This volume combines all five titles from the Hitchhiker Trilogy under one cover. If you are a fan of any or all of the Hitchhiker books, this is an excellent way to keep them all together. For those who have never read them but enjoy science fiction, it's a chance to discover a new Universe.

Titles combined include The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; The Restaurant at the End of the Universe; Life, the Universe, and Everything; So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish; and Mostly Harmless.

You'll travel with Arthur Dent from the destruction of the Earth throughout the Universe in a series of adventures and misadventures. He meets some of the most uproarious characters in the Universe, and realize he's met some of them before. All of this to answer the ultimate question of "Life, the Universe and Everything".

The book moves comparably in speed speed and action to the Hobbit, and Trilogy of the Rings. And wouldn't we all like to go "There and Back Again."

Douglas Adams is a master of the farcical science fiction novel, and here are three perfect examples in one collection! The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the end of the Universe, and Life, the Universe, and Everything compose the first three novels of the Hitchiker's trilogy (yes, there are four, check out So Long and Thanks for All the Fish). In this series, Arthur Dent, along with a broad array of alien companions seeks to discover the great question to the answer to life, the universe, and everything (the answer is 42). Along the way, excerpts from the greatest book of books, The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy (vastly more popular than the Encyclopedia Galactica), force readers to laugh out loud and annoy people sitting around them by repeatedly saying, "You've got to read this book!"

If you're looking for a comical way to spend a boring day, grab yourself a copy of this book. You won't regret it.

A modern-day masterpiece, Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Trilogy" is a fast read that will leave the reader rolling on the floor with laughter. The characters are richly written, from the ego-driven two-headed Zaphod Beeblebrox to the manic-depressive robot Marvin, making the reader empatize with them during their journeys through space and time. A true must-read for all.

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.

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.

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....

The authors of this volume desire to introduce the reader to the ins-and-outs of the English shotgun. Believed by many to be the sin qua non of the gunmaker's art. A considerable volume of work already exists on this subject. For almost 200 years, aficionados have written about English shotguns, their makers, technical refinements in manufacture and use, proper handling and etiquette, and their care. From words to the adolescent sportsman, to compilations of the street addresses of any craftsperson involved in the trade in the slightest degree, and through limited edition folios of the engravers art dedicated to Lordly patrons of bespoke arms, the libraries are filled. So why should anyone wish to read yet another volume dedicated to this subject?

Perhaps, it is because the authors admit in the first page of the introduction that the majority of publications written on the subject are, "... boring, devastatingly so." How refreshing. Enthusiast presses are famous for their unflinching stare into the deepest available navel of minutiae, yet here are two enthusiasts who can discern between information and lint. They follow this seminal observation with the raison d'etre of the present volume:

"This presentation attempts to reduce volumes of available material to an overview of the English shotgun, ... The objective, then, is readability at the sacrifice of detailed coverage..."

This is a worthy goal with a thoughtful caveat added for the reader.

Do they fulfill their stated purpose? The answer is a qualified, yes. The volume is split into two parts. The first section covers the history, manufacture, and advances of the English shotgun. It even has a snippet of connoisseurship under the rubric of, "Why the English Shotgun?" For the most part this is well done. It is an excellent first introduction to a complex history. Unfortunately, the second section takes on the all too familiar identity of a manual of arms. Better done by the readily available Orvis guides, no! t to mention the classic statement by Churchill, this section rapidly approaches the doom the authors inflict upon their predecessors. Somewhat relieved by their eccentric, and laudable, championship of the external hammer London best, their light style becomes mired in the details of foot placements, chokes, and bores (no pun intended). Rather than amalgamate two separate books into a less than pleasing whole, the authors would have been better advised to expand their addenda. Perhaps to include additional photographs of the London bests they discussed in the text, or a schematic or two for the curious.

Still, this volume does present the information in a straightforward and easily grasped style. It has some humor and tries to not take itself too seriously while educating. It provides a very nice annotated bibliography for each section. And, if one has never held an English shotgun it does impart a healthy respect for the art of the gunmaker's skill.

This is the ONLY book I have given a perfect five stars.
Amazing book, full of information regarding the details of building a London Best gun, with pictures and description of various barrel types, action shapes, stocking methods, third fasteners etc. Some of these are of very rare systems I never known exist.

Although I'm a very critical reader (check my other reviews), I still find this a perfect book.

Excellent, and written so everyone can have an understanding of the English shotgun and how to properly shoot one.

It is strange but the first time I used the Lottery System in this book my numbers came out in the New York Lottery. I had all three digits in the New York Daily 3 Digit Game. It is a good sign when a Lottery System wins the first time. The underlying system in the book is an old Italian Numerology system which converts dream interpretations to lottery numbers to play. The original book gained much attention when people in Italy started winning the Lottery with the system found in this book. JAH, LSSI Inc.

This Book is extremely worthwhile. It associates lottery numbers with practically anything you could ever dream of! It's a great book to give as a present, or to someone who is religious in playing the lottery. It's easy to find your associated numbers and the process is extremely simple. I'd say this book is worth it!

I don't know if "Your Dream Ticket" works always and with everybody.But I believe in it and I guess that my faith is one important clue in this matter.The first time I used the book, I win, not the jackpot yet, but the fourth prize.I know that the jackpot will come soon.

This book has wonderful pictures and gives an excellent overview from ancient to post modernism art. The descriptions are pretty brief though, and do not go into great detail on any particular artist. However, it's an excellent book to get a general idea of the evolution of western art. The book covers significant art movements, and some minor ones as well.

This is a textbook from my college art history class. A lot of cool pictures. A good general overview of western art history. But don't expect a detail description of famous artists like Picasso, Monet, etc.

This is a great book, contanis many color pictures and excellent information. I recommend you to buy this book. It's perfect!!!

First of all, I tend to read through material like this rather quickly. That said, it was rather unsettling that there were inaccuracies and outright errors blatant enough for me to catch them in the midst of "speeding" through the text. The technical reviewers really dropped the ball on this one.

An example? Hard drive mirroring (yes, it's mentioned in there) is not RAID Level 5; it's RAID Level 0 -- and more than two drives are required for RAID Level 5 anyway!

There are also quite a few typesetting errors where references to supposed "preceding" illustrations / diagrams actually precede the diagrams being mentioned or where the diagrams do not accurately reflect the material being discussed.

But I digress. This book would be a decent primer for someone new to IIS and looking to deploy basic Web services on a Win2K server, but seasoned IIS admins will be let down. Ms. Adam's book is essentially nothing more than an attempt to flesh out the material contained in the IIS5 readme files and online help.

My advice? If you're new to IIS5, buy the book and use it to get started. If you're not new to IIS, spend your money on something a little more substantial such as the MS Press "Microsoft Internet Information Services 5.0 Documentation" book.

I've purchased several books on IIS administration and none of them compare to the quality of both of the content and presentation of the material in this resource. Simply the best IIS resource guide out there.

This is the defnitive guide for IIS administration on Windows 2000. From security and protocols to database integration, this book sets a solid foundation for building a robust and efficient real-world web server. There is no better text that I've found for getting the latest version of IIS up and running smoothly and quickly. This book should have been shipped with the product.

i liked chees before this book. Now i just loves the stuff. thanks adam and rob.

I read this book expecting it to be a normal childrens book, short and sweet. I opened the cover and proceeded to read about the types of boys in the world, and although I am of the female gender, this applied to me as well, as I am one that KNOWS there are monsters. At that precise moment, I knew this would be a fabulous book. And it was. I could not put it down. The imagination of Mr Kent is quite vivid and intriguing and reminded me of my own monsters that I battled as a young girl. And although my children are grown I am passing this book along to them to read, for I know that they know about monsters as well!! Bravo to Mr Kent and Mr Smith. I was very pleased and surprised.

My kids and I absolutely love this book!! They haven't been this excited about a book we've read together since Harry Potter. Wonderful story, wonderful characters, wonderful book. I've been looking for other books by Robert Kent and Adam Smith, but so far I haven't found any. My kids and I read part of a book together every night at bed time and usually it takes us several nights to complete a chapter book like this one, but we read "Jim's Monster" straight through in a single night. Every time I'd start to put this book down and tell the kids it was time to go to sleep, my son, Devin, and my daughter, Dana, would lean forward in their beds and beg me not to stop. Usually I tell them no when it gets to be later, but this time I didn't want to stop either, so we kept on reading and we're going to read it again a few nights from now. The pictures are absolutely fantastic, like something Disney might do, and the writing is on par with Stephen King, only for kids. I was somewhat reminded of Roald Dahl, another of my kid's favorite authors. I simply cannot recomend this book enough. However, my other son, Donald, is only five, and I think the book may have been a little too scary for him. He sat near his brother and sister as we read, but I think he may have been too young yet for this story. But Devin is 7 and Dana is 9 and they both loved it. I'm 34 and I loved this book! Do yourself and your kids a favor and order this book right away. And, Mr. Kent, Mr Smith, if perchance you're reading this, you have four new fans here. We can't wait for your next book!!

i read the previous edition (1997) to the jobbank guide to computer and high-tech companies, and i must say that it was well-written. i'd recommend it for anyone looking to get an overview of who's who in an exploding industry. i'd also recommend a look at the VaultReports Guide to the High-Tech Industry, which was extremely insightful and a bit more of a fun read.

Hey this book is great! I now can fix minor problems on my computer

great list of technical headhunters
great place to make calls when looking for a job

Adam Clayton Powell is the type of politician that would have difficulty existing today. He was a liberal with radical tendencies. He spent little time in his district and much time philandering. He was involved in the passage of many pieces of legislation creating what conservatives today call "big government." An irony of Powell's career is that a true progressive could rack up accomplishments at a time when unreconstructed racists and Hoover-style conservatives also thrived, while today both sides are rare breeds (at least overtly).

The striking things about Powell are the sweep of some of the policies he was involved in shaping - minimum wage, civil rights legislation, funding for education, and his massive egoism. Haygood portrays Powell as a womanizer, an abuser of special privileges, and an all-around pleasure-monger. It isn't hard to link his appetites to his professional compassion. Powell loved to be loved, and he also recognized the source of his power - the untapped resource of poor and oppressed. Lyndon Johnson, the Kennedys and more recently, Bill Clinton all recognized this. These are men cut from similar cloth.

Haygood's account suggests that the world is a better place because of Powell and men like him. Still, I didn't like the man. As admirable as his public works were, his interpersonal relationships were such that I'm glad I wasn't around to get close to him. The book starts slowly, which doesn't help the cause, either. It plods along for a while before taking off, at which time the looming presence of Powell's downfall begins to color the height of his career as tragic.

I read this book after finishing a biography of another colorful member of Congress, TIP O'NEILL AND THE DEMOCRATIC CENTURY. Powell's life was more colorful, but the O'Neill book was more enjoyable. Nevertheless, KING OF THE CATS is a worthy effort.

This book is a wonderful biography of one of our most inspirational and influential African-American leaders. I found this book to be an invaluable source for understanding the courageous challenges Adam Clayton Powell undertook to establish the civil and human rights of African-Americans. I am grateful that this book was written because Adam Clayton Powell was often misrepresented and ridiculed. This book gives examples of his personality, charisma and flair without minimizing his intellect and brave dedication. I regret deeply that my book has been lost and I cannot seem to find another one.

As an African-American woman from a family similar to Reverend Powell's, I found this book highly enjoyable. I was certainly able to relate to the issues of skin tone, education, and the Black caste system that still exists today.

Unfortunately, Reverend Powell has been largely forgotten or ignored by the younger generation who have benefitted from his many contributions to Black causes through his election to Congress. I found Mr. Haygood's research to be thorough and unbiased, which is rare for so controversial a figure as Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.

I think that many teenagers and twentysomethings of all nationalities would be enlightened and empowered by reading this thoughtfully written, excellent profile of a courageous man. It reads like a novel. What a life! I highly recommend it.

Letters From Adam had a slow 'soaking' kind of effect on me. I found it a bit challenging to get in to but at some point I found myself looking for 'just a few more minutes' to read. The letters were simply written but had a way of making me look back to them to see if I read what I thought I'd read. I like it when a book does that! Also the author, in his questioning and reluctance reminds me of myself - and just about everyone else I know who wants answers - until we get those answers and try to deny we ever asked the question!

who is Adam?

this book will give you some clues . . .

It's the auto-biographical story of the awakening of a "one-armed sailor" named Will Maney, under the universal guidance of Adam, who speaks through letters delivered by co-author Lynda Friedman.

Will, as everyman will, remembers a lifetime of running from, and toward, his past. And remembering the past reveals the destiny hidden within.

I found this book to be a very compelling journey of a man looking to rediscover his own near-death experience, and what the past had held for him. Adam's letters to Will, written through Lynda, hold lessons that apply to everyone who wishes to discover who and what the truly are. The book's message is conveyed in a subtle manner, as opposed to hitting one over the head, which I found to be refreshing.
I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking at length with Lynda and Will (who are currently on tour), which only enhanced for me the message found within the pages of this book. They were both very warm and personable, I felt like I was talking with two kindred spirits. I believe Will's story is more than just his own; it is the journey of everyone, who I feel can benefit directly from Adam's words.