Before opening the cover of L1, we already knew what kind of review we wanted to write. We wanted it to be positive, to acknowledge Dr. Brown's enormous contribution to the development of the Loglan language, and to stress his ability to present clear exposition of the underpinning ideas of the language, while maintaining an intellectual level that challenges and defends the Loglan project so as to increase our academic respectability.

By the time we had completed a brief skim of the book, concentrating on new sections, as well as on areas of the language known to have changed significantly since 1975, our hopes were dashed.

Dr. Brown has indeed continued to write in that excellent style that attracted many people to the language after reading the 1960 Scientific American article and/or the earlier editions of this book. Possessing only a modicum of intellectual curiosity, a reader is easily drawn into a world where new perspectives abound, where much that is unfamiliar to English speakers (especially those who have never learned another language) is made familiar.

He continues his approach of explaining each idea separately, giving several examples of each point before moving on to the next one. He has added pronunciation aids and many new examples, rendering the book far more effective at teaching these concepts than it was before.

The book still falls short in teaching the language itself, because it fails to cover the pragmatic concerns of how the various rules and concepts presented interact with each other in non-simple expressions. This is not totally a flaw; the details are sufficient to cause one's intellect to be prodded into questions and analysis, challenging the various ideas that are presented, thereby potentially causing one to truly understand the concepts rather than merely the language implementation of those concepts.

Alas, this strength becomes the book's main weakness. Put simply, the moment one digs beneath Dr. Brown's surface presentation and challenges his ideas, one is confronted by countless errors and inconsistencies, failures of analysis, and even the abandonment some of the project goals that inspired many of us when we first heard of Loglan.

One doesn't need to be expert in the language in order to find these problems. Indeed, we who know the language better can often figure out what Dr. Brown really means without serious difficulty. But a newcomer, especially one with any knowledge of languages, will quickly become confused and dismayed by the shoals in Dr. Brown's thinking and presentation.

Even worse, in his Foreword, Dr. Brown identifies dozens of people who have contributed to the language over almost 35 years, including professional linguists and experts in other fields who he says advised him and "helped me find the errors in this multidisciplinary work". He fails to give the traditional notice that "all remaining errors are solely his responsibility", thereby throwing some of the onus on these reviewers for missing blatant linguistic errors and a general sloppiness in verifying the quality of his details.

Alas, Dr. Brown did not include on his "panel of reviewers" any competent Loglanists, especially those known to challenge some of Dr. Brown's viewpoints. As such, many of those viewpoints are presented indefensibly -- Dr. Brown simply doesn't acknowledge that there might be other points of view on the issues he has decided, and hence leaves those ideas open to question by each new reader or Loglanist who independently raises the same questions.

(More of this review available by e-mail.)

There is a long tradition of constructed languages. Esperanto is perhaps the most famous, but there are some far older and many newer ones as well. Some, like Esperanto, were intended as world languages, while others, like Klingonese, were invented just for the fun of it. Loglan is a comparatively recent addition, first appearing in a Scientific American article in 1960, and by some measures can be considered a classic. It was first proposed as a linguistic experiment, and has grown into the first human-speakable language that can be parsed by machine. Many of it's key ideas have since been borrowed by other constructed languages. Loglan 1 is the basic textbook. It's well organized and covers all the important parts of the language in a clear and informative style. I found it a fascinating read and packed full of neat ideas. I should stress that this is a textbook rather than a primer. Although it's possible to write correct Loglan based on this book alone, I'd recommend getting help from a more experienced Loglanist, or at least getting the official primer (known as Loglan 3) as well, which is currently available as back issues of The Loglan Institute's journal, "La Logli". I wish that Loglan 1 had more background material in it -- I'd like to know what motivated many of the features -- but since it was only intended to describe the language, and since it's already pretty fat, I can't really complain about that. The same goes for the details of the machine grammar, which gets pretty technical and which is available elsewhere. If you are one of those eccentric individuals who is interested in constructed languages, Loglan 1 is highly recommended.

I found exactly what I was looking for in Loglan: a language constructed to be free from phonetic, syntactic, and some semantic ambiguity, as much as I believe any such language can be. My interests in knowledge representation, semantic networks, and interlingua for machine translation were completely satisfied by Loglan, and I firmly believe that it is the finest of all the constructed languages.

No, no, no. Kern should have never been born. He is too dense, stupid, and his relationship with Listle was funny but grew dumb in the end. Phlan, a supposedly strong city, gets ruined 'cuz a damned hammer is lost. Gimme a break! Sirana is just another goof like her dad Marcus (see Pools of Darkness), even worse. Again, the extra star goes to Miltiades. This character is too cool, he should have been in another book! =D Seriously, I'm just glad there is no more sequels. Too lame for FR caliber.

The book is fairly good, and great if you love the series. But there are better ones.

Lovely, witty, humourous. Quite a good plot. Satisfying and exciting, though the plot, on second thought, is a bit too simple. Good enough for people who aren't searching for the greatest book in the world. The characters are portrayed nicely

I am an avid Dale Brown fan. I was excited to read Dreamland Nerve center. I was quite disappointed. I am not sure how much input Mr. Brown had on this project but it would be better if he took his name off of it. It was stale, predicatble and very cheesy. I think the characters are good but the only person who would actually enjoy reading this is a female highschool wall flower. It should be displayed in the cheap romance novel catagory. The next book in the Dreamland series can be nothing but better than this one. I will give Dreamland another chance because I like Mr. Brown. But, that being said, I can only take so much cheap romance.

Great second installment in the series. Brown revisits ANTARES, the mind/machine interface (see Cheetah) with some new twists.

McCann, a historian by education, provides us with a synthesis of the changing African landscape. He argues that the landscape in Africa has always been unstable, and the cause for the instability is anthropogenic activity. His argument specifically deals with the forests of Africa, and he addresses the issue of 'perceived' deforestation. Essentially, he seeks to prove that whatever deforestation that is occurring now in Africa is simply part of a larger, human-induced cycle. This implies that deforestation is "okay" in Africa, because it has happened before and recovered before. However, his argument falls short when he employs the same methodology (researching historical narratives) to prove his points as he does to DISprove the points of others. It is clear that history is not the most accurate of teachers, and I had a difficult time believing McCann's selected historical essays had any more credence than those he attempted to detract.

I read this book for an undergraduate course in comparative environmental history. McCann dispells common myths about Africa (static, has been in environmental decline throughout its history). Instead, he argues that Africa's environmental history can't be judged in a linear perspective - it is neither "declensionist" (continued decline) nor progressive (environment always being improved by people). His book places African agriculturalists within a larger framework of history. Several chapters discuss the role of politics in impacting local environmental change. This a valuable perspective and shows that environmental history has many applications in public policy (implied connections that are mentioned but not developed within the book).

Good luck on finding mineral sites using this guide. While the minerals may be in the areas indicated, the maps are so crude that the likelihood of your finding the sites is very poor. I have tried using the guide for several years with almost no success.

Well worth what I paid for it. This book has lots of information and would make a good reference for the Geology of California.

The maps though, don't say what the major highways/roads are, so you'll need another map. I have the book Roadside Geology of North/Central California, and this book goes really well with it.

In some ways, Rocks and Minerals of California I think is more useful, despite the missing road ID. The book has sections of counties (not all but most) and minerals found in those areas. Also, quadrangle information, township/range locations of minerals is listed.

Socialism?? Entitlement??? My goodness. I have always felt the only drawback of this book is that it is overly simplistic, so I was stunned to see the hysteria in some other reviews.

Books for children this young are meant for parents to use as a teaching tool, and I've used this book to talk about how good it feels to share our gifts and blessings. The wonderful watercolor- and-glitter illustrations capture even wiggly kids' attention. After giving away my son's copy, I'm back to buy another because I'm using it with a class.

Is anyone else catching the irony of those reviewers who warn this book espouses Entitlement by demonstrating the virtues of sharing? I mean, what they are teaching their children -- that no one else is Entitled to what THEY own (sound like the snotty Rainbow Fish at the beginning of the story?) -- is the essence of Entitlement: I've got mine and the rest of you are out of luck. God help us.

My daughters love this book, primarily for the illustrations. This book often gets mixed reviews from adults, some who find the message troubling. However, to those who might see a Socialist bent, or other negative moral, as a Libertarian I offer this: By discussing the various aspects of the story with your child, you can make the moral lesson to your liking. The rainbow fish is unhappy and lonely because he has something that other fish covet, however he is unwilling to share. Certainly the rainbow fish has no obligation to share his scales and nobody (not government nor society) in the book coerces him into doing so. Indeed the rainbow fish discovers how good it can make one feel to voluntarily give to others. He doesn't just receive friends in exchange for goods as some have shallowly accused, but looked at in another light the rainbow fish donates not only for others' material wants but because it MAKES HIM FEEL GOOD INSIDE. It is also in the community's interest. An important lesson for children is that voluntary giving is a good thing and our society, if it is to remain free, depends on it. I applaud the lesson in this book of free giving over coerced taxation or socialism. And, so others might not think I'm off my rocker in over-politicizing this book..I must point out that the characters are fabulous, the paintings gorgeous and both my young daughters find it irresistable. My youngest, at 2 and 1/2 is a HUGE rainbow fish fan, and that makes me a fan too.

The Rainbow Fish is the story of a beautiful fish who was covered with glittery silver scales. The Rainbow fish would never play with the other fish because he thought he was too good for them. One day when a small fish asks for one of the scales, the Rainbow fish yells at him, saying, "Who do you think you are?" The little fish ends up telling the other fish how mean the Rainbow fish was, and from then on,the other fish ignore the Rainbow fish. This bothers him, and he asks a wise octopus why no one likes him when he is so beautiful. The octopus tells him to give a shimmery scale to each of the other fish. It is hard for the Rainbow fish to part with his scales, but he does, and seeing how happy the other fish are, he feels good inside. The story ends with the fish all playing together! This is a wonderful story, and the book contains silver foil on each page to make the scales stand out! Follow-up:This book can also be used in a unit about colors. Children can paint their own rainbow fish afterlearning about the primary colors and color mixing. I have children mix each of the primary colors on paper using watercolors. For example, I tell them to put blue on their paper. Then they put yellow on top of it. They are amazed when they see green. After an activity like this, they could paint their own fish by mixing the primary colors.

I found this book very easy to read, and completely understandable, its emphasis on the "User Point of View" is remarkable, it is well structured and concrete; the section: "Bottom line" at the end of every chapter is very helpful.The cons is that it touches very briefly technical aspects of the Intranet.

Thanks to this book, I finally appreciate some of the differences between the Internet and an intranet in terms of corporate communications policies, screen design, infrastructure, project management and security requirements. As a layman, the technical glossary has been helpful to me in my current job and projects and I refer to it several times a week. Good insight on the people side (politics, etc.) of corporate intranet projects. My thanks to the authors.

Excellent! Finally a useful (and enjoyable) text on intranet style that is clear and packed with required information on making a killer intranet from scratch. In my field, I deal with professionals that have all sorts of cyber experience, and using The Elements of Intranet Style I can speak intranet to the expert as well as the novice. Big pluses include the "Must know's and Must no's" section that warns of copyright pitfalls and security issues headaches. Overall this book is an excellent, low cost bible dedicated to the rapidly growing intranet. A must!

In James Herriot's story Smudge, the little Lost Lamb, there is a lot of action. I found it easy to relate to the little lamb. He is such a cute character. I really cared about what happened to him. I do think the author needed to spend more time on Smudge and his relationship with his mother,sister and the little boy who owned him. I think this would be a great story for young children. The illustrations are nice and Smudge is such a cute little guy.

If you're a fan of the other illustrated James Herriot books, (Bonny's Big Day, Only One Woof, The Christmas Day Kitten, etc.) you'll be disappointed in this one. Rather than being another true tale from his days as a veterinarian, this is just a mediocre, fabricated story about a lost lamb which really doesn't fit with the rest of the series.

This book was absolutely riveting. I've learned from reading Mr. Patterson's books that you only start reading them in the morning, on a Saturday or Sunday, and if you're smart, you don't have any pressing engagements. If you do, you'll do one of two things.............you'll call and cancel or you just won't show up. I've read the Alex Cross books and they are some of my favorites, but this book was SPECIAL. The concept of these winged children was so unique that it truly captured my heart. You actually become so involved with Max that as you move through the book you actually form an emotional attachment to her and then to the other children. It would make a wonderful movie, but the casting would be very difficult. The children really would have to be unknowns or they wouldn't be believable. Someone would always say well "she" was so different in "...........". I read about 4 to 5 books a week, most of the mystery genre, but James Patterson is my absolute favorite. Please, if the publisher reads this, we need a sequel to "Max"........and soon. Believe me...this is one novel that everyone should read. Keep it up Mr. Patterson, just write faster!

'When The Wind Blows' has the strongest in-depth female characters written by anyone in years. Brilliant, touching, interesting, stunning, exciting, suspenseful, inventive, and thrilling are words that come to mind. I really couldn't put this one down, so luckily when I finished it at 4 AM Saturday morning, I didn't have to get up and go to work. My wife has since devoured it. I think some of the reviewers are children who don't like female lead characters or those who expected another slashing, raping, heavy breathing serial killer. All seven members of our writer's club who reviewed this book loved it. Only complaint was we wanted more. The scientific slant dealing with genetics and cloning and the dark government's interest remind me of my all time favorites: Crichton's 'Sphere', Koontz's 'Dark Rivers of the Heart', King's new 'Bag of Bones', Steiger's new 'Alien Rapture', and Preston's new 'Cobra Event'. The character Kit Harrison, an FBI agent, was also quite well done but my favorite was Max. This is unlike previous Patterson works and I commend him for the effort at something new. This is a suspenseful thriller that never lets up and you will relish each and every page. YES BUY IT!

Recent news articles about genetic experiments and cloning have stirred up a lot of controversy around the world; many people reading with fascination, others with moral outrage. But these experiments that were only in the minds of science fiction writers a few short years ago are very real today. Is it possible to mix human DNA with that of birds? Author James Patterson opens his new book, "When the Wind Blows" (Little, Brown hardcover) with an author's note that will make readers sit up and take notice: "Before I began this book, I had no idea how close to reality the story would be," he says. "Over 30 medical doctors and research scientists helped at the conceptual stage, and then again when the manuscript was nearing completion. As one medical doctor and Ph.D. at the National Institutes of Health said, 'Most people are not going to believe the breakthroughs that are coming in the very near future.'" Children soaring through the air on beautiful gilded wings, babies born with no faces in a covert lab where they will be used strictly for body parts may soon be more than just an author's "what if." James Patterson excels in this, his most exciting book yet, as he tells the story of veterinarian Frannie O'Neill, who withdrew to a sequestered life in her Colorado practice following the mysterious death of her husband several years before. Frannie's seclusion is disrupted when she allows her new tenant, Kit Harrison into her life. Handsome and friendly Kit is an FBI agent posing as a hunter. He is chasing a tip about a secret scientific lab where scientists are conducting genetic experiments. Frannie is disturbed even more when she sees an angelic little girl in the woods near her animal hospital lift her arms and spread her feathered wings. Eleven-year-old Max is the result of a monumental conspiracy revolving around secret genetic research and the scientific manipulation of the human species. Where did Max come from? Why is she more intelligent at age 11 than anyone twice her age? And most perplexing, how was she born with wings? "When the Wind Blows" just may be closer to the truth than you want to believe. I was first introduced to Patterson's work when a friend loaned me his copy of "Kiss the Girls" a few years ago. I was hooked from the first page and since that day I have read everything I could find that he has written. Patterson is perhaps the most gifted author of our time. His ability and imagination have no bounds. His Alex Cross series is extremely popular, but rather than fall into the rut of many famous authors, capitalizing only on the success of one subject, he varies his themes. Between Cross books he lends his talent to a multitude of subjects. "When the Wind Blows" has proven so popular in Palm Beach that Classic Bookshop at 310 South County Road has devoted an entire window display to the book. Royal Palm Beach resident Virginia Jacobus and her staff have been recommending it to their customers. "I just could not put this book down," Jacobus said. "This is probably his best yet."

Having read and studied the author's book carefully, the most accurate way I know how to describe it is simply as "factually challenged history." That there are many omitted facts from Nesbitt's book one wonders why the attempt was made in the first place. If someone is looking for a well reasoned treatise on the Lee-Stuart issues at play in the Gettysburg campaign, they need look elsewhere.

Nebitt's SABER AND SCAPEGOAT redefines the depths to which an author bent on historical advocacy is willing to stoop. Nesbitt's attempt to explain why "Jeb" Stuart should not be blamed for any part of the Confederate failure in the 1863 Pennsylvania campaign could not pass History 101, let alone be considered as serious military prose. The author's incredibly narrow criteria that employs only selective use of some portions of certain documents, while ignoring vital evidence such as the historical context in which ALL of the orders were written, Lee's important restraining orders, Stuart's own actions at Haymarket, Dover and elsewhere throughout the ill-fated eight day "raid" that show he was following an agenda all his own, and much much more, reduce this work to a poorly organized, intellectually shabby exercise. With such a spotty and incomplete use of all the available evidence, Nesbitt's work should be viewed with greatest amount of caution and skepticism possible.

It's about time someone has taken the initiative to defend Stuart's rightful actions during the Gettysburg Campaign. Nesbitt's book explains fully what I have known all along. Lee had cavalry with him and failed to use them. That is Lee's fault. End of story. These people that feel the need to keep the blame from Lee and continually find "scapegoats" need to get over it. This was an excellent book that I will recommend to anyone who wants the real truth of the battle of Gettysburg.