Handbook of Cost Accounting Theory and Techniques

Book Description

In response to the expanding roles of accountants in all types of organizations, cost accounting is becoming increasingly multidimensional, relying not only on traditional accounting principles, but also on behavioral, organizational, decisional, and other foundations. These conceptual foundations and their applications to cost accounting practices form the basis of this handbook, which offers both accounting students and professionals a comprehensive review and interpretation of cost accounting techniques and theories. By treating both traditional and newer dimensions of the discipline, the book defines a new scope and boundary that presents cost accounting in a multidimensional framework. Ahmed Belkaoui presents his material from three different perspectives. First, he shows how the fields of cost accounting, economics, behavioral science, operations research, statistics, and mathematics provide the tools as well as the concepts necessary for the classification, accumulation, and reporting of relevant data for internal decision making and for the interpretation and evaluation of resulting decisions. Second, he demonstrates how standard cost accounting techniques can be complemented by other possible approaches to problems, stressing not only the descriptive but also the normative solutions to cost accounting problems. Finally, he examines how cost accounting techniques affect the planning and control of routine and nonroutine decisions, inventory valuation and income determination. Among the major new developments addressed are variance analysis, learning phenomena in cost estimation, flexible manufacturing systems, and behavioral considerations in cost allocation. This work will be especially valuable for professional accountants and graduate students preparing for an accounting career, and an important resource for academic and public libraries.

Average customer rating:

OK but only if you're not on the receiving end!

A necessary read for everyone in High Tech

Not for technical managers

Disappointing

Good information for managers of IT workers.

Managing Einsteins: Leading High-Tech Workers in the Digital Age
John M. Ivancevich , and Thomas N. Duening
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Companies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Leadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Management | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Understanding Statistical Methods: A Manual for Students and Data Analysts

Done Deals: Venture Capitalists Tell Their Stories

Managing by Values: How to Put Your Values into Action for Extraordinary Results

Play to Win!, Revised Edition: Choosing Growth Over Fear in Work and Life

Flawed Advice and the Management Trap: How Managers Can Know When They're Getting Good Advice and When They're Not

ASIN: 0071375007

Book Description

Today's new breed of technologically skilled employees often acts and thinks differently than their counterparts. And while break-the-rules approaches and attitudes can be helpful and even necessary for innovative, out-of-the-box thinking, they can also be a nightmare for managers. Managing Einsteins walks managers through proven best methods to optimize the skills, abilities, and knowledge of the new economy workforce--without stifling the creativity and innovative spirit needed for success.

Written by two of today's top high-tech management experts, this clear, easy-to-read guide combines strategies for managing and team building with tips and pointers for building better communication between techies and non-techies, coaching for better performance, and more. The helpful skills and effective guidelines in Managing Einsteins will help managers "bridge the gap," providing:

Antidotes for correcting problems in the workplace
"Knowledge tests" for each topic covered
Insights from top tech leaders including Larry Ellison, Michael Dell, and Andy Grove

Customer Reviews:

OK but only if you're not on the receiving end!.......2002-06-23

I agree with a couple of the other reviewers here. I think the real problem here is not the 'Einsteins' but the people who believe they are the right people to manage them. In an era that seems to be heading for 'employee talent' being the greatest asset a company has - it's interesting to note in this work, the implied pain and difficulty that this high level talent seems to be causing managers who want to impose their will, and their direction, on potentailly more intellegent, more insightful employees. Real 'Einsteins' (and I'd love someone to tell me I'm one) have huge problems in getting to grips with the infighting and turf battles that seem to dominate the big corporate agendas and their actions. Managing great employees, those with big, well founded ideas on how to progress, seems to cause these corporate politicians and career climbers a big problem - "Einsteins" are a significant threat to them. "Einsteins" know stuff they don't even begin to understand, they do unusual stuff - they are not scared - they speak to real customers on the front line, they talk to the sales guys and find out what's actually happening - not what the politicians tell them. Political managers see these guys as breaking ranks and telling it as it is - and that's political death. "Einsteins" see it as revitalising a dying corporations, breathing life back into the guys on the front line, the excitement that keeps the revenues flowing.

The problem is not managing the talent - the problem is managers are often too weak and insecure to give them some more freedom and some delagated power to try the new stuff.

That's why in the end 'Einsteins' leave big corpoartes to their fate and go at it with outfits who appreciate them.

I'm sure the book will have a huge uptake in corporates and lengthen their core problems - weak management that has poor track credibility. i.e. Wouldn't you just love to fly on a airplane where the captain "is a people manager with great listening skills and big picture awareness, but can't actually fly an airplane," and someone lower in the management order actually flys and navigates. Would you write a book to promote that? In the Royal Airforce in the UK, every officer who gets to the senior ranks, has been a pilot for some years earlier in their career - do you think the RAF know something these writers don't?

A necessary read for everyone in High Tech.......2002-06-02

Browsing the reviews available as I write this, all seems to have been written by non-Einsteins, "us" or "Normal People", as one reviewer put it. I'm one of "Them". I fit straight into the concept of an "Einstein". The book limits the concept of the Einsteins to the IT industry. While there may be relatively more Einsteins in that industry, do not make the mistake to beleive that that's the only place where you find Einsteins. They're everywhere.

The book can be criticized on form and prejudice. The "them vs us" form is perhaps taken a bit too far, where an objective statement of facts would suffice. The prejudice seeps through a few places where it doesn't need to. Not all Einsteins are asocial creatures apparently from a different planet (although some are). Chanses are that the Einstein may embarrass you on social occations by embarking in discussions on early Roman civilization, the life and times of Beethoven, or contemporary literature. However, that requires that another Einstein is on the other side of the table, so while bringing an Einstein may embarrass you personally, it may save the reputation of your company. Einsteins are everywhere, and they search each other out. An Einstein that finds you on thin ice will know. He sees right through you. Unless you acknowledge the fact that you are on thin ice and backs down, you will never earn the Einstein's respect. And there is nothing you can do about it.

The "Black Holes" and "Influence Tips" hit me straight on. I never considered myself an Einstein during education or the first part of my professional carreer. I made up my mind, from my own experience, on what was good and what was bad managment of projects. For instance, give me three good reasons for why people that don't know the field of e.g. engineering should manage a demanding project? What is the rationale for beleiveng that three ordinary competent/talented people should find the solution to a problem that one extremely competent/talented person must work hard to find? Does anyone really expect the works of Mozart, Michelangelo or Einstein himself to be equalized by committees? Imagine my surprise when I entered the real world...

"The mentioned Mozart, Michelangelo and Einstein were exeptional people" you may object. Wrong. While they were definately not mainstream, people with similar potentials (the "Einsteins") are not as far between as you think. What was exeptional with the mentioned people was that they could work and live with people that respected their talent, nurtured them and where they could develop theirs skill and test their ideas in their respective fields without undue intervention by "normal people". The "Black Holes" and "Influence Tips" are very relevant tips on what to do, and what not to, when dealing with such people. Take them seriously!

And you fellow Einsteins out there, read this book. Learn what world you live in. See what you may expect from a workplace. You are cats among sheep. Prepare for that. Know what the risks are when you search for jobs and sense that little doubt whether your prospective boss really knows what he or she is talking about. Chanses are you are right, and even more, they would not know of the Influence Tips you take for granted; they even may have a managing philosophy based on the Black Holes of this book.

The book provides a very valuable window to glimpse into the the world on the other side, whether you are Normal or an Einstein. Use it. Beleive me, there really are two different worlds. If you're an Einstein yourself, this book lists all those things you take for granted. If you're normal, it tells you to change every method and every technique you use in your managment. They will just not work with the Einsteins. Whoever you are, whatever you are, you are in for big trouble if you try to work with someone from the other side without knowing the differences in perception of the world, as outlined in this book.

Not for technical managers.......2002-05-06

If you somehow became the manager of a development team from a completely non-technical background you might like this book. Otherwise, if you are in any way technical yourself and now find yourself managing technical people, this book will bore you to tears by repeatedly stating things you already know - high tech workers can't be judged by the timeclock, giving them fancy titles doesn't make them want to work for you, etc.

Disappointing.......2002-03-30

This book pitches the same tired tricks and gimmicks that hasn't worked for years. Einstein's and employees in general are wise to these tactics. They are well documented in books like "Games Bosses Play". This book doesn't even take the experience level of the Einstein into account. It does however manage to deliver one pearl of wisdom: Einstein's don't need a lot of management.

The book also encourages the manager to let the Einstein's "self organize". While Einstein's can successfully "self organize", it is a bad deal for all involved. The Einstein is frustrated by having to "fight the system" to get the job done. The manager is left out in the cold: not knowing what's going on, what's required to get the job done or how to manage the project. The company's left in a very dangerous situation. It has a process that is neither predictable nor repeatable. Since it doesn't know how things are done, any small change could have a drastic effect. There is no guarantee that a task that was easily accomplished once can be easily accomplished again. It might take ten times as long with twice the resources or worse it might not even be possible at all. The most dangerous and overlooked aspect of this situation is that it doesn't guarantee the capture of the intellectual assets. This includes both the product itself and it's assorted documentation. No matter how good, this is not something Einstein's can do on their own. It requires the active participation of the company. Without this the product could be lost.

This book presents management at the most primitive level. It describes management by maintaining or coasting not management by leading. If things are working, this book will tell you how to more or less keep them working. But if things brake or are broken, this book is of no help. Following it's suggestions will probably make things worse. One can get by with this management technique, but it is hardly revolutionary or the management style to keep the company competitive. This book documents the management style that needs replacing. It is not the style required to lead High-tech workers in the Digital Age. The only insight this book provides into Einstein's is the stereotype.

Good information for managers of IT workers........2002-02-18

The first thing about this book is that it doesn't use the term nerds or geeks to describe IT workers. The reason the authors give is that the stereotype of pocket protectors and coke bottle glasses just doesn't fit any more. This is a book written for managers, and so the terminology and style (almost) always refers to the Einsteins as "your workers." To the point that with the summary at the end states:

Referring to super-intelligent, curious, passionate, often introverted, talented individuals as "geeks" is outdated. Although Einsteins can call colleagues "geeks," it is not appropriate or cool for non-Einsteins to refer to computer, technology, systems or software geniuses as geeks. (page 217)

These are the difficult to work with, yet life saving employees who solve problems where most people don't understand the question.

There seemed to be several themes running through this book that were re-emphasised several times, such that the book can be summarised down to a few simple statements. Many of which to Einstiens seem pretty obvious. The advantage though, is that as the book is written by "Management Professionals," so the expectation of managers accepting its wisdom is more likely (hopefully).

The main statements within the book about IT worker is that they are highly motivated, intelligent (usually more intelligent than their manager may be), introverted, tribal and independent.

The mains themes throughout the book are

* that a manager should be honest with their workers about how the company is going,
* that they guide and suggest rather than being autocratic (a metaphor of herding cats was used to illustrate this),
* let the Einsteins have their freedom in work environment (location - there is a whole chapter on telecommuting, hours, style),
* Einsteins are project focused, not job focussed,
* they value training and education quite highly,
* and they require a stimulating and fun work place.

The issue of remuneration is covered to include the idea that Einsteins are not solely motivated by money (as sales people may be), but other considerations should be taken into account (such as training, location, work conditions). Also that the traditional notion of promotion does not always work. An Einstein may not want to become a team leader, or higher up the management hierarchy. A manager should be aware of their Einsteins burning out, such that maybe a temporary demotion may be in order to take the stress of the Einstein for a while.

The book includes short examples and case studies from various work places, and excerpts of articles from newspapers and trade journals to help illustrate points. There are also highlighted points (Influence Tips, Black Holes and Einstein Wisdom) which emphasise important things, such as:

Managers should be very cautious not to introduce projects that have a low likelihood of getting started. Einsteins abhor routine and crave novel projects. But they abhor being misled and crave honest leadership all the more. In staff meetings, when managers talk about upcoming projects, they should attach a probability of launch along with the projected launch date. The common term for this is "managing expectations." (page 70)

One good description of the nature of how Einsteins work is the concept of flow.

Flow is reported by individuals as a satisfying state they reach when they are completely absorbed in challenging yet achievable projects. (page 54)

Flow is an important concept for managers to understand. Once an Einstein starts a project, and becomes fully involved, there is nothing worse than being pulled off to attend a sales meeting, or other time consuming function. It interrupts the flow.

The book is broken into three parts:

1. Realities of the Twenty-First Century - a brief summary about the nature of Einsteins and how they fit into the work environment and the world. It covers the basic themes of the book and introduces the concept of an Einstein.
2. Managing Einsteins: Challenges and Actions - this section, the bulk of the book covers from recruiting Einsteins through to the management of them on a daily basis. Topics such as communication, teams and tribes, remuneration, etiquette and disciplining are included.
3. Building for the Future - includes humour and fun at work, telecommuting and a summary.

As it is the only book at the moment that directly with managing this class of workers, also get your manager to read Jon Katz's Geeks. Both of these together will help management, or anyone understand the mindset and working modes of IT workers.

One point that the book suffers is that is seems to have been started before the tech slump of 2000-2001 really started to dig in. So the book waxes and wanes between promoting how IT workers are highly mobile, but also that the job market is not that strong.

The other was the chapter on Etiquette and Manners. Now, I can understand the mannerisms and habits of Einsteins can be a little unpleasant at times, but it begs the question, why would a manager take one of these people out to a client dinner in the first place? If the client needs to meet the tech people to be convinced that a company can do the job, why not at the place of work? Or, take an Einstein who you know you can trust to behave and present well.

Average customer rating:
Managing Einsteins: Leading High-Tech Workers in the Digital Age
Dr. Ivancevich, Thomas N.,Dr. Duening John M.
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Companies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OFXVSE

Book Description

On his deathbed in 1601, the Danish nobleman and greatest naked-eye astronomer, Tycho Brahe, begged his young colleague, Johannes Kepler, "Let me not seem to have lived in vain." For more than thirty years-- mostly in his native Denmark and then in Prague under the patronage of the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolph II-- Tycho had meticulously observed the movements of the planets and the positions of the stars. From these observations he developed his Tychonic system of the universe-- a highly original, if incorrect, scheme that attempted to reconcile the ancient belief that the Earth stood still with Nicolaus Copernicus's revolutionary rearrangement of the solar system some fifty years earlier. Tycho knew that Kepler, the brilliant young mathematician he had engaged to interpret his findings, believed in Copernicus's arrangement, in which all the planets circled the Sun; and he was afraid his system-- the product of a lifetime of effort to explain how the universe worked-- would be abandoned.

In point of fact, it was. From his study of Tycho's observations came Kepler's stunning three Laws of Planetary Motion-- ever since the cornerstone of cosmology and our understanding of the heavens. Yet, as Kitty Ferguson reveals, neither of these giant figures would have his reputation today without the other. The story of how their lives and talents were fatefully intertwined is one of the more memorable sagas in the long history of science.

Set in a singularly turbulent and colorful era in European history, at the turning point when medieval gave way to modern, Tycho & Kepler is both a highly original dual biography and a masterful recreation of how science advances. From Tycho's fabulous Uraniborg Observatory on an island off the Danish coast to the court of the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolph II; from the religious conflict of the Thirty Years' War that rocked all of Europe to Kepler's extraordinary leaps of understanding, Ferguson recounts a fascinating interplay of science and religion, politics and personality. Her insights recolor the established characters of Tycho and Kepler, and her book opens a rich window onto our place in the universe.

Customer Reviews:

A Good Book! Well worth your time!.......2006-04-05

Tycho and Kepler: The Unlikely Partnership That Forever Changed Our Understanding of the Heavens, by Kitty Ferguson, is a 402-page dedication to two astronomical greats of the early seventeenth century, Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler. Beginning with an examination of the society into which Brahe was born, the book traces him throughout his childhood and adulthood, from the building of Uraniborg, Brahe's astronomical observatory on the island of Hven to his banishment from the kingdom of Denmark. Not until nearly the hundredth page is Kepler discussed, but from that point forward, tales from each man's life are alternated. It seems that more time is devoted to Brahe. The two stories come together when the men meet, and it follows them together from that point forward. When Brahe passes away, the focus immediately and entirely shifts to Kepler and follows him to the end of the book. The story comes to an abrupt finish with Kepler's death, though the volume also contains three appendices explaining and elaborating on complex astronomical terms discussed in the body of the book.
I think Ms. Ferguson decided to recount this story because she was interested in both astronomy and history. From reading the book, one can feel the interest the author has in the subject matter. While reading this book, I became interested in the topic as well, but sometimes felt a bit lost. Occasionally, it seemed that she went too much in depth on certain topics, such as the construction of Uraniborg, which she described in great detail. In general, however, Kitty Ferguson seems to like enjoy writing about this topic, and conveys her enthusiasm in her writing.
This is a good book. I read it for a school assignment, and was not especially interested in the topic at hand at first, though I rapidly became drawn into the story. I only grew bored of the book when it began to explain complex astronomical concepts. While all ideas were explained in full and in understandable language, accompanied by appropriate pictures and diagrams, it was still somewhat tedious for someone not especially knowledgeable about astronomy to wade through. The flow of the book is excellent. It never felt rushed, and the transitions between sections focusing on each scientist were smooth. The one thing that I really disliked about this book was its sudden ending. It ends at Kepler's death; it does not even mention the impacts of Brahe and Kepler's work on later scientists. Despite this inadequacy, I was left with a good impression of Ms. Ferguson's book, and with much more knowledge about astronomy, Tycho Brahe, and Johannes Kepler than I had when beginning to read this book.

Tycho & Kepler - a gooooood read.......2005-04-01

Tycho & Kepler - The Unlikely Friendship that Forever Changed Our Understanding of the Heavens is, for the most part, an excellent novel and easy read. Although it is a little confusing and dry at the times when complex astronomical concepts are being explained, they are outweighed by the wealth of historical accounts and gratuitous, but juicy tidbits. For instance, besides explaining the extensive instruments that Tycho built, Ferguson offers that he was also the first Dane to write a poem in Latin, that he had a twin that died at birth, and his aunt and uncle kidnapped him from his parents who wanted a girl and didn't much care. As for Kepler, not only did he develop the Harmonic theory, but had a miserable marriage, a mother accused and tried for witchcraft, and was the first author of a science fiction novel. Kitty Ferguson thus tells the life stories of the astronomers Tycho and Kepler in an informative, educational, yet narrative and interesting way. She effectively spans the 20-year gap between Tycho and Kepler by beginning the book describing Tycho's childhood and indeed his life exclusively up until the advent of a comet on December 27, 1571. Ferguson explains that, when Tycho saw the comet, he was out at one of his 60 manmade fish ponds on his estate at the Danish Isle of Hven, catching fish for dinner that evening. Meanwhile Kepler saw the same comet, but he was only five, and it was during a rare warm moment that he shared with his mother on a hilltop in Leonberg. Thus Kepler enters the story. For the rest of the book, Ferguson fluidly integrates the two men's lives, switching back and forth in an understandable, connected way. She eventually merges the two stories in a dynamic, functional manner, and shows how they used each other, and that many of their final results were synthesized versions of their combined efforts. Basically, Tycho provided excruciatingly accurate data that Kepler confirmed mathematically and extrapolated on. Kepler could have never figured out all that he did with out Tycho's data; he had bad eyesight and could not observe the sky he so dearly slaved for. It was because Tycho initially mistrusted Kepler that Kepler received only slight amounts of data that Kepler discovered that planetary orbits are elliptical - Tycho gave him only data on Mars, which happens to have the most extreme elliptical orbit, otherwise Kepler never would have noticed. Tycho also used Kepler to advance his own work and complete (among other things) the Rudolfine Tables, which are not merely the positions of planets, but guides to figure out what positions they are in at any time, (now, 586 years ago, or one thousand years into the future). The aptly-named chapters are elegantly punctuated with helpful pictures, like paintings of people discussed, illustrations of instruments, maps of the places mentioned, explanatory diagrams, and more. There are also obliging appendixes in the back, explaining astronomical terms (even though they are well-explained in the reading), and an index.
Just as the accomplishments of these men were great, so were their lives, which is probably why Kitty Ferguson felt compelled to tell the story of them. I would highly recommend it, even if you do not much care for astronomy.

The Odd Couple.......2005-04-01

Kitty Ferguson tells the tail of the unique and often humorous relationship between Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe that led to some of the greatest astronomical discoveries of our time. Going against the common belief of the geocentric universe, Kepler changes the world forever with the essential help of Brahe's observation on the heavens. Although the result of their relationship is extraordinarily beneficial to astronomy, the relationship is not as peaceful as one would think. Ferguson makes this evident throughout the story and gives numerous examples of their feuding and bickering over their work together. It reminded me of a 17th century spin off of the odd couple. Both informative and entertaining, this book covers everything from Brahe's golden nose to Kepler robbery of Brahe's information and is definitely worth reading if you are interested in the subject.

Tycho and Kepler.......2004-02-01

An amazing and inspirational account of one of the greatest stories in the history of science. Extremely well written and scholarly. I have average reading skills but at times found the book impossible to put down. In spots I had to stop reading it because emotions took over. The best book I ever read about the classical scientists.

Experimentalist & Theorist.......2003-05-27

As a physics teacher, I like to use the background on figures from scientific history to try to generate some interest from my students. When teaching Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion, I always make sure to talk about the contributions of Tycho Brahe. To my mind, the relationship between Brahe and Kepler is one of the earliest examples of the experimentalist/theorist relationship and, unfortunately, it is the experimentalist who is often lost to history while the theorist is remembered. I teach my students the names of both Brahe and Kepler as a small effort to rectify this unfairness. Kitty Ferguson has made a larger effort with this book and I hope she is able to reach a large readership.

Ms. Ferguson has at least given herself a chance by writing a very good book. Her prose is very engaging. She is detailed both science and biography and yet she is quite easy to understand even for those without a scientific background. And she has two extraordinarily interesting characters to talk about--Brahe, the rather spoiled Danish aristocrat who brought glory to himself against the odds in a "ignoble" profession by becoming the greatest naked eye astronomer in history, and Kepler, the poor German Protestant school teacher who had a knack for doing mathematics and finding trouble.

Though I knew the broad outline of Brahe and Kepler's story, I was surprised again and again by all I did not know. I may not be able to incorporate it all into my classes but I am glad to know the story myself. It is always interesting to see how the great ideas came into being, mostly through more fits, starts and mistakes than most people realize. Anyone interested in scientific history would be foolish to pass up reading this book.

Average customer rating:

Lousy Title -- Great Book

A really good book

The Nobleman and His Housedog: Tycho & Kepler: The Unlikely Partnership That Forever Changed Our Understanding of the Heavens
Kitty Ferguson
Manufacturer: Review
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Astronomy | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books
General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books
History of Ideas | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0747270228

Customer Reviews:

Lousy Title -- Great Book.......2007-03-31

Don't judge this book by its cover or its title! Its ugliness is only skin deep. Great beauty lies within.

Students and enthusiasts of the histories of the sciences will find this book both entertaining and enlightening. The heroes of history and science are not just names on pages and dead faces in old art. They were real live people with personalities, attitudes, and mindsets that affected (and effected) their work and their working relationships. This book is proof of it.

The "housedog" reference in the title comes from Kepler himself, a commoner from a family of modest means, as he describes his early relationship with Brahe, the nobleman. The detail the author provides in the individual histories of the two - Kepler and Brahe - and in the circumstances of their meeting and subsequent relationship is impressive.

This is the British edition of this biography of two of the greatest of the Rennaisance astronomers. The book is published in the US as "Tycho & Kepler: The Unlikely Partnership That Forever Changed Our Understanding of the Heavens" with a more attractive cover and internal design.

A really good book.......2006-04-13

What an appaling title! It is difficlt to imagine how anybody could create enthusiasm about a book about Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler.

I bought this book at a used book store as a curiosity and it sat on one of my bookshelves for the last few months. The title has no impact but I had glimpsed something about its contents. Nothing about the external covering of this book or the way in which the internal illustrations or plates are presented illuminates how good the book really is. It has an overall drabness about it that I can only attribute to the publisher. The subject matter is hardly riveting and I have ignored the book for some time because I expected it to be drab. What a mistake!

Ms Ferguson has a writing style that makes reading a story about 16th century astronomers and mathematicians run like a detective novel. I loved this book! I give it five stars but even though I think the presentation is lack lustre and the fact that her explanations of Kepler's work are not too clear. The diagrams relating to Kepler's work are poor and you really have to have some other understanding of his work to understand why Kepler is important to modern understanding of the universe.

This criticism aside, I think Ms Ferguson does a magnificent job of portraying the lives of both Tycho (pronounced Teeko - thank you for this) Brahe and Kepler in a way that makes them appear human. These are names I have known almost my entire adult life but it takes a work like this to make them human. I did find a bias towards Brahe but I don't think there is anything wrong with that. I would have to read her other works to see if she has some kind of bias to nobility (I jest).

I can best describe this book as a 'rare treasure'. It really is the kind of book that you can curl up by a fire on a cold night and read from cover to cover.

I am a scientist and I love reading books about the history of science but rarely have I found such a well written and engrosing book as this. I give it 5 stars even with the lack-lustre (I originally wrote poor - but that would be unfare) presentation. This is not to say the way that chapter structres are not good - they really are. I think Ms Ferguson has done a great job, Its just that the final presentation is a little dowdy.

It has to be asked "why would anybody write about such an obscure subject?" and "why would anybody read it?" I can answer these questions with the simple statement that reading this book leaves one a much richer person. I will certainly be looking for some other books by Ms Ferguson - I hope they are as good. Originally, I gave this book 4 stars because of the presentation but, picking it up again, I realise how much I really enjoyed reading it. The mark of a good book is when you wish you hadn't reached the end. This is a book I wish I had never finished.

Laughter In Heaven: Understanding The Parables Of Jesus

Average customer rating:

Laughter In Heaven: Understanding The Parables Of Jesus
Earl F. Palmer
Manufacturer: Regent College Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1573832898

A Key to the Kingdom of Heaven: A Christian Understanding of Transcendental Meditation

Average customer rating:

A Key to the Kingdom of Heaven: A Christian Understanding of Transcendental Meditation
Adrian B. Smith
Manufacturer: The Book Guild Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

Asylum: Understanding Public Attitudes
Heaven Crawley , and Miranda Lewis
Manufacturer: Not Avail
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION - Volume 62, number 2 - February Feb 1982: The Healer's Touch; Nightlife; Understanding Human Behavior; Sergeant Pepper Variations; Mascots; Blackmail; Almost Heaven; High Steel

Average customer rating:

FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION - Volume 62, number 2 - February Feb 1982: The Healer's Touch; Nightlife; Understanding Human Behavior; Sergeant Pepper Variations; Mascots; Blackmail; Almost Heaven; High Steel
Edward L. (editor) (Susan C. Petrey; Phyllis Eisenstein; Thomas M. Disch; Howard Roller; Parke Godwin; Stanley Schmidt; George Florance-Guthridge; Garry Kilworth; Jack C. Haldman ll; Jack Dann; Isaac Asimov; Gahan Wilson) Ferman
Manufacturer: Mercury Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Average customer rating:

Lord of Death Called Out My Name
Sarah Simmons
Manufacturer: Self Published
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Product Description

This was a limited edition run of 1000 signed copies by Sarah Simmons, in 1994. This is a story of her death experience, in 1989, wherein she died and returned to life.

A New Heaven and A New Earth: Understanding What is Ahead For All Of God's Children

Average customer rating:

A New Heaven and A New Earth: Understanding What is Ahead For All Of God's Children
Leslie Dean
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0595428983

Book Description

The new Heaven and the new Earth as we see it at the beginning of time when Heaven and earth was made that, in Heaven, there was angels that all that was there. Then when God made earth, he made the earthly bodies which come together to make up Heaven and the earth.

The Teaching Company, the Great Courses. Complete Set:"understanding the Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy Video Series (TEACHING THAT ENGAGES THE MIND COURSE # 181-184 UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF THE HEAVENS. STARS AND THEIR LIVES,A UNIVERSE OF GALAXIES, THE BIRTH & LIFE OF THE UNIVERSE, PART1 THROUGH PART FIVE. 15 VHS TAPES & 5 COURSE GUIDEBOOKS)

Average customer rating:

The Teaching Company, the Great Courses. Complete Set:"understanding the Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy Video Series (TEACHING THAT ENGAGES THE MIND COURSE # 181-184 UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF THE HEAVENS. STARS AND THEIR LIVES,A UNIVERSE OF GALAXIES, THE BIRTH & LIFE OF THE UNIVERSE, PART1 THROUGH PART FIVE. 15 VHS TAPES & 5 COURSE GUIDEBOOKS)
ALEX FILIPPENKO
Manufacturer: THE TEACHING COMPANY, LTD PARTNERSHIP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000V3RXGU

Average customer rating:

Understanding Heaven
Stephen Guppy
Manufacturer: Wolsak and Wynn Publishers Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books