If you have a good knowledge of Perl and some MySQL or other database knowledge and are unsure on how to put the two together in a web application, or lack confidence, then this book is for you. It is best used as a 'cookbook' i.e. read the first five chapters (up to 'Writing form based applications') and then use it as a reference to build your web application. (Although the author may disagree).

If you do get stuck anywhere with Perl or MySQL basics, check out the MySQL mailing list (...) to which Paul is a frequent contributor. You also will find the mod_perl list useful: (...) and the Perl beginners list (and various other Perl lists) (...) Subscribe to these and don't be shy to ask questions after you've checked out the FAQs.

You'll want to supplement this book with an introductory and intermediate Perl book ('Learning Perl' and 'Programming Perl' are two good ones, or 'The Perl Black Book') and an introduction to MySQL - or read the documentation on (web site). You may also want to grab the 'Eagle Book' ('Writing Apache Modules with Perl and C' by Doug MacEchern - author of Mod_Perl) if you're going to be using mod_perl which 'MySQL and Perl for the Web' covers in brief. Also, if you would like to write some more advanced Object Oriented Perl applications using MySQL, check out Damian Conway's excellent 'Object Oriented Perl' book.

Perl, Apache and MySQL have been proven to be very powerful technologies when combined. Large sites like finance.yahoo.com and citysearch.com use these for heavily loaded web applications. With both MySQL 4.0 and Apache 2.0 about to come out of Beta, exciting things are happening in the Perl and MySQL world and Paul's book is a great introduction to the effective combination of both.

Mysql and Perl for the Web by Paul Dubois gives you the tools and concepts needed to transit from a basic knowledge of Perl and Mysql to actually getting the two working together in harmony.

Most of what is covered in this book can be found on the web and in mail archives BUT be prepared for many many hours of scouring obscure sites, trying not-so-hot code and out dated examples. I began working with Perl many years ago, but only in the last 2 years have I been using Perl and Mysql in production web sites.

The first thought that came to mind when I thumbed through this book was 'Man I wish I had seen this book a year and a half a go'. Most of the solutions presented I have figured out myself, but after a long time of head banging and trial and error. I've been going through my code and comparing it the methods and examples found in this book and have been able to make many improvements.

The writing is clear and code examples evolve with the concepts presented.

You should have a basic understanding of Perl before digging into this book, or at least have a good Perl reference book handy. You can also download (and try out) scripts and libraries (...)

I do wish I'd seen this book a year or so ago. It would have saved me a lot of time and effort.

-Z

MySQL and Perl for the Web by Paul DuBois is one of those slap your forehead, "I wish I had this X months ago" books. A splendid book that fills a real void.

Though not for total beginners - have Paul's excellent previous book "MySQL", as well as the some reference like the Camel book handy if you have little or no background in MySQL or Perl - it is written in a concise, easy to read manner that allows one to fully understand what each application does and how the examples could be the basis for use in their own code.

In addition, it's a fine repository of tips, and not all are limited to MySQL and Perl. For example, the section on configuring Apache for secure connections using mod_ssl and OpenSSL, could easily save a newbie seeking SSL knowledge hours of research over many sites and through many README's.

Each chapter builds on the examples of the previous, from the simple to the complex. The book covers, amongst other subjects ...

Form generation and design
Processing forms
Using e-mail to enhance your web site
Storing and retrieving images
The use of MySQL to power your forms
Effective MySQL table design
Automating form handling
Generating form elements from tables
Forms navigation
Forms error handling
Advanced MySQL statements
Indexing and searching your data
Intermediate to advanced Perl usage
Session Management
Maintenance techniques with sessions
Security and privacy, both remotely and locally
Writing secure applications
E-commerce applications
Implementing different payment collection techniques

In other words, it touches on just about every aspect someone looking to leverage MySQL and Perl for web development could want, all in a single source. I learned a lot from this book and think it's easily worth the price.

this book suffers from the lack of a central character to carry the story. young martin chuzzlewit, the book's namesake, only appears in about a quarter of the book. old martin chuzzlewit appears in even less. seth pecksniff and sairey gamp are both amusing, but their characters are not central to the story. jonas chuzzlewit is central to the story, but he doesn't show up until halfway through. without a character to draw the reader's interest, a character the reader can follow the fortunes of, the book wanders. it's not a surprise that the installments of this novel didn't sell well.

the prose is gorgeous, as usual, but the story drags. worth a read, but not if you're new to dickens. best to start off with nicholas nickleby which doesn't suffer from the same defect.

If nothing else, one can come away with images of use in your daily lives. Read this book to understand the hypocrisy of Pecksniff and Mrs. Prigg's interesting friend, Mrs. Harris. These two things pop up as literary references all over the place. Now I finally understand the "Harris" reference in Murder on the Orient Express!

There are all sorts of deceptions and selfishness going on in this book, but by far, Seth Pecksniff is the most perfect character to be found of all Dickens' comic characters. There is a darkness in the profile of Mr. Pecksniff, but he is made to ridiculed, and Dickens does not let a chance pass to ridicule Pecksniff.

I want to digress a moment, for Dickens did as well -- there is a section where young Martin Chuzzlewit tries his fortune in America. And there is quite a bit of anti-American sentiment to be found in these parts (a fact which caused emnity between Dickens and the American public until he made his 2nd and final tour in 1870 or so). There are two reasons for this: first, Martin Chuzzlewit simply did not have the sales figures of previous novels. Anti-American books seemed to be "the thing" (just like diet books are popular today) in Britain, so he went for that. Secondly, Dickens had just been on a rather contentious tour of the U.S. in which he had been trying to make a case for international copyright. You see, the U.S. was the China of that day -- infamous for pirating works of people from other countries. Publishers in America had been printing their own copies of Dickens novels at cut rates (because they weren't paying Dickens or his British publishers anything!) When Dickens tried to make his plea for intellectual property rights, these same publishers of newspapers did a hatchet job of Mr. Dickens' reputation. So, basically, Dickens had an axe to grind.

In any case, feel free to skip all the Chuzzlewit in America bits. There is a moment of self-realization for young Martin, but it's not essential. All the essential action is going on in England, and Martin will return to finish business. There's also a pyramid scheme-like scam going on as part of a subplot, so now we've got two things involved in this novel that people think are debates of modern origin: intellectual property rights and bad financial info. Just remember, Napster and Internet stock tips are only the latest manifestation of old themes; at the very least, this book will remind you of that.

With this novel, Dickens left behind the shallow characters that sometimes marred his early works, and developed full-fledged people. Pecksniff and his daughters are marvelous creations that make one cringe with embarassment while laughing at their incredible selfishness. Tom Pinch is another character in a distinguished line of "too good to be true" Dickensian personalities, but he is shown to suffer and grow into a believable human being. The American episodes are biting in their satire, but overall they are on the money. Dickens' contempt for American armchair philosophers and "freedom-loving" slave owners fueled some of his most pointed social commentary. As always, there is a happy ending, but the plot is more complex than anything Dickens had written before. I have read Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, The Old Curiousity Shop, and Barnaby Rudge, and Martin Chuzzlewit ranks right up there with his best.

This book chronicles the political life of Senator Paul Wellstone (D-Minnesota), a progressive liberal, New Deal-type senator that is a rare breed in today's "New Democrat" politics. It started with how he got started his political career as a grassroot organizer in a rural Minnesota county, his first Senate election in 1990, which he won despite the fact that he raised very little money and was labeled a lost cause by the Democratic party establishment, and then went on to describe his senate career, which he described as more "playing defense to the Republican attacks" than playing offense and pushing for new progressive initiatives (such as a national health insurance program), because such programs are not going to be supported even within today's Democratic party. He then proposed that to create a new progressive majority and to enact progressive policies, we have to elect new progressive politicians, which have to be backed up by grassroots organizing directed toward the democrats constituencies, both old (labor unions) and new (recent immigrants). It is sad that Wellstone would never see the reemergence of the Progressives, because of his untimely dead last month. It is the job of us as Progressive Democrats to make his dreams come true and to build a new America based on Progressive policies.

After reading this book and listening to Senator Wellstone speak I have realized that things can be changed and we as citizens can take back the power from the corporations and the super rich. Mr. Wellstone is right on when he says that most people are socially liberal, but vote the other way over just one issue (we know what that is!) He was going to receive my vote before I read the book, but now he is not only getting my vote, I am helping volunteer for his campaign.

This book says it all. Bill Bradley said it best when he said, "Read this book and feel thankful that there is a man such as Paul Wellstone in the service of our country."

Kudos, Senator Wellstone.

It is the sequel to Dear Mr. Hanshaw. You can tell it's by the same author, though. The author is Beverly Clearly. She is one of my favorite authors. Strider didn't impress me though. This book is not seperated into chapters, it's seperated into journal entries. My favorite part is when Barry and Leigh find the dog on the beach.

The story is about a boy named Leigh, who, is the new kid in school. Leigh finds a stray dog on the beach. The dog was laying down, so Leigh and his friend Barry tried all sorts of ways to get him up. None of them worked. So, Leigh and Barry started running. The dog followed them. Then, he layed down exactly where he was again. The dog looked sad and lonely. So, they decided to have a joint custody with the dog and name him Strider. Barry would keep Strider in his yard during school,Barry and Leigh would play with him after school, and Leigh would keep the dog at night. Leigh's mom and dad are divorced. Leigh has been worrying about his dad because he's losing alot of money. Anyway, Barry has to go on a vacation with his real mom and dad, so Leigh gets to keep Strider for a whole two weeks! But, Strider kept chewing on Leighs bedroom rug, so he decided to build a fence. He called his dad to build one. His dad got a new job. Leigh was relieved. Then, when Barry came back, they had a fight about who keeps the dog. But, they worked it out. Then, Leigh gets this cool new shirt from the thrift shop. The next day, he wore it to school. A rich kid shouted "Hey, that's my shirt!" and it was his shirt. His mom took it to the thrift shop and sold it. So, he ran after him. They did this every morning until they became friends and joined track and became friends. At track, he meets a girl named Geneva who does hurtles at the track. Now, Leigh has three friends. How will the story end? Read Strider and find out!

This story is about a boy named Leigh and a dog named Strider.Strider gets found by Leigh and his friend Barry.They both own Strider.Furthermore, Barry has to visit his real
mom.So Leigh can have Strider for a whole week.Durning
that week Leigh's dad turns up.In this story Leigh's dad comes to visit Leigh a lot.When Barry comes back it's time for school again.Also,durning school Barry and Leigh loses their friendship.Barry runs a lot in this story because of Strider.He even makes the track team with Kevin.Leigh want's his friendship back with Barry so he leaves Strider in Barry's yard ,but Strider comes back and they become friends again.At the end Leigh gets closer with his dad and gets a new frienship with Geneva.One more thing I forgot to say is that Leigh does real good in the track race.

Dear Reader,

My book is called Strider.It's by Beverly Cleary.She's my favorite arthur! Well,my book is about a boy named Leigh Botts.He finds a dog . Leigh and Barry called him,but he didn't come.Finally he cameLiegh and barry called him Strider. The dog can read!The dog is really good. you'll have to find out the rest.

Your friend,

Maymay

With only mild prerequisites in computer science and/or math, Paul Graham gently but quite fully introduces the rudiments of Common Lisp. This was my first Lisp book, recommended to me by a Lisp-fluent student in college when I had to learn the language for an AI class. While I then moved on to more referencial works, like Steele's _Common Lisp: The Language_, Graham is still a foundation for much of the basic grammar, structure, and reasoning behind the form of the language.

While Graham does delve into some interesting coding examples in the second half of the book, _ANSI Common LISP_ is not meant to replace a referential or exemplary book concerning the language. If you're looking for a more case-study sort of book, I suggest Norvig's _Paradigms of AI programming_ or Tanimoto's _Elements of Artificial Intelligence_. Both offer a wealth of examples that Graham rightfully omits in order to more broadly cover the fundamentals of the language itself.

Graham has a penetrating understanding of Lisp, so the text is lucid and easy to follow. Also, like Starr's report on Clinton, some of the best stuff is in the footnotes!

The book is small and the topic large, so some coverage of things is a bit thin. So what -- the Hyperspec is free.

The book is extremely practical, dealing with how to write programs and use the language. It is *extremely* handy to refer to while programming; this is not true of the Hyperspec. Hence this book is a must-have.

Also strongly recommended (especially if you don't know why Lisp is so wonderful) is "On Lisp", by Paul Graham. He shows the completely unmatched power of Lisp. Out of print, you can get for free on Graham's website -- go to yahoo to find it.

I found this the most useful of all the LISP texts for training. I think it has the right balance of detail and overview. Although it omits some details, I am more confident than I am with other texts that this book will help the aspiring programmer rise above the level of "toy" code. This book and 'Paradigms..' by Norvig make an excellent pair. Graham is one of the better expositors on his subject. Worth reading even if you "know it all".

This is a great read! Mr. Paolicelli is a true "journalist" in every sense of the word: this is a very personal journal of the author's search for his family roots and the surprises it reveals, interwoven with incredibly sensitive observations of everyday life in modern Italy. A "Joy Luck Club" from the Italian-American perspective, reading this book makes you realize what all of our families have gone through in coming to America.

This book was one I found hard to put down. An accurate story about what it is like to visit Italian villages and mix with the locals.
The author has a way of taking you along and making the scene come to life. I do wish he had included a family chart to help keep tract of the family members.
I'll remember this book for years to come!

If you are a second, third, or even fourth generation Southern Italian get your hands on this book. Mr. Paolcelli has done what I have wanted to do for the better part of my life, find out what made someone the way is and why he feels about family the way he does. For me Dances with Luigi grabbed my heart and soul and pulled tears from my eyes. Admittedly I have only read the first 100 pages but pages 78-86 were worth the price of a three hour course in Italian history. Again I only got the book 24 hours ago. If you enjoyed Talese's, Unto the Sons then you will for sure get a big time buzz from this work. I wish I could get in touch with the author and extend my heart felt thanks for writing this book. apierull@accd.edu

I am currently using the Third Edition in my AP US History class. The book gives a lot of information but it can be too wordy to study from. I recommend United States History: Preparing for the Advanced Placement Examination, an Amsco publication as a good supplemental reading that is easy to study from and has practice test questions.

I have read reviews from different students in regard to this book. It was really never designed for a high school text and yes it is difficult reading, but it contains more facts and information than any college level or high school level history text. I was so impressed that I ordered the cd-rom edition to use for my student teaching experience. I have found this book even difficult can be of great importance to the student and yes in College and as in high school if the instructor uses the book improperly it can be hell. It is best used by the chunking method a little bit at a time. I wish I could find a replacement cd-rom for the cd-rom version of this book it was most helpfull in teaching history with videos, pictures, and speeches. I kind of wish the book was not out of print though.

Lets face it a lot of history texts are prozaic and they do not have to be. Boyer and the other contributers deliver a text that is well written in the sense that it is somewhat enjoyable. The most important aspect of a text book is the information and The Enduring Vision does not fall short here either. I have used this book for background information in American history as a serious history student. It is a great source for quickly refreshing your mind on seldom visited topics. This would also make an excellent high school history text, but was really written for introductry college courses in American history from the colonial era to the present.

THE FORGER by Paul Watkins

It's a good lesson in history--how the people lived and died in Paris during the occupation through the Second World War. David Halifax, art student, went to Paris just before the war and stayed until the end of the war. He survived by becoming a master forger and helping France save some of her paintings. He worked with the Nazis and the German Embassy playing one side against the other.

Meanwhile, he was observing the people around him, painting and working at staying alive. He managed to get through the war without being killed by the French resistance or the Nazis. I like this book it is an honest attempt to show how the people live, or at least survive in a war.

The forgery of irreplaceable works of art requires key ingredients: a talented artist, knowledge of history and chemistry, a demanding apprenticeship, and the nerve to attempt to trick the experts. David Halifax, an art student, is drawn into this tentative situation while living in Nazi occupied Paris. Once again, the author does a fine job of depicting the locale, and giving his readers insight into the personalities of the characters. This novel earned a spot on the best seller list in the U.K. after its initial release. Several recently published works of fiction have storylines involving the Dutch artist Vermeer(see Art in America, March 2001 issue). The Astronomer, a Vermeer masterpiece, makes an appearance as The Forger tensely moves towards its conclusion. While studying a print of The Astronomer, I can imagine Paul Watkins sitting at his desk, pondering the globe, researching his interests, and determining the setting and content of his next novel. The wheels are always turning...

I found myself involved from Page 1 with this story about a young artist from America who becomes involved with the German's as a forger of art masterpieces during the German occupation of Paris in World War II. This is a fascinating book that takes a different look at the "Great War" told from the angle of a young man with a great talent who uses it to help make a great sacrifice for the sake of art, risking his own identity and perhaps his own life. So many stories of WWII have been told from the military standpoint, it was great to read an account of bravery from a civilian viewpoint.

Paul Watkin's narrator David Halifax, the young artist, tells the story in a very descriptive & detailed way. I could envision Paris and the surrounding countryside very easily. This portrait of the young artist really taught me a lot about fine art I didn't know or realize before. If you enjoy beautiful art & paintings you'll find the details about forgery fascinating and eye-opening. There is so much happening in this story you just can't help but read on. A truly enjoyable and emotional read.

Mosley, Walter. Gone Fishin'. Black Classics. Jan. 1997. 244pages. ISBN 1-57478-025-5. $22. There can be no better way to start off the year than with Easy Rawlins. Fans already needing a fix after Mosley's recent "A Little Yellow Dog" get happy, Easy and Mouse are back in this "prequel" to the series. This latest novel is actually Mosley's original Easy/Mouse story written in the late 80s but never released. Gone Fishin' follows the classic search for father motif-literally for Mouse and figuratively for the 19-year-old Rawlins who finds himself a very un-Easy rider on a road trip to Pariah, TX, to strong-arm Mouse's step daddyReese for money. Easy quickly lands up to here in trouble that includes witchcraft, fevered sex, a fleeing killer, and a few dead bodies. While Mouse is facing down his wicked stepfather, Easy must exorcise the demons of his own past in order to achieve a coming of age that's steeped in blood, guilt, and forgiveness. Not a straight mystery like earlier volumes in the series, Gone Fishin' is a more spiritual novel that reaches into the characters' pasts to reveal their souls. Mosley delivers the goods every time and Easy fans are going to eat this up. Highly recommended.-Michael Rogers,

Though it was originally meant to be the first book in the Easy Rawlins series, _Gone Fishin'_ is only now seeing the light of day. Fans of Walter Mosley's series will want to read this book, as it provides important background information on his characters Easy and Mouse. Not a mystery per se, this book gives us a convincing and moving coming of age story that explains a lot about the adult Easy and his friend Mouse, filling in important details that are only hinted at in the rest of the series

If you're looking for a true summer adventure--and you happen to be a fan of Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins series--don't miss this one. "Gone Fishin'" is a prequel to the other novels--it begins in Houston in the late 1930's where Easy and his murderous pal Mouse are two young black men looking for fortune in a white man's world. That leads them on trip into the dark recesses of the East Texas Piney Woods, where the city boys discover there's plenty of sex, black magic and killing out under the trees. Mosley wonderfully captures the dialect of that region from that era--to me, it had a familiar ring. To others, it may require a bit of concentration, but it's worth the effort. With "Gone Fishin'", Mosley has created a grownup "Huck Finn" style adventure that reads like a movie. If you're like me, after Denzel Washington's portrayal of Easy in "Devil In A Blue Dress", you see Denzel in your head whenever you're reading about Easy Rawlins. Imagine him as a youngster--not yet the cool sleuth he'll become later in LA--and you've got the character Mosley creates for "Gone Fishin'". The only bad thing I can say about this book is that I was finished with it before I wanted to be.

You buy this type of item for the price. The price was low, and you can wear the book out without worrying about it. Good if you don't want to pay too much for a book.

"Antigone," the drama by Sophocles, has been published as part of the Dover Thrift Edition series. The Dover version is translated into English by George Young. An introductory note states that the play was first performed in the 440s BCE.

The introductory note also includes a brief summary of events leading up to the events of this play. "Antigone" concerns the family of Oedipus, former ruler of the city-state of Thebes. As "Antigone" opens, Thebes is ruled by Creon, the brother-in-law of Oedipus. Creon is at odds with his niece, Antigone, because he denies a proper burial to Antigone's brother Polynices. Antigone's intention to defy her uncle sets this tragedy in motion.

This is a powerful story about familial duty, social customs, gender roles, and the relationship between the individual and governmental authority. The issues in this play remain relevant today, and are powerfully argued by Sophocles' characters. At the heart of the play is this question: Is it right to disobey a law or edict that one feels is unjust?

But "Antigone" is not just a philosophical meditation; it's also the story of a very personal clash between two strong-willed members of a very troubled extended family. A bonus in the play is the appearance of the seer Tiresias: it is a small but potent role. Overall, this play is a solid example of why ancient Greek drama has stood the test of time.

Following the ending of "Oedipus the King," Oedipus was exiled from Thebes, blind and a beggar. We learn from "Oedipus at Colonus" that his sons, Eteocles and Polyneices engaged in a civil war for the throne of Thebes (covered in "Seven Against Thebes" by Aeschylus). The two brothers kill each other and Creon (Manos Katrakis), brother of Jocasta, becomes king. He orders that Eteocles, who nobly defended his city, shall receive an honorable burial, but that Polyneices, for leading the Argive invaders, shall be left unburied. This leads Antigone (Pappas), sister to both of the slain brothers, to have to choose between obeying the rule of the state, the dictates of familial binds, and the will of the gods. This, of course, is the matter at the heart of this classic tragedy by Sophocles.

It is too easy to see the issues of this play, first performed in the 5th century B.C., as being reflected in a host of more contemporary concerns, where the conscience of the individual conflicts with the dictates of the state. However, it seems to me that the conflict in "Antigone" is not so clear-cut as we would suppose. After all, Creon has the right to punish a traitor and to expect loyal citizens to obey. Ismene (Maro Kodou), Antigone's sister, chooses to obey, but Antigone takes a different path. The fact that the "burial" of her brother consists of the token gesture of throwing dirt upon his face, only serves to underscore the ambiguity of the situation Sophocles is developing. Even though the playwright strips Creon of his son, Haemon (Nikos Kazis) and wife, Eurydice (Ilia Livykou) by the end of the drama, it is not a fatal verdict rendered against the king's judgment, but rather the playing out of the tragedy to its grim conclusion.

Note: I have always enjoyed Jean Anouilh's "modern" version of the play, produced in 1944 and loaded with overtones regarding the Nazi occupation of France. The two plays offer a fascinating analog and students are usually quick to appreciate how Anouilh revitalizes the ancient myth with the political situation in which he lived.