Vigra tears is a delightful story of two men who visit Vietnam 30 years after the war. The author and his brother-in-law, different as night and day, share a most memorable experience in their journey and it gives you a different perspective of the war.
This book is worth reading, very witty and well written. I especially liked the chapter titles and how they related to the text of the book. It is easy reading for those that don't have a lot of time. The events that take place are interesting and informative and give you a sense of the country and people. The author makes you feel like you are right there with them. I didn't want it to end.

It is amazing to think that with the abundance of movies that have been written about the Vietnam War, not one has ever even come close to telling the story told in this book. Virga Tears gave me new insight into the Vietnam War, and an understanding of what so many soldiers must have gone through, emotionally, during the war, and during the thirty years since the war ended. This is a compelling book that you won't be able to put down. I highly recommend it to all.

I was not alive during the Vietnam War and only know what I read in the history books about it. After read Virga Tears I have a better understanding of what the war was like for soldiers (Nick), the people of Vietnam and those against the war (Jim).
There is great comdey and emotion between the two men in the story who couldn't be any more opposite then they are.
Once I picked up the book I could not put it down. The colorful words painted a vivid picture in my mind.
Great use of analogies. As an educator I would highly recommend it for a high school or college history class.
I laughed and cried reading this GREAT BOOK!!!

I've got a lot of BBQ books, maybe 40 or 50, and I would have to say this one has moved to the top of my list! Its got it all over the others. This book has "the vibe" its got soul, funk, rock and roll and some of the best damn barbecue recipes you'll ever come across. I'll have to settle for having to recreate the recipes as I am nowhere near this juke joint (but I am putting it on my BBQ Mecca list!)but just flipping thru the pages of this gaw-jus book I get a feeling like I can hear the music, smell the 'que and meet the characters that inhabit this place. Who says Dinosaurs are extinct! Chow time! Get cookin' get smokin! This is one 'Saur that Roars!

I must admit that I avoided purchasing this book as I have been disappointed in the past with cookbooks that are written for a particular restaurant. Too often, the recipes in such books are only close approximations of the real items. Alas, this book forgoes that tendency and gives the actual menu directions. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que cooks traditional 'American cuisine'. The recipes for 'Not Your Mama's Meatloaf' and 'Macaroni and Cheese Shepherd's Pie' were big hits. Each section (Beef, Poultry, Seafood, Pork etc.) contains some suggestions for the barbeque novice. But what separates the 'Dinosaur' from other cookbooks are the recipes for sauces, rubs and marinades. I have grown habanero chiles in my garden this summer and used them to make the hot version of the Mutha Sauce. Problem is, I can't get enough of this stuff. The combination of tastes will just dance on your tongue and you too will use it in more and more recipes. The Creole Rub is also an easy to create but versatile spice combination. On a lighter note, the compilation of the best of Dinosaur graffiti is hilarious. It is obvious that this establishment takes its food seriously without taking itself all that seriously. Buy the book....make the sauces....assemble the rubs and try the recipes. As the authors suggest, this will be only a guidebook for you. Feel free to experiment with your own spices and flavors. If it isn't already, barbeque will become an indispensable part of your culinary experience!

I bought Dinosaur's book not expecting much, given that it's "just" BBQ (forgive me) and that it's a restaurant cookbook (since books by professional chefs are often not feasible for home cooks to use, or else poorly written/edited/tested). I purchased it mostly because I'd been to the Syracuse restaurant, had a great time, and figured this book made a nice "souvenir" if nothing else. What a pleasant surprise: I've tried at least a dozen of the recipes (many more than once -- the real sign of a great cookbook) and all of them turned out wonderfully. And I'm not just talking BBQ -- I've made seafood, stews and braises, vegetables, and desserts from this book too. It's fun to read, and the instructions/layout are clear and comprehensive. A worthwhile purchase even for those who have never heard of the Dinosaur and have never set foot upstate.

"PHP XML" does a great job of covering a little bit of everything you can accomplish using PHP and XML. There's so much to cover, though, that a thorough, in-depth discussion of each is impossible in the scope of one book. Rather, the book teaches a programmer enough about the various technologies that they are much better prepared to make initial design decisions in their projects, and have enough example code to get their feet wet with the code to implement those decisions.

I'd recommend the book to anyone who'd like a convenient all-in-one-place reference to XML-related technologies and how PHP interacts with them. The book enables a developer to not just pick a tool because it's available, but to make intelligent decisions about which tool is best for their purposes.

It also gives one enough of a head start that understanding much deeper and more technical information on the web or in other books (XSLT Programmers Reference 2nd Edition, Pro PHP4, etc...) becomes easier to digest.

This book offers an incredible guide and reference to everything you can do with XML and PHP. Not only does this book cover the fundamentals of XML, such as SAX, DOM, XPATH and XSLT, but it covers rich topics like Apache Xindice, advanced XML storage techniques, XML-RPC, SOAP and a variety of both functional and object-oriented approaches to all these concepts.

At IBM, we have always been a strong advocator of PHP for being the perfect language for connecting to databases over the web and offering dynamic content and services. It's simple, elegant, easy and effective. Even further, IBM has always explored XML within PHP and has advocated the use of PHP with our DB2 product.

This book takes your existing PHP skills in HTML and databases and brings them to a whole new level. By taking your current knowledge and adding XML into the mix, this book will truely help you think creatively and create more complex applications. Even given all the hype around "Web Services", this book takes an incredible look into XML-RPC and SOAP. The authors have done, in my opinion, a fantastic job.

I give this book 5 stars because it truely deserves such a rating. The book is absolutely solid. If you want to learn anything from the fundamentals of XML all the way to Web Services, this book will show you the path and everything in-between.

The book features the most solid documentation on core XML technologies that i have ever read:
The SAX chapter is very interesting read because it goes beyond the installation of the SAX libraries and learning how to use the functions. Covering Expat, the chapter explains a great deal about how to use the less uncommon functions like xml_set_notation_decl_handler(), xml_set_external_entity_ref_handler() and the others effectively. Also of note, the diagrams and code examples were very clear and well done in this chapter. The chapter also looks at writing a properly modeled object-oriented SAX parser using eXtremePHP and covers common problems like removing whitespace, handling erroneous XML input and extending the white box infrastructure within eXtremePHP to create very powerful, yet elegant, XML Parsers.The DOM chapter covers the latest DOM extensions introduced in PHP 4.2.1 and even provides code examples and heads up information on what is to come in PHP 4.3.0. The chapter introduces what DOM is and even shows the reader a beautiful diagram illustrating how all the functions relate to an example. By simply looking at this, you can get a feel for how to use DOM almost immediately. The chapter continues to discuss how to enable DOM within your PHP installation on both Windows and UNIX and looks at the real-world advantages and disadvantages to using DOM over SAX. Next, the chapter explains the new DOM object model and looks at the underlying architecture before diving into any code examples. This information sets up the rest of the chapter, making it a lot easier for non-object oriented programs to visualize what methods belong to what objects and understanding the data relationships of the DOM tree. The chapter then presents a lot of code examples. First, it illustrates how many of the methods and functions of the DOM library work and then covers more complicated examples, illustrating how to parse, create and modify DOM documents with and without using HTML forms. The chapter closes with a pretty comprehensive look into the limitations of the DOM standard, explaining to the reader what the boundaries are, common problems with the API yet unfixed and provides future directions the library might take to correct many of the architectural, standards-based and object-oriented capabilities within the library.

Kudos to everyone that made this book happen.

A teacher of mine recommended this book to me in high school. It was out of print at the time, so she lent me her own copy. She told me that whenever she was feeling down, this book would cheer her up.

She was right. I've reread this book a half a dozen times in the 10 intervening years, and while it isn't necessarily, it is truly delightful. Captain Pausert's adventures with Goth are a lot of fun to read.

Further, the book affirms the philosophy that the good guys can win, even in a bureaucratic universe, if they're clever enough. This may be the attribute my teacher was talking about when she sent me to read the book (although I think the wonder of the book is something less tangible-- perhaps part of it is the way that the book takes for granted the idea that magic can exist, yet it isn't a traditional fantasy novel).

It's wonderful to see this going back into print. I enthusiastically recommend it.

I remember years ago, passing this book in my local library for years, until desperate for something to read, took it home. Five days later I was on my third reading of the book, aloud to my enraptured younger sister. It's a claasic in every sense of the word. A space opera with non-stop action, humor and excitement. The killer robot stalking Goth and Captain Pauisert is a real highlight. This is one of 2 books I would slip to Steven Spielberg. As has already been written, there's a blookbuster movie in the book waiting to be discoveed.

I first read this book in the 70's when I was a college student. This is one of the most enjoyable tales ever written in any genre. I was luck enough to purchase a reprinted copy about 15 years ago. Needless to say, even after 3 subsequent moves,I still have that copy. I do not loan it out! I've always thought that the story of young Captain Pausert and the three young witches that he saves and the interplanetary high jinks that they encounter- vatches,worm weather,grik dogs- is the stuff that great movies are made of. If either the animators of Disney or Steven Speilberg are looking for new story lines,they should check out these witches! My only regret is that Mr. Schmitz never wrote a sequel.

James Hadley Chase is the king of crime fiction! Believe me. He is my hero when it comes to story-telling. His stories are full of suspenses and thrill. He tells stories that are beyong your wildest imagination. Boy! what an author. I can't understand why his books are no longer printed. are all the publishers blind? James Hadley Chase is number one. You might say what about Christe Agathy and Sidney Sheldon. Well, they cannot even come close to him. Every page in his books is thrilling and fun. man! I wish you read them. Does anyone want to exchange his books with me. I have a collection of him.

The first James Hadley Chase' novel I read, "This way for a Shroud", lead me to another and then to another until I read almost all of them. That was a few years back, in Nigeria. Now I'm in Canada. Men! Was I disappointed there was none of his novels to be found in any bookstore. I want to have all his books in my book-shelve. I want to read all of them all over again. You don't get bored even though you read same about 20 times a day. I did that several times. I was again disappointed his books are out of print. What is the matter with everyone? Don't they know he is the KING of thriller writers? I'm always right there on the scene of action when reading his books. That is the feeling you get from the first page to after the last page. Can someone PLEASE tell me how or where to get any/all of his books? This is a desperate cry for help, anyone. Pi.

I am appalled that there is so little info on the novels of james hadley chase. i've read all his books and have collected most of them. his characters and plots, his language and pace are mindblowing. I started reading his books while in school and believe me, i still treasure them. Often i find i've forgotten parts of a novel and greatly relish reading it all over again. My only regret is that i've read them all. I wanted to read about chase the author and hence checked this site. I was appalled that most of his books are out of print and there is hardly any literature on the author. i read that he died some years ago. But he'll always live in our bookshelves. James Hadley Chase is the king of them all. Though i admit that movies based onhis books are terrible. I wonder why. Maybe it's because his books are movies in our head and nothing can really match that what we can imagine. LOve you jhc.

This is a wonderful play to introduce students to music, theater, Sondheim, and fairy tales. In my class we read many of the original Grimm Fairy Tales (Dover Ed.) and the Perrault Fairy Tales (Dover) discussing the tales, but also color symbolism, different forms of magic, totems, threshold creatures, etc. Pretty heady stuff for sixth graders, but they LOVE it! Finally we read this wonderful interconnection of Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, Baker and His Wife, Little Red Riding Hood, and more while they are on a quest tale to get things to undo spells. Everyone takes parts and it is AWESOME!! The book is certainly not just for kids, there are very dark themes underlying all of the "fun". These can be discussed and its great to see kids find more to a story than its literal meaning. The VHS tape is then shown, which can be ordered here. This is a taping of the Broadway stage production and is mesmerising. Students think it's awesome. (I do suggest previewing, though. The wolf certainly is "untamed nature" and his coat stops just above what probably should be hidden in a mixed group of sixth graders. :) We just fast forward those three minutes.) This is a great unit. If you would like more info, please contact me via e-mail. This is wonderful stuff, though certainly not Disney!!

Into the Woods...How can you forget the name and all of its characters if you've seen it before, and if you have not, then it includes such timeless fairy tale names as: Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack (of Beanstalk fame), Little Red Riding Hood, and many others. James Lapine's brilliant script and Stephen Sondheim's astounding score are all in this book! Don't miss out on reading this fantastic book with your kids or for pleasure! This book is great for pleasure reading or if you are looking for an amazing musical to put on. Once you start reading this book, you won't be able to put it down! And if you liked the book...you won't hesitate to buy the video of the original Broadway cast and the CD or cassette! Having all 3 mentioned items and watching, listening, and reading over and over still isn't enough! You will love it too.

This book is great to have before seeing the show or listening to the soundtrack... you'll completely understand what's happening in the story. I should also say, just in general.... Into the Woods is back on Broadway now, and I just saw it yesterday on its opening day with front row seats in the orchestra. I was worried the new production might not surpass the original, and that I would be disappointed since I love love Bernadette Peters and all... but it really blew my mind! The set and costumes were so much more appropriate, more fairytale-esque. There were lyric and staging changes, a little more dancing around, and Milky-White was alive this time which made her like another character. The musical has a lot of catchy tunes but also a good storyline, and though there is a lot of symbolism that if seen literally might not be appropriate for kids, they usually are too young to notice or understand it at all. So anyone can see it, and everyone finds it funny, everyone likes it. And the current production is better than you could have dreamed.

Maritime artist and historian Jim Clary's new Titanic book is a neatly self contained history of that most famous of all shipwrecks. The book's first half is a consise narrative of Titanic's short life. The conception, construction, sea trials, voyage and disaster are all well presented. This section's straightforward approach will appeal to both newcommers and long time enthusiasts alike. Then, things get interesting. Mr. Clary analyzes several theories and "what if" scenarios that have been popular Titanic topics for 86 years. His primary sources are the testimony and writings of Second Officer Charles Lightoller and passenger Lawrence Beesley who are generally considered accurate and comprehensive witnesses to the disaster. The coverage of the Titanic theories is brief but what is lacking in depth is made up in clarity, a quality often lacking in printed Titanic discussions. An interview with a 96 year-old Edwina Troutt McKenzie was also interesting. The ending chapter called "The Last True Story" is an original thesis claiming the Titanic resumed sailing underway after hitting the iceberg. Mr. Clary gives us a compelling case for this scenario and I believe it deserves consideration and more research. I recommend this book for both new and old Titanic buffs. It's brevity and personal style are easy to approach while the theories and arguments bring new thought to old issues. Many will find these thoughts controversial, but the Titanic legacy is fueled by controversy.

From the incredible amount of foodstuffs loaded at Southhampton to the numerous breaks in maritime tradition that some think doomed her from the start, the story of the Titanic continues to enthrall. Many theories about that cold, April night have been launched, but this book shed's new light on several major points -- all based on extensive research -- that might have changed history and made Titanic's sinking a footnote instead of a major tragedy. Jim Clary's abiding love for the ship, but, more importantly, the 1,500+ victims of Titanic shows in this gripping book. Jim is also a wonderful and gracious guest on radio talk shows!

Jim Clary provides the reader with details about the "Titanic" which have up to this time, either been ignored or vague. His insightful presentation leads the reader step by step through a succession of events which occured from the inception of "Titanic" to her demise. Issues which were known but never elaborated upon, take on new meaning and thus magnifies the tragedy. He gives a sensational account of an event with fact. Definitely an excellent book to read for anyone, but especially for those who have followed and studied this tragedy.

Gone Awry is a book you will want to read straight through (which, of course, you can do only if you're not being interrupted by cell phone calls, telemarketers, email, etc!). Ignizio is right on the money - the interesting part is that we know most of us have been sucked in by the high technology rage, but some of us have lost our souls to it. The ingenious but somewhat strange mind of the author has invented some pretty far-out punishments for those folks! If you truly understand what technology can do for us and to us, and if you want to read a book that mixes dry humor with an appealing message, this is the book for you!

Our brave new technologically-advanced world can drive you nuts. I guess you could say it's GONE AWRY. (Hmmm, good title for a book!) Truthfully, it sometimes seems like we're all living in "High-Tech Hell." And, ready or not, that's just where the author takes us! This is an incredible (and quite humorous) journey to the 25th Circle of Hell where -- along with our hero Les Smart and his unusual tour guide -- we examine chatrooms, cell phones, reengineering, Virtual Grannies and lots of other wacky stuff. If you like wise and witty satire, you're going to love this one.

I hope the 'Big Guy' Has A Sense of Humor Telemarketer Lester Smith is set down into the middle of the Welcome Center of the 25th Circle of Hell. He's not sure how he got there and he's certainly skeptical of his official Tour Guide, but there seems to be no way out except to follow the oddly-attired little man with his umbrella and his Akron State book bag. James Ignizio's little book Gone Awry is one of the funniest social commentaries I've read in a long time. His 25th Circle of Hell is, of course, a comic send-up of Dante's Inferno. Seems even Dante couldn't predict the need for a special kind of hell for sinners who populate the modern world of convenience and high tech. His versions of telemarketer hell; antenna tower hell; lawyer hell; and mid-management hell are absolutely right on. Lester's Tour Guide also serves as a teacher of sorts. Seems Lester hasn't really died, but has been given a chance to see what the future holds for him if he doesn't straighten up, fly right and, well, BE NICE! The Tour Guide has made up a list of rules to follow for everyday life. The Rules include: Don't drive and talk on your cell phone at the same time; Don't ever try to reason with a three-year old, particularly in public; and my personal favorite, There is only one educational channel on your television. You can reach it by pressing the OFF button. Ignizio's take on religion, philosophy and man's inhumanity to man are right on. I particularly loved his theory on how Moses messed up the 'Big Guy's' One Commandment. "The Ten Commandments were Moses' idea." Seems Moses "felt it (the ONE commandment handed down by the 'Big Guy') wasn't all that impressive, so he elaborated on the point. Old Moses had a real theatrical flair about him," according to the Tour Guide. And the 'Big Guy's' One Commandment? BE NICE! While Ignizio's work may offend some of the religious right, I'll bet they'd laugh in spite of themselves if they just gave this story a chance. The author gives us a glimpse into his version of the consequences of the high-tech/low humanity world we've created, but can avoid by: BEING NICE! I loved this book...a little gem amongst a lot of rhinestones and paper mache! -- Enjoy!

Terry Matthews, Reviewer

I discovered this book 31 years ago, for my daughter and it is still loved by all the family. The illustrations are wonderful, warm, charming and delightful and bring a special meaning to the story. We still read it to all the young children on Christmas Eve and for adults we read the story and pass a grab bag gift every time the word THE is mentioned. It would not be Christmas without this book. It is magical.

We have an inexpensive paperback version (see our reviews) of this classic poem, and we said that's enough for us. That was before we looked through this beautifully illustrated (by Bruce Whatley) edition of The Night Before Christmas.

The lyrics are the same, from book to book, but the fanciful illustrations in this one are enough to engage adults and children as they read this book together.

The perfect gift for any family whose Christmas tradition includes reading this classic!

This beautiful book was in my family as a hard cover edition for many years and was a Christmas Eve tradition for my four sons when they were growing up. It's poor battered body disappeared some time after the last of my little ones went off into the adult world. I am so delighted to see it back again, though this time as a nicely affordable soft cover. Clement C. Moore's enchanting story poem already provides an atmosphere filled with warmth and joyful expectation and with the addition of Tasha Tudor's quaint, nostalgic water-colors from an antique New England the Christmas magic is complete!
The winter landscapes fill our senses and Tasha's own gray tabby cat and Welsh Corgi welcome us into this charming world.
Tasha's Santa that you will meet in this book has been portrayed as the poem describes him...a right jolly old elf. He's not that much larger than the corgi and his team really consists of eight "tiny" reindeer. His pointy ears and his Eskimo mukluks add to the delightful ambiance of the book. He dances with the toys and with the happy animals and we can truly believe it will be a happy Christmas for all.
I hope this book becomes a Christmas Eve tradition for many, many more families.

This beautiful coffee-table companion is a must for anyone who has seen, and appreciates, Spielberg's superb film. The book chronicles the making of the movie from boot camp, to the construction of Ramelle, to the actual shoot. The behind the scenes photos and interviews with various actors and crew members only serve to enrich what is a truly amazing film-going experience.

Saving Private Ryan and The Triumph and the Glory have sparked an interest in me about WWII. The novel isn't quite as good as the movie but anyway this book is a great behind the scenes look at the making of a terrific movie.

I saw the movie & was blown away by it. I wouldn't recommend this book to people who haven't seen the movie or read SPR: THE NOVEL. This book isn't good for people who can't stand seeing gory pictures. Seeing them really brings back memories from the film. The horrors of war can be found in this book, the film, & novel. It also has some of the actor's feelings about the film & what they went through with the making of Saving Private Ryan. GET IT!