This book is yet another attempt to explain happenings of the past in terms of comet/asteroid collisions. As is usual for these books, this author sees what he wants to see in ancient writings. Yet he weaves the old texts together with his knowledge of dendrochronology to create a solid, if somewhat speculative, work. He is quite limited by his lack of knowledge regarding astronomy, and this weakens the book. Perhaps the biggest trouble the book has is the author's insistence on blaming comet events for environmental downturns, rather than considering that comet events may simply have been taken as bad omens by people of the past. In fact, the events the author discusses could have had other cosmic causes besides comets. Still, the book is very well written and his attention to keeping his ideas in check is refreshing considering some of the junk that has been written on this topic. He does not take the book to any places that are not supported by facts, and he is clearly a real scientist, not a yahoo. I really enjoyed this book.

A bit repetitive and hard to follow but still a must read. Although all dates provided may be subject to review and/or revision, the author provides a strong relationship between a catastrophic event and mythologies description of unexplained events. I believe this book has served two purposes: number one, it increases our awareness of possible meteor impacts on the Earth in the future; and number two, it provides an alternative interpretation of world mythology and the Bible itself. AC.CHB

This book contains incredibly important, scientific observations and conclusions, about the past few thousand years of Earth's history. Unfortunately, the publishers seem to have adorned this brilliant work of science with one of the silliest book jackets I've ever seen in my life. Let me just say right now that I have communicated with the author about this, and the book jacket was NOT his choice.

The author, Mike Baillie, is a highly respected professor of palaeoecology at Queen's University Belfast, in Northern Ireland. More than anyone else, he has pioneered the study of "dendrochronology," which is the study of ancient tree rings, and how widely spaced they are in a given year, to infer climate and weather conditions for the years being studied. Basically, the technique is perfectly logical. In a year with terrible weather, trees grow less. Makes sense, right? Well, indeed, this is always the case, and it is possible to see tiny discrepancies in tree growth from year to year, even today. Now, what would you think if you noticed that, at some time in the distant past, trees seem to have gone several years in a row with hardly any growth at all? Scary, eh? What would this mean to you? Well, if you think it over for long enough, you should conclude that SOMETHING was probably blotting out the sun's life-giving rays to such a great extent that trees simply could not grow. If trees could not grow well, it follows that agriculture probably suffered as well. And if agriculture suffered badly enough, there might even be records of actual civilizations crumbling and vanishing.

Professor Baillie has isolated five such periods, in our relatively recent past. These periods took place in 2354-2345 B.C., 1628-1623 B.C., 1159-1141 B.C., 208-204 B.C., and A.D. 536-545. For each of these periods, he has sought to locate historical records, or at least old legends, which might provide some evidence of terrible times for mankind. Sure enough, he always seems to come through with something or other. My favorite part is the A.D. 536-545 period, for which he has made a faily plausible case of being connected to the old legends of king Arthur's Wasteland. Usually quite a bit of detective work is required here, but more often than not he can make a strong case for something having happened to our climate, at irregular intervals of a few centuries.

The title makes plain what he has concluded to be the likely culprits -- comets and asteroids, and possibly an occasional volcano. Current astronomical theory, in fact, actually does hold that statistically, we really should expect to have been hit a few times since the dawn of civilization. Not by anything as bad as the monster asteroid that immolated the dinosaurs -- we would certainly remember that! But even much more moderate-sized asteroids could reasonably be expected to cause significant, widespread social disruption.

I would like to point out, to whoever is reading this, that TWO of professor Baillie's theories in this book have already begun receiving substantial confirmation, since 1999. For example, Baillie believes that something awful happened to the world climate in about 2350 B.C. One of the biggest underreported stories of 2001, pushed off the front pages by the events of September 11, was the discovery of a asteroid-created crater in southern Iraq. It's almost 2 miles in diameter. Many scientists feel that the crater could be the "smoking gun" to explain the events of around 2350 B.C. If you are interested in learning more about this important topic, you don't even need to stand up. Just open another window on your browser, go to any search engine you like, and do a search for the terms "2350," "asteroid," "crater," and "Iraq." You should get a few hits. If that doesn't work, try searching for "Sharad Master." He is the South African geophysicist who discovered the crater, while looking at satellite photos of southern Iraq. He will be presenting his findings at a conference at Brunel University, in the U.K., at the end of August 2002. Hopefully, this time it will get better press coverage than last year.

The other theory which has gotten more attention, since 1999, concerns the event of A.D. 536-545. If you'd like to learn more about this, I'd like to recommend that you read "Catastrophe: An Investigation into the Origins of Modern Civilization," by David Keys.

"Exodus to Arthur is a really important book, and I don't understand why it went out of print. It must be because of the stupid cover. Well, listen to the proverbs your grandparents taught you, and DON'T judge this book by its cover. Find a copy and read it. Two thumbs way up.

Robert Remini's brief study of John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) is part of the American Presidency Series edited by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. The series has the commendable aim of introducing the reader to each of the Presidents in a volume of short scope. The broader aim, I think, is to reawaken an appreciation of the history of our country and to stimulate reflection on the American experience. Thus, each volume tries to present a story of a life and also to explain briefly what is unique about each President and makes him worthy to be remembered.

Remini gives an excellent discussion of John Quincy Adams's service to the United States, both during his Presidency and before and after it. The aspect of JQA's public service that stands out, both in his Presidency and outside it, is his commitment to American Nationalism. By this I mean a devotion to creating a strong, united nation for all the people to promote the public welfare. JQA worked diligently to advance the interests of the entire American people, as he saw these interests, rather than to be a tool of any faction or party or momentary passion. Much of the time, he succeeded.

As President, JQA advocated the creation of public works and improvements to link the country together. He was a strong supporter of education, scientific advancement, and learning. He wanted the Federal government to play an active role in supporting these ends and worked towards the creation of an American university. (After his Presidency he was a strong advocate for the creation of the Smithsonian Institution.)

Before he assumed the Presidency, Adams served as the Secretary of State under James Monroe. He worked for the goal of American Nationalism by expanding the boundaries of the United States through a skillful exercise of diplomacy until they extended to the Pacific Ocean. JQA also was instrumental in the formulation of the Monroe Doctrine.

Following his presidency. JQA served as a Congressman from Massachusetts. He distinguished himself in working for the anti-slavery cause and, specifically, by his tireless opposition to the "gag rule" which aimed to prevent critical discussion of slavery-related issues in the halls of Congress.

Remini presents his material in a way that focuses on this theme of JQA's public service and on its nationalistic aspirations . He also points out how and why JQA failed to realize many of his goals, particularly during his term as the sixth President (1825-1828) Adams was named President by the House of Representatives in a highly contested election. It was alleged that he struck a "corrupt bargain" with Henry Clay, who became Adams's Secretary of State. This "corrupt bargain" doomed the Adams Presidency and tarnished both Adams's and Clay's careers.

Adams was also highly opinionated and stuffy and gave the impression of aloofness. He was not a good politician and lacked a certain ability to compromise or to work cooperatively with others. At one point Remini writes (p. 110): "It is really impossible to think of any other president quite like John Quincy Adams. He seemed intent on destroying himself and his administration. By the same token, it is difficult to think of a president with greater personal integrity." JQA was defeated for a second term by Andrew Jackson in a bitterly fought campaign. Among other things, Jackson possessed abundant popular appeal and charisma, in sharp contrast to JQA's aloof, intellectual character.

While Adams's Presidency failed, his goals and ideals were good. They lived on and deserve studying and remembering.

Remini also gives a good summary of Adams's personal life, adopting some of the psychohistory of JQa's recent biographers. He points out the stresses that Adams endured from his famous father and mother and the pressures placed upon him and his brothers for high achievement. JQA also imposed these pressures and expectations, alas, on his own children. There is a good discussion of Adams's failed love affair as a young man --probably the one passion of his life -- and of his subsequent marriage to Louisa Johnson. Remini describes JQAs extensive intellectual interests, his tendencies to anger and to depression and he links these traits in a sensible way to the failings of Adams's Presidency.

This is an excellent study of JQA which captures in short compass the essence and character of his contribution to the United States. Readers who want to learn more about JQA -- with a focus on his service as Secretary of State and as Congressman from Massachusetts may wish to read the two-volume study by Samuel Flagg Bemis: "Joh Quincy Adams and the Foundations of American Foreign Policy" (1949) and "John Quincy Adams and the Union" (1956).

John Quincy Adams was the first son of a President to become President himself. Although his family connections didn't hurt, they also weren't overly helpful; his break from his father's Federalist connections means that JQA had to attain the nation's highest office based primarily on his own resume, not his father's.

Ironically, Adam's tenure as President was in some ways, the low point in his career of public service. Prior to then, he was one of the best foreign relations people in American history, one of the primary authors of the Treaty of Ghent and the Monroe Doctrine. In his post-Presidential life, he was a prominent Congressman noted for his anti-slavery work (including his winning defense in the Amistad case) and his part in founding the Smithsonian Institute. As a President, however, he was at best mediocre and ineffective, his four years marred from the start by his controversial election and his unwise appointment of Henry Clay as Secretary of State (for Clay, it was equally unwise to have accepted the position).

Having read Remini's three volume biography of Jackson, it was interesting to read his depiction of one of Jackson's principal political enemies. Remini does a good job, but this is not as strong an effort as his other biographical works. The brevity of the book (which I believe was imposed by the American Presidents Series editors) makes this book more of an overview than a full biography. Remini does cover most of the major points, however, and does deal with Adams's personal life as well.

As stated before, John Quincy Adams was not a very significant President, but he is an important part of early U.S. history. This book is a good introduction to the man often recognized as the best Secretary of State ever. For a more detailed biography, however, Paul Nagel's recent work is a worthwhile read.

John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States, but much less well known than his father John Adams, the second President of the USA.

In this splendid biography, Robert Remini has provided us with a concise volume detailing the life of John Quincy Adams. Within this book, it is easily seen why JQA is rated as "below average" as a President, but highly regarded as an international diplomat.

Remini has done a spectactular job in describing the whole life of John Quincy Adams, and helps us to understand why Adams' life is being reclassified as more successful than previously recognized, despite the fact that his Presidency was a failure.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a basic understanding of Adams the man, not just as the President.

The author seems to have a love/hate relationship with Disney World which can get in the way of this guidebook -- for example, for a ride that's not even open yet (book states "not open at press time"), the review states that "you'd think the collective imagination ... of Disney ... (would) come up with something a little more creative" and "children...won't appreciate the long wait for this slow-loading ride." But it's not even open yet!! If you're traveling with children, you'll find Walt Disney World With Kids, 2003 by Kim Wright Wiley much more helpful. And don't kid yourself into thinking you'll tote this "pocket-sized" book around the parks with you -- it's too big, too heavy, and you'll use the maps and guides that they give out at the parks (for free).

I call this the "travel version" of Sehlinger's "Unofficial Guide to WDW". The difference is one is a planning guide, while "Mini Mickey" holds just enough insightful information to use while you are already at WDW. The same "battle" plans for a variety of touring desires are included. These plans have saved my family hours of time a day from having to stand in line, and this is beyond the time that Disney's Fast Pass now saves.

The information is blunt and its pull no punches style is intended to make your vacation run well with the true "insider" information, not the PR information that Disney feeds another series of guide books.

This book fits well into my fanny pack, and I can quickly access the information and plans to keep well ahead of the crowds. I include this book in all of my WDW travel plans, and also give it to friends and family as a present to help them keep their WDW vacations sane and stress free.

I compared Mini Mickey to the full sized Unofficial guide 2000, and here are the differences. There are star ratings on hotels and restaurants, but Sehlinger eliminated the paragraph descriptions on each hotel and restaurant. That's the main way he took the bulk out of the book for a pocket sized edition. If a traveler does his homework before traveling to Florida, he will already know what hotel he wants to stay in, and have a general idea what pricy restaurants he wants to try. Go to your local library and review the full-sized edition for lodging and dining details. Buy this Mini Mickey to take with you to the park, and you will have relieved yourself of some valuable weight and bulk.

Mini Mickey still has all the detailed descriptions of each attraction. The only real weakness I see is that Sehlinger rates some of the simulation rides and roller coasters as 3 stars for preschoolers, when they won't even make the height requirement. These rides aren't appropriate for preschoolers anyway. I think Sehlinger has a tendency to overlook the special needs of our youngest children. Any parent can read the description and realize that the ride is too intense for their little guys and disregard the star ratings.

Missing from the 2000 edition is a description of Disney's new Fast Pass. Guests can use their tickets to get a 'reservation' time to go to the front of certain popular rides. That way they can enjoy other areas of the park while they wait. The only catch is that they can only reserve one ride at a time.

Also missing is the fact that Bear in the Big Blue House has a live stage show at MGM Studios. That's a big plus for parents of toddlers like myself. My grilfriend went to MGM Studios last February (2000) and was surprised to find Bear! Disney is always changing their parks to keep them fresh, and it seems that this development missed the press time.

These metaphysical wet dreams will delight sulky teenagers and juveniles of all ages, but adults will agree with Rimbaud's own judgement: "It's all slop." The Varese translation leaves most of the (rumored) music behind in the original French; what remains is the prose end of the prose-poem equation. I found these pieces supremely boring. Perhaps if I cared about the Rimbaud myth I would read these with different eyes-- but I don't, and therefore what I find is faux passion and histrionic hormones. Add a stilted English to this mixture and the result is malodorous. Not recommended.

The works of Rimbaud have become as famous for the character of the writer as for the writings themselves. However, with any work of art, the true test will be the content of the work rather than the person behind the pen. That said, the prose poetry of this child-man artist was an attempt to break away from all types of oppression in all forms (as viewed by Rimbaud): tradition, social expectation, as well as literary convention. First and foremost, Rimbaud was a thinker and then a writer but, unlike many philosophical writers (verses aesthetic writers, i.e.--Proust), he rarely lapses into didacticism. As for the content of his writing, one must consider that Rimbaud prefaced many literary movements, including psychoanalysis in his attempt to let one's "true self" write by "deranging the senses"; his focus on synesthesia predated the Dada movement and allowed him to become a godfather to the Surrealists; his themes of impotence and suffering foreshadowed the existentialists; and his use of multiple narrators foresaw the upcoming modernists in 20th century America.

Though her translations are flawed and somewhat dated, Louise Varese still has not been topped as a the bringer-into-English of lil' Arther R.'s thorny prose-poems. Her versions remain closer in spirit to the originals than any of the later translations, most of which (if you'll pardon my French) suck, from the bland lazy word-for-word of the Penguin Classics edition, to the innumerable "interpreters" (Paul Schmidt and his shameless ilk) who make of his poems what they will (sometimes to further lengths than JR Ullman did with "The Day On Fire") and then call their work "translations." Anyway, if you know Rimbaud I'm probably preaching to the converted, and if you don't, and don't read French, the two New Directions/Varese translations are probably the best place to start, along with Pierre Petitfils' user-friendly biography.

The Road to Camlann
By:Rosemary Sutcliff
R Bhatt
P.6
This book is about the worst times of the Round Table. There are many wars, treacherous events, and lots of hatred. One of the treacherous events is the love between Queen Guenever and Sir Lancelot. The king's stepson Mordred causes all of this destruction. He wants to destroy the Round Table and gain the throne for himself. In the end everyone loses and many die including King Arthur and Mordred.
I liked some parts of this book and didn't like others. It sometimes got boring but I am very much interested in the medieval times. Especially of King Arthur and the Round Table. The thing that interested me most was a phrase on the front cover. "The darkest days of the Round Table are at hand." This pharse describes the book in one sentence.
I also found another pharse that I liked. " After years of Arthur's fair rule, evil has come to Camelot." This sentence describes the plot of the story. You can conclude from this that many calamities will happen in the book. This is a good book to read if you like suspense, treachery, and wars. Otherwise you may not like it.
My least favorite part was when the final war took place at Camlann. There many knights died and one of them was Mordred. However Sir Gawain died there and King Arthur was wounded and later died aftere the war. The war was very bloody and got a little boring. The most boring part was at the end when a few of the knights including Sir Lancelot become monks. They all eventually died of old age.

Sutcliff depicts these authorian tales with the pace, technique and vigour I have become to associate with her writing. I recommend this particular novel for anybody above the age of 10 years who is interested in historical fiction.

Do you like mythology? Do you like suspense and action? Well, I have the book for you. This book is about the death of King Arthur, and what leads up to his death. The Road to Camlann is about the darkest days of the Round Table. Some of the characters in this book are, of course King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain, and King Arthur's evil son Mordred. In this book Mordred tries to defeat King Arthur.

I loved The Road to Camlann. It was very suspenseful. It was full of action and intensity. This might be the last book in the series by Sutchcliff, but it is really good. I would definitely recommend this book. It is wonderful!

Arthur Lydiard experienced his greatest popularity in the '70s. Since then, everyone has soured on just straight high-mileage (lots of long slow distance) with many working in more quality work, or altitude training, or trying to do everything at lactate threshold like the Kenyans do. So, in a large part, Lydiard's training techniques are no longer state of the art. To purchase this book as a training bible would be to miss the point, however. "Running to the Top" is best treated as a manifesto of a brilliantly indosyncratic man, a man who genuinely belived in his theory. Lydiard's occasional asides about rugby team training (he put them on a high mileage plan, and they started having more endurance in matches) and his (absolutely correct) insistence on vibrant and prolonged physical activity in children (of any kind) are gems.

Buy "Running to the Top" to get a glimpse at Lydiard the man and to pick up some tips on how to engage with your children in sport. Don't buy it and start running 150 miles a week.

Criticism of Lydiard based on the idea that he recommended "long slow running" indicates that the reviewer didn't actually try paying attention to what Lydiard wrote. If a three-hour marathoner running his Monday ten-miler at 6:30 pace and his Friday 10-miler at 6:15 pace - not even in base phase, this is in conditioning BEFORE you get to base phase - it that is your idea of "slow" distance, then your idea varies greatly from mine. Go back and read what he says comprises "half-effort" - for a 5:00 miler, Lydiard's version of half-effort is 5:16. If you're going to criticize an author, please read the source document.

Arthur Lydiard's ideas are "outdated"???? Hardly. Lydiard was responsible for the training that led to world domination by successive waves of New Zealanders, Finns, and Africans. Ingrid Kristiansen's Lydiard-like training enabled her to set a marathon record that stood for 15 years. Peter Snell's 4:54 mile time, 30 years ago, would still place him high in many international competitions. As for runners who criticize Lydiard--to quote Peter Snell, "Where are the results?" The basics of ALL distance training is endurance and aerobic development. Lydiard's advice in this regard remains unexcelled. Let the Africans train at threshold pace. They also weigh less than 118 lbs on average, compared to Americans' 130+. Let's see what a 115-lb US runner can do against them on Lydiard's training regime. Then we'll talk about "outdated." This is a great book.

Keep looking. This guide is full of incorrect information and therefore, nearly useless.

I bought this book while I was on my way to San Francisco for the weekend. There are a lot of hotel options, including affordable ones and all the essentials for what to do while in town. I especially loved the restaurant section, which told me the good and bad about all the choices and was clearly written by someone who knows. I later learned the author writes a restaurant column for San Francisco Magazine, so that explained the attention to detail. The book's Wine Country section is also great.

I am the editor of the 2003 edition of this guide, and I think the author, Erika Lenkert, has done a terrific job of pointing out the best of the city. Erika is a San Francisco native, and her assessments are personalized and frank -- not only does she tell you what's there, but she also tells you whether or not it's worth your time and money. Her restaurant reviews are particularly dead-on, and you couldn't ask for a better guide to the Wine Country (where she currently resides). We've also added to our coverage of Berkeley and Oakland, including a new Oakland map and hotel options in case you'll be spending time in the East Bay.

I will admit that this book has plenty of prectice questions and sample essays, but when it comes down to the line and you need to review...it's hopeless! There are no summaries, and no information. Each chapter has a short one page history of the time that explains stuff to you that you learned in first grade, then it is followed by 25 pages of questions. This would be a good seorce for more practice questions, but if you're looking for something that will help you through, I would recomend The AP US History book made by the Research and Education Association (REA)...not only is it 50 times thicker and full of information, but it also has a CD with timed tests you can take on your computer...now that's cool!

This is a pathetic AP preparation book. The examples are terrible, the questions are way off (please note that I used this for the AP English Literature) and unhelpful. Magical REalisim WILL NOT be on the test. The sad part is that almost everyone reads Toni Morrison's over-hyped and overrated Beloved in preparation for this test. Honestly, dont' buy this book. Buy some other AP prep book, make sure you have read Hamlet, The Plague, maybe Potrait of an Artist as a Young Man, etc.

Just like with the Princeton Review, I have no idea why anyone would say that this is a horrible book. I would've loved to have had it when I was in high school, though I ended up getting a 4 anyway. I have taught AP for five years, and this is VERY comprehensive. My favorite part about it is that it has something for everyone. There are sample tests if you'd like to take them, as well as a lengthy list of terms and capsule reviews of many great works of literature. You should buy this book. I made a four-page review guide for my class that will definitely translate into higher scores.
When the worst you can say about something is that it has "too much information," it's obviously not very flawed. After all, it's not intended to be read in an hour by a high school student with a short attention span.

has some interesting parts. not too boring. i recommend.

I had the opportunity to use the book during lecturing professional MBA students. I found it extremelly useful not only for the easy going style and the multi-level structure of each chapter, but mainly for the strategic aspect of the approach. In few books, we can find introduction to management as free of academic sclerosis as this one. It was time, someone to focus on strategy, change and the role of HR on the whole cycle. In a rapidly changing business environment, it is nice to remember that people initiate changes and they face the consequences.
Extremely up to date with the integration of IT technology in the latest paradigms of Management. I wish the new edition to be the first to cope in more depth with the K (knowledge) - economy.
Very popular with my students. The only disadvantage, if at all, is the number of pages.-

I had the opportunity of reading the book as part of an MBA course. I found it difficult to put down. The content presented logically and discusses contemporary as well as historic theories. The writing style makes it very interesting to read.
Each concept is strengthened with business problems and solutions. There are helpful questionnaires, case study questions. They also help you understand your strengths and weaknesses. The great thing about it is that these problems are real ones. All the definitions are listed out on the margins which is great for quick reference and studying.
The CD-ROM has some useful clips and software. If you are new to management or want to brush up your managment knowledge my advice is - go for it.
Its a good book.