First of all I make an important observation having nothing to do with the content of the book. The binding of the softcover edition that I have pretty much falls apart on the first reading. If you underline and make notes like I do, then this weakness will prove a real drawback.

Martinson is the editor of the English edition of this book, prepared and expanded for use in the United States from informational material originally prepared for use in Germany. The translation was done by Stephanie Ormsby Cox. I thought the treatment of the subject was fair and adequate, but I have nothing to compare it against at this time. Islam is presented as a religion that is subject to strong sectarianism and cultural prejudices that often overpower Qur'anic teaching. As I read this introduction I could not help but wonder how Christianity is perceived by non-Christians.

Prior to reading this book I purchased two competing English translations of the Qur'an, because I could not tell that I would get an accurate impression from reading only one. I confess to having completely read only one translation of the Qur'an so far, while comparing interesting passages with the other English translation. I report the impression that strong sectarian tendencies cannot be hidden when these two English translations are compared. While I certainly do not pretend that this phenomenon does not occur in English translations of the Bible, I do not have tools to educate myself regarding the proper interpretation of Qur'anic Arabic. I fear an English reader is at the mercy of the translation of choice. Should a second English translation be consulted, then the English only reader is even more confused.

I decided to read Martinson's book after my first reading of the Qur'an, and I believe I got much more from the book because of this approach. Many of the points that were emphasized by quotations from Suras had already been observed by me. This helped me gain confidence that my observations were not merely manifesting prejudices. Martinson's book claims to have been afforded the benefit of oversight and input from knowledgeable Muslims as a safequard to accuracy.

I report distress at how little confidence I gained in the ability to sytematize Qur'anic teachings from reading either one English translation of the Qur'an or from reading Martinson's book. As a serious Christian, I have studied the Bible for over 30 years, and I can attest to a conviction that there is no end to the need and desire to systematize the teaching that is provided through revelation. The Qur'an teaches that the previous "people of the book" corrupted what had been revealed before, but what is offered in place of the Bible is certainly not an improvement.

One of the aftermaths of the World Trade Center/Pentagon attacks
was that there was an increased interest in Islam. People wanted to know what makes those guys tick. _Islam:an Introduction for Christians_ was originally written in Germany in 1990(and translated in 1994) as an ecumenical tool to help Christains understand Islam. Even so _Islam_ is an excellent place to start the study of the world's fastest growing religion.

The chapters of the book touch on a variety of subjects. The first seven discuss Islamic faith: the Qur'an and Mohammed, the Five Pillars, law and justice, the family, and death and burial. Paul Martinson then inserted into the English translation a section on Islam in North America. The third part of the book discusses Islamic movements of the present and past and the emphases of these various groups. The fourth part of the book relates Islam and Christianity. How have these two religions acted as they have encountered each other in the past? What about Jerusalem? How is Jesus addressed in the Qur'an? The last part of the book offers a Christian appreciation of Islam.

_Islam_ again and again comes back to a simplified answer of what makes those guys tick. On page 101 the story is told of a Ms Lahaj who had been a folk singer in Greenwich Village in the 1970's and who rediscovered Islam. "Everything there had been the same for the last 1400 years." The Sharia, the traditional law, as it has been known for centuries has come into conflict with Western values. _Islam_ makes this plain in an anecdote about a chance encounter between a man and the wife of a new Islamic family (page 18), in the chapter on women and the family, in the chapter on marriages between Christians and Muslims, and elsewhere. To this _Islam_ adds (page 133) the note that in the 19th and 20th centuries when Europeon powers practiced colonialization in Islamic countries, the new values introduced by the foreigners presented "profound difficulties" for Muslims.

It is a simplified answer, but that is what makes those guys tick.

I thought this book was very helpful. Not only did it address the actual Koranic beliefs of Islam, it also covered the traditions and societal roles of modern Muslims, as well as the history of the Islamic faith. Also, I found the Christian aspects of the commentary to be quite accurate and true to Biblical concepts. On the whole, this book is about as objectively informative as it gets, I imagine. It does not attempt to qualify either faith and appears to be a genuine effort to enlighten and encourage Christian readers in their interactions with Muslim individuals. On a side note, I am personally a Christian, but I have a great deal of respect for the Islamic way of life, as I have had many encounters with truly amazing people who embrace the faith in full. This book only bolstered my respect and admiration for the discipline, nobility, and integrity of devout Muslim people. A great insight into the true Islamic religion!

Michael Hickey's book has been promoted as being an in-depth analysis of the death of outlaw John Ringo which provides a final answer to who killed him. In my opinion, this massive book fails utterly to do this. The "analysis" seems little more than speculation and the evidence presented is absurdly thin, especially considering Hickey's reliance upon the discredited memoirs of Josephine Earp as "edited" by Glenn Boyer. Some of the maps and photographs are marginally interesting, but the authenticity of some of the latter must be questioned in light of the minimal information given their provenance. Students of Tombstone know that phony photographs have long bedeviled this topic.

The first half of Hickey's book is written in what can only be called a "novelistic" form, and it seems that this really should have been published as a novel rather than history. Many of the details given have no possible real source, and the rest are built upon very shaky ground.

I cannot recommend this book to anyone who expects to learn who (if anyone rather than Ringo himself) killed John Ringo.

A Treasure Chest of Earpiana

"John Ringo: The Final Hours" is yet another superb volume on Earpiana from Michael M. Hickey and a must for all true enthusiasts. Like his earlier book which delved into the mystery surrounding the killing of Warren Earp, this work centres on another controversial death, that of John Ringo. Also, like the other book, it is as big as the great outdoors, exhibiting a remarkable generosity in the vast amount of information it has to offer pertaining to the Earp saga. In fact, basically, here is yet another Hickey treasure chest of Earp lore for those of us who just cannot get enough of the doings of Wyatt and Co.

The book is well written and immensely readable. Hickey has the knack of keeping the reader enthralled, never quite sure along which trail he is going to be taken next. His writing style reminds me of the classic whodunit crime writers who always loved to surprise their readers. Such a style is particularly appropriate here for Mr. Hickey is, as he says, telling a "Tale of the Old West", and the first third of the book is a vivid dramatisation of the events immediately leading up to Ringo's assassination as the author sees it.

Michael Hickey has not been afraid to use contemporary hearsay and local legend as a starting point for his theories but he is always determined to find documentary evidence to back it up if at all possible. This is clearly proved by reading the final two thirds of the book which is described as the "Author's Working Notes and Documentation". Here the reader will revel in a veritable cornucopia of reference material: maps (including Wyatt's own map of the Ringo killing), documents of all kinds, letters, newspaper reports, excerpts from other authors' work and, of course, a myriad of photos, each with a detailed caption. Even here, in the "documentary" part of the book, Hickey keeps us guessing, keeps the tension going for the reader as, little by little, he feeds us more and more information about that time and that place.

For this book is far more than just the story of how one notorious outlaw came to meet his end. It is a detailed analysis, told with extraordinary insight, of how Wyatt Earp and his posse put an end to the Cowboy depredations in Cochise County with the backing of Wells Fargo, the Pinkertons, various national and local government agencies and even the U.S. and Mexican governments.

As an author, Michael M. Hickey combines an imaginative and intellectual grasp of the Arizona milieu of the late nineteenth century, the intellectual fervour of a detective determined to ferret out the truth, together with a vivid and most entertaining writing style. Long may he continue to give us these treasures of Earpiana.

The information, footnotes and research contained in Michael Hickey's book, "John Ringo - The Final Hours" are compelling evidence that Ringo did not commit suicide. It is indeed the "story behind the story."

Splendid suggestions ( i like especially the suggestion ofletting phone ringing two times before answering). My suggestion:toget a good laugh ,read this book. For advice,learn thinking by yourself.

Have you ever read The Little Book of Calm? If not, you missed a great opportunity of relaxation and wisdom in a little tiny pocket book. It is full of advice to follow and thoughts to inspire. Open it at any page and you will find a path to inner peace. One of my favourite is: Pretend it's Saturday!

By Thei Zervaki
author of Globalize, Localize, Translate

This little book was sent to me from a friend in New Zealand, prior to finals. I now carry it everywhere I go, it fits so nicely in my backpack--or my back pocket. Very simple but profound suggestions for reducing stress. Makes me happy! Excellent gift to yourself or one you love.

As an American having lived in Singapore for much of the past 30 years, it seems to me Mr. Hellander hasn't spent much time there. Much of his 'facts' and 'tips' are out of date, or just plain wrong. His 'tips' on hotels and restuarants in particular seem to be based on marketing data, and not real world experience. If you are planning to go to Singapore, there are many other, better written and more accurate, books to read. This would not be one of them. Insight and Essential Explorer do a much better job.

...We found this book to be a very solid reference for transportation and side trips. Compared to Fodor's Singapore guide, which we also carried, this book has more accurate and helpful information on sightseeing and transportation options, e.g., local places to buy bus or ferry tickets for side trips in Malaysia and Indonesia. The book is also a good source of ideas for exploring outlying islands, forests, and neighboring cities.

We were not impressed with the "Places to Eat" section...With two broad exceptions, the descriptions of "Places to Eat" and "Places to Stay" are too brief to be of much use in choosing a specific restaurant or hotel. However, each publisher covers hawker centers reasonably well...Lonely Planet's treatment of budget and alternative lodging arrangements--such as camping--seems fairly comprehensive. Finally, you will find more shopping advice in other guides, although this book's shopping section is not bad.

The information in the book is well organized and generally easy to find. While it is not a "pocket size" guide, its size (approx. 5 x 7 in. or 12.5 x 18.5 cm) makes it very easy to take along in a backpack, camera bag, or briefcase. At 200 pages plus maps, it is light enough to go almost anywhere.

For getting around in the city and to more remote locations, we found ourselves relying on this book. If you are familiar with Singapore, have already arranged accommodations, or are more interested in exploring and side trips, the options in this book can take you much farther afield without stress. First time travelers to Singapore (other than those with extremely limited budgets) or those who go only for the shopping may find the Fodor's guide more helpful.

Lonely Planet maintains a very good website...which features detailed content, including updates about Singapore and other locations. I have rated this book four stars, a very usable little reference that will likely become more useful the more you visit. Combined with the website, the book can prepare you well for nearly all aspects of a visit to Singapore, especially if you intend to use Singapore as a hub for excursions elsewhere. More detailed descriptions of hotels, including further treatment and recommendations in the top half, and more material in the shopping section would give the book a stronger appeal to a broader audience.

While this guide was useful in all the mundane ways (accomodation, eating), I'm grateful to for the way it got me thinking about some of the less understandable aspects of Singapore. After a couple of days of walking around S'pore I began to wonder at the odd sense of artificiality about the place, and the strange way my hosts and others talked of the city-state. I was glad to be reffered to Stan Sesser's book *The Lands of Charm and Cruelty*, which told me of "the fear that even the best educated Singaporeans feel towards their government." I am also grateful to this guide for steering me towards Ian Buruma's essay "The Nanny State of Asia," in his book *The Missionary and the Libertine*, which went into a lot of detail about the police state behind the facade of Singapore's clean toilets, etc. The guide was useful in all practical matters, but by dealing with some of the unpleasantness that is the reality of Singapore, I came away with a better understanding of the place which grew increasingly creepy the longer I stayed. Lonely Planet Singapore is an excellent, thoughtful guide that did what it was supposed to do, yet also led me to other books which helped enrich my business trip. For understanding some aspects of Chinese behaviour in a business setting, I also recommend Bo Yang's *The Ugly Chinaman and the Crisis in Chinese Culture*. Paul Theroux's *Saint Jack* is a novel set in Singapore - though written in the 70's, I found the attitudes and actions of many of the characters still relevant to locals and expats of Singapore today.

This book is a good book. It's about a boy named Glenn and his brother Paul, who is mentally challenged. Glenn helps Paul in basketball so he can make friends. But some people still won't accept him. This is a good book, and I would recommend it to any kid. It teaches you not to judge people just because they are different before you get to know them.

This book is about a kid who is disabled and can't learn as fast as others. His name is Paul, and he has a brother named Glenn. His brother was trying to teach him basketball so he would have something to do. Glenn wants Paul to have friends besides him. He thought it would be a good experience for paul to play a sport. I thought this was a good book.

Would you think that a disabled kid could learn so fast? Well Paul can. In Matt Christopher's Long Shot For Paul , the main character, Paul, learns to play basketball in 2 weeks. He and his brother Glenn are playing for the Sabers, but the players are being hard on Paul. Will the players accept Paul?

I thought this book was awesome. It was a sports book and I love sports. Any kid who is into sports should read this book. On a scale from 1 to 10 this would definitely be a 10.

I bet the author wrote this to get people to understand that just because people are different, it doesn't mean that they are not good at stuff or they aren't nice.

As if we need any more evidence that Geoffrey Giuliano is a opportunist hanger-on disguised as a "expert" - this book is strictly the work of a clerk, not an author. Collate a bunch of old, dubious interviews, insert one's own impressions, call it a book. That great effort of journalism must have taken, what, a weekend to toss together?

And isn't it nice Geoffrey Giuliano can take credit for this "monumental" work and collect royalties off it.

Some expert.

I sure did. So should any serious beatles fan. Great shots too. I keep it a reference book and go through it often.

I have been a Beatle fan for thirty years, and it is great to finally hear the Beatles own story as told in their own words. Not only are the Beatles featured, but so are their closest family and friends. It was a great read, as are all Beatle author Giuliano's works.

I bought this book in the hopes that it could give me some inside statistics on admission that the University websites could not. I was hugely disappointed. Not only are the stats completely non-descriptive, not all school descriptions list the same information (some are missing some info but it's the school's own fault for not submitting that info). As well, while the book does have Canadian Universities in it, 3/4 of the book is devoted to listing American schools (granted, they have a lot more), but if you are only interested in applying within Canada, it will be so much cheaper to just look at the websites for information.

As the other reviewers have said this is the most comprehensive guide out there. The data for the most part is accurate, however I had some problems with some of the website URLs and some of the phone numbers to the depts. had changed. Also, the print font is small which makes it hard to read.

The guide includes all of the typical intro.-to-grad.-programs information that one would expect of such a guide: (1) Providing a basic understanding of graduate degree programs, (2) what they're worth, (3) their entrance exams, (4) what to look for, (5) how to apply, and (6) other invaluable information.

Most importantly, the guide has (7) a comprehensive index of specific programs in specific areas of psychology so that a student may scan the kind of program they're interested in, find out about schools that have the program they're looking for, where it's at, how many full-time and part-time faculty are in the program, how many full-time and part-time students attend, how many male and female students attend, the degree requirements, entrance requirements, expenses, financial aid offered, faculty research interests, program contact, etc.

An indispensable guide for prospective graduate students in the field!

But if you happen to be in Finland, the only thing you'll need to sample is the local alcoholic beverages.

I visited this country with my Finnish boyfriend in 2002. THe book was a great help. It helped me decide which tourist spots, shopping areas, historical sites and places of interest to check out. The only part that I didn't like was that it didn't touch too much on the smaller cities of Finland, but in general, it's a good buy. Definitely worth it, but make sure you get "Culture Shock, Guide to Finland" if you do travel to Suomi. Having a cultural view of this beautiful country is important.

I've just been to Helsinki for a few days, and although I didn't get the chance to test this book's usefulness in other parts of the country, it certainly proved worth having just for Helsinki. It tells you all the basic stuff, and some of the interesting stuff. I was able to get from the airport by bus and walk to my hotel from the bus station simply by glancing at the book on the flight to Helsinki. Everything is very clear and nicely laid out, and it's a handy size too. I hope I'll return to Finland; this is the first thing I'll pack.

What started out as a pleasant experience became a bit of a let down. The foreword by Charlie Papazian gets you all geared up. The book reads well although some of the tips are questionable. The book is definitely more for the extract brewer. Some recipes look interesting and some are out there. However comments that are degrading or offensive to certain people should have been omitted. This is supposed to be a reference book not a soapbox. Overall I found Designing Great Beer (Daniels) much more useful.

If you're looking for a "how-to" book with regard to home-brewing, this ISN'T it, but if you just want RECIPES than this is the one to get. There is a mix of both extract and all-grain recipes. The emphasis on the former is not as great as advertised which I found slightly disappointing--for me, home-brewing is a hobby and not an occupation. (With a little bit of practice, however, it's not too difficult to convert an all-grain recipe into an extract version.) No matter what your style or taste, you'll find at least several different choices here, with recipes complete and easy to understand, and usually presented in a very entertaining fashion. Lots of tips, "history of beer" vignettes, and quotes from famous people on the subject of beer, many of which I have found fun to use in label-making. There's also some very good food recipes in here, all using beer--the Chicken with Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce has become a family favorite, and I'm anxious to try the Chocolate Cream Stout Cake!

Anyone can put together a list of recipes for all the classicstyles of beer, throw a cover on it and hawk it for ... ... or put up a web site and collect a thousand different ways to combine malt and hops... recipes are easy to come by. But this book is more than just a collection of formulas.

I give it a wholehearted five stars because the authors fill the pages with their passion for brewing great beer. The pages are a combination of anecodtes, brew tips and best of all quotations from all the greats of literature... Shakespeare to Orwell, they all had something to say about beer. I never tire of flipping through the pages when I am getting ready to make the next batch, and laughing at the wit and wisdom found within. I'll say it again. Get this book, it's worth twice the asking price.

Good grief, this sort of thing sounds like TORTURE. People become accountants because they failed at something else. And they actually read stuff like this?

This book is very practical and covers all the pertinent information needed for a good foundation in Accounting. The book is easy to understand and gives practical examples and useful exercises.

I am an accounting Professor. I am also an accountant. I am so surprised that you thought people became accountants because they failed from something else. It is totally wrong. I am so pround of it. I am 27 year old. I have a good car, have a good house (no debt at all; I just repaid all my mortgage recently.) I do not think that people who are in the field from which you mentioned they failed can make money and have good reputation like I do. Do you know that an auditor money as much as a lawyer (I am a good auditor; please do not talk about other case)

For this book, I found it is very good. I used Prof Skousen's textbook in first accounting class as well as intermediate. My students like them so much. However, they give a little bit too much detail. A professor should adapt it when using in class. This book is a excellent alternative to another book published by Wiley.