Binkow calls us to action again with a "just do it" approach to listening. Whether it be business or family, Binkow is the final push that actually makes us practice what the other gurus of listening have been begging us to do. Short, sweet, and effective.

If only the men in my life could have read this years ago I truly believe there wouldn't have been so many in my life! Mr. Binkow really hits the nail on the head in discussing communication between men and women.

Reading Howard's book has made me aware of the need to listen. I've noticed an improvement in my relations with others simply by trying to listen better than before. Also, his tips for paying attention and giving appropriate feedback were very valuable. It's worth reading simply to sit and take the time to think about how you comunicate.

The greatest thing to come out since the Musical itself, Wonderful, educational, fantastic reproductions of the 19th century musicals!

Richard Fawkes' The History Of The Musical is a flawlessly recorded, 4 cassette, unabridged audiobook showcasing the development of the musical, from its origins in European light opera and operetta to its it's golden age in the American theater. The great song composers and lyricists are presented including Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, Lloyd Webber, and Sondheim. The wonderfully narrated text by the award-winning Broadway singer Kim Criswell is enhanced with almost one hundred famous musical extracts. The History Of The Musical is a "must" for personal, academic, and community library music history and audiobook collections.

Surely there must be a medal somewhere out there for Naxos records and for author Richard Fawkes. After two superb sets of tapes and CDs titled "The History of Classical Music" and "The History of Opera," there is now available Mr. Fawkes' "The History of the Musical" (NA422712). Here we have singer/actress Kim Criswell narrating on 4 CDs or tapes just under 320 minutes of exactly what the title promises.

Starting with "The Beggar's Opera" of 1728, the history of the genre is traced up to the time of writing, meaning "Les Miserables." Along the way, we consider operetta, the English Music Hall, American vaudeville, the review, the book show, the familiar, the off-beat, the dead ends, the highly influential. And the London stage gets a good deal of attention also, thereby introducing a lot of material not very well known to those better versed in the American musical.

As with any good effort of this sort, a strong connection is drawn between the changing times and the changing concepts of what a musical should be. The importance of "Show Boat" is not glossed over, for example, nor is the other shock caused by "Pal Joey." The reliance of Lloyd Webber on staging is mentioned but not his lack of more than one fairly memorable melody per show. In general, the tone is upbeat and positive.

But this is a recording. While it could never include all the information found in a book, its dozens of recorded examples are what makes this set priceless. Where possible, the oldest "original cast" recordings are used. On the other hand, there are some strange exceptions such as "Hey there" from "Pajama Game" being sung not by John Raitt but by Ron Raines on the Jay recording. I suspect this is because Criswell is in the cast of that set.

Again, this set is in tape and CD formats. For educational purposes, the CDs offer direct access to any show under discussion--and the CDs are very generously divided into nearly 200 tracks! Very considerate of the producers. The booklet offers a nice little personal essay by Criswell. So if I have any complaint about this set, it is that I wish it were twice as long.

If only every husband would pick up this little jewel and read it we'd all be happier campers. Mr. Harrison's wife is a lucky lady.

Straightforward, funny and so true! Every husband should keep this book handy for a daily reminder. I gave The Husband Book as a gift to a new groom, but also plan on giving it to my in-laws who've been married for decades. It covers all the bases.

Mr. Harrison's book was witty, fun and SOOOO true! I'm sure his wife appreciates his love for her! The book was full of very true insights that were hopefully not too hard earned! Mr. Harrison made me laugh out loud and repeatedly reminded me that perhaps there are sensitive men out there in the world! I also read his book, "Father to Son," another extremely insightful book on raising boys. As a single mother of two teenage boys, I think Mr. Harrison is right on track. His words hit home in both books. I plan on giving these books as gifts to all soon-to-be or new husbands and/or fathers of boys. The books will make you laugh at his wit, sigh at his insights and make you wish he held seminars for husbands and fathers alike! Great books! Fun reading!

This book is short and easy to read but has a lot of great advice for those searching for "Mr. Right." It would make a wonderful gift.

"Is He A Man Or Just Another Guy?" should be part of every family's parenting "toolbox." Do you have a daughter(s)? This book will help to raise their level of expectations in a relationship. Do you have a son(s)? This book provides a map to move a boy from guyhood to manhood. I do not know of another book in the marketplace that so thoroughly and completely explores the subject of mate selection. Although my daughters are still quite young, they will have a copy of this book waiting for them when it's time to start looking for Mr. Right.

As a parent, this is a book I want my daughter to read before she begins the process of finding Mr. Right. While no man (or woman) is perfect, the guidelines given could save you from wasting your time on the wrong guy, or making a mistake that could affect the rest of your life. The test gives an opportunity to truly consider whether those "little things" add up to enough to kill a relationship, or can be overlooked in light of all his outstanding characteristics.

KISS books are just the best books to help you learn about software. To master Windows with confidence, you will learn how to get the program up and running, master spreadsheets and word processing and improve your computer's performance.

Rich Levin has been involved in the personal computer industry since 1979. he is a software developer, consultant and journalist. he is an internationally respected technology journalist and has written for CBS Radio, Windows Magazine, Business Week and PC world. He runs his own company called Levin Communications and hosts a weekly talk radio show.

The information is divided into four sections. Part one gives you the confidence to design your PC, sign onto the Internet and purchase your computer. Part Two shows you how to take charge of Windows, work with e-mail and sample the Windows Software Library. Part three explains the wonderful world of word processing. The last section describes methods for keeping your secrets safe.

The Computing Golden Rule is: Back-up. That means, save your information. I love that they say...."You're Smart. Your Computer is Stupid." With continually evolving technology you can't just memorize a few steps. This book will help you develop your deductive reasoning skills and coping mechanisms that guide the most experienced computer users.

If you enjoy a book filled with colorful boxes filled with information, funny characters which give you special signs to catch your attention or the inside scoop on secrets no one else is telling you...this is your book!

I thought the advice on page 59 should be taken very seriously, especially if you are building a Web site. I quote: "Choose your ISP (Internet Service Provider) partner with care-divorce can be messy and painful." Rich also discusses how you can safely buy items on the Web. There is also a list of Key actions, and I must say...when I learned about Ctrl+Alt+Delete...it saved me from having to reboot my computer when it freezes. On my computer, it gives me an option to shut down the item causing the problem and then I can go on working or open the program again. Word's Main Keystrokes are also explained in detail.

A simple glossary and easy-to-use index is included. What is a blocked sender list? What does "download" mean? What is Random Access Memory?

I can highly recommend this book for new and experienced users. Even after years of using Windows, I still have a lot to learn. I am so pleased I have this KISS book which is now going to take up a permanent place of honor on my desk! I think I will also buy one for my mother since I believe this book will save her hours of trying to figure out her new computer. Why don't they sell this book with every PC? They should!

Not like other computer books. Fun to read. You'll learn a lot.

I was a novice user until I read this "Bible". Mr. Levin makes it sooo easy to understand. I loaned the book out, so I am back to get another to have at my side.

Guy Kawasaki has written a great book on Apple and the Apple business method. Very funny. Extremely unique and marvelous, like Apple. Perfect for brushing up your Mac Evangelist skills! One of the best books I've ever read, and I'm not even done! Guy truly embodies the Macintosh Spirit. everything about the book, from the footnotes to the illustrations, is like the artistic perfection of Macintoshes! GUY KAWASAKI RULES!!!EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK AND BUY A MAC!!!!!!

The teams I have been a part of that followed the basic attitude that Guy outlines here have accomplished amazing things against all odds. On other teams, the farther we got away from these ideas, the more mediocre the end results turned out. If you want to create an environment where world changing events will happen, you need to read this book.

Guy Kawasaki's "The Macintosh Way" empowers the very essence of understanding the principles of evangelism and doing the "right thing the right way" in business. This book and his other book " "Selling the Dream" should be required reading for startup companies. Values and principles in business are the key to success. Guy's keen sense of humour and reference to examples of what did and didn't work for the Apple Computer Corporation, while he worked there in the early 80's, is a fascinating perspective. Here, you will see how an successful company like Apple grows from innovation to mediocrity. For Mac users, this is a praticularly fascinating insight but should be required reading for all CEO's and directors of growing companies. It is an insightful collection of practicle examples of what and what not to do in business.

If pressed to mention a series of books I love more than all others, I would have to cite Library of America; this is not because I am a fan of stictly American literature, but because I have never seen a series so dedicated--and so good at--a mission of preserving and presenting a body of literature of such greatness in such a worthy manner. Perhaps some day there will be a Library of Russia, Library of France, Library of England, etc.

Twain is a delight and underrated by modern critics; here lies a good collection of some of his fine works. Especially good are Life on the Mississippi and Pudd'nhead Wilson, along with the indesposable Huckleberry Finn. Also contained is Tom Sawyer, which I cannot praise, but I cannot deny its position as a classic and its deservence to be included in this volume.

Once they were absolute rulers - laws made to meet their needs, unstinting respect their due, their commands obeyed without hesitation or reluctance. They are vanished today, the last of their lineage in tourist boats, unremarked, nearly unremembered. Nearly two centuries ago, the Mississippi steamboat pilot was a legendary figure. Mark Twain conveys us to that time and environment in one of his finest writings. Life On the Mississippi is a superb descriptive achievement in portraying the river scene , but also conveys vivid images of the people living on and along it. It's an outstanding example of painting with both a broad brush and enhancing with fine detail.

Beginning with a history of European "discovery" and exploration of this mighty stream, Twain moves us into his own history as a "cub" pilot. Perhaps no-one before or since has so effectively exposed what it meant to "tackle the river" in learning to safely man the wheel of a river steamer. From his first astonishment at discovering he must "get a notebook and write down" the names of all the points, landmarks, snags and "crossings" through the realization that most of that information would change before his next trip, he comes to understand that a pilot must "know the river" with full dedication. As we follow him through the process he introduces us to the river's wonders and the people it supports. He explains the ranking of pilots, steamboat captains, mates and "hands." None of his observations are boring, from the most mundane river condition to dramatic events such as boiler explosions.

Those fearing that Twain's information may be "outdated" may take heart. Much of the book views his early days on the river from the vantage point of thirty years later. He is reminiscing, but Twain's excellent style brings us with him into each memory. Our feelings readily align with his as he guides us. The latter part of the book is a collection of images of the river valley in the latter part of the 19th Century as Twain revisits the river after a long absence. The only real distinction, apart from the automobile, which did for the railroad what the latter did to the steamboat, are the statistics of agriculture and industry. His descriptions of towns, villages and cities differ little from what we might encounter duplicating his journey.

During this pilgrimage, Twain brings in numerous anecdotal episodes to further sparkle his descriptive and historical accounts. Although all are entertaining at one level or another, several stand out as representatives of Twain's inventive genius. Ritter's Narrative is among the grimmest of Twain's essays in any of his publications. It's a story of a long-term quest for vengeance with a bizarre outcome. A far lighter note is struck with the story of a sleepwalking steamboat pilot. An account of the pilots organizing a "protective association" is told with light humour, not quite obscuring the serious nature of its intent.

In all, no matter that this book's focus lies in a period stretching back nearly two centuries, the writing is vigorous enough to capture today's readers. The history is related with Twain's always lively skill, something as mundane as a sunset is imparted with his special verve. This book can be taken up repeatedly; for reminders of a lost era, for an examination of values or, the best reason of all, for a prime example of what North America's greatest writer could produce in his passion for narrative.

This is the kind of book reserved for the word "volume" and by that I mean it carries all the weight of Twain's most accessible works. All of the Library of America books carry this weight but this was one of the first and deservedly so. I'm reviewing this book not just on its contents but on its sheer style and scholarly editing, its fitness in the hand (or lap), the way it will look on your bookshelf and the 10-point Linotron Galliard printing that makes the very act of reading much easier.
Now, the contents cannot be less magnificent as the river all these writings have in common. Funny, wise and as much a part of 19th century American history as you'll find anywhere, these are great examples of the best American writing in one "volume" by one of the world's most recognized authors. No self-respecting booklover should be without it.

This is a superb scholarly analysis of the aesthetics of one of the most influential storywriters in world literature. The book is scholarly but, unlike so much of what passes for scholarship today, readable, original, and illuminating. With great thoughtfulness and in lucid prose, the author gets to the heart of Maupassant's story structures, demonstrating their variousness and placing them in the context of Maupassant's career. The author also makes a convincing case for Maupassant's influence on the American short story, beyond the usual cliches about O Henry's misappropriation of Maupassant's methods and the misunderstandings about the "Maupassant surprise ending" (which was an atypical technique and one that was more complex than other critics have understood). For anyone interested in the short story, or in first-rate literary criticism, this is a book worth reading.

Fusco has shrewdly analyzed Maupassant's several structural approaches to short story form, including, among others, his use of forms stressing contrast, "loop" structures (when the end of the story returns attention to things alluded to in the beginning), and of course the "surprise-inversion" technique, Maupassant's famous twist ending. He then goes on to show how American writers like Chopin, Bierce, O. Henry and Henry James were influenced by, or tried to imitate, the French master. This is a thoroughly engaging work by an author with good command of critical tools, and a nice concise writing style.

Mr. Fusco has written a wonderful analysis of the influence of Maupassant on various American authors. After a thorough-going critique of Maupassant's story structures, Fusco illuminates the use of those forms by Ambrose Bierce and Henry James, as well as giving a rather intriguing and funny review of the "adaptation" of Maupassant's style by O. Henry. Useful to both scholars and interested non-academics alike

I offer many praises to Dr. Sami Aldeeb Abu-Salieh for writing this book and Dr. Sheldon Gosline for translating it into English. They have provided us with the first clear picture of Muslims in the West. Although much of the research is specific to Islam in Europe and Switzerland in particular, the conclusions are universal to all western nations. Dr. Aldeeb spent a lifetime studying this subject and his knowledge is totally evident. The translation into English of the original French and Arabic text was a massive task. It was undertaken with great care. If you are at all interested in the subject of Islam you must see this work!

This work is an outstanding compilation of Islamic and western law concerning all aspects of life. It is a subject that touches all of us since the tragic events of Sept. 11th.

Translated into English by Sheldon Lee Gosline, Muslims In The West: Redefining The Separation Of Church And State is accessibly written by Sami A. Aldeeb Abu-Sahlieh (Director of Islamic Law, Swiss Institute of Comparative Law, Lausanne) who drew upon his more than twenty years of personal and professional experience to examine the cultural, social, and political interactions of Muslims in Switzerland. Individual chapters address everything from conflicts of religion and the right to worship, to issues involving religious cemeteries and burial grounds. A very thoughtful and insightful work offering principles and wisdom that can be generalized to the Western world as a whole, Muslims In The West is an original and welcome contribution to Islamic Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Willard has woven an erotic odyssey! Guy is a modern Jason searching for...? If I was 20 again, I'd join the Navy!"

I agree with the previous reviewer, Navy Blue Dreams is a well written, interesting erotic novel. But I do think it would be appropriate to state somewhere that this is a reprint of A Sailor's Pillow Tales, published in 1992 by FirstHand Books, with only the title changed. Although I am glad that the story is available again for new readers to enjoy, I ordered this title as a gift for a friend that I know enjoys Guy Willard's writing and was chagrined to learn from him that it was not new material.

Altho not as edgey as Foolish Fire and Mirrors of Narcissus, Tom Boggs does it again with this latest installment in the Guy Willard line-up.

In this novel, Guy has joined the Navy. The story takes us thru a 2-year period while he's in, including boot camp, school, and a dozen ports-of-call throughout the Far East. At each port, Guy finds someone with whom to...you know. We watch his character develop with each trick--finally to the point where he's no longer so closeted with himself. When he discovers the secret cadre of other gay men on board his frigate, he's overjoyed, but also eventually becomes targeted by a superior who's not out, but likes to watch.

I can't tell you how this all ends up, but let's say that Guy is now so far out of the closet that he can't easily go back in. Our anti-hero has developed past the previous traits that have held him back. Imagine that, all while in the Navy!

This novel culled my own memories of when I was in the Marines, and while on maneuvers onboard Navy ships. Sadly, few of my experiences were anywhere near as colorful as Guy's.

I highly recommend this story to those who also enjoyed Foolish Fire and Mirrors of Narcissus.