This book is not about Ada but rather the author's defense of Ada's image and place in history.

There are gratuitous associations of Ada Lovelace to truly famous geniuses and science. For instance, this part of a letter (page 124) --

It cannot help striking me that *this* extension of Algebra ought to lead to a *further extension* similar in nature, to the *Geometry of Three Dimensions*; & that again perhaps to a further extension in some unknown region & so ad-infinitum possibly...

-- leads to this comparison (page 122) --

In the next series of letters Ada hyposthesized a geometry of the "fourth dimension." Several popular books today deal with this subject: Rudy Rucker's The Fourth Dimension, Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time, and Philip Davis's Descartes' Dream.

I don't see any reference in Ada's letter to time. I expect it is simple 4 dimensional geometry she is thinking of.

There is some incredible gushing over the programming language ADA. This book was written in 1992, when it surely should have been obvious that ADA was not the be-all and end-all. Yet the author has apprently fallen hook, line, and sinker for the party line over the programming language named after her hero. Here are some examples. Note these are the author's words, not Ada Lovelace's.

Pages 176-177: It is accordingly most fitting that the programming language ADA, developed in the early 1980s by the US Department of Defense, provides the most precise facilities for this software development (specification) task of any general-purpose software language for large-scale problems existing today.

Add this idolatry to the author's infatuation with Ada Lovelace, and the reuslt is some far-fetched comparisons between Ada Lovelace's documentation and later computer concepts.

Page 179: Here again, the ADA software language contains somewhat unique facilities corresponding in a sense to Ada's insight... A second unuusual ADA facility, exception handling, reflects in a ! different but related way Ada's vision of the Analytical Engines's superiority over the DIfference Engine...In a sense the ADA language exception handler operates at a level of control above the program itself, confirming Ada's foresight.

Page 185: One can read into the following quotations the germ of perhaps the most important advance in software development in the past twenty years, an idea variously referred to (in its many forms) as *sbatraction*, *modularity*, *separation of concerns*, *information hiding*, or *object-oriented design*.

Pages 187-188: In the first excerpt from Note D, Ada commended the use of indices, a now-basic technique for reducing complexity in the processing of regular data structures.

Page 190: ...Then she expanded the visual image she had of weaving and symmetry to highlight the *cycle*, a conceptual building block of programs for both the Analytical Engine and later the computer.

This exaggeration is also extended to Babbage's Analytical Engine.

Page 173: Babbage planned to store over 1000 fifty-digit numbers.

Page 181: It was not until the mid-1960s that the modern computer could store as many digit numbers as did the Analytical Engine.

Quite wrong; I worked on computers from the 1950s that had more storage capacity.

Pages 186-187 compare Babbage finding a new use for the Jacquard loom punched card to software reuse: Some predict that the 1990s will be the decade in which software reuse becomes the principal software development mechanism, and that the ADA software language, which simplifies software reuse because of its precise interface specification and generic subprogram facilities, will lead the way.

Page 189 compares multiple Analytical Engines operating together to current parallel supercomputers, with further comments on ADA supporting this.

I have reviewed most of the books that are readily available on Ada. This book was well written and Dr. Toole is truly the recognized authority of Ada and her life. I found an earlier edition of this book through interlibrary loan and was disappointed that this edition did not offer the same illustrations and pictures. If you are interested in finding out more about Ada especially from her own letters, this is truly one of the best books out there. I would recommend reading at least one other book on Ada Lovlace in addition to this one, for balance, at times Dr. Toole may have been too kind to Ada's memory.

Ada is a great role model for girls, her life had much turmoil and many obstacles. She fought for her right to do math (and early computer science) in a male society. This book may be a little too steep for early high school reading, a really fabulous young adult book on this subject is Ada Byron Lovelace : The Lady and the Computer (People in Focus Book) by Mary Dodson Wade.

Toole's book is an excellent introduction to the life and work of the mathematical visionary, Ada Byron King. Toole's treatment allows the reader access to King's luminous mind--no small achievement.

Although it may not be appreciated by those who clearly clearly wish to argue with issues external to the text, I highly reccomend "Ada" to anyone who enjoys work which is sensitive, illuminating, and well-written.

There will probably be a richly-deserved resurgance of interest in King's life and work after the wide release of Lynn Hershman Leeson's film "Conceiving Ada," and Toole's book will be a fine resource for all who are inspired or intrigued by this singular figure.

This was the first Betty Neels book I ever read and I rather enjoyed it. The plot revolves around a kind-hearted and lovely young nurse (Jane Fox) and her "rescue" by Dr. Nikolaas van der Vollenhove, a Dutch surgeon. After Ms. Fox's grandmother, to whom she has been devoted, dies, Dr. Van der Vollenhove saves Ms. Fox from penury and substandard jobs by proposing marriage. The characters were likable and the writing style pleasant. Dr. Van der Vollenhove seemed a bit cold and paternal rather than adoring of Jane Fox, but otherwise, it was a pleasant enough story. Not your typical hero and heroine carried away on waves of sentiment and/or passion, but there is true affection by the end of it all.

The reviewer from Georgia has the plot description. The story starts with Jane's grandmother dying. Nikolaas is the doctor on the case. He helps her out, and we all know how the story goes; she drags her animals around looking for work, and trying to avoid Nikolaas. The only part I didn't like was the private hospital she goes to for awhile. I wanted Nikolaas to make more of a fuss to get the patients the care needed. Other than that, typical fairy tale ending.

COVER: A damsel in distress ...
Jane Fox was alone and desperately in need of a friend. Not that she expected Nikolaas van der Vollenhove to apply for the position. After all, he'd said he was no knight in shining armor.
So when he rode to her rescue, she had to wonder if he was actually interested in her. Until he asked her to marry him - then she realized Nikolaas was definitely not a man in love.
Jane said yes, anyway. But only because she thought a determined woman could change him ....
This is another one of Betty Neels' strong, courageous young heroines with a heart as big as all outdoors. The hero is a wealthy doctor who needs Jane more than he knows. She fits seamlessly into his life, makes a life for her devoted lifelong servant, and gradually wins the heart of the hero and his dogs. :)
This is another fine example of Betty Neels' warmth and happily ever after artform.

This book addresses the reality of what children actually go through as they learn to read. The simple and positive text introduces children to basic pre-reading skills that they will soon or have already encountered, and lays out the different strategies they will use as they learn to read, without preaching or talking down to them. Phonics is included, but we all know that children use other clues when beginning to read, and those, realistically, are included, too. Many colorful and warm illustrations help make the more visually oriented child feel at home (my younger son.) This book did not teach my eldest to read. His teacher did. And he did. In Japanese. Having been raised bilingually, he was not very confident in his success in reading and writing in Japanese. However, many of the concepts outlined in this book (except phonics) can be applied to reading in Japanese, and he found that he was indeed, ready to read. Once he bagan to read in Japanese in school, he suddenly began to read in English, as well. Now his younger brother, who is not so verbal in either language, is enjoying this book.

This book was exactly what it took to get my 5-year-old interested in learning to read. While it does employ some of the concepts of whole language learning, it also stresses phonics in a balanced approach to teaching children to read. For us it gave my son confidence to realize he really was ready to become a new reader. He especially liked the questions at the beginning of the book which indicated he WAS ready to learn to read, and also the activities at the end of the book which included passages that he could already "read". A wonderful choice for parents who are open-minded enough to realize that phonics and whole language methods can be used together to teach children to read.

This little book points out the many ways your child is already reading. It is a tremendous confidence builder for a child who is ready to learn to read in earnest. My 5 year old has read and re-read it and it provided a terrific gentle introduction to the subject.

I was very pleased to discover this book having been a fan of Betty Macdonald for many years. I hoped this book would provide background information and answers to many unanswered questions about Betty's life - her family, marraiges, her early death etc. However, with the exception of the first chapter, this book was very disappointing. Titles to chapters promise all eg. "Betty tells chicken ranch stories" but scant information is confined to a few lines on the final page and this pattern is repeated throughout the book. Not to be recommended.

I was somewhat suprised to read the poor review of this book. I am always glad to learn any new information on Betty and was thrilled when I discovered this book last year. It was interesting to get an outsiders view of this fascinating family and I quite enjoyed Blanche Caffiere's writing style. It's a must read for the true Betty MacDonald fan.

This book is wonderful. Both Betty MacDonald and Blanche Caffiere were the same age as my parents and actually my folks were friends with both of them. It was like sitting at our dinner table at night and my Mom telling my Dad stories about her day with the "girls". I loved the story, the facts were very accurate, nice memories of places in Seattle such as Frederick & Nelson, Laurelhurst, The Athletic Club, Vashon (Burton), etc. For someone who is from the Seattle area, I think they would love this story and Mrs. Caffiere told her story like you were sitting across from her at the kitchen table with a cup of tea. I highly recommend.

The Author makes many factual errors in his attempt to portray the North Koreans as the wounded party. It's too bad. He has a talent for writing that is undeniable.

However, as the author of an historical book about a recent tragedy, he should have been careful to make certain he was telling the truth.

I do agree with him about the characterizations of some US leaders. But, there is enough of the patently false propoganda from Pyongyang in his accounts to make me wonder if I may have been mistaken in those beliefs.

Don't buy this book. Don't waste your time reading it.

It is my pleasure to emphatically claim
that Mr Cummings have done an outstanding
research job regarding what really
happened before the Korean War. This
monumental work sheds light into a covered
part of history that many people are
unaware of. Having read this book,
I'm really doubtfull about all the conservative
claims that N. Korea was the sole
culprit of the War.

No Korean history is complete without this book.

This is simply the quintessential text on Korea in the 20th century. Both Volume I and Volume II are necessary additions to ANY university library. It is THE book to read for any and all people whose personal or professional lives deal with Korea or Koreans. Reading both volumes is a task, but there is something for everyone in this work, even if you just skip around. It is supported by heavy use of primary documentation and the sources are well cited. There are simply no sources on Korean history, society and politcs that do better (and more) than this work. Highly recommended!

I found the book terribly written - and filled with cliches. The hero would be about 70 now and I found it extremely difficult to believe that he was sleeping with Bok-Sahn. The author writes about Galvin as if he is in his 40's and the references to WWII made me pause to calculate his age. I also found his Irish Dialogue TERRIBLE and overdone. Save your time with this book - don't even bring it to the check-out counter.

I enjoyed this book as far as the story line; however, I felt that I would have had to take medical and legal classes to understand a great deal of the jargon. I had to look up many words that I didn't have a clue what they were. Galvin's age didn't help my perception. I will try a another book of Barry's though, but should probably stick to Grisham, something I can understand.

For starters , the author is the grandfather of my good friend , so I shall attempt to filter out my biases. However , this truly is a great story , and one of the better law novels of recent time. For those of you who are into this genre , this is a must read.

My husband and I recently bought a home in Prescott, AZ and I purchased this book as a resource for the local economy, job info etc. as we plan to move to the area in a year or so. The section of the book on "job seekers" seems to contain mostly outdated information and refers to statistics between 1985 and 1995 only.

I have been to Arizona about 6 times and I skimmed through the book in search of additional information about the state I plan to live in, but didn't find much of anything I didn't already know. Most of the historical and cultural information is trivial; the climate, economy and travel information is no more detailed than what one could find over the internet by visting a city's chamber of commerce.

The information is also very general as the book covers the entire state of Arizona, so it is not a recommended read for someone looking for specific information about a certain city. This book might be good for someone looking for retirement community information and/or travel information if one intended to take a motor home tour through the state...otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it.

I first started with the a book entitled, Moving to Arizona, published in 1991, then picked up this title, Arizona in Your Future, published in 1998, and writted by the same duo. The two books are the same! Minimal, very minimal updates, same use of tiny, completely undetailed maps and very bland reading. The "Top 10" reviewer who rated this book 5 stars obviously didn't read this book, just rated it. Please, make better use of your time and don't throw other readers off to heighten your standings as to the amount of books you review.

I live in Arizona. I moved here in March of 2000, and before I moved in, I got a copy of this book, after having researched all the options in a bookstore. The good thing about the book is that it's an extremely valuable resource BEFORE you move in, and even if you're only considering whether to move to AZ. It gives you tons of figures and tips, ranging from how to deal with the desert weather, to how the state's "lemon law" works, just to name a couple of them.

The downside to the book, though, is the date in which it was edited: 1998. Since then (it's been three years now) lots of things have changed: area codes, population, some laws, etc. If you're looking for a state guide to use for tourism purposes, or as a daily reference guide, look elsewhere (I'd recommend Frommer's guide -it's truly complete and up-to-date).

If you want to see pictures of rooms and furnishings that look like nothing you could possibly relate to, buy this book. The pictures show such fussy, formal, off-putting rooms. Bleah. What a waste of money.

Beautiful photos and interesting commentary on French social customs. However, the featured residences are not French, but American homes decorated "in the French style," which is somewhat disappointing.

The book is packed with colorful photos which are rich in detail. I really enjoyed this book and it has become one of my favorites.

Betty Dorsett Duke's book gives very vague evidence that her great grandfather, James Lafayette Courtney, was in fact Jesse Woodson James. Most of the proof revolves around her "he said" or "they said" theory. Her text craftily stretches historical truth but fails to provide sources for any of her so-called facts. This fairy tale might satisfy the longings of some who still believe Jesse Woodson James escaped his bank and train robber reputation but until hard evidence comes forth, conventional history has not been challenged here.

Betty Dorsett Duke's book, shows very strong evidence that Jesse James really did fake his death and lived to a ripe old age. Unlike most other books on Jesse James; the photographs were verified by qualified experts and it's evident the Author actually took the time to research her theory. Also of great value is the Author's proof that the 1995 exhumation in Missouri was a farce.

After reading the book "Jesse James Lived & Died in Texas" written by Betty Dorsett Duke, one would have to wonder how the historians who continue to deny Mrs. Duke's book as "history-worthy" can sleep at night!

Instantly I could tell that the photos in question are definately one and the same! It doesn't take a expert in facial recognition(which, by the way, the book is backed up by numerous "experts" who claim the photos in question do have a high degree of facial similarities)to determine that the photos in the photo comparison section are definately the same.

The book is full of interesting stories on Jesse James....stories that have never been mentioned in any history book. I found the book to be very enlightening and stimulating.

Take my advice....read the book! It's a must read!!

I guess I will have to take a trip to Texas, in order, to see where the real Jesse James is buried!

According to scientists, a major earthquake is going to hit the east coast sometime before the year 2010; the probability, according to the late Dr. Robert Ketter, is "nearly 100%." And one of the largest ground faults in the East runs parallel to 125th Street in Manhattan. So what would happen if a major earthquake hit New York City?

Such is the subject of the meticulously-researched novel by broadcast journalist Chuck Scarborough, Aftershock. He posits an earthquake in NYC in 1994 (oops), and it's obvious from the writings about the earthquake and the structural damage it is likely to do to various buildings in New York that Scarborough spent a lot of time talking about this with Ketter. And had the earthquake and its aftereffects remained the stars of this novel, it really might have been, as Robert B. Parker blazons on the front, "surely the most compelling novel of natural disaster..." However, I get the feeling that, in the actual review, what followed that ellipsis was "...this week."

Scarborough is absolutely, completely, thoroughly, utterly incapable of any kind of characterization whatsoever. His cardboard cutouts meander around the playing field attempting to show emotion and failing miserably, even in the wake of a huge natural disaster. As well, there are more then enough plotlines and subplots here to carry a book easily three times this one's four-hundred-page length, but many of them are ended far too abruptly, are forgotten for hundreds of pages and then picked up again for a paragraph, and other similarly annoying things. Even the section separators don't work in any consistent way (for about a hundred pages, the double lines separate different stories in different parts of the city, but then they stop doing so and are thrown in at random, it seems). Worst of all is the writing style itself. A representative sample: "Brendan and Sam could see from the helicopter the Alwyn Court on fire." Uh huh. A sentence any more twisted would have debilitating arthritis.

Still, it managed to keep me reading, and I guess that's something. Poseidon Adventure, phone home.

A good read for those who enjoy reading disaster books. Good characters. Is going to be a TV movie this sunday.

Mr. Scarborough really outdoes himself with this one. His writing is so genuine and descriptive, I felt terrified for days afterward, waiting for the unexpected earthquake to happen...