This book is a great handbook for people working to analyze the research they have compiled or for people preparing to do a report from a compilation of data. It helps with every step along the way. It gives 9 basic methods of research, so there is a good chance that your needs will be met. This book outlines how to go about starting, collecting your data/research, and how to compile it into a report. It is extremely helpful and its information is easily accessible for those without any formal training in research and evaluation. The only problem with this book is in its very nature. As a handbook, it covers only the bare bones of research and evaluation--and in the preface the authors suggest that you supplement your reading of this book with "standard texts or qualified consultants" in this area.

This handbook is one of the most authoritative references I have found on research and evaluation methods. It is designed for the education or behavioral science researcher, but students of any type of social science research will find much to offer here. It contains some of the best bibliographic references on the subject of research to be found anywhere. If you are a graduate student or seasoned researcher, you will find something of value in this book. I have literally worn the cover off of my second edition copy. The third edition is even better than the first or second. It is on my reference shelf, within easy reach, and I recommend it to my students in classes in research methods. I cannot recommend it too highly.

Here is a true American masterpiece. Rife with descriptions of the splendor of the land, the squalor of poverty, the fear of oppression, and the joy of triumph. Jews in America have been, for almost 100 years, the single most successful ethnos in the country, and have been jealously attacked for gaining that success. Stephen Isaacs has compiled a detailed record of settlement, development, and difference. In so doing, he describes a panorama of people, small in number but alive with ideas and potential, while at the same time being divided by language, culture, and faith. He brilliantly relates the growth of Jewish immigration to the growth of America herself, and the changes in the economics, ethnography, and physical geography of cities. And he adds real personal insight--the most necessary ingredient to a successful book. READ IT!

The Clarks make no bones about it: Sir Issac Newton was one of the greatest scientific minds of the his time. Of all time, in fact. Newton was the symbol of the triumph of science over superstition.

But Newton had a darker side. Despite the fame and recognition he had received, Newton refused to let anyone threaten to overshadow him or stand in his way of greater achievements.

Reverend John Flamsteed was the first Astronomer Royal - a position he held for 44 years serving under 6 kings. He spent his night in the observatory of Greenwich gazing through telescopes, cataloguing the stars. Newton wanted this information to figure out a better way to navigate to oceans, a major problem in his day. He was convinced Flamsteed was holding back the critical information he needed. For that, Newton used all the considerable power at his disposal to end the career of Flamseed. He almost suceeded. It was only because of the dedication of Flamsteed's widow that his 3-volumn Historia Coelestis Britannica was published.

Today, because of Flamsteed's work, we measure longitude from the place he accomlished his work - Greenwich.

The work of Stephen Gray is less known. A commoner trained as a dyer, he was a most unlikely member of the Royal Society.

Gray was a long time friend of Flamsteed. He carried on a regular coorespondence with the elder scientist, sharing with him his own celestial observations.

But it was Gray's pioneering work in using electricity for communications that earned him immortality. Work, that if not for Newton, may have been accomplished 20 years sooner.

Humans need heroes, and those prominent in any field are often portrayed as ideals no matter how flawed they may be in real life. The Clarks, scientists from the UK, have written a fascinating historical study of Isaac Newton, Astronomer Royal Flamsteed, and amateur scientist Gray with the intention of demythologizing Newton and giving Flamsteed and Gray what the authors consider to be their proper place in the development of 17th- and 18th-century science. Gray's contributions to the field of electricity and electrical communications and evidence for Newton's suppression of Gray's work are discussed in some detail together with Flamsteed's work in astronomy; the relationships between Flamsteed, Newton, and Gray; and the political and social climates of the times. The book was not written to demean Newton's accomplishments; the authors devote a fair amount of space to a discussion of Flamsteed's personal foibles that made the feud (concerning Flamsteed's astronomical data supplied t o Newton) between him and Newton difficult to avoid. In the words of the authors, "His [Newton's] genius would survive any detailed scrutiny, but the failure to recognize his aggressive character and his tyrannical behavior meant that the genius of others, including Flamsteed and Gray, was not recognized." All levels.

This is a quick read that is both well-written and well-organized. The authors take few diversions - historical, rhetorical, or empirical - from describing the relations among the characters in the title: the credentialed Newton, the laborious Gray, and the intermediary Flamsteed. The result is a concise and enjoyable report on what is known and what can be reasonably surmised about the relative contributions of these men. There is sufficient detail (and sufficient lack of colouring) to make the book of interest to scientists, and to historians and sociologists of science. But there the book is sufficiently accessibile, and the subject matter sufficiently finite to make it equally appealing to anyone with interest in such topics as politics, organizations, and astronomy, not to mention Newton and his era.

While I think this is a great book, I prefer to use it in conjunction with many of the elements of regular D&D. Combine the Wheel of Time role playing game with the books from the series, and you have a great campaign environment. I just prefer to set up my own world, so I take the parts I like and leave the rest.

I would have to mention the way they handled the adaptation of the One Power. The One Power is central to the novels and it has to be central to the game. If they had done that part poorly, the game would have been a waste of paper. They did a great job, and that sets the tone for the rest of the book.

I also like the way they adapted certain long lost "gifts" into the feat system. It allows a wolfbrother character, for example, to grow into his gift in a similar manner to the way the character in the book (no spoilers here) did.

I would certainly reccomend this book for someone who is familiar with the D&D system and looking for more inspiration, and a magic system they can borrow. I would reccomend this book for fans of the series just to find out some details they may not have noticed in reading through the books thus far, and to revisit a place they enjoyed when they read the books.

I decided to wait until I'd read the entire 3E expansion for The Wheel of Time before finally writing this review, which is good, because otherwise I'd have given it that fifth star it almost deserves.

Firstly, I'd like to say that, on the whole, the adaptation is fantastic. The expansion is almost totally self-contained, so the player won't need to purchase another item once all the necessary sourcebooks have been procured...AS LONG AS HE'S FAMILIAR WITH THE WHEEL OF TIME. That's right: while the book does give some fairly decent brief descriptions of the lands, its peoples, and the storyline, it honestly doesn't cut the mustard for a newbie to the series. Needless to say, as the GM for my group, I've been busy explaining to two of my players everything about the world of the Wheel of Time, and trying to make one of them understand why he can't call his character "Dragon."

The layout is above average, and the typos and misprints are nearly nonexistent...but I did say "nearly." If anyone finds out what the "Quickness" feat is, e-mail me. The artwork is also well-placed and of high quality, but that was to be expected.

The translation of One Power usuage was sheer genius. Give the man a cookie. About a year ago I spent two months trying to adapt such an idea to D&D3E rules, and finally quit because I was starting to pull my hair out. I'm thoroughly impressed.

The final verdict: if you're a Wheel of Time fan who plays RPGs, buy it. If you're an RPG fan who's read the Wheel of Time, buy it. If you're a Wheel of Time fan who wants to play RPGs, this is the reason to start.

I haven't found anything about this book that I dislike yet. I've been playing the d20 system for about a year now and rping for about 13 years total and I've never come across 1 book this organized and easy to move around. Even the character sheet was put together pretty well. And I always feel the need to remake that or find one someone else remade.

Also, having read the Wheel of Time series twice, I was worried how they would adapt the series to rp. And I think they did it very intelligently. I can see why it has Robert Jordan's stamp of approval. It certainly has mine.

I was particularly intrigued to read the experiences and understanding that Flower Newhouse has in the world of angels. She presents a comprehensive perspective on the many ways that Angels communicate and work with us. Together with some simple techniques that help initiate the contact with Angels, the author brings these heavenly beings into our relationships and our daily lives.

I just finished reading this book and I must say I enjoyed it tremendously. I am new to the study of Angels and this book is a great place to find a better understanding of how Angels can have an influence in your life.

I collect childrens' books and illustrations, and Stephen Mackey is one of my all-time favorite illustrators. The same sense of mystery and magic that is so at home in his illustrations of fairies adds a particularly special element to his paintings of children and cats. You feel like you're seeing into someone's secret world, even if the events portrayed are mundane, yet you never feel as though you've discovered all of the secrets. As an afficianado of Mackey, I have to say I've been disaapointed in the two major works he's chosen to illustrate -- this book, and the Yolen collection of fairy tales. I think in both cases that the text is not particularly engaging -- too stilted, artificial, and even esoteric for children, but not nuanced or sophisticated enough to be entirely satisfying to adults. Don't buy this book if you want to read a story about cats to a young person; but if you love cats, and if you believe that they know a lot more than we can prove that they know and that they make excellent companions for us, the meager fleshed ones, then I think you might really enjoy sharing the pictures in this book with your child or your over a cup of tea with your feline friend.

...but it went downhill from there. You have to *REALLY* love Asimov robots to get into the books at this point. Still, if you are an absolute robo-fan, you will still want to read this.