5 stars (excellent text) - This textbook is an excellent way to learn chemistry. It provides very nice graphics to explain the text. This text makes learning chemistry very enjoyable and interesting. Senese and Brady did a wonderful job with this book. I highly recommend it. 5 stars (this text does stand out from the pack...) - ...in a number of ways. The chapter on stoichiometry is the first one I flip to when I'm evaluating a new text. This book does a better job of providing a conceptual foundation for the mole concept than any other book I've seen. It shows the rationale behind the concept by working a few simple problems with and without moles. The problem setups emphasize strategic thinking by asking students to identify the 'critical link' that connects given information with the problem's goal. The "Is the answer reasonable" checks given with each problem are more detailed and more helpful than in other texts; they help students develop a sense for what is and isn't reasonable in the answer, using alternative back-of-the-envelope solutions that often provide additional insight into the nature of the problem. The chapter on atomic structure is the only one I've seen that uses the central idea of quantum mechanics (wave-particle duality) as its central theme. It elegantly uses the de Broglie relation to tie wave and particle behaviors together, in the process naturally explaining where quantum numbers come from and why changes in electron confinement in a reaction can lead to color changes. The thermodynamics chapter is also quite innovative, discarding the idea of entropy as a measure of disorder and instead stressing its connection with the number of ways a state can be realized. A simple model of heat flow from a hot object to a cold object makes the connection between probability and process spontaneity clear. The approach for explaining and predicting molecular shapes is much better than that used in other texts, where students end up memorizing a large... Wiley :: Science & Chemistry & General :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Chemistry - General :: Chemistry (General) :: Chemistry :: Fred Senese :: James E Brady :: :: Chemistry- Matter and Its Changes
4 stars (Substantial Book ! ) - With what books cost these days,this a very nice art book covering most eras and the more important works of art though out history. 4 stars (Still a great book) - For those who are new to art history and need a good overview, Gardner has always been a great place to start. It and Janson's History of Art are the books most often used for introductory art history classes, and you can see why: Garner gives a really broad and understandable overview of thousands of years of art history. Plus, nearly all of the book's illustrations are in color, which is a very rare thing for any art history book. My only criticisms are for more advanced students of art history. First of all, if you've got the 11th edition, don't worry about getting the 12th - the new edition makes relatively small changes to the old version, adding more color pictures as well as the CD-ROM. And those who already have a good knowledge of art history may want to look elsewhere - being such a wide survey, "Art Through the Ages" doesn't have time to go into a lot of the little details and lesser-known pieces that make art history so fun. 5 stars (Excellent introduction to art history) - I first used Gardner's Art Through the Ages for my AP art history class back in high school, and I still refer to it sometimes for my college art history courses. It goes over a huge array of artists and periods (both in the Western and non-Western traditions) and is helpful if you need to find some general information or refresh your memory. The picture reproductions are very good (if not slightly dark). Be aware that this book will sometimes not provide in-depth explanations for all of its subjects; however, this text is a firm foundation of knowledge for beginner art history students. Highly recommended. ... Wadsworth Publishing :: Art & General :: History - General :: History :: General :: Art & Art Instruction :: Art :: Christin J Mamiya :: Fred S Kleiner :: :: Gardner-s Art Through the Ages (with ArtStudy Student CD-ROM and InfoTrac) (Gardner-s Art Through th