Are you a woman who wonders, what is all this about. Need some insperation for that female character and you don't want to follow the basic great looker mech warrior. Read this book. It was one of the first B-Tech books I read and it was great. The story kept me waiting for more. Infact, if your reading this Keith, when is the sequal. Well written with a good storyline, interesting characters and lots of action.

The first time you read this book , you may feel that it is yet another Battletech novel with lots of combat and nothing that makes it stand out from the rest of the crowd other than it is told from the perspective of a non-mechwarrior. Read it again. I did'nt get it the first time but 'Close Quarters' has a deep inner meaning . It is a story about duty.Cassie's duty to the regiment , Lainies duty to the Oyabun and so on. It is similar to Bob Charrette's 'Wolves on the Border' in it's Ninjo / Giri focus . I would recommend this to anyone , even someone who was not a Battletech fan.

This book follows the great traditions started by Keith and Stackpole. The characters are well developed and the action is good. This is a great stand alone book and its two sequels are also good. I recommend this book to all who love great SciFi action novels.

I am (very untypically) finding it difficult to express how important this book is. It's a story of incredible endurance and perseverance that will help you stop worrying about most of what's troubling you. It's also a reminder that everyone in the world does not think the same way, that other cultures and countries are very different, and that we truly have something special in the U.S. Our society of law, freedom, independence is very precious -- worth defending against enemies, both foreign and domestic. In a time when some Americans seem bent on giving away our democracy in order to feel safe again, this story is a powerful reminder of why we must all stand up for freedom. And if you think these comments are overblown, read the book anyway and decide again when you're done.

I first read Herman's "Coming out of the Ice" when I was 14 yrs old. Since my first encounter with the book, I have opened the worn covers many times to re-read my favorite excerpts.

I will pass this book on to my children just as my father did to me. For, this story heralds the triumph of the human spirit in the bleakest sittuations imaginable. We must remember the acts of Stalin and other leaders like him. Only by studying the history of human supression can we move forward into the future with the confidence that the human spirit will triumph.

Tongight when you are eating your dinner in a heated home, remember these words, "Two potatoes Papa?"

I was so moved while reading this book I could hardly eat or sleep.It pounds at your heart and tears your soul and makes you laugh and cry ,like I have never done with reading any book! "This book should be a classic period"! I have read Solzhenitsyn Gulag Archipelago "But" Victor Herman "Coming Out Of The Ice" is number #1. Because I couldnt stop thinking about it for years and years.It leaves an impression at your very soul and you come out alive and on top! Hang on to seat because its a True Story you wont forget as long as you live. Sincerely Chuck Kinney

submitted for my friend Katy L. . . .
Forthright...gripping...delightful. Reading this book-length interview with Victor Dreke is like sitting down for a chat with a favourite uncle and being totally mesmerized by the story of his life -- which is part of yours, too. Completely uncomplicatedly, he tells of young rebels going on missions with guns that jammed at the crucial moment never-to-be-forgotten lesson on the discipline of weapons-cleaning!); being in Africa with Che Guevara (the beginning of a chain of events that eventually led to Namibian independence and the release of Nelson Mandela); and being an Afro-Cuban at the very beginning of the revolution (he was sent to a town where the rope separating Blacks from whites at Saturday night dances had only been taken down days before -- by a white Rebel Army officer). He describes the thrill in 1953 of hearing that Fidel Castro had stormed the Moncada Barracks. The action went down to military defeat -- but it was a sign that there were people who would never waver, and Dreke responded. Gives you total confidence that human beings can learn how to fight and win. Also paints a convincing picture of why Cuba is part of Africa.

A través de la vida del compañero Dreke vemos y comprendemos los avances del la revolución cubana.

Aunque aquí en el mundo regido por el capital nos alimentan con cuentos del corte "de mendigo a príncipe", hay más provecho en una historia verdadero de una persona verdadera que nació negro -segregado y negado lo mas básico de la civilización- que ha llegado a ser dirigente de revoluciones en dos continentes.

Trazando su vida en este volumen vemos muchos capítulos de la revolución pocos conocidos fuera de Cuba. De Dreke aprendemos la resistencia a las violentas contrarrevoluciones en Cuba mismo y en muchos países de África central.

Los conocedores de la editorial Pathfinder a veces le llamamos "la editorial de los mártires" porque tantos de sus libros más populares dan voz a generaciones pasadas. Sin embargo, los casos como Dreke y Fidel Castro Ruiz nos presta el honor de contar con ejemplares vivos bajo esta imprenta.

¡Hasta la victoria siempre!

Aqui` es la historia de la campan~a de la revolucio`n cubana en contra las bandas terroristas contrarrevoulcionarias en las montan~as del Escambray, suministrado del gobierno yanqui, y la missio`n internacionalista dirigida del Che en el Congo.Victor Dreke fue comandante en ambos dos campan~nas , tambie`n peleo` en contra la dictadura Batista apoyado del gobierno E.U. Fue gente ordinario - trabajadores, campesinos, tenderos, vendedores de calle, estudiantes - que derrocarron el dictador Batista, y hicieron la primera revolucio`n socialista en las Ame`ricas.Mientras hicieron la revolucio`n, ellos se cambiaron a ellos mismos.Victor Dreke fue uno de ellos , despue`s el fue uno de los muchos dirigentes del proceso.El cuenta su historia : la historia del heroismo poco comu`n de la gente ' ordinario'. Nosotros los trabajadores ,campesinos, agricoltores pequen~os, estudiantes y jovenes luchadores por un mejor mundo vamos necestiar estudiar esta historia conjuntos preparar y participar en las luchas que el capitalismo esta` fuerzando a nosotros.

This is a not a battle memoir. Unlike many "We did this, then we did this," battle recollections, this work is a keen analysis of the US Marine Corps, its history, and America's reasons for having her.
The book starts from the premise "The U.S. doesn't need a Marine Corps," "Brute" Krulak articulates why America chooses to have one anyway. Not least among the gems of history in this book is the role Brute Krulak and others in the Chowder Society played in keeping the Marine Corps alive the last time the Executive Branch and Department of the Army conspired to kill her.

I must admit that this book was a big surprise to me. Picking up what most books on the Marines Corps leave out. Not only did General Krulack give me a new perspective on the Corps's battles, tactics & it's inventiveness. But on it's vary existence as an elite fighting force.

Many times over the Corps had proved it's worth to her county on battlefields across the globe. But as the General points out (form first hand experience) - unknown to most are the political battles fought behind closed doors that saved the Marine Corps from becoming nothing more than a token force, or worst it's complete elimination. Even more surprising are some of "Great Americans" who (for various reasons) fought so hard to emasculate and/or eliminate the Corps outright. Americans like: Truman, Eisenhower, and Bradley to but name a few. While I'll always have great admiration for these individuals and their accomplishments - As a Marine alumni (77/81) I can't help but feel somewhat betrayed by these people and others like them.

First in Fight makes for engaging reading - as it covers Krulack's own experiences within the battle over the unification of the armed services. Moreover - this book explains how & why the U.S. Military chain of command (Executive office - down to the lowly Private) is set-up the way it is today.

Most people think that the erecting of the U.S. Flag on Mt. Suribachi's peak was the defining moment that guaranteed the existence of the Marine Corps. While I'd never take anything away from that historical event - thanks to this book I now realize that the Corps survival to date is partly in thanks to a few dedicated Marine senior officers, a Pro-Marine Congress and a supportive people.

On a personal note: I would make this mandatory reading for any Marine, as it gives new insight into our timeless inter-service rivalry with the other service branches. Semper Fi!

Lt.Gen Victor Krulak (father of the current Commandant of the Marine Corps) has written a book that every former Marine who has not been able to rid himself of the 'Once a Marine.....'syndrom, should read right away. This book exemplifies the mystical 'Band of Brothers' of Henry V more than any book I have read on the Corps, and I have read many. Krulak gives a detailed account of the evolution of the amphibious doctrine including the famous Higgin's boats and armored LVTs, but the book is far more than that. For myself I had a less than steller career as an enlisted infantryman but Krulak brings up an amazing amount of things to make me feel a true kinship to 'We few, we happy few.' He writes of Gallipoli where my grandfather was wounded in the landing as an ANZAC. Opperation Starlite where two of my buddies were wounded, His deployment of a platoon to Tiger Tooth Mt.in 1964 of whom I knew every single guy. Gen. Puller who I had a confrontation with and a dozen other intimate entries. I am sure every Marine will find a similar bunch of identifiable inclusions to make them feel that The Corps is truly a special outfit and they were lucky to have served under him. Way under him, in my case. I only wish the book was longer.

This book is the most important description of the soviet terror that stroke the whole society in communist countries much before Soljenistin. When published, all communist parties in Europe, continued to refuse to see the horrible reality for decades, showing that communism equal nazism. This book should be reprinted and advertised as a piece of XX century History

This book is probably the best book written about the extremes to which a government can systematically abuse it citizens, and how one individual can live through the horror and document the story first hand. Takes place in Stalinist Russia, but the back drop could be any totalitarian regime.

I was given this book to read by someone who escaped the "workers' paradise" in Europe. For those who underestimate the evil of the Communist Party, you will quickly be awakened.

This book entitled "Intelligent Broadband Multimedia Networks" is volume 1 of the two volume set. The authors Prof. Syed V. Ahamed (CUNY) and Dr. Victor Lawrence (Bell Labs) have presented the topics in this book in a very easy to read manner without much mathematical treatment.

The book covers in depth about the evolution of intelligent networks with its systems design and architecture. Topics such as IN/1, IN/2 and advanced intelligent networks (AIN) are presented very well. The book also touches upon certain aspects of ISDN elements, wireless networks, knowledge processing systems, intelligent multimedia networks, educational and medical networks.

This book is recommended for graduate students in computer science, electrical and telecommunication engineering. Scientists and engineers would certainly find certain advanced topics covered in this book to be interesting.

The companion book for this book is entitled "Design and Engineering of Intelligent Communication Systems" (Vol. 2)

This is an era of Information Superhighway and emerging Global Intelligent Networks that is encompassing almost every aspect of human life. Whether we are at home, in an office, at friend's home, or in between, we want to stay connected irrespective of time and place.

Prof Syed Ahamed and Victor Lawrence have written two volumes on the topics: "Intelligent Broadband Multimedia Networks" and "Design and Engineering of Intelligent Communication Systems" illustrating the architectural designs, software and hardware requirements of these systems.

First, this is the first attempt by these authors to present the material combining data networks, computer networks, and different communication technologies with algorithmic and adaptive intelligence leading to Intelligent Broadband Multimedia Networks and Intelligent Communication Systems, and perhaps that is the solution of our ever growing desires for variety of services.

Second, the language used is bejewled, lucid, engaging, and appealing with penetrating metodologies, simplifying the complexity of the material by diagrams and flowcarts wherever necessary.

Third, the subject matter is designed specifically for the graduate students involved in research at Master or Ph.D level.

Fourth, the chapter on Knowledge Processing in Educational, Medical, and other networks is a unique and an elaborate exposition of the subject that is still unexplored.

Finally, I strongly recommend these volumes for the graguate students involved in research in order to benefit from the material as I myself did.

Prof Tasneem H Kazmi
City University of New York (CUNY)
September 25, 2001.

"Intelligent Broadband Multimedia Networks" is an excellent book about new emerging technologies and the future of data- and tele- communications. That's why it's a reference book of choice for many research scientists and network professionals at a well known R&D company like Bell Labs. And I strongly believe that it will still be for the next decade!
Prof. Syed Ahamed and Dr. Victor Lawrence put together a reference book presenting, in a systematic way, all aspects of modern communication networks, with emphasis in intelligent telecommunications networks (IN).
The book has 3 parts: - In the first part is presented the transition from classical networks to the more advanced intelligent networks. The approach of Bellcore (now Telcordia) and AT&T Labs, the 2 major players in the area of Intelligent Networks, is further investigated. Also the ITU-T standard for IN is presented, to better understand the current status and the evolution of IN.
- In the second part AT&T's Universal Intelligent Services Network and Bellcore's IN-1, IN-1+, IN-2 and AIN(Advanced Intelligent Networks) are analyzed in full detail: the architecture, functional resources, as well as supporting hardware and software. Intimate connections between IN and ISDN or wireless networks are also explored.
ITU-T's IN Conceptual Model is analyzed here in detail and a systematic presentation of Global Intelligent Networks, detailed for several country specifics, are given.
- The third part explores in many details the future evolution and applications of Intelligent Networks. The impact of IN on educational and medical environments are explored in full detail. In this third part the reader is also introduced to the very new concepts of "Knowledge Machines" and "Knowledge Processing Systems" as well as their connection with a "Multifunctional Intelligent Network". At the end the social and cultural impact of Broadband Intelligent Networks is analyzed.
The book has a very high density of useful information, introduces in all detail many new concepts in the field of communications networks, and it's intellectually challenging. Always, the systematic way of presentation makes it easy to follow complex technical concepts and their interrelation.
I clearly see this book and its companion second volume "Design and Engineering of Intelligent Communication Systems" as an excellent support book for graduate courses in communications networks as well as a main reference book for any research scientist as well as other specialists in the field of data- and tele- communications networks. Other categories of engineering professionals, eager to better understand new emerging communications technologies, could find valuable information in this book and its companion volume.
Also, philosophers can find a refined analysis about the evolving Knowledge Society, the impact of it onto the personal life, and the changes it may imply in the family structure, public sector, and corporate sector. Social workers can find in the book an authoritative voice in the social and cultural impact of future modern communications networks.

K./Eremita/... is certainly an amazing and entertaining philosopher, and one should either read everything of his or nothing, I was surprised that the book is not listed as ABRIDGED. The first (and most popular) book is less badly cut, and I'm sure all of the excisions improve the book, if you're serious about K., you might find this a problem. E/O is a two volume work-- good luck finding them, though.

there is a countervailing advantage this edition offers against the princeton volumes even though its abridged... this is a lighter and smoother English translation. English is not my native language, but I believe many American readers would find the Hong translations as tough-going as I did (even if meticulous). Kierkegaard is already very wordy so this translation is a pain reducer.

When you are a young, attractive, seventeen year-old girl, you are the perfect bait for Johannes. Johannes falls in love with Cordelia. At first, his feelings are rather 'normal' - others who fall in love would most likely feel similarly towards their beloved. However, there comes a point when Johannes is unable to control his feelings - his 'crush' becomes an obsession. He is in search of a drama, and strives to be the director of his own play. He invades Cordelia's privacy by spying on her, and befriending her aunt. Johannes even attempts to bring in a third party candidate to win Cordelia's heart - an attractive young man named Edvard. Johannes succeeds. He is a master of manipulation. When Johannes' plan begins to backfire, Edvard is getting too close to Cordelia's heart for Johannes' comfort, he does the unimaginable - he proposes marriage to her! Cordelia refers him to her aunt, who is delighted because of the admiration she has for Johannes. Perhaps she wished him for herself? Nevertheless, Edvard is crushed. Johannes has no mercy, he finds Edvard's despair as humorous as the concept of engagement itself. This is where the story reaches its climax, and plummets from that of a romantic comedy to a devastating tragedy. Johannes' plan is to have Cordelia call off the engagement. However, he will not do this right away. Oh no! He must get her to her erotic peak, he must posses her soul, her self, before he will crush her. The seduction is referred to as several different things throughout the story. My personal favorite: "The web into which she is spun." Johannes and Cordelia begin a letter correspondence that is filled with symbolism and foreshadow. Cordelia signs her letter "Your Cordelia," and Johannes begins his with "My Cordelia." It is clear that he wants to posses her, and perhaps she is too innocent to know otherwise. I suppose that it would be fair to say that she basically hands herself over to him in writing. At the height of their romance, Johannes consciously destroys her. He retuns the letters that she has composed to him unopened. She may be young, a beginner in love, but she is not unwise. She realizes that she has lost herself to him; he has won the battle. Kierkegaard wrote his book "Either/Or" using his real name, Soren Kierkegaard. However, the section entitled "The Seducer's Diary," was written as by a pseudonymous author: Johannes. Perhaps this was a form of indirect communication for Kierkegaard. It makes perfect sense, for "The Seducer's Diary" is based on Kierkegaard's own romance with Miss Regina Olsen. However, this is where the concept of irony steps into the story. In real life, it was not Regina who broke off the engagement, but rather Kierkegaard himself! Perhaps writing the piece pseudonymously was a way for Kierkegaard to control a situation he ultimately never had control over - it was his way of directing his own play. Why did he need to do this? Simple: Indeed Johannes won his battle, but in a sense he has also lost it. Kierkegaard went to his grave still lovesick. He later admitted, "If I had faith, I would have remained with Regina." Kierkegaard had a tendency to contradict himself. He was a spiritual individual who preached faith, yet his comment above suggests otherwise. He also states several times in the story that he is in love, but his love is completely selfish. However, he later retracts this thought. To avoid boredom, the aesthetic Kierkegaard prescribes the "Rotation Method," which allows one to create their own world of pleasure. You fall in love not with the woman, but rather with the IDEA of the woman. Therefore, you don't risk loss. Kierkegaard explored 'fear' throughout a number of his works, and even went as far as to offer advice on how to overcome it. Therefore, it is ironic that he was a coward in terms of love. Nevertheless, the pseudonym, the irony, and contradiction enhance the story. For whatever impact my intellectual arrogance might have, "The Seducer's Diary" is a masterpiece. It is an eloquently written love story that doesn't involve love. "The Seducer's Diary" is a guide to any young girl who is on the brink of womanhood, or any person who is in search of their own self. It teaches us that one can't help losing their soul in love, but can help losing themselves. This was apparent in Kierkegaard's lifetime, and is still relevant today. Reading Kierkegaard is a pleasure. The reader becomes spun into the "web" of Kierkegaard's life, and afterward discovers something curious about their own existence.

I got this book as a gift from a long time friend. He had trouble with reading it. It is only for that reason I give it only 4 stars. These authors make others that I have read on this range of subjects look bad: Fields Medalists included! A lot of it is that they just bother to give you the real mathematics with examples. I think the initial miss definition of the Riemann surface gives a false impression, because the explanations of ramified covers and toral elliptic lattices is just wonderful. Reading this book makes Dr. Singerman's papers look so much better! I was disappointed in the treatment of triangle groups, but the treatment of modular functions and gamma1 and gamma2 makes up for that. It is a masterful work... the best I have seen by a modern author. It reminds me of books by Ulam or Russell. Sawyer's little book is not as good!

The popular press leaves us with the impression that math is
intimidating. This wasn't always the case. In my time, the approach to how we teach math, and write books about it, went through a number of cycles, or trends; some of them now discredited;--or not!? Here is a sample: (1) I grew up with the boot-camp approach with its endless drills, (2) then came "The New-Math approach", followed by (3) "The back-to-basics" trend. (4)Following Eric Temple Bell, it became popular for a time to mix into the teaching of math a lot of history/ or dramatic stories about the heros in the subject. Finally, more recently:(5) "The Make-it-Seem-Easy-and Fun approach" and the motivational speakers; imitating popular TV shows.---Seriously, what I like about this lovely book is that it treats mathmatics as one unified subject, and that the authors masterfully highlight a number of unexpected connections between what otherwise are thought of as isolated specialties within math: The exciting new problems are at the same time also the old and classic problems in math: The elliptic integrals of Abel and Gauss, Jacobi's theta functions, modular functions, quadratic fields, elliptic curves, and Mordell-Weil. It is all beautifully presented. The book is selfcontained, and it is a pleasure to read. The clear and concise presentation is what makes the subject seem easy, or more importantly interesting and useful. I hope it will be a model for other math books to follow.

This is a great book because it presents some of the neatest topics in mathematics, without the usual discouraging layers of abstraction and notation. It attacks the topics historically so you get some idea of the motivation and steps followed, instead of a compendium of the most general results and their most elegant proofs.

Also, as a previous reviewer mentioned, the book derives the bizarre and amazing continued fraction formula from Ramanujan's letter to Hardy. I had always wanted to see this, ever since reading "The Man Who Knew Infinity." It is satisfying to see this demystified, even if you don't fully master the argument.

If you literally have not seen most of these topics before, as I had not, you won't find this an easy read, but it's well worth while. I spent a long time on it, and couldn't absorb it all, but I plan to read it again one day.

It is a good DB theory book for professors and students. It covers most topics in data models and database theories. But it is not suitable to be a textbook, and should be avoided by IT engineers in industry. The book is hard to read. There are too many maths elements in it. Compared with the discontinued book by Ullman, its English is not good, maybe because the first author is French.

Whenever I need to check or find some result about database theory,
I look into Foundations of Databases, and I find the answer, stated
and explained in a clear and understandable way. This book
contains all you need about foundations of databases, and even more ...

Here is the book to grow up from intro. It is definetely harder to read than Date, but - as it is always with math - the extra effort is rewarding.

There are some omissions, for example, 5NF is not covered. (While lower normal forms are more important from practical side, the higher ones are more interesting from math perspective). On the positive note, coverage of Extended Relational Model is much more open-minded as compared to C.Date, for example (BTW, Abiteboul's paper on object views is among the most cited).

As a design student, I found this to be among the best design titles I have read to date. The book is inspiring, offering practical suggestions for adding sustainable principles to any design project. It is also eye-opening, exposing readers to successful design from a myriad of cultures. Papanak also explores the benefits of design education for everyone, and provides examples of successful design for every point he brings up. Every page seems to inspire a new design idea. This title is a must for every designer and design student.

It is a great book which can give every designer, from a student to an expert, understanding natural-enviromental design examples and concepts.

THIS BOOK IS ONE THAT SHOULD BE READ BY EVERYONE INVOLVED IN ANYWAY WITH MANUFACTURING, MANAGING AND PURCHASING. IF MORE PEOPLE USED THIS MATERIAL OUR WORLD WOULD BE A BETTER PLACE.