This book details the consistent anti-Jewish and anti-Israel efforts of a series of American and British notables using information from the archives of all the intelligence communities. Some of the names that come up for serious indictment are: Allan Dulles, Nelson Rockefeller, W.A.Harriman, Henry Kissinger, Jack Philby (father of the British mole Kim Philby)and a host of other well knowns. It documents the blackmailing of FDR by King Ibn Saud for continued oil supplies at the outset of WWII in exchange for FDR's 'neutrality' on immigration of Jews into the Mandated Territories in Palestine. It also describes the key efforts by Allan Dulles and Rockefeller to maintain material supplies to Nazi Germany via their American clients. Dulles' role in securing many German war criminals save haven in the US and South America is also documented. It is important to note that there are 115 pages of references and notes to support the accusations enumerated. Though this book is in print for seven years there has never been a libel or defamation suit brought against the authors. They quote such statements as that of Justice Goldberg: "The Dulles brothers were traitors". The authors clearly show how the public image that many of these covert anti-Israel celebrities polished was at total variance with their behind the scenes actions. Kissinger for one deliberately withheld vital information and supplies from the Israelis at the start of the 1973 war because he thought it would be good for them to "get their nose bloodied". And it was Gen.Alexander Haig, not Nixon and Kissinger, that saved the Israelis with timely armaments to turn back the massive tank attack the Egyptians had mounted in the Sinai. Anyone who wants to see how individuals with power can subvert the principles of our democratic nation must read this book again and again.

John Loftus and Mark Aarons don't just open a can-of-worms in this disturbing book but rather a Pandora's Box of accusations that if only partly true begs a massive reversion of our current understanding of the major political players of this century. "The Secret War Against The Jews" is divided up into three historical periods: The Age of Bigotry, 1920-1947, The Age of Greed, 1948-1973, and The Age of Stupidity, 1974- 1992. "Bigotry" examines the dawn of middle east oil development and key players Jack Philby, Ibn Saud, an the Dulles brothers. The second section, "Greed," expands the activities of these individuals in and out of the WWII. The third and last section, "Stupidity," deals with the Iran-Contra players namely V.P Bush, Bill Casey, and a host of evil characters. Perhaps a better title for this book should have been "The Secret War Against the Public," for as the authors point out we all are the Jews.

The Secret War is one of the best books I have read, John Loftus and Mark Aarons did an outstanding job putting the treachery of our government in perspective. I bought several copies of this book to pass on to others wanting to know truth.

The resouce and notes sections are absolutely the best. Half the book is notes, and they are as important as the story.

This is another book that should be in every American home-AND READ!

John Douglas sketches the lives and crimes of violent offenders ranging from fire starters to serial killers. Douglas' writing is like a white chalk outline at a crime scene. He does a very good job of outlining the basic impulses and motives that drive human beings to violence against other human beings. After reading this, for instance, I would be careful about getting very chummy with fire starting, animal abusing bedwetters.

My primary criticism of the book is that Douglas uses taunting language to describe the killers he's studied. They're "cowards" and "losers" who come from bad family circumstances but deserve no pity or understanding. In Douglas' view, their crimes cut them off from any human compassion. They're unredeemable, and I had the impression that it would be best if we lined them all up against a wall and shot them.

Maybe that's even true, but the born bad view offers little hope or comfort for any of us. These mostly white males are a bunch of bad seeds. They can't be rehabilitated, and the only possible hope is that they won't get ticked off or hurt badly enough to start killing to regain control.

I would've liked to have seen a little more compassion in Douglas' treatment of these failed human lives, but maybe he's seen too much of what they do to have any compassion or hope left.

"The Anatomy of Motive..." by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, ISBN 0-671-02393-4 (PB), Pocket Books 1999 - is a 393 page exposition by a seasoned writer (11 publications) and FBI's legendary profiler. It is a well-written and indexed (19 pp) mind-probing study of violent evildoers which seeks to observe why misdeeds are committed in especial ways and how that may indicate who (UNSUB) did the particular crime.

Douglas had two decades with the FBI (with teaching and investigative assignments) Behavorial Science Unit (BSU) at Quantico and he discloses the field practice of applied criminal psychology to the crime scenes, forensic evidences and interrogation techniques.

An extensive listing and/or recital of many high profile cases is looked to - including Manson, Berkowitz, Speck, Gacy, Zamora, Pierre & Andrew, Ross, Nickell, List, Coleman & Brown, Cunanan, and Kaczynski is but to highlight a few. I found his judgmental commentaries on these killer criminals were useful, and based on his personal thorough experiences.

The final chapter includes 4 brief case studies where the reader is to provide the 'who' (suspect) utilizing the basics of 'why' and 'what' had occurred. This book is entracing and based entirely on true facts, raising the question of why one would want to read crime fiction in place of real people in real places.

This is the third book I've read of John Douglas. Mindhunter and Journey into Darkness are the other two. If you're anything like me, you are absolutely repulsed by the crimes these creatures commit...but you're curious about it, too. I mean, HOW can any human being do things that Mr. Douglas describes in his books to another human being. As much as I am repulsed by this behavior, I am strangely fascinated by it. What makes them tick?

John Douglas helps answer this question. Straight-forward description of events, explanations behind the crimes. He describes what happens underneath the surface of these crimes and how this will help point to motive. And ultimately, that's what's important: WHY? Because when you find out HOW, you can figure out WHY, and this will help lead to WHO, as John Douglas explains in his book.

This book will interest anyone that reads suspense, thriller, or horror genres. Authors like Tom Clancy, Stephen King, Jeffery Deaver, Thomas Harris, Patricia Cornwell, and the likes: If you read any of these authors, read John Douglas's books, especially The Anatomy of Motive. What it may lack in suspense (he writes these books not so much to keep you guessing "what next," or anything like that), it more than makes up for in the fact that EVERYTHING HE TELLS YOU, ACTUALLY HAPPENED!

And not that the "lack of suspense" makes this book boring. This couldn't be further from the truth. Case in point: John Douglas will not just describe a crime and an investigation into the Whodunnit, he's going to take you inside the mind of serial killers, mass killers, spree killers, assassins, arsonists, poisoners, kidnappings, and more. That's what's so terrifying: You're inside the mind of a killer, and for once you're not asking "How can a freak like this do such a thing to another human?" because it suddenly makes sense. SPOOKY!

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.

Aside from Twain's depiction of God as a malevolent and mischevious deity, the story illustrates Twain's pessimistic view of Christianity in general. There is much vitriol spilled - toward God - at the end of the work. Certainly the death of Twain's daughter had much to do with excentuating this antagonism towards God and religion. Mysterious Stranger, especially the chilling conclusion, is a disturbing tale - as Twain no doubt intended it to be. A worthwhile read but be prepared to have your religious moorings and faith shaken.

this volume spans the length of Mark Twain's career, and contains some of his most famous shorter works, which all centre on the subject of Money. 'The Celebrated jumping frog of Calaveras County' is the most perfect tall tale in the English language, three flawless pages about Jim Smiley and the bizarre sidelines he would investigate to win a bet, any bet, written in a miraculous mid-19th century California vernacular. If that isn't enough, Twain tops it with the best closing paragraph of any work I have ever read ever.

'The $1,000,000 Bank note' is almost surreal, or Marxist, the story of a derelict made an unwitting guinea pig by two elderly millionaires, curious to see what would happen to an honest but poor man in the possession of such an impractible note. The frightening fetishistic power of currency structures a somewhat creepily benevolent narrative, and the opening paragraphs audaciously cram a novel's worth of misfortune.

'The Man who corrupted Hadleyburg' is the masterpiece here, at once an unforgiving morality tale about the temptation of money on an incorruptible town, and a satire on the crippling effect of bogus social respectability. Twain's irony is at its most relentless here, mixing anger at elite hypocrisy with distaste for the savage mob mentality. The scenes of public justice are hilarious but terrifying; the unnamed man taking monstrous revenge on a whole town for a personal slight, exposing its shams by an experiment, could well be Twain himself.

The same could be said of the hero of his novella 'The Mysterious Stranger', Twain's last, posthumously published work. In this, an angel, Satan, nephew of his infernal namesake, comes to a late 16th century Austrian mountain village and systematically exposes the murderous herd instincts, moral deceptions and shabby pretensions of the human condition. Everything - war, religion, society, justice, family, human aspiration, childhood innocence - is ground down with misanthropic, sub-Swiftian satire.

'Stranger' is not an easy book to like. As an historical novel, it is an utter failure, with no attempt to understand the mindset, never mind the language, idiom or customs of an alien culture. As an allegory for the contemporary America in which Twain was writing, the book is indispensible, insightful, brave, bracing, honest, incredibly prescient, but monotonous, flatly written and exhausting. As a supernatural fable, the book has little sense of wonder or of the unknown, but in its story of a devil wreaking subversive havoc on a socially repressive culture by playing on their hypocritical terms, 'Stranger' does look forward to Bulgakov's more successful 'The Master and Margarita'.

I have taught this book at the college level for a few years now; it definitely sheds Twain's unfortunate Americana image, and it reveals the darker genius of this "beloved" author. Twain's greatest work, The Mysterious Stranger will enrage fundamentalist Christians, several of whom have dropped my course because of this novella. Asking people to think about what is real, what is behind existence, though, is no crime and should be inoffensive. Young people who are harmed by systematic thinking will react to this book like people being deprogrammed from a cult: they will hate it. But Twain, who was in anguish when he wrote this, had the honesty to ask difficult questions. Read The Mysterious Stranger as a guide to Twain's futuristic thinking, his tribute to the mind above all other things.

When I first saw this book displayed, my interest was piqued - it is highly unusual for a true Christian monk to be engaging in the whole business of financial advice, yet given the slew of books from the Chopras, Beardstown ladies, and other unlikely characters in the market today, I wasn't totally surprised. I bought it without my usual survey, and set down to reading it. It was apparent that after the first couple of chapters that this was fiction, and that Brother Ty was not who he says he is. I suspect that if he is that oxymoronic combination, a "monk-tycoon", if indeed he really exists at all, his collaboration with Buckly and Tierney is in the spirit of Anonymous and "Primary Colors". Yet, sadly, I saw elements of the truth in this whole novel - it takes very little to derail ones spiritual journey given the overwhelming temptations of the marketplace, and there are quite a few examples (too many) of this even in the religious community, although not often as egregious as the events in this book. God help us if this isn't fiction.

I truly struggled in the first couple of chapters in trying to determine whether this was a true story or fiction, as the authors masterfully build farce upon farce, skewering everything and everyone (a la Monty Python's "Life of Brian") until the final chapter, when the one all important truth is revealed - you can only get rich from a self-help book by writing one. Maybe "Brother Ty" can be coaxed into a sequel on a related topic, or an entirely different one.

When I first bought the book I thought it was a self-help book for recovering market losers (like me) to help me refocus into the spiritual aspects of life. As I read the book, I started wondering if the story was true. The later chapters seemed so absurd that it couldn't have been true. At the very end, it really was a pleasant surprise. What turned out to be a quest for self-help turned out to be a book that panned all the self-help gurus. Bravo to the authors! The witty biblical quotes and expressions were gems that kept me laughing. I only gave four stars because I found the Market Meditations at the end a bit too much.

This is an extreemly humorous book detailing the path to success in life. I laughed aloud at the well written genuinely "true-to-life" situations Brother Ty narrates in this personal tale of his journey to "Spiritual AND Financial Growth." There is a very tender and heart touching element found in the development of the characters introduced in this story which makes it a delight to read. Also, as a minister myself, (protestant & Presbyterian...so pray for me, my Catholic friends!) I appreciated the accurate use of theology and Scripture found throughout the story, an element missing in many popular "self-help" books. Overall a great book about the insanity (and cure) found in our "growth" oriented modern society. I couldn't help visualizing how this will appear as a screen play. (Now that Robert Downey Jr. is "out and about," he has my vote for "Bro.Ty"!) A fun read that will leave you feeling good about life.

I just spent my last 2 weekends taking Level I and II of the Touch for Health series of classes. We spent a lot of our time correcting things in the book that have changed since it was last revised. If you do not have the opportunity to take the class and find out about all the changes, I would recommend Eden's book Energy Medecine as an alternative. In fact, I would recommend it as a complement even if you do the TFH class.

I am currently enrolled in massage school, and because I love books so much I am thrilled when a new required book is added to the list. As we are learning accupressure in our school, this book is a major reference point, as it is for most schools, I believe. Yet the instructions and explanations are precise enough that anyone could use this book if they are interested in this work. With a back ground in energy work or cranialsacral this will expand your knowledge immensely.

My one and only hang up; I don't really care for the pictures. While they are fine pictures of procedure, they seem to be taken from an original idea that happened in the 70's or something, and I feel it detracts from the modern, educational feel of the book, but in no way does it compromise the information- which is vast!

Also included are great protocol tips, an extensive bibliography and suggested reading list and good anatomy diagrams. Information is presented in a nice sized text, in easy column format with room for highlighting and notes, if needed. As far as information and diagrams go, this book has everything you need for accupressure!

We learnt the Touch For Health system several years ago and have been impressed with its effectiveness. We also teach Reiki, chi kung and other forms of energy work. Understanding the way energy flows through the body and where the blockages are is key to Touch for Health. We have yet to find anyone it did not help. As for the placebo effect, well, ask my dog....

I work in several Microsoft languages and have needed to explore VB.NET just like all the others. Ever since PDC I have been programming in C# as much as I can and have explored VB.NET so make sure that anything non-specific to C# can be accomplished in VB.NET. I also read books for recomendation to others. This book is not one that I will recommend. Not because VB.NET is less of a programming language, but because this book does not cover the amount or topics needed, IMO. A super sound knowledge of OOP is needed because it's maditory in VB.NET. You can not get away from this and you need to understand this first. This book covers these topics so minimally that you don't really have any real-world application and looks sort of like someone explaining the Impliments keyword in VB6. My recommendation is to NOT get this book. And if you are determined to go to VB.NET then please get a book dedicated to OOD (Object Orientated Design) and/or OOP (Object Orientated Programming). The last few chapters are interesting but so high level that it's difficult to get full understanding of how to really use the material. I rated this book a 2 instead of a 3 because of the lack of meat on OOD and OOP. The syntax is there, but the knowledge is just not expressed to where you know why or when.

The only other .NET book I've read is the Wrox "Preview of ASP+" which I thought lived up to it's title. For me, this book goes well beyond a preview.

I read the whole 433 pages over a span of seven days and with the knowledge I've gained I'm preparing to recommend using the .NET beta technology to begin development on an Enterprise system that (in our architecture) would otherwise require use of Visual C++ and the ATL. Now I know that with VB.NET you can easily create free threaded applications and objects and you can just as easily create Win32 services.

Everything you need to know about the changes (and there are many of them) is explained in detail. Chapter 5, covers object-oriented programming for those who are new to the concept and explains how VB.NET handles: inheritance, and function overloading.

Even if you can't find it in your local bookstore, buy this book (if you have the public beta of course), after you read this one you'll likely be ready to go in to your manager and build and a case for reasons to mirgate to .NET

What another pair of shoes to wear! I'll have you know that I am wearing 6 pairs already! Well folks watch out 'cos you ain't seen nothing yet: for the best dressed VB developers, VB.Net - is a pair of shoes made for giants!

No, you don't have to be a giant to try them on, its just that when you do, and you walk around in them for a while, you start to grow and you start to feel like a giant!

A good place to get that powerful VB.Net feeling, is to start with this excellent book - 'VB.Net Programming With the Public Beta' by Billy Hollis & Rockford Lhotka.

Billy & Rocky, hand you a passport to walk from the world of VB6 to the pure object orientated world of VB.Net and the .Net paradigm. OK, it's a book on a beta, but all the basics are there, and with VB.Net you really need a lot of pre-release training!

Having a copy of Visual Studio.Net Beta is cool, however you don't need one to understand the book: there are plenty of excellent screenshots and diagrams, not to mention the easy to understand descriptions. Just by reading it, you can feel your confidence grow, as well as your shoe-size.

What is also impressive about this book, is the amount of content that is covered in a limited space. It is technically comprehensive & well balanced: half of it walks you through the new environment - the Visual Studio.Net IDE, the .Net framework, the language, UI capabilities, ADO.Net & ASP.Net, whilst in the other half you get a gentle work-out on the hot topics: object orientated programming, web development, web services & application migration.

Billy and Rocky, know that you want a quick and comprehensive overview - and that is exactly what you get! For example, if you want to understand web services & SOAP, and do an example in which you create and consume a web service: 8 pages! That's all it takes! Next topic! The book is full of such great 'short-sharp' presentations!

The simple fact of the matter is that, while not a classic on the level of "Molecular Biology of the Cell", this is a good introductory text. It is livened with examples of research applications, which keeps it from becoming a banal compendium of principles. On the other hand, it is relatively free from "gee whiz" fluff. It is not as quantitative as one might like, but some reviewers here have demanded a level of rigor which is inappropriate for classes full of pre-med students. A practicing structural biologist, for example, will invariably use a specialized reference for doing real work. To require too advanced a physical and chemical foundation for a book like Stryer's would be counterproductive. It provides a broad survey of biochemistry, rather than a deep discussion of particular topics therein.

I used this book in a self-study ("autotutorial") course for introductory biochemistry. The overwhelming reaction from people taking the course, including myself, was that the textbook was fantastic. I find it difficult to believe that a student with a decent background in organic chemistry and biology would have any trouble with this book; it is quite readable, although the chapters could be more coherently structured.

Overall, Stryer's book is more than adequate for an introductory biochemistry course, and its exposition is significantly better than most. None of the introductory texts I have encountered suffice as topical references for pursuits such as computational genetics or structural biology, so the question becomes, "is this a good biochemistry book to start with?" I submit that it is.

This is a superb book to understand the excitement in biochemistry and to understand its relevance to human health. Stryer's book presents biochemistry in a completely different manner. Instead of traditionally presenting one topic after the other, it presents each chapter giving a representative molecule or system for explanation and characterization of the material in that chapter . For example, heamoglobin and myoglobin for explaining the three dimensional structure of proteins, lysozyme and chymotrypsin for explaining enzyme action, and a host of others. Each example is critically chosen, considering its role and function in life and metabolism. This makes the matter very interesting and practical. Paralleling this are given descriptions of diseases and biochemical disorders as well as historical perspectives. The last part, molecular physiology, gives a lucid exposition of the fundamental biochemical processes in living organisms. In fact, the whole point of view in the book is a physiological one. The book is unlike Lehninger, which is essentially a traditional textbook. Even though Lehninger is good as an introductory book, Stryer is, in my opinion, the book to read if you want to learn biochemistry as a discipline which should be viewed as an exciting excursion into human metabolism and life.

Stryer's biochemistry is a very well-known text in the field. This book contains hundreds of topics but the author explains them so concisely and understandably. It may not be a good text book for a beginner to start learning some biochemistry language ( I recommend Lehninger's for this purpose) but for someone in the field, this text can serve you more than a simple reference. I hope the new edition of this text will come up soon and I am quite sure that Stryer will do a great job editing his creation with many new concepts this edition does not cover. Overall, this text deserves an five-star comment.

This is one of my favorite cookbooks. I have made several of the recipes in this book and all have turned out excellent. The arroz con pollo recipe is my personal favorite, my friends and family agree! This is not a "quick" cookbook, however, many of the recipes I have tried require several hours. Many recipes require roasting peppers, rehydrating dried chiles, and chopping lots of veggies. Fortunately most of the work is prep work, towards the end of the recipe it's "put the skillet in the oven and bake for 40 minutes" or "steam the tamales for 25 minutes" which means if you time it right, you still have time to get ready for the guests to arrive after all the messy stuff is done, while the meal is still cooking. Also, if you want, prepare the tamales and put 'em in the fridge, a great idea if you have several hours before the guests arrive. And don't worry if you can't find dried corn husks or banana leaves, plastic wrap works fine in their place (they suggest this in the intro, as well as a dozen other items that can make these recipes easier). If you like Mexican food, and like spending a few hours in the kitchen just so your guests say "this is the best food I have ever had!" then this is a book you want to take a look at.

Just a brilliant book about tamales....The three chefs seem to have taken the time to simplify one of the greatest meals ever.. the Mexican tamale!

I have made almost every recipe in the book and have loved all of them....

I searched for recipes to perfect my tamales and came up with little success until i stumbled upon this book. Getting masa to have both a good flavor and texture can be tricky, but i've been successful on both levels with the various masa dough recipes. This book goes beyond the traditional tamale by creating some of the most innovative and flavorful recipes - - sauces included! Mark Miller has succeeded in yet another fabulous cookbook!

This is NOT a book for beginners who wish to learn JSP/servlets and EJBs and the techniques of J2EE. On the other hand, if you already have some knowledge with these techniques, the book may help to improve your background of J2EE and its components.

1.The strong points of the book are:

- the book does a wonderful job in explaining different key points of J2EE techniques especially at the beginning of each chapter; although the discussion sometimes becomes pretty vague and less clear at the end.

- the book's code examples use j2sdkee1.2.1, orion and jboss which are available for you free with unlimited time.

- the book looks quite impressive, 1600 plus pp. hardcovered.

2.The weak points of the book:

- all the code examples are fairly easy. In fact, too easy to do much help to the readers who need a better workout to pay attention to some key points of the techniques.

- Since only half of the book is devoted to really J2ee techniques, people who already experienced with jsp/servlet may find the other half of the book unecessary.

In conclusion, you may want to check this book out if you alread know jsp/servlet and j2ee( through the Sun's tutorials and examples and wish to have a better understand of this popular but pretty complex technique.

This is one of the earliest J2EE 1.2 book that hit the market and it does a decent job. Coverage on individual topics such as servlets, JSP's, and EJB's are good and coherent. I especially like the EJB topic which spans 6 chapters that gives a lot of details and guidance in architecting your apps using EJB's. Other J2EE topics like JDBC, JNDI, RMI, XML, JMS, and JavaMail also received adequate coverage in the book. Compared with the book by Perrone et al. (Sams), this one is more focused and more in depth.

However, I am somewhat disappointed by the lack of substances (i.e., code, code, code to a developer like myself!) in the later chapters that deal with design strategies. It will have been a lot better if the book used an integrated sample to illustrate how to implement the design principles layed out in chapters 24 and 25. Instead, we have a chapter (30) which basically borrows a canned sample from Orion Server release, which in itself is OK but is not tightly related to earlier chapters. So if you already have servlets and JSP experience and would like to add EJB/JMS to the mix, I wouldn't recommend this book. Pick up the new book from Wrox on BEA WebLogic Server instead.

This book is one the most comprehensive ones that I've bought. It provides you with most of the possible technologies that you could use in a basic J2EE application. I love the section on the J2EE architecture. For newbies I typcially request that they read that section first. It does justice to basic topics like JDBC & Servlets & tag libraries, and the concepts about them. As well as introduces EJBs and other technologies. I am a long time java developer and I use it as a constant reference. Great job WROX!