Book Description
This graduate textbook designed for students in physics, chemistry and materials science provides a modern treatment of the theory of solids dealing with the physics of electron and phonon states in crystals and how they determine the structure and properties of solids. The first part of the book deals with electrons and atoms in a crystal, and the second part extends the discussion to defects in crystals and to structures without crystalline symmetry. There are numerous exercises throughout and appendices to provide the necessary background.
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This text is a modern treatment of the theory of solids. The core of the book deals with the physics of electron and phonon states in crystals and how they determine the structure and properties of the solid. The discussion uses density functional theory as a starting point and covers electronic and optical phenomena, magnetism and superconductivity. There is also an extensive treatment of defects in solids, including point defects, dislocations, surfaces and interfaces. A number of modern topics where the theory of solids applies are also explored, including quasicrystals, amorphous solids, polymers, metal and semiconductor clusters, carbon nanotubes and biological macromolecules. Numerous examples are presented in detail and each chapter is accompanied by problems and suggested further readings. An extensive set of appendices provides all the necessary background for deriving all the results discussed in the main body of the text.
Customer Reviews:
Splendid work.......2005-01-18
As analytical and synthesis techniques become more powerful, it is now possible to examine and fine-tune materials at the atomic scale. Likewise, continual advances in computer hardware and software have allowed more people the ability to model processes and materials at the atomic scale. Consequently, there is a growing need for good textbooks on the atomic and electronic structure of solids. Alas, most of the relevant textbooks suffer from one or more of the following drawbacks:
1. There is too much math and physics for most people. In other words, there are too many equations, proofs, and derivations. This usually manifests itself in sections on quantum mechanics and ab initio modeling.
2. The texts become less an educational tool and more a showcase of the latest and greatest achievements by the author(s). This negative can often be spotted by looking at the book's table of contents. If each chapter is written by a separate author, then you can be sure that the text often end up as extended reviews of that author(s)' publications.
3. Not enough coverage of background information. The study of solids at the atomic level is being approached by multiple fields that usually have NO interdisciplinary overlap in education institutions. Examples include geology, electrical engineering, biochemistry, tribology, materials science, etc... Therefore, a book to serve members from all these fields should have a lot of background information in topics such as thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, crystal structure and defects, group theory, etc...
4. Lack of pictorial representation. A picture is worth a thousand words; and even more so if you are trying to understand microscopic phenomena such as bonding, dislocation motion, etc... Too many textbooks have too few, well-explained pictures.
This book by Kaxiras does not suffer from any of these drawbacks. I consider it the best book so far on this topic.
First, it is written entirely by one author, yet I could not find a single reference to any of his publications within the book. There was absolutely no feeling that this book was trying to review someone's work, or some body of work. Instead, the book read like a well writtent textbook.
Second, the topics are written for a general audience, with enough background information that undergraduate science and engineering students can understand it. Specifically, the first chapter of the book starts with the Periodic Table of Elements and explains why different elements form different types of solids. This is extremely valuable information for anyone who has never had a course in materials science, which probably means most chemists, electrical engineers, biologists, etc...
3. Lots and lots of review literature is cited- WITH explanations of why it was suggested to the reader for further reading.
4. I counted 1 picture per every 2 pages. That is astounding. Even though the pictures were B&W, I understand all of them. Every one had axes labeled, a legend, a descriptive header, etc...
5. Thorough and basic explanation of band structures. Too many texts spend too much time explaining the different methods of obtaining band structures (LMTO, LAPW, pseudopotential + plane waves, APW, PAW, etc...). This book instead provided a whole chapter on understanding a band diagram, correlating a band diagram with the geometry of a material, and the physical origins of band structures. This is prerequisite knowledge before any further attempts to understand the electronic properties of materials.
6. Justification of each approximation, along with accompanying successes and failures. This book examined the mean-field, Born-Oppenheimer, frozen-phonon, pseudopotential, and other approximations commonly used in atomic-scale modeling, and provided thorough, well-organized justification of each one, along with a listing of their successes and failures.
In all, I recommend this book to anyone as a prerequisite reading before attempting to do research on the atomic or electronic structure of materials.
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Bonding and Structure of Molecules and Solids
D. G. Pettifor
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Electronic Structure and the Properties of Solids: The Physics of the Chemical Bond
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Group Theory and Quantum Mechanics
ASIN: 0198517866 |
Book Description
This is the first book to adopt an unconventional approach to the theory of bonding and structure of molecules and solids. It explains the observed trends in this field within the framework of simple models of electronic structure. Emphasis is placed throughout on recent theoretical developments that link structural stability to the local topology or connectivity of the lattice through the moments of the electronic density of states. This modern real-space approach allows an immediate understanding of the origin of the structural trends within the periodic table for the elements and the AB structure map for binary compounds. Final year undergraduates and graduates following a course in quantum mechanics will find this book to be highly valuable. A chapter on basic concepts is included for readers new to the subject.
Average customer rating:
- quite easy for physics graduate student
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Atomic and Electronic Structure of Surfaces: Theoretical Foundations (Springer Series in Surface Sciences)
Michel Lannoo , and
Paul Friedel
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 354052682X |
Book Description
Surfaces and interfaces play an increasingly important role in today's solid state devices. In this book the reader is introduced, in a didactic manner, to the essential theoretical aspects of the atomic and electronic structure of surfaces and interfaces. The book does not pretend to give a complete overview of contemporary problems and methods. Instead, the authors strive to provide simple but qualitatively useful arguments that apply to a wide variety of cases. The emphasis of the book is on semiconductor surfaces and interfaces but it also includes a thorough treatment of transition metals, a general discussion of phonon dispersion curves, and examples of large computational calculations. The exercises accompanying every chapter will be of great benefit to the student.
Customer Reviews:
quite easy for physics graduate student.......2003-11-02
nice book. give you quite some idea on the theory.
some part may not be detailed enough
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Atoms and Molecules in Strong External Fields
Manufacturer: Springer
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ASIN: 030645811X |
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Computer Modelling of Electronic and Atomic Processes in Solids (NATO Science Partnership Sub-Series: 3:)
Manufacturer: Springer
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ASIN: 0792344030 |
Book Description
Computer Modelling of Electronic and Atomic Processes in Solids focuses on the development and application of computer models for the analysis of various solid materials at the atomic, molecular and macroscopic levels. Many of the papers incorporate environmental effects in the computer models, including space effects such as atomic oxygen, radiation, charged ions, microparticle impacts, temperature and photoexcitation.
To better understand the topics covered and their interaction with the various elements presented, the book incorporates a flowchart detailing the contents of the papers and their relationship to the subject areas. The three main sections of the book cover: Atomic and Molecular Processes; Electronic Structure and Processes; and Structure and Properties.
Book Description
This book is a rigorous, unified account of the fundamental principles of the density-functional theory of the electronic structure of matter and its applications to atoms and molecules. Containing a detailed discussion of the chemical potential and its derivatives, it provides an
understanding of the concepts of electronegativity, hardness and softness, and chemical reactivity. Both the Hohenberg-Kohn-Sham and the Levy-Lieb derivations of the basic theorems are presented, and extensive references to the literature are included. Two introductory chapters and several
appendices provide all the background material necessary beyond a knowledge of elementary quantum theory.
Customer Reviews:
The most over-rated classic.......2005-07-02
I've never met anyone who was "into" DFT and did not like this book... except me. I think it is the most over-rated book on ab initio theory out there. I liked Szabo and Ostlund and Helgaker et al's books because they were detailed enough that you could not know Hartree-Fock or MP2, but after reading them, you could write a HF or MP2 program. I didn't know DFT before I read this book and I still couldn't write a DFT program after reading it. To me, the text seemed more philisophical than applicable, but considering the limited scope of this book, you would expect it to be more detailed than what it really is.
A classic in the field.......1998-10-13
Density functional theory has been used in solid state physics for many decades. It has recently become popular in quantum chemistry. The authors have made seminal contributions to the field and their insight is distilled into this book. The focus of this book is on understanding the physics and chemistry underlying density functional theory - it does not concern itself with computatioonal details of the methodology or specific applications to different systems. Parr and Yang's book has now become a classic in the field, a must-buy for any student or researcher of density functional theory in chemistry.
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Disordered Alloys: Diffuse Scattering and Monte Carlo Simulations (Springer Tracts in Modern Physics)
Werner Schweika
Manufacturer: Springer
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ASIN: 3540634452 |
Book Description
The book reviews structural disorder in alloys and shows how detailed information can be found by applying thermal neutron and / or x-ray scattering. Interactions among atoms of the alloy are modeled by Monte Carlo methods thus achieving a picture of the electronic structure of the system. Precision Monte Carlo Simulations are also used for testing existing theories of wetting.
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Electronic Properties of Multilayers and Low-Dimensional Semiconductor Structures (NATO Science Series: B:)
Manufacturer: Springer
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ASIN: 0306436620 |
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Electronic Structure of Atoms, Molecules and Solids: Brazilian School on Electronic Structure
Sylvio Canuto
Manufacturer: World Scientific Pub Co Inc
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ASIN: 9810201192 |
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Fundamental Physics of Ferroelectrics 2000: Aspen Center for Physics Winter Workshop, Aspen, Colorado, 13-20 February 2000 (AIP Conference Proceedings / Atomic, Molecular, Chemical Physics)
Manufacturer: American Institute of Physics
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ASIN: 1563969599 |
Book Description
This workshop was on the tenth anniversary of a series that has met every year since 1990 in Colonial Williamsburg until this year, and is thus commonly known as the AWilliamsburg Workshop on Ferroelectrics. The workshop brought together people from a wide range of disciplines interested in ferroelectrics, from theorists working on understanding ferroelectric and dielectric behavior using the fundamental physics of quantum mechanics, to experimentalists working on understanding the behavior of ferroelectrics, and those working on design and improvement of applications of ferroelectrics in devices. The advances of the last decade and possible future developments are reviewed. The recent discovery of single crystal piezoelectrics with ten times the coupling strength of presently used materials, which will revolutionize medical imaging, sonar, and other acoustics, applications, has especially given impetus to the field. The theoretical development in the last decade of a fundamental theory of polarization in insulating solids has given the tools to study these materials from first-principles. The papers in this volume capture the excitement of bringing together people from disparate backgrounds and seeing what comes out of the brew.
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- A glimpse of Victorian shoot parties and their manners.
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The Big Shots: Edwardian Shooting Parties
Jonathan Garnier Ruffer
Manufacturer: Quiller Press Ltd
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1899163387 |
Book Description
A fascinating history of the early days of shooting on the great estates such as Sandringham and Chatsworth, with over 100 archive photographs and records.
Customer Reviews:
A glimpse of Victorian shoot parties and their manners........1998-12-07
Set in an periord when England was master of the world politic, the upperclass entertained themselves and their families with elaborate weekend shooting parties for driven game on their country estates. These remarkable individuals and their peculiarities, fancies, and foibles are described in an engaging English writing style. A great read for hunters and historians.
Book Description
The Shooting Party wraps a story of concealed love and fatal jealousy into a classic murder mystery. When a young woman dies during a shooting party at the country estate of a dissolute count, a magistrate is called to investigate. But suspicion descends upon virtually everyone, for, as we soon learn, the victim was at the center of a tangled web of relationshipswith her elderly husband, with the lecherous count, and with the magistrate himself. One of Anton Chekhov's earliest experiments in fiction, this short, riveting novel prefigures the mature style he would develop in his magnificent stories and plays.
Customer Reviews:
Impressive debut novel from Chekhov.......2006-06-02
That Chekhov wrote this remarkable novel at the age of 24 is almost as impressive as Thomas Mann's writing of "Buddenbrooks" at the age of 26. "The Shooting Party" has a greater sense of feverish, almost Dostoyevskian intensity compared with Chekhov's later work, perhaps attributable to his youth. But it also has the same deep human understanding and descriptive ability - in Chekhov's almost minimalist style - as the later stories and plays.
The structure of the story-within-a-story and the metamorphosis from provincial novel of manners to an account of sexual misconduct and moral turpitude (in 19th century terms) to detective story, all within the space of a 200 pages, may seem a little clumsy to a modern reader (and the identity of the murderer may also be a little more obvious now than it was to a contemporary reader), but achieving all of this in such a short novel takes a great deal of talent, and Chekov's great talent is apparent even at this early stage of his career. It is also a fascinating and compelling novel, both for its account of provincial Russian life, as well as the psychological portrayals of the characters and the "whodunnit" element.
The previous review appears to refer to the 1926 translation (by Constance Garnett?), which no longer appears to be in print. This review relates to the new Ronald Wilks translation, which is adequate, though not outstanding. Constance Garnett's translations of Chekhov (which are still widely available) tend to be very readable and idiomatic (in English), if not always faithful to the original. Like many modern translations of Russian, this translation is occasionally a little wooden, and uses expressions or words that would generally not be used in English, reinforcing the fact that it is a translation. Not being fluent in Russian, I can't comment on its literal accuracy. However, despite these flaws, the translation conveys the story and the meaning of the text perfectly well.
One area for criticism - as is often the case in Penguin classics - is that the notes are often intrusive (and occasionally unnecessary, although not nearly so bad as in other books), and I personally object to the appearance of footnotes within the text. I also object to the introduction - which gives far too much of the plot away - appearing at the beginning of the book, especially as so many readers insist on reading the introduction first. Personally, I would prefer to see critical comments appearing after the text of the novel.
Chekhov's Second Novel (or Only Novel? ).......2006-03-15
Chekhov gained fame as the master of dozens of short stories and plays. Most of his works are set in small Russian towns and in the countryside. There is some debate on whether his two longer stories - this being one - are novels.
The present novel is written in the same style as some of his short stories. For example, see "The Complete Short Stories" from Vintage Classics. The present story reminds the reader of "The Duel" and "The Story of an Unknown Man." Many consider it to be his second novel, or his only full novel. Compared to many well know novels by other authors it is short - just over 200 pages with the notes. It was written a few years after the time of his graduation from medical school in 1884. It was one of his first efforts in fiction and contains some elements of a mystery story with an element of comedy or farse.
Chekhov is a little more subtle and human than his contemporary Dostoevsky and he did not write a 500 page novel. But one must admire both writers. In terms of setting and plot, the present work is closest to his other famous work the short story "The Duel" in flavour and setting. "The Shooting Party" has more drama than that short story, and it seems very informal almost slightly crazy; the characters drink a lot of vodka; it is a flamboyant story that takes place in rural Russia; and, the protagonist is a country detective or what they call investigating magistrate. In short, it is a bit of a wild tale. He uses the technique of placing a story within a story, and the two converge at the end.
The Shooting Party, was translated into English in 1926 and Agatha Christie used parts in her mystery novel: "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd."
Book Description
It is the autumn of 1913. Sir Randolph Nettleby has assembled a brilliant array of guests at his Oxfordshire estate for the biggest hunt of the season. An army of gamekeepers, beaters, and servants has rehearsed the intricate age-old ritual, the gentlemen are falling into the prescribed mode of fellowship and sporting rivalry, the ladies intrigued by the latest gossip and fashion. Everything about this splendid weekend would seem a perfect consummation of the pleasures afforded the privileged in Edwardian England. And yet it is not: the moral and social code of this group is not so secure as it appears. Competition beyond the bounds of sportsmanship, revulsion at the slaughter of the animals, anger at the inequities of class --these forces are about to rise up and engulf the assured social peace, a peace that can last only a brief while longer. In imagining Sir Randolph's shooting party, wrote The Spectator, "Miss Colegate has found a perfect metaphor for the passing of a way of life."
Customer Reviews:
Densely descriptive, heavily stereotypical........2007-09-14
I had heard about this book in the early 1980's and I was happy to find it in a second hand book shop (Charlie Byrnes in Galway, the best on the planet!) earlier this year.
The book is in the Gosforth Park territory, a weekend in a English great House during the Edwardian period, and purposely aims to be a microcosm of English society on the brink of the Great War.
The occasion is in weekend of shooting organised by Sir Randolph Nettleby and the story slowly unwinds, however with a certain tension as the author tells us at the outset that there will be an error of judgement which will result in a death. A significant amount of characters of all classes are gradually introduced, representing the various strands of English society at the time. The book is quite descriptive about the countryside, the heaviness of the clothes and the sheer logistics of organising the shooting of the various birds. I found the description of the shooting and the mounds of dead birds quite revolting, and its clear the author, without directly saying so, see this as a symbol of the barbarism which lurked under the genteel surface.
The tension was maintained through the various narratives, as the reader keeps wondering who will die and how. For most of the story I was convinced it was going to be a small boy, Nettleby's grandson, who had a pet duck which had wondered off.
I have two basic disappointments with the book, the most glaring was the characterisation - it seemed that each individual had to represent a type , the proprietor who valued tradition and frowned on competition among his guests, the loyal woodsman, the village boy who would come good through education, the poacher, the do-gooder who preaches animal rights, the adulterous ladies, the foreigner and the nouveau riche Jew. While each is brought to life, I felt the author started with the stereotype and tried to characterise it, in particular the foreigner - a Hungarian nobleman - has no redeeming features. The other disappointment was with the prose style - its quite densely descriptive, I found I had to read and re-read sections, to be sure I hadn't missed something.
Wonderful - but parts of it may make you uncomfortable........2007-09-07
I first became aware of this novel while watching the added features from the DVD. This author, Isabel Colegate, participated in an interview concerning her reactions to the film (1984 starring James Mason, Edward Fox and John Gielgud) in which she seemed to be very satisfied that the film had captured the essence and feeling of her novel. I had enjoyed the film so much it made me seek out the book and purchase it when I found it on Amazon.
The plot of the story has been fully discussed in other reviews and editorial comments. I knew I had enjoyed the film version but it was as nothing compared to the written word. Isabel Colgate is a new author for me but she has a wonderfully flowing and lyrical style of writing which kept me rivited to the story for its entirety. Another reviewer states that they did not believe the book took place in an atmosphere where the participants in the house party were aware that their lives were about to change. I strongly disagree with that statement. Yes, the sense of foreboding was felt more strongly by some characters than others, mostly among the male characters. But it is very plain throughout Sir Randolph Nettleby's thoughts and writings in his Game Book that he feels that change is coming, it is just over the horizon, and it is not going to be a change advantageous to himself nor the English rural way of life.
All of the characters are vividly and fully drawn in this gem of a novel. Even the most insignificant, little Flo Page who is sent to give a message to Tom Harker, is wonderfully alive in her role of sitting on the doorstep in the cold and dark, waiting for him to come home, until her lantern has used up almost all its fuel. No character was too insignificant for this author to use as an example of how different the layers of this society were. Cicely, grand-daughter to Sir Randolph, was constantly being chided by her mother for being too familiar with her maid, Ellen, and too interested in how her romance was progressing with John, a footman. Minnie Nettleby invited Charles Farquhar for the weekend, not because he was good at shooting, but because it was understood that Aline Hartlip was having an affair with him. It could even be said that the entire horrible incident which occurred was the fault of Gilbert Hartlip's wife. If she had not felt the need to practically goad him into unsportsman like behavior, it would have been just another shooting party like so many others.
Now for the uncomfortable part. I, personally, tend to humanize animals and other living creatures. My dogs are always called my babies and are treated like people. The hummingbirds, cardinals and gold finches are all given names (even though I can't tell them apart - logic doesn't matter here). You can see my point. I must say that this book does have an element in it which may cause discomfort to some readers. It is about excess in all walks of life during this time period. That excess extended to the killing of birds of all kinds for sport. After all, it is called The Shooting Party. I have to admit that I was uncomfortable thinking about the hundreds and hundreds of birds killed simply to provide sport and recreation for a group of men. I knew this was what it would be about when I began to read, but nothing prepared me for the feeling of wholesale slaughter and the total disregard for the lives of other living creatures which I found here. Granted the birds were used for food, but the ultimate reason for the party was to kill, to exhibit a proficiency in shooting and in helping your master shoot faster. This book is simply a portrait of what was a common occurance at these house parties, these things really happened. A film version can only go so far. This was way beyond what was portrayed in the movie and I began to have a real problem with reading about it.
Even saying these things, I still highly recommend this book. The snapshot of all these lives coming into such sharp focus with the pulling of the trigger one time too many was stark, vivid, and it made me uncomfortable. But it was a wonderfully told story.
A lovely book.......2007-03-19
I just adored this book, it takes me to another time and place. Something I just love in a book. I had seen the movie of this book years ago and just loved it. I love this book even more. It has wonderfully drawn charecters and places. I recommend this book highly.
Beautifully drawn portrait of an about-to-vanish world.......2005-12-08
Colegate is not a well-known author, not even in Great Britain, which is a shame because she's a first-rate novelist. The scene here is the late fall of 1913, the last pheasant season before the Great War, the true end of the old century and the beginning of the new. The setting is the Oxfordshire estate of Sir Randolph Nettleby, a thoroughly conservative but thoughtful and decent member of the landed gentry, and a famous host, as well. His guests include several ill-matched aristocratic couples, married only for reasons of finance and social standing (which opens the way to discreet affairs), and the author does a wonderful job of portraying them all in multiple dimensions -- especially Olivia and Lionel, both particularly sympathetic characters. There are also the house servants, and the beaters from the village who come out to assist in putting the pheasants overhead for the shooters -- especially the teetotaling poacher, Tom Harker, whose sudden death is the climax of the book. And there's even a wandering socialist opposed to blood sports for seriocomic relief -- though his last observation of the shooters is far from laughable. The effects of agricultural depression on the rural poor, the importance of private morality, the difference between "sport" and "competition," all are examined, satirized, and explained. At the end, she provides a "what happened to them" chapter, noting who died in the War, who survived, who had to leave town. Though I wish she had told us what happens to Ellen, the maid, and John, the footman, and to Sir Reuben, and to Tommy, who was already an army officer. Besides being interesting in its own right, this warmly written book would also be a good counterweight to _Gosford Park_.
A Perfect Jewel of a Book.......2004-09-16
There are some times that can be mistaken for no other times. And later we look back on those times through the mist and embue them with a magic which seems to have disappeared from our lives.
That last summer, that one perfect evening before the dawn of the war to end all wars was such a time. After the war, after the trenches, after it was all over, things were changed forever. The war swept away a generation of youth. And it swept away the life of the leisurely aristocracy. The world got busier, and louder. But for one perfect moment...
The Shooting Party gathers together representatives from every generation and every class onto a large country estate for a shooting party which takes place on the eve of that great war. We see the hints of war and because we are looking back, we understand how fragile this time is and how soon it will end. The slaughter of the hunt resonates with the slaughter shortly to take place. And when one character (in the words of his wife) "overreaches" himself, the card house begins to tumble and we know that that time and place is gone forever
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A Party for the Shooting
Manufacturer: Collier Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000H9X7ZO |
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Shooting Party
Anton Chekhov
Manufacturer: FOLIO SOCIETY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OJP64W |
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The Shooting Party
Isabel Colegate
Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Literature & Fiction
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| Books
| Classics
| Comic
| Contemporary
| Literary
ASIN: 0140057978 |
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