I stumbled across this publication recently - not having been aware of the first edition, apparently published in 1997. In brief, it's the best treatment I have read of Yield/Revenue Management, although it is certainly not perfect.

Plus points:

1. The variety of contributions ensures that you're not just getting the view of one 'expert' - which is a problem with several books in this field.

2. The opening chapter, by Sheryl Kimes, is perhaps the best distillation of Yield Management theory I have read.

3. Most of the chapters are concise and to-the-point. The diagrams are generally helpful (with one or two glaring exceptions), and the book is usefully divided into four distinct parts.

4. Although the majority of the contributors are mostly from the UK, I found their perspectives refreshing. It's easy to forget that innovations in this field can come from outside the US.

Negative points:

1. It would have helped if each part of the book had its own introduction or overview. As it is, I felt like starting blind on occasions.

2. A couple of the chapters, particularly those on the Cruise Industry and the Football (or soccer!) Industry, were not relevant to me and I imagine would not be relevant to most other readers. They seemed to be written from a much more personal perspective than the rest of the book.

I would certainly recommend this collection to industry professionals wishing to expand their knowledge of this field. And for anybody starting out, it would be near essential reading.

I stumbled across Burgess's autobiography in a mail-order catalogue of remaindered books. _You've Had Your Time_ cost half as much as the shipping and handling, and was read with the kind of joy and guilt one feels when finding a stray twenty-dollar bill in an empty parking lot.

What struck me about Burgess on Burgess is his delight in words---utilitarian words, pretty words, obscene words, latinates, any combination thereof (among his favorites: micturate). He called his art a craft, and loved to show the clockwork behind prose-tricks, how even the most magical books depend heavily on sleight-of-hand. Perhaps the most peculiar aspect of his autobiography is how sketchy it is on the author's life and how detailed it is on words. For him, at least, the two are inseparable.

Anthony Burgess, aspiring composer, is told at 35 that he has an inoperable brain tumor---he will die within a year. He cranks a sheet of paper into a typewriter. Jump a few decades ahead. In 1989 we find him reflecting on Joyce's anniversary, on conversations in Saxon with Borges, on Kubrick's version of _A Clockwork Orange_, and on a bitter scene from a childhood he can't quite call his own.

He wrote over thirty novels, and also adapted, translated, and commented on a dizzying array of subjects. He was very, very funny. He was at his funniest when writing on his life. And yet there is this terrible, self-inflicted sense of failure when he looks back: The last line in his book is both defiant and defeated---time is creeping up on him, he says, and his attitude is not that of a complacent man of letters, but rather that of someone with an awful lot of unfinished business.

Here's the punchline: In-between the completion of the memoir and his death he wrote an additional six books. The last one, a novel in verse, has just come out. Burgess cheated death at the beginning of his literary career and has done so again.

My wife and I are both Orthodox Christians. This book was recommended to us by our priest to help prepare us for the Baptism of our daughter. We found it very pleasant to read and full of valuable information. Our priest allowed us to read a copy from his own library. We are so pleased with this book that we decided to order a copy for our home. I also plan to donate a couple more copies to our church library so others can also have the same experience we had during the Baptism of our daughter. The book explains in detail how to prepare for the baby's baptism and each step in some detail to what will happen during the baptism and why we have infant baptism.There will be no sup rises after reading this book. I would recommend it to any parent that is about to have their child baptized or even to those that just want an insight to the Orthodox Christian Baptism.

Grisham has been quoted as saying that he created the character Darby Shaw with actress Julia Roberts in mind. This girl is just too darn perfect-looking to be real. And, oh how convenient that she has a trust fund and doesn't have to work for a living. Now I realize Grisham's novels aren't necessarily about "everyday" life--but when the characters are believable and true to life, then in my opinion it's easier to suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride. I'm sorry, but I just can't work up any sympathy for this woman. I actually rooted for the bad guys in this one. By the end of the book, when she's out of the country in her little tropical paradise playing coy with her hero, I'm thinking, "what took you so long, you dingbat?" This book just felt too mass-produced--as though Grisham were starting to write with an eye on what would make a good movie rather than a good book. (The two aren't always related, you know) Still, as mindless escape fare, this one's not bad. Judging by how well it sold and how many people were reading it in Florida when I was there in 1994, it fills that bill pretty well. But that's about it. It's certainly not "must reading" in my book. Grisham's done better. .

When one thinks of the name John Grisham, the image of an author of legal thrillers more than likely comes to mind. John Grisham has been knocking off about a book a year for the past decade, and all of them in some way have been related to the law.

The Pelican Brief is no exception. While it has to do more with the Supreme Court and law students than with practicing lawyers, law is a major topic in the book. Joining law are the topics of assassination, cover-ups, and brilliant theories.

The Plot

Darby Shaw is a second-year law student at Tulane. She is a brilliant student, and enjoys a relationship with Thomas Callahan, her Constitutional Law professor. Thomas has a particular liking for Supreme Court Justice Abe Rosenberg. Rosenberg is one of the most hated men in the country, so it is not much of a surprise when Rosenberg is murdered-any number of people and groups could be suspects.

What is a surprise is when another Supreme Court Justice, Glenn Jensen, is murdered on the same night. The two judges have almost no viewpoints in common and seem like an unlikely pair. Soon, every FBI agent is on the case, and hundreds of eager-beaver law students are scouring the court dockets, looking for a case that might disclose a possible motive.

Among these student researchers is Darby Shaw. She comes up with a unique theory of her own, and even goes so far as to write up a brief about it. It becomes known as "The Pelican Brief." Darby gives her writing to Callahan, who passes it off to Gavin Verheek, a high-ranking friend of his at the FBI. From there, Darby forgets about it.

A week later, Darby and Callahan go out to dinner, and Callahan becomes drunk. Darby refuses to ride home with him, which means that she sees Callahan's car explode. Callahan is dead-and she was supposed to be with him. Suddenly, it appears to Darby that her brief was right on target. I'll let your imagination take it from there.

So, what'd I think of it?

Why did I like this one? First of all, It is a mystery involving death. That always means a few points on the scorecard. Second, enough details were given that I could follow each of the main characters' trains of thought. Third, I liked the inclusion of the newspaper reporter (didn't mention that, did I?) once Darby's other sources are, um, no longer available. I learned a lot about the process of law through Grisham's books, and in this one, I got to learn some about the process of news writing in this book as well.

So should someone read it?

Sure, why not? Seriously, if you're into lawyer stories or stories of bringing down the bad guy, it's a fun book. It's also a decently simple read. The pages go quickly. The Pelican Brief, book and movie, is a fun story that's worth the time invested.

"The Pelican Brief" by John Grisham is an exciting novel with an amazing plot. It begins by introducing the character Khamel, a crazed killer who is paid to murder two Supreme Court Justices, named Rosenberg and Jensen, both who have received many death threats but refuse to let the FBI protect them.

In New Orleans at Tulane University, Darby Shaw, an attractive second year law student, was trying to sove the mystery behing the killings. Darby had a thirteen page brief on who she thought killed the justices. The brief was passed on to many people and it finally came to the President, who after reading the report became very scared. The FBI wanted to pursue the lead, but after a phone call from the President that told them to back off it, they decided to look at other suspects.

In the meantime, reporter Gray Grantham received a call in the middle of the night from "Garcia" who said that he might know something about the case.

Darby was on a date with her lover/professor when he got a little too drunk to drive. Darby insisted that she drive or walk, and to her surprise, he told her to walk. When the professor got into his car and started the engine, the car exploded, killing him on the spot. Darby called a friend of the professor, Gavin, and told him what happened because he was the first to see the brief which was later named "The Pelican Brief".

Through all of this chaos, Darby managed to stay alive and found time to meet Gray Grantham in Washington D.C. He learned her entire story and in order to confirm it all, they had to find "Garcia". They knew that he was a lwyer at a small firm in Washington D.C., so they asked the many interns there if they recognized a picture of him. One out of seven did, so they go to meet him. To their surprise, "Garcia" was mugged and killed on the streets.

"The Pelican Brief" is a wonderful book that contains a variety of charaters and twists that I think everyone should read. This book has just about every element that makes up a good book; suspense, mystery, murder, law, and love all put together in a perfect mixture that will make your head spin. John Grisham is an awesome writer and I look forward to reading more of his fantastic novels.

A pretty good book overall, and Tyers does a great job at sticking to the characters personalities, as well as writing interesting and believable new characters. Dev was one of my faves, and I was almost as upset as Luke was at the end. The Ssi-ruu are interesting, and downright evil. I loved them! Tyers' interaction between new and old characters is great, shedding light on a new side of Luke Skywalker, and Leia finally comes to terms with her lineage.

The beginning is a little slow, and there's quite a bit of politics involved in the middle, but the end battle is exciting. And seeing the Alliance and the Imperials fight together is new and very interesting.

A recommended read to a Star Wars fan, but anyone else had better skip it.

As the first new SW book to come out after Zahn's legendary trilogy, it suffered quite a bit by comparison. By viewing it objectively after some time has passed, it fares better, but it's still not the best. It picks up IMMEDIATELY after ROTJ. Like, the next day. They get a distress call from an outlying Imperial world, Bakura, telling of an evil foe come to kill them all. So, Our Heroes go out there in force, and there are forced to make a treaty with the Imperials to fight a common foe, the Ssi-ruk. (who are V-ish, lizard aliens) It's one of the most cohesive books in the series. It sets out to tell one story, and that's what it does. However, much of the plot seems borrowed from other sources, and the Ssi-ruk never REALLY seem to fit within the Star Wars universe. (cross the Borg with the Visitors, and you've got 'em) It's not as flashy as many, but it is a solid read, especially if you aren't expecting non-stop action. Definately worth picking up

Star Wars: The Truce at Bakura, was the first Star Wars book I had ever read, and I was amazed. There was action, drama, love, heartbreak, did I mention action? Well, one day I was pretty bored, and I've always loved Star Wars, so I got this book and once I started I just couldn't put it down. I was so intrigued by it, that as soon as I finished with this one, I went on to buy the next 2 that progressed after The Truce at Bakura. Now, you may be thinking that Star Wars is old and will be boring now, but I must say that this is one of the best books I've ever read, and well, I've read a LOT of books. I highly recommend this book to anyone who gets excited about Star Wars, science fiction, or just action in general. So, if you like what you hear coming from me, then you will definitly like what you read coming from Kathy Tyers, in the action packed yet civilized book, Star Wars: The Truce at Bakura.

...I was really looking forward to 'Cat and Mouse' and enjoyed about the first several chapters, as Patterson sets up killer Gary Soneji and his thinking processes. Then the reader is introduced to Alex Cross, the detective who put Soneji away years ago. Soneji is looking for revenge, while another killer called Mr. Smith is on the loose in Europe. What's the connection to Cross? Sounds interesting, I thought.'Cat and Mouse' soon turns into a very predictable thriller with two-dimensional characters and ridiculous action scenes. Sure, I know this is fiction and a thriller at that, but the action scenes have to contain some believability and logic, and for me they didn't. These characters have absolutely no style, no color, and no surprises whatsoever. Cross is the stereotypical widower, ready to take a chance again with the principal of the school his kids attend. Soneji is the killer who is taking it out on the world because of his abuse as a child. I don't know about you, but when I read a thriller, I want to be challenged (at least somewhat) and I want to read about interesting characters who are not stereotypes. A big disappointment.

The first book by James Patterson which I read was "Hide and Seek" and I thought it was quite brilliant. After reading Along came a spider and Kiss the girls, I was expecting the fourth installment to be pretty good. In a way I was disappointed because I was expecting a big end of book showdown with Gary Soneji but the introduction of another killer, spoils it a bit. There wasn't much emphasis placed on the new killer and I found that a lot of things that happens, just happens. There is minimal lead up to a lot of the issues explained in the book and thus left me thinking "how the heck did this come about?". However, there are some twists and turns which made me keep on turning the pages despite the need for sleep so he has done a pretty good job despite what i view are the negatives. This book is a darn good read if you just go with the flow of the story and treat it like a mystery thriller rather than a detective story. Those who have read "Kiss the girls" would know what I mean by that (refer to the rather unpredictable ending).

Call me crazy but this is my favorite Alex Cross book thus far. This is the fourth in the series. I've already read the first three (all of which I enjoyed) but there was something about this one that just grabbed me right from the beginning.

I just love how Patterson weaves a tale. And, as much as I joke with my friends about his short chapters, I find them refreshing after some of the heavier things I've read this past summer. No more saying to myself, "I'll read one more chapter before I go to bed." With a Patterson book, you can safely say, "I'll read twenty more chapters" before putting the book down.

And, I can't help but smile every time Patterson mentions other authors' books. He does it on numerous occasions in Cat and Mouse and I always find myself checking out the books he's mentioned.

This installment finds Alex Cross, once again, coming face to face with ... Gary Soneji. Those of you who have already read the first book in this series, Along Came A Spider, will recognize Soneji as the teacher turned kidnapper who wanted to commit the "crime of the century." Now he has escaped from prison and has come back to seek revenge on the man who put him there....Alex Cross.

Across the ocean on the continent of Europe, another madman is killing people by performing autopsies on them while they're still alive. The FBI is all over this killer, dubbed "Mr. Smith", and has assigned their young, crack shot, pony-tailed agent, Thomas Pierce, to head up this investigation. Circumstances will bring him back to the U.S. to help with the Soneji investigation.

Of course, it will be up to our hero, Alex Cross, to save the day. Since he's not only a homicide detective, but one with a Ph.D. in psychology, he's very adept at getting into someone's mind. This is the best part of this series -- watching how Alex figures out what the murderer's next step will be.

For Alex Cross fans, one of the highlights of this book will be the love match between him and Christine, the principal of Damon and Jannie's (Alex' kids) school. Readers of this series will remember Christine as a character in Jack and Jill (the third book in this series). Sadly, her husband was murdered in that one. Could the timing be right for these two characters? One can only hope. I'm sure I'll find out when I read the next book in this series...

Robinson Crusoe is one of the first English novels. Written by Daniel DeFoe in the early 18th century during the rise of economic theory, this book chronicles the struggle of an economic hero shipwrecked on an island. He takes advantage of people, always looking to make money or increase economic value. Although Crusoe has religious experiences and gets preachy at times (DeFoe was of Puritan stock at a time when Puritanism was a significant force), Crusoe is a practical man. He does not let morals get in the way of carving out a prosperous life -- there are scenes where the main character is no role model. The novel is episodic, with Crusoe hopping from one scene to another. The narration isn't smooth. However, the "flaws" when compared to later writings may be forgiven because Robinson Crusoe is an early novel. Writers had not worked out the fine points of the genre. DeFoe is an important early English novelist who cobbled together economic theory, religious opinion, travel writing, and borrowed material from a contemporary shipwreck victim to create a work of fiction. Robinson Crusoe is often mislabelled as a childrens book. Perhaps in a watered down abridgement, it is a good children's book. The original, complete, unabridged work is a literary classic that should be read by any student of English literature.

Robinson Crusoe is the perfect treat for the wilderness lover. The novel takes the reader on a journey through many hardships that the main character encounters in order to display just how trying nature can be. Almost every new day, Crusoe must find and develop a new survival tactic in order to stay alive. There are several reasons why one should engulf in reading this book.
Robinson Crusoe displays strength and incredible will to survive. This can be very inspiring to someone who does not have a lot of confidence in themselves. Crusoe has faith in himself and God, believing that he will be guided in the right direction. God plays a large role in his everyday life. Crusoe never was a religious man before he was stranded on the island, but he believed God had allowed him to be the sole survivor of the shipwreck for a reason and he owed it to God to be the best man that he could be.
Another reason to read this book is that it shows that one can do whatever they put their mind to. Crusoe worked long and hard to create things that will facilitate his survival and make things more convenient for himself. He creates a protective shelter, makes his own tools, baskets, and pots, and even grows and raises his own food.
This book will also get many people to realize just how good their lives actually are. Many, not all, of us have lives that are not threatened by wondering how we will get our next meal or if someone or something is out to hunt us down, but Crusoe must face these dilemmas and find ways to secure himself. The wonderful thing about this novel is that it shows how difficult these tasks can be, yet Crusoe does not give up and he pursues his goals until they are accomplished.
This novel can instigate someone to try something new that perhaps thay were uneasy about doing before. Robinson is faced with so many new surroundings at once, yet deals with them so well. If he would have panicked, he eventually would have starved to death. Instead, Crusoe thinks logically and pursues what is needed to survive.
Robinson Crusoe is an amazing adventure novel that explores the life of a very strong-willed man. The main character tells his own story and it is as if he is speaking directly to the reader, which makes it seem even more like reality. Daniel Defoe has written a great novel.

My daughter and I have been reading (and re-reading!) the DK Classics (of which "Robinson Crusoe" is part of) for several years, since she was 5. These books are very colorful, with lots of illustrations and photos of genuine artifacts, maps, and people from the era in which the story is set. Side panel text gives background information about the author, pictures and story. These "additions" (which do not detract from, but only enhance the story) help the young reader (and the adult too!) put the story into context. It is like getting both a classic and a pictorial history book rolled into one! The text is easy to read. My daughter is now 9, and reading the books on her own. Not only has she developed an appreciation for classic literature, but for history as well. These are great books for parents to read with their children. I highly recommend them!

Darksaber. It sounds ominous and it should. The hutts have found the plans for the orignal death star and are creating their own. As Leia and Han rush around to stop this new threat, a new batch of Jedi have graduated from the acadamy and go off looking for work. And on top of that, Admiral Daala has banded all of the Imperials together into one main force. Luke and his new love, Callista are looking for ways to restore Callista's powers.
Daala uses revenge against the New Republic and sends a massive strike force against the Jedi. The hutt weapon is sabotoged and eliminated.
Overall, the book was pretty unrealistic. The jedi defeat about 100 star destroyers by throuwing them out of the system and the hutt weapon never fires a shot. By the end, the entire Imperial force is all but ruined and Callista vanishes.
An okay read, but not the best.

This book has to be one of the best SW books ever!! I love Admiral Daala, and I liked the way she killed all of those stupid warlords in the beginning. Pellaeon was pretty good too, but he wasn't that great an Imperial commander. I liked that wampa battle on Hoth, and when Han and Luke went to Tatooine and rode with the Sand People. However, some parts of this book were not so good. Durga the Hutt SUCKED!!!! His idea to create another Death Star was ridiculous! AND IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ASTEROID FIELD?????? Come on- Anderson could've done better than that. Plus, Chewbacca and Leia weren't major characters in the book. But the worst part of this book was that THE DARKSABER THING DIDN'T EVEN WORK!!!!!!!! And Daala could have done much more damage with that Super Star Destroyer. But there were more great things than bad things. It was nice to see Kyp Durron in action again; plus Dorsk 81 didn't act like a wuss like he did in the Jedi Academy Trilogy (even though he died). THIS BOOK ROCKED!!!

This is a book that would be better if you read Children of the Jedi first. I didn't, but it helps. Plot: a couple of Hutts get together and try to build a death star, with the help of the bio-re-engineered creator of the first two. (see, the emperor kept killing him, and re-creating him) Some Imperial Leaders reach an agreement to focus on the destruction of the "rebellion" It's a good book, and I think worthy of your time.

THEY KILLED HIM! although it is a well written book, i cant condone the killing of chewie, one of the best charactors in the star wars universe.

I am a big fan of Salvatore's Drizz't novels and was excited when he came out with a Star Wars book. Seeing that he was influenced by Star Wars greatly in many of his other novels ... I thought he would succeed as a worthy adition to the somewhat lacking class of Star Wars authors. Well in my opinion he really failed to meet expectations. One of Salvatore's great skills is not superior writing or story but his ability to create such wonderful, diverse and convincing characters. Well tackling the Star Wars universe seems to have thwarted his creative ability since he was required to use existing characters. I find this is the case for most of the Star Wars novels since none of the authors can truly keep any of the main charters in line with their film counterparts. Salvatore struggled with them greatly. At times their emotion and personality was nowhere near what George Lucas had established. ... The enemy race the Vuuzhan Vong or however were a pretty chinsy foe and it seems authors are really stretching for Star Wars ideas. The book was enjoyable for the most part as a Star Wars story but nowhere near what Salvatore is capable of. Timothy Zahn still is the only author to succeed in writing convincing Star Wars books in my mind.

To many Star Wars bibliophiles, R.A. Salvatore's "Vector Prime" signified the end of a classic literary sub genre. Prior to this particular novel, the Star Wars license had been in the capable hands of Bantam: a publishing house that had remained faithful to the fun-loving essence of the series. With the much-publicized entrance of Vector Prime, the license was transferred to Del Rey and, thenceforward, the story arcs took a darker turn.

Del Rey introduced the deaths of both canonical and expanded universe characters, the quixotic pandering to an even younger audience, the introduction of collectivist ideology and politically correct undertones. Through these both sweeping and subtle changes, the space operatic wonder of earlier Star Wars literature was lost and in its place a mere empty shell remained.

Vector Prime itself is readable, but lacks the exciting flair of the traditional Bantam epics. The previous having been said, I suggest the reader avoid the New Jedi Order series altogether.

Stephen Crane has written an excellent work in The Red Badge of Courage. This book takes place in a period of two days, giving Crane plenty of room to expand on his themes and go into great detail. This book catches the reader's attention by presenting the Civil War in such great detail that the reader cannot help but picture the scenes in their own mind.

The Red Badge of Courage tells the story of a youthful boy, Henry Flemming, who goes to war. After many rumors of battle cause Henry to doubt his courage when faced with battle, Henry's group finally goes into battle. Henry does not run away during the fighting, and gains confidence. However, the second battle that he sees causes him to flee. The rest of the story tells of How Henry comes to terms with his fear, and eventually returns to the battle line.

The only complaint that any reader could have is that Crane uses almost too much detail. Because there is so much detail, the reader could loose track of the plot. The great detail is, however, what makes this such an outstanding book. Any reader that can get "into" a book will thoroughly enjoy The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane.

The Red Badge of Courage is interepted as many as being an anti-war novel: it is not.What it does do is present the horrors and psychological aspects of war war without glory, but not without heroics and courage.Henry Fleming is in many ways an every-soldier: he joins the army out of patriotism and to prove his manhood; when the time comes to fight he doubts himself and runs away out of fear. It is at this point Henry comes to the crossroads of his young life: instead of completely deserting his unit he returns to his regiment and the battlefield out of a sense of duty and also out of shame and anger at himself. Once he returns he peforms heroically on the battlefield. I feel Crane's purpose in this books is not to make some overblown anti-war treatise like All Quiet on the Western Front, but to portray what he believed( and may soldiers who read the book agreed with him) to be the emotions and feelings of a soldier in war and also the true motivation behind courage and heroism. Crane shows through Henry, that heroism and courage in war is not something that comes naturally to man(or any animal, as shown by the squirrel scene in the forest) or can simply be conjured up out of blind obedience or extreme partiotism. Crane in fact argues the opposite: courage in war(or in and courage in reponse to violence) is something unatural, something that must be accomplished by overcoming our own natural fear and flight instincts.Henry is able to perform herocially because of anger, his sense of duty, his feeling of brotherhood toward his regiment and out of something deep inside himself that even Crane ( and nobody) could not totally understand . This is a great book about heroism, courage , brotherhood, duty and the psychological aspects of war. It is not a books that glorifies war ,nor it is it an anti-war treatise. It simply tells a story about war in a world where war exists.

Peace is a rare circumstance among major nations in the last 150 years. When war pushes peace out, everyone quickly realizes why peace is so important and desirable. When peace returns, the next generation can quickly fail to grasp its significance. In extreme cases, this can lead to romanticism of war.

Books like The Red Badge of Courage and All Quiet on the Western Front are important ways to pass along the message of how undesirable war is.

The Red Badge of Courage offers another benefit. Stephen Crane takes us into the mindset of mid-19th century America. At that time, the spiritual and the tangible were closely entertwined in peoples' minds. You will find a lot of religious metaphors in this book, that a modern writer would be relatively unlikely to use.

Another benefit of reading The Red Badge of Courage is that it helps to understand the profound effect that the Civil War has had on the United States. The significance of these events remains fresh for many Americans, while others ignore the events totally.

Although it is certainly not an easy book to read, it can be a rewarding one. You will find that you can discuss this book with a high percentage of all the people you will ever meet who like to read. That's a pretty nice benefit from reading a fairly short book.

I also recommend that you also think about where in your own life you have developed misconceptions that could harm you.