Author: Igor Dudukchan
Publisher: Igor Dudukchan
ISBN:
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 278
Book Description
Wing Chun it is a best known and dynamically developed throughout the world Wushu style. Its distinctive features are easiness and economy of movements, softness and compliance and also effectiveness of defenses and power of attacks. The main aim of this direction of Chinese martial arts is a most fast victory in combat with the least expense of forces and energy. The offered book is devoted to the survey of Wing Chun Kuen technique, given us by the Great master Chan Wah Shun and his son Chan Yu Min. Its special feature is a harmonic combination of traditional Wing Chun Kuen holds with rigid and powerful technique of Southern Shaolin Wushu. In this style besides the widespread forms such as Siu Lim Tao, Chum Kiu, Biu Jee are many new and little known forms such as “Four gates”– Saay Moon, “To Conquer tiger” – Fuk-fu Kuen, “Red sand hand” - Hung Sha Cheung and other. The book contains large number of illustration and will be useful for everybody, who studies the martial arts. CONTENTS: From author Introduction Chapter 1. Stands and displacements Chapter 2. The blows technique Blows by hands Blows by elbows Blows by legs Chapter 3. Defense technique Blocking by hands Blocking by legs Chapter 4. Chi Sau - «Sticky Hands» Chapter 5. Lop Sau – “Catching hands” Chapter 6. Fon Sau – “Binding hands” Chapter 7. Forms Form “Greeting” Siu Lim Tao - “little idea form” Chum Kiu – “Bridges building” Biu Jee — “Striking fingers” Saay Moon — “Four gates” Siu Lim Tao — Saay Moon Fook-Fu Kuen – “Conquest of Tiger” Hung Sha Cheung - “Red sand hand” Chapter 8. Training with the wooden dummy Conclusion
Unknown Wing Chun - The branch of great master Chan Wah Chun
Author: Igor Dudukchan
Publisher: Igor Dudukchan
ISBN:
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 278
Book Description
Wing Chun it is a best known and dynamically developed throughout the world Wushu style. Its distinctive features are easiness and economy of movements, softness and compliance and also effectiveness of defenses and power of attacks. The main aim of this direction of Chinese martial arts is a most fast victory in combat with the least expense of forces and energy. The offered book is devoted to the survey of Wing Chun Kuen technique, given us by the Great master Chan Wah Shun and his son Chan Yu Min. Its special feature is a harmonic combination of traditional Wing Chun Kuen holds with rigid and powerful technique of Southern Shaolin Wushu. In this style besides the widespread forms such as Siu Lim Tao, Chum Kiu, Biu Jee are many new and little known forms such as “Four gates”– Saay Moon, “To Conquer tiger” – Fuk-fu Kuen, “Red sand hand” - Hung Sha Cheung and other. The book contains large number of illustration and will be useful for everybody, who studies the martial arts. CONTENTS: From author Introduction Chapter 1. Stands and displacements Chapter 2. The blows technique Blows by hands Blows by elbows Blows by legs Chapter 3. Defense technique Blocking by hands Blocking by legs Chapter 4. Chi Sau - «Sticky Hands» Chapter 5. Lop Sau – “Catching hands” Chapter 6. Fon Sau – “Binding hands” Chapter 7. Forms Form “Greeting” Siu Lim Tao - “little idea form” Chum Kiu – “Bridges building” Biu Jee — “Striking fingers” Saay Moon — “Four gates” Siu Lim Tao — Saay Moon Fook-Fu Kuen – “Conquest of Tiger” Hung Sha Cheung - “Red sand hand” Chapter 8. Training with the wooden dummy Conclusion
Publisher: Igor Dudukchan
ISBN:
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 278
Book Description
Wing Chun it is a best known and dynamically developed throughout the world Wushu style. Its distinctive features are easiness and economy of movements, softness and compliance and also effectiveness of defenses and power of attacks. The main aim of this direction of Chinese martial arts is a most fast victory in combat with the least expense of forces and energy. The offered book is devoted to the survey of Wing Chun Kuen technique, given us by the Great master Chan Wah Shun and his son Chan Yu Min. Its special feature is a harmonic combination of traditional Wing Chun Kuen holds with rigid and powerful technique of Southern Shaolin Wushu. In this style besides the widespread forms such as Siu Lim Tao, Chum Kiu, Biu Jee are many new and little known forms such as “Four gates”– Saay Moon, “To Conquer tiger” – Fuk-fu Kuen, “Red sand hand” - Hung Sha Cheung and other. The book contains large number of illustration and will be useful for everybody, who studies the martial arts. CONTENTS: From author Introduction Chapter 1. Stands and displacements Chapter 2. The blows technique Blows by hands Blows by elbows Blows by legs Chapter 3. Defense technique Blocking by hands Blocking by legs Chapter 4. Chi Sau - «Sticky Hands» Chapter 5. Lop Sau – “Catching hands” Chapter 6. Fon Sau – “Binding hands” Chapter 7. Forms Form “Greeting” Siu Lim Tao - “little idea form” Chum Kiu – “Bridges building” Biu Jee — “Striking fingers” Saay Moon — “Four gates” Siu Lim Tao — Saay Moon Fook-Fu Kuen – “Conquest of Tiger” Hung Sha Cheung - “Red sand hand” Chapter 8. Training with the wooden dummy Conclusion
Unknown Wing Chun - The Branch of Great Master Chan Wah Shun
Author: Igor Dudukchan
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781520741925
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 228
Book Description
Wing Chun it is a best known and dynamically developed throughout the world Wushu style. Its distinctive features are easiness and economy of movements, softness and compliance and also effectiveness of defenses and power of attacks. The main aim of this direction of Chinese martial arts is a most fast victory in combat with the least expense of forces and energy. The offered book is devoted to the survey of Wing Chun Kuen technique, given us by the Great master Chan Wah Shun and his son Chan Yu Min. Its special feature is a harmonic combination of traditional Wing Chun Kuen holds with rigid and powerful technique of Southern Shaolin Wushu. In this style besides the widespread forms such as Siu Lim Tao, Chum Kiu, Biu Jee are many new and little known forms such as "Four gates"- Saay Moon, "To Conquer tiger" - Fuk-fu Kuen, "Red sand hand" - Hung Sha Cheung and other. The book contains large number of illustration and will be useful for everybody, who studies the martial arts. More than 1400 illustrations.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781520741925
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 228
Book Description
Wing Chun it is a best known and dynamically developed throughout the world Wushu style. Its distinctive features are easiness and economy of movements, softness and compliance and also effectiveness of defenses and power of attacks. The main aim of this direction of Chinese martial arts is a most fast victory in combat with the least expense of forces and energy. The offered book is devoted to the survey of Wing Chun Kuen technique, given us by the Great master Chan Wah Shun and his son Chan Yu Min. Its special feature is a harmonic combination of traditional Wing Chun Kuen holds with rigid and powerful technique of Southern Shaolin Wushu. In this style besides the widespread forms such as Siu Lim Tao, Chum Kiu, Biu Jee are many new and little known forms such as "Four gates"- Saay Moon, "To Conquer tiger" - Fuk-fu Kuen, "Red sand hand" - Hung Sha Cheung and other. The book contains large number of illustration and will be useful for everybody, who studies the martial arts. More than 1400 illustrations.
Traditional Wing Chun - The branch of great master Yip Man
Author: Igor Dudukchan
Publisher: Igor Dudukchan
ISBN:
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 279
Book Description
Wing Chun Kuen - is the most famous and dynamic style of Wushu in the world. Its distinguishing features are simplicity and economy of movements, softness and flexibility, as well as the effectiveness of protection and power of attacks. The main purpose of this direction of Chinese martial arts is the fastest achievement of victory in battle with the minimum efforts and energy. Over the long history of Wing Chun, the original style was divided into several large branches. It should be noted that at the similarity of the principles that were put to the basis of the style, technique and forms of different versions of Wing Chun Kuen, there are very big differences. This book, proposed to the attention of the readers is devoted to the overview of Wing Chun Kuen technique, transmitted to us by the great master Yip Man. CONTENTS: Introduction Chapter 1. Origin and Development of Wing Chun Kuen Chapter 2. The theory of Wing Chun Chapter 3. Stances and movements Chapter 4. Stroke technique Chapter 5. Defense technique Chapter 6. Throws and grabs Chapter 7. Training combinations Chapter 8. Methods of attack Chapter 9. Methods of defense and counterattack Chapter 10. Sticky hands - Chi Sau Chapter 11. Special exercises - Lop Sau - Fon Sau Chapter 12. Forms - Siu Lim Tao - Martial combinations - Chum Kiu - Martial combinations - Biu Jee - Martial combinations Chapter 13. Training at the wooden dummy Conclusion
Publisher: Igor Dudukchan
ISBN:
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 279
Book Description
Wing Chun Kuen - is the most famous and dynamic style of Wushu in the world. Its distinguishing features are simplicity and economy of movements, softness and flexibility, as well as the effectiveness of protection and power of attacks. The main purpose of this direction of Chinese martial arts is the fastest achievement of victory in battle with the minimum efforts and energy. Over the long history of Wing Chun, the original style was divided into several large branches. It should be noted that at the similarity of the principles that were put to the basis of the style, technique and forms of different versions of Wing Chun Kuen, there are very big differences. This book, proposed to the attention of the readers is devoted to the overview of Wing Chun Kuen technique, transmitted to us by the great master Yip Man. CONTENTS: Introduction Chapter 1. Origin and Development of Wing Chun Kuen Chapter 2. The theory of Wing Chun Chapter 3. Stances and movements Chapter 4. Stroke technique Chapter 5. Defense technique Chapter 6. Throws and grabs Chapter 7. Training combinations Chapter 8. Methods of attack Chapter 9. Methods of defense and counterattack Chapter 10. Sticky hands - Chi Sau Chapter 11. Special exercises - Lop Sau - Fon Sau Chapter 12. Forms - Siu Lim Tao - Martial combinations - Chum Kiu - Martial combinations - Biu Jee - Martial combinations Chapter 13. Training at the wooden dummy Conclusion
The Vietnamese Wing Chun – Vinhxuan
Author: Igor Dudukchan
Publisher: Igor Dudukchan
ISBN:
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 195
Book Description
The Wing Chun - it is a traditional style of the Chinese Kung Fu. The Wing Chun is very popular in the whole world thanks to its high efficiency application techniques. Wing Chun has many styles and schools such as Yip Man school, Pan Nam school, Yuen Kay-San school, Nguen Te Cong school (Vietnamese Wing Chun - Vinhxuan ) and others. Nguen Te Cong (Yuen Chai-Wan) is a founder of Vietnamese Wing Chun school. He and his brother (Yuen Kay-San) learned kung-fu under master Fung Siu-Ching and master Fok Bo-Kuen. In 1936 he moved to Hanoi (Vietnam) and opened martial art school. His Wing Chun style has many different forms: Thudao quyen (siu lim tao), “108” form (partner form and wooden dummy form), Five Animals form. This forms and combat applications are present in this ebook. Contents: Introduction Chapter 1.The theory of Wing Chun Chapter 2. Stances and moving Chapter 3. The Strokes Chapter 4. The Defense Chapter 5. The Throws and Grabs Chapter 6. The methods of attack Chapter 7. The defense and the counterattack Chapter 8. The Thudao qyuen (Siu Lim Tao) Chapter 9. The «108» form - The «108» form with the opponent - The «108» form with the Wooden Dummy Chapter 10. The Five Animals fist - Ngu Hinh qyuen (The joint five animals form) - The martial combinations - The paired form Capter 11. Chi sao (The sticky hands) Appendix 1. The Tiger form (Ho qyuen) Appendix 2. The Leopard form (Bao qyuen) Appendix 3. The Crane form (Hac qyuen) Appendix 4. The Snake form (Sa qyuen) Appendix 5. The Dragon form (Long qyuen)
Publisher: Igor Dudukchan
ISBN:
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 195
Book Description
The Wing Chun - it is a traditional style of the Chinese Kung Fu. The Wing Chun is very popular in the whole world thanks to its high efficiency application techniques. Wing Chun has many styles and schools such as Yip Man school, Pan Nam school, Yuen Kay-San school, Nguen Te Cong school (Vietnamese Wing Chun - Vinhxuan ) and others. Nguen Te Cong (Yuen Chai-Wan) is a founder of Vietnamese Wing Chun school. He and his brother (Yuen Kay-San) learned kung-fu under master Fung Siu-Ching and master Fok Bo-Kuen. In 1936 he moved to Hanoi (Vietnam) and opened martial art school. His Wing Chun style has many different forms: Thudao quyen (siu lim tao), “108” form (partner form and wooden dummy form), Five Animals form. This forms and combat applications are present in this ebook. Contents: Introduction Chapter 1.The theory of Wing Chun Chapter 2. Stances and moving Chapter 3. The Strokes Chapter 4. The Defense Chapter 5. The Throws and Grabs Chapter 6. The methods of attack Chapter 7. The defense and the counterattack Chapter 8. The Thudao qyuen (Siu Lim Tao) Chapter 9. The «108» form - The «108» form with the opponent - The «108» form with the Wooden Dummy Chapter 10. The Five Animals fist - Ngu Hinh qyuen (The joint five animals form) - The martial combinations - The paired form Capter 11. Chi sao (The sticky hands) Appendix 1. The Tiger form (Ho qyuen) Appendix 2. The Leopard form (Bao qyuen) Appendix 3. The Crane form (Hac qyuen) Appendix 4. The Snake form (Sa qyuen) Appendix 5. The Dragon form (Long qyuen)
The Creation of Wing Chun
Author: Benjamin N. Judkins
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 1438456956
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 366
Book Description
This book explores the social history of southern Chinese martial arts and their contemporary importance to local identity and narratives of resistance. Hong Kong's Bruce Lee ushered the Chinese martial arts onto an international stage in the 1970s. Lee's teacher, Ip Man, master of Wing Chun Kung Fu, has recently emerged as a highly visible symbol of southern Chinese identity and pride. Benjamin N. Judkins and Jon Nielson examine the emergence of Wing Chun to reveal how this body of social practices developed and why individuals continue to turn to the martial arts as they navigate the challenges of a rapidly evolving environment. After surveying the development of hand combat traditions in Guangdong Province from roughly the start of the nineteenth century until 1949, the authors turn to Wing Chun, noting its development, the changing social attitudes towards this practice over time, and its ultimate emergence as a global art form.
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 1438456956
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 366
Book Description
This book explores the social history of southern Chinese martial arts and their contemporary importance to local identity and narratives of resistance. Hong Kong's Bruce Lee ushered the Chinese martial arts onto an international stage in the 1970s. Lee's teacher, Ip Man, master of Wing Chun Kung Fu, has recently emerged as a highly visible symbol of southern Chinese identity and pride. Benjamin N. Judkins and Jon Nielson examine the emergence of Wing Chun to reveal how this body of social practices developed and why individuals continue to turn to the martial arts as they navigate the challenges of a rapidly evolving environment. After surveying the development of hand combat traditions in Guangdong Province from roughly the start of the nineteenth century until 1949, the authors turn to Wing Chun, noting its development, the changing social attitudes towards this practice over time, and its ultimate emergence as a global art form.
Complete Wing Chun
Author: Robert Chu
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 1462917534
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 160
Book Description
Master the many styles of Wing Chun Kung Fu with this expert martial arts guide. With the fame of Bruce Lee, the conditions in Hong Kong, and the hard work and effort of many of his classmates, the Wing Chun of the late master Yip Man became one of the most well-known and popular Chinese martial arts in the world. Although this gave Wing Chun international recognition, it also led to a lot of misconceptions. Due to a lack of authentic information, many mistakenly came to assume that the renowned Yip Man was the sole inheritor of the style and that his Wing Chun was the lone version of the art. In fact, there are several different and distinct systems of Wing Chun. Unfortunately, over the years most of these systems have remained unseen or unreported to all but a few--until now. Profusely illustrated with over 300 historical photographs, Complete Wing Chun: The Definitive Guide to Wing Chun's History and Traditions presents seldom seen information on a dozen branches of the Wing Chun art. It offers the reader side-by-side comparison of these arts by outlining each system in terms of Wing Chun history, principles, basics, and training methods: Yip Man Wing Chun Yuen Kay-San Wing Chun Kuen Gu Lao Wing Chun Kuen Nanyang Wing Chun Kuen Pan Nam Wing Chun Kuen Pao Fa Lien Wing Chun Kuen Hung Suen Wing Chun Kuen and more!
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 1462917534
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 160
Book Description
Master the many styles of Wing Chun Kung Fu with this expert martial arts guide. With the fame of Bruce Lee, the conditions in Hong Kong, and the hard work and effort of many of his classmates, the Wing Chun of the late master Yip Man became one of the most well-known and popular Chinese martial arts in the world. Although this gave Wing Chun international recognition, it also led to a lot of misconceptions. Due to a lack of authentic information, many mistakenly came to assume that the renowned Yip Man was the sole inheritor of the style and that his Wing Chun was the lone version of the art. In fact, there are several different and distinct systems of Wing Chun. Unfortunately, over the years most of these systems have remained unseen or unreported to all but a few--until now. Profusely illustrated with over 300 historical photographs, Complete Wing Chun: The Definitive Guide to Wing Chun's History and Traditions presents seldom seen information on a dozen branches of the Wing Chun art. It offers the reader side-by-side comparison of these arts by outlining each system in terms of Wing Chun history, principles, basics, and training methods: Yip Man Wing Chun Yuen Kay-San Wing Chun Kuen Gu Lao Wing Chun Kuen Nanyang Wing Chun Kuen Pan Nam Wing Chun Kuen Pao Fa Lien Wing Chun Kuen Hung Suen Wing Chun Kuen and more!
Wing Tsun Kuen
Author: Ting Liang
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN:
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 328
Book Description
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN:
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 328
Book Description
Tuttle Learning Chinese Characters
Author: Alison Matthews
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 146290128X
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 388
Book Description
This user-friendly book is aimed at helping students of Mandarin Chinese learn and remember Chinese characters. At last--there is a truly effective and enjoyable way to learn Chinese characters! This book helps students to learn and remember both the meanings and the pronunciations of over 800 characters. This otherwise daunting task is made easier by the use of techniques based on the psychology of learning and memory. key principles include the use of visual imagery, the visualization of short "stories," and the systematic building up of more complicated characters from basic building blocks. Although Learning Chinese Characters is primarily a book for serious learners of Mandarin Chinese, it can be used by anyone with interest in Chinese characters, without any prior knowledge of Chinese. It can be used alongside (or after, or even before) a course in the Chinese language. All characters are simplified (as in mainland China), but traditional characters are also given, when available. Key features: Specially designed pictures and stories are used in a structured way to make the learning process more enjoyable and effective, reducing the need for rote learning to the absolute minimum. The emphasis throughout is on learning and remembering the meanings and pronunciations of the characters. Tips are also included on learning techniques and how to avoid common problems. Characters are introduced in a logical sequence, which also gives priority to learning the most common characters first. Modern, simplified characters are used, with pronunciations given in pinyin. Key information is given for each character, including radical, stroke-count, traditional form, compounds, and guidance on writing the character. This is a practical guide with a clear, concise and appealing layout, and it is well-indexed with easy lookup methods. The 800 Chinese characters and 1,033 compounds specified for the original HSK Level A proficiency test are covered.
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 146290128X
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 388
Book Description
This user-friendly book is aimed at helping students of Mandarin Chinese learn and remember Chinese characters. At last--there is a truly effective and enjoyable way to learn Chinese characters! This book helps students to learn and remember both the meanings and the pronunciations of over 800 characters. This otherwise daunting task is made easier by the use of techniques based on the psychology of learning and memory. key principles include the use of visual imagery, the visualization of short "stories," and the systematic building up of more complicated characters from basic building blocks. Although Learning Chinese Characters is primarily a book for serious learners of Mandarin Chinese, it can be used by anyone with interest in Chinese characters, without any prior knowledge of Chinese. It can be used alongside (or after, or even before) a course in the Chinese language. All characters are simplified (as in mainland China), but traditional characters are also given, when available. Key features: Specially designed pictures and stories are used in a structured way to make the learning process more enjoyable and effective, reducing the need for rote learning to the absolute minimum. The emphasis throughout is on learning and remembering the meanings and pronunciations of the characters. Tips are also included on learning techniques and how to avoid common problems. Characters are introduced in a logical sequence, which also gives priority to learning the most common characters first. Modern, simplified characters are used, with pronunciations given in pinyin. Key information is given for each character, including radical, stroke-count, traditional form, compounds, and guidance on writing the character. This is a practical guide with a clear, concise and appealing layout, and it is well-indexed with easy lookup methods. The 800 Chinese characters and 1,033 compounds specified for the original HSK Level A proficiency test are covered.
Political Development in Hong Kong
Author: Ngok Ma
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN: 9622098096
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 319
Book Description
This book reviews the political development of Hong Kong before and after 1997, in particular the evolution of state-society relations in the last two decades, to analyze the slow development of democracy and governance in Hong Kong after 1997. This book is a most comprehensive analysis of the multi-faceted changes in Hong Kong in the last 20 years. The scope of changes analyzed included state functions and institutions, political changes such as party development and development of the Legislative Council, and social changes such as social movements, civil liberties, etc. It helps the reader understand the crisis of governance of Hong Kong after 1997, and the difficulty of democratic development in Hong Kong over the years. The book covers: changing state institutions in Hong Kong in the last few decades; party development in Hong Kong; the changing role and function of the legislature in Hong Kong; the evolution of social movement and movement organizational forms; media freedom, civil liberties, and the role of civil society; and theoretical discussions concerning governance problems and state-society relations in Hong Kong. Special emphasis is placed on how these changes brought about a new state-society relation, which in turn brought governance difficulties after 1997.
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN: 9622098096
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 319
Book Description
This book reviews the political development of Hong Kong before and after 1997, in particular the evolution of state-society relations in the last two decades, to analyze the slow development of democracy and governance in Hong Kong after 1997. This book is a most comprehensive analysis of the multi-faceted changes in Hong Kong in the last 20 years. The scope of changes analyzed included state functions and institutions, political changes such as party development and development of the Legislative Council, and social changes such as social movements, civil liberties, etc. It helps the reader understand the crisis of governance of Hong Kong after 1997, and the difficulty of democratic development in Hong Kong over the years. The book covers: changing state institutions in Hong Kong in the last few decades; party development in Hong Kong; the changing role and function of the legislature in Hong Kong; the evolution of social movement and movement organizational forms; media freedom, civil liberties, and the role of civil society; and theoretical discussions concerning governance problems and state-society relations in Hong Kong. Special emphasis is placed on how these changes brought about a new state-society relation, which in turn brought governance difficulties after 1997.
Chinese Religiosities
Author: Mayfair Mei-hui Yang
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520098641
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 472
Book Description
"Extraordinarily timely and useful. As China emerges as an economic and political world power that seems to have done away with religion, in fact it is witnessing a religious revival. The thoughtful essays in this book show both the historical conflicts between state authorities and religious movements and the contemporary encounters that are shaping China's future. I am aware of no other book that covers so much ground and can be used so well as an introduction to this important field." —Peter van der Veer, University of Utrecht
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520098641
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 472
Book Description
"Extraordinarily timely and useful. As China emerges as an economic and political world power that seems to have done away with religion, in fact it is witnessing a religious revival. The thoughtful essays in this book show both the historical conflicts between state authorities and religious movements and the contemporary encounters that are shaping China's future. I am aware of no other book that covers so much ground and can be used so well as an introduction to this important field." —Peter van der Veer, University of Utrecht