Frank Wesley Craven presents a concise work introducing us to the lives, conditions and experiences of Virginians in the 1600s. Euro-American, Native American and African-American experience is capsulized in this compact volume. The portraits given are terse and sharp.

Six years ago, historians, Wesley Phillips Newton and Jerome A. Ennels, proposed a series of articles on the history of Maxwell Air Force Base to the Advertiser. The series that began in 1992, ended on October 8 1997 at a book signing and reception for the authors of "The Wisdom of Eagles: A History of Maxwell Air Force Base" at the Court Street offices of Black Belt Press. Both authors possess expertise in air power history. Ennels served as Director of History for Air University from 1977 to 1981, and as director of Maxwell AFB's Office of History since then. Newton served as a contract historian at the Air Force Historical Division from 1957 to 1961. He is Professor Emeritus of History at Auburn University, where he taught from 1964 to his retirement in 1987. Before proceeding with this review, I need to post a disclaimer: Wes Newton and Jerome Ennels are friends of mine. Having said that, I want to say that The Wisdom of Eagles is everything I expected it to be, plus some significant things I didn't expect. I expected to read about brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, and their flying machine. What I didn't expect was to read that some of the first people in Montgomery to see an airplane in flight may have been the black residents of Douglassville. Former slaves established the community of Douglassville after the Civil War, then, as free black men and women, continued to work the land as sharecroppers. The same flat land West of Montgomery at a bend in the Alabama River, became the home of the Wright Flying School at the turn of the century, and of Maxwell AFB today. I expected that authors, Ennels and Newton, would write about Montgomery's famous couple, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. As authors, how could they miss the opportunity to write a few words about arguably the most famous author ever? They took advantage of the opportunity and wrote a few words about the man who penned The Great Gatsby by describing some of the escapades of his bride, Montgomery's native daughter and original jazz age flapper, Zelda Sayre. They wrote about young pilots who "were reputed to have buzzed her home on the outskirts of downtown [Montgomery]." I didn't expect to read that [in 1942], "When a War Department-sponsored white lecturer visited Maxwell...Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald again defied local mores as one of two white Montgomery women who escorted him to Tuskegee." I expected and found it very interesting to read about the famous bands and entertainers, like Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Lena Horne who visited the area. Most performed in Tuskegee, entertaining black cadets learning to fly the Army Air Corps' combat aircraft during World War II. I didn't expect the many wonderful pictures that authors Ennels and Newton included in the book, like the one of World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Joe Lewis, when he fought at Maxwell as Sergeant Lewis. They have also included a rich pictorial album of local personalities. Most of all I really didn't expect that I would believe The Wisdom of Eagles, at 200-plus pages, was too short. But, I do. With this book, Jerome Ennels and Wes Newton have "raised the bar" for professional historians. The Wisdom of Eagles is the first comprehensive history of a U.S. Military installation by professional historians that explores the social, economic, operational, and educational aspects of events. The authors masterfully wrote of a military base in Montgomery, Alabama, at a time when race relations in the South shamed America, without dishonoring anyone. Ennels and Newton bring the military history of Montgomery to life and they do it without using racial stereotypes or omitting worthwhile history to protect traditional stereotypes. Because they wrote in a style that should become a standard -- history that includes all of us -- I am nominating Jerome Ennels and Wesley Newton as candidates for the Montgomery Advertiser's Black History "Difference Makers.

Even if you already have paper copies of Scott's Effective C++ books -- and you should, if you're a C++ programmer -- you will probably find the online version indispensible. It's a website-on-a-CD containing all of the text of Scott's books, and more.

"Indispensible?" you ask. Yes, that's what I wrote, and I know it's a strong word so let me tell you some reasons why I find it indispensible personally: It's full-text searchable. It's thoroughly cross-hyperlinked. You can create links from other documents, such as your development team's coding standards (hint hint), directly to specific pages and paragraphs in the CD -- and this is especially useful if you put the CD on your LAN. And you'll get information you won't find in the paper versions, including late-breaking information in magazine articles from people like Tom Cargill, Jack Reeves, and other past and present writers for C++ Report -- including some of Scott's own later articles. (Disclaimer: Yes, one of my articles also appears there, but I get no benefit from recommending this CD because I don't get a penny if you buy it. I'm recommending it because I personally love it and use it routinely, and I think you will do the same. My fondest wish is that I can get other books, including my own, available in this format... Scott and Addison-Wesley are working on this and some other very cool related ideas.)

In short: Run, don't walk, and pick up this essential reading for every C++ programmer. Even if you already have paper copies, there's a lot more here for you from one of the world's leading consulting experts on the C++ language, Scott Meyers. He is regularly consulted by everyone from defense companies to the producers of the world's best and fastest electronic games. Through his books, you will get the same benefits in the comfort of your home -- and now, in the comfort of your LAN or laptop.

The Effective C++ series should be in the library of every professional C++ developer; the practical value of Scott's advice is undisputed.

The effort that has gone into this CD is clear and the end result is a very easy to use product making the valuable information even more accessible.

I'm a long time user of these books, but I can't remember everthing in them. While coding I'll often recall something mentioned in one of the items and I find that the CD is proving the quickest and easiest way to find and review the material.

The inherent (item based) nature of Scott's books lends itself very well to this format. In fact, for the first time in my life, I find myself preferring to use an on-line version over printed media!

If you program in C++ -- even if you are an expert -- you should definitely buy this CD.

The following is true of it:

It is impeccably organized. It is luminously written -- thoroughly entertaining and engaging, with just the right amount of humor and enthusiasm for the subject. It is accurate. It serves surprisingly well as a C++ _reference_ CD, which is not what one might expect -- most non-obvious aspects of C++ are covered _somewhere_ on the CD, and the index (which covers both books) is excellent.

All teachers of method should study this book. It is the best example of technical teaching in print that I have ever found. Every point is perfectly motivated and explained. As a hallmark, see item 42 "Use private inheritance judiciously". This section demonstrates an amazing synergy of C++ features, for good purpose, that will have you saying "Wow."

Buy this CD, and savor it not only for its informativeness, but for it's uncanny ability to make a very complex topic sensible and exciting.

I really enjoyed the miniseries that's why I was so terribly disappointed in this book. I'm sorry to say the author's (or should I say authors, since there are more than one under one name?) approach to the story was entirely shallow at best with only rare glimpses into otherwise disregarded character personas. There were details where there really didn't need to be details and not enough description when description was desperately, no, absolutely needed. Not to mention the authors seemed to have based a greater preoccupation with describing the bloody gory scenes then anything else. It's sad when a writer relies too much on a screenplay and not enough on exploring the marvelous gift of the fantastic world that is available to them. The miniseries brought the characters to life but in the book about the only one I found trying to climb out from under the pages was the evil Queen. The author did a terrible injustice by half-heartedly describing what should have been a more moving romance between Virginia and Wolf. Not to mention the sudden outbursts of sappy emotion between Snow White and Virginia, and Virginia and the Queen that left this reader wondering where it all came from when the characters were presented so blandly and flat throughout the entire saga. In a nutshell, the style was plodding at best and I set down the book more than once out of boredom (or disgust, you choose). See the movie! You'll get less indiscrepancies out of it and have a ball being transported into a magical, mystical realm where fairy tales are real. Heck, even reading the script gave me more of a buzz then anything I read in this book. It definitely wasn't worth the money I used to buy it let alone the paper it's printed on.

Virginia, a beautiful New York waitress, didn't know the adventure that would unfold the day she hit a dog with her bike. She and her single parent father, Tony, a bumbling but caring man, follow the magical Prince turned dog into a world straight out of Grimm's Fairy Tales. They soon find Happily Ever After didn't turn out the way everyone hoped as they are pursued by Trolls, and an Evil Queen. They are joined by Wolf, a werewolf who can't decide whether he wants to love or eat Virginia. Through page after page of striking comedy, fast-paced chases pitfalls and magic spells, they fight to save all the 10 Kingdoms and find out about their true destinies.

10th Kingdom keeps alive the traditions of fantasies, but manages to give a modern twist to old fairy tales and eventually weaving itself into its own unique legend. The characters are as colorful in the book as in the aclaimed TV series, but it lacks in how it's written, which could be a bit better. However, I believe that for a book written from a TV mini-series, this is the most excellent of its kind. I found 10th Kingdom to be extremely thrilling and I could easily get into the vast storyline. It was long enough to fully develop each character's personality and most of it commented on each character's inner thoughts and desires.

My favorite character has to be Wolf, who acted as the dashing but dangerous hero. He was constantly moody, yet could always figure out what to do when different problems came into play. His favorite phrases are "Huff-puff," and "Cripes," which he frequently uses. Wolf says on page 471 near the end of the book to Virginia, "This is not the end of the story. It is just a chapter." This story is all about the end of one story and beginning of another, and ends in the same way. When you close one chapter of your life, another is just beginning and with each chapter, there's always a second chance to make your life better.

10th Kingdom does contain a good amount cussing, and also some gory scenes, (Which, if you've read any of the original Grimm Tales, you know this is how they are.) so I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone. I believe most younger kids would be better off with something else, but if they still want to, I suggest having an adult read it so they get more out of it. It would make a great bedtime story in that way also. There are many more wonderful fantasy books out there that are begging to be read by adventurous readers like yourself. This is only one of them, and what a jewel it is!

- /^>

Oh, my God! I saw all of the mini series on TV however I 'm a big book person so I bought the package and oh my God! It blew me away. I love the characters. They're like my family. I was spell bound when they stepped into the Nine Kingdoms, rapture on their date in Kissing Town and heart broken when the wolf said he'd go back to the Queen! Normally I find movies a little slow ,especially long ones,but this one I couldn't get up from.And it's TEN hours! Even my friend who's read maybe three books in her life read this in 24 hrs. It's phenominal. One of the reasons I think everyone likes it so much is because it makes you feel like you're in the movie. Literrally, I WAS Virginia for ten hours.

The only thing that bugs me is that there isn't a sequel. However at the end of the movie it says Wolf and Virginia "were immediattely called back to the Nine Kingdoms because of a crisis" it also says in the end " and so ends the First book of the Nine Kingdoms! " Does that mean they will make a sequel? We can only hope so!

It is with good reason that these books are so well-respected in the field. These books have enough depth for several years of careful study and will be quite rewarding for anyone who takes the time. Still, there are a couple of things to keep in mind before jumping in:

(1) These books are not for the mathematically weak-at-heart. The first section, of over 100 pages, is on mathematical preliminaries. While it is true that there are many later sections that can be understood without this background, to truly get the most from these books will take some mathematical maturity,

(2) The algorithms and programs in the book will be difficult to understand to the modern reader, since they are written in an unstructured (i.e. GOTO-centric) style. Program code is given in assembly language for a fictional computer called MIX. Knuth may have his reasons for sticking with this form, but the reader should be aware that some extra work will be required to follow along.

Aside from these caveats, these books come highly recommended.

Many readers are no doubt thinking, ``Why does Knuth replace MIX by another machine instead of just sticking to a high-level programming language? Hardly anybody uses assemblers these days.''

Such people are entitled to their opinions, and they need not bother reading the machine-language parts of my books. But the reasons for machine language that I gave in the preface to Volume 1, written in the early 1960s, remain valid today:

One of the principal goals of my books is to show how high-level constructions are actually implemented in machines, not simply to show how they are applied. I explain coroutine linkage, tree structures, random number generation, high-precision arithmetic, radix conversion, packing of data, combinatorial searching, recursion, etc., from the ground up.

The programs needed in my books are generally so short that their main points can be grasped easily.

People who are more than casually interested in computers should have at least some idea of what the underlying hardware is like. Otherwise the programs they write will be pretty weird.

Machine language is necessary in any case, as output of many of the software programs I describe.

Expressing basic methods like algorithms for sorting and searching in machine language makes it possible to carry out meaningful studies of the effects of cache and RAM size and other hardware characteristics (memory speed, pipelining, multiple issue, lookaside buffers, the size of cache blocks, etc.) when comparing different schemes.

Moreover, if I did use a high-level language, what language should it be? In the 1960s I would probably have chosen Algol W; in the 1970s, I would then have had to rewrite my books using Pascal; in the 1980s, I would surely have changed everything to C; in the 1990s, I would have had to switch to C++ and then probably to Java. In the 2000s, yet another language will no doubt be de rigueur. I cannot afford the time to rewrite my books as languages go in and out of fashion; languages aren't the point of my books, the point is rather what you can do in your favorite language. My books focus on timeless truths.

Therefore I will continue to use English as the high-level language in TAOCP, and I will continue to use a low-level language to indicate how machines actually compute. Readers who only want to see algorithms that are already packaged in a plug-in way, using a trendy language, should buy other people's books.

As Knuth himself says, it is impossible for any one person to keep up with all the research in computer science, but these 3 volumes do a remarkably good job of distilling the most important results and explaining them with mathematical rigor.

Each volume contains 2 chapters. Ch. 1, Basic Concepts: mathematical foundations and a description of MIX, a hypothetical machine (now available in software emulations). Ch. 2, Information Structures: lists, trees, memory allocation, garbage collection. Ch. 3, Random Numbers: how to produce series of "random" numbers and test their statistical properties. Ch. 4, Arithmetic: algorithms for integer and floating-point arithmetic. Ch. 5, Sorting: both in memory and on disks or tapes. Ch. 6, Searching: sequential, binary, hashing.

Despite the detailed coverage of the topics, which often involves esoteric mathematical notation, the author's lively style makes the algorithms and the main theoretical results relatively easy to grasp. If all you care about is getting a program to run, buy another book; but if you really want to understand how and why software works, there's nothing quite like this.

After wasting precious time and dollars on Professional COM Applications in ATL, ATL COM Programmer's Reference, and Professional ATL COM Programming, to name just a few, I finally found a book that covers the ATL subject fully. This one is well written, too, which is a nice surprise for a computer book.

After you graduate from the best beginning book (Rogerson's) get this one. If you buy only one ATL book, buy this one, and read the ATL docs.

I've seen some preliminary drafts, and I've got to say that this book is going to be the bees knees for learning the dirty details of the Active Template Library (ATL). Chris and Brent are (always) technically accurate and present the information in a well written, easy to understand manner. Put it this way, I'm going to buy it and I'm the ATL Development Lead!

Takes the background established by Don Box's "Essential COM" and shows the low level why and how of ATL. If you want to know what DevStudio's wizards are doing for you, get this book. It will help you interpet the Wizard-generated code. The author was responsible for producing ATL, and he can write well too!

This book is NOT like Myers' applied C++ books, it does not apply ATL to any problems of note, it just very lucidly explains what ATL does for you and most importantly, the caveats!

For a few years, "Call of The Wild" was my favorite book. It's still one of my favorites, and now I finally read "White Fang," which is the book that many people have compared to "Call of The Wild." Both of those classics were wrote by the same great author, Jack London.

"White Fang" isn't as much like "Call of The Wild" as you might think it is. "White Fang" is a classic story of a wolf who was born part dog/part wolf, but who's wild instincts (the wolf side), far outshine the dog instincts. However, life in the wild is tough and White Fang has to learn the ways of humans. Will White Fang ever grow fond of humans, or will he remain a wild creature who only knows vengeance? I recommend getting this book and reading it to find out, and trust me, it's well worth it if you like classic books that are well written.

If you like "White Fang" after you read it, I would recommend also getting "Call of The Wild." I can't really say which one of the two is my favorite because they're both GREAT books!

Masterfully done, White Fang is ultimately a story of love. The cruelty and hardship and bitterness of the Wild, bored into the very essence of a wolf-dog named White Fang, whose heart is turned cold as stone by the cruel hand of man and of the Wild. A killer, more wolf than dog; even his own kind turned against him. His mother taken away before his very eyes when he was only a puppy; reunited years later, even she does not recognize him and turns her back on him, as have all of his kind, growling and snarling at him; the enemy of his kind. Hatred towards every living thing posesses him, until he does not even remember what love is.

It is not until a man named Weedon Scott appears, and saves White Fang from certain death, that White Fang's life is changed. Scott is the opposite of all that he had come to know in life, and very, very gradually, White Fang comes to know love, for the very first time.

This story stays as one of my favorite, and the best, pieces of literature of all time, and anyone who has not read it is sincerely missing out. White Fang, is definately, Jack London at his best.

The book White Fang, by Jack London is a excellent novel about survival, love, and loyalty. White Fang, a cross between a wolf and a dog must learn to survive in the void of the north. He is found by Indians and soon becomes one of their dogs. There he fights often with the other dogs and soon becomes feared because of his fighting ability. He then travels to a place where he is sold to a man that uses him only for fighting. He ultimatly loses a fight to a bulldog, being almost killed in the process. After the fight he is bought by Weedon Scott who teaches him the true meaning of love. The main character is White Fang, a cross between a wolf and a dog. He is big for a dog. He is very capable of surviving in the wild. London has developed him very well and I think that he may be the best character in all of Londons writings. I would recomend this book to anyone and everyone with an interest in reading. I think that many more schools should include this book in their curriculum. It shows the reader that life is not a stroll in the park. Many more people need to realize that. Hopefully, the book will help readers learn that they need to work to survive, no matter where they are.

I'm a big Tamara Hayle fan. I've read all of her books except "Easier to Kill." What sets this book apart from the rest is how Tamara relies more on her abilities as a private investigator to solve this case and less on her trusted friend Jake. She goes to great lengths to find out why the Desmond family is so discreet about their daughter Gabriella's departure and even spends some time with her love interest Basil to caught up on old times. I was sad when someone vandalized the Blue Demon (her Volkswagon Jetta) and cheered when she convinced one of the runaway teens to return home. Yes, this is one of the best in the series. Keep them coming Ms. Wesley.

I loved this book. At first, I thought it was going to be boring, but it ended up being really good. I'm starting to love these Tamara Hayle mysteries and I don't usually like mysteries. The story had a a great plot and memoriable characters.

Tamara Hayle is back again! Valerie Wilson Wesley again does a tremendous job with earthy Tamara Hayle. The story was wonderful and I love the way that the characters of whom we are familiar, keep showing up. When you read the Tamara Hayle mysteries, you will simply ENTER into her world.

I love the way that Tamara grows throughout each novel. She is much richer, more grounded, more level headed with each novel. Each book also allows us to follow her successes and changes in her life. The end of this book leaves you anticipating one large decision that she will have to make and will manifest itself in the next novel. Personally, I think that is the fun and excitement and an added bonus of following Ms. Wesley's writing.

Again, read this one. It is well worth your time. If you haven't read the other Tamara Hayle mysteries, read those also(preferably in sequence). You will never regret entering into the world of Tamara Hayle world.

Clark has written an excellent book on the politics of coalition warfare. However, there is precious little in the book on the actual mechanics of one of the most important air campaigns ever waged. Kosovo was the first conflict, in which air power alone determined the out come of the war. The introduction of weapons such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and other GPS guided weapons totally revolutionized the effectivness of airpower, effectively delivering what air power enthusiasts have been promising since the days of Billy Mitchell and Curtis Lemay.

I for one hoped to find out more about the air campaign but was sorely disappointed on this count. Nothing in the book about how the Serb's managed to obtain the Nato Air Tasking Order (ATO) in advance thereby greatly enhancing the danger to Nato pilots. Also only a few lines devoted to the bombing of the Chinese Embassy, an event of huge political significance. That the Chinese Embassy was the only target in the whole campaign nominated by a certain intelligence agency in Langley Virginia, underscores how woefully unprepared that organization is to support U.S. military operations.
Nonetheless, despite the books shortcomings it does give an insiders view into the politcs behind the Kosovo Campaign. Most disturbingly it illustrates how the Service Chiefs and Chairman of the JCS seemingly undermined the spirit if not the letter of the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act, which was supposed to enhance the powers of the regionals CINCs. This was perhaps the most disturbing element of the book. Of particular concern was how the Army Chief of Staff used his influence to deny Clark the use of Apache Helicopters deployed to Albania. Truly a pathetic tale. At any rate if your interested in the politics of coalition warfare you will love this book. If you want details on one of the most important Air Campaigns ever waged, one that in many ways was a precursor for the Afghanistan Campaign, you will be disappointed. Come to think of it, though, could we really expect an Army 4 Star, to write in glowing terms about Air Power?

The author presents a personal accounting of his time as SACEUR (Supreme Allied Commander, Europe). Clark's writing style is very easy to read -- you don't need to be a military expert to understand him. This account is chronological, even sometimes hour-by-hour, and reports on how we got into a war in Kosovo, and why certain key decisions were made.

You will be amazed at the revelations Clark makes about Serbian security and intelligence capabilities, Milosovic's character (or lack thereof), tensions within NATO, and the complexities of US military operations. I could hardly put this book down.

Sometimes, however, the book reads as a personal defense. He often blames problems with negotiations or operations on higher-ups, or on inherent structrual problems with the SACEUR position. Any reader should know that many people in the military do not view Wesley Clark with high esteem, and blame many of the problems during Kosovo specifically on him. I personally found Clark's version of events generally believable, but I wait for history to pass the final judgement.

Clark's account should be required reading for everyone involved in planning and explaining the upcoming war against terrorism.
This is a remarkably timely book. General Clark commanded NATO during its first war, the war to push Serbia out of Kosovo. Clark candidly outlines the political complexities of an alliance, the gap between the view from Washington and the NATO headquarters in Washington, and the impact of the news media on both the military and diplomatic campaigns.
As we enter what will almost certainly be a long campaign against terrorism, a campaign that will involve allies, the news media and probably some significant military actions, there is a lot to be learned from Clark's description of the constantly evolving balance between the politicians, the military, the diplomats, and the news media. The anti-terrorist campaign will be longer and more complicated than the NATO intervention in Kosovo and that was so difficult it almost failed.
Clark describes a pattern of destructive dishonesty that permeated the Clinton Administration. Clark could never count on candor from Shelton (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs), Secretary of Defense Cohen, or President Clinton. Contrast that with the fact that we have every reason to believe President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretaries Powell, and Rumsfeld. This administration will prove far more reliable and far more honorable.
However Clark cautions that far beyond the weaknesses of the Clinton Administration there is a new complexity to coalition warfare in a 24-hour news media environment that will require new thinking and new systems to sustain effectiveness and ensure victory.