I have just discovered the wonderful novels by Susan Wittig Albert, and I am playing catch-up trying to read all the past installment of the China Bayles saga.
Imagine my delight upon finding this delightful collection of short stories.

I love that these stories are a great deal more light-hearted than the usual serious themes found in the book length tales. Albert features all the familiar characters from her series, including China, her best friend Ruby, police chief Shelia Dawson, and of course, China's new husband Mike McQuaid. She also brings in a few new characters that have not appeared in any previously published mysteries to join in the fun.

I also love the many herbal tips and recipes that appear sprinkled throughout the book.

For fans of Albert's series, this collection is a "must have"!

Fans of mystery writing and gardening will find themselves delighted by this story of herbalist-sleuth China Bayles in yet another story of her evolving life. China has settled down and opened her herb shop - but there are ten puzzling cases here for her to solve, along with herbal advice and recipes. Unthymely Death is an intriguing multi-faceted story.

I have enjoyed all of the previous "herb" books and am not usually a fan of short stories. This collection is wonderful, though. and it goes great with a pot or glass of tea, a comfortable chair, and quiet time. I recommend this for your vacation reading list.

Nice for studies and examples of others work but value is underpriced. One must consider the value to the person collecting the china.

A must-have for collectors and antique dealers alike. This book details the history, production, and decoration of American handpainted porcelain, all with beautiful photographs and helpful illustrations. A key component is the identification and valuation of handpainted items.

Even though I had been collecting since 1984 I discovered how much there is to know about the subject. Full of history, insights, examples and references, plus beautiful format and photograpy.

First of all the book is well written. I read every word of the forward. It was that interesting. This book is written by a true master who has practiced the sword for over 27 years... This book describes the history of jian swordsmanship and its fundamental principles. The practice of Taiji Jian is based on Chinese yin-yang, five-elements, and Daoist philosophical concepts, and combines meditation, martial and healing arts. If you study taiji Quan (T'ai Chi Ch'uan) this book will be of great value to you, even if you do not study sword; And priceless if you do. A good book for every library.

I completely agree with every word the previous reviewers wrote on this book. So I only want to say the book refers to the WU stile Tai chi sword form and not to the 32 position of the Yang stile. Anyway whatever stile you practice this book is a worth to buy.

Wow! This is a wonderful reference book not only for Taiji Jian (tai chi sword), but also for Taiji Quan. All sections of the book are straight forward and easy to follow. There wasn't any mystical "mumbo jumbo" I couldn't comprehend. The first chapter which gives the reader information about the history of the Taiji jian, I particlularly liked this historical information. Chapter two is for Taiji jian and Tai Chi Quan practitioners. This chapter explains clearly the "ins and outs" of Taiji Quan and Taiji jian. The author explains basic trainning, principles, elements, etc. I found this section of great interest to me having only studied Taiji Quan for about a year now. I believe the information I've gainned from reading this section will help improve my practice.I think advanced practitioners will find chapter two valuable as well. The remaining chapters 3-8 give the reader information on the parts of the jian, how to practce with the jian, basic movements,fighting principles, and a 32 posture form with pictures and detailed explanations. The explaination of each picture includes info about the key points, internal components and the movement itself. This is a great manual that I know I will refer to over and over again. This is a must read book for any Taiji Quan or Taiji jian practitioner.

This is a work of scholorship and not simply a book about the ancient Chinese view of sex. It's very complete and contains both usuful material for moderns and very interesting historical material regarding alchemy, Qi Gong and Chinese medicine as they relate to sex.

This is a must-read book offering a wealth of scholarly information for any student of Taoist alchemy.

Douglas Wile, Associate Professor of Chinese Language and Literature, has translated some important a lesser-known Chinese texts, making them accessible to the English-speaking public for the first time. In additional to the translations, the introduction of the book features exceptional reviews of a number of modern books by popular authors dealing with Taoist (and so-called Taoist) sexual practices.

A FABULOUS WORK!

I'm just a beginner on this subject,I started with some photocopies on the subject(nothing special)and found them not very elucidatory. I wanted to know more!...then I bought this book,although I haven't read it all,from the pages I read, I felt I could comprehend easier what was being said.It explained certain doubts that came accross from the other texts I read.

I think(from the little insight I have)that this book is perfect to understand the subject, if one already knows something about Taoist ancient sexual practices.

Studs Terkel meets Asian America. The author, affiliated with Queens College at the time the book was compiled, records oral histories from first through fourth generation Asian Americans from China, Cambodia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, and Pacific Islands. (Chinese immigrants began to officially arrive in 1848; they were not allowed to apply for citizenship until 1943. Japanese and Koreans were not allowed citizenship until 1952; Filipinos and Asian Indians beat them by six years) These histories are grouped into three major section: Living In America; Americanization; and Refections on Interracial Marriage. In "Living In America", selections include Will Hao on being a true Hawaiian, and Andrea Kim on being born and raised in Hawaii, but not being Hawaiian. Sam Sue, a Chinese American lawyer, talks about growing up bitterly in Clarksdale Mississippi during a time of segregation. The Americanization section includes stories of escape and exodus, the bumpy road of acculturation, 3 stories just on run-ins with traffic cops (driving while Asian), and over 9 stories on Americanization, racism, tension, being Asian versus being American, and even on being a minority within a minority. Cao O discusses life as an ethnic Chinese in Vietnam and being Chinese-Vietnamese in America and dealing with social service agencies in Chinatown that is staffed by Hong-Kong born Chinese. In "No Tea, Thank You", Setsuko K. discusses the subtleties between the generations, such as politeness and their hidden meanings (when "no" means "yes", and "yes" means "no"). In a sub-section of nine stories about family, Cao O discusses the idea of 'obligation', while Hideo K talks about the "Company as Friend". Tony Ham discusses Mah-Jonng as a family social focus. In a sub-section on religion, there is an interesting piece on Koreans and church membership. In one of eight stories on "Interracial Marriage", Jody Sandler writes talks about "So He's Not a Jewish Doctor", in which a 23 year old Woodmere Long Island Five Town girl marries an Asian America and faces pressures from family and friends, and contrasts Tony's values with those she grew up with in Five Towns.

This book by Joann Lee is an excellent book on Asian-Americans. It tells the life stories of Asian-Americans without so much stereotypical baggage found elsewhere.

It shows Asian-Americans as people. Instead of the shallow, stereotypical views found in the movies, it gave me a deeper view of what it feels like and means to be a person of Asian descent living in America. And it does so honestly. It gives the reader a view into a very intimate but often overlooked part of life in America.

I recommend this to all who are interested in this topic.The book reads well and easily.

Enjoy!

An excellent overview of what it is to be Asian American in America today. Joann Lee writes beautifully and puts you in touch with the individual struggles and victories of her subjects. A must read.

Fine color drawings by Nicholas Debon bring the Chinese topics to life. Warlord's Puzzle tells of a fierce warlord in China who receives a ceramic tile as a gift, but sentences the man to punishment when it's shattered. The artist poses an unusual contest as the solution for the problem.

The Warlord's Puzzle is a traditional Chinese tale that proves you do not have to have money or power to have intelligence. An artist gives a warlord a gift of a blue tile, and then drops it on the ground and breaks it into seven pieces. A contest is held that will reward anyone who can fix the tile, and the one who ends up solving the problem will surprise readers. The book has a mathematical twist because the pieces break in the shape of a tangram puzzle.

The author has found many ways to capture the interest of readers in this unique story. First, the characters of the book come alive through the beautiful pictures. Each page is rich in color and shows the emotions of the characters throughout the story. The words on each page are also arranged in unique ways to help give emphasis to the text and interest readers. Some of the phrasing of the sentences is difficult for young readers to understand, so some explanations may need to be given while reading. Overall, this is a very interesting and creative book that could lead into many different types of discussions.

A Chinese warlord receives a ceramic tile as a gift and promptly sentences the artist who made it to death when the title is shattered into seven pieces. The desperate artist proposes that a contest be held. Whoever is clever enough to put the tile fragments back together will be asked to live in the warlord's palace -- and his own life would be spared. After an enormous multitude of people fail at the task, a little peasant boy figures out a novel and unexpected solution. Virginia Pilegard's The Warlord's Puzzle is a delightful, highly recommended picturebook story that is gorgeously illustrated with the full color, museum quality artwork of Nicholas Debon.

I gave this book four stars because of its' wonderful illustrations and because it is a great folk tale.I also like how they all have to take a journey to find the quilt of their mother.Also because the little brother did not give up.And also how her dream comes true.I recommend this book if you like folk tales and dreams.

This book has great illustrations and a great storyline. I read it to my children now and suggest it to anyone who loves chinese folktales and art.

Ok when I first read this book I was 9 years old and after the first time I found it my local library I was never able to find it again because I forgot the title and the author but I never forgot the story or the beautiful artwork. Now that I'm 19 and there's now the internet to use, I'm happy to have found this book again! I've been looking for this book for 10 years, it is worth the search and will be memorable to any child who reads it. ^_^V

I found Lawless's book of Mongolia both funny and insightful. It makes you want to travel and experience life and it definitely makes you remember to stop and smell the 'roses'.

Not normally a reader of travel books, this one was a gift from a very dear friend. Now this is one of my favorite gifts for giving.

I hope she writes more, I thouroughly enjoy her wit and style.

I concur with the other reviewers. This is a well written and humorous book about life in Mongolia after the Soviets left. Oddly enough Mongolians have reversed the urban trend and have moved back to the countryside and their nomadic way of life to survive.

I found Jill Lawless' Wild East to be an unusual work of travel writing. She did not just make a pit stop in Mongolia, but lived there for two years as editor of the UB Post newspaper -- a feisty English language newspaper. This is a work in the tradition of the great engaged journalists, a ballsy (without the balls) Hemmingway for the 21st century. Her writing is wise, minus the naive first impressions of many travellers -- it is Mongolia from the inside. Wild East is a reality check on current debates over globalization. Mongolia is a country where even McDonalds dares to not go. Lawless digs deep into the country's own version of the 60s, as Mongolian's lustily embraced there new-found freedoms in the 90s. She takes us across the country, from the remote Gobi desert, to border clashes with Russian Tuva. She is especially good at covering the dynamic and chaotic world of Mongolian tabloid newspapers, including the rise and fall of "Hot Blanket" magazine.

The safety tips are outstanding. In depth coverage of every region of the country. The only reason I didn't take it with me to Cambodia was that Lonely Planet had more phone numbers of places to stay and I lost the included map of Cambodia that comes with this book. If this book had had printed in it a map of the entire country, then this would have been the book I would have taken. Great read before going however!

I recently returned from a motorcycle trip around Cambodia and can confirm that this is the only book to take with you - forget the others! Clear and concise, lots of maps, and a lot of "off the beaten path" true adventure travel opportunities.

I carried this book with me for three weeks in Cambodia and I was delighted that I chose this one. The maps pinpoint the hotels and restaurants even in small out of the way towns. This book has maps and towns not even mentioned in other books. Its has excellent coverage and inside information on the 'Big three'-Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukeville and has a huge color fold out map of the entire country on one side and a detailed map of Phnom Pen on the other,The safety and traveling tips are unique and worth the price of the book alone. Wonderfuly easy to read.

This is a challenging work.

He realizes 5 standpoints. He writes "What is historically called art in China, by whom and when?". Really, I feel it rather reflect unconscious attitude of 20th century collectors and scholars.

Art in the Tomb /Art at Court/Art in the Temple/Art in the life of the Elite /Art in the Market-Place

Following recent searching environment of artifacts; lifetime of painters, art-market, patrons, etc., as "Painter's Practice" by J.cahill, Mr. Clunas searched relations of arts-makers and the society. This approach is interesting and very suggestive. It may be the first try among such cheap and popular books about "Arts in China". For such character, I feel it should not be an elementary textbook.

Calligraphy was more focused than M. Sullivan's book"The Arts of China" in the chapter "Art in the life of the Elite". Short columns explain words and technical terms vividly. It is worth to buy it only for them. Bibliographical essays(231-237 p.) are very useful. Plates and figures are all fine. There is few inadequate item. Fig 83 and 87 shows as we appreciate in museums, i.e. shows its handscroll format. I think the author make effort to show surrounding textile of paintings and the format in some figs.

As an avocat d'diable, I notice some. The gong of Fig. 49 is not 8th century. Dragons and a beast should be genuine 8th century items. The gong is regarded 12-13th century Japanese artifact. The item of Fig. 82 may not be a representative work by Tang-Yin.

Both C. Clunas and Michael Sullivan edited catalogues of Sir Alain Barlow Collection(now in Sussex College). (ref. The Barlow Collection of Chinese Ceramics, Bronzes and Jades: an Introduction, The University of Sussex, 1997/Nov.) Sullivan did in 1963 and 1974. Clunas did in 1997. They might have share common intellectual environment according Oriental Ceramic Society, England.

While not the easiest to read, Clunas's book is currently the best short modest-sized introduction to art in China. The title "Art in China" (not "Chinese Art") is intentional, for Clunas is one of the rare Occidental authors on this subject who transcend the limitations of their background and succeed in communicating some of the subtlety and complexity of the subject, so remote from Western tastes, but no less beautiful and profound.

For example, he points out that while Western art has concentrated on painting, calligraphy is the most esteemed art form in China. Furthermore, from its earliest beginnings, Chinese aesthetics has placed little emphasis on illusionism and perspective, even regarding these as juvenile and distracting from artistic self-expression. (In this respect, the Chinese anticipated "modern art theory" by centuries.) The very term "Chinese Art", he maintains, is a Western invention, since the art work in China was, until recently, never divorced from its political, religious or decorative functions. (That is to say, it was not "museum art" isolated from its context and consciously regarded as art.) Because of these characteristics, art in China has been little appreciated in the West.

Clunas's probing book should be read slowly-- and re-read. The illuminating text gives a relatively sophisticated and sympathetic account of art in China, unlike many books, which are simply naive, provincial and as full of trivial dates and abstractions as they are lacking in insight. The representative works, drawn from all periods of Chinese history--including modern times--are superb and well chosen, and the pictures are excellent, considering the book's modest size. I especially enjoy the full-page color reproduction of Guo Xi's masterpiece "Early Spring" which equals, if not surpasses, the finest landscape paintings of the Dutch golden age (of course, not in illusionist technique, but in sheer expressive and evocative power as it unveils a mysterious fantastic landscape reflecting an interior, as much as an exterior, reality).

My only complaint is that there is only one book on "Art in China" in the Oxford History of Art series, while there are at least 30 on Western art in the same series. One book covers Western art for a 25-year span (1920-45), but 5,000 years of high art in China--in painting, jade, ceramics, lacquer, porcelain, calligraphy and sculpture--gets only a single volume! Talk about provincialism! Certainly, this is no fault of Dr. Clunas, whose work seems all the more commendable in the midst of the naive insularity and ethnocentrism with which it has unfortunately been grouped.

In researching information regarding Sung Dynasty scrolls and artists, I found this book to be a most generous indeed. The author provides clear, precise information without the clutter of person guesses. He provides a wonderful assortment of pictures and resources. Clear, clean photographs of artifacts providing the reader with primary documentation .This is a MUST for anyone studying the Arts and Artists of early China. Thank you Craig Clunas!