Locke writes in very long and convoluted sentences, with all the powdered-wig pomp appropriate to intellectual discourses of the time, 1690. Each of these sentences would required considerable rehearsal to deliver them in a way that pointed up their sense rather than obscuring it. But, Lois Betterton reads as though she's perpetually surprised at the course of Locke's sentences, as well as their sequence. I don't know where one would find someone competent to give a reading of this book, and maybe it isn't Betterton's fault. But, Blackstone should know better. They ought to commission a truly professional reading (by Betterton or another) and send that, with a note of apology, to anyone who purchased this audio book.

First, this is an unabridged version -- although it is wrongly listed as abridged. Second, this reading is clear, articulate and easy to follow. I have read the 2nd treatise many times before listening to this audio edition. The reader does a great job, staying faithful to the tone and cadence of this work. Ignore the review that gives this product a one-star. I hestitated when I saw it, but decided to buy this product anyway. I'm glad I did, as that review was terribly unjust.

This audiocassette book is NOT abridged! To prove this, go to the publisher's website (Blackstone audiobooks).

Some people, like myself, cannot, for whatever reason, read (paper) books, and there is, so far as I know, no other audio version of a Locke text available in the world. (There is a Knowledge Products two-tape set, and it is excellent, but it's ABOUT Locke; it is not the text on tape.) So I'm grateful to Blackstone for producing this. And, actually, I found it to be of very good quality.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It has some good information, but a lot of it is technical mumbo jumbo that, frankly, I couldn't care less about. What I really needed was to create a help project quickly. I can't say that this book helped me all that much. I'd say that the user manual that came with my software (for free) did more for me than this book.

The book's cover is terrible. It looks like it was designed by an amateur. There are missing pictures and errors (I guess they are typos) everywhere. I'd say to save your money and go to a RoboHelp class put on my a certified trainer.

I am an ex-programmer, and I worried that this text would be too simplistic for me -- but it wasn't. It has problems in the exercizes but they weren't hard to see and correct for -- the book needs a careful test. I like the way the tutorial weaves in information on help writing, e.g. discussing why there are different window types as it teaches you how to create them. The ratio between hands-on work and reading was good. I'm glad I bought this book rather than paying for a class.

You don't often find an effective training manual that is as entertaining as this one. Yes, it taught me how to create help files using RoboHelp with the usual point-and-click insructions, screen shots, and CD sample files, but what I really liked was feeling like the authors were giving me insider tips from real-world experience-not just the typical "this product is wonderful" stuff from the software company. I was afraid I was the only one who who felt stymied over certain issues, but they actually had the nerve to point out a few things that aren't wonderful about RoboHelp and how to deal with them (e.g., you don't need the gaggle of Robohelp toolbars that crowd your screen, & you really CAN edit the project file, despite what RoboHelp says ). It effectively got me up and running in a short time. I am an experienced computer user, but was new to RoboHelp 7-a behemoth of a program that seemed a bit overwhelming before going through the book. The book was well-organized and clear. I liked the discussions about design and the "big picture" explanations that satisfied my need to know WHY (not just how and what). It has an excellent index that will keep me using it as a reference until I think I can fly on my own. It was just right for my needs!

I often ponder the meaning of life. I often consider what experiences I might accomplish over the course of my life. And I also consider those experiences I hope not to accomplish. Certainly, I wish reading Locke's essay had been on the latter list. This book is an exhibition of human wastelandism. If your hope is to become truly stupider, I suggest you read this breakthrough in stupidity and worthless Babel. And then eat the book. And then vomit the book up, and burn the book/vomit. And vow never to read another one of Locke's filth-bombs.

John Locke's 1698 "Essay Concerning Human Understanding" is one of the foundational texts of Western philosophy. It is a phenomenal enquiry into how and why people become functional individuals. Bringing into philosophy a developmental model of personal becoming, Locke drilled pre-Berkeleyan common sense into a growing capitalist nation, one which was already moving away from the absolutist model of government and viewing self in the world espoused by Thomas Hobbes in "Leviathan." While clearly building on and stepping on his predecessors, most notably Hobbes and Rene Descartes, Locke deals broadly with ideas, language, and how people come into knowledge, and sets the stage for a new phase of philosophy entering the 18th century.

Locke begins the "Essay" by rejecting and dispensing with the notion of "innate ideas," which basically says that we are born in possession of certain principles, elements of knowledge, or maxims that help us orient ourselves in the world. Through long and drawn out (one downside of Locke is his insistency on detail and repetition) examples and arguments, he attempts to prove that when we are born, we have absolutely nothing intelligence-wise, to recommend us. This is what is popularly referred to as the 'tabula rasa' theory, that when first born, our minds are like "empty cabinets" or "white sheets" of paper - which experience and experience only furnishes with our ideas about the world. His goal here is to get people to question their assumptions about the world, to ask questions and decide for themselves based on reason and experience, how best to interact with the world.

Locke says that the only two sources of all human knowledge are sensation (that information which is passively thrust upon our senses) and reflection (when we consider and think about that sense data, and about our own thoughts). From these "simple ideas," we are able to combine and recombine thoughts to form "complex ideas" and use clear and distinct language to express them to other people. This social aspect of this philosophy is something that really fascinated me about Locke. While focusing on the individual's growing base of knowledge, he is all the while trying to orient people to functioning in society. Saying that the end of all knowledge serves two purposes, viz., honouring God, and being morally responsible, Locke goes on to show how human life often works counter to these goals, with a view to correcting them.

Another of his famous formulations, one all too familiar to Americans, as part of our national idealism, is that the basic state of nature of humanity consists in the "pursuit of happiness." Compared to Hobbes, for whom the state of nature consisted in the attempt to attain greater and greater power over others, Locke's state of nature seems relatively benign - however, he goes to great lengths to show how the pursuit of happiness often leads to reckless and wanton behaviours, ultimately destructive both to self and society. The idea that we must examine our desires and discipline them to the greater good is something that many of us lose sight of, and is an element central to his system.

Briefly then, a couple of other items that might be of interest to someone thinking about picking up Locke's "Essay": His philosophy of language is one that still has currency and influence on linguistic theory all the way to Saussure and the post-structuralists; Locke's manner of addressing cultural and gender diversity is progressive, but vexed, which makes for fascinating work in trying to determine his stances toward non-white European males. Locke's constant invocation of gold in his examples can be maddening, which can only mean that there is some significance therein; and finally, his other hobby-horse, so-called "monstrous births" and their status in the human race bears heavily and still importantly on the debate over a woman's right to choose. All this and so much more awaits you - over 600 pages of Lockean goodness. Beware though, Locke is extremely repetitive and can get bogged down in what, for us to-day, may seem common sense notions. But this is quintessential reading, nonetheless, for everyone interested in the formation of the modern self.

The most important book in the History of Western Philosophy. Anyone wishing to understand the western tradition will have to grapple with this work eventually.

Its not that Locke got everything right, but he does at least point us in the right direction.

This is a terrible book. Do not waste your money. As an experienced VB developer new to C++, I found this book to be so poorly written and organized that it was almost totally useless. I've read piles of books on different languages and technologies so this is not a frustrated nubie complaining here.
Don't be fooled by the title. After a sloppy review of C and C++ the book gets to it's real focus: Writing components for VB in C and C++. If this is your focus, you may find some useful info in a couple of chapters. Otherwise, don't bother.
I recommend Core C++ by Victor Shtern. Very thorough and well written. Then just read the documentation that comes with Visual C++ before spending your money on another book.

This is a great book! I've been working the past few months to transition from VB to C++, and have worked through several books. But most of them took many concepts for granted that left me in the dark. This book explains VC++ from a VB standpoint and has answered all my questions that other books didnt even touch.

I am an experienced web site developer, overloaded with projects. I was looking for a quick jump off point, and a way to show clients some examples to get them started on site design ideas, useful when other projects are either proprietary, in progress or not really appropriate for the current client's needs. I was also looking for a training tool for my associates, and for those who have little to no experience on the Web, and are overwhelmed. Templates2Go provides quite a selection for these purposes, and saves a lot of time in getting the basics in place before adding the sophisticated items that I provide for clients. That is the purpose of a template. I read reviews that seem to indicate an expectation of the perfect, sophisticated and complex web site, requiring little additional effort on the part of the developer, and assuming this type of site is appropriate for all uses. That seems odd to me. How can anyone provide a product that can be all things to suit all needs? And if this product could do that, I'd be out of work! For the person just getting started in web development, or the overburdened company without a dedicated web designer, the templates are very useful, getting you up and going with minimal effort. I went to the web site for Templates2Go before I purchased to check it out, and the product's role in getting people started was clear. I found the price fair, and have received a good return on my investment.

I was impressed with the colorful and versatile designs the CD offered. The preview page allowed me to compare layouts quickly and, I was able to select the one design that suited my needs and style the best. After I selected the template I easily modified it to fit my needs, and I was able to build my first website in a very short time. Using Templates2go saved me a lot of money by not having to hire an expensive designer to create my website, and in the process of building my own pages I gained enough knowledge to maintain and update the site on my own. Thank you Linda!

I found this CD overflowing with easy-to-use Dreamweaver templates. There is a variety of themes which can be used as is or can be customized to a particular business.

These templates are perfect for the business person who doesn't have a lot of graphics skills, but wants a professional looking website. Those who are more graphically oriented will find these templates a "jumping off point" for more sophisticated design.

I also found the extra graphics (buttons, backgrounds, bullets) to be very helpful, as well as the handy hints built into the templates.

After reading this book I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. I felt like laughing because this book is a silly, superficial, and self-important tome aimed at simplistic answers to very complicated cultural issues. Like a lot of other silly books like "Bobos In Paradise", "Stiffed", and a veritable armload of other self-help books, this is a pedestrian attempt by someone who seems singularly unaware of the magnitude or meaning of the phenomena he so entertainingly describes. On the other hand, I felt like crying because he encourages simple answers to naïve people, who then breathlessly announce to the world we all just need to talk to each other to make things better. Oh, if things were only that simple!

While I have no problem with what he said, and must admit he writes both well and entertainingly, he seems to view everything around him exclusively in terms of interpersonal dynamics, which is not surprising given his background as a psycho-linguist. But to advance a thesis arguing that all we need to do to begin to effectively set aside the tortured and complicated evils of the 20th century is to "just talk to each other, really talk" is patent nonsense, and he should certainly know better. It makes little differnce whether we talk face to face or over electronic devices, most of what we say is of such little consequence and has so little to do with anything that matters that the particular technology employed is close to irrelevant. The fact that he apparently doesn't understand this, or at least does not specifically acknowledge the primary role of the virtual revolution of social and cultural changes associated with the rise of technology and technological innovation in the manifest woes that confront us, has the unfortunate consequence of misinforming and confusing people looking for simplistic answers to devilishly complex cultural realities. Sad as it is to say, we can't just kiss this booboo and make it go away. To suggest we can is just plain wrong.

Thus, getting back to basics, as another reviewer claims we need to do, is a ridiculously reductionistic oversimplification of what we need to do to rescue ourselves from the mischief of ourselves. It reminds me of Rodney King's plaintive plea asking "can't we just all get along?" Or, as Pogo once said, the enemy is us. Yet it is precisely because we are children born into and raised as natives in this schizophrenic material culture that we are singularly unable to see beyond the confines of our own quite specifically organized way of looking at, interpreting, and interacting with reality that we are now so painfully dissociated and alienated from each other. Everything within our contemporary cultural environment serves to guide us away from each other and to regard each other with suspicion, distrust, and growing hostility. In such a late stage of profound social dissolution, to suggest we can just "talk our way out of it' by being real with each other is to deny what the culture, and we as members of it, have become. It is also a dangerous delusion to suppose it is as easy as all that. Dancing down the yellow brick road just won't work. This is a silly and wrong-headed book. Avoid it.

Myopic verbosity abounds. All this book is saying is let us start somewhere. Is it not better to do something, or shall we just arrogantly complain and spout off with no suggestion of solution? If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the vastly growing problem. Thusly, a plethora of global businesses e.g. (Delta, AMD, JPX, Ford et al) noted from Fortune Magazine, have recognized the importance of old fashioned face to face meetings in a continuum of raising precious competitive sales volume. Read this book for yourself. Make your own decisions. Important for business managers.

Having read the other reviews, it is evident that the main argument against reading this book is that it reduces today's complex problems into an interpersonal issue that is "too simplistic".

I don't deny that our problems as people and as societies are complex, but I do not think that such complexities are enough to dismiss the interpersonal elements that form our social foundations, even if they seem relatively insignificant. I find that akin to telling a person that "they don't matter", that any one person is incapable of forming change.

This is a book. Any copy of the book is designed for one reader at a time. So it is supposed to hit the reader as a person, in a grass-roots sense. I found that it was a good explanation when I observed my own behaviors and manner of thinking. I'm a young adult; and I would much rather help myself, my family, and my community from the bottom-up than the top-down.

I think this book greatly reinforced that attitude.

Like others books in the Collection of Cambridge Companion, this volume on Locke's philosophy is too difficult to for new readers and too simple and general for scholars that already knows the basics of Locke's thought. Moreover, of the diffeents essays pubblied in this Companion, some are very usefull for a wide and general look. I think it's a good tool to graduate students looking for exapnding their knows on the political theory of XVIII century.

I just wanted to counter the review of the first writer on this book - this companion to Locke's thought is pitched extremely well between the needs of the new reader and a Locke scholar. Each of the articles are accessible, providing an interesting take on each of the subjects tackled. They are certainly not a simple read, however, and the reader is required to make an effort to understand the different strands of argument being discussed. The difficulties of understanding are far from insurmountable and the reader is provided with a sense of achievement in reaching a useful understanding of each subject under discussion. The articles cover all the major areas of Locke's philosophical work (with perhaps an emphasis on his epistemology and metaphysics) and there is an excellent biographical sketch. There is also a fine bibliography of Locke's works and related scholarly material. This book is a useful and informative introduction to Locke's thought. It does require an effort of understanding, but this effort is well-rewarded.

It is a useful book to prepare TOEIC test.

The book was very helpful in preparing for the test, as was the audiocassette.

Where is the intrigue??? Vampire is a game of double dealing bastards, backstabbing worms, wonderfull plots...particularly Kindred of the clans Ventrue, Tremere, Lasombra, and...yes, Toreador.

This comic would be a great introduction, not a clan oriented story.

One more thing, in the world of darkness kindred can't drink anything but blood, it would require an unbeliveable skill "masquerading" that for the entire evening (and look she actually fills the glass).

If you are a fanatic white wolf supporter, like me, buy it...

Toreador does a good job of introducing the world history of the Vampire game without just being an info-dump. The story is well-told, if not ultimately surprising. A late-night movie hostess is accosted by a man that claims to have a new role for her. After sharing her story with him, he tells her a tale about the origin and evolution of vampires.
Then we get to the bitey-fangy stuff.

The art alone is worth it. Vince Locke is always worth the investment.

Although I didn't care for most of the suggestions for what was included in the parties (decent instructions for people who want to be told what to do), there are some ideas that can be gotten for OTHER parties you might give. Their picnic and Sci Fi parties were interesting. They include some recipes but no pictures (of the food) and to be honest, I'd be embarrassed to serve as little food and variety as they suggest. I think over the years, this book will come in handy but I wouldn't buy it as a main source for party ideas. I just ordered all of Amazons party idea books and will review them as I read them. I think I will find a lot better books on the subject than this.