This text book is outstanding in terms of clear pictures and detailed descriptions. It exhibits numerous color photos which help remember the clinical signs and appearances of common infectious diseases. On the other hand, the text excellently outlines and explains the underlying theory and treatments. This book takes a modern approach to teach Microbiology by introducing the contents in a system based mannar. This is very different from the traditional way of teaching the subject in which the materials are delivered species by species. I think this way is more clinically relevant and thus, suits the needs of health care students.

Medical Microbiology would be an excellent reference book for any microbiologist. It contains general information about any bacterium you can imagine as well as overviews of the diseases various bacteria cause. Symptoms, complications, diagnosis, and treatment options are covered in detail. The book also contains wonderfully vivid pictorial accounts of the bacteria and their various modes of pathogenicity. A fascinating, well-organized text of sophisticated microbiology!

At least a very "biologically correct" textbook of microbial diseases, I'm going to translate it only for fun, for me and for my italian entourage; and so many beautiful pictures that I never seen before in a similar text in Italy. I'd like to translate it for publication if possible. Antonio Angioi (microbiologist), Sassari, Italy

John Simon has always been an acerbic critic. Gore Vidal once characterised him as a 'literary gangster', a critic with his flick knife always at the ready. Those who find the Simon style bracing will thoroughly enjoy "Paradigms Lost", a collection of articles written for "More" and "Esquire" magazines in the late 'seventies. There is plenty of fire here. The single most brilliant essay in the collection seizes upon fellow film critic Rex Reed. Simon finds Reed the most exalted film critic in the country; he leaves him, approximately five hundred words later, a tattered mess. Simon's clean and supple prose sets its jaws about the neck of Reed's flabby metaphors and bites down.It is one of the most brilliant hatchet jobs in a throughly distinguished carving career. Yet, despite Simon's intemperance, I found this collection to be fuelled by love rather than hate: love for language. Simon's targets are those who would see the English languge become a morass of jargon and inaccuracy. He resents those who believe that people should be encouraged to speak 'the language of the streets' rather than being coached in the fundamentals of English grammar and syntax. The majority of Simon's jeremiads are directed at 'educators' who appear to believe that they should not 'educate'; and he is unfailingly witty and accurate in his denunciations. There will be those who find in Simon a certain reactionary edge. It is true that most of his targets are from the progressive, liberal side of politics. Exclusion, however, is not his aim. While his enemies would fracture schooling along a whole range of pidgin-divides, Simon extolls the beauties of 'Standard English', and he insists that it be made available to all. To avoid creating linguistic ghettos, he urges the fostering of a single, coherent means of communication. Street dialect can retain its status as a second language for use among the cognoscenti, but its place is outside the classroom. That nobody in authority seems to be listening infuriates him; but Simon's message is not one of embittered resignation. Repeatedly he urges that people concerned with language, people who deem it a virtue to say exactly what they mean with the minimum of ornament and fuss, go out and spread the word. Only by fighting the obfuscatory tendencies of others can the English language continue to remain a tool for efficient communication. As a polemic, the collection is first-rate; as a guide to write and speak by, it is equally sound; as a reading experience it is thoroughly enjoyable - stylishly written and cogently argued.

I needed to cite Simon in a paper I was writing on the origins of linguistic prescriptivism. In particular, his quote, "the lapses of the great ones do not make a wrong a right" is a superb response to the advocates of singular "they" and similar illiteracisms. When challenged, these types tend to bolster their arguments with references to such use by Bronte, Austen, et al., yet even the descriptivist _Webster's Dictionary of English Usage_ offers Simon's comment as a nod to the purist camp. I decided to investigate Simon's _Paradigms Lost_ to learn a bit more about this man and his ideas and found the book to be a totally engaging and insightful read. Some of the material (the book is a compilation of essays) is dated insofar as a knowledge of who his targets are is necessary to appreciate his literary criticism thoroughly. If you are familiar with Gore Vidal and Rex Reed you are in his intended audience. My only quibble with the author is that, being a non-native speaker, he occasionally criticizes a common usage that is vibrant and offers a correct but lukewarm alternative; he can be overly picky. This is, after all, a man who will critique a 500-page work with comments such as "I found a split infinitive on page 453, but otherwise the book was fairly well written." Like Mencken and Buckley, Simon truly enjoys the lesser-known and exotic word and few will leave _Paradigms Lost_ without having acquired some useful additions to their vocabularies and a better knowledge of where the battle lines have been drawn in a number of skirmishes on the usage front. Grammar mavens: This is a must for your bookshelf.

This is a very highbrow and uncompromising examination of our declining standards. Simon is one of the most astute theater and film critics currently writing. His understanding of English is truly awe-inspiring (and don't forget that it's something like his third or fourth language). You may feel chastised while you read it, but if you care about the future of the English language, you will agree that Paradigms Lost is indispensable.

Well, we have been receiving updates in the Penguin Guide a lot. This latest offering is well up to the standard, and many new releases and a considerable amount of new repertoire are covered here. However, I cannot quite give this book full recommendation because they do not quite understand what sort of playing is poor value and what is not. They think that an hour is not good value at premium price but is definitely good value at mid-price. Also, they have criticised some recordings unfairly, such as the Abbado Dvorak New World, which is actually a better performance than they say so. But overall, I find this book slightly disappointing and I cannot recommend it fully.

For any collector of classical music this book is a must have resource. Keeping ahead of, or even up with the amount of classical recordings in today's market is a near impossibility, but with some help from Penguin you can at least make an attempt to. I find some disagreement with some choices and know that I find they leave out some of what I consider to be good recordings, but it's mainly just personal taste, I have never been unhappy with a recording I purchased based in the recomendation of the Penguin staff.

As has been the case ever since I began reading these wonderful guides in the late 80s, this volume updating the complete 1999 compilation of the Penguin Guide is comprehensive, entertaining, and highly informative. It contains reviews of thousands upon thousands of new and reissued CDs, which are full of wit and insight and which are up to the authors' usual high standards. The separate alphabetical listings on invididual performers, which unfortunately were omitted from the 1999 guide because of lack of space, are incredibly valuable.

the philosophies offered in this book are definately interesting...and offer simple steps to take on a not so simple life.

I loved it! if you liked this, check out "The Power of Positive Doing!" & The YES Factor!", by Ivan Burnell as well. Kathy Dugas Associate Director

Not just trite pabulum for the "I want to feel good" crowd. This is a fun and educational book that will show you how to create the "feel good" sense throughout your whole life. The right medicine for a troubled time. Stan Duga

If you hate women you're gonna love this book. Fust's jealosy will leave you Hungary for mor

Basically the character study of an insecure person. I found it quite interesting. Captain Storr's obsessive jealousy is truly self-destructive. Altogether very human as well. An interesting aspect overall is that it is written from the perspective of Captain Storr himself, so the reader has no direct hint as to whether Storr's suspicions about his wife are well founded. One can only guess from what is presented about Storr's character--a simple minded, somewhat socially inept one. It seems that he is fighting a battle without a real enemy. I highly recommend it!

The Story of My Wife is an in depth psychological exploration of an insecure character. In a few words, it is about the paralysis (or self destruction) of Captain Storr, caused by his obsessive jealousy. An interesting aspect of the book is that it is narrated by Storr himself. The reader has no direct evidence as to whether Storr's jealousy is justified or not. Storr's obsessive character, his irrationality, his mistakes (however destructive in the end) are altogether very human. I highly recommend this book!

I have used this book on several times, teaching an undergraduate managerial econ. course with 25-35 students. The overall reaction was good, most students understood the contents and felt that the text concentrated on usable tools, not just abstract economic models. The book may need supplementation for some types of students, something that allows them to do their own empirical or quasi empirical applicatons of some of the tools (e.g., a demand study using Excel).

Let's say that you are not an economist, you are just a business man as I am, when you are ask about microecomics maybe you can still recall something from the university days... but what if you are ask about a soundly pricing policy? usage of elasticities? cost curves? marginal cost/revenues? Do you still feel comfortable with what you recall from university? Maybe not, like me. If you are wondering about having a single book of microeconomics, this book is the one you are looking for (it is also great for MBAs).

As an undergraduate Economics minor, general manager of a software company, and current MBA candidate, I consider Png's Managerial Economics work an essential addition to any business leader's library - especially anyone required to make key, informed decisions in the presence of scarce resources.

Dr. Png's Managerial Economics is head and shoulders above comparable managerial economics texts due to Png's use of relevant, real-world examples that drive home the course fundamentals. Dr. Png's content combines the science of Economics with the tenets of business strategy, providing the student with the key perspective needed to make intelligent business decisions in today's ever-changing business environment.

Instead of plodding over-explanation or over-simplification like many comparable texts, Dr. Png's work delivers the course concepts with informed clarity. Instead of feeling stupefied or unworthy after reading each chapter of the text, I increasingly gained a sense of knowledge and understanding as I progressed. This is the great difference between Dr. Png's work and the other comparable texts I have used: instead of feeling mystified, I finished the book with a higher degree of workable, usable economic know-how, that I have already incorporated into my every-day decision making

I highly recommend Dr. Png's Managerial Economics (2nd. Ed.) text to any student of business or anyone simply interested in keeping current with cutting-edge economic thought.

As many books written before computers the exercises in this book crumble before a program as Mathematical Explorer by Wolfram [Here at Amazon for 75 bucks]. In fact most are done with no strain on a hand calculator [I use an old Hewlett Packard 48g which you can buy here but hasn't been made, new, for years] . So, basically, all you are learning from the exercises is how to program your computer or calculator .

The author uses a style which presents a calculation without explaining how to do it for 70 more pages. I presume this is to make one 'think for themselves' but I will dream on what I choose not what someone thinks that I should.

By reason of its organization this is a hard book for self study. The facts are there, however. Although I have no alternative there must be one.

Two weeks ago I ordered about 10 math books from Amazon, and this book is the only one I have been reading-- I just cannot stop reading it.
It is not difficult to understand and it has very interesting problems. The title fits the book very well. Although I am taking statistics class in school, my understanding of combinations and permutations was very shallow before I started reading this book. I really appreciate the author. Thank you, Prof. Ivan Niven. I hope there are more math books like this one. And I wish our math textbooks can be this fun. Highyly recommend it to anybody who loves having fun with math.

There are few books which can even come close to the lucidity and simplicity with which Ivan Niven explains the basics of combinations and permutations.He even puts forth difficult topics like Generating Polynomials in the most simple and understandable fashion.No doubt this is a prescribed book at Harvard!! It has personally helped me in preparing and coming out successful for admission to the Indian Institute of Technology institutes,which is one of the toughest examinations in the world . The book is suitable for anyone who wants to understand the maths involved in making a choice.This will be of great help for High School students, Under Graduates,Graduates and teachers of Mathematics.A gem from Ivan Niven.

If you are looking for a book to bridge the gap between a beginner at linux and an admin this the the book to buy. And that is precisely the problem. This book assumes a fair amount of knowledge about linux. if you do have this level of knowledge, this book will bring you up to the level of a beginner admin, at which point you will have to go out and buy books on topics like Apache, Networking and so on. If however, you are prepared to read through some 1000 pages, and then an armful of other books, HOWTOs and man pages you will not be disappointed.

I would suggest this book to all Red Hat users who are bored with the beginner books and are looking to expand their knowledge of linux. The system admin information contained in this book is useful in the "real world". Thumbs up!

Exceptionally informative, well presented and very highly recommended, Red Hat Linux System Administration Unleashed shows readers how to configure and manage a Linux system to keep it running optimally in a 24x7 environment. The book covers advanced topics such as RAID, customizing the kernel, and hacker security. Readers will also learn the issues and skills related to running Red Hat Linux with other operating systems, internetworking Linux in a network setting with a large user base. Intermediate - Advanced, 1100 pages.

_Rudin_ is a good novel by Ivan Turgenev, but altogether non-essential, unless you want to read all of his works.

The character Rudin is a fortunate young man in 1860s Russia, a man around thirty years of age, in the prime of his life. He is very much a superfluous man, like the man Turgenev wrote of in his shorter story "A Superfluous Man." He is all talk and no action. He has high-minded ideals but can not transfer them into deeds.

I suppose Turgenev saw many young Russian men of his generation who served as the basis for Rudin, the character. Natalya, Rudin's love interest, at least has the fortitude to translate her ideals into actions, but she is offered fewer possibilities by Russian society. She comes off more sympathetically than the title character, but she is female, and therefore a minor character in a Turgenev work. I found her more interesting, and similar to the female main character in _Oblomov_ by Goncharov.

The political edge on this novel is not nearly so sharp as that on _Fathers and Sons_. Mostly this seems a personal and emotional novel, rather than a political novel. A student wanting a general grounding in the major novels of Russian Literature can probably skip _Rudin_. On the other hand, if you read _Fathers and Sons_ and found that book very rewarding, you may want to take a peek at _Rudin_, to see what another (earlier) novel by Turgenev is like.

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Rudin is the lead character in this short novel, which reads like a play set in mid nineteenth century Russia. He enters into a provincial society peopled by the usual array of grand dames, eccentrics, local radicals, and beautiful / eligible debutant-daughter, with whom he (believes he) falls in love.

Whilst the characters and setting is characteristic of many European novels of the time, the story takes an unexpected turn. Rudin is a fateful character, and one whose shallowness and egotism is exposed by the young daughter who he seduces. Turgenev manages to present Rudin as a sympathetic character albeit imbued with the resignation that he is a 'superfluous man' (cf. 'A Hero of Our Times' by Lermontov)

The book is well written and deserves a place in the canon of nineteenth century Russian novels . Particularly recommended for anyone who has read Fathers and Sons.

This is a simple parable, told within a beautiful story. We meet Rudin through several people's eyes and learn much more about him from the differences others see in him than we learn directly. It is facsinating to see the interplay between the man's fantasies and his facade. You are left with very profound and troubling unanswered questions about your own life and our tenuous connections to "reality." This is a powerful volume for anyone who is seriously and sincerely examining their own motives, especially if you are dissatisfied with your current conclusions.

Dear fellow readers: I recently read Schaum's outline of feedback and control systems. This book was recommended to me as a text that will give me a clear understanding of control systems. I am sorry to say that this book did not meet my original expectations. The basic concepts are very well illustrated in the first two chapters, but then it dives into explaining the mathematics of control systems (differential equations, z-transform etc.). They're simply too much emphasis of the vocabulary, which is down right confusing. The book also fails to give a clear picture of how different design methods (e.g. Root-Locus) can be employed in a real situation. It is my recommendation that this book should not be the only source of information, and must be used in junction with another control book. This statement holds true especially for university students. In a positive note, there are many examples that can help the reader gain insightful knowledge in this subject, and it also does a good job giving an overall picture of how different concepts relate to each other. These alone are good enough reasons to have a look at this book when studying control systems.

I'm currently taking a Feedback Control Theory course at the undergrad level, and I think this book is an excellent exposition of classical control theory. Our text for the course is Feedback Control of Dynamic Systems, written by people from Stanford. Schaum's Outline actually has more *theory* than the textbook we are using. It eliminates all of the frills and pretty colored diagrams in favor of exposing everything an undergraduate would have trouble with. And for those people who think the emphasis is only on problem solving, this "Outline" has more mathematical proof than the book from Stanford I just mentioned! I highly recommend using this book to get off on the right foot in control systems, whether you are an engineer just learning the material or an undergraduate; it solidifies the foundations of the theory so that practical problems will come more easily. Also, it is a practical book as well.

I only bought this book after I went through undegraduate control and digital control classes. And after getting very fragmented knowledge of these disciplines, this book was very good in helping me sort it out. Yes, if you don't know a thing about control theory or don't have basic math background, it probably is hard to grasp without any other sourses. But if you have some basic understanding of the subject, then it is a very good review and reference for the classical control theory. I used this book for review before taking a PhD preliminary exam in controls, and it helped a lot. Now I am using it for the same reason for the job I just started. I like the way it describes digital control theory in parallel with the continuous-time controls, which is the best way to understand the discrete-time tools, instead of taking a whole other class starting from scratch. Constant examples to illustrate the theory are very good, so are the excersises. Mind you, this book doesn't go into details like some 800pp. volumes but it doesn't leave out anything important either. I highly recommend this book to undegrad and grad students, as well as a reference for the engineers.