The strong points of this book become easily evident if even one only looks at the several-page-long bibliography. Mr. Gross has done a commendable job of research and has presented a voluminous material, including multiple interviews, pictures, etc. From a historical standpoint, there is probably no better book written on the modeling business (particularly in the US).( There is actually and afterward to the paperback edition, which brins some current news as of 2002.)

The weak points of the book are rooted in its failure to discuss what its title promises -- "business". Yes, there are salary numbers, but that is about where Mr. Gross stops. In describing the business he talks at length about modelling agencies, magazines and the like, only it happens in a somewhat gossipy style (describing personalities, political battles, etc.), while failing to provide any financial (or any other business) information so as to give the reader an idea of, for example, of how big this business is. As a result, after reading the book, one is short of truly understanding how the business really works, including the interaction of its multiple participants, such as publihhers, designers, etc.

This is very good book on the history of the Supermodels (Linda, Naomi, Christy, Cindy, etc). Also very informative on the modeling industry and the men that run it. If your daughter or son in pursuing modeling, read this book first.

This book does exactly what the title says, it reveals the ugly side of the modeling business. However, it is an older book so you won't hear any recent names. There is another book out there, "Shut up and Smile" that covers more recent models. But the writing from that book is no comparison to this one. This book is by someone that knows how to write and the stories are very in-depth which can only make the book better. The pictures are also better in this book.

This book provides clear step by step instructions. I have tried all the styles and was able to successfully make all but one. Many could be made by children too. The colour photography is artistic and eye catching. It is value for the money and I highly recommend it.

My friend Barbara gives wonderful dinner parties and her tables always look so beautiful that it's a joy to sit down to the delicious dinners that she and her husband prepare. She is always looking for new party ideas and I'm always trying to think of gift ideas for her because she seems to have everything. This book on napkin folding was the perfect answer. It's something she has never thought of but I know she'll have great fun with it, once she sees these lovely color pictures and follows the clear instructions. Her birthday is coming up soon and I can't wait to give her this book. As a matter of fact I would like a copy for myself and a few more for gifts to other people. Not a run-of-the-mill present and one that has lots of value for the price.

After becoming interested in mountaineering while watching the Everest IMAX film Mr. Breashears directed, I read every book on mountaineering that I can get my hands on. I really enjoy reading the books about the Everest 1996 tragedy. When I saw this book on a shelf in a book store I knew I had to read it. Mr. Breashears book takes the reader from his childhood to Everest 1997. I've found most books that go into to much of the climbers life are boring, but this one is not. I found his personal life very interesting. Mr. Breashears wasn't anybody special, yet he's climbed Mount Everest four times. It shows the reader that it really doesn't matter who you are if you put your heart to it and train, you can reach the top of the world. Through his book he made me realize that you have to be in the best of shape to climb Everest. You can't just go up there and take a little hike up the up the hill. You earn the respect of vertern climbers, such as Mr. Breashears if you go on the mountain prepared. I think reviewer, Suzanne, was right when she said that Mr. Breashears respected women climbers. Some people belive that women or girls should not be on Mount Everest. Mr. Breashears seemed to respect anyone who was trained and ready to climb a mountain such as Everest. I also agree with the climber from Canada who said that Mr. Breashears was one of the few climbers on Everest in 1996 who gave credit to Anatoli Boukreev. Though he said he thought, Anatoli, didn't do his job as a guide, he did give Anatoli the credit he deserved. He said that Anatoli went out in the storm and single handly saved several lives. Maybe Anatoli did go down way ahead of the climbers he was to guide, but if he hadn't he probably wouldn't save those lives. I belive God sent Anatoli down so he could rest and then go out and save those climbers. Anatoli was the hero on May the tenth, 1996. As I read about him as he realized his friends and fellow climbers were dying near the summit. He delt with grief and anger. He wondered how these climbers, known for there experience, could go against all the rules of climbing and head on to the summit past three in the afternoon. As he sat with the body of Rob Hall I felt Like I was sitting there with him. I felt his tears and his pain. He felt he had to have some closing with his soul about the Everest 1996 tragedy, that's why he went back to Everest in 1997. He is a climber who loved and commited his life to climbing. Mr. Breashears is a wonderful climber and a very friendly man. He is not cocky as Jon Krakuaer is. Mr. Breashears is a top notch person as well as a climber! Thank you Mr. Breashears for being a top climber, all your great films, and for being a good all around person! Your IMAX film inspired me and got me started climbing!

This first-hand account of the frightening and absolutely breath-talking adventures on the slopes of Mount Everest during the ill-fated 1996 American climbing expedition is terrific reading. Brashears, a professional cinematographer, had already climbed Everest previous to this expedition, and his prize-winning documentary IMAX film about the ascent of Everest is itself both entertaining and edifying, as it holds no punches regarding the reality of life on the mountain. Neither does this book, which certainly proves that the author has a future in journalism is he chooses to pursue it.

His colorful and well-written autobiography also does great service in helping those of us who prefer to have our adventure while sitting in the comfort of our reading room just what it is that draws people like him to the pursuit of mountaineering. Indeed, his gleeful enthusiasm is close to being contagious; this too is testimony to Brashears' ability to write convincingly and well. His approach is so colorful as to blur the lines between biography and fiction, and I often found myself having to remember that all this really did happen. It is that well written.

His beginnings, too, seem like the stuff of popular fiction; a childhood of humility and privation, his early exploits in climbing on a virtual shoestring, his wildcat days in the oil field, all seem to fit this persona that wangles his way into situations and then has the gumption, intelligence, and character to pull it all off. He progresses with climbs both domestically and internationally, finally reaching into Nepal and Tibet. Always with him is this sense of humor on the one hand, and a willingness to take risks that most of just would turn away from. One senses he is heading for even more danger and self-discovery. Of course, the key to the book is his description of the events leading up to, including, and after the tragic catastrophe and loss of several climbers' lives in the ascent of the mountain. Busy himself with both the climb on the one hand and the IMAX filming of it on the other left him little time for instant reflection or remorse. These things probably helped him to focus on what had to be done to go on with the successful climb, the discovery of the bodies, and a safe descent to the camps far below. I found myself sorry to reach the final pages of his book, and I for one hope to find more writing from this talented filmmaker, writer, and climber in the future. I can highly recommend this book, and I think you will enjoy it, as well.

This is a terrific book which draws you into David Breashears' world. You follow his development from young rock climber to world class mountaineer and filmmaker. You also see his development as a person, all while drawing you into that exclusive club of mountaineers. He makes you feel his passion for the mountains he so loves. You learn how he combined that passion with the art of cinematography, making him an award winning filmmaker.

You live through the 1996 tragedy on Everest with him, and feel the compassion that he has for those who died on the mountain under such tragic circumstances. The narrative is always compelling and informative, making the book a hard one to put down. His compassion and sensitivity towards those who did not fare well on the ill-fated 1996 Everest climb is palpable, and for his assistance to those who needed it, even though it put him and his expedition in jeopardy, he is truly an unsung hero. This is, without a doubt, a man who leads by example.

David Breashears writes beautifully of his experiences and his book is a must read for all climbing enthusiasts, as well as for those simply interested in the human condition. This is a book that is simply too good to pass up.

Set on the dangerous waters of the Pacific, Paul Garrison's Fire and Ice is about a family whose faith and trust in each other is tested through their separation, due to kidnappers. A family that was once united is now torn to pieces by one man's reckless plan. Sarah Stone and her daughter, Ronnie are kidnapped. Her husband, Michael Stone is left abandoned as he helplessly watches a huge ship take off with his only family aboard. Throughout the novel, Michael and Sarah struggle to maintain their sanity in the absence of their beloved spouse. We enjoyed the fast-paced novel that has you jumping between the two main characters hopeless situations. With a cast of extreme characters and catastrophic situations, the author weaves a web of deceit so that you find it difficult to know who to trust. Though a reader may doubt the story due to its complexity, this book has great potential to become a major suspense/action film. Although the reading comprehension is difficult, we still strongly recommend reading this thrilling novel. It contains a conclusion that will shock and satisfy your desire for drama.

As an avid sailor, I appreciate the accuracy of Garrison's portrayal. However, it certainly appears to me that this book is all but a sequel to Justin Scott's excellent sailing suspense novel The Shipkiller. Same boat (Swan 38), same characters (white Dr. inventor, black Doctor wife) whose background matches those of the characters from The Shipkiller. I think The Shipkiller is one of the best novels I've ever read. Fire and Ice is an excellent follow on. I am just surprised that there is no credit or mention of Shipkiller given.

I LOVED Paul Garrison's "Fire and Ice" as the author swept me away to Asia and the ocean and adventures that seemed so gritty and so real that I was desperate to keep turning pages until the end. It's wonderful to find an author who sounds authoritative about such a remote, adventurous background and his take on the steamy, grimy industrialization of China was amazingly real for me. I found the technical "stuff" never got in the way and added to the verisimilitude of the racing storyline. I'm a "bookaholic" who's read thousands of suspense thrillers of all types and this one is one of the BEST I've ever read.

As this book was published in 1981 some of the technologies it examines as new developments are now commonplace. Also because of its age, many of the recent hot topics in this field - cloning espically - are not covered, or only briefly discussed as a faraway possibility. If you are reading this with the current science in mind, this can be a bit frustrating. The writing is very much the writing of scientists, and can be a bit dry to the average reader. (For more up-to-date and colorful analysis of these situations, try Barbara Katz Rothman.) However the issues raised in this book are still important and interesting. That the questions the women at this confernce were pondering have not been answered twenty years later speaks volumes for the complex and confusing issues regarding these technologies.

I've never really thought of myself as a fan of the 'Western' genre, but soon found that this was not required in order to thoroughly enjoy "Hell On The Draw:Best Western stories by Loren D. Estleman". While each story is indeed rooted in the West, they are by no means your run of the mill 'shoot-em-ups.' Each one is completely different in mood and style, from lighthearted humor to dark twists of fate, from romance to a touch of the supernatural. The author fills each tale with people you'll find yourself wishing that you had known or vey glad that you didn't. The vividly described settings along with fine attention to historical details of events, people, equipment and weapons, pull you inside and make you feel as if you are there. Aside from the complete enjoyment of the stories themselves, this audio version features a variety of gifted voice talents well suited to the telling of these tales of the West.

This novel was just average and it took me forever to get excited about it. I finally started enjoying the last 100 pages. This novel has only three main characters and the plot is pretty straight forward. You have the lawyer and family being harassed by the Intruder and the handyman/mobster who comes to the aid of the lawyer. If you think you know the ending halfway through the book, you are probably right. If you like to read a lot of books, I recommend this one as a change of pace. I did buy Man of the Hour by the same author so I liked Intruder enough to read the same author. If you are choosy about your books, then skip this one.

I devoured this book's 449 pages in three days, unable to stop reading --- on the train, in the elevator, over dinner, and long past bedtime. Peter Blauner has contructed a realistic, shocking story that explores how far a man will go to protect those he loves, and, should he fail, how far he can fall. The characters are complex and believable, the situations plausible and the action non-stop. If you love stories that send a shiver up your spine, you must read this book.

I have read only two of the author's other books, but by now it's obvious that this is not another standard mass market thriller writer. Mr. Blauner's books have real character and individual texture. It's true that The Intruder is the most straight-forward and exciting of the novels of his that I've read, but the people in it are far more shaded, nuanced, and real than they are in most genre fiction. Readers who think they are cliches just aren't reading carefully enough or better yet should stick to Grisham novels. I read this book two years ago and still it haunts me.

Not exactly dealing with "nanotechnology". You can imagine the contents judging from the title, "nanoworld". Overemphasizes biological systems and gives some examples that are not related to nanotech. You will get a broad, "shallow" understanding of what has been done and is going on in a science field called chemistry.

The crux of the problem is that Gross can't take us on a tour of the picoworld, the femtoworld or the attoworld where the real mechanics of the nanoworld must lie hidden. Depending on the reader's background this book could range from being a big bore to being quite interesting. Most of his speculation about nanotechnology is borrowed from Drexler. If you've read Drexler there is no point in rereading it here. However briefly, he does warn that this fiddling in the nanoworld could result in ultimate bacterial weapons and freaky humans. Boiling down the message-much of Gross' nanoworld tour consists of illustrating activity within cells and bacteria. He is like a man looking at a bird in flight and saying, "Look, man can fly too." When he goes off on tangents like the blue rose, the green genes and pressure squeezed eggs the reader realizes he is grasping at straws.

Much of the book explains how x-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, and laser pulse photography are used to magnify and stop the action occurring within the animal cell. In this way he reduces life, the cellular processes, to those like message transmission, transport, protein folding, and protein synthesis /catalysis. He speaks of the new fields of biotechnology and genetic engineering to change the DNA blueprint but that is what evolution has been doing for billions of years. What's new here beyond splicing into the bacteria's DNA to create drugs like insulin or frost proof vegetables?

Gross by name, but, thankfully, not by nature. This is an excellent introduction to miniature machinery, in the realms of both nature and technology. An ideal accompaniment to Ken Dodd's "Voyages to Knotty Ash: Diddymen and their clown cars"

Many reviews I have seen have missed the point entirely. Tom's Hardware Guide, like any computer book, will fall victim to the changing cutting edge, but the fact is that most computer users aren't wasting their parent's money riding the cutting edge of technology. The average computer user will find the explinations of current technologies usefull even when the high-end users have long since moved onto the latest and greatest. Tom is known for his no-nonsence benchmarks and unbiased reviews of technologies. The real value in this book, however, is in the explinations of the boards, chipsets, ram and ports used in today's computers. This information is invaluable to everyone from purchasers looking to judge the quality of a prebuilt system to users who just want to know more about the workings of their computer.

This was an absolute great reference for many of the components I buy to upgrade my computers. It is not a technical reference, but if you need to buy any component for a computer, read this book. Unfortunately, at this point, this book is now outdated and pretty much useless, unless you want to buy older components. Tom should update this book once a year or so, which is about how fast the computer industry moves. There was really only one thing I didn't like about the book when I purchased it a while ago: Not many motherboard references for Socket 7 or Super 7. Tom, at that time at least, seemed to be stuck on Intel Pentiums. I like the AMD's because they perform well and don't cost an arm and a leg. If Tom were to update this book, I would definitely purchase it. You do not have to be a super computer expert to understand this book. The format is perfect and its always exciting to read Tom's Pick at the end of each chapter.

If this is an effort to reach the "average" computer user and help them to better understand some of the mysteries of the hardware and operating system Tom Brandt has succeeded admirably.

Tom's Hardware Guide falls between those offensively named "Dummy" books and the multi hundred page manuals that only someone with a computer science degree can understand.

The narrative is readable and fairly easy to understand and in those cases where the information gets somewhat technical every effort is made by the author to break it down into simpler concepts and explanations. It is written and organized is such a way that one is left with a thorough understanding of how each piece of hardware used in today's PC works and how they integrate to form the whole.

I think it would be a mistake for the person who wants to have a better understanding of a computer to ignore this book simply because technology books by their nature are obsolete even as they are being written. With the widespread availability of information on the Internet it is a fairly simple task to keep oneself informed as changes take place. Whether your want to do some serious upgrading, tweak your computer for better performance or simply educate yourself about the "how and why" of a computer, Tom's Hardware Guide will not disappoint you.

As one who uses my computer a great deal I found this book to be just the answer to the question....what makes it all work? Each hardware component (and 1 piece of software, the OS) is meticulously described, examined, shown how it works and then explained how it fits into the overall system. The pros and cons of the various technologies available are discussed and refreshingly one is left with the impression that Tom has neither an axe to grind nor a favor to repay.

By far my biggest gain after reading this book is coming away with the knowledge that I am no longer at the mercy of the "hype" so prevalent in most of the computer hardware sold today.

Kudos Tom!

How can anyone write a fashion book with so few photographs? When you're talking about a particular RL collection or ad campaign and whether it was successful or not, the reader wants to be reminded of what the "Prairie" look was, or the Annie-Hall inspired collection, or the NY Times advertising spread, or whatever. And there are almost no pictures of any of the many players involved, which contributes to the reader's difficulty in keeping all the names straight. The book is obviously intended as a hatchet job -- there are constant, snippy reminders of how narcissistic and perfectionistic he is, but reading between the lines, you also get the impression that there ARE some people who LIKE to work for him. I am no big fan of Lauren's, but Gross obviously has a vendetta against him. Too bad, because this boring book could have been really interesting.

The book gives a fairly good overview of the major stages of Lauren's life and accomplishments. While the chronology is fairly informative, I feel that it focuses more heavily on the personal relationships in Lauren's life. The book falls short in its description of the creative process that Lauren uses and the source of his inspiration and his ability to reinvent itself. The discussion on the business and financial aspects of Lauren's success is fit more for a magazine article than a serouos biographical study -- don't look for any insights here either.

I wonder if "reader" who wrote the first review below works for Ralph Lauren. I bet so. What a personal attack on someone who has obviously worked hard to write a balanced, thorough and honest book. Which this is. Despite Lauren's flip-flopping, first asking for a biography with integrity, then refusing to cooperate when the writer tried to give him what he wanted--a story told in the hysterically funny and revealing author's note at the beginning of the book--Gross not only illuminates Ralph Lauren's business, but also his complex and fascinating character, his tremendous drive and entrepreneurial spirit and the whole world of fashion. He should be proud--not ashamed. And Lauren should count himself lucky that he got a biography of such a high caliber.