In the quest to cross the Antartic Continent in 1914, brave-hearted soul Captain Ernest Shackleton and his twenty-seven man crew set sail on a perilous, nearly deadly journey. Less than 100 miles from their destination the "Endurance" became hopelessly trapped in an ice floe; slowing breaking apart. Their ordeal of living on this drifting berg for months, only to be stranded on a solid piece of land later for nearly two years is mind-boggling.

The personal accounts of the crew members daily treacherous turmoils, coupled with an undefeatable and inspired leader (Shackleford) is devastating. Photographer Frank Hurley supplied some of the most breathtaking and dynamic pictures of the saga of the trip, one can only become overwhelmed with the enormity of the dilema. It is simply too real and too heartbreaking.

This beautfully crafted "coffee table" book is one of many released regarding the extraordinary plight of this team against nature. Although author Caroline Alexander borrows heavily from previous accounts and repeats some of the adventures from her earlier "Mrs. Chippy's Last Expediton", "Endurance" is the classic adventure tale of the last Century.

A wonderful coolaboration of writer/photographer, this makes a great gift. A 'beyond Hollywood' story that many have never heard, much less seen in this manner makes it extraordinary!

Caroline Alexander brings a wealth of information into this "last of heroic Antarctic adventures". What sets this book apart from the several others written on this subject is the broad scope of details provided. Each of the 28 characters are individually described in the beginning although for the most part the majority have a collective role in the success of the expedition. Yes success, as in 28 start, 28 survive. It really is hard to go wrong with such a great story. By focusing on the ship's cat Caroline comes dangerously close. The collection of the thoughts from members diaries brings the gravity of their situation to a level the reader can feel and fear. The book itself is beautifully printed, the numerous photographs hit the highlights the trip and are captioned in detail. Where Alfred Lansing's book ends on a romanticized high note, Caroline Alexander goes on to detail the fates of the mates after the expedition. Needless to say such a journey is the high water mark for displaying character in the most oppressive of situations. My advice is to buy it for your coffee table, for it is a beautiful book, but read Alfred Lansing's' Endurance accompanied by the Nov. 1998 National Geographic article (by Ms. Alexander) which includes the Frank Hurley photographs.

I've read a lot of stuff in the past on Sir Ernest Shackleton's courageous ordeal in the Antarctic and have seen the PBS show a couple of times so I was a bit skeptical of being able to find any new material on this South Pole explorer. I was inspired by the feature in this month's National Geographic magazine which provided a glimpse of the book. Caroline Alexander does a superb job of putting human faces to each of the expedition members. The easy reading narrative is seamless and compelling enough to keep turning the pages even though you already know the outcome. The previously unreleased photos from expedition photographer Frank Hurley are reason enough to own this book. It's also a great introduction for your friends who might not be familiar with the story. It is rich enough to be a coffee table book and invites casual browsers to open and read. It makes a great gift book for Christmas. It's an inspirational story is one that I love to tell.

The Dosadi Experiment is a brilliant, and complicated book. The concepts Herbert indulges in here will keep you pondering for weeks, months and years after you read it. Essentially an experiment is conducted on a planet enclosed behind a created protective barrier called the 'God Wall' to keep the inhabitants from leaving. A series of hostile conditions are created complete with toxic waste, hunger and war. The inhabitants are all unknowing 'test subjects' in a grand experiment, and develop into the most dangerous people in the universe, frightening their creators with their abilities. As events unfold, the inhabitants of Dosadi actually learn how to pass through the 'God Wall' unleashing themselves on the universe and the culmination of the tale winds up in the most unusual trial you will ever read. All in all quite a facinating exploration into a broad new territory for Herbert, marking him as one of the great pioneers of the genre of Science Fiction. This book is currently out of print and the copy I have is very old, but it is well worth searching used books stores to read this one. It is actually Herbert's sequel to 'Whipping Star'.

Frank Herbert's brilliant novel, THE DOSADI EXPERIMENT, explores the gulf between that which is legal and that which is moral -- and how the former can be manipulated to undermine the latter. As such, it is perhaps the greatest literary rumination on the moral deficiencies of the law ever written. Briefly, the Gowachin race, utilizing legal constructs, has fostered an immoral structure on the planet of Dosadi -- specifically, a savage city whose residents have been exposed to brutally toxic conditions in order to turn them into the strongest, most resilient life forms in the universe. The purpose? So the Gowachin can transplant their souls into Dosadi bodies and live forever. Jorj X. McKie, "Saboteur Extraordinary" -- who previously appeared in Herbert's wonderful WHIPPING STAR -- ferrets out this grotesque scheme. It's a deftly written novel, fully developing the theme of strength through environmental conditioning that Herbert explored in DUNE. Virtually every page is filled with epiphanous concepts that make the reader gasp. This is science fiction and literature at its finest. As far as I'm concerned, it is Herbert's greatest achievement and one of the finest novels ever written.

Yes, Frank Herbert wrote other novels than the "Dune" series. Of these, "The Dosadi Experiment" is by far one of the best.

Dosadi is an artificially populated planet with a dark, dark secret. Jorg X. McKie, who was introduced in a companion novel "Whipping Star" is sent to investigate the goings-on on Dosadi, an assignment that could very well lead to his destruction.

Dosadi is a toxic planet, where survivors live either in an overpopulated fortress of a city and survive on their wits, or struggle to live on the poisonous Rim, where the very soil and plants are enemies. The people of Dosadi are tough indeed, but they are a lot more than just tough survivors. They hold a desperate secret that could upset the balance of the rest of the galaxy.

McKie's struggle to survive and to discover Dosadi's secrets make for a really exciting tale. The characters are vivid, creative (all kinds of sentient species) and very interesting. If you love good science fiction, this is a must-read.

This book is a must read for all the true Tupac fans out there because who better to tell his story than his bodygaurd. This book deals with his life and his death and pretty much puts to rest the non sense of the alive theory. But to the true fans - don't shed a tear because you know he wasn't happy here. Like he says his biggest fear is coming back to this world reincarnated. All true fans must check this book.

wow! pac !

In retrospect, I think what stands out most about the book is the fact that it's told by someone who understood tupac, unlike all the writers currently looking to score off his name. He instead offers a blow-by-blow (literally) account of tupac's last few months on earth . If you think you would like to know the real Tupac Shakur, read this. It presents you with the real Tupac and you'll be glad you bought it.

As a sidenote, read around page 83 first. Rest assured there's one part of tupac that the media never got to show ;) Rest In Peace ,pac.

I've always enjoyed Tupac the rapper. The Thug Life, all that. I knew everything about his life. I related to all his lyrics, coming from the projects of NYC. But after reading this book i not only understood Tupac better, but i got to know the real Tupac, the person. The Tupac who showed love to all his fans, and just a plain down to earth dude that had a loving heart. And i think if your a huge Tupac fan, this book is for you. And to Frank Alexander where ever you are I understand, it wasn't your fault. In Memory of Tupac, Only God Can Judge You, Revelation 20:12.

One of these fat library texts. Resonably ancient, hence not terribly useful except for structural data.

One of THE texts to own for understanding the structures and relationships of solid state materials.

This is an excellent review of nets and interpenetrating nets of the main group and transition metals. In fact, it is a classic of structural inorganic chemistry couched in terms of the idea of fundamental nets and interpenetrating nets observed in structural inorganic chemistry.

This book is such a hack it would be more useful if presented in typeset LaTeX. It has no breadth, no sense of coverage. It's not a matter of being for advanced users, it's a matter of being hacked together from digital scraps instead of properly written. It's the worst. Stick to Lamport and web sources, these guys obviously publish for their resumes.

No doubt the authors are great LaTeX hackers, but unfortunately it appears that they are only that. Hackers.

Yes, I am frustrated with this book. When I want to do something in LaTeX (which I've been using for five years) and refer to this title, the index is useless, instead I take the hacker's approach and treat it not as literature but as source code. I scan it. Unfortunately I can't grep it.

Frankly I don't understand how others could give it high ratings. I think they're too easily impressed. This book is not even consistent within a page. I wonder, "Did you read it?" The examples don't even compile half the time!

Too bad it's not just LaTeX source cover to cover. That would be much more useful, and a much better value for the thing.

The one thing this book (and this series no doubt) has is lots of pictures describing layout. I don't know how good they are, I don't fiddle with bits. The authors' three books should have been one good book on what they really want to present. Graphics.

The bottom line is: This is the most useful book on latex2e that I own. I use it all the time. This is not a great book, but there aren't many good books on latex2e and this is probably the best or close to best there is.

There aren't good books on latex; there are very few good books on tex. People don't buy these books because they're fun or interesting, or make good reading, but because they need to get things done and they want the book to show them how. The latex companion will show you how to get things done. If you need to typeset latex documents often, probably "pure latex" in itself won't be enough for you, and the book will make you aware of this fact: It surveys some of the more useful packages for doing useful things: long tables, inserting and manipulating graphics, etc. Once you get the hang of going over to CTAN, checking for useful packages that do the stuff you need, downloading and installing them, you'll be "on your own" and will be able to progress independently. I haven't found a need for another latex manual beyond the Latex Companion, though an O'Reilly pocket reference for tex and latex would have been great! (O'Reilly: Are you reading this???) There are some subjects it doesn't treat well, like foreign languages in latex, but otherwise, it's fine. Another downside is that the book doesn't treat the issues of pdf generation, html generation and hyperlinks, which are becoming very popular in latex circles.

Get this book, and you will probably not need another latex book until the O'Reilley pocket reference to tex and latex comes out.

First, a remark on the title: this is not a companion to theprogram, but rather a companion to some other book on LaTeX you shouldhave. I bought this book back in 1994, when it was the first book onLaTeX2e, and by now it is thoroughly worn (though the binding is still doing its job well :). However, at the time I bought it, I have already been using LaTeX for six years, and have read Lamport's guide (which is charming, and also the book The Companion intends to accompany) and Kopka and Daly's (which is better organized and more complete).

The LaTeX Companion is something between an advanced course tutorial (could just as well be named Selected Chapters from LaTeX) and a reference book. None of them was ever aimed at beginners, and this one is no exception. LaTeX comes with a rich legacy of add-on macro packages doing various useful and nifty things with lists, floats, tables, formulas, graphics, fonts, indices and bibliographies. This book covers some of them. I would love to see second edition of this book covering more of them. There is a treasure hidden at CTAN, but it is usually hard to find it. The examples are well chosen and it is easy to learn from them. I am less pleased with the index. At 36 pages, it looks very promising, but it rarely led me to the place I sought. During years of use, I mostly figured out where in a book things are, and stopped using it.

Despite the confusing index, the book is worth its (admittedly high) price and you will probably learn many useful things from it. The idea of a thin tutorial and a partly-overlapping "companion book" doesn't appeal to me, though. Personally, I would prefer one single book with a complete treatment of the topic.

You've read the tale of the Endurance and you can't get enough of this incredible epic. You must now read 'Mrs. Chippy's Last Expedition'. Ms. Alexander, in a delightfully strange manner, has provided a unique perspective on both the expedition and on the relationship between a cat and its mates. If you read 'The Endurance', you already appreciate Ms. Alexander's scholarly and literary abilities. (Frankly, it easily rivals the accounts of Lansing and even Shackleton, himself.) When you read 'Mrs. Chippy', you will also appreciate her profound perception of both feline and human behavior. It's a pity that other reviewers feel they must exhibit their knowledge of Mrs. Chippy's actual fate, but don't worry, if you love cats, nothing can prepare you for the end of this book. Thank you, Caroline Alexander, for a truly remarkable story.

Mrs. Chippy's Last Adventure is the best-written book I have read in many years (and I read a LOT!) The book is written from the point of view of Mrs. Chippy, a (male) cat who was privileged enough to join Shackleford's Polar expedition in the early 1900's and who was stranded in the polar ice fields along with the remaining 28 crew members. The book is based on actual events and a great deal of research obviously went into the telling of this remarkable human and feline-interest story. The author captures Mrs. Chippy's world view remarkably well; cat lovers will KNOW that they are seeing these events unfold through the eyes of a very perspicacious cat. As an added bonus, Mrs. Chippy is a damn funny feline, albeit sometimes unintentionally - I laughed out loud throughout the book.

I can't say enough good things about this book. However, I think it's obvious that any review of it must take into account that while the story takes place in actual historical context, the book's literary content, being the journal of a domesticated cat, is clearly fabricated. I find it humorous that several reviewers seem to have forgotten this and have criticized it for being somehow unrealistic.

The book is a journal of the Endurance's carpenter's cat, Mrs. Chippy (apparently, ships' carpenters are often nicknamed "Chips"). We learn that Mrs. Chippy took his responsibilities as an explorer, including keeping a stern watch to monitor the ship's progress, helping his mate in carpentry projects, and mousing, quite seriously. In fact, Chippy's concern for the maintenance of ship routine through the monotony of the shipwreck period surpasses that of virtually any other crew member.

If you've read any account of the Endurance Expedition already, you will quite likely enjoy this book for its thoughtful alternative perspective. It is not sappy in the least - Chippy's intelligent writing allows us to see him as he sees himself: as the 29th crew member on the expedition.

If you have to ask, "how did Chippy learn how to write?" or "when did he find the time?", you're not appreciating the books purpose - to entertain and provide a little insight into how an animal might have been more than slightly responsible for maintaining the crew's sanity.

I think this book, while partly biased, tells a good account of what really went down on that sad night in Vegas. Alexander, Pac's bodyguard seems to tell a logical story of what he thinks went down, and in the end, I see no reason to hold him accountable for what happened. After all, as all would admit, the best he could've done is shoot the... out of that Caddy, which wouldn't have saved Pac. He tells a stirring tale of his love and compassion for Pac, and how the events of that night have haunted him, and affected him for the rest of his life to come. To Frank, I think Pac would've been proud. He showed true love for him, standing by him even when he wasn't wanted there by Suge and the rest of DR. I respect that, and fully accept that it was simply Pac's time to go. To Pac, rest in peace bro, we will never forget ya.

Everyone who loved Pac, and loves rap music should read this. It helps to show that while Pac may have done controversial things, he was still a loving, gentle cat on the inside, where everyone says it really matters.

This is definetly one of my favorite books in my collection. It is written from the point of view of Pac's bodyguard in the later years of his life. You will be taken inside deathrow and learn of many details of Pac's life. This is an excellently written book, and if you are a Tupac fan it would be an excellent addition to your collection.

There's a tendency among the most hard-core Tupac Shakur fans to deify the late rapper/actor. There's perhaps no greater disservice that can be done to Shakur's memory. Frank Alexander gives an honest and open look into the last year of Shakur's life. Alexander served as Shakur's bodyguard and is incredulous at those who consider him some sort of heroic visionary. The book finest (and funniest) line involves a comparison of Shakur to Malcolm XXX. Yes, that's three X's and Alexander backs this assertion up.

Alexander (and writer Heidi Sigmund Cuda) use a laid-back approach that is similar to the casual barber shop chatter you might hear among a group of friends chillin' on a Saturday afternoon. Peppered with four-letter words, there's a sincerity to Alexander that makes you want to believe even the most outrageous of Tupac's escapades. This helps in the chapter where Alexander briefly covers the list of celebrities that Tupac allegedly was involved with.

Oftentimes, these 'tell-all' books are nothing more than grandstanding by the author without regard to the subject matter. Alexander avoids that trap by keeping his 'life story' to the first few pages and jumping right into his Death Row bodyguard days. His initial tale of the near-tragic shooting at a video shoot in New York (on his first assignment with the label) is riveting, while his descriptions of the intended victims (and what they were doing at the time of the shooting) is hilarious.

Shakur fans will devour this book. He is painted as a conflicted, complex man and Alexander's tales will certainly give you a different look at the man who the media has (fairly or unfairly) painted as a monster. Alexander covers Shakur's 'playa' side while describing a one-week trip to Italy. He gracefully presents the softer side of Shakur as he details a meeting between Shakur and Alexander's injured niece. The book peaks during the tragic and intensely detailed description of that fateful night in Las Vegas, where Shakur was gunned down.

Tupac fans will learn what went down, from the Orlando Anderson incident to the reason Shakur's bodyguard was un-armed to Tupac's last words. The aftermath of the murder is just as compelling as Alexander goes from bodyguard of the stars to a scapegoat with thoughts of suicide. His struggle with the guilt is heartbreaking and the climactic conversation Afeni Shakur (Tupac's mother) will ensure that you read up until the final page.

For my purposes this book was only mildly informational. A collector, who is looking for rare or scarce pieces may find this book more educational. By the author's own admission, their audience aim is not for the casual collector or the eager investor. As most of the pieces pictured are listed as rare or scarce I don't think the subjects will be useful for my collecting purposes.

What I found the most interesting about the book was the detailed descriptions of each of the pieces and the wonderful clear pictures accompanying them. The author would not only describe the piece, he would tell you who made the piece and how his conclusion was reached based on other pieces, which have been positively identified. Similar pieces were compared in many instances and subtle differences in designs were noted to educate the reader on how to identify reproductions from the original.

The quality of the photographs is excellent. Large and clear photos give the reader a very precise view of the item. The descriptions leave no doubt as to what the item is. The references to reproductions of an item is extremely helpful. This is a long awaited book for any milk glass collector.

The book covers a very broad scope of software architecture. Many different topics, like ADLs, architecture recovery and architecture assessment are covered. Neccessarily, the level of detail is somehow restricted. I don't consider this as an disadvanteage, because I think that „giving the big picture" is the main goal of the authors. Also, especially the case study chapters contain sufficient examples to give the practical oriented reader (like me) a good understanding of the topics.

The book tries to integrate the two areas of research and reference. Chapters 1 to 3 cover more the theoretical (research) part, while chapters 4 to 6 more the practical part. In that sense, chapters 1 to 3 serve as the reference part of the book, while chapters 4 to 6 show applications in real world systems. My impression was, that not all topics/items mentioned in the reference part of the book, are illustrated later in the practical part (for example, I could not find examples for „texture of software" which was mentioned in chapter 1). Also, chapters 4 to 6 contain some very useful and important techniques, which I missed in the reference part, for example discussion of using UML as ADL, DDT and also architecture simulation by use of CPN.

As I am more practicval oriented, I like more chapters 4 to 6 as they show me, how real world problems were solved. In these chapters some very good ideas were given, which are interstig for me. Also, I liked the introduction in chapter 1 because it first gives a good background coverage on software architecture and secondly because it names the reason for applying software architecture by giving some real world experiences (some of the problems mentioned here are familiar to me).

The book is written by a collection of writers. Of course, there are some variations in writing style through the chapters, but I consider this as acceptable, because of the great number of authors. All chapters are good to read.

I think, the book gives good information and practical examples on software architecture for product families. It should be useful for everybody working in that field.

Generally good overview of software architecture options but not really what you want if you are interested in architecting highly complicated software-only systems. Their main focus, which is based on industrial experience, is embedded software in electronic devices such as televisions and mobile phones.

It is a shame that they did not really explain their Koala ADL. Still it contains a lot of good refernces and its a good starting point for more indepth study. Most references are to IEEE publications.

A good examination of the means and motives for Alexander of Makedon's conquest and colonization of Bactria. This is best read as the prequel to his excellent "Thundering Zeus : The Making of Hellenistic Bactria." Recommended.