This book is the best book about Baby Face Nelson, I enjoyed reading this book greatly. Everything you wanted to know about Lester Gillis is in this book. Every part of his life was explained in great detail; the authors did not leave anything out. I highly recommend this book to people who are into the depression era gangsters.

this is the only book you need if you want to know about Baby Face Nelson. I can't say enough good things about this book. I only hope the authors will pen another book about Dillinger.

The era of the depression desperado was a very short lived one, but the authors do a great job researching the life of Lester Gillis, aka Baby Face Nelson. Partners in crime such as John Dillinger, Homer Van Meter, Pretty Boy Floyd, and others are included in this book close to 400 pages long. Don't let the length keep you from reading it, because I believe you will find it hard to put down. I especially enjoyed the lengthy section devoted to the fiasco at the Little Bohemia lodge near Rhinelander, Wisconsin, in which federal agents staged a shootout with gangsters. Gillis (Nelson) was responsible for killing one of the agents while another agent killed an innocent person staying at the lodge he thought was a gangster. In any event, the bad guys escaped and lived to fight another day. The price these men paid for their violent lifestyle showed in the tension they constantly lived under as they covered their tracks to avoid detection from the law. At times they wistfully envied the simpler lifestyles of the common man who had an everyday job. I'm not that familiar with the suburbs north of Chicago, but I was confused when the author mentioned that Niles Center is now Wilmette in the picture section of the book, and then on page 361 Niles Center is referred to now as Skokie. Was Niles Center part of both suburbs? This is a well researched book and easy to read. Make sure you have a good amount of time when you sit down to read it, because you are not going to want to put it down. I highly recommend this book to you.

This was the first book I read about Buckminster Fuller. It was a great introduction to the man because a lot of people go right to his written works which can be hard to digest at first because he's just a very intense human being.

Reading this book first enabled me to understand Bucky so when I did move on the Critical Path and Synergetics I knew what I was getting in to. And boy if your ready to go through the mirror to see the truth, you're in for the ride of your life!

Enjoy!

I love to read books that I don't completely understand the first time through. This is certainly one of those books.

Part biography, part scientific dissertation, the author enlightens us on the wonderful and extraordinary life of R. Buckminster Fuller, a true renaissance man.

Many people have never even heard of Buckminster Fuller... but his ideas, inventions and philosophy have touched the lives of everyone on here on 'Spaceship Earth' as he liked to call it.

Just take a trip down to Epcot in Orlando, FL and see a geodesic sphere in real life, one that engineers and construction types said would not stand... its been standing there for almost 20 years now. Or, look down the street to the Contemporary Resort at the Magic Kingdom. Built entirely with modular construction and finished in record time.. a la "Bucky" Fuller.

Certainly this man was a great innovator... but what I was most impressed with was his 'comprensivist' point of view. He always strove to see the big picture of what is happening on Earth as well as the entire Universe around us.

Get this book if you want to open you mind to new ideas and paradigms. It has changed the way I look at many different things now.

"Buckminster Fuller's Universe" is full of information that is very pertinent to current problems in our world today, e.g., providing all people on Space Ship Earth with affordable and environmentally sound food, housing, and transportation. Sieden's passionate but not sentimental description of the obstacles Bucky faced from Corporate America lends to the compelling nature of this book. "Galileo's Daughter" depicted Galileo's genius colliding with the monolithic Church of the sixteenth century, Sieden shows Bucky's genius colliding with plumbers, architects, auto manufacturers, bureaucrats as well as ideals of the capitalist economic system. I was filled with hope by Bucky's continued enthusiasm and creativity even in the face of such huge obstacles. Sieden states that Bucky believed that Earth's problems will be solved by individual thinking and efforts and not by bureaucratic leaders or endeavors. Although, Bucky states governments can thwart or support the education and thinking of its citizens. Sieden's writing is easy to digest even when the subject matter is very complex. Seattle's Intiman Theatre will stage a production of "R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe" June 8 to July 7, 2001. Which goes to show how relevant Bucky is to today's world. I strongly recommend this book for folks concerned about Earth's problems and to hear solutions from one of Earth's geniuses.

As a military historian and a Richmonder, I was very glad to find this excellent novel by Steven Wise. I believe that he captured the mood of the final days of the Confederacy and of the men and women who lived during that period. He based several passages upon actual events that transpired at the large Confederate hospital on top of Chimborazo Hill in Richmond. I wish that his novel were available in a trade paperback edition, so that more people would see it on the book shelves.

Steven W. Wise is a master storyteller with a true gift for writing description. I am notoriously bad about skimming a book to get to the story plot. This is impossible with the Wise novels. I need to savor every word.

CHIMBORAZO is not a pretty tale, but a realistic one of the hospital conditions at the close of the Civil War. Doctors and nurses of this era are given the credit they have deserved as their story is woven in with the suffering and deprivation of their patients.

The characters of this novel were beautifully developed, although have to admit a disappointment at the fate of some of them. I guess that is what gave it its realism. By the time I had finished CHIMBORAZO, I felt I knew the central characters as friends.

The underdeveloped ending was superb. I give the book an A rating.

In his novel Chimborazo, Steven W. Wise, places us in the middle of one of the worst chapters of American History, the Civil War. In that war, we are taken to the Confederate Hospital in Richmond after which the book is titled. The story commences in the waning days of the war, and the conditions in this hospital are almost inconceivable given today's medical technology. However, we find that while medical technology, supplies and even food are primitive, the care and concern of the staff and patients for each other in many cases make up for this lack of facilities. It is here we meet Letha Bartlett, the matron of a ward of the hospital. Raised in wealth and comfort, she has come here to provide care and support for the men who have given greatly to the "cause". As we come to see, it is often the care of Letha or others that make the difference between life and death. The story also concerns a wounded soldier, Granville Pollard, who has given much physically, but will find he has much to give others even in his life altered condition. The story concerns much of the character development and relationship between Pollard and the others he meets in the hospital. It also shows the ability of the human body and spirit to heal in the most difficult of places. Often the human kindness and concern shown by others is the only medical care available.

The novel caused me to consider the situations in which we human beings sometimes find ourselves. When our best laid plans do not work as we expected, and when hope is found in the most hopeless places. The story told much about the resilience of the human spirit, and the fragility of life. The characters also show that if the thin veneer of civilization can remain in tact in a place like this, we need to consider the situations we find ourselves in and evaluate our own behavior when confronted with adversity.

I recommend this book highly, not only for the rich characters you will meet or the incredible situations you will encounter, but as a mirror to hold up and examine your own life and behavior. A small kindness shown to another may take but a few minutes of our time, but to the other person, it may be the spark of hope that is desperately needed in a dark hour. It is my hope that this book will remind the reader of that, and of the incredible impact each of us can have on others.

It's Friday night in Goshen and I have just a few minutes to myself before I take off the volunteer at Goshen's homeless shelter . I finished "The Good Book", (I windexed the cover and whenever I pick it up I feel its shiny smooth surface :) ) As soon as Julian, my seventeen year old son finishes it, there's a whole line up of my fellow employees at Care At Home Services where I work (who were with us Saturday night at the Brew) who want to read it. I loved your music, the lyrics, the stories . . . it's like i figure, stories and music bring people together and make them forget about their preoccupation with beliefs and ideologies; if original sin can be thought of as separateness, (an idea from Matthew Fox's book-"Original Blessing" that I kind of like,) then art, music, dance and storytelling, etc., etc., are what can save us. I haven't set aside my miseries with such abandonment since I rode the Tilt-a-whirl at the Elkhart County Fair as I did at the Brew Saturday night.

Keep looking for the rainbow. Love, Carolyn

Y'ALL isn't so much a band as it is a world unto istelf: eight years of making music in a relationship has inspired the pair to metamorphose into an impressive home industry with its own product line (calendars, pamphlets, hand-painted rhinestone T-shirts and six albums with a seventh on the way); vocabulary (with words like "bedazzled" for their rhinestone fashion); original holiday recipes; and most impressive, a good back story, which is lovingly chronicled in a 300-page hardcover autobiography they just published.

"The Good Book: the true story of Y'ALL," a Product of Mr. Byrd's hyperactive imagination and boundless energy, tells the half-true story of Y'all's wacky preacher relatives, their fated meeting during a thunderstorm and the lucky green dress given to them by an uncle who advised, "You can't never tell what might happen to you if folks have a reason to stare."

Well, they said they were going to do it. And, with their undying sense of pluck, the simple country boys of Y'ALL have finally told their tale in a hardback book. And what a gorgeous production it is, too. The members of this backwoods cabaret act have always aspired to mixing their simple hillbilly tastes with the utmost professionalism. Anyone who writes about performers in this town is swamped with self-published projects, and it's only natural that Y'ALL gets it right. Even the actual writing is fabulous.

They're living in Nashville now, but Y'ALL occasionally returns to remind us that New York City's best gay act of the 1990s was all about a simple love story. James Dean Jay Byrd and Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer wasted too much time here trying to get attention with their touching songs and funny stories. Frankly, they deserved all the acclaim that ended up going to Hedwig and the Angry Inch. They never had a chance here, though. They refused to be decadent, and they didn't know how to be victims.

That's what makes The Good Book such an inspirational read. These two lovers come from a country background that isn't nearly as fantastical as it seems. The fictionalized history is still based on the special backwoods indulgence of eccentricity. Jay gets his lucky green dress from his crossdressing uncle, and Steven's grandmother--who crochets hotpants on the side--explains to the struggling musician why he was never meant to take over the family farm.

It's really a shame that a book this wonderful was rejected by so many publishing companies. But then, publishing companies rely on victimization to sell books. They wouldn't know what to do with a simple saga about determinedly happy gay men celebrating their family and heritage. Fortunately, there's an untapped audience out there--both straight and gay--who would love getting a gift this simple and sentimental.

Es un libro que no debe faltar en la biblioteca de ningún ornitólogo. Describe casi la totalidad de especies de aves del país con más especies de aves en el mundo. Excelente.

This work is all a bird watcher could wish for. The splendid paintings by Tudor add to the very helpful in-depth descriptions. Completed by nearly 1500 distribution maps there's nothing left to wish, except go out there and see them. I used it when birding in Peru and I could still determine nearly all the birds I saw.
It's an example for every bird field guide.

Since no definitive bird guide is available for the Amazon region and Brazil in general, I was forced to choose between this guide and the Birds of Venezuela. I ended up with Hilty and Brown's book by sheer coincidence, and I was not at all disappointed. The text and information is superb throughout, and I was able to identify several species on habitat description alone. For example, the authors clearly describe the preference of many taxa for varzea (seasonally flooded) or terra firme forests, which made a fleeting glimpse more of a certainty, and the range descriptions were invaluable. If I have only one very minor criticism, it is that I have never found plates in black and white particularly helpful, and since several artists were employed, there were differences in visual interpretation in several groups (e.g. the Picidae). However, these are minor detractions from an outstanding volume.

Steven Jonas, M.D. is a nationally recognized health-care expert. He teaches preventive medicine, and has written several books on staying healthy. He's teamed up with another health writer, Maria Kassberg Regan, to produce Help Your Man Get Healthy: An Essential Guide For Every Caring Woman. Dr. Jonas and Regan say that "studies have shown conclusively that both heart disease and cancer--the top two killers in the nation--can be prevented by avoiding negative health habits and engaging in certain positive ones." They then describe the common negative habits, such as smoking, and helpful positive habits, such as reducing stress. They've included a chart which shows the number of years life can be shortened by each negative habit compared with the number of years gained by following a few positive habits. Obviously people are responsible for their own health habits, so why did Regan and Dr. Jonas write a guide for women to help improve their husband's health? Women already have enough responsibilities! They offer several reasons, including the fact that men simply don't know as much about good health practices as women do. For example, most women's magazines print lots of health-related articles; few men's magazines are health-oriented. Regan and Dr. Jonas do not advocate making women responsible for their man's health--their goal is to give women the tools they need to encourage good habits in all those they care about. They provide several quick and simple quizzes to help readers zero in on various kinds of difficulties. They then provide extensive information on motivation-- yes, men are motivated in much different ways than women are. They also provide tips on communicating effectively with men. For example, men prefer hard information to empathy. Dr. Jonas and Regan maintain that "for many, healthy habits mark the difference between a life that's long and vigorous and one that's curtailed by chronic disease or shortened by death." Readers will find that Help Your Man Get Healthy will provide the guidelines and assistance they need to help those they love develop healthy habits and improve the quality of their lives.

Sandra Smith, Reviewer

The topic, I'm sure, is on the minds of many married couples. Kassberg and Jonas define a collaborative approach to toughening up the oafish husband - softened by marriage and the attendant collapse of physical self-discipline - that's as effective as it is commonsensical. Real-life examples are particularly instructive, and the benefits of the approach become evident within days, not weeks, as the reader "gets on the same team" as the target partner in the battle against sloth, weakness and ill-health. Easy-to-read, well-researched, and original, this book is the right answer to the age-old question, "What the hell happened to the guy I married - and what can I do about it?" Buy this one today.

As a man, I read "Help Your Man" with not just a little bit of skepticism (we don't need any help!) but was I ever surprised! "Help Your Man" provides clear and understandable synopses of relevant and common health related matters which can be prevented or improved by simple changes of behavior. It is all coupled with simple, common sense (but not obvious) suggestions on how to help your man (or yourself!) change those unhealthy behaviors. Besides all that, it reads quite nicely!

It's like a one-stop-shop for such information. I will be sure to keep it handy!

It's shocking to discover how much of real American history gets glossed over in schools. What's the point of teaching history at all if it's edited? At that point it might as well be folk tales, interesting stories lacking any real facts. Alexs Pate's version of the events surrounding the slave ship La Amistad are easy to follow thanks to his simple, direct writing style and unique ability to describe much in a few words. While a "fictionalized" account of true events, the story is nonetheless riveting and heartwrenching, astounding and sickening to behold. I am saddened and even a little angry I have so little knowledge of how the vast majority of Africans found their way to America and the truth of how my ancestors may have considered and treated them. The author does a fine job of remaining mostly neutral on the topic himself, letting the story unfold and almost tell itself. While some Africans had it a little better than others, during pre-Civil War days and even in some cases still today, no black man was ever truly free. Amistad is a brilliant book about suffering and the strength it may bring, about how hope may prevail under the direst of circumstances, about how mistakes can save lives and doing "the right thing" might end them. A quick, powerful read anyone of any color or belief may enjoy. An excellent book for anyone readying to delve into the truth of the past instead of blandly accepting some outdated school textbook of it. Masterpiece.

This was a great book. i had to read it for a book report. To tell you the truth I hate reading. This is the first time I read the whole book for a book report, it had me hooked. Now I get to see the movie. But, I understood the wording in the book, and It's just a good book the read. And I recommend it for all age groups.

There is not even close to enough words to discibe this novel by Alexs Pate which is based on the motion picture. The movie I thought was great. Take my word for it the book "Amistad", brings you into even more detail than the movie. I have read a lot of books, but this book really grabbed me into really feeling like I was there. It is a sensational and emotional book that will touch your heart and show you exactly what slavery was really like. How humans went through with this unhuman way to treat people. Filled with action and emotion this is one book that has it all.

To knowledge seekers, the ability to understand and beat a system is the entire game. In this book, Skiena describes how he and some of his students wrote a computer program to win money betting on professional jai alai matches. Along the way, he explains the origins of the game and some of the basic rules, the fundamental bets that can be made as well as the meaning of statements such as pari-mutuel betting. His program does work well, in that he quadruples his money in a short time. Once that is done, he gives the money to a university charity, hoping to make his money from writing this book.
The fact that such a program could be created is not surprising. Jai-alai is a sport where individuals compete one-on-one or in teams of two, and the betting patterns determine the payoffs. It is much easier to simulate these types of matchups and predict the outcome than it is for team games. Baseball managers have been doing such modeling for years. If my memory serves me correctly, the first to do it in major league baseball was Davey Johnson, who kept detailed statistics on all pitcher-batter matchups. All of his decisions concerning who to put up to bat were then based on playing the percentages. That is essentially what Skiena does, although with a different twist. Pari-mutuel betting is where those who wager are betting against each other, so the patterns of wagering determine the payoffs. The patterns of betting are also factored into his predictions. These conditions make it possible for someone to make money creating such a system, but only as long as no one else is doing it. If others begin to use the same system, then the players are betting against each other, destroying the opportunity to make a profit. Therefore, his very act of publishing this book probably means that his system can no longer be used to win at jai-alai betting.
This is an excellent example of how basic mathematical modeling is done. Use data of previous results to form a model of what has happened in order to predict what will happen. Skiena writes with a wit and rigor that is rarely seen in mathematics. Very little mathematics background is needed in order to understand the explanations of the behavior of the program and why it works.
I found this book so interesting that I stayed up very late finishing it. It reads like a novel, but teaches you a lot about mathematics. Instructors in mathematical modeling and computer programming can find many interesting ideas for classroom exercises in it. As long as no one takes it too seriously, it is all in good, clean fun.

It's an enjoyable read. Pretty light on mathematics and software engineering though. You can easily get through this book in an evening or two and refresh some of your thoughts on modeling and statistics. Steven Skiena keeps a web site ...that's worth a peek and has reading material on this work there. Wish the book had shipped with a CD though so you could play around with his model and simulate a few games of Jai Alai for fun.

This is a fascinating book. It captures exactly the excitement of starting out in programming and working on a project in your spare-time simply because the project seems like a fun, cool thing to write, such as a program for predicting the outcome of football games. Even if you don't come from a mathematics/programming background, I think you'll find the book very interesting. Chapter 4, "The Impact of the Internet", alone, is worth the cost of the book.

I bought this book because the subtitle, What to Do and When to Do It, precisely captured my state of confusion as a new gardener. I don't always know how to do a thing and just as often don't know when to do it either! The author takes us through a full year's worth of work, beginning with using a garden diagram and proceeding through finding plants and tools, pruning, weeding, mulching, watering and fertilizing, pest control, maintenance and getting ready for the next season. The book concludes with a chart of instructions for particular species of perennials, an index and a bibliography. The chart, in fitting with the emphasis of the book, instructs in each plant's proper care and is divided into months, April through November. The first chapter, kind of an overview of the year-in-gardening approach, has many color photographs, and the rest of the book contains many line drawings to illustrate techniques. Quite nice and very helpful.

This book tells you what to do in a clear and understandable way, without expecting you to already be an expert gardener. This has been a really great help for me in landscaping and upkeeping my yard.

This book not only provides fantastic instructions but also reads like a good story. The author uses a conversation tone as she shares her methods, techniques and strategies. She shares her failures as well as her success, clearly stating what she has learned from each. This is appropriate for all level of gardner and a "really should have" for any beginner.

Although the book was intended for VFP 3.0, it is an excellent introduction to FoxPro Object Oriented Programming. It is intended as a short introduction and command reference and it does that well.

I learned alot from this book and I have been programing foxpro from the dark ages in 1991! These guys know their stuff. If you program foxpro for money you need this book.

Granor and Roche do an excellent job of explaining the treasures and pitfalls of VFP3. I found this book after I had been banging my head against a particular problem for several days, and was able to find the answer immediately, where no other book I had checked gave the answer. They document both how VFP3 works, and how it _should_ work. Most of the book still applies to VFP5, and presumably it will still be good under Tahoe.