This very slender book is not a bad afternoon read, but ultimately it fails in what it attempts to do.
The author himself comes off as pompous and disengaging, as his "trivia" book is little more than a brief collection of personal opinions of his favorite Christmas Carol versions. These thinly veiled reviews lack the calibre of even your local TV Guide synopses. The only real trivia examples here are in classroom style question-exercises included at the end of each chapter! While I have no problem with this, the author postures himself as the true expert on A Christmas Carol with no real exposition as to why said versions are his favorite! I am giving it three stars, though, as the subject matter remains enjoyable no matter how clumsily presented.
Also worth noting- The recent Patrick Stewart version is omitted from this collection. Sacrilege!

If you're a Fan of Dickens Christmas Carol, like I am, you might enjoy this book.

It has Chapters on Dickens, the story and it's creation and the many Film, T.V, and Cartoon versions. I don't agree with the author that the movie Scrooged is so avfull, I'm not saying it's a Great movie But I found it quite Funny actually.

But apart from that this is a Fun Book to read around Christmas time when you have reeread Christmas Carol, watched all your Christmas Carol Videos, stuffed yourself full of Marsipan, Chocolate and Sherry and been visited by the Ghost of Christmas past.

What a fun book to read. I love 'A Christmas Carol,' and this book puts everything 'Carol' right at your fingertips. For the most part, I agree with much of what the author says, but I feel that 'An American Christmas Carol' and 'Scrooged' deserve higher ratings. I also prefer the George C. Scott version above all others.
This book is broken down so the reader will not only be able to read about the many different film versions of a 'Carol' that have been released, but the cartoon, television, and even the original book version is reviewed as well. An example of what I learned is that I had no idea that there was a version starring Sir Seymour Hicks filmed back in 1935 until I read about it in this book. I then searched out and found a (rather poor, unfortunately) copy of THAT version. There is also a small biography of Mr. Dickens, so the reader will understand where many of his ideas for his novels came from.
The writing style is quick, informative (LOTS of trivia and pictures throughout!), and upbeat.
I don't know if this has been updated to include the Patrick Stewart version or not, as I purchased this book back in '97. I will definitely pick up a revised copy should one become available.
A great bathroom book!

Very dissappointing. The video cabling section didn't discuss splitters, taps, attenuators, modulators,signal loss and many other areas of video installation. The other sections were somewhat better but also lacking in depth. I've learned more from reading the appendixes in the Leviton Catalog.

I found this book to be written in a way that can be understood easily by the common "Joe". I've read many books on this subject and found that I wish I would have started with this one to begin with. It lays out the foundations of the infrastructure field in a descriptive and understandable way. Excellent choice.

I have been teaching fibre optics (Canadian Spelling for fiber) and communications for a number of years now, and I have read and used most every book available on the subject. I have been able to get something pertinent out of all of them. I have been using "Data, Voice and Video Cabling for some time now. The majority of the time my students are offered these books, not as a requirement of the course, but as a an option. (They are supplied during the course free of charge.)

Recently a class involved in an extensive training course asked about Homework. I suggested reading the issued text books by the next morning. (Big mistake) The next AM, I was inundated with questions and ideas about communications cabling. Further, I sold 12 of the VD&V books immediately. Most of my people had spent many hours reading over and reveiwing all required reading. These students were all eminently qualified instructors in a Communications, train-the-trainer course.

Many people assume that they can learn everything from books without the benifit of formal instruction. An unfortunate mistake. I have to deal with this attitude on a daily basis. However if you want to be close to this assumption, try this book. Always keep an open mind and try to refrain from the negativity.

"The tragedy of modern life is that we have repressed and supressed any idea or experience of a reality transcendent to ourselves that might provide a higher and more inclusive meaning for our lives." (Cosmology and Creation, p.155)

Brockleman believes that spirituality is the common concern of all Humanity, especially for those individuals whose lives seem to be deviod of it.

This book is short (only 177 pages) and as such does not reach the kind of depth of analysis most American academic philosophers hold to be the mark of worth. However, this is precisely why the book has merit: It is easy to read, it makes broad, general, and meaningful assertions with which any non-philosopher can associate, and it puts a different spin on science and our modern world that will in all likelihood strike the reader as new and perhaps even refreshing.

Brockleman is concerned with how we live our lives. He is not concerned with a defence for why this question is meaningful. Nor is he willing to engage is a haughty philosophical dialectic that makes the question more of a thought experiment than one in which each of us is actively engaged. For academic philosophers in the analytic tradition this is an unsatisfactory approach. For anyone else, however, it is the only approach that really matters, because it is the one that will give our everyday experience more holisitc, spiritual meaning. If this sounds touchy-feely, then this book is not for you. But if you are concerned with your identity and life in this short-sighted, quick-fix modern society, buy and read this book: It might open your eyes.

I would have liked to give this book 4-1/2 stars but seeing as I couldn't I opted for the higher rating. It's not that Cosmology and Creation doesn't deserve 5 stars, it's just that it opens several doors but doesn't go there. And I suspect that's what the author intended, that this book be a prolegomenon and not a systematic -- an overture and not a symphony. Nevertheless, it is the only book I have read through cover to cover 4 times over the space of two years and it is the only approach to spirituality that I, a post-modern post-Christian borderline pantheist can wholeheartedly assent to. Put rather baldly, Paul Brockelman's God is my God. Which may be no God at all to many people and certainly to one other reviewer. And I would like the opportunity to query the author further as to his feelings on the traits of this God: intelligent? aware? loving? none of the above? who knows? irrelevant?

I hope Paul Brockelman feels called to continue in the vein of Cosmology and Creation and flesh out his spirituality for the benefit of we, the inspirationally bereft!

The eighteenth century physicist Georg Christoph Lichtenberg referred to scientific theories as "modes of imagining," a phrase I think Brockelman would be sympathetic to. Cosmology and Creation does not offer any easy salve for the rift between science and mysticism. What it does offer is a way to see the common impulse inherent in both ways of interpreting the world and examine how these modes deepen and inform one another. His prose, stripped of philosophical haggling, rings with humanity, inviting us to bring to his ideas our whole person, including our "psychological need."

In the Jamesian mode, he enthusiastically factors his own experiences with wonder into his analysis. We sense throughout a vibrant spirit that wants to sit us down and meet us humbly eye to eye. This is a philosophy that does not exert rational power over its subject, but surrenders again and again, like in the best of Kierkegaard, to the power of the subject. There is wisdom here in the process, in the way Brockelman advances and recedes with his intellect, in the way he teases understanding from complex relationships.

Most of all, this is a book that wants to make contact with us, that is seemingly unconcerned with "its place" in some disaffected post-modern debate. And for that this reader is grateful.

This book is too detailed and go off on stuff that's not relevant on passing the cpa exam. This book is for people who want to know all of accounting and not just focusing on passing the exam. It has all these unnecessary stuff that are you don't need to know for the exam. Unlike other review materials that has about 9 chapters, this book has 20 chapters. If other materials can help you pass on just 9 chapters, why does this book has 20? Who has time to remember 20 chapters on each section. In addition the book is poorly written, the materials are hard to understand and topics are all over the place. I also regret getting the audio tutor tapes, they are a bore and useless. This whole package is a total waste of money, you're better off saving some money and getting the wiley book and studying on your own or pay some money and get a real review course like becker. Like they say, you get what you pay for. Stay away from Bisk.

This is a well written book with concrete examples and real, accurate questions. It helped me to pass the exam the first time I took it.

What a fantastic way to get ready for the CPA Exam. I was so overwhelmed but if you study this book it will get you ready. I passed my first time....just like they said I would!

I got this thinking it would contain useful guidelines for myself and my new ARNP (in an office practice), but found much of the book to consist of admitting orders, and the rest not particularly useful.

The discussion of hypertension, for example, consists of 3/4 page, does briefly discuss workup of newly dx HTN, and lists drugs and dosages - but NOT any recommendations for which drug to use in which patient, and no mention of guideline such as JNC-6.

The one page on active TB discusses workup and treatment regimens, but NOT possible hepatotoxicity of drugs, and NO discussion of which patients would be more likely to have resistant disease.

It seems to essentially be a FP version of the "Wash Manual" (Washington Manual of Therapeutics), and as such is appropriate for FP housestaff, but NOT for experienced clinicians, midlevel providers, or those doing only outpatient medicine.

It's better then most scut monkey books.

This book is a must if you're a family practice resident. Clear, concise and fits in your pocket. It's great!

Anyone who attempts to make philosophy accessible to non-academics certainly has the tip of my hat, but DESCARTES IN 90 MINUTES sacrifices too much substance in the interest of readability. This book would be OK for a high school student preparing a short paper or presentation on French philosopher/mathematician Rene Descarte, but for those of us who are motivated by anything more than casual curiosity about philosophers will be left unsatisfied.

I did learn quite a few facts from this very clearly-written book, such as Descarte's odd sleeping habits, his apparent facility in composing musical verse, and his compulsive wanderlust. The problem is that biographies of Great Thinkers just don't have a lot of impact without including some exposition of their Great Thoughts. "I think, therefore I am," is about as deep as it gets here.

Starthern's goal is to provide a quick, flawless guide to the major thinkers of the world: I'm unclear as to whether he succeeded or not. I suppose he succeeds simply because he has published these works, people buy them, and they are quite popular. I am not a stickler for erudition, I would have like to have learned from this series, but there just isn't enough information on the philosopher's work. If you're in a philosophy class and want to get a quick preview of what you're going to learn, chances are you will find more or less the same information in the introduction of your text. If you just want to learn on your own, it's your decision as to what you're looking for. For example, this is what I learned about Descartes from this book:

1) He was an eccentric who liked to sleep in 2) His theories on mathmatics were contraversial 3) He believes that we exist simply because we think 4) He died for a silly reason.

That's it folks. #2 & 3 may seem exciting, but there is no explanation as to why or how these manifests themself.

Strathern is a master at this kind of work, which mixes biography, critical analysis, historical context and humor all in a concise, informative & entertaining package. He lists a time line for the philosopher, his place in world/philosophic history & a selection of works for furthur reading. This series of books by Strathern is a wonderful course in Philosophy 101 without ever having to go to college, all presented in plain, easy to understand English without being bogged down with philosophy's often confusing vernacular.

This book suffers from a dull prose style and a mere listing of the agonies of the Adams family, without much insight. But if you want the facts about America's most distinguished dysfunctional family, here they are.

(...) An insightful and interesting study of four generations of complex and often contradictory personalities. I especially appreciated the author's manner of hinting at future developments and bating the reader to read on and on...in my case, well into the night. His analysis of the Adams' strengths and weaknesses is what sets this book apart so I am perplexed that anyone would describe it as dull and a mere listing of events. But don't take my word for it -- if you have only a few moments to browse through it, check the index for the passage dealing with the death of the tragic first generation daughter, Nabby. The writing is poignant and wrenching. Anything but routine.

I read this book in about one week. I found it very well written with logical conclusions and theories based on an extensive primary and secondary source material study, complex yet readable and extremely well researched. This is a book that anyone interested in American history and the complexities of the first 4 generations of the Adams family will appreciate. A masterful undertaking by the author...never boring and highly informative.

I agree with the other reviews that the book has a stunning layout.

But I have a problem with comments such as "no one had had the sense to design a clock face at that time." Conversational levity is understandable; condescension is not.

Design, technology, and knowledge are long processes of building on what previously existed. They also depend on specific needs and available materials, how inventions are passed along, how easy it is to change a design standard of the time, and sometimes on mere coincidence or powerful institutions. Simply saying "no one had the sense" is unnecessarily condescending and places us on a plane of intelligence and cleverness that misses the whole point of where design has been before us (which is integral to any history of design).

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond (esp. Part II) is an excellent example of looking at history and prehistory in terms of how and why certain things developed where and when they did (ie looking at the process) instead of attributing our current level of achievement to our supposed higher level of smartness.

For example, Design (A Crash Course) says that it took a long time before an iron-bladed plow was invented, "but they got there in the end." Why is there an "end" to invention in this area, and when is the "end" anyway?? The 1900s, 2000, 2003? Again, it unnecessarily scoffs at the process of getting there and just isn't a professional or open-minded approach to history.

the book's grid is cool and entertaining. the layout is very proffesional and i had many laughs examining the different objects described. recommanded to all design lovers. and if you are interested in graphic design too, a must have title is david carson's "the end of print" -isbn 1811811999.

'Good design is intelligence made visible' said Frank Pick, he was the man who had the vision to create one of the greatest corporate identities ever, for London Transport, while he was their commercial manager. Look through this little book and you will see how true that statement is. What I like about it (and the others in this 'A Crash Course' series) is the way each spread is beautifully designed with several graphic elements, a Timeline across the top, a Designer Names panel, an Every Home Should Have One panel, photos and illustrations with the headlines, captions and text, to make a visual treat.

The book starts at Year Dot (the writing has a sense of fun too) and chronologically goes up to 2000 with all kinds of design references, William Morris on page 42, Barbie dolls on page 113, packaging, product design, logos, print media, electronics, transport, the text weaves them all together. As with the best reference books it stimulates questions and the 'I want to know more' attitude.

The back of the book has some pages on Design Classics, Design Heroes (including mine, Raymond Loewy and Dieter Rams) a Glossary and an Index. You should also check out a book (also pocket size ) called 'Design: A Concise History' by Thomas Hauffe, it was originally published in Germany and covers the same ground with plenty of illustrations but doesn't have the same kind of fun as 'Design'. A much more serious book is 'Design of the 20th Century' by Charlotte and Peter Fiell, a big, chunky 768 page paperback with over four hundred entries of designers and design movements, plus plenty of photos. It is the only book that I have found that names Willie Fleckhaus and his work on that amazing German magazine 'Twen' in the sixties. If you are interested in design all three books are worth having and they are all value for money.

Text book Egyption history is what you like get this book.

Like many of Mr. Johnson's admirers, I can just barely see how he manages to read so much. But how he is able to write so much on top of that--incredible. Now he has turned his attention to ancient Egypt. Because this is a dead civilization, there is not much occasion here for political controversy, and so some of Mr. Johnson's fans may miss his pungent polemics. They needn't. He has compiled an largely satisfying popular account of the land of the pharaohs, which also leaves the reader curious to read more deeply.

The book is not a history. The historical narrative portion stops at the last great pharaoh, Ramesses III, and we turn instead to chapters devoted to the Egyptian attitudes of government, religion, art, and death. Johnson does a great job taking us inside the minds of the ancients by showing how, to them, these ideas were inseparable. His sources and illustrations are well chosen, though he continues to be plagued by sloppy editing. A couple of incorrect captions, a reference to an work of art "now in Leningrad", that sort of thing.

Each of his chapters are distillations of subjects which could have been (and are) the subjects of entire books. The account of the Western rediscovery of Egypt during the Age of Science flitted by too quickly for me--I wanted to read more about the adventures of Napoleon's very talented egyptologists. And the classical Greek historians like Herodotus are dismissed as little more than purblind tourists. Well, sure; based on what we now know.

This is a fast-paced book about a static civilization, a coffee-table book with serious, substantial text. Sounds oxymoronic? Well, it's true. Paul Johnson does it again!

I just came off of reading another book by Paul Johnson, "A History Of The American People", so this was quite a switch! Once again, Mr. Johnson has impressed me with his erudition and pleased me with his smooth style. Right up front, let me say that I was as ignorant as you can get concerning this subject before I read this book, so my knowledge level had nowhere to go but up! If you already know a lot about this subject you may not find this book worthwhile. That being said, if you don't know much about ancient Egypt this book is a good starting point. Mr. Johnson gives you some actual history as far as talking of events and dynasties, etc. but the majority of the book deals with the religious beliefs of the Egyptians and their art, and how the two were intimately connected. There is also an excellent chapter on hieroglyphs. One of the strong suits of the book is how it gets you into the mind of the ancient Egyptians and you start to see things the way they might have. Mr. Johnson explains such things as why, on wall paintings, people were shown in profile rather than giving us a frontal view and why the Egyptian artist intentionally chose not to use aerial perspective. (Sorry, you'll have to read the book to find out!) Suffice it to say, when you look at things after knowing what the Egyptians believed you will be able to appreciate their achievements all the more. The book is also useful in showing the link between Egyptian art and religion and what came later (Greek and Roman culture; Christianity; Judaism, etc.) Highly recommended!

Although this book covers allot of areas within UDB(DB2) "It is not a Complete Reference". Some areas missing include Bind, CLP, and other utility parameters. It also lacks information on writing scripts for the Script Center and using the Control Center. Also it does not contain all references to SQL statements, some key statements are missing. Other books will be needed for a database administrator or programmer to use UDB. If I would have had a chance to review this book before paying for, I would have saved myself some money.

Great Book. So much information in it that they couldn't fit it all in the paper book. Chapter 30 - DB2 Command Line Processor Commands must be downloaded from the Osborne web site. I always go to this book before I going to the manuals. Seldom do I have to look further.

You know, you can't have it all in one book, but this one certainly brings you to the edge. Great read