An excellent text for the real world of RF design, covering noise calculations, mixers, oscillators, filters, amplifiers, modulation and demodulation, PLLs, and other aspects of RF communications. Though I personally prefer Hayward's "Introduction to Radio Frequency Design" (especially for its treatment of oscillator circuits), I frequently refer to the Krauss & Bostian text for clarification of concepts and its greater emphasis on different schemes for modulation and demodulation. The treatment of PLLs is rather skimpy, but there are several textbooks specific to that subject (and even they gloss over some aspects).

In conjunction with Bowick's "RF Design" and Hayward's text, the Krauss & Bostian text delivers all the guidance needed for practical RF design.

What can I say? I laughed, I cried. When he got to the part about class D power amplifiers the suspence was killing me!

This is Dickens' tale (and some would say lecture) about selfishness. Dickens' presents characters that embody different aspects of this vice, from the hypocrisy of Pecksniff and Mrs Gamp, to the thoughtlessness of young Martin Chuzzlewit and Mercy Pecksniff, the suspiciousness of old Martin Chuzzlewit, to the vengefulness of Charity Pecksniff, from the villainy of Jonas Chuzzlewit, to the duplicity of Tigg Montague. But Dickens doesn't stop here: the book also explores this theme on the larger institutional and national scales, as well. The American detour can be seen as a condemnation of the hypocrisy of the U-nited States of the early 1800's. And the Life Assurance Co scam is clearly an indictment of selfishness when its ambitions grow to encompass those beyond one's immediate circle. To his credit, Dickens doesn't lay these latter evils at the abstract feet of 'countries' and 'companies', but shows that even in these suprapersonal entities, the original sin lies with individuals.

Besides "Bleak House", "Martin Chuzzlewit" is easily my favorite Dickens novel. Where else do you have an opening chapter (describing the past Chuzzlewit family history) that is so absolutely hilarious you find yourself rereading it several times before you begin chapter two? Where else do you have a character as funny as the greedy and transparent Mr. Pecksniff? People complain that the plot is paper-thin even for a Dickens novel and that the American sequence is an unneeded digression. Perhaps true, but I think the characters and comedy in this book overcome any of its shortcomings. While others point to better known novels like "David Copperfield" as the best to be found in Dickens, I think "Martin Chuzzlewit" tops everything except "Bleak House" (but then how could it, seeing that "Bleak House" is probably the greatest English novel of the 19th century). In closing, if you're new to Dickens, you would do well to start here--the book, although long, is fast-paced, funny, and, at the end, even macabre.

Martin Chuzzlewit gets its start much like any other Dickens novel--we are introduced to the rather blase main characters and the amusing minor characters, and Dickens slowly--and I mean slooowly--weaves the web of his drama. We meet the Chuzzlewit brothers, Mr Pecksniff and his daughters, and (among others) the lovable Tom Pinch, who is utterly devoted to Mr Pecksniff. "Another middle-period Victorian comedy of manners," we presume, and read a few pages at a time, until BAM! the novel kicks into high gear. I won't spoil the unforgettable final half of the novel for you, but suffice it to say that I read it ALL in one day, spellbound. Any would-be author of pageturners could learn a lot from the story of Jonas Chuzzlewit, masterfully spun by the greatest novelist in the Englsih language. Enjoy it, one and all!

Love, betrayal, drama, and suspense, the makers of a great novel, are all found in Charles Dickens', A Tale of Two Cities. Dickens not only sets a great foundation for the novel but he also builds an illustrious story with great detail. His creativity explodes in this book.

The book is set in the time before and during the French Revolution. It is about the experiences of two French families and how those experiences later collide with their future. Their experiences not only create a great fictional story but they also dipict the true horrors that occured in France at that time.

Dickens makes the plot very interesting because he incorporates fiction and historical facts and events. For example in the storming of the Bastille scene, he brings to life an actual event and adds the fiction of what the peasants found in Dr. Manette's cell and the inside look on how they may have felt. Two other examples include the scenes where the revolutionaries kill the king and queen of France and the many times they use the guillotine. They demonstrate this mixture because they're true events yet, Dickens adds fictional characters and the feelings and emotions the people might have had.

Another great touch that Dickens adds is all the detail. Although at times it is rather long it helps to make a clear picture in the mind of what is going on. One such example where he does this is when he describes fate and death. He makes two rather hard to picture objects visible in the mind as the Farmer and the Woodsman. Another example of his great use of detail is when he describes Mr. Lorry's trip down the Dover mail. His description gives the feeling of actually being there. These are just two but there are numerous of other examples.

One more thing that made this novel fascinating was how Dickens reveals bits and pieces of the plot mixed together, but then ties every piece together at the end. For example he dipicts the Marquis' cruelness first and does not explain his involvement right away. However, by the end he turns out to be a key character. He also does that with the character of Dr. Manette. He introduces the character but leaves the suspense of that character's involvement until later. The suspense keeps the interest in the novel going. Dickens details, mixture of fact with fiction, and suspense makes the novel a extremely enjoyable book. After reading this book a clear understanding is achieved of why Charles Dickens is such a renowned author. A Tale of Two Cities is a unique and fascinating story which is why it is a must for anyone's bookself.

A Tale of Two Cities is set in the two cities of London and Paris, in the fourth quarter of the eighteenth century. A Doctor Manette is brought from France, where he has been wrongfully imprisoned for 18 years, to England where his daughter has been raised. They testify in a trial against Charles Darnay, who is eventually aquitted and later marries Miss Manette. Darnay is really a French nobleman, the Marquis Evremonde, who has left his estate in France to work for a living in humble circumstances in England. During the French Revolution, his representative in the old country is arrested, and the idealistic Darnay goes home to defend this man only to get himself arrested. This occurs during the Terror, and Darnay must expect to be executed as a treacherous emigrant. The final chapters of the book revolve around the effort to save Darnay and his family from the guillotine. The book seems to have two distinct parts. In the beginning, Dickens mainly describes settings and characters, while the plot is mostly invisible. Then, as the end of the book approaches, focus moves to a chain of more or less surprising events, which bind together other seemingly disconnected events in the first chapters. Towards the end, the Tale is almost a Thriller. Dickens reveals himself as a master of the English language, a genius of style and a great wit early in the book. His descriptions rival those of Turgenev, although his descriptions of misery are in a moralizing tone that is never heard from the more subtle Russian. One problem I found with this book is that the characters seem a little too black and white, there is little of the psychological complexity found in, say, the writings of Dostoevski or Ibsen. Two interesting exceptions are Sydney Carton, a family friend with great ability and potential but a life-long lack of self-control, and Dr. Manette, who we find struggling to repress the memory of his imprisonment. A Tale of Two Cities is certainly great literature from a writer who even in the most gloomy circumstances finds something to amuse us. But I find it hard to suffer with his poor virtuous Ms. Manette/Mrs. Darnay with her blonde hair, blue eyes, unlimited loyalty, and talented interior design. She is simply too much, too perfect, too unreal. As for Dickens' description of the Great Revolution, vivid and engaging as it is, it is plagued by the same hyperbolic tendency. A Tale of Two Cities, then, is a highly enjoyable and fascinating read, but it doesn't have the complexity and insight characteristic of the very best novels (in my humble and subjective opinion).

Charles Dickens again succeds in bringing to readers another classic tale - this one about France during the Revolution, and the lives of a few particular people affected by it. Dickens intricately develops the storyline, and creates some of the most memorable and characters and quotes in literature. While leading the reader through a world of drama and suspenseful action, Dickens adheres admirably well to historical details and events. This is an incredible book and a must read for almost anybody. I only gave it four stars, because in the beginning, the story is somewhat confusing, since Dickens is throwing out a lot of strings which he creatively weaves together as the story progresses. This, however, can be justified, for the original publication was in serial form; thus, Dickens needed to keep the readers in suspense in order to keep them reading it. Overall, though, this truly was a pleasure to read.

I have read a lot of books on the JFK assissination.

This book caught my eye for that reason. However, once I began reading it, this book kept my attention. It read like a novel. I liked that, it was a switch from the usual fact presented like facts JFK conspiracy books. I liked that about this book. It certainly had me convinced that this guy had something to do with the JFK murder. It made me wonder why we didn't do more then in regards to this guy.

The book was gory when talking about the dismemberment of his mother and father. I really didn't like that. I'm not sure that it added much to the book except some length. However, it did make me realize that this was the type of man who would do what he thought needed to be done and might certainly shoot at a president.

This book is very interesting and those interested in reading about the JFK assassination would do well to consider reading this book. It is an easy one to skip over with the massive amounts of books available to read. However, the novel like feel of this does not detract from the research completed and conclusions drawn in this book.

I have read quite a lot of books about the Kennedy assassination but this one is the best by far. It is well written and reads like a thriller.

At the end of the book a groundsheet of the Rogers' house is shown. This helps to understand the description of the crime and the search through the house by the two police officers. What I miss is a groundsheet of the parsonage. From the description it is not possible for me to imagine how it looked like. It plays an important role so I think it would better the book if it was printed too. A thing that makes me curious is: what did the authors put on their trail? Where they one of those informed by Marietta Gerhart?

This book has help me at lot, a very serious book, with a lot of good referencer. However, as i is with these kind of serious books - some of the latest arthroscopic things is mising, but it is very close to 5 stars.

This is the second edition of "The Shoulder". A notable improvement from the first edition is the addition of a CD ROM which allows the reader to watch surgical techniques on a PC. The basic textbook itself is excellent. The chapters are well organized and well written. It covers a wide breadth of shoulder topics, and provides practical tips for making diagnoses and carrying out surgical procedures. It is a must for any surgeon who operates on the shoulder.

I bought the Deeds of Frederick Barbarossa for my High Middle Ages class, and the text offers an interesting slice of history of the reign of Frederick Barbarossa. Begun by FB's uncle, Bishop Otto of Freising, it was completed by Otto's assistant, who arguably offers a more solid history than his more skilled and sophisticated predecessor.

I have been a great fan of Olmstead's design and outlook. This book provides a wonderful overview of his style, his vision and his ideas about how to create beauty out of the natural enivironment. Architects will benefit from his approach to design and construction and his ideas should be a model for those of us new to the field.

This book presents a basic introduction to medieval thought for someone who wants to know the basics of the most important philosophers and time periods. It is not meant for someone who wants a more in-depth discussion or who already has an introduction to the field. The book is well-written and gives the reader a basic idea of each philosopher's system.

I don't think I'd be giving away much of the plot if I were to say that the story revolves around Pip, a young, middle class orphan who has dreams to be a wealthy, respected gentleman, but has no hope of this as he is a rural blacksmith apprentice. His prospecs change, however, when a mysterious, anonymous benefactor offers to make Pip's dream a reality. I won't give away the ending, but the novel supports Dickens' belief that the middle class is the class to which people should aspire.

The plot of this story wasn't to my liking. Dickens' attempts towards the end to wrap all the subplots into one neat little package annoyed me...similar to plot twists in modern Hollywood movies--things so outrageously convienent that it makes one want to roll his eyes. The manner in which things are written, however is fantastic. While the main characters are rather boring, the minor characters, (especially Biddy, Herbert Pocket, and John Wemmick) were much more interesting. Thankfully, Dickens focused on them enough to flesh them out and make them memorable. I would recommend this book, not because I enjoy the plot, but because the writing style is superior and because I, being lower middle class, enjoyed the positive viewpoint Dickens extended concerning my class.

Almost every negative review about this book was made by a 15 year old 9th grader. I also had to read this book when I was in ninth grade and I had no clue what was going on. Those kids might not want to admit it, but it was above thier understanding, I am proof of that. I decided to read this again and even though I was indifferant to it the first time I read, and realized it to be the literary genuis that it truely is. It has an amusing story line of the events that surround a young boy's life and how he copes with his coming into fortunes and life in general. But Dicken's masterful writing makes more than just a story line, it is also a social critique of Industeralized Society. For existance, Joe represents how life was before the Industerial Revolution. He was kind, hard working, morally upstanding, and happy, amoung other desirable qualities. Whereas Estella, for example, represented how it was during the Industerial Revolution. She was greedy, self-centered, controlling, and unhappy. This is also evident in Pip. At first he had the traits of the former, but once he got his "Expecations", he exhibited the traits of the latter. Another part of his critique was the differance between the rich and the poor. There are other important ways in which he portrays them, but for lack of time the poor people were happy, whereas the rich were unhappy. Dickens is also great at describing setting and characters, so as some might see that as boreing, I see that as giving more depth to the story. He makes it seem like the reader is actually in 19th century London and meeting such interresting characters as Jaggers, Mr. Pocket, and of course honorable Joe. Anyone concidering buying this that is in high school, I reccomend not buying this because you will not undersand it, hence dislike it. But anyone who is already out of high school, or someone who read it in high school I would reccomend this book. Dickens is well know in literary circles for his genuis, but for some reason I cannot explain, in popular culture he does not come close to the popularity of Shakesphere, even though he was writer and Social Critic.

As a student, I had to read this book as a requirement for my junior year summer reading. Being the largest book of them all, I reluctantly started on this one. However, after giving it the twenty-five page test, I found the book terribly addictive. Had I had a more generous time budget, I would have finished the book in two to three days. As it was, it took me over a month. The storyline, with Pip intertwined in a weird emotional triangle with one Miss Havisham and Estella, has the reader wondering "Who is on Pip's side?" and "What the heck is going on with this Estella babe?" The emotions Pip felt, the things he went through, and just the thought of actually having to go through what he did brings tears to the eyes (even mine, which had been dry for years). By reading this book, I even became more in-tune to my emotions. This novel is an excellent piece of literature for any language buff (Dickens is a sheer master of the English language), and for anyone who loves a good tearjerker. Happy reading!!

This book has 4 different stories, in all of them appear Spy McCready as a super hero, the book will keep you interested in the stories but is not exactly what I expected from Forsyth.

The first story has 4 stars.
The second story has 5 stars.
The third story has 3 stars.
Don't waste your time with the fourth one.

I've read a few spy novel by other authors, but this one has to be the best I've read to date. It's interesting how Forsyth managed to blend in the character of Sam Mcgeedy in all the four sub stories in one book. Particularly my favourite is the first two stories which involves a phony russian defections and Sam Mcgreedy involvement in a 'cross border exchange gone wrong' in Berlin. Highly intense!

The detail of the story on how the procedure are done in the intelligence community prooves his thorough research on the book. This is rewarded by an overwhelming attachment and sense of realism from the reader. It is really difficult to put this book down, once you started it. Highly recommended for those who seek realism and detailed process in espionage action story.

Forsyth has written some of the best spy-thrillers, in an universe filled with LeCarrés, Folletts, Deightons and so on. His earlier books, such as "The day of the Jackal" and "The Odessa file" are simply marvelous pieces of research and storytelling. This book, "The Deceiver", portraits what happens to a british spy when the Cold War is over: his superiors are trying to give him an early retirement, since he's no use in these peaceful days. Maybe Forsyth wrote the story ( I mean, the four stories ), thinking what was going to happen to HIM, and other writers alike, since their primary plot in the real world was shattered altogether with the Berlim Wall. And I guess Forsyth wasn't that much worried. The first story is the heaviest one, with a psychological side. As the book goes on, you get to know the hero, MacCready, not only as a spymaster, but mainly as a person, an individual. The last story is the best one, in a mood that resembles the Agatha Christie's Poirot's detective cases. Highly recommended to people who want to learn more about Forsyth himself.