...There's at least one brilliant essay in this anthology, Leo Bersani's "Is the Rectum a Grave?" Neverminding how colourful that title is, it's a serious piece of writing, and very thought provoking. I'm straight, but was compelled to deeply question the construction of my own sexuality (and that of masculine sexuality in general) by this work, which looks at homophobia in light of feminist theories about phallocentric vs. nonphallocentric, "passive" forms of sexuality. It's been a long time since I've read it, but it fascinated me years ago and remains memorable -- a good reason to recommend this book, which I imagine is the only place said essay is still in print. As for the rest of the authors in this text, my apologies -- I don't remember if I read a single one of the other essays!

Finally a genuine CORBA/Visibroker book. Having struggled through the fog in earlier books, this one comes across as a crystal clear coverage of the subject. No wasted pages here unlike others which spend 50-200 pages talking about Java (one would hardly be reading a Java/CORBA book without knowing Java in the first place).

What I liked very much about the book is the extreme clarity, focus and the clear explanation of portability issues. I also liked the coverage of the advanced features of the OSAGENT as well as the discussion of advanced server topics.

The book has one chapter on object oriented analysis and design. While at first it may appear like a devious attempt to fill up pages, it is actually a very well written chapter.

I have struggled through the Orfali book (ugh) and also read the Vogel and Duddy book (which was a great relief after the Orfali book). This one is far better than either of those two.

I am very disappointed with most CORBA books, e.g. the Martian books fill me with dismay and make me wonder whether CORBA will ever make it. But this is a proper book, this is a book that tells you facts. I have printed out the on-line manuals for VisiBroker, and read them, and this book taught me heaps more stuff.

I absolutely recommend this book for anyone who has to write a VisiBroker program which is more than just a bank example. We have a team of developers, and the book is in such demand that I have to get a second copy.

This book is not a tutorial, and it is not about general CORBA. If you buy VisiBroker, you should buy this book as well.

I have 3 CORBA books and this one is definitely the best. It teaches you CORBA from a practical point of view through the use of VisiBroker. The guy with 1 star recommendation nit-picking about typos and Visibroker version totally missed the point. As far as OMG CORBA specification is concerned, VisiBroker version does not make a difference. For me, I did not really want to learn VisiBroker as a product. I wanted to learn CORBA through VisiBroker. If you want to learn about CORBA with Java from a beginner or intermediate level, this book is the best I have read.

The World's Classics "Selected Poetry" by John Milton is virtually a complete collection of his English poetry. The price is low, the font size is quite adequate, and best of all it offers extensive annotation, a real asset to most readers.

The annotation is located in an appendix rather than as footnotes on each page. I first read a page of poetry unaided, moved to the appendix to browse the appropriate "footnotes", and then returned to the page of poetry. This may sound awkward, but it worked well.

Unlike many collections, this edition contained all of Milton's English sonnets, several which I had not encountered before. The lengthy "Paradise Lost" is moderately abridged and a new reader might find this a good way to become acquainted with Milton's epic poem. But a better approach is to read the unabridged Norton edition of "Paradise Lost". Look at the various reader reviews and decide for yourself.

I particularly enjoyed Samson Agonistes, a rather long, but not difficult poem. I suggest first reading the Biblical story of Samson in Judges, Chapters 13-16, to better appreciate Milton's development of this classic tale. The suffering of the blind Samson in captivity is poignant, particularly as Milton himself was blind and aging when he created this remarkable poetic story.

Milton deserves better than this. Orgel and Goldberg boast that they have produced a radical Milton, but all they really offer is rehashed Alastair Fowler, without Fowler's erudition or eloquence. Many of the notes are just plain ignorant. There are better editions out there.

This is an excellent edition of John Milton's works; it includes all the major works (Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and Samson Agonistes) and several of his sonnets, other poems, and prose tracts. The notes are thourough, although they are arranged at the back rather than footnoted. This cleans up the body of the text, but also requires constant flipping of pages. And the pages do not hold together well. After a few weeks of use, mine were beginning to fall out! It is a good, affordable volume; but if you are planning a serious study, expect it to fall apart sooner or later.