I have been a fan of Mr Howard for nearly 12 years now, which in my opinion, makes me a bit of a connoisseur, and frankly this book was a bit of a disappointment. Undoubtedly the contributing writers are well-respected and immensely able but their writing lacked the Howardian flavour I have come to love. Ghor's sudden personality shifts are hard to follow and the various ideas in the story lack sufficient depth. This book is not the way Mr Howard would have written it. Nevertheless, this should be read because the original idea belonged to the great REH.

Ghor is a nice blend of Conan and the Cthulhu Mythos together. Abandoned as a child because of a deformity, Ghor is adopted by a pack of wolves. Raised by them, he adopts the ways of the wolf, yet when he meets up with humanity joins them. Constantly struggling with his wolf upbringing and his human surroundings, Ghor becomes a mighty war hero wherever he goes.

This is an excellent adventure book that takes a Conan like hero and plots him against all sorts of evil (and good), including some Cthulhu creations as well.

Originally Ghor was an unfinished story by Conan creator Robert Howard. Upon finding this unfinished story, a magazine decided to finish it. What they did was have a different chapter every month written by a different top fantasy writer. It made the reading interesting.

While most of the chapters were great. Some were excellent. Unfortunately there were a couple chapters that I just wanted to get through to reach the next writers' chapter. Overall a really good read.

I WAS VERY SUPRISED ABOUT HOW WELL THIS STORY CAME OFF. THE VARIUOS WRITERS DID AN EXCELLENT JOB IN WRITING AN EXCITING BOOK THAT FLOWED SMOOTHLY. IT DID NOT COME OFF AS A SERIES OF SHORT STORIES. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK FOR ROBERT E. HOWARD FANS, AND FANS OF FANTASY IN GENERAL.

L.A.'s streets and freeways have changed a lot since this book was published, and some of the routes have disappeared, while others have become more crowded than the areas it tries to avoid. Still, it's better than a kick in the arse.

An essential book for the non-commuter, like sales people, casual outtings, taxi drivers, and tourists. It points out the way to get to your final destination by avoiding congestion and the stop and go. Illustrated with easy to read diagrams and key landmarks. Every city needs a book like this.

The Swing classes eliminate Java's biggest weakness: its relatively primitive user interface
toolkit. Swing provides many new components and containers that allow you to build sophisticated
user interfaces, far beyond what was possible with AWT. The old components have been greatly
improved, and there are many new components, like trees, tables, and even text editors. It also
adds several completely new features to Java's user interface capabilities: drag-and-drop, undo,
and the ability to develop your own "look and feel," or the ability to choose between several
standard looks. Written for the experienced Java developer, Java Swing provides an in-depth guide to
getting the most out of Sun's Swing/JFC user interface classes. Mixing
real-world code examples and expert advice on advanced features, this book shows how to make use of this powerful
library effectively within your own projects.

As a general Swing reference, this book is very good; where it excels is at covering the numerous
important aspects of Swing theory and application. I was initially disappointed by the lack
of coverage of layout managers, however the rest of the content has been extremely useful
in helping me understand the key aspects of Swing GUI development.

Java Swing gives you in-depth coverage of everything you need to know to take full advantage of Swing,
providing detailed descriptions of every class and interface in the key Swing packages. It shows you how
to use all of the new components. Whether you're a serious Java Swing Developer or just trying to figure
out what Java can do you will find this book as an indispensable guide.

Java Swing is the definitive reference for the Graphical User Interface (GUI) Swing package that has been included in the standard distribution of the Java SDK since Java 1.2. The book is really more of a tomb, weighing in at 1200 pages, and yet none of it seems irrelevant or overly explained. If anything, one would have to complain that maybe there are details missing, but given the length of the book as is, maybe it's better that some of the details were left out.

Publishers O'Reilly have obviously assembled a group of talented Java GUI designers to write this book, because the commentary is rife with real advice and coherent, practical explanations. The book does take some assumed knowledge for granted, such as basic programming skills, knowledge of Object-Oriented programming practices, and UML-style class and object relationship graphs, but I wouldn't say that this book excludes the beginner programmer in the least. Instead, it walks the fine line of being a useful book for both beginner and expert coders quite well, better than other O'Reilly publications that I've read in the past that I felt were overly explanatory.

The book starts off with a little history on the Swing package, where it came from and what its relationship to the Abstract Windowing Toolkit (AWT) is, but then almost immediately launches into the format that it uses for the next 900 pages of the book, which is to devote an entire chapter to every major section of swing. Topics covered include: buttons, scrollbar-like components, combo-boxes, containers of every shape and size, dialogs, borders, menus, tables, trees, undo facilities, text (about 220 pages on the major text components alone,) and drag and drop. Each of these sections serves as a useful reference for when you're developing your own GUI applications. The explanations are generally more details and much deeper than those offered in the Javadoc HTML pages provided with the SDK distribution. I've personally used the book on a couple of projects that I've been working on at work, and found that the background given has been incredibly useful, not just for solving problems but for generating ideas for how things could be better. The topic separation is such that you can usually just read the chapter that deals with what you are currently doing, and not have to jump around the book looking for better explanations of the same idea. There is very little overlap in this book, which I consider to be a good thing in a reference book. The final four chapters deal with advanced topics, and a genuinely insightful and useful.

Now for the minor complaints: This book is truly focused on Swing, but sometimes I felt that the focus was just a little too narrow. Mainly my issues come from the authors deciding that AWT is a separate topic from Swing. Thus, any discussions of GUI programming elements that fall under the canvas of AWT are ignored. This is unfortunate, since real-life GUI applications have no choice but to use AWT elements. What's even more unfortunate is that Swing, being built on top of AWT, relies heavily on its architecture. JComponent, the root class of 95% of Swing component, is itself derived from Container and Component, the root classes of AWT. Browsing the O'Reilly catalogue, I failed to notice a book devoted to AWT, though I think it used to exist but has since been discontinued. This leaves me wondering where a GUI programmer should go to get the details needed to do the job. The most obvious omission in my eyes - apart from a discussion of Component and Container - is the failure to properly outline the common LayoutManagers available in Swing. Layout management is a crucial task for GUI programmers, and yet the only mention of them are the new LayoutManagers introduced by Swing. These new managers, however, by no means replace the old AWT managers that are the bread and butter of GUI programming.

My other minor complaint is that the book is cumbersome. This makes it a chore to use, though I fully admit that this is a very minor problem. However, I would have preferred that the publishers ship the book as a two-book set and charged a bit more for it.

Negatives aside, this book is a must-have for Java Swing programmers. The book isn't perfect, but I haven't come across a better reference for the topic.

Pavel Vorobiev and I are currently finishing up an 'advanced' Swing book consisting mainly of examples ("Swing", Manning publications). We have referenced the Swing source code nonstop. Apart from this, we feel that Java Swing is the best Swing reference money can buy. This book is not an API docs dump. It is a high quality reference book for GUI developers who are prepared to do their job professionaly, not blindly. If you are looking for a hand-holding tutorial this book is not for you (for this I would suggest Up to Speed With Swing).

Java Swing is very well organized and full of original explanation. I encourage potential readers to disregard other comments claiming that this book is API repetitive or doesn't explain enough. No book can cover every possible situation that can arise in the creation of a GUI, and no book will fully explain all of the inner workings of each Swing component and UI delegate. Swing is a very complex and extensive library with some very interesting and powerful mechanisms working behind the scenes. Without a doubt, Java Swing is the most informative and rich reference available. I recommend it highly.

Matthew Robinson
"Swing", Manning publications
Swing "Tips and Tricks", The Swing Connection

McNamara seeks to explain in this book the failure of American policy in Vietnam. He roots that failure mainly in false assumptions about the intentions of the North Vietnamese -- that is to say, they were actually nationalists first, communists second, and would not have acted to destablize Southeast Asia has we simply found a way for them to unify and rule the whole of Vietnam. He also demonstrates the remarkable lack of management skills of those known as the "best and the brightest." For example, he discusses how they failed to coordinate military actions with efforts to establish diplomatic negotiations; he talks about lack of historical knowledge about Vietnam among policymakers; he documents the remarkably inept and cavalier handling of the Diem situation. The book is useful in that it does show just how limited the vision of some of our policymakers is -- it hard to believe, given the French experience in Vietnam, that our top officials did not avail themselves, for example, of that history, yet McNamara basically argues that there were no "experts" to help guide their efforts. Unbelievable.

The book is useful in understanding the limited period of Kennedy/Johnson, but McNamara does not provide any deeper analysis of Nixon policies, or explore the historical issues that led up to the 1960s in any depth at all. In that sense, the book is almost as limited as the policy McNamara helped shape. Whether the war was "just" or not, whether the communist threat was real or not, it is mainly incompetence that seems to have shaped our policy -- there was not even a group within the policymaking establishment dedicated to the war full time. These are basic management and leadership issues that suggest mainly that the guys running the show were not so bright after all. I am hoping his second book on this subject, Argument without End, provides a more detailed analysis of the real issues that shaped that period of our history -- it includes discussions between US policymakers and the North Vietnamese.

This book is a powerful explanation of what many people called "McNamara's War." It is intellectually honest, well-researched and an enormous insight to how President Lyndon Johnson's White House operated. The author explains how Johnson inherited a "God-awful" mess eminently more dangerous than the one Kennedy had inherited from Eisenhower. One evening not long after he took office, Johnson confessed to his aide Bill Moyers that he felt like a catfish that had "just grabbed a big juicy worm with a right sharp hook in the middle of it," McNamara writes. In the last two chapters, "Estrangement and Departure" and "The Lessons of Vietnam" McNamara bravely admits many mistakes. The most glaring was not holding the military's Joint Chiefs of Staff accountable for its many reporting failures. It took McNamara nearly thirty years to finally tell his side of the story. It was worth the wait.

One cannot help but wonder what our current Secretary of Defense will write when his time comes. One has the feeling that the subtitle of McNamara's retrospective, "The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam," will be a good starting place for that "sequel." McNamara writes, "We were wrong, terribly wrong. We owe it to future generations to explain why." Americans today will have to decide whether or not we have actually learned our lessons and are now more wise than the last generation, more able to predict the tragedies that will arise during and after today's war. Anyone who recalls the Kissinger scheme to achieve "a decent interval" while bugging out of Southeast Asia will likely recall Eric Von Marbod comparing the logic of that process to that of "a man who impregnates nine women in the hope of getting a baby in one month." How can one not think of Afghanistan, Iraq, (and now Iran) without thinking of the Vietnam era? Despite all the criticism directed at him, the author reflects great credit upon himself and the country by even attempting to set the record "straight." One can indeed be wrong even when totally convinced one is "acting in the principles and tradition of this great nation." How could we have slipped out of Vietnam if we had really believed in the domino theory used to justify that war? What will become of the "nexus of WMD and terrorism" that is today's rationale for preventive war? As we watch to see how we extricate ourselves from the war on terror, there is much to be learned from the old political schemes of Robert McNamara's era.

I bought this book as a new Catholic because I craved more information about the church and my new faith. It has disappointed me at almost every turn because the information given is so scanty, and often what I am looking for is not in the book. In one instance (wish I could specifically remember which subject), I found it to be incorrect. If you want a very broad overview of the faith, this book could work for you. If you want something with depth, steer clear of this one.

I was raised Protestant and the only thing I ever learned about Mary was that she was the "mother of Jesus." I only knew the bible, as opposed to knowing anything about the building of "Christianity." Through this book, I was able to "understand" Mary's role in Christianity more.

This book helped me learn a lot about Christianity because for starters, it was fun and easy to read, so therefore, I bothered with it.

I have to admit that after reading this book I wanted to become a Catholic and almost did. I think that this book would be very useful to many Protestants.

I, like the authors said, after reading this book and learning a lot more am an even stronger Christian, I appreciate my "religion" a lot more and I am a more "firm" believer. More mature. I'd never turn my back on Christianity. I feel that Christianity is where "my God" led me to experience, express and relish my love for my Creator and I'm so glad to have other people to share it with through Christianity. Going to church means a lot more to me now, I love going to Catholic Mass especially since they are opened many days through the week at lunchtime.

I found this book while I was browsing a local book store for books on the 'how to' of Catholic faith. As a freshly returned Catholic (I'd been away since I was about 14, I am 36 now), I needed a brush-up on just about everything, and to be honest, I was still trying to make up my mind about this whole Church thing.

What I found in this book was a refreshing overview of the Church, the faith, the history, and the sacraments. I found a sense of beauty and love that drew me in and made my heart sing.

More than my parish priest, more than the love and encouragement of friends, I can say that this book was the one thing here on Earth that helped me in taking the walk back to Christ's love and forgiveness. (I do not count the Mass that I attended a few days before buying this book, the Mass was not 'of this Earth', it is of God.)

Regardless of what the conservative reviews say, if you are a returning Catholic, or just interested in Catholicism, and you want information presented in a way that makes sense and helps you to learn, then you need to read this book.

I confess I peeked at the reviews of this book before settling in to read it and was a bit worried by the rather harsh remarks by a number of readers. Shouldn't have been. This is a novel of real power. Witty (often darkly humorous), intelligent and beautifully written it is completely at a piece with rest of the series. Still puzzled by those reviewers who claim this was ghosted and a bit troubled by one writer who complained Villier's death was a problem because she was such a strong female character. Well yes, but this isn't Oprah nor is this about consciousness raising as we know it at the end of the twentieth century. Rather, this work is a fantistically imagined glimpse into the very early nineteenth century-a time quite different from our own. I had heard of O'Brian first in the mid-1970's but couldn't rally much interest. Napoleonic Wars? Royal Navy? So? Then, for some reason or another, I picked up 'Master and Commander' over the New Year's Holiday. Three months later, I had read each of the nineteen novels in sequence. One of the great reading experiences of my life. 'The Hundred Days' is an altogether tougher work than those which preceed it. Aubrey and Maturin have been at this for a great long while. The war with Napoleon drags on and on. Fortunes are made and lost. Friends and family die. There indeed is very little of the joy to be found in the earlier books. Choices available to a person were far fewer in number in the early 1800's. Societal constraints, class strictures, duty-any number of factors conspired to grind a person down. By the end of 'The Hundred Days' Aubrey seems tired and spiritless. And why not? Good friends killed. Endless political intrigue. He faces huge responsibilities as the 'Lord of the Manor' and member of Parliament as well those in his naval career. The death of his best friend's wife and the death of his long time coxswain Bonden are terribly painful. Remember, Aubrey has been at sea since the age of twelve. It is not a warm and fuzzy place to live. It is a painful and isolated existence. No,'The Hundred Days' gets it really, really right. It has been a wonderful trip for Aubrey and Maturin and all the rest, but the cost has been huge.

A couple of years later and I stroll in and see such a weird collection of remarks! It seems that people either love this installment or absolutely loathe it. By my rating, you can see that I enjoyed it immensely. I think that O'Brian lived up to his reputation as a sophisticated storyteller. Yes, Diana's death is a mere mention - but the author creates such a deeply painful upset that feels very real - we grieve with Stephen from the shock - and if we are open to it, we appreciate the story even more. And yes, Bonden's demise is equally jarring, but that's life at sea (especially during that time). My one critique of O'Brian - there should have been more death among Aubrey's and Maturin's closest friends and followers - that is, if history were followed more closely. So - to the naysayers I say -"you are heard, but you do not speak for everybody." I love this book as I love the entire series.

Those who already read Patrick O'Brian do not need any encouragement to pick up The Hundred Days. The glory of O'Brian's language, the human-ness of characters who grow and change, the variety of exotic locales, the perfect exactness of details from two-hundred years ago -- all this has kept alive the interest of a growing legion of fans through nineteen extraordinary volumes. For these lucky devotees, it's enough to note that this volume will remind them of The Ionian Mission and the other Mediterranean-based episodes. It is livelier than recent installments, more surprising, has more of the smell of gunpowder, and yet delves deeper than ever into the psyches of the two central characters. It is as if O'Brian has recaptured his spark as he nears the end of his epic.

But really, a review should convince new readers to test the waters. So, you should consider buying this book (or the first in the series, Master and Commander, also available from Amazon,) if...

you admire a perfect command of the English language -- O'Brian is literature, not genre;

you ever enjoyed even one historical novel (the New York Times called this series "the best historical novels ever written");

you generally like to learn something as you read, in the way of interesting arcana (in this book, such things as narwhale horns and Hands of Glory);

you think it at least possible for people to behave heroically, and morally;

and, most of all, if you have ever stood on the deck of any kind of ship, anywhere, and pondered, even for a second, the incredible courage of the "iron men" who could brave vast oceans in wooden sailing ships.

O'Brian appeals to a certain kind of person, I find: one who wishes to find courage in oneself, and enjoys reading of it in others. The Aubrey/Maturin novels are, in fact, great literature.

End of review.

So. After twelve years, my B.A. in English Literature finally pays off.

I thought this was a really interesting book, but I have to admit I had a hard time following it at times. Overall, I thouht he had some very interesting things to say about redemption and grace.

this book opens with blackwood's great story: the wendigo. B is the master of the setting, noone can create the background and atmosphere like him. a very well written story from Brennan here. and Meloff's story is also an interesting read. derleth is at his best here. i don''t care that much for the guy, have never considered him to be HPL's great successor or anything, but he knows how to write, and i have always considered his story about Ithaqua to be his best contribution. the rest of the stories are well written. i don't think any of chaosium's anthologies contains of so much good writing than this. but good is not great. and the rest of the stories never turns out to be really good. the suspence killed by irrelevant writing going on for too long, mostly. sad. but the book is still wort reading

A biography of Sir Robert Montgomery, GCSI,KCB,LLD ( 1809-1887). Written by Field Marshall Sir Bernard Montgomery's brother, it is a biography of their grand father, who served in India, when serving in the Government he played a key role in suppressing the Indian Mutiny of l857. Poole 1984, Blandford pr, lst UK ed w/dj, 5 1/2 x 8 1/2, xix, 139 pp, maps, illus.