How anyone could not appreciate this (in my opinion) literary masterpiece is beyond me. This book is filled with description, but far beyond that the strength of characters that A J Cronin depicts along with the pervadingly dark message to me makes compulsive reading. This was the first of Cronin's novels that I have read and most definately will not be the last.

This is truly a great book, it is true to life also, you peoplethat don't realize that, must have been raised in a bubble.My husbandis now reading the book and cannot put in down, do yourself a favourand buy this book, you will not be sorry. I have read ten Cronin books this one is the best yet! END

I have read all of A J Cronin's books, this one stuck in my mind because it was just so depressing. A lecture on the sin of pride, it is about a businessman (a hatter) who commits the cardinal sin of trying to better himself and be "in" with some very stern Scottish upper class people. He is of course a total tyrant to his family (mad old mother, downtrodden wife, two gormless daughters, and a feckless son). But of course things cannot go well for such a proud man, who will not accept rude customers, long opening hours, etc in his shop, or allow his daughters to receive visits from boys he thinks are not good enough for him. Therein lies his downfall!

Trains containing pregnant women's husbands drop off bridges in the middle of the night, businesses go bust, people go into debt, the man becomes a drunkard,etc etc. Every time you think that things cannot get worse for this unfortunate family something even more dreadful seems to happen.

As usual the characters are extremely one dimensional, but don't let this stop you reading the book if you have a nice cosy chair to curl up in, a warm fire, a box of chocolates and it's raining outside.

Cronin learns to get his melodramatic, pedagogic tendencies under control in his later works but frankly, I enjoyed this book simply because of these attributes. Talk about ramming a point home! It's a case of someone letting their imagination run wild, but at least it keeps the attention. Go on, give it a try. You'll be amazed at the destinies he thinks up for all of his unlovely characters.

Palermo's study of RFK on his own is well-researched and well-written, but it pays scant attention to the issue which dominated Kennedy's senatorial career - his attempts to do something about poverty in the U.S. While Vietnam is what drew him into his presidential run, poverty is the issue Kennedy spent more time on.

"In His Own Right", describes Robert Kennedy's political journey in the years after President Kennedy's assassination in 1963. Robert Kennedy suffered through a time of deep sorrow and grief after the death of his brother, and began a struggle to find his own political voice. RFK was in a unique position of national prominence, and many people looked to him to take the place of his slain brother. This book tells the story of how his political views began to change and evolve through very turbulent times both at home and abroad. Robert Kennedy had always been in the shadow of his brother, but he gradually began to stand in his own right. His own unique heart and spirit began to emerge, and it ultimately revolved around a sense of compassion and justice. By the time that he ran for President in 1968, there was much that Robert Kennedy could have given to America and to the world. This book explores that final political campaign, and the path that RFK always strived to find and follow.

While reading this fine book, I found myself immersed in the politics and social upheavals of the 1960s. My understanding of Robert F. Kennedy's role in the mid-1960s as a leader of a coalition of social movements was greatly enhanced. It was a joy to read!

Many Georgians and many tourists enjoy the recreation and relaxation of Jekyll Island, one of the jewels of Georgia's "Golden Isles." One of the attractions for visitors to the Island is staying at, or visiting, the restored hotel, The Jekyll Island Club, and touring the "cottages" built by the millionaires who originally developed the island more than one hundred years ago. In The Jekyl Island Club, Brent Monahan takes us back to the time when J. P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, and other tycoons and robber barons vacationed in splendor, and ran their little island as part of their fiefdoms. When one of the guests on the island is found dead from a gunshot, however, they have to acknowledge the local authority, at least enough to have the Brunswick sheriff make official their idea of what happened. Enter John Le Brun, high sheriff of Brunswick and a person with good reason to hold a grudge against the captains of industry who occupy what was formerly his home. Le Brun has his own problems, including a brand new chief deputy who recently returned home is disgrace from Philadelphia and is the son of the local judge. The judge is not a fan of the sheriff's, and is totally in the pocket of the Jekyl Island Club membership. In launching his investigation Le Brun must face the disdain, if not enmity, of club members and some of their staff; concerns about the loyalty of his own deputy; his own feelings; and his sense of justice. The pressure is on, in part because President McKinley is soon to visit the Island, traveling over from Thomasville where he is vacationing at the vacation home of his advisor, Ohio Senator Hanna, to meet with the some of the millionaires and House Speaker Reed, a guest of Morgan's. President McKinley's visit actually happened, and Monahan uses that historical fact and the residual glamor of the Jekyl Island Club, to fashion a neat little mystery. In an afterword Monahan also notes that before and after the millionaires' ownership, Jekyll was spelled with two "l's." While it was their private preserve, there was only one. While this book is not a great mystery, it is a solid one. The greatest charm, however, is in its bringing to life the era of conspicuous opulence and filling out the pictures today's visitors to Jekyll Island have in their imaginations.

Pretty cool book - the ties between the characters and persons they portray are incredible... i found myself questioning, could this be real or is it just fiction...

It starts out a little slow (some very long chapters) but soon you are hooked. The fascination of moguls of that time and their impact on our history. Well written. You wish there were other books about Sheriff John Le Brun and his crime solving abilities.

This book was used in an introductory number theory class at my University last spring. Then (and still now), I have mixed feelings about it.

Good points: The material that is covered is explained well, with the author focusing more on understanding and application than mindless theorem/proof theorem/proof, etc. Also, some of the topics covered in this book are a bit out of the ordinary, (including a chapter at the beginning about rational points on circles and a series of chapters at the end leading to a (very) rough sketch of the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem.

Bad points: Having worked through (virtually) the entire book, I am left with the feeling that there is plenty left out. The book is THIN, and it would be interesting to see some of the theory behind quadratic reciprocity, etc. fleshed out more instead of just learning enough to do the basic computation. Also, the problems are HEAVILY focused on computation, so it does not serve as a very good introduction to proof-based mathematics (I think many people would tend to skim over the proofs in the book and forget them, focusing instead only on the computational methods).

In all, this might be a good book for self-study for the beginning number-theorist. If you're looking for a rigorous introduction to number theory though, this book might be far too "friendly" for your tastes.

I just wanted to make clear the point that each textbook or math book written is written for an INTENDED audience, and it's not fair to negatively criticize a book by using the reviewer's own personal background, rather than the INTENDED audience, as the guide for criticism.

This book was not written for math majors. So, I find it kind of distressing to hear that many math majors are saying this was textbook for a beginning number theory class for math majors. Silverman makes effort to point out that the book was written as the textbook for a general liberal arts math class, which is actually taken by non-science and non-math majors at the university where Silverman teaches. It requires nothing beyond basic calculus (if that), and I don't see anywhere where Silverman gives the impression that the book is meant to be used as a strong introduction to writing proofs or becoming fluent in rigorous mathematical arguments which math majors will later see.

So, of course, math majors will find fault...but the book wasn't written for them. It was written primarily to get people who have little interest in math or little exposure to math, some opportunity to see something more interesting beyond high school algebra and calculus. The emphasis on computation is warranted in any case, because although number theory is mathematics and has rigorous proofs, intuition and working familiarity with the concepts and constructions of number theory only come through hours and hours of simple computations with the positive integers. Computation is a legitimate and necessary part of number theory.

As for rational points on the circle (and Fermat's Last Theorem) being unusual or out of the ordinary material, this is farthest from the truth. The example of rational points on the circle is one of the oldest (2,000 years or so???) and most basic constructions of number theory, revealing how geometric number theory is, and the example directly leads to more general ideas and concepts which are central to current research (Diophantine equations, elliptic curves, projective geometry, for example) and pick up many of the standard graduate references on elliptic curves and the first 5-10 pages are a detailed examination of this very example.

I'm a graduate student studying number theory, so I'm pretty far away from the intended audience. But I can see that the book does a pretty good job at what it sets out to do, namely present an exposition of certain problems in mathematics, accessible to non-science and liberal arts majors, in a leisurely and engaging fashion, and to get the students to do their own basic pattern-searching, computation, data collection and conjecturing (ALL important facets of mathematics...proof is the polished product, but lots of time is spent by mathematicians before even GETTING to the point of proving things.)

This sounds like a fairly "friendly" introduction to me. If you want more, check out Niven, Hardy/Wright, Ireland/Rosen, Apostol, Gauss, etc.

I very much enjoyed this book. The book is indeed an excellent and "friendly" introduction to number theory. Dr. Silverman writes in a conversation style. I felt like I had a friendly tutor standing over my shoulder explaining not only how the mathematics worked, but, more importantly, why the topics he described or was about to describe are important and their relevancy in either the world of mathematics or in the "real" world. While he has very few "formal" proofs compared to most number theory texts, Dr. Silverman thoroughly works through numerous numerical examples to give the reader a "feel" for what is going on.

I was particularly pleased with Dr. Silverman's chapter explanation of why quadratic residues are important and how they are used.

Dr. Silverman presents introductory explanations of a number of frequently mentioned number theory topics such as Mersenne Primes, number sieves, RSA cryptography, elliptic curves. He ties together lucid explanations of Pythagorean triples, x2 + y2 = z2, x4 + y4 = z4, and elliptic curves to build to an explanation of Wiles proof of Fermat's Last Theorem.

A tedious, ponderous, barely readable bore of a book - typical of the the continuing "cut and paste" historical method employed by the other current darlings of fast-food history publishing (Kearns-Goodwin and Burns). Hardly "definitive" - dull juxtaposition of historical documentation with carbon-copy editorializing. The bottom line - Goebbels was a deeply evil, disturbed individual who took his family - Germany - and Europe into the depths of the abyss -----> The only thing "definitive" is yet another author repeating the same message. "Cliche" is a better adjective.
Kudos also to "Kirkus Reviews" for their highly professional review describing how "the author captures post WW-II Germany, and how this desperate country--in which no kind of ability, industry, or talent was a guarantee against poverty--nurtured Goebbels's search for a savior who could galvanize the stricken Volk .." Hmmm , how Goebbles was the product of "Post WW-II Germany" huh --- Wow history real experts there.

This is not a light and fluffy biography. Reuth has put an amazing amount of scholastic work into reconstructing the life of Goebbels. Be warned, however, that the book is slow-going, and often tedious.

Settle in and concentrate on this slow hard look at Goebbels. If you are into detail on National Socialist interparty politics, this is the book. This guy was pure evil. He is the only figure surrounding Hitler that can actually eclipse the Fuhrer's ugliness.

I feel that this book is a good learning tool for young kids today. Many of our youths don't know how hard was back in the day to get what you wanted and needed. The book tells about a strugle a young man went through and I feel that all teenagers and young adults should definately pick this one!

This book is about overcoming many obstacles that get your way. He told about a lot of things people would have block out of their minds. By telling of his experiences, it will reach out to someone who has gone though the same things. I encourage you to read this book to see how someone can grow up to be sucessful after overcoming the odds.

Henderson's book offers a personal insight to the harse world of child abuse and survival on the streets of the 'hood'. To see him survive this cruel environment and become a model citizen is an inspiration to people everywhere.

I highly recommend this book, especially to teenagers and young adults.

I have already bought and read Palm Programming for the Absolute Beginner. I learned a lot with that book and it was extremely helpful. The author presented the language in a basic but informative way. At that time, I was an absolute beginner to computer programming. Now, I just bought Java Programming for the absolute beginner and was very disappointed. Not only does the author make no sense in explaining the language, but he also digresses to other topics that are just pointless. I don't recommend this book at all. If you have a problem with something, this book is not helpful. Hope this was helpful...

I want to learn java,So I nedd Your help.I am so poor,I have no
ability to bye this book,but I am so interested of this subject.

This was probably one of the best programming books i've ever read. It is interesting all the way through but at the same time it teaches important programming concepts. It has many examples that you won't be bored with. This book demonstrates good writing skills and a great way to teach someone to program through the use of game programming.

To a certain degree I can enjoy zany antics just as much as the next guy. And I am glad that Wambaugh at least tries to put some humor into his novels. But sometimes one has to wonder if he is trying to model his humor on (or is it after?) the Three Stooges. I enjoyed reading this novel, but I am not about to take it seriously. I wonder what would happen if Wambaugh ever co-authored a mystery novel with Patricia Cornwell in which one of his versions of a cop worked closely with Kate Scarpetta (in her current paranoid, very near nervious, and very mental, breakdown condition) in trying to solve an intriguing and highly invoved case.

Wambaugh has a flair for scriptwriting equal to Quinton Tarantino at his best. He's brutal, sly, topical, sharp, intense and outrageous all at the same time. This novel can be a bit silly at times, but never does it become stale. "Finnegan's Week" should appeal to readers of a wide variety of tastes, and I'm surprised that Wambaugh doesn't have a larger following than he has. His plots weave in and out, and he always finds a unique way to bring it all together at the end. His razor-sharp wit sets him apart from the rest of the thriller writers out there. A great, fun read with a superior style.

Wambaugh delivers as usual in this funny, exciting tale of an cop who's an aspiring actor (and who's facing midlife crises as only an actor wannabe can) while in the middle of investigating a truck theft that turns out to also involve a theft from a Naval warehouse as well as a load of missing toxic waste. His case brings him into contact with two tough and sexy Policewomen, each with her own private and professional agenda. Will Fin Finnegan (the cop-actor-hopeful) get the part he's trying out for? Will he survive a week filled with too much booze, a murderous sociopath business owner, a druggy biker turned trucker, and two beautiful women who both seem as interested in him as they are in the case at hand? This is typical Wambaugh in that the horrors and sadness of the crimes and victims are not treated lightly, yet (like the good cops who frequent his novels) our only salvation from evil is to laugh at his sometimes mordant humor and wit. One of Wambaugh's strengths is his ability to gradually make his characters sympathetic and likeable, sometimes even when they're not the good guys. I rate this as one of Wambaugh's best novels, and that's saying something, since in my opinion he's never written a bad one. I wish he would recover his muse and write some more fiction in the vein of this novel and FUGITIVE NIGHTS. It's been a while since he's come out with any novels. A shame, because no one else writes about police life in quite the same way.

A five star rating for the humor, characters, and the suspense.

Mr. Cossman probably inteaded this book to help others on the road of financial prosperity through a home based mail order business. However he falls well short by only going into little detail on many areas instead of great detail in some areas. If you are looking for a wonderful motivation tool than this book is for you. However, if you are looking to make a million I suggest you purchase something else.

E.J. Cossman's book is part of my support system and changed my life for the better. E. Joseph Cossman advice helped me to go from debt to success (out of debt) in less than 3 years. The book contains advice to help anyone. The advice is not limited to mailorder, and applicable to all businesses and professions. Yes, your job can benefit from the advice. Don't be afraid to invest in this book and use the advice to help yourself from debt to success. Sounds like a good title for a book.

All the best, Franklin

I work a lot with new businesses. In fact, that has been a ministry of mine for the past twenty years. This book is the book I recommend or out right give to anyone who is just starting out in business. Just the first chapter alone is worth the price of the book. Those who have sour grapes concerning this book are just ignorant. My father used these same principles to start a successful catering truck business that lasted until he was too old to do it anymore. So, what he has to say REALLY, REALLY works! The book is cheap, gives good advice and is funny as well. What more could anyone ask for? BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!! You won't be sorry!

I had to read this book for an introductory programming class and didn't find it at all helpful when going on to Java. It wasn't worth the time I spent working with it. You'd be better off just beginning the object-oriented language you're interested in. If you want my advice, try Beginning Java Objects by Jacquie Barker instead.

This book reminds me of the older LOGO programming language. You have a small "robot" that explores his world. You tell him how to move and what to do. The only reason this is good is that it helps you think of object oriented programming. (The robot is considered an object). There are also special editions of the book in case you want to specifically move to C++ or Java later. Basically, the book is a good start. If you have any programming experience - skip it. Otherwise, it will get you in the rate frame of mind to move toward OOP.

This book is meant for the earliest of beginning programmers. If you have any programming experience whatsoever, even with macros, the information in this book will seem extrememly remedial. Also, some of the terms used aren't even real C++ code, so you'll have to adjust your thinking just a little when you move on. Finally, the price is pretty steep for the amount of information you get. I would probably only recommend this book for someone needing a very, very, VERY gentle intro to programming.