Koncocoo

Best Polymer Chemistry Engineering

A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire
A Perfect Red recounts the colorful history of cochineal, a legendary red dye that was once one of the world's most precious commodities. "Elusive, expensive and invested with powerful symbolism, red cloth became the prize possession of the wealthy and well-born," Greenfield writes in her intricate, fully researched and stylishly written history of Europe's centuries-long clamor for cochineal, a dye capable of producing the "brightest, strongest red the Old World had ever seen." Striving to maintain a trade monopoly, Spain fiercely guarded the secrets of cochineal cultivation in Mexico and only after centuries of speculation (was the red powder derived from plant or animal?). Greenfield recounts the wild, clandestine attempts by adventurer naturalists to cultivate both the cochineal insect and its host plant, nopal, beyond their native Mexico, acts of folly driven by the desire for scientific fame and commercial profit. Native to Mexico, the scale insect cochineal was first harvested as a dyestuff by the ancient Aztecs, and once its properties were discovered by European conquistadors, it became the quarry in an international race to obtain a monopoly on its production.
Reviews
"A good read about something I seldom think about; that is, the history of color."
"The timing is perfect because I am visiting Oaxaca Mexico as I read the book and I have just finished a history of the Mexican Conquest by Cortes."
"Well written and researched."
"After reading A Perfect Red by Amy Greenfield I can see there is lots of information, and this book has it. This book goes into everything about the color red; where it was made, how it was made, who made it, and more."
"Loved reading this book."
"Greenfield does a wonderful job of describing the importance of the color red throughout history and the different compounds used to create it. Weaving the domestication of cochineal with the efforts of other countries to destroy Spain's monopoly, the book moves quickly."
"Who would have thought the history of the color red could be so interesting, but it was."
"Reading this book is an interesting way to follow history while learning more about the color red and the dyeing process."
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Iconic Costumes: Scandinavian Late Iron Age Costume Iconography (Ancient Textiles)
This richly illustrated book presents a selection of the rich and varied iconographic material from the Scandinavian Late Iron Age (AD 400-1050) depicting clothed human figures, from an archaeological textile and clothing perspective. It is a richly illustrated book, a reliable source of research for both iconographical costume and archaeological clothing, which will likely give a second life to her methodology and inspire others to continue the work started.” ( SIRREADALOT.ORG, May 2017.
Reviews
"Very interesting analysis of the existing sources on Viking clothing."
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SQL: Programming Basics for Absolute Beginners (Step-By-Step SQL Book 1)
Let this book settle your nerves and successfully guide you through the basics of learning SQL. Functions and various commands are outlined in an easy to read format for quick referencing. Detailed keywords, statements, commands and functions, and how to put them to use in specific or altered ways.
Reviews
"I have long been looking for a book for beginners on programming."
"A great introduction is provided by this book particularly on company data security, ATM operations, and POS."
"This past month I bought several of Nathan to Clark's programming books and for the most part they are really good."
"I spent my business career working in SQL environment and relational data base software."
"Learn commands, formulas, and keywords to navigate through the SQL program."
"SQL is used to communicate with a database.It is the standard language for relational database management systems.The book is a beginner guide that will help you through SQL and its basics.I find this book to be very helpful because it uses simple terms that are easy to understand."
"This book gave me all the tools i needed to learn SQL programming language."
"I am not familiar with SQL at any level."
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Best Hobby Miniatures

Painting Wargaming Figures
He takes the reader step-by-step through the whole process, from choice of materials (unlike other available guides it is not linked to any specific figure manufacturer) and preparation of the miniatures to basing and even advice on photographing the finished item. "... recommend this book to anyone who has maybe tried to paint wargaming figures in the past or is contemplating creating an army in order to play these types of games.
Reviews
"This book will help you learn how to paint figures in a loose style that will be adequate for tabletop gaming."
"A fun guide, this book offers advice on painting a variety of model scales in different depths of detail."
"WARGAMERS BEWARE!"
"Lots of step by step examples."
"A wonderful guide both for novice painters and well as experienced figure painters."
"Very informative for both novice and more experienced figure painters."
"A great book for the wargamng miniature painting novice as well as veteran."
"Just a peach of a good book on painting model figures...I do not hesitate to say it is the best one I've seen."
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Best Petrochemical Engineering

The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power
Deemed "the best history of oil ever written" by Business Week and with more than 300,000 copies in print, Daniel Yergin’s Pulitzer Prize–winning account of the global pursuit of oil, money, and power has been extensively updated to address the current energy crisis. Following on from there, The Prize , winner of the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction, is a comprehensive history of one of the commodities that powers the world--oil. Energy consultant Yergin limns oil's central role in most of the wars and many international crises of the 20th century.
Reviews
"It focuses on the effects of oil on the economies of both consuming and producing nations as well how access to oil affects the political power of nations."
"It makes no sense to export a precious finite resource, and it makes a lot of sense to use our enemy's supply first."
"This is the third copy of this book that I have purchased."
"The sentiments of various people and groups towards oil (good or bad) were negligible in the book which gave it almost a sterile feel. I now have a much stronger understanding of just how oil plays its enormous role in the global society. I can't say enough about how well this book informs its reader in an enjoyable and insightful way. It may at points be dry material, but in no way did i feel like this book was written over my head."
"Although concentrated on the oil industry, this book is really an incredible history of the twentieth century, which makes a lot of sense considering the paramount of oil to that era and now."
"This is a long book, but if you want to write a comprehensive story of oil and its impact on the economy spanning more than a century, it's going to be long."
"This is one of the best histories of the Oil Business."
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