If you were forced to identify the best Tcl/Tk book ever written, this would be it. The examples are not just toys. They are useful in their own right. The breadth covered is extensive. Each topic covered is the best I have yet seen. With this book, you can probably even omit reading Ousterhout. It is hard to provide code and then to describe the code in a useful way but this book accomplishes it, with no nonsense. I keep three copies, one at home, one at work, and one in my brief case. McLennon created [incr Tcl] and his intro to it in "Tcl/Tk Tools" is also good. I wish he had written "[incr Tcl] from the Ground Up" as his style is more concise than Chad Smith.

Once you have mastered tha basics of TCL/TK, then this book is a must read. It covers some very elegant programming techniques that are possible in an interpreted language, such as TCL.

An excellent book. Picks up where Welch's book ends, with a applied approach. I really appreciate the coverage devoted to developing re-usable code via script libraries. This is an absolute "must read" for any serious Tcl/Tk developer.

I found this book to be typical of all Peterson guides. It's a useful book to have but not the best available. In typical Peterson fashion the book shows illustrations of birds instead of photos. While some find this more useful for showing details all too often I've found that the drawings like little like the actualy birds.

However this book does contain the bird's comman and scientific name for each species. In addition it has a physical description of coloration and markings, a description of the habitats where they are likely to be found, their geographic distribution, notes on their song and any similar species when applicable.

I find that this is a nice addition to the Stoke's Field Guide which shows pictures instead drawings.

Definitely a nice addition to your library.

The Peterson Field Guide to Western Birds is the best such guide you will find. The nice thing about birds and birding is that there are few enough species out there that you can get virtually all of them in one regional guide.

This book is outstanding. It relies on illustrations rather than photographs to show markings and other details used to ID birds in the field. I find that photos are often sub-standard, not showing characters essential for identifying birds due to the position of the bird, markings of the individual chosen for inclusion in the book, etc.

In this book each entry includes a bird's common and scientific names, a brief physical description of the body and coloration, a drawing(s) of the bird, a brief description of habitats where they are likely to be seen, a blip about their geographic distribution, notes on their song, and reference to similar species (if any). The entry also refers the reader to a map number that shows the summer and winter ranges for each bird.

This is "the bird book" to have for western birds for the novice and experienced birder alike. If you've never had much luck figuring out which birds you are looking at try this book.

5 stars only because that's the highest rating possible.

Note: if you travel much throughout the USA, you ought to pick up the Peterson Guide to Eastern Birds as well -- it is the sister book to this one. With both of those books in hand you will be in good birding shape.

Alan Holyoak, Dept of Biology, Manchester College, IN

I just got the 3rd ed. of Petersons to replace my ancient copy. Although I was tempted by the newer National Geographic guide, the illustrations in Petersons, with the birds posed consistently and without distracting backgrounds, looks cleaner and less confusing. Peterson's paintings also emphasize patterns, rather than rendering every feather, making them more useful in identification. The book's shortcoming is that the range maps are grouped at the back, rather than with the text and pictures. On the other hand, these maps are larger and more detailed than the maps in the nationwide guides. Overall, while the NGS is a beautiful book, and it certainly wouldn't hurt to have both, I think Peterson is still the best for its stated purpose of identifying birds in the field.

In a series of letters from dog Ike LaRue to his owner, we learn that Ike has been sent to doggie reform school for a long list of transgressions, not the least having to do with the neighbors' cats.

Of course Ike is not to blame and is an innocent victum of circumstance. At least, he tries to convince his owner of his innocence and pleads for her to get him out. As his request goes unanswered, his letters become more and more desperate.
You'll have to read the book to see how Ike resolves his problem.

This is a funny one, one I'm buying for all of the kids I know. Recommended!

The main character Ike is a dog and a liar. His owner Mrs. LaRue sent Ike to obedience school because he chases the neighbor's cats, steals food off the table, and pulled Mrs. LaRue down the street and tore her best camel coat. The obedience school has a sauna and a pool. Life is easy at obedience school, so I would like to stay thare. I like this book because it has letters to read. I recomend this book to you!

Copyright © 2002 By Diana Guerrero
This book is a fun and clever story of Ike, who gets sent off to obedience school for his naughty behavior. Ike is also an aspiring writer!

The book is a series of letters written to his owner from the Igor Brotweiler Canine Academy as he serves his two month term. Ike tries to explain his past bad behavior and about how horrible it at school--painting a picture of a horrible term in jail. His descriptions are shown in black and white pictures while the real story of his plight can be found in full color adjacent to the others.

Ike decides to make a jail break and is on the run, returning in time to save his mistress. You'll absolutely love this book whether you are a kid, parent, adult or dog lover!

This book was "OK", but it isn't nearly as good as "The Bandsaw Book" by Lonnie Bird. I've purchased both of them and read both of them. If you want to get just one book to learn how to use, set up, buy, and tune a bandsaw, new or used, get Lonnie Bird's book. It's written in a better format and uses better photographs.

As a novice woodworker involved in home reconstruction and associated projects such as building bookcases, wall shelves, built-in desks, cabinets, etc., my basic shop until now has consisted of the trusty table saw, compound mitre, router and more recently a 13" Delta planer (great tool). Having found access to a terrific hardwood lumber wholesale outlet, the issues of economically getting boards of out 6"-12" rough cut lumber and getting into jointing/fancy cuts, naturally placed my focus on bandsaws for resawing, tenon cuts, scroll work and such. The Bandsaw Handbook is worth every penny and it takes only a few pennies to place a lot of information at your fingertips here. It would be helpful to get real, detailed, color pictures (and fewer sketches) into future editions, if any. As a serious bandsaw buyer, I'm still left with (as with Bird's book and also very helpful) the fuzzy problem of finding the best all-around buy for my needs. Neither book does a great job in my mind on "how to select a bandsaw". However, this is probably the primary reason why many of us "weekend woodworkers" buy the books to begin with - seasoned bandsaw owners don't need it. Still looking for that simple, practical guide for the bandsaw investment. Regardless .. buy Bandsaw Handbook by Duginske if you are considering getting into the bandsawing world, its loaded.

I am a beginning woodworker and have found that purchasing new tools can be one of the biggest headaches of the hobby. What tool should I buy next? Which brand or model should I buy? Do I even need a band saw? This book was able to answer all these questions for me. It taught me techniques and methods that will serve me very well, now, as well as in the future. Of the other bandsaw books I looked at, this one fit my needs perfectly. Perhaps it's the right book for you?

I have read several books on pyramids and have found none that gives the reader the text with very accurate pictures and drawnings as "The Complete Pyramids". This book is a must for those who need a good, general reference. It will be the center piece of the archaeological section in my office.

I have read many books on the pyramids, many of the alien/atlantis ilk and these were always high on theory and very low on facts. This book however was exceptional because it present facts, diagrams, site plans, cross sections and measurements and entire histories and photographs, of just about every pyramid in Egypt, which comes to about 70. There are no fanciful theories, just plain facts and information and plenty of it. It also gives a very useful section on the history of the discovery and excavations of the pyramid sites and like many of the previous reviewers, I too regret not having known about this book before I went to Egypt, as it would have been invaluable, and I think I would have visited several other sites, as a result.

I give this 5 stars, because although some extra information could have been provided, the amount of data that has been included far surpasses anything else available, and I feel that this should be reflected in the rating.

Like its author, this book is completely devoted to the Pyramids of Egypt. The major premise - that the archaeological record bears witness to an evolution of pyramid design, construction and function from beginning to end of the Pyramid Age - is demonstrated brilliantly and completely. It explains without exhausting the religious significance of the conceptual Pyramid Complex, then concentrates on the 'brick and mortar' aspects of its subject. An informative review of explorations at the pyramid sites throughout the ages is equally as interesting as the detailed descriptions of the pyramids themselves that follows in a section fittingly titled "The Whole Pyramid Catalogue". This catalogue, comprising fully half the volume, is a description of each individual Egyptian Pyramid Complex presented (chronologically) with such clarity of detail that it dispels all ambiguity created by several lifetimes of sensationalist and speculative journalism surrounding its subject. In its latter pages the author discusses the role of the Pyramid Complex as administrative center and landlord in later antiquity, and gracefully addresses the more controversial of topics, including the ubiquitous "how did they do it" question, along with his own speculations on some unanswered sociological questions - the size of the work force and logistics. Quite reasoned and well-informed estimates lead him to conclusions that will in their own right prove controversial. One notable unintended consequence of this volume is that many artifacts, presented elsewhere as "Art", assume their appropriate contextual venue and so now hold much more meaning for this reader. The Narmer Palate as declarative stellae in a walled courtyard at Nekhen is one example, the gilded yet austere canopied boudoir of Hetepheres is another. The text is very well written and easily read. Heavily illustrated, the photographs are appropriate, of excellent quality and are well placed; line drawings are used throughout to clarify and supplement photographs. With this volume Dr. Mark Lehner joins the ranks of Egypt's most celebrated archaeologists, and surpasses them all in understanding and presentation of the facts concerning the Pyramids.

I've bought several thesauri over the years, including good ole Roget's International, but this one by Barbara Kipfer is by far my favorite because it strikes just the right balance between ease of use and comprehensiveness. Roget's International is undoubtedly the king still for comprehensiveness. Unfortunately, Roget's International is also the most onerous to use, so much so that I rarely ever touch it anymore. Other thesauruses on the market in dictionary format, such as Roget II or Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus, are very easy to use, but unfortunately they have few synonyms under each entry. This thesaurus by Kipfer, on the other hand, is just right. I give it five stars.

then the world will be well ordered, is what Confucius thought. This idea was so dear to his heart that he said the first thing he'd do if he were to rule a state was the rectification of words: "Let the ruler be ruler, the minister minister, the father father, and the son son".

Mr. Roget surely did not think the influence of his work would go that far. But his thesaurus, available now in the second edition of "Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus", is a very useful tool nevertheless. On over 950 pages it lists 20,000 words from ABACK (meaning "taken unawares", which is what I was when I found this treasure in the Shanghai Foreign Languages Bookstore for the equivalent of just 3 US Dollars) to ZOOM (meaning "move very quickly", which is absolutely not recommended when indulging in this book). As a decent thesaurus should do, the Roget gives you a 'meaning cluster' for every listed word. In addition, for every listed word there is a reference to the unique Concept Index at the end of the book. The Concept Index is an extension of the original idea of a thesaurus, which basically groups words according to idea. That is, the thesaurus leads you from a single word to a group of related synonyms. The Concept Index, on the other hand, shows you the semantic ocean in which the word floats. Or, to quote the editors: "The Concept Index not only helps writers to organize their ideas but leads them from those very ideas to the words that can best express them." (remember: "the rectification of words"). How does that work? The Concept Index is grouped in ten categories. One of my favorites is called "Fields of Human Activity". Under this category one finds the sub-category 'communicative', for example, which contains all the useful words for book reviews from 'abusive' to 'zany'.

If you love words, this is your book. If you want to have fun with words, this is your book, too: where else would you learn that the idea of a BUSINESSPERSON (concept no. 348, for those who want to look it up) contains not only the banker but also the cyberpunk?

"Thesaurus" is Latin for "treasury", but all the editions that I came across in my long search of a good one had been anything but. They were either too bulky or too brief, severely abridged or arranged by concepts (!) with alphabetical index at the end. Looking for the right word in these circumstances caused me excruciating pain, both mental and physical. I was in great danger of being sucked in by a tornado of strange, confusing, irrelevant words.

Thankfully, I discovered this book. And what a treasury it is! The dictionary format, 450,000 entries, 1 million word results, a wonderful concept index on the back which shows how a word fits into a pool of similar ones - these are only some of the many highlights of this edition. Not only do I keep it by my side every time I sit down to write, but often look into it for pure pleasure, partaking of the wealth it stores.

This book takes the metaphor, "business is war" as far is it can possibly go - and then pushes it a little bit farther. The writer, an amateur military historian, draws many examples of strategy and tactics from battlefield applications - none of them Chinese, interestingly enough, considering the inspiration for the book. He establishes indisputably that Sun Tzu's observations in China, circa 400 BC, would have been equally valid in Imperial Rome or World War II. He falters somewhat when he attempts to apply these principles to business. The author struggles to make the connection and occasionally succeeds, most effectively when discussing price wars and hostile takeovers. If the premise that business is like war is questionable, the idea of using a Chinese military handbook as a business text is unusual enough to be stimulating. We [...] recommend this intriguing book to business strategists and managers.

In recent years, a great deal of nonsense has been published concerning similarities between the military battlefield and the business world. Authors frequently invoke military terms such as "attack", "ambush", "pre-emptive strike", "blitzkrieg" (or "blitz"), "no man's land", "chain of command", "firepower", "guerrilla", "kamikazi", "overkill", and "scorched-earth policy." Amidst all the other books in which forced comparisons are made, Mark McNeilly has written Sun Tzu and the Art of Business. He includes in his book the original (and superb) translation of The Art of War by Samuel B. Griffith.

Time and again, McNeilly stresses (as does Sun Tzu) the absolute importance of personal character. Respect and trust are earned, not conferred by title or decree. It remains for leaders to formulate the correct strategies as well as those tactics needed to implement them. It remains for leaders to allocate resources only where they will achieve the greatest possible success at the lowest acceptable cost. Whether the competition is on a battlefield or in a marketplace, the six principles discussed by McNeilly are appropriate to whatever strategy or strategies may be needed. Historically, the most successful armies and the most successful companies have shared much in common: meticulous preparation, superb timing, speed, maximum use of resources where they will have the greatest impact, sufficient intelligence on opponents, mobility, flexibility, and (above all) resolve.

In Sun Tzu and the Art of Business , McNeilly provides a brilliant analysis of six specific principles (first set to writing almost 2,500 years ago) which, he correctly suggests, will enable all manner of organizations to formulate appropriate strategies for the New Millennium. This is a solid, eloquent, sharply-focused book. Unlike so many other authors who force analogies between war and business, McNeilly respects the basic (indeed obvious) differences between them while explaining how certain principles are relevant to both.

I read Sun Tzu twice a year at least to remind myself of the principles found in this ancient work. This book contains a very good translation of the original book as an addendum. The six principles and true-life business stories allow the reader to more clearly see the business application of Sun Tzu. The author has done a great service to the business world. I recommend it to my associates and never mention to my competitiors.

I bought Harold Davis's "Visual Basic 6: Visual QuickStart Guide" because I've always wanted to learn to program. And I did! Now that VB .NET is here, I've been at a loss as to how to proceed. Thank goodness, Mr. Davis has written a book about this latest (and greatest!) version of VB. This book has everything I've been needing to get going with tips on migrating my programs and what's new or just changed from the previous version. I really don't understand the one star review from "The Geek" down below. He's comparing this book which is for novices and intermediate programmers with books for experts. Sounds like apples and oranges to me. If you're looking for a great book to get you started with VB .NET, then buy this book!

I have about thirty .NET books on my shelf, and this is the best of all. It is more than a tutorial about Visual Basic .NET programming -- it also gives extraordinary understanding of what .NET is about. Easy visuals and step by step instructions get you up fast with .NET, but there is also meat for experienced programmers. This is quite a tasty book!


I have read some of Harold's other books about programming and Visual Basic, and they are all good -- but this is the best one yet.

This review is partly in response to the review of this book by "Geek." If you check out the review of this book that Geek wrote, and the links to his other reviews, you'll see that he's on a politically correct crusade against all Visual Basic .NET books that don't go with his politically correct view of object-oriented programming (OOP).

In fact, this is a pretty good and very useful book, although of course not for all levels of readers. The author states clearly that in .NET "everyone is doing OOP," the only question is whether they or doing it well or not. He also says that the book is intended for those who want to learn to program, for VB6 programmers who want to learn VB.NET (I almost said VB7!), and beginning to intermediate programmers who want a task-based reference. For these kinds of readers, the book succeeds admirably. It does not pretend to be an advanced book, or a book about the foundations of OOP. It seems quite inapt (and slightly unfair) to compare this book (as Geek does) to a book for experienced programmers or a 1600 page tome.

I enjoyed this literate, elegant and useful book no end -- and I unequivically recommend it to readers of the right level.

Why can't books of inspiration and insight have some humor that illustrates the points being made. I found this tape to be maudlin and overwrought with poignancy which did not inspire me nor shed any new insights. The stories were ok, but there is a lot more to golf than what I heard on this tape. Needless to say, I was disappointed.

I expected this book to only be of interest to the golfer. But reading a friend's copy on a plane convinced me to pick it up for myself; there are great stories in here, that apply the lessons of golf to life. And, frankly, the "no name" contributors are often more touching than their more famous peers. Good stuff.

I have read many of the books in the Chicken Soup Series but this one really hits home! I am a golfer and everyone who plays the game will tell you that golf is a metaphor for life. These short essays really capture the essence of the game. I suggest that everybody start with the essay entitled "A Wing Grew Back" written by Jay Gearan. It is skillfully crafted and immediately draws the reader into the inspiring story of the challenges confronting a handicapped golfer. I certainly hope there will be a second helping of Chicken Soup for the Golfer's Soul and hope to see more work done by Gearan. Kudos for a job well done!!!!

I have just finished reading it, my first Chicken Soup book too, and enjoyed most of the stories. One of the stories stood out. It was about a young girl, Arlyn, titled Wind Beneath My Wings, written by her mother after her Arlyn's death. In this busy, hectic world, we get so busy, it was a good reminder for me to listen more carefully to my own daughter. At the end of the book the author's mailing and email addresses were listed - I think that is an extra bonus! I would recommend the book, and this story, for anyone who has a child.

I like the Chicken Soup books because they are a combination of short articles and stories. I don't have as much time as I'd like to read so I like something I can just read a few pages of at a time. I can't put this one down! I especially like the letter "Hussy Sunsets" by Milly Vanderpool. It is letter of congratulaltions she sent, in 1941, to her younger brother when he married, submitted by her Granddaughter, Laura. I keep thinking of what she said, "The most important thing in a marriage is not a home, children or a remedy against sin, but simply there always being an eye to catch".

After reading the hokey "Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul," I was a bit leery about reading another Chicken Soup book. I wasn't sure if the stories in Chicken Soup were ones that I could relate to my life and my experiences. But when I heard that the Chicken Soup people had published a book for the "unsinkable soul," I decided to give the books another try. As a mildly disabled person who has conquered many obstacles in my own childhood, I thought that if there was any characteristic that I related to, it would be triumph -- success -- unsinkability. Needless to say, I was very pleased with this book. There were stories that made me laugh, others that made me cry, and even more that made me think. My favorite story was called "The Flight of the Red-Tail," written by Penny Porter, an awesome author. The story narrates one family's attempt to save a bird struck by a vehicle. Although the bird had one bad wing and was on the brink of death, it was able to recover and eventually learned to fly. Also, Erma Bombeck's contributions to the book were especially poignant and inspiring. The book closes with her piece called "At Wit's End," which stresses the importance of living for today, not for tomorrow.

Overall, the book proved to be a valuable source of encouragement, enlightenment, and inspiration. Even though I never wanted to put the book down, I finished each reading with an invigorating feeling. I was blown away at the combined power of the short stories and poems that compose this book. Even if you've felt let down by the Chicken Soup series in the past, I invite you to give "unsinkable soul" a try. I dare each and every reader to devour this book from cover to cover and then say that he or she wasn't moved or touched in some way by this book. "Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul" is incredibly powerful -- and highly recommended.