How do four instrumentalists with strong individual tastes and temperaments manage to forge a distinctive approach to the music they play? This extraordinary book ushers readers into the workshop of one of the world's most accomplished string quartets. In rich and probing conversations with their longtime friend and musicologist and conductor David Blum, the members of the Guarneri String Quartet, both individually as a group, tell what it is like to play together.

From its glorious past to its tempestuous present, this is the turbulent backstage history of "60 Minutes," the most successful show in TV history. 16-page photo insert.

David Blum's long-awaited book, "Appointment with the Wise Old Dog: A Bridge to the Transformative Power of Dreams, " provides the necessary, comprehensive complement to his highly regarded 1998 documentary. The film, "Appointment with the Wise Old Dog: Dream Images in a Time of Crisis, " crystallized his inner work as it related to his cancer experience. A private link of the entire DVD is included with the book. In contrast to the DVD, this book contains the foundational work comprised of forty-three dream paintings and commentaries derived from a lifetime of numinous archetypal dreams so that Blum's cancer experience turns out to be only a part of his whole life's story, a coda to his thirty-five-year inner journey.

These intelligent conversations will be greeted enthusiastically not only by string players and serious musicians but also by advanced listeners. A musicologist and conductor, Blum knows from experience what crucial questions to ask about the medium and its practice. The members of the Guarneri Quartet discuss their backgrounds, training, cooperative efforts, problems with specific repertoire, and reactions to composers and conductors, as well as such detailed matters as bowing, intonation, vibrato, pizzicato, dynamics and the use of the left hand. Enhanced by hundreds of music examples and a detailed analysis of Beethoven's Opus 131, this is arguably the best book on the subject and one of the most important books on music issued in recent years. Performing Arts Book Club selection.

"The essays grew out of conversations the musicians had with the late David Blum, who was himself distinguished both as a conductor and as an author of books and articles on musical subjects"--Jacket.

"This is an immensely valuable book and one which is clearly designed to appeal to all musicians—not just string players...Mr. Blum has captured in great detail the little things that so often make a great teacher. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the Art of Interpretation."—Music Teacher "The volume belongs to an exceptional class of literature: it is to be welcomed as a significant contribution. In his Forward, Antony Hopkins in a most eloquent way makes us fully aware of our possible great loss had the subject material forming this book not been preserved for posterity...throughout the book one remains not only an absorbed reader, but very much an active participant."—Violoncello Society Newsletter "Now we have an authoritative guide to this great artist's approach to interpretation...a book which should be compulsory reading for every player, conductor and teacher."—Music Journal of the Incorporated Society of Musicians "Blum has elegantly combined precise music terminology with meticulous music examples to present lucid and revealing details of interpretation that can be quickly and easily grasped. Only superlatives apply to this book, and all serious musicians would find immense pleasure and musical profit from reading this work. Highly recommended at all levels."—Choice

“Finally back in print, Flash in the Pan is the original—and still the best—reportage on the life and death of an American restaurant, a ground level view of every phase of its life. From the early, hope filled planning stages to the last, humiliating moments, it's a tragi-comic epic of hubris and human folly. Painfully hilarious and even more painfully true. This is a welcome reissue of a restaurant classic that should be read by every culinary and food service student in America and sit comfortably next to Orwell's Down and Out on every shelf.” —Anthony Bourdain, author of Kitchen Confidential In 1990, journalist David Blum got backstage access to the life and death of The Falls, a downtown Manhattan restaurant that captured the 1980s in all its extravagant excess. Its owners—a tanned, Brahmin barkeep and a handsome Irish firefighter from Queens—partnered with movie star pal Matt Dillon to cater to New York's most glamorous models, actors, and writers. Flash in the Pan captured in hilarious detail the quick decline and disastrous fall of The Falls, and has become a classic cautionary tale for anyone who might harbor the fantasy of opening a restaurant. David Blum is the editor of Kindle Singles, the storefront for high quality longform writing on Kindle. He was previously the editor in chief of The Village Voice and has written for New York magazine, Esquire, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and The New York Times Magazine. Flash in the Pan, first published in 1992, was his first book.

Cancer Cachexia is a concise, fully illustrated handbook written with the aim of increasing awareness of cancer cachexia and highlighting best practice diagnosis, treatment, and management options for this devastating disorder. This is another title in the ongoing Springer Healthcare Cancer Supportive Care Series.

J.ELAINE TAYLOR is a licensed California Real Estate Broker. She has been an active real estate investor for over 10 years and self-manages all her properties. DAVID BLUM, CRS, e-Pro is a Real Estate Broker licensed in California and Alabama. He has earned the ABR and the SRES designations but no longer belongs to those associations. Active real estate investor for five years, he speaks to groups about residential property investing. He currently consults with organizations and individuals regarding real estate investing, property management and building business relationships. If you are new to residential real estate investing, reading Real Life Real Estate Investing: A Practical Guide for the First Time Investor provides a wealth of information to help you avoid costly mistakes. Real Life Real Estate Investing: A Practical Guide for the First Time Investor will take you step by step through the buying process and will explain how to protect yourself and get wealthy in the process. Real Life Real Estate Investing: A Practical Guide for the First Time Investor addresses real life situations from determining if you are financially capable of purchasing rental housing to . Common mistakes first time investors make . Determining what buying strategy works best for you . How to put in an offer that protects you and will still get it accepted . How to avoid getting "reamed"before and after closing . How to use the IRS tax deferments to exchange you way to greater real estate wealth. Including real life stories along with factual information, Real Life Real Estate Investing: A Practical Guide for the First Time Investor is your key to making educated decisions when it comes to making your rental income purchases. It is a "must-read" for anyone who is seriously considering making residential real estate part of their investment portfolio.