This is another in the long line of hornbooks from West publishing. It is an excellent source to supplement and even embellish the law of Civil Procedure contained in whichever casebook you are using. Since most Civil Procedure courses are a year long, I would strongly recommend investing in this hornbook, it is very handy to have when outlining and preparing for finals.

The "book description" above belongs to a different book: this hornbook is not part of the "Black Letter Series," its author is not Professor Clermont, and it doesn't come with a handy computer disk.

It is, however, an extremely helpful hornbook to have and use during your first-year course on Civil Procedure. If you're a One-L, buy this early and use it often; it'll go with pretty much whatever casebook you happen to be using (mine was Yeazell). It's extremely well-designed and its discussions are clear and sound.

If you're looking around in order to decide whether you need a hornbook at all, the answer is: yes, you probably do. There may be students who can squeeze a profitable education out of the "casebook" approach, but I'm not one of them and you probably aren't either.

During your first semester, it will be tempting to spend a lot of time briefing cases. Don't let me talk you out of doing so, or you'll be really mad at me the first time you get called on unprepared. But you'll probably be better off spending a little less time briefing and a little more time reading this hornbook first.

This is the most helpful study aid available for Civil Procedure! The text is very easy to understand and it is orgainized to follow the progression of the law school course. The authors do an excellent job of explaining the development of personal jurisdiction and subject matter jurisdiction to the present day. It also does a fine job of explaining the federal rules (and includes an index of each FRCP and where it is cited).

When my husband died he left me a three-ring notebook which we had labled the emergency book as it contained all the pertinent information about our financial, insurance, tax, etc. situations including the location of necessary documents such as wills to help settle the estate. This book is comparable and would help anyone become better organized to deal with daily and unexpected situations. With the three ring capability pages can be added that would personalize it to your special needs. sms

A wonderful tool. This book has helped my family more than I can say. I highly recomend it.

I bought this guide for myself, then my mother was diagnosed with cancer and passed away within seven months. The workbook pages really helped me to know what questions to bring up with her. It saved a lot of time and aggravation after she passed away when I wasn't emotionally able to handle tough decisions. There are so many extra tips in this workbook; it is helpful even if you are going on vacation and someone needs to housesit. This workbook is helpful if you're 25 or 75. I highly recommend it.

The Examples and Explanations Series comes through for IL's-- this book is no exception. I have found these books to be the only truly helpful study aid in law school; outlines and case summaries are a WASTE of money and time! This one covers all the topics in Crim Law very thoroughly and the sample questions are very like exam questions-- definitely a good exercise!

Excellent book. Grade-saving discussion on larceny. Highly recommend this (Crim Law) and the Contracts E&E.

This book is not really as difficult to find as stated in the description. It is available through the publisher, as are all of the examples and explanation series books. These books are helpful using plain English explanations. Highly recommended for the "Pre" first year law student who wants to get a "jump" on the subjects.

This is an excellent book. The author has done a great job in pulling together the elements which spell success in the quest for employment. I recommend it.

Wayne D. Ford, Ph.D., author of "The Accelerated Job Search" docwifford@msn.com

Of several books I've purchased on the subject, this is by far the best for executives or superstars negotiating contracts with options, bonuses, etc. The author is engaging and very informative, and topics are presented from the employee's perspective.

The book discusses typical contracts (as if any of these deals are "typical") and how to initiate negotiations, followed by chapters detailing each area of the contract - complete with pro's and con's for options in each subject.

Many real-world examples are presented, covering agreements between numerous named parties. Several full-text contracts are also included, and many more are dissected to illustrate key points. (Eisner's mega-deal with Disney is an excellent reference on the subject, and as such it's covered here appropriately.)

Despite being a 1997 edition, the content is very valuable. Position on options and other market-based compensation seem a little dated, but are probably still accurate. An accompanying website would also be nice to facilitate re-use of the contract texts presented.

Overall, this book is easily worth the money and the read!

awsome and yet practicl

The last installment of the "A History of the Plantagenents" succeeds admirably. Costain has a way of transferring is love and excitement of a subject onto his pages. It's a method that has yet to be rivaled. He gives each character a distinct personality no matter how trivial. William Caxton being a prime example. About half the book is concentrated on Richard II, which is fine because most historians either concentrate on the Black Prince or Henry V and skip over him. Here we see a sympathetic monarch who was easily bullied and who made some bad decisions early in his reign. After Richard II, he continues on through the kings until Richard III. Here he breaks protocol and gives evidence in defense of Shakespeare hunchback, citing Tudor propaganda as the catalyst. Normally, Costain is careful to present detailed accounts of both sides to an arguement, but here he takes a stance. It is quite refreshing and readers will eat it up. Highly recommended as well as the others in the series. My uncle gave me these books and I plan on returning the favor when the next generation comes my way. Treasure these.

English History at it's finest. You feel as if you are there with these people, living their lives. Always in good form, this is one of Costain's best.

Mr. Costain is a very good historian. His scholarship is thorough and his conclusions are always logically wrought and sometimes surprising. His sensibilities are surprisingly contemporary, although I would not term him a "revisionist," (he wrote this history in the 1950s). For example, in his defense of Richard III (in this, the final book in this four-volume history) he travails against conventional opinion to demonstrate why King Richard was, indeed, not the Richard III of Thomas More as popularized by Shakespeare and held true to this day. And in the first volume, the author dashes myth and idle folklore to side with those historians who portray Eleanor of Aquitaine as the wise and effective check on Henry II and her sons that, she no doubt was. In so doing he disperses, through well-reasoned argument, the rumors and "Entertainment-Tonight" kind of fluff (History-Lite) that many still believe. I had been told these four volumes were classics. After reading them, but without being a scholar of history, I think those critical readers might be right. Certainly, Mr. Costain opened my eyes to a different kind of history telling, one in which an historian does not hesitate to conjecture or opine openly and to honestly make his case and then leave it for a reader's judgement. From front to back, from first through fourth volumes, this is a valuable and pleasurable experience. Mr Costain, presents, argues, harangues convention and, always entertains with a use of the language that is as sharp as his reasoning and as precise as his scholarship. Mr. Costain is a very good story-teller.

Hey, let me be the first to say that Nolo publishing puts out great books that help sort out the world of legal mumbo-jumbo. I own three of their books and am very happy. So, now I am happy to find out that they offer this comprehensive guide on retirement plans which I am very interested in. The problem is that they give you the whys and whats but not the hows. Enter the 401(k) MarketBuster strategy. This strategy has given me a tested, successful method of maximizing my investment returns with a very simple strategy. If you are looking for the whys and whats like I usually like to do, get Slesnick and Suttle's book. If you want a quick primer on how to grow your retirement money faster than everyone else, then pick up the 401k MarketBuster. If you are like me and want to know everything I need to know about what is happening with and how to grow my hard-earned dollars, get both!

Very well written and easy to read with lots of examples. I found this a great reference and is a must own for anyone with an IRA or other qualified plan. Great for anyone looking to know the tax rules and distibution methods of their retirement plans.

IRS rules for withdrawing money from IRAs are pretty complicated. This book, like others from Nolo Press, offers very specific coverage of these rules. I was looking for information on how IRAs can relate to Living Trusts, and I found it here. You have to pay attention, but the book is written in easy-to-understand English as opposed to legalese.

John Alexander's FUTURE WAR gives us a definitive look at emerging non-lethal weapons technology. Colonel Alexander draws on his years of experience in law enforcement and as a Special Forces soldier as well as his work in weapons development at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He gives us more than fascinating descriptions of exotic gadgetry and its applications. He explains how a convergence of political and technological factors gave rise to new threats and how non-lethal weapons can counter these threats while reducing loss of human life (and minimizing adverse political and public relations consequences). He tells us about the origins, evolution, and capabilities of these weapons and how they can be used singly and in combination to thwart bad guys, rescue victims, and send loud, unambiguous messages to decidedly unfriendly governments.

Colonel Alexander's descriptions of actual and hypothetical applications are relevant and engaging: stopping a saboteur from poisoning millions of Americans, rescuing students held hostage by gunmen in a suburb of Denver, destroying the infrastructure of an unfriendly Central European government, and toppling troublesome dictators. Indeed, because they are so compelling, one wonders if these "hypothetical" scenarios are entirely fictional. There's plenty of material for nail-biters: home made bombs and land mines, grisly tortures and massacres; chemicals of incredible lethality; warheads delivering unstoppable combinations of deadly diseases to sleeping cities.

Alexander is no Pollyanna. He views non-lethal weapons as supplements to, rather than replacements for, our conventional arsenal. He does not pretend that non-lethal weapons never cause fatalities, but he does convince us that these are minimal, compared to those caused by conventional weapons. Alexander recognizes that some of these weapons are expensive and many will remain outside of the reach of the average police department, and he cautions that without considerable training these weapons will not be deployed properly. Furthermore, he acknowledges that as presently enacted, some of our laws and treaties may make it difficult to deploy certain non-lethal weapons. He gives us a particularly penetrating analysis of how some of these weapons run afoul of public opinion. (The same person who doesn't mind pounding the enemy to smithereens with artillery may be reluctant to accidentally blind an enemy soldier with a laser.)

This book is strongly endorsed by many prominent, high-ranking military officers. No doubt, some of their favor was shaped in part by Colonel Alexander's reputation as a professional solider and his hard work in behalf of national defense. But these endorsements also reflect the fact that Alexander has done a great job of presenting a very controversial multi-faceted topic. He treats non-lethal weapons as SYSTEMS that are dependent upon international politics, law, public opinion, and strategic and tactical considerations as well as "gee whiz" technology. Alexander tells a very difficult and important story about science and people, and we should rejoice that this story is available to the general public.

As US/Allied forces this very day are engaging in military operations against Iraq, the emphasis is not only on victory but on the minimization of casualties, both military and civilian. This book discusses several approaches to the latter, via the use of "non-lethal" weapons, and some of these may in fact be employed in Operation Iraq Freedom. The discussion is fascinating, and one can only hope that future technological developments will make war less probable because of the ideas expoused by the author. In the foreword to the book, the author lets Tom Clancy remind the reader of the unique American viewpoint on warfare. Americans, because of the nature of the government in which they have chosen to create and participate, have always been reluctant to go to war. Every soldier is precious, indeed, human life is precious, and is not to be taken lightly. It is therefore not a surprise that precision-guided and non-lethal weapons have and are undergoing intense development in the last two decades in the United States. Hopefully this attitude will continue in this, the best of all centuries. The author seems confident that it will, and indeed we are fortunate to have individuals in the U.S. military who have his attitude and share his philosophy.

Some of the more interesting technological developments in non-lethal weaponry discussed in the book include: 1. Electromagnetic weapons: man-portable laser weapons, blinding weapons, isotropic radiator weapons, pulse weapons, stun guns. 2. Chemical non-lethal weapons: antimateriel chemical agents, superacids, pheromones. 3. Acoustic weapons, such as pulsed periodic stimulus, which causes perceptual disorientation in the individual.

John Alexander's book is written with concise, clear descriptions of future weapons. These include laser/taser. Chemical systems, computer viruses, non-lethal electromagnetic pulse-power weapons and others. Each citizen reader will find this book informational and vital reading. It helps an individual understand weapons that may be used in the 21st Century.

This reader finds the "issues section" pertaining to future wars especially informative. In the "Strategic Implications" section, a subsection entitled education is of particular note. In this section three national security issues are identified as arising from a substandard education system. One is the limited pool of young men and women from which to recruit as weapons systems are getting more sophisticated to operate. The second education factor of strategic importance is the education of the civilian population. Many citizens are not sufficiently educated to understand the current issues of national security as they are becoming more complex. The third education factor is in weapons development as many of these systems need brainpower to help design or improve them. This reader agrees with the author. The author is giving education a roadmap on areas the future citizen needs in their portfolio of education.

This review is to encourage teachers in classrooms teaching citizenship to add this book to their reading list. For responsible citizens this book is a must read.

Dr. B. Feist-Fite, Educator

It's unfortunate this is the only hardcover picture book of the Biltmore, available at the time of this review. Because it was the best one I could find, I bought it albeit, reluctantly as I like to have a picture book keepsake when I visit these places. There are many beautiful and often full page colour photographs, but there are also many black and white. Some of the latter are historical, so that is understandable, but others are not. With a predominance of construction pictures and the emphasis on the actual building process which of course ties into the history. This focus veers away from the main objective of a picture book momento, to include plenty of photographs of both the interior and exterior, preferably at least one colour photograph of each room. The estate boasts 255 rooms, and hardly 10% of them are represented. I would like to see this book enlarged to 3 times the size, with about 200 more interior pictures, then Rizzoli, who usually produces outstanding books of this genre, could up the price, but it would be worth it.

I enjoyed the story, don't get me wrong, but as for the pictures, yes it had numerous colors, but mainly black and white. I was surprised. Even pictures that weren't historic were in black and white.

When I purchased this book, I had hoped for a good floorplan of the home, instead I got a little sketch that could hardly be read with a magnifying glass.

Overall, very factual. It makes you realize just what went into the building process. Even if the paragraphs are a little too wordy.

I found this book on George Washington Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate in Ashville, North Carolina, to be extremelly through. This book includes sketchs of many of the considered facades for the home, and what their floorplans would have been.

Pictures of all of the beautiful rooms in the house are included in this publication. Also included are sketchs of the many details of the home, included are the east facade, the Gate House, the gates that set next to the house, the Biltmore Village Church, and sketchs of many of the statues from Biltmore's gardens.

Also included in this book is the histories of many of the principal players in Biltmore's creation, including Fredrick Law Olmsted the landscape designer, Richard Morris Hunt the arcitect, and of course George Vanderbilt the home's owner.
Included is many of the landscape designs of Biltmore's gardens, and beautiful pictures of many of them. Pictures of Biltmore's Conservatory are included which sits in Biltmore's Walled Garden, to the north of Biltmore House.

All in all, this book is great, and a great companion to a day long visit to Biltmore! If you loved Biltmore Estate, you'll love this book, I garentee it!

Finnis's background is that of a lawyer and legal philosopher, and so this book is ostensibly a contribution to philosophy of law, but in effect it is a wide-ranging treatment of ethical and political theory aimed at supporting a broadly Natural Law conception of the foundations of law. Finnis's starting point is a teleological but anticonsequentialist ethical theory originally developed by Germain Grisez. Grisez, and following him Finnis, attempt to combine the Aristotelian insight that human actions are fundamentally directed toward realization of or participation in certain human goods, with the Kantian (and traditionalist Catholic) position that certain actions are never morally permissible, no matter what human goods may be achieved by doing them. The justification for this restriction lies in the "incommensurability" of multiple human goods: because goods cannot be commensurated, it is never rational to say that acting against a certain basic good is justified by the overall "better" effect of doing so. This moral principle supplies a justification for certain specific political rights (e.g., the right of innocents not be killed) and so for certain (not all) rights protected in e.g., in the American Bill of Rights.

Finnis's political philosophy is based on the necessity of political communities for the realization of certain kinds of human good, which in turn is the basis for the justification of political authority and of law in particular.

The foregoing is a very brief and selective sketch of a theory that Finnis develops in great detail over the course of the book's ten central chapters. Although much of Finnis's theory is necessarily controversial--especially his account of the incommensurability of goods--the book offers a subtle, rich, and I think largely compelling alternative to purely consequentialist and purely deontological theories of law and political morality. Finnis's work clearly comes out of a specifically Catholic intellectual tradition, but I think this book can be profitably read by a much wider audience. Finnis never relies on specifically Catholic (or Christian, or religious) doctrine, and he seems to have intentionally focused the discussion away from specifically Catholic moral controversies.

The book presupposes some familiarity with moral and political philosophy, e.g., Aristotle's _Ethics_ and modern consequentialist theories. Familiarity with Aquinas will reveal some of Finnis's influences but I doubt such familiarity is strictly necessary to understand what Finnis is saying. Certainly the book's arguments stand (or fall) on their own merits, without appeal the authority of Aquinas.

John Finnis's book is revolutionary, and it is owing to this brilliant, though not uncontroverted work that Aquinas' theory of natural law has regained its appeal and even prestige. Finnis' arguments can be hard to grasp, principally because natural law is not argued for, but is self-evident, and can only be submitted to a defense. Precisely on this count Finnis, and his collaborators with him, Germain Grisez and Robert P George (themselves also excellent catholic intellectuals) have found criticism amongst more conservative readers of Aquinas' moral theory. For Finnis, the reasonable grasp of basic goods, i.e., the awareness of first practical principles, i.e., the natural law, is known per se nota, not derived from anything. Especially exciting his defense of knowlegde or truth as an undeniable basic good, although his treatment and defense of other basic goods require development Also interesting is his treatment of Aquinas' notion legal validity in positive law, which he argues admits of a certain abstraction from morality, thereby aligning himself somewhat with Hart's positivism. Issues of Thomistic exegesis aside, this is a magnificent work in its own right, and compulsory reading for ages to come in jurisprudence. A good and perhaps even essential companion is his Fundamentals of Ethics.

Finnis, encouraged by the late H.L.A. Hart (20th Century leading English legal positivist), wrote this introduction to legal theory from the Natural Law Tradition point of view. In 13 chapters he shows what is a science of Law, why Natural Law classical (Plato's, Aristotle's and Aquinas') theory has been misunderstood (even by Hart or Kelsen), which are the basic principles of practical reason (corresponding to the basic human values) and the basic requirements of practical reasonableness (which allow us to reason in a morally right way), and which are the most fundamental truths regarding the community and its common good, justice, (legal and natural) rights, authority, the Law and obligation, unjust laws and, finally, the place of God in this order or practical knowledge. The book is difficult to read, but a source ot true intellectual joy. I have translated this book into Spanish, and this, I guess, might be a sign of how much I think it is worthwhile reading and using it, along with Finnis' "Aquinas" (1998).

I know this book is about child's laws, but, I find it hopelessly flawed when it comes to parental rights and how to protect your rights. If a parent loses their rights, it affects the children. I think there should be a chapter on how to protect yourself during a CPS investigation. The author doesn't really acknowledge that CPS is sometimes wrong and sometimes show a blatant disregard to the rights of the parents and the child. Those issued should be addressed. However, it does seem to cover the judicial process pretty well. Has some good information in all other areas. I think for the price there should be more. I would NOT make this the only book in your library.

I found Ramona John's book informative and invaluable. It is a handy reference for anyone contemplating divorce or concerned about custody, abuse, or parental rights since it covers all aspects of problems likely to be encountered. Concisely and clearly, she explains, among other things, parental rights and duties, getting an attorney for your child, what to expect in a courtroom, how to make a favorable impression on a judge or jury, how paternity is established, adoption is decided, when parental rights can be terminated, and when abuse can be suspected. Disabled children and their special needs are also considered. Although it is written for Texans, I believe this information is probably applicable nationwide. Adults can gain insights and find understanding about themselves in the section covering the effects of abandonment and neglect. I highly recommend this book to anyone faced with the predicament of divorce or concerned with abuse of a child.

Lucky is the parent who can raise a child in today's world without at least one brush with the law. Even if your child never commits a crime, with two out of three marriages ending in divorce, there are issues of custody and child support that must be legally resolved. What if your child runs away from home or is caught dealing drugs? What if you are deemed an abusive or negligent parent and the law steps in to remove your child from the home? When your child is in trouble, wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to talk to a personal friend who just happens to be a retired juvenile court judge? Not many of us have a friend like that, but the next best thing is Ramona John's book "Children and the Law in Texas -- What Parents Should Know." In a non-threatening, conversational tone, John helps the reader understand the nuances of the juvenile justice system. "Get comfortable, this will take a while," she advises before answering a particularly knotty question on paternity. Personal observations and anecdotes are a helpful reminder that even judges are human. Some, like John, are warm and human. The question-and-answer format makes it easy for parents to concentrate on the subject matter even when they may be under stress because of their child's circumstances. The chapter "Keeping Your Child out of Trouble" is worth the price of the book even if you don't live in Texas. Reading it could prevent that dreaded brush with the law that is every parent's nightmare. The best parents may know the guidelines of parental behavior intuitively, but for the rest of us, John's list is a succinct reminder and a starting point for discussion. While good parents teach their children they are responsible for their own acts, that, unfortunately, is not the case where illegal acts by minors are concerned. The question of whether and to what extent parents can be held responsible for their children's acts was thrust into the national conscience by the Columbine school shootings. By giving you an idea of what the law says about parent/child relationships and responsibilities, the book could save you time and money when you need to consult a lawyer. The book will be an eye-opener if you don't know the answers to questions like these: Can a child have more than one presumed biological father? If you face a situation where you must hire an attorney for your child, do you have the right to be present every time your child speaks to the attorney? Do you know the difference between Teen Court and juvenile court? After reading John's book, one can only wish that she could be the designated "explainer" in charge of re-writing the juvenile justice and family codes all over America so they can be understood by ordinary people. After that, she could tackle the federal tax code.