"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.

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.

Having read many True Crime novels over the years, I must hail this piece of work by author James Dalessandro and contributor David Mehnert as being one of the finest yet.

The story of Jane Alexander was both awe inspiring and admirable. I am also a family victim of a brutal homicide crime. The convictions of the two murderers in my case came from a trial of circumstantial evidence. Knowing all to well the frustrations of our justice system and lack of victim's rights, I praise and wish to thank Mrs. Alexander for her strength of resolve along with her success in creating an easier and more pro-active path for fellow victims as ourselves.

Unlike so many other True Crime novels, this book was written with the same "mirrored passion" that so obviously drove the dedicated individuals forth for so many years to see that justice was served. The book's author James Dalessandro, truly honored Mrs. Alexander's efforts by his attentive, thought provoking and accurate depiction of her difficult and painful journey.

A wonderful and tenderly written tale... Purely brilliant!

Having read many True Crime novels over the years, I must hail this piece of work by author James Dalessandro and contributor David Mehnert as being one of the finest yet. The story of Jane Alexander was both awe inspiring and admirable. I am also a family victim of a brutal homicide crime. The convictions of the two murderers in my case came from a trial of circumstantial evidence. Knowing all to well the frustrations of our justice system and lack of victim's rights, I praise and wish to thank Mrs. Alexander for her strength of resolve along with her success in creating an easier and more pro-active path for fellow victims as ourselves. Unlike so many other True Crime novels, this book was written with the same "mirrored passion" that so obviously drove the dedicated individuals forth for so many years to see that justice was served. The book's author James Dalessandro, truly honored Mrs. Alexander's efforts by his attentive, thought provoking and accurate depiction of her difficult and painful journey. A wonderful and tenderly written tale... Purely brilliant!

"Citizen Jane" is as good or better than anything Ann Rule has written. Every woman, widowed or divorced, and even men should read this compelling story of what happened to a woman who loved and trusted a man enough to place her entire welfare in his hands. After years and years of Jane's relentless efforts to find this monster, he was finally caught and justice was served. The love and the deception detailed in this book is absolutely incredible. The author, James Dalessandro, did an excellent job writing this novel which all events were in proper sequence. This book will enlighten everyone to the slickness of con men and hopefully prevent further victims from falling prey to their schemes.

Attorney Lieber deserves high praise for his objective, informative presentation of the antitrust criminal case vs. Archer Daniels Midland, the agribusiness giant, that ADM, its powerful lawyers and Clinton's Justice Department did not want published. To his credit, he continued to pursue this case after most reporters backed off and swallowed the dizzying spin and disinformation that ADM's CEO Dwayne Andreas and his aggressive lawyers gave the media, crying crocodile tears as the "victim" of an allegedly deranged ADM executive, Mark Whitacre, who became the FBI's mole, and made hundreds of tapes incriminating ADM executives fixing prices in world markets with their competitors. Lieber correctly smelled the stench of a cover-up and adroitly guides readers to make their own
conclusions after compiling evidence, omissions from court records, and other factors that allow readers to infer that the judicial process was compromised by ADM's widespread political
influence before the trial even began. Although Dwayne Andreas,
the infamous political fixer and king of corporate welfare, got immunity in a highly secretive plea bargain to Justice in 1996,
after ADM agreed to pay a record fine of $100 million, his son
Michael was convicted and imprisoned with Terry Wilson for a
mere 3 years, and Dwayne (thanks to outraged and courageous ADM
shareholders) finally resigned. Tragically, Whitacre was
convicted, fined and sentenced to a harsh term of 9 years
because of ADM's swift retaliation against him as whistleblower, for exposing to the FBI the ... corporate culture of
ADM...(anything goes-but don't get caught-and here's your big
bonus (not reported on books)to keep silent, the unspoken words
being that an employee would be fired and crucified if they
blew the whistle.
Lieber's chilling comment (p. 322)should concern every citizen
or future whistleblower who believes in due process and our rule of law: "It was expected that ADM's attorneys would savage the
snitch. What was highly bizarre in the world of criminal law was the way the Justice Department joined in the frenzy to destroy Whitacre. This was an aberration...the perpetrator was a
politically wired corporation whose law firm- the president's law firm- had unbridled entree and influence at Justice. The
mole's lawyer had none."
Lieber makes a strong case that this American corporate history- "one of the most important antitrust cases of the century"- should be closely examined. Rightly so. Why was the court record sealed, why were key witnesses (e.g., Wayne Brasser) not deposed, who could have validated Whitacre's claims that the hidden bonuses were a quid pro quo for engaging in illegal price-fixing? The author's appendices are very helpful. ADM and Dwayne Andreas not only have lobbied for years to emasculate our antitrust laws (the "Magna Carta" of free enterprise) but know that the massive soft money donations to key politicians can grease not only the wheels of justice, but also ensure that ADM continues to get huge subsidies for ethanol and other favors from Agriculture Dept. (high fructose corn syrup,peanuts) that have cost taxpayers billions of dollars.
Rats in the Grain is highly recommended, and was a difficult book to write because of the case's complexity. James Lieber should be considered for a Pulitzer Prize.

A terrific book. Rats is the Grain reads like a novel, a mystery thriller, and a lawyer's expose of the crimes of a dominant American corporation, all at once.

The amazing tale that unfolds -- double crosses by the US Department of Justice, well aware of ADM's political power, the questionable ethics of powerful Washington lawyers, deals within deals, crimes the FBI never really explored -- all this is told in a way that keeps the pages turning rapidly.

Archer-Daniels-Midland, or ADM, calls itself "Supermarket to the World." This book reveals it as much more. The heart of the story is a gigantic price-fixing conspiracy for which Mike Andreas, the son of the fabled Duane Andreas and himself the president of ADM, now sits in prison.

Mark Whitacre, a fascinating and twisted man, was a rising star at ADM and the president of a big division when his newest plant wouldn't produce. As the pressure from his bosses intensified, he crafted a lie to blame a mysterious Japanese competitor. ADM has connections with the CIA and asked for help. The CIA asked the FBI and that's when the real crime began to unravel.

Whitacre needed a cover for his lie, so he told the FBI of a real and gigantic conspiracy -- in which ADM and other giant corporations were fixing the price of additives that go into all our food. He taped and videotaped the on-going crime for the FBI. Without Whitacre's lie the crime would still be going on, yet he got the most prison time, for what was a trivial offense in comparison to the stealing by ADM and its conspiracy.

This is a fascinating and well-written book that tells a tale of corruption that runs deep in American politics and business. Read it.

If you read one book this year, read "Rats in the Grain." Behind the facade of "ADM Supermarket to the World" a criminal element operated that would have made Al Capone envious. The author reveals how a criminal empire was built on political donations to elected and appointed officials of county, state and federal governments dating back fifty years. It was these connections that kept the chairman out of prison. ADM had the power to thwart FBI investigations, decide who should be indicted, and send the government witness to jail for ten years. They concocted a coverup with the help of devious lawyers from Washington DC. The government witness Mark Whitacre is a hero and also a casualty of a corrupt Justice Department. If it can happen to him it can happen to you. This is required reading!

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 was already quite an informed religious disbelievers before I read the quotes from this book so I knew that many famous people from history were disbelievers like myself. Nevertheless, some of the names and quotes I found in this book were startling. Practically every major intellectual figure over the past 2 milleniums represented themselves as a skeptic or disbeliever in this book. I think Robert Ingersoll summed the entire book very well when he said, "The history of intellectual progress is written in the lives of infidels."

It's such a shame that the majority of children are taught the sugarcoated history which leads them to believe that there heroes like Twain, Jefferson, Edison, and Lincoln were 'good Christians.'

This book is a powerful source of quotes from most of the greatest minds to ever cast their genius upon this earth.

Those who'd like to challenge the founding fathers as to religion, - maintaining that they were Christians , would do well to read this book. America was NOT founded upon Christianity, but upon Deism- the idea that there might have BEEN an original God , but that he was only the watchmaker who created the earth , but left it to it's own devices once it was wound up; not giving humans dominance nor establishing faiths. Thus the idea of revealed religion was false and open to skepticism. The true focus of this book however , is to expose the reader to a VAST number of humanity's greatest thinkers they might have not known were skeptics and doubters of their times and ours. Full of quotes -from ancient through modern times- this is an extremely well researched compilation .Truly a gold-mine for those who'd like to know what Aristotle ,Shakespeare, Decartes, Franklin , Twain , Voltaire , Jefferson, Edison , Einstein , Freud , Asimov , Roddenberry actually said- to mention only a few of at least forty other great minds that have shaped us into the humans and societies we are today. 2000 Years of Disbelief is a MUST-READ for any student of philosophy or religion . Progress has never been measured by blind adherence , but careful study of minority thinking , as that is the only true road to growth ;both personal and societal , and this book realizes it's goal - to expose the myths and introduce us to the even GREATER original thinking of the minds we hold dearest in our historical psyches.DO READ!!

Christians are going to go through the roof when they read of people like Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Adams and other founding fathers (and mothers) that had no use for organized religion.

The chapter on James Madison is especially interesting in its depiction of Madison and Jefferson's battle to pass Jefferson's Religious Freedom Act. This action was necessary since a tax bill was on hand (1784) to give sums of American tax dollars to Christian churches, thus establishing a federally funded religion. Had this occurred, the religious freedom so many people had died for would have evaporated. Jews, atheists or otherwise would have been out of luck. Fortunately, that bill was defeated and the tenets of Jefferson's Religious Freedom Act were sewn into our Bill of Rights in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

I find it important to illustrate the fact that one does not have to be an atheist to find value in this book. For those of us that are interested in human history, this text lends great insight into the minds of many people that have impacted our world's past, present and future. Its claims are exhaustively researched and documented on the pages. If the inclination to dispute or research is felt, all one has to do is have a pen and paper handy.

I was fortunate enough to see the bound galleys for James Stevens-Arce's first novel, "Soulsaver." I remember reading a short story of his by the same title in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine in the early '80s. Stevens-Arce has developed that original intriguing glimpse of a dystopic future into a dizzying journey to the end of the 21st century, when Puerto Rico is the 52nd state in an America taken over by a televangelistic theocracy.

The world Stevens-Arce evokes is richly textured and detailed. The book's narrator, Juan Bautista Lorca, is a rookie technician in a squad whose mission it is to quick-freeze suicides for subsequent "re-animation." The fascinating, fast-paced, occasionally sexy and frequently hilarious narrative tracks Juan's voyage of discovery as all the tenets of his faith and sense of self are challenged and rearranged. The book's climax hinges on the most outrageous second coming since "A Canticle for Lebowitz."

In the grand tradition of Orwell, Huxley and Brunner, Stevens-Arce has given us a terrible, fascinating and convincing vision of a future that just might be only a hundred years away.

I was fortunate enough to see the bound galleys for James Stevens-Arce's first novel, "Soulsaver." I remember reading a short story of his by the same title in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine in the early '80s. Stevens-Arce has developed that original intriguing glimpse of a dystopic future into a dizzying journey to the end of the 21st century, when Puerto Rico is the 52nd state in an America taken over by a televangelistic theocracy.

The world Stevens-Arce evokes is richly textured and detailed. The book's narrator, Juan Bautista Lorca, is a rookie technician in a squad whose mission it is to quick-freeze suicides for subsequent "re-animation." The fascinating, fast-paced, occasionally sexy and frequently hilarious narrative tracks Juan's voyage of discovery as all the tenets of his faith and sense of self are challenged and rearranged. The book's climax hinges on the most outrageous second coming since "A Canticle for Lebowitz."

In the grand tradition of Orwell, Huxley and Brunner, Stevens-Arce has given us a terrible, fascinating and convincing vision of a future that just might be only a hundred years away.

A novel that uses first person, present tense is not easy to find, probably because there are not many convincing reasons to use it. In Soulsaver, James Stevens-Arce does it well.

This book is an interesting and fast-paced satire. The protagonist, Juan Bautista Lorca, is a callow youth blinded by the society in which he lives. That Stevens-Arce chooses to tell his story from this little twerp's viewpoint is daring for the reader doesn't take immediately to him. Stevens-Arce carefully mitigates that problem in several ways.

First, he doesn't get inside his head much until the character begins to change, and to grow. We can never be certain but I believe this was a conscious decision because poor Juan doesn't have a deep thought stored anywhere in there, anyway. It is a perfect approach to this kind of character building.

One of the difficulties of using this method is that the reader gets less insight into the character than we have become accustomed to. Any we do get comes from the dialogue and/or what is happening around Juan. There is an advantage here, as well. The action moves forward very quickly and we find ourselves immersed in the time (The Year of Our Lord 2099) and the place (San Juan, the capitol city of our 52nd state). And, surprising, this is enough. The author has carefully balanced what the reader is likely to miss with what she gets.

As Juan develops and finds his own depth, we find that Steven-Arce is a writer with a first-class instinct for words as well. For those of us who long to see, hear, and feel when we read, this novel is not a disappointment. We must wait, but we get wonderful similes like, "...the sun...looks like a communion wafer pasted against the sky," and "...the Swiss cheese of pigeon holes cut into the ancient wall..." Stevens-Arce has crafted a book where there is only straightforward, uncluttered writing until the reader is hooked. Only then do we find passages that are pure poetry. By that time we find ourselves literally gobbling it up.

Stevens-Arce has one more trick to keep the reader hanging in there while this shallow youth ogles breasts, bounces to the music blasting into his headphones and relishes his own benign happiness with himself and the god-awful world he doesn't see around himself. He uses present tense. I hate present tense. Yet I hardly noticed. It propels the novel forward when it needs momentum. After it has done its job the reader becomes so used to it, it is no longer a factor.

If I were still teaching English, this book would become one of my texts. It's not often that one finds first person, present tense put to such carefully crafted use. It's also not often that one finds a book that lauds the often-maligned ability of thinking for oneself. Next to Holden Caulfield, Juan Bautista Lorca may be the best literary example for youth in recent times.

Perusing the comments below, I would like to offer my two cents. First, Ott's book is good for what it does--namely, it is a great encyclopedia of dogmatic theology. It is steeped with citations from Scripture, the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, the various Ecumenical Councils, and Popes. But again, it is only an encyclopedia.

Furthermore, I would contend that it is not a book of systematic theology per se. To systematize ideas is to show how they are interrelated, how the are put together and form a whole. This book does not do it. For example, if I want to learn about the Trinity, I can. However, if I want to learn about how the multi-layered relationship between the Trinity and, say, the Eucharist, I'm out of luck. Why? Because it's not a book of systematic theology.

Further, the book is hopelessly outdated. It doesn't take into account the theological richness of Catholic thinkers such as Hans Urs von Balthasar, Henri de Lubac, Yves Congar, Karl Rahner, Walter Kasper, or Joseph Ratzinger; nor does it contain the deep insights provided by the Second Vatican Council. It is hopelessly stuck in a neo-Thomistic framework that Catholic theology has (thankfully) outgrown (mind you, I am currently writing a Master's thesis on Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas is great; neo-Thomism is very limited!) Ludwig Ott, however, can't be blamed for this, since the book was written in the 1950's.

If you are interested in gaining a limited yet solid knowledge about the Catholic faith--a knowledge based solely on the hard facts, then you have found the book. But if you are interested in a theologically rich synthesis of a particular doctrine, then I would suggest reading a book from one of the authors mentioned above. And, if you are an apologist or catechist, you need more than this book. Post-modern men and women are more open to someone who has grappled with mystery head-on than someone who has absolutized the dogma's of the Church. You need to read Balthasar, Kasper, Congar, de Lubac, Rahner, and Ratzinger--you need to read them and make them your own if you really want to be an effective Catholic thinker.

Theology is something that is supposed to be living, breathing. This book makes is dry and boring--a necessary evil if your really interested in theology, but one that can surely be avoided if you are interested in meditation on the beauty of Catholic theology.

I do have the book on my shelf, and I do reference it on occasion. But I would much rather read, say, De Lubac's MOTHERHOOD OF THE CHURCH than the dense and sterile prose of Ott's treatment on the Church.

. . .the purpose for which it was written. Another reviewer correctly commented that this work is not a systematic theology. If you are looking for a Catholic systematic theology, begin with Hans Urs von Balthasar. But if you are looking for an orthodox reference book which outlines what the Church teaches, and why, and supplies you with defenses from the Scriptures, from the Church Fathers, from Sacred Tradition, and from Reason, then this is your book.

As the forward indicates, this work is an excellent guide for busy parish priests who wish to refresh themselves on the reasonings and justifications for particular doctrines or themes. It is also accessible to the informed layman. The volume is also of potential value to the honest Protestant, seeking to understand the teachings of the Catholic Church.

I highly recommend this book.

Ludwig Ott's work is an extremely useful reference tool for anyone wanting to know what the Church teaches. The book not only lists the teachings of the Church, but also lists whether the teaching has been declared dogma. In addition, it lists from which scriptural text a teaching has been derived and what various fathers and councils have said. We learn of the major heretics who denied various teachings and what their denials were based upon. Contrary to what an earlier reviewer claimed, the book does state (although very briefly) which teachings upon which any given dogma is based. Even speculative theology is touched upon. Ott's work has proven to be consistently useful to me in apologetics, systematic theology, and history. I believe it will be useful to nearly anyone interested in these subjects.

This book is, quite simply, a fabulous trilogy of novels. It deals, of course, with the two-year voyage of HMS Bounty from England to Tahiti, the captaincy of Captain William Bligh, the mutiny against him, and the aftermath. This is an unforgettable story, beautifully told, well-written, and fast-paced.

I have read reviews here and there that claim this book is written at a "young adult" level. Not so. This is a complex story that only seems to be easily told because the author has mastered the ability to write with utter clarity, and without sacrificing style. As one who reads all day for a living (attorney) I have learned to appreciate authors who can write well. Nordhoff does this--the reader never loses the storyline because it is well told. The novels proceed with the precision of a laser beam but with a poetic, wistful, thoughtful tone that is a delight to read. This book has class.

The story of the trip to Tahiti and the mutiny which takes place early on the return voyage are wonderfully told. The ONLY possible criticism is that this story is not terribly true to the facts of the actual mutiny. The protagonist, Roger Byam, is an imaginary person. By the way, this novel is the source for the first of the Mutiny on the Bounty movies starring Charles Laughton.

The other two novels in the trilogy deal with the voyage by Captain Bligh and those of the crew who remained loyal to him, and the aftermath of the mutiny when the mutineers settle on Pitcairn Island. Both stories are first-rate.

Persons interested in a somewhat more accurate depiction of what happened on the Bounty voyage, as well as a ripping good movie, will want to see "The Bounty" starring Mel Gibson (Fletcher Christian) and Anthony Hopkins (Captain Bligh).

The Bounty Trilogy is a book anyone who enjoys adventure will want to read and own.

I give my highest praise to these books. They are far better than current "adventure" stories because of the struggles they had to endure. I found all three books in the trilogy to be excellent (Mutiny on the Bounty, Men Against the Sea, and Pitcairns Island). My favorite one was Pitcairns Island. In all the books I have ever read, this is the first book that ever actually sent a chill up my spine. I won't give the story away, but you will not believe what happens in that book. It's absolutely thrilling and fascinating!

I read these stories while at sea on a British research vessel. If you've ever been to sea, or have ever wanted to, you'll probably enjoy reading this trilogy. Nordhoff and Hall write in plain, unelaborate English, so the phrasing never gets in the way, and you can concentrate on all the colorful characters and incredible events. The first two (and half of the third) books are written in first person, putting you right into the action and events, making you think about what you would do in the situations as they arise.

This trilogy has it all: adventure, drama, comedy, history, life at sea, love and loss. It's hard to believe this all really happened. I've given this book to two of my friends already, and they both liked it. You'll probably like it, too.

This past weekend, I read the first draft screenplay adaptation of James Robert Baker's FIEL-INJECTED DREAMS and was summarily BLOWN AWAY! I then obtained a copy of the book and was, impossibly, FURTHER BLOWN AWAY! To all fans of the book, the movie WILL do justice to the novel and I for one cannot wait to see James Robert Baker's vision fully realized on the silver screen.

I read this book some time ago, and have been trying to buy a copy ever since. The story seems too strange to have any hold in real life. But who knows. The characters seems familiar and the things that happen to them could almost happen to you.

The weirdest thing though, was that shortly after I had read Fuel Injected Dreams, I read "Be My Baby", by Ronnie Spector with Vince Waldron. That was a scary experience. Where one is fictional, the other is true, painfully true. Read them both.

I visited Rhodes together with a friend in the eighties, and bought a couple of paperbacks, one of which was "Fuel-Injected Dreams." I didn't catch on to it right away, and read it straight through only when I got back home, and that wasn't the last time I read it, and I lent the book to a friend, and we both agree that it is a stunner. So much happens in the book that it's impossible to remember every amazing turn of event if you read the book, say, every two years. The book really gets your adrenaline flowing, and "Adrenaline" happens to be the title of another of Jim's novels. "Dreams" is an equilibristic tour de force, and James Robert Baker was the man who dreamed the novel for us, and I will always love him for doing so, may he rest in peace.