Publisher: Wiley; 1st edition
Language: english
ISBN: 0471219754
Paperback: 300 pages
Data: June 15, 2002
Format: PDF

Python is a multipurpose development language that can be used on virtually every platform. It offers built-in support for critical development steps including data structures, dynamic typing, and dynamic building. It can be used in lieu of Java or C++, and Python scripts can be developed in a fraction of the time it takes to program and debug higher-level languages.
* Covers language basics and how to use Python for CGI scripting, GUI development, network programming, and much more
* Demonstrates why Python is arguably the most sophisticated of the popular scripting languages and why its popularity continues to grow

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Publisher: Microsoft Pr
Language: english
ISBN: 1572317086
Paperback: 494 pages
Data: March 1998
Format: CHM

For Microsoft Official Curriculum Course #1044, WINDOWS ARCHITECTURE FOR DEVELOPERS TRAINING is ideal for motivated, self-paced learners who require training on Microsoft’s advanced Windows 95 and Windows NT operating systems software. The course is designed primarily for novice and professional software developers who need to gain a thorough understanding of the Microsoft Windows architecture in order to build integrated, Windows-platform applications.

Additional markets for this course will include: post-secondary and vocational schools that feature CS degree programs with an emphasis on software development and MIS preparation; the Microsoft Authorized Technical Education channel, where professional certification credentials for software developers can be earned; and in corporate MIS departments responsible for developing custom Windows-platform applications.

Course highlights include the Windows operating system architecture; Component Object Model (COM); networking, design methodologies, and code management; using ActiveX(tm) technologies and developing for the Internet; database concepts and database interfaces for developers; Application Programming Interfaces, including MAPI and TAPI; and enterprise solutions.

WINDOWS ARCHITECTURE FOR DEVELOPERS TRAINING topics include: The Microsoft Windows operating system architecture Component Object Model (COM) Networking, design methodologies, and code management Using ActiveX technologies Database concepts and database interfaces for developers Application development and user interface issues Developing for the Internet Application Programming Interfaces, including MAPI and TAPI Enterprise solutions Preparation for courses

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Publisher: Sams; 1st edition
Language: english
ISBN: 0735711119
Paperback: 496 pages
Data: December 18, 2001
Format: CHM

This book will help Java developers to increase application development and deployment, thus optimizing their overall efficiency.

A brief introduction is provided that shows the differences between Java and Jython, important to include so that the reader will have a better understanding of why their union is beneficial.

The remainder of the book teaches, through examples, how to use Jython. Intended for an experienced Java developer, this book assumes you understand the fundamentals to programming (i.e. loop statements, if.then, etc.). So, page space is focused on utilizing Jython with Java by covering the following: extending Python with java classes, modules, compiling, interpreters, design integration, etc.

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Encyclopedia of Measurement and Statistics 3-Volume Set
Sage Publications, Inc | ISBN 1412916119 | 2006-10-13 | PDF | 1416 pages | 8.6 MB

The study of measurement and statistics can be less than inviting. However, in fields as varying as education, politics, and health care, assessment and the use of measurement and statistics have become integral parts of almost every activity undertaken. These activities require the organization of ideas, the generation of hypotheses, the collection of data, and the interpretation, illustration, and analysis of data. No matter where educated people look, this critical analysis is more important than ever in an age where information-and lots of it-is readily available.

The ideas and tools contained in the Encyclopedia of Measurement and Statistics are approachable and can be invaluable for understanding a very technical world and the increasing flow of information. Although there are references that cover statistics and assessment in depth, none provides as comprehensive a resource in as focused and accessible a manner as the three volumes of this Encyclopedia. Through approximately 500 contributions, experts provide an overview and an explanation of the major topics in these two areas.

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Throws for Strikers
Summersdale Publishers | ISBN 0953893227 | 2003-09-15 | PDF |96 pages | 0.8 MB

Covers all the basics in a clear, easy to use format. This book is rather short, a mere 96 pages, but covers a very important and often underutilized aspect of the striking arts–throws. After all, as my judo instructor used to say, the concrete can (and often does) hit harder than the fist. In addition to covering the most common types of throwing techniques, Abernethy discusses fundamental principles that apply to all successful throws, provides some good practice drills to help solidify your knowledge, and even explains what to do should a throw go wrong and you end up on the ground. This isn’t just dojo stuff, but rather fundamental information you can use on the street for self defense

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Developing Anaesthesia Textbook 2007
Stationary Office | Pages:100 | 2006 | ISBN / ASIN:0958645256 | 3.2 MB

The word anaesthesia is derived from the Greek language, meaning "without sensation".Modern anaesthesia is safe. In countries that have extensive anaesthetic resources, the risk of dying is one in 100,000 to 500,000.

Developing Anaesthesia Textbook 2007
Record Id: 41008985 (Australian Library Collections)
Author: Pescod, David, 1959-
Title: Developing anaesthesia : guidelines for anaesthesia in developing countries / Dr. David Pescod.
Published: Ashburton, Vic. : J.L. Publications, 2006.
ISBN: 0958645256
Dewey Number: 617.96091724
Notes: Includes index.
Subjects: Anesthesia — Developing countries — Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Language: English
Want to contact your library about this item?: Find contact details
Libraries that have this item: National Library of Australia. National Library of Australia (ANL) 3793882 Pre-publication record. Not yet published

Book Description:

The word anaesthesia is derived from the Greek language, meaning "without sensation".Modern anaesthesia is safe. In countries that have extensive anaesthetic resources, the risk of dying is one in 100,000 to 500,000. The risk of death has decreased to one-tenth of what it was thirty years ago. Safety has improved with better knowledge of pharmacology and physiology, and advances in drugs, investigations, monitoring and education. The complexity and expense of providing anaesthesia has escalated.

When resources (personnel, equipment, drugs and funding) are limited, an anaesthetist with good clinical skills and a thorough knowledge of physiology, pharmacology, equipment and how disease will affect the patient, can provide safe and effective anaesthesia.

All anaesthetists must pay careful attention to detail. There must be thorough preoperative assessment and planning for anaesthesia. The anaesthetist should anticipate problems and have a secondary anaesthetic plan to deal with these problems. They must also be well trained in treating unanticipated emergencies.

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Handbook of Cognitive Hypnotherapy for Depression: An Evidence-Based Approach, 2007
Stationary Office | Pages:240 | 2007-05-01 | ISBN / ASIN:0781766044 | 1.5 MB

This handbook is the first to provide a conceptual framework and rationale-based on scientific, theoretical, and empirical evidence-for combining cognitive behavior therapy with hypnotherapy in treating clinical depression.
Handbook of Cognitive Hypnotherapy for Depression: An Evidence-Based Approach (Nurses’ Handbook of Health Ass)
By Assen Alladin

* Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
* Number Of Pages: 240
* Publication Date: 2007-05-01
* Sales Rank: 1877174
* ISBN / ASIN: 0781766044
* EAN: 9780781766043
* Binding: Paperback
* Manufacturer: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
* Studio: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
* Average Rating:
* Total Reviews:

Book Description:

This handbook is the first to provide a conceptual framework and rationale-based on scientific, theoretical, and empirical evidence-for combining cognitive behavior therapy with hypnotherapy in treating clinical depression. The conceptual framework-the Circular Feedback Model of Depression-allows clinicians to adopt an evidence-based practice in psychotherapy, integrating the best research with clinical expertise in the context of patient characteristics, culture, and preferences. The book offers detailed guidance in applying empirically supported principles of psychological assessment, treatment protocols, therapeutic relationship, and intervention.

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Windows Desktop Deployment Resource Kit Honeycutt, Jerry
2003 | Genre: Windows System Administration (perhaps finally not an oxymoron?) | PDF | 8MB | ISBN: 0735618984

after years of struggling having to run and deploy increasing numbers of obstreperous windows systems I found this.. what I consider to be the bible. Plan and build your own SOE rather than simply install and drink coffee. Planning, Configuring, Distributing and Managing Windows. , SUS, RIS, Migration, it’s ALL here. tools templates customization and installation for XP and Office.

from amazon:
“…Get in-depth technical information and tools to deploy and manage Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Office 2003-straight from the source. This official RESOURCE KIT provides Microsoft's most-requested set-up and support information in one comprehensive and authoritative volume. With it, you get prescriptive guidance to help choose the best deployment method and tools for common scenarios; perform attended and unattended installations; automate the deployment process, control policy and profile settings for desktop operating systems and applications; automate deployments for Office and other programs; and more. The information, tools, templates, and scripts come straight from the source, for the expertise you need to maximize the productivity of your desktop environment and reduce support costs…”

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Fundamentals of Robotic Mechanical Systems: Theory, Methods, and Algorithms
Jorge Angeles | Springer; 2nd. edition | ISBN: 0387294120 | PDF | 549 Pages | 6.1MB

Modern robotics dates from the late 1960s, when progress in the development of microprocessors made possible the computer control of a multiaxial manipulator. Since then, robotics has evolved to connect with many branches of science and engineering, and to encompass such diverse fields as computer vision, artificial intelligence, and speech recognition. This book deals with robots-such as remote manipulators, multifingered hands, walking machines, flight simulators, and machine tools-that rely on mechanical systems to perform their tasks. It aims to establish the foundations on which the design, control and implementation of the underlying mechanical systems are based. The treatment assumes familiarity with some calculus, linear algebra, and elementary mechanics; however, the elements of rigid-body mechanics and of linear transformations are reviewed in the first chapters, making the presentation self-contained. An extensive set of exercises is included. Topics covered include: kinematics and dynamics of serial manipulators with decoupled architectures; trajectory planning; determination of the angular velocity and angular acceleration of a rigid body from point data; inverse and direct kinematics manipulators; dynamics of general parallel manipulators of the platform type; and the kinematics and dynamics of rolling robots. Since the publication of the previous edition there have been numerous advances in both the applications of robotics (including in laprascopy, haptics, manufacturing, and most notably space exploration) as well as in the theoretical aspects (for example, the proof that Husty’s 40th-degree polynomial is indeed minimal - mentioned as an open question in the previous edition). This new edition has been revised and updated throughout to include these new

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“Private Capital Markets: Valuation, Capitalization, and Transfer of Private Business Interests” Robert T. Slee
Wiley | ISBN: 0471656224 | 478 pages | PDF | 1,5 Mb

A theoretical and practical guide that enables readers to make sound investment and financing decisions
This book is a technical finance book that surveys the private capital markets-the major uncharted financial market. Representing nearly half of the U.S. gross national product, these markets are largely ignored, partially because of the difficulty obtaining information and because of the lack of a unified structure to approach them. This book provides a structured framework that owner-managers and their professional advisors can use to effectively deal with the complicated issues of valuation and capital structure and transfer issues.
Robert T. Slee, CBA, CPIM (Charlotte, NC), is President of Robertson Foley, an investment banking firm providing corporate finance service to private companies.

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Digraphs: Theory, Algorithms and Applications
Springer | 2002-08-06 | ISBN: 1852332689 | 754 Pages | 3.23 MB | PDF

The study of directed graphs has developed enormously over recent decades, yet no book covers more than a tiny fraction of the results from more than 3000 research articles on the topic. Digraphs is the first book to present a unified and comprehensive survey of the subject. In addition to covering the theoretical aspects, including detailed proofs of many important results, the authors present a number of algorithms and applications. The applications of digraphs and their generalizations include among other things recent developments in the Travelling Salesman Problem, genetics and network connectivity. More than 700 exercises and 180 figures will help readers to study the topic while open problems and conjectures will inspire further research.
This book will be essential reading and reference for all graduate students, researchers and professionals in mathematics, operational research, computer science and other areas who are interested in graph theory and its applications.

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Theory of Association Schemes
Springer | 2005-12-01 | ISBN: 3540261362 | 283Pages | 3.23 MB | PDF

Theory of Association Schemes is the first concept-oriented treatment of the structure theory of association schemes. It contains several recent results which appear for the first time in book form. The generalization of Sylow's group theoretic theorems to scheme theory arises as a consequence of arithmetical considerations about quotient schemes. The theory of Coxeter schemes (equivalent to the theory of buildings) emerges naturally and yields a purely algebraic proof of Tits' main theorem on buildings of spherical type. Also a scheme-theoretic characterization of Glauberman's Z*-involutions is included. The text is self-contained and accessible for advanced undergraduate students.

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Harry Pollard, Harold G. Diamond”The Theory of Algebraic Numbers”
Publisher: The Mathematical Association of America | ISBN:0883850001 | 176 pages | English | 4.5 MB

A brief introduction for undergraduate students and teachers, presenting detailed proofs and explanations of the elementary components of classical algebraic number theory. Begins with divisibility and Gaussian primes, and proceeds to ideal classes and class numbers and the Fermat conjecture.


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A. N. Kolmogorov, S. V. Fomin, “Introductory Real Analysis”
Publisher: Courier Dover | ISBN: 0486612260 | 403 pages | language: English | 5 MB

Revised english edition, translated and edited by Richard Silverman. Kolmogorov, one of the greatest mathematicians ever, wrote this classic “must own” book. This is a comprehensive, elementary introduction to real and functional analysis. Self-contained, readily accessible to those with background in advanced calculus. Cover basic concepts and introductory principles in set theory, metric spaces, topological and linear spaces, linear functionals and linear operators, much more. Features 350 problems.


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Jonathon Green, “The Big Book of Being Rude”
Publisher: Wellington House | ISBN:0304363685 | Pages: 384 | PDF | Size: 49.8 MB

With more than 7,000 zingers, the right crushing retort is always at hand! No more thinking of an apt reply after it’s too late: just store up a collection of choice rejoinders from over 1,000 ways to call somebody a fool and 600 ways to say someone’s acting stupid. Pick from hundreds of little-known terms for know-it-alls, egotists, flatterers, and nags. Really want to hit below the belt? Try a politically incorrect insult that zaps somebody for being too fat or thin, too young or old, or too socially unacceptable, sexually inept, or spiritually impoverished. So from now on, the weird, fussy, boring, loathsome and intolerable, or merely irritating had better watch out!


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Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov
Collins | 512 pages | January 10, 1994 | ISBN: 0586062009 | rtf | 320 kb

Long after his humiliating defeat at the hands of Earthman Elijah Baley, Keldon Amadiro embarked on a plan to destroy planet Earth. But even after his death, Baley’s vision continued to guide his robot partner, R. Daneel Olivaw, who had the wisdom of a great man behind him and an indestructable will to win…. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


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Actionscript 3.0 Cook Book
Adobe Dev Library | 586 pages | October 11, 2006 | ISBN: 0596526954 | chm | 846 kb

Depending on the user this book can be used in different ways. The first way is to find specific answers to certain situations that may arise from everyday programming. The tables of contents are broken down into discrete sections pertaining to one aspect of AS3. If you are looking for help on string formatting a quick glance in the TOC will be a great start. In each section it is further broken down into sub-sections each addressing a particular point or “problem” that needs to be resolved. These sections are broken down into “Problem”, “Solution” and “Discussion”. Most sections show a short problem and solution but the meat of the text resides in the discussion portion. With the combination of code and explanation really breaks down the problem to a level most developers can understand. Additional footnotes are used to tie concepts together from section to section or “recipe to recipe”. The second way to read this book is cover to cover. Even though these topics are broken down in specific problems, learning from “quasi-real world issues” are always a great way to learn. To be honest I would have also preferred a table of contents with the actually problems mentioned in each section. I saw myself having to thumb through the whole book getting acquainted with what it had to offer. If there is that link established then when I do encounter that issue my mind will remember that I read something similar in this book. My overall impression was positive and will keep this book handy for future reference.


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End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov
Spectra | 194 pages | 1990 | ISBN: 9780553288094 | RTF | 170 kb

The fame of Asimov’s Foundation and Robot series has tended to steal the limelight from some of his other masterpieces, chief among them, The End of Eternity, a book that is hard to find. In this book, Asimov consciously set out to explore the limits of the classic paradox of time travel that has bedeviled so many works of science fiction. As a result, this is a “bare bones” novel; no robots or empires or any other such distractions. Its strength lies in imagination. Asimov looks at our world as it has evolved, and then introduces the organization called Eternity, whose mission is to protect humanity from its own mistakes, by making deft changes in key events over time (past and future). Along the way, he has fun making digs at the unchanging fundamentals of human nature (competition, drive, love) amid centuries of changing social mores. At the heart of the book is the love story of Andrew Harlan and Noyes Lambent, but this tale is just a framework for Asimov to build on. In the final analysis, Asimov is making the point that just as a child learns to walk by repeated falls, humanity’s ultimate characteristic is the Schumpeterian desire and ability to innovate through risks. If we are protected from ever making mistakes, we may avoid tragedies, but the human race itself will vegetate and die. As with many of his earlier works, the dialog can be jarring and characters often one-dimensional. For all that however, The End of Eternity ranks among Asimov’s finest in the field of science fiction and makes it all the more strange why this book is so difficult to find. Do take the time to lay your hands on it; you will not be disappointed.


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Matthew Housden, Brian Thomas”Direct Marketing in Practice (Chartered Institute of Marketing)”
Butterworth-Heinemann | ISBN: 0750624280 | 352 pages | PDF | 1.48 Mb

Direct Marketing in Practice is a practical manual for all managers and marketers getting to grips with the powerful techniques available to skilled direct marketers.


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Adventures in Stochastic Processes
Birkhäuser Boston| 1992-09-03 | ISBN: 0817635912 | 626 Pages | 2.23 MB | PDF

Stochastic processes are necessary ingredients for building models of a wide variety of phenomena exhibiting time varying randomness. In a lively and imaginative presentation, studded with examples, exercises, and applications, and supported by inclusion of computational procedures, the author has created a textbook that provides easy access to this fundamental topic for many students of applied sciences at many levels. With its carefully modularized discussion and crystal clear differentiation between rigorous proof and plausibility argument, it is accessible to beginners but flexible enough to serve as well those who come to the course with strong backgrounds. The prerequisite background for reading the book is a graduate level pre-measure theoretic probability course. No knowledge of measure theory is presumed and advanced notions of conditioning are scrupulously avoided until the later chapters of the book.

The book can be used for either a one or two semester course as given in departments of mathematics, statistics, operation research, business and management, or a number of engineering departments. Its approach to exercises and applications is practical and serious. Some underlying principles of complex problems and computations are cleanly and quickly delineated through rich vignettes of whimsically imagined Happy Harry and his Optima Street gang's adventures in a world whose randomness is a never-ending source of both wonder and scientific insight.

The tools of applied probability—discrete spaces, Markov chains, renewal theory, point processes, branching processes, random walks, Brownian motion—are presented to the reader in illuminating discussion. Applications include such topics as queuing, storage, risk analysis, genetics, inventory, choice, economics, sociology, and other. Because of the conviction that analysts who build models should know how to build them for each class of process studied, the author has included such constructions.


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Publisher: O’Reilly Media, Inc.; 1 edition
Language: english
ISBN: 0596006683
Paperback: 216 pages
Data: August 18, 2005
Format: CHM

In a typical organization, there’s always plenty that to do such as: pay vendors, invoice customers, answer customer inquiries, and fix bugs in hardware or software. You need to know who wants what and keep track of what is left to do.

This is where a ticketing system comes in. A ticketing system allows you to check the status of various tasks: when they were requested, who requested them and why, when they were completed, and more. RT is a high-level, open source ticketing system efficiently enabling a group of people to manage tasks, issues, and requests submitted by a community of users.

RT Essentials, co-written by one of the RT’s original core developers, Jesse Vincent, starts off with a quick background lesson about ticketing systems and then shows you how to install and configure RT. This comprehensive guide explains how to perform day-to-day tasks to turn your RT server into a highly useful tracking tool. One way it does this is by examining how a company could use RT to manage its internal processes. Advanced chapters focus on developing add-on tools and utilities using Perl and Mason. There’s also chapter filled with suggested uses for RT inside your organization.

No matter what kind of data your organization tracks–from sales inquiries to security incidents or anything in between–RT Essentials helps you use RT to provide order when you need it most.


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Publisher: Wiley
Language: english
ISBN: 0470853204
Paperback: 492 pages
Data: May 28, 2004
Format: PDF

Explains the concepts underlying programming languages, and demonstrates how these concepts are synthesized in the major paradigms: imperative, OO, concurrent, functional, logic and with recent scripting languages. It gives greatest prominence to the OO paradigm.
* Includes numerous examples using C, Java and C++ as exmplar languages
* Additional case-study languages: Python, Haskell, Prolog and Ada
* Extensive end-of-chapter exercises with sample solutions on the companion Web site
* Deepens study by examining the motivation of programming languages not just their features


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Publisher: O’Reilly Media, Inc.; 1 edition
Language: english
ISBN: 0596006268
Paperback: 350 pages
Data: December 2004
Format: CHM

FreeBSD and OpenBSD are increasingly gaining traction in educational institutions, non-profits, and corporations worldwide because they provide significant security advantages over Linux. Although a lot can be said for the robustness, clean organization, and stability of the BSD operating systems, security is one of the main reasons system administrators use these two platforms. There are plenty of books to help you get a FreeBSD or OpenBSD system off the ground, and all of them touch on security to some extent, usually dedicating a chapter to the subject. But, as security is commonly named as the key concern for today’s system administrators, a single chapter on the subject can’t provide the depth of information you need to keep your systems secure. FreeBSD and OpenBSD are rife with security “building blocks” that you can put to use, and Mastering FreeBSD and OpenBSD Security shows you how. Both operating systems have kernel options and filesystem features that go well beyond traditional Unix permissions and controls. This power and flexibility is valuable, but the colossal range of possibilities need to be tackled one step at a time. This book walks you through the installation of a hardened operating system, the installation and configuration of critical services, and ongoing maintenance of your FreeBSD and OpenBSD systems. Using an application-specific approach that builds on your existing knowledge, the book provides sound technical information on FreeBSD and Open-BSD security with plenty of real-world examples to help you configure and deploy a secure system. By imparting a solid technical foundation as well as practical know-how, it enables administrators to push their server’s security to the next level. Even administrators in other environments–like Linux and Solaris–can find useful paradigms to emulate. Written by security professionals with two decades of operating system experience, Mastering FreeBSD and OpenBSD Security features broad and deep explanations of how how to secure your most critical systems. Where other books on BSD systems help you achieve functionality, this book will help you more thoroughly secure your deployments.


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Virginia Smith, Clean: A History of Personal Hygiene and Purity
Oxford University Press | ISBN: 0199297797 | May 4, 2007 | 416 pages | PDF | 3.5 MB

The first television commercial was for soap, claims Virginia Smith in her thoroughly researched albeit occasionally sluggish new book. She doesn’t supply the dirty details about the commercial, but it’s easy to imagine that she is right. After all, such ads, along with hit tunes (”Splish Splash,” anyone?), nursery rhymes (”Rub a dub dub”) and Sesame Street ditties (”Rubber ducky, you’re the one, you make bath time lots of fun”) have helped soap and bathtub rituals leave a considerable ring around popular culture.

According to Smith, ads that pushed cleaning concoctions — not just for our bodies, but for our laundry and living spaces, too — blossomed along with the emergence of television during the 1950s. They were ubiquitous enough to inspire a durable nickname for serial daytime dramas, known henceforth as soap operas. Nowadays, Smith notes, soaps, shampoos, polishes and shower gels “are not quite the staple of TV advertising budgets that they were.” Still, ads featuring them continue to take hold of our imaginations. I remember, for example, an ’80s spot about a deodorant soap. The blue bar’s magical lather so invigorated the ad’s hero that he dressed eagerly, undeterred by the downpour outside his window. When his sleepy spouse asked him how he expected to get to work in such a deluge, he smiled confidently at the camera and declared, “backstroke.”

Of course that ad is tame by more recent standards. Who, for instance, can forget a certain herbal shampoo that promises a “totally organic experience”? In one such ad, the bubbly balm inspired a woman to climb the walls of her shower stall, loudly exclaiming her bliss while her clueless husband listened with concern on the other side of the door. These Madison Avenue productions are meant to convince us that few experiences can be as transporting — “Calgon, take me away” — as a serene soak or a sudsy washing-up.

Smith suggests that we really don’t need much persuasion. Our belief in the transformative power of a good scrub goes back centuries, the roots of which are carefully detailed in Clean. “The long story of washing and bathing water began in the Neolithic at some indeterminate date,” Smith believes. She goes on to show that our almost instinctive devotion to cleanliness has a solid basis in neurology, chemistry and other hard sciences that help us to understand that being groomed not only does away with dirt but also “produces mildly narcotic effects; and the longer it carries on, the more swooning or relaxing effects it achieves.” Totally organic indeed.

Smith, an honorary fellow of the Centre for History in Public Health in London, eschews digging into the dirty side of her discipline, preferring instead to look at “standards of cleanliness and the reformers of cleanliness.” Consequently, her dutiful discussion of influential texts such as the 363-verse Regimen Sanitatus Salernitanum slows down the narrative and sometimes proves more distracting than informative. Fortunately, Smith knows that it is necessary to provide a little “gross” intelligence here and there to keep her chronicle from circling the drain. To wit: “We shed skin, hair, and toenail clippings, and generally dispose of quantities of waste matter minute by minute, day by day, year in year out — normally between 3 and 6 ounces a day, or 4 tons in the average lifetime. Between 75 and 80 percent of vacuum cleaner dirt consists of human skin cells.”

Those wet and wild ancient Greeks and Romans knew nothing of skin cells — not to mention uprights and carpet sweepers — but they believed in the power of the bath. For Greeks, “water was a primordial thing that flowed across all the social and semantic boundaries,” taking on a divine aspect when featured in purification ceremonies. The Romans adapted Greek bathing habits to their own imperial culture. Their bathhouses became “masterpieces of the art” in which “the customer could wander at will, sampling each cold, hot, tepid, or steam bath.” But those were pagan playhouses that lost their gleam when the Christian church rose to influence after the fall of Rome. “The ideology of cleanliness was turned upside down,” Smith writes. “Judaeo-Christian asceticism insisted that the cleansing of the inner soul was absolutely imperative, whereas the cleansing of the outer body was a worldly distraction, and its ornamentation a positive sin.” Christians eventually reconciled bathing with their spiritual striving, however, and by the medieval era, monasteries were the best places to find excellent baths and latrines.

In the 21st century, personal hygiene has “reached a stage of general consensus,” incorporating venerable associations of purity, sanitation and spiritual health. But Smith rightly notes that “for many people today there is one sole and sufficient reason for practising personal hygiene that eclipses all others: self-representation.” There had been earlier outbreaks of cleanliness as vanity, however, and perhaps never more so extreme as in the 1600s and 1700s. “Throughout both of these centuries,” Smith tells us, “flesh was privately pampered, and everywhere on display.” But hygiene often took the form of perfumes, powders and paints instead of soap and water, and “fleas, lice, smeared paintwork and powerful body odors” often lurked underneath the elaborate facades.

Not so for us modern folk, right? In the technologically advanced West, “decades of increased personal hygiene and cosmetic awareness have finally paid off. . . . There are, quite literally, many more beautiful and unblemished people around.” And we’re as concerned about germs as we are about appearance: Smith estimates that 700 new antibacterial cleansing products hit the market between 1992 and 1998. Does that mean we’re sanitized as well as shiny? Well . . .

In his book Better, Atul Gawande, a surgeon, discusses the difficulty of “getting clinicians . . . to do the one thing that consistently halts the spread of infections: wash our hands.” If doctors are remiss about basic hygiene, just imagine how sloppy the rest of us must be.

Apparently, filthy habits are as common as that fragrant slab of sodium tallowate, hydrogenated tallow acid, glycerine and assorted chemicals sitting in your soap dish. Think about that at the next office party, when your grimy-fingered colleague grabs a generous handful of the communal cheese curls. Then leave a copy of Clean on his desk.

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