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Book reviews for "Hall,_James" sorted by average review score:

The Art of Voice Acting: The Craft and Business of Performing for Voice-Over, Second Edition
Published in Paperback by Focal Press (2002)
Authors: James R. Alburger and Mel Hall
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Voice Acting Made An Art.
"The Art of Voice Acting" by James R. Alburger is a must read for any voice actor who wants to seriously succeed in the biz! The book is carefully orchestrated from basic acting techniques to finding work in the voice-over industry..."The Art of Voice Acting" makes sense and making sense in a highly competitive market, can make $cents$, no dollars! for the novice and seasoned professional...

It's the Best of the Best!!!
I am a Voice Actress. This is the best book I have read to teach a beginner about learning how to practice and prepare for doing voice acting as a life-time business. Though I am using a different language to do the art of voice-over, it's indeed a good reference book and very useful to me and all my colleagues.

Wow! The Best Book On Voice-Acting -- EVER!
This book is the best I have ever read on the art of performing for voice over. Mr. Alburger has structured his book in an easy to understand, comprehensive, and lighthearted fashion. There is an absolute WEALTH of information for anyone wanting to learn about the art OR the business. I especially appreciated the tips on marketing. "Breaking into the business" just got a whole lot easier, with this handy guide! Thanks!


The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall of Fame Official Record Book
Published in Paperback by McBooks Press (1996)
Authors: James B. Roberts, Alexander G. Skutt, and International Boxing Hall of Fame
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rock em....then sock em...
A really invaluable referance guide to the sport of boxing. If you are a real afficiando of the sport or like myself, just a casual fan it doesn't really matter. This book has all the information that you could want. All the champions from the various weight classes are here. Each boxer has a record of all of his fights, and a (surprisingly) entertaining overview of his career. Wether you are checking out a specific fighter for a specific fight, or just want a few moments of reading. This is the book for you. From the heavyweight super stars that we all know, to the 98 pounders that could tear the most 'macho' of us apart before breakfast, this guide has them all. Informative and VERY intertaining. But it, read it, and revel in the history of the "manly art" You won't be dissapointed.

Outstanding reference book on boxing history & records
The authors and the International Boxing Hall of Fame based in Canastota, NY deserves a lot of credit for this excellent contribution to boxing - "the sweet science". This is a treasury chest of information on boxing history, fighters records and inside stories in a handy book format with lots of great photos and illustrations. Whether you want to know about the sanctioning bodies or the weight divisions, the records or the biographies of the fighters inducted into The Hall of Fame, you will find it all right here.

Content data, records and biographies about the fighters are divided in three main sections: 1- the early pioneers from bare knuckle brawlers to the Boston Strong Boy; 2- the old timers when the sweet science becomes an American passion; and 3- the modern era when boxing waxes and wanes but the grear stars shine. Names like James Figg, John L. Sullivan (The Boston Strong Boy), Max Baer, Jack Dempsey (The Manassa Mauler), Jack Johnson (the first african-american heavyweight champion from 1908-15), Gene Tunney, Joe Louis, Archie Moore, Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali (The Greatest) and many other great fighters, they are all here. You will also find information about boxing's supporting cast with names like Gil Clancy, Cus D'Amato, Angelo Dundee, Lou Duva, Don King, Arthur Mercante and others. Additionally, there are short essays on the governing bodies ruling the sport, the seamy side of boxing scandals, the influence of television in the sport, etc.

In conclusion, this is an outstanding source of reliable information on boxing as well as on individual fighters in a handy, manual, illustrated book format for a very reasonable price.

A must have!
This book gives great biographies on all the great fighters. This book is great for a person just getting into boxing or a long time fight fan. I think you should definately buy a copy.


Ernie Pyle's War: America's Eyewitness to World War II (G K Hall Large Print American History Series)
Published in Hardcover by G K Hall & Co (1999)
Author: James Tobin
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A Good read, But?
I felt the book was well written, but, I have always wondered why some relevant information was left out. I only hope that Mr. Tobin and his editor will contact me. My Grandfather was Captain Myron T. Hess one of the officers Mr. pyle was with that day he was killed. My Grandfather and his 1st Sargeant were responsible for killing the Sniper which took Mr. Pyle's life. I have for years had the literature which substantiates this claim. As a proud Grandson, I have always wished that My Grandfather and his 1st Sargeant were given some text. But I have yet to find it in published books or film.

The Consummate War Correspondent
The author, James Tobin, recounts Ernie Pyle's life from his childhood in Indiana to his 1945 death in the Pacific Theatre. The text notes "Sadness verging on bitterness always colored Ernie Pyle's memories of his early years," and relates that his adult personal life also was basically unhappy. In 1928 while working for the Washington Daily News, Pyle began writing an aviation column that ultimately was carried by all Scripps-Howard newspapers. Foreshadowing his WWII reporting style, Pyle' favorite subjects were the anonymous airmail pilots telling "tales of the pilot's feats of bravery and improvisation."

From 1935 to 1942 he roamed the western hemisphere where he wrote a column on his wanderings for the News and developed into a consummate craftsman of short prose and as Tobin noted "...in the process created "Ernie Pyle." Reflecting what would be his wartime style the author notes, "...he studied unknown people doing extraordinary things." The text relates Pyle's activities as a war correspondence in Tunsia where he shared the dangers and discomforts of the infantrymen at the front, and developed a bond with the American infantryman where his "writing transcended propaganda; it was richer, more heartfelt." At home Pyle's editors were delighted with the rapid growth of his popular column. After Tunisia, he followed the troops in the invasion of Sicily and later into Italy.

In Italy, he completed construction of his mythical hero, the long-suffering G.I. The text notes that the "inescapable force of Pyle's war writings is to establish an unwritten covenant between the soldier at the front and the civilian back home." Tobin also notes "Soldiers could see an image of themselves that they liked in his heroic depiction of the war...The G.I. myth worked for them too." However, as Pyle was becoming the "Number-One Correspondent" he became troubled because he had been "credited with having written the truth...He had told as much of what he saw as people could read without vomiting. It was the part that would make them vomit that bothered him..."

Pyle covered the Normandy landing in June 1944. In contrast to today's instant TV battlefront coverage, Pyle admitted to readers "Indeed it will be some time before we have a really clear picture of what has happened or what is happening at the moment." Pyle followed the infantry into France. The book notes, "The hedgerow country of Normandy was a killing field such as Ernie had never seen, and as the weeks passed, the constant presence of 'too much death' whittled down his will to persist." Once again the G.I.'s affection for him had risen after they saw Pyle force himself to share their dangers, which sometime made him, scream in his sleep. Those with today's anti-French attitude would agree with Pyle when he wrote that in Paris he felt as "though I were living in a whorehouse-not physically but spiritually."

Ernie Pyle returned to the United States in mid-September 1944. After a much needed rest, in January 1945 Pyle left for the Pacific Theatre. Here Pyle was in a different environment. He couldn't relate to the hot food and warm beds aboard Navy ships, the comfortable living conditions of airmen stationed on Pacific islands and the generally pleasant environment on Pacific islands. He wrote, "It was such a contrast to what I'd known for so long in Europe that I felt almost ashamed.... They're...safe and living like kings and don't know it." Even when relaxing with an aunt's grandson, a B-29 pilot who tried to relate the real combat conditions in the Pacific, Ernie just didn't understand the Pacific Theatre.

With the Army's 77th Division, "He went ashore" on a small island north of Okinawa "on the 17th of April 1945, talked with infantrymen during the afternoon and spent the night near the beach in a Japanese ammunition-storage bunker." The next morning he hitched a ride when at ten o'clock the jeep he was riding in came under Japanese machine gun fire. After jumping into a ditch with the jeep's other riders, Pyle raised his head and was killed instantly. Far from home, Ernie Pyle died among his beloved infantrymen.

In closing James Tobin writes "Ernie and his G.I.'s made America look good. The Common Man Triumphant, the warrior-with-a-heart-of-gold-this was the self-image America carried into the post-war era."

While the technology of war reporting has changed greatly since WWII, the author is correct when he observes, "As a practitioner of the craft of journalism, Pyle was perhaps without peer. After him, no war correspondent could pretend to have gotten the real story without having moved extensively among the front-line soldiers who actually fought."

The book ends with a nice touch, an Appendix that contains a potpourri of Pyle's articles.

A tribute to Ernie Pyle
I first became aware of Ernie Pyle as a young lad when I ran across a dusty old paperback in my grandparents attic. I voraciously devoured each page only to be saddened when I realized he never made it home from the war.

Here is a wonderful tribute to Ernie and his easy going manner mirrored with his elequent style of writing. From the absense of life, back through his lifes struggles, this work is a journey into Ernie's life. It will bring back floods of memories from older readers and give new readers insight into a great journalist who was taken from us in the prime of his career.

Ernie's manner of writing was a joy to read and Tobin has done a superb job in relaying his stories in regards to the common man, and the private soldier.


Monitor: The Story of the Legendary Civil War Ironclad and the Man Whose Invention Changed the Course of History (G K Hall Nonfiction Series (Large Print))
Published in Hardcover by G K Hall & Co (1998)
Author: James Tertius de Kay
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Excellent Coverage of the Monitor
Alot of detailed information well put together and very readable.

Most famous ship in US Navy history?
This slim volume recounts the history of USS Monitor which, in its famous engagement with the CSS Virginia (Merrimac) on March 9, 1862, rendered all wooden warships obsolete and initiated a naval arms race among world's navies that climaxed 80 years later in the Pacific battles of World War II.

Monitor's creator was a Swedish engineering prodigy named John Ericsson who had supervised 400 men as a canal engineer by age 16. For an 1829 railroad design competition built a steam locomotive that established a land speed record by covering a measured mile in 57 seconds (63 mph). But the contest sponsors changed the rules to defeat foreigner Ericsson and his attempts to provide innovate designs to the Royal Navy were also rejected. In frustration Ericsson emigrated to the United States and in 1837 invented the first practical screw propeller to drive steamships through the water.

In 1861 Union intelligence indicated the Confederates were rebuilding the scuttled former Union warship USS Merrimac as a heavily armed ironclad. If that ship (rechristened CSS Virginia but generally called simply "Merrimac"), broke the blockade of Hampton Roads then US coastal cities, including Washington, DC, would be vulnerable to attack. The Union needed an ironclad quickly, and Ericsson already had a plan!

Monitor's keel was laid in Brooklyn, NY on October 25, 1861, and Ericsson and his numerous subcontractors worked 108 days and nights until on February 9, 1862 USS Monitor was turned over to the Navy. Exactly one month later Monitor faced Merrimac at Hampton Roads. Objectively the battle was a tactical draw, but strategic victory went to the Union. The Union blockade was preserved, the Confederates remained bottled up and Britain and France, who were leaning toward supporting the South, decided to remain officially neutral.

This book tells the story of the design, construction, combat history, demise and legacy of USS Monitor in a well-written narrative format. It provides enough details for general readers interested in naval, engineering and civil war history. It may be too general for the serious buff, but I recommend it as an amazing tale to everyone else who wants to know more about this important historical event.

There are some small reproductions of period etchings and photos and a good map of the Hampton Roads battle area. The only thing missing are good schematics of Monitor's interior design.

JUST LIKE THE SHIP IT PORTRAYS....
....Like the Monitor itself, this book is short and concise and yet it packs quite a wallop. In a little more than two hundred well-written pages, Mr. DeKay manages to cram a lot. The book is all about the first ironclad warship of the U.S. Navy and its duel in Chesapeake Bay with the Confederate vessel Merrimac. The book starts with a biography of the ship's cantankerous Swedish inventor John Ericsson and his efforts to get the government bureaucracies of two continents to show interest in his his prophetic ideas for naval warfare (propeller engines, armor plating, torpedoes, revolving gun turrets). The book then talks about the labyrinthine maneuvers of Ericsson and his financial backers through the government contract process to get the ship built. Finally, the author describes in blow-by-blow detail the epic battle between the "cheesebox on a raft" Monitor and the vastly larger and better-armed Merrimac. Every page crackles with factual gems (e.g. The Civil War really was "brother against brother". The Merrimac's commander rammed and sank a Union ship while his brother was on board). Landlubbers and civilians need not be discouraged from reading this book. Engineering and naval concepts are presented in jargon-free language. The book can be finished in two or three days of casual reading. Great for the bathroom-er, uh, excuse me, head.


Doctor Dogbody's Leg (Heart of Oak Sea Classics Series)
Published in Hardcover by Henry Holt & Company, Inc. (1998)
Authors: James Norman Hall and Dean King
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A collection of 10 short stories
This book was a change of pace for the author, who was the co-author of Mutiny on the Bounty and other books. It is humorous light reading, with the tales set in the Cheerful Tortoise, as Dr. Dogbody, Royal Naval, meets with old acquaintances and tells tales about how he lost his leg. It sometimes rambles a bit, as tales might if told by an old-timer reminiscing. Overall, it is a good collection of stories that could probably be shared with children. So get a pint of ale, and sit down in front of the fire at the Cheerful Tortoise while Dr. Dogbody relates his adventures.

Tickle your funny bone
A must read for any and all O'brien fans. This is one the funniest books I have ever read. The good doctor spins increasingly outragous yarns and somehow makes it all seem plausible. The writing is first rate and the characters are vivid and real.

fantastically hilarious
A beautifully written and conceived collection (or is it one continuous tale?), this book will grab anyone who appreciates great humor and skillful writing. A true test of a book's greatness, this one I was truly sorry to see end. Grab a tankard of ale, or a glass of Port Royal, and settle down by the fire at the Cheerful Tortoise. You'll roar with laughter and gasp with astonishment at the good Doctor's tales.


Fundamentals of Financial Management (Prentice Hall International Editions)
Published in Paperback by Pearson Higher Education (25 September, 1997)
Authors: James C. Van horne and John M. Machowicz
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Excellent book!
Comprehensive, accesible and updated with great Web resources. Highly recommended!

Great book, up-to-date
This is a fun and easy to understand book for a often-tedious though important subject --corporate finance. Wachowicz takes pain to update the book through his web page. Excellent!

This is one of the best corporate finance book
This book is used in the Applied Capital Budgeting at University of Massachussetts Dartmouth. It's a very helpful and useful book. In order to understand time value of money, financial statement analysis , capital budgeting and risk , return , I am strongly advise you to buy this book.


The Bounty Trilogy
Published in Hardcover by Little Brown & Company (1982)
Authors: Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall
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A magnficent story of wonder, adventure, and leadership.
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.

amazing!
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.

Wonderful books
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!


High-Speed Digital System Design: A Handbook of Interconnect Theory and Design Practices
Published in Hardcover by Wiley-Interscience (15 January, 2000)
Authors: Stephen H. Hall, Garrett W. Hall, and James A. McCall
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Excellent Book for Beginner and Experienced Engineers
Well organized book that does not skip on details. It explains in a clear and concise manner transmission line issues such as reflections, the why's and how's of matching impedance, and crosstalk among others.

Great book !
Great explanations, with good examples. It is a very easy and interesting read, at the same time going into needed detail of high speed digital signalling issues. My course uses Digital Systems Engineering by Dally as text, but I find myself reading this book instead to get a better understanding, as it is clearer and better organized. Coming in really handy for my upcoming exam review!

A great perspective of the real world
This book is excellent. As an experienced I.C. designer, I found practical information about interconnect theory and design practices. The book was well written; a good balance between theory and problem solving. The information is useful from the chip level to the outside world.


Above the River: The Complete Poems
Published in Paperback by Noonday Press (1992)
Authors: James Wright and Donald Hall
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flawless poetic mastery?
James Wright was of course one of the 20th century's great master poets. Each poem in this book bears his stamp of completely precise, beautiful communication. His writing can teach about the art. It does, though, seem kind of pretentious to me the way this one approach to poetry, which has its sense in it, is the only way for the words to be poetry, which James Wright must have believed or he wouldn't have done it that same way every time.

Universality in Regional Voice
This collection of Wright's work includes his experiments with formal blank verse, translations of German poets, experimental prose pieces, and characteristic free verse that made him one of America's strongest national poets with a regional identity. Wright's topics range from the pastoral landscape of people, wildlife, and industry near his Ohio hometown to the philosophical challenges of individuality, death, renewal, and union. The gray mountains, coal trains, steel bridges and murky Ohio River take their places beside docile horses, musical insects and colorful characters. But never does Wright falter to the mere reporting of a landscape through his poetry; the vision is always fresh, exacting, tense, and redemptive. I have used his work with many of my English students, and the feedback is celebratory. If you are a fan of poetry or a student of the craft, familiarize yourself with this book. Donald Hall's wonderful preface does justice to one of America's most fondly remembered poets.

Thought-provoking AND understandable contemporary poetry!
James Wright's mastery of the traditional formal elements of poetry coupled with his contemporary and timeless themes makes his collection of poetry one of the best I have ever read. The first reading of his works leaves the reader wondering. The second brings comprehension. The third and any subsequent readings mesmerize as Wright's web of imagery and contemplation becomes more intricate. It is a shame that more readers do not know of his fascinating works.


Gospel (G K Hall Large Print Book Series (Cloth))
Published in Hardcover by G K Hall & Co (1997)
Author: Bill James
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I bet you can't read just one....
While some writers of police procedurals feature a detective who reappears throughout a long series of novels, Bill James repeats not only his detectives, but also his "bad guys," creating an entire world of fascinating characters to which devoted readers (including me) return again and again. James's world is mad, complex, and even violent, but it is always full of irony and wry humor, and it is always thoroughly entertaining. This novel, one of the early Harpur and Iles mysteries, takes a bit longer than some others to get its legs, but once it does, it's off to the races.

Like virtually all the male characters here, Chief Superintendent Colin Harpur does not find that having a wife and child in any way limits his social life. This time, the middle-aged detective's extracurricular love is a 19-year-old college student whose best friend is the lover of Harpur's chief "grass," or snitch. When, as a result of information received from the informer, Harpur interrupts a robbery and kills the son of a vicious but somewhat inept criminal, he sets in motion a series of threats on the life of his lover Denise, thought to be a conduit of information between the informer and Harpur. As Harpur tries to protect her, the informer, his reputation on the force, and his marriage and family, we come to know him as basically a good-hearted man who enjoys living way out on the edge, a man willing to bend every rule, if necessary.

James manages to keep the excitement high and the threat of real violence foremost in the reader's mind at the same time that he presents some wonderfully funny scenes--the funeral of the thief Harpur killed, the disposal of a body which inconveniently appears on the grounds of a house where a lawn party is to be held, and the resulting garden party, almost certain to end the upward mobility of its host. His peripheral characters are quirky and memorable, his dialogue is superb, the plot and motivations feel realistic, and the novel, overall, offers a terrific escape into a well-developed and exciting fictional world.

The Good Guys and the Bad Guys
The good guys are Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Harpur (and his girl friend Denise), and his boss Desmond Iles.

The bad guys are Doug Webb - a truly low class criminal , Courtney Saquhar-Perry - a criminal of more elevated rank and good at organizing, and Ralph Ember - owner of a pub/club, where the low life likes to congregate.

And in between these two groups are the informers who supply the good guys with the inside info on planned criminal activities and, in return, are cut considerable slack when doing wrong themselves. Foremost is Jack Lamb (and his girl friend Helen), who worked his way into a super trophy mansion and a remarkable collection of fine art, most of it stolen and now for resale. On a lower rung is Tony Towler, and also our friend Ralph Ember.

Let the fun begin with a heist the police had been advised about. It turns problematic when Doug Webb?s son Martin is killed by Harpur. Webb needs revenge. Who blew the whistle? Maybe Denise, who is also friendly with Helen and could be the messenger go-between. She has to be eliminated. It definitely could be Lamb, but he is a few numbers too large to just blow away. No such problem with Towler, who quickly gets killed. But who can trust anybody? Saquhar-Perry plans a new heist at a bank. So let?s plant some desinformation to make sure the good guys are in the wrong place. Feed it to Towler, who will pass it on to Lamb, who will then inform Harpur. Towler can?t be found (remember, he is dead). You have to find a substitute. But who can you trust? What information can you trust? As a matter of fact - can Ember trust Webb? Can Saquhar-Perry trust Ember? Can anybody trust anybody?

The author has written a tightly constructed mystery. After introducing the actors, he starts to apply the vise and squeezes the last bit of thought out of them. The result is a cliff hanger not to be missed. I just wonder why it took ten years for this book to make the trip from England across the Atlantic. We desperately need more books of this caliber!

Brings Joy to the Mystery Reader
James writes the best dialogue in current mystery fiction; his plots are superb; and his portrayal of police under siege is unequalled. James does not disappoint, and in "Gospel" he excels.


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