detailed review of emergency thou suffers from a lack of information on certain key areas.can be verbose at times thou is a generally a good read

The book comes in 3 hardback volumes, well worth the price. I am a practicing Paramedic with a desire to know more about the how's and why's of patient care. The book is well organized, with a reading level of college sophomore. The section on resucitation takes ACLS just a little bit further. I consider this book recommended reading for Paramedics who want to stay on top

I totally agree with the reviewer who says that Kidnapped has become his/her favorite book of all time and that (s)he still re-reads it several times a year. Not that I re-read it, but I agree when (s)he says that (s)he envies anyone who is about to read 'Kidnapped' for the first time. I am about the same age, and I well remember my first reading - how I smiled when Uncle Ebeneezer served his gruel (porridge) - how I held my breath when David nearly stepped into space on the broken stairs - how I cringed with the injustice of Ebeneezer tried to cheat David out of his inheritance by selling him into slavery in the American colonies.

Stevenson's 'Treasure Island' is reckoned to be his best book but, for sheer descriptive weight, superb characterization and sharp, sharp dialog, 'Kidnapped' is the one for me. In brief, 16-year-old orphan, David Balfour visits his uncle in order to claim the inheritance, left by his father. The uncle, having failed to kill him, arranges for David to be kidnapped by a ship of thugs and villains and taken to the Carolinas to be sold into slavery. While navigating the Scottish coast, the ship collides with another boat and the crew capture the lone survivor, a swashbuckling Highlander called Alan Breck Stewart. David and Alan become friends and escape their captors. On land again, Stewart is accused of murdering a rival clan member and he and David must now cross the Scottish mountains to reach safe haven and for David to reclaim his inheritance.

The descriptions of the Scottish countryside are truly marvelous and the sense of pace and adventure keeps the reader hooked right to the end. I notice that one reviewer likened this section to 'a tiresome episode of The Odd Couple'. Perhaps it's worth bearing in mind that The Odd Couple was written a few years AFTER Kidnapped ! (In any case, I doubt that a written version of the television series would stir anyone's emotions like Kidnapped can). To most readers the historic aspects, along with the fact that the couple are being hunted by British redcoats is enough to maintain interest, suspense and pace.

Read and enjoy !

Let me tell you now that 'Kidnapped' is my personal favourite, and I've already read it four times! You'll never get a moment to pause to take a yawn. R.L. Stevenson with his superb writing capabilities writes of a young man named David Balfour. When his father dies, he is told to go to his uncle's house. After several failed attempts to kill David the wicked uncle sells him off to a skipper of a ship. In the course of his stay on the ship David meets the Jacobite, Alan. I can't describe the novel in words you gotta read it to know what you are really in for! This is the greatest adventure novel I've ever read. If you have read Stevenson's 'Treasure Island' then you won't be disappionted with this one.

I was surprised to see some reviewers didn't like this wonderful book. If you have trouble with the Scottish accent, read it out loud, use your imagination, and if you still can't figure it out, skip a bit. (Do you insist on understanding every single word spoken in a movie?)

This is the story of a young man overcoming adversity to gain maturity and his birthright. It moves right along, in Stevenson's beautiful prose. Read, for example, this sentence from Chapter 12: "In those days, so close on the back of the great rebellion, it was needful a man should know what he was doing when he went upon the heather." Read it out loud; it rolls along, carrying the reader back to Scotland, even a reader like me, who doesn't know all that much about Scottish history. Kidnapped is by no means inferior, and in many ways superior to the more famous Treasure Island.

Only two points I would like to bring up: I bought the Penguin Popular Classics issue, and have sort of mixed feelings. Maybe some day I'll get the version illustrated by Wyeth. I'm not sure whether this book needs illustrations, though. Stevenson's vivid writing is full of pictures.

In Chapter 4, David makes a point of saying that he found a book given by his father to his uncle on Ebenezer's fifth birthday. So? Is this supposed to show how much Ebenezer aged due to his wickedness? If anybody could explain this to me, please do.

Having just completed the GED testing in Santa Clara County, CA, I wanted to take a moment to share some observations I made while using "Barron's, How to Prepare for the GED" (11th Edition). While I did find the guide helpful, I also found a highly disturbing number of errors. Most of the errors I'm referring to go far beyond common typographical or publication errors. Considering the purpose of the publication, I expected quality but found a total lack of it.

Of particular concern, is the math section. The cover of the guide advertises "Extensively revised and updated," and "All new math review." However, is where I found the greatest number of flagrant errors.

I don't know if primary responsibility for these errors rests with the author(s), editor(s), or publisher, but I'm certain most everyone will agree that the quality of educational materials of this nature is everyone's concern.

I have sent a sample of the errors I encountered to the publisher for review. I have also forwarded a copy to the Board of Education in California. Based on the number of (obvious) errors I encountered, I think it safe to assume the actual number of errors, in this particular publication, goes far beyond the 50 "+" question and answer errors I documented.

I bought this book because I have had so many positive experiences with other Barron's series. I will be taking a general math/English exam as a part of an application process to work at my children's school. I wanted to review various subject areas that I thought mught be covered on the exam, and so I picked up Barron's GED and CBEST books. I am still making my way through the GED book, and haven't yet started on the CBEST.

I am almost through with the math portion of the GED book, and I am so angry. By the time I realized how many errors were in almost every micro-section of the math review, I had already thrown away my receipt. This book is unbelievable. Granted, the portions that are written accurately are thoughtful and mostly easy to follow, but the amount of errors (3 errors on one of the math pages) are incomprehensible. How did this happen? Error after error after error.....I think you get the picture. I am now on page 522, where the "ANSWERS" portion of a chapter review test lists the answer to problem #6 as choice "7." Well, hello, but the choices only number from 1-5. Choice Number 7 doesn't exist!

Barron's wasted my time and my money on this one. The discussion portions are extremely helpful, but need to be backed up with consistantly accurate math problems and answers. If Barron's can go back and fix these errors (and maybe offer the poor saps who bought this version an unconditional money-back return policy, with or without receipt in hand), this would actually be a great book.

The book is pretty good except of the chapter maths. Maths is lousy. There are more than a dozen real terrible mistakes! I've never seen before a book with so many mistakes.