This Toolkit is such a good, smart idea, I wonder why nobody wrote a book like this before. Consisting of a series of connected brief entries (many of them quite witty), it explains important philosophical concepts and shows how we can use them to help us makes sense of life's big questions. It makes an excellent dictionary of basic philosophical concepts, but, unlike a dictionary, it is also designed to be read straight through. And it practices what it preaches: The Principle of Charity, for instance, is consistently applied. The Toolkit, along with Simon Blackburn's delightful dictionary and Roger Scruton's lucid (if rather biased) Short History, got me through several tough college philosophy courses.

If you're new to modern philosophy and want to know what it's about, read Baggini & Fosl's "Philosopher's Toolkit" (along with Thomas Nagel's "What Does It All Mean?") and you'll have a very good idea of the basic questions & methods involved. (Be warned: philosophy is highly addictive stuff and you might find that it changes the way you see everything.)

Baggini and Fosl have provided an excellent reference resource for those interested in Philosphy and also those who which to argue better. The presentation of the "tools" aids the clear understanding of each of the concepts, with examples that are easy to comprehend. One of the few books around that gives a comprehensive and readable account of these "tools". A must buy.

This is an execellent introductory text for neophyte philosophers as well as a decent resource for those who have more experience in philosophy. It has a unique format among introductory books, one which is better suited to the material.

This book could be used as a reference guide, introductory text, or as a textbook for a philosophy class. Lets you know everything you need to get started with philosophy. This book starts with the simple concepts and moves on to continually more advanced ideas.

. . . I really like this decorating guide. It's simple and easy to use - has some great tips and gave me several ideas just from flipping through the pages, reading the quick hints and looking at the pictures.
Includes sections on painting, tiling & covering walls, window treatments, covering floors, decorating woodwork and shows some great finishing touches.
The index at the back makes finding what you need simple and the numerous pictures and illustrations gives you an easy reference to follow.

If you want a book to help you get started - this is it.

This book will inspire you to go buy paints, fabrics and get started! Great instructions for the beginner on how to wallpaper, install tile, hang curtains and various painting techniques. Lots of tips to go with each section. The book begins with an overview of colors and decorating basics.

This is a fine medium-advanced book on evolvable hardware. The book contains some of the very latest material you will be able to find available on print or in the internet. Specially, I find very interesting the immunotronics approach from the University of York staff.

"The traditions handed down say that the land north of Redwood Creek, where it goes into the ocean, extended far out into the sea to the large rock that is now known to the white people as Redding Rock." The base of Redding Rock lies 50m beneath the sea. The last time Redding Rock was on dry land was in 8350 +/-200 BC [9600 BP].

This very early date means that Lucy Thompson's Yurok tribe has occupied the Klamath River Valley for over 10,000 years. Her 1916 narrative is the oldest American history of any sort, and could be the oldest anywhere on earth. Lucy's descriptions extend even further back, "to the Age of Giants, when large animals roamed the earth."

"From the land of Cheek-cheek-alth, the mystic Eden of long ago, came our wandering tribe of people, who long since inhabited North and South America." This ancient name still exists, now pronounced Chechen-Aul, near Grozny, after which Chechnya was named.

"Our part of the people traveled on until they reached their final earthly home on the Klamath River, which we call Health-kick-wer-roy; and here we found the white race, Wa-gas."

This is a stunning statement! The Yuroks were preceeded by a white tribe! "These white people were found to inhabit the whole continent, and were a highly moral and civilized race."

After 1000 years of peaceful coexistance, the Wa-gas migrated out of North America back "to the land of their birth, in the far north, the valley of Cheek-cheek-Alth, .. the same land as ours." They built dugouts and paddled north along the coast, to Japan, then across Siberia, retracing the route used by the Yurok, back to Chechnya. This migration resulted from a catastrophic tsunami that obliterated the entire Mississippi Valley and most of their civilization in 7130 +/-50 BC [8160 +/-50 BP].

A unique description of early America and Europe by a brilliant tribal historian.

Delbeek and Sprung's knowledge and experience is evident in this up to date guide to mini reef keeping. The basics of reef keeping are explained, as well as coral biology and aquarium nutrient regulation. They describe various methods of filtration and lighting and their benefits/drawbacks. They explain how to construct and attach live rock and coral aquascapes in the aquarium. The text is also beautifully produced with many color photographs. Volume 1 focuses on stony corals and clams. There are many pictures of the different species, and they describe each species natural environment and needs. The book also covers coral disease, how to collect and transport corals, and several pictures of outstanding reef tanks are shown to give you something to shoot for. This book is the best I have seen for reef aquariums, and I have seen just about all of them. Volume 2, still in the works, will cover soft corals and gorgonians, from what I hear

This book should be an example by which all other marine and reef aquarium books follow. Current and relavant information from cover to cover. This is the stuff you need to know if you are serious about being successful in this hobby. Great book but a great group of people.

The Reef Aquarium has information for all degrees of reef keepers. Being a first timer in the field,I found this book to be as vital as the tank itself. This book has all the information that you will need for a great tank. It goes into depth on information with regards to aquascaping, lighting, and water parameters. It also deals with the diseases and pests of the reef tank. When setting up a tank listen to one person or book. I recommend this book to be that one book.

Molecular Biology of the Cell is one of the best surveys available on the status of current information about cellular biology. The authors skillfully accomplish the difficult task of combining detail with readability while conveying the excitement of this dynamic field. Clear, concise, and colorful illustrations assist in this task and the book is a fine collection of splendidly dramatic photos of "molecular biology of the cell" in action. They covered an enormous amount of material with a style that is simple enough for a college-level biology student to follow with enough detail and references to be of use to an experienced research scientist. Bravo for a job well-done!

This is latest update for the most revered text in the field of cell and molecular biology. I used this book as an undergraduate even though this was not the required text for the course. I still turn to it often as a graduate student. As someone who has read the book cover to cover I can vouch for its extensive coverage of the most important concepts and the abandance of information on the most frequntly encountered concepts. It is a must have for any serious student of cell, molecular and developmental biology. I recommend that you buy this book in addition to any required texts for your course. The book is so comprehensive that even topics that gained prominance in 2002 such as RNA interference are wonderfully presented. Even if you are new to this subject area this book if properly used can increase you understanding immensely of even the most difficult of concepts. You would never regret buying this.

I've just finished reading this book and i feel this new edition is even better than it's predecessor, which is already not far from perfect. This well-known textbook is a comprehensive overview of what we have known about molecular cell biology, and what's more important is - every material here are treated very clearly and carefully, and this is where this book really shines - I even believe a layman with some elementary knowledge about chemistry and biology could not only read this book from cover to cover but also actually *understand* them.

Both the material and the references are quite up-to-date (not surprising), so don't hesitate to buy if you have the third edition.

I give it five stars because:
1) the authority is doubtless;
2) it's comprehensive, wide in scope;
3) the text is written in plain english, thus won't confuse students in the non-english speaking countries;
4) the figures are *really* excellent, IMHO better than any others that I have seen in other books;
5) the index is nice;

and some minor flaws:
The typesetting of "List of Topics" is somewhat... odd. There are no page numbers associate with the individual topics in that list too. Also I think the reference sections could be better.

So... let it be 4.5 stars.

I have used Essential Cell Biology for my one semester introductory cell biology and found it to be superb!! It's perfect for a one semester undergraduate course, as well as a terrific overview for laymen with a strong interest in how and why cells work. For introductory cell biology courses, nothing on the market comes even close to this text. Like its larger predecessor, Molecular Biology of the Cell, the text is clearly written, informative, and downright interesting, a rare commodity in textbook writing. Once again, James Watson's superb writing style shows through in this book. The numerous illustrations are a superb complement to the text, explaining and reinforcing the concepts presented in the text. In addition to its use as a text for one semester courses, I would also recommend this to interested laypersons who have an interest in how cells work at the molecular level and are not satisfied with the few popular-level books on the topic. Here they will find a gold mine of insights into the marvels of cell structure and function, all of it clearly written and accessable to anyone with a good high school or mediocre college background in basic chemistry and biology. The only drawbacks of this book is the limited suggestions for further readings and the sparse information on the techniques used to study cells. Otherwise, it is a terrific, attractivly presented, superbly written and illustrated book. It is a real asset to all who have an interest in the cell, except for publishers of competing texts, who are likely to lose most of their markets to this excellent book.

I recently bought the book "Essential Cell Biology: An Introduction to the Molecular Biology of the Cell" and studied it from cover to cover, including all the questions and answers. It was one of the greatest and most well-organized textbooks I have ever encountered. The language was very fluent, and especially some of the example questions were quite entertaining and witty. I haven't had any education neither in biology nor in molecular biology nor in biochemistry (my major is chemical engineering), still I didn't have any difficulties in understanding all the concepts presented in the book. The knowledge I gained from the book was a great help to me during the "GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology" which I took just yesterday. I am applying to graduate schools in the US for a Ph.D. degree in Molecular Biology or Bioengineering, and the test I took yesterday was crucial for my applications, in which (thanks to Essential Cell Biology) I believe I did quite well for a person without a background in the subject except a two-months-long self-study. This is a great and concise introductory textbook to the molecular biology of the cell, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in this subject with no or little background.

A gem of a book. It puts at the hands of lay people the wonders of molecular biology. The best way of spending $65 I can think of.

The text is a most refined product distilled by an all-star team of leading scientists. Oriented towards the lay person or the would be specialist, it is simple, unpretentious, sometimes even funny, but always powerfully explanatory. The diagrams are exceptionally clear (a must for explaining such complex subjects) and the photographs are astounding. Love for their subject and passion for teaching are present all along. And mysticism is always around the corner...

If you have ever wondered things like "What are exactly chromosomes?", "How do exactly enzymes work in the cell?", or "How the hell does all this machinery work at a purely chemical level ?" and you are not quite satisfied with popular science books, this one is for you. It will answer these questions and much, much more.

An enjoyable, deeply satisfying tour the force through the molecular level of all living organisms.

Don't miss it!

I wondered when ordering whether this book was overpriced or not. My answer after reading the book: it may be a bit pricey, but the content is well worth reading (a few glaring misprints notwithstanding.) Krantz makes clear at the start of this academic study her personal stakes in the issues she seeks to explore, a stance which helped me to gauge where she was coming from. She combines literary/structural analysis of the text, word studies, and psychoanalytical categories to show that Julian's text is informed by and in return informs her understanding of her enclosed life as an anchoress. The ideas of humanity being enclosed in God, of enclosing God within our souls, of birth and birthing, and of Jesus as Mother are explored in gentle yet convincing ways, and one leaves with the impression that Julian's way of theologizing is experiential, tentative, self-reflective, and other-inviting. Would that more theologians had half of Julian's confident humility and winsome integrity. This slim volume helped me to better understand Julian, and to see my own life as enclosed in God's love.

The book is very detailed and comprehensive, but it is not easy to read and probably not suitable for beginners. Specifically, it does not provide complete examples with inputs, code, and output. There are also plenty of typos and small errors.

Still, in all fairness, this is a very comprehensive book with lots of topics not covered in other books. Also the paper is of good quality. Probably every advanced user should go through the book to pick up on things other books leave out.

This is a very good Perl book! For beginners, intermediates or even advanced programmers in Perl. The book takes you from the basics to advanced applied Perl programming concepts.
The book manages what many others fail to do: It might be the only Perl book you ever need. If you worked through this book, additional information is readily available on the Internet. This book is comprehensive enough to cover everything you need to know about the Perl language to write large scale 'mission critical' applications.
Admitted, if you already own the O'Reillys 'Learning Perl', 'Perl' and 'Perl Cookbook' this book will not contain many news. However, it is written very well and it is understandable, something I cannot always say about the 'original' Perl books or documentation.
If you do web programming, a logical addition to this book is 'Professional Perl Development' which offers lots of good information on how to design sophisiticated web applications.

This is an excellent, thorough, fairly advanced book.

Until now, I was an o'reilly zealot, clinging to my camel book and my CD bookshelf as the Only True Word.

Finally, here is the first real competitor to that series of books, with a fresh approach to the language that shows that the authors really know what they are doing.

So far, the book has done a great job covering all my industrial-strength perl questions with _examples that work_ and clear, concise explanations of the methods and the context. I find that the examples are really applicable to my professional needs as a contract perl programmer.

There's a great section on object-oriented perl, as well as a good debugging section.

IMHO, This is the best perl book out in a while.

I feel that this book is inadequte for students and professionals alike. It does not explain well how systems act in real life situations, like most academia books

I work in the chemical operations sector. I will highly recommend this book for 3rd or 4rth year future chemical engineers. It contains viable information on many units that they will just have to know about. However, I will not recommend it for working operation engineers. It is too general for us, it doesn't problem shoot units such as pumps and compressors. I don't think that I have much use for this book, specially that I own the Perry's Handbook.

it is the best books i have ever read in my semester ofchemical engineering. the topic i like the most, is transportation offluids .this book is recommended by my professor. the matter of turbulent flow and laminar flow is just fantastic.

thank you!