I disagree with the reviewer below. I found the interchangeable protagonists in most of these stories self-impressed, disconnected. In the main, the stories are overwritten and undersubstanced. In a few, like "The Guardian," the author shows what she can do when she steps back from the material. The result is a story that does achieve a Carver-like universality.

Writing that makes you stop every so often to sigh or to marvel -- stories that are always surprising. You know what the characters ought to do, you know what they want to do, but you don't know what they're going to do. You may think these are only stories about particular women trying to find their place in life, but as in the stories of Raymond Carver, you immediately care about these people, even when they're not "your kind" of people. Easy reading, fun reading, but most of all good reading.

I like boys as much as the next woman, and I found nothing bilious or bitter about this story collection. In fact, I was impressed by the author's ability to write wittily without veering into meanness. Although Ms. Frank writes coolly about her characters' predicaments, she clearly feels rueful affection for them. This is a good book.

This book has been one of the most terrible disappointments I have ever had. I ordered it, waiting for a full month to get it (I live in Brazil), and... it has nothing I could use to wire my car from scratch.
This book is just a huge (and expensive!) ad for "Painless Wiring, Inc." ready-made harnesses. The author does not explain how to custom-wire a car, or even how to modify an existing wiring. He spends pages after pages showing the delights of "Painless Wiring, Inc." harnesses, but does not explain the most basic stuff (like how to wire on your own turn signals, windshield wipers, brake lights, etc., using standalone parts).
For instance, the only reference in the index to "Turn Signals" points to a brief mention in the text under "Contents of the [Painless Wiring, Inc.] Wiring Kit". How it works? Not a clue. How to build a turn signal system?! You must be kidding, leave it to the pros at "Painless Wiring, Inc."...
It doesn't have even a single example of a complete electrical diagram (which could be copied or used as a starting ground), much less information enough to create it from scratch.
If you want to buy the ready-made harnesses it advertises and they do not come with an install manual, go ahead and buy the book. If you want to do it yourself, save your money and try to find a book that explains at least how things work.

There is no point to buy this book. Especially, if you are planning on installing a wiring kit in your car and if you are going to buy from Painless wiring. All pictures are taken from the Painless wiring instruction manual and you will save yourself 20 bucks if you don't buy this book. I am actually quite surprised that he didn't get sued from Painless wiring for using all their pictures. Nothing new is told that you wouldn't be able to figure out yourself, and the things you can't figure out, are not told.

I never was keen on tackling auto electrics, so when car manufacturers began introducing electronics, then computers, the eyes glazed over, and new car purchases were limited to pre -1976 models. Then, while browsing, a book about my automotive twilight zone was offered. It was described as understandable by trained monkeys. (or words to that effect.) I knew that sub-contracting the electricals for my three planned "clubman" sportscars would stretch the budget. I needed help. The table of contents looked good, the editorial review looked promising, then my discovery that the author lived a localtelephone call away decided it for me. If I couldn't understand his book, the author could hardly deny a plea for assistance. I ordered a copy. Good move! After a short read, all my forebodings melted away. Following the book, I sorted out the bats-nest of under-dash electricals in my work-truck with ease. It looks a professional job, and I actually understood what I was doing and enjoyed doing it. The book paid for itself many times over on that one job. Instead of dreading the prospect, I'm now impatient to design and fabricate the wiring looms for my Toyota 4A-GE powered Locosts. The "black-boxes" sprouting forests of wires no longer un-nerve me. There are sections covering every aspect of such a project. The required information is well-indexed, and is presented clearly and concisely. When I first flipped through the book, I was almost overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information. I soon discovered that it is one of the best reference books (of any subject) I have ever seen. It is only necessary to know what you want to do, not how to do it. Use the extensive index to find part of your project, and when you have a question, it will be the key to a cross-reference to the next step. Wire gauges, fuse ratings, component specifications and limitations, safety requirements, sensors, diagnostics,...all are comprehensively dealt with in jargon free text that you and I (and trained monkeys and politicians probably) will find easy to follow. Want to see for yourself? Search the title, click on the "table of contents". Impressive. I never did have to call Mr. Munday for help, but I called to thank him and ask how he was able to write such a perfect book. He is a professional freelance Technical Author who writes Technical Manuals, User Guides, Instructions, etc on almost any technical subject to make them comprehensible forthe layman.(and trained monkeys and politicians) His hobby is hot-rodding. I can't recommend his book highly enough, it really is a "must have" for anyone working at any level on automotive electrical or electronics,...from the dead-set novice like me, to the professional technician.

This book is self-indulgent tripe ... there's a fine line between the wonderful tradition of rewriting and reinterpreting previously-told stories (see Ann Carson's Autobiography of Red for an absolutely glittering example) and just retelling. In this case, the story of Cineras and Myrra is taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses and spun out in excruciating detail. The difference between Ovid (and for that matter Carson) and Bidart is that the former poets use interesting language, whereas Bidart's is boring and self-aggrandizing.

"The Second Hour of the Night" is probably the best long poem written in English in the past few decades. This book was robbed of the Pulitzer, and is worth buying (or just reading) for it alone. The first half of the book is, honestly, just filler. But the second, final poem makes up for it!

For some people the book might be self-indulgent, and Bidart "boring and self-aggrandizing" but Bidart is probably the most emotionally articulate writer of American poetry today. In this book Bidart proves his range, from the sweeping grandeur of "The second hour of the night" to the expansiveness of such gestures of restlessness found in "The yoke":

I sleep and wake and sleep and wake and sleep and wake and

The question is, what's wrong with being self-indulgent if it serves the collection's purposes. Once more Bidart continues with his range of the English language through typographical manipulation on the page.

The basic premise of the book is good, but the author tends to rely too much on recycled material , such as contributions from his magazine, without taking the time to realy expand upon the topics. The author should either expand his cases, or have his contributors use fresh material - recycling is for material goods, not stories.

Having read several books by the author, I was somewhat disappointed on several planes: his use of old material from his magazine and lack of expanded coverage from his many contributors. Case studies need room to breathe, brevity is not necessarily helpful in this case. The authors could also go beyond their stable of previous writers and RPI alumni for assistance.

Is this a discussion about solving environmental problems or is this book an infomertial for Corporate Environmental Strategy and RPI?

While this book has merit for what it presents, it jumps around too much, and leaves this reader with more questions than the book can actually answer.

Unfortunately, this Yale edition leaves out about half of what Newman himself published in 1873 as the definitive edition of THE IDEA OF A UNIVERSITY. Published here are only the nine "Dublin Discourses" from Part I on "University Teaching" and but four of the ten chapters of Part II, "University Subjects Discussed in Occasional Lectures and Essays." For the hundred-page displacement of Newman's essays, the editor substitutes five interpretive essays supposedly inquiring into the relevance of Newman's book for today's higher education debates. These interpretive essays have major inconsistencies and repetitions among themselves and are of mixed quality, with inaccuracies and serious misunderstandings of some of Newman's central ideas. As accurate forays of the Newmanian mind into the twentieth- and twenty-first century university, only the engaging and intellectually challenging essays by George Marsden and George Landow succeed. (COMPLETE paperback editions of Newman's IDEA are available from Loyola University Press, 1987, and University of Notre Dame Press, 1982).

A wonderful work, too bad that this edition by Regnery is chock full of glaring typographical errors. Detracts from Newman's otherwise brilliant prose.

Newman's work is not only an eloquent, erudite, and careful defense of the virtue of knowledge and the value of a liberal education; it is also a brilliantly reasoned and felt argument for the prevention of hubris on the part of any particular branch of knowledge.

Newman's sound warnings against the overreaching of scientific fields and the triumph of smug materialism and positivism are still urgent, of course. Newman is also careful to point out that the liberal arts and even theology may attempt to establish a single, inadequate framework for the discovery of truth.

Newman's complex epistemology does not fall prey to the heresy that truth is not one, but reminds us that in our present state, truth present various aspects and that the tyranny of any particular branch of knowledge is the victory of ignorance.

This book is not very helpful for college students. It goes over basic study skills that most college students already know or have by this time. One of the study "skills" he mentions is to study in the library where it's quiet?!? His study tips also assume that college students have a lot of time outside of class to take notes on our notes. His goal is to have us spend less time in the library but if we were to actually try his tips...we would be living in the library.

I found this book to have a little of everything, but nothing in any kind of depth. Basically it is full of information you can get for free on most college campuses but it is just compiled in one place. It didn't really help me figure out how to get better grades

Gives great note taking advice and samples. Great for something that isn't taught much in schools (how to actually take good notes so that you can have something to study by). I would recommend to everyone. I surely will be giving them to new high school students and returning students. A++++++++++

The reviewer from Chicago has mistaken this book for another one. The author of this book is not Thomas A. Heinz. Mr. Heinz's books are of exceptionally high quality. This book as well as the Visual Encyclopedia authored by Mr. Thompson does contain a number of mis-identifications and an upside down picture of the Hollyhock House ornamentation.

This marvelous book is in 3 languages, English, German and French, in tandem, on each page. Printed on thick, glossy stock by Taschen, it is well written by Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer in a clear and graceful style, and expertly edited by Peter Gossel and Gabriele Leuthauser. The contents are as follows:
Part One: "Essay"; this is the section where most of the text is, and consists of these topics: Background, The Prairie Houses, The Space Within, Materials, Nature, The Flow of the Work, and Human Values.
Part Two is "Selected Buildings and Projects".
The final pages are devoted to a chronological biography and list of executed works.

Mr. Pfeiffer writes that "His eloquence in the manner in which he wrote and spoke of nature is surpassed only by the buildings he set on the earth" (pg. 28). The way his work is an integral part of its surroundings is pure genius. The photograph on page 118 of the famous Fallingwater House, with the waterfall seeming to come from the structure is a perfect example of this.
The architect is quoted as saying "Nature is all the body of God we will ever know" (pg.26), and his creations reflect this reverence for the landscape.

Part Two is profusely illustrated in black and white and color, with only explanatory text. As magnificent as these photographs are, what I find the most thrilling are the drawings. They are reproduced in color, many are yellowed, torn and with little adhesive tape marks, but are of astounding beauty, and a glimpse into the mind of this unique and brilliant man.

Mr. Pfeiffer became Frank Lloyd Wright's student in the Taliesin Fellowship, and is the director of the Frank Lloyd Wright Archives in Scottsdale, Arizona. This is one of numerous books he has written on Wright's life and work, and it is a fitting tribute to one of America's creative giants.

There are some of the best of the photos of Wright's work in this book, After seeing this work, Edgar Kaufmann, jr. hired Heinz to take the photos for his Fallingwater coffee table book.

Aparently the Reader from California has copied this review on to several of Mr. Heinz's book pages. This review does not seem to be appropriate to this book. This can easily be determined by simply looking at the three wonderful photos of the Hollyhock house. None of them are upside down. None of the 100 photos are mis-identified. These are wonderful photographs and this may be the first of Mr. Heinz's 20 some books, all are delight to have and look through.

Mr. Heinz, we want more of your work, keep at it.

I purchased the 2002-2003 edition of the book and am shocked to discover that it still includes the World Trade Center as a tourist site to visit (complete with hours, speed of elevators, etc.) and a recommendation for Windows on the World. I find this very disrespectful in light of the tragedy that occurred there. And, if the author hasn't bothered to update this edition with regard to something so important, he has absolutely no credibility with regard to anything else listed in the book. It's one thing, in updating an edition, to miss the opening or closing of some small, out of the way cafe. It's another to, TWO YEARS LATER, still list the World Trade Center. I guess all he did was slap a new cover on the book. This tells you all you need to know about the reliability of this guide - and the ethics of its author.

This is well written, but he plays favorites. I went to Village a place that he said was awful and it was the best meal I have ever had in a long time. It was well priced too. So my conclusion is that he should go there again with an open mind and enjoy!

One of the handiest aspects of this book is the series of walking tours that Frank suggests. They are manageable and organized by neighborhood, as well as by day of the week. This is especially useful, since shops, museums, etc. may be closed on odd days. This book is far more useful than the average "guide" to a city. A wealth of well-organized information. Bargain hunters will be pleased, too. Indispensable.

This is a book that, out of boredom, I reread after having not been impressed the first time around. While certainly not on the level of "Dune," the novel nevertheless portrays a unique future (profit-driven, of course; move over, cyber-punks!). If you have a few carefree days to spend reading, you could do much worse.

This is a great book. To compare every piece of literature to the masterpiece that was Frank Herbert's crowning achievement is ludicrous. This book stands alone as a great novel. I can see Frank's hand in it as well as that of his son, Brian; it is this that kept me reading it. It was incredibly well done on the science fiction front (i.e. Frank's touch), as well as being incredibly humorous (Brian's input into science fiction). I loved it when I read "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" many years ago. After reading and enjoying "Man of Two Worlds" I went back and reread "Hitchiker". Enjoy this book for what it is worth, not as a comparitive study to the masterpiece that is Dune.

If you've read Frank Herbert and you've loved Frank Herbert and you expected Frank Herbert, you might be disappointed. Just as the main character is the synthesis of a curious alien and a self-indulgent human, Man of Two Worlds is the synthesis of veteran writer Frank Herbert with his less prolific son, Brian Herbert. The best way to enjoy the novel is to read it as if it is Brian Herbert's book, because you won't have all the expectations going into it. This is just like the movie everyone raved about that you didn't think was so great. Block out the pep rally and pick this book up for a very interesting twist to the two strangers on the run theme.

I am absolutely amazed that the folks at IDG Books let this one make it to the printer and than decided to allow it to be put into our hands, the readers who value their concerted "Dummy" offerings. This book will insult you if you know how to do something as simple as turning on your web browser. If you have never, ever ventured into the world wide web and have been living in a cave for the last 10 years, than read this book. Otherwise don't waste your time!

What's the most amazing thing to me is the fact that the "Dummy" series books are known for having substance that is geared both towards the novice and the more advanced/learned people looking for good reference material. I have thoroughly enjoyed some of their other publications and I can't highly recommend Business Plans for Dummies enough - that book was tremendous. This book, however, will insult you if you are like me, having moderate web based experience and it will leave you regretting the time that you spent to read it, not to mention the money that you spent to buy it. It was definitely an excercise in futility - throwing good money after bad. I will now have to rethink any future purchases of IDG reading material as the singular result of this poor offering by their company. In short, this is the absolute worst reference book that I've ever read.

Do you want to earn extra income from your business? There are plenty of people today who can offer you helpful information on how to market your business online. There are also plenty of fine books available to help you market your business as well. Feel like a real dummy at marketing? Maybe you are one but don't worry. IDG Books has published Marketing Online for Dummies to offer the average person on the street the basic marketing information they need to be successful.

Marketing Online for Dummies offers a broad range of useful information about the online world, domain name selection and use, Website content, and effective Website marketing strategies. Readers should pay particularly close attention to the chapter dealing with domain name selection and use. According to the authors the selection of an effective domain name can be easily overlooked. Because the use of a domain name will have a direct impact upon the marketing success of any company, it is important to come up with the right name for a company's Website in order to successfully market the products and services they have to offer. This book offers an excellent treatment on this very important subject.

Another bright spot about this book is the special Internet directory of companies and individual Websites where readers can obtain important business information related to online commerce and great shareware software programs. There are valuable resources available on the Internet today and you will find many of them listed here.

As are other books in the Dummies series, this one is quite easy to read and understand. This book is ideal for the novice entrepreneur. The information is first-rate. The software included on the accompanying CD will get the reader online. You won't be an online marketing dummy after reading this book but you may be one if you don't read it at all. The choice is yours!

I am only on page 90, but this book is worth its weight in gold. It helps you to understand the on line demographics to see how much of your marketing budget to put into a site vs. your off line dollars.