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Book reviews for "Adams,_John_David" sorted by average review score:

The Art of Playing Mythos the Cthulhu Collectable Card Game: A Tome of Arcane Knowledge
Published in Paperback by Chaosium (January, 2003)
Authors: Scott David Aniolowski, Charlie Krank, Eric Rowe, Lynn Willis, Salvatore Abbinanti, Chris Adams, Thomas Garrett Adams, Stephen Barnwell, Mike Blanchard, and Mark J. Ferrari
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A Guide to Playing the Mythos Card Game
This book contains miscellaneous information about the Mythos collectible card game. It contains: the rules of the game, a FAQ, a short play and deck construction guide, a sort of designer's notes on the game, background information on selected cards, rules for solitaire play and creating your own adventures, a complete spoiler list for the limited edition of the game and lists of card attributes and requirements for completing adventures.

As a collector and player of the game, I found the designer's notes on the history of the game and the design philosophy to be especially interesting. Also useful to me are the short notes on the background of selected cards and the rules for creating and scoring your own adventures. The pictures of the selected cards are black & white with a paragraph of background info. Buyers should also note that there is an updated version of the rules of the game at the Chaosium website.


Cracking the Sat & Psat With Sample Tests on Computer Disk: 1998 (Serial)
Published in Paperback by Princeton Review (July, 1997)
Authors: Adam Robinson, John Katzman, Princeton Review (Firm), and David Owen
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It works!
This book, as with all the Princeton Review series, is funny, witty, frank, and effective. The sample questions provided in the book, as well as in the disk, are just like those on the real test. It worked a miracle on my verbal score!


John Adams
Published in Digital by Simon & Schuster ()
Author: David McCullough
Amazon base price: $18.95
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Garbled sentence
On page 29 of this excellent book is
an amazing sentence.

"Only one, the seventh and youngest
of Henry Adams's eight sons remained
in Braintree."

DOES NOT COMPUTE.

History made interesting!
I must confess I was not very interested in history in my college years and recently determined myself some what of an American History illeterate. Thus, I decided it was time to learn and "John Adams" was a great introduction. It wasn't the dry history I remember. The fact that these great men and woman (Abigail) actually documented history in the making made me feel like I knew these great people. I have subsequently read Josph J. Ellis' "The American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson" and "Founding Brothers" and found that I understood them much better having read "John Adams" first.

John Adams
For all those people out there who find American history boring...I strongly urge them to read one of the most fascinating and best written books on Ameican history in a long time...John Adams...It not only probes into great detail as to the life of this key individual but also gives one a both very interesting and highly detailed picture of the times in which John Adams lived. Kudos to David McCollough for his mastery of the challenging craft of making American history interesting to not only the history lover, but also the novice....


John Adams
Published in Paperback by Touchstone Books (03 September, 2002)
Author: David McCullough
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Superb biography that reads like a novel
I received this book for Christmas this past year and was intrigued because of the amount of buzz surrounding it. I have always had an interest in the history of the American Revolution, but I had never taken much time to truly look into the life of our 2nd President, John Adams. After finishing David McCullough's book, I came to a newfound and deep appreciation for John Adams (especially since he was a fellow New Englander). I simply cannot remember the last time I read a biography of such heft that was so incredibly difficult to put down for more than an hour or two.

While Thomas Jefferson receives a great deal of praise due to his writing eloquence and Washington is the acknowledged "father of our country", this book begins to reveal how the strength of Adams' character pulled the fragile rebel colonies and early republic forward during some of its darkest times. Interestingly enough, the book does an excellent job showing the human side of Adams' own pride, for he often worried he would not be given the credit he felt he deserved.

I think Mr. Adams would be most pleased with David McCullough's thoughtful, cleanly-written and compelling work. . . for maybe John Adams can now be given the credit he is due as one of the first great Americans.

The History Lesson We Should of Learned
After reading John Adams, by David McCullough I walked away with not only great knowledge of the man who helped found this country but a better understanding of how it was formed. Mr. McCullough does more than educate the reader about one of the greatest men in American history, but also does a great job of going beyond John Adams, by explaining in detail the history of the Revolutionary War as well as many of the other men who took part. Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, George Washington as well as the men abroad in Britain and France.

Each story about our former President goes beyond the part he played giving the reader a new history lesson every time. Examples include the Boston Massacre, the Stamp Act, the securing of important loans and treaties as well as the complete details of the writing of the constitution. The History spoken throughout this classic pours out at the reader on every page making it impossible to but down even for the smallest history buff.

I only wish my former history teachers had this book to read prior to my teachings, so I wouldn't of had to wait this long to discover the true facts about our beautiful history.

Excellent biography, Excellent author
Its a given that whenever you see David McCullough's name on a book cover that the scholarship will be awesome and the writing will be brisk and entertaining. John Adams is exceptional in that McCullough has managed to outdo even his works on Harry Truman and Theodore Roosevelt, which takes some doing, believe me. The typical view of John Adams is that he was a dull, humorless failure of a President sandwiched between the two great success stories of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. McCullough shows us Adams the wit, Adams the innovator, and Adamsthe truly good man. Furthermore, McCullough also lets us see the entire Adams family, especially Abigail, John's soul mate in every possible way; and his son John Quincy, a worthy heir to his giant of a father. As Revolutionary leader, Adams was one of the first to be determined that the colonies should be free from Britain and one of the strongest representatives the country had in France, Holland, and England. As President, Adams had the thankless job of balancing between the pro-British High Federalists and the pro-French Republicans so as to keep the USout of a war which he knew we could not afford. Neither vain nor charismatic, Adams met the all too common fate of those who merely do a good job without hogging the limelight: he was jeered, ignored, and pushed to one side while he still had many more years he could have served. Another fascinating aspect of Adams' life which McCullough covers brilliantly is his long friendship with Thomas Jefferson. The two men were quite different in style and manner, but were close friends for many years until political differences divided them. I was very happy to read McCullough's account of how the friendship was restored after both men were in retirement, and to know that they kept in contact with each other almost up to the day they both died, July 4, 1826.


Adams : Character in Time : The US Presidents
Published in Paperback by The History Project, Inc. (06 April, 1999)
Author: R. David Cox
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Interesting, informative and very readable
The plays in the History's Project's "Character in Time: The US Presidents" series are interesting and informative and, above all, very readable. People unfamiliar with reading plays should not be put off by the format -- after a few minutes time, it seems perfectly natural to read dialogue instead of normal prose. Students, especially, will appreciate the playwright's artful distillation of the subject's ideas and philosophy, as well as the lively presentation of his character -- there's really a lot of information packed into these small volumes.

Shadows of Greatness
We are treated to an original account of our second president in a humorous rendition that plays brilliantly in our minds. This one act play is a poignant look at the personal issues of a Massachusetts's attorney turned president and the country he was elected to lead during its political infancy. The investment of your time will be well spent.


Amistad
Published in Paperback by Marlowe & Co (January, 1998)
Author: David Pesci
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Don't waste your money on this fictionalized account.
I recently finished an entire semester studying the Amistad mutiny, and Pesci's book was required reading. I read it both before the class began, and later in the semester; it didn't improve with time. Those portions of the story that Pesci did not fictionalize were interesting, but he writes in passive voice, which I found incredibly boring as well as frustrating. His descriptions of characters go on for paragraphs, and often serve no purpose other than to fill space; his adjectives are stale and overused. His stereotypical characters speak in modern slang that at times borders on the ridiculous. It is terribly distracting to have the captives look at one another and say, "We are in a world of sh--!" I agree with Pesci that it is difficult to write period dialogue, but he really should have made the effort. I suggest that anyone truly interested in this event investigate the many factual, well-written books available, including those written for children.

This is a Great Book!
This isn't the kind of book I would normally buy. I don'tusually read historical fiction. In fact, I stick to John Grisham,Scott Turrow, and James Paterson. But since it was a gift, and since I needed something to read on my flight from NY to LA, I picked it up. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. The first part read like a thriller and the second part like a legal drama. There are so many things going on, and yet Pesci made it flow. It's a great read and even more stunning because it's a true story. I can't wait for Pesci's next book.

Pleasantly Pleased
I received this book as a gift and almost exchanged it for something else because I usually don't read historical novels. However, I decided to check-out the first few pages. They grabbed me and I quickly became completely fascinated with the story. Pesci does an excellent job of weaving in the numerous facts and personalities that inhabit this incredible incident. The writing is smooth (although the paperback copy I got had a few typos) and he moves easily from the action thriller that makes up the book's first part to the courtroom drama that ensues. Highly recommended, even if (like me) you are not generally one for history. I hope he writes something new soon.


Grainger and Allison's Diagnostic Radiology: Multiple Choice Questions
Published in Paperback by Churchill Livingstone (October, 1998)
Authors: Adam Micthell, Ronald G. Grainger, David J. Allison, Leslie Cockburn, Adam W. M. Mitchell, and John F. Cockburn
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One of the few good mcq books for the FRCR
Getting ready to do the |FRCR Part II. Looking for MCQ books. There are many on the bookshelves. Some are very difficult and some too easy. Some are old and do not cover the latest advancements. This book is quite new and is based on Grainger and Allison's radiology textbook which in itself is almost a gold standard for radiologists. If you read the mcq book you really get the extract of most of the relevant information in the 3 volume Grainger and Allison's book. Buy it before it goes out of stock. A must before the exams.


Outline of Fractures: Including Joint Injuries
Published in Paperback by Churchill Livingstone (15 January, 1998)
Authors: John Crawford Adams and David L. Hamblen
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A classic book in Orthopedics
A classic book in Orthopedic(Fractures). discussing types of fractures, management, complications...etc. organized according to body part. some details in management including types of physiotherapy, manipulation .... . each chapter have an anatomic classification of fractures.


Outline of Orthopaedics
Published in Paperback by Churchill Livingstone (17 August, 2001)
Authors: John Crawford Adams, David L. Hamblen, and Churchill Livingstone
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A consice book of orthopedics
A consice book of orthopedics with each chapter starting with history and physical examination for a part of the body followed by a classification of Orthopedic diseases and details. Information enough for Othopedic Students to pass rotation with a high mark.


Cracking the Sat & Psat (Princeton Review Series)
Published in Paperback by Princeton Review (July, 1999)
Authors: Adam Robinson, John Katzman, David Owen, and Princeton Review
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Want to build confidence?
This book is NOT for you if you are scoring higher than 1300 in your SATs. First, all the questions will be WAY too easy for you, especially the verbal section. I have this book and the Barrons, and the KAPLAN. I took practice tests from Barrons/Kaplan, and I scored about 1340. I did the practice tests from Princeton's Review and it's up by almost 80 points.(70 points coming from the verbal section!) Because it's easier, it will give you confidence about the SATs. But you must also realize that the REAL SATs are not THAT easy.(just a note: I scored 1350 in the REAL SATs, which is close to the BARRON/KAPLAN score but much lower than the Princeton Review) If you're buying this to build vocabulary, buy WORDSMART, or BARRONS SAT. They have much more words for you than this easy book. BUT!! I HAVE TO ADD that this WILL be helpful to those who score in the range of 1000's. I have seen people with those scores who got 100-point boost after studying this book, one aspect being self-confidence and some humorous material.

Super preparation for anyone, including high scorers
Without a doubt, this is the best test preparation book I have ever read, and I have read no small number of them. As others have pointed out, some of the strategies the authors describe border on the obvious, but these are sufficiently important, few, and entertainingly presented that this small lapse is quite acceptable. The book's practice tests are refreshingly indistinguishable from real SATs; they are certainly the best available, though those in Kaplan's SAT book are quite good as well.

Many reviewers have declared this book to be insufficient for those who seek high scores. I disagree strongly. Good advice is good advice, even if presented in a manner less than ceremonial. Pedantic word lists assembled without attention given to what words will likely appear on the SAT, though impressive and temptingly concrete, are not the best use of any preparer's time. Of greater importance than a presentation of all the math and English needed for the SAT is a thorough, insightful walking through of SAT questions, and that's where this book shines.

This book, the College Board's book of ten real SATs, and a functioning noggin are all anyone needs to succeed on the SAT. But if you've got money to spare, you might try the Kaplan book, too -- another look at strategy and a few more realistic practice tests can only help.

I have not yet taken the SAT. On practice tests, my scores started as low as 1440 but have since climbed well into the 1500's -- even to the point of a 1590 most recently. More than to any strategy, I attribute the improvement to increased familiarity with the test, and I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the contribution this book has made.

Super preparation for anyone, including high scorers
I've not read this year's edition, but I'm familiar with the editions of previous years. Without a doubt, this is the best test preparation book I have ever read, and I have read no small number of them. As others have pointed out, some of the strategies the authors describe border on the obvious, but these are sufficiently important, few, and entertainingly presented that this small lapse is quite acceptable. The book's practice tests are refreshingly indistinguishable from real SATs; they are certainly the best available, though those in Kaplan's SAT book are quite good as well.

Many reviewers have declared this book to be insufficient for those who seek high scores. I disagree strongly. Good advice is good advice, even if presented in a manner less than ceremonial. Pedantic word lists assembled without attention given to what words will likely appear on the SAT, though impressive and temptingly concrete, are not the best use of any preparer's time. Of greater importance than a presentation of all the math and English needed for the SAT is a thorough, insightful walking through of SAT questions, and that's where this book shines.

This book, the College Board's book of ten real SATs, and a functioning noggin are all anyone needs to succeed on the SAT. But if you've got money to spare, you might try the Kaplan book, too -- another look at strategy and a few more realistic practice tests can only help.

I have not yet taken the SAT. On practice tests, my scores started as low as 1440 but have since climbed well into the 1500's -- even to the point of a 1590 most recently. More than to any strategy, I attribute the improvement to increased familiarity with the test, and I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the contribution this book has made.


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