Whether you are a novice about to buy your first boat or an old salt who wants to add a little more practical knowledge, this is an excellent book. Some of the recommendations may seem like overkill for the casual weekend sailor, but it is best to be prepared, if not in equipment then at least in knowledge, for the worst conditions. There is a big difference in knowing and not knowing how much your boat falls short of ideal preparation. This book could give you a sense of where to set the standard.

A good well written book with essential information clearly explained. If you know exactly what type of characteristics you want in a boat (performance, safety, etc) then this book will help in finding the right boat though the criteria laid out in the boat by various authors are not easily found or reconciled in one boat design. Will make further investigation more productive to be sure. Certainly a jumping off platform for the first time buyer and more reading is needed for a true understanding of the concepts resented in the book.

This book is incredible. If you are a complete novice, in the market for your first boat - or an experienced sailor preparing to go to sea - this should be required reading. There is an incredible amount of experience behind this book, making it the authority on sailboat configuration and equipment. Illustrated in all the right places.

Stephen Davis has written a lucid account of the dark days of the Army of Tennessee as it was outmaneuvered and outgeneraled by W.T. Sherman during the campaign for Atlanta in 1864. Davis has introduced new primary research to support his assertions that Atlanta was lost in December 1863 when Johnston was appointed commander of the Army of Tennessee. History has castigated John Bell Hood for the loss and Davis does everything he can to dispel this claim and more. Very well written and full of the authors conclusions, it makes the reader think about what he is reading. Highly recommended for anyone who knows anything at all about the Georgia campaign. The passages on Johnston, Hardee, and Hood are especially interesting.

Stephen Davis systematically tackles the old myths surrounding the Atlanta campaign and its subsequent capture by the North. His analysis of Johnston's tactical decisions clearly elucidates where responsibility for Atlanta's loss truly lay. It is obvious that Davis has spent a great deal of time researching this work and his efforts show. A must read for anyone who enjoys a gripping, thoroughly researched account of a major historical event.

Atlanta Will Fall: Sherman, Joe Johnston, and the Yankee Heavy Bandits is a sharp overview of the entire Atlanta campaign during the American Civil War, from Dalton to Jonesboro. The battles are described and the strategies analyzed, with detailed evaluations of the three major generals involved. In particular, author Davis argues that between the Confederate leaders Joe Johnston and John Bell Hood, it was Johnston who lost Atlanta due to overcaution, while Hood got the bad rap. Atlanta Will Fall is strongly recommended reading for Civil War buffs.

Badge of Courage by Linda H. Davis has been an excellent companion of mine in recent days. This is a terrific book that brings to life a Stephen Crane I never knew. He lived his short, dramatic life as bravely and actively as can be imagined. Davis re-creates it all in a vivid, enthralling book that reveals a deep affection for a worthy subject. She also reveals a direct, effective style that adds wonderfully to some already wonderful material. I cannot overstate how much I value this book.

I went into Badge of Courage with little knowledge of Crane other than a distant memory of my reading his works in high school. This biography brought him back to life for me and involved me from the beginning. The life was short but complex, and at times conducted in secret; Davis conveys it all with full, affectionate treatment yet effective economy and punch. I feel as if Stephen Crane has been an enthralling companion in recent days. This feeling is due not only to the drama of the life itself but also to Linda Davis' insightful, compelling presentation of it.

I admit to bias, because I was involved in the research for this book. Nevertheless, Linda Davis has achieved what any good biographer strives to do but few accomplish: she has brought her subject back to life. This is no small feat in the case of Stephen Crane, who has fundamentally eluded all previous biographers, including the poet John Berryman and the detailed but impossible-to-read Stallman. Crane led an adventure-filled life, and was a wonderful and colorful character, as well as a brilliant, pioneering writer. Linda Davis, too, is brilliant, as a biographer; and she's a fine, sometimes breathtakingly good writer. If you read only one biography this year, make it this one. (By the way, Davis was right about Crane being buried in Elizabeth, NJ; it WAS Elizabeth back then.)

It's THE definitive, honest look at the operation. A thorough trip through the show's run and the personalities involved. My only criticism, which pales in insignifcance, is that I would have liked a lot more photos.

One even less important event the author missed was the day the Princess Summerfallwinterspring puppet changed *poof* into a real person and was introduced to the whole Doodyville cast, including the cameramen.

Buffalo Bob had that rare ability to look through the camera, past the picture tube and right into your eyes. When I buy toothpaste, it's still Colgate. I think that ability comes through in this book.

I'm still ticked off that the Buffalo backtimed the show so well that we didn't know until Monday what he unveiled in front of the Peanut Gallery on Friday: There was a new circus. I complained to my mother about that and I'm still right. But in my later years as a broadcaster, I still marvel at how he timed it out right to the second. Bob Keeshan makes reference to that ability near the back of the book.

Fun, factual and no-holds-barred. Not only does this book trace the history, creation, long run and bittersweet ending of the Howdy Doody Show but it goes into behind the scenes politics, personality problems, and sometimes adult-oriented rehearsals. There are lots of valentine-like books about this wonderful baby-boomer show (which still is FUNNY on videotape if you can get the right episodes!). But those usually gloss over the time the show fired most of its cast, the frustrations of some cast members, and the extent to which the show became a corporate money-machine for NBC. In the end it's demise had little to do with ratings or show quality but production costs. If you liked Howdy Doody, are interested in the show from a nostalgic standpoint, a show biz standpoint, a puppetry standpoint, or are simply interested in solid show biz history this is a CRUCIAL book since you won't find a lot of this info elswhere. Yes, it's lovingly written in parts...but it doesn't cover the warts. And it's a GREAT read!

Everything you ever wanted to know about the back stage activities of the Howdy Doody show.

Well written, entertaining and authoritative. This book is a MUST if you want to know about the program.

This is a fantastic book on creating a wide variety of great collage projects. It covers numerous collage techniques including using paper, mixed-media, fabric, decoupage, photomontage, computer art, found and three-dimensional objects. The beautiful galleries after each collage type are sure to inspire you.

In addition to the collage techniques you also get the basics of papermaking, papier mache, marbling and batik as well as painting and dyeing fabric. There are step-by-step instructions accompanied by demonstrating photos for all the techniques and projects. Don't expect to make exact replicas of the projects since your sources and materials will vary. Rather, the author expects you will follow her assembling directions to create a unique masterpiece of your own.

Some of the sixteen projects include a gorgeous butterfly lampshade, a painted paper fruit bowl collage, a clock decorated with magazine scraps and nature objects, and a sewn fabric book cover. Another great project is an easy to make yet sophisticated looking Japanese box covered with scraps of yuzen or chiyogami papers.

This book filled with fresh and interesting ideas is sure to help you create gorgeous collage artwork.

I wanted to explore collage as an aspect of other paper crafts I'm trying to learn. I picked this one first and I really like it. Many other collage books are meant for people narrowly focused on collage who see beauty in their collages ..... that is truly not obvious to other people - so esoteric it appeals to a very narrow audience. The Crafter's Complete Guide to Collage is different. It's visually attractive. The samples of collages have much broader appeal. The excellent how-to photographs are tremendously helpful and NOT intimidating. It opened my mind up to more than paper possibilities - it discusses collages of paper, found objects, mixed media, fabric, multi-dimensional, decoupage, photomontage, even computer collage. Its a treat - I think you'd enjoy this book!

In my sophomore genetics class we used two textbooks. One is a 600 pages textbook filled with colorful pictures, the other one is the this book. After I spent hours reading and comprehending a chapter in the 600-pages tiny-font textbook, I turned to the 200-pages large-font Gist of Gennetics. And there it is, truly the gist of genetics. I regretted that I didn't read this book first but instead wasted my valuable time reading useless [junk]. The only problem is that this book is entirely black and white, with little to no picture (only has genetic diagrams). But unless you are the type who fall asleep reading b/w textbooks, this is a great book for quick understanding of basic genetics.

The Gist of Genetics

What do Rosa Parks, Mary McLeod Bethune and Shirley Chisholm all have in common? They're three of the ten extraordinary African American freedom fighters in Andrea Davis Pinkney's marvelous collection, Let It Shine. These are strong women who didn't just sit back and accept the status quo, but met challenges head on and took action to change the world and make it a better place. These ten dynamic women were never silent, even when they thought no one was listening, faced discrimination, inequality and racism, triumphed in their battles against oppression and for civil rights and inspired those who followed in their footsteps. Told in easy to read, conversational style, each chapter is rich in both anecdotal and historical detail and accompanied by Stephen Alcorn's beautiful and bold oil painting illustrations. Perfect for youngsters 10 and older, Let It Shine also makes a wonderful read-aloud book the entire family can share and enjoy.

"Let It Shine: The Stories of Ten Black Women Freedom Fighters" is an amazing, entertaining, and educational journey back through time for both children and adults alike. The stories accurately depict the changing face of America for all people. The author, Andrea Davis Pinkney, uses a combination of oral stories and historical facts to re-create the lives of ten African American women "freedom fighters" (a.k.a. civil rights activists.) The descriptive language Pinkney uses keeps the style of the text upbeat and enjoyable. Among the list of women are Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks. However, there is also a presence of many unknown women, such as Shirley Chisholm, an inspirational politician, and Biddy Mason, a one-time slave with never ending generosity. The stories are quite diverse, spanning a history of nearly the entire 20th century. Some of these historical references include the signing of the emancipation proclamation, the peaceful demonstrations of the civil rights movement, and the Democratic Convention of 1968. There is one common, underlying goal of each story- inspiration. From Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad to Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat, there is a sublte undertone that promotes and requires action. These women learned that justice comes from not only speaking, but doing. Their stories and successes encourage people of all ages to get up and fight against inequality. The combination of descriptive oral stories and historical facts, along with the colorful illustrations, keep readers of any age interested in this text.

Ralph Davis seems to be a very experienced author concerning networks and this book gives a very helpful introduction into network programming. He also knows well what the beginner has to know. But it would be more helpful for me if anyone could give me an adress to download the source-code printed in the book. About 40% of the books weight must be printed source code. To make further experience I would need the sources as file on my harddisk

I was busy trying to develop videophone when everything was just absent: SDKs, theories, papers, standards. The book, written by former Novell programmer who written Windows Netware drivers, was very helpful for me. I got his idea of sending messages across computer boundaries and I later implemented it in my code. That's easy: just pack it into structure and unpack it n other side!. My videophones were kept sending each other such a messages to know who is online, and that feature made a big difference..

We all know about basic principles of seeking, and achieving, happiness; so why don't we practice them?

We must keep reminding ourselves of taking responsibility for our lives in order to feel peaceful with ourselves and the life we have created. Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" is a highly popular book with a similar theme. But this book uses the scheme of "ABC's", easier to remember than seven habits. It is written in a down-home common-sense style anyone can understand. It is written from the heart. The author's personal experiences are related in dry humor - the kind that made me laugh out loud to myself and want to read late into the night. In addition to the humor and real-life events, the unfolding of the "ABC" scheme is intriguing.

The book is a product of letters written by the author to his daughter at key times and events, beginning with her graduation from high school. It is not so much "advice" but more "what I learned about life." Perhaps because this is a "true story," the letters were actually received over several years by the daughter, the book is so compelling for me. I cried when I wondered what it was like to receive these letters at unexpected times. I realized that I would like to have received such affirmation from my father. I cried when I realized I could have, but didn't, write such letters to my now-grown children.

I stopped in my tracks when I realized I now have grandchildren who would benefit from such affirmation from me. So I am buying copies as gifts for teenagers and young adults. And a couple extra for my grown-up friends and relatives!

I just recently returned from Australia and I visited the Aboriginal Cultural Center. I purchased the book at the center and found it to be a good introduction to the culture and the poetry. Although the book is presently out of print, it is well worth the effort to secure a copy. I am presently searching for additional copies for gifts. The photography and the poetry are quite exceptional.