>We are truly pleased about your interest in our book and hope that
> >it will help you to become a good programmer. The book represents a
> >radically different approach to programming, an approach that emphasizes
> >systematic design rather than tinkering. In other words, the distance
> >between this approach and the conventional way is as large as the
> >distance between Eastern and Western ways of thinking.
> >
> >The book is gaining acceptance in the English, German, Polish, and

> >Spanish speaking parts of the world. With this Chinese editition, we
> >finally hope to reach the largest language block in the world, indeed
> >the population with the fastest growing share of programmers.
> >
> >A special thanks to the translators, Huang Linpeng and Zhu Chongkai,
> >and to Hsing-Huei Huang for her help proofreading the translation.

It is a great book.
The Chinese Version will come at the begining of next year.
>We are truly pleased about your interest in our book and hope that
> >it will help you to become a good programmer. The book represents a
> >radically different approach to programming, an approach that emphasizes
> >systematic design rather than tinkering. In other words, the distance
> >between this approach and the conventional way is as large as the
> >distance between Eastern and Western ways of thinking.
> >
> >...

Have you ever looked at other people's codes and said to yourself something like "No... this isn't the way it should be written!". Or, worst yet, have you ever been asked by someone who wants you to read his/her codes and tell him/her what does it do?

Both things happened quite often, though.

The problems are mainly because they don't know how to "design" their programs properly. Being able to progam doesn't mean being to design/organize a good code at all. And being good at finding/inventing algorithms for problem solving doesn't mean that either.

One another thing, I (maybe just only me, I don't know) think that C shouldn't be taught as the first language (at least, not anymore). This is mainly because, in C, you can hardly express yourself. Also, C codes look cryptic to those new to programming. And you must know a lot, and practice a lot, (that takes a lot of time, friend) to be able to express what you want.
And also, several times, I saw many people just playing around with the * and & (well, the pointer-dereferencing, and address-taking symbol in C/C++), adding one more, deleting one off, to see which will make their programs work. (Sometime, it just works by miracle...)

This book, using Scheme (a modern dialect of Lisp) as the language of choice. I, personally, agree of choosing it. Scheme was designed in the way such that programmers can focus on what they want to express, rather than imprementation details. From my own experience, I became a better programmer after learning it. (I was already a C++ programmer by that time. I just have to use Lisp on my study/research).

One thing that I like is that, it focused on how to "design" programs, not just how to program, while college classes are mostly focused on how to write programs. No matter how students write their codes, if it could run, then it is fine.

Then, I think, a lot of people do have ability to program, a lot are good at it. However, the number of people who knows how to design programs are much lesser. And this would result in something like those silly examples at the beginning of this review. Therefore, this book had emphasized on quite an important thing.

And the last thing to say about this one is: MIT Press' textbooks are very high-quality, and this one is not an exception. It is very easy to read and to understand. And, even the html version is available at the book's official homepage, it is nice to have the printed version.

How to "design" programs is very important for every CS major people, and is important to everyone else in general (to program your "everyday life schedule", etc). Whether you want to become a professional programmer (write codes for living, etc) or not.

Real Harley men with eclectic taste who take pleasure in the ancient art of tinkering on mechanical things will love this book. Don't miss the rare Harley Davidson Novel "The Second Coming Of Age" by: Vedrine

Palmer's book has revolutionized Harley-Davidson restoration. Information that was once the province of a few real experts and many would be experts, obfuscated by lots of opinions, myths, and flawed memory masquerading as facts, is now available to anyone who buys the book. Palmer did a good job of using available resources to assemble, in excruciating detail, the data necessary to build these motorcycles as the consensus of the sources he consulted says they were supposed to be when they rolled off the factory's assembly line. That consensus was not always easy to reach, because, for example, the manufacturer itself used retouched photos of older models to introduce new models, and followed various other practices such as running changes, recalls, and using parts inventory from one model year into the next, that make it difficult to know, today, what was "correct" in 1938. Palmer takes us into the world defined by that level of "correctness" that demands that this manufactured product from days gone by be exactly as it was at the point of origin. We can now "know," through his book, what is "correct." More of us can be knowledgeable about the number of cooling fins on a UL cylinder, or the color, width, and placement of pinstriping, or the fact that fender trim for a particular year is polished stainless, not chrome. This is a book about building your bike to original factory specs, and it is the best available for that purpose.

Of course, if you follow this book to its logical conclusion and build a correct motorcycle, don't expect to ride it. It will have decades old tires both too valuable and too aged to ride. You won't want to run it on pump gas, because it needs lead. Taking it out on the road might ding the paint, blue the exhaust, or demonstrate that your assembly procedures weren't quite up to snuff by identifying all of the points where oil can escape. Palmer's approach to the topic seems to hold that these old bikes are artifacts, not transportation. He has affirmed and strengthened a subculture within motorcycling that elevates the machine over the ride. It will be interesting to see if others, such as Kirk Perry's "Mechanics & Owners Guide to 1941-1959 Harley-Davidson O.H.V. Big Twins" will reinforce the ranks of folks who actually want to ride these old hogs.

This is an excellent book for restorers or replicators wanting to get an in-depth, overall view, of OverHeadValve Big Twins. On the critical side, and it's hard to find something to criticise in this book; is the mention of generator testing tools (i.e; an A/C variable speed motor) to facillitate setting the amperage of the 32E generator. The A/C (alternating current) variable speed (rheostat controlled) electric motors do not exist in this day and age, or if they do where can the reader/mechanic find one? This book is recommended as a required tool, because it is stuffed full of Knucklehead technical data not found anywhere else. It is the book I reach for, if I'm trying to find out about "first year" or "last year" changes, on any Big Twins up to 1964 (1965 Electra-Glides; Four-Five & Flatheads included). - Kirk Perry

This book excellently fills its stated purpose: an introductory c++ for somebody with limited or no programming experience. Of course it won't make you Bjarne Stroutrup in three easy lessons (which some people seem to believe is doable! Dream on!) It covers up to exceptions, gently and methodically touching each topic along the way- data, loops, selection structures, functions, objects, inheritance, arrays, pointers and exceptions- in a manner centered around building a 'real' project: a mark book for a university faculty. Each concept is worked into the overarching project context through examples and then insertion into the project itself. Material is presented as a conversion between the author and his students in a workshop/class setting as they work on this project, which can be a bit schmaltzy if not done well. Smiley manages to do this and avoid insipidness, yet remain on track and provide insightful answers. He way could be considered as perhaps labeled FAQ'S posed by a theoreticals student- making it more 'real'.

Okay, this isn't a reference book. No does it cover all the basics like Unions and structures, etc. But this is a very introductory book. And a very good one at that. I honestly believe that if you can't make good progress into c++ (enough to want to more onwards and upwards) with this book then perhaps you might want to consider visual basic instead. The hand-holding is effective and not belittling, focused and not driveling on with useless waffle. There is no compiler included with the book but the net is full of free c++ compilers (gnu.org is a great starting place), so download one, get the book and get cracking. c++ awaits and this guy WILL get you on the right track and programming well.

The introduction to the SDLC is very light, but a good context for how software needs to be developed in today's world were software hacking is being replaced by software engineering.

Altogther: effective, fun and thumbs up. Well worth the price. Hopefully it won't be the last c++ book you buy, but it is a pretty damn good first!

I took a C++ introductory class at my university which used the textbook "How to program C++" by Deitel & Deitel 4th edition and let me tell you, Deitel is not a good book to begin with. I really enjoy programming and the DEITEL book made learning C++ very discouraging. I bought Smiley's book and learning C++ became very exciting. Smiley makes learning very exciting and intriguing. This is an excellent starting place to learn C++. It's as if Smiley is right there in person holding your hand every step of the way. You will learn a tremendous amount of information. It would be very exciting (for me) to attend one of Smiley's live classes.

If you have little or no computing background, but would like to learn C++, the most powerful programming language, then this is the book for you. I think of myself as an intelligent person, yet every programming book I've looked at needlessly complicates the subject. I am a believer that anything can be explained, if it is done so in the right way. John Smiley's C++ easily got me through the basics of the language and now I am ready for a more advanced book. His teaching style replicates a classroom, yet is extremely focused with his virtual students asking every question that a beginner would want to know. After this book, you will definitely be comfortable with C++ and not be afraid to program. I am usually fairly critical, but I have nothing bad to say here. As if this isn't enough, I wrote an email to the author, congratulating him on saving so many of us so much time and aggravation, and he actually gave me a link to another book to read for more advanced C++ (Deitel and Deitel C++). [Money]very well spent.

I have many cat books, but this one is my most prized. Filled with an incredible amount of information and gorgeous photos, The New Encyclopedia of the Cat is a cat enthusiasts' heaven. I also own The Encyclopedia of the Cat, and I was slightly disappointed that it didn't have the amount of new content that I thought it would. Otherwise, I love it. It's easy to read, easy to understand, absolutely purr-fect!

Lush, fascinating and accurate. Beautifully designed, with many colorful photographs and illustrations, this book is likely to appeal as much to kids as to sophisticated adults. The individual breed descriptions are especially valuable. A great idea for a Christmas present!

A very good and beautiful book for those domestic cat lovers young or old. Wonderful and magnificent pictures, informative text that covers everything to do with cats: history, anatomy, behaviour, breeds and care. My eleven-year-old cat lover refers to it all the time and simply adores the book.

This is required reading for well-rounded New Testament readers. Most of it is chronological, as opposed to topical, but the index is pretty good. There is a lot of good material here and Bruce does a good job of balancing views from different historians and sources.

2000 years back is a little far to think. But Bruce brings it
much to life and is a known reliable New Testament scholar. If
you must know, he was a Plymouth Brethren. H.L. Ellison is also.
I also like Bruce's commentaries on Acts and Hebrews.

Bruce has written books explicitly on the reliability of documents and so forth, but this is much more relevant to
me personally. What was it like? is what I'm after.

***NOTE***: Searching on Bruce's name in amazon.com gives
tons of other stuff somehow, so the best way to focus on
his works is to find one of them and then do the "all works
by same author" search from that book.

I thought I knew something about the history of the Church - until I read this book.

It is MUST reading for ANY and ALL Christians. You'll know why the late F.F. Bruce is so widely quoted and so authoritatively referred to if you do.

So far, I've read the book three times, gleaning more from it each time.

Panic Free is an easy read. It addresses a very complex subject simply, yet comprehensively, and I'm happy to report that Dr. Freeman isn't "selling" any particular treatment or "easy fix".

The author's unique perspective as both a clinician AND a patient provides remarkable, yet practical, insights into dealing with panic/anxiety attacks, regardless of source.

Since I'm reluctant to lend my copy of the book to others for fear it might disappear, I plan to purchase several more copies to give to select friends. This is a very valuable book.

This is a really good book. From reading it I found out that a lot of my anxiety was caused by a vitamin depletion (anemia and vitamin B complex deficiency). I quickly found out how to "cure" my problem with supplements and I no longer have had any attacks since.

Anyone with anxiety should read this book because the author is very thorough, she lists all the reasons that could be causing anxiety, from health related problems (as I mentioned) to real mental health problems, or a combination of both. This book also helped me in dealing with my panic when I'd feel like I was going to "die." I realised it wasn't all in my head.

Soon after being diagnosed with diabetes, I started having panic attacks with regularity. The last thing I wanted were more drugs, so this book truly gave me insight and the tools I needed to combat these attacks without drugs. Anyone with anxiety should definitely buy this book and share it with family and friends so they can understand what living with fear can do.

When I was in graduate school one of my professors quoted Kurt Lewin by saying, "There is nothing as practical as a good theory." This is an apt comment in reference to Dr Peltier's new book, The Psychology of Executive Coaching: Theory and Application. Except I might expand on that to say there is nothing as practical as a number of good theories.

When psychological theories are spelled out as clearly and cogently as they are in this book, their applications to the world of executive coaching become almost self-evident. But Dr Peltier takes this process further by presenting compelling case studies and scenarios for applying these theories to the business world.

While this book is an excellent guidebook for any therapist interested in expanding his or her practice into working in the corporate world, it is a valuable resource for therapists who counsel business executives in private practice as well.

I can't stop reading this book. I'm an employee relations consultant with a prestigious consulting firm and am frequently called upon to coach executives, managers, and employees either formally or informally. Before reading this book, my all-time favorite was "Co-active Coaching," but now I find this book to be as important a resource. I'm thinking of including it as required reading in a masters level course I teach on human capital issues.

Although I majored in psych as an undergrad, my advanced degree
is in organizational development. Still, this book is easy to
understand - I appreciate that it addresses both theory and application so clearly.

I plan on touting this book to everyone I know in the field.

This book, aimed at both executive coaching practitioners and the executives and managers who need them, is an easy-to-read synthesis of important research and a practical guide to developing the effective communications and relationship skills required by today's leaders of high-performance organizations. Smart, focused, and a good read.

When I began to read this book, I thought it would be very technical. However, I found it to be a book that I couldn't put down. It is a wonderful story about a father and son and their journey through heartache, love and striving to live in a normal world. I highly recommend this book.

I suspected I had ADD for sometime, but never allowed the suspicion to become concrete in my mind. Then I found 'A Kid Just Like Me'. I could not put the book down and finished it less than 24 hours after buying it. I realized that I had read - or sometimes attempted to read - too many books dealing with ADD in abstract terms; I could not recognize myself in those pages. With Dr. Roseman's book the situation was different: His honest, accurate and detailed description of ADD and learning disabilities opened my eyes to my condition. I consider myself lucky to have found this book and wholeheartly recomend it to those who suffer from ADD, kids and adults, and those who love and want to help them.

Most childhood development books, while informative, tend to be as compelling as an encyclopedia. Not A Kid Just Like Me. Bruce Roseman's first person account of teaching his learning disabled, ADD son to read is inspiring and enjoyable reading. I think all parents can learn from Dr. Roseman's story. Dr. Roseman has been blessed with a wonderful son, Joshua, whom he loves dearly. Throughout the entire ordeal recounted in the book of dealing with educators, administrators, etc., Dr. Roseman never, ever forgot the love for his child, he never gave up, he always was his child's strongest advocate. While people were telling him and his wife that Joshua would never learn to read, he took control of the situation and taught his son to read. Dr. Roseman is also honest about himself in this book--he admits many time that he was a bit of a pill to those he encountered--again, though, all for his son. Dr. Roseman sent me this book, and asked me to review it. I am so thankful he did. It is a wonderful work that I recommend all parents read. It contains a compelling, heartwarming (although also sometimes heartbreaking) story that will inspire all parents.

I had to read this book as an English assignment and to tell you the truth I thought it was going to suck. But, when I read the first paragraph, I had the sudden feeling that this book was going to be different. I took it home and read and read. I couldn't seem to put it down. I immediately fell in love with Sib and the way she looked at things in her life. She has alot of character and looks at the world the same way an intelligent 16 year old does (trust me I know this since I too am 16). She reminded me of myself in a way. I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone. I am even planning on reading it again. It was great!

I thought it was one of the greatest story I've ever read.Although I don't play cello myself, I play a string instrument and was delighted at sib's personality.

Midnight Hour Encores is one of those rare books that can keep the reader captivated for hours on end. I have read this book 4 times, and each time it holds a new excitment and discovery. Being a young female violinist that most people regard as a very unusual musician I really came to an understanding with the sarcastic Sibilance. I would recommend this book to anyone, not just young adults.

P.S. My mother read this book and instantly fell in love

Fantastic photography in another large book from Versace. This book captures the 'rock chic' glamourama which the late Versace excelled at creating. The association between 'Rock and Roll', and art is full indulged here creating a empirical illusion to the Versace dynasty. The glossy presentation of the images also adds to an overall feeling of luxury. The only reason I have not given this book the top rating is for its inclusion of Elton John - who makes me sick. So what if its expensive, luxuries like this don't come cheap. ciao,

Maureen Farquhar (maureenfarquhar@yahoo.com)

Gianni Versace was a designer who loved to push the envelope. His clothes were a mixture of extremes: sexy, sleazy, colorful, tacky, and elegant. One adjective you'd never find in a sentence with the word Versace is "boring." His clothes commanded--and often got--attention, which is why he was such a favorite among celebrities such as Madonna, Elton John, Liz Hurley, Courtney Love, Prince, Jon Bon Jovi and even Princess Diana. This book is a fabulous, eye-opening collection of vivid photographs of models and rock stars in Versace: from Prince to the members of British boy band Take That. Some outfits are more releaving than others, but they're all unmistakably Versace. Diana herself is also included in the book, along with a few words of praise for the designer. Tragically, Versace was murdered in the summer of 1997, but his spirit and influence live on. This book comes highly recommended. Drop it on your coffeetable, and your guests won't want to put it down.

A must have book for all Versace fans.