Anyone who has ever looked at the night sky, has probably spent some time examining the moon and how it waxes and wanes across the sky. In this book, the author and artist of numerous astronautical, astronomical and science-friction illustrations and texts, examines the latest scientific findings and theories about our nearest planetary body. A significant portion of the book covers the latest and most accepted theory regarding the creation of the moon and its impact on the formation of the Earth. The book also outlines the latest theories on the evolution of life on our planet and the geology of the planet, past, present and future. The book concludes with a brief examination of the current state of the Earth and the manned and unmanned exploration of the moon.

While this book is geared towards teenagers, most adults would definitely learn something as well. By the way, I found this book in my library's adult section.

Excellent Mystery/Drama. One of those books you just can't put down until you're done.

For any serious user of Windows 95 and for the occasional user, this book is a must-have for your computer library. The title even says "The Most Complete Reference" and it is exactly that. It comes with a CD of useful programs and utlities. As a reference book, I think that Using Windows 95 is tops. It's easy to find what you are looking for and the topics are written so that the average user can understand. No technobabble! I highly recommend this book

Venus is the second planet out from the sun and the planet that orbits closet to our own planet. It is often called Earth's sister; however, numerous Russian and American robotic space probes have shown that Venus is covered with an extremely thick atmosphere (100 times the Earth's pressure) with clouds of sulfuric acid and surface temperatures that will melt lead; however, the surface of Venus is geologically very young. In this book, the author and artist of numerous astronautical, astronomical and science-friction illustrations and texts, examines the latest scientific findings and theories about our nearest planetary neighbor. In addition, the author also presents some of the mythology and historical observations associated with this planet.

While this book is geared towards teenagers, most adults would definitely learn something as well. By the way, I found this book in my library's adult section.

I enjoyed this book on many levels, which I'll discuss below, but the best part about it, is I've now added about 20 books to my wish list (I'm sure amazon appreciates it!). This book is fabulous as a jumping off point. It describes books well enough to pique your interest--or turn you away,if it's not your style. Plots are discussed only in the minimum; there's never any spoilers. It also discusses actors, writers, and production work of the wonderful series Mystery! The pictures from the shows are beautiful. If you have any interest in the show Mystery, or in adding new authors to your stack to read, take a look at this book. You won't be disappointed.

Once in a while something does come along to rival sliced bread. This book is it. I have had many questions about different mystery series. The latest is when the BBC produced The Dorothy L. Sayers series with Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane, why did they stop short and not produce "Busman's Honeymoon"? And the answer is:

"Sadly, Mystery! Viewers never got to see the payoff to this classic romance. Sayers wrote about the marriage in 'Busman's Honeymoon', which couldn't be filmed for Mystery! Because Sayers had sold the film rights to Hollywood in the 1930's; it was turned into the 1940 film 'Haunted Honeymoon', but efforts to secure the rights for the new BBC-TV version weren't successful."

This book is packed with such information and many great stills form many Mystery! programs. Now I need to see the ones I missed.

Mystery : A Celebration is the ideal book to have by your armchair while you watch mysteries like Inspector Morse, Prime Suspect, the P.D. James mysteries, and many others that appear on the PBS MYSTERY series. Don't watch any of these mysteries without MYSTERY : A Celebration. Mystery readers will also enjoy this book. It provides the reader with a listing of titles by mystery authors like Colin Dexter, P.D. James, and others.It provides the reader with biographical information about the mystery authors and actors who are well known for portraying the popular detectives as well.

I love the short stories of Allen Steele and the stories in this collection were where I was first exposed to him. Steele writes hard SF in a voice that reminds me of Tom Clancy, Bob Seger songs, and Heinlein.

I think the other reviewer summarizes the essential points quite well. Simply buy the book. There is no filler material here, all the stories are absolutely amazing and thought-provoking. In fact if you enjoy this collection of short stories you should also get the other two collections: "Rude Astronauts" and "All American Alien Boy".

This is a thoughtful, spectacular collection of short stories and novelettes. Having never read Allen Steele before and not knowing what to expect, I am now waiting on pins and needles for his next collection or full-length novel or novellete. These are stories which are driven by technologies of the near or foreseeable future. Fission drives, fusion drives, trips to the outer planets of the solar system measured in terms of months and fractions of years, human colonization of familiar planets and moons, and commerce and an economy exacted over a range of A.U.'s instead of continents. No warp drives or adventures on strange, unknown planets around distant suns, or fantastic aliens threatening physical or sociological upheaval. The stories in this book, written over a period of time and placed in chronological order by the author, give depth and meaning to characters who, over the course of the 21st century, are the true explorers, adventurers, and inhabitants of humankind's expansion into the solar system.

All of the stories show a total range of the emotions which would accompany the human condition into a new frontier, and make the reader feel what it might be like to be one of the pioneers of "near-space" in the next century. Some of them, notably The Weight, The War Memorial, The Death of Captain Future, and Zwarte Piet's Tale, will dazzle the reader with not only an exacting detail of near-future technologies but also with descriptions which describe to the reader the beauty, grandeur, and at the same time, danger of a newly conquered solar system. Also, in these same stories, the detail of the human condition, those traditions, mores, and values which were brought from an incubator planet (Earth) to an exciting yet dangerous new frontier, are succinctly described.

My favorites have been Asimov, Andersen, Bova, Niven and Pournelle, Crichton, Aldiss, Benford, and Haldeman. I most certainly have to add the name of Allen Steele to this list.

This is an excellent reference guide for all those on their way to becoming teachers-- Miller not only gives a sampling of the various cultural impacts on American education throughout history and the pioneers who pushed for them, he also provides students with valid reasons for holistic education.

Ron Miller,the leading voice in American holistic education, explains the emergence of holistic education within the context of the historical development of American public education. Frequently used as a classroom text for education students, What Are Schools For? is a consise treatment of the values and issues that impact public education policy in America. This is a must read for parents, educators, and politicians who are concerned with current public policy that sacrafices the complex needs of children in favor of corporate demands for the consumer economy

Ron Miller, the leading thinker in the field of holsitic education, lays out the development of public edcucation in America and explains the emergence of holistic education within the cultural context. Frequently used as a text in college of education courses, What Are Schools For has been updated to address the current crisis in American education. This thoughtful book is a must for educators who are struggling to meet the needs of our children in a system that tends to reduce education to a servicing agent for economic interests

The Corporate Coach is a good book for all would-be and new managers. The book reinforces the idea that a manager is not so much a boss as a supporter of his employees. Every company should hope that each manager understands he has employees entrusted to him and he must be able to maximize their effectiveness. To do this, the manager must be able to be a supporter, a cheerleader and a corrector of problems in an atmosphere that is positive. The Corporate Coach explains all of this from the know-how of someone who has done it and proven it's success. I give it to all my new managers to read.

An excellent case study of a company dedicated to customer service. If you want to retain and add customers, and retain high-quality service people who know the value of your customers and the true value of team-work, this book is a must-read.

This book focuses on serving customers as the customer wants to be served not as the service provider wants to serve. The "Coach's Checklists" at the end of each chapter are each worth the price of the book. This book drives home the point that the ONLY difference between a business and sports team is the field they play on.

I really enjoy books that revolve around science... especially when they were written during the 1800s and early 1900s. It is very entertaining to discover what these people believed and to compare their beliefs to ours in modern times. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea is entertaining in this fashion. Jules Verne is suprisingly accurate in his depiction of a modern-day electric submarine and its workings... although he doesn't go into the minute details that I was hoping for. The ending of this book is a tremendous let-down with regards to the character of Captain Nemo. Throughout the entire book, the Captain's background is built up to be a giant mystery... which simply begs for resolution. I couldn't wait to reach the end of the book in order to find out why Captain Nemo was the way he was. This resolution never comes. Never. This left me with the opinion that Jules Verne simply wasn't a talented storyteller, and never bothered to fill out and completely think about the character of Captain Nemo. Anyone can think up fantastic situations and theories... but the real talent comes in explaining them in a plausible way to the reader. It's akin to watching a movie where lots of incredible things happen to the main characters, only to have them wake up stating that it was all a dream.

This is Verne's classic novel about Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus. What really fascinated me when reading this story and other Verne novels was not only Verne's contributions to the science fiction genre, but his founding of a whole new genre, one that, as far as I know, he has never been given credit. I think Verne was one of the first to write the techno-novel, a work that is filled with technical details ala Tom Clancy. For this novel, Verne did considerable research to describe what was known as accurately as possible. Professor Arronax and his servant Conseil board a U. S. ship that is searching for a monster that has sunk a number of other ships. They discover that it isn't a monster at all but a submarine, captained by a mysterious man known only as Nemo (Verne will present readers with Nemo once again in "The Mysterious Island"). Arronax, Conseil, and an American harpooner named Ned Land travel with Nemo and see many wonderous things and have many adventures. Verne's "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" has gotten some very poor reviews over the decades since it first appeared in 1869. In many cases, it was because of the translation and not because of Verne. A number of the early translators inserted their own sections with their own ideas and opinions and deleted much of Verne's own words. So, readers should be aware of the translator. I read an excellent translation by Walter James Miller that was also annotated. Such an annotated volume can prove to be very helpful to teenagers getting acquainted with Nemo and his submarine.

This brilliantly crafted novel of epic proportions, tell of the adventures of Professor Pierre Aronnax, his servant Conseil, and Ned Land, a Canadian harpooner, as they are held captive aboard a submarine by a mysterious man who goes under the name Captain Nemo. Although they are in a sense prisoners, they are allowed to use all the facilities aboard the submarine. This submarine, powered by nuclear energy and christened the Nautilus, is one of Verne's many brilliant predictions of modern life made throughout many of his works. This like may others was correct. Through out the book, the reader gains a vast knowledge of marine life, and the lives of people in distant lands.

The book begins when Professor Pierre Aronnax, the narrator of the story, boards an American frigate commissioned to investigate a rash of attacks on international shipping by what is thought to be an amphibious monster. The supposed sea creature, which is actually the submarine Nautilus, sinks Aronnax's vessel and imprisons him along with his devoted servant Conseil and Ned Land, a temperamental harpooner. When they are returned to their senses, the find themselves inside a dark, gloomy, desolate, endless, predicament. They are locked in a cell. However they soon meet Captain Nemo who agrees to let them move about the ship freely on one condition. They must remain aboard the Nautilus. So begins a great adventure of a truly fantastic voyage from the pearl-laden waters of Ceylon to the icy dangers of the South Pole, as Captain Nemo, one of the greatest villains ever created, takes his revenge on all society.

The detail that Verne pours into this book is amazing. This is one of the few books that are capable of making the readers feel that they are actually there. His descriptions of how the Nautilus operates, how Nemo's crew harvests food and his account of hunting on Hawaii are excellent, and the plot never falters. The characters are wonderfully scripted; each one having their own unique personality, and they are weaved flawlessly into the awe filled spectacle.

This is the book that predicted that there would be submarines, and that submarines would eventually go to the South Pole. It predicted the development of the SCUBA suit; it even predicted nuclear powered ships. The technology used in this book makes it easy to understand even today. This book is widely recognized as a classic- in my view, correctly.

I believe it is important for everybody to learn the truth about Scientology before they are trapped by a front organization. At some point in your life you very well may be scammed by Scientologists, my family lost $20,000 to them, and thus I think it is imperative to read this well-researched and well-written book.
Negative reviews are invariably written by Scientologists who see it as their duty to stiffle any criticsm of their church. That is their right, but it is important that you not be put off reading objective works about Scientology merely because of their attacks on the works.
By all means I would also suggest reading L. Ron Hubbard's original works as well--I know I have enjoyed reading them. It is important, though, that you read his books with the understanding that they are fiction--that includes the 'non-fiction' works like 'What is Scientology'.
At some point in your life you may yourself be caught up in Scientology or one of their many fronts, so educate yourself about them now.

Jon Atack is a hero to me for his courage in exposing the insidious organization of charlatans known as the "Church" of Scientology. The only things this sinister bunch worships is greed and power, and it's obvious that they will do whatever it takes to acquire both. David Miscavige and Mike Rinder are the true "spiritual" heirs to the throne vacated by L. Ron Hubbard. After reading "A Piece of Blue Sky", I think it's reasonable to characterize that unholy trinity for what they are-- evil personified. Josef Stalin certainly would've rejoiced to have had these 3 hombres protecting state security for the notorious KGB.

Think I'm exaggerating on that analogy? Don't kid yourself! Read the detailed descriptions of the smear campaigns regularly conducted by the "church's" Guardian's Office and see how closely they parallel the actions of the KGB. Clandestine infiltration of U.S. government agencies and theft of documents having anything to do with L. Ron Hubbard and his phony church-- it's all there for those who dare to seek the TRUTH about the REAL "Church" of Scientology. Truly if there is a hell on earth, you'll know it if you ever become a target of Scientology's litigious wrath. It is richly ironic that those of us here in America who fully understand the "doctrines" of Scientology now have to look to the German government for guidance in how to properly deal with this worldwide societal cancer that poses as a religion. To think that Scientology finally got it's coveted tax exempt status about 10 years ago is incredible beyond belief, and scarier still.

I have been doing a lot of research on scientology, and who/what they were on. After reading several other books, several websites, and talking to multiple different people, I decided to sit down and read Mr. Atack's book.

He is an excellent author who is able to clearly set forth his experiences within the Church of Scientology and the experiences of other ex-members and critics of scientology.

I think that most of the reviews of this book can be summed up well to fall into 2 catagories.

The first catagory is the group of people who are interested in finding out the truth, or at least a book that can point them in that direction (The Bibliography in this book is immense, and people who claim that the book is full of lies either are severly misguided or do not understand how to do research for themselves using a bibliography.)

The second catagory I believe would fall under a quote that I thought was one of the best quotes I have read in a long that was in the book:

"As soon as one's convictions become unshakeable, evidence ceases to be relevant - except as a means to convert the unbelievers. Factual inaccuracies... are excusable in the light of the Higher Truth." -P.H. Hoebens

If you are looking for facts about the religion around the Church of Scientology, and their leader, L. Ron Hubbard, then this book is for you. If you are looking to learn how to practice Scientology, or want to be lead into the cult of Scientology, I recommend you read something else, like "What is Scientology" by L. Ron Hubbard, although once you read this book and understand the motivations and thought proccess that went through LRH's head while writing, you may quickly discover the "real" truth about Scientology.