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Book reviews for "Allibone,_Thomas_Edward" sorted by average review score:

Smalltalk With Style
Published in Paperback by Pearson Education POD (21 May, 2002)
Authors: Suzanne Skublics, Edward J. Klimas, David A. Thomas, and John Pugh
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Good summary of 100 or so pitfalls and perils
This books, short and to the point of what to do and what not to do with SmallTalk. Simple, and concise, the book covers issues of style that actually can and do apply to anyone who is interested in creating and leaving quality code in place for others to learn from and prosper. Almost a book about Code Karma.

great for improving your smalltalk programming style
This is a great book, it really is. The only potential for disappointment is if you think this book will teach you smalltalk -- it will not. This book is about good programming convensions in smalltalk -- it's about style and consistency and clarity. All this may sound too trivial to merit a book, but consider the following:

You will not find many people that program in smalltalk and you will not be able to see a lot of code. This means that your coding style will take longer to develop *naturally*, on your own. This is where Smalltalk With Style comes in: It's a small book and makes simple and easy reading. When you're done with it, you'll put it aside and most likely never refer to it again. But it will change the way you write code in smalltalk, and your code will begin to look the way smalltalk code should. The advantage of this book is that it packs invaluable programming experience in a wonderful, but not-so-popular programming language into a very small book. Get it, read it, get over with it, and go on to write code like a natural smalltalker.

A definitive "Must Have"
This is one of two or three "must have" books that every person interested in or practicing Smalltalk needs to read and keep on a shelf near by. This book will teach you everything you need to know about writing clear and concise Smalltalk code. The author, Ed Klimas, is one of the most well known Smalltalk guru's around.


The Hills Beyond
Published in Paperback by Ivan R Dee, Inc. (September, 1991)
Authors: Thomas Wolfe and Edward C. Aswell
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A fine collection
This is a collection of short stories from the author of "Look Homeward, Angel". I think that I took more enjoyment from this book because I've read Wolfe's other novels - therefore the background to the stories and Wolfe's writing style were already familiar to me.

Many of the characters in the stories are from families that appear in Wolfe's other works. But the real pleasure came from the fact that the stories are set in the rural South - I think that Wolfe's writing is particularly strong when he draws upon his Southern background. And, unlike parts of his major novels, Wolfe's writing style seems to be more under control in these stories, less prone to self-indulgence.

Far and Away
This collection of stories is far and away the best sampling of his true literary mastery. I have always enjoyed Southern writers (Faulkner,Capote,..), but Wolfe touches a particular vein of the satirical social landscape of the South that is unmatched. His work, I believe, is less about the South than Faulkner's, but Wolfe still has that southern glow of tragedy but with a simple beauty. Though some may find his novels tedious and long-winded, it is difficult to not like this work. Just be patient and let the words come to you. The thing I like most about his short stories is that they often leave you with a feeling of lying in bed on a summer's night listening to the train pass through town or maybe a lone dog barking in the distance, hollow... but thinking that you could live forever.

corralled by form, finally
This is a collection of short-stories. For us who may be heratics in our beloved Southern Literature when it concerns Thomas Wolfe, we contend that he is a very verbose, messy messy author. His first editor had to cut and shape a large manuscript into three seperate novels (I believe that I'm correct in this), of which Look Homeward Angel was the first. (Apparently he wrote them on top of a refridgerator: a tall man.)And that book goes on and on and on--like the bunny commercial. He totally ignores any kind of sembulance of form. That is his problem, he does not brible his passion properly, Look H-- is a good book--but it could have been great--or atleast greater, depending on your view point.

Hemingway said that he was good until he began writing about other places than his home. I have to agree with that.

Now. This book, however, is his best crafted fiction. That simple. Something about the demanding, concise form of the short story works him over well. The first time that I read it I thought--that's it! The Southern author I've been looking for. But, unfortunately, I became all worked up for Look H-- and after reading that it all fizzled. One wonders two things: 1. what if he had lived longer?, he seems to have just become the craftsman that was always demanded for his ferver; and 2. what if he had written Look Homeward Angel, after he had true command of his skills.

This is a great book. In my opinion his best. Read it.


Death At Chappaqquiddick
Published in Hardcover by Jameson Books (01 January, 2000)
Authors: Thomas L. Tedrow and Green Hill
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Assumed certain things were true and not know DA's history
Book was very factual. I do not recall the road to the "On Time" ferry having a 90 degree turn to the dock. It was more like an arc. The bridge road was at 100-115 degree right turn. The DA, my next door neighbor, needs further examination. The author should not assume she drowned. An autopsy would have painted a far different picture. Money buys many things.

A book of hard cold facts
Since the only other review of this book doesn't make any sense, I thought it necessary to write a coherent one. This book is truly incredible. It proves Ted Kennedy's guilt with clarity and integrity. The facts are simply undeniable - if it weren't for Ted, Mary Jo would be alive today. The Kennedy family has long been America's sweethearts. It is high time that they are revealed as murders, philanderers, cheaters, liars and losers. Sorry, but this is coming from an Irish Catholic who is ashamed to admit that the Kennedys claim some ties to the land of her origin! They are all bad but Ted Kennedy is the worst. He should be behind bars- this book will tell you why. Read it - it's a well done piece of detective work and it will hold your interest. It may also make your blood boil - but that's not the authors' fault! DOWN WITH THE KENNEDYS!


Edward's Exploit and Other Thomas the Tank Engine Stories (A Random House Pictureback)
Published in Paperback by Random House (Merchandising) (March, 1993)
Authors: Rev W. Awdry, David Mitton, Terry Permane, and Wilbert Vere Awdry
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Good kid's story
This being the first "Thomas the Tank Engine" book I've ever read. I recognized some stories as word-for-word narrations from "Thomas" videos, but since I haven't seen ALL of the video or TV stories, some stories were new to me. My sons are big Thomas fans, so I know they'll love these books when they get them for Christmas!

Good story book
This is a good Thomas story book. There is a TV series about Thomas. Then there are vediotapes about Thomas and there are a whole lot toys about Thomas. Chilren like them all. When I bought this book, ha, my three young ones fought for it. And I had to read to them one by one in turn. And I have other Thomas book too. They just can get enough of Thomas.


The King James Version Parallel Bible Commentary
Published in Hardcover by Thomas Nelson (September, 1994)
Authors: Jerry Falwell, Edward E. Hindson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, and Woodrow M. Kroll
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An excellent resource, but not infallible or inspired.
This book is the result of extensive collaboration by many great minds in the field of evangelical Christian theology, and it shows. The analysis is detailed and well thought out, and provides valuable insights into passages of scripture both familiar and obscure.

The format is simple: the full text of the KJV in the left column, with individual verses separated by as much space as necessary to accommodate the attendant commentary in the right column. Direct quotes to scripture in the commentary portion are in bold type for quick recognition.

Although I use this resource on a regular basis in my own Bible study and class preparation, my enthusiasm for it is tempered by several factors. First, there is a notable absence of consistency in terms of how much detail is afforded to various passages. In other words, some relatively "unimportant" topics are exhaustively discussed, while other more central doctrines are given somewhat cursory treatment, and still other controversial passages and doctrines seem to be avoided altogether.

Second, the denominational bias of the contributors occasionally shows through very strongly. On those points, particularly on some unclear doctrines, the views of the commentators are nothing more than statements of opinion, and should be treated appropriately in deciding how heavily to rely on them. For example, look at any passage dealing with alcohol consumption, tithing, or election/predestination, and you are left with little doubt that this book was written from a Baptist perspective.

Overall though, I find this commentary to be a valuable addition to my personal research library. I regularly turn to it to see what some of these great minds have to say, keeping in mind that the authors are not infallible and their work not inspired.

Excellent companion to the scriptures... with the scriptures
No more flipping pages or carrying an extra book. Scripture on left side of page, commentary on right side of same page. Commentary by solid, conservative, proven contributors (Jerry Falwell, James Dobson, Elmer L. Towns ...).Map supplements, GREAT introductions and outline for each book. Two drawbacks, 1)no concordance at all, 2) not available in softbound, only hardbound. Overall: Makes my top two study bible list. Greatly recommended. Will be enjoyed by all!


The Minor Prophets: An Exegetical and Expository Commentary: Hosea, Joel, and Amos
Published in Hardcover by Baker Book House (July, 1992)
Author: Thomas Edward McComiskey
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The Minor Prophets
The Minor Prophets succesfully meets the expository and exegetical needs of students of the minor prophets. The amount of lexical and syntactial analyses of the Hebrew text are measured appropriately and do not dominate the exegetical portion of the commentary. Students of the original languages are aided by the scholars' thorough research; still, the authors leave enough room for readers to deal on their own with the important grammatical issues which surround the text. Where there are uncertainties as to the meaning of a particular word, such is clearly stated. Thankfully, several solutions are proposed nonetheless. Furthermore, sufficient attention is given to historical and cultural issues, issues which may influence one's interpretation of the text. Overall, the commentary is very well-written, easily read, and is sure to be of great benefit to any student of the Old Testament.

A great Commentary that takes The Word of God seriously
The commentary is devided in two sections on every text. 1)the exegetical part with the crux interpretum, then 2) the expository part.

I think this is a great way of writing a commentary because not all pastors and preachers know hebrew and if u don't a very exegetical commentary is rather booring to read. This commentary is great to read even if u don't know a word of hebrew. The exegetical part are good and explores the text very good. It gives you a feeling of the hebrew language and increase your understanding of the text.

McComiskey has really succeded in making the minor prophets understandable and he is almost narrative in his apporach to the minor prophets.

it is truly a great commentary and I know I will use it a great deal in my ministry and therefor I will strongly recommend it!


Robert E. Lee: An Album
Published in Hardcover by W.W. Norton & Company (February, 2000)
Author: Emory M. Thomas
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Good Complement to Biography
This is a book of photographs about Robert E. Lee, and features photos not only of Lee but of the people, places, and events that were important in his life. The book has some commentary on the photos, but the focus is the photographs, not the text. The book is designed to complement Thomas' biography of Lee. As a stand-alone book, it provides a brief overview of Lee's life.

Robert E. Lee in Pictures
Without a doubt I have been a diehard fan of Emory Thomas since I attended one of his guest lectures promoting the highly acclaimed biography on the man and soldier Robert E. Lee. His words on the death of LEE were most memorable.

His recent pictorial essay embodied in this new publication chroniclizes Lee throughout his lifetime in vintage photographs. When I met Lee's great grand daughter Anne Carter Zimmer, I realized that some rather poignant pictures existed, but this book supports the fact.

This book should be purchased as a bedtime companion to Thomas's brilliant biography of the icon we know as Lee. The layout and selection of photographs in this publication truly satisfy one's soul in meditative reflection. Don't miss.


The Scopes Trial: A Photographic History
Published in Paperback by Univ of Tennessee Pr (June, 2000)
Authors: Edward Caudill, Edward J. Larson, and Jesse Fox Mayshark
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The Scopes Trial as a Local Public Relations Event
Lost in the many legendary treatments of the Scopes trial are the details of the local context. Every event of mythic proportions about ideas also involves ordinary people in real surroundings. This brief photographic history provides that background, while correcting many of the popular misconceptions about the trial. This book contains many worthwhile details of how the case came to occur in Dayton, Tennessee and the lasting effects on Tennessee. The legislature continued to toy with evolution as a subject, even in the 1990s.

The case itself was pretty much a put-up job. Dayton had been on the economic skids for years. The ACLU wanted a test case of the new Tennessee criminal statute barring the teaching of evolution. Whoever prosecuted someone under the law could make a few extra dollars for the local community with the expected publicity. The local leaders in Dayton asked the new teacher, John Scopes, if he would be willing to go along. He was, and the rest is history.

The photographs capture a sense of the town at the time, and the festival atmosphere. They are not particularly outstanding photographs, but do add a note of reality to something that is otherwise very abstract to many of us. The captions that go with them are quite extensive.

I enjoyed the introduction by Edward Caudill that filled in many gaps in my understanding of the trial's background.

I graded the book down one star for the considerable repetition among the introduction, the captions, and the afterword. With more editing, this could have been a more compact and vital volume.

Like many important events where ideas clash, the physical reality is less important than the judicial precedent of contesting the right of ideas to be expressed in a few society. If you had a photographic history of the Magna Carta, the document itself and its application would still be the main story. The same is true of the photographs around the Scopes trial. The publicity around the case had more significance than the trial itself. It served to rally both scientific thinkers and fundamental religionists to their respective causes.

How can public debate advance understanding and cooperation rather than division? That question seems to be the heritage of this famous trial. In today's world, abortion seems to be playing a similar dividing role. What is missing to create progress on such a powerfully troubling issue?

May you always find the words to frame better questions, that reveal new understanding for all!

A nice collection of photographs with insightful captions
When I was in high school I read L. Sprague de Camp's account of "The Great Monkey Trial," became enamored of H. L. Mencken, and was fascinated with Dudley Field Malone's speech in Dayton. My interest in the Scopes Trial was such that eventually I used it as my dissertation topic. Since that time I have continued to collect materials about the trial and have followed contemporary versions of the 1925 battle between science and religion with quite some interest. It is certainly nice to have such an extension collection of photographs from the trial, especially since I have not seen most of the 38 shots. For me the best of the "new" photographs is of Rabbi Herman Rosennasser delivering a mock class in biblical translation. Having heard of the rabbi's fascinating translation of Genesis from Hebrew into German and then into English to make its meaning compatible with the theory of evolution. Except for shots of the monkeys that were brought to Dayton, all of the photographs are full page shots covering all of the major players and the fun both inside and outside of the Rhea County Courthouse. There seems to have been a concerted effort not to include a lot of the traditional shots (e.g., Judge Raulston and the jury posing outside the courthouse).

The introduction by Edward Caudill, author of "Darwinian Myths: The Legends and Misues of a Theory" provides a 20-page of the drama in Dayton that covers the passage of the Butler Act, the ACLU's decision to intervene, the defense putting Bryan on trial and the legacy of the case. It is a concise coverage of the multi-faceted trial, certainly superior to the mostly erroneous treatments found in so many reference books that confuse the play/film "Inherit the Wind" with the actual trial. Jesse Fox Mayshark, a senior editor of a Knoxville weekly newspaper, provides an afterword "Seventy-five Years of Scopes" that provides some nice insights into what the trial has meant to the State of Tennessee. Since the volume is published by the University of Tennessee Press this is not particularly suprising, but it is a topic that has been pretty much dismissed in the past and I found it quite interesting.

What I really liked were the photo captions provided by Edward J. Larson, who won the 1998 Pulitizer prize for history for his book on the Scopes Trial, "Summer for the Gods." Whereas Caudill provides the groundwork for the photographs, Larson provides the detail work. Certainly it would be worth your while to have read Larson's book before you go through these photographs. The more you know about the Scopes Trial the more you will appreciate what you are seeing and reading in this photographic history.

Personally I would have liked to have seen portraits of my hero Malone and A. T. Stewart, the true head of the prosecution in Dayton, because the importance of those two men in the trial is always underplayed in the literature. The most glaring photographic ommissions of course would be the celebrated cross-examination of William Jennings Bryan by Clarence Darrow that took place on a platform on the courthouse lawn. I have seen a half-dozen photographs of this infamous confrontation and am surprised one is not included. But since the photos came from the collections of W.C. Robinson (he ran the drug store in Dayton where the plan for the trial was hatched) and Sue K. Hall, I have to temper my disappointment. Overall this is certainly a first class presentation of a collection of photographs.


Authoritative Guide to Self-Help Resources in Mental Health
Published in Paperback by Guilford Press (10 August, 2000)
Authors: John Santrock, Edward Zuckerman, John Norcross, Linda Campbell, Thomas Smith, and Robert Sommer
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Self-help is big business
Self-help is big business. According to Gerald Rosen (1993) as many as 2000 self-help books are published each year. However, only a very few have been evaluated empirically. This sad state of affairs is a poor response to the appeal made by Rosen (1987) that self-help books should first be evaluated empirically before being sold to the general public. Additionally, the little research that has been done on do-it-yourself treatment books sometimes demonstrates major limitations in their usefulness. Yet psychologists continue to develop and market new programs with increasingly exaggerated claims. This is potentially a problem. Especially as psychologists often use self-help books as adjuncts to their clinical practice (Starker, 1988). The good news from research (e.g. Gould & Clum, 1993) is that certain self-help programs can be quite effective. Fairburn’s Binge Eating Disorder treatment (Carter & Fairburn, 1998) and the Albany protocol for Panic Disorder (Barlow & Craske, 1994) are two good examples. In Gould and Clum’s (1993) meta-analysis, fears, depression, headaches, and sleep disturbances were especially amenable to self-help approaches. Sometimes with effect sizes as large as for therapist assisted treatments.

How can busy clinicians keep up with the flood of new self-help books, and know which to recommend? Guilford Press offers a solution. In an attempt to help the clinicians a guide to self-help resources in mental health has been published. It includes ratings and reviews of more than 600 self-help books, autobiographies and popular films. It also includes hundreds of Internet sites, and listings of online support groups. The book addresses 28 prevalent clinical disorders and life challenges – from Schizophrenia, Anxiety and Mood Disorders to Career Development, Stress Management and Relaxation.

To determine the usefulness of the self-help resources a series of national studies have been conducted over the past 7 years. The methodology consisted of a lengthy survey mailed to clinical and counselling psychologists residing throughout the USA. A total of 2,500 psychologists contributed with their expertise and judgement in evaluating the books, movies, and Internet sites. The self-help resources were rated on a 5-point scale (-2 to +2). These data were converted into a one to five star rating (negative ratings were given a dagger). On this basis, 19% of the self-help books were rated as “very helpful” and fortunately only 1% as “very harmful” [e.g. the assertiveness training book Winning Through Intimidation by Ringer (1973) and the weight management book the Beverly Hills Diet by Mazel (1981). Interestingly, many of the books by Scientologist guru L Ron Hubbard are categorized as extremely bad].

When looking more closely at a specific disorder, let us say for example panic disorder, there are some good books that I feel are missing. This is probably because of the rating criteria. In order for a book to be included in this self-help guide the psychologists used as referees had to know about the book beforehand. It was their rating of previously read books that mattered. Hence, if there were good books out there that had not been read by many referees [like the Australian panic disorder workbook by Franklin (1996)], they would automatically receive a lower rating. Thus, a low rating does not necessarily mean that a book is less helpful than a higher rated book – only that it has not reached a wide audience. For example, an excellent book, An End to Panic (Zuercher-White, 1998), previously recommended in a review article (Carlbring, Westling, & Andersson, 2000) was described as “highly regarded by the psychologists in our national studies but not well known, leading to a 3-star rating.” (p. 79). Another thing that disturbed me was that this particular author’s name was misspelled. Instead of Zuercher the surname appeared as Luerchen. No wonder the book was “not well known”! One wonders how many other errors this survey included.

In a perfect world all self-help books would be scrutinized in the same manner as other treatments. However, as a majority of the published books still have not been evaluated, this new guide to self-help is a step in the right direction. Despite questionable inclusion criteria and a few errors I thoroughly recommend this excellent guide to self-help

Reveals the good ones, bad ones, how to tell the difference
From books and movies to the Internet, Authoritative Guide to Self-Help Resources in Mental Health provides a strong survey of self-help resources in mental health which reveals the good ones, bad ones, and how general consumers can tell the difference. Five national studies involving over 2,500 mental health professionals lends to a rating of over six hundred titles and films, along with Internet sites evaluated by a clinical psychologist.

A must have for anyone interested in self-help.
This book contains reviews / lists of the best (and worst) of self-help books / movies and internet resources. It has been compiled using surveys of 1000's of mental health professionals and gives essential guidance on which resources are helpful, and which are best left alone.

The book is clearly-written and well laid out - each chapter relates to a specific problem area eg mood disorders, men's issues, abuse, anxiety etc.

I found the recommendations on books particularly helpful - one can immediately determine which are the best books to read on their own specific problem. Clearly, the input of mental health professionals gives a "scientific" basis on recommendations which in turn leads to a systematic process of choosing which resources should be given credence.

Essential reading if you want to build up a collection of serious (i.e. most useful) self-help resources.


The White Rabbit
Published in Unknown Binding by ()
Authors: Bruce Marshall and Forest Frederick Edward Yeo-Thomas
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True patriotism!
This is a thrilling account of one British officer's determination to survive and, even more, do everything possible to help win the war. The things this man experienced are almost incomprehensible, yet he endured it all with spirit and never let his fellow men down. It's one of the better-written post-war memoirs I've read, and one of the most enthralling.

Well worth reading...
When World War II began, Frederick Yeo-Thomas was running the Paris fashion house of Molyneux. At his age, he could have easily sat out the war, parachuting into occupied France as an agent of Britain's Special Operations Executive. He was one of Britain's most heroic secret agents, and played a major role in the growth of the French Resistance. He survived the war, but just barely.

Readers of Leo Marks' "Between Silk and Cyanide" will recognize Yeo-Thomas...he was a man for whom Marks had intense admiration.

The writing style of "White Rabbit" is craftsmanlike but not exceptional.

An incredible account of a soldiers perseverence.
This book reads stranger than any fiction I can recall. The events that take place for this covert operator in WWII france will make a man doubt his own ability to confront adversity of a similar kind and to indure torture and a certain expectation of a gruesome death. An Iron will, indomitable spirit and some good fortune add up to the survival of a man who was a member of the greatest covert organization to ever exist in the free world. I personally know the son of one of the characters in the book and after talking to him about his fathers comments on The White Rabbit I can reassure you that as amazing as this story is, it is true.


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