Encyclopedia of Chemical Physics and Physical Chemistry, Volumes 1 - 3
Edited by: Moore , J.H.; Spencer, N.D. © 2001 Institute of Physics

 

This three-volume encyclopedia is a comprehensive survey of the present state of knowledge and the research frontier in nearly every area of chemical physics and physical chemistry … The goal has been to make each article enjoyable, informative, and concisely relevant to its named topic. These goals are well met … In its discussions, the encyclopedia strikes an excellent balance between theory and applications … [it] is a most remarkable and successful enterprise, and makes very enjoyable reading … It belongs in every university science library.
The Encyclopedia of Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics is a major new reference work that any chemist and physicist can turn to for an introduction to an unfamiliar area, an explanation of important experimental and computational techniques, and a description of modern endeavors.
It is intended for a reader with a solid undergraduate education in physics or chemistry, including mechanics electricity and magnetism, differential equations, simple matrix algebra, chemical nomenclature and the basics of chemical spectroscopy. In addition, the reader has knowledge of quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, and statistical mechanics at the level of an undergraduate physical chemistry text.

Unmasking the Face

A Must-Have Primer for Learning to Recognize Facial Expressions. Ekman is a leading authority on the study of the facial expressions and their relation to emotion, and this book is a methodical and thorough (for the layperson, at least) introduction to the field, with special focus on recognizing what he calls the six basic universally expressed emotions: happiness, fear, anger, surprise, disgust/contempt, and sadness. Ekman provides clear, well-detailed instructions for recognizing each of these emotions, and the book includes plenty of photos to illustrate the different facial contortions of each emotion. The only complaint I would have is that I had to do a lot of page flipping back and forth to read Ekman's remarks and subsequently refer to the relevant picture. Perhaps a future edition could be better formatted to make it easier for the reader to view the expression alongside Ekman's comments. In addition to writing about specific emotions, Ekman also covers some fascinating related topics such as recognizing facial deceit and discovering the patterns of one's own facial expressions, i.e., what you're telling the world with your own face. Ekman is an academic and his writing shows it; he's precise, methodical, thorough, and careful in the extent of his claims. Readers who are new to the subject of reading facial expressions but are seriously committed to learning about it will find this an invaluable book. (Ekman's later work, "Emotions Revealed," is also a great read and contains much of the same information as "Unmasking the Face," although I found the former to be lighter on technical information and practice faces, and more focused on the larger reflections Ekman has made looking back on his work over the last few decades. In other words, both books are great, but "Unmasking the Face" is a bit more technical and thorough, and therefore a better book to pick up for learning how to recognize facial expressions.)

No single mental ability is more important to personal success than a powerful memory. While most adults and children have the capacity for phenomenal memory, few ever know the simple secrets of harnessing this amazing power. In this book, through a unique cartoon-style format, you will learn a powerful but incredibly simple technique of dynamic recall. The concept was originally designed for children but has been expanded to teach the technique to any reader of any age, although children can demonstrate exceptional performance with these skills.

Language to language - A Practical and Theoretical Guide for Italian-English Translators
Language to Language is for students of English/Italian translation and practising translators. Part One provides a theoretical background, examining the relevance of the study of lexis, semantics, pragmatics, culture, stylistics and genre to translation. This section includes numerous practical examples of how the translator's thought processes are brought to bear to solve translation problems in specific texts. Part Two contains a wide selection of texts prepared for pre-translation analysis and translation proper. The method adopted is designed to illustrate the translation process rather than the translation product. Texts are taken from a variety of sources including: literature, technical and scientific material, tourist information, promotion and advertising, legal contracts, business letters, film dubbing, newspapers. Further texts are then provided for translation practice.
(Note: The theory part of this book is one of the most complete and is useful to anyone studying Translation, not just to Italian/English translators.)