Diana Paxson has done a great job of re-creating the world of fifth-century Europe. The reader gets a good sense of what that chaotic era was like. This is one of the strongest aspects of the book. (As a student of history, I was pleased with the notes and bibliography that Paxson provides at the end.) The huge cast of characters is somewhat bewildering. It is difficult, at first, to keep track of them all, though well worth the effort. Many of the supernatural characters from the original, ancient tales are made into humans in this rendition, but this only makes them more interesting. For example, Brunahild, who is an immortal demigoddess in the original, here becomes a Hun princess who joins up with the Walkyriun, an order of priestesses. Likewise, Ragan, the dwarf from the old saga, is here made into a man of the Earthfolk, a race that is far older than the Germanic tribes, and even older than the Celts. The story follows the lives of Brunahild and Sigfrid as they go through childhood, grow into their respective powers, and, finally, meet. While Brunahild is learning the ways of the Walkyriun, Sigfrid is being fostered by Ragan out in the woods, where he learns to utilize the shapeshifting powers inherited from his late father. Both Brunahild and Sigfrid are very likable characters, and it is easy to sympathize with them. Theirs is a grand story and Paxson does a fine job of telling it.

The tale of Sigfried the dragon slayer has been told and re-told for over 1,500 years in many forms. This modern re-telling brings the world of fifth century germania to life in a way which is a pleasure to read.

Diana Paxon has woven the threads of the story and embellished as all storytellers do in a way which clothes the tale with intrigue and power of magic and wyrd. The authors background as a respected teacher of magic and sedir in the norse tradition shine through in the truth of her descriptions of the power, magic, and deities. The knowledge of runes and herbs in the book aren't just fiction, and reading this book can be a lesson in learning the ways of Wodan.

Although I have read this story in other forms from eddic poetry to other novelizations, and know the tragic end this tale will become, I still find myself hoping for Sigdrifia and Sigfried. You will find more focus on the woman's world of ancient magic than in other re-tellings, but it's a facet to the story which gives another perspective to the depth of the Saga of the Volsungs.

Spine tingling when it comes to the words printed from AllFather himself! Diana L Paxson is probably the best writer in this particular genre alive today. I highly recommend this entire series, as well as Brisingamen!

The book Little House on the Prarie, in my opinion, was a very exciting book! One reason why I liked the book was because I liked how Ma,Pa,Mary, Laura,and Baby Carrie were pioneers.I learned a lot about pioneer life back then. I learned wooden cabins were the only types of houses, and people traded animals for other animals.Another reason why I liked this book was how most of the time you don't know what will happen next. When the Wagon fell in the river,I had no clue it was going to happen untill it fell. I would recommend this book to everyone that likes to read!

I first read this book when I was 10 years old. I rememberbeing delighted by the amazing way of life of a little girl who wasjust my age. I am now 30 and have just reread "little house on the prarie". I now am amazed by how a pioneer family not only survived in such times but lived life to the fullest.

This is a great book! I am a beginner at juicing. The ingredient explanations are wonderful. I especially like the Fat-Melt down recipe. My kids like any of the dessert recipes. I

This was the first raw food cookbook we got. We purchased it at the same time as our Green Life juicer, which is necessary for "cooking" with this book, as well as a dehydrator for some recipes. Everything we have tried so far has been exceptional. Not any one recipe stands out, since all we have tried has far exceded our expectations for raw food. Preparing food this way is so incredibly different, we never knew raw food could taste this good. One thinks of salads and fresh apples when one thinks of raw food. There are recipes for juices, drinks, cold soups, seed cheeses, dressings, dips & pates, loafs, crackers, porridge, breads, and endless sweets and desserts. Since using Elsya's Green Life book, it has turned us on to eatting in the raw, and hopefully one day we will reach our goal and be able to call ourselves raw-foodists.

G.S. Kutter's 'The Universe and Life' is a fascinating, rare combination of sciences. In the foreword written by Professor Lynn Margulis of Boston University:

'Professor Kutter has actually accomplished what most scientist-scholars experience only in their wildest dreams: a readable treatise on cosmic evolution. Are we the only intelligent (interstellar-communicating) life in the universe?'

This book is divided into two sections: Physical Evolution and Biological Evolution. Kutter begins from the broadest of principles and works his way inward. The breadth of the material in this book is indeed a challenge for understanding; quite often those with an aptitude and interest in the more physical sciences (physics, chemistry, astronomy, etc.) are less inclined toward the biological sciences (botany, zoology, etc.) and vice versa. This book covers a wide span of both.

This book has several intentions. It can be used as a primer for liberal arts students who need a broad overview of the sciences, for one will get a generous portion of many of the sciences from this text. It is also useful for those who are intending to study in the sciences, and have yet to decide a particular concentration, or also for those who have selected a concentration, but want a broader exposure to the current issues outside their immediate fields.

Kutter takes the chronological approach, beginning with the origins of the universe. Thus, the first section of the book, Physical Evolution, begins with complex issues and problems in astronomy, physics, and cosmology. In all of these works -- the overall cosmological framework of the universe, the formation of galaxies and stars, the synthesis of heavy elements and the formation of planetary systems, including our own -- the point is to demonstrate how these developments led to the environment in which life could thrive.

'Following the Big Bang, the primordial hydrogen and helium condensed into stars, galaxies, and galaxy clusters. Within the cores of stars the hydrogen was fused into helium, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and other heavier elements. At the end of the their lives, the most massive stars exploded as supernovae and threw the newly synthesized elements into space, thus altering the composition of the interstellar gas and dust within galaxies. Finally, some 4.5 billion years ago, our Solar System was created in the disk of the Milky Way.'

In the second section on Biological Evolution, Kutter begins with a brief essay on the idea of biological evolution, and proceeds to trace the steps of development from simple to complex lifeforms: early life and botanical development, origin and development of the major animal phyla, appearance of the vertebrates, and finally the primates.

'With the origin of life on Earth an entirely new kind of evolution began--biological evolution. This is consistent with all the laws of physics, but it is far more complex than physical evolution and much less predictable.'

This book assumes a scientific aptitude. Calculus is not required, but a comfort level with algebraic equations will be necessary from the start. From the first few pages in which equations showing the relations of forces (gravitational, electromagnetic, etc.), this is a technical book. This is a science text book, and not presented in a way intended for leisurely reading. That having been said, it is by comparison with other scientific textbooks (particularly in section one on Physical Evolution) it is remarkably readable and accessible, with sidebar boxes which explain in more detail confusing bits, and a generous number of photographs, graphs, tables and charts. In the second section, tables, charts and figures help illustrate the lifeforms being discussed.

There is an inherent difficulty in a presentation of this sort. It leads inadvertently to the assumption (unwarranted in a purely scientific framework) that the point of evolution is the development of human intelligence, rather like the work of historians not so long ago who believed that the point of history was intentional toward them -- Kutter reminds us of the words of Spinoza, who concluded in his treatise Ethica that the assumption that humanity is the purpose and end of nature is a purely human imagining.

This is a good, one-volume overview of much of science, with a particular end toward explaining how the physical universe and the biological world as we know it came into being. Kutter concludes with an epilogue on the likelihood of life elsewhere in the universe -- given the conditions of similarity throughout much of the cosmos, it is likely that life is more common than we might suspect; this is not to say that travel or even communication is likely, or even possible, but that, if there is anything science has taught us, it is to expect the unexpected.

This undeservedly obscure book is unique, as far as I know, in pulling together into a single easily followed story the evolution of the universe from the big bang to the formation of our planet and of molecules plus the evolution of life on earth. As a result, it offers a 'big picture' basic story within which or from which to anchor a great deal of our knowledge of the world and our place in it. Most highly recommended.

The Universe and Life is essentially a textbook, written for an undergraduate survey course, but there is no reason the rest of us can't read it as almost a 'popular science' book. For a more or less scientifically literate person it should not be a difficult read. For a less prepared person, it might be harder going, but manageable and well worth the effort.

Regeneration, The Eye in the Door and Ghost Road make up Pat Barker's remarkable trilogy about England during the "Great War." The three books center around the character of Dr. William Rivers, a well known psychiatrist who served in Scotland and England during the war treating officers suffering from war-related neuroses - and restoring their sanity enough for them to return to the insanity of the front. Two of Rivers' patients play a central role in the trilogy - poet and decorated war hero Siegfried Sassoon, who was sent to Dr. Rivers after taking a public stand against the war, and Billy Prior, a working class boy who managed to work his way into the ranks of officer and whose psychological and personal conflicts drive a lot of the plot in The Eye in the Door.

The trilogy is so multi-faceted it can be difficult to say what it's really about. It's first and foremost a story of England during the war - how the war challenged traditional views of "maleness" (and enhanced the role of women in society), the scapegoating of homosexuals, leftists, and others as a political tool, etc. Barker draws on historical material and characters to depict the times - I don't know the history so I can't comment on the accuracy. But it's more than a historical novel. It deals with the universal role of war in human culture and contrasts the WW1 orgy of death and destruction with the war culture of the headhunters of Melanesia (where Rivers spent some time doing anthropological research). It's also a psychological study of Rivers, Sassoon and Prior (the former two historical, the latter fictional) who all seem to encapsulate multiple personalities - in Prior's case these are true multiple personalities, but in the cases of Rivers and Sassoon they are more subtle differences between their empathetic, sensitive, selves and the automatons they become when faced with professional responsibilities or when they otherwise operate from deeper instincts. There are many other threads in the story that I can't possibly mention here.

Parts of the book(s) are brilliant - great language and images, stories and sub plots at times harrowing and at times funny, great character development, witty dialogue. This is not a book that will be easily forgotten. It's also for the most part a great read.

My major criticism is that it should not have been published as three separate books. I read Ghost Road - the Booker winner - first and was disappointed, but loved it the second time around after I read Regeneration and (my favorite) The Eye in the Door. Related to this is the fact that while the books don't stand on their own, the trilogy doesn't really hold together as one novel either. Regeneration takes place mostly in the Craiglockhart War Hospital in Scotland and focuses on Rivers and his patients (especially Sassoon). Prior is there but not as central a figure as he becomes later. The Eye in the Door takes place mostly in London and centers around Prior, his sexual escapades, his personality disorders, and his attempt to free an old friend and neighbor from prison where she has been charged with plotting to kill the Prime Minister. The Ghost Road returns the focus to Rivers, his patients (but now in a hospital in England), and flashbacks to his research in Melanesia but also weaves into it the experience of Prior now back at the front in France through a journal Prior keeps. All a little confusing for those like me that prefer more of a clear roadmap.

One confusing thing is the focus on homosexuality (or bisexuality in Prior's case). Prior's appetite for sex was impressive and seemed to be very non-distinguishing (except for the fact that he "doesn't pay"). What I couldn't tell for sure was whether Rivers and Sassoon were homosexuals; I think they were but either they had repressed this aspect of their personalities (given the times probably understandable) or what I wasn't clear. I got the impression at points that every man in the story was homosexual or at least potentially so, and I'm not sure if Barker is saying something about the times, the WW1 environment, or just happened to pick out these characters for study. There are also references to nerve regeneration experiments that seemed important - I'm assuming the name of the book is related to this - but I wasn't sure how they tied into everything else. OK, nerve regeneration, psychological regeneration, etc...but so what?

In any case, these books give the reader a lot to think about and while the Ghost Road by itself does not in my opinion deserve a Booker I would say that the trilogy as a whole probably does.

Having just finished Paul Fussell's "cultural essay" on WWI called "The Great War and Modern Memory", I found myself compelled to read this fictionalized account of one of the main figures in Fussell's book, Siegfried Sassoon.

The historical background helped me enjoy this book tremendously, but it shouldn't take anyone long to be drawn into this compelling story about a doctor who is trying to "help" shell-shock victims recover so they can be sent back to the front. The characters are rich, the dialog is sharp, and the plot is riveting. Even the pacing, which I was afraid would drag at times, was excellent. Interestingly, the Sassoon story is only a thread that goes through the book; Barker populates the book with several touching stories and characters, some who become more important to the reader than Sassoon.

I dare you to read this book and not come away with a deeper compassion and sympathy for the soldiers of WWI.

As a stand-alone novel it's good. As book one in a trilogy, it's excellent. You meet the main characters in Regeneration. You learn their secrets in The Eye in the Door. You share their pain in The Ghost Road. It's a very different--and often haunting--look at World War I through its soldiers and their horrors. But it's Barker's writing that makes this trio a "10." There is history, fiction, philosophy, psychiatry, even sex and gore; but all part of the story, none of it gratuitous. She does not clutter her prose with tedious descriptions, yet every picture is crystal clear. She tells you things you don't want to know, through three books you won't want to put down.

Not that any book can be impartial, but Kracauer's generally socialist reading of films should not be viewed as definitive.

With this point taken into account, this book does offer an imcomparable survey of early German film, its symbolism, and also, the early careers of such actors as Peter Lorre and Marlene Dietrich.

This book is a very entertaining study of these films, and a must for any student of modern Germany, or early film. It does perhaps reflect generally on the modern German society, and WWII in particular.

Here it is: probably the most insightful, psychologically brilliant and well researched study of the great early German films (1910-1940) ever written. The author's thesis is this: popular films are popular because they are the dreams shared by a people at any given time. If we study films as if they were keys to the subconscious of the audience, we gain tremendous insight into the culture and mass psychology of the time. The author builds a very convincing case for his thesis that the whole build up to Hitler can be found in the fims that preceded him. I am convinced. This book is also an excellent history of German film as the author is a very good film scholar. Now, if only we had someone around who could interpret the current films of the USA so that we could find out what the future holds in store for us! I loved this book. It was stimulating and I had seen most of the films that he writes about. One advantage todays readers have is that many of these films are no! w out on video.

This book shows how the cinema paralleled and sometimes helped form the German psyche. Yet it is more than just a documentary. This brings you from the beginning of the industry to show what Hitler inherited. However the information caries far beyond the political dimension.

I use it more for information on the film industry as a whole for that time and the basis of what we inherited today. It is interesting that from the beginning people complained that the film was to long and inclusive or too short and excluded characters form history or books.

Two good parallel and overlapping timeline books for the era are "Caligari's Children : The Film As Tale of Terror" ISBN: 030680347X Which is a different view on the same subject and "The UFA Story : A History of Germany's Greatest Film Company, 1918-1945 (Weimar and Now: German Cultural Criticism, 23)" ISBN: 0520220692

They tried to capture the feel of the time and of the German actors attitude toward film, in the movie "Shadow of the Vampire" (2001)

The Saga of the Volsungs is rooted in dark myths and thoughts. It is more fun than the _Niebulunglied_ which is a courtly epic with all its conventions where as, the Volsung Saga is the heart of the matter -- Filled with violence, blood and terror.

For fans of the Icelandic epics the Volsung may prove disappointing because it does not have the wealth of detail nor dialogue that Njal's or Egil's Sagas contain. What the Volsung does have is a primal force of events that seem at times puzzling to the more modern reader who is used to internal dialogue and much exposition.

Take into account that the Volsung is a compiled mythic saga as opposed to societal saga of Iceland then you start getting a feel for things. The Volsung is inhabited by the Norse gods, magic is common and so is a level of violence that one does not usually see in literature today e.g., a mother who for the sake of vengeance kills her two children -- more coldly than Medea.

The Volsung is short and an easy read. You, the reader, need to provide the more developed framework of the society for which the Volsung sings to -- there are no extended descriptions or long, lyriical passages. Because of this the introduction is handy to have and so is a working knowledge of Norse myth and symbolic signifiers from that mythology.

One of the faults of this volume is that index of characters is not as clear as could be -- confusing when characters can share very similiar names. Also, clearer explanantion about the discontinuities in the narrative might have been more helpful for the beginning reader to work out the complexities.

Overall, not as fun as some of the Icelandic sagas with their more coherent narrative and dialogue structure but the Volsung has a visceral charm that reminds one of dark woods and dark gods. A must have for the mythology and saga junkie. If you are a Wagner fan the deep moments of the Ring Cycle will find you in familiar territory.

"The Saga of the Volsungs : The Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer" is a MUST READ for anyone with interest in the Vikings and their lore! There are a number of translations out there. But, in my opinion this one is clearly the best!

It's rare to find a book that's a good read for readers of all stripes, but this is one of the them. History and saga fiends will love the maps and the way Byock's introduction ties the tale into other historical contexts. Lovers of literature will enjoy the prose and a fantastic episodic narrative that builds one story on top of another into a great epic. It helps that Byock's translation is superb--he catches the rhythm and flow of the original Old Icelandic while crafting a very readable text that isn't dry or overworked as some translations can be. The notes, too, provide a wonderful background that enriches the reader's experience of the saga.

This saga is the one to start with. It's a fun saga--with lots of action, and also one of the most important stories in western literature, a Viking Age epic of the hero Sigurd and his wild Volsung kinsmen. Along the way, the famous Attila the Hun and the Gothic horsemen of the steppes enter the story along with others of their ilk.

The Saga of the Volsungs is the core basis of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Tolkien was a professor of Old English and taught Old Norse. In his creative way, he mined the Volsung story for the essential elements of his trilogy. If you want to understand Tolkien as well as Scandinavian myth and legend, then this saga is the best place to get started. The sword that was reforged, the ring of power and its connection with water, the Gandalf character, the origin of the Gollum and Aragorn, elves, dwarves, the riders of Rohan and much more all step off the pages of The Saga of the Volsungs.

I heartily recommend Jesse Byock's translation of The Saga of the Volsungs for new and old readers of the sagas, and of course for the Tolkien fans out there!

Izzy, Willy-Nilly is a good, thought-provoking book directed to high school students. It deals with issues that teenagers face everyday, including drunk-driving, friendship, and indifference. Izzy, Willy-Nilly is about a sophomore in high school, Izzy, who accepts a date with a senior, Marco. They go to a party and Marco drinks too much. On the drive home, they crash into a tree. Although Marco recieves minor injuries, Izzy loses a leg, and her life is changed forever. At 15, Izzy was the pretty, popular cheerleader from a rich family, but the accident changes everything. Her friends and family start treating her differently, and everywhere she goes people stare at her. She is no longer the once popular cheerleader, but the object of everyone's pity. Through hard work and perseverence, Izzy learns to cope and adjust to her disability. This book is definitely for every high school student to read. I could relate to many of the issues discussed in this book. This book totally made me think about how lucky I am to be healthy and fit.

This novel is about a young girl named Isobelle Lingard, "Izzy", who must pay consequences for a choice she makes. Izzy is a cheerleader and very popular amongst her school. However, her life changes after she suffers severe injuries in a car crash caused by a drunk driver. It takes a girl, Rosamunde, to make Izzy accept what has happened to her. Rosamunde will not let Izzy feel different from anyone else and will not let her be pitied. Izzy comes to know what her real friends are like and she makes a great friend. Because of Rosamunde, Izzy was given the courage to return to school and face her friends and peers that she was once afraid and embarrassed to be seen by. She was afraid of being different and not looking as pretty as everyone pictures her to be. The author wrote this book sending out a message of what can happen with drinking and driving. It is a great message that should be sent out especially to teen-agers. We are forced to pay consequences of our own actions. The author uses literary devices such as foreshadowing and symbolism. The author's overall theme is to be careful of the decisions we make. Our actions can not only affect ourselves, but also the people we are surrounded by. Drinking and driving is a major problem that people are faced with today. Hopefully reading this book will make teenagers, as well as adults, realize that our stupidity can hurt the ones we love most.

Like other books of author Cynthia Voigt, is directed at teenage readers. I read it for the first time at the age of 15, but having just revisited it at the age of 25, I found it just as enchanting as the first time I read it. The main character of the story is 15 year-old, high school sophomore Isobel, or Izzy. One night, against her better judgement, Izzy accepts a ride after a party from a senior named Marco, who has been drinking. Marco loses control of the car, and Izzy loses her leg above the knee as a result. The rest of the novel is the story of how Izzy deals with the loss of her leg, status, and friends. It is also the story of how Izzy learns new ways to relate to her family, learns more about herself, and makes a new friend who supports her. is an inspirational book in so many ways. It carries a potent message about the dangers of irresponsible driving. It is also among the few books that portrays a disabled person as a complete person, and not just as a stereotype. Voigt's writing is expressive, insightful, and comprehensive. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in stories about personal growth and transformation, or in stories that feature a disabled protagonist. It is a wonderful book.

The novel Many stones deserves a three star award. I
believe this because the book isn't stupendous, however it isn't
terrible. The novel is about Berry, a self-absorbed teenager,
who has to deal with the death of her older sisters Laura, and
her parents divorce. Her sister dies a disturbing death. While teaching children in South Africa, two men smash her head into pieces with a bat. To deal with this, she places stones on her chest as a relief method.

There was a memorial service and a reception in honor of Laura but, Her father, 'The Perfectionist", wants to have another memorial service, which will be held in Africa, at the school in which laura taught. (Berry doesn't like her father because he picked favorites with his daughters, and who do you think he picked? Laura, of course.)To precede with the service they need they need money and what better way, so berrys father thinks than to have a swimathon at berrys school. They raise enough money to continue with the idea. Berrys father invites her to come along to the service and she excepts(even though she doesn't what to.) On their trip, they have many arguments, and they even meet a "real live racist" as berry calls her. But, I'm not going to give it away, you're going to have to read it yourself!

I suggest this book for people 13 and older. But if you don't like books that have tragety and comedy mixed don't get this book!

"Home? If I were there right now, I'd reach for my pile of stones." In this story, Berry Morgan uses stones as a relief method, by placing them on her stomach, especially since she has a tough family life. Her mother, who tutors mentally challenged kids how to read, write, and talk, is the only normal person in her family. Her father lives in California with his girlfriend, and her sister, Laura who was in South Africa helping the children down there.... Well, she is dead. She was brutally murdered, only a year before Barry and her father go to South Africa for her memorial service.
One day, Barry's Father turns-up at her home is Washington DC, and has asked Berry to come to South Africa with him for Laura's Memorial Service. Barry goes, but with a major chip on her shoulder. Barry has a major problem with her father barging in on her life and wanting her to come with him on an adventure in an unknown country. While they are there for 11 days, her father has planned a little more than just the memorial service. They go to Cape Town, Kruger National Park, and a little bed and breakfast. She is really snippy with her father, and they really don't get along together will at all. But as the trip goes on, the two of them learn their differences and get along better each day. This book is about how two people learn to get along better and as the days that they are together stacks up.. I would recommend this book for kids older than 12, and even adults, because it is a good book and I would reread it any time, that's how good it is.

Many Stones is a multi-layered tale about forgiveness, a process that needs to occur at both the political and personal levels in this incredibly well-told book. Berry is angry, most especially at her father, who has moved 3000 miles away from his family. Now the two of them are on their way to South Africa, ostensibly to participate in a memorial service for Berry's sister, Laura, who went to South Africa to do charity work but who wound up the victim of random violence. When she was alive, Laura was the "favorite" daughter, the daughter that Berry always felt second fiddle to whenever she was in the company of her father and Laura. Berry's father wants to use the trip as an opportunity for him and Berry to make amends, to forgive one another for the wounds they've each inflicted. But, Berry is resistant to doing so. She's just too angry. But, as any student of current events knows, South Africa provides a tremendous example of the power of forgiveness. Berry is over there during the meetings of the Truth Commission, and speaks to a number of people who explain to her that knowing the truth is more valuable than punishing wrong-doers. Thus, the families of victims have chosen to trade forgiveness for knowledge, not revenge. Berry's father obviously hopes his daughter will be so moved to provide the same to him, but as you can imagine, a teenaged girl, who is in pain from a variety of hurts, is not going to be easy to convince. The language of this book is sparse and beautiful. I'm pleased that it was nominated for a National Book Award--deservedly so for taking on such a complex topic and handling it so brilliantly. One last note: There is not a lot of fiction out there that deals with the relationships between fathers and daughters. This is an especially good look at the complexities of those bonds.

This book covers CDO 1.2.1. It does not cover CDO for Windows 2000. I did not discover this until I bought the book. The project I was working on required CDO 2000, so the book was worthless to me.

While most of what you need to know about CDO programming is in this book, I found that the information could have been presented in a more friendly manner. Most of the examples seem to be spread out throughout several chapters, leaving you to do a lot of flipping back and forth to figure out fairly straight forward information. Quite frustrating. To be fair to the authors, I have found this to be the case with most of the books in the WROX library, so it is probably just the editorial style of the publishing company.

If you like the WROX style, you should be happy with this book.

Started out with this book to understand the direction of Microsoft in the gradual move towards object model programming. CDO is meant to ease the "pain" of raw extended MAPI programming. However, there are some issues and cases that still required the ascent into the arcane area of raw MAPI. Examples are custom agent programming and Calendar programming(which is greatly undocumented) using raw MAPI. Correlating IDispatch and IUnknown Interfaces does not make it easier, and smart pointers are not a panacea for all programming issues. Enough said... I really love this book, and with the move to Exchange 2000, it should give a good foundation for CDO programming in both C++ and VB.