Polymer Chemistry: The Basic Concepts

Customer Reviews:

a good book for physical polymer science.......2005-10-10

As I have said in my title, this is an excellent book for introductory physical polymer science. Not that good for organic/synthetic polymer science.

Too wordy.......2002-05-13

This book of Paul Hiemenz' could have been almost halved without detriment to its content. I would not point this out if the language were engaging, but it is not.

Review of Hiemenz "Polymer Chemistry".......2001-07-25

Classic text on polymer chemistry. Professors usually teach directly out of this book, and are excited to discover that it is back in print. Though "Polymer Chemistry" has not been updated since 1984, by no means is it outdated. Intended for senior-level undergraduate or beginning graduate level, this text covers introductory terminology, basic chain dynamics, basic rheological characterization, crystallization, thermodynamics of the glassy state, synthesis, reaction kinetics, and solution thermodynamics.

This book is written from the chemist's perspective and meant as an introduction. Chemists wishing to specialize in the organic synthesis aspect may also benefit from "Principles of Polymerization" by Odian. Materials engineers would likewise turn to a polymer physics text and keep Hiemenz as a reference.

While this book is indispensible as a student text, its format isn't conducive to leisurely reading. A professional wishing to brush-up on skills may benefit from other texts.

Book Description

When a passenger check-in desk at London's Heathrow Airport disappears in a ball of orange flame, the explosion is deemed an act of God. But which god, wonders holistic detective Dirk Gently? What god would be hanging around Heathrow trying to catch the 3:37 to Oslo? And what has this to do with Dirk's latest--and late-- client, found only this morning with his head revolving atop the hit record "Hot Potato"? Amid the hostile attentions of a stray eagle and the trauma of a very dirty refrigerator, super-sleuth Dirk Gently will once again solve the mysteries of the universe...

Customer Reviews:

Do not buy the CD set!.......2007-10-01

I love Douglas Adams, and I love to hear his recordings of his books.
I like The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul well enough to have worn out my audio tapes.
I bought the CD version, but disk 6 is a messed up recording. It starts repeating parts and pieces of the same chapter over and over and never gets to the end of the book. The end of the story is not included on the last disk. I am not the only one to have found it so. You will be left hanging.

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Still odd, this private investigator.

This is much of a muchness with the last book, but the act wears thing after having it done the first time around. Dirk still has dodgy fridge hygiene. The plot if you want to call it that this time has to do with a possible deity, some blowing up of stuff including people, and an annoying album also features.

The Not Long Enough, Not Dark Enough Decaf Tea Time of the Soul.......2007-08-13

The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul is a mostly enjoyable book in Douglas Adams typical style, but it is uncharacteristically soul-less. The book begins, as books are wont to do, by introducing us to a cast of seemingly unconnected characters living seemingly unconnected lives filled with seemingly unconnected events. As the book progresses, these characters, their aforementioned lives, and the aforementioned events come together in strange and mostly interesting ways. The story moves along well enough until near the end. As I read, I eventually reached a point where there were very few pages left to read, and there was still a great deal of explaining left to do. At this point I suspected that the book would end with either; A) A less than adequate explanation for the plot points, or; B) A great deal of explanation jammed into the remaining few pages. Sadly, it turned out to be both. I would like to be able to recommend this work based on the first 7/8ths of the book. But, the final 1/8th of the book goes a long way toward overwhelming the preceeding pages with a hurried, splotchy, and unsatisfying climax. I rarely feel that any book could benefit from actually being longer, but that is indeed the case with Adams' TLDTTOTS. It seems as if the author reached a certain point in the writing process, then lost interest in the project, and wrapped it up as quickly as possible, throwing quality to the wind. If you like Douglas Adams other works, you will probably like this one. If you're not an Adams fan, the ending will leave you feeling decaffinated.

typical wit, but ending lacks steam.......2007-07-25

About the first 75% of this book was full of typical Adams' unpredictable wit, peculiar characters and the most unusual situations ever drempt of. This is why I read Adams' - refreshing to read something which isn't so cold and lacking subplots, which are typically hilarious.

However, the last 25% seemed to be lacking everything one expects from an Adams' novel. The first Holisitc Detective Agency book was much better in regards to cover to cover wit. Long Dark Tea-time just lost all of its steam once it came to the three-quarters point. It was too descriptive and at the same time lacking any humor in the description. It would have been easy to hack out a few of the ending chapters.

Disappointed.

Adams typical wit.......2007-06-10

A good yarn with a sprinkling of wit and attention to detail in linking everyone together and tying up loose ends by the end of the book. Not his best but a good read as long as you like a spot of fantasy and intrigue.

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul & Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

Average customer rating:

One Amazing Book, Another Pretty Boring
Not the Hitchhiker's Guide Series,.. but still good
Adams reads some of his best work
The long dark rambling of the boredom&dirk gentlys confusing
The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul and Dirk Gently

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul & Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Douglas Adams
Manufacturer: Audio Literature
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: 0787122807

Customer Reviews:

One Amazing Book, Another Pretty Boring.......2005-12-27

Dirk Gently is probably Douglas Adam's best written book and has an extremely well defined plot. The humor as good as ever, I laughed out loud on many occassions. The notion of "fundamental interconnectedness of things" that Adams introduces in this book is quite powerful and yet quite humorous. The problem of the stuck couch in an impossible position, missing cats, ancient professors in universities, an electric monk - a multiple set of oddities all fall into place into a great pattern.

I found Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul a bit boring. It is interesting in parts but on the whole there's much new stuff in what Adams says.

On the whole the book is a great buy - if you liked Hitchhiker's series at all, you would most certainly love Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. Guaranteed.

Not the Hitchhiker's Guide Series,.. but still good.......2005-02-09

A previous reviewer has noticed that this work is really nothing like the Hitchhiker's Guide books. While this is true, this does not make this a bad book. It is just that it is almost in a different genre.

If you were expecting the hilarity that is the HGTTG series, you may be surprised. But if you enjoy detective stories that make you think, you'll love these books. Just realize that Adams often doesn't expressly tie up all the loose ends: he expects the reader to be able to reason well enough to figure it out.

Adams reads some of his best work.......2001-08-24

After reading the five (!) books in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy, I turned to his two books featuring Dirk Gently, Holistic Detective. Although it took me a bit of time to warm to these stories, I wound up liking them even better than the HhGttG trilogy, much to my surprise. This audiobook version of these two excellent books is everything you would want in such a thing - unabridged and read by the author. On the downside, it is slightly pricey, and on the way far downside, it is out of print, and therefore a little hard to find. (Here's hoping that is remedied soon.) The late and much lamented (by me in any case) Douglas Adams was a writer of rare talent. He could write books about great subjects such as the origin of life and the meaning of existence, and make them riotously funny and entertaining. I believe that the only thing that will keep him from being recognized as a major writer is that he wrote science fiction. Too bad, because science fiction or not, his stuff was superb.

The long dark rambling of the boredom&dirk gentlys confusing.......2001-01-17

... agency.

Well,I love his other books, you know. hhgttg (hithchikers guide to the galaxy) trilogy, In fact it's my favorite book. But this one SUUUCKS!! I can't remember how many times I fell asleep while tring to read this monstrosity. I still haven't figured out why the horse was upstairs to begin with, and now,I really don't care.

The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul and Dirk Gently.......2000-03-26

Being a long-time fan of Douglas Adams and his "Hitchhiker Series" doesn't automatically mean you will fall in love with Dirk Gently, but...

If you have any love of Norse Mythology, and enjoy a great Detective story...you will love these stories immensely.

Lurking refrigerators, redheaded housekeepers, Odin, Thor, jets, the birth of new Gods, Valhalla, cripsy linen sheets, exploding desks at airports, missing passports, pregnant cats, Coke machines, time warps, hot potatoes, rock groups, soothsayers, strange horoscopes, greed, history, mythology, and of course at the center of it all is the humor of Douglas Adams.

These are two of the most thoroughly enjoyable stories to be found on tape, and I give it 5 stars, it never flags, it holds your attention to the last paragraph of the last page. And it is especially nice to hear them read in the author's own voice, unabridged. Every little jewel is included, nothing is lost in the transition from print to spoken story.

Average customer rating:
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
Douglas Adams
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: B000NY347Y

Average customer rating:

Adam's Best Work Yet

Duff, duff, duff.

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0671929267

Customer Reviews:

Adam's Best Work Yet.......1998-04-24

This novel marked the beginning of Douglas Adam's career as a Serious Writer - but I mean that in a good way. Unfortunately, it was also the end of his career - at least of books that he personally approved.

This is the story of the Norse gods among us, one trying to cope with the ambitious mediocrity of the modern world while the other seems to be the cause of it.
Read this if only because your lit profs have probably never heard of it, but wouldn't like it if they had.

Duff, duff, duff........1998-01-23

After the appalling "Dirk Gentlys Holistic Detective Agency", (mostly recycled from an unfinished Dr. Who script Adams wrote), we have the Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul. Possibly the worst novel Adams has written, (although the last two HitchHikers books are pretty bad), it has no redeemming features whatsoever. Duff, duff, duff.

3 Douglas Adams HBs: Starship Titanic, Complete Hitchhiker's Guide, Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul

Average customer rating:

3 Douglas Adams HBs: Starship Titanic, Complete Hitchhiker's Guide, Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul
Terry Jones Douglas Adams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000TZVDNY

Product Description

3 Hardbacks, The More Than Complete Hitchhiker's Guide includes Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life the Universe and Everything, So Long and Thanks for the Fish, Young Zaphod Plays it Safe.

Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul 1ST Edition Signe

Average customer rating:

Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul 1ST Edition Signe
Douglas Adams
Manufacturer: SIMON & SCHUSTER
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UCQ0NY

Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul Signed 1S

Average customer rating:

Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul Signed 1S
Douglas Adams
Manufacturer: SIMON & SCHUSTER
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000Q9LAQ8

Average customer rating:

THE LONG DARK TEA-TIME OF THE SOUL
DOUGLAS ADAMS
Manufacturer: PAN BOOKS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S34FA0

Average customer rating:

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
Douglas Adams
Manufacturer: Audioworks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: 0671881450

Average customer rating:

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
Douglas Adams
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WUSN9S

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