This is a good semi-critical commentary on Matthew from an Evangelical perspective. I must confess that I was a little disappointed with this commentary since so many people speak so highly of it. It is certainly full, usually insightful and reliable. However, Carson spends too much space trying to refute either old or obscure theories which do not necessarily help anyone in understanding what Matthew has actually said. Relatedly, the book seems even more dated than its publishing date (mid 1980s) and does not deal with any of the more recent and intriguing scholarship on Matthew. In sum, the book needs to be heavily revised and updated to make it competitive with other more recent commentaries like those by Blomberg, Morris and Hagner.

Carson has done it again! I have come to expect only first-rate exegesis, theological insight, and pastoral care from Carson. This commentary did not let me down in the slightest. (It is good that Zondervan decided to release the individual commentaries from the Expositor's series. In general, the quality and content of the series is disappointing, thought there are a few highlights.)

While not as rigorous as some commentaries, it is also not as cumbersome. Carson provides a nicely concise discussion of introductory issues (if you want more, consider the fabulous volume by R.T. France, "Matthew: Evangelist and Teacher" IVP). Even though I take issue with some of Carson's judgments (e.g. Matthew 24), I am never disappointed with his presentation of the issues or his proposed applications.

This commentary is the cream of evangelical scholarship. It is an essential addition to the libraries of pastors, teachers and students.

This is by far the best commentary available today on the book of Matthew. The writing and explanations are extremely clear and thorough. The additional commentaries in the book do not rate as high, however, the Mathew commentary is worth the cost of the volume.

Cheers to iBooks for apparently being the only major publisher who cares about resurrecting classic sci-fi for the current market. They've put several books by R. Zelazny back in print, and they seem to be on the road to reprinting Berkley's Masterworks of Sci-Fi & Fantasy series, of which this book was one, originally released in the mid-80s. This short-lived series, consisting of story collections by the pros of the genre, was amazing. The care that was put into the product is something readers don't get today. Not only did you get a good selection of stories, but also many extras such as fantastic artwork (both covers and interior), informative story intros (as with A.C. Clarke), or biographical sketches (as with Fritz Leiber). "Eye" has a good intro by Herbert discussing the Dune movie, and you get the brief titular story, which is an excerpt from an Arrakian tour guide, complete with illustrations of characters and landmarks. Jim Burns provides the art, which includes a piece for each story, as well as a beautiful cover. The stories are not the literal "best" of Frank Herbert, but they are enjoyable, certainly much better than other stuff coming out today.

Herbert was as good at producing tight short stories as epic, far-reaching novels. The story "Murder Will In" is the best "body-stealer" tale I've come across. His terrific "Devil in the Sea" (aka Under Pressure) is, for some reason, only half published in this book! What a dumb mistake!

Anybody who's read the in depth novels of Frank Herbert will understand my enthusiasm directed toward this book. Frank Herbert could get a little....well...overly philosophical at times. This caused quite a few within his fandom to sigh and/or scratch our heads and say, "I wonder what he means by that?" But here, in 'Eye,' we get to see the short version of his ample mind....

'Eye' is a collection of short stories by Frank Herbert. Since Mr. Herbert's genre has almost always been Science Fiction, these stories are also. And to top off this wonderful collection, it's been illustrated (on the cover and with sketches inside) by Jim Burns, a world renowned British artist. The cover alone makes it worth your while to buy, as does Mr. Burns explanation in the back of the book as to why he chose this subject material in this color scheme. The 'Walking Tour of Arrakis' with its multiple sketches and descriptions were outstandingly and tastefully done.

But let's get to the meat-and-potatos of this book: Frank's mind. It starts out with Mr. Herbert's feelings about the making of the movie, Dune. Most insightful. Then we quickly move on to 'Rat Race,' a 25 page short story about first contact with aliens on earth and how that might come about. And how these aliens might perceive us. Freaky! Then we move on to a short version of 'Dragon in the Sea,' which actually became a novel and a series. The interesting part of this story is it shows Mr. Herbert's past experiences within the Navy. Then on to 'Cease Fire' which was undoubtedly my favorite story and only 19 pages long. Here Mr. Herbert shows us what he's famous for: diving into the human pysche and human power struggle from governments but doesn't do it overly-so. Thank Shai-halud!

All the stories are worth mention but I feel I'm already lengthy in my review. But pick up a copy of this book for your Science Fiction loved one this Xmas season. They'll love you for it. And you can ogle at the beautiful artwork.

My objectives in reading and collecting books about domestic architecture generally focus on gathering information about how I might approach the design of the internal and external details for use in my own (dream) home.

Frank Lloyd Wright is a constant source of inspiration in my endeavours as he designed and built many wonderful houses... and one of his most famous works is the subject of this book.

My initial impressions of this book were good, although I was probably taken-in by the wonderful photo on the cover of the book more than anything else. Upon having a quick flip through the book, I found there were some lovely photos of the house and it's surrounds and there was some mention made of how the house was created to suit its environment and how it was an example of Frank Lloyd Wright's "Organic Architecture".

However, upon a detailed reading of the book, although I found a few more interesting photos and some thought-provoking philosophical quotations, the detail was practically non-existent and the book was ultimately unsatisfying. No mention was made of what sort of thinking went behind the design of the house and why things were done the way they were... and there weren't even any significant diagrams or floor plans of the house included, except for a simple site layout on the last page of the book, which looked like it was added more as an afterthought than as something that would be informative to the reader.

In short, although the book gives me about a dozen new photos of Fallingwater, it doesn't really add to my knowledge of Frank Lloyd Wright's design philosophies and, given the price of this book, I would suggest this book belongs on the corner of a coffee table, rather than in an amateur architect's reference bookshelf.

My family went to see fallingwater, and all of my dad's film was ruined! I bought this book for him, and it serves as the perfect reminder of our trip. It includes gorgeous photographs, fitting quotes, a plan of fallingwater, and a bit of the history. If you're looking for tons of information, this is definitely NOT the book for you. But if you're looking for beautiful pictures and a precious keepsake, this is a wonderful book. ENJOY!

Fallingwater is considered by many to be Frank Lloyd Wright's greatest home design, and by many others to be one of the very finest American homes ever built. Perched atop a waterfall in southwestern Pennsylvania in the Allegheny mountains, the site is visually stunning . . . and the home's organic connection to the site will astonish you.

Fallingwater was designed for the Edgar Kaufmann family of Pittsburgh to be a weekend retreat away from the bustle of city life. One of Frank Lloyd Wright's comments about homes is that they must be "integral to site; integral to environment; integral to the life of the inhabitants." Judged by that standard, you will agree, if you are like me, that Fallingwater is his best work. The Kaufmanns wanted to have a romantic experience in the house, and he certainly provided them with one. The siting allows a Southern exposure for almost all of the rooms, a view of the waterfall and/or woods, and the constant sound of the waterfall. The final design captures nicely his sense of Nature's dual character, "unrestrained . . . power in contrast to its subtler, ordered beauty." The material and colors are drawn from the area as much as possible, and in some views, the home seems like simply part of the rocks it is perched on.

The quotes are usually attached to specific photographs that catch the various views you see of Fallingwater from any ground position or perspective and the views from Fallingwater. They capture ideas from Wright and nonarchitectural thinkers as diverse as Thoreau and Ruskin.

The photographs are the best part of this book. Since you will probably not be one of the 160,000 visitors who come in most years, these images are the way you can know the home. Almost all are in color, and are nicely distributed throughout the four seasons. My only complaint is that the book's page size should have been larger to permit a stronger connection between the viewer and these remarkable scenes. If you are like me, you will hear the water as you commune with the images.

Through the essay and quotes, Fallingwater curator and administrator Lynda S. Waggoner does a marvelous job of using Fallingwater to also demonstrate the essential concepts of all Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture and interior design.

After you read and enjoy this book, think a little about where you live. How have you made nature more accessible? What else could you do to make your living there to be more relaxed and natural, and to balance the rest of your life?

Feel connected to all the life and natural objects around you . . . and be refreshed!

The excavation of Troy has always been considered an extremely important event in the history of archaeology. This is due to the fact that very existence of Troy was considered a myth birthed by Homer, only to be exposed by the eccentric, business man/archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann. The author, Susan Allen, explores all aspects of the modern discovery of Troy by explaining how valuable the input of English diplomat, Frank Calvert, was in Schleimann's announcement to the world he had found the supposed mythological Homeric Troy. This book is not only excellently referenced but holds the extra quality of being able to tie the current events of 19th century Asian Minor politics to the fascinating story of how Heinrich Schleimann basically cheated Frank Calvert out of the credit he deserved in Troy's discovery. If you have any interest in 19th century archaeology, politics of archaeology or the intial excavations of Troy, this is a must read book.

This was a captivating account of the Calvert family, particularly Frank Calvert, and the discovery of the reputed site of ancient Troy. The final chapters also deal with the turbulent relationship between Heinrich Schliemann, the individual most often associated with that discovery, and the Calverts. It is a story of a passion for the Homeric epics and of the struggle for priority in finding the site of the famous battle. Frank Calvert, in particular, is depicted as the unfortunate victim of the machinations of the ambitious and apparently unscrupulous German entrepreneur. (The family photo of the man, seated on his doorstep, looks like a study in defeat). Indeed there has been recent doubt expressed by members of the present day archaeological community regarding the genuineness of some of Schliemann's most famous discoveries. Most importantly the golden treasure trouve traditionally accepted as having been found at Troy has come under question, including its true provenance, authenticity, and the circumstances of its discovery. So too has the so-called mask of Agamemnon, which some would suggest is an artifact altered to look more like what popular imagination has come to associate with the Homeric heroes. Still others believe that the mask may be the work of a modern artist commissioned by Schliemann to produce an "artifact" worthy of his hero. Ms Allen concludes her work with the story of the fate of the artworks from Troy, including their post WWII disappearence, recent reappearence in Russia, and the international dispute over their ownership and the ethical issue of right to cultural heritage. This is a book which is understandable whether or not one knows anything about archaeology, history, or the events of the discovery.

This book is an engaging documentary of the intellectual and archaeological pursuit of the ancient city of Troy by two late-nineteenth century explorers.

Once and for all the contribution of Frank Calvert is firmly reestablished, and the warped image of Heinrich Schliemann is debunked and put in its rightful (still heroic) perspective. The human tragedies and triumphs are extreme and well told by the author. It's all here - ascendant thinking, paranoid emasculation, establishment blundering, family misfortunes, the impact of resources and geographic arrogance.

The book is all the more significant as a study of arguably the most significant chronicle of our memorialized ancient past.

There is a high degree of scholarship in this book with extensive details and references. The author is understandably sympathetic to Calvert and his family.

The book brings us right up to today with information that reveals the current murkey ownership and location of much of the ancient treasures recovered from Troy. It turns out the story continues to unfold.

Every paragraph of this book was absorbing to me. I recommend it highly.

This one volume biography of FDR is probably the best distillate possible, though the task is daunting and the result is less than perfect. At times, the book 'drags' a bit, particularly through the 30s. Explanations of New Deal politics perhaps don't lend themselves to the kind of exciting story-telling that wartime meetings at places such as Tehran and Yalta do. In fact, I sometimes felt the book lapsed into an economics textbook, but it is still mostly quite readable. Freidel does not editorialize much about his subject and so (fortunately) one is left to draw one's own conclusions about FDR.

If one wants to start learning about the life of the 32nd President, this is the book the start. Friedel devoted his life to chronicling the life of this great leader. The book is very readable and covers all the important events in Roosevelt's life. The general reader and historian will be impressed.

The best one volume biography on America's greatest President. As a historian I higly recommend this tome.

It is probably not the best in the series, but my students love Froggy.

It's the week before Valentine's Day, and Froggy's in love. There's a new girl in his class, Frogilina, and he just can't take his eyes off her. He's mooning and staring and when she smiles at him, "his insides got all soft and wiggly, like he'd had caterpillars for breakfast." All week long Frogilina sits with him at lunch giving him little treats from her lunch bag. It's a match made in heaven. That is until Valentine's Day. Frogilina has an extra special surprise for Froggy, something he never expected. It turned his face red, it made his tummy feel weird, he couldn't eat, not even his dessert, and it made all his friends laugh and tease him. Frogilina gave Froggy a big, juicy kiss, right on his cheek..... Nobody captures the essence of an irrepressible preschooler like Jonathan London and Frank Remkiewicz. Mr London's joyful, spirited text is full of energy and sound effects, and begs to be read out loud. Mr Remkiewicz's bold, bright, and expressive artwork enhances the story, and together they use humor to take some of the mystery and embarrassment out of a real life situation. Perfect for preschoolers, Froggy's First Kiss is an engaging and entertaining story with a happy ending that solves all of Froggy's love problems, and a wonderful Valentine's Day read kids will want to hear again and again.

This book is very cute. The story is entertaining and fun. I have loved the Froggy character ever since reading FROGGY GETS DRESSED. The illustrations are very bright and catching. The story about Froggy's first kiss could apply to so many childrens feeling as well as adults. How did you feel with your first kiss. My students love for me to do voice changes with the Froggy stories. I have reread so many of Froggys stories over and over to my students.

I was happy to find ,in this book,that I could have the provisions I wanted in a Living Trust.They are so important to me and my family. If you want to see if provisions can be had to fit your particular situation I recommend you do what I did.First,I reviewed the example of a Living Trust offered by the book's authors on the web site CCMTRUST.COM. It was easy to understand. Rights I needed to know about to really provide for my family I found in the draft at the web site- and it's free.Key directives are explained briefly and clearly, and page references to the book helped a lot when I wanted more detail. I have now included these directives in my Living Trust.Personal input is important for the protection of my own family

The book Estate Planning & Living Trust Secrets: What they don't
want you to know is one of the best Estate Planning Guides I have ever read. Clients of mine with rather complex estates and
investment portfolios have always benefited from Mr. Croke's
review of significant trust related issues. The checklist of 24
questions to ask enables my clients to review their existing trust documents to ensure they have not overlooked major planning benefits or have omitted important rights in their
trust documents.

Mr. Croke's book is readily available in local libraries if the reduced price is too expensive. I have a copy in my office for reference purposes during client sessions. Mr.Croke has provided great insights to me when I drafted my own will in recent years. The book should be required reading for all estate and certified financial planners. Great job take time to buy, read and use this one.

I just had my trust prepared by a very fine trust attorney. The trust contains many of the recommendations from this book. So you can understand my concern when a friend told me about the negative review by a Toledo trust attorney. I showed the review to my attorney and his opinion is that the person who wrote the review was not an attorney since the information given was incorrect and was carefully avoided in the preparation of my document.

My attorney also told me that there is no IRS requirement that I must use the "net income" wording to pay my wife. The wording represents the minimum to be paid, but I gave instructions (which I am allowed to do) to pay a higher annual amount. My wife must have this higher amount since she will receive half of my pension and lower social security once I'm gone. This avoids another problem. She will not have to continually make requests for money and justify her needs to her trustee, in this case our son.

Why would a person write a such a bad and incorrect review? Are they trying to stop the sale of a great book? I would recommend that everyone read this book and use the helpful check list for items they want for their family. These are important options to consider and discuss with your attorney. Do yourself a favor, read the book.

This could be a valuable book, but its worth is diminished by a fairly large number of mistakes. Buildings are mis-identified. Some photos of Wright's decorative features are printed upside down. Other photos are backwards. Several of the aerial views are dramatic, but others seem to be space fillers. One in particular of Forest Avenue in Oak Park shows no details of the homes except for the roofs. With a bit more care in the choice of prints, the photos could have a far greater impact on the reader's understanding of Wright's design genius.

An encyclopedia gives brief information on a subject. This one is no different. Sometimes however, I was left wanting to know the significance of the work. What was it that stood out about Mr. Wright's accomplishment on a particular work. The pictures were very nice but left me craving more information and more detailed pictures of the same house or building. This book is a wonderful start and quick reference with good cross links higlighted in each description. You will be left wanting more information however.

We collect books on FLW's work, and this one is particularly beautiful.

One of the best features of this CD ROM is its price, compared with the book format. I disagree with other reviewers: if you can get a copy at a reasonable price, it is well worth owning the CD ROM.

There are some terrific commentaries in the set, and here I agree with other reviewers: VanGemeren on Psalms, Carson on Matthew. I have found Liefeld helpful on Luke most of the time.

There is some "dodgy" diSpENSATIONALism here and there, but the set also contains many fine commentaries.

It is of course nice to have the best commentaries from a commentary series like the Expositors Bible Commentary in your library. However, if you travel like I do, having it on CD is great.

DA Carson on Matthew is excellent and Johnson on Revelation is a real gem.

It still represents good value for money to have the lot on CD.

For the money, this set on CD-Rom is a gem. It is true that the commentaries range from excellent to poor, but for this price, the good to excellent ones would cost far more if you purchased the books individually. In my opinion, the best are 1-2 Samuel, Job, Psalms, Matthew and Acts. Also strong are Genesis, Exodus, Ezra-Nehemiah,Proverbs, some of the Minor Prophets and Revelation. Unfortunately, most of the remaining New Testament commentaries are weak to poor, and the Major Prophets are dominated by Old School Dispensationalists whose method of interpretation is too limited. Still, for the price (and you can buy this CD for around $$ at other internet sites), you are getting the good ones at a bargain and can consider the others as a bonus.

Professor Young Kwon teaches at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. I used this book in his class and found little difference when I compared it to the first edition. The first edition has some minor errors, but the problem sets for each chapter along with the Matlab programs provided are very much the same. The first chapter has some basic Matlab necessities and the second chapter covers weighted residual methods (strong / weak formulation, least squares, collocation, and Galerkin). There is a one paragraph summary of the Raleigh-Ritz method (derived from Calculus of Variations), which is more accurate but not as popular as Galerkin. I found a much better explanation of these weighted residual methods in an undergraduate numerical analysis book. The remainder of the book covered shape functions, isoparametric functions, numerical integration techniques, boundary and initial value problems, eigenvalue problems, beams, shell and plates, and trusses.

Caution:
- If you are planning to use this book as a reference or to educate yourself. STOP! This is a boring and merciless graduate-level book. At times we (study groups) would spend anywhere from half an hour to an hour trying to decipher the sample problems. Don't waste your time looking for the solutions manual; it is harder to follow than the sample problems.

- If you want to learn the core of FE and can program easily, this book would help -- but it won't be easy.

- If you want to learn FE for practical applications, spend your energy using a commercial or open-source FE package.

More general comments:
- If asked to describe this book, I would reply with "grueling".

- The Matlab code is far from being easy to understand. Maybe it's easy to follow the logic, but there is very little documentation to support the code. You will spend A LOT of time figuring out the variables alone, which has a lot to do with how well you understand the code.

- Someone with a non-engineer background would NOT be able to understand this book. Someone with a technical background and a strong math foundation may be able to. For example, this book contains a few topics from Theory of Elasticity. This theory is taught in advanced solid mechanics classes -- not even the undergraduate Mech-E's cover it. You should also have a good handle on matrix algebra, integral calculus, and basic ODE's.

Bottom Line:
I did not like how this book presents the FE Method. If you really need it...good luck!

This book carries on from the first edition, lots of new theories and programs have been added. The errors in the last edition(1996) have been corrected. This book is a must for people who want to understand the finite element method and for people who want to learn how to program it using 'Matlab'. Matlab is one of the most widely used programming tool.

I have the old edition but i find this new edition refreshing. The new theories and programs help in digesting the book better.

overall this is an indispensable book for people trying to learn to program the finite element method because it gives a clear understanding of how a finite element code works.

thanks,

kartik srinivas

This book is extremely useful, especially for those new to the finite element methods. Despite the fact that it puts a lot of emphasis on matlab, the code is easy to understand and translate into other powerful languages like fortran 90. It took me a few days to start writting my own FEM code after buying the book. I would strongly recommend it even for those with a non-engineering background.