Although the book covers the major features it offers little over the online help. What is missing is the overall context or a complete example that might help understanding of how to put everything together into a working application. When it presents triggers and stored procedures the examples are so basic as to not explore the potential power. The chapter on relational database design was particularly lacking in ideas or references. Some of the more powerful features such as metadata and analysis services are barely mentioned. The book did introduce the major administrative functions well. If you do buy the book, do go the authors web site described in the book, to get the "bonus" chapters on installation and security, which should also help a new administrator.

This book was used for a sociology class on American Minority Peoples, the book was rather dry and uninteresting in the begenning, but the reports themselves held average interest. It was an average textbook.

I was very disappointed with the story The Speckled Band in this collection. It is so outlandish and its nothing like the original story. The rest of the stories were sensational but the production of The Speckled Band, I expected better.

O.K., the title-fascinating the story-interesting, but could have better written, I think. The pictures-five stars, awesome pictures. They're like Magritte meets that pair of jams I had in the fifth grade. Incredible. They totally remind me of dreaming as a child-gorrilas in the trees in the park, lizards under my bed, kites that turn into parrots. Also, I'm inordinately fond of food references in children's books, so the bit about oatmeal with honey and milk is a big part of the book's appeal to me. The story is basically an imaginary friend book, but with a charming colorful twist.

Overall, this book was very good if true. And if so, this country was in deep trouble. I found it difficult to accept because of the lack of support of accusations. Neither side (F.B.I. and Summers)was able to support thier statements in the text.

This book is good but, makes to many assumptions about ethnicity Severino's parents that he no proof of. It also takes much from Chavez's "But Time and Chance" much better book.

This book is filled with color pictures, but as soon as you examine them closely you realize that they are pictures from different angles of the same three gardens -- most of them incomplete (as stated in their own captions) or violating the author's own rules of not planting your potager with poor-preforming, slow-growing plants. The introduction goes into detail about the first potager, and how she went to visit it in France, but there are no pictures of it! Also disappointing, is that all the potagers displayed are filled with annual vegetables. I didn't see any suggestions on what to plant, or what to do with empty potager beds once the growing season is over. This is a good book to browse in a book store or library but not for the hard-core landscaper or vegetable grower.

The strength of this book is the author's ability to get the reader to care for the characters immediately. The story is suspenseful, full of danger and completely engrossing; could not put the book down. This is the only Nazi era story where I found myself rooting for the German soldiers - for very good reasons. The book sort of reminded me of "Schindler's List" meets "Full Metal Jacket."
There were two huge distractors in the book though.
One - The unbelievable amount of typographical errors.
Two - The inclusion of completely unnecessary graphic pornography. Because of these two points, I did not rate the book five stars. Otherwise, great story.

It must have been very difficult finding information on Ellis, but the authors focused more on his drunken exploits rather than his impact on the Marine Corps. I would recommend this book to any Marine or interested civilian who wants to learn more about the legendary Marine Officer. This book may dispel some of the myths about Ellis and his suspicious disappearance.

If architecture is, as THEY say the new vehicle (read: concrete expression as opposed to ephemeral longings) for comprehension in a generation that has (somehow...miraculously) evolved beyond the banal excesses of the pepsi (mtv,kfc) generation, then p. greenaway can be seen as the last bastion of that segment of the mono(poly)cultural elite that presumes proprietorship of the means and realms of cultural production. The king of obsession is dead, long live etc. The days are over (or ending, it is to be hoped) when monomphallic polymaths expressing their own particularities are replaced by truly cross cultural and multi media artists, not those pretending to be either open-minded (shocking) or erudite (cryptic). This book both gains and suffers from bearing the true attributes of PG's work; at times beautiful, at times enlightening, and at times pretentious and didactic. Sadly, and similarly, not often enough all of the above.