Michael Whelan's 'Wonderworks' is fantastic! If you're a fan of Sci-Fi and Fantasy art, your book collection is not complete without this one. The I've owned mine since the mid-80's and I still never tire at looking at the art work inside. The back stories he gives about some of the paintings are fascinating as well. The book is out of print now so get yours while you can still find it!

If you don't have any background in model railroading than this book is a good place to start. It will read great the first time through but don't expect to ever go back to it for reference later down the line. Concepts like control panels, wiring, switches, etc. are all left vaugely discussed, and for this reason it can be frustrating. Make sure you buy this is conjunction with another book better detailed in any areas you don't understand (like wiring).

If you are considering entering the world of Model Railroading you must have this book. It will guide you from an empty room to a fully functioning railroad. Lots of tips and step by step make it very easy for a novice to make a pretty nice layout. Î can't recommend this enough.

I had been struggling with how to start railroading for about 6 months when I ran across this book at the library. I finally have some direction and the available know-how to get going. The book covers the most basic subjects of how to get started as well as a few more advanced subjects. It's a must for new modelers!

You really do have to be a Catholic to truly appreciate this wonderful book. As a Catholic schoolgirl entering her eleventh year in Catholic school (scary, isn't it?), I can fully relate to this. I honestly don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my entire life.

You know what the funniest thing about this book is? Everything in it is true...from the different kinds of nuns to Father What-a-Waste (sigh); from the description of mortal and venial sins to the purchasing of pagan babies. Well, they don't sell pagan babies anymore, but they did in my mother's day.

Even a staunch Catholic like my grandmother would have to crack a smile at the descriptive, colorful language and the abfab portrayal of the sometimes ridiculous traditions of the world's most scandalous, under-fire church. This book is a must-read for all Roman Catholics, practicing or no.

I laughed all the way through this, which must be a sin! If you are a Catholic like me you will remember everything this book talks about. In fact, I had forgotten a lot of it. I'm a little surprised it did not go into Knights of Columbus Halls (a.k.a. - the Catholic bar) and Bingo (a.k.a. - Catholic gambling) a little more. But heck, they sure covered everything else. I have to go now, I have to finish crossing myself and say a few dozen hail Mary's.

...because if you went to Catholic school, you can relate. I first read this book ten years ago when I was in Catholic school, and the nuns didn't take it away from me (amazing!). I laughed my a** off. For those of you who have read it and aren't Catholic, yes, we do practice for everything, yes, the nuns are that bad (but they don't have clickers anymore). This book is hilarious. Please, please get it and read it, cover to cover. You will laugh every time you read it.

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?

As a martial artist and neuroscientist, I was looking forward to reading this book and learning what, if anything, is known about the science behind pressure points in general and dim mak in particular. While I admire the effort put forth by the author, and I look forward to a time when science has made substantial strides in understanding pressure points, we are just not there yet.

The author presents unrestrained speculation and passes it off as solidly established scientific fact. For example, he suggests that because the nerve fibers from certain pressure points enter the spinal column at the same segment as nerves that innervate the heart, then hitting those pressure points will obviously have an effect on the heart. But there is no evidence presented (or in existance presumably) that these nerves actually make contact with one another! Simply because they are in the same room does not mean they shake hands.

That example is indicative of the general style of the book. In the instances where the author actually does make reference to some published study, the evidence cited typically relates to basic physiology and medicine and has no direct connection to pressure points per se.

The subject matter of this book is quite interesting -- that's why I bought it after all -- but to say that the author presents what is *known* about the physiology of dim mak is misleading and incorrect. At best the author has presented a theoretical framework for future scientific investigation. At worst, he has presented a completely incredible, wildly speculative, totally unproven view of the science behind dim mak.

Besides that, the diagrams included in the book are under-labeled, unattractive, and marginally useful (simply including a labeled point chart for each meridian or vessel would be a vast improvement). The reader shouldn't be forced to refer to another text with better figures just to have an idea where on the body a certain point is.

I have been training in Ryukyu Kempo and Dian Xue for nearly 15 years. In 1991, I attended a lecture offered by Dr. David Ellis and George Dillman that discussed the neuroscience behind pressure point fighting. Until a few years ago, that information wasn't available (now on George Dillman's tape #18).

This book contains roughly the same information, but in a hard copy version with references that you can easily review. I highly recommend it! It is a real concise reference.

What's not included in this book is detailed breakdown of forms or techniques or a discussion of the methods of analyzing kata. In fact, a couple of the examples aren't even best ones for the techniques shown (that might have been intentional based on the authors premise of deterring people from practicing the techniques). Revival techniques are discussed for those who know them but it definitely is not a "how to" book. There are a few other books on the market that focus on form interpretation. If that is your interest, look for one of those and find a qualified Kyusho Jitsu, Dian Xue, or Dim Mak instructor. Having Dr. Kelly's book should help you stay safe, i.e. don't just let anyone practice on you -- know the risks, have everyone learn both western CPR and eastern revival techniques, and learn from the experience of others so no one has to get hurt intentionally or accidentally.

Being a neurologist and a professor of neuroscience, I had a strong interest in this book, not only from a scientific perspective but also from a martials perspective. I found this book absolutely fascinating. Dr. Kelly discusses little known neurologic concepts such as convergence, aberrent reference, and somtovisceral reflexes and uses them to explain the effects of striking certain body areas. Dr. Kelly's knowledge of neurology and neuroscience is exceptional and surpases many "experts" in those fields. I especially liked the extensive references to solid scientific sources. Anyone with a background in the medical sciences or martial arts will appreciate this book.

I found this book to be nothing more than a laundry list of famous names that appeared on the Mike Douglas show over the past century, and very little else. I was hardly expecting juicy gossip or lurid exposes, but at the very least some interesting anecdotes, and these were few and far between. I think Mr. D tried to cram too much into the book, and as a result didn't have much to say about anyone. (To be fair, he indicates he only knew most of them during the time they spent on his show.) Also, you will all be pleased to hear several times that Mr. Douglas has had just a swell, super-happy life, and is also married to the most fantastic woman in the entire universe. So there you go, if you're of a certain age, and you thrill to just the reading a list of the Big Names of yesteryear, and are as happy as Mike Douglas, then you will enjoy this book. I found it dull, crowded, and superficial.

....but, he was one of the best. He set a standard in his day that I'm sure many talk show host have aspired to, but frankly I can't think of anyone that did it as well as he did. Unfortunately, his book doesn't "show" how strong his connection to his guest and audience really was. I have my memory to serve me, but many of the readers probably weren't around during Mr. Douglas' heyday and don't know how unique he was. For example...he was one of the few greats that did something rather unusal. He listened! He offered his guest the opportunity to have the spotlight on themselves instead of constantly trying to catch the beam himself...which sadly is what so many of todays host do. Perhaps someone else could have captured Mike Douglas a little better then Mike Douglas did. His modesty may have tainted the outcome somewhat. But, it's still a better than normal read for a biography.

Yep, I also remember watching Mike after school, like so many others.

You are not getting controversy from him, not getting hard edges. Mike will never say anything bad about anyone else.

However, when you look at the guest list, wow!!!!!

His editors must have had a miserable time deciding what to leave out.

Am I imagining things or wasn't he based in Philadelphia for much of the show's run. Mike ignores that in the book and he ignores other things as well.

Still, I have extremely fond memories of him and wish he would come out of retirement. He is amazed that people remember him so well?

This book is one of the more comprehensive I have read about Oracle programming. It has very good examples and you will find tips and information you won't find in any other books/web sites/forums etc. This book has been written by genuine Oracle developers and you will get a depth of real-world knowledge and application. I recommend highly it for the serious Oracle, Java and XML developer.

One of the best books around for database application developers working with Java/XML on the Oracle platform and who don't nowadays! The book is up-to-date with Oracle 8.1.7 and covers new aspect such as JDBC2.0 and the Java to native compiler (NCOMP). I give it five stars because it covers all important Java/XML aspects in great detail and because it already proved its worth by providing me with solutions for really tricky problems. The only neagtive thing I can think of is its size. But I guess the American authors probably got paid per line.

To produce this book, Wrox took twenty expert Oracle developers and had each of them write about their area of expertise. The result is that whether you are a manager, a developer, or a DBA, if you are working with Oracle 8i this book should be on your desk. This book covers virtually every topic that you need to understand about the Oracle 8i development platform. It does not cover each topic completely but it provides a thorough and in most cases sufficient introduction on each topic. For a particular topic of interest you may need an additional book but to get all the information found in this book you would need ten volumes at least. The book opens with an introduction to Oracle 8i and some of its components including Net8 (Oracle's network solution) and Designer 6i (Oracle's development environment). The next section covers PL/SQL and PSP (this is similar to JSP). This is followed by an extensive section covering Java. This section covers JDBC, SQLJ, EJB, and interMedia (Oracle's powerful search tool). The last section covers XML and includes information on DOM and SAX parsers, SOAP, XSL, XSQL, and more. Extensive case studies are scattered throughout the book. Examples show how to use Oracle tools such as BC4J to develop enterprise applications. The book even includes primers on Java and XML. As a tour of all the features of Oracle 8i, this book is without competition.

First published in 1981, Kelly's book was the first of what has become a groaning bookcase of titles devoted to one of television's most beloved sitcoms. To me, it is still one of the most satisfying. Far from being a gushy trivia tome, Kelly's book takes a scholarly look at the factors - casting, production values, writing style, etc. - that have contributed to TAGS enduring popularity. Fans who don't want to think that hard might find the book, shall we say, dry as dust. Others will find it hard to put down.

The insights of principals on both sides of the camera, from Sheldon Leonard and Aaron Ruben on the production end to Andy Griffith, Don Knotts and Jack Dodson on the performance side, are fascinating. The book even includes a working script (season four's "The Sermon for Today") from Griffith's personal collection, which Kelly presents as good illustration of Mayberry's (usually) unhurried pace and the show's character dynamics. He's right, but a more appropriate script to share would have been "Man in a Hurry" (often cited as the series best episode) from season three.

The book closes with summaries of all 249 TAGS episodes, including official script titles, filming sequence and airing order.

All in all, this is a valuable resource for serious TAGS devotees and anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of television production. Those wanting just another feel-good book about the folks of Mayberry had best look elsewhere.

This was the first book I ever bought on The Andy Griffith Show. My copy is now dog-eared, with some of the pages almost ready to fall out. I love it!! The comparisons between TAGS and other classic TV shows are a very interesting read, and the two scripts, "Sermon for Today" and the unfilmed "Wandering Minstrel," are the highlight of the book! I could clearly picture the scenes and dialogue in the scripts. If "Wandering Minstrel" had been filmed, it would've been a big hit! Anyway, go buy this book!

This is the first and still definitive study of the show. It contains extensive interviews with the major stars, directors, and producers from the show. It also contains two full scripts: one never seen or performed before and the other "The Sermon for Today" (NOT "Man in a Hurry" as another "reviewer" appears to think!) Also provides concise summaries of all 249 episodes. A terrific buy and a must read!

As you probably know, Michael Kelly was killed in Iraq during the late war, at the height of a truly distinguished journalistic career.

This book was written in the aftermath of Desert Storm. It is, as Kelly states in the forward, an impressionistic account of his experiences during the run-up to the war, the hostilities themselves, and the aftermath. With politics and military science largely excluded, it all adds up to a superior piece of travel writing.

Kelly had a great eye for scene-setting, for the telling anecdote, the incongruous detail, and the contrasting pair of viewpoints. Also for the pithy description: he describes a gorgeous couple he met in an elevator in Israel thus: "She looked like Darryl Hannah, and he looked like money and tennis."

The people's tales he tells are sometimes funny, and sometimes haunting. The funny ones often involved himself, as when he records himself gaping across a restaurant in Baghdad for a glimpse of the TV news. No one else shows any interest, and it dawns on him that it's because the Iraqi TV newscast is just a series of Saddam's Great Leader proclamations, boringly familiar to everyone. Some scenes are funny and haunting, as in one where a British TV crew is filming an interview with a Kuwaiti man who is describing his torture ordeal at the hands of the Iraqis. The tearful man is repeatedly interrupted by the blasé producer, to amend some technical difficulty or other.

It's a fine wartime travelogue, and it is a great pity that there won't be any more such from Michael Kelly.

Mike Kelly's account of the Gulf War in Martyr's Day: Chronicle of a Small War, is informative and interesting. The Gulf War was carefully planned, undertaken and won by the United States in little over a month. Kelly has carefully written about the war from behind the lines and places we weren't able to see on CNN. I am quite amazed at one point, that Mike Kelly actually swam across a river into Turkey with smugglers. Courage and bravery Mike Kelly must be commended with. His book should be given the same credit for what he went through to write it.

An amazing account of Desert Storm. Rest in Peace Michael Kelly, for those who are familiar with his wonderful writing in The New Republic, an Atlantic Online, and Washington Post. A conservative thinker with a liberal's heart. True blue.

I work in several Microsoft languages and have needed to explore VB.NET just like all the others. Ever since PDC I have been programming in C# as much as I can and have explored VB.NET so make sure that anything non-specific to C# can be accomplished in VB.NET. I also read books for recomendation to others. This book is not one that I will recommend. Not because VB.NET is less of a programming language, but because this book does not cover the amount or topics needed, IMO. A super sound knowledge of OOP is needed because it's maditory in VB.NET. You can not get away from this and you need to understand this first. This book covers these topics so minimally that you don't really have any real-world application and looks sort of like someone explaining the Impliments keyword in VB6. My recommendation is to NOT get this book. And if you are determined to go to VB.NET then please get a book dedicated to OOD (Object Orientated Design) and/or OOP (Object Orientated Programming). The last few chapters are interesting but so high level that it's difficult to get full understanding of how to really use the material. I rated this book a 2 instead of a 3 because of the lack of meat on OOD and OOP. The syntax is there, but the knowledge is just not expressed to where you know why or when.

This book was not meant to teach VB.NET. It gives a very nice overview of the new VB.NET. You have to be a very experience VB developer to rip the benefits out of this book. Chapter 5 explained OOP and how it works in VB.NET. I expect when Wrox writes VB.NET OOP or VB.NET Professional, it will delve deeper in the concepts of OOP. So far this is the only book I’ve read that explains VB.NET and how it works with the .NET Framework.

Overall, this book is for experience VB developer who is not looking for VB training but the changes and how to deal with them. Good Book.

I was very skeptical of this book, as WROX has dropped the ball before, with their "intermediate" type books.

Fortunately, this book did a nice job of presenting the new concepts, that we all have to look forward to, and backing them up with concrete examples of how we will have to change our current "code thought" to make them work.

I was a bit disappointed with the lack of discussion about some of the larger issues that may present themselves in .NET, like late-binding not being supported; however, all in all, the book covered most other "rumors" that I had heard, and questioned.

One other plus, was the coverage of Object Oriented Programming with VB.NET. Having never programmed C, I was glad to see a good deal of attention given to explaining concepts like "encapsulation" and "inheritance", which I, for the most part was unfamiliar.

I'm very pleased with this book, and have recommended it to several co-workers, who also purchased it and were happy with it. It's a good buy, and it's good preparation material, for what's to come.