A very detailed look at some complicated internal processes. The subject matter is advanced. Steve is one of the top Oracle specialists in the world, and his expertise is apparent in this book.

Steve is an excellent writer, and has obviously spent a HUGE amount of time researching this subject. How often do you see good technical skills matched with excellent writing ability?

Would have liked to see some case studies, and examples from actual database performance problems; otherwise, the book is very good.

I eagerly await more advanced tuning books from Steve.

An excellent, very concise book covering the internal mechanisms for locksand latches in Oracle8i. Written clearly and with the level of details that sufficient not only to clarify those otherwise arcane mechanisms of Oracle RDBMS but also to be of immediate practical use. I am a long time Oracle DBA (started with the version 4) and I still learned quite a few things from Steve Adams. Congratulations, Steve and keep up the good work!

I'll admit, this book made my head hurt the first time I read it, and I consider myself to be pretty well versed in Oracle. Steve does a fantastic job explaining some of the internal workings of the database. He dispells many of the "tuning" myths associated with locks and latches and touches on using Oracle's wait statistics, which has become a foundation for a new and better approach to tuning the database. If you are DBA that is interested at all in the internal workings of the database, or need a reference to help in your tuning efforts, get this book.

Ansel Adams at 100 is the catalog for the museum exhibition of the same name that has been traveling the United States and Europe from 2001-2003. Unfortunately, the exhibit did not come to a city near me, so I cannot comment on how well it is represented in the book. Since I did not see the museum exhibit from which the photographs were taken, I will be commenting on how this book fares as a stand-alone "coffee table"-type book of Ansel Adams' photographs.

The book has 191 pages, is 14 1/4x12 3/4 inches in size, and is hardbound with an oatmeal-colored linen cover and slipcase. Also included with the book is a 13x11 inch reproduction print of Aspens, Dawn (1937), which is suitable for framing. The book begins with a 42-page essay on Ansel Adams' life and career (don't worry, big print) by John Szarkowski, the book's editor and the director emeritus of the Department of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art. The essay is followed by 114 tritone plates of Ansel Adams' photographs, all black-and-white.

I think the most helpful point that I can make about this book is that it is not a book of Ansel Adams' "greatest hits" or of his best photographs. I have yet to find a complete collection of either of those things. This is a very abridged version of the Ansel Adams at 100 museum exhibition which, as far as I can ascertain from the photographs in this book, sought to give the viewer a broad perspective of Ansel Adams' relationship with photography and with nature over the course of his life. Some of the photographs are great and some quite mediocre. But you will find photographs in this book that you have never seen before (unless, of course, you saw the exhibition). This includes a few very early photographs from the 1920's which are not very good, but are significant when contemplating Ansel Adams' whole career and the photographic history of that period. My favorite part of the book are some plates which have two versions: one that was printed in the 1940's or 1950's and a later print of the same image made in the 1970's. These plates are on facing pages so it is easy and interesting to see how Adams' perspective changed over the course of his life. I was reminded of some of my own work from long ago which I recently looked at and thought how differently I would print it now. (Adams' earlier prints are better, and so are mine. So much for improving with age.)

In conclusion, if you are looking for a comprehensive book of Ansel Adams' best work, this is not it. If you are a fan of Ansel Adams and would like to learn more about how Adams' work and nature photography as an art progressed and changed over the course of decades, this would be a great book to have. Ansel Adams at 100 is a must-have for hard-core Ansel Adams' fans and those interested in the evolution of nature photography in the 20th century.

If you can only afford to buy one photo book / coffee table book this year . . . this is the book to buy. Period. This oversized book is beautifully reproduced and lovingly bound to last for ages; a commemorative print, not available elsewhere, is reproduced as a separate plate -- suitable for framing, which is a nice touch: Who among us can afford an original Ansel Adams photograph? As beautiful as this is as an example of book-making, its real value lies in the selection of photos.
Of course, no two photographers will ever agree as to what photos should have been included in this massive retrospective -- outside of the obvious ones like "Moonrise Over Hernandez County" -- but every photographer who looks at this book should find inspiration in Ansel's inimitable "eye" that saw, and captured on film, the ordinary and transformed it into the extraordinary; a photographer who saw the extraordinary and transformed it into the sublime.
As for the text: I think an academic perspective is certainly appropriate for such a retrospective, but I would dearly have loved to see a piece by, say, Joseph Holmes (NATURAL LIGHT--a gorgeous collection of photos) or another photographer to give it, so to speak, a "through the lens" perspective.
Although there are other coffee-table sized books published of Ansel Adams's work, this one sets a high watermark and, as such, should find a permanent place in the library of every serious photographer, aspiring photographer, or anyone with a sense of beauty who can appreciate the rare and wonderful talent that is Ansel Adams.

This is a superb book. I was first introduced to Ansel Adams at work. While waiting to give my bi-weekly status reports to the President I reported to, there were photographic prints of Adams' work on the walls. The clean look to the photos calmed me before my meetings. In picking up "Ansel Adams at 100", I am reminded of a calm vision of beauty, in both words and pictures. Szarkowski's book is artistic and beautiful. First of all the book is well crafted with high quality pages that yield the most amazing pictures of the Adams collections. Secondly, the photos, especially of Yosemite, show an almost spiritual bent to them. I found myself looking carefully at both the sweeping measures of the photos, the granduer, and suprisingly, the sweet simplicity of a tree, a mountain, a leaf. It is Adams' mastery of focusing on the simple yet at the same time utterly complicated subject that makes you appreciate his clarity. Thirdly, the excerpts of Adams' vision and life lend to the book in giving the reader another overview of this work and life---especially how that led to his interests, his almost driven focus. All in all, it's a beautiful book, richly photographed and written, and elegant in both presentation and subject. Well worth the price.

This book, even though the title says its for Catholic teenagers, is for all Catholics and those considering the Catholic faith. This is a great book if you feel you need to learn more about where the Church stands on certain issues, giving references to Scripture, the Catechism, and various other Church documents. If you are constantly bombarded with questions from inquiring Protestants, this book with help your answers.

Teenagers ask tough questions, and then they want short answers. Matt Pinto, not so long out of his own teenage years, delivers. This is the book I recommend be put in the hands of any teen who wants to know in brief terms what the Catholic Church is, why it believes what it believes and why it does what it does, and what difference it all makes to folks like you and me. I recommend the book strongly, and suggest it as an excellent gift idea for parents, grandparents, and Confirmation sponsors. END

This can be a very useful resource for kids with interesting questions, but it should be supplemented with other good materials that are accessible to older teens.

No teenager, for example, should be without a copy of Peter Kreeft's The Best Things in Life. This book encourages young people to ask better questions and seek better answers-- in short, to truly philosophize.

Other books by Kreeft which could be beneficial to teens include The Journey, Handbook of Christian Apologetics, Fundamentals of the Faith, Making Choices, and Back to Virtue. Another worthy title that comes to mind is John Michael Talbot's Music of Creation. Books like these introduce young readers to a Christian and Catholic worldview in a thoughtful way.

This book is a compilation of material from earlier Dilbert cartoons rearranged by topic. The cartoons show Dilbert and his weird collection of co-workers in a range of different situations.

It will not be of interest to Dilbert fans who already have the books from which these cartoons are taken. However, seen as a "Best Of" book, it is worthwhile. The actual selection of material is very good and it certainly shows the humour of Dilbert at its best.

If you do already have all of the books in the Dilbert series, I'd suggest buying this one as a gift for a friend who is not familiar with Scott Adams work. It makes a great introduction, showing what Dilbert is all about.

If you are not familiar with Dilbert and want to find out what it is all about, then this book is a good place to start. Just accept that, if you get hooked and buy the other books, you will then have a copy of this book that you do not really need. If that happens, no problem, gift wrap it and send it as a present to a friend.

My only real gripe about the book is that its nature is not made clear on the cover. Not making clear that this is a "best of" collection seems to suggest that the author, or his publishers, view the readership as little smarter than some of the characters in the books.

This Dilbert book offers comics on each frustrating topic of the office day: Boss's, meetings, secretarys, HR directors, consultants, and much, much more. It is a fantastic book, and includes Sunday colored comic strips. When you're feeling disgruntled about office topics, go to the section of your choice, and know that somebody else felt your pain. Scott Adams is a marvelous cartoonist. I recommend this book for any Dilbert fan who would enjoy reading past strips that have become outragously popular. So join Dilbert, Dogbert, the boss, Wally, and the rest of the incredible office characters in this wonderful Dilbert book.

I just read all the "reviews" people left for this book. God, what a bunch of whiners. Yes, it's just a collection of old comics. You know that. So why buy it, and cry about it?? MAybe someone hasn't read all the Dilbert comics since it began, and all they need is just a collection of "bests." If you want fresh Dilbert comics, don't buy this book, buy one of the latest collections, like "Don't Step in the Leadership" or "Journey to Cubeville."

If you are interested in a long detailed history of the development of citizenship laws and the theories behind them, then this book is for you. If you are actually interested in getting a second passport, I would suggest you look elsewhere. The majority of the book is devoted to theory not practice: You may have a good understanding of how countries determine who is and is not one of them,...

The advice in the book steered me away from the web merchants who sell second passports for tens of thousands of dollars, and showed me how to do it legitimately for myself at no cost (other than the trivial government fees for certified copies and passport issuance). No wonder the book gets criticized by so-called consultants who want to take your money.

I have seen the comments of a couple of disappointed readers, but cannot agree with them. The author specifically warns about "buy-a-passport" frauds, so anybody buying this book to find the address of the latest scam artist would be disappointed.

The author's approach is to show people how to qualify LEGALLY and PROPERLY for a second citizenship, without paying some promoter tens of thousands of dollars, and without jeopardizing one's present citizenship.

The information is as accurate and up-to-date for 1998 as it was when the book was published.

Adam Clymer, a writer for the New York Times, has written an interesting, and surprisingly unbiased, account of the political life of Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts. There is emphasis on the political life. Unlike previous biographers, Clymer spares us the detailed account of the Kennedy family's sexual conquests. Instead, we get a very thorough account of Ted Kennedy's legislative accomplishments, and detailed account of each of his Senate races. Though predominantly about Kennedy the Senator, detailed analysis of the Kennedy factor in presidential elections is also given. It is apparent from this work that no serious presidential contender from 1968 to 1992 made a move without first considering whether Ted Kennedy was going to run or not. Entertaining and informative as this book is, however, it does leave out the relationships he had with his brothers, instead focusing on how he was affected by their legacy. And while this book is gossip free, it falls short of capturing the personality of Ted Kennedy. But, it is the best biography of Kennedy out there, and we may have to wait until the Senator's death for a better account.

Picking up this dense portrait of the senior senator from Massachusetts, many readers would be tempted to turn straight to Chapter 12: Chappaquiddick. But that would be missing the point. Clymer, a veteran New York Times correspondent, does present a detailed account of the 1969 Martha's Vineyard accident that left Mary Jo Kopechne dead.

And the book includes key lowlights such as Kennedy's expulsion from Harvard for cheating and the night in 1991 when he rousted two young nephews out of bed for a night of drinking that led to rape charges against one of them, William Kennedy Smith (who was later acquitted).

What is remarkable is that despite these foibles and his family's tragedies, Kennedy has emerged as one of the era's most effective lawmakers, a champion of causes such as health care and civil rights.

Though Clymer occasionally gets bogged down in minutiae, he nevertheless gives us a readable and worthy account of a flawed and fascinating politician.

Adam Clymer's biography on Edward M. Kennedy is monumental: the result of fastidious research and decades-long stint writing for both the New York Times and Baltimore Sun. What is so skillfully articulated here is a sober account of the Senator's long, strange trip -- from childhood days, under the shadow of older brothers, Jack and Bobby; to the tragedy at Chappaquiddick, effectively incinerating any dreams of securing the Oval Office; to his resurgence as one of the most influential and powerful political leaders in American history.

Edward M. Kennedy: A Biography, is what Mr. Clymer achieves. There are no speculations, conspiracy theories, or interviews with shady "informants"; only an astute biography of a man who is as brilliant and perseverant a leader as he is controversial and complicated a human.

This is a wonderful set of stories that everyone can thoroughly enjoy, mainly because it deals with themes that are familiar to us all. The independent stories deal with Nick Adams during several stages through his life, during which he must come to terms with outside influences as well as his own inner demons. Many of the stories show Nick trying to understand his place in the world, showing how he copes with many of the same issues that we all must deal with. Manhood is a prominant theme throughout many of these stories, showing how Nick and many other men deal with their emotions and handle different relationships. It is apparent that this is a somewhat autobiographical account of Hemingway's life, which may help you understand the trials and tribulations that Hemingway was forced to go through. The stories themselves are very entertaining, sometimes humorous, sometimes sad, but always based in reality.

The Nick Adams Short Stories offer an in-depth detailed look at a young boys life. The book takes us through his early childhood years and progress through all of his stages of manhood. The Author Ernest Hemingway writes a story that is very easy reading. The stories in this novel are individual, however at the same time they all tie in together at the end. The book can either be read one story at a time or in any chronological order. I believe any reader can easily understand this book, and for someone who would like to get interested in Hemingway's works reading this book would be a good starting point and will probably turn you on to some of his more famous writings.

Here they are, all of them, in order. The Nick Adams short stories were originally published in several books. They were not offered in the chronological sequence of Nick's life. This book puts them in order. It adds 8 additional pieces that were left in manuscript form when Hemingway died. Placed together in one book, and in this order, the stories form an attractive narrative. In many ways Nick's life paralleled Hemingway's. Nick was an action man, and damaged. He saw the world through knowing eyes. These stories can be read and savored one at a time, each forming a complete part of a larger whole.

I really enjoyed this book. I love that Sofia is so unapologetically shallow---always over the line on her credit cards, blowing her 401K on must have shoes and matching bag. I was a little concerned when she and Ben were flying to CA and she decided to curtail "certain activities" until she had her head straight, but then, just like a real human being confronted with a handsome, romantic "prince", she gave in. I thought Ben was a doll. How fun to have a hero that wasn't some sullen, brooding hunk with deep dark secrets. How fun to have guy who made an obsession with the "uncool" (Frank Sinatra) so cool you want to run out and buy every album he ever made. An old friend is gay AND P.R. and it blew me away, the realism of Ricky's relationship with his parents. The same for Debi---being a Junoesque woman myself---I knew where Debi was coming from. But then Adams lost it. I almost put the book down when Debi and Vincent met face to face at the speed-dating thing. So why did Debi have to end up with her sister's reject. I think it would have been a lot more interesting if Debi had either found herself and decided she'd rather be alone than with some loser who let himself be jilted at the altar 3 times or else she had gotten to hook up with some charmer who saw beyond Society's insistence on size 2 and appreciated the smart, funny woman she was. I mean, even at the end---Sfia's going off to launch her cosmetic comapny, Debi's preparing top give birth. I think Kylie could have done better there. But other than that quibble with a secondary character's treatment, I enjoyed this book and will watch out for future efforts. Oh---and the acknowledgements page really was fun!

This book was the first Kyle Adams book that I ever read, and from there on I have always checked out Kyle Adams new works. "Fly Me To The Moon" is a tale of bumbling mobsters, over protective fathers, a woman who is looking for the right man but whoes father tries to marry her off at every turn, and true love found in the midst of a mid life career change. This book has it all! This book is a barrel full of monkeys and a thousand and one laughts all rolled in to one!!! Its well worth the reading time, and I'm sure you'll probably keep the book once your done with it you'll like it so much!

Savvy Sofia Rose Cardinella has left the same groom at the alter three times. Her father and fiance just won't take the hit, but prefer to pay for the reception, cake and dresses, believing she'll eventually show up. Unfortunately, the only consistency about Sofia is her refusal to marry a man her father approves of.

Enter Ben Estes. He's not Italian. He dares to sing Frank Santra songs. He does have wit, charm, a masterful style, an, very quickly, Sofia's heart. Even when her father has Ben yanked off stage during his second number, for daring to sing Frankie's songs of course, Ben maintains his intensity, sexiness and authority. Not even death threats will stop this romance.

And it's a good thing too, since the elder Cardinella sends too bumbling hit men to erase his problem. When they show up at Sofia and Ben's little vacation retreat, the solution seems simple: marriage. But will that be enough to keep him alive?

Newcomer Kylie Adams' sophisticated style scores a direct hit! With a flair for the dramatic and outrageous, she creates characters who border on the manic, act out the impossible, and keep the laughter rolling. Fashion, cosmetics, and hit men make FLY ME TO THE MOON an exciting read too good to miss. Oh, and don't forget the sassy Mr. Pickles, who deserves his very own acclaim. Very highly recommended.

A practical joker is afoot at Innocent House, a Venetian-style palazzo on the Thames that houses England's oldest independent book publisher, Peverell Press. This engrossing crime drama effectively plays out against the self-contained setting of Innocent House. Poison pen letters are circulating, rare illustrations are being lost, important proofs are being tampered with, and minor mischiefs abound; added to the mix is the disconcerting fact that two of Peverell Press' authors and one editor have died in less than twelve months. Then, another death occurs, this one with bizarre overtones. Is it natural death, suicide, accident or murder? Is it the work of the malicious prankster,or perhaps one or more of the various people associated with Innocent House who harbor animus against the victim? Enter Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his Special Squad.

P.D. James has written that, for her, "... one of the fascinations of detective fiction is the exploration of character under the revealing trauma of a murder enquiry." In 'Original Sin,' James deftly explores a diversity of complex characters (the directors and those among the staff at Innocent House who are central to the plot, as well as several sharply delineated secondary characters) as they undergo the sagacious questioning of Dalgliesh and his team.

Besides the splendid palazzo, James treats the reader to another strikingly effective mood-setter: the River Thames itself, arcane, enduring and somewhat sinister, the compelling secrets of its dark past forever threatening to surface before our eyes (and in one memorable scene, they do). Architectural descriptions and historical anecdotes weave seamlessly throughout the narrative, as another bonus.

Further, there is an interesting look at a small London publishing house as it evolves from the "preserve of gentlemen" (Henry Peverell and Jean-Philippe Etienne) to the present-day leadership of a 21st Century Machiavellian (Gerard Etienne).

P.D. James has expressed the view that rather than feel sympathy for the murderer, the reader should feel empathy and understanding. Here in 'Original Sin' she has provided such a murderer. It is the reader's ability to empathize that makes this murderer's motivations credible.

At its heart, 'Original Sin' is about redress. In this instance, we learn that revenge (which the killer calls "justice") is not sweet, that it sometimes requires multiple acts of murder, and that it may necessitate sacrificing the innocent. The lucky reader, however, gains this harsh lesson by way of the impeccable prose of this distinguished writer.

Original Sin provided me with further confirmation (as if I needed it) of why P.D. James is among my favorite authors. This book is well plotted and written beautifully. The book's pace is leisurely without ever being slow -- and it is this pace which allows James to develop a "classic" mystery that at the same time serves as a character study and morality play. I have always enjoyed James' use of the character study (some of the finest chapters in this book involve the inner workings of the most peripheral characters). As with A Taste for Death, the last 100 pages are perhaps the most exciting, although as soon as I read the first chapter, the prose grabbed me and I knew I was in another James work.

Not since I saw "The Sixth Sense" a few years ago has the solution of a mystery so satisfied me as P.D. James's "Original Sin". It is one of those resolutions that makes you close the book with a satisfied snap, wondering and admiring a style that can lead you to so obvious a conclusion without giving it away too soon.

Themes of sin and justice weave in and out of the plot of this mystery, which is set at a London publishing house. The publisher has been murdered, gassed to death by a fireplace accident, with a stuffed snake wrapped around his neck. Suspicion centers around the publisher's various employees and a disgruntled midlist author whose contract has been cancelled. The publisher's death comes close on the heels on on on-site suicide of a longtime employee of the firm. By the novel's end, several more corpses make an appearance, maybe one more than is necessary.

Then there's the solution. I won't say anything about it except that it has been perfectly set up, and yet somehow the conclusion is just outside the grasp of the reader's mind, giving you one of those "Of course!" reactions.

Well worth the read... I can now see why James is considered the best in her field.