In three separate stories illustrated by Richard Scarry, a bear avoids bedtime, a world involving a chipmunk and friends are introduced using words beginning with each letter of the alphabet, and a baby rabbit's family tries to guess what he will be when he grows up.

The third volume of this magisterial series presents entries that span the alphabet from Latin America to Punctuation written by specialists at research institutions worldwide. Where appropriate, the entries contain detailed historical and sociocultural material describing the larger context of the speakers' lives and situations. Entry topics include theoretical terms such as 'leveling', but most entries are on topics directly pertinent to Arabic, for example, locatives, Middle Arabic, modal verbs, morphology, negation, and passive syntax. Other entry topics are those for countries and dialects--Mali, Najdi Arabic, and Northwest Semitic languages among them. Two entries discuss lexicography, one is on bilingual dictionaries. Lists of bibliography divided into primary and secondary sources conclude each entry. As it is an encyclopedia, it is not further indexed. Versteegh is at the U. of Nijmegen in the Netherlands. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

A city with eight million people has eight million ways to die

For fifteen years, Shiya Ribowsky worked as a medicolegal investigator in New York City?s medical examiner?s office?the largest, most sophisticated organization of its kind in the world. Utilizing his background in medicine, he led the investigations of more than eight thousand individual deaths, becoming a key figure in some of New York?s most bizarre death cases and eventually taking charge of the largest forensic investigation ever attempted: identifying the dead in the aftermath of the September 11 tragedies.

Now, in this mesmerizing book, Ribowsky pulls back the curtain on the New York City?s medical examiner?s office, giving an enthralling, never-before-seen glimpse into death and the city. Born and raised in New York City?s orthodox Jewish community, Ribowsky seems an unlikely candidate for this macabre profession. Nevertheless he has forsaken a promising career of medical work with the living, descending instead into the realm of the dead, enticed by the challenge of confronting death on a daily basis. Taking you through the vermin-infested Bowery flophouses and posh Upper East Side apartments of the city?s dead, Ribowsky explores in gruesome detail the skeletons that hang in the Big Apple?s closets. Combing through the autopsy room, he also exposes the grim secrets that only a scalpel and a dead body can tell and explains how forensic investigation does not merely solve crimes?it saves lives.

But it is in the aftermath of September 11 that the ME?s office is handed its biggest challenge: to identify as many of the fallen as possible. With poignant descriptions, Ribowsky provides a dramatic account of the office?s diligent and unflappable work with the families of the victims, helping them emerge from the ashes of this tragedy while displaying the strength, grit, intelligence, and compassion that Americans expect from true New Yorkers.

At once compelling and heartbreaking, Dead Center is a story of New York unlike any other, blending the haunting with the sublime, while painting a striking portrait of death (and life) in the city that never sleeps.

Collecting all forty volumes of The History of al-?abari.

Raymond and Nelda have always been the very best of friends, and when they have a falling out they are both so miserable that Florence, their mail carrier, helps them get past their pride and hurt feelings to make up.

Traditional Japanese Literature features a rich array of works dating from the very beginnings of the Japanese written language through the evolution of Japan's noted aristocratic court and warrior cultures. It contains stunning new translations of such canonical texts as The Tales of the Heike as well as works and genres previously ignored by scholars and unknown to general readers.

This volume includes generous selections from Man'yÿsh, The Tale of Genji, The Pillow Book, Kokinsh, and other classics of Japanese literature, as well as a stunning range of folk literature, epic tales of war, poetry, and no drama. The anthology offers an impressive representation of dramatic, poetic, and fictional works from both high and low culture, along with religious and secular anecdotes, literary criticism, and works written in Chinese by Japanese writers. The wealth of classical poetry, linked verse, and popular poetry is accompanied by extensive commentary.

Traditional Japanese Literature is a companion volume to Columbia University Press's Early Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology, 1600-1900 and part of its four-volume history of Japanese literature. Arranged by chronology and genre, the readings are insightfully introduced and placed into their political, cultural, and literary context, and the extensive bibliographies offer further study for scholars and readers. Including a wide range of classic and popular works in poetry, prose, and drama, this anthology presents a definitive overview of traditional Japanese literature and deepens our understanding of classical and medieval Japanese culture.

Children will feel as though they are riding the big red fire engines and hearing the "clang, clang" of the bell in this Little Golden Book Classic!

Large-scale, active pictures will transport young readers to the scene where they'll see brave firemen connect hoses and save the day! Children will delight in reading this classic story as they listen to the brand-new CD!

Presents a collection of photos taken in 1993 of the painter Balthus and his family at their Swiss chalet, along with an essay examining the painter's work and private life.

With 188 nations participating in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), agreement is nearly universal that protected areas are critical for life on Earth. Following an overview of this growing trend and government- and community-managed protected areas, Lockwood (protected area management, U. of Tasmania, Australia) and fellow ecologists with the World Conservation Union (IUCN) introduce 26 contributed chapters reviewing our natural heritage, threats to it, the concept of Gross National Happiness, and solution strategies. The volume features case studies, b&w photos, and appendices including a chronology of key protected area events, provisions of the CBD, and data on national protected areas by World Commission on Protected Areas region. Distributed by Stylus. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Così come la lingua parlata, la scrittura cinese non è alfabetica ma si compone di ideogrammi. Nel corso dei secoli questo complesso sistema linguistico ha conosciuto uno sviluppo senza pari, e in particolar modo la sua forma scritta si è andata riformando a seconda delle epoche e delle necessità. Calligrafo e scrittore, l'autore di questo volume ripercorre le diverse tappe dello sviluppo della scrittura cinese attraverso aneddoti e immagini suggestive.

Music Minus One

With four volumes anticipated to complete the work, this second volume completes half of an ambitious reference. Written by 112 contributors at research institutions worldwide, the entries describe topics on general themes, specific words, linguistic issues, Arabic use or influence in individual countries, and national languages and dialects. A sampling of entry topics on general themes includes ethnicity and language, epigraphy, Europe, French loanwords, gender, government, intonation, and language attitudes. The country entries contain a general overview of the use or influence of Arabic there, the dialects, linguistic description, and a lexicon. All entries conclude with a list of bibliography. Because of the many entries on non-technical topics, the reference will be useful not only to linguists, but also scholars and students in other disciplines. Versteegh is at the U. of Nijmegen in the Netherlands. An index is not provided with this volume. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Celebrities such as Erykah Badu, Dennis Rodman, Common, and Lauryn Hill are huge fans of Afya Ibomu's colorful hats and caps. In GET YOUR CROCHET ON!: Hip Hats and Cool Caps, Afya presents 20 step-by-step patterns of her most popular designs for women, men, and children. Chock-full of designs that are simple enough for a beginner but stylish enough for the most seasoned crochet artist, GET YOUR CROCHET ON! speaks to the crocheter in all of us and includes instructions for everything from choosing the right hooks and yarn to washing and caring for the finished piece.

Tod, a young fox, and Copper, a hound pup, love to play together every chance they get. When they get lost in the woods during a game of hide-and-seek, they learn that a true friend always sticks by you!

Who better than Batman to protect the dangerous city of Gotham, where even the cops are crooks? But the latest imminent terror might be too much for the burgeoning Caped Crusader, who is still carving out a place for himself in the minds of Gotham's criminals.

There's a host of deadly new weapons in Batman's glittering, sinister city–in the hands of a psychotic mastermind called White Eyes. With his radical murder machine, the fiendish leader of Gotham's racist Bavarian Brotherhood can move beyond dealing drugs and hot guns to pursue his real passion: the white supremacist takeover of America.

The homegrown terrorists' first strike–at the heart of our nation's capitol–is only weeks away. But first they'll test out their killer toys on Batman, who is hot on the trail of White Eyes and his brutal militia. Ounce for ounce, muscle for muscle, Batman's no match for the cunning villain and his wicked new firepower. At least, that's how White Eyes sees it.

Batman has other ideas . . .

Focused Operations Management for Health Services Organizations offers managers and staff the practical knowledge and tools they need to accomplish much more within existing resources. This text identifies common bottlenecks and constraints and focuses on the critical issues and processes faced by managers in the health care field. The book provides tools to significantly improve organizational operations as well as enhance quality and customer satisfaction without increasing the use of physical, human, and financial resources.

In 1905, John Russell 'Russ' Case brought the fledgling W. R. Case & Sons Company to Bradford, and it dominated the knife industry for the next century. From kitchen, hunting, and pocket knives to the V-42 Stiletto carried by U.S. Army soldiers in World War II, Case knives have been not only a tool but also a trusted companion for generations. Still handcrafted in Bradford, Case knives are the most collected knives in the world. W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery Company contains photographs of Russ Case and his family, the factory, special knives, Case collector events, and even the Case car. Rare finds from the Case archives, employees, and family members help chronicle the company's incredible history.