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The Comprehensive Blood Morphology

Name: The Comprehensive Blood Morphology
Author: Kap Ryou
ISBN: 978-1475240108

by Kap Ryou ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

A detailed look at blood morphology that may have difficulty finding an audience.

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A medical technician provides vivid explanations of blood morphology.

Ryou tackles a complicated subject in his first book, aiming to demonstrate and explain the amazing variety in blood morphology, or the systems and structures that can exist in human blood cells. Analyzing blood cells is useful for clinically diagnosing a wide range of diseases. The book offers a comprehensive introduction to basic cellular ultrastructure (which can be observed using electron microscopes) and then dives into the many potential variations of the blood cell, using a combination of images and careful descriptions. It also includes depictions of various blood disorders as well as an in-depth exploration of the structure of stem cells. Ryou’s firsthand experience with these blood-cell variations is apparent throughout. However, the quality of the book’s images varies widely; some are fascinating, full-color, high-resolution photographs, but others are simple sketches, apparently done using Magic Markers. Although the handmade drawings are instructive, they’re also indicative of the book’s largest problem: Its intended audience appears to be laypeople. The book is full of simple explanations and historical details, but nonprofessionals may not be interested in a fairly dense work about cell structures. Medical professionals, meanwhile, likely won’t put up with the book’s typographical errors, inconsistent graphics and simple surveys, and other texts may be more helpful as instructional tools or quick-reference works. The author’s commitment to his subject is admirable and his passion is clear, but this book may have extremely limited utility for most readers. With some edits and a shift in focus, it might have been a valuable book for diagnostic professionals; as it is, however, it may prove frustrating to readers who are genuinely interested in its subject.

A detailed look at blood morphology that may have difficulty finding an audience.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: 978-1475240108

Page Count: -

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2016

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.