Mastering Todays Software: Microsoft Word 97

I find that, at least in the UK, although there are many books which deal with Word 97, there are very few which are suitable for a short course - I have not seen more than 5. This is possibly the best of the books which are in a handy size. But this series is expensive at £16 per copy, if a student has to buy an individual copy for each package of Office 97.

My six year old son came home from school wanting to share this story from start to finish. About a boy that wished to be a baby. Boy did he want to change his mind!

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow is divided into chapters according to the content of the computer area that is covered (Net, software, living{choosing a system, ethics of use}, hardware, and more). The illustrations, in many cases, are actual computer screens. A history of computers is included. This is an easy to understand book for all ages and teaches the basics of computers, not just one individual program or platform. Will demistify computerspeak for the beginner and intermediate user.

This book makes you understand all about computers and it's related items such as: Internet, Communications, Softwares and Hardwares very easily. It should be number one choice for computer ametures. Excellant book.

"You will be haunted by Three Spirits." So forewarns Jacob Marley's ghost to Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge, a miser of stingy, unfavorable traits. And so begins the enduring Christmas classic distinguished by almost everyone. Come along on an erratic journey with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, all of whom attempt to point Scrooge onto a virtuous path. Meet the most notable characters ever introduced in literature: Bob Cratchit, angelic Tiny Tim, and good-natured Fred. With vivid descriptions of Victorian England and enlightening dialogue, 'A Christmas Carol' will enrapture both the young and old throughout the year with a vital lesson on hope and benevolence for humanity. This, I find, is treasured most of all in this brief story marvelously crafted by the creative Charles Dickens. No matter how many adaptations of the book one has seen on television or as films, the real source is highly recommended and should not be missed. For if you do pass the book up, you are being just a Scrooge (metamorphically speaking, of course!).

It's hard to think of a literary work that has been filmed and staged in more imaginative variations than Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"--there's the excellent George C. Scott version, the delightful Muppet version, the charming Mr. Magoo version, etc., etc. But ultimately true "Carol" lovers should go back to Dickens' original text, which remains a great read.

"Carol" tells the story of cold-hearted miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who despises the Christmas holiday and scorns all who celebrate it. But a visit from a series of supernatural beings forces him to reevaluate his attitude--and his life.

With this simple plot Dickens has created one of the enduring triumphs of world literature. It's a robust mix of humor, horror, and (most of all) hope, all leavened with a healthy dash of progressive social criticism. One thing I love about this book is that while it has a focus on a Christian holiday, Dickens puts forth a message that is truly universal; I can imagine this story resonating with people of any religious background, and also with more secular-oriented people.

This is a tale of greed, selfishness, regret, redemption, family, and community, and is enlivened by some of the most memorable characters ever created for English literature. Even if Dickens had never written another word, "A Christmas Carol" would still have, I believe, secured his place as one of the great figures of world literature.

Well, I finally read it (instead of just watching it on the TV screen).

This is what you can call a simple idea, well told. A lonely, bitter old gaffer needs redemption, and thus is visited by three spirits who wish to give him a push in the right direction. You have then a ghost story, a timeslip adventure, and the slow defrosting of old Scrooge's soul. There are certain additions in the more famous filmed versions that help tweak the bare essentials as laid down by Dickens, but really, all the emotional impact and plot development necessary to make it believable that Scrooge is redeemable--and worth redeeming--is brilliantly cozied into place by the great novelist.

The scenes that choke me up the most are in the book; they may not be your favourites. I react very strongly to our very first look at the young Scrooge, sitting alone at school, emotionally abandoned by his father, waiting for his sister to come tell him there may be a happy Christmas. Then there are the various Cratchit scenes, but it is not so much Tiny Tim's appearances or absence that get to me--it's Bob Cratchit's dedication to his ailing son, and his various bits of small talk that either reveal how much he really listens to Tim, or else hide the pain Cratchit is feeling after we witness the family coming to grips with an empty place at the table. Scrooge as Tim's saviour is grandly set up, if only Scrooge can remember the little boy he once was, and start empathizing with the world once again. I especially like all Scrooge's minor epiphanies along his mystical journey; he stops a few times and realizes when he has said the wrong thing to Cratchit, having belittled Bob's low wages and position in life, and only later realizing that he is the miser with his bootheel on Cratchit's back. Plus, he must confront his opposite in business, Fezziwig, who treated his workers so wonderfully, and he watches as true love slips through his fingers again.

It all makes up the perfect Christmas tale, and if anyone can find happiness after having true love slip through his fingers many years ago, surprisingly, it's Scrooge. With the help of several supporting players borrowed from the horror arena, and put to splendid use here.

The question of U.S. victory in Vietnam has been asked since the fall of Saigon in 1975. Yet the central aspect is not really one of military victory but what goals were attempted and were any actually achieved. Former army lieutenant colonel and West Point graduate F. Charles Parker IV discusses the strategies for winning the Vietnam war and how closely toward the U.S. Marine Corps landing at Danang did the upper levels in U.S. defense department choose to fight to a stalemate. Perhaps the most fascination revelation is how the war was to be prosecuted (in terms of the "crossover point") and at what point the war could be considered to be won (March, 1968).

This book lays out all the flaws in the conventional wisdom on the war on both the right and the left. Examining Vietnam not as a conflict in a vacuum, it shows all the complex maneuvering between the U.S., China, and the USSR. Carefully researched (better than most) and well-written

I would say this is "David Copperfield"'s B-side. It is a typical Dickensian book: the life of the Nickleby family from the death of the father until they are rich and happy. One of the most important parts of the book is the study of the horrible boarding schools of Yorkshire, where Nicholas is sent. We can read the dirty intrigues of Uncle Ralph, the adventures of Nicholas and Smikes as travelling actors (a world Dickens came to know very well), the kindness of the brethren Cheeryble.

Definitely, this is not one of Dickens's best novels, but nevertheless it is fun to read. The characters are good to sanctity or bad to abjection. The managing of the plot is masterful and the dramatic effects wonderful. It includes, as usual with Dickens, an acute criticism of social vices of his time (and ours): greed, corruption, the bad state of education. In spite of everything, this is a novel very much worth reading, since it leaves the reader a good aftertaste: to humanism, to goodness.

I read criticisms of this book that it is not one of Dickens' best. For me, it is up there with Great Expectations and David Copperfield as one of his most enjoyable novels (A Christmas Carol is a short story).

The social axe that Dickens had to grind in this story is man's injustice to children. Modern readers my feel that his depiction of Dotheboys Academy is too melodramatic. Alas, unfortunately, it was all too real. Charles Dickens helped create a world where we can't believe that such things happen. Dickens even tell us in an introduction that several Yorkshire schoolmasters were sure that Wackford Squeers was based on them and threatened legal action.

The plot of Nicholas Nickleby is a miracle of invention. It is nothing more than a series of adventures, in which Nicholas tries to make his way in the world, separate himself from his evil uncle, and try to provide for his mother and sister.

There are no unintersting characters in Dickens. Each one is almost a charicature. This book contains some of his funniest characters.

To say this is a melodrama is not an insult. This is melodrama at its best. Its a long book, but a fast read.

"Nicholas Nickleby" is one of the best works of Charles Dickens overall. This novel is about the brave adventures of Nicholas, his sister Kate and their mother. The story begins at about the time Nicholas's father dies and the family has to encounter the struggle of life with no imminent prospects of fortune. At this time they make an appeal to the brother of Nicholas's father, Mr.Ralph Nickleby. From this point on, the parallel developments of the honest Nickleby family and their villanous uncle begin to unfold. With many twists and turns the story is as captivating as any of the author's best books. The tale is characteristically filled with the Dickinsian people such as Mr.Vincent Crummles and his family, in particular the "phenomenon", Arthur Gride, Newman Noggs and others. Overall, this book is a pleasure to read and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in good story-telling.

This book has a lot of step by step directions with on screen displays to help you learn Word 2000. Great Buy...worth every penny.

The book is a good starter for real beginners hence its title is apt. The writing style is very dry which is most likely the influence of Dobbins who's articles are generally dry, cynical and sometimes self promoting. Parkers reputation and expertise with planetary imaging certainly gives the book some value. If you're serious about solar system photography, there are many other better resources available though for the absolute beginner it may be worthwhile.

This is a first rate book on the practical study of our solar system. It covers telescopes, mountings, filters, cameras, films and other equipment. Information, observing tips and programs, sketches and photographs are presented for the Moon, 8 planets, minor bodies and comets.

The film photography section is the best I've read for work on the Moon and planets at high power in telescopes and meteors and star fields in wide angle camera lenses. Formulae are provided for guess-free calculation of magnification, exposure time and tracking factors. For those that are so inclined, various darkroom techniques are also discussed at great length for developing and processing images.

The only drawback of this book is its date. Recent advances in film and in digital techniques of processing and the use of CCD and video cameras are not covered. But for those who wish to pursue the most accessible methods of observing our solar system, this is the best book around.

Being an amateur astronomer for 50 years, I consider this book required reading for anyone interested in astrophotography. It is written in a way that will not bewilder the beginner and is more than technical enough for the advanced. CCD imagery is a different field and this book does not intend to try to cover that, even if was written more recently. Definitely worth the money. The authors know what they are doing and know how to explain it. In my opinion, a classic.

required reading for those heading into Native American vs. US Government studies. Have a can of Red Bull though!

A gutsy, three-dimensional view of the Judge. Tuller's passion for the subject is evident throughout.

The first major biography of Judge Isaac Parker to be written since 1951, 'Let no guilty man escape' provides refreshing insight into the life and career of a man that western novelists and Hollywood have stereotyped as the "Hanging Judge." Since most of the standard works on Judge Parker were written a half century ago, the documents and resources used by Tuller help to paint a picture of the complex person that Isaac C. Parker really was. While minor factual errors and inconsistancies occur throughout, this book is a worthy replacement of 'Hanging Judge.'