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Book reviews for "Scott,_David" sorted by average review score:

How Wall Street Works: The Basics and Beyond (The Investor's Quick Reference)
Published in Paperback by Probus Pub Co (1992)
Author: David Logan Scott
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License to Steal
License to Steal is an excellent book. I found it very easy to read. The book offers a persoanl account of a wall street broker that works in various large and small houses. The author takes you through an account of the "innner-workings" of the Manhattan stock boker's world. The author seems compelled to give the audience an account of the lawless nature of some of the biggest brokers.

Excellent for new investors
This book is good at explaining investments in a way I can understand. Best suited for new investors who need basic help.

An excellent book for new investors
This is an easy-to-understand book about investing. I don't think experienced investors would learn a lot, but people such as myself who are relatively new to the game will find it very valuable.


Paradise Creek: A True Story of Adventure in the Canadian Wilderness
Published in Paperback by ICS Books (1900)
Author: David Scott
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Simple, refreshing and sincere
Although I found the book simple and intellectually unchallenging, its sincerity, freshness and admiration for the wilderness and being a part of it were emotionally stirring. It reminded me of the importance of being able to step away from comitments to work, banks and acquaintances to experience something larger than all of us. We need this to remind us of the essence of being alive and human.

A great personal adventure story. Wish I couldhave done it.
Most of us dream of adventures when we are young ... but the responsibilities of the world often derail them. David Scott's story is a tale of the dream of adventure fulfilled.

This is a wonderful exciting adventure.
I love outdoor adventure books and this book is a great one. This is a story of living and thriving in the Canadian wilderness. I was fascinated with the authors adventures of building a cabin, hunting moose, and exploring. If you like outdoor books I recommend this as a must read.


Ramsey Campbell's Goatswood and Less Pleasant Places: A Present Day Severn Valley Sourcebook and Campaign for Call of Cthulhu
Published in Paperback by Chaosium (2001)
Authors: Scott David Aniolowski, Gary Sumpter, Richard Watts, J. Todd Kingrea, Clifton Ganyard, Rob Malkovich, Steve Spisak, Mike Mason, David Mitchell, and Lynn Willis
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A Great Buy!
It's good to see Chaosium getting back to topnotch books again. This one along with Unseen Masters, represents a "new wave" of Call of Cthulhu - as good or better than any of the stuff released in years.

You can't really go wrong with this package, it's got background resource material for the Goatswood area and a nice bundle of scenarios that look like fun to run (I can't wait to spring some of them on my group! HEH HEH HEH) I don't want to give away any spoilers but there's an S&M club, and the "GUARD" at the club is such a wicked idea not to mention the dude who runs the place. Good to see Ramsey the man himself giving the introduction, read his Silent Children book if you really want to get chills!

The artwork is decent, and lots of it. Plenty of handouts too, which are really important as far as I am concerned. One thing I could do without though is the side illustrations, they take up too much room that could maybe be used for information. But that's a small jibe compared to the value.

A Great Book!
I'm a longtime Cthulhu keeper but new to Ramsey Campbell (other than the material in the rulebook). The first half of the book is devoted to resource material covering magic, monsters and locations in the fictitious Severn Valley (well the Severn Valley itself isn't fictitious of course). The second half is devoted to a campaign of 7 or 8 scenarios. Everything is well written, well thought out and seems very playable. I'm looking forward to running it!

Campbell At Last!
I've waited a long time for this one, and the wait was worth it! It's chock full of scenarios (forming a campaign which you can ignore if you want), and lots of background material on Ramsey Campbell's Severn Valley. I wish there'd been more maps and maybe more info on some of the locations but all in all, this is a COOL package!


Evidence-Based Medicine: How to Practice and Teach EBM (Book with CD-ROM)
Published in Paperback by Wolfe Pub Ltd (15 February, 2000)
Authors: David L. Sackett, Sharon E. Straus, W. Scott Richardson, William Rosenberg, and R. Brian Haynes
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Fine Primer
This well done book is partly an introduction to teaching/practicing Evidence Based Medicine (EBM)and partly an act of evangelism. The authors are concerned not only with describing the basic methods of EBM but also with convincing readers that this is the appropriate way to practice and teach clinical medicine. EBM and its precursor movements are based on the correct realization that physicians tend not to be very critical about clinical practice, much of which is learned by emulation. This book builds on an existing movement and the presence of widely available online resources to tap into appropriate critical evaluations of clinical practice. In doing so, the authors attempt to educate physicians about how to use these resources, relatively simple statistical tools that can be incorporated into application of good clinical literature to practice, and how to teach these methods. Because the authors are academics who wish to influence medical education, there is a good deal of emphasis on educational methods. While this may be an apparent short coming for readers who are not academics, it is actually worthwhile for all physicians because self-education is a constant part of our job. This book is very well done with some nice features. It is small and has a durable plastic cover, designed to carried in pockets or in a medical bag, there is a small CD with good examples, and a set of plasticized flash cards on major key points. Drawbacks are relatively minor. More information on how to analyze clinical trials and studies would be useful but in a concise book, something has to give way. Used carefully, the information in this book may change your practice and teaching methods.

Smashing!
Short and concise, this book really excels at demystifying EBM and making it easier (and more importantly, fun!). The use of flash cards for summarising points is great, and it's clear that the authors are enjoying themselves teaching EBM. This honestly is the first medical book that I'd classify as 'un-putdownable'!

This book will change how you practice medicine.
Evidence based medicine. Those three words cause more frustration and despair than almost any others in medicine today.

This book demystifies all of that. No exaggeration... this is simply one of the best resources ever in learing the practice of EBM. Chapter by chapter, each aspect of EMB is explained... from diagnosis to treatment to prognosis and more.

The math is clearly explained with examples, as are the principles behind them.

After reading this book, I felt that not only could I understand EBM, I could explain it to others.

A must read!


Men of Honor
Published in Paperback by Onyx Books (1900)
Authors: David Robbins, Carl Brashear, and Scott Marshall Smith
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Schoolteachers beware
Although the book's idea of overcoming racism and disability was fabulous and inspirational, it is surprisingly deceptive and I'm very sorry I bought it for my 8th grade class. David Robbins wrote the book in very simple English, implying a readability in the sixth or seventh grade range. However, once you are a few pages into the book, Mr. Robbins litters his writing with completely unnecessary profanities and vulgarities. The words are in complete opposition to the style he uses. I was extremely disappointed in the book, as were my students, once we blipped over his words. It's no surprise Hollywood rated the movie as an R with such language in the movie, but to write such a simply worded book and then just toss in foul language just to do so is ridiculous. The book had the potential to make a tremendous statement to my students, but all they remember is the unnecessary foul language. I do not recommend this book for school aged kids and I also do not recommend it for adults as the reading is far to mundane. A wonderful message, ruined by a careless writer.

A True Man Of Honor
This is a very good book. This book is based on my uncle. This book is about how he went to the Navy. It is also about his struggle to come back and become the first black master chief petty officer. Again this book was very good beside the profanity. There was a lot of bad words in this book.

An amazing novelization, with some fantastic extras!
The author of this book really did a fantastic job in coveying the emotion, courage, and heartfelt struggle of the main character, Carl Brashear, who people should know is a real life person. Brashear is the first African American to achieve the rank of Master Diver, and even more incredibly, he earned the rank after a grueling retraining and retesting AFTER he had lost a leg. So not only did Carl have to overcome a debilitating injury in the face of overwhelming odds, but he had to deal with the racism and bigotry that tried to subvert his efforts throughout his career. Carl's story is simply amazing, and it is retold here in a way that truly leaps off the page. But even more incredibly, this novelization has a special foreword from both Carl Brashear, AND the director of the movie, George Tillman Jr! And if that wasn't enough, there is a whole interview section at the back where one can read Carl's story, in Carl's own words! Kudos to the publisher who included this fascinating excerpt, and to the author for a first-rate job with the novelization.


The Dark Shadows Almanac: 30th Anniversary Tribute
Published in Hardcover by Pomegranate (1995)
Authors: Kathryn Leigh Scott, David Selby, and Jim Pierson
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The fans have taken over!
A book such as this would have been almost inconceivable a decade ago, such is its dedication to its subject matter. Without wishing to use the comparison in a derogatory manner, the "Dark Shadows Almanac" is a book which reads almost like a fanzine as opposed to a standard reference guide. As such, the serious fans will lap it up, even if their less initiated counterparts will be left scratching their heads in confusion.

Composed of a scrapbook-style mix of bite-size pieces of trivia, rare photographs, cast remembrances and obscure information, the result is a warm tribute which, much like the show it is inspired by, makes up for its occasional instances of over-ambition with a charming sense of enthusiasm.

Perhaps the most bizarre aspect of this book is the manner in which it offers a handy way of discovering how great a fan you really are of "Dark Shadows": If you read the text with interest, understanding the feelings of nostalgia and warm remembrance, then you are doubtless part of the fan community already; if you are occasionally left puzzling over elements, then you are well on your way to making the crossover; and if the whole thing leaves you cold, then perhaps the prospect of further initiation is a dish best not served.

In short, this is a book which will be of great appeal to its intended audience, but probably to that demographic only. Speaking as a fan of "Dark Shadows", I think that the book is a fine tribute for readers like myself and, looking at the results, can't help wishing that more viewers of shows were catered for this well.

If you do not have this book yet, get it know!!!
The Dark Shadows Almanac: 30th Anniversarty Tribute is a wonderful book Published and Edited by Dark Shadows star Kathryn Leigh Scott. Many cast and crew members have written chapters in this book. The foreword was written by David Selby. This book has 176 pages of wonderful memories that all Dark Shadows fans need to share.


Multivariate Density Estimation : Theory, Practice, and Visualization
Published in Hardcover by Wiley-Interscience (1992)
Author: David W. Scott
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Excellent treatment of the histogram
This self-contained title represents a thorough treatment of both univariate and multivariate density estimation, with an emphasis on multivariate applications not found in other texts. A valuable, and perhaps unique, feature of this book is its clear discussion of the theory of kernel density estimation in terms of the conventional histogram, the latter being quite intuitive to most students.

The author uses applied mathematics, expected value operations, and asymptotic theory to draw general conclusions about the relative performance between different density estimation techniques. The purpose is to provide estimators that are "optimal" for higher dimensioned problems, since the computational burden grows exponentially with higher dimensions (thus making exploratory data analysis more expensive). With this in mind, the author is justified to show how the thorough treatment of theory relates to practice and visualization.

Ideas are reinforced by many problems at the end of each chapter (I regret that the answers to these problems are not included, or would have otherwise preferred just a few more examples). One nice feature is the author puts boxes around the most important theorems and results, making them easier to identify for reference purposes later. There is an emphasis on the way univariate concepts extend to lower dimensional multivariate problems, so that only a minority of the text might be considered exclusively multivariate in scope. The book contains a valuable list of references and a terse but useful appendix on 3-D computer visualization.

As a result, this text educates on more than density estimation, but does so assuming a fairly sophisticated level of audience education and background beyond the first few chapters. Since most of the terminology and basic concepts are defined early on, yet the most interesting applications and methods are discussed toward the end, this title is not easily skimmed. I have found this book cited often by other texts in this fields.

You are my denstiny.
I picked up this book because I'm interested in theories of free will vs. destiny.
After I got about 3/4 a the way through this book I came to the conclusion I was not gonna find any answers to my quest in this book.
On a side note I did pick up some advise on how to estimate the thickness of an object. For example this here book is about 2 inches thick. The pencil on my desk is about a quarter inch thick. Of course I did not need to spend a hundred bucks to figure that out and of what practical use it is escapes me.
My quest continues but after reading this book I can tell that I am much denser than I originally suspected.


Four Tragedies
Published in Library Binding by Bt Bound (1999)
Authors: William Shakespeare, David M. Bevington, and David Scott Kastan
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This book needs footnotes!
An integral part to any Shakespeare work is the presence of footnotes! This book has a glossary, but it does not do any good because there is not sign in the actual text itself that one can look up specific words in the glossary. While the plays themselves are very enjoyable, do not purchase this edition unless you feel very confident about your ability to read Shakespearean language.

for shakespeare fans
this is a great book for shakespeare fans. it was the first time i read shakespeare outside of class, and it was very interesting. i didn't like the prefaces much, i didn't have the patience to read them. i felt they were very of long, and harder to read and understand than the actual shakespeare. they actual plays-not stories, just to clarify- are wonderful. it would be a great book to read if you are taking a literature class and want to get a head start or if you want to expand your vocabulary. you can even relate the problems of those times to the problems of today. the plays were very fun to read once you got into them; shakespeare is just as great as he is said to be.

excellent edition of great tragedies
this is an excellent 'cheap' edition of the great tragedies. besides being edited by david bevington, considered one of the foremost shakespeare scholars, the bantam edition also includes introductory essays for each play AND the source material that shakespeare used - ie, the actual short stories or plays that the bard drew on to the write his plays. wonderful stuff and a great way to get into shakespeare.


Guide to the National Park Areas - Eastern States (4th Ed)
Published in Paperback by Globe Pequot Pr (1997)
Authors: David Logan Scott and Kay W. Scott
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East of the Mississippi
The National Parks of the Eastern U.S. are lovely and important historic areas, and deserve attention by all travellers to these regions. The Guide to the National Park Areas provides a short overview of each of these areas, including the lesser-known parks in each of the states. For travellers who simply want to know what is available, and what is there, this is a fine resource. However, the book does little more than list the places and tell you a bit about them. Significantly more research would be necessary in order to plan a trip to any of these places or to get much out of a visit.

A helplful guide if you plan to travel east
We found the fifth edition of this guide to be very helpful during a recent East Coast visit. The thing that impressed me most was the inclusion of smaller park areas we would ordinarily skip or miss simply because we didn't know about them. In fact, we found many of the smaller park areas (Fort Caroline in Jacksonville, FL) to be very interesting. We highly recommend this guide if you are thinking about taking in the east. We also found the western edition very helplful during our summer trip.

Resourceful, Remarkable, Recommended¿.
It goes without saying that the national parks east of the Mississippi River are both scenic and chronicled with historical lore. David and Kay Scott, experienced campers and authors of The Guide to the National Park Areas: Eastern States, corroborate those claims, substantially and naturally! Accompanying the detailed maps and essential travel information are concise statements about facilities, camping, and fishing for the eastern national park sites. This revision is even more serviceable than the earlier releases! The book is truly outstanding--illustrating the gift of America to its populace!


New Traditions in Terror
Published in Paperback by Writers Club Press (2001)
Authors: Bill Purcell, Cheryl Petzold, Robynn Clairday, Ken Goldman, Sean Logan, David W. Hill, Gene-Michael Higney, Mike Oakwood, Michael Arruda, and Jason Brannon
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The genre's alive and well
New Traditions In Terror is a new and ambitious horror fiction anthology. Why ambitious? Because the whole of the book is comprised of stories dealing with subject matter already much overdone: we're talking vampires, werewolves, vengeful spirits, ghouls, demons, and evil people here. A risky proposition indeed, as nowadays I dread reading vampire or werewolf stories for knowing that while the characters may change, the basic storyline is one that I've read hundreds of times before. That in itself would be acceptable, if not compounded by the fact that I usually also will have gotten absolutely nothing out of the story by its conclusion: no emotion, no involvement with any of the characters, not even the consolation of knowing that while nothing new may have been brought to the table, at least I'd had the pleasure of reading a gripping, page-turning story.

And so, New Traditions In Terror delivers sixteen stories and one poem, by authors the readers of Horror-Wood may not be familiar with. Seventeen fresh voices accepting the daunting challenge of writing tales containing characters that are increasingly looked down upon in the field as being passé.

For the most part, the authors vindicate themselves extremely well. While admittedly, few stories really do break any new ground (a story concerning a cyber werewolf is a notable exception), as a whole the stories are well-written, and do manage to sweep the reader up and carry them along for a short, but enjoyable ride. Many evoke a well-defined and appropriate atmosphere, almost tangible, as well as creating developed characters that I came to care about, hoping they would come to a good - or deceivingly bad - end. On at least one occasion I compared a story (favorably) to some classics I fondly remember from my decades of reading.

A few stories in this collection deserve mention. "Afraid Of The Water", by Robynn Clairday, does such a good job of evoking concrete images in her tale, that it brought back some very unpleasant memories of my own fear of water as a young child. "Monster", by Peter N. Dudar, is a great example of a tale that can build suspense and keep a reader on edge through merely hinting at the horror, rather than through any blatant or graphic depiction of it. A wonderful example of "less is more." The ending has a wonderful, Lovecraftian/Cthulhu feel to it. Lastly, there is "Kiowa Wells", by R. A. Cox. The highlight of the book, Cox's tale takes an old idea (vengeful Indian spirit), and weaves it into an enthralling classic. Heavily atmospheric, well-developed and written, perfect pacing, ever-increasing chills. I predict a deserved, enduring popularity for this one.

The only aspect of the book that I feel doesn't work is one story, only because it reads more like a "The Shadow"-type detective tale, with a monster casually thrown in at the end because one was needed, than as a horror story. It's a good tale, mind you, but definitely feels out of place with respect to the rest of the collection.

That said, New Traditions In Terror is a fine read, and a welcome addition to a horror fiction library. A collection of well-crafted and entertaining tales, from 17 talented writers from whom I hope we'll be fortunate enough to hear from again. It's encouraging to know that the future of horror fiction is in such capable hands.

Weird Tales for the New Millennium
Bill Purcell has collected many satisfying stories (about creatures thought to be passe or no longer frightening) in this book. Vampires, werewolves and ghosts are nothing new. But the stories in NTIT are not your granddad's WEIRD TALES stories. The authors of these stories get inside the monster and look out at the world. They do mre than go boo. Why do vampires drink blood? Would a werewolf even want to stop killing people?

Personal favorites: "Cargo" by Sean Logan, "Kiowa Wells" by R. A. Cox, "The Last Wolf" by Lester Thees and "Dogs" by Michael Beai.

If you are a fan of the old monsters, buy this book. If you are a fan of current horror, buy this book. If you are a fan of both, I envy you. (Oh, and buy this book.)

Scary, gross, loved it.
Usually when I pick up a themed anthology, I'm disappointed that all the stories seem the same. This book contains a good variety, loosly based around the theme of "traditional" monsters. The differant stories, and the unique writing styles, kept me entertained throughout the book. As I said above, some of the stories scared me, some just grossed me out, but all in all, I thought this was a great collection. My hat's off to the people who put this one together.


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