Overall I think this book is above average. However, the first portion of the book seems bent on defining the hazy difference between the web and the Internet. Why so much time is spent on this is beyond me. The reader doesn't really get into the useful meat of the book until the second 100 pages. The reader also needs to absorb the book with a grain of salt. While some of the information written was useful at the time it went to press, the web is so dynamic that a lot of the information is outdated now. In the end, I am not so sure that the authors truly tell you how to launch a business on the web. The authors spend way too much time on web netiquette, Marketing 101, and the minutia of the net - the global goal seems lost at times.

Overall I think this book is above average. However, the first portion of the book seems bent on defining the hazy difference between the web and the Internet. Why so much time is spent on this is beyond me. The reader doesn't really get into the useful meat of the book until the second 100 pages. The reader also needs to absorb the book with a grain of salt. While some of the information written was useful at the time it went to press, the web is so dynamic that a lot of the information is outdated now. In the end, I am not so sure that the authors truly tell you how to launch a business on the web. The authors spend way too much time on web netiquette, Marketing 101, and the minutia of the net - the global goal seems lost at times.

Their details of which businesses are suitable for the Internet, and what mistakes most companies are making make for fascinating reading. A lot of what they have written I know to be 100% accurate from my own work, and some other ideas they came up with I will be trying soon! If you only get 1 internet business book, it had better be this one.

I've been reading and researching low-cost homesteading for about a year now, so I was very excited to come across this title and see what else I could learn from a first-person success story.

Sadly, the answer was not much and what *was there* wasn't terribly detailed. There are other, better books that will leave you prepared to act upon the ideas David Cook only touches upon.

The first that comes to mind is Rob Roy's "Mortgage-Free". Ironically, a reviewer for that book thought it wasn't detailed enough. Apparently, they hadn't read this book first.

The truth is that no one book can prepare and educate you for the experience of "getting back to the land". But, while we're on the subject of land, I'd recommend Les and Carol Scher's "Finding and Buying Your Place in the Country".

I live in California where the price of owning my own home seemed to prevent me from ever realizing my dream. With the information in this book, I learned how to acquire land inexpensively, acquire materials inexpensively, and have my home designed around available materials. And, I found out that you don't have to know a lot about building to build your own home. I am very grateful for this book and the seminars the author teaches.

To assert that a house can be built "for a song" may be slightly hyperbolic, but David Cook's book is so laden with intriguing money-saving ideas that any owner-builder who uses just a handful of Cook's ideas is bound to save thousands of dollars on the construction of a house. To do so, however, takes time, planning, plenty of energy, and a place to stockpile the lumber, ducts, plywood, salvaged windows, drainpipe, even the land, that Cook says can be picked up virtually for "a song" and/or barter at auctions, salvage yards, fire sales, construction sites, and so forth. In the house that he built himself, Cook installed kitchen cabinets that he had bought for a fraction of their worth years before he had a kitchen. (A German manufacturer displaying the cabinets at a trade show sold them cheap to avoid the cost of shipping them home.) To find an architect to do the required drawings of his house, Cook dropped in at the school of architecture of a nearby university in order to find grad student to do the work. Cook's methods are fascinating. While reading the book I kept wishing that I had thought of that in years past while building the equivalent of two and a half houses of my own. To think of all the money I could have saved if I only had had David Cook's luck, insight, fortitude, ability to take advantage of a bargain, and, of course, his book.

I am an atheist and in my countless discussions with christians, I saw one particular book on their bookshelves; Searching Issues by Nikky Gumbel. Eight months ago I decided to buy the book to see why this book offers such convincing arguments for christianity in the fight with the unbelieving world.
Unfortunately, it did not offer any challenge. The book does not attempt to argue for theism (the belief in a god). On the contrary, it will not address the basic foundations of theistic claims, and therefore it will leave atheistic counterarguments intact.
An example; apparently, the existence of evil and suffering in the world makes many people doubt the correctness of the christian faith. Gumbel even stresses that since this is the toughest problem for christians when they defend their faith, he will also dedicate the first chapter of the book to the issue of evil.
But then Gumbel asserts that God is not evil; on the contrary, he is like a father testing his children, showing them that their ancestors (Adam and Eve) have been sinful, and that they must face the consequences. He also says that it might be hard for us people to understand God, but eventually, we can do no more than trust in God's righteous judgement, Gumbel says. Will this be devastating to a critical unbeliever when a christian discusses his faith? Hardly. It is merely a repetition of the biblical soteriology; the original sin, repeated in other, more simple words. Only if unbelievers are sensitive to religious language or feelings of sin, the book might be helpful to the christian counterpart in the discussion.
The same thing counts for all the other 'tough questions'; Gumbel avoids tough, philosophical-metaphysical questions and he only offers ethical answers to questions that will arise in discussions of people who either already believe in God, or who have not thought enough about the philosphical arguments against christianity. The book is more of a theological book, answering theological questions, while it does not address issues OUTSIDE theology. Vitally important issues outside theology, such as the question whether or not a god is necessary for existence and ethics (i.e. has man been created or can somebody be moral if he does not believe in a god) are crucial for the survival of christian theology in duiscussions with unbelievers. Unfortunately, they are left untouched, whereas they could maybe convince unbelievers or they could strengthen a christian's faith in a discussion.
Searching Issues is, to my opinion, only useful in discussions within the christian community, in discussions with people who would have been converted soon anyway (and who are therefore 'searching'), or with lapsed christians. Don't expect bold premises in this book.

The tough issues have not been tackled; moreover; the toughest issue should be; how to demonstrate the correctness of the claim that God does exist?

mrbas_26@hotmail.com

I really liked this book. I bought it at an Alpha meeting and read it right away. It's truly 1 of those rare Christian books that holds your attention in love. The Chapter on homo-sexuality
was a blessed outreach to gays and the New Age chapter cleared up alot of personal questions. Art Gumbel you're a treasure. :)

When Christians discuss their faith with others a number of tough questions frequently come up. These questions, and the church's perceived position on them, are often cited as blockages to growth in faith. Many feel that the existence of suffering in the world is proof that there IS no loving God. Others feel that the church has taken the wrong response to homosexuality or science.

Nicky Gumbel, the author of "Searching Issues", tackles seven of these questions in this short text. He uses careful examination of scripture to explore the Christian response to "Why Does God Allow Suffering?" and "Is There Anything Wrong with Sex Before Marriage?". Nicky's writing is entirely accessible to those at any stage of their spiritual journey, including those just starting out. Like his beginning course in Christianity, "Alpha", (for which this book is the text) he acknowledges the questions and objections and puts them into Biblical perspective. Though he is an ordained Anglican he focusses not on the Church but on Christianity as a whole, and on God's message as seen through scripture. An included Study Guide encourages the reader to dig further, or to facilitate a discussion with others.

While not a definitive theological text, "Searching Issues" provides an excellent reference for the practicing Christian or the skeptic. Whether you are seeking answers for yourself, or find it difficult to face the "tough questions" about your faith with others, Gumbel provides considerable ammunition on seven very tough and very real questions.

This book might be a little above the head of someone who's never boiled water, but for the cook without much experience but a lot of enthusiasm (as well as for cooks looking to improve their technique and try some new recipes), this is an excellent start. Sax is never patronizing or cutesy. Directions are extremely well-written and each recipe is chosen because it offers experience with a specific technique (like sauteeing or roasting or poaching). The recipes range from comforting, like spaghetti and meatballs, to more sophisticated, like soy- and orange-glazed salmon. Beginners would do very well with this book because it teaches correct technique; so would more experienced cooks who know they have room to improve.

I am privileged to have known Richard Sax. This book is in keeping with his philosophy that cooking should be accessible and entertaining. Few cooking classes have the enthusiasm for cooking imparted upon me by this book.

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE Ogre. I love the background, I love the boardgames, I love the thought of my invincible cybertank visiting hideous destruction on those brave cardboard soldiers that litter the battlefields of the future.

So when this came out I *had* to have it. I even went out and finally bought GURPS itself - so I could use it. While GURPS is great, unfortunately I can't say the same about the Ogre supplement.

The production values are fabulous - a glossy cover, filled with fun artwork that has become the trademark of SJ games. Lots of neat sidebars packed with information - and a riveting history of the "last war" - where those little PanEuropean and Combine dudes square off for the last hurrah of (tactical) nuclear apocalypse. So far so good.

Where it falls apart for me is the roleplaying dimension. GURPS : Ogre is a self-styled "military background". This is evident in the military bias of the various character templates-'GEV jockey', 'Ogre Killer' and so on - and the plethora of neat vehicles, battlesuits and other widgets of appalling destruction.

Combat in the world of Ogre is fast, deadly and incredibly radioactive. Very few individuals live to stage a rematch. As an example, set up any scenario using the boardgame - not many of those little infantry guys are going home to momma after the game believe me. So where's the roleplaying dimension here? All I can see is some munchkinesque thrill of visiting mass nuclear destruction on some poor innocent cybertank, then flipping a coin to see if it landed on the edge (which means I survived the encounter). Thats the kind of roleplaying that I grew out of as a teenager 15 years ago.

So knowing what I know about the original game why am I disappointed? Well, so many opportunities were lost here. The background over the years has grown into something more than a simple counters and die boardgame - it has richness and depth. Some of that depth is admirably explored in the supplement - and it *is* a great read ... but the inherent bias of the book is as a participant in the slaughter. I have nothing against using war as a backdrop, even having characters who are engaged in the struggle - but in my humble opinion the opportunities for roleplaying in war are better served by plotlines like "Where Eagles Dare" rather than "Saving Private Ryan - Ogre style". You get the point :-)

So, I gave it three stars, two for excellent production values and one for plain old nostalgia (Ogre is, after all almost 20 years old!). From reading the sjgames website - I understand that they are planning to release Ogre : The Factory States - which does emphasise roleplaying. We can only hope. I for one, considering the fantastic legacy that is Ogre, am more than willing to give them a second chance.

This was a great read and a very interesting background. However this is one of the bleakest futures I've even seen presented for gaming. I recommend it wholeheartedly, especially if you're a fan of the original board game. I think I will have to do some tweaking and planning before I run something with this, though.

This is a 2nd edition D&D supplement of monsters. It is the second volume of the Monstrous compendium, after this volume they were all appendixes. It contains monsters that were not as basic as the ones in the first volume but that are still supposed to be applicable to any basic D&D world as opposed to the world/setting specific appendixes. It comes in a three ring binder format with each monster taking up one or two pages. This allows individual monsters to be taken out for use if you don't want to lug around the entire massive volume. The art is great and the monster descriptions are incredible, going into details about physical desriptions, culture, habitat, habits and charachteristics of each creature (as opposed to just combat stats as in 3rd edition).

For descriptions of D&D creatures the second edition monstrous compendium series can not be beat.

The 2nd edition

A well of information for the Dungeon Master and adventure gamer in this TSR AD&D resource! Imagine - no more page turning when it comes time for that random encounter: all pertinent material regarding "dungeon denizens" is included here in a handy "removable" three-ring-binder format. Appropriate monster sheets containing everything from appearance and combat to diet and treasure can be removed from the alphabetical guide and prepared for gaming encounters. The only downside I've experienced stems from the fact that there are many seperate appendixes and supplements available you'll want for adventures outside the "standard" monster encounters. The basic volume does incorporate quite a variety of creatures and will certainly come in handy for gameplay.

This is the first book I've read by David Cook. He reminds me of another great illustrator. Frank J. Lohan whose books taught many new and professional artists tips and techniques for rendering any person, place or thing.

I've added this to my growing collection of Drawing and Sketching the people and objects around us. I recommend it to anyone learning how to see and render buildings, any architectural marvel around our world or in our hometown.

He sharres step-by-step instructions for drawing and building construction.

David Cook makes it easy to create single and multi-point perspectives. You'll discover a range of useful techniques and textures.

This is the perfect book to jump start your artistic skills without feeling like your just a draftsman. He sure helped my own budding drawing talent.

The original 1882 publication was sold on trains and was based on interviews with David Cook, officers who worked with him, acquaintances, newspaper articles, and some court documents. The scarcity of the 1882 book is alleged to be the result of using its pages as gun wadding during an Indian scare. It's conceded the majority of the book was ghost written by Thomas F. Dawson.

During his lifetime, David Cook worked as a farmer, miner, soldier, policeman, U. S. Marshal, wagonmaster, and saloonkeeper. His diversified occupations acquainted him with the strengths and weaknesses of his fellowmen, contributed to his success in law enforcement, and resulted in the development of a remarkable manhunter. He founded the Rocky Mountain Detective Association, an unofficial and semi-secret orgainization of frontier lawmen, county sheriffs, police chiefs, and marshals. Cook's loosely knit group employed some of the organizational strengths of the modern FBI and was very effective in tracking dangerous criminals across state lines.

The book contains 53 chapters which are headlined by a crime or by the criminal(s) to which they relate. For example, THE ITALIAN MURDERS comprises several chapters as does MUSGRAVE AND HIS GANG. This makes the book very readable and creates an even flow to the narrative although chronological events often overlap the crimes described. This is a contemporaneous account so no bibliography is listed.

The writing is quite florid and the prose verges on "purple" yet causes no difficulty when read despite the perceived assault on the delicate sensibilities of some people. For instance Cook relates, "Under the stairs, in a dark filthy corner, lay four decaying human bodies, piled two on two...the edge of the hachet was besmeared with blood, while to the handle clung a tuft of hair...the mattresses and blankets were saturated with (blood)...four throats had been cut ear to ear and the sickening wounds gaped wide, like the mouth of some huge fish. The abdomens, the arms, and the hands of the bodies had been cut and magled, while blackened faces scarcely any trace of humanity wore."

The book is a compendium of the words, phrases, and statements used by people associated with the life and times of 1870s Colorado, Kansas, etc. The exploits of the men working for frontier law enforcement are revealing as are the procedures used when investigating the various crimes. General Cook worked forty-two years as a law enforcement officer and claims to have personally arrested more than 3000 criminals, including fifty-five murderers.

The cases listed in the book were selected as the best examples of Cook's investigative skills. They will delight those interested in frontier America crime and law enforcement plus, other readers will be equally thrilled by a "real blood and guts" history book as long as they can tolerate some exaggeration and puffery. Cook's "Code of Conduct" as outlined in the book is illuminating considering the present day tolerance by many of certain crimes and criminals. Cook's law enforcement advice was simple and direct, "To hell with crooks. Keep after them. Knock them around until they yell for mercy. That's the only treatment they understand."

General Cook never failed to follow his own advice as any reader of this exciting book will discover.

I read this book some years ago now and I remember not being overly thrilled with it. I don't think that I was happy with the way the story went. The book was purely medicocre, especially in the character development. its a shame, The cover art was awe inspiring, too bad the story wasn't.

The title of this review a bit misleading. The book has some very refreshing aspects. Some interesting twists in some case's well into the book, we find out some of the characters are not what they appeared to be. It does take the reader by surprise. Aside from that, it is just a straight forward, mages and magic swords be damned all out brawl of a D&D game made novel. Gnolls and elementals, dwarves, humans. No new and unheard of races suddenly appear in this one, no wild god like magic wielded by gods-wish-they-were-this-powerfull characters. No Magical swords with the power to slay anything and everything, or fly and create miracles or whatever else the character happens to need at any particular moment. This is just a straightforward, novel with beleievable and good solid characters wrought into a fine storyline. Read this book. You will like it.

A stand-alone novel in the FR Harper series. I loved thedescriptions of the frozen environment; some of the best I've read inany novel (this coming from someone who lives in the snow). The book breaks away from conventional "good vs. evil", blurring the lines, showing both sides of the battle with intriguing characters. Don't expect a cliff-hanging plotline, but do expect a fresh look and new take on the way characters and the overall book is portrayed as compared ot other FR novels. My only complaint is that there hasn't been a sequel written (yet - knock on wood).