I always knew that films were cool, but it wasn't until I met Ray Carney that I realized they could save my soul.

Another amazing work from Mr. Carney. He has quickly established himself as not only the most important voice in american Independent film, but now on the international scene as well. Let's all hope he tackles the other forgotten genuises. The Bressons, the Ozus, the Tarkovskys. The book taught me a lot about life.

Certainly makes those long train jorneys seem shorter. This is a book you want to carry on reading forever.

This is a remarkable and insightful book detailing the extraordinary work of a truly important theater artist of the 20th century. Mike Leigh created his own highly developed method of improvisation for creating character and dialogue. He has used these methods to "devise" a remarkable body of work for both stage and film, whose hallmark has been extraordinarily detailed acting. Concise, provocative, and thoughtful, this book changed the way I thought about improvisation and character development. If you have become a fan of Leigh's film work, such as "Naked" or "Secrets And Lies", this will explain the method behind the remarkable performances he elicits from actors. If you live in the NYC area and have seen any of Scott Elliot's work with The New Group, you will have a greatly enhanced appreciation for the remarkable plays Leigh devised. This book is an important and sadly neglected document tragically out of print.

Naked is such a good movie; I could never praise it enough. So is it's script, naturally. Only in the script, you achieve an even greater experiece, since most of Mike leigh's genious lies in the depth of his dialogs. For those who find thie movie a life-altering experience like I do, to read the script is a must.

When Andy Thomas' Vital Signs first came out in its UK edition in 1998, it was quickly seen as one of the best historical surveys of the post-1978 crop circle phenomenon. As a longtime editor of the journal of the Southern Circular Research group (now known as Swirled News at www.swirlednews.com), as well as a top-notch researcher himself, Thomas had been looking long and hard at the crop formations, from every angle, both inside and outside the glyphs. With great persistence, a feisty spirit, and often hilarious drama at such venues as the annual Glastonbury Symposium and the International UFO Congress, Thomas remains one of the fiercest defenders of the true crop circles, and a defender as well of the hard research that's been done on the phenomenon over the years. I'm happy to see that Vital Signs has come out in an updated version in the US, incorporating the glyphs from the intervening years, including the 2001 season. Readers unfamiliar with the first edition will want to buy this version, one of the best overviews of the phenomenon.

Vital Signs begins with a painstaking presentation of the ground-level data, including the unusual layering and swirls of the downed crop, while providing important details of the scientific work that's been done analyzing the effects on the stalks and soil, establishing the reality of the phenomenon beyond all the hoaxing. It then goes elaborately into what's seen from up above: the pictorial shapes and beautiful geometries, uncovering the mathematics encoded in the shapes. Along the way, we also learn of the strange balls of light (BOLs) seen hovering over the fields and of the effects of crop circle energies on electronic equipment and the biological systems of humans and animals. We're treated too to eyewitness accounts of crop circles forming, including the important recent case in Amsterdam when Nancy Talbott-a key scientific researcher and member of the BLT Research Team-along with Robbert van der Broeke, saw three powerful tubes of light descend into a bean field outside the van der Broeke home, only to discover a few minutes later that a structured crop circle had appeared in the field. It's stories like these that lead one to believe that crop circles are a key part of the worldwide UFO phenomenon.

One of the great strengths of Vital Signs is the year-by-year chronology it provides, as well as the beautiful photographic gallery that accompanies the text, including a central color section. It's a chronicle that not only describes the fascinating evolution of the crop formations over the years, but also the rabid atmosphere of controversy that has grown up around them: are they manmade, anomalous, or a mixture of both? How can you tell the real from the hoaxed and what's the percentage of each? Are the simple ones the true phenomenon, or are some of the more complex formations real as well? As Thomas juggles the assertions and denials on both sides of the fence-as well as the natural, supernatural, and ufological theories as to how they're made-what finally emerges is that, if any of them are not manmade (and much evidence supports the idea that many, perhaps most of them are not), then we have a genuine mystery that's growing in scope around the world. However, it's only ongoing, careful research that has the power to cut through the fog of disinformation. Vital Signs is a great introduction for those confronting the crop circles for the very first time, as well as a primary resource for long-time researchers still dazzled by the mysterious signs in the fields.

-Michael Miley is a contributing editor to UFO Magazine (US).

This really is the funniest book I have ever read. It even manages to make some subtle points about sexism and gender stereotypes. If you never read comic books as a kid, some of it may pass you by, but if you did, then you MUST read this book TODAY, in case you are hit by a bus tommorow. It is that good.

This is one of the funniest books I've ever read. I've owned four copies, and they all go 'walkies'.

My girlfriend is sick of me reading this in bed and lauging out loud, but I can't help it.

Do your self a favour, and buy it.

PS: The UK version is better than the US one, as they don't bleep out the swearing.

This is also the third time I will be buying this book - first two copies have mysteriously disappeared. It is incredibly stupid, but it had me laughing uncontrollably for a very long time. In public. My only regret is that the later printings have used asterisks to cover the swear words - part of the pleasure was seeing these taboo words in cold print in a pseudo-serious context...

This book is full of imagery and litereary devices. Mike Leigh has obviously set forth much time to tell the story of a modern group of aspiring artists who fight to make it big in the theatre world. I reccommend the book, though I esteem the movie higher.

LOVELY TO FOLLOW THE FILM. IDENTIFIES CHARACTERS TO CLEAR UP ANY CONFUSION IN TE ENSAMBLE SCENES... "MISS SIXPENCE" SHOWS HOW TO WALK FOR "THREE LITLE MAIDS."

At first, I wasn't sure I would at all enjoy reading a script, even if it is of a movie I like. But after reading Naked, I changed my mind. Career Girls was the second script-book I read, and I must say this style is growing on me. Mike Leih's movies are always full of meaning, deepness and hidden beauty. Most lay within the rich dialogs, that are used in them. But when seeig a film, it is hard to consentrate on the hidden meaning inside the dialog. That's why I find reading the script of a good movie very important. If you've enjoyed the movie, you're sure to enjoy reading the script.

Well researched, the book would make an excellent companion on a walking tour of London. The author knows what buildings are still standing from Gilbert and Sullivan's world, which have been demolished, and which have changed. Gives great descriptions of the theaters, including the Savoy, where the productions were staged, and so forth.

If I have a criticism of the book, it is laid out geographically -- so you might be discussing Gilbert in 1876 at one minute and Arthur Sullivan in 1885 at another, because that is where the next building on the street leads you. The continuity suffers a little because of this.

But if you know a Gilbert and Sullivan fan who is making a pilgrimage to London, this is the perfect book for them.

This is a marvelous book. This is a charming account of the relationship between Gilbert and Sullivan (both individually and as collaborators) with London. The author Andrew Goodman (who really knows his stuff) organized this enormous treasure-trove of information by neighborhood. The book gets off to a strong start by reviewing how London developed-it impressed me how much London is a Victorian city, with many famous neighborhoods were all but farmland in the early 19th century. This book is meant not only for lovers of G&S but lovers of London and good travel writing as well.

The Windows 95 part is fine, it covers quite a bit of this very difficult exam. However, the Networking Essentials part is a bit dis-organized. Over-all, it's ok, worth the money I would say.

I would say this book rates as a second or third resource when preparing for MCSE testing. The Microsoft publication for Networking Essentials is probably a better choice for a first level resource when preparing for test 70-58

The book is compiled in an extraordinary way. Any person interested in the Microsoft certification and is dedicated to take on the challange at home is encouraged to pick up this and othet New Riders MCSE books as well. Be prepared to get hands on knowledge because the book tells you to do different execises and also impresses upon spending a lot of time on the computer, because that is the only way to learn. The included CD Rom has Tests on it but its bad, so be ready to download it from the Microsoft WEB site, not a big problem. Overall the book is a great asset. Buy it