Stairway to the stars: Colorado's Argentine Central Railway

Amazon.com

What is the meaning of Stonehenge? Why was the elaborate Incan city of Cuzco built? What is the significance of the Great Pyramid at the ancient Mayan city of Chichén Itz´? These ancient structures have spellbound natives and tourists alike. This mysterious architecture points to a centuries-old search for celestial order. Anthony Aveni, a professor of astronomy and anthropology, takes us on a stimulating virtual tour of these legendary constructions. He describes how they were built and straightforwardly and often humorously critiques diverse theories attempting to explain their origin and function. For example, Aveni breathes life into the mysteries of the Great Pyramid and its use as a sacred temple, sacrificial altar, and celestial calendar. Wonderfully written, the book's primary focus is the prominent role of astrology in the design and construction of ancient structures, and even entire cities.

Book Description

"Tony Aveni has written a marvelous book about how the celestial rhythms influenced the cultures of the past. . . . It makes fascinating reading for any layperson."âScience Books and Films

"Clearly, if we can know more about these people, their religion, their culture, their hopes and dreams, according to Dr. Aveni, it will make our understanding of their astronomy more meaningful."âPlanetarian

"A thoughtful analysis . . . highly recommended."âLibrary Journal

What was the meaning of Stonehenge? What was the Mayan Code? Why was the elaborate Incan city of Cuzco built? Groundbreaking archaeoastronomer Anthony Aveni offers a host of startling new insights and conclusions in this acclaimed study of three of life's most mesmerizing mysteries.

Customer Reviews:

a bit disappointing.......2001-12-25

I found this book with high hopes since I'm very interested in both astronomy and ancient civilizations, but this book's writing is just not strong enough to tie everything together. It reads like a textbook in many parts with unclear explanations to all but the scientifically adept. I wanted to know more about each of these societies and cultures (Incans, Mayans, Babylonians, etc...) but this book only scratches the surface. Despite the interesting topic and neat cover, I found the book disappointing for its lack of clear information, the necessary background and the often obtuse writing.

A new look at the stars.......1999-04-27

One of my earliest memories is of lying on my back in the snow, just looking up at the stars. I've long since lost the ability to look at stars through the eyes of a child, but Anthony Aveni's book, Stairways to the Stars, has given me a whole new way of looking at them. For ancient cultures, the night sky was an ever-present companion. They used it as both calendar and augur, to track and predict the seasons, foretell the future, and understand the present. But the night sky we see is strongly dependent on where we live. The stars and stellar events (such as eclipses) that we see change, depending on where we see them from.

In a society based on the sky, how much of the sky you can see (and what's in it) becomes critical. So what the Mayans chose to focus on will be different from what the Celts considered important. And that may have had far-reaching effects on their society. From charts of the planet Mars in ancient Mayan codexes to the role of Stonehenge as an observatory, watching the skies left lasting, tangible effects on societies.

It's an interesting, thoughtful book. I enjoyed it, even though it's not an overwhelmingly easy read. Certainly there are times when it feels like a textbook (and the section of exercises at the end certainly doesn't hurt that sense).

If you're a beginning stargazer, I'd suggest something a bit more straightforward. But if you've been looking up at the night sky for years ... or if you're interested in ancient societies, I think you'll probably find this book well worth your time. For more reviews, check out my web page at exn.ca/printedmatter

Average customer rating:
Godfrey's Stairway to the Stars: A Step-by-Step Guide to Modern Bidding

Manufacturer: Devyn Press, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0939460718

Product Description

Have you ever thought about playing a forcing club? If you have but have rejected the idea because it is either too complicated or too time-consuming to learn, this is the perfect book. It is an attempt to present the Romex system in its advanced form.

Average customer rating:

Stairway to the Stars
Dorothy Dumbrille
Manufacturer: Thomas Allen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Average customer rating:

Stairway To The Stars

Manufacturer: Robbins Music Corp. Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ICQW66

Average customer rating:

Stairway to the Stars
Jan Davie
Manufacturer: Athena Press Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1844015696

Average customer rating:

Stairway to the Stars
Dino Paci , and Dina Paci-Stahl
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Life & Institutions | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Stairway To the Stars Colorados Argentin

Average customer rating:

Stairway To the Stars Colorados Argentin
Dan Abbott
Manufacturer: CENTENNIAL PUBLICATIONS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000TXPDGO

Stairway To the Stars, Colorado's Argentine Central Railway

Average customer rating:

Stairway To the Stars, Colorado's Argentine Central Railway
Dan Abbott
Manufacturer: CENTENNIAL PUBLICATIONS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PVXH2M

Stairway to the Stars: The Story of the World's Largest Observatory

Average customer rating:

Stairway to the Stars: The Story of the World's Largest Observatory
Barry R. Parker
Manufacturer: Plenum Publishing Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Astronomy | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

Scientific Instruments | Experiments, Instruments & Measurement | Science | Subjects | Books

Telescopes | Experiments, Instruments & Measurement | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Book Description

From the fall of the Han dynasty at the turn of the third century to the eventual reunification of the country under the Sui at the turn of the seventh century, China experienced a tumultuous and fascinating political and cultural history. The political fragmentation that occurred between the dynasties and the massive migration of nomadic peoples into China resulted in contact with people from every part of Asia and the introduction of foreign ideas, religion, art forms, and motifs. Out of this grew the magnificent art of Tang China in the early eighth century.
This book is the first comprehensive survey of Chinese art during this complex era. Lavishly illustrated and produced, the volume presents more than three hundred recent archaeological finds: including gold artifacts made by the nomadic peoples from Mongolia, luxury articles of glass and precious metals from Western and Central Asia, early Chinese Buddhist sculptures, and spectacular works in every medium from the Tang period. Essays by distinguished scholars provide a historical background, discuss the various media, and trace the changes in art styles over a period that saw a radical modification of Chinese civilization.
In the great tradition of publications on Chinese art from the Metropolitan Museum, China: Dawn of a Golden Age will become an essential text for years to come.

Average customer rating:

Excellent!
Delightful New Alternate History Shorts...
delightful what if alternate history tales

Revisions

Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Anthologies | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Alternate History | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Anthologies | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0756402409
Release Date: 2004-08-03

Book Description

Fifteen original tales of "what if"

Some of today's top science fiction writers explore the futures that might have been, including original stories from Julie E. Czerneda and other great names in the genre.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!.......2007-02-05

These are not your typical, predictable "what if someone went back in time and gave General Lee machine guns?" type of historical revision tales. Instead, they are based in real science, and speculate about how real, historical (or scientific) events could have changed the world if they happened in a just slightly (and realistically) different way. Brilliantly written, and very fun to read.

Delightful New Alternate History Shorts..........2005-04-09

Unlike most alternate history anthologies, ReVisions consists of all new and original stories, a great change from the constantly re-hashed collections. All of the stories in ReVisions deal with some sort of technological, social, or anthropological change. There's everything from Nikola Tesla inventing the laser to the Sumerians creating the printing press, to what might have happened if dogs had never been domesticated or if Da Vinci's inventions had actually been put into effect.

The stories themselves, while creative and original, do not seem to have been edited as well as they might have been, keeping me from giving ReVisions a full five stars. It's a new release, and so you probably won't find it in used bookstores. That being said, I have no regrets about spending the full price to buy from Amazon.

The topics featured for diversion are best-suited for scientific and engineering types, but there are a few to satisfy those preferring socially-based or even anthropological stories.

delightful what if alternate history tales .......2004-08-03

This fifteen short story collection contains what if alternate history tales that will delight genre fans. Each tale takes a key scientific or technological element and changes when it occurred so that it either intersects at an earlier pivotal moment in history such as the Sumerians inventing the printing press in BC or never materialized such as Galileo fails to release his findings. The tales are all well written and the explanation of the REVISION point is fun to follow to ascertain whether the reader agrees with the author's logic. Intriguing are those with a modern aspect to include Tesla inventing a laser in the nineteenth century, Livingstone bringing AIDS out of Africa in the nineteenth century and the government pushing aquanauts over astronauts and banning the Internet. Mindful of the Marvel Comics What If series, this terrific collection will have the audience thinking of new ones such as what if an underpaid over paid book reviewer was given a guitar instead of Narnia?

Harriet Klausner

Eliminating Careless Error (Math, Grades 2 - 5)

Average customer rating:

Eliminating Careless Error

Eliminating Careless Error (Math, Grades 2 - 5)
James Watt
Manufacturer: Back Fence Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Parent Participation | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Study & Teaching | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Parenting Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0976478404

Product Description

This is the first and only book available showing the complete method of eliminating careless error from arithmetic. It is a long overdue and truly revolutionary book. All parents should read it. The method is both extremely easy to understand and teach as well as fun. There is literally, no excuse for your child to ever get less than a B in arithmetic if they learn this method in this book. Read the book and see why this is true.

Customer Reviews:

Eliminating Careless Error.......2007-10-01

Although the process explained in the book works, I think it is much more helpful for children to solve math problems two or more different ways. The children aren't going to understand WHY this works, so it will be of little use. It's just something to memorize. It is very important for children to understand what they're doing and why it works. Making connections between or among strategies is very powerful. The power of number sense gets lost when children use gimmicks to do mathematical computations.

CCEL Classics CD: works by Saint Augustine, John Calvin, John Donne, Julian of Norwich, Brother Lawrence, Martin Luther, Saint Teresa of Avila, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas a Kempis, John Wesley, and more!

Average customer rating:

CCEL Classics CD: works by Saint Augustine, John Calvin, John Donne, Julian of Norwich, Brother Lawrence, Martin Luther, Saint Teresa of Avila, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas a Kempis, John Wesley, and more!
Dr. W. Harry Plantinga
Manufacturer: Christian Classics Ethereal Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Product Description

The most important spiritual writings of Christian history are available on this Classics CD by the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) at Calvin College. It contains 118 Christian classics, including three versions of the Bible, several commentaries, Bible dictionaries, readings, spiritual guides, sermons, poems and journals -- all in a convenient, searchable form. Books are available in HTML and PDF formats. The easy-to-use CCEL Desktop software powering the CD enables users to browse and print books and install additional books from the Web. The top-of-class search engine can search for words or phrases in books, in authors works or in the whole library. In addition, it can search for dictionary definitions of words and commentary or references to scripture passages. The interface is a Web browser. The CD is compatible with Windows 2000+, Macintosh 10.3+, and most Linux versions.

Ian Fleming & James Bond: The Cultural Politics Of 007

Average customer rating:

Academic Conference or Hunting Lodge for Smart Weirdos?

Ian Fleming & James Bond: The Cultural Politics Of 007

Manufacturer: Indiana University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

History & Criticism | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Popular Culture | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Reference | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Mystery & Thriller Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0253345235

Book Description

The Cold War agent of pulp fiction and the hero of more than a dozen movies, James Bond, also known as 007, is one of pop culture's most recognizable icons. Doubtless better known from film than from Ian Fleming's novels, the character has become a lightning rod for criticism from all camps. And yet somehow his popularity remains intact.

But who is James Bond? Ian Fleming and James Bond: The Cultural Politics of 007 is an entertaining and revealing examination of the many facets of Bond. Before Bond became a cinematic icon, he was the protagonist of a series of thrillers that appeared during the time of Britain's decline as a major power and the heating up of the Cold War. Fleming's character gave expression to biases and anxieties that continue to shape our political worldview in ways both obvious and covert.

Fifteen spirited and engaging essays—all new to this volume—cover topics including Bond's Britishness, James Bond and JFK, homosexual panic and lesbian Bond-age, the James Bond lifestyle, and Bond's brands.

The contributors are Alexis Albion, Dennis W. Allen, James Chapman, Edward P. Comentale, Vivian Halloran, Jaime Hovey, Aaron Jaffe, Christoph Lindner, Andrew Lycett, Patrick O'Donnell, Craig N. Owens, Brian Patton, Judith Roof, Stephen Watt, and Skip Willman.

Customer Reviews:

Academic Conference or Hunting Lodge for Smart Weirdos?.......2005-07-16

James Bond is one of the few pop culture references that writer (and portrayer of Riff Raff) Richard O'Brien didn't throw into his masterpiece, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. (At least I don't remember any.) But there's a line in Rocky Horror that applies to the book Ian Fleming & James Bond: The Cultural Politics of 007.

In Rocky Horror, the "sweet transvestite" and mad scientist Frank N. Furter shows innocent young Janet Weiss his Charles Atlas-like creation, Rocky. Janet touches Rocky's firm oiled flesh but says she doesn't like a man with too many muscles.

"I DIDN'T MAKE HIM FOR YOU!!!" Frank answers.

This book was written for academics, not for me.

It's a collection of papers written for an academic conference at Indiana University in 2003. The first half of the book especially is full of the jargony prose that academics use too often. Or, as the introduction states, "This grouping of essays explores Fleming's work as it responds to post-World War II transformations - - theoretical or otherwise - - of subjectivity and intersubjective relations." (My spellchecker doesn't even want to call "intersubjective" a word, but it flagged "jargony" too and I like that one.)

The acknowledgments page thanks the "faculty and graduate students" who attended the conference - - didn't they even let undergraduate students past security? I imagine some freshman with one of Q's hi-tech iris-scanning gizmos sneaking in, just like Bond.

Again quoting the introduction, "In fact, the secret service and academia are linked by this mode: the success of both depends on an ability to cross and confound rigid oppositions, . . ." Come on, guys. I had a Man from UNCLE camera-gun too, when I was ten, but I don't still shoot THRUSH agents with it.

But the second half of the book (the essays tying the Bond books and movies to their moment in history) is more interesting. How Bond went from British pulp hero to transatlantic (in other words American) superspy-savior. How Bond (who we always think of as very modern, whatever decade he's in) is really a conservative reaction against the "angry young men" of fifties Britain ("Shoot Back in Anger"). What are the literary and real-life connections between JFK, RFK, Fleming, Bond, and Castro? (And who among those are real people, who are fictional characters, and who are both?)

If you liked Peter Biskind's Seeing is Believing: How Hollywood Taught Us to Stop Worrying and Love the Fifties, and J. Hoberman's The Dream Life: Movies, Media, and the Mythology of the Sixties, you'll find enough in this book to make it worth reading several of the essays. It's definitely worth the Amazon paperback price.

Average customer rating:

Gators and Imagination, What a Combination!
Fun for readers of all ages

Zack's Alligator (An I Can Read Book)
Shirley Mozelle
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Alligators & Crocodiles | Animals | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Humorous | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Children's Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0064441865

Book Description

When Bridget the alligator arrives in the mail, she's only the size of a key chain! But after Zack soaks her in water, she grows into a real live alligator. Bridget wrestles the garden hose and swings from the monkey bars. And what other alligator can do cartwheels?

Children's Books of 1989 (Library of Congress)

Customer Reviews:

Gators and Imagination, What a Combination!.......2005-05-04

Zack gets a package from his uncle who lives in Florida. Eagerly he opens it to find an alligator key chain. He takes it to the sink to wash it and it comes to life, growing to the size of the sink. The gator says her name is Bridget and Zack puts her into the bath where she showers and grows even more. Soon she is a full-sized girl gator and she is hungry. Zack feeds her all the food in the fridge, then they go out to play, amazing Zack's friends. As the day draws to a close, Bridget starts to shrink and by the time they get home, she is back to her key chain size. "Don't forget to water me tomorrow," she says.

This book will take your toddler on a terrific ride to where only imagination can go. My son Devon and I have been looking at the pictures for over a year, but now that he is almost three and knows all his letters, I am reading with my finger under the words and he is following along and he still loves Bridget's story as much now as he did when we weren't working so hard on the words.

This is a book for beginning readers. The words are simple, grammar too. Bridget's story is sure to keep your toddler interested, so much better than the "See Spot Run" kind of early readers. If you want your child reading before Kindergarten, and I do, then this book and books like it are very good additions to your toddlers reading arsenal.

Jack Priest, Dad in Training

Fun for readers of all ages.......2000-08-10

This book is a delight -- it is a great book for emergent readers, but it is more fun to read out loud. Zack's alligator has attitude -- and the giggles from my daughter made it a book we had to add to her personal library.

Average customer rating:

How Raven Brought Light to People
Ann Dixon
Manufacturer: Atheneum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0689505361

James Watt & The Steam Engine (Uncharted, Unexplored, and Unexplained) (Uncharted, Unexplored, and Unexplained)

Average customer rating:

James Watt & The Steam Engine (Uncharted, Unexplored, and Unexplained) (Uncharted, Unexplored, and Unexplained)
Jim Whiting
Manufacturer: Mitchell Lane Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Children's Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 1584153717

Product Description

James Watt was a sickly boy who was often bullied at school. He wasn't very self-confident and doubted his ability. He was often paralyzed by the fear of going into poverty. He lived most of his life with ferocious headaches. His first wife, who always supported and encouraged him, died when he was still a relatively young man. Yet he overcame these problems to become one of the most important inventors in world history. He made improvements to the primitive steam engines so that they could provide power for the factories that were springing up in England. These factories completely changed the way that people worked and lived, and made James Watt a wealthy, well-known man.

In This Remote Country: French Colonial Culture in the Anglo-American Imagination, 1780-1860

Average customer rating:

In This Remote Country: French Colonial Culture in the Anglo-American Imagination, 1780-1860
Edward Watts
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0807857629
Release Date: 2006-08-09

Book Description

When Anglo-Americans looked west after the Revolution, they hoped to see a blank slate upon which to build their continental republic. However, French settlers had inhabited the territory stretching from Ohio to Oregon for over a century, blending into Native American networks, economies, and communities. Images of these French settlers saturated nearly every American text concerned with the West. Edward Watts argues that these representations of French colonial culture played a significant role in developing the identity of the new nation.

In regard to land, labor, gender, family, race, and religion, American interpretations of the French frontier became a means of sorting the empire builders from those with a more moderate and contained nation in mind, says Watts. Romantic nationalists such as George Bancroft, Francis Parkman, and Lyman Beecher used the French model to justify the construction of a nascent empire. Alternatively, writers such as Margaret Fuller, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and James Hall presented a less aggressive vision of the nation based on the colonial French themselves. By examining how representations of the French shaped these conversations, Watts offers an alternative view of antebellum culture wars.

Average customer rating:
James Watt And The History Of Steam Power
Ivor B. Hart
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1428656669

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books