The best childrens book are not only for children, but also for the adults that read them. This book crossed my desk while I was the editor of Surprises Magazine. I have yet to find its equal.

The book's story and illustration are charming and whimsical. Anyone who has ever asked (or still asks) the question "What should I do when I grow up?" will love the story.

"As you know, every year on this same exact day, His Highness requests in the same exact way that each child in the kingdom aged seven and eight state their plans for the future before it's too late."

And so the story begins...Everyone is able to state their plans, except for one Eric Van Noodle. You will enjoy the rhyme and rhythm of this book, the colorful illustrations, and the story and it's unexpected outcome. My son enjoys the book almost as much as I do.

I might also add that the book makes a wonderful gift for your adult friends. After reading it I bought 3 copies to give as gifts. Everyone loved it!

THIS BOOK IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST BOOK EVER!! ARLEN COHN WILL BE THE NEXT DR. SUESS!! THE PICTURES ARE WONDERFUL! IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS BOOK, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GO AHEAD, YOU'LL LOVE IT! :o)

The story's terrific - The pictures are great. As a whole I would say it is surely first rate! A selection by edict - a wonderful ruse- It keeps your suspense - just what will Eric choose? My recommendation? - Buy this book - none other! But of course I would say that - the author's my brother.

It is a very helpful book in my opinion. This is one of three climbing books I own. It doesn't focus on things like place pro, building anchors but it is designed to improve the climber both mentally and physically. A huge chunk of the book focusses on helpful mental techniques which I believe most climbers need to work on rather than getting stronger, but it does give a chapter on strength training and diet and nutrition. Best book on self improvement I have seen.

This is the best and most complete book about rock climbing I have ever read. It focus not only on technique and training, but also on diets, treatments for injuries and also on strategy for accomplishing goals. It definitely is a must buy for any serious rock climber.

This is the only training book in my climbing library - probably because I don't need anything else. The amount of knowledge passed on by top climbers is large and complete: including in- depth topics on diet, muscle physiology, and mental techniques. This book can help beginners avoid common training pitfalls and intermediate + advanced climbers look for new ways to push past their current limits. Excellent.

This is the book to have if you want to learn French. TOOOOO bad this is out of production...

I had this book at one time and thought it was great. I am so sorry I lost it. Does anyone have a recommendation for another similar book?

The superb quality of the book is that the number of examples presented for an advanced grammatical structure is a function of the structure's importance. Unlike other book's, if the structure is very important Mr. Astington may furnish as many as 10 examples. This tells the reader that he or she must be comfortable with this structure if they are to speak French on an advanced level. It is a tragedy that this book is out-of-print. I owe a large debt to Mr. Astington.

The Healing Nutrients Within is a must if you want to stay healthy. It's about proteins and amino acids. Amino acid deficiencies and inborn errors of amino acid metabolism are important causes of diseases, some of them deadly.

Problems with amino acids may cause mental or physical illnesses or both. So you should own this book if you want to have a sound mind in a sound body.

There is a separate chapter for each of the amino acids found in the human diet. And there are an amazing hundred-plus pages of scientific references.

This book strikes at the core of nutritional know how. If your serious about fueling your nutritional knowledge base and intrested in real world application of that data. This boook is for you. Really, this is not an light reading. This book is chock full of information that you will keep going back to. This is a book that you keep for life! After you read this book the benchmark is raised.

One of the best references on my shelf. Scientifically detailed but easily understood. When I have a query about an amino acid, I usually reach for this book first. If it doesn't have the precise answer I want, the reference lists contained in the book will lead me to find what I need.

The author of numerous romance-adventures in the 19th century tradition, Haggard turned his hand, at least once, to the older saga tradition of the northern peoples. The result may well have been his best work. Skillfully crafted, this tale proceeds at breakneck pace to unfold the saga-like adventures of the stout Icelandic yeoman, Eric Thorgrimurs' son (surnamed 'Brighteyes' for his most notable trait), as he struggles to win the hand of his beloved, Gudruda the Fair, despite the vigorous opposition of her half-sister, Swanhild the Fatherless (who seeks Eric for her own). Caught between these two beautiful women and faced with the need to overcome the opposition of Gudruda's father, Asmund the Priest (not the Christian sort) and his son, the greedy Bjorn (who would prefer to marry his sister off to a wealthy chieftain in lieu of a liaison with the farmer's son Eric), our hero must prove himself worthy of his destined bride while dodging the snares of those who would unman him. Conspiring with her mysterious mother, Groa the witchwife, Swanhild arranges to have Ospakar Blacktooth, a northern chieftain from Swinefells, pay Asmund's household a visit in order to see and woo Gudruda for himself. This Ospakar and Eric become immediate foes for Ospakar is as ugly and vile as Eric is handsome and honorable. And the tale only accelerates from here. From death-defying feats of derring-do to duels between deadly foemen to treachery and mayhem in blinding blizzards and on the high seas, this is an adventure which, once having grabbed you, will not let you go. Written in an archaic prose, mirroring the old nineteenth century translations of the original Icelandic sagas, and intended to simulate the voice of the old sagas themselves, the power of this narrative is compelling and unrelenting. And yet it is less exhausting than exhilirating as it unfolds the tale of Eric and the two women who loved him -- no matter what the cost. If the tale has a flaw at all it is that the characters are not real in any sense of that word but only larger-than-life actors who strut about upon the stage which Haggard has drawn for us here. At the same time the sensibility offered is one of pure and unmitigated adventure. But it's great fun and marvelous escapist fare. A must for lovers of Norse and viking times.

A must for all Haggard fans, "Eric Brighteyes" is strongly recommended to anyone who enjoys a great tale of heroic endeavour. Perhaps the fastest-paced of all Haggard's many novels, it races from one highspot to another with manly verve and vivid scene-setting. The stalwart Eric and his "thrall" Skallagrim fight back to back against a horde of foes, while two beautiful women vie for Eric's love. The eerie battle at sea is an exciting read in itself, to say nothing of all the rest. Eric is one of the most virile of Haggard's heroes and, like so many of them, is susceptible to earthly temptations and ambitions---unlike Haggard's too often impossibly spiritual females. The reader familiar with Haggard's favourite "archetypes" will recognize in Eric, Skallagrim, Gudruda the Fair, and the wicked Swanhilde the traits of a cast of characters immortalized under other names, in other times and places, in other titles of his famous canon. "Eric Brighteyes" is also distinguished by an interesting author's preface that furnishes some insight into Haggard's imaginative overlay of "high romance" and occult themes on what, in a writer of less lively invention, might have been just a simple adventure story. Both heroes and villains come on strong with splendid confrontational dialogue before coming to blows. A feast for escapists of all ages! Long may it remain in print.

A must read for anyone fascinated by Vikings or anything nordic. This adventure's got everything for you; greed, jealousy, envy, love, betrayal, murder...etc. I couldn't put the book down till I finished it. The hero is every woman's dream, but unfortunatly he croaks at the end. Ahhh, but what an end!!

I read Free City two years ago, and I've recently reread it simply because I wanted to experience the beauty of Eric Darton's language and ideas once again. The altruism of the unnamed inventor (I think of him as Leonardo) versus the open, selfish greed of his benefactor, Roberto, makes for a brain-twisting, delightful allegory of good and evil. How far will the inventor go to thwart Roberto's lust for power? And is Adela a witch? And, if so, is she a good witch or a bad witch? And what of the duck? Why was HE blessed with speech when his brethren can only quack? Mmmm? Makes one wonder. Which is why I love this book. If you want to exercise those sluggish brain cells, read this book. Also, to the publisher: I can understand why this book is sold-out. What I don't understand is why you haven't reissued it yet!

It is outrageous that FREE CITY is not in print. The world needs it. There is no other book like it; not only is it hilarious and entertaining, it warps the way one understands our world. Track it down; you will not be disappointed.

FREE CITY is a brilliant book. Darton weaves mysticism, science, superstition, and commerce into a mystery that's tragic, funny, and oddly optimistic.

His characters are complicated and sympathetic -- even Friedrich, a fowl I found too preposterous at first and then wound up really liking. Darton's medieval inventor writes: "I am hopeful -- though the ingredients commingled within are not uniformly wholesome -- that the reader may draw something of nutritive value from this roiling stewpot."

I was thoroughly nourished.

My 3 year old daughter enjoys this book very much. It features many of the characters: Larry, Bob, the peas, Pa Grape, Archie Asparagus, Laura Carrot, Mr. Lunt, Madame Blueberry. All recount in rhyme what God-given features make them special. My only complaint is that Junior Asparagus (my child's favorite) is missing!

I just road tested this book in my preschool Sunday School class, and the kids really loved it. It's just the right length and has a really good message. No matter what color, shape, age, etc you are, God made you special! That's the general gist of the book. It's Veggie Tales so of course it's funny without being corny. I highly recommend it to anybody!

This is a fantastic book for very young chidren. My daughter is 21 months, and she brings this book to me to read for her at least three times a day. She loves the books because it has all the veggie tales characters, and I love the book because it allows me to do all the character voices while I am reading them to her. My wife is usually even amused by it. Aside from all that, I think it will teach her that we are all special in our own way and that god made us that way.
I highly reccomend this book.

A very amusing and easy read, Broder's "Great Indoors" is simply a must have of anyone who has followed the man's weekly column in the Cleveland Free Times (or the old Cleveland Edition). It's a veritable autobiography of an indoor intellectual in serial form, and myriad points of cosmic import are established. You'll read, and will doubtlessly recognize yourself somewhere in Broder's tales of tribulation and triumph set here in the wondrous urban armpit of our Great Nation, Cleveland. The best part is that these columns are presented chronologically, and in bite-size readings. So you can put it down whenever you like. Read a couple bits on the bus. Peruse a few more nuggets while making your evening toilet. You'll come to realize that you aren't the only one who does silly and stupid things when left alone in the confines of one's domicile. This stuff is funny, and the author is to be lauded profusely.

First of all, I am not related to nor do I personally know Eric Broder...but he is wicked funny and he causes me to run to the newspaper rack each week to read his column. Rants about small animals, his celebrity garden at the Home and Garden show, potato chips...plus some faux "60 Minutes" fantasies to boot? Pure comedic genius. By the way - I met someone who used to work with him at a bookstore many years ago - she reports he's ALWAYS been like this, it's not just a front.

I am reviewing this book because Eric Broder, rules, ok? He RULES! Is that sufficient enough for ya? (see how I pick up the Broder speech patterns? Read the hilarious book, you'll see what I mean). Ok ok, Broder influenced MANY of us fellow Cleveland writers, took us thru endless drab rainy lunch hours downtown as we read his weekly column, Eric Broder deserves his place up there with the masters, dangit! And I mean no paper plate award ceremony, either!Dont keep it such a secret, Eric! Spread your words to the masses! In my own lovely comedic writing, I often scorn the fact that Broder is not writing for Letterman or Conan.. if u like those two, you'll see broder as their 'brother'. And, dont worry if youre not a big reader, the essays in this book are just as easily skimmed than read. I carry GREAT INDOORS in my special CA packing suitcase place, the only book I'll take on the long plane ride.. ok, so I had nothing better to do today but review this (Eric, if youre reading this, kiss kiss hug hug.. although youre taken). WENDY W cleveburg, oh

"Hack Proofing Your Wireless Network" (HPYWN) weighs in at 512 pages, but it could easily be half that size. While the book contains good information, its internal redundancy and inclusion of security advice not specific to wireless adds unnecessary pages. I recommend security professionals skim HPYWN for the material they need, and skip the generic network protection advice.

Unlike the attack-minded "Hack Proofing Your Network, 2nd Ed", HPYWN is indeed a defensive-oriented book. It offers strong overviews of widely deployed wireless technologies. These include modern cellular networks and wireless area networks created by 802.11, Bluetooth, and HomeRF. HPYWN offers sound advice on making the best use of available wireless defensive mechanisms, despite acknowledging that Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is "broken." An overview of popular wireless assessment tools like Netstumbler is helpful although not especially thorough...

Of the book's nine chapters, chapters 2 (A Security Primer, 50 pages) and 8 (Auditing, 43 pages) don't add anything original to the current body of published security books. Furthermore, many wireless security topics are discussed repeatedly. For example, I didn't need to read in chapters 1, 4, 5, and 6 that WEP's insecurities stem from weak Initialization Vectors. Other recommendations on changing default configurations, enabling logging, and so on also appear in multiple sections. The editor should have consolidated this information to avoid wasting the reader's time.

Overall, Syngress should be credited for getting into the wireless game with this book. I would have preferred to see protocol decodes, thorough documentation and usage examples for wireless assessment tools, and in-depth VPN deployment guidance. Should the second edition of HPYWN contain this information, it will justify its current page count.

Obviously, with WLANs the big issue now is security. If you are looking for a good introduction to the topic or work with WLANs already and need to learn about security, then this is a good place to start. This book lays a good foundation of knowledge and then is an interesting an easy read on the topic. The authors certainly demonstrate that they know their business. In a total of nine chapters they will take you through the majority of what you would need to know to keep your WLAN safe from the wardrivers. In addition to this, if you are thinking of going for any of the WLAN security certifications, this book will take you a long way down that road as well. Once again, another good publication from Syngress!

A good book to keep in reach whether you're looking for a refresher, or to learn new processes, techniques, etc. I've got some experience with wireless (although not a guru), and I learned some new stuff... A good book written by authors with obvious wireless experience.

This is an excellent book. There are many topics covered in a straightforward manner that you won't find anywhere else. Many clever solutions - I learned a lot from using this book and I've been programming in Java for a while. One of the few computer books worth the steep price.

You will not be sorry if you buy this book. The book uses a straightforward approach to some of the complicated as well as simple issues. The book is very well organized, and explanations are very clear. I would not recommend it for the beginners, but even if you are just getting comfortable with Java, this book would be an excellent value. CD that comes with this book is also very helpful.

I really liked this book. It deals with very important topics from basic to quite advanced in a very straightforward manner. I use it all the time.