'Write the way you talk' is the main idea behind this book. Bailey identifies the common problems in written english:People just don't write the way they speak. The book is all about writing and speaking in plain english. You don't need *impressive* words all the time to be effective.

The book is divided into two parts: Writing clearly and easily and Speaking clearly and easily.

The first part starts off with comparison between spoken and written english (In speech if you use the word 'help', you tend to use 'assist' in writing.)

Then the writer moves on to common pitfalls in written style such as excessive use of passive voice and lack of punctuation.

Later chapters are about organization and the layout of written work and that includes selection of typefaces, use of heading, bullets, graphics etc.

In lot of places, the writer disagrees with the common myths of writing, for example: * Never begin a sentence with 'and' or 'but'. * Never end a sentence with a preposition * Never use first and second person pronouns

Now you can begin a sentence with 'and' and 'but' and still can be professional speaker/writer.

The second part is on speaking that covers: selection and design of visual aids, organization of presentation, speech style, rehearsing, setting up the room and handling the audience.

In all the chapters, for clarity purpose, a specific point is explained using examples and illustrations.

A good book for those who wants to improve good writing and speaking skills. And in my opinion a valuable resource if you are a techie and can only speak in jargon or just go blank when it comes to public speaking (well...that was the case with me)

This book's simply the very best reference there is on the subject of using plain and simple English to communicate effectively in writing.

Bailey's suggestions are so simple, straight forward and full of common sense that you find yourself thinking, "Of course I should write this way! Everybody should write like this!" The world would be a better place--and be so much more productive--if everyone followed Bailey's suggestions.

Some of Bailey's suggestions include:

* Write like you speak

* Don't be afraid to use contractions * Avoid the passive voice

* Forget jargon and "business-ese"

* Use lists

I teach business writing to non-native English speakers and have depended on Bailey's text as a reference for all of my classes. Without fail, my students report increased productivity and increased efficiency in their written communications after applying his suggestions to their writing.

This is quite possible the greatest literary work of our time. I couldn't put it down. Simple wonderful. Thank you Mr. Wegener for this masterpiece.

This book is a one-volume look at mystery fiction in almost all of its forms. It is a compilation of interviews, essays, articles, and lists as presented by writers, editors, critics, and booksellers. There are ample photos, many taken from movies which were made from mystery stories. Remember the lurid and exotic book covers from the 50's? Well, there's photos of some of the more popular covers. Each chapter is begun with reproductions of archaic depictions of mayhem. There are articles about apparently well-known and well-regarded authors that I have never heard of, and I consider myself, not an authority, but at least well-read and as such, familiar with many of the less popular ones. I know I was very pleased to learn of several new authors that I plan to add to my ever-growing list. This is a fact-filled book and is a welcome addition to any mystery reader's library. It can provide hours of satisfying browsing. The articles and essays are excellent and informative, well written, and offer opinions on various aspects of mystery stories, writers, and the genre in general. For instance, the well-known mystery writer, Lawrence Block, offers a superlative dissertation on the definition of hard-boiled and cozy mystery stories. The introduction by Jon Breen is a veritable history of mystery stories. As you probably know, the origins of the modern detective story is usually traced back to Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1840's). Did you also know that the detective in that story, C. Auguste Dupin, appeared in another two tales by Poe? The school of romantic suspense owes its beginnings to gothic novelists like Ann Radcliffe with her "The Mysteries of Udolpho" (1794), Horace Walpole with "The Castle of Otranto" (1765), and Matthew Gregory Lewis with "The Monk" (1796). The chapter headings include American Mysteries which has Mysteries of New York, Mysteries of Los Angeles, Mysteries of Chicago, .......Small Towns, New England. Chapter 2 is entitled Traditional Mysteries and includes cozies, cat and dog stories, and an excellent essay on John Dickson Carr and the locked room mystery. Chapter 3 is about the Black detective, and Chapter 4 covers Religious Mysteries. In Chapter 5 the Private Eye Mysteries are discussed and Chapter 6 is about Gay Mysteries. Chapter 7 talks about British Mysteries and offers up the information that Jonathan Gash (Lovejoy series) and Mike Ripley (Angel series) just happen to live in the same small village in England. Chapter 8 is about Dark Suspense and Chapter 9 discusses Women's Suspense stories. Chapter 10 describes Police Procedurals while Chapter 11 outlines the Hard-Boiled Mysteries. Chapter 12 discusses Thrillers and other chapters cover Young Adult Mysteries, True Crime, Television Mysteries, Comic Books, Nostalgia, Organizations, and Mystery Bookstores Throughout the book are "Best of" lists compiled by various writers, editors, critics. I have visited a couple of these bookstores and if both are indicative of the others then any are worth a visit. I found comfortable, stuffed armchairs strategically located in small nooks, with a small table and lamp nearby, inviting the browser to sit awhile and skim a few lines. The pervading atmosphere was one of hominess and a warm hearth. Definitely inviting. So "The Fine Art of Murder" is heartily recommended as an addition to the reader's library, whether a mystery fan or not. It is entertaining as well as informative.

This is a complete book regarding oral surger

I think that this boog y very good, it's easy to understand, and very clear and gives information very important and useful for the clinician.

The previous edition (2nd) was recommended in "A Basic List of Recommended Books and Journals for Support of Clinical Dentistry in a Nondental Library" in Bulletin Of the Medical Library Association, July 1997.

This book is a wonderful source of information on many band works of different grade levels and styles. I liked the fact that this book has an extensive bibliography, enabling a person to study band music in even more depth. I wish that the author had included some band works that can be played by bands without full instrumentation. (my band has two trombones for a "low" section, and it is hard to play the beautiful pieces to their full perfection. I would recommend this book to college students, and I would also recommend that they try and listen to recordings of some of the pieces discussed.

I bought this book after having taught for 12 years. I really wish that someone would have written a reference such as this for my first years of teaching! This is a comprehensive volume designed to help the band director develop a concise curriculum for the high school (or college) band program. Included are chapters on rehearsal techniques, conducting basics, philosophies of music education, and justification for our music programs!!! The standout feature of this book, however, is its coverage of wind literature. For each piece, there is historical background, instrumental difficulties, suggested listening lists, and various activities related to the piece. This should be required reading for all college music education majors.

The book "Teaching Music Through Performance in Band" Has already been a great tool for me. I am only a Sophmore in Music Education school and it has given me numerous ideas of ways to teach and what is appropriate to teach. The book breaks down many pieces to show ways to explain the music to children in band how to perform them musically. It also offers them insight into the composers life and how the piece fit into it. This helps students relate so that emotion and thought can be put into the piece that they are playing.

Clearly a labor of love, POAR is jam packed with interesting interviews and interesting tidbits about the production of the first classic film and the well made sequels. This fine book corrects a lot of "myths" about the films (such as the fact that screenwriter Michael Wilson came up with the "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" scene and the fact that Rod Serling's original screenplay was a mess)and reminds us how groundbreaking this first science fiction film series was.

Although memories occasinally differ as to who did what (most notably about the twist ending of the first film. There has been some debate as to who came up with it although it clearly has Serling's fingerprints all over it),the authors have put together a terrific volume that works both as film history and puts the films in their historical perspective. Sure they're all entertaining (some to a lesser degree than others) but the first film (and to a lesser extent the sequels)works both as allegory and social satire in the tradition of Swift's Gulliver's Travels.

The book is stocked with rare photos (including a series of stunning photos from Lydia Heston's private collection)and great interviews. If you're an Apes fan this terrific book is a perfect companion to the DVD re-release of the films (and the making of documentary that aired on cable a couple of years ago). My only complaint is I would have liked to see a bit more of the Apes memorabilia reproduced perhaps even in a separate section.

What's surprising is the impact these films have had over the past 30 years. Although some of the participants would go on to bigger things (director Schaffner's classic Patton and Serling's stint as creator/host/writer on the uneven Night Gallery series), none of their efforts has had the impact of this fine series of films. Although it's taken over 15 years to for this fine book to finally see the light of day it was well worth the wait!

Planet of the Apes revisited is a must for all fans of the classic film series. From the Introduction by Charleton Heston, right through to the final chapter on Tim Burton's "re-Imagining", the Authors manage to answer every question you could possibly have about the Ape Movies, TV series, and Cartoon series. This book was over 15 years in the making, so the Authors were able to interview just about everyone associated with the films, from the Stars to the Crew. Kim Hunter & the late Roddy McDowell provide great anecdotes, and the struggle of the late Arthur P. Jacobs (Producer of the original Series of Films) to get a Studio to MAKE the Movies is exhaustively documented.

Two small problems: 1)- Many of the pictures in the book aren't captioned, so you aren't sure who or what you're looking at; and 2)- The Authors briefly mention the Ape Comic Books, by Marvel and Malibu. I would have liked to see a chapter covering these books, as well as a chapter (or Two...), about other Ape ancillary products.

Ape fans will love this book, and when you're done reading it, you'll watch the Movies with a new appreciation.

This is one of those books you can open at any page and start reading and find something interesting about the Ape Saga that you didn't know before. The writer gives tons of background info on each movie, the TV series, and the cartoon series, and there are lots of great photos.

From Christmas to New Year's this book has stories for all of them. Even the holidays less known, such as Boxing Day. Some of the stories are written by famous authors such as Carole Nelson Douglas the author of the Midnight Louie series. While others are written by unknowns.

This was an enjoyable book, but slacked off at times, producing somewhat boring stories. I recommend this book to any fans of mysteries, and cat lovers.

The seventh entry in the short story series starring feline detectives overall is very good, but has some disappointing tales. Each of the stories involve a crime occurring on a different holiday. The holidays range from the obvious such as Christmas and New Years Day to the less celebrated (at least in America) such as Arbor and Boxing days. Some of the most renowned cat detectives,d including the world famous Midnight Louie, are featured.

This collections is well written, but some of the more famous cats like Louie only whet the audience's appetitie for the longer full length novel format. Still, fans of the sub-genre or just cat fans in general will enjoy this and the previous six cat crime books.

Harriet Klausner

Mr Villella in this book try really hard to potrait himself like Rocky Balboa, but instead to became a boxer became a dancer. 90% of the book he critizice Mr Balanchine, and at the end declare his eternal love to him, no wonder thanks to Balanchine he have a book out and an artistic directorship in Miami. He repeatedly mention his troubling relantionship with Mr Balanchine because he never like Mr Balanchine's classes, I wonder how the situation with classes in Miami City Ballet?

Although not a literary masterpiece, it is an easy read. It was important historically to write this book. It helped put much into perspective, and documented an impactful life. As a late babyboomer child, I adored watching him dance on television. He made ballet interesting and exciting. I also met him at Illinois Wesleyan University in the late 70s when he was on the speaker's circuit. Now I know why he was lecturing at that time. His openness about his own weaknesses was delivered well without being too specific or tacky. Villella's strengths, however, were very well portrayed. As a long-time fan, it was important for me to see that he grew/integrated into not just a talent, but a good man/husband/father/mentor.

I was so enchanted with the story of Edward Villella's life that I found it impossible to put the book down and it prompted me to write my first review! He not only tells you about an exciting time in ballet of which he was a part of - you also feel each moment with him. His hard work, the competitiveness, the disappointments, his success all flows into a story that leaves you no doubt of the love and passion that he has for dance. It's a fitting ending to know that he's now passing this on to other dancers. I'm just sorry I never saw him dance...

My first book before learning how to sketch and starting my studies in Industrial Design. The book provides TONS of insights, ways of creatively analyse situations. It presents brief natural phenomena that replicate in design. It does the important job of showing the reader/designer why you should be able to laugh at your own work. It does a great job of showing why/how the best is simply: SIMPLE. The book is best read with it's cousin: Rapid Viz. It turns on some lights in the mind of the student designer.... and therefore it was great for me to watch my copy get distributed from year to year and student to student until it was but a tangle of paper. But if you are into collecting read material: then the book (and Rapid VIz) can remain personal reference material because it is always refreshing to look in them once in a while. There is practically no text.. mostly sketchwork. It (once read) becomes pleasant/light coffee table material.

I have always enjoyed reading - and playing around with the ideas from - Kurt Hank's books. I have all his books, which include Rapid Viz, Draw!, The Change Navigator, Wake Up Your Creative Genius, Up Your Productivity. Like his other books, this book is very well illustrated, graphically and conceptually. Although it is written for the novice designer, it nevertheless provides step by step approach to the practical strategies of seeing, thinking, drawing an designing your ideas - and concepts - visually and in 3D. Really, great stuff.