The deeply rooted history of Ireland and its manifestation in the "troubles" makes it impossible for anyone to write a purely objective analysis of cause and effect. Instead, those with genuine interest must read a selection of accounts, each with a different bias. Before The Dawn is definitely one to include. It is both a political justification for active republicanism and the account of the growth of republicanism into main stream politics. Gerry Adams is articulate and very intelligent. He is very coy about the IRA activities (not so, about the "Crown" - the RUC, British Army, Loyalists) but there is no hiding of desire for resolution of the conflict. At times the book is confusing as there are so many names thrown at you. Adams covers the Hunger strike with a deep emotional perspective. Its obviously an event which has had a significant impact on shaping his direction. I enjoyed it and learnt from it, but its not the definitive book!

Gerry Adams has set out to write an autobiography. In the process, he has accomplished also writing a history book. This book demonstrates and details the life of a man who questions the systems justices and dares to speak out against those who would oppress his people. The life he has described (being on the run, being locked up in the Kesh, etc) could be used to describe the lives of the countless dissidents who take a stand for nationalism everyday. As an Irishman who does not support Sinn Fein (Adams' Political Party) or the so called Belfast Agreement, I still have respect for the accomplishments Adams made to the movement in the important 1969-1996 years. To those who would label the likes of Adams a terrorist, I remind them that he is no more a terrorist than George Washington or Thomas Jefferson would have been during the American Revolution for Independence. It has been said, "One man's terrorist, is another man's freedom fighter." Only history will show which he will be remembered for.

"Before the Dawn" is the autobiography of Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams. I feel that it is an essential book for anyone who is interested in the Irish conflict. Adams writes with great skill and his views and comments are intelligent and humoristic at times. I think any reader who enjoys biographys will find this one to be exciting and meaningful, even if they are not well informed about the situation in Ireland. My only regret is the fact that the book ends in the early eighties, thus, leaving the reader a bit frustrated and curious about the happenings of more recent times. All in all - an outstanding effort.

Another Carl Smith Osprey effort, though this one isn't quite as bad as his Chancellorsville. The maps by Adam Hook are quite good, but I found it annoying that there wasn't a _single_ overhead view of the battlefield showing the reader the distinctive "fish hook" formation of the Union lines. The problem, though, isn't with the maps, it's with the text.

Like his other Osprey books, Smith's text has a number of factual errors and sloppy editing. Some of the errors are fairly minor, like Captain W. A. Tanner of the Courtney Artillery (Confederate II Corps artillery) being named Turner, but when there are so many of them you start to really wonder about the accuracy of the work. For instance, he suggests that Buford heard about the Confederates marching through Gettysburg on the 26th when he arrived in the town on the 30th. In actuality Buford new of this before he entered Gettysburg on the 30th because Union troops went through the town on the 28th.

The previous review mentions the wounding of Hancock, and how it shows Smith's accuracy and the "bar he set for himself". This is rather ironic as Smith gets the incident wrong. In the book he makes a big deal of a bullet smashing the pommel of Hancock's saddle, sending shrapnel and a nail into his thigh, and bouncing off his belt buckle. The buckle supposedly saved Hancock's life, leaving him with a wound that was "merely painful". I would like to know the source of this (there are no footnotes or end notes), for that's not what happened. According to Earl Hess (_Pickett's Charge: The Last Attack at Gettysburg_) and Jeffry Wert (_Gettysburg: Day Three_) the bullet hit the pommel and entered Hancock's leg. A nail was removed from his leg, but the bullet remained until August when it was finally pulled out. The bullet broke part of his hip, and he spent most of the rest of his service in the war riding in an ambulance. As for the "smashed" pommel, that is not mentioned in the other books. In fact Hess brings in evidence to suggest that the nail did not come from the pommel but might have been in the musket when it was fired! In any case, Smith appears to have made up the part about the belt buckle.

There are plenty of books about Gettysburg, but admittedly the Osprey book fills an important niche: a short overall volume on the battle. The many errors, however, perpetuate inaccuracies in the minds of those who use this as their only reference to the battle. I'd give it 1.5 stars due to its length and the maps but 2 stars is too generous. The Osprey books are usually much better than this one. I can recommend Osprey's 6 volume Order of Battle series for Gettysburg. If you want a single short book on the battle buy the guide they sell at the battlefield.

Carl Smith's first book for Osprey Military is a winner. The book, #52 of the Osprey campaign series, gives a very detailed look at the background, battle, and post battle manuevering of the Confederate and Union armies. Smith is to be praised for his detailed order of battle. The text is supplemented with excellent three 3-dimensional maps that show a section of the battle, such as Little Round Top. There are six other maps and a plethora of pictures. A special bonus are the battle painting by Adam Hook which help to bring the battle to life. The 128 page book is 32 pages longer than the average Osprey Campaign book, but has the same price. The books only weakness is that in being so detailed, some readability is sacrificed. However, the text flows smoothly and the topic is gripping.

"Gettysburg 1986: High Tide of the Confederacy" is indeed a good choice for taking with you on a visit to the National Battlefield at Gettysburg, although be careful what continual use will do to the binding of this Osprey Military Campaign Series volume (however, the front and back cover flaps are useful for marking particular pages as your tour Gettysburg). Carl Smith's volume is organized like most books in this series, looking at the origins of the campaign, detailing the opposing commanders and armies, and then providing a day-by-day analysis of the three days of the battle. There are not as many maps as I would have expected, or have liked to have seen, but those included are pretty good. There are photographs of as many participants as possible throughout the book as well as photographs of the battlefield taken shortly after it was over and battle scene artwork by Adam Hook. The descriptions of the engagement are straightforward, detailing what happened when and where and to who. Do not expect in-depth analysis or lyrical narratives from this volume, because the emphasis is clearly on a detailed recitation of the relevant facts. I was struck by Smith's observation that the nail that pierced Winfield Scott Hancock when he was hit at the Bloody Angle probably came from the pommel of the general's saddle. I think that is a particularly telling detail of the standard Smith sets for himself in this volume.

Ironically, one of the strongest sections of this book for me is the one that deals with what happened on July 4th and afterwards, which looks at Lee's retreat across the Potomac back into Virginia. This volume also claims to have one of the most detailed order of battles for the combatants at Gettysburg yet published, but, of course, Osprey's Order of Battle series, which offers six volumes up on this pivotal Civil War battle (both sides for each of the three days) goes well beyond this effort. The book also includes some hints for wargaming the Battle of Gettysburg and suggestions for further reading. I would agree with Smith's notion that this is the most popular battle refought by wargamers (so why is this volume #52 I wonder?), usually testing the hypothesis that if Lee could have gotten the high ground on the First Day he might have carried the battle. However, I have always been interested in Meade's ability to destroy the Army of Northern Virginia after repelling Pickett's charge. Either way, this volume is of above average utility in that regard.

Martin Gardner surprises us again with his new work about scientific fraud. Together with Isaac Asimov and Carl Sagan, Gardner shows us the real way of science. This book is a rich in surprising information an clear writing.

Another priceless installment of the essays of Martin Gardner, collected from his "Skeptical Inquirer" column "notes of a fringe watcher." Like all of his writings on pseudoscience and new age junk thinking, 'Adam and Eve' is a mix of insightful observations and penetrating analysis. Gardner has such a grasp of history and literature that it is hard to imagine anyone have the breadth of knowledge he brings to a topic. I invariably finish reading one of his essays nodding my head and thinking, "I wish I'd said that." Gardner has a way of capturing the essence of an argument that makes me feel like he's giving word to my own thoughts.

The title essay focuses on the dilemma of fundamentalists who would insist on a young earth in spite of the crushing weight of scientific evidence to the contrary. God, they claim, simply created everything with the "appearance of age." Thus the question, did Adam and Eve have navels, is relevant. If they didn't, then they were not perfect human beings, as Genesis says and theology demands. If they did, than God added the navels to preserve the appearance of parentage, adding a deceptive element to the creation of the first humans. Gardner's essay traces the history of the argument, which he shows is not new at all, throughout history and literature.

Gardner's other essays include topics as diverse as egg balancing on the equinox, quantum mechanics and the supernatural beliefs and writings of Isaac Newton.

I've written elsewhere that Martin Gardner is one of the few people I can personally point to as a intellectual mentor. His books illustrate a clarity of thinking and writing that is rare enough these days. Gardner is a breath of fresh air in a world of pseudoscientific smog.

I found this the chewiest of the four Martin Gardner collections that I have read. Once again the venerable champion of common sense assumes his role as the sorcerer's apprentice trying to sweep back the tide of pseudoscience. And once again he provides insight into just how overwhelming that task really is.

There are 28 essays in this collection, all but one from Gardner's column in the Skeptical Inquirer. They range over such matters as UFOs, religion, social science, astronomy, evolution versus creationism, etc. There is a chapter on "Alan Sokal's Hilarious Hoax." ( I too thought it was pretty hilarious. See my review of The Sokal Hoax: The Sham that Shook the Academy (2000).) There is one on cannibalism in which I found Gardner's skepticism understandable, especially as he points out that it is always the other culture that makes the accusation; however his essay finally suggests that the debate may be more over the extent than in any doubt about its occurrence. The Adam and Eve question is of course a joke, but the kind of joke that has been taken seriously by some for hundreds of years. For me it's similar to the question about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. More germane is the chapter, "Freud's Flawed Theory of Dreams" followed by "Post-Freudian Dream Theory" in which it is demonstrated once again that Freud was, shall we say, mistaken.

The chapter on Carlos Castaneda is illuminating in what it reveals about the gullibility of some anthropologists, while the essay on the ill-fated Heaven's Gate "Bo and Peep" cult is sad. Gardner has some fun with Jean Houston, channeling master and New Age guru to Hillary Rodman Clinton. Apparently Houston's spin on channeling is that it is a kind of trance experience that allows one to come into contact with Jung's "collective unconscious" (p. 125). Notable is Gardner's accusation that Temple University "has become a center for the promulgation of some of the wildest aspects of pseudoscience" (p. 221). (Can Harvard be next?) I was amused to find that the "urine therapy" that Gardner takes apart really is predicated upon the use of human urine. I had seen the name before but naively thought it was "Your-reen therapy" after somebody's surname! The final chapter, "Science and the Unknowable" is a fine essay on the philosophy of science.

One of the very best reasons for reading Gardner is to appreciate how clear his expression is, and how readable he makes just about any subject (including the philosophy of science!). He has a gift for making the abstract concrete and the obtuse transparent. May his tribe increase.

I bought this book because it was required (a textbook for a class I was taking). Because it was a college-level class, I was expecting a college-level textbook. That's not what it is at all. The book is filled with color illustrations that aren't even very helpful. I was hoping for more reading and explanation of terms. Illustrations are great if they are used right -- to compliment the text instead of replace it. I wouldn't recommend this book for someone who is serious about learning the ins and outs of networking.

I have read this book and recommended it to many people that are interested in an overview of networking. Reading some of the other reviews, I agree that this book is an effort to take something complex and make it understandable. This book accomplishes that and is not condescending about it. Other reviews that complain about missing a few details, well that is ok in an entry level book ( my first algebra book didn't cover any calculus). Buy this book to get started and when you decide to get more into networking, dive in deeper.

I have read 2 other beginner-networking books and the advantage this book has over others are its language-simplicity plain-English, and attractive colorful illustrations.

I really hooked-up with this book that I finished reading it cover to cover, 2 times, in 3 days.

Even so, this book provide only basic and rough idea. But is sufficient for anybody who just want to get to know what networking is all about.

I'm looking forward to the collections of Frank J Derfler, Jr's articles in PC Magazine. (Is it already available?)

There's some really good material in this book, but you have to plow through an awful--and I mean awful--load of self-indulgent tripe to find the occasional gem. When the chief authors aren't patting each other on the back and trashing the competition, they're staging made-up interviews with each other or writing about their dreams or other nonsense. The Montreal team essay is a rarity in that it looks in depth at something that actually happened on the field,an incident where a player loafed and cost the Expos a game and then was probably wisely traded. But there is just way too little of that. What there is instead is way too many stats that are difficult to understand or to read and too much from some writers who aren't all that impressive. Tom Austin is truly lame and his comments on what he thinks are the game's worst pitching seasons are sometimes almost laughable.

i thought i'd better add a vote 'for' this book, because i enjoyed it a lot.

While I agree with many of the critical comments, I like the book a lot. Considering the number of pages and the tiny font sizes, the book is enormous, so even if you don't like some of the material, there's plenty here to enjoy.

It's definitely pitched to a pretty narrow audience though. You've got to have patience to wade through pages of explanations of their unique statistics. If all you want to do is read comments on players because you're in a Rotisserie league, this isn't the book for you.

Brookhiser's book about the Adams family takes a look at four generations of the Adamses and discusses their contributions to American history. While this book does offer some minor insights, it is flawed in a number of ways.

First of all, thematically, this book is weak. While John Adams and John Quincy Adams are important figures in history, Charles and Henry are really much more footnotes. Nonetheless, Brookhiser gives each figure equal weight, while it is clear that - like most dynasties - the glory rarely lasts beyond the second generation. And with all the discussion he gives to the later Adamses, he only peripherally discusses John's important cousin, Samuel Adams.

Not as glaring but more problematic is Brookhiser's occasional distortion of history and his imperfect objectivity. A couple examples: he refers to James Buchanan as a definite homosexual, while the evidence is far from clear on that subject. He also incorrectly states the chronology of the 1824 election: John Quincy Adams did not offer Clay the Secretary of State position until after he was elected.

At best, this book is half good, primarily as an introduction to John and John Quincy, both of whom have much better biographies available. Otherwise, this book is skippable.

Richard Brookhiser doesn't write 'biographies' in the conventional sense -- and certainly not in the modern sense, in which writers seem determined to prove that once-admired historical figures are just as messed up as the rest of us, and probably even worse. No, what Brookhiser attempts to do (as I believe he noted in 'Founding Father,' his book about George Washington) is reclaim the ancient idea of biography as a means of understanding and exploring ideas about civic virtue, citizenship, and (dare we say?) morals.

This isn't to say that Brookhiser whitewashes his subjects. Far from it: his subjects come through in this book both as sharply defined individuals and as members of a family with a very clear sense of itself and its place in history. That he chooses not to bog himself down in domestic minutia doesn't detract from the quality of the biography, and enhances the points he's trying to make.

If this book were a novel, cover blurbs would breathlessly proclaim it 'the sweeping saga of an American family across four tempestuous generations.' And the description wouldn't be far wrong. From the time of the Founding until the First World War, the Adams family was (to varying degrees at various times, but always to some extent) among the most prominent, influential, respected, and reviled families in America. Brookhiser does a fine job showing how four individual members of this family bore that inheritance, and shaped, and were shaped by, what it meant to be an Adams. If 'the contract of the [American] founding ... was a contract with their family' (p. 199), the family had contractual obligations in return. Many Adamses chose not to fulfill those 'obligations.' But the four who most notably did, did so with one eye on their times and the other on their patrimony.

The four biographies are fascinating in their own rights. But the section of the book I most enjoyed was the final four chapters, in which Brookhiser weighs one Adams against another and against some of the perennial questions of American civic life -- most notably the question of Republic versus Empire. It's here, especially, that Brookhiser shows how the lessons of the Adams dynasty apply to our own times as well as theirs.

The most obvious appeal of 'America's First Dynasty' is to students of political history. But it also bears reading for the light it shines on current political, constitutional, and cultural questions, and for the recurring dilemma of the family in American political life. For if the supermarket tabloids still label a certain other political/media clan as 'America's royal family,' it's worth remembering that they're not the first nor, by any stretch, the most important. This book is definitely worth a read.

When reading "America's First Dynasty: The Adamses, 1735-1918" one reads the sweep of 150 years of American history through the eyes of America's first dynastic family.

The Adamses, their quarrels, their prejudices, and their crazy ideas, (John Adams thought the new nation would soon turn to a hereditary monarchy), are put into the context of the times for the modern reader to absorb. The result is a remarkably readable book sized for today's attention span.

In the section on Henry Adams, the writer, historian and great grandson of John Adams, our second President, we get a glimpse of the perspective that being an heir to history can bestow on someone willing to accept it when Richard Brookhiser writes about Adams' book "History of the United States in the Administration of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison." The following excerpt includes portions of "History..." as well as Brookhiser's own synopsis of the book.

"America invited men to partake of a national wealth that was as yet mostly uncreated; the openness of the offer tapped reservoirs of energy and devotion. 'The poor came, and from them were seldom heard complaints of deception or delusion. Within a moment, by the mere contact of a moral atmosphere, they saw... the summer cornfields and the glowing continent.' America's natural resources were not gold or coal, but opportunity and the people the opportunity attracted."

Brookhiser has written a fine book. I am now compelled to read his other works.

Book deals with one single ActiveX control, with no UI, and a simplistic purpose. Yet the author spends 80% of the book explaining the *business logic* (not the ActiveX-specific issues) of this silly example. (and the code listings of every iteration) Good beginning, good chapter on VBX to OCX (if you need that), but overall dissapointing. Hardly "inside-out" coverage to a proficient VC++ developer.

Chapter 3 of this book is the most frustrating part. In this chapter, the author wants to showcase so much stuff he hasn't yet explained, which makes it extremely difficult to understand. However, from the second section of chapter 4 it begins to make sense. Part II: the basics of ActiveX controls is actually pretty good, the style and approach are more or less similar to what you can find in "Inside VC++". If you have the patience to follow the examples in Part II, you may get some understanding of the basics and some practice as well. My suggestion is: read "Inside COM" first, then skip the first three chapters of this book. After you're done with part II, you should be able to write ActiveX controls (is that too much to ask for anyway?).

If you are looking to develop in-process ActiveX controls, this book will make a very good reference. Although the examples could be more mainstream, the technology detailed makes it a read worth your while. After all, it is as close to the source as you can get & you get this without worrying about marshalling, local or remote. The focus is on free marshaling, a.k.a. non-existant, as it should be.

The idea of four western states seceding from the Union is fascinating, but I was frequently distracted by poor writing. The most glaring error is that Pieczenik apparently thinks Lake Powell is below Glen Canyon Dam; either he doesn't understand how dams work, or he never did on-site research. In another geographic error, Al Carter and Cheri flee the secessionists by floating down the Snake River from Grand Teton to Yellowstone--a gravity-defying feat, since the Snake rises in Yellowstone and flows from there to Grand Teton before turning west into Idaho. Another major distraction was the very simple French-language dialogue between the between the French Prime Minister (or perhaps Foreign Minister--Pieczenik isn't clear on this point) and Al Carter. Pieczenik provides translations, and in at least one instance, I needed his translation, because the verb "se renconter" does not exist in French--I think the word Pieczenik was looking for was "se rendre compte". In any case, two people who are both presumably fluent in French would not be using such simple construction and vocabulary to speak to each other. Bottom line: I'm glad I borrowed this book from the library, rather than buying it.

I have read this book and can honestly say that it is a quality read. I think the premise for the book is a winner. After reading it, I believe the actual book is a winner too. The story kept my attention throughout. The opening scene in the dam grabbed my attention and held on throughout the book. The seemingly improbable situation always manages too nag the reader with the question "What if this really happened?" After reading Mr. Pieczenik's credentials, I have the fear that he might know something about the future that we don't. I thought this was a great book to sit down and read for hours on end. The book flowed well and had a page-turning story. What else can you want from a book? I hope to see more from Mr. Pieczenik in the future.

DR PIECZENIK IS A WORLD FAMOUS CRISIS PSYCHOLOGIST.HE BRINGS THIS KNOWLEDGE TO THE TABLE IN THIS OUTSTANDING THRILLER.THE PACE OF THE BOOK IS FAST AND EXCITING.ALSO,IN A TWIST FROM MOST THRILLERS, FOR ONCE THE WOMAN IN NOT THE VICTIM SHE`S ACTUALLY ONE OF THE HEROES. I READ SOME OF THE SOCALLED CRITICAL REVIEWS ON THIS BOOK AND AS USUAL THESE CRITICS FORGET THE BOOK IS ABOUT FUN AND ENJOYMENT.IF YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK. ENJOY!!!!!!!!

Man, this book could have been so much better. Adam Werbach is certainly a noteworthy member of the younger generation (of the 90's), around the same age as me. I'm also a member of Sierra Club. Therefore I've always been impressed by this guy, who at a very young age, was able to become president of an established organization with hundreds of thousands of members. Werbach has great innovative insights into environmental philosophy and activism that are true improvements over the old antiquated notions. He's surely a unique thinker with many great ideas. But sadly, he is not a writer by any stretch of the imagination.

All of Werbach's good ideas and efforts are quickly used up early in this book. What remains is an unfocused, scatterbrained hodgepodge of disconnected ideas and points that are not explored. While claiming to write an activist's manual, Werbach merely delivers a list of environmental complaints and "inspirational" stories about local activists, with no surrounding context or big-picture conclusions. He makes up for it with a lot of sarcastic finger-pointing and attention-grubbing polemics. Werbach overloads clichés like "we were building a bridge to the future" and adds several short stories that are just squishy kiddie parables, possibly written when he was in grade school. Most laughable is a sketch of a man called Bootsy in the land of Phunk who wanted to be the sun. (The esteemed Mr. Collins deserves an apology.)

There are factual errors galore, like 1990 as the date of the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster. In Section 3 Werbach decides to organize all the environmentalists of the world into five categories, all with derogatory names - Druids, Polar-Fleecers, Apocalyptics, Eco-Opportunists, and Eco-Entrepreneurs - then weakly encourages all to work together. Werbach's takes on politics and economics are superficial at best. He comes close to major insights in his section on environmentalism and religion, but falls into triviality again. Pass on this book's sad case of arrested development, and wonder what could've been.

This book is a light read. It's chock full of inspiring stories illustrating how environmental action can succeed. It's weak on establishing either a philosophy or political theory for environmental action, and has little concrete advice for organizing. The writing style flows nicely and is not difficult. This would be a great book for a Jr. High/High School level environmental club to read and discuss.

Although not systematically organized, most of his stories illustrate useful strategies for environmental action, such as:

"We only need to provide people with the facts that enable them to make up their own minds and empower them to act on their decisions. We need to be savvy, but we don't need to employ scare tactics and misleading information to communicate our message." (p. 218)

He provides a number of examples of corporate greed gone haywire, such as the Pacific Lumber story (p. 118), the cost of timber roads in our National Forests (p. 208), and the impact of Wallmart (p. 247+).

His stories are entertaining and informative, even at his own expense. It's a great book to read between something by Ruether and something by Bookchin--a light break between heavies.

(If you'd like to discuss this book or review in more depth, please click on the "about me" link above & drop me an email. Thanks!)

Readers looking for a "how-to" of activism need to check out THE FUTURE IS OURS (John W. Bartlett, Ed.), to which Adam contributed a chapter, instead of harping on Adam's book for not providing one. ACT FIRST, APOLOGIZE LATER offers young readers what they need before seeking out the "how-to" -- inspirational success stories, a window into the grueling fun of Adam's own experiences as an activist, and some foundational principles for activism and life -- in an accessible and conversational tone. Simply put, Adam's book gives readers a sense of possibility for themselves and the world. Because it does that, it is invaluable.

Starship Spotter fails for a number of reasons. Lets start with the title. The title indicates that this would be a book that could be used by cadets and other Starfleet personnel to identify starships. This would suggest that we would have multiple views of each chosen Starship. Well that isn’t the case here at all. What we get is a wire frame shot that is next to useless and a two page beauty shot. That brings us to the beauty shots. The vast majority of these beauty shots are entirely too dark showing little detail not to mention the fact that they cross two pages rather than be presented in fold out form. Voyager, Enterprise-D, Defiant are all from angles that we have seen time and again. All they offer are too dark renderings. Parts of the Akira class rendering seem to be out of focus. Another irritating thing was the inclusion of the Work Bee, Spacedock, The MIDAS communications array, and the various shuttle craft. These are not exactly starships. The one bright spot of the book is the excellent text provided by Jonathan Lane and Alex Rosenzweig. I just don’t think the editors or art department know what fans want in this area. Why didn’t we get multiple views of each ship and some schematics to go with them? The book measures about 8 X 10 inches and is a bit over a ¼ inch thick. It is 128 pages in length. At a cost [I got it for] it just isn’t worth the price for what one gets. One can only hope that Mojo brightens up the rendering for next years coffee table book.

The team who brought us Star Trek: Starship Spotter have apparently redeemed themselves from the mistakes made from that horrid Star Trek: Ships of the Line 2002 calendar, but did manage to make some new minor mistakes. In Starship Spotter, crisp clear pictures allow the ships to be seen in all there beauty, including a never before seen shot of the Voyager Aeroshuttle! The ship shots include a brief bio on the ship classes & stats. (some ship experts can debate the accuracy of the stats) The only things keeping me from giving this book a perfect score were the annoying use of the Workbee, some of the ships appeared a little too dark, (some of the larger ships and all of the shuttles did not have enough lit surface space and/or lit windows) But the most distracting aspect of this book was that the binding ran down the center of every ship. Maybe a future update can undo this problem. Starship Spotter was a valiant attempt. Hopefully, if they can do an update in another format which can remove the binding down the center of each picture, I will look forward to future attempts from these talented individuals to provide us with more examples of there work!

I was very happy to see this book at my local book store the other day and I was happy with alot of the pictures and the ship info. Sadly I wish there would have been even more ships. They only seemed to brush the surface.