area of academic assessment, following twenty years as a lecturer. Her work focuses on the topics of pedagogy, assessment, and inclusiveness. Race is also an academic, specializing in assessment. Together they hold workshops in England for fellow academics to improve their pedagogical skills.
This book approaches the topic from the beginning, i.e. what is lecturing. There is a thoughtful discussion of the rationale behind why academics lecture at all. Is it to put knowledge into a context? Is it to strengthen understanding? Or to build enthusiasm?When reading this chapter it really drives one to examine their own motivations behind how and why they teach in the manner that they do.
As the analysis unfolds, the two foremost strengths of the book are revealed. The first is in the thoroughness of the analysis. It addresses multiple factors that can impact a lecture. Some of these aspects may seem obvious such as delivering lectures in a monotone or being disorganized, while other aspects are more easily missed. For example, the environment of the room itself has multiple impacts on a lecture. Brown and Race address many of them, including evident ones such as acoustics and temperature. They thoughtfully include others that may be less obvious but which can equally interfere with the learning process. These environmental issues can include pillars and posts, inadequate entrances, and improper size and types of rooms for the type of learning communities involved. Brown and Race provide a number of solutions for each potential problem.
There is a substantial chapter on lecture tools. This chapter was very useful. It discusses at length different types of learning aids; white boards, overheads, and power points, etc. Clicker technology is not addressed, but this is due to the newness of the technology and the book's publication date of 2002. A future revision of the book would hopefully allow this section of the book to be updated.In addition to addressing the pitfalls one can fall into when relying on technology, this section provides very practical tips to maintain the students focus.
In addition to offering many suggestions that would improve a lecturer's delivery, the book addresses aspects such as post and pre lecture preparation, and linking lectures to other learning activities. This aspect is crucial since if students cannot see any significant application they may discount the information as irrelevant.
The final section of the book addresses embracing diverse students. It provides useful information regarding assumptions instructors make that restrict differently- abled students' learning and ways that these students needs can be met.
The second strength of this book, in addition to its thoroughness, is that it gives both the perspectives, that of the student and the lecturer. This provides for a richness of insight. As one reads, one recognizes many similar situations that they may have faced as an instructor.Because the book also provides students' reactions to the same situations, it really illuminates the differences in the perspective that can be found in the same room. In fact, some of the differences in perspective can be both shocking and dismaying. As one reads one constantly is questioning one's own methodology. (Have I done that?What can I do to avoid doing that? )
I did not perceive any major weaknesses in this book. Even when taking into consideration that it was written by British authors and the slight differences in phrases or academic terms, it was easy to comprehend and a pleasure to read.
I highly recommend this book to any instructor hoping to improve his or her technique and lecturing style.I believe that it would be useful in any stage of ones career, either to help

Helpful for lectures of any size
This book is exactly what it says it is...a guide to lecturing.While it does not presuppose that lecturing is the best pedagogical model, it does assume an institution where lecturing predominates (as is the case in many UK institutions). The authors integrate some humor making it an entertaining read.The most valuable aspect of the book is the student perspective (as presented by the non-student authors) as this can get lost in a lecture of 300-500 students. ... Read more

Product Description
The indispensable guide to the best the New York Adirondacks have to offer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Disappointing Directions
Thankfully my husband and I live in the Adirondacks and have been somewhat familiar with the areas we have hiked.Out of 5 of the places we have hiked from the book, 3 have had wrong directions.The directions for Lyon Mountain say to go 9.3 miles Northwest when it is actually Northeast which brought us in a totally different direction.The campsite to go through at Lake Meachem to get to DeBar Mountain is wrong.The list goes on.It is a confusing book since many maps show mountains to hike, but don't tell how to get to them and some tell how to get to them but don't show them on a map.I will agree that it has given us a lot of ideas on where to hike around us that we didn't know existed.But, I wonder if the author actually hiked to these places.

Disappointing Guide
We make frequent trips to the Adirondacks for family vacations; on the last three, we've had this book in hand and have had a variety of disappointing experiences.Here are some of our complaints:

1) the organization of this book is really confusing.Although the book includes lots of maps, there isn't a great overview of the entire Adirondack region.For example, information on attractions, trails, etc in the Lake Placid area is scattered over several discrete sections.This makes it difficult to plan a day out if you know where you're going to be basing yourself.This book also does a poor job of cross-referencing between the maps and the text.

2) Trail information is to be taken with a grain of salt.One set of directions was so confusing that we ended up giving up, and once we were unable to locate a trailhead at all.The directions given in the guide tend to look very precise (indicating, for example, tenths of a mile), but in the field are not very useful.The descriptions of trails are also not especially useful.The Heart Lake loop at Adirondack Loj, for example, is described as "easy", implying a walk that is friendly for kids, etc.In terms of length (1 mile) this is accurate, but in terms of terrain (lots of root knots in the trail, low lying areas that stay muddy for many days after the rail, some steep inclines/declines) it's not "easy".Although we haven't tried any of the longer trails listed in this book, based on our experience I would be very very wary of using this guide alone to plan an all-day hike anywhere in the Adirondacks.

3)Fees.Although the guide indicates where fees are collected, it does not indicate what specific prices are.The Adirondacks are expensive -- the parking fee at Adirondack Loj (advertised as a good starting point for several walks) is $8 or $9, High Falls Gorge costs almost $10 per adult and $7 per child, etc. -- and the book doesn't do a good job of indicating this to people unfamiliar with the area.

I guess this book is useful as an overview or for someone trying to identify what they might like to see in the Adirondacks.As far as a practical field guide to the area, however, this is only marginally useful.Interested travelers would be advised to do some homework -- especially on trails, even the so-called easy family hikes -- outside of this guide.

A Big Help
Even though I spent my summers as a kid in the Adirondacks this book was atremendous help in planning a trip back to there after being gone for 20years. I couldn't believe the things we did that I had never seen within 20miles over our old summer home!In addition to the help in planning a tripwe brought it with us everwhere we went and it helped us get some greatideas on things to do once we got to our initial destinations.Wish theyhad one for the mountains in VA.

The best short guide to America's most beautiful environment
It is obvious that Phil Brown, despite his workmanlike description of nearly every square inch of New York's Adirondack Park, has a passion for the region unmatched by any other expert. His descriptions of trails,waterways and other attractions of the Adirondacks expose his intimaterelationship with America's most beautiful environment. This book is allyou need to guide your exploration. It is an instant classic. ... Read more

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Product Description
Phil Brown s poetry is the kind of work you should give to people who think poetry iselitist , or simply too hard to be bothered with.His is the inspiration that comes while you are waiting for that pizza, hitching a ride to a country town on a misty morning, or watching a Chuck Norris video. It s a conversational style that hooks you like the opening lines of a good journalistic piece no surprise here, since Brown is a journalist in his workaday world for Brisbane News, which helps him keep a finger on the artistic pulse of his hometown.This is poetry from inside the real world of a jaded, happy, metropolitan man. ... Read more

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Product Description
It had been 18 years since England had last won the Ashes. Since then, Australia, their fiercest rivals and the world's best test team throughout this time, had prevailed. But this time England were on a roll. They had been unbeaten for two years and had a crop of young, talented players. That the series would be closer and more competitive than usual was the general view, but no one could have predicted that it would end so dramatically. At the end of the first test at Lords, English optimism had nosedived. Australia were supposed to be an ageing team in the twilight of their careers, but Glenn McGrath destroyed England's batsmen, save for the new kid on the block, Kevin Pietersen. Yet at the second test, England took command, first batting with carefree abandon, then setting a target that looked beyond Australia's capability when, with just two wickets left, they still needed 120 runs. On the last day of the second test, England finally won by just 2 runs. During this test match a new hero was born. Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff scored two fifties, and would star again with the ball in the third test at Old Trafford which, once again ended in high drama.This time England needed just one more wicket to win. McGrath and Brett Lee survived the final 24 balls as a watching nation sat gripped. Unperturbed, England made no mistake at Trent Bridge, this time winning in four days, but even here there was more high drama. When Australia were bowled out in their second innings, England needed only 129 runs to win. They got there, but lost seven wickets in doing so. Now it was official. This really was the greatest Ashes series of all time. No previous series could match this for drama, tension and excitement. England went to the Oval knowing that a draw would be enough to take home the Ashes after nine consecutive defeats to Australia. The eyes of the sporting world fell on a corner of south-east London to watch the drama unfold. Ashes Fever relives the incredible story of how England brought the best cricket team in the world down on their knees. It tells of the tension, the twists that shaped this unforgettable series. It explains the creation of new English sporting heroes and how cricket became the media focal point.Illustrated by 200 photographs, it relates how over three months the England cricket team created history in a manner that is unlikely ever to be repeated. ... Read more

Product Description
Assessment is widely recognized as an integral part of learning for students at all levels; it can also be the bane of a teacher's or lecturer's life. Evolving information and communications technology now offers ways of reducing the burden of assessment work and giving feedback without losing the developmental benefits for students of assessment. This book draws on a range of expertise to share good practice and explore new ways of using appropriate technologies in assessment. It provides both a strategic overview and pragmatic proposals for the use of computers in assessment. Contents include: designing and using multiple-choice questions and standard question formats; using computer-assisted assessment to provide feedback; using ICT to support innovative assessment; and technical and operational issues. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great up-to-date case studies ...
This book is a helpful companion for teachers and developers trying to include more computer-based assessment tasks in their courses. In essence, it is a collection of case studies showing what has worked and what hasn't, so it provides excellent incidental advice. It covers a variety of aspects including security issues and question design, as well as particular cases in which various aspects of computer and web-based assessment has occurred. The only catch is that although it was very up-to-date when published, it probably won't take long in this fast-moving area for the cases to be quite out-dated. ... Read more

Product Description
Phil Brown provides a comprehensive analysis of recent mental health policy and practice by focusing on three main themes: political-economic structures, the pitfalls of professionalism, and institutional obstacles to adequate care. ... Read more

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Health social movements (HSMs) are an innovative and powerful form of political action aimed at transforming the health care system, modifying people’s experience of illness, and addressing broader social determinants of health and disease in diverse communities. This book represents the first collection of research on HSMs. It brings together the study of health and illness with social movement theory in order to establish a basis for the study of health social movements. Contributions cover both health social movements focused on diseases such as Alzheimer’s and breast cancer, and issue-based HSMs such as the pro-choice movement, the movement for complementary and alternative medicine, and movements around stem cell research. Taken together, they illustrate the value of interdisciplinary approaches to studying HSMs. ... Read more

Product Description
You're one of millions of students to graduate from university in a year. You want a good graduate job. Yet you know competition is fierce. This is the first book to go behind the scenes and show you exactly how you do it.

Over the last three years, two leading political economists went behind the scenes of the graduate jobs market. The first independent observers ever to be allowed into assessment centers, they sat in on final interviews, observed psychometric tests being given, and watched decisions on candidates being made.

What they discovered was that there were far fewer graduate jobs than anyone had realized, that the way that the successful candidates were chosen was arbitrary and subjective, and that some candidates had worked out how to manipulate the system in order to secure the jobs for themselves. ... Read more

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Examines the historical roots of American mental health care strategies and discusses alternatives to traditional mental health services. ... Read more

Product Description
A Sourcebook of Darkness for Mage: The Ascension. White Wolf. 1994. 144 pages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Very informative
The Book of Madness is a first edition look at the major antagonists of mages, the Nephandi, Marauders, cults, and various umbrood. It is outdated because a lot of the mechanics have been reprinted in Mage 2nd Edition. However, information regarding culture, beliefs, and practices were abundant. This book really broke the anagonistic groups down so that storytellers can come up with more unique antagonists rather than relying on the cardboard-cutout villians with badass powers who are bad simply because they are. The book explains the reasons why they are badasses and what they believe in.

Madness and Evil etc.
This is THE most useful Mage sourcebook there is. Get it at the same time you pick up 2nd edition Mage and you'll be away. It explains (in fact theorises about) the nature of paradox, spirits, marauders, nephandi and so on, and gives handy hints on how to flesh them out into plausible adversaries rather than monsters to magick to death. It is excellently written and well thought out, typically Phil Brucato (who is by the way the most worthwhile member of White Wolf by a mile) and will improve your chronicle. Trust me (as Jodi Blake might say)

Know Chaos within - give birth to lots of screwed up stars!
Like the Technocracy, the main Mage rules do little to explain why the Fallen Ones or the Mad Ones are supposed to be feared and hunted by the Archmages or even the majority of ranking mages in Traditional or Technocratic circles. Aside from the Nephandi having evil powers and the Marauders being almost completely immune to the limiting effects of Paradox, they simply functioned as human-sized dragons in Mage, good for destroying large chunks of real estate or frightening small children.

With this book, we now have information about running and playing these kinds of characters that turns them into actual characters, rather than scary set-pieces. You didn't just sell your soul to a Hermetic mage gone bad, you sold it to Jodi Blake, with a distinctive style all her own. And so on.

I recommend this book as a starting place for any storyteller (or, heaven forbid, a player) who wants to include one or more of these folks in a Mage game.

A good book desperately in need of a 2nd edition
The Book of Madness was out of print for a while, but White Wolf did a new print run of it in early '99.The book doesn't need a reprint, it needs a revision.I'll get to that.

The Book of Madness is all about the mages'strangest, wildest adversaries:The Nephandi and the Marauders, the twoother forces in the Ascension War besides the Traditions and theTechnocracy, along with a bunch of spirits, the demons of the Astral Umbra,Paradox spirits, and a chapter on the Umbrood in general, plus a smallselections of Mythic beasts.All of it is fairly good, but none of it,except possibly the section on Paradox, was long enough for my taste.Muchof the material on here was intergrated into the second edition of Mage,like the rules for Umbrood, more details about the Nephandi and Marauders,and some of the clarifications of Paradox.The lack of quantity of thematerial and its outdatedness are the book's two main flaws, but they'reenough.Personally, I think they either need to revise and expand the Bookof Madness, or, preferably, there needs to be a volume detailing both theNephandi and the Marauders in more detail, giving somehistory of the twosects, and then a separate book of Umbrood, Astral demons, and Paradoxspirits.But I'm just blue-skying here.This is one of those books thatis all storyteller resources and nothing players would benefit from, andwhile not essential for running a campaign, it would definitely help if youwished to include any of the forces described within. ... Read more

Product Description

Dinosaurs were the biggest, most powerful animals that ever walked the earth. Now they are all gone. How did they become extinct?

Customer Reviews (5)

Great learning book
My son is 7 and loves this entire series.Contrary to what "C. Williams" below stated, the pictures in this book are realistic without being gory, and it sticks to scientifically-established facts to explain the extinction of the dinosaurs.Some people are just idiots and can't handle anything but Disney saccharine.

For your young scientist
In this book, Charlotte Lewis Brown brings to life a realistic view of a part of history that fascinates young minds.The story is gripping in its realism.At first it may be a bit of a challenge for young minds, but it brings a thoughful answer to the question of what happened.Happily the sequels bring new hope and new life.A challenging book that young readers will return to time and time again.Great graphics too.

The Day the Dinosaurs Died
Scientists/Paleontologists have offered several theories explaining the extinction of the dinosaurs. Author Charlotte Lewis Brown provides the reader with a look at the demise of individual dinosaurs after a meteor or asteroid crashed to Earth 65 million years ago. My students (ages 6-8 years old) were fascinated by the "closer view" of the catastrophe as opposed to a more general presentation.

Good high interest book for new readers
This ismy four year old daughters favorite book.I appreciate the subtle retro cover and title. It does talk about animals dying and extinction, but the pictures are not particularly grotesque and there is nothing I would consider gratuitous. I mean that's what dinosaurs do (did), the meat eaters anyway,just like all carnivorous wild animals, they didn't eat at McDonalds.I guess I can understand the previous reviewers opinion if this is her first non-cartoony book about dinosaurs. But really, it's just a couple mild pictures of t-rex eating an (already dead) edmontosaurus just before the asteroid hits. In any case, we love it and think it's an excellent book with great illustations. Sure to peek a youngsters interest in science!

not for young children
My mother in law purchased this book through a book fair for my son who is learning to read.I was shocked after reading this book myself.I do not think this book is appropriate for young children.The pictures are very grotesque and the plot is very scary.My son will not be reading this one. ... Read more