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.

Part 1 (6 chapters) - Absolutely a waste of time, not worth a read. And the code examples are not related to JWSDP.

Part 2 (6 chapters) - Discusses on SOAP, UDDI and WSDL. The code discusses using a Older version of Apache SOAP and Apache Axis. The code needs a complete rewrite.

Part 3 - Discusses on JAXP, JAXB, JAXR, JAXM and JAXRPC. Good introductions but the JAXB chapter is based on DTD (which is obsoleted in the latest specs). JAXM and JAXRPC chapters just reproduces the Sun JWSDP tutorial...not much value addition.

Part 4 - Security, WSFL, WSIF (based on IBM Specs) currently these specs are obsolete no further releases.

It might've been a good book during 2002. The code and content needs an update to the latest specs and SOAP implementations.

Just as I stated in the title, it's a great book to start you with. It's written in a clear and precise manner where you could learn the basics of Java Web Services and not be intimidated by it.

It is a good introductory book to web services standards like SOAP, WSDL and UDDI but also goes further and talks about topics like WSFL, WSIF which are not covered by all books on web services but are essential to any real business processes exposed as web services where flow control and service unit(s) choreagraphy is as important as the single unit service request/response. Java specifications relating to web services are also covered like JAXM and JAX-RPC. I wish more examples and code was given, perhaps even a chapter or two, for ebXML which may not be a part of web services standards but still uses SOAP and defines industry standards for business to business collaborations especially dealing with supply chain commerce issues.
I agree with a previous reviewer (John Sfikas) that this book alone isn't exactly an eye opener for experianced professionals who have been dabbling with all the tools mentioned in this book like Apache SOAP, Axis, WSTK, Tomcat, Jetty etc. and know the challenges facing B2B collaborations on the internet quite intimately, but this book combined with "Building Web Services with Java: Making Sense of XML, SOAP, WSDL and UDDI" will give a much needed practical grounding to start making sophisticated web services in the real world. I highly recommend getting both these books but be prepared to use your brain and further what is presented in these books to deploy web services satisfying your needs. They will certainly not amount to spoon feeding you a near solution to your collaboration problems.

Being a Ph.D.,Pharm.D., and now in medical school, I have seen a lot of texts in the realm of pharmacology. This book is really bad. The pathophysiology is weak at best and the authors apparently felt that the pharmacology (MOA's, etc.)where not worth elaborating on. They seem to have skimmed on the "pharm" part. Unfortunately this book is the textbook used at a lot of pharmacy schools... if you are a pharm student, you are much better off buying Goodman and Gillman's! It will be much more useful resource throughout your career. It will also be a better study resource for exams and seminars. If you're a med student, run for your life! This book will do nothing for you. I regret buying this book and feel it is not worth the price.

Addressing the negative comments given to this book by a Dr. Doctor who's going to become yet another doctor, if you truly have your PhD and PharmD (from a halfway decent school), you would recognize the difference between pharmacology and pharmacotherapy. It's awfully troubling if you don't. In agreement with the "triDoc", Goodman and Gillman's is the superior of the 2... in terms of PHARMACOLOGY. However, if you want a very good reference for a practical approach in the treatment options of certain disease states (i.e. PHARMACOTHERAPY), this book should be your choice. It's a wonderful and much used reference. I will agree with another reviewer in that it may be worthwhile to check into buying the hand book addition first (due to its more compact size and less cost). Pharmacotherapy versus pharmacology...Hmmmmmm.

As a pharmacy student, I found this to be an excellent reference - it covers an incredibly wide variety of topics in fantastic detail. However, the book is a little too wordy and detailed to get the overall grasp of a subject if you are covering it for the first time. But if you just need to look up that certain drug, side effect, condition or other similar information this is the book for you! There are great summary and comparison charts, easy to follow headings and a great index.

I was going to plan a gambling excursion around the world and bought this book as a reference guide. I was very excited when it came, it listed more casinos than I ever dreamed existed. As I got to reading it, I have never seen more typos in my life: wrong phone numbers, misspellings, and it continues. I am disgusted with it.

I tried to contact the publisher on the web for a refund, and found their site is down. I would not be surprised if it is a sign of things to come for the company.

Very hard to read: even just for reference. Look elsewhere!

Casinos - The International Casino Guide is the best researched guide ever published covering legally operating casinos, resort casinos, indian casinos, riverboat casinos and card rooms in the USA and around the world. Information is detailed including address, phone, fax numbers, size and style of casinos, games played, number of slot machines, largest jackpot paid etc. A true gold mine of information for serious gamblers and reserchers. Casinos - The International Casino Guide (6th ed.)

The best part of this are the early letters dealing with Hemingways first novel The Sun Also Rises and second novel A Farewell to Arms(Maxwell Perkins was an expert on war fiction). The exchanges between Ernest and Max over these books are priceless and very good reading to anyone who loves these books. From arguements over curse words(Hemingway one of the first to break ground in using them in his work) to discussions of Jake's predicament, from questions of how to present a reissue of Hemingways first story collection to reactions to reviews(more good reading) the correspondence is at this point one of mutual respect and admiration, Hemingway seems to need the great presence of Max Perkins even if for nothing else than reassurance. Later when the great ones literary reputation is established the letters become less and less interesting. The friendship remains a strong one but Hemingway no longer needs or asks for any input into his literary decisions. Perhaps the most astounding thing about Maxwell Perkins in relation to Hemingway is that he was smart enough to leave talent alone. With others like Fitzgerald and Wolfe there was always much to be done but with Hemingway the talent seems to have been there whole from the beginning. Hemingway fans that want to know everything will read and enjoy every detail even the letters which are just Hemingway complaining about his finances. Bitching about money can be funny when its Hemingway bitching about money. Probably a smarter purchase would be a collection of Perkins correspondence with all the authors he worked with. That way you get only the letters which count.

Hemingway was an indefatigable letter writer and as editor Bruccoli's introduction states he "wrote more words in letters than he wrote for publication, and letter writing became part of the mechanism of his literary career." This collection of correspondence between legendary Scribner's editor Max Perkins and his star author offers their personal insight into the writing and editing of Hemingway's works. Although Hemingway is now almost as famous for being a son of a bitch as he was for being a writer, he comes across here as a loyal and trusting friend-at least to Perkins. But most importantly these letters reveal him to be an artist first and foremost. The shooting, fishing, and drunken bravado that mark the Papa Hemingway persona are present but inconsequential here and what shines through is EH's complete, total, and unfaltering dedication to writing and how for him producing great literature was the only thing that counts. That insight makes this a valuable addition to Hemingway scholarship and an aficionado's delight.-Michael Rogers

Life is torture, all of us die (hard to argue with that one) Hell is inevitable; it's here on earth right now, death is the end, suicide is a comfort. We are very insignificant beings essentially powerless to effect any real change and the best we can hope for is to embrace despair. And then there are the really depressing parts of this book.

However, like Blanche Dubois it's wonderful to depend (or at least be surprised) by the kindness of strangers.

Life is a Siberian concentration camp, but a fellow inmate may give you a flower and bring tears to your eyes in the realization that compassion exists amidst the damned.

Well, this is a fun book to give to anyone who annoys you by telling you to cheer up .

One might keep it by the door in case any Jehova's Witnesses knock, especially if they've been having a good day. It would also make an interesting Valentine's Day gift for your beloved, just in case she's nagging you into a wedding and you'd like to offer the alternative of a double suicide.

Itsuki writes about pain, sometimes eloquently, as in his narrative of The Dalai Lama , sometimes verging on obscenity as in the story of the mother whose terminally ill child is gasping for breath and Mom observes that "The gasps seemed like labor pains. . .the mother cheered her daughter on in death . . .Hurray!"

It's weird but Isuki's advice at times sounds like a self-help book turned upside down yet equally hoaky. Instead of telling us to smile and look on the bright side because it'll make us feel good, he tells us to weep and look on the dark side because it'll make us feel good.

This ain't profound but it sure sounds elevated as soon as he brings in Amida Buddha.

An entity which, from what I can gather exists in the archetypal Platonic realm (unlike Siddhartha, the Buddha, a human who actually lived) yet whose Presence is far more Real to his followers than a mere flesh and blood being.

Amida is the Buddha of Ultimate Compassion, and-- though there is no hope, really-- intoning his mantra 'Namu Amida Butsu' puts us in touch with compassion, frees us from the futile desire to escape our doom and best of all----

--Well I'm not sure. According to Itsuku, Zen was for the aristocracy who had time to enage in 'self-salvation' unlike the peasants who had to rely on 'Other Power' (Amida) and followed The Pure Land Sect.

(Actually I doubt it was that simple, having met a Korean Zen master who began each day by prostating himself 106 times and invoking Amida's help. It seems a human need to ask for divine compassion. Likewise I suspect that even the bravest of Stoics would have snuck a prayer to Zeus now and then.)

It seems the peasants believed they would be reborn into a paradise, a "Pure Land" unlike those intellectual Zen types who sought for Enlightenment a la Siddhartha while they still had breath to fight.

But Itsuki rejects this interpretation of The Pure Land. There will be no paradise or re-birth, you'll just be a kinder person and take refuge in Amida's light while you spend time in your own hell of a Siberian prison, etc.

I'm not sure as to how this reinterpreatation of The Pure Land sect came about. Judging by Itsuki, it does appear to be normative today. Perhaps the original was considered too primitive and literal ( by intellectuals, of course) or perhaps it cheered the peasants up too much, thus blinding them to the truth that Suffering is All, etc.

Well, it's an interesting book, though I believe the point was better articulated in C.S. Lewis' masterpiece "A Grief Observed"
not because Lewis was a Christian, but precisely because he had -- unlike Itsuki--a happy childhood. Consequently he was fairly optimistic, sure of his religion, and in late in middle age found true love-- only to have his wife die horribly of bone cancer--whereupon his world and his faith came tumbling down.
Lewis's attempt to cope with having egg on his face after a lifetime of naivete, and his brutally honest soul searching strikes one as far more poignant than this gloom and doom autobiography.

Oh, and BTW, 'Sad To The Bone' really is the title of a section in Itsuki's book.

In the final analysis, while Itsuki's philosophy embraces pathos and sympathy for our fellow sufferers endorsing a lofty charity towards all, given his metaphysical premises arguably loftier concepts would be rendered meaningless.

There is absolutely no room for heroism, triumph or, in the classical Western sense, tragedy.

Have a nice day.

First of all, it should be noted that this work is NOT a 'beginner's book' on Shin Buddhism. While there are parts which address the 'mechanics' of this school of Mahayana Buddhism, the real fact is that Itsuki's work is more directed to those who have already accepted the Nembutsu-faith as their own, or to those who wish to see the impact which that faith can have on those who are sometimes in the deepest and darkest places in their lives. As such, "Tariki" succeeds magnificently and powerfully.

Often very bleak and dark in places, "Tariki: Embracing Despair; Discovering Peace" is a sobering examination of how faith in Amida Buddha as held by those of the Shin faith can be both an anchor and a comfort to those in grave infirmity, grief, or facing death. Since much of the tenets of Shin deal with "resolving the question of the afterlife", it is natural that the book dwell in such heavy territory for much of its material. And while Itsuki does concentrate on such darker issues, it's important to note that...as would be appropriate for Buddhism in general...ultimately one comes to a realization that the duality between the 'dark' thoughts and the 'light' ones is really false. In this, Itsuki creates a very interesting and thought-provoking 'map' of the harsher aspects of life and how this harshness can be resolved through faith in the "other power" of Amida Buddha to unfold these experiences as ones of personal power and meaningful depth.

Again, this is no "starter" book for those wishing to learn more about Shin Buddhism; for those seeking that sort of information, I would suggest either Rev. Taitetsu Unno's "River of Fire, River of Water" or Dr. Ken Tanaka's "Ocean". But after absorbing the teachings set down in one or both of those, returning to Itsuki's book for a sober look at how those teachings affect and ground the lives of Shin Buddhists is a must.

Hiroyuki Itsuki provides a lucid and powerful explanation of Pure Land Buddhism in the Japanese tradition and supplements it with the lessons derived from his own suffering. Mr. Hiroyuki is to be commended not only for providing a spiritual essay with universal implications but also for drawing upon his own difficult experiences in a relevant, helpful manner that deftly avoids sentimentalism and self-pity.

Hiroyuki describes his childhood as the son of a Japanese teacher in occupied Korea before and during World War II. When Japan was defeated, Hiroyuki's world fell apart. After losing their home and belongings, Hiroyuki's mother died, his father became an alcoholic. Ultimately it was the then thirteen year-old Hiroyuki who cared for his siblings and dragged them to safety in South Korea. The trauma of these experiences and others caused Hiroyuki to develop a very negative view of life. The significance of this development, which was clearly missed by one reviewer, is the fact that Hiroyuki's negativity is not nihilistic. Instead, Hiroyuki argues that when we accept the negative facts of life (primarily that we will experience loss, pain, sickness, old-age, and death) we are better able to lead a positive life. Hiroyuki goes on to describe the Buddha as "the ultimate negative thinker" and explains how the Buddha gave up His life of wealth and privilege in order to comprehend and then address the suffering that comes with existence.

In explaining the differences between Zen and Pure Land Buddhism, Hiroyuki addresses the common misconception that the latter is based on blind faith. Zen, according to Hiroyuki is a religion of action that involves meditation and other exercises while Pure Land Buddhism simply requires a simple belief in and verbal acknowledgement of the Amida Buddha. This belief is not an attempt to find the Amida Buddha, for according to Hiroyuki He has already found you and has reached out to you with countless subtle mechanism that can include the kindness of complete strangers and the pages of Hiroyuki's book. Hiroyuki refers to these countless mechanisms as the "Other Power" and contrasts them with the "Self Power" associated with Zen. According to Hiroyuki, the practice of Zen involved time and activity to perform self-development that was simply not available to anyone beyond Japan's privileged classes. Pure Land Buddhism appealed to the commoners because it did not require developing the "Self Power" of Zen. Instead they merely had to believe in and acknowledge the "Other Power" of the Amida Buddha's commitment to save them. More to the point, the Amida Buddha already had saved people; they simply needed to wake up to this fact.

If Hiroyuki's writing only focused exclusively on the suffering and despair of his personal history then readers could justifiably find his negativity appalling. But Hiroyuki contrasts these experiences with the surprising kindness of strangers and other positive experiences that he eventually came to attribute to the "Other Power".

Ultimately, "Self Power" and "Other Power" are parts of the same thing. "Other Power" is faith, and it is also a required foundation for "Self Power". Hiroyuki convincingly argues that you cannot practice any form of self-development without a faith to precede it. Hiroyuki draws a parallel between the two schools of Zen Buddhism and the differences between Catholicism, which stresses salvation though one's works and Protestantism, which bases salvation upon faith alone. Hiroyuki concludes that the relationship between faith and action are universal to practically all of the world's religions and cites a recent accord between the Vatican and Lutheran council that acknowledges the primacy of belief in Christ and the importance of supplemental good works in His name.

So why do we need negative thinking to have a positive life? Hiroyuki argues that if we are driven by optimism alone then we are fooling our selves and are only going to suffer in the long run. When we acknowledge the normalcy of suffering, we are better able to cope with it. We are also more likely to appreciate and less likely to be fooled by the cycles of our own happiness. For me the most interesting part of this Hiroyuki's thinking is that fact that it is an equal blend of faith in human salvation and deep existential courage. Hiroyuki also gets right to the spiritual heart of religion rather than its alienating social and political elements.

This is a cheap book with lots and lots of sample exam questions, but many, way too many errors -- dozens! Wrong answers. Answers that contradict the text on its own pages earlier in the book, and repeated questions on the same topic (at least once with two different answers!) And explanatory text on the various exam topics is nearly non-existent at times and very erratic in its depth of coverage.

This book is a good starting point for the newly revised Windows 95 (70-064) exam. I just took it and scored 857 (minimum passing score is 632). The book goes into detail on topics that are heavily covered on the exam (networking with NT and NetWare, printing, system policies), and this makes it a great place to start studying. However, the 95 exam is full of nitpicky questions that are NOT covered in this book; you need additional sources to be completely prepared. In addition to buying this book, I'd recommend downloading the Win95 Resource Kit from Microsoft's Web site and spending some time going through it, especially troubleshooting. Also search the web for "70-064" to turn up helpful links. This is one of the hardest exams in the MCSE sequence, but if you use these sources you should be in good shape.

.... to pass the Win95 exam. This book is like all others in this series: Each test objective is examined in a seperate section while numerous fairly difficult questions test your knowledge. In addition, there are hands on exercises to reinforce the material. There are no pretty pictures here but this obviously helps keep the price at a very reasonable $25.00. The other recommended references would be the win95 resource kit and your hands on experience. A highly recommended book.

The context in which this book must be read is given in the first chapter. The author says, and I paraphrase, "This book doesn't ask the question, 'Did Joseph Smith write the Book of Mormon?' This book assumes that he did, and addresses the question, 'How did Joseph Smith write the Book of Mormon?'"
In short, don't look for a fair approach to the first question. That's not what this book is about.

Anderson has a great handle on Mormon history. The insights that he offers into how certain traumatic events in Joseph Smith's childhood could have affected his personality are often enlightening, and always interesting. i.e. The trauma associated with the near amputation of Smiths leg, and the public humiliation of being on trial for being a glass looker. Anderson does a nice job of helping us reflect on Smith's humanity. He helps us see that these events are indeed difficult for a person to go through, and that they can shape how one views the world.

That said, I thought this book also had some fundamental problems. For example, at times Anderson uses the Book of Mormon text to help determine the order or details of certain historical events in Joseph's life. Other times he seems to claim to know exactly what motivated Smith on certain occasions, because of what is written in a part of the Book of Mormon. This seemed too speculative to me. Some of this speculation is interesting theory, other portions seem specious.

Nevertheless, an interesting read. A intriguing theoretical approach.

I wish I could give it four and a half stars. Dr. Anderson takes a fine point to the early life of Joseph Smith. With impeccable care and documentation, he leads us through the childhood of a man who would exhibit a type of genius rarely seen in charismatic leaders. Anderson wisely limits himself to the effects of Joseph's experiences in the composition and contents of the Book of Mormon. By the time the "semi-retired psychiatrist" gets to the end of the book, he barely needs to justify or explain his diagnosis since he's already done so from a variety of angles previously. My only criticism is that occasionally Dr. Anderson extends his theories and suppositions quite far, but he usually does so with qualifications.

Not for the initiate into the arcane world of LDS theology and history. Try "Mormon America" first. But for a guy like me who spent 40 years (two as a missionary) in "the Church," it's a haunting trip into the mind of a very famous, unique American religious leader.

The value of the insights in this book cannot be overstated. The author makes an extremely convincing case that Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon himself, and in the process inadvertently let items from his [Smith's] own life color the narrative, providing a sort of "free association" setting during the dictation. Although the author uses these "colorings" to form a psychoanalytical profile for the Mormon prophet, the listing of parallels alone are well worth the price of the book.

The author's intent is to provide a tentative diagnosis, and he fully explains the inherent weaknesses in such an approach. Although there may be alternative diagnoses for Smith, the evidences themselves outlined by the author that Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon are *not* so weak and will be much more difficult for the apologists to refute.

Much material about Mormonism, pro- and con-, has been hashed and rehashed. This book does not contain any of that. This book offers a refreshing and unique dimension to the pro- vs. con- dialogue. Often I caught myself saying, "Why didn't I think of that?"

I heartily recommend this book.

I was very surprised when I ordered this book and found out that yes, indeed, it was merely a very tiny portion of what I had expected. I suppose I should have known from the price, but the description (at least at that time) did not make it clear that it wasn't the entire dictionary.

While this may be a very thorough source for the words it covers, it should be noted in the basic information that this is ONLY 128 pages of a 15,000 page work. The description above is very misleading.

itz a dictionary. what more can i say

The sole virtue of this volume lies in its attractive illustrations. It is stuffed to overflowing with errors concerning well-known facts of science, technology, and European scientific and technological history. I do not know enough about Chinese history to assess its reliability in those respects, but based on his performance in other respects, I would not trust anything this author has to say on any subject whatever, absent independent verification.

Printing, Compasses, and Gunpowder were the key inventions that enabled the renaissance. The Chinese invented these and much more. This book is a distillation of Professor Joseph Needham's massive 13 volume "Science and Civilisation in China." It is a fascinating science history.