This anthology, actually the first issue of what one hopes will be a highly successful literary magazine, is chock full of treasures. One could do a lot worse to discover the voices of tomorrow than look herein. Let's hope this issue garners its contributors some recognition, some prizes and careers to make readers heads swim for decades to come.

I absolutely love this book. It is a fine collection of stories by current, up and coming, new and established, honest and intellegent writers who write because they have always written. And while I've read it cover to cover, I still flip through for inspiration and laughs. Keep it by the bed, keep it under your pillow, but keep it near by if you can't read it until later, like after dinner, or whatever, just keep it around, because this little gem deserves a read.

This is a fine collection of new writings. Jeff Boison and Whitney Pastorek have outdone themselves. The selections by Bob Beier, Thisbe Nissen and the novelist Tom Bradley particularly stand out. Tom Bradley takes us deep into the Chinese jungle, to the lair of a witch who listens to Lennie Tristano on a transistor radio. PINDELDYBOZ is a must-read!

I bought this book, while researching for a play "John Lennon and Me". This book is really cute, colorful, and VERY enjoyable. Not only did I enjoy it, but the cast of the play also enjoyed it as well, young and old, we all liked it. John Lennon's play on words is great. The captions are simple, but perfect. I would recomend this for any John Lennon fan, or just any one looking for a sweet/cute children's book.

I love this book and even though some may not agree with what I'm doing with it, it turned out to be a great idea. The drawings are perfect for a baby's room so what I've done is taken the drawings in the book and framed them to make a border for our baby's bedroom. The captions at the bottom of each page are perfect and simple and relay a wonderful message. I was never a fan of the Beatles or John Lennon for that matter, but this book really caught my eye and I couldn't resist it.

The backgrounds are very pretty and colorful and John Lennon's drawings have a joyous and happy feel to them. The colorizations add a lot of happiness and fun and work well with his humorous linework. It's a very pleasing book to my 3 kids. Any kid would love it or any adult would appreciate it, for that matter. There's no story to the book but the titles are funny to repeat along to your kid.

I take this little book with me everytime I go record shopping. Concise and accurate histories of all the DJ's and record labels that make house music what it is. If you're a house DJ, buy it! I guarantee you'll learn a thing or two, even if you've been a DJ forever.

Finally, a book on house music capturing the pop sensibilities of the MTV generation, the historical coverage of the New York Times and the song significance of dance music magazines. With a cover graced by none other than Armand Van Helden, HOUSE: The Rough Guide breaks down this musical subgenre in small easily digestible doses.

In keeping with the MTV mindset of short attention spans, HOUSE provides synopses highlighting the salient points of significant contributions DJ's (e.g. Masters at Work, DJ Pierre), producers (e.g. Mood II Swing, Basement Jaxx) and labels (e.g. Nervous, Salsoul) have made to House music. Very much like a NY Times investigative story, Bidder's Rough Guide leaves no stone unturned, reporting on names both past and present in the house music game from Robert Owens to Adeva to Daft Punk to Bobby Konders. The book serves as an excellent resource and reference for beginners to gain knowledge about the genre, for intermidiate house lovers to further their education and for advanced house users as a reference tool to key people.

One added bonus, the book not only covers the people and the labels, but it also names the tunes that catapulted to stardom.

Sean Bidder's Rough Guide is the penultimate piece one can buy on this topic. It is well-written, provides more behind-the-scenes activity than any other source, and is one-of-a-kind. I wouldn't be without this book. It kicks!!

This is a great book for anyone who appreciates a dry wit and intelligent sense of humor. I agree with the other reviewer who compares his writing with Dave Barry but "less wacky." Rather than write about family and chores, Leary's focus is more broad, encompassing the media and pop culture. A very fun read. The illustrations are cool, too! I bet Bill Douglas does great comic-style work, too.

This is a FANTASTIC book. I've read Sean's column for years, and was delighted when he decided to publish a book with some of his greatest columns. Sean's command of the English Vocabulary is simply amazing. He has a way of phrasing words and sentences that will leave you in awe, wondering "How does he come up with that?"

If you are a Dave Berry fan, this book is a MUST-BUY! I think that Sean is far more talented than Dave is, not to mention just a tad less wacky. Dave, I think, writes more for the older generation, where-as Sean is more into Pop Culture and is more in tune with what is popular and current. Plus, Sean has a lot of insight and knowledge of just about anything pertaining to the entertainment world. You can't help but from laughing out loud when you read this book. For example, one of my favorite columns in the book is called, "Behold the Power of Candy". He was writing a spoof on candy becoming a super drug. Here is an excerpt... It all started with a tiny mint call Mento's. The Mentos commercials chronicle several dorks who find themselves in circumstances that would twist the mind of David Lynch.... Not all of the columns are humorous ones, there are some serious ones but the majority are funny. He begins with an amazing column that he wrote when he was 7, then ends with a spoof on VH1's "Behind the Music". Also, throughout the book he has little snippets of background information that gives you a little bit of behind the scenes.

Yes, I highly suggest buying this book. The price is right and you will NOT be disappointed I can promise you that! And if this book doesn't at the very minimum leave you with a smile on your face, then I guess you will need to be visited by "Foolish Jack"!

Now younger (twenties and thirties) readers have a columnist who can speak to their age range. Sean's always funny, and at times he's hilarious! Sean's columns are hip and poke pointed but affectionate fun at lots of society's weirdisms. A cool book! Sean's column runs in the Midwest, but you don't have to be an Iowan like me to enjoy this book. Someday this guy will probably be national.

interwoven with poems and stories by borges are these stunning, surreal representations of books as objects of art and mystery. while none of them "illustrate" the text, they follow a parallel theme.

the imagination behind these compositions is both uplifting and a little scary. the notion of a text composed completely of small beetles opens all sorts of interesting possibilities. my only complaint is the binding- this would have made a beautiful hardcover.

As with Borges' writing, there is nothing quite like this stunningly original, evocative collection of photographs. The images contain all the elements for which the writer was so admired: paradox, beauty, and elemental simplicity. If you have any reverence for books as objects, or as vessels for meaning, then you should possess this "secret" book.

Featured in the photographer's epilogue is the claim that he began juxtaposing items such as snakes, skulls, and hands with mysterious books in Latin, Greek, Spanish and other languages before connecting his photographic inspiration with the literary inspiration of Borges. Once he understood the connection, however, it seems the influence of Borges contaminated him; several photographs not only capture Borges's enthusiasm for the enigmas within books and words, they quote the Argentine master within them. Therein lies my favorite aspect of this wonderful book: the photographer's particular fascination with secret books overlaps with yet remains distinct from Borges's particular fascination with the same subject, creating--as with Edward Fitzgerald and Omar Khayyam--a dialogue that is more beautiful and valuable together than apart.

Fun, simple and unpretentious. That's "Something Tastes Funny" and the television show that spawned it, Food TV's "How to Boil Water." Everything that network no longer is. Sean, we miss ya ... get back into the kitchen!

All I can say is that the recipes are great for the beginner and some of the stories I could actually relate to. If you like his show, you will love the book!

Although this cookbook doesn't market itself as a vegetarian cookbook, it practically is! There are tons of fast and easy veggie recipies, like Tofu Cacciatore. I highly recommend this book (I took it out of the library and now must own it!)

The authors have done a very good jobs of explaining several complex matters. More importantly, the authors have clearly shown that they have trenmendous amount of real-world experiece. It's good to know that we still have some authors like that instead of too many professional writers, who have no real world experience and who just paraphase what M$ says about their product on the online help.

Thanks.

Tam T. Nguyen, MCSE

This book is very helpful if you are planning a Windows 2000 Active Directory design or already have one and need to get the most out of your AD. The authors have organized the book very well making it easy to find the information you need. The book is very useful as a quick reference. Additionally, material is presented in a logical order making it easily readable cover-to-cover if you need a comprehesive understanding of AD.

The authors stress the importance of a solid DNS design and drive home the point just how critical DNS is for good AD operation. There is a good description of forests, trees, and domains as well as much helpful information on planning sites and site replication. The book also goes into detail on printers and scripting.

I found the book very useful for setting up and administering different features of Windows 2000 such as group policy. There are good chapters on Group Policy Architecture and Managing Group Policy.

As an MCSE+Internet certified analyst assigned to the AD design team for a Fortune 500 company, I highly recommend this book. It makes a good operational reference for your bookshelf. Although not geared specifically for Windows 2000 certification tests, it is worth reading if you are preparing for the exams.

Special Edition Using Microsoft Active Directory provides the network administrator with complete, authoritative, "user friendly", in-depth coverage of the newest directory service from Microsoft. Sean Fullerton and James Hudson use their extensive previous training and administration experiences to expertly explain how to design, implement, and troubleshoot using the new directory service "Active Directory". Special Edition Using Microsoft Active Directory is very highly recommended for users ranging from Beginner to Advanced levels of experience. 554pp.

I first became acquainted and fell in love with the work of F.Scott Fitzgerald when I read a hardback copy of The Great Gatsby in my early 20s. Since then, I have read Tender Is The Night and This Side of Paradise, so when I discovered this collection of stories by my literary hero, I floated up to the cieling. My favorites include The Diamond As Big As The Ritz and Bernice Bobs Her Hair, and anyone who has not already been introduced to Fitzgerald, either in English class at school or while browsing in a local bookstore, it's not too late to change your mind, and it is my sincere hope that you will love this man's work as much as I do!

I was delighted to find out that not only were F. Scott Fitzgerald's short stories being narrated on audio cassette, but that one of the performers was none other than Robert Sean Leonard. Scottie is by far one of my favorite American authors. It takes an incredible talent to condemn the life you live in your literature, and when I think how he strived for excellence but fell victim to society, I can't help but pity him. His writing is so delicious to read as well. He has such wonderful similies and metaphors, and is so descriptive I can taste the wine, feel the rain and see the stars. The Jazz Age is one of my favorite time periods and F. Scott Fitzgerald captures it perfectly. You see the glittering side but then the glitter gets tarnished as it must. What is even better about this audio is that one of the narrators is none other than my favorite actor, Robert Sean Leonard (better known as Neal in Dead Poets Society and Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing among other films). His voice is wonderful to listen to, even if you're not a fan of his acting. It's perfectly clear and flowing and it reminds you of listening to your parents reading you a bedtime story. The tape itself leaves you feeling as if you've been on an emotional rollercoaster. There's a nice beginning, then it peaks with conflict, the resolution, and then the end finishes as calmly as it started. Yet you've gained something from it. Fitzgerald has some incredibly phenomenal themes in his work. The odd part is that I usually don't like getting audio books, but I certainly reccomend this audio of The Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald" It's worth every penny.

Surely an icon in the annals of American literature, F. Scott Fitzgerald produced a body of work which epitomized the Roaring Twenties. It has been said that his dominant influences were "aspiration, literature, Princeton, Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, and alcohol." Nonetheless, his writing possesses an urgency, a bite, unrivaled by his peers.

Collected in this superb audio are nine of his early stories performed by accomplished actors. Broadway/film actress Blythe Danner reads "Bernice Bobs Her Hair," a narrative inspired by a lengthy letter Fitzgerald wrote to his younger sister, Annabel, in which he offered advice on how she could become popular with boys.

"The Jelly-Bean," read by Dylan Baker, takes place in Georgia. Fitzgerald credits his wife for her expertise in helping him write a portion of this tale involving crap shooting, saying "as a Southern girl" she was an expert at this endeavor.

The talented Peter Gallagher reads "Head and Shoulders," the first of Fitzgerald's story to appear in The Saturday Evening Post.

Also found in the collection are "The Diamond As Big As The Ritz," "Dalyrimple Goes Wrong," "The Ice Palace," "Benediction," "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button," and "May Day."

This is an exemplary combination of memorable prose and oral presentation, a remarkable listening experience.

Sean Ingram has enlightened me with his wisdom and passion for words. The alphabets form into pages and pages of scripted life experiences that will have you crying under that dim light by your bedside. His eloquence motions the reader to profound thoughts of many issues that effect all of us as complex beings. In three simple words...I loved it!

This book truly touches the souls of others. The words are so simple but yet so deep which makes this book easy to read and hard to stop reading. Each poem touhed me in it's own way like none before. This book is truly a five star book.

Seans poetry is so full of emotion, no matter what back ground you have, you can relate to his writing. What amazing talent! I would recommend to ALL!!

It was the last minute business trip offered to me earlier this year. It would have been my first trip to Asia. I was excited, scared and anxious at the same time. A business woman all alone in Hong Kong for a month? I had to learn about the place. So I came across this book in my local library and it was a gem! Book contains first hand experience stories written by western travelers visiting Hong Kong. Some were there for the first time, some had ancestors there, some were expatriots. But each and every story had unique voice and each and every one was wonderful account of the experiences one can expect to have while visiting this place of magic. I enjoyed the book because it had really funny stories, that would make you giggle. So one had to be careful not to read them in public because the occasional laugh would cause heads turn. However, I understood the culture, customs and people so well, that I got attached to Hong Kong more than I ever thought it possible. It was hearthbreking coming home. I know I will have to go there again. Soon. Business or otherwise. And then - I will carry with me my own copy of the Travelers Tales. It is one of the kind traveler's book. One that deserves to be displayed in personal library!

I read this book two weeks before our first (but hopefully not last) trip to Hong Kong. Other travel books gave me information on where to stay, where to eat, where to buy. But this book told me stories that made me eager to experience the SAR.

We first arrived in Hong Kong early one morning, tired, but determined to do something on our first day. We set out for the Star Ferry, something you must take whenever you have the chance. Taking the MTR subway to Central, we came above ground to find ourselves in the midst of what initially appeared to be some sort of social unrest. There was an official ceremony going on in the park, blocked off by police. There were thousands of women massed right outside. Both sides seemed ill at ease with the other.

Jet-lagged, we were rather apprehensive as we tried to find our way out to the ferry. Until I realized that it was Sunday, and that the voices sang a different song than the Cantonese we had heard so far. We were in the midst of Fillipina housemaids who gather on their one day off to visit with their countrywomen. I explained to my wife what was happening, including a description of what life was like for these women and how they came to be there. Elaine wanted to know how I knew this.

"I read about it in the Traveler's Tales book".

This book told stories of Hong Kong that steered us to places we might not have learned from the traditional guides and gave us a flavor for places that we knew not to go to.

I've read the Japanese guide. I don't know if it will prove to be as good as the Hong Kong book in the field, but it has proven to me that this is an entertaining series to the armchair tourist as well as intrepid travelers.

I first was attracted to this book by its cover--a charming photo of the happy faces of a group of Chinese men watching an opera and, once I had read my first story, "A Perfect Pig", describing Mr. Chung Wa Pui's long search for the perfect little white jade pig, I knew this was no ordinary book. These, indeed, are "traveler's tales"--personal accounts selected from the writings of diverse individuls who have visited or lived in Hong Kong--choice selections offering a pleasing mix of fact and folklore.

Did you know, for example, that the Portuguese influence in the East was such that Portuguese foods, architectural designs, and even Portuguese words were borrowed by the Chinese and others? The Chinese word "joss", the incense burned in Buddhist temples, was adopted from the Portuguese "dios"...We discover that, just a ferry boat ride away from the teeming throngs of Hong Kong, Lantau, the largest of the 235 outlying islands--larger even than Hong Kong--provides miles of wooded areas and secluded beaches, linked by hiking trails...We learn, also, of intriguing dining opportunities in Hong Kong, like the Yat Chau Health Restaurant, serving such delicacies as Double-Boiled Wild Duck with Deer's Penis or Spring Chicken with Sea Dragon & Sea Horse, dishes guaranteed to help restore one's physiological balance...Fascinating glimpses of a captivating part of the world. Truly a remarkable book. Nadine Greenup.