Henry Reed's Journey is a book about Henry Reed, the son of a traveling diplomat, and his travels across the United States. He meets his friend Midge Glass, from the summer before (read Henry Reed, Inc. first), and travels with her family all over the United States. Midge's father believes that whenever Henry is around, strange things happen, which is true, although it is not Hnery's fault. Henry and Midge's adventures include starting a gold rush, being accepted into a Native American tribe, and buying tons of fireworks, only to see them be accidentally set off when they got home. This was a wonderful book, but you should the first book, Henry Reed, Inc. first. If you don't, you will become confused of what Henry is referring to when he refers to the summer before. Go out and get this book!

This is a great text book. It has helped me GREATLY and teaches you step-by-step how to apply everything.

Keith Roberts preferred style seems to be linked short stories (see also his book Pavane). The chapters in Kiteworld are effectively self contained, though characters reappear, and the book does build to its conclusion. Structure isn't the only original thing about Roberts' writing; the world he creates is truly unique, one where badlands have been created and in which kites have taken on a mythic power as the defence against the forces from these badlands; the Kite fliers are somewhere between jet pilots and priests in status. In this setting he deals with strong human relationships and emotions. Be warned: this is not your typical fantasy or science fiction light read; some point of comparison might be Stephen Donaldson. Personally I find it all the more worth reading because of its strong themes, but it's not to everyone's taste. I have to say, the ending is very disappointing (or I might well have given it five stars). But two of the middle stories are some of the most emotionally gripping stories I've ever read. Buy it if you want to read something truly unique in science fiction.

A very comprehensive treatise .... most primary care essentials covered in one compact volume. Could add more ethics, may be.

To many, rather snooty, film critics, there are really only two or three great directors, one of whom is certainly Robert Bresson. But Bresson is the most difficult and least approachable of film masters, his films are full of pessimism, austerity, remoteness. Most difficult for many is that he is a Catholic artist, and his films often don't makes sense without some prior knowledge of the religion (which is not the case with, say, Graham Greene). Anyone who sees these cold, withdrawn, unyielding films might be surprised at those who find them deeply emotional and rapturous.

Keith Reader does an excellent job in explaining why this might be so. His book is a very old-fashioned study in many ways - it discusses the films as the works of one genius, rather than the more conventional method of genre, ideology, psychology etc.; he draws on old-hat theories by the likes of Lacan. But, though he cannot resist the odd slip of impenetrable jargon, this is a lucid study, explaining each work individually, outlining Bresson's methods and theories so precisely that you literally watch the films with new, more understanding eyes, open to epiphany. The study of 'A Man Escaped' is particularly moving.

The trials of an Episcopal priest who returns to NYC from Nebraska, to help out his sister-in-law (his brother has disappeared) to help run the family business. Which as the title implies is a strip joint (no "gentleman's club" this).

I found this on the street for buck, and thought it would be a nice intro into Mano's work (Take Five has been on queue for a while - but it has moved up drastically).

Mystery, intrigue, religion and naked girls! Actually it's a wonderful study of both topless dancers and priests (Episcopalian not RC) full of humour and pathos. And Mano writes really well. It's seems effortless, but as Fr. Mike says in one of his journal entries, "Good writng is hard work". He's not overbearingly hard (a nice break after Cortazar's Hopscotch, but he is very intelligent (nice period). But what surprised me most about this was that it comes with a sterling recommendation from William F. Buckley (so liberals and conservatives can see eye to eye on a few things, after all).

Keep an eye out for this next time you're browsing your favourite used-bookstore. You know. Outside. In a building.

This is a botanical reference work on the trees of Southern Africa (mostly S-Africa & Rhodesia/Zimbabwe?). Its printing history speaks for itself. First published in 1977; second revised edition by Dr E.J.Moll in 1984, third impression 1988 (when 12 pages were added with updates on nomenclature); ninth impression in 1997. What can I add to that?

This is an identification key and reference work to Southern African trees, giving per species a short description, a distribution map and one (or more) line drawings of a detail, usually a leaf (sometimes a fruit, sometimes both. Upon occasion a tree habit). Names listed include full scientific name, in some cases synonyms, always an english name and usually an afrikaans name. There are close to a thousand pages of this, supplemented with over a hundred pages of color illustrations (both photographs and colored drawings).

Compared to some of the magnificently illustrated books on trees that are now available this work looks somewhat modest. However the absence of an abundance of photographs does mean that all these trees can be captured in a single binding of a handy size and weight, at a quite affordable price. [Might be due for an update, but I sure won't volunteer to undertake it. That would be a whole lot of work! ]

Duncan/Prasse's Veterinary Laboratory Medicine book offers an easy to understand flow of laboratory changes in domestic animals, with an emphasis on their differences (cat, dog, horse, cattle). Their sections on systems (urinary, digestive system, liver, muscle, endocrine) are very helpful in organizing thought processes. There are also 28 cases in the back of the book to reinforce the learning objectives. Highly recommended for the student

Harley has encyclopedic, unbiased knowledge of all things audio, most importantly, a passion for music. Everything in the book is predicated on the notion that what we try to achieve through our devotion to high-end audio is musical purity, a representation that brings us as close to the real thing (and as far away from the equipment) as possible. Harley gives no impression that he favors any particular brand or format, nor that he has any other ax to grind apart from the pleasure imparted by good sound.

That said, for the budding and experienced gearheads alike, there is copious, well-crafted exposition of the technical minutae governing each aspect of sound reproduction, from the nature of digital and analog signals to their final output from the loudspeakers. After reading the first few chapters on the basics of listening to and buying high-end equipment, many readers may find it most useful to skip around the book and read the chapters or sections that are most appropriate to their present needs or questions. Fortunately, Harley has organized and indexed the book to make its use as a reference guide easy and exceedingly useful.

I recommend it highly.

First things first: This book is one of the most comprehensive books I've come across in regards to high-end audio and its in's and out's. It's helped me get the most out of my equipment, and the sound that comes out of my system is just incredible!

Now on to secondaries:

Q: Who should NOT buy this book?
A: Anyone who likes to bicker and get into some pee-ing contest over how they're so inclined on their technical knowledge of "physics" that they blatantly forget what this book is all about, namely high-end audio!

Q: Who SHOULD buy this book?
A: Anyone who appreciates music and the reproduction thereof from a stereo system.

It not only covers all aspects of components but also the intricacies of connecting them to each other. In fact, it contains quickly accessible information on how to improve your system's sound within a short period of time. It has helped me go from a great system with GOOD sound to a great system with GREAT sound just by adding an AC line conditioner, per the author's recommendation.

Overall evaluation: This guy (Harley) may NOT be a physics guru, but he surely knows his HIGH-END audio systems; hence, the book is entitled "The Complete Guide to High-End Audio" and NOT "The Complete Guide to Physics of High-End Audio."

If you are the type of person who has a "critical ear" and is interested in learning about what is the full spectrum of options available in buying and setting-up a high quality audio system, I highly recommend this book. It will prevent you from buying equipment that you may soon become dissatisfied with and in the long run, it will save you a lot of grief as well as money. The author makes a point to emphasize that "high end audio" refers to the quality of the component/system and not the cost. However, like most things in this world, you will find that the two are usually closely related.

The body of the book is not overly technical, however it does provide several appendices for those who wish to delve into the theory behind the concepts. It is also quite through and is intended for the reader who wishes to get into some depth on the subject. If your interest is only in a basic overview, I would suggest that you look elsewhere.

I have read the book thoroughly and still find myself referring back to it on many occasions. It is by far the best book on this subject that I have been able to locate and should be of value to those interested in home theater as well as two-channel audio.

The authors were able to clearly express themselves such that it was quite an easy read for a non-programmer. However, "Advanced Html Companion 2nd edition" requires a serious rewrite due to its numerous and obvious mistypes. The cover of this book is indeed appealing but the content of it is just an OVERVIEW of several web markup languages. If you require just an overview of the subject, this book is for you. If you want a reasonable grasp of Html or other markup languages, please find another book; I wish I could trade mine for another.

Though I did find the book a bit pricy, it was more important to me to have it as a reference manual in my library. As a designer focusing on UI and architecture, I find it necessary to know, understand, and be able to use HTML. It's horrible when designers put together fantastic designs that developers have to later alter, because the code would have to jump through too many hoops to make it work.

It is worth the buy if you need a reference manual and can't wait for responses from email mailing lists or your developer friend who's out to lunch.

I was impressed with the scope and detail of this volume. Very useful