I like a lot Mr.Gulie's writing and especially the chapter about SMIL and how it can be used to create QuickTime movies.

The main reason I bought the book was that it had license keys for QuickTime5 Pro for PC and Mac. Those keys costed [price] each at that time if one bought them separately (supposing they had both a Mac and a PC). So it was a good deal apart from the book content itself. An unfortunate thing is that the QT5Pro keys won't work with QT6Pro and that QT6 can't coexist with QT5 on the same machine. So I do still use QuickTime5 (Pro) on my machine...

The book also contains a CD with lots of material which is a must for books about multimedia and rich content (would be a big download for one to get from the publisher's website).

Another thing about such books are that they're usually not printed in color :(, obviously to keep the cost low

This book is excellent. Not only is it fun to read but also very informative. You can read it from front to back and you can use it as a reference manual. What graphics mode for tracks does what? You'll find it! What compression scheme do I need for what purpose? You'll find it! How do I change the movie controller? Why do I have to change it sometimes? Just look it up! Did you ever wanted to know how the people from Apple make movie trailers?

The CD contains an audio tour, many examples, and software (QuickTime 5 Pro, full versions and demo versions of various tools) for Windows and Macintosh computers.

It's great Boook. it decribe all kind of Quicktime technology. (except Cubic VR)
It's very useful book !!

no hype. i couldn't stop laughing as i was reading this. and i mean laughing out loud. in a cafe. with everyone staring at me. but i didn't care. and i couldn't help it if i did. it's just too hilarious.

There is at least one author who may remind you of Stephen Leacock, namely Garrison Keillor of Lake Wobegon fame, but Leacock should be recognized as the ultimate master of quaint, bucolic humor. Leacock, who died in 1944, became arguably the most prominent Canadian humorist of his day (and probably of all time). What is ironic about that claim is that Leacock worked for most of his life as a professor of economics. We do not usually equate economics with humor, preferring to think of that profession as one of bow ties and supply and demand charts. Throw that presumption out the window and pick up a copy of "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town," Leacock's best known work available through the New Canadian Library series.

For me, one of the funniest sections of the book was the introduction written by Leacock, where he gives you some background about himself and his profession. This short piece of writing quickly gives you an idea of the type of humor you will find in the actual sketches: a very sly, very quiet and clever type of humor that often takes a while to sink in. Leacock does not rely on rim shot jokes or manic posturing in his writings. Instead, he creates the fictional Canadian town of Mariposa and populates it with small town archetypes that are wonders to behold.

All of the characters are hilarious in their own way: Mr. Smith, the proprietor of the local hotel and bar, full of schemes to earn money while trying to get his liquor license back. Then there is Jefferson Thorpe, the barber involved in financial schemes that may put him on the level of the Morgans and the Rockefellers. The Reverend Mr. Drone presides over the local Church of England in Mariposa, a man who reads Greek as easy as can be but laments his lack of knowledge about logarithms and balancing the financial books of the church. Peter Pupkin, the teller at the local bank, has a secret he wants no one to know about, but which eventually comes out while he is courting the daughter of the town judge. All of these characters, and several others, interact throughout the sketches.

Leacock has the ability to turn a story, to make it take a crazy, unexpected twist even when you are looking for such a maneuver. That he accomplishes this in stories that rarely run longer than twenty pages is certainly a sign of great talent. By the time you reach the end of the book, you know these people as though you lived in the town yourself, and you know what makes them tick.

Despite all of the crazy antics in Mariposa, Leacock never lets the reader lose sight of the fact that these are basically good people living good lives. There seems to be a lot of feeling for the citizens of Mariposa on the part of Leacock, which comes to a head in the final sketch in the collection, "L'Envoi. The Train to Mariposa," where he recounts traveling back to the town after being away for years, with all of the attendant emotions that brings as recognizable landmarks come into view and the traveler realizes that his little town is the same as when he left it years before.

I suspect there is a historical importance to "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town." These writings first appeared in 1912, a time when many people living in the bigger Canadian cities still remembered life in a small town. In addition to the humorous aspects of the book, the author includes many descriptive passages concerning the atmosphere and layout of Mariposa, something instantly recognizable to anyone who grew up in such a place. Nostalgia for the simpler life of the small town probably played a significant role in the book's success.

I look forward to reading more Stephen Leacock. While much of the humor in the book is not belly laugh funny, it does provide one with a deep satisfaction of reading clever humor from an author who knows how to tickle the funny bone. You do not need to be Canadian to enjoy this wonderful book.

Perhaps the finest comment about Stephen Leacock in the last half century is that "he is a
Will Rogers for the 90's."

Rogers, of course, is one of the most beloved of American humorists -- he was killed in
1935 when his plane crashed near Point Barrow, Alaska. Leacock died on March 28, 1944.
Like Rogers, he had been Canada's favorite humorist for decades.

Sunshine Sketches is about Orillia, Ontario, Canada, where Leacock had his summer home
on Brewery Bay (he once wrote, "I have known that name, the old Brewery Bay, to make
people feel thirsty by correspondence as far away as Nevada.") His home is now maintained
as a historic site by the town of Orillia. I lived there for almost 30 years, and the people of Orillia are still much the same as Leacock portrayed them in 1912.

These stories about various personalities in town were printed in the local newspaper in the
1910 - 1912 era, before being compiled into this book which established Leacock's literary
fame. The people portrayed really lived, though some are composites; the events are of a
kindly humorist looking at the foibles of small town life. Once they came out in book form
and soared to national popularity, everyone in town figured the rest of the country was
laughing at them because of Leacock's book and he was royally hated in Orillia to the end
of his life.

Gradually, and this took decades, Orillians came to recognize that genius had walked
amongst them for several decades. (It's hard to recognize genius when your own ego is so
inflated.) Orillia now awards the annual "Leacock Medal for Humor" -- Canada's top literary
prize for the best book of humour for the preceding year.

Leacock died when I was six, but I did know his son, who still lived in town. I delivered
papers to the editor of the "Newspacket," Leacock's name for the Orillia Packet and Times
(where I worked) and the rival Newsletter. The Packet had the same editor in the 1940's as
when Leacock wrote about him in 1910.

But the book is more than Orillia; it is a wonderfully kind and humorous description of life in
many small towns. The American artist Norman Rockwell painted the same kinds of scenes;
it is the type of idyllic urban life so many of us keep longing to find again in our hectic
urban world.

Leacock realized the book was universal in its description of small towns, and in the preface
he wrote "Mariposa is not a real town. On the contrary, it is about seventy or eighty of
them. You may find them all the way from Lake Superior to the sea, with the same square
streets and the same maple trees and the same churches and hotels, and everywhere the
sunshine of the land of hope."

True enough, which gives this book continuing appeal nearly a century after it was written.
All great writing is about topics you know, and as a longtime resident Leacock knew Orillia
well. As for Leacock himself, he wrote, "I was born at Swanmoor, Hants., England, on Dec.
30, 1869. I am not aware that there was any particular conjunction of the planets at the
time, but should think it extremely likely."

He says of his education, "I survived until I took the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in
1903. The meaning of this degree is that the recipient of instruction is examined for the last
time in his life, and is pronounced completely full. After this, no new ideas can be imparted
to him."

In reviewing Charles Dickens' works in 1934, Leacock wrote what could well be his own
epitaph: "Transitory popularity is not proof of genius. But permanent popularity is." The fact
his writings are still current illustrates the nature of his writing.

In contrast to the sometimes sardonic humor of modern times, Sunshine Sketches reflects
Leacock's idea that "the essence of humor is human kindness." Or, in the same vein, "Humor
may be defined as the kindly contemplation of the incongruities of life, and the artistic
expression thereof."

Granted, this book is not what he recognized to have widespread appeal to modern readers.
In his own words, "There are only two subjects that appeal nowadays to the general public,
murder and sex; and, for people of culture, sex-murder." Yet, anyone reading this will
remember scenes from it for much longer than anything from a murder mystery.

In today's world, where newspapers almost daily track Prime Minister Tony Blair's dash to
the political right, Leacock wrote, "Socialism won't work except in Heaven where they don't
need it and in Hell where they already have it."

He described his own home as follows, "I have a large country house -- a sort of farm
which I carry on as a hobby . . . . Ten years ago the deficit on my farm was about a
hundred dollars; but by well-designed capital expenditure and by greater attention to
details, I have got it into the thousands." Sounds familiar to today's farm policies ?

It's what I mean by this being a timeless work.

Leacock himself noted, when talking about good literature, "Personally, I would sooner have
written 'Alice in Wonderland' than the whole of the 'Encyclopedia Britannica'." This is his
'Alice' and it well deserves to be favorably compared to Lewis Carroll's work.

By all measures, it is still the finest Canadian book ever written.

This one is a classic. It has a perfect attention span for a 5-9 near old. This comes from series. All of these books they put out are awesome! I wish they were back in print and publish some new ones. They just don't make books like this anymore.

I had this book when I was little and I used to beg my mom to read it to me over and over. I loved it. It got me interested in science and research. It is at least partially due to this book that I entered college as a biology major. Highly recommended- I wish it was still in print.

My brothers and I grew up with the Value Books series, and this was one of our favorites.My mother still has the full set, but now my brothers and I are starting our own families and would love to each have a set. If you can get ahold of copies, get them. The lessons they teach are invaluable - I would reccomend them to any parent and for any child.

As a fifth grader, one of my favorite teachers read this book aloud to our class once a week. Today, as a high school junior, I still remember every word and story from the Weighty Word Book. Recently I took the PSAT and SAT, and between the two tests words from this book showed up 4 or 5 times. It has been an extremely beneficial part of my education.

...Who never to the world has said
I love this book, this children's book...

Adults read children's books to children, but seldom pick one up for their own pleasure. They miss a lot by the omission. THE WEIGHTY WORD BOOK is an example of a book written for children that is delightful for adults, at least adults who love words.

It's written by three University of Colorado English professors and consists of a series of whimsical and enchanting stories about words -- selected words, useful and syllabic.

In the first story, for example, Benjamin Van Der Bellows, a bear "who did not know the things he was supposed to know" is moved each time he makes a mistake to an office on a lower floor. Predictably, he winds up in the basement. "So, whenever a person has been lowered in position or rank or office, we say that person has suffered an abasement."

There's an imaginative and articulate story about each letter of the alphabet. Don't miss this one -- it's for all ages and it's loads of fun.

I have used The Weighty Word Book for 10 years in my third and fifth grade classrooms. The vocabulary words are excellent and the stories that help show the meaning are entertaining and meaningful. The students ask for me to read the book to them and they often not only remember the words, but also the stories for years. This is a wonderful book to show kids that they can have fun learning new "hard" vocabulary words. Try it, you'll find that you'll improve your own vocabulary.

Author Smith has combined three almost independent stories, that of those rescued from the Japanese on the Philippine Island Negros, the saga of the submarine Crevalle which affects the rescue and the aftermath of the survivors' stories and the historic events of the Battle of the Philippine Sea, influenced by the secret documents spirited away by the submarine during the rescue. Smith richly details the lives and living conditions of 40 Americans who become trapped on Negros by the Japanese invasion of the Philippines after their attack on Pearl Harbor. He follows them as conditions worsen, ultimately causing the survivors to move further and further into the jungles. Some become involved in the Philippine resistance movement, and well documented and dramatic stories of heroism and sacrifice by these men, women and children abound. In time General Douglas MacArthur orders the rescue of these Americans and the Crevalle becomes the focus. The details of the cooperation between the US Navy, the Philippine resistance forces and the survivors leading to the dramatic rescue make for great reading. On a parallel track are events culminating in the crash landing on the east coast of Negros of a Japanese aircraft containing two very senior Admirals and the "Z" Plan for the Japanese conquest of American forces in the Pacific. Through a series of brave actions by Philippinos and Americans, the Z Plan eventually is recovered and liberated, along with the American survivors, by the Crevalle. The book culminates with the Battle of the Philippine Sea (The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot), greatly influenced on both sides by the Z Plan, negatively for the Japanese and positively for the Americans. The book concludes by bringing the reader up to date on the subsequent lives of the key figures described throughout the book. This book is a great read, rich with history, full of heroic actions and giving a unique insight into events of enormous import in the individual lives of ordinary people caught up in an extraordinary time.

Stephen Trent Smith's "The Rescue" is not only a spellbinding account of the rescue of forty American civilians and soldiers from the Japanese-occupied Phillipines, but also a splendid terse look at the Pacific U. S. submarine campaign and the last decisive battle between Japanese and American naval forces; the Battle of the Phillipine Sea, more popularly known as the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot". Smith possesses both a great photojournalist's eye for detail and the ability to write a gripping thriller; more often than not, "The Rescue" comes across as a well written World War Two espionage thriller. Smith describes one of the most exciting rescues of people trapped behind enemy lines during World War Two and succinctly places it in context within the overall war aims of both Japanese and American naval and general staffs as both sought air and sea superiority over the other. I strongly recommend this fine book as one of the best recently published histories of World War II. I look forward to yet another fine book from Steven Trent Smith on the still largely untold story of American and Filipino resistance to the Japanese occupation of the Phillipines.

Some books entertain, others educate, and the occasional few do both.

This book's has got it all. So you want women's liberation? Try bringing up your missionary family as a single mom in the mountains of Negros during a war. So you be a businessman? How about blowing up those sugar cane factories before the Japanese get 'em. You just like that war thang? This book will send you to the dictionary to look up all those really great technical submariner words and touch your heart as the bell is rung for each sub that didn't make it back. It's gotcha rooting for the good guys and holding your breath with the suspense.

So it reminds of a Royal Carribean Cruise ad with my own addition: Brag for Life! Get out there! Learn something!

P.S. Liked this book? Try a "A Peace to End All Peace." Get out there... learn something.

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

Maureen Farquhar (maureenfarquhar@yahoo.com)

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

A must have book for all Versace fans.

A beautifully written book -- Sansweet is the reigning expert on Star Wars (have all of his book, with the Scrapbook and Encyclopedia being my favorites). I just had some quibbles with some of the design elements in it but it's a wonderful edition to my library nevertheless.

Arguably, the most significant impact of Star Wars on popular culture was the merchandising of the movie into toys and collectibles with product far outgrossing the record levels the saga achieved in box office sales. Movie merchandise, and toys in particular, with long development times and short public attention spans were rarely seen as lucrative ventures throughout movie history. But in 1977, Star Wars changed all that. Steve Sansweet's book traces the development of the film into the most lucrative movie license in history, showing rare and unproduced toy concepts that were considered but abandoned. With beautiful photos from Steve's personal collection and rare photography from the Kenner archives, the reader sees and learns about the development of the property. When this book was released in 1992, it shook the Star Wars collecting world and still remains timeless today. I keep referring to and pouring through Steve's "Concept" book over and over again. Every Star Wars collector needs to own this book.

This book by Sansweet is not only a good reference book, but also a good read. Informative write-ups on Star Wars from its inception to its popularity. Displaying sketches from the film and models. From there it also discusses all the merchandising that came with the immense popularity that Star Wars recieved from its debut. Fun to look at all the pictures and old stuff and foreign artifacts from everywhere. Reccomended for the Star Wars fan and toy lover alike.

this book shows all of the music videos and each director. it is very detailed and explains the technique of each video too.

The book is great and full of information about almost any director of a music video a person would like to know. It is very colorful and has pictures of familiar music videos. It also inlcudes a biography for each director and mentions their style and techniques.

Beautiful Design by Tolleson out of San Francisco. They do wonderful graphic design work. Check out their book "Wash, Soak, Rinse, Spin: Tolleson Design" for more of their style work. There is nothing better than a book that is designed to match the content. Format, type selection, imagery, is all top notch. I highly recommend just for the design itself.

This book is only for office issues with w2k, this is not suitable for issues which a rise with the advanced home user. My bad.

This is an excellent book for those new to the field and new to Windows 2000. This book covers the essentials and is well organized. I recommend it to all of my students that are trying to learn Windows 2000 and want to be able to support the operating system. This book covers all of the important topics in a way that makes it easy for students to understand and absorb.

Great work Mr. Tate!

I was looking for one book on Windows 2000; a reference book, not a text book, and this one fits that description! If you already know what Mixed Mode is, this is the book for you. It's style hits the right note with me, and I especially like the little notes interspersed throughout. It's already saved my bacon twice upgrading from NT and it will live a long and useful life on my desk. It's a must-have if you need THE authoritative Windows 2000 reference.

More than one person has referred to Stark as the David Letterman of legal writing instructors. He advances the notion, also advanced by Bryan Garner and for many years by James Raymond, of clear and (hard as it is for a lawyer to do) interesting writing. The several series of commandments at the beginning chapter beginnings enable you to keep the main ideas in your mind. The book is a good combination of instructional manual and a quick briefing paper. All lawyers should read and embrace Stark's notions. I only wish he had not emphasized winning as the goal, but I suppose that what his publisher needed to get someone to buy the book.

I own the book by Mr. Stark, and I also recommend the books by Bryan Garner, including, Elements Of Legal Style. The Stark book and the others, like the example I gave are useful for lawyers, law students, and paralegals, like myself, or anyone who writes on legal matters.

Stark's credentials as a practicing litigator and writing teacher give him great credibility, and he makes the most of it with this entertaining and useful book. It is superbly organized and easy to read. Plus, he gives lots of practical examples that drive home his points. A great book.