Nice for first-timers, lacking depth in more detailed areas-light-leakage, brilliance, scintillation, ymmetry,etc. It's easy to find a diamond with VG for polish but seldom the case for symmetry. Did not mention trends in diamond cutting, such as Eightstars, Heart and Arrow diamonds. Spends too many pages on mounting and setting. Subject title-ruthenium missing in discussion of Platinum on page 78. Typos in page 16,17,69.

What a great book!! It was very easy to read and extremely informative even though it was only 122 pages. Other 200 + page books wasted time with confusing information and romatic gimmicks to make the book appear to have more HELPFUL info than it actually had. Reading a book written by an actual appraiser definately made the difference, allowing me to buy a diamond with the qualties that were important to me that I could afford. It was also nice to know that the author actually works in retail stores and STILL went with Channel 8 news with a hidden camera to jewelry stores. This shows me that he really cares about the average consumer he appraises for. He must have caught alot of heat from those jewelry stores. Way to go Mr. Rogers!

i purchased this book based on the on-site reviews. although it must have worked for some, not this cook. i enjoy the kitchen a lot and consider myself pretty good at it --- just a bit bored and restless with my current menus. this was just way too stuffy. or perhaps the new phrase is "way too martha". yick. the menus are dated and boring. oh well, i tried.

The photos in this book are really gorgeous and the recipes do work. However -- there is NO WAY one person could make any of the full menus in just an hour! I would say that each individual dish takes at least an hour -- doing a whole Martha menu is a major undertaking. Another problem -- many of the ingredients are hard to find (even in the sophisticated greater Boston area!) and she relies heavily on fresh herbs in practically every recipe, which is just not practical for me. Not only is fresh sorrel unavailable in any store I know of, but even sorrel SEEDS, so you can grow your own sorrel, are hard to find!

I didn't know how to cook to save my life when I bought this book...this and the Silver Palate cookbook were the first I ever used. I found the recipes here easy, and have had great results...the only downsides are that some of the ingredients are expensive and hard-to-find if you don't live in a major city, and, even 10 years later, they still take longer than an hour to prepare.

But who cares? I'm a sucker for cookbooks with lots of glossy photographs, and I don't care what anyone thinks, I love Martha. If you do, too, then you will enjoy this book.

Gregory Hines and Joel Gray present horrible readings of two of Poe's best poems. Gregory Hines sounds like a used car salesman when reading "Annabel Lee," and Joel Gray sounds like a spastic nut when reading "The Bells." Did they ever listen to themselves? Christopher Cazenove represents the best reader and the savior of this otherwise fiasco. Although he left out the last stanza, his reading of "Ulalume-A Ballad" is by far the best reading I've heard of this powerful poem. Michael York's reading of "The Raven" is ok, but he lacks correct interpretation with the "wispered word, 'Lenore?'" The only other reader to read this phrase like a question is Edward Blake. For some reason many of the poems have background music. Did the producers of this collection really think that these poems lacked something? Perhaps this collection going out of print was an act of mercy.

Like the first reviewer, I thought Gregory Hines absolutely ruined "Annabel Lee" for me, which is--or now, was--also one of MY favorite Poe poems. What's next, "Gregory Hines Tapdances 'A Cask of Amontillado'"? Stick to you day-job, Greg! Michael York and David Warner are much beter readers than Hines, though when York reads "I shrieked..." it hardly sounds like a shriek. Their readings are good, but not great. By far the two less-famous (to me, anyway) readers on the tape, Roger Rees and Christopher Cazenove, are giants compatred to the other three. Rees' reading of "The Conqueror Worm" alone is worth the price of this tape. Obviously Rees and Cazenove are experienced Shakespeare-trained actors who love--and know how to utilize to startling results--the English language. I would pay almost anything for a new version of this tape read by Rees and Cazenove alone, or possibly by them and other accomplished Shakepearean actors (Patrick Stewart? Ralph Fiennes? Simon Russell Beale?). It's just not enough, to effectively read aloud poems or prose written by a master, to be famous (Hines) or even British and famous (York and Warner); you have to be GOOD! Anyway, overall this tape's worth buying.

If "Annabel Lee" is your favorite Poe poem, be warned that it is read by Gregory Hines, and the AudioFile review is being generous when it says that his readings lack drama and force. Though it is one of my favorite poems, or, more precisely, because it is one of my favorite poems, I fast forward through it everytime I listen to the tape, lest his reading impare my ability to enjoy the poem in the future.

This is somewhat compensated for by Michael York's exellent rendering of "The Raven" and David Warner's various readings which wonderfully capture Poe's mood and spirit.

Overall, still worth the price. I don't regret having purchased it and I'm still enjoying it a month later. If only "Annabel Lee" had been assigned to Mr. York or Mr. Warner!

Not to be nasty, but I feel would-be readers should be warned: this "hero" is strictly for those who enjoy locker-room bragging and a dialogue composed mostly of snide comments about women's body parts. There are "rascals" in fiction who are also talented, basically good-hearted or at least witty (i.e., Lindsey Davis' Didius Falco). The sleazy, stupid and utterly unappealing Roger Shallot is NOT one of them!

I've read all of Clynes' Journals of Sir Roger Shallot. All of the books take place during the reign of Henry VIII and focus on the reluctant detective work of Roger and his master, the nephew of Cardinal Wosley. Roger tells the stories as flashbacks from his present position as a seclusive and retired lord of the realm. In the books Roger is a cowardly, lusty, and unrepentant vagabond who follows his master as they are assigned to investigate various heinous crimes by the cardinal and Henry. I love the books for the mixture of diabolical plots, historical backdrop, and the effort Clynes puts into developing the characters. Every one of the books feature involved plots, surprise villans, and a certain dark and wry humor. You'll find yourself rapidly finishing the books, engrossed in trying to solve the crimes yourself and simultaneously laughing aloud at the misfortunes that befall Roger.

I have to admit I haven't read it all but browsed it enough to see that the subjects are not treated deeply enough and that there is a great deal of paper for nothing.

This 600 pages book could have been delivered at below 400 with the same content and font size.

Each 2 pages chapter, is followed a 1.5 page lab which asks questions with big space to enter answers (as if we would start writing our answers in the book.) Following, the questions are REPEATED along with the answers to them. What a waste of paper!

It's a very general overview of the different medias that does not really answer most questions. Could be nice for a web graphics 101 course, but not alone for sure. I'm happy I did not buy and could pull it from the library.

As an instructor of computer graphics software, I find Creating Web Graphics, Audio and Video an excellent learning resource for my students. The book provides an ample mix of historical summaries on innovative technologies, from Photoshop to browser protocols, and methodical lab exercises and explanations on just about every topic a web designer/developer needs to know for a well-rounded repertoire.

The images are of a good quality and cover all the major projects; however, a more extensive catalog would have made me happier. The esaays are a good introduction to the work even if they are typically softball.

They didn't exhaust themselves in the creation of this text, which is disappointing, and it is most certainly not a hardcover which is just plain annoying.

I was asked to review this text by a group of EMTs at the teaching hospital where I am employed as an ER physician and surgeon. The text contains conflicting information and is not well organized. I would not recommed this text for teaching new EMTs. It could be useful as a review for experienced technicians or paramedics.

While the information can, at times, be repetitive or confusing, overall the book stresses those skills and topics which are important for prehospital emergency providers. The book is easy to use as a reference, reads at a slightly higher level than many introductory texts, and can be a valuable resource even for an EMT-P. This book does require, however, some direction and sometimes elaboration from from a knowledgeable and organized "Basic" instructor.

Worth owning and using.

THIS IS A EXCELLENT BOOK TO USE FOR LEARNING THE BASIC EMT. THIS BOOK WAS USED BY MY PROFESSOR AND 16 OUT OF A CLASS OF 19 PASS THE STATE TEST. SO ADVICE IF YOU GOING TO STUDY TO BE AN EMT USE MOSBY IS THE BEST