My parents bought me this book in hardcover about ten years ago, and it has been indispensible. It covers a broad enough base of information so well, and with enough depth, that it has been a constant and indispensible reference for me through GCSE science in the UK, high school chemistry in the US, and even sometimes during my undergrad chemistry and physics. The illustrations are wonderful, and the explainations lucid. I would definitely recommend this for anyone with a child in school, or anyone who wants to look at a bit of basic science.

About 15 years ago, as a 9 year old, I read the three books that make up this Dictionary of Science (the Biology, Physics and Chemistry ones). I was completely captivated by them, and read them over and over again. The science is pitched at exactly the right level for children: the colourful illustrations and short sections retain a child's attention. I went on to take biology, physics and chemistry A-levels at age 17, and went on to study Medicine at Cambridge University in England. Obviously there was more to this achievement than the Usborne books I read as a child, but I honestly do attribute much of my initial interest to them.

This book is a wonderful source of science information, the colurful illustrtaions help explain the theorys that are explained in the book. It is a book for all levels. It is not just a dictionary but a true sience resource.

I have nothing to say about definitions of religion, or about the relative degree of the author's 'enlightenment'. What I will say is about this book. For the non-specialist, this is the best you can get for a NARRATIVE HISTORY of the development and spread of Buddhism. Forget the other esoteric references (which do indeed color the author's other books). THIS IS GOOD STRAIGHTUP HISTORY WRITING.

Buddhism is not a religion because it demands cultivation and realization. It is therefore essential to select only writings written by the enlightened; or one can be led astray. Master Nan has been a Buddhist practitioner almost all his life and is believed by many to have seen the path. This book reviews all the basic concepts in Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism. Being written by someone who really knows, it is very different.

Like all Master Ma's books, it is a book that you would like to keep for your whole life and then pass onto you children. For those who are interested in this area, you will never regret owning this book.

I read this years ago when i checked it out of the public library. It has been one of my favorite books and captures the heady period of pre-Maoist warlord ridden China before WWII. It reads like a spy "temple of doom" novel with Yarldey shamelessly being the main character but its a great read.

What's interesting is that cryptography played such an important role so far back before computers and data lines. Although not a very technical book for crypto-fans, it captures the spirit of the early codebreakers as misfits and outcast. Just like the Flying Tigers, Yardley gives a very unique look at the role that Americans played in China before the Pacific War. I highly recommend this book if it ever comes back into print.

Hired by Chiang Kai Shek to crack Japanese spy codes (this was after the KMT retreat into the hills), Yardley found himself in the beseiged city of Chungking where EVERYONE IS A SPY (Ted White makes an appearance as a green reporter to whom Yardley teaches poker.) Pre-dating Cold War factionalism, Yardley wrote with a candidness that seems eccentric today (this man had no "ISSUES"); but in his day, he was seen as dangerously indiscreet. His American Black Chamber (located in New York City!) was shut down after a successful run for budget reasons - unemployed and then ostracized when his book on cryptography was banned for revelations of American code cracking methods, Yardley found himself ~temping~ for the "Generalissimo" in the Chinese backwater. An incredibly talented cryptographer and unabashed ladies' man, Yardley provides a charming and lucid slice of that life to which this review cannot do justice. Note that this book is "Hard to Find" - find it! Find its precursor, "Ameri

This book covers all the syntax that you need to use on a day to day basis for supporting NDS without having to wade through 1500 pages to find them.

From correcting time, to the DSTRACE switches, error codes to object property lists.

I wouldn't want to be without it.

A complete reference on all the aspects of advanced netware administration. NDS, partitioning and replication, time synchronization and other issues covered completely and understandibly. A must have for any Netware administrator

This book contains a great deal of information about a series of exercises collectively called Tan-Tui. Both the pictures and text are well done, descriptive, and comprehensive. A complete beginner may not be able to put the information in this book into practice, but a background in martial arts would make it possible. I was taught a similar series of motions as part of my tai chi studies, but didn't know anything more about them than their name. This book gives good background information for the motions, and explains how they were historically used as part of martial arts training. This book would be useful to anyone wanting a detailed description of a set of exercises to increase their strength and flexibility.

this style is the base of many kung fu styles and was used by bodyguards to protect caravans on thier journey's.this style stresses kicking and long fist techniques.an excellent base to begin study from if you wish to learn kung fu.

For anyone who has practiced Quigong or Tai Chi for some time,
this book offers clear and easy to follow instructions on how
to do Swimming Dragon. For the beginner, it provides a starting
point, and with a mirror and lots of patience much can be
figured out. As for the promise of improved health: this is true
for any Quigong done consistently. Personally, I like that
Swimming Dragon can be performed in a very small space, and
that it completely moves the spine.

This is an excellent book for beginners in Chi Kung. The photographs are simple to follow, and the movements are easy to do. The benefits to health are countless. After several months of practice, people can see a difference in your relaxed attitude and glowing appearance. However, most cannot put their finger on exactly what the difference is. Health, vitality, and radiance! I highly recommend the book and the exercises.

A great resource for multimedia researchers. Includes current and future work on content-based systems, speech and music recognition and MPEG applications. A definite (though expensive) must-have for your library!

My 9-year old is interested in atoms and molecules, but I didn't know enough answer his second level of questions until I spent 20 minutes with this book. Interesting, clear, concise, wonderfully illustrated.

If you are interested in the general process of dying kimono, and wondered how they produced the beautiful designs this book is for you. Stencils were created to lay down repetitive designs on long strips of fabric. This book traces how this craft became an art form on its own. Gorgeous reproductions complete the understanding of how this tool became as collectible and worthy of study similar to wood block prints. An end chapter expands on how this product of the textile process affected Americans personally and artistically. A must have for any textile fan!

"Challenges in Propellants and Combustion : 100 Years After Nobel", edited by Kenneth K. Kuo is an excellent resource for information related to high energy materials. I really had no interest in airbags but I found the contributions on the subject to be enlightening. I am working on a project that requires an extensive literature search and of all the books that I have borrowed from lending institutions I have found this book to be quite helpful. I say this because I consider the technical papers to be up-to-date and in some cases difficult to obtain from other resources. I can reveal with pleasure that this is the first book I have borrowed and found it so interesting that I have decided to add it to my personal collection.