These guys are lengends in their own minds but do very little to actually help you. Of course, for 33% they will write letters that threaten like this book. OOOOOHHHHH, I'm not scared!

I've read this book cover to cover, and it is both highly informative and easy to digest. Shernoff shows why he is preeminent in his field as a consumer lawyer, and his book is designed to help people avoid the necessity of going to court. Reading this book could save your life.

Ralph Nader's Foward to this book is a well written, concise presentation of insurance companies evolution from "fiduciaries" to "profit centers". It describes the ineffectiveness of state insurance regulatory agencies and how the lobbying power of the industry managed to secure legislation that circumvented the US Supreme Court ruling that the industry was an interstate business subject to federal regulation. The remainder of the book contains simple, clear explanations of how the claims process works and suggestions for dealing with that process. There are also descriptions of the ordeals that claimants endure when "bad faith" practices of insurance companies force legitimate claims into litigation.

I found this to be one of the worst books i have ever read in my life. It is almost impossible to follow the storyline as the main characters perspective is amazingly introverted and scenes are sometime fragmented causing confusion. This story is nothing new and has been written since the invention of words a million times over, and i really have no comprehension of why this book is considered good literature

I truly believe that Ellison's condensed prose is one of the best novels I have ever written. If a person says that they do not enjoy this book, it is because they are bad readers who completely missed all the motifs, foils, and statements that Ellison says with this book. This book takes a serious, easily cliched, topic and works it so well that I felt the need to read this book multiple times. And even after all that, I still feel that I need to read it more, just as to sink into every line. It is a must read, for those who read to the fullest!

oh baby it was good, i liked it so much that i bought it for my baby brother.

This book isn't what you might think, lookin' at the stupid Can Lit cover: dark storm clouds forming over a wheat field. Its like publisher Insomniac liked the idea of a having real-life Prairie writer, but hadn't read the book. Well I have.

Set in Regina, Just For Comfort is a comic thriller involving drugs, crooked cops, dog shootings, infidelity, grouse hunting and taxidermy. Author Ralph Osbourne can write some though, and knows where to start a story: the protagonist is trying to dispose of the assumedly OD'ed body of his bimbo future daughter-in-law. Hijinks ensue, and overall, not bad hijinks and not a bad read.

A few things bother me: our 'hero', Frank, a former bistro owner and currently a marijuana salesman is too capable, too worldly. He comes off as a poor man's James Bond. Apparently his secret agent training comes from being a bird hunter (for the record, the hunting stuff peppered through the book is pretty good and believable)

This first novel looks over its own shoulder a lot. Most of the characters knew each other in their gloried 1970's youth and there are regular winks to their bell-bottomed past; but despite the aging of the characters, wisdom has not been gained, throwaway Lao Tzu quotes notwithstanding. What you have is a collection of middle-aged guys who either haven't grown up yet, or have slided into a born-again adolescence. Most of them have quit smoking cigarettes, so that's something. The women, for the most part, are written as being either manipulators and/or psycho harpies. As far as I can tell, they smoke. Hmm..

As a plot-driven writer, Osbourne is happiest with one or two note characters; a few brief characterizations are sufficient, and then they all act out their roles with few surprises in this twisty little drama.

Just for Comfort is like an evening at the bar with a bunch of mates ' some tall tales, some casual we-are-all-men-here misogyny and enough gonzo danger to make the evening both mildly memorable and totally harmless.

It begins very well with the pot-dealing narrator trying to kill his irritating prospective daughter-in-law. After the fist 80 pages I found the action difficult to follow and clogged by irrelevant flashbacks and remiminesces. The plot seems to be about corrupt cops and murders. Excellent but digressive descriptions of birdhunting and some amusing outrageously behaving addicts and criminals. Good fight scenes and some funny lines The setting is apparently a Western Canadian city and I was not sure about the time frame. It has a "Withnail and I" 60's atmosphere (one character is a US draft-dodger)but it was all rather confusing. Maybe I'm just easily confused.

THIS IS A BOOK THAT DRAWS YOU INTO THE REALM OF THE CHARACTERS INVOLVED. ALMOST LIKE YOU ARE PART OF THEIR PLANS. IT IS WELL WRITTEN AND A GOOD READ. HOPE MR. OSBORNE, CONTINUES WRITTING AND LOOK FORWARD TO HIS SECOND BOOK.

Rather coplete book but-alas-full of mistakes in entries concerning German and Austrian porcelain.Take for example the Meissen porcelain:the authors put together in one large pile Meissen proper,Thieme factory,Fr.Hirsch,Helena Wolfsohn and other factories,though these are absolutely different things.The authors should make a bit of research before starting the project:What amazes me is that this is the 46th edition of the book and nobody ever corrected those mistakes.

As with the Kovels other books, this reference is very exhaustive and complete. There are, perhaps, some mistakes, but given the volume of information here that is to be expected. I find I reach for this book first when I'm trying to identify a piece of this age group, and usually find what I'm looking for here. Easy to travel with, from antique shop to auction. A good buy.

Good research, accurate information, and voluminous (if not exhaustive) representation of marks. Brief yet succinct information identifying maker, circa date and geographical location are offered with marks. Don't expect a good read or scholarly discourse. Small and light; easy to take on the road.

I checked with the local telephone man and the drawings on how to hook up the telephone are illegal and can get you hurt. The restoration methods will damade the telephone and a collector will not want your phone. I feel that this book is a sham and would not recommend it. If you are looking for some help restoreing a old telephone check out your local telephone collecting group.

This book covers the technical history of telephones, focusing on main-line American (Western Electric) and closely related phones. Early local battery systems are covered, and detailed descriptions are given of the telephone circuits and how they work. The book progresses to common battery, dial, touch tone and so on, with circuits and descriptions for virtually every Western Electric phone type. It is incredibly valuable as a reference, as well as a good read for anyone interested in the technical history of telephones.

We were able to locate hard to find technical data and schematics for older, classic telephones. Also includes a good index and bibliography

This is a good book for reviews, esp. if you hate those dense radiology textbooks. Everything is in outline format, with cartoonish illustrations. The 3rd edition is coming out at end of November 2002.

This is the best radiology review book I have seen. Easy to read and comprehensive with helpful diagrams and charts. No radiology resident should be without this book.

Pefect companion for the radiology resident to take to lectures or conferences. Know this book and you will have a great fundamental working knowledge in radiology. Supplement by reading more comprhensive books in each subspeciality.

The bias of the authors rings from every page of this novelistic text. They diminish the potential impact of child abuse, suggesting on the basis of no evidence at all that most of the children are lying. Those who are telling the truth should be left with their abusers for the most part, since the authors believe that many children can be molested or raped without lasting harm. The authors themselves do the most poorly controlled and unscientific studies that I have ever seen. In an interview in a Dutch magazine, the authors have stated that it would be a "good idea" to pair children with pedophiles in a scientific study so that we could see if they are really harmed. Don't reward this kind of thinking by buying this book.

Finally a book that is balanced, thoughtful and scholarly, and makes sense of the madness regarding some of the fantastic claims of child abuse and satanic ritual abuse. It offers understanding to the many victims who have been falsely accused of crimes they never committed, while it never loses sight of the problem of real child abuse in our society. This is a must-read for anyone involved in therapy or counselling.

What an outstanding book! This should be compulsory reading for all social workers and therapists.

For interesting insight into this book, look up the case Vitale v. Commissioner, 77 T.C.M. (CCH) 1869 (1999).

I enjoyed the sexy action, the humor, in this fun filled novel. No fake-n-phony TV-style prostitutes here. Vitale has captured the atmosphere to a T! The political correctness [read that: narrow minded] crowd might find offense [they always do]; but normal folk will appreciate it. The author knows and obviously values women.

"Searchlight, Nevada" illuminates the insider's world of Nevada's legalized brothels. Written with warmth and humor, the book jumps right in to the often complex and twisted lives of the women who work the sex trade and the men who visit---and often love--them. It shows that wherever women and men are thrown together, love will thrive even under corrosive conditions. The author says his story was carefully researched, and this is very obviously true. I highly recommend this compelling and wonderful book.

Unless already know the name of the maker, it's fairly difficult to look up a unknown, cryptic mark. I have to thumb through the whole book to find the mark I'm searching for. There is no cross reference section.
The book is organized and alphabetized by maker.
Unfortunately, there's very little information about the maker him/herself. Just circa and location. That's it. If I wanted to know more about a specific maker, I would have to refer to the bibliography section and buy another book.
I expected much more from Kovels.

While not the definitive reference that Jackson's book is on English silver, the Kovels do provide an extensive listing of American silversmiths and manufacturers. A person cannot be a serious collector of American antique silver without this book.

This book is a must-have if you collect American silver. It's an exhaustive reference of marks and makers, with over 400 pages of information. Silver makers are listed both alphabetically as well as cross-referenced by monograms or marks. More than 10,000 silversmiths, from 1650 to the present are included, and the book makes it easy to identify a piece or its maker. There are shape guides (for things like spoons and coffeepots), as well as hand-drawn images of marks (no photos in this book). All in all this book is an extremely useful reference for the collector or dealing of American silver. Don't hesitate, buy it!

Goodness, what EGO. Perhaps Ralph is allowed. He's very successful and has largely transformed himself into who he wants to be. How many of us can claim that? Lovely images in the book. But, this kind of marketing - "behind the scenes shots of Ralph's lifestyle" is so heavy handed. Are these behind the scene shots really any less choreographed than any of his other advertising? Are we to feel special because Ralph lets us vicariously live his "lifestyle"? Come now, how insecure are we? Yes, I suppose for some they can put on their little Polo shirts and maybe pour a gin and tonic and dream of children in white linen playing along the shore in their backyard in the Hamptons......If he's a genius, he's a genius at image making; an image which, apparently, given the abundant presence of "Polo" shirts in suburban outlet stores and on the backs of dark socked folk most appeals to the yearning middle classes.

Buy the book so you can forget about mowing the lawn, paying the mortgage, and the tawdriness of middle America......dream of ocean breezes, yachts, private schools, cucumber sandwiches, white duck trousers, and refinement.......dream on Gatsby.

Do establishment WASPS really wear this stuff, anyway? I would think they'd avoid logos - a bit vulgar, really.

I've been anxiously awaiting this book's release for the past couple of years. It was originally going to be titled Ralph Lauren and the Spirit of America. Rumor had it last year that Ralph previewed the book and demanded a re-write because he didn't like the copy.

It's a nice book, and if you are into Ralph Lauren, you should check it out. However, be aware that it's not up to the standard Ralph himself would have produced. It covers all aspects of Ralph Lauren, from his childhood and personal life to the history of Polo. It is fawning as the reviews say, and the writing is just plain boring at times. Still, it is a good overview of Ralph.

The photographs are where it really disappointed me. There are relatively few, and many of them have been seen before. The pictures are not comprehensive in any sense. It offers reprints of ads (mostly recent, although a few from over the years), a few personal photographs of Ralph and his family, and pictures of the stores (for some reason heavily focused on the Chicago location - almost no photos of the mansion). I would have appreciated a bigger selection from the archives or older ads and a few more "behind the scenes" shots. The shots of Ralph's office and of him in a fitting session are so small you can hardly make anything out of them.

I read the Michael Gross biography first, definitely more readable, but it's mostly second hand gossip. Here you get the sanitized version, in a prettier package. Don't expect any surprises though.

This new book on RL is AWESOME!!! From first page to last!! Easy reading text, clean, clear wonderful photos and behind the scenes glances. Can't say enough about all the pics!! Examples from Lauren's private life to his clothing ads to the stores. Everything Lauren fans will jump for joy over.
The text is well written. Informative and clear..BUT..not in an obsessive "he's the ONLY person in the world" kind of way. I have been following Ralph since I first bought one of his shirts 23 years ago. The man is genius. This book gives a very nice look into the world of RL and RL himself.
This is a PERFECT book for all the Ralphilites the world over. A great looking coffee table book well worth the reading. I have been following this book's on-again-off-again release for almost 2 years now...All I can say is it lives up to all the hype it has stirred up on both sides of the ocean.
5 stars.