This book is written for someone with little photography background. If your just starting in photography or if your just starting in outdoor photography it gives you some good helpful hints.

I found this book extremely valuable, and I wish similar books were available for every photogenic destination (a few others are). Given limited vacation time in each park (Tetons & Yellowstone), we were able to plan ahead and be at the right place at the right time(s) of day to get excellent shots and then onward to other activities.

The author was exactly accurate about what time the rainbows appear from successive North Rim overlooks, for example, and we hiked between them with great results. Ignore the recommendations about filters if you like, but select from the location descriptions to maximize your trip photos of the famous (and semi-secret) views. Yes I brought home a lot of cliche images, but my friends and family don't know that and they're thrilled with the "classic" enlargements.

I found this book to be an exceptional guide to both photograph and tour Yellowstome and the Tetons! The author included valuable informations such as the best times of day to take pictures in the parks, and also suggested methods to use to get the best shots! In addition to the outstanding photos in the book, the author also told how to get the best results. It turned out to be an invaluable resource in planning our visit, and I would highly recommend it those planning to take pictures and those who just want to see beautiful scenery!

Karl Fulves is a wonderful writer. He has a concise, clear, and laconic style that I find refreshing. If you need a break from struggling with the serious, heavy tomes of card magic, this book will be an easy read. I must admit to a bias: I don't really like the majority of self-working card tricks. Unless they are abetted with some rudimentary sleights such as false shuffles, they come off as exactly what they are--self-working card tricks. That said, the serious card worker will easily be able to add sleights to the slick tricks presented here and make them really outstanding. For that Fulves deserves his four stars. It's a great book and value for the beginner and expert.

Everyone who is interested in card magic, MUST get a copy of this book. This book contains AMAZING & OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD card tricks. You won't bekieve how good these tricks are until you actually read them for yourself. You will totally mystify your friends and family.

THE BOOK IS INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The "main" trick in this book (the one "advertised" on the cover) is absolutely mind-boggling. The first time I saw this routine it was done to me by a "resident magician" in this magic store I was shopping at. I thought I had to get some kind of elaborate card deck. This book is all the magician said I needed. Any books by this author is great. I also recommend his rope book.

This is one those books like Well's Outline of History that seem to reach beyond the grasp of any discipline. Is it a political denouement of historical erudition, a mystical perspective from the shoulder of giants (not cited of course), or just Lord Chicken Little establishing bona fides for advisory status for 10 Downing St. I don't know, and after two volumes of this potage including the kitchen sink, frankly, I don't care. Read Braudel's On History and save yourself a month of soporific gibberish.

I don't normally go after other reviewers, but the dolts submitting their thoughts about this author are uninformed in the extreme. If ever there were a "desert island" author and a book that I would want to have with me on said island it is this one (though not the abridged version). Toynbee is a true polymath and one of the progenitors of Jacob Burckhardt, Daniel J. Boorstin, Jacques Barzun, et al. He delivers in concise, exquisitely rendered prose, an overview of western culture that has never been matched in terms of scope and economy - two terms that are not always congruous. For insights into the development of western civilization, its driving forces, main events, greatest influences, etc. , one need look no further than Toynbee. To compare it to Wells' work is to compare persimmons to oranges. One leaves a slightly bitter, puckery taste, the other slakes one's thirst.

I am Japanese archaeologist living in London 10 years. I am interested in comparative ancient and modern historical study between Japan and western world based on Toynbee Theory. If someone interested in the same subject, please do contact me to my this e-mail address. We can exchange information. SarEnglan7@aol.com

This is book is a very good supplement for a class in introductory circuit analysis. The techniques are explained in a clear and concise manner. The examples and exercises provided are very appropriate and serve to provide a good understanding in the subject matter. My only complaints about the book are that some areas are not covered as thoroughly as I would have liked (for example, the section on Thevenin and Norton Equivalents) and that some techniques of circuit analysis were left out. However, many other things that were not clearly explained in textbooks were made comprehensible with the help of this book.

This book is a Schaum's series book. So we can assume that it is accessible and straightforward. This is a wonderful text especially for a quick round-up of the concepts before a test or an exam. The worked examples are quite representative and mastery of the text can be gained quite easily. An excellent read.

I used this as a supplement to 'Engineering Circuit Analysis' by Hayt & Kemmerly.

I have thoroughly read a few introductory textbooks on electrical engineering, but none of them really comes close to Schaums Electric Circuits in terms of helpfulness or clarity. This book can be used as an independent textbook because of the clarity of the presentation and the completeness of the material. Great attention has been paid to signs and polarities in the circuits, unlike some other textbooks which are sometimes frustratingly vague about polarities in their circuit explanations. As a result, some subtle things have been clarified for me, e.g. about transformers. The solved problems are especially helpful because some of them develop the theory further. The attention to precision, as well as its helpful intuitive explanations and a good selection of problems, makes this book a best buy. After buying this book, I no longer need one or two other bestselling textbooks, whose titles I would prefer not to mention. Even now, as a full-time electrical engineer, I keep on referring to this most helpful book.

Shakespeare Alive makes a good introduction to Shakespeare not just for high schoolers, but for anyone who's new to Shakespeare. The book is well-written, being both informative and a pleasure to read. Its relatively light tone is not intimidating to the novice, and the authors don't assume knowledge that a newcomer might not have.

The book is conveniently divided into sections. After a prologue which does a good job of getting the reader to imagine Elizabethan England, we have a section on Elizabethan English life and then a section on Shakespearean theater. The Elizabethan history section provides a lot of general information spiced with intriguing details on everything from how children greeted their parents to the standards of beauty and the status of foreigners. The theater section starts in pre-Shakespeare English theater and ends in today's theater. In between is covered everything from who was in Shakespeare's audience (nearly everybody) and why (for one thing, it was the second cheapest form of entertainment available) to that student bugaboo, Shakespearean language. This section of the book no doubt benefits greatly from having its authors be connected with the theater.

A few people might object to the authors' use of imagination (for example, in showing how Shakespeare used and changed his sources, the authors invite us to imagine a Shakespeare who is leafing through a book for inspiration and dismayed by some of what he finds), but I can recall no instance of such imaginings not being clearly marked as such. Besides which, it would take a real stick-in-the-mud or a fiery anti-fantasist to be offended by the invitation to imagine Shakespeare joyfully tossing his quill in the air. Another possible objection, that it is not thorough enough, is silly, as the book is not intended to be exhaustive.

Shakespeare Alive is a worthwhile book, either for someone who wants a starting point for further study of Elizabethan life and literature or for one who just wants a taste of the background to Shakespeare's plays. As an introduction, I would recommend it even above Norrie Epstein's The Friendly Shakespeare. Shakespeare Alive has more information about the time period than The Friendly Shakespeare does (while the works can be enjoyed without historical knowledge, they'll be appreciated more with than without). Also, Shakespeare Alive has a more coherent whole than The Friendly Shakespeare, which is designed for dipping into rather than reading straight through. I believe the smoother reading and the difference in focus make Shakespeare Alive the better introduction for most people. Buy this book for yourself or for the student in the family.

"Shakespeare Alive!" is an intriguing and enjoyable visit to Shakespeare's London. Joseph Papp, founder and producer of the prestigious New York Shakespeare Festival, and Elizabeth Kirkland, a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, created not a scholarly tome, but a delightful and often humorous examination of Elizabethan culture and its impact on Shakespeare.

Other reviewers exclaim how their high school students related to "Shakespeare Alive!'. I only wish I had encountered this little book during my school years. Hat's off to Papp and Kirkland for an excellent introduction to Shakespeare's England.

A prologue casts the reader into 16th century England as a young lad wrestling with a decision to leave his familiar rural setting in search of better opportunities. Daily rural life is a struggle, food is scare, a recession makes things worse, and you have little hope. London is far away and frightening, but you have no other choice. You begin your long trek on foot.

It is an uncertain world. England is in change, emerging from an inward looking isolation, to one in which the world's boundaries seem to expand with the return of each ship from the New World. The Renaissance moved from Italy to England at an almost imperceptible pace, but it did arrive, and nothing remains the same.

"Shakespeare Alive!" explores how the English theater emerged within this cauldron of change. In 1576 James Burbage builds the first structure dedicated to housing plays and calls it the "Theater", the first time this word was used to denote a building. Within just a few years Burbage has competition - the Curtain, the Swan, the Rose, the Fortune, and Shakespeare's Globe - and all were presenting daily comedies, tragedies, histories, and romances.

In an engaging, amusing style Papp and Kirkland provide a broad understanding of Shakespeare's world, his language, his sources, his creativity. I thoroughly enjoyed (and found most useful) their sections on Shakespeare's vocabulary, his creative use of rhetoric, and his near obsession with puns. "Shakespeare Alive!" is a uniquely fascinating book.

This book was used for a 200 level Shakespeare course at Edmonds Community College and really converted me into a Shakespeare enthusiast. The bibliography is extensive for those in need of further scholarly inquiry. I love this book--engaging, well-written, downright fascinating introduction to the cultural fabric of the Elizabethan age. I'm currently re-reading this to prep myself for Titus Andronicus, which I want to digest before the movie comes to town. Between entries in the Columbia Encyclopedia on Elizabeth and Shakespeare and this book, I can't think of a more concise and effective means of preparing oneself for one of Shakespeare's plays. Interesting b/w photos of New York stage productions are a nice extra.

This was a disappointment for me. I thought he plot was not very well thought out, the story not very exciting, and the writing stiff and wooden. Maybe it is just me, but I judge this type of book by The Hunt For Red October and this was nowhere near that class. It had all the standard submarine descriptions and speech, but not much more in my opinion. I just did not have to guess where the story was going. On the positive side the book does provide some interesting facts about USSR boats and the realistic use of USSR and USA tactics in the action scenes

After re-reading "To Kill the Potemkin" the author's superb entry in the submarine technothriller genre, I had high hopes for "Typhoon", but they didn't pan out. "Typhoon" starts promising enough: a brilliant Soviet nuclear sub commander, the architect of Russia's current submarine strategic deterrent - goes to war against his superiors - political hacks eager to use nuclear blackmail to prevent the Soviet break up. The haplessness of the these conservative generals seem realistic when compared to the protagonists of the inept 1991 coup, but here they undermine the threat and the tension. This isn't "Potemkin" where the Soviet Sub skipper is sailing for survival and Joseph doesn't create a crew of many-textured types as had populated the ill-fated SSN Barracudda of that earlier book. Instead, "Typhoon" boils down to a standard cold-war yarn and not even the appearance of an American submarine crew - something that Joseph can shape as he had in "Potemkin" - suceeds in enlivening things. Worse, the submarines themselves lack that sense of mystery that makes them perfect metaphors for cold-war brinksmanship - we never know where they are, what they want to do or what they can do, but we know that they can end the world with the push of a button. This conflicting sense of secrecy and unimaginable power was key to "Potemkin" ("Cowboys and Cossacks" and "Plutonium Pizza") as well as all the other famous sub-thrillers. Too bad the author forgot the most important lesson, the one he taught other writers.

After reading arguably the most famous sub-novel of all time ('The Hunt For Red October') I was thirsting for pretty much anything that had to do with submarine warfare...unfortunately most of what is available really stinks (except for Michael DiMercurio who is excellent) but when I discovered 'Typhoon' quite by accident, I stumbled upon a fantastic story about the largest undersea machines the world has ever known. The Typhoon class Russian missle submarine is BIG, as long as the American boomers, but TWICE as wide--and 1 ship alone could wreak havoc and kill millions of people with its stretegic ICBM's. What happens within the pages of 'Typhoon' are similar to what almost happened in the Soviet Union at the beginning of Gorbechev's reign when a military coup, afraid that the impending breakup of the country would ruin their career's, nearly toppled the government. In this chilling scenario, a select few Russian military leaders decide to take matters into their own hands by precipitating the entire event by launching missles on their OWN country hoping to place blame in such a way as to stall or completely halt the coming democracy.

I don't mind telling you that this actually put chills down my spine to think that whoever is in charge of these ships actually COULD do something like this. A very sobering thought, indeed. Thank heavens for Admiral Zenko and a life dedicated to preserving peace with the use of the underwater machines he helped to design. Zenko makes the startling discovery of what is about to happen, and without a second thought, hijacks his own submarine and head's out to sea. Another wrinkle is placed within this story when the USS Reno shows up to do their assigned 'spy mission' and tries to make sense of what is happening between two of the largest subs in the world and why they act like they are on opposing teams.

IF you are looking for a hair-raising techno-thriller-adventure, than 'Typhoon' should definitely be ON that list. Simply put, this is an exciting story well told by someone who definitely knows the in's & out's of submarine operations (or does a great job of simulating it).

I really enjoyed this book a lot. A page turner! It is hard to believe someone could have done so much, seen so much, and accomplished so much in a lifetime. Totally amazing! Mountain man, explorer, trail blazer, and much, much more, from the early 1800's thru the 1870's. A true American icon. I would have given it five stars but, I didn't much care how others in the book such as Jed Smith, Jim Bridger, etc. were belittled by the author. We all have our heroes but cutting down others when it is not really necessary or deserving is, I believe, crude.

This my my favorite book--period. If you love history and western american, and great biography, if you love cowboys, wideopen spaces and GREAT books, then this is IT.

I came across Westering Man while browsing at the library. It's one of the best books I've ever read. Mr. Gilbert unearthed the life of Joseph R. Walker and what he writes about him rings true. If you are an enthusiast for the American West - and not for the phony glory stuff but for the history of the exploration of The West - don't miss this book. Since it was published in 1983 I've wondered if others who have read it have further information to offer-up about Joseph R. Waker and if so if Mr. Gilbert will write another book. It's been two years since I read it, I've missed it and now I'd like to buy my own copy. It's a gem.

Joseph Goldstein's latest book is basically a very good synopsis of his personal journey in the Buddha-Dharma and in his own practice. It reiterates many of the themes and principles that he has discussed in previous books and introduces some relatively new ones (e.g., relating to Tibetan Dzogchen, for example). For someone new to Buddhism, this might be a helpful or even an inspiring book. More seasoned students might detect, as I did, a subtle uncurrent of ideological assumptions.

The idea of "One Dharma", as Goldstein presents it, is not entirely coherent.
For one, the suggestion that there is "One Dharma" emerging in the West is at odds with Goldstein's stated assumption that the different traditions of Dharma will continue to exist distinctly, even in the West. If that is so, then there are Many Dharmas. Historically there have been many cultures and many different kinds of people, and for that reason, the historical existence of Many Dharmas has been a good thing. The West is multicultural so one would expect and hope to see Many Dharmas flourishing here.

Nobody can argue convincingly that Buddhism will not evolve and adapt in the West. Likewise, it seems obvious that cross-fertilization of traditions is, to some extent, a sign of Buddhism's adaptability and relevance. However the idea that "One Dharma" is emerging and that "One Dharma" is a leitmotiv of "Western Buddhism" seems naively idealistic.

The idea of "One Vehicle" as taught in the Lotus Sutra is the most obvious doctrinal precedent for Mr. Goldstein's basic idea. In spite of the Lotus Sutra's apocalyptic message, many Dharmas continue to flourish down to the present era. So assuming the Lotus Sutra's principle of "One Vehicle" is coherent, and that Goldstein's "One Dharma" is a reiteration thereof, the real message here is not that there is--or will be-- just "One Dharma" in an historical or doctrinal sense, but rather, that all Buddha-Dharmas have, in the final analysis, a single savor and a single intention.

If this is Goldstein's point, I agree wholeheartedly. Even so, I wonder why he would suggest that "One Dharma" is a special feature of the "emerging Western Buddhism". How is Western Buddhism so special if all Buddha-Dharmas have always been been "One" -- that is to say, grounded in the same basic principles? In this sense, Western Buddhism is nothing special. It is the same old Dharma expressed in a new language, with a new set of metaphors and rationales. It is no more or less "One Dharma" than any previous era of Buddhism.

For these reasons I think the book's title and ostensible message of "One Dharma" emerging in the West are much ado about nothing. Granted, the different traditions are interacting with each other here and yes, it is generally a positive thing for Western Buddhists to supplement their main studies and practices with forays into other traditions and other ways of contemplating the teachings. But for reasons already stated, I think it would have been more honest to title the book "One Thread" -- since there certainly is a single thread of definitive truth running through the various teachings and traditions of Buddha-Dharma.

If "One Dharma" is supposed to be a special feature of the historical evolution of Buddhism in the West -- and not of the Dharma generally -- Goldstein has spoken a bit hastily. It is too soon to say that there is only "One Dharma" in Western Buddhism, unless that "One" is the same as the "One Vehicle" of Asian Buddhism. If "One Dharma" is not just a statement about the unique, holistic intent of all the Buddha's teachings, but an observation of what Western Buddhism is or should become, then some kind of personal ideology, or an assumption about what makes Western Buddhism "special", would seem to have reared its unruly head.

Joseph Goldstein has written an ambitious, short book which attempts to synthesize the wisdom and teachings of various Buddhist traditions and which offers thoughts on the possible future couse of Buddhism in the West. The book is also a practitioner's guide and a manual for those setting out on a Buddhist practice.

Each of the components of this book is difficult and important. Joseph Goldstein has valuable things to teach and suggest to the reader about the many questions raised in the book. But I found that the book had a certain lack of focus from trying to do too many things in too brief a compass.

Specifically, Mr. Goldstein's discussion of meditation practice and of Buddhist moraliity was very well put. It cannot be heard often enough, particularly for those readers new to Buddhism. But the discussion of meditation practice, for me, was not well integrated with the other themes of the book -- an attempt to show what various Buddhist teachings prevalent in the United States have in common and to show how Buddhism may develop in the United States.

The book opens with an eloquent discussion of the growing interest by many people of Buddhism in the United States. It discusses as well the three traditions which probably have received most attention in the West: Theravada, Zen, and Tibetan Buddhism, although Mr. Goldstein is fully aware that there are other traditions as well. With the transmission of the Dharma to the United States, Mr. Goldstein asks what these traditions have in common and how the Westerner is to learn to practice. He offers many stories from his own experience, beginning with his practice in Theravada Buddhism which gradually expanded to an interest in Zen and Tibetan Buddhism. There is an all-to-brief history of Buddhism and its divisions into the Theravada and Mahayana schools. For all the goood things Mr. Goldstein has to say about practice, I would have liked to have heard more about this given the theme of the book.

Mr. Goldstein stresses the pragmatic character of the Buddha's teaching with its encompassing purpose of ending suffering. He rightly emphasizes, I think, that this purpose is common to all Buddhist traditions and he suggests as well that practitioners can draw on one or the other of the traditions given their own spiritual needs and progress. In a brief compass, he also contrasts various traditions as being "top-down" on the one hand, emphasizing the pure, radiant character of the mind, or "bottom-up" on the other hand, as in the Theravada tradition, emphasizing the hold of the passions and the fetters and the need to work to purify the mind. Again, I would have liked a fuller treatment of these themes and perhaps less an emphasis on meditation technique. There are many books available which address the latter.

Mr Goldstein emphasizes, rightly, a famous verse from the Dhamamapada,(verse 183) a compilation of verses from the Theravada canon. The verse is

"Not to do any evil; to cultivate good, to purify one's mind -- this is the Teaching of the Buddhas."

This verse does indeed sum up the Buddha's teaching in all the schools. Much of Mr. Goldstein's book is a commentary on the verse. But I still was left with the feeling that a more detailed presentation was required to understand Buddhism in the United States.

As the book progresses with the treatments of nonclinging, selfnesses, and Nirvana, the differences in the various traditions becomes clear and the book assumes a better focus. There is a good attempt to show in the conclusion of the book how the various traditions of Buddhism are all paths leading to one goal -- the cessation of suffering through the attainment of wisdom. The United States offers the unique possibility of the realization of a "Dharma of Freedom.", Mr Goldstein tells us at the end of the book. It will not be tied to particular schoools or debates but rather will offer the hope of freedom from suffering and from clinging for those who choose to enter the path.

"One Dharma" is one of the few books that woould be better if it were longer. Too much is left out for the reader to see how the traditions of Buddhism, if only on the surface, differ from each other and how the transmission of Buddhism to the United States promises the opportunity of integrating teachings from the different schools.

This is actually one of my favorite books written by Joesph Goldstein. This book is about "blending together" the traditions of the East, and "sprouting forth" this new seed in the West. He pours over such conecpts, well for instance: say we have 3 teachers from 3 traditions saying 3 seemingly contradictory things. We can deduct that one is right, and two are wrong; or that all 3 are wrong. Or we can acknowledge that perhaps all 3 have already gone BEYOND that realm of right and wrong. Basically, every street takes you somewhere- does this mean the roads are contradicting eachother? Not at all, they simply go somewhere. So relax in life.

We in America are in my opinion lucky there is a Joseph-this book is for beginners and adepts alike. And it is of really no significance what tradition or sector of Buddhism you yourself hail from, this book transmigrates those lines. I believe that you will enjoy this book.

While the quality of the book seems good, the organization is unusual for a history book. It should be emphasized that this is a reference book set up like an encyclopedia on people, battles, and wars (listed alphabetically). It is NOT set up chronologically!

This book is NOT a chronological book of American military history, but rather an encyclopedic reference with thousands of entries. No pictures- ... It covers topics including: all the major wars, battles, bios on military leaders, warfare methods, a survey of combat weapons and military hardware, political acts by Congress and treaties, overviews of the military structure and services. It features contributions by notaries like Stephen E. Ambrose and John Keegan... its coverage priorities are odd. The political-correctness bent comes out every now and then in this book...

The Oxford Companion to American Military History has been awarded the Distinguished Reference Book Award by the Society for Military History in 2001. It has been the subject of several long and highly favorable reviews including those by Russell Weigley in the January 2001 issue of the "Journal of Military History," by Hew Strachan in the February 16, 2001 issue of "TLS, the London Times Literary Supplement," and by Vince Rinehart in April 9, 2000 issue of "The Washington Post's Book World."

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The book covers a broad spectrum of systems issues and is a good introduction for the aspiring systems analyst. Systems Analysis and Design would go well in a classroom setting as it does well to outline and explain the roles, environment, and tools of a systems analyst.

The book was written to help prepare the reader for the Master CIW Enterprise Developer certification exam (Database Specialist).

The text book was prescribed for the Course that I attended.
It is an excellent book! It is easy to read, got plenty of practical case studies, review questions, quality graphics, etc. The subject has been well researched and written in an easy to follow format.
I found the on-line sites useful and powerful. Plenty of referals, etc.
Excellent Book!!!

I teach systems analysis courses, and this book is an excellent text for us. It is easy to read, well-researched, and describes current real-world thinking in this field. It has many good case studies, along with an on-line virtual company case study that is unique. I highly recommend this book.