In the tradition of The Tao of Physics, Perkowitz (physics, Emory U.) mingles scientific theories with psychic mysteries, creating an elegant and evocative technical interpretation of light's story. Inspired by Magritte's painting Empire of Light and its paradoxical portrayal of day and night, Perkowitz picks up the artist's theme in discussions of ancient discoveries, modern theories (in cosmic and subatomic form), and the human eye's ability to receive data to link it with physiological responses. All this rather dry analysis is illuminated with examples from the artistry of Vincent van Gogh, Edward Hopper, Edgar Degas, and James Turrell. Our only regret is that the beautiful description of how light moves across real water and the water of van Gogh's perspective could not be accompanied by a reproduction of the painting. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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[Basso] is a superb storyteller who can make the highly charged but esoteric worlds of the Cibecue Apaches come alive. . . . coolly erudite, witty, free of cant and jargon, delightfully entertaining, and so well informed . . . he can turn linguistic anthropology into literary art. . . . nobody on earth outside of their culture has written about [the Apaches] as well as Basso does here.

ÝBasso¨ is a superb storyteller who can make the highly charged but esoteric worlds of the Cibecue Apaches come alive. . . . coolly erudite, witty, free of cant and jargon, delightfully entertaining, and so well informed . . . he can turn linguistic anthropology into literary art. . . . nobody on earth outside of their culture has written about Ýthe Apaches¨ as well as Basso does here.

"[Basso] is a superb storyteller who can make the highly charged but esoteric worlds of the Cibecue Apaches come alive. . . . coolly erudite, witty, free of cant and jargon, delightfully entertaining, and so well informed . . . he can turn linguistic anthropology into literary art. . . . nobody on earth outside of their culture has written about [the Apaches] as well as Basso does here."