This book does not definitively answer the question whether the involuntary commitment of Mary Todd Lincoln subsequent to the assassination of her husband was just. It does portray Robert Todd Lincoln, the only surviving son of MTL, who initiated the proceedings, in a light more favorable than any previous biography to analyize the event.

As a person who works in the area of mental health law in the State of Illinois, I have found this book to be an invaluable resource in understanding the history of mental health law as it has evolved in this state. That said, there are instances in which legal terms are misused or misinterpreted by the authors, which leaves some question as to the authoriativeness of the opinions they express.

This is largely a work of history. As such, it animates the colorful characters involved in the insanity trial and the developments in the years prior. This is far more interesting any fiction I have read, and its historical basis makes it helpful in considering how we treat family members and the mentally ill today.

With patience, and believe me it's worth it, you will discover the basic truths regarding Mary Todd (her supposed insanity) and her relationship with her eldest and only surviving son Robert (who had her institutionalized). This is a fantastic story of not only the legal mindset of the day regarding medicine, pyschology and women, but a story of a family that deeply cared for each other yet found it nearly impossible to express that love. Based on a large packet of notes and letters hidden away by Robert Todd Lincoln in his Manchester, Vermont home and subsequently discovered by his grandson Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith in 1980, this is hands-down the most factual account you will find anywhere, well documented with footnotes and references galore. Alas, Beckwith (the last of the Lincolns) is dead, but his decision to allow publication of this very private material was based on the fact that if Robert had not want it to be known he would have burned the packet rather than hiding it away for future discovery. If you want more gossip about the Lincolns, this is not the book for you. If you want a clearer understanding of who this great lady Mary Todd and her son Robert Todd Lincoln were, this is the only place you'll find it.

For the most basic, informative information about the net, read Internet User's 2001 Hanndbook by Mark and Betty Ater. This husband and wife team have come up with something that provides a service I wish I had when the web first became popular.

The exact descriptions of how to do basic computer functions such as screen saver changes, wall paper and security codes, to name a few, all are information the adverge consumer needs to know to manage an other wise sometimes overwhelming medium called the World Wide Web.

Every page is a gem of information that can possible save hundreds of dollars in savings, free samples, low cost services and security precautions one can take to protect your financial assets.

While I enjoyed the opportunity of reviewing basic knowledge of WWW utilization and enjoyment, I am not new to computers and
electronic commerce. In short, I use the web every day both professionally for research and personally for entertainment and socialization. So why would I still be be interested in this very rudimentary book.

The answer: The resources. Handbook 2001 provides an increadible array of resources for search engines and websites that most people have no idea about.

My recommendation is to seriously consider this book for your library as a resource. However, my honest opinion of the books price is that it is over the top for 136 pages. The asking price for this soft cover is high and should at least be hard cover or be marketed at a lower price.

So in conclusion, I love the book, but am challenged by what the publisher wants for the purchase.

Happy web surfing,

Alecia

Internet User's Handbook 2001 is a great tool for anyone using the computer!It is well written and easy to follow. Even the titles grab one's attention and gives valuable information.I found Chapter 10, "Using a Credit Card on Line" very informative, especially the Do's and Don'ts for purchases with credit cards online. Another well written chapter is Chapter 14, "Finance" since online trading and investing is heavily advertised on television and radio. Always a bit skeptical about buying stocks online, I found the information on investment education to be very helpful appealing to the beginner as well as the experienced investor. "Favorite Websites" is a tremendous tool for accessing information on just about anything. I even passed the book on to my teenagers, who found it to be a helpful reference. Two thumbs up for this book-it has something for everyone!

Very informative even though the book is a bit old. Worth buying, if you can find it.

This book is an excellent fluff-free reference for MIS professionals and a fantastic learning tool for networking students. Why books twice this price (or twice this thickness) can not be this good is a question I may never answer... email Que and let me know what they say.

Just because it's over five years old doesn't mean it's out of date - from deconstruction of packets to lengthy expositions on protocols (TCP/IP, X.25, XNS, even AppleTalk) to a 40-step flowchart on internetwork implementation, this book is a worthy addition to any technical library. The value of the diagrams and appendices alone justifies the extra effort to get this book.

Mr. Miller, if you're out there, I demand a reprint!

Covers reasonable amount of JMS. As an SCJA I recommand this book, since you don't have much choices this should do !!

A lucid and authoritative description of Java Message
Service, from Sun Microsystems, which developed and
owns it. JMS is designed for an environment of
distributed computers, where applications need to
communicate with each other and databases across the
network. You can think of JMS as one of the enablers
of Sun's longtime slogan "The Network IS The
Computer".

JMS is loosely coupled distributed networking, where
the sender and receiver do not have to be running at
the same time. Plus they do not need to know each
other's methods, quite unlike RMI [a tightly coupled
technology]. This makes for potentially much greater
flexibility in network computing.

The book emphasises this, with detailed examples of
source code showing how to use JMS with Enterprise
Java Beans, another technology invented by Sun. You
can see how to hook JMS to a session bean or an entity
bean, and how to combine JMS with several Message
Driven Beans. The text is clearly written, with
attention paid to how you can run the examples under
Microsoft Windows or Unix.

The book also suggests two sequels. It describes using JMS with J2EE, the Java Enterprise Edition, which is the full Java environment. But in a world of PDAs, cell phones and other mobile gadgets, what would be interesting is a description of JMS running under a slimmed down Java environment, like kvm, and how this would scale with the number of devices. A second sequel might be a comparison of JMS with JXTA, another Sun technology for mobile computing. Who know? Perhaps Sun is already working on this!

If you are programming in a distributed computing
environment, consider using JMS as an enabling
technology, and this book as its indispensible guide.

Who doesn't look at their high school yearbook and reminesce? If you've been to many Buffett concerts or attended any of his events, this is a fun look back. Being a Parrothead for most of my life, this is my coffee table book!! Would only be better if Buffett wrote it himself.

A must for all Parrothead and Key West lovers! Even for non-Buffet fans, good insights on other artists that influenced Jimmy including writers, great folk and country singers. Uses lots of unique media to set the mood--postcards, photos, album art, vintage paperback covers and illustrations. Lots of my friends wish the Publisher would have made a bigger printing or would re-release this book. This book captures the spirit of the Jimmy Buffet experience.

I also ended up buying this after checking it out from the library first. I couldn't decide between this and Kids Knitting by Melanie Falick so I got both for a 10-year-old. Kids Knitting has some beautiful color pictures and more projects but Kid's Easy Knitting has the basics and is more reasonably priced for someone you're not sure will continue to knit. Each has strengths and weaknesses in how they explain techniques; if you don't understand how they're explaining it in one book, it's helpful to look at the other one. I used both when I couldn't understand the information in "adult" knitting books when I first started knitting.

I checked this book out of the library yesterday and now I'm here adding it to my shopping cart. That's how much I like this book.

I am a beginning knitter, and want to teach my kids how to knit. I also was looking for some easy-as-pie projects. This is the book for me. It has goofy little pictures and simple instructions that are aimed twords kids, but I get the feeling that they are directed twords adults, too. This would be a great beginner book for ANY knitter. It doesn't talk down to you like some of the adult teaching books and it doesn't leave you with patterns that are outrageously beyond your comprehension to knit.

This book, along with some knitting supplies, would be a great gift for any child. (Or adult)

This is a nice little succinct book that breaks down those things that hinder the Christian walk. It is divided into two categories: Giants (that which are *huge* obstacles) and Thorns (not obstacles, but the little things that chaff, bother, annoy and wear you down).

The book is full great Biblical advise and is devoid of the bland platitudes that generally plague this type of Christian literature.

Be warned on two accounts though. First, you *will* find yourself saying, "yup, that's me," a lot. Secondly, this book can be a "downer." If you are looking for a happy-sappy pickup, look elsewhere. These are gritty answers to gritty questions.

A series of short stories that give examples of different situations that we all face in life. The stories will give the reader an insight as to how to come to grips with different fears, troubles in life, and grief situations such as the death of loved ones.

An interesting & detailed look into the hunting methods & machinations of the notorious corporate raider of the 1980's , Carl Icahn . A shylock-like shady character from Brooklyn ,Icahn comes across as a brilliant Machiavellian Wall Street shark whose humble lower middle class origins seemed to have whetted his appetite for his soon to be corporate preys.Interestingly , like some other legendary investors ( George Soros , Jim Rogers, Benjamin Graham etc) Icahn was drawn to philosophy from an early age and went on to study it at Princeton ______after all Schopenhaur himself was a hard-nosed savvy investor! Also like most legendary investors he grew up poor .This book dissects in detail the anatomy of Icahn's raids on Texaco , TWA and others, along with the doomed(for most investors) but brilliant(for Icahn & his clique) concept of taking control of susceptible companies through leveraged buyouts financed with junk bonds & subsequently selling off the family silver to line his own pocket! He also perfected the art of "greenmail" by blackmailing vulnerable managements and thus enriching himself at the expense of his fellow shareholders . Icahn comes across as a lean,mean, street-smart SOB who had the brains and the chutzpah to take on the most entrenched managements on Wall Street .

This book is fantastic. It is brilliantly written and lets you get right inside Icahn's head as he stalks each prey! You can almost feel the squirming of the CEO's he tortures. The descriptions of his strategic thinking are amazing. This book is a MUST READ for anyone interested in activist investing. My most influential book.

In Kyle Petty, Frye Gaillard has the most interesting driver on the NASCAR circuit, and he makes the most of it. This is a well-written, intelligent, and surprisingly candid recounting of a Winston Cup season. If you've ever wondered what the drivers say when the TV cameras are off, you should read this book - instead of the usual "I gotta thank Goodyear for puttin' an awesome set of tires under me...", you get lines like, "There was a little turd driving number fifteen that ran all over me." If you're a race fan, you'll love it.

Gaillard skips the simple sensationalism that usually accompanies Nascar writings, choosing instead to tell a real story. He explores the history of the Nascar culture, the people that comprise it and the sport's surprising ability to get in your blood for good.

Barrons in general, does a great job in presenting thier information in a concise and clear manner. Even beginners will have no problem following along in this 'pocket reference' publication. Do not let the price or size of the book sway you. It is packed with all of the pertenent information. Tanganikan cichlids are wonderful fishes and barrons does an excellent job of intoducing all of the husbandry techniques needed to keep these fish happy and healthy. One drawback is that more experienced aquarists or ichthyologists might find the book lacking in some of the detailed areas. Although overall, you pretty much can't go wrong when purchasing this book

Mr. Smith covered all the bases with this book. From giving an educational step by step way to set up and maintain an African cichlid tank. he offers good quality pictures of a wide variety of fish with a very informational care and breeding for each fish. I recommend this book to all interested in keeping these fish.