This is a well-written book explaining the history of the Middle East. It provides the historic basis for understanding the current situation and tension in this region. James Bill is an excellent writer, and a well-known expert on the Middle East. A great book!

I have read this book several times and have bought copys of it for several people. I love what Bishop Hamon does with this book. I have the audio version of this book called the 10M's and I must say if you are wanting to move into God's finest this is the book to help you get there. It helps you to discern any weed seeds and character flaws that you need to deal with and to move in a greater understanding and capacity of the Prophetic. This book is a must for the serious student of Prophecy or one ministering in the Prophetic gifts.

This book is a delight and will be a fresh face amongst the books in any well thought-out collection. It is educational as well as entertaining, with beautiful pictures accompanying recipes for cocktails and delicious dishes that include vodka. It's a must for the wonderful upcoming holiday season. What a great christmas gift for that special someone, or even for yourself, as we break thru to the new millennium. Pair it with one of the two silver martini shakers offered thru Renovation Hardware or some of those great martini glasses from Crate and Barrel. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Buddhist Stupas in Asia: The Shape of Perfection by Bill Wassman (Photographer), et al, offers a sweeping and broad overview of the epitome of Asian Buddhist architecture. The photographs are good and the succinct commentary is informative enough. This is not a book for hardcore history buffs though, as the very short accompanying analysis would not suffice; nevertheless, in most cases the photographs more than compensate by offering quality glimpses of a divine form of architecture. One drawback: some of the photographs are too small for the subject to be really appreciated (some are as small as approx. 3cm x 3cm!). All in all: an enjoyable mind-trip through the very essence of Buddhist architecture.

This book covers Buddhist architecture across its known history, from its origins in Northern India through Southeast Asia to Indonesia, to Nepal and Tibet, into China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam. The emphasis is clearly on architecture, but it covers the relevant backgrounds in Buddhist art and philosophy as well. If you want a book about Buddhist cultures or thought, this is not it. But if you want a book about Buddhist architecture, this is a great beginning. It is well-written, well-designed, and the photography is excellent. I wish it were much longer and went into much greater depth... but then it would be much more expensive!

I received this book as a surprise gift, and I think it makes a great gift: it's the kind of thing someone would want and enjoy, but would not buy for themselves.

The author, Joe Cummings, also writes the Lonely Planet guidebooks for Laos, Thailand and Myanmar (Burma), and they are excellent. I've been to all three places, and so I've seen many of the stupas covered in this book, and his guides have helped me more than most do.

When I opened this book in the bookstore, I was knocked out by the photos, which cover stupas all the way from Taxila, Pakistan, to Tokyo, Japan. The stupa photography is particularly strong in the chapters on India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Tibet. An entire chapter is devoted to Borobudur and satellite stupas in central Java.

Dipping into the text at home, I was pleasantly surprised by how authoritative and complete the coverage of this complex topic was. Not only does the author do an excellent job of explaining the symbolism of stupas in various Buddhist cultures, he also links it to the history of Buddhism throughout Asia, no small task. Although I'm a longtime amateur student of Buddhism and Asian art history myself, I found much new material to ponder.

I was most impressed by the way Mr Cummings has carried out original research as well as reporting on the research of other scholars who came before him. This is something I didn't expect from a hardcover pictorial such as this. Kudos to Lonely Planet for publishing a seriously good book.

This book is a fairly clear and concise book that deals with the subject of biology. It contains 8 units which are: The Chemistry of Life, The Cell, Genetics, Mechanisms of Evolution, The Evolutionary History Of Biological Diversity, Plant Form and Function, Animal Form and Function and Ecology. Each of these units presents its subject matter in a series of easy to understand chapters. All in all this book is 55 chapters and 1175 pages of interesting biological topics. This is a sourcebook for an overview of biology. The chapters get deep enough into each subject matter to leave the reader feeling filled with knowledge. A great buy for a high school student, a college student, or just a person who wants to know a little bit more about biology.

I must mention that this books language and writing style could be difficult for some people to understand who are not already somewhat familar with biology and biological terms.

I used this book this past summer in order to place out of College Bio I and II through a CLEP exam. Through independent study from this book and its companion CD I was able to place out in the 97th Percentile.

There is a reason why this book is still continued to be used today in classrooms as it is on its sixth edition. The authors use of layout in the book is well thought out and organized. His vast use of pictures, graphs, and tables streamline with the text of the book. In addition, the companion CD and web site provide the reader with an even greater study guide-- using interactive flash programs and video to further explain biological processes.

Further, in addition to the basic Biology taught in classrooms, this book goes one step further and explains some advancing fields in the Biology Profession. For example, chapter 20 covers the use of computers in analyzing biological data and gives prime examples from the current Human Genome Project. Further, every section of this book covers an interview with a specific individual in that profession. Such, if one is not aware of what exact field one wish's to pursue, interviews that cover some of the daily activities of these individuals are provided.

I would recommend this book for anyone who is seriously interested in Biology.

I used this book this past summer in order to place out of College Bio I and II through a CLEP exam. Through independent study from this book and its companion CD I was able to place out in the 97th Percentile.

There is a reason why this book is still continued to be used today in classrooms as it is on its sixth edition. The authors use of layout in the book is well thought out and organized. His vast use of pictures, graphs, and tables streamline with the text of the book. In addition, the companion CD and web site provide the reader with an even greater study guide-- using interactive flash programs and video to further explain biological processes.

Further, in addition to the basic Biology taught in classrooms, this book goes one step further and explains some advancing fields in the Biology Profession. For example, chapter 20 covers the use of computers in analyzing biological data and gives prime examples from the current Human Genome Project. Further, every section of this book covers an interview with a specific individual in that profession. Such, if one is not aware of what exact field one wish's to pursue, interviews that cover some of the daily activities of these individuals are provided.

I would recommend this book for anyone who is seriously interested in Biology.

Reads a tremendous lot like Robert Fulghum, but beyond that...

Through essays, the presumably all true story of a man who lived as if he was born with a detailed, incredibly accurate set of instructions and near-Godlike wisdom. Learns pool and billiards as an eleven-year-old kid and beats the town champ. Takes up basketball, making his high school team as a freshman and becoming a good major-school college player. Starts a loving marriage in college that remains super-strong over 25 years later. Plays guitar, and with his small combo is chosen for national TV appearances with Charles Kuralt and Robert Kennedy. Despite all his independent thought, establishes a solid - actually distinguished - career in academia. And, in the decade after this book, writes a novel that may have sold more copies - and tickets to its subsequent movie - than ANY in the 1990's!

And guess what? NONE of this - not even a SCRAP of it, according to the essays - ever misled him or cost him anything! He didn't drop out of school to hustle pool, ignore academics to over-concentrate on basketball, discover his wife who he chose at age 22 didn't fit his ever-evolving life at age 50, go for a low-paying full-time music career, QUIT music altogether and lose the fun of playing recreationally, or constrict his thinking by getting it in line with the PC work setting of a university.

Not only did he seem to be always doing the exact right thing at the right time, he avoided every trap there was.

Amazing! Have never seen a life so comprehensively superb since Jennifer Beals' in Flashdance, and she was FICTIONAL!

So, Robert James, we have two ways to interpret you. You can be one of the most premier renaissance men of our time, or an archly annoying "perfect" person akin to Martha Stewart. So, my challenge to you is - write an essay, telling us in detail, how in at least one instance YOU, not circumstances, luck or the people around you - have FAILED. Have you done it? Can you do it?

I was 15 years old when I was first introduced to this book and author. The essay "Slow Waltz for Georgia Ann" was the most touching story iv ever hurd. It was love, and reckless, and compation, and solitude all wrapped up into one. Every time I need something to make me smile I read this story. I have incouraged every one I have met, who also loves to read, to read this book. The cat, his daughter, the birds and the romance tie it all together to make this book, in my opinion, the greatest ever writen. If you were to pass this up without at least reading once you are a fool. I am 20 now and the original paperback that was givin to me 5 years ago is still laying on my nightstand next my bed.

I have read this book several times, love to take it on vacation. These stories are wonderful, heartfelt. A nice reminder of my own childhood growing up in Indiana. We have dusty roads, and favorite pets, and enjoy the quite life here too. It's beautifully written by a wonderful Author. Sure wish he would write more!

Gone, Baby, Gone is everything we've come to expect from Lehane, all turned up a notch. He takes on the terrifying subject of child abduction and refuses to flinch in his merciless exploration of all the gruesome implications and possibilities. Kenzie and Gennaro return in fine form, and Lehane takes us further into their complex individual psyches as well as their strangely woven relationship. Bubba returns and the story is populated with a compelling and mysterious supporting cast. Lehane flexes a little as a writer with mixed results. This is a more intricate plot than in the past and he weaves the various threads well but many of the descriptions are overdone and unnecessary. Too often I lost Kenzie's voice and became conscious of Lehane's. Sometimes, Lehane is his own worst enemy, the action is so engrossing I lose my patience when he steps away from it. Through the four novels I have become deeply involved in the lives of Kenzie and Gennaro, the time between books is like losing touch with close friends. Gone, Baby, Gone is easily the darkest of the series and simultaneously an excruciating and engrossing read. It may be detective fiction but it is anything but light reading. If you have not yet discovered Lehane you live in a poorer world. Start at the beginning and enjoy.

I had fairly low expectations approaching this book. Don't get me wrong, I have loved the Patrick Kenzie series, especially "Darkness." But I thought "Sacred" was poor, so it seemed as if the series was on a downward spiral. I'm happy to report I couldn't have been more wrong!

"Gone" has all the best of Lehane: violence, grit, talk-tough dialogue and snappy banter (but not too snappy, as was the case in "Sacred.") The book is very dark, and the subject matter of disappearing children is not pleasant. Lehane never chickens out, he delivers the real, sometimes inhumane cruel world to many pages. And there are two long scenes, back-to-back, that are among the most exciting and intense Lehane has ever written.

If you like mysteries or crime fiction with an edge, or modern noir without the posing, Lehane is your man. Start with "Prayers For Rain" and work your way up to this book - you will be rewarded!

As anyone who's read Darkness, Take My Hand knows, Dennis Lehane writes books that stay with you long after you've finished reading them.

In a world long since inured to violence, both physical and psychological, Lehane has once again managed to puncture that shield and lead you to see the true nature of life as we know it. How he manages to do that while giving you a story that is heart-rending, incredibly funny and an edge-of-your-seat, page-turning, can't-stop-'til-you've-finished, don't-want-to-stop-when-you-have thriller is anyone's guess. But he does, and he does it better than anyone I've ever read.

Gone, Baby, Gone is, ostensibly, the story of the kidnapping of a young child. Our heroes Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro are called in on a case they don't want to take. The police haven't found the child. All the publicity the news media has to offer hasn't found the child. Kenzie and Gennaro aren't sure they want to.

Once the plot really kicks in Lehane weaves in more strands than the Bayeaux tapestry to create the book that caused me to gush in such an unappealing manner. And I'm British, we don't gush easy.

One piece of advice, if you're new to Dennis Lehane, start at the beginning. Read his books in order, it's worth it.

Robert W. Bill did an excellent job in introducing Jython which is the combination of two programming languages. The merging of Java and Python. Although intended for programmers with sufficient background in Java programming, this book can be a great tool for learning another high-level language. This book includes topics on: seamless access to Java classes, efficiency,dynamic types, introspection and dynamic execution, first-class functions and functional programming, Java security, and code clarity.

Jython for Java Programmers is like a book for beginners trying to lear a new programming language. Each chapter has sufficient samples of codes with a corresponding syntax for a particular example. At the end of each chapter, the author was able to clearly compare Jython to Java. Such comparisons include: statements, typecodes, types, and classes, errors and exceptions, synchronization, packages, GUI development, as well as instances and inheritance. The last two chapters provided topics on database programming and server-side web programming. The Jython programmer is given sample codes on how to make use MySQL, PostgreSQL, and JDBC in their Jython program. The book focused on Servlets and JSP in its last chapter. Although it is equally effective with all the Java technologies on developing web applications.

Jython can be an added high-level language for Java programmers. But the book assumes its audience has previous Java knowledge. So that discussions on class, instance, encapsulation, polymorphism, and inheritance were briefly mentioned. Thus, cannot be sufficient as an introduction to programming. Jython-related Internet resources were listed in the Introduction section. An educational advantage of this book is that it supports functional programming as well as object-oriented programming.

An excellent book overall, this book accomplishes what it sets out to do: teach Jython to Java Programmers. Like many who were unfamiliar it, I was under the impression that Jython was simply a Java version of Python, which it is not. Jython is a language in its own right, and this book serves not only as an introduction to Jython, but to Python as well, and a very good one at that.
Although I did not do every example in the book, as that would have taken some time, I did most of the examples from the first 6 chapters, and with one exception they all worked. I have enough confidence in the author that I believe most, if not all the following examples will work as written also. Another thing I appreciate was the author's notes regarding versions scheduled to come out, so that if my Jython version behaved differently, I knew why.
From an organizational standpoint, the book follows the standard teaching conventions of showing syntax and data types and moving up from there until classes have been discussed. The middle part of the book is spent talking about how to combine Java and Jython, a much simpler process than any other two languages I've seen, and then he discusses practical applications of Jython and Java. Although the examples are too simplistic for a real world scenario, they convey enough information to provide a model from which to develop.
My only real complaint with the book was the number of grammatical errors, which distracted me from time to time as I puzzled out what the author was trying to say. A good book, and one which the publisher should re-edit to make it even better.

It's a great book, I use Jython for the power of making unit testing, you save very much time on creating new objects. Moreover, when you override the methods equals and hashCode (which is a good practice) Jython makes easy to test for equality, the book is a great help to get into more details about the tool.

Together with Professional C# Web Services, also from Wrox, these books will give you a solid base to really understand Web Services and Remoting. The basics are quite simple but you will also learn some useful advanced topics. I've always liked the Wrox style of writing, I think it's easy to read and follow the code examples. The only criticism is the number of authors. Some smaller parts are repeated and the style is not always consistent.

I read the book several times. I did some of the examples. The examples worked with no changes necessary. On the [web page], the book has an errata list, which is pretty small. The source code for C# and VB are on the wrox website. This book is for EXPERIENCED programmers. Don't even try to read it if you have no prior knowledge of web services.

The book has an excellent introduction to ASP.NET for web services. It probably is worth just going over the first two chapters to get a flavor of web services. Word of caution, I downloaded the VB samples, and they were a bit buggy. If you are a C# developer, the code in the book was fine. The VB code was not...

The first few chapters teach you the basics, most of which I knew already, but it is the later chapters which are really great. The chapter on SOAP security (a subject about which I confess I knew very little) taught me everything I am ever likely to need or want to know about that subject. There's also loads of great examples to get you going. To sum up - it's great!

Like him, love him, or hate him, few could deny that Mr. Clinton is an interesting and complex individual. President Clinton's need for and ease with personal contact with practically any person comes through loud and clear through these behind-the-scenes photos of Robert McNeely. Clinton's comfort with small children and world leaders comes through wordlessly in these photographs and they present a different view of Bill Clinton's political life and presidency heretofore not seen in the media. I believe this coffee table book of photographs would make interesting viewing and reading for anyone who, like me, is intrigued about a person who became President.

Although the pictures are of Clinton, this book is not about him.

In that respect the title is accurate. The Clinton Years is not about Clinton -- it's an inside look at the last eight years.

Regardless of political leanings, this book is about America and the people behind the curtain that make it work. Not many people have an opportunity to see any President in candid moments of success and failure. Now we have that chance.

McNeely is a talented photographer and his skills are on display here. He does well to make the viewer an eyewitness to American History as it plays out through the President. Colin Powell, Al Gore, Hillary, and Janet Reno are just a few notables frozen by McNeely's lens as they interact with Clinton.

If you don't appreciate the power and intrigue of a President --whether Kennedy, Regan, Nixon or Clinton -- this book will not do anything for you. But if you do appreciate the mystique of American Presidents, you're going to miss something if you do not sit down with this book and walk through the past eight years with our last President.

"The Clinton Years" is a fabulous book with countless, priceless photographs of the Clinton Presidency. There are a wide variety of photographs documented in this book, which reflect Bill Clinton's leadership in the White House over the last 8 years, that are inspiring. The images of William Jefferson Clinton shown are not only in the role of President, but as an individual as well - showing the human side of our President.

As they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words," that most certainly is the case with this book!