At 1773 pages, the "Manual of Clinical Microbiology" is a good (medium size) reference for a clinical or diagnostic microbiologist. It offers detailed information on both practical and theoretical aspects of the subject. Its authority is unquestionable. Pathologists, doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and anybody whose business concerns infectious diseases will find the book useful.
The only setback is that it is awkwardly expensive. Many potential buyers would be enticed by cheaper alternatives: there are lots of them out there.

This book is comprehensive, well put together and thorough in all of its aspects. It is an invaluable text in the microbiology department. I and my workplace have a copy, and it is the most often refered text in our laboratory only Bergeys and Mandell come close. All aspects including bacteriology, virology, parasitology, mycology, laboratory metheds etc etc are covered it is a one stop clinical microbiology text. I have no resevations in wholeheartedly recommending this book. The only thing I would add is that I would like to see it on CD-ROM

this is very good book , but u have to know the basic back ground of microbiology because , it give u the smallest detaile , and the unusuall things in microbiology, but it is the bible of clinical microbiology

The book seems to be filled with important information, but is a very hard book to read. I struggled to get through it and after finishing it I still don't have a good argument for the topics. I just found it a hard read.

Holding's book does an excellent job of delineating differences between Mormon teachings and standard biblical interpretations. That's why I rated it 4 stars rather than 2 or 3. But what it misses is the larger scope of biblical scholarship that renders much of both Mormon teachings and standard biblical interpretations irrelevant to historical, existential reality. In other words, much of what most Mormons and Christians believe about the Bible is in neither case historically viable. Even Albert Schweitzer concluded, at the end of his book, Quest of the Historical Jesus, that the Jesus Christ described in the New Testament "never had any historical existence." Other works such as Why Christianity Must Change or Die (Spong), and The Origin of Satan (Pagels), and Who Wrote the New Testament? (Mack) all lay out historical findings that leave Mormon-Evangelical differences anachronistic and moot, each camp denigrating the other, and neither camp being historically valid in the light of current scholarship. So while Holding's book is well done for what it does, what it does, in the larger scheme of things, may now be viewed as tempestuous teapot theology and microcosmic musings in a macrocosmic world of worldwide scriptural relativity.

Most of what is published today on the subject of Mormonism is what I would call "first level" apologetic material. What I mean by that is that it deals with the very basic issues and conversations that will come up between your average evangelical Christian and your average Mormon. The Mormon Church has recognized this, and in recent years, has refined the sophistication level of their arguments, and thus, a Christian confronted with these new (and necessarily more complex) arguments may find themselves ill-equipped.

This is where this book steps in to fill the void by providing answers to the Mormon arguments on the "second" and "third" level of apologetics. As such, it is necessarily more difficult and complex than any first level book on the subject. However, I found it extraordinarily easy to follow, perhaps because I have long since moved beyond the basic stuff. If you are not yet familiar with the first level of information to counter Mormon apologists, this book is not for you, and you will probably find it over your head as did the last reviewer. If you have mastered the basic information, you will easily understand and appreciate this work.

I bought it as a reference book during an MBA class in Financial Statement Analysis. Helpful and complete.

In all honesty, this is the sexiest thing ever to be committed to the printed page. All the players are here: FASB, AICPA, APA, IASB, EITF...delicious. Discussions on technical bulletins, interpretations and opinions are all concise and easy to understand, but still so lovingly complete. I used this book every single day in accounting theory and it proved incalculably useful. Clocking in at over 1,200 pages, the girth of this tome also made me feel more masculine as I lugged its enormousness past the droves of simpering art and english majors.

This book is especially useful if you need to research a wide range of accounting topics quickly. The format is very clean and easy to follow, but this is by no means a replacement for your other, likely numerous, accounting books. Basic to intermediate accounting knowledge is assumed and the level of detail is not akin to your standard accounting textbook; as there are relatively few examples and practice exercises (though they ARE there). If you are an accounting student, or just need to keep current, this is an invaluable tool. FYI: It also makes an excellent bludgeon.

I've been using the Wiley GAAP guide for the past four years and I couldn't practice without it. It presents the standards in a clear and easy to read format. I find the interpretations tell me exactly what I need to know in plain English. I always know I can depend on this book for information and keep in handy on my desk at all times.

The technology projection and some of the AI concepts explored are very well done, especially given when it was written. The book itself suffers from some flat & predictable elements (a la a standard SF-action movie), a slow windup, and what seems an implausible set up for the second half (i.e., not a very good experiment). Finally, the characters never seemed to reach full 3D development.

Overall, an entertaining read, some very interesting ideas, and a story wrapper that I wish could've been set up better. If you're reading for just the ideas and are not familiar with the AI concepts in the book, this is well worth it. If you're familiar with the concepts, then this can be an enjoyable read anyway.

This is book ignited my interest in AI. I recently bought a used copy, signed by Hogan. Looking at it again, Hogan is a much weaker writer than I had remembered, but his vision was dead on. Clarke's HAL is completely unrealistic in comparision to Hogan's Hector and Sparticus.

As a computer programmer, I found the premise and the theory fascinating. Once again, another Hogan book that I couldn't put down until I was finished.

Mr. Hogan did a fantastic job with the physics in this book. That is the one thing that kept me reading more than anything else. What I was disappointed in, is that fact that with a title of "Bug Park", there are so few insects/arthropods of any kind in the story, it is like eating a McD's cherry pie, and finding only one cherry...very disappointing indeed. The story should be re-titled.

Also, one point to nit-pick, for scientific names of any organism, when spelling the binomial name out, the genus is capitalized and the species is *always* lower case. On page396, "Limenitis lorquini"is what I am referring too, and the editors should be ashamed of themselves, because this is not the author's fault.

The story was enjoyable, the plot moves well, but the family structure was almost a direct parallel to Johnny Quest, including Bandit, I mean Batcat. I kept becoming distracted from the story as I read "Hoggi" instead of Taki etc., and like any good J.Q. story, the villain perishes in their own nefarious trap, leaving the hero's hands clean.

Finally, I enjoyed the little "Microcosm" joke at the end, I'm sure you will too.

As I was reading this novel I thought, "This reminds me of Heinlein's juveniles." Sure enough, a few pages later Hogan uses the word, "Heinleinesque." Even though this book is ostensibly aimed at teenagers, it can be enjoyed by adults. Hogan does a wonderful job of describing reality from a bug's point of view. The hard science is good, and there is a great scene where the two boys, using nanorobots, attack a centipide the way a couple of knights would attack a dragon. And they're even saving a damsel in distress, although, since she is using a nanorobot, her body is safely someplace else. There's budding love, evil
villains, murderous nanorobots, two teenage heros, and all kinds of goodies.

Bug Park was a really fun read. As usual, Hogan comes from a base of hard science, which helps makes the premise believable. The only thing I found that bothered me was the contrived bit with one of the kid's tie to organised crime. Still, loved the book and it would make a great family movie. Someone needs to give a copy to Steven.

Twelve years after publishing "Code of the Lifemaker", Hogan followed the steps of that success with this sequel. The main characters are back (with Karl Zambendorf at the top of all of them) and also the background is set on Titan.

Being asked to write this sequel by his publisher, Hogan responded that he did not want to as he had effectively finished the story on "Code of the Lifemaker". Nevertheless, the publisher insisted and Hogan intelligentely found a thread from the first novel to follow an adventure which has weight enough to carry on the story.

Although the charm and originality of the initial situation has faded, Hogan compensates with a fast-paced adventure and a satisfactory conclusion to what can be labelled as the series of "Zambedorf on Titan".

Rating=3

In the original, the author blew me away with natural evolution for robots. In this book, he keeps artful, suspenseful control of a plot that spans over a million years, two star systems, three very distinct species, and several outstanding individuals.

I made the mistake of reading this book before going to bed..I couldn't put it down to go to sleep! The mood swings, sometimes abruptly, from wonder, to laugh-out-loud funny, to nail-biting tension.

All my favorite characters from the original return, and are joined by the imaginatively-rendered Borijans and their AI GENIUS in a three-way battle for the future of Titan, which is also a battle between science and nonsense, gullibility and guile, compassion and selfishness.

Considering the massive set and costume changes between successive "Star Trek" movies, which are generally 2-3 years apart, I wondered how well the author would pick up after over a decade. I must say, it was as if the books had been written one after another.

In this sequel to "Code of the Lifemaker" we learn much about the race that created the craft that landed on Titan and started the ball rolling and find out that a hidden agenda made a routine exploration mission somewhat less than routine.

By the end, we discover that paranoia and gullibility are not strictly human traits but universal in nature and applicable to aliens and computers alike.

While "Code of the Lifemaker" and "The Immortality Option" stand up on their own, together they're a blast.

This isn't the first "history of AI" book in my collection, and won't be the last. I picked this one up because of Hogan's name, and am happy with that choice. I like his style. He knows where to put in the jokes (although he could use a few more during the weaker parts toward the end). The beginning, which starts wayyyyy back with the philosophers, is a little dry, and the end (with lots of time spent on what computers still can't do) didn't interest me. I like knowing about the trials and tribulations of what worked and didn't, and why. I'm hoping that one of these days somebody will do an entire book on the Cyc project.

I started to say I "enjoyed" this book, but it seems to be this is not the type of book that one "enjoys." I have read everything of James P. Hogan's work I could get my hands on, and he is one of my top two or three favorite writers. This is non-fiction, but it reflects the same clear and interesting style of his fiction. I would say that this book is not for a casual reader, nor was it intended as a textbook, though at some points it may seem that way. Artificial intelligence is a very interesting and widely misunderstood subject, and perhaps the greatest value of this book is in exploding some of the myths about AI. This is not a quick, easy read, but for the layman who wants to learn more about AI, it is well worth the time and effort involved in reading it.

I feel a computer helps humans to consider more complex ideas and that it is an adjunct to the human mind. I don't believe in AI. This book and Mr Hogan's comments support me in that. It is thoroughly enjoyable and written in an interested reader's level and not too Hi-tech.

This tape is well done. The sound effects create an atmosphere that draws in the listener. The actors are dramatic, but not overly so. The short stories themselves are well written, delivering edge-of-the-chair suspense (or knee-slapping comedy, as the case may be).

As most net surfers are aware the Sci-Fi Channel's web site has included a section devoted to science fiction radio drama...Seeing Ear Theatre. One aspect of which includes originally produced productions cerated especially for the site and which has featured performances by many well-known SF actors as Micheal O'Hare,Mark Hamill,Marina Sirtis,and others. With a few exceptions, a lot of the dramas are based on recent short stories by SF writers such as Terry Bisson, Allen Steele, John Kessel and Gergory Benford. With the release of this audiobook editon(which includes introductions by SF's resident angry young{sic}man Harlan Ellison)now one can listen to these stories anytime you want. The best stories(IMO)are the Three Odd Comedies and The Death of Captain Future (which despite the pulpish-sounding title is a darkly humorous tale set in the future history of Steele's previous works such as Orbital Decay and Clarke County,Space). If you like audio drama-- especially newly produced audio drama...you'll love this collection and you may also want to check out Vol. 2 which should be on sale soon(I know I can't wait).

WOW what a story! Brian Smith could sell this as a short story by itself it is so good IMO. I just wish they sold a hard copy of these writings--not just audio! I have been reading Sci Fi for a long time. This guy is great! Reminds me of 2001, a space odyssey a bit. Worth the price just for this one folks! I noticed there are no other books by Brian Smith for sale on Amazon. What's up with that? He needs to write books, and Amazon needs to sell them--geez, do I make myself clear?

James Patrick Kelly is a wonderful secret. If you polled a representative sampling of readers who call themselves SF fans, I would bet that not 50% are familiar with James Patrick Kelly. This is a shame because Mr. Kelly's work are of the very highest quality. This collection of short fiction shows off the very best of Kelly's stories and not one of them should be missed.

My favorite story of the collection is 'Mr. Boy', a wonderful novella about a 25-year-old who has re-engineered himself to remain in a 12-year-old body. This is Mr. Boy. Throughout the story Mr. Boy begins to mature, and he's not quite sure how to handle this. This 60+ page novella makes the entire collection worth purchasing, but there's so much more.

The wonderful stories "Rat", "Monsters", "Think Like a Dinosaur", and many more make this one of the most outstanding collections that I've had the good fortune to come across. Like all Golden Gryphon press books, this is an extraordinary collection from a very talented author. The Golden Gryphon imprint on a book is enough to make me open the wallet, even if it's an author that I am totally unfamiliar with. They put out excellent quality books filled with very good fiction. Highly recommended.

This volume contains fourteen of Kelly's best stories,including twoHugo nominees and four Nebula nominees. The title story is the best known, and the most discussed, of all of them, seen by many as a response or follow-up to Tom Godwin's classic, "The Cold Equations." The other stories represent the best of Kelley's work, and make it available in a permanent form. This is the first volume from a new publisher, Golden Gryphon, and is a very well-produced volume. (I hope someone is bringing single-author collections such as these to the attention of libraries, since they provide the only way for most libraries to get some of the best work of today's leading authors.)

Golden Gryphon Press has been publishing a long and wide range of single author short-story collections--and I must, obviously, admit that James Patrick Kelly's (author of WILDLIFE and LOOK INTO THE SUN) THINK LIKE A DINOSAUR AND OTHER STORIES has gained a special place in my heart. One of the leading SF stylists, Kelly's stories have a perfect blend of lyricism and sheer storytelling power; recently, he has earned well-deserved attention with his Hugo-winning stories, "Think Like a Dinosaur" and "10^16 to 1," respectively. Pick up this collection at all costs.

One of my favorite books. Have read it at least 4 times. Wish I had never sold my Sci-Fi book club edition; because now I will have to pay more to get a new copy. This book along with The Healer (F. Paul Wilson) and The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress (RAH) changed my views on government and politics and freedom. It's also a damn fine story. I was up in the wee hours reading this book. Good hard SF and social commentary. Remember; reality is for those who can't handle science fiction.

I find this book a great story, easy to read, diffiuclt to put out.
Of course, there are some flaws, technology moved since the book's been written, but the story does not suffer from that!

I've read it several times and still come back to it from time to time.

The author's beliefs in evolution and mentioned ani-God bias may tweak the noses of some (mine too a bit) but let us be honest - that's how many people see "The Institutions" ot the state and the church. And the ideal society of Chironians - ;-) ... it is good to see that some people still believe we humans can escape from our "bad nature"

A few years ago I bought a second hand copy of this book. During this time I must have read it at least once a year. I like it that much.

It is a book about what humanity could aspire to become if we can put away the mistakes of the past and present.

The arguments I've read that this is a unrealistic fantasy.... this is a book of fiction that portraits the thought and maybe the wishes of the author. You can agree with them or not.

This is one of the few books that I would recommend to a beginning SF reader. It is not too difficult and a pleasure to read, and unlike many other books you are not left with a feeling of light depression because every main character died or had some other terrible fate happen to them.

If you are interested in other works of Mr. Hogan I would recommend 'The Giant Novels' and 'The Genesis Machine'.