This is a very well written and layout book. The recipes are very straight forward and easy to use. The different sauces with multi flavors are excellent......and the Smoked Jambalaya Rice is unmatched! Got to love his touch on BBQ!

I'm from Texas so I'm particular about my barbeque! This book is for SMOKING and BBQ lovers and there is something for everyone in this little gem! You can tell that "the Chef" (and author) has tried and tested these recipes.... it gives you the confidence to try it his way! I like the fact that this book gives you details in plain language..... I especially enjoyed the tips and tidbit information throughout......and a bonus at the end of the book was some great summertime side dishes and salad recipes. So far, every recipe my husband and I have tried has been perfect and delicious...just ask all of our friends and neighbors!!!

This book is awsome! Not only is it wrtten well, the recipes are oustanding and easy to follow. Plus......they actually work unlike many other books!

I have used several recipes already and they are GREAT and easy to follow!

This book contains the complete set of scripts for the Black Adder TV episodes, made by the BBC. Black Adder aired as four individual series of six episodes each: The Black Adder, Black Adder II, Black Adder the Third and Black Adder Goes Forth. It does not contain the Xmas special.

The screenplays were written by Richard Curtis (Mr. Bean, Not the nine o'clock news) and Ben Elton - possibly one of the funniest modern writers.

In the first series, Black Adder is a weak chinned, effeminate heir to Richard, Duke of York. Set in medieval England, we are introduced to two of the most often recurring characters in Black Adders live(s) - Percy and Baldrick. Lord Percy is an eager to please, high strung dolt. Baldrick, an filthy peasant that is under qualified to be the village idiot, acts as Black Adder's golfer. Although funny, the first series may miss an American audience with some of it's historical references.

In the second series, Black Adder's next descendant is no longer heir to the throne but remains one of Queen's dearest friends. Set in Elizabethan England, we get to follow Black Adder as he plots to carouse, fornicate and steal his way to pleasure. Even funnier than the first series, Black Adder gets far more clever. We are also introduced to two additional, recurring characters - Melchett and Flash. Melchett is a pompous, over bearing palace sycophant and Flash is fast moving ladies man with more than just a sword hanging between his legs.

Black Adder's fortunes have considerably fallen by the Third Series, where he is now serving a butler to the Price Regent of England, the stupidest man in the land. Again, the clever Black Adder schemes to raise himself at the expense of everyone around him. Other great English comedic actors Hue Laurie, Robbie Coltrane and Tim McInnery all make appearances.

In the fourth and final series, Black Adder finds himself caught on the front lines of World War I. Trying to eke out a comfortable existence without being sent out on a suicidal charge against the Kaiser, Black Adder's fourth series is somewhat reminiscent of Mash. Without all the nice doctor's off course. This series has the "crudest" humour of all.

Black Adder is undoubtedly one of the funniest English comedy series ever made and the screenplays are worth owning.

Even if you are NOT a die-hard fan of The Black Adder--you WILL be after reading this book. It consists of all the scripts from the television show and reads very well. In fact, for those who have never even seen the television show, this book is easy to follow, extremely witty, and absolutely hilarious and will make you want to run out and buy the series on video!!! It translates very well in book format--I can hardly say enough good things. Profits from the sale go to Comic Relief--also, as an added bonus, the book features Black Adder's "greatest insults" and lots of other "fun stuff" from the Dark Ages, including most effective torture devices, best cures for skin diseases and deformities, etc. etc. very tongue-in-cheek. Loved it! Go out and buy this book! Highly recommend and you will laugh out loud!!

This compendium of scripts from the four Black Adder series is the perfect instant mood enhancer. Carry it to work, on the train, and best of all, to the in-laws for emergency bathroom reading. Tension and anxiety are sure to melt away after the howls of laughter induced by reading some roaring, spiffing exchanges, especially, Blackadder's hyperbolic similies.

Even for an inveterate brooder like me, it's virtually impossible to stay in a snit after a glance or two of these cunning and subtle transcripts of one of the world's most hilarious and brilliant sitcoms.

As other reviewers have noted, the dialogue translates well into print, thanks to editorial asides and stage directions. Some of the material is even funnier read than viewed. For those who haven't seen the Black Adder series, be aware that a few pages of this book can instigate quite an addiction, leading to stronger stuff like the complete series and specials on VHS. Hurrah!

This book is weird and unlike any gay fiction I've encountered. One could say that in some sense, the characters in it are unique, whatever their ethnic background. There are a lot of funny moments and stories that leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling about friendships across all kinds of boundaries. There really is a diet inside the title story, and the diet probably makes a lot of sense. Kudos to the author for a very sweet book.

The stories in this volume show how difficult it is to be gay -- that is, to be a human being. The characters are basically all the same person: a bright, loquacious, ironic Aerican gay male who may be white or black, Asian or Hispanic, 22 or 42, who deals with society, family, and the culture of the mass media with humor, compassion, and a touch of self-pity. I liked the story about the gay punk rock band the best, but the story of the closeted gay cowboy ranch manager was also very affecting, especially in light of the fact that it takes place in Wyoming after Matthew Shepard's murder. The author seems to like women and old people, too -- or his characters do. A nice, pleasant read. I laughed aloud a few times, and it usually takes a lot to get me to do that.

The conversations between the characters here range from hilarious to absurd. Lovers, ex-lovers and friends all seem extremely sharp, knowing and a bit too smart for their own goods. A lot of the characters here seem isolated from the gay mainstream and while the critique of gay life is low-key, it's also pointed. Some of the reveries about friends and acquaintances who've died of AIDS verge on the sentimental. What I like most is how Grayson ties together all kinds of things you ordinarily wouldn't expect, just as his unlikely lovers manage to stay together, at least temporarily. I'm surprised the tone of the book remained consistent throughout the stories, and I wonder how many of them are autobiographical (I bet a lot!)

This is the most thorough book you will read on Brown v. Board of Education. Kluger makes an attentive reader of his work a modest authority on the subject. You had better be very interested in the topic, however, as he leaves no stone unturned. Kluger writes not as a lawyer or historian but as a journalist who is witness to the multitude of events which he depicts.

Besides the numerous civil rights leaders and soldiers the reader encounters, the author provides an intimate account of Supreme Court justices and the process of decision-making. This proves to be the most compelling aspect of the book.

It's required reading for every social revolutionary.

A quarter of a century after it was first published, "Simple Justice" still has the power to move, enrage and touch the hearts of anyone who believes that justice ultimately prevails.

It should be required reading in any college U.S. history course because it shines an intense spotlight on the complex development of legal issues and thinking that produced the end of segregation in the United States.

I do not exaggerate when I say I believe that this is the best history book I've ever read. Further, it's wise to read it now, because an awful lot of the people instrumental in the ultimate decision, Brown vs. the Board of Education, are dying out. The late Thurgood Marshall is a great example of a lost legal talent and courageous leader who did the right thing by all Americans by winning this case. Read this book now, if only so you'll recognize the heroes in their obituaries.

What Richard Kluger has done in this account is spell out the development first of segregation, telling us just who and how the dreaded Jim Crow laws came about-including segregation laws in the North-and then walk us through how, piece by piece, legal decisions were strung together to put an end to legal segregation.

I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s and, if I thought about it at all, had the idea that the Brown decision had more or less come out of nowhere. Eventually, I began to catch on, and then I read this book. If you are similar-minded, this book will set you straight and point you to the many unsung heroes who have made us a fairer country, in line with the ideals that helped found this country. If you're a parent looking for good role models, forget sports and entertainment. Look to this book for examples of people who literally risked everything, and often paid dearly, to do the right thing. They didn't shrink from the challenge; they stepped forward, many many times. That so many others did not only reminds us of how fearful we are to force change or risk our own well being to tackle injustice. I wish I could rate it higher.

This is the one book where all the rumours, gossips,government
participation in hindering black movement into the mainstream for obvious reasons like votes was documented. Simple Justice is really two books in one.
On the one hand there is the exhaustive documentation of the race relation in this country. the evolution from sharecropping, the obstacles and outright bigotry of some white people even leaders and experts in concluding thru so-called Sponsored studies that the blackman was genetically inferior and the subsequent counter studies that goes contrary to genetics, in d issue of Gene vs. Enviroment
On the other hand the legal maneuvering resulting in d decision we now called the brown vs. boe. the role of some white brothers is acknowledged here. thanks to the supreme court later to be headed by chief Justice Jarren-for daring to do what was then the inconceivable.
the decision among other thing brought the power of government and the role of d supreme court as the pre-eminent decision maker to the fore.
I must mention here that the actors like martin luther king jnr, Thurgood Marshal later a supreme court judge ,naacp members and other black men and women who risk all they have to win this case.
**I recommend that this book should b fed if possible to all blackmen in high schools that they may know how much it took to get to where we are today. that education should be taking seriously by all black people.

Special Effects is THE BEST book you could wish for on the subject. I have a shelf full of old, an mostly inaccurate books about special effects, but with this new book I could throw the rest away. Also, don't bother with magazines like Cinefex anymore, which are very dry and heavy going. this book is a pleasure to read and has interviews with everyone who is important in the business. There are hundreds of cool photos as well which makes it very good value. Anyone who works in special effects, or is just interested in the movies should read this book. Congratulations to the author Mr Rickitt who has condensed 100 years of movie magic into a single lavish book. Dont take my word for it - BUY IT!

For those who want to know ," How did they do that?". This book is a must for you.See how they first discovered how you could trick the movie going public into thinking they were seeing something ,that they only seen magicain's do on stage, but even more magical.From Georges Melies, through, Willis O'Brian, John P Fulton to Inustial Light and Magic.It also covers the great make up artist from Lon Chaney through, Jack P Pierce to the presnt master Rick Baker.How Animatronics were first used and made a big come back through the likes of Stan Winston and Jim Henson.These are just the more well know names who have contributed to the making of movie magic, and although not a refference book , that goes into details of each of the protagonist's careers.It does cover the finer points of cinema special effects.A must for those who are into the technical side of movie making , and also a great book for those who just like movies in general.

WOW! If you have even the smallest interest in special effects, filmmaking, or even general film history, you must own a copy of this brilliant new book - it's amazing!

Though at first I figured 'Special Effects: The History and Technique' seemed expensive, I thought I'd give it a try since so few books on this subject are ever published. Also, because I am a film studies lecturer, I need to keep up to date with books that are published on the subject. It turned out to be the BEST BUY I have made in a long time.

The book starts with an 'overview if the first 100 years of special effects' and perfectly summarises the first century of the commercial cinema. The author writes about the film pioneers, the formation of the studio system, the coming of sound, the challenge of TV, the changes in society and audiences - all the influences that affected the type of films that were made in each decade. He then gives a summary of the most important effects films of each decade and even includes profiles of important effects directors from Alfred Hitchcock to James Cameron.

Chapter Two teaches you everything you need to know about the basics of cinema technology - like how film and emulsions work, how cameras, lenses and projectors work, the physics of light and color etc. The author then explains the basics of traditional optical work and, with the help of fantastic graphic illustrations (there are hundreds of these thru the book), shows how an optical printer works and details the various bluescreen travelling matte systems and their variations like the Dunning Pomeroy Process and Sodium Vapor travelling mattes. There is a stack of examples and images from many films as well as interviews with people who worked on movies such as Terminator and Superman. The chapter then moves on to the history and science of digital technology - explaining how images are created and manipulated digitally with reference to many modern special effects companies and films.

Chapter 3 looks at models and miniatures. The Chapter explains how traditional models are built and filmed and gives formulas for things like camera speed, model size and scale. Examples from the earliest days until the current time are used. The chapter also explains how different types of miniatures are made and filmed - there's a section on boats and water, one on aircraft and flying and (best of all) one on miniature pyrotechnics. The chapter then explains how models are built in the computer and shows different CG modelling and painting techniques and interviews many masters of the process.

The animation chapter is the best of all. Every form and technique is covered in minute detail - from early cartoons, stop motion, go-motion as well as modern computer assisted cartoons and full 3D animation. There are profiles of films like King Kong and Jurassic Park and interviews with masters like Ray Harryhausen and Phil Tippet.

Chapter 5 covers matte painting from the earliest glass paintings to the latest amazing 3D computer generated environments in films like The Phantom Menace and Titanic.

The next section looks at special effects makeup - showing how to create anything from a scar to a huge animatronic dinosaur. All processes are covered in minute detail with explanations from experts such as Stan Winston and Jim Henson's Creature Shop. The chapter ends with a look at digital makeup in films like The Mummy. Chapter 9 looks at physical effects and talks about how to create wind, snow, rain - even fake glass. It also has a fantastic section on guns and explosions which tells you just how it is all done in films such as James Bond and Indiana Jones.

The next chapter was a great surprise - sound effects! I can't think of another fx book that covers this subject - even though the sound of a dinosaur is, of course, as important as what it looks like. The whole process of film sound is explained from recording, mixing and dubbing to sound design with profiles of experts such as Ben Burtt.

The final chapter looks at the future of cinema and special effects and considers formats such as 3D (full coverage of history and technique, IMAX, digital filmmaking and virtual reality.

Finally chapter 10 looks in detail at the effects and techniques of the top 50 effects films of all time- some people might not agree that these are the top 50 films, but those chosen are definitely some of the most important ones. The author details exactly how each film was made and who did what.

There is a good bibiography and a really useful glossary with every complicated film and special effects term explained with amazing clarity.

I cannot fault this book - it is probably as good as a few years at film school or a hundred nights at the movies. Anybody even slightly interested in movies and movie making should have a copy on their shelf - I will definitely recommend it to all my students as one of the few books that is worth buying rather than simply borrowing from a library. I've read my copy from cover to cover twice and will refer to it for years to come.

As a 15-year Who fan, I've often lamented that the end of the creative Who coincided with my interest in the band. I wondered why there weren't at least more albums from their peak creative years. After reading this book, I now understand all the complex group dynamics that both fueled and hindered the band. From this book, we see it all from an eyewitness unencumbered by celebrity. As introspective as Townshend often was (is), he often contradicted historical recollections of the legendary Who. Richard Barnes seems to set the story straight, and despite being a close friend of the band, tells it honestly. Warts on the arse and all. A great read broken up by scores of previously unseen photos and memorabilia.

Simply put, The Who transcended rock in their heyday. A much more compelling live act than the Stones or Beatles...lyrically soaring over Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. A chronicle of the greatest band to emerge from the British Invasion. The Who's magic, was that it was a machine...but an ever-changing one. Pete Townshend's lyrical courage, Roger Daltrey's agressive vocals, John Entwistle's thundering bass and Keith Moon's anarchic drumming made this a band for the ages. This book, a must for any Who completist, is also a wonderful source for the new fan. With it's use of exclusive photos and insider tales, the books author (Barnes) has managed to please even the most informed fanatic. Towsnhend, Daltrey, Entwistle and Moon are captured in their true form...as flawed individuals and as peerless performers. Anyone who has been a fans for years will love the "behind-the-scenes" peeks...and the new fans will delight in these stories as an introduction to the greates band in rock and roll. Loud, raucous, destructive, brilliant. Pick it up if you love the Who!

This is the inside scoop on The Who from a friend of Pete Townshend's before The Who even existed. There are an overwhelming number of color and black-and-white photos and a text that takes you on The Who's amazing journey from guitar-smashing hooligans in Shepherd's Bush dives to rock 'n' roll gods. If you like rock music at all, you need this book

I have read all the other reviews. They are right on target; essentially this is a 5+ star book. However, like nearly all self-help books, the author repeats and repeats and repeats simple concepts (new maybe, revolutionary to the field, perhaps, but simple to understand).

The basic premise is that one's thinking when it is askew gets one into trouble with depression, etc. Simple, true, great explantions, but the book could clearly have been half the size.

The case studies are informative and break the monotony.

I highly recommend this book, but you can skip through most of it, and more importantly start practicing the principles.

Depression seems a dark, bottomless pit with no way out, and yet the door to sunshine and wholeness is amazingly easy to open, thanks to Richard Carlson. A few years back, after spending megabucks on counseling and anti-depressants (which ultimately made things worse!), I simply read this common-sense book and was well on the way to healing within six weeks. Just learning to recognize the triggers that start the depressive cycle gives the sufferer major power in controlling the onset of depression. Then, learning to think and act as a child, not worrying over yesterday or tomorrow - just making life great RIGHT NOW - gives us the ultimate weapon for conquering depression and giving us back control of our lives. And it really didn't take as much effort as I thought it would - I just had to WANT to heal, and be willing to do a little work to accomplish that end. Anyone who reads this book, whether suffering from depression or not, will benefit from it's common-sense approach to life in general. It's a small book, and it can help to enhance the quality of life in a GIANT way!! Thank you, Richard Carlson.

This book is easy to read and understand even if your too depressed to read anything. Richards' writing doesn't talk down to you or pretend that your supposed to get "it". He explains in common sense ways how you can change your life by changing your thinking. He also doesn't leave you with hanging questions. He intuitively knows what questions the reader may be asking and answers them. I felt satisfied with his thorough explanation of his proces and it has helped me immensely. I have given this book to many friends and their comments echo mine. This book puts you back in the drivers seat of your mind.

Richard Karl has done an admirable job of letting the reader into the rather rarified atmosphere of a surgeon's daily life. Also admirable is the compassion he feels for his patients and for the young doctors he teaches who are contemplating surgery as a career. With just the right amount of detail to give a good picture of complicated medical cases, the lay person can begin to understand the enormous responsibility a surgeon carries every day.
I am a high school librarian and I will buy this book for my high school library, as I believe many students, especially those aimed at medicine as a career, would definitely appreciate this very readable and enjoyable memoir.

Dr. Richard Karl developed his style by writing of his avocation, flying. It is a natural extension of his craft to write of his vocation, surgery. My generation of physicians were largely recruited to medicine by Dr. William Nolen in his books "The Making of a Surgeon" and "The Life of a Surgeon". Dr. Karl builds on that fine tradition with "Across the Red Line". Just as life has become more complicated since the 1960's, so has medicine. Dr. Karl reflects the complexity of the current environment while maintaining the the reverance of the doctor-patient relationship that Dr. Nolen so aptly described. Dr. Karl has served our professional and the public well with this passionate description of the surgeon's daily work.

Who should read Across the Red Line? First of all this is a book for medical students thinking about becoming a surgeon. with great economy of language it describes the emotional, physical and mental aspects of what it takes to perform surgery day after day, in both planned and unplanned circumstances. It offers the reader dramatic insight about the ups and downs of the profession.

It is good reading for the patient facing surgery as well. It provides a strong dose of reality for anyone facing surgery or other intense medical care. In this area Dr. Karl provides particular insight. In two separate chapters he describes in vivid and emotional detail his two bouts with being hospitalized. In both cases for illness or injury inflicted in the line of duty. The first was a case of life threatening hepatitis. The second was a broken neck incurred in an effort to restrain a strong, young patient who became out of control in the emergency room. Dr. Karl's own experience clearly shaped his perspective and made him a much more compassionate physician.

This book is good reading for other doctors who may need to see that it is possible to be passionate, caring and emotional thirty some years into a career.

Finally this is a book for anyone interested in learning about what it is like to walk around in the shoes of a serious and thoughtful surgeon who details with life and death many times a day.

This is one of the best written books I have ever read about the American Revolution. Ketchum is a very accomplished writer. Though at times his prose is slightly confusing, overall he does a good job of conveying to his readers the desperate situation the American rebels were in. Ketchum also does a good job of placing the Battle of Bunker Hill in context of the entire war. He picks up the story about 3 weeks before the battle, and fills in the back story of Lexington and Concord. His description of the events leading up to the battle, especially the description of the night march and entrenchment of American troops is fascinating, and keeps you turning the pages. The actual battle only fills one chapter, simply because it was a very straightforward affair. Amazingly, out of about 3000 men engaged on both sides, 1500 were casualties! However, Ketchum makes it very clear that the Americans gave worse then they got, and shows how Bunker Hill would become a confidence booster for the American Cause.

My only complaint about the book is the lack of a good map of the area. Ketchum uses contemporary drawings of Boston to show the places he is describing, but these are not very accurrate and you never really get a picture of where the battle took place in relation to other landmarks. However, this does not detract from the narrative, and I strongly reccommend reading this book, for anyone of any level of interest in the era.

This is a beautifully written book, the first of three written so far by Richard Ketchum, on famous Revolutionary War battles. It tells the story of the first major military engagement of the American Revolution as does no other book I've ever read on the same subject.

The author brings to life the main characters and events of the story. He briefly introduces the major figures - British Generals Thomas Gage and William Howe, and American leaders Joseph Warren, General Israel Putnam, Colonel William Prescott, and Henry Knox - and traces the story of the conflict in the Boston area in the spring of 1775. Ketchum then sets the scene of the battle by describing how the Americans, chronically short of munitions, supplies and manpower, successfully avoided British detection and entrenched themselves on Breed's Hill (mistaking it for the higher Bunker Hill), and how the British reacted once they discovered the fortifications. Drawing on letters and other first-person accounts of the battle's participants and observers, both the American and British, Ketchum vividly describes the military action of June 17, 1775; I found myself almost able to hear the firing of guns, and smell the smoke of battle, as I read the final chapters of the book.

As an avid reader of American History, I thought I knew everything about battle of Bunker Hill; however, Ketchum's powerfully written narrative introduced me to many new facts about the people and events of this, the first major battle in America's war for independence. It is a book of outstanding scholarship, and "must read" for anyone interested in American history.

Richard Ketchum has written a fantastic narrative history of this important early battle of the American Revolution. For years, early American history has been one of my biggest interests and I can honestly say I've never read a book from this period that was as gripping as Ketchum's. It rivals David McCullough's "Truman" with its ability to pull the reader in, making him feel as if he's in the midst of the battle. Furthermore, he displays an intimate knowledge of both the particulars of Bunker Hill as well as 18th century warfare in general. Highly recommended.

This book is the most unique gift I have ever received. Ever since my daughter gave it to me, I can't put it down. I was touched by her wish to have me preserve things about my life. It is such a wonderful idea and the questions have brought a flood of memories. Now I feel I can say everything I want to say to my children and grandchildren. I recommend it for anyone.

This book prompts the reader through a number of memory sparking questions, then invites the reader to fill in the pages with their own version of their 'life experiences'. An excellent gift for parents, grandparents, or even if a young couple would like to start documenting their lives for their future family.

I got this book for my mother-in-law and she loves it. The first day she had it, she spent almost the entire day writing. She's told all of her friends and they are now wanting the book for themselves and their parents who may still be living. What better way to tell someone you care than to let them know you want to know all about their lives and want your children to know as well, so it will never be forgotten how wonderful they are. Now the only problem is, which grandchild gets the book when she's done!