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Book reviews for "Lenarcic,_Raymond_James" sorted by average review score:

Fundamentals of the Theory of Computation: Principles and Practice
Published in Hardcover by Morgan Kaufmann (1998)
Authors: Raymond Greenlaw and H. James Hoover
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This is a great book to take a course from
I took a course from Hoover, one of the authors, using this book. The material is very suitable for a senior undergraduate course introducing the theory of computing. It covers all the essential notions one needs to proceed further into the field, such as all the various types of automata, circuits, complexity-related notations, etc. And, most importantly, I think it does so in a readable, dare I say enjoyable fashion. It gets formal when it needs to be, but intuitive when appropriate. It resists the temptation merely to enumerate the various models of computation, and instead provides meaningful insight into each (as well as proving all the important theorems). Finally, there are a great deal of problems, some of which are fairly nasty. (Well, they made ME think anyway)

This book (and admittedly also the co-author's presentation of it) contributed substantially to my deciding to study this area more in depth. I recommend it strongly to students and professors.


Getting It Right: American Military Reforms After Vietnam and into the 21st Century
Published in Paperback by iUniverse.com (2001)
Authors: James F. Dunnigan and Raymond M. Macedonia
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An amateur's opinion
Just as _Death Ground_ brings _On Infantry_ to the present so _Getting It Right_ brings _The American Way of War_ to the present. It covers the 3 secrets of successful armies: practice, practice, practice and how the US Military did it, mainly the Army.


The Gnashing of Teeth
Published in Paperback by Writers Club Press (2002)
Authors: JamesCharles Raymond and James Charles Raymond
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A Young Man's Journey
From the first pages of the book, Gnashing of Teeth, I fell head first into the story of a young man's journey. Tim's departure from home for the unknown, the bravery and terror he faced at the front lines of the Korean War, the love he felt for a young woman, and finally his homecoming after the war. I was made to feel what Tim felt, fear, bravery, sadness and joy. I was moved to tears when after all Tim went through his homecoming was not what he expected. A must read for all those who served in the military and all those connected to someone who has.


The IMF and Economic Development
Published in Paperback by Cambridge Univ Pr (Pap Txt) (2003)
Author: James Raymond Vreeland
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Sound Analysis
In this book Vreeland offers a cogent analysis of why governments enter into IMF agreements, and identifies startling effects of the effect of such programs on host country economic performance.

Unlike Stiglitz in "Globalization and Its Discontents," Vreeland takes a quantitative approach in measuring the effects of IMF programs. His work seems less concerned with the empty rhetoric that surrounds the anti-globalization movement that have pre-occupied many IMF crtics, and instead draws heavily upon statstical evidence.

Not the only book published recently about the IMF in academia, but certainly one of the better ones.


The Life and Work of Dr. Alister MacKenzie
Published in Hardcover by Sleeping Bear Press (2001)
Authors: Tom Doak, Ray Haddock, Raymond Haddock, Raymund M. Haddock, James S. Scott, and James Scott
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The Life and Work of Dr. Alister MacKenzie
A collaboration of love - not only for Dr. MacKenzie but the essential history of the game of golf. Insightful, textured prose combined with correspondence, primary architectural renderings by Dr. MacKenzie and photographs, this work is the finest published on his life,and his life's work. This book comes with my highest recommendation and should be an integral
addition to every golf library.


Sonoran Desert Plants: An Ecological Atlas
Published in Hardcover by University of Arizona Press (1995)
Authors: Janice E. Bowers, Tony L. Burgess, Raymond M. Turner, and James Rodney Atlas of Some Plant Distributions in the Sonor Hastings
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Unique reference in its subject area and well done.
I found this book to be quite unique in the way it covers its subject area. I know of no other book which seeks to treat in a botanical manner the more conspicuous and important woody plants of the Sonoran Desert biome. I discovered the existence of plants that I previously did not know about. Each species is covered very well, with notes on its appearance, distribution, ethnobotany, and ecology. Excellent half-tone black and white photographs. I can't recommend this book too highly if one is interested in learning more about the Sonoran Desert woody plants.


The Taste of Bread
Published in Hardcover by Aspen Publishers, Inc. (2001)
Authors: Raymond Calvel, Ronald L. Wirtz, and James J. MacGuire
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The ultimate bakers' manual
This book is by the man who revolutionized bread baking and it is excellent. The technical information on flours, oxidation, etc is very good. All recipes are based on the bakers percentage formula so it is very easy to scale anything. It is more for professionals but I have had no trouble adapating it to home use. This book will teach you to be a bread baker, not a follower of recipes. I highly recommend this for anyone who is serious about bread baking. If you are a casual baker of loaves it may be too much. If you can read basic French I encourge you to get the french edition as it costs about 25E's instead of the crazy price for the English translation.


Topology; A First Course
Published in Hardcover by Prentice Hall College Div (1900)
Author: James Raymond, Munkres
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The best place to begin studying topology
Although both parts of this book are exceptionally well written,
I've seen even better presentations of general topology in Sutherland's "Introduction to Topological and Metric Spaces", although admittedly Chapters 5 and 8 are not covered there. On the other hand I have found it very difficult to find a better book that covers part 2 of this book, Algebraic Topology. Most textbooks in this area either seem outdated or overly abstract. However, Munkres takes the time to explain concepts like covering spaces and the fundamental group with care and detail, providing a number of concrete examples. Combine this book with his differential topology book, and one can easily self-study his or her way to a mastery of first-year graduate topology.

One of the best math textbooks I know
This is probably the best textbook on point-set topology (or general topology) ever written. Munkres is an excellent expositor. The book does demand a certain maturity; the definitions of a topology, a compact set, and a continuous function are quite unintuitive, and Munkres gives only a limited amount of motivation for them. Students with no experience with topological concepts in the context of, say, metric spaces will likely get lost quickly. But the more difficult theorems (e.g., Urysohn's Lemma, the Tychonoff theorem, and the Jordan curve theorem) are explained and proved very carefully in a "student-friendly" way. The book is also great as a reference, although some basic topics of importance to analysts are skimped on or omitted (Kelley's book "General Topology" will most likely have anything you can't find in Munkres). This book does not really discuss algebraic or geometric topology (besides a discussion of the fundamental group and covering spaces), which for most people are the really interesting parts of topology. Luckily, Munkres has written another book, "Elements of Algebraic Topology," which at least partially meets that need.

Flawless introductory topology text
This is a fantastic book, the type of perfection to which all writers of mathematical texts should aspire. There are plenty of definitions, theorems, and proofs, as well as informative examples and prose exposition. The expository text is what makes this book really stand out. Munkres explains the concepts expressed abstractly in theorems and definitions. That is, he builds motivations for the necessarily abstract concepts in topology. This greatly improves the readability of the book, making it accessibly to general readers in mathematics, science, and engineering.

The book is divided into two sections, the first covering general, i.e. point-set, topology and the second covering algebraic topology. Exercises (without solutions) are provided throughout. The exercises include straight-forward applications of theorems and definitions, proofs, counter-examples, and more challenging problems.

My only complaint with this book is that it does not discuss manifolds and differentiable topology, but other texts fill this gap.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in studying topology; it is especially well-suited for self study.


Journey to the Center of the Earth (Troll Illustrated Classics)
Published in School & Library Binding by Troll Assoc (Lib) (1990)
Authors: Raymond James, Wayne Geehan, and Jules Journey to the Center of the Earth Verne
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A pleasing and lively adaption
Forget for the moment the established theory that the center of the Earth is a ball of fire, and enjoy this wonderful adventure written over a century ago that offered an alternative view. I'm a big fan of Journey To The Center Of The Earth. I've read the book and seen the movie countless times, and still never tire of it. Alien Voices attempts to tell the story in a way that would suit a modern audience, while still retaining the spirit of the original. Long, descriptive passages can be circumvented in the aural medium with a few lines of dialogue or sound effects, and tighten the pace. Projecting the fascination of the unknown and portraying science in a highly positive way is indeed very Verne, and in this Alien Voices get it exactly right. Leonard Nimoy is an unsurpassably brilliant actor who brings the crotchety and irascible Professor Lidenbrock to life with panache. This is one man whose voice is perfectly suited to audio. John DeLancie unfortunately overdoes his part way too much for my liking, being too soppy and emotive as Axel. Still, that's the way Axel was written, so I can't say he got it wrong! The acting all round is competant, though it's mostly Nimoy and DeLancie who we hear, and they are seasoned professionals in film and t.v anyway. Put this on the headphones, and the sound quality becomes most evident, and you'll soon be taken away into the past. A worthy interpretation, for the most part, certainly to be congratulated for being far truer to the novel than the nonetheless highly enjoyable 1959 film.

Enduring science fiction classic
Reading this book is an amazing adventure, as evidenced by a century of avid readers. I picked it up on a lark and decided to read the first five or ten pages to see if it was my type. It was easy to read, enjoy and visualize, and I quickly finished it.

The story revolves around a young man and his uncle, who is a scientist. They discover a route to the center of the earth (hence the title), and the novel is about their journey. Once you get 100 pages into this book, you aren't able to stop. The things they find boggle the mind, but seem so real.

100 years from now, people will still be enjoying Jules Verne, because he captures the imagination of the young explorer.

Excellent Adventure
So, what is so special about going to the center of the earth. Its fun and its a possibility!

'A Journey to the Center of the Earth', is a narration by Axel who takes a trip to the center of the earth with his uncle, a famous mineralogist. They start their journey from a mountain in Iceland and end up.....

Although, this idea is impossible(?) but the author has given such proofs that while reading the book, you actually start thinking that just may be it is possible. And come to think of it, there is yet another world miles under our feet!

The story is narrated in very simple way with very few scientific details and terminologies used unlike '20,000 leagues under the sea' by the same author, where he used so many of complex marine terms that a person not familiar with them get frustrated.

A good adventure book just like rest from Jules Verne. Stronly recommended to those who have taste for such adventures like going to the earth's center or going around the world in 80 days (with no air travel).


Gulliver's Travels (Troll Illustrated Classics)
Published in Paperback by Troll Assoc (1990)
Authors: Jonathan Swift, Raymond James, and S. D. Schindler
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Swift's famous satire
Jonathan Swift's 18th century satire, Gulliver's Travels, is an extraordinary tale of the adventures of an English ship surgeon. The ship surgeon, Gulliver, by a series of unfortunate events on each of his four voyages at sea, receives the chance to explore the cultures of the countries of Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdrib, Luggnagg and the land of the Houyhnhnms. Each land is considerably different from the others, and creates quite an entertaining read.

While the story itself is particularly unusual, the satirical element which Swift applied to it adds another level of comprehension. If understood, one could have a nice chuckle at the way Swift mockingly portrays ideas and people through the various cultures which Gulliver encounters. Some similes, however, are intended to get a more serious meaning across. For example, in his first journey of the book, Gulliver finds himself in the country of Lilliput where the people are only six inches tall, save the king who is seven. In this land there are two groups which were distinguished by which side a person breaks their eggs on. One king published an edict commanding all his subjects to break their eggs on the small side, but many would've picked death over breaking their eggs on the 'wrong' side, so many did. By this, Swift meant to throw contempt on the exaggerated importance that people place on their differences, as on which side one breaks an egg is a very trivial thing. The two groups mentioned represent the Catholic and Protestant religions, between which were many wars and massacres during the 1500's when the Protestants first appeared.

Gulliver's Travels takes the reader to many lands, all different and unique ' each adding another perspective on traditional beliefs and ways of thinking. Gulliver changes as much as the scenery around him, and after each voyage he has changed dramatically. At the end he has transformed so much that I feel really sorry for his family ' although it's only love that could allow them to put up with his strange behaviors.

I would recommend this book to anyone with an appetite for literature, as Gulliver's Travels is an excellent satire of the ways of the thinking in the early 1700's. Also, the author does a good job in describing the lands which Gulliver visits in great detail. Although Swift may not have written this book with intense action scenes and steamy romance, it is definitely a work worthy of the people of today.

A delightfully humorous satire
Lemuel Gulliver is a surgeon/ship¨ˆs captain who embarks on several intriguing adventures. His first endeavor takes him to Lilliput, where all inhabitants are six inches tall, but resemble normal humans in every other respect. His next voyage lands him on Brobdingnag, where a grown man is sixty feet tall, and even the shortest dwarf stands thirty feet tall. On his third trip, he travels to several locations, including a floating island. During Gulliver¨ˆs final voyage, he is abandoned by his mutinous crew on the island of the Houyhnhnms, which are extremely intelligent horses. No evil or concept of lying exists among these creatures. The island is also inhabited by Yahoos, savage, irrational human-like creatures who are kept as pets by the Houyhnhnms. Gulliver wishes to spend the rest of his life on this peaceful island, but he is banished and forced to return to England.
I really enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to people 14 or older. Since the novel was written in the 1700¡¯s, the words, grammar and usage are a little confusing. The reader also must have prior knowledge of 18th-century politics to get a full image of what Swift is trying to convey. At some points, the author goes into detail about nautical terms and happenings, and that tends to drag. Overall, the book is well-written, slightly humorous, if not a little confusing.

A classic, but still a good read.
I have trouble reading classic literature. I am an avid reader and I want to enjoy the classics, but just find it difficult to understand the meaning in some of the writing.

This, however, was a pleasant surprise. Although written in the early 1700s, the story itself was fairly easy to follow. Even towards the end, I began to see the underlying theme of the satire that Swift has been praised for in this work.

Being someone who reads primarily science fiction and fantasy novels, I thought this might be an opportunity to culture myself while also enjoying a good story. I was correct in my thinking. Even if you can't pick up on the satire, there is still a good classic fantasy story.

Essentially, the book details the travels of Lemuel Gulliver, who by several misfortunes, visits remote and unheard of lands. In each, Gulliver spends enough time to understand the language and culture of each of these land's inhabitants. He also details the difference in culture of his native England to the highest rulers of the visted nations. In his writing of these differences, he is able to show his dislike with the system of government of England. He does this by simply stating how things are in England and then uses the reaction of the strangers as outsiders looking in, showing their lack of respect for what Gulliver describes.

I found it very interesting to see that even as early as the 1700s there was a general dislike of government as well as lawyers.

I would recommend this book to anyone who reads the fantasy genre. Obviously, it's not an epic saga like so many most fantasy readers enjoy, but it's a nice break. I would also recommend this to high school students who are asked to pick a classic piece for a book report. It reads relatively quick and isn't as difficult to read as some of the others that I've tried to read.


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