This book contains miscellaneous information about the Mythos collectible card game. It contains: the rules of the game, a FAQ, a short play and deck construction guide, a sort of designer's notes on the game, background information on selected cards, rules for solitaire play and creating your own adventures, a complete spoiler list for the limited edition of the game and lists of card attributes and requirements for completing adventures.

As a collector and player of the game, I found the designer's notes on the history of the game and the design philosophy to be especially interesting. Also useful to me are the short notes on the background of selected cards and the rules for creating and scoring your own adventures. The pictures of the selected cards are black & white with a paragraph of background info. Buyers should also note that there is an updated version of the rules of the game at the Chaosium website.

This book, as with all the Princeton Review series, is funny, witty, frank, and effective. The sample questions provided in the book, as well as in the disk, are just like those on the real test. It worked a miracle on my verbal score!

On page 29 of this excellent book is
an amazing sentence.

"Only one, the seventh and youngest
of Henry Adams's eight sons remained
in Braintree."

DOES NOT COMPUTE.

I must confess I was not very interested in history in my college years and recently determined myself some what of an American History illeterate. Thus, I decided it was time to learn and "John Adams" was a great introduction. It wasn't the dry history I remember. The fact that these great men and woman (Abigail) actually documented history in the making made me feel like I knew these great people. I have subsequently read Josph J. Ellis' "The American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson" and "Founding Brothers" and found that I understood them much better having read "John Adams" first.

For all those people out there who find American history boring...I strongly urge them to read one of the most fascinating and best written books on Ameican history in a long time...John Adams...It not only probes into great detail as to the life of this key individual but also gives one a both very interesting and highly detailed picture of the times in which John Adams lived. Kudos to David McCollough for his mastery of the challenging craft of making American history interesting to not only the history lover, but also the novice....

While I'd heard lots of wonderful things about McCullough's book, I must admit that I did not know much about John Adams. Most of what I knew stemmed from American history classes or, more recently, studying Abigail in the light of feminist theory. I was truly impressed by McCullough's astounding accomplishment - a thorough portrait of a complicated, interesting, flawed individual who played a pivotal - and under-appreciated - role in the history he witnessed and shaped.

With Adams' own diary as a resource - along with the vast amount of correspondence to which he had access - McCullough ventures behind the history and politics to talk about John Adams as a person. He clearly conveys the passion Adams had for his country, friends and family as well as his frustration at often being misunderstood. While the Adams that is revealed is perfectly human - flaws and all - the fact remains that he saw events and lived a life that few, if any, others of the time did, and McCullough is able to both describe how Adams viewed his experiences as well as, with the hindsight of a couple of hundred years, the long-lasting significance of his actions, significance that Adams probably never even imagined. The result is an impressively vivid and relevant portrait of a man who lived during an amazing period of history.

There's no need to belabor the minor details of the book except to note that it covers an extensive period of Adams' life, one that sees his achievements, struggles and so on. One of the central underlying themes is both the lack of appreciation that Adams experienced and that the the author clearly feels Adams has suffered from. It is this obvious subtext that provides my only point of criticism. While Adams certainly was an extraodinary individual who did not always receive the recognition he deserved, I did feel that others - most notably Jefferson - were treated less than favorably given the application of that particular perspective. While Jefferson is perhaps remembered in a better light than that in which he lived, I did feel some bias in the comparisons between the two, particularly given that Jefferson, whose motives often appear less honorable and more devious than Adams, nevertheless did not experience as much harsh treatment as did the more controversial bu no less worthy Adams.

Still, despite this criticism, I found the book immensely valuable and endlessly fascinating. I am an avid reader of biographies of all sorts, and I seldom have encountered one that renders such a comprehensive and candid appraisal of its subject nor one that brings the individual so much to life - and this includes books about those still living. I could not recommend this book more highly. Perhaps a caveat to consider some of the interpretation carefully is in order, but my concerns over a slight bias have only encouraged me to read - and learn - more. I await Mr. McCullough's next endeavor with a great deal of anticipation and excitement.

John Adams as a subject and David McCullough as a biographer were made for one another. Adams was a prolific letter writer and essayist whose wife, family, and friends also wrote a great deal. With so much raw material from and about Adams to choose from, McCullough could emphasize his obvious talent for creating a smooth narration through simply connecting the most pertinent written materials authored by the key figures.

Most people who read this book will gain three important lessons:

(1) even the most successful people look to their personal lives for their real satisfaction;

(2) exploring deep relationships with remarkable people is far more rewarding than knowing lots of people; and

(3) serious mistakes and antagonisms will dog even the most successful person, so you have to take yourself with a large grain of salt.

John Adams is eclipsed in most histories of the Revolutionary period by the story line of building the new republic, and the lives of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. As a result, your perception of John Adams probably is limited to his role in defending the British soldiers after the Boston Massacre, encouraging the break with Britain, his ambassadorships, and the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts during his presidency. From that, you will have a perception of a man who saw his best days in 1776 and may wonder vaguely how his son became the 6th president.

If you are like me, this book will totally change that perspective. His best days were clearly those after he left the presidency when he could enjoy private life as a farmer. His son was raised from a small boy for public life, accompanying his father to France for diplomatic service during the Revolution. John Adams also had a talent for making tough decisions that showed up well in his encouragement of George Washington to become commander-in-chief, his advocacy for the Revolution, selecting Thomas Jefferson to draft the Declaration of Independence, his steadfastness in finding allies in Europe regardless of protocol, his steady focus on getting sea power for the United States, and his attempts to avoid war with France while president.

On the other hand, his style made him frequently misunderstood. He believed so passionately in his ideas that he often offended people by the vigor of his pursuit of them. From those extreme actions, people assumed that he had secret, extreme views in favor of authority and monarchy . . . which was probably not the case. Mr. McCullough is probably a little too gentle in forgiving Adams for his sometimes offensive ways because of the purity of his intentions.

His life also helps anyone better understand American history because he was bedeviled by communications and travels delays more than any other American of his day. Decisions about politics normally had to be made in light of limited and out-of-date information. So the man on the spot had to use his best judgment. Many interesting examples of this are well covered in the book.

In many ways, this book is almost a triple biography of Adams, his wife Abigail, and Thomas Jefferson. The interactions of the three are the most interesting parts of the book. Clearly they were among the very most talented of their age, and you get to see how the relationships formed, were put under pressure by public life and politics, and reasserted themselves with leisure and retirement.

My main complaint about the book is that Mr. McCullough could have included a lot more about the implications of what Adams believed and did. For example, although Adams was like Washington and wanted there to be no political parties, his presidency saw that unhappy event occur. How could Adams have helped maintain the consensus that there should be no parties? Clearly, he would have had to have been more active in cleansing his own Federalist supporters . . . which would have required a break with Washington's choices. Adams also kept us out of a war with France. However, would such a war have likely been very serious for the United States? France was well occupied at the time fending off every monarchy in Europe. So, although the book raises many delicious subjects like that, you will have to think them through on your own. That's a good way to learn to think independently, so this is a blessing in disguise.

Another limitation of the book is that Adams is forgiven too easily for the Federalists passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts, which clearly could have destroyed our civil liberties. How could someone who had fought for liberty do anything other than oppose such legislation with every ounce of his strength?

After you finish reading this fine history, I suggest that you think about how you could learn from the example of John Adams. What did he do well that you need to do better? What virtues do you have that he lacked?

Even in the midst of crisis, be sure to notice and enjoy the wonder of life all around you!

This book is almost too good! I was simply compelled to read in every spare moment as the book unfolds very much like a novel: wherein the protagonist and supporting cast are among the world's most remarkable men and women acting at a crucial time in history, as they navigate the treacherous path leading to the founding of a *peaceful* new nation.

I have read other reviewers' comments, and I cannot believe how little has been stated about the pride this book engenders. It is mindboggling to consider what our forefathers accomplished as the book recounts the many setbacks they endured. The details of the book simply put it in another class, and remarkably, what surprised me most was how successful David McCullough is in making this a psychological study of not only John Adams, but other important figures too. The contrast and odd rivalry between Adams and Jefferson is epic in itself.

The author never fails to describe the motives and ethos of the many characters. His style brings to life the subject matter and draws us in very much like a good novel. David McCullough makes liberal use of the thousands of personal letters John and Abigail Adams produced to yield this uniquely personal insight. We learn that, while many of the other historical founders wrote prolifically, the Adams (Abigail and John) were unique in the way they wrote of their thoughts and feelings and always with great frankness--apparently, atypical for the time.

The way David McCullough uses the letters is remarkable--always by foreshadowing future events enough to make me want to read on. To cite one example in the way this works, take how McCullough describes the apprehension Abigail experiences during the nearly fatal first Atlantic crossing John Adams makes as he sails alone to France to join Ben Franklin. We learn through her own letters that Abigail, was conflicted about wanting to travel with John--knowing that the separation would hurt her--but also knowing that she could no more set foot on a ship at sea than plunge herself off a cliff. But as events unfold, we learn that inevitably they must be together, where ever that leads. We learn so much about her strength and how much it meant to John Adams, and we demand to know how will she meet the challenge of sailing the ocean, a journey that in today's terms must be closer to space travel than we can ever know. Odd to say, but from passages like these, you also learn a great deal about John himself. David McCollough is truly masterful in the way everything reflects back to John to illuminate his character, his morality, and even his own insecurity.

Lovers of biography will appreciate the careful way the details of Adams' life unfold against a backdrop of historic events. But foremost, through this book, we learn so much about our founders' legacy--through John Adams' desires and struggles, we learn the very meaning of being Americans. While reading this book, the events of today come into a sharp focus. It becomes possible to understand the meaning of our freedom, and, probably as John Adams would compel us with his intellect and obstinate nature to recognize, the complete obligation upon our society to use our freedom wisely and never to squander it. What can I say, I loved this multi-faceted book and feel it to be especially relevant now. Enjoy a brisk read and get David McCollough's super biography of our second President.

The plays in the History's Project's "Character in Time: The US Presidents" series are interesting and informative and, above all, very readable. People unfamiliar with reading plays should not be put off by the format -- after a few minutes time, it seems perfectly natural to read dialogue instead of normal prose. Students, especially, will appreciate the playwright's artful distillation of the subject's ideas and philosophy, as well as the lively presentation of his character -- there's really a lot of information packed into these small volumes.

We are treated to an original account of our second president in a humorous rendition that plays brilliantly in our minds. This one act play is a poignant look at the personal issues of a Massachusetts's attorney turned president and the country he was elected to lead during its political infancy. The investment of your time will be well spent.

I recently finished an entire semester studying the Amistad mutiny, and Pesci's book was required reading. I read it both before the class began, and later in the semester; it didn't improve with time. Those portions of the story that Pesci did not fictionalize were interesting, but he writes in passive voice, which I found incredibly boring as well as frustrating. His descriptions of characters go on for paragraphs, and often serve no purpose other than to fill space; his adjectives are stale and overused. His stereotypical characters speak in modern slang that at times borders on the ridiculous. It is terribly distracting to have the captives look at one another and say, "We are in a world of sh--!" I agree with Pesci that it is difficult to write period dialogue, but he really should have made the effort. I suggest that anyone truly interested in this event investigate the many factual, well-written books available, including those written for children.

This isn't the kind of book I would normally buy. I don'tusually read historical fiction. In fact, I stick to John Grisham,Scott Turrow, and James Paterson. But since it was a gift, and since I needed something to read on my flight from NY to LA, I picked it up. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. The first part read like a thriller and the second part like a legal drama. There are so many things going on, and yet Pesci made it flow. It's a great read and even more stunning because it's a true story. I can't wait for Pesci's next book.

I received this book as a gift and almost exchanged it for something else because I usually don't read historical novels. However, I decided to check-out the first few pages. They grabbed me and I quickly became completely fascinated with the story. Pesci does an excellent job of weaving in the numerous facts and personalities that inhabit this incredible incident. The writing is smooth (although the paperback copy I got had a few typos) and he moves easily from the action thriller that makes up the book's first part to the courtroom drama that ensues. Highly recommended, even if (like me) you are not generally one for history. I hope he writes something new soon.

Getting ready to do the |FRCR Part II. Looking for MCQ books. There are many on the bookshelves. Some are very difficult and some too easy. Some are old and do not cover the latest advancements. This book is quite new and is based on Grainger and Allison's radiology textbook which in itself is almost a gold standard for radiologists. If you read the mcq book you really get the extract of most of the relevant information in the 3 volume Grainger and Allison's book. Buy it before it goes out of stock. A must before the exams.

A classic book in Orthopedic(Fractures). discussing types of fractures, management, complications...etc. organized according to body part. some details in management including types of physiotherapy, manipulation .... . each chapter have an anatomic classification of fractures.

A consice book of orthopedics with each chapter starting with history and physical examination for a part of the body followed by a classification of Orthopedic diseases and details. Information enough for Othopedic Students to pass rotation with a high mark.

Many people go for the most popular book on the market, for example the Princeton Review or Kaplan. However, this book solely explains how to take the SAT, using tips and tricks provided by the author. Although knowing about "Joe Bloggs" and traps to avoid, this is not a satisfactory replacement for other SAT books on the market. The "Hit Parade", which is a list of SAT words that frequently come up on the SAT is alright. The Verbal section explanations and tricks are satisfactory. They just suggest that you memorize vocabulary and in conjunction, use their strategies. Math (which is my difficulty) is not explained thoroughly in this book. Yes, knowing the strategies is very very helpful, but honestly, there is no way you can get a high score without knowing how to solve the problem. The Math section of this book is shallow and does not provide adequate practice to prepare you for the SAT.

For the Verbal Section of the SAT, I recommend you get:
1) Barron's Guide to the SAT (21st Edition)

For the Math Section of the SAT, I recommend you get:
1) Gruber's Complete SAT to SAT Preparation

Good luck.

Before I read this book I took the SAT I. On this SAT I, I received a score of 1250 (600 verbal and 650 math). About a month later I bought this book. With only less than a month of reading this book my score went up by 40 points to 1290. Basically, this book teaches you "tricks" to get a higher score. It does not teach you math or english, just ways to get a higher score. The practice tests in the book are very similar to the actual test questions. However, the tests on the CD-rom are very different. I found the CD basically useless to me. However, I will say that this book was very interesting. It uses colorful language to keep the reader interested in studying. So, I guess this book is okay, but it is FAR from great.

Without a doubt, this is the best test preparation book I have ever read, and I have read no small number of them. As others have pointed out, some of the strategies the authors describe border on the obvious, but these are sufficiently important, few, and entertainingly presented that this small lapse is quite acceptable. The book's practice tests are refreshingly indistinguishable from real SATs; they are certainly the best available, though those in Kaplan's SAT book are quite good as well.

Many reviewers have declared this book to be insufficient for those who seek high scores. I disagree strongly. Good advice is good advice, even if presented in a manner less than ceremonial. Pedantic word lists assembled without attention given to what words will likely appear on the SAT, though impressive and temptingly concrete, are not the best use of any preparer's time. Of greater importance than a presentation of all the math and English needed for the SAT is a thorough, insightful walking through of SAT questions, and that's where this book shines.

This book, the College Board's book of ten real SATs, and a functioning noggin are all anyone needs to succeed on the SAT. But if you've got money to spare, you might try the Kaplan book, too -- another look at strategy and a few more realistic practice tests can only help.

I have not yet taken the SAT. On practice tests, my scores started as low as 1440 but have since climbed well into the 1500's -- even to the point of a 1590 most recently. More than to any strategy, I attribute the improvement to increased familiarity with the test, and I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the contribution this book has made.