Benedict's Dharma is a rare find--a book on spirituality that is lovingly burnished by practice. Benedict's Rule was above all a work for practical application; what few understand is how well the Rule translates into Eastern practice.

Rarely have I enjoyed a book as thoroughly as this one; I regretted reaching its final page, for the journey it provided was such a delight. Yet the greater truth is that this book is meant to be a passageway, pointing the way to greater spiritual understanding and greater self-knowledge. The truths it uncovers are applicable to anyone who is serious about leading an authentic spiritual life.

This book is an exceptional treasure, offering significant and practical insights on every page.

Benedict's Dharma is a rare find--a book on spirituality that is lovingly burnished by practice. Benedict's Rule was above all a work for practical application; what few understand is how well the Rule translates into Eastern practice. Rarely have I enjoyed a book as thoroughly as this one; I regretted reaching its final page, for the journey it provided was such a delight. Yet the greater truth is that this book is meant to be a passageway, pointing the way to greater spiritual understanding and greater self-knowledge. The truths it uncovers are applicable to anyone who is serious about leading an authentic spiritual life. This book is an exceptional treasure, offering significant and practical insights on every page.

"There is fire in the Rule of Saint Benedict" (p. 121) David Steindl-Rast, OSB, writes in the Afterward to this collection of Buddhist reflections on that Rule. Written in the sixth century, Saint Benedict's Rule is a set of guidelines governing Christian monastic life. This 137-page book is the result of a two-week "Encounter" between Buddhists and Christians, in which Norman Fischer, Joseph Goldstein, Judith Simmer-Brown, and Yifa were participants. Their "fresh take" (p. xiv) on Saint Benedict's Rule is followed by a new, 80-page translation of that Rule by Patrick Henry, OSB.

The Rule was written to practice "Christ's way." Christ said, "Whoever perseveres to the very end will be saved" (p. 97). For Buddhists, Benedict's Rule is about "walking the path to spiritual awakening" (p. 105). That is, both the Rule and Buddhist dharma offer "general guidelines for an inner journey" (p. 1). Judith Simmer-Brown notes that the Rule offers us insight into living a contemplative life amidst the demands of everyday life, or "anyplace you find yourself" (p. 3). From a Buddhist perspective, Benedict's Rule is about learning to live life "so it gets into your bones, under your skin" (p. 34), and about living with "a love of true life and a longing for days of real fulfillment" (p. 36), for this was "Christ's way."

It is evident from this book that "the monastery wall is always permeable" (p. 81). Benedictine monasticism is designed to lead one to spiritual riches on the path of humility (p. 95). It is possible, we're told, to practice a contemplative life outside the monastery walls. "The world is vast and wide," Norman Fischer writes. "Why put on your robe and go to the meditation hall when the bell rings?" (p. 89). Daily practice is "the common ground" for monastics of East and West (p. 124), and in his excellent Afterward, David Steindl-Rast, OSB, concludes that "lay practitioners are running away with the monastic ball" (p. 126). "Step out into the dark night," he writes, "raise your eyes to the starry sky, and you will experience what contemplation was before it had a name" (p. 126).

We find Buddhists and Christians travelling the same "ladders and bridges" in this harmonious book. Buddhist or Christian, this book will appeal to to that monk or nun cloistered in each of us, who is interested in "a life spent seeking the truth."

G. Merritt

a scintillating, visionary tale that really delightfully trips one out page after page. I found the language sumptuous and the story intriguing, though (and because) many of the prophecies in this book have come to fruition.

DJB writes with an uncanny flair for the idealistic and the romantic with the piercing edge of a scientist. His dreams are way bigger than most and his conscious mind travels into dimensions equally vast, intricate and hopeful.

This highly unique form of writing jump starts the mind and lifts the reader into paradise.

A most enjoyable work!

This is one of my favorite Science Fiction novels. It's a wild ride to a fantastic future that is not that far away.

When William Gibson wrote 'Neuromancer' he created a new genre of Science Fiction, which we now call 'Cyberpunk.' I believe that this book and 'The Diamond Age' by Neal Stephenson define a new genre of Science Fiction that speculates about a future that is similar to the Cyberpunk visionaries, but more wrapped up in the science of molecular nanotechnology. In short, it creates a new genre that I would call Nanopunk.

This novel is not only a fantastic work of fiction, it's also a dynamic and thought provoking look into human consciousness, technology, and how humans are evolving as a species. It raises questions that will get you thinking about your own true nature as well as the nature of the world around you.

Sexy, shocking, dystopian, utopian, bizarre, and subversive all at the same time, this novel is one of my favorites. David Jay Brown, much like his principal characters, is successful at invoking a world of rich textures into existence.

The introduction by Robert Anton Wilson is insightful and thought provoking as well.

It has been a couple of years since I first read "Brainchild" and I still think about it a lot. I've read it twice and I think I'll pick it up again tonight.

I wish all books were this thought provoking, pure of heart and explosive while remaining clear, concise and fun.

The characters became my friends and were hard to let go of when the book ended. Will there be a sequel?

"Brainchild" is the next bus to infinity. The chapters are where the bus stops but the route is where ever your consciousness allows you to go.

David Jay Brown was courageous to put forth ideas so ahead of their time. I can't wait for his next book!

For a "first" book on wild mushrooms I found this one to be very good. The pictures show the top, bottom, stems, colors and different parts of each mushroom. There are "warnings" on those that are ediable, but make some people sick, and the NO-NO"s are equally shown and written about. We're just new at this, and for a "starter" book this was just the ticket.

For those interested in preparing and eating the more common and easily-recognized species of edible mushrooms, this book is a must-have. In-depth species descriptions, including dangerous look a likes, make positive identifications much easier. Lush recipes (with photos) in the back of the book inspire mycophagists to get out in the woods and hunt their quarry. Buy the book -- you'll love it! Suggest using this book in conjunction with Audubon or other field guide.

This books is a wonderful collection of fantistic color photographs. Each recipie is a new journey into an exciting and tasty world of foods under our feet. Highly recommended to scientist and amatuer alike!

This book is an enjoyable and excellent read. It allows greater insight to the victims as well as a view of the mindset of others who suffered and experienced this tragic event than other books I've read on this subject. I purchased this Guide after learning that it was a source and reference for the music and story in the Believers Beware CD. This book, with its pictures and well researched references, convinced me that we have much to learn about ourselves from a study of history and a reflection on those who came before. Thank you David Brown. The Reverend John Hale (1702), may have said it first - but I think you've told it best.

If you're intruiged or just interested in the Salem Witch Trials like I am I would defenitly suggest purchasing this book. I purchased this book when I was in Salem, Massachusetts and I haven't been able to put it down. I know alot about the Salem Withcraft Trials but this gave me an even better insite on what happened! Have a great read, and i know anyone who reads this will.

It is not often that you can find a magical piece of literature that allows you to view the story as if you are getting a personal tour of the event. This wonderful creation is one of the best I have read on the historic Salem Witch Trials. As it may not be the most beautiful memory in our nations past, this books allows children, teens, people interested in the Salem Witch Trials an inside look on the experience that grabbed many people by their hearts, and in many cases those few years, by thier freedom and lives. I hope you will take the time, as I have, to read this wonderful piece, and add the new-found knowledge to some use!

Check out:
"An Introduction to Object-Oriented Analysis, Objects and UML in Plain English" by David William Brown.

ISBN 0471371378

All diagrams have been redrawn in UML, and the text has been extensively updated to use UML terminology.

This book is good for both beginners and practitioners. I used this book as text book for my course of OOAD. The book was not only interesting enough for students but it also helped me in my practical work.

The number of cases and exercises given are also sufficient but a few more are always good. Its an excellent book for anybody having beginner to intermediate exposure to OOA. The book is beautifully written and one enjoys reading it.

This book is exactly as advertised, describing Object Oriented Analysis techniques in plain English. While it takes awhile to get to the object oriented chapters, the author has provided enough introductory information such that those who are either new to information systems and development methodoligies, or need a bit of a refresher, receive enough background to be well prepared for the rest of the book.

I've attempted to read other books in the field, but they always seem to assume that the reader already possesses a certain amount of knowledge that apparently I didn't.

For those who consider themselves already somewhat knowledgeable in Object Oriented Analysis, Design, or Development, you may want to consider more advanced level books. Again, this book reads as advertised. It's excellent!

I've purchased or borrowed 5 books on compiler design. There is no doubt that this book should be the choice for any introductory course. The authors explain everything tightly and provide a lot of actual examples in the text. All of it is in Java, of course. Don't worry if you don't use Java. It's very easy to understand if you have any experience with any OO language. I prefer Object Pascal and had no trouble whatsoever with the code.

This book will not provide proofs or a lot in the way of choices for designing a compiler. This is good when you are starting out. The last thing you need if you actually want to learn about compiler design from front to back is a hundred different ways of doing the same thing. The text takes you through a small version of the "Triangle" language ("Mini-Triangle") - and the code for the entire Triangle language is available for download.

This book makes learning about compilers effortless for anyone with an OO background and a little knowledge of the most common algorithms learned in any into course on algorithms. If you can't learn from this text, then don't bother with any other.

The next book I'd recommend after reading this text is the Dragon Book. Then you can try on Advanced Compiler Design for size - which I am doing at present.

A great book to read along (or just before of after) this text is Programming Language Pragmatics. I read it in parallel. If I had to do it again, I'd probably read it first.

I have recently finished writing the Triangle compiler based on this great book for a compiler class I'm taking the code amounted to roughly 5000 lines of code and it's totaly based upon the instructions given in this book. I belive this is the best book written about writing compilers it's very easy to understand and the methods used such as the visitor pattern are extremely advanced and will improve ur level of java programming. there is not much concentration on understanding how compilers work but there are tons of other books for that purpose and frankly who cares we'r more interested on how to write a compiler than how it was written by other people. the triangle language designed is easy but serves the purposes quite well and has everything C or Pascal has I've been working on this for 4 months and now I feel sad becuase I have finished the project and there is nothing more to do I recommend this book for all serious people who love writing java code.

My situation: I am writing this because I feel that I owe a lot to the authors. I am a University student and I developed an interest in compilation and interpretation. I had access to a wide range of texts at my University but I struggled to get a foothold in the field. I was having difficulty turning the theory presented in these academic texts into practice in my own attempts at compilers.

Ideal for me: I had given up on the field for the time being when I came across this book. I could not believe it. It was not what I was looking for because I had no idea it existed, but it quickly became apparent that it was ideal for my situation. My preferred language is Java and so this just helped to make the examples jump out of the page at me that little bit more.

Working through the book: I enjoyed working through the book and found it very readable and self-explanatory. The examples are excellent and reinforce every concept presented by the book. It stood out from everything I had read on the subject to this point (and since).

The case-study: The case study, which runs throughout the book, uses the programming language Triangle. It has obvious links to the previous incarnations of the book when the Pascal programming language was used. Triangle is a simpler version of Pascal but is still a reasonably realistic language to look at. I found it very useful to see how each aspect of the compiler would actually look in code for an example language. The language is compiled to an abstract machine called TAM. The details of this are included in the appendix and can be transferred to other machines with a bit of careful modification.

Structure of the book: The book starts off with the normal background and definitions in the first two chapters. I found the next five chapters to be the most interesting in the book. They are on Compilation, Syntactic Analysis, Contextual Analysis, Run-Time Organization and Code Generation. The last two chapters are on Interpretation and a Conclusion.

Correctness of programming techniques used in the book: This book is very correct in its programming techniques. I had been a bit worried when I read that it was by a Pascal programmer that it might be Pascal-style Java but it used proper Java techniques throughout. I was especially impressed with the appendix containing Class Diagrams for the Triangle Compiler.

Summary: I found that this book told me just what I wanted to know about the field when so many others were telling me everything but this.

This is a must have book for the Tomcat lover. Not only does it list all the aircraft Bureau numbers, it has over 700 photos to compliment every aircraft. David Brown has gone extensive lengths to bring us EVERY Tomcat made with a brief description of each aircraft and their current status. The Iranian Tomcat photos in their desert camouflage schemes are a special treat, considering the difficulty in obtaining them. Of particular significance are the squadron patches of every squadron; active or disbanded, east or west coast. The book is a bit pricey, but well worth it.

Tomcat Alley is in a word, outstanding! As a former F-14 pilot and military photo enthusiast, I found this publication fantastically complete in its inclusion of every F-14 aircraft ever made and the subsequent dispositions of these aircraft as they either continue their services lives or have retired. Anyone who is doing research on a particular USN F-14 by bureau number will find this book invaluable; those who are interested in the F-14 on a more casual basis will find the book equally entertaining. It's a MUST HAVE publication!

In compiling a complete pictorial accounting of the US Navy's quintessential fighter plane, author Brown and editors Lebaron and Kaston have created a treatment of the F-14 that is as enjoyable and readable as it was exhaustively researched. In the increasingly crowded field of popular military aviation literature, Tomcat Alley is unique in that it will equally engage the historian, the airplane buff, and -- of course -- the F-14 enthusiast. Tomcat Alley sets the bar for all future aviation 'roll-call'-style references. Well done!

There's nothing like a guide that gives you interesting info that other guides don't: helpful restaurant reviews and guides to ethnic (and non-ethnic) neighborhoods, parking info, funny comments about our favorite city and its mayor, and general how-to-survive-in-Providence tidbits. Especially good for prospective Brown students. The bible for Brown students regarding restaurants, transportation, and everything else. If you are going to Providence for anything (to live, to visit) buy this book. It;s fun just to read, too... a great way to procrastinate.

This guidebook provides great restaurant reviews and hordes of information about the city. It may lack information about surrounding New England but for the short or long trip to Providence, this book will serve all of your needs. For the person interested in Brown University, this is ideal, providing info about student activities. With Providence coming out of its shell and this the only guidebook I could find, I highly recommend it.

Riveting and educational! A page turner! Marty Mann was an incredible woman and we finally get to read about her life in detail. This is a must read for those who are recovering from alcoholism, those affected by alcoholism, social service and public health providers and legislatures. We have much to learn from Marty Mann and we must continue her mission today.

As its title implies, A Biography Of Mrs. Marty Mann, The First Lady Of Alcoholics Anonymous is the uplifting life story of a singularly strong and incredible woman - one who crusaded to teach all of America, men and women, that alcoholism is a treatable disease. Her life, which spanned most of the 20th century encompasses despair, hope, and redemption through crusading to battle the pernicious evils of alcoholism, and perhaps just as bad, ignorance about the nature of alcoholism. In Marty's own words, "People who dislike the terms 'alcoholic' and 'alcoholism' should consider the alternative of not knowing what was the matter with them and could believe only that they were hopelessly insane." An unforgettable biography of one of America's most fervent public-health reformers.