his great novel, written in 1771, is one of those books that is written so much in the present moment of its own time that it becomes a valuable and fascinating time capsule for future generations. There is no more entertaining way to visit another time and place. There is no need for you to come to the novel already knowing anything about the eighteenth century, because Smollett has his sharp observant mind and all five of his senses open to his world for you--here you will read all of the sights, sounds, tastes, touches, and most memorably of all (for better and for worse) the *smells* of what surrounds him.

The grumpy-old-man-with-a-heart-of-gold Matthew Bramble takes his family and assorted hangers-on for a tour of Great Britain, visiting Bath, London, and many other places along the way. For lovers of Scotland, you are in for a treat here, as Smollett writes this novel as an important "P.R." job for his homeland to his skeptical English readers. The descriptions of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and the Hebrides make you want to book your airline tickets right away; Smollett has an eye for those aspects of the Scottish landscape and Scottish people that haven't really changed in the last 250 years.

This is an epistolary novel, written entirely in the form of letters with no central narrator.
The strength of this format is that it allows the reader to see the same places and events from the (sometimes radically different) perspective of more than one person. As a result, you get comedy, tragedy, farce, romance, satire, and a good adventure story all in one enjoyable package.

One word of caution, though: because of the epistolary format and the travelogue format, you shouldn't really approach "Humphry Clinker" with the expectations of finding a strong unified plot. This is something that we get mostly from the novels of the late eighteenth century and certainly the Victorian novels of the nineteenth century. There IS a plot--a good one--but just don't expect the plot to be the star of the show. If you read it as a series of memorable and sharply drawn sketches and characters and places, and for how well it captures what is unique to the time and place in which it is written, I think you will enjoy it a great deal.

One of the great things about these Amazon customer reviews is that they can alert you to wonderful books that you would otherwise not consider reading. "Humphry Clinker" is a prime example. An eighteenth-century epistolary novel may not sound too enticing and I would guess that few people other than students whose courses oblige them to, would read it these days. Well, I am here to tell you that you should! It is social satire at its brilliant best. Smollett satirized English society mercilessly, but was even harder on his fellow Scots. The result is a novel that is a continual and wicked joy to read.

The characters are finely drawn and their correspondence is written in very individual voices. We follow their adventures as they journey through England and Scotland in the years before revolution in America and France changed the world forever. It is a world obsessed with social class, money and advantageous marriage (so why did I say it changed for ever!). There is plenty of sharp humor and a deal of profound insight into human nature. Smollett's last and best novel, it is a wise and mature journal of Mankind's folly.

Incidentally, the graphic description of the spa town of Bath will make you never want to drink spa water again. Reading that particular chapter requires a strong stomach.

Full of social satire. A comedy with pathos. Insightful verbal blunders. This picaresque book of travel letters is a hoot with a most satisfying conclusion as the characters get their come-uppance and rewards. I love the distinct and lively images that shine through the puns, word games, and allusions.

He was a quack Dr. born in 1833, which was old enough to make him Jack The Ripper's father. He was strange to say the least. He was was wrongfully arrested in the plot to [destroy] President Lincoln, and later wrote a booklet stating how upset that had made him, since he had been, a Lincoln supporter. It's also probably true that he was at least bisexual, and had a low opinion of women. He pretty much traveled all over the world. He got into trouble in 1888 in London for having [relations] with men, and was arrested for that. While in jail, the police grasping at straws considered him a possible Ripper suspect, like many others arrested during this time period. However, when Mary Jane Kelly was murdered and Tumblety was in jail at he time, there case fell apart and he was let out on bail, in which he left town (do you blame him). This poor man dressed [differently], and had strange habits. However, to say he was Jack the Ripper is an injustice to him as he cannot defend himself, and with the evidence provided, no court on earth would convict him. Sorry this is not the man. The only thing that let me down was the ending, in which he died in 1903 under the care of nuns. I was hoping that he had been a passenger on the Titanic, and had celebrated his 104th birthday (and sadly) died while on the Hindenburg. I also like how the writers state that George Chapman could not be the killer - Well it was at least proved that Chapman murdered 3 women. As for Tumblety being the Ripper, nice fairy tale

I have read most of the well-known books on Jack the Ripper and I think this is probably my favorite. I found this in my school's library (I teach high school English) and thought the author did a very good job pointing out the problems with the suspects generally believed to have been the Ripper and painting a good case for Dr. T. An excellent read. Also, if you're intested in books about serial killers, check out "Zodiac" by Robert Graysmith. An incredibly interesting case (and still unsolved).

Don't listen to reviewer #2. The book goes into great detail about Tumblety's connection to England, and furthermore, proves he was in England during the time of the murders. Also, the last reviewer is mistaken. Tumblety was arrested AFTER the murder of Mary Kelly. The only break in the chain that would irrefutably tie Tumblety to the murders is the 'Large Dossier' the Scotland Yard suppposedly had, that has not yet been located. Everything else points to him as THE most likely suspect yet considered.

I'm normally a big fan of the Wrox books. They generally do an excellent job of selecting authors and editors. This book, however, was a huge disappointment for me.

Others have said, "It's full of samples." While this is true, many of the samples are for very obvious functionality, whereas very fundamental and complex functionality ends up getting minimal treatment (an example is the Fill() methods for the Data Adapter). While there's more written explanation of the Fill() methods, it is sorely inadequate and the samples are very basic. I would expect much more coverage and probably even an appendix at the end to cover it in more depth.

For the most part, I find the book no more useful than the SDK documentation and samples that you get for free. For a book with 10 authors, I'd expect a lot more insight and knowledge to be passed on and sadly, that doesn't appear to be the case.

Even for the "Reference" books Wrox does, they normally do a much better job of passing along great insight from the authors. If you need treeware docs for ADO.NET, then I guess this book will do but personally, I'm sticking with the online documentation.

This book is the single most valuable book I bought from WROX in terms of being able to borrow ADO.net code for my application.

ADO.net is the most undocumented are of .net and this book offers hundreds of code samples. The COM Interopability chapter is very good and introduces he obcure Recordset fill and how to use ADOMD from .net!

The Transaction chapter is way too small and incomplete. Another flaw is the fact that the book is supposed to cover VB.net and C# but they were sloppy and it is not a 50/50 split. Often they forget the VB.net samples. You would think their editors could count and make sure all examples come in pairs.

I think it is a great buy but I hope they get all VB.net examples in 2nd edition and a re-orgnization to be more task oriented.

Wrox lists this book as a "Programmer's Reference". In a reference I look for detailed information and code samples demonstrating usage all of which should be more extensive than what can be found in the help files or online API. This book succeeds very well as a reference providing a great deal of information that you will want to have nearby while you are coding. The book starts off with a description of ADO.NET which I found to be the weakest part of the book. This section doesn't quite put all the pieces of ADO.NET together in a meaningful way. The remainder of the book is excellent. Each of the key ADO.NET classes (DataSet, DataReader, DataAdapter, etc.) and their constructors, properties, methods and events are discussed in detail with code samples in both VB.NET and C#. Each key class or concept (data relationships, transactions, XML mapping, etc.) is given a chapter in the book. The explanations are much more useful that what you will find in the online help files. Besides covering SQL and OLE, the book also covers the ODBC classes which are not documented in the help files included with VS.NET. In a reference the index is important and here the index is good although some entries seem to be off a page or two. If you are looking for an in-depth introduction to using ADO.NET you will want to look at other books. If you need a detailed reference book then this should be your first stop.

Digging through Hemphill's rambling Faulknerian sentences, disfigured O'Connor-like characters, and sensationalized tabloid-type facts, I couldn't find a plot. And I knew what was going to happen. Mr. Hemphill obviously found so much gossip he couldn't stand to leave any of it out, making for a long and winding trip up and down and around and through Highway 59.

And while many of his facts were correct, many were terribly skewed: I suppose making for a more salacios tale. Read at your own risk of falling to sleep.

Hemphill captures each character, and has unerring diction, in this profile of life in rural southwestern Alabama. His detailed portrait of Little River and Baldwin County could stand in for any number of out-of-the-way old places in the New South. Contrary to other reviewers, I found that Hemphill does arrive at a truth, even if it isn't what many might hoped to find, namely, a Klan conspiracy to burn African-AMerican churches. Hemphill finds this, and it was news to me: the African-American family is stonger than the Anglo-American family in the Outback.

An excellent book! It reminds me somehow the situation in what formerly was called "East Germany". The thing I like the most, is that the author doesn't fall into the trap of segregation between "them" and "us". He talks to everyone and nearly everyone is talking to him. Read it!

The book itself might be fine. I don't really know yet as I've been waiting for TWO WEEKS to get a replacement CD for the defective one that came with the book. The problem with the CD is that once you uploaded DB2 from it, you couldn't actually USE DB2 because you get a 'license has expired' message whenever you try to create or DO anything with the software. An error that could have been caught if ANY Quality Assurance had been performed. I called the 800 number they give you in the back of the book (800-762-2974) and got the 'Wiley Customer Care Center'. Red flag goes up. The guy on the phone was responsive, no problem, they'll send out another CD. But "Oh yeah, I think they fixed that problem"? One would HOPE so you know? 8 days later I get an invoice in the mail confirming that I've ordered the CD. They say to allow 7 business days for it to arrive. On the 8th business day, I phone back. "It was sent on the 7th (the day after my initial phone call), give it another couple of days." I gave it another couple of days. No CD. I phone back. My third call. "We don't have that CD in stock." They couldn't tell me this TWO WEEKS before? The lesson here? DON'T BUY THIS BOOK NEW. Buy it with a CD that has already been used. Or, if you buy ANY 'for Dummies' book new (that comes with a CD), phone 800-762-2974 to find out if there are any 'problems' with the CD FIRST. They found a CD lying around for my copy of 'DB2 for Windows for Dummies' but they "couldn't" overnite out to me. I have to wait another 7 business days for them to send it out by hitchhiker.

I admit it, I am biased. I know Lily so take my review with a grain of salt ;-). However, I am a DB2 for UDB application developer/tester , and I love this small light weight book . It is a good summary and lets you know where to go for more info.

This is a great entry-level book on DB2! It also provides a very useful introduction to general relational database concepts. There is installation and connectivity information that I found to be particularly useful, and best of all ---- accurate!!! The CD contains a "try-and-buy" copy of DB2 Universal Database (Version 6.1). Although Version 7 is already available, this book was probably finished too early to include Version 7 information. I hope an updated edition is in the works!

This is really bad. Usually when an author has one character explain something to another (and therefore the reader), the second character does something with that information--which usually moves the story a step further. Not so in this book! One problem exists throughout the volume. It is explained and argued over and over; no one listens, no one learns, no one worries, nothing changes (until the very end, of course). This is very annoying to the reader, who gets it the first time. Also annoying is the fact the reader is the only one (besides the Doctor) who feels any suspense. Personally, if someone told me the universe had ceased to exist except for the tiny bit of space I occupied, I'd be a wee bit concerned, you know? And I'm not even going to comment on the pointless violence.

The fourth book in the Eighth Doctor series - this is a troubled mess that never can quite overcome the mud it finds itself in story wise. Heavy handed, disjointed, a bit over the top and underwhelming at the same time - we find out hero's in peril once again from an exhusted plot, tired characters, poor cameo appearances (this time Jo Grant is in the spot light - and we learn very little about her life after the Doctor - just the standard "got married, had a kid, got divorced" shuffle - and that she still has a yearning for the old days of high adventure and dangers - she for some reason has telepathic contact with the Doctor and it's never explained why, out of all his companions, the Doctor would contact her to help save the world... perhaps because she was free at the time?). The book closes with a rushed and confusing ending (I was totally lost as to what the Doctor had accomplished at the end) with a hint at what's the come in the next book... Daleks. If you're a Doctor Who fan, this will cause more than few yawns - but with these early books becoming harder and harder to find - it's good to collect, but not to read.

Paul Leonard's GENOCIDE is an extremely frustrating read. The first half of the book is excellent; we have an interesting plot, engaging prose and the discussion of some of the more interesting ethical aspects of time travel. At about the two-thirds point the book starts to waver. The plot starts to drag and repeat, characters begin to act irrationally and the tone becomes less coherent. By the end of the book, we're left with several fractured pieces of what could have been a really great story, if only the author had continued all the way through.

GENOCIDE features the return of Jo Grant and (not having read any of the Past Doctor books featuring her) I was curious as to how this character would work A) in book-form and B) being about twenty years older than last seen. I think the attempt to bring her back was ultimately a failure, as the role that she played in the story was not quite the character that we had come to know during the Pertwee years. I understand that Jo had done a lot of growing up since leaving the Doctor (we get a quick summary when her character is introduced: she's now divorced and raising a child on her own) but most of the character development just didn't seem to work. I suspect that this is what comes of trying to add depth to a character that has always been portrayed as a one-dimensional flake. With other companions these developments could have made for quite a fascinating character study, but for Jo they just seem wildly out of place. One suspects that perhaps this would have worked better with a Sarah or Tegan type of character, for whom character development wasn't a totally alien concept.

On the other hand, the plot is engaging for the most part and the book is a very entertaining read. In the story, a parallel universe has sprung into being and is affecting the well-being of the original. Only one time-stream can survive, though we know from the very beginning which one is going to continue. I quite enjoyed the dynamics between the characters from different universes, particularly the interaction between Sam and Kitig and between Sam and Jo. Sam's inability to choose which time-stream is the one worthy of existence comes across quite well as someone who is genuinely trying to consider all things when faced with such a huge decision. This is perhaps where the ending of the book is hurt. The confusion that Sam faces is dealt with far too dismissively at the end and the reader is left unsure what the full consequences are of the final actions. Leonard was quite clever in having each time-stream represented by a single character (Jo for the original and Kitig for the alternative) and having them each arguing for their respective universes; Jo wants to get back to her child, while Kitig represents an entire race of peace-loving intellectuals. Sam really does face a dilemma and having her bounced back and forth between the two representatives really helps to drive home the seriousness and the difficulty of her decision.

Despite the book's flaws, I recommend this for anyone looking for a good, quick read near the beginning of the BBC Books line. The imperfections are more apparent here than in others because this book should have been a lot better. All the right ingredients are there, and during the beginning and middle they really work well together. But when the ending falls apart as this one did, it's hard not to have a slightly bad taste in one's mouth afterwards.

The editor of this book could not have possibly played a significant role in getting this book reviewed prior to publication. The editot should have cleaned up the grammar. There were simply too many short thought that could have / should have been grouped together for increased clarity.

Nothing but an overview. Covers very nicely the topics of what can be done. It is extremely lacking of details of anything that you may need to implement. (If you are a system Admin I would hope you would not need this weak reference.) For implementing the SMS product, especially in an enterprise setting, It is a horrible reference.

This book is good for setting up the software on the servers and on the clients,and gives an overview of how it functions along with the different services and how they interact, but to truely use sms u need to have some scripts, and this book sorely lacked any sms scripting training or setup, what scripting information was given was very vague...

I understand there is a CD rom available which contains four volumes. Has anyone used this?

I wish I hadn't wasted seven years of my life reading this absurd book. Initially, it even prompted me to join the Trappist Order which resulted in serious psychological damage that I am STILL working through. I'll say this though; there should definitely be a screenplay because while the book does not effectively translate from the page I can see how Kurt Russel could bring to life so many of these saints to the big screen. I'd pay to see that flick, wouldn't you? Anyway, dont' read this book unless you have some sort of serious complex involving a deep desire for some self-flaggelation.

This book is well-written and provides interesting short biographies of some of the most famous saints. The book is arranged in a chronological manner, ordering the saints by their feast days.

This book is not a particularly in-depth looks at the saints, however for those with an interest in the important figures in the Catholic church, and the history of the church, this book provides many interesting tidbits.

What a collosal waste of time this book is.
The authors obviously don't have much of a grasp on e-business. The book is poorly organized and written in such poor style that it was a torture to finish.

Poor writing, poor execution from infantile minds.

Wow, what a stinker this book turned out to be.
I've always been impressed with this publishers technical and computer books but this book was pretty dreadful. A mishmash of material cobbled together with gum and tape - there are other books that deal with this subject -pick one of those.

I found the material valuable in helping me convey technical concepts to non-technical personnel. Part of my responsibility is to ensure all parties correctly understand the "why" as much as the "what" and "how" of an e-business project. The primary benefit I got was being able to see what the strategists are looking for in an e-business solution and how to present it in their terms. This book has also helped me address those who would chase "technology du jour" solutions that may be flashy but offer little or no real value other than to pad a resume.

Some of the ideas presented have provided a good starting point for team discussions and follow-on research projects. Also, the material has helped me develop an informal education program to help some mainframe structure programming folks make the transition to an e-business development environment.

At times, some of the material seemed a little jolty but overall I would recommend this to anyone with the desire to get a high-level overview without marketing hype. One reviewer pointed out that you cannot develop a complete solution, or even a detailed project plan, with this book alone. I would agree. However, used as an introduction and an accompanying text for more detailed technical books, "Developing E-Business Systems and Architectures" definitely adds value to my library.

Depending upon your degree of knowledge about vintage guitars and Les Pauls in particular you may find this book a helpful and informative resource or a complete waste of time.

Tony Bacon has written a lot of books on vintage guitars and guitar collecting. I like his stuff, but he very often gets things just plain wrong. I am certain it has more to do with mistakes in the editing process than anything, but there are some nit-picky errors in this book.

The best treatment of Les Pauls and vintage Gibson electrics that I have seen is A.R. Duchossior's excellent and exhaustively researched book "Gibson Electrics - The Classic Years" (published by Hal Leonard).

This little book is a good introduction to the history of this important model and it has some nice photographs of various iterations of the Les Paul model from 1952 to the date of publication in the late 1990s, but if you're looking for a completely comprehensive guide/history to the Les Paul guitar that is 100% accurate this is not it. Still, if you're a guitar nut (like me) it's a nice little book to have.

The book is rather small and thin -- despite that it contains quite a lot of information but unfortunately much of it is in a dry tabular form. That said, what text there is inside is quite enjoyable. The story of the magical 1959 Les Paul is insightful. They varied tremedously as they were hand made by old ladies for the most part -- so the whole concept of a 1959 specification and 1959 is really somewhat flawed. I also like the pictures: 2 of Jimmy Page's Les Pauls and Gary Moore's "Peter Green Les Paul" (yes that Les Paul, the one with the reversed magnetic in the neck pick-up). Some of these guitars have passed into guitar folklore -- they have become well known characters over the last 43 years or so of their existance. Pity they didn't have an image of Eric Clapton's Les Paul -- the one used on the seminal Beano album -- as it was stolen back in the 60's. [There was a rumor recently -- in Guitar Techniques magazine -- that another London professional, Bernie Marsden, is currently playing that guitar but who knows.]. The book should be brought up to date and some holes filled in - hence only 3-stars (actually more like 3.5) but if you like Les Pauls, I mean really like Les Pauls - then you will probably want to take a look at this.

The book is rather small and thin -- despite that it contains quite a lot of information but unfortunately much of it is in a dry tabular form. That said, what text there is inside is quite enjoyable. The story of the magical 1959 Les Paul is insightful. They varied tremedously as they were hand made by old ladies for the most part -- so the whole concept of a 1959 specification and 1959 is really somewhat flawed. I also like the pictures: 2 of Jimmy Page's Les Pauls and Gary Moore's "Peter Green Les Paul" (yes that Les Paul, the one with the reversed magnetic in the neck pick-up). Some of these guitars have passed into guitar folklore -- they have become well known characters over the last 43 years or so of their existance. Pity they didn't have an image of Eric Clapton's Les Paul -- the one used on the seminal Beano album -- as it was stolen back in the 60's. [There was a rumor recently -- in Guitar Techniques magazine -- that another London professional, Bernie Marsden, is currently playing that guitar but who knows.]. The book should be brought up to date and some holes filled in - hence only 4-stars (actually more like 3.5) but if you like Les Pauls, I mean really like Les Pauls - then you will probably want to take a look at this.