When I put down this book and looked up, I was surprised to see I was not in the Pacific Grove/Monterey area. This book takes you, almost physically, to the Monterey penninsula. The descriptions just make you want to pack a bag and go visit (well, except for murders, attacks, suicide and witchcraft). I particularly enjoyed "Reunion" and "Borscht in the Bay". In fact, I look forward to finding out what kind of trouble "Woody" gets involved in next...and I would sure like one of those burgers from The Grill.

This book is great and I'm buying another copy for my sister. The stories are well-crafted, written in a variety of genres, and each writer captures a little of the essence of the Monterey Peninsula.
I found the lead story, "Reunion", a romantic fantasy by Walter Gourlay, to be especially moving and poignant, not only because I was around during the period (1943) in which the story is set, and I remember the old tunes, but because of the air of eerie mystery surrounding the two lovers.

The children's story by Mike Tyrrel is absolutely wonderful. I will read it to my grandchildren. I hope he writes more stories like this.
Byron Merritt's science-fiction spoof is hilarious, especially his sleuth's extra-terrestrial partner, a gelatinous blob in a coffee cup.
Mark Angel's scuba divers, Lele Dahle's tragic account of growing up in Carmel Valley, Chris Kemp's story of weird witchery, Francis Rossi's attempted murder, Ken Jones' Russian sub, Pat Hanson's hot tubs that talk, and Shaheen Schmidt's place to heal--each story has its own charm. Together they make a delightful volume to read and give as a gift.
The clever cover by local artist Dan Koffman captures the ambience of Cannery Row and is a fit introduction to the collection.

The authors of Monterey Shorts let their imaginations go wild with amazing characters and marvelously creative plot twists.  Monte-Ray Gunn by Byron Merritt is a science fiction comedy of the craziest kind set in the year 3000!  The Monterey Intergalactic Aquarium? A black blob that lives in a coffee cup?  A Xenophobic cop that acts, and talks, like a Sam Spade character?  A murder?  Chuckle away.  I did.  In A Flash of Red Frances Rossi creates a more serious mood as she shares the healing process of a woman who has experienced every woman's worst fear through a parable set in Pacific Grove ... where 'things' are not always as they seem.  Shaheen Schmidt's A Place to Heal presents the Peninsula as most of us know it, a refuge where relationships matter more than competing in the corporate rat race.  Mike Tyrrel views the world from a charming perspective in Dot's Dad Visits Dinosaur Town where adults are timid and unsure, and children comfort and know all the correct answers. In Borscht in the Bay, Ken Jones' engaging cast of characters (mysterious visitors, a seasoned and frustrated cop, a lovable busybody...) play a soft-peddled game of cat and mouse around beautiful Pacific Grove. I want to read more about the adventures of these characters!    Mark Angel entices the reader to take a deep breath and go under the ocean waves with his divers in Mortuary Beach where his cleverly crafted story entertains and instructs on the high and low points of this challenging sport.  Isn't hot tubbing supposed to be relaxing?  Not if the hot tubs could tell your secrets!  Pat Hanson's imaginative tale in If the Tubs Could Talk gives a voice to hot tubs at a local spa!  The supernatural theme really takes off in Chris Kemp's Resurrected where family members with special powers deal with relationship challenges we ordinary folks face!  Lele Dahle exquisitely crafts a story that shares the impact of a childhood friendship and a loss of innocence with the reader.  In the lead story, "Reunion", by Walter E. Gourlay, a university professor returns to 1943 and finds his lost love waiting for him at the Soldier's Club at Fort Ord. A romantic time-travel - or is it a ghost story with metaphysical overtones of lost love and wasted lives? This beautifully written story kept me riveted until its startling end This collection says 'good bye' to boring, worn out formulas that we've all read a million times! A great gift that offers a story to please every taste

 

we can't say that this CD is an Encyclopedia , it doesn't cover well and all or most things in computing ,it doesn't go deeply with the subject,it's very superficial u'll need always to search for ur answers elsewhere... (all of ur aswers)
Its 244MB of pictures nothing else!ANd pictures that u can easily find and get them on the internet!!!

This Computer History photo CD contains a vast amount of data! It was a relief to see so much information in one reference source. The photos of early calculating machines, early computers and computer technology were very helpful to me in my research for school. I was able to use many of the photos in my school project, and the historical articles were fascinating. I like using my web browser to peruse all this data and the photos. I was easy and fast to do research. Found some computers listed that I never even heard of before!

I have reviewed the most recent "Red Label" version of this photo CD and love the photos of the old computers! If you have an interest in older computers, or even mechanical calculators, adding machines and pocket calculators, this guide has these and more. Excellent photos of the early microprocessor chips and the early vacuum tube based computers. Many photos of systems I have never seen or heard of, plus many more of those I have seen. Some photos are available in different sizes (contains mostly .jpg format photos) and can be accessed through any browser. I used my windows Internet Explorer. Not heavy on recent computer developments, but great info on early systems prior to the 1980's. Well worth the cost. Lots of fun!

This book a captivating truth-based who-done-it and much more. It's a scrutinizing look at the ugly goings-on in a town gone wrong where the mafia-like police force and city governors were key players. It's also one man's loving account of the inexplicable loss of a father to murder and the loss of a mother after her long battle with cancer.

I felt a sense of loss myself when I finished reading this highly compelling book.

I had trouble putting the book down, finished reading it last night. I thought it very well written, including descriptions of his family history and cultural backgound that might otherwise have risked being less than interesting. I was particularly taken by his striving to understand all involved and their acts, and not to judge people too simplistically. P.S. Try searching "arax" and "fresno" on the internet... and how can someone who read the book say that the author did not entertain the idea that his father might have been involved in illicit dealings? From the book one can only reasonably say that he did consider this possibility, actively.

Mark Arax's book is a one of a kind. It is a history of a family, a history of the Armenian people, the history of Fresno. The one thing that stands out the most about this book is the stark honesty of it all, so much so that at times the effect on the reader is unsettling. As I read this book I found myself strongly disliking the author and then liking him very much. Filled with many unusual, colorful, complex and interesting characters, this true story at times reads like a novel. The story of how a young man, a newspaper reporter, goes out to find his own father's killers, is the stuff of movies and I am surprised that this book has not been made into a movie. But upon reflection, perhaps this book is too real for Hollywood. I am sure it is too real for some of the local people in Fresno who may feel he has slighted the town. But above all, after reading this book, I was left impressed with the author's toughness, his doggedness, his camera-like mind, his no holds bared approach and his take no prisoners attitude. I would suggest that this book would make very fine reading for anyone interested in California history, and also for any interested in the dark side of small town politics. A well-done, very unusual book.

A very generalized, but complete manual covering all topics in the mechanical engineering field. All descriptions and explanations are kept brief and to the point. The explanations are just enough to make the reader understand the basics of what is needed for comprehension. The material is well organised. A good choice for a desktop reference book.

I've had this handbook for 2 years now, and I still am amazed by the wealth of information it provides on every page. Information is well presented and concise; figures and graphs are clear. Mechanical Engineering is an incredibly vast field, and hundreds of books have been written on any one topic. So do not expect to find the answers to your engineering problems, as diverse as they may be, within ONE book. BUT, as a handy reference, to review forgotten concepts on anything from logarithms to pumps to steam plants to automobiles to pumps, to look up data on pipe diameters, air conditioning coefficients, thermodynamic tables, vibration equations, tables of integrals, etc, etc ... there's no other like it. Together with Machinery's Handbook they form the best reference combo a Mechanical Engineer a can have. Just remember, for your more specific needs, go to a book on that covers only that field.

This book is an excellent general reference on a number of areas of science, engineering, and technology. I often refer to it first when searching for information on an unfamiliar subject. Most mechanical engineers working in design, manufacturing, and construction would benefit by having a copy of this book in their personal library.

While England's guitar-heads may have crowned Eric Clapton as "God", America was no slouch--providing the world with the most brilliant Michael Bloomfield. If you,like me grew up wearing out copy after copy of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and East-West lps, you'll definately want to purchase Wolkin and Keenan's book. It's as complete an oral history of Bloomfield as has ever been written. There is no glossing over the man's talent or insecurities, which led to his young and sorrowful death. The only failing of the book is the lack of introduction to the many people introduced in the telling of Michael's life-often leaving the reader with the job of having to play detective. The many "rare" photos included help provide a wonderful visceral feel to the book. And the accompanying CD, featuring rare-unlreased 1964 performances is well worth the price of the book. If you love blues or rock and grew up grooving to the string benders of the 1960s & 1970s, you'll want to read about Bloomfield and his incredible life.

When I received this book as a gift, I looked at the jacket information and thought, "Bummer; written by Bloomfield groupies; this'll be a loser." I finally picked it up to read months later and was pleasantly surprised. The two primary authors traveled the country, interviewed the first-hand sources, and tied this biography up in a nice big bow. Having grown up in Chicago and its suburbs, being about the same age as Mike would be, and being somewhat of a Chicago/Delta blues fan, I can confirm some of this, and the rest sounds right, based on second- and third-hand information I already had. There's some about the music, there's some about life on the road, there's some about working with Big Names, but this is about Mike's life and is a fitting memorial. The CD inside the back cover of my copy is incidental. Nice job, guys.

If you love blues music and Michael Bloomfield's creations in particular you won't want to be without Jan Mark Wolkin & Bill Keenom superb biography -- the first in-depth oral history to probe Bloomfield's life and times. Michael Bloomfield includes a cd of unreleased tracks and provides an inside look based on interviews with family, friends and colleagues.

Mark Twain, the most globally recognised of the greatest American writers, comes closest to autobiography in this odd and fascinating book. This is the story of part of his life at least, and lays out much of his unique moral and political philosophy.

As a book, Life on the Mississippi lacks a truly coherent story line after the half-way point; it tells the story of Twain's training as a Mississippi steamboat pilot, then, when he returns to the river years later as a successful writer, it drops off into anecdotes as Twain travels down the great river, and can be a deadly bore for some readers.

But, oh, what a picture of Twain it draws! There are great tales of characters he meets along the river, told in his inimitably funny style, wonderful bits of his childhood - like the tale of his insomniac guilt and terror when the match he loans a drunk ends up causing the jail to burn down, killing the drunk - and insightful portraits of the towns and villages along the river.

This is a characteristically American book, about progress and independence as well as the greatest American river, written by this most characteristically American writer. It is a true classic (a thing Twain despised! He said, "Classics are books that everybody praises, but nobody reads."), a book that will remain a delight for the foreseeable future.

"Life On the Mississippi" is Mark Twain's tribute to the Mississippi River, which surrounded the earlier part of his life. Mark Twain had been in awe of the river for many years; and inspired him to become a river boat pilot - explained in length in this book; much of which is quite humorous, while other parts are heartbreaking, including that of the horrible death of his brother, Henry.

One of the main complaints about this book that some people have is that is uses too many facts and figures, which tends to bog the reader down. This is true. Yet, the avid reader, and Mark Twain enthusiast, will not bypass these chapters. We will revel in them, and read them with inspired intent; simply because the Mississippi River has been such an integral part of Mark Twain's life, that the more we get to know about the river, the more we get to know about the real Mark Twain.

"Life on the Mississippi" is a work of nonfiction; perhaps Twain's truest account of historical fact concerning his life. For those who are just getting interested in knowing about Mark Twain's writings, I would recommend reading "Roughing It"; as it is humurous throughout. "Life on the Mississippi" would be the second book I would recommend.

Life on the Mississippi is by far one of the most wonderful books ever written about the post Civil War era in America. Mark Twain takes the reader on a melancholy look at this period of time in history as you journey into the Mississippi of his youth, adulthood, and the people and the communities he knew so well. He conveys a miraculous picture of this lively river giving it the grandeur and prominence it deserves. He defines the river very much like a living organism with a power and personality all its own. As the book unfolds, he begins in his days when he grew up along the river and became a steam boat pilot, ending that career with the advent of the Civil War. Later he returns to the river after some twenty years and takes a journey as a writer from around St. Louis to New Orleans and back up the river into what is present day Minnesota. You learn about the different cultures along the river, its tributaries, as well as the remarkable people who become part of the forgotten history of our nation. Twain's anecdotes are sheer brilliance, and he has an incredible way of choosing just the right story to illustrate a particular point transporting the reader back into time as if it was the present day and you are standing beside Twain observing what he is seeing. His reflections of his times along the river and his descriptions of the people and places make this a true masterpiece of literature and I highly recommend it. I found myself only able to read short portions at a time, as I personally found the sheer beauty of the entire book was a work to be savored and digested rather than rapidly consumed as you would with any other book. As I poured through the book, I felt often as if I was traveling with Mark Twain as a companion along his charming and magnificent journey during a wonderful period of history.

Mark Bishop has written a geneological history of most, if not all, of existing karate styles that have their roots in Okinawa. Though his work is not sourced and footnoted as is customary in academic writing, he does indicate that his information comes from interviews with karatedo masters in Okinawa, and presumably these interviews were conducted in the masters' native language. Since the vast majority of martial arts "history" is oral, and his book is so detailed, I find his accounts quite credible. In this book, Mark Bishop has done a good job of conveying the commonalities of all karate styles, despite the efforts by some to differentiate and mysticize them. Bishop should also be commended for debunking the frequently told myth that martial arts began in Okinawa when weaponless peasants developed fighting techniques to counter the aggression of Japanese samurai. He also presents his interview subjects as real people -- some of the karate masters he interviewed struck him as slightly bombastic or secretive, while others came across as humble and eager teachers. Instead of editing these impressions out he includes them.

This is not the book for people with little or no experience in the martial arts looking for a guidebook so they can learn how to win bar fights. The book is most valuable as a historical reference.

I found this book to be an excellent introduction to all of the martial arts in Okinawa. Mr. Bishop tries to write something about all of the differrent styles, their techniques and the lineage. Dates are given where possible with photos and skecthes where necessary. Very entertaining read.

Wow, I felt as if I visited the dojos addressed in this book. It did serve to demystify Okinawan Karate, which I found a mixed blessing. As they say, "ignorance is bliss." Oriental culture tends to venerate ancestors and "those that have gone before." While that is a noble practice, it can also be maddening for the Westerner that is not adept at reading between the lines to get to the truth. Mr. Bishop does a wonderful job at calling it like he sees it. In the end, this is an excellent overview of Okinawan styles of Karate. It contains a very detailed look at many different styles including philosophies, training methods, history, current conditions, and personalities. Although it didn't address every style of Okinawan Karate, I would recommend this book to assist those interested in picking a style, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone already interested in Okinawan Karate.

This book is a very in-depth resource for understanding how the voice works and how to treat the voice as an instrument.

Unfortunately, "The Rock-N-Roll Singer's Survival Manual" was edited very poorly and is very crude in layout, flow, and readability. The diagrams are poorly drawn (by the author), and spelling and grammatical errors are rampant. Included is a useless "flipbook" animation of proper breathing technique which hogs up the left side of every left sided page. The author also has a very confusing tendency to talk about (and direct the reader to) subjects which are not covered until chapters later in the book. I found myself flipping back and forth throughout the book instead of reading it from front to back. The book is also printed in a very large condescending type size, as if the book was originally intended to be a small paperback and was blown up to fill a larger cover without decreasing the amount of pages. Though it is understood that the author is speaking primarily based on his experience as a vocal coach, many of the points he makes are to be accepted on their merit alone; there is very little (if any) referencing.

There is a wealth of information here, we can only hope that Mark Baxter releases a new and improved 2nd edition to make it easily accessible.

This was the first book I read and now I've been singing for two years. This book has a ton of information about your body and the physics of your voice. There is no professional feel to the book at all. It has huge print and goofey pictures. It reminded me of reading in elementary school. I couldn't get the feeling that mark had actually trained pros. Instead I got the feeling that he was just a poor vocal instructor working in a guitar shop or something that decided to put together a book of all he knew. Don't get me wrong, he seems to know a good deal and there's lots of information. I did walk away from the book having more confidence singing then before. I would hope the're are better books available for aspiring singers. Definitly buy this book if you need to know how to protect your voice from damage.

This book is a "must have" for all singers. I am a voice teacher, and I highly recommend this book. It really teaches you about your instrument, and the proper care & maintenance it needs. I wish I would have read it when I first started singing 20 years ago!

Another book I recommend is "Singing for the Stars", by Seth Riggs.

Volume 2 covers Mirage, Visions, 5th Edition, Weatherlight, Portal, and Arena League (only 1 page for this last). As always, this volume covers ONLY those expansions released between the publication of the 1st and 3rd volumes of the encyclopedia, and ends with a "Deckbuilder's Indexes" section. This last is the only reference to other expansions of Magic, so it actually isn't useful anymore; the deckbuilder information for the most current volume should be used instead. Frankly, this volume should not have been released until a few more expansions were out; it's skimpy, but if you want complete coverage of all Magic expansions, you're pretty much trapped; the 2 stars are for the material not available in other volumes.

The introductory material (i.e., the section before the expansions are presented) is a bare minimum in this volume: "How to Use this Guide" and "A Visual Guide to Magic Cards". The book isn't intended to teach a newcomer to play the game, or to explain much of Magic strategy; seek elsewhere for that sort of thing. On the other hand, each expansion covered in Volume 2, as usual, is provided with its own introduction, describing any new twists added for that set (including new types of decks that came about as a result), any noteworthy cards in that set, and a very brief description of the storylines affected by the expansion). Consequently, the entertainment value of the introductions is in inverse proportion to the number of broken cards in the expansion and the severity of the flaws, so the introductions in this volume are much more bland than those of Volume 1.

For example, Mirage's introduction, the longest in the book, covers the introduction of "instant enchantment" and "Charm" cards, and two special abilities introduced with this expansion, "flanking" and "phasing". The descriptions of these characteristics compare them with pre-existing (i.e., volume 1) spells and game mechanics, so you need to be familiar with Magic to get anything out of this. Similarly, new cards introduced as toned-down versions of old spoiler cards don't come with a detailed description of the old card (e.g. Final Fortune vs. old Time Walk). The story line description is given in 4 paragraphs, padded with lots of white space, followed by two equally padded pages of details of famous Mirage cards: Grinning Totem, Celestial Dawn, Hammer of Bogardan, Maro, Tombstone Stairwell, and Political Trickery.

After each expansion's introduction, all its individual cards are listed in alphabetical order, shown at about 3/4 actual size. The versions of Magic that included those cards (at the time of printing) are specified, as well as any errata. The artwork came out fairly well, but the flavor text for red cards is hard to read. My copy suffers from other printing problems as well (the non-flavor text came out blurred for some Mirage cards). Each card's name is printed separately below the card, but it's annoying to pay money for this.

This encyclopedia is an invaluable resource for any Magic player. No matter how many cards you have or how many times you've played the game, chances are you haven't seen every card. That's where this book comes in. Even dealers I spoke with said they learned about a few cards from this book.

The collectable card game Magic: The Gathering was first released in 1993. Since then, dozens of expansion editions have been created and discontinued. This first Encyclopedia (made in 1996) shows every card from the first 8 editions - from Arabian Nights to Alliances (made in 1996) - as well as the whole 4th Edition (the Basic set at the time). Most interestingly of all the cards that were Discontinued before the 4th Edition are also displayed. All of the cards pictured in the book have been out of print for at least half a decade, so this is most likely the only place where you will be able to see them. The guide is well made, all in colour, official looking, and excellently laid out by the people who created the game. The card images have been shrunk by about 25% so that 12 of them can be fitted onto a side, however, the artwork and text are still clear. The rarity of each card is also detailed. As well as the encyclopedia images, there is a foreward by the game's creator, an introduction to each set (with each sets best cards highlited), deckbuilder's indexes, images of promotional cards, misprinted cards and oddities, a history of the game, and a visual guide to Magic cards (teaching how to identify ones from different sets, e.g. cards in the Alpha set have more rounded edges). I have owned this book for three years and I still refer to it regularly....

Marley's Ghost departs from Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" style to good effect. Dickens wrote for readers of the 1800s and there are very few of them reading today. Rather than invite the wrath of modern readers and academia by trying to redo Dickens, the author of "Marley's Ghost" instead writes in a style suitable to today's readers yet is able to make us believe we are IN the 1800s, if not OF the 1800s. He also, for the first time, tackles problems left unaddressed by Dickens. Dickens, a devoted Christian, has Marley not only ascend from hell, but do so with an offer of redemption for Scrooge -- thus contradicting any number of Christian doctrines. "Marley's Ghost" invents, among other things, ways to reconcile such problems. The novel brings a new, dark edge to the story and contributes a fresh way of seeing the classic. A great holiday present.

Mark Osmun's great imagination has taken us behind the scenes of a story we have read or watched on television annually since we were kids. Even with our familiarity with the story we knew virtually nothing about Jacob Marley, without whom The Christmas Carol would never have been written. Five stars for cleverness alone. To his credit, Osmun chose not to imitate the Dicken's style yet he put coal dust in my teeth together with a clostrophobic shortness of breath as I read through Marley's experience. Marley's journey is a wonderful metaphor for the journey we all travel as we ask questions about good and evil and our relationships with God and our fellow man. Marley's quest to save Scrooge is a journey of love from a man who has known everything but love. "When the time comes - How will you choose?"

The beauty of Mark Osmun's book, "Marley's Ghost", like that of other good "prequels", is that it puts flesh on the bones of a character who, in the primary work, was left two-dimensional, or berift of humanity in order to serve a symbolic purpose. Marley, in Dicken's "A Christmas Carol", was just such a character -- central, really, to all action and development that followed his appearance, but nothing more than (literally and figuratively) a spectre agent.

Anyone interested in Dickens, or in A Christmas Carol, will enjoy Marley's Ghost for the highlighting it gives, not only to the book it attempts to presage, but also to the ideals and concepts that Dickens clearly tried to impart in A Christmas Carol: humanity, existentialism and, ultimately, the redemption that may connect the two. That it also breathes life into Marley and makes him a complex though altogether human character -- and tells a story of his own personal trials and redemption in Victorian England -- is almost a bonus. Without giving away too much, the book also rounds out the symbolic facades of some of the other characters (both corporeal and incorporeal) who move the action to its climax in A Christmas Carol.

P.S. This reviewer has heard one or two complaints about Marley's Ghost that go as follows: on one hand, a few have commented that Osmun's book is not written exactly in Dickens' style and wording, and on the other hand, that it is too Dickensian. To both sides, may I simply say that while a prequel certainly invites comparisons in style and syntax, it should be judged by the extent to which it elucidates the original and not only captures the theme but somehow bolsters or underlines that theme, without slavish imitation. I think Osmun has succeeded on all counts.