This is a must have if you purchase the game. Now this is NOT the best game in the world. It is not advised to even purchase this game, it is slow... You'd be safer to go with the two towers. But if you do buy this game (probably for the same reason I did..which was it is LOTR and I just have to own it) this is the ideal companion for you. The beginning of the game is very very hard. It takes awhile to get around the Ringwraith riders, and when you finally do you go into another part of town where unless y ou know what you are doing you wont be able to find your way out. So dont expect the game to be simple, it isn't much fun, in fact it is quite aggrivating. But if you do buy the game you have to buy this so you actually know what you are doing, and not wandering around like a fool in the woods...as I was until I read some of this ;)

Lord of the Rings:
The Fellowship of the Ring
By J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring is an action packed magical thriller. It keeps you on edge with every flip of the page.
The book begins with the old Bilbo Baggins planning for his one hundredth and eleventh birthday. Half the Shire's been invited! It looks as though it'll be a night to remember. When Bilbo vanishes during his birthday speech, he leaves the crowd in awe. Seeing as how he is now leaving, for another adventure, and shan't be returning, he leaves his precious Bag End and all his possessions behind. His heir and second cousin one-removed, Frodo Baggins now has to carry the responsibility of taking the One Ring to Mordor to be destroyed.
To get to Mordor, Frodo must leave his beloved Shire and travel through Old forests, empty plains, and rocky mountains. He soon reaches Rivendale, with the help of a strange Rider, Aragorn, and an elf named Arwin. From there, Frodo and his three faithful companions, Merry, Pippin, and Sam become part of the Fellowship of the Ring.
To find out more, read the book!

I found this book to be delightful at all hours of the day for all ages! I highly recommend it if you're looking for a great adventure with out even leaving your couch!

Finally, a book I actually like, in and out! Tolkien amazes me with his ability to imagine the diverse characters and places in The Lord of the Rings. This book portrays leadership, and the long enduring of good in an evil world. I am very pleased with the detail that Tolkien puts into the novel so that the reader can understand completely each situation. Tolkien writes the book so that the readers feel as if it could be real. It's an outstanding novel that teaches us that we need to bear our burdens and stick together so that good can prevail in a world of such turmoil.
Tolkien has made me think a lot more about my characteristics and whether or not I would be able to bear the ring. Would I be able to withstandthe temptation of putting on the ring? Or using it's power for my own good? It's an outstanding concept. This book leaves you in anticipation for the next. The suspense of what is going to happen next is nerve-racking.
Overall, I just enjoyed the material, and I feel that Tolkein is a very experienced writer. He knows how to captivate readers, and enthral their minds into the book.

This book is 'required reading' for anyone who gives serious thought to and is deeply concerned by the crisis facing our country in the form of our corrupting system of financing political campaigns. The authors have been 'in the trenches' for some time in the battle to restore sense and balance to our country's political arena. The format in which the authors outline their proposal, then solicit replies from different perspectives, then finally retort and rebuke most other potential solutions, provides the reader with a blueprint for debate. Since there is no longer any meaningful argument in favor of the current political financing system, this book proceeds in the logical direction of focusing the debate on the most likely remedies. Now if only the general public would realize that, until campaign finance reform is a reality, the other great issues of our time cannot be solved. My only reservation regarding the author's work is the lack of specific examples which the more casual reader may need to understand the gravity of the issue. Nonetheless, the book is highly reccomended.

An excellent little pamphlet summarizing a number of interesting solutions to our current highly flawed campaign system. Not only do Fine, Miller and Donnelly offer a compelling solution that has already proven effective at the state level, they also allow their critics to rebut their arguments in the book, this is rare indeed, and welcome. Rarely do you see a volume so evenly discuss and represent contrary and conflicting viewpoints so well. It is certainly food for thought, and will provide even those opposed to the Fine/Miller/Donnelly solution with interesting reading. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in contemporary politics, but especially those who feel that money has distorted or destroyed the American system. Highly recommended.

We all know that there is money in politics, but we don't know how to get it out. This book provides an excellent debate on the various options, ranging from full public financing to vouchers to a constitutional amendment to allow limits on campaign contribution levels. In spite of the good arguments made by the debaters, the authors are right on target.

Of the two ways to fund elections, public vs. private money, full public funding presents the most reasonable. Perhaps a more detailed discussion about the incredibly low cost to taxpayers ($10 per year per taxpayer at the federal level, and $5 at the state level), would have better satisfied the debaters. Contrasting that with the $500 to $1500 per year taxpayers are now paying through the hidden-tax system, taxpayer funded elections are a real bargain.

This is a must-read for all campaign reformers, term limiters, anti-taxers and government reducers. Too few Americans realize that by getting private money out of politics, we'll reduce the unnecessary government spending that causes high taxes, reduce the size of government, and eliminate the need for term limits. This book shows how to accomplish this goal.

I was thoroughly dissapointed by this book. The photos aren't too interesting or unique. The only good point of this book is that all the photos come with fairly descriptive captions. Most of the full page photos are so grainy, they could have been taken with a disposable camera. I don't blame the 2 dozen photographers who contributed to the book. Just seems the publisher decided to use a lower print quality in order to sell the book at a lower price. If you want a much better book with photos that will blow you away, check out Steve McCurry's South Southeast.

For anyone who isn't intersted in India to see the Taj Mahal and leave, this is for you! Photographs that show how life really is in India, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Wonderful photographs, that will draw you in again and again. A coffee table book that will actually get read!

This book is a definate "Coffee Table" book. It will shock you by its large size, let alone its stunning photographs. I have been to India and am traveling again in one week. I just can't get enough. This book will practically take you theretoo. Enjoy!

Albert Cohen's masterpiece is intimidating both for its size and chapter-long sentences. But, please, do not be discouraged. This is one of the most insightful novels I have read. It delves into the bureacratic labyrinth of international institutions, mocks their functionaries, and is a haunting critique of European virtues on the eve of the Second World War. (Particularly funny for those familar with the World Bank, UN, or government anywhere).

But, most importantly, it portrays the relationship between men and women in a profound yet comic way. The book's difficulty is quite worth the struggle, especially when you reach the chapter where Solal seduces his beloved. A chapter that is hard for me to forget, for it shows just how stupid and cruel we are.

This is not for the lazy readers, but if you have any guts, read this one. Its worth the while.

Cohen's stream of consciousness - beautiful- style leaves us no escape from this absolute, uncompromising love. I have read the book many times, and it never fails to overwhelm me...although I should add that I have never been able to read the last 20 pages... Ariane and Solal are the most beautiful lovers since forever, unconcerned by others - it is the history of love from start to, ufortunately, the end..
(By the way, the novel does not take place in France, but Switzerland)

This magnificent opus of Albert Cohen is much more than The story of love. It is the story of the dream of love (not only personal, but also in its abstract form) and its impossible realization. It offers an original view of both male and female human nature in matters of love and life. It also contains some of the funniest chapters describing bourgeois society (Swiss, French, Belgian, German, Jewish - you name it) and its values and prejudices, and diplomatic life. Some may find it exaggerated and longwinded, but others will enjoy every single word, and re-read this book every so often. If you can't read it in the original French, don't miss this opportunity and read the English translation.

Maybe because he has always written the lyrics in the various projects in which he participated, GIllan wrote a sensitive and simple history, educately not losing much time describing the others members of Purple, but focusing mainly on the music industry, the ideas behind the records, his ideas about rock'n'roll. It's very, very good reading.

Ian Gillan's first success was in Lebanon with Episode Six in the mid-sixties. Returning home to a largely indifferent England, he then signed on with Deep Purple, which went on to become one of the best selling bands of its time.

The book tells the story of the good times as well as bad. There were successes with other bands like Gillan and Black Sabbath, and his lead role in the original recording of Jesus Christ Superstar. There were also tough times: money problems, internal conflicts and the recurring musical and professional conflicts with legendary Deep Purple guitar wizard Ritchie Blackmore.

The band continues on today -- with Gillan but without Blackmore, (replaced by the equally amazing Steve Morse) and the book takes us right up to present day. The writing is understated but the tales are fascinating. A must-have for any hard rock music fan.

Quite an amazing autobiography in his own words. Claimed to be one of the greatest singers in the history of hard-rock, Ian Gillan talks about the remarkable story behind the early years of "Deep Purple".

From the birth of hard rock and the lead role in the famous "Jesus Christ Superstar", to the recent stories with "Black Sabbath" and re-born "Deep Purple". Highly recommended for anyone interested in this kind of music.

I bought the 2003 edition of The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball today, & as usual am overall pleased with the wealth of information in this very valuable book. However, there are a few problems which the editors need to resolve for future editions.This series has always been plagued by poor editing & typos, & the 2003 edition is no exception. In fact, there is one HUGE error that should never have gotten past whoever edited this edition. Turn to page 700 & you'll see it: instead of the statistics for the 2002 NL Championship Series between St. Louis & San Francisco the ones for the 2001 NLCS between Arizona & Atlanta have been reprinted. Someone should have caught this major blunder.Since this annual series does have typos & errors (what book with so much info doesn't?) the editors should provide their readers with an e-mail or snail mail address to notify them of mistakes so they can be corrected. I was able to do so in the 1980s & several errors were corrected. I hope the editors will be open to input from their readers once again, for that only strengthens the factual integrity of the book.I'm sure there are other mistakes but the one above is the reason I give The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball 2003 a rating of 4 instead of 5. It will make a good addition to your baseball reference library, but it's probably a good idea to have another encylopedia handy to doublecheck the info. Trust, but verify, with all these huge statistical books, I say.

I published a review for the 2000 edition of this book not 2001 or 2002. Many of the reviews listed under this edition are for earlier editions and some comments may not pertain. Books like this one can change dramatically from year to year. Errors could be corrected, new errors introduced and there is always a whole new season of statistics that has an effect on the flavor of the book. For instance 2002 was the year that Bonds broke McGwire's homerun record, so I am sure that there is coverage of that. These books are not worth buying every year. But these authors do a credible job and I would expect this to be of similar quality to the one I own. I would suggest buying a copy once every 5 years if you are a baseball enthusiast and only every year if you are a fanatic. However for sports statistic fanatics it may be that Total Baseball has more information.

This book does a great job of giving a one-source place to see how every player did for a particular team in a particular year.

If you're not particularly interested in what happened before 1901, this is a must-have. But being an amateur student of 19th century baseball, I do wish they'd expand their coverage to at least go back to 1876, including the start of the National League, and include other recognized major leagues before 1901 (the American Association, Players League and Union Association).

I give it five stars for what it does since 1901. But because "major league" baseball goes back to 1876 and arguably 1871 (with the National Association), I have to take a star away because it feels "incomplete."

This book has been the BANE of my existence since I started A.P. History. I'll let some typically horrendous qoutes speak for me. "The Russian bear, having lumbered across Asia, was seeking to bathe its frostbitten paws in the ice-free ports of China's Manchuria..."; "...looted and polluted...w/ speed and greed.."; "fearing that a new generation of Germans would follow in their father's goose steps..." and so on. There's an entire chapter with section names such as "Unhorsing Knights of Labor" and "Gvt. Bridles the Iron Horse" and shameful use of alliteration such as "Wrongdoing in Railroading" and "Miracles in Mechanization". Bailey even throws in one that rhymes. It may seem funny to an outsider, but it's not--the entire book is written exactly like that. Bailey amazes me anew w/ every chapter. Just when you think it can't get any worse, it does, big time. My theory is that his 1st ambition was to be a grocery-store romance novelist, but his writing was too bad, even for that--so he turned to textbooks to pay the bills. It's not even close to being objective, as a text should be; he constantly passes judgement on events, policies, even people. My hatred is impossible to fully express. I used to LOVE history, but this thing makes reading a chore. I plan to complain to the proper authorities in my school, to try to improve the lot of future generations of students.

Bailey made clear distinguishing characteristics between the roots of the early democratic and republican parties and carried their philosophies throughout the book.

I guess that the history of American politics and how it REALLY became what it is today bothers many who feel that capitalism is nothing but evil, that there were ever countries that threatened our nation once upon a time, and that REAGAN whooped communism by OUT-SPENDING them on arms...these truths are spelled out in this book whether you want to face them or not.

This book is the finest work of American history that I have ever read. It is high informative while tracing the historical currents in American politics, economics, and society. It provides superp preparation for the AP US History exam. It is a truly enjoyable book to read: a pleasant mix of wit and scholarship.

. . . which is the best part of the book, for which I commend the publisher. The authors, sadly, are not outlaws at all, for a real outlaw would never call himself one. Maybe this is a book for the "armchair outlaw," because all the advice and information in this book is pretty much common knowledge or common sense. Still, a nice packaging job for a book by two self-promotional squares.

Ever wondered how much to tip your enighborhood hooker or tattoo artist? What about proper etiquette in a bar or pool hall? These and other probing questions of etiquette in unusual social situations are covered in this book. Taking on a variety of "underground" activities and how to act cool in all of them, this book covers a wide variety of topics. While the information here at times possibly should be taken with a grain of salt, you never know when it might be handy to know how to handle a situation where you're too drunk or in a strange crowd, or even the best way to become a groupie.

The book also provides a fascinating look at these and other so-called "taboo topics," and does it well. I'm not an outlaw nor do I play one on TV, but with this book at least I can pretend to be one.

Given some of the adult-oriented material in EFO, to say that the book is "tongue-in-cheek" is as much a commentary the book's content as on its tone. No doubt, this book is NC-17. But for adults who occasionally indulge their baser urges, or want to, or those who wonder about those who do... EFO is for you. If Disneyland was an adult theme park, then EFO would be its "Small World" ride, and I can only imagine what the little dolls would be wearing (or not wearing) and what they might be singing, or ... egad... doing.

But get beyond the shock-value, and EFO is truly informative. That Cohen and Wolloch thoroughly researched their subject matter is clear. They bring the best of Gen X wit and razor insight to bear on topics as weighty as suicide etiquette and as lighthearted as Rock-n-Roll groupies. There are laughs here, and information. Oh, and the pics and charts are a riot... recognize anyone? I did. "Gee, Mom, I never would have thought you were into that!"

Get this book. Read it first for a laugh. Then read it for insight. Then remember: if you can't be good, at least have good form.

In Stranger in the Nest, David Cohen skeptically examines the role of parents in shaping their childrens' lives. The book is loaded with examples from dozens of studies of twins, adoptions, and family life. Cohen concludes that children are shaped by their genetic endowment more than their parents' style of rearing.

Although he does an excellent job of highlighting the confounds, difficulties, and overgeneralizations from many areas of psychological research, his contribution to the field is neither novel nor particularly readable. Cohen points out that correlations between parental behavior and child behavior are confounded by their relatedness, and in so doing illustrates the fundamental problems with research in this area. He returns again and again to relatedness, or genetics, as the answer to why children resemble their parents.

In this regard, Cohen was beaten to the punch by Judith Rich Harris' book, The Nurture Assumption. The Nurture Assumption is a much better book than Stranger in the Nest, in part because it covers both the child's peer environment, his home environment, and his genetic endowment all at the same time and in greater depth than Cohen does. Cohen's book is also defective in that it presents no organizing hypothesis or overarching framework: it is a series of detached anecdotes and synopses of various studies, interspersed too liberally with rhetorical questions.

I agree with Cohen's thesis that genetics matters more to childhood outcomes that we usually acknowledge, and often more than parental nurturance. I found the author's style too dense and punchy, skipping from point to point and not analyzing each major aspect of parenting in sufficient depth.

Those interested in this book would find essentially the same argument and a lot more from Judith Rich Harris, and a more enjoyable and better organized book, to boot.

The distinctive point in this book is that the "somewhat chancy interactive effects of nature and nurture are surprisingly perverse." This is a crucial point for the so-called 'nature-nurture' debate. There is a lot yet to be understood about gene-environment developmental transactions. This book is worth reading as a step along the way.

This books gave me a better understanding of my adopted sister. It is a must read for those touched in any way by adoption.

My nursing training (Philadelphia) left me with a bad taste in my mouth for Psychiatry. I was apalled at the number of medications many of my psychiatric patients were taking, and the control these physicians had over those patients lives. Since the day I abandoned my wild, recreational drug-abusing ways, I have always resisted the idea of "medication for stress" with everything I had. Then came 1999, and a series of events that left me shredded. I gave in to the counsel of a medicated friend, and accepted Paxil from my M.D. What (at first) seemed like a miracle has become a nightmare. I have been having severe health problems (including sudden, unexplained obesity). After observing the effects of sudden Paxil withdrawl (behaviors and physical effects) in a dear friend, I started looking into Paxil and other related drugs. My search led me to this book. I am in those pages...so is my friend, my elderly mom, and several others I know. Dr. Breggin and Dr. Cohen's work is sound and extensively documented. Not only do they expose the problem, but they are committed to showing professionals - and their patients - a better way. They are advocates for much needed education and reform in the political and medical arenas. And most importantly, they know that medication is not man's greatest need when he is hurting. If you are a professional that prescribes these meds, a person who takes these meds, or if someone you know is on these meds, READ THIS BOOK! PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO WITHDRAW THESE DRUGS WITHOUT (INFORMED!) PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE AND A LOT OF SUPPORT! See also their work relating to the mass-medicating of our nations hurting children (Ritalin, etc.).

I'm a normally functioning working woman with usual pressures from job, children, etc., and I'm amazed to see how quickly my doctor has rushed to prescribe drugs for any complaints I voiced. Xanax, Valium, Zoloft... Try to get off them once you're on them and your doctor doesn't believe that they're making things worse! I found this book to be a true revelation and wish it had been around before I got started with drugs, when all I needed was some understanding -- and maybe a vacation. With age and maturity, I've realized that anxiety and depression are also the price to pay for life's joys and accomplishments. This book brings a really refreshing perspective, and is packed full of information that I've read nowhere else. This is a must-read for anybody who's been handed a prescription for psychiatric drugs.

This is the perfect book for anyone who wonders why she or he feels WORSE -- whether emotionally or physically -- when using psychiatric drugs like Prozac or lithium. Both easy to understand and thoroughly researched, "Your Drug May Be Your Problem" explains why the drugs are dangerous, how to safely stop using them, and how to deal with emotional crises without resorting to drugs. In a culture in which psychiatric drugs are pushed by everyone from the White House down to the neighborhood elementary school, this book is a refreshing change. I WISH I'd had the information contained in this book six years ago when doctors put me on a nightmarish regimen of psychiatric drugs. All in all, a fascinating and enlightening read.