"How can you print a piece of your own soul," Dickinson, p. 51

This is the 2nd in the Krull and Hewitt's "Lives of ..." series. The book contains 19 chapters on 20 writers in birth order: Murasaki Shikibu (973?-1025?), Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Jane Austen (1775-1817), Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), Charles Dickens (1812-1870), Charlotte & Emily Bronte (1816-1855 & 1818-1848), Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), Mark Twain (1835-1910), Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924), Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), Jack London (1876-1916), Carl Sandburg (1878-1967), E. B. White (1899-1985), Zora Neale Hurston (1901?-1960), Langston Hughes (1902-1967), Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991)

This is a perfect book for young adolescents and pre-teens who as they grow and mature frequently feel awkward. Krull introduces us to the idiosyncrasies of the literary. Some of the authors were loners, eccentric, a wee bit peculiar. Michael Jackson's behaviors might seem normal when held in comparison. Some retreated into themselves. Some sought out adventures. Some as adults were unsuccessful at the ordinary.

Some worked at a young age to support the family. Some took daily walks, very long daily walks. Some were not healthy and therefore wrote in bed. There were some similarities and some differences, but they all shared a singular conviction to write and write they each did well.

Hewitt's delightful portraits of the writers are precious. My favorite portrait is of Frances Hodgson Burnett of "The Secret Garden" fame. Her hat is the secret garden.

Given the high price of the book, I was surprised that Krull did not include a list of the authors' books and/or poems and the publication years. END

This book is a fun and informative book. The pictures are filled with humorous meanings and hidden information. The book keeps the reader's attention by keeping the included information short and simple, but also makes sure that the reader gets as much possible about the author. This book is great for kids and students to use as a report source as it is filled with great information. Kids would rather use this book as an information source rather than an encylopedia since the information is easy to understand. Authors in there are some you may not know, ( Murasaki Shikibu) and some well know ones ( Charles Dickens). I am glad I purchsed this book. I really liked the pictures which are so vibrant with color. This would make a great buy.

DuCharme's book offers everything you need to do SGML authoring (which includes XML and HTML). He provides literally all of the world's best software for writing, validating, and publishing documents with SGML, under both Windows and UNIX.

He explains everything clearly and simply, but most of all practically! After reading this book you won't need to look anywhere else to figure out how to apply his ideas and get started. You'll be up and running.

The resources herein are top-notch. I have an international collaboration ongoing with Harvard and Kyoto with XML in which the Kyoto group is all working with Emacs. The chapter (2) on Emacs and PSGML is crisp, clear, and "standalone" in its clarity. This is the place to START with the big and little details of mark-up technology.

-J.R. Gardner, Ph.D.

Nicholas Nickleby is a marvelous novel. It is the young Dickens at his best. I almost feel guilty for giving it four stars, but giving it five would be unfair, I think, because his later works, such as Great Expectations, are bettter. The novel is written enthusiastically and contains some of Dickens' best humor. I especially found funny the character Mr.Lillyvick, the revered and dignified water clerk. And I will never forget Ralph Nickleby. Mr.Squeers and Arthur Gride were detestable and colorful villains, but they pale before Ralph Nickleby. He is such a cold and heartless character that he steals nearly every scene he is in. He has a certain magnetism that most of Dickens' good characters lack. And his suicide at the novel's end is so perfectly written that I read over it several times before I finished the novel. My only problem with the book was Nicholas's lack of psychology, but let us remember that this was written by a young man, not the mature artist of Great Expectations and Our Mutual Friend. The novel's strengths easily make up for its weaknesses. Nicholas Nickleby will be enjoyed by fans of Dickens and all other readers for centuries to come.

I had never read one of Dickens book before Nicholas Nickleby, though I had always wanted to. I particularly enjoyed this book because of Dicken's subtle sense of humor and colorful characters. It was easy to hate the villains such as Squeers or Ralph Nickleby, and laugh at the amusing chracters of Mr. Mantalini and John Brody(whom I found to be the funniest) Authenticity of personality and speech allows you to connect with the various chracters. Although he was probably the least complex, my favorite was Smike, the pitiful victim of the Yorkshire schools of the 1800s.
The one drawback was the size of this book. Dickens spent much time giving detail of many places and people (and did a good job of it), but we must draw the line somewhere. Just when one thinks enough words have been spent on one topic, it diverges into yet another irrevelant matter.
I'd recommend this book to almost anyone, unless you have a great fear of commitment. But the book has plenty of plot and satire to hold you to the end. I certainly was, but I don't think my librarian would believe me.

I would say this is "David Copperfield"'s B-side. It is a typical Dickensian book: the life of the Nickleby family from the death of the father until they are rich and happy. One of the most important parts of the book is the study of the horrible boarding schools of Yorkshire, where Nicholas is sent. We can read the dirty intrigues of Uncle Ralph, the adventures of Nicholas and Smikes as travelling actors (a world Dickens came to know very well), the kindness of the brethren Cheeryble.

Definitely, this is not one of Dickens's best novels, but nevertheless it is fun to read. The characters are good to sanctity or bad to abjection. The managing of the plot is masterful and the dramatic effects wonderful. It includes, as usual with Dickens, an acute criticism of social vices of his time (and ours): greed, corruption, the bad state of education. In spite of everything, this is a novel very much worth reading, since it leaves the reader a good aftertaste: to humanism, to goodness.

The advetures of tom sawyer was on of the greatest books I've ever read. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a mischevios adventurerous kids. This book is good for adults because it could most likely to take you back to your own childhood. For kids it could give some ideas to enjoy your childhood.

Tom sawyer is a mischevios boy who always gets into trouble. tom tricks his friends into doing his chores. He falls in love. He wittnesses a murder scene. he runs away to be a pirate. He attends his own funeral. he finds buried treasure. feeds his cat pain killer. gets lost in a cave with the person he loves. Also gets 6,000 dollars.

I've learned from this book the importance of being young. It also taught me don't rush to grow up because you're only young once. IT also taught me what it was like to be a kid 150 years ago.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is one of the best books I have ever read. The language,the thinking,the adventures-all of it was just incredible and enjoyable. The only thing this book needs is more pages! Mark Twain's skill in writing has created a book that all ages should read (or have it read to).Mark Twain reactivates the life and actions of a boy in the mid-1800's,and showed me that kids should be who they are- not what they will be. This is a classic for every generation to read and enjoy.

Mark Twain's,The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, tells about a boy loving and living his life to the fullest. Tom Sawyer is the kid that the world has seemed to forgotten. He is the kid who always get in trouble but continues to have fun with life. In this book, Tom does everything from being engaged, to watching his own funeral, to witnessing a [death] and finding treasure. Twain's creative character finds fun everywhere in his little town in Missouri, as do his friends. The storyline is basic, but it is a piece of the past that everyone should hold on to.

In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, I learned mainly two things. The first thing I learned was that you can make life fun with just about anything if you use your imagination. Life is too short and precious to be wasted. I also learned that where you least expect it [help or protection], you might just get it. This book was just amazing-filled with unique characters, exciting events, and how a town can pull together to help those in need.

Tom Sawyer is one of the most endearing characters in American fiction. This wonderful book deals with all the challenges that any young person faces, and resolves them in exciting and unusual ways.

Like many young people, Tom would rather be having fun than going to school and church. This is always getting him into trouble, from which he finds unusual solutions. One of the great scenes in this book has Tom persuading his friends to help him whitewash a fence by making them think that nothing could be finer than doing his punishment for playing hooky from school. When I first read this story, it opened up my mind to the potential power of persuasion.

Tom also is given up for dead and has the unusual experience of watching his own funeral and hearing what people really thought of him. That's something we all should be able to do. By imagining what people will say at our funeral, we can help establish the purpose of our own lives. Mark Twain has given us a powerful tool for self-examination in this wonderful sequence.

Tom and Huck Finn also witness a murder, and have to decide how to handle the fact that they were not supposed to be there and their fear of retribution from the murderer, Injun Joe.

Girls are a part of Tom's life, and Becky Thatcher and he have a remarkable adventure in a cave with Injun Joe. Any young person will remember the excitement of being near someone they cared about alone in this vignette.

Tom stands for the freedom that the American frontier offered to everyone. His aunt Polly represents the civilizing influence of adults and towns. Twain sets up a rewarding novel that makes us rethink the advantages of both freedom and civilization. In this day of the Internet frontier, this story can still provide valuable lessons about listening to our inner selves and acting on what they have to say. Enjoy!

If you're into investing, sooner or later an investment columnist will mention Extraordinary Delusions as required reading. It's that and more...

Charles Mackay first details France's Mississippi Scheme & England's South Sea Bubble (from the early 1700's). Then he covers the famous Dutch "tulipomania" of the 1600's. These are all enjoyable reports of financial manias and their aftermaths (though the South Sea Bubble chapter dragged on a bit). But the financial reader will be surprised when she realizes she's still only 100 pages into a 700 page book! Mackay proceeds to cover:

Alchemy - 150 pages of exhaustive (& exhausting) detail of hobbyists & serious investors who were convinced they could turn base metals into gold, if only they could find the right ancient recipe & stoke their workshop cauldrons just a little bit hotter.

The Crusades - 100 pages that prove that modern Islamic fundamentalists did not invent the idea of a "holy war". I had no idea the Crusades came out of official harassment of Y1K religious pilgrims! Remember this: If your country is being inundated with religious pilgrims, just try to think of them as a tourist opportunity. You don't want to get them angry!

The Witch Mania - 100pp. This section was unexpectedly chilling. As I read about European witch trials of the 1400s-1600s, I kept thinking of our recent satanic child abuse trials. It's all been done before: The wild unprovable accusations, including eating dead babies; trusting unreliable witnesses specifically BECAUSE of the severity of the charges; False Memory Syndrome. At least the rack & Trial by Ordeal are no longer recognized as valid forensic techniques.

The Slow Poisoners - Murder isn't really murder if you poison the victim slowly enough, is it?

Also covered: Animal Magnetism, Prophecies, Fortune-Telling, Hair & beard fashions in men, catch phrases & slang, Relics, Duels & Ordeals, Haunted Houses, & Popular Admiration of Great Thieves.

At times the book dragged, especially in the chapters I wasn't interested in. (But hey, that's what skimming is for.) So with that caveat, go ahead & get the book. It'll be a great investment of 12 bucks!

This is it. If you want to know how many times the world has been gripped by madness then look no farther than the reprinted edition of MacKay's classic. Written in that wonderful Olde English style of the early 19th century, MacKay takes us on a tour of the world's most horrifying manias - up to about 1840 anyway.

I particularly liked the chapter on witchcraft and witch hunts since it told me everything I'll ever need to know on why seemingly intelligent groups of people band together to banish or murder innocent members of society - just because they are different. Another engaging chapter deals with millennialism - the fear and dread that grips society at the end of each millennium. If you thought the end of the last one brought turbulence, you should read what happened a thousand years ago.

This book is often quoted by stock market pundits and talking heads as if it were a treatise on irrational behaviour in the financial markets. In fact, it is much more than that. It deals with irrational behaviour and mass stupidity in all walks of life. Five Stars.

Most people know this book is a classic -- but it's unfortunate that it's thought of as a book about investments, when investments are really only a small part of the phenomena Mackay covers. We have all heard about Dutch tulips a million times over -- it is therefore much more interesting to read Mackay's chapters about popular slang expressions, or about superstitions, or about quack medicine. There are great micro-histories here about the comings and goings of fads, both those contemporary to Mackay and those that preceded him.

While Mackay's points about the irrationality of crowds are useful for the investor, these "lessons" about Dutch tulips and other financial manias are cliches today. You need not read this book to find out about them. This book's true value lies in its comprehensive history and analyses of other fads, hoaxes, and "manias," most of which have, fittingly enough, been forgotten today.

Mark Jaffe's account of the infamous feud between Cope and Marsh is neither as well written nor as well researched as D. R. Wallace's book on the same subject (The Bonehunter's Revenge). But it is a fairly enjoyable read and paints a reasonably accurate and lively portrait of vertebrate paleontology (and the life of paleontologists) during the second half of the 19th century.

Not a bad book--and certainly the material's exciting. The best past was at the beginning, when both men were working the field every year. My main problem was the weight the author gave to different parts of the story. For example, he states almost casually that it was Marsh who made the "biggest palentological error in history" by putting the wrong head on the Brontosaurus, causing the Apatosaurus/Brontosaurus confusion, but never gets back to who figured out the error. He gives a disporportionate amount of weight to parts of the story that just weren't as important, such as Cope's financial problems and the silver mines. Also-I do have a sneaking admiration for Marsh--he may not have been writing touching letter to his daughter, as Cope did, but he did much more to promote fair treatment of the Indians, etc. As I said, not bad, but still not the definitive book.

I found this book to be very well researched and interesting, but unfortunately somewhat poorly written. There are many grammatical errors and typos that should have been caught by the editors but weren't, which made me feel like I was reading a rough draft. Other than that annoying flaw, it's well worth reading.

Want a book with an adventurous twist? Then Huckleberry Finn is the book for you. Not only is Huckleberry Finn an adventurous book, it is also can be comical and light, though the book has a grave meaning, showing the wrongs in society at the time in the late 19th century.
The book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer precedes Huckleberry Finn, where in the beginning of Huckleberry Finn, Huck lives with the widow Douglas, though doesn't like the high class living, and frequently leaves to see his father, who's always drunk, or just hangs out in the woods. While in the woods, Huck meets Jim, a slave who escaped and needs to cross the Mississippi River to the freedom on the other side, in Illinois. Although this book portrays a serious meaning, it can also be funny and witty.
I liked this book because it was witty and comical, though it had an important message at the same time. I really liked this book because of this, though the southern accent complicates the understanding of the book. Overall, I thought this book is definitely a classic and a must read for all age levels.

I wasn't too looking forward to the reading Huck Finn at first, particularly after glancing at the dialect of the first couple pages, but once I got started and more used to how the characters spoke, I loved the tale! Huck Finn is an extremely well-written novel that uses silly situations to explain how living was back then, and how slaves were treated. Jim is in the beginning of the book coming across as the stereotype of a slave, but as the novel continues, you really begin to see the real person, not just how Jim was "supposed" to be... Also, throughout the book, you see Huck mature and begin to get his own mind; among other things, Huck develops his own set of morals different from those of society... The Adventures of Huck Finn is a funny, exciting, and at times sweet book that everyone should have the chance to read... :):)

After reading many of the reviews below, I have come to the conclusion that perhaps this novel should not be taught at the high school level. Personally, when I read "Huckelberry Finn" my junior year, I thought that it was an enjoyable break from reading other early American classics, but judging from some of the reviews, others didn't agree. I don't understand exactly what was considered so "boring" about this novel. This book provides the reader with action, humor, and morals; what any 'classic' should do. For those who think of themselves as highly intellectual and felt that the novel didn't have a point, you may want to check your IQ, because I think your ego is in for a massive let-down. Although Twain clearly states at the beginning of the novel that he doesn't want his readers to try to find a point in his 'coming of age' story, the theme of the novel almost smacks the reader in the face. The 'point' is that friendship is more important than social standards and sometimes you have to put yourself at risk in order to save those that you care about. This classic will remain so as long as those who are forced to read it lighten up a little and actually open their minds to a great piece of literature.

I purchased 3 WROX books in the past this with good success. I expected the same thoroughness, but unfortunately, couldn't find it in this one.

As a somewhat seasoned developer using both Visual Studio and GoLive on our Corporate Intranet, I only needed to acquire familiarity with the features within Dreamweaver for my own personal use.

I enjoyed the overview and first few chapters in this book, and soon began to appreciate the potential this book might have. At the end of chapter two, I compared my project with the illustration in the book. They didn't look the same. I was determined to find out why, so I compared my code with the downloaded code. They were different. I rechecked the steps in the book looking for the missed steps, but didn't see it.

If you want to learn Dreamweaver MX, and don't mind checking your code with the downloaded code, then this book might work for you. For me, I'll look elsewhere.

First I thought this book over explains everything. When I started encountering territories that I'm not familiar with, I started to greatly appreciate the author's method of teaching. This book teaches you by getting you working on real projects from scratch. While you are following the step by step instructions, the author explains the science and whys of these instructions. The only drawback of this book is that project 1 seems to be tested only on Internet Explorer. I tried the files with Netscape 4.79 and 6.2 they both showed some flows that took me hours to figure out how to fix. Also I had to use a behavior extension to recover the mess, in Netscape, made by adding layers. Apart from that all my projects have worked perfectly. The second part is code intensive which I really appreciate. This book will show what's going on behind the scenes. Therefore you won't be limited by what Dreamweaver can offer. It will show you the way to go beyond Dreamweaver's ability. This is not a "for dummies" type of book. You have to follow the instructions very carefully. All the mistakes in this project turned out to be mine. For the effort made to write this book I cannot give less than five stars. I wouldn't hesitate to buy Professional Dreamweaver MX if it exists.

I found this book to be one of my most prized reference books. It takes you through the building of three different sites. You are gradually introduced to ASP and JavaScript.

If you are serious about web design, and have found FrontPage to bee too limiting, this is the book to get you going!

This book gives a very thorough description of the CMM, its key processes and levels. However, it does not give practical advice on implementation. I would not recommend this book to the beginner just starting to explore the CMM - it is better for someone with a basic understanding who wants an in depth description. The charts and graphs are completely unhelpful, in many cases I could not figure out exactly what the graph was supposed to illustrate. The use of the space shuttle project as a level 5 example is also not very applicable to the average business or software development house in determining their CMM level. A very good academic book and one that should be read if you are planning to implement CMM, but get a basic foundation using simpler books or training before tackling this one.

At one time this was the definitive text on the CMM, but is rapidly showing its age because of the new CMMI suite that the Software Engineering Institute is developing. For reference the CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) is an effort to integrate maturity models for software, system engineering and integrated product development).

This book is the one that introduced the CMM to the masses and is what is now called the CMM-SW (SW=Software). It is still a valid reference for software-only organizations from a key process area point of view. As such, it still has value to any organization that is striving to attain CMM level 2 or above. If you're new to the CMM (and there are many who are), this the CMM is five levels of capability maturity, when chaotic organizations assumed to be at level 1. It is not a methodology, so do not expect to find any "how to" information in this book. What you will find in this book is a description of the CMM itself and its structure, and key process areas that need to be in place in an organization for each level of the model. Each key process area has associated key practices.

In a nutshell, the CMM is a benchmark. The key to achieving level 2 or above requires a commitment to perform. This book will tell you what processes need to be in place, and what the key practices are for each process, but will not tell you which methods to use. It's dry reading, but there is no ambiguity in the descriptions, which makes this book a valuable reference if you are involved in a company-wide CMM initiative. If your goal is to explore the value and benefits of the CMM, then I recommend A Guide to the CMM by Kenneth Dymond as a better place to start. Despite its age and the CMMI initiatives this book still merits 5 stars for those who are actually implementing the CMM for software.

You've come to the right place, this IS the CMM. As a model it is complete. This book does not take into account the miriad of political obstacles, but for those software groups that are seriously ready for continuous software improvement, this is the source of what to do. There are other great books, such as the one by Kim Caputo, that give more specific ideas about implementation. Obtaining CMM compliance takes a lot of research and careful planning to get the job done, after all, it is all process and doesn't happen overnight or in a vacuum.

this rough guide isn pretty much the same as the other guides.. as usual in singapore it contains the usual places.. orchard, little india, sentosa, east coast and the usual touristy places. It does not include the heartlanders area eg. Hougang, Yishun etc. For eg, in woodlands.. it only mention the the zoo.. did you know that's a big Shopping Mall in Woodlands called the Causeway point.. nect to the MRT station.. As for eating places.. it fail to capture the good places for local food.. may interest the food lovers and those adventourous enough to try..

It should include a portion on the heartlanders.. I'm sure some tourist may want to see our locals their way of life.. for eg a tour of an HDB estate (public housing) that may include the market, the coffeeshop, look at the flat inside out.. etc.. the peculiar and distinct characters of the heartlanders.. etc.. otherwise tourists may think S'pore is just of the "place"

This guide is great, at least from a pre-trip standpoint. When it comes to planning a trip to Malaysia, the historical and cultural aspects of the book are above reproach. The authors clearly know their way around the country. But that doesn't translate into using the book when you get to Malaysia. While hotel prices are listed, they're done so using a code system, forcing readers to continue flipping back to the key located early on in the guide. I've relied on Lonely PLanet's guidebook before, and I'll keep doing so - only because its layout is superior to the Rough Guide.

Even if your not planning on taking a trip to Malaysia anytime soon, this book will prove an interesting read for those who love learning about the world. I recently took on the task of writing a paper about Malaysia for a college-level geography class. There were certainly more traditional reference guides at my disposal, but I found this book to be more informative than any other book I used. Unlike most other travel guide series', Rough Guides do an excellent job of not only making sure travelers know where to stay and what to eat, but how NOT to make fools of themselves by ignoring local customs and traditions. This guide through Malaysia is no exception. The section on Singapore and Brunei provide significant, and substantial information, while the chapter on Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur, answered every question a traveler could possibly think of. Every part of the guide proved truly helpful in my research and study. And more than anything, it has inspired me to visit the place that I've learned so much about as a good travel guide should.