This book is an excellent introduction to political science. Moreover, I would rank it as probably the best-edited book ever.

Whether you are a social activist or a person interested in hisory and current events this short book is an important read. It's a little known fact that the federal government, when it is not funding terrorists like Osama bin Laden, uses millions of tax payer dollars each year to surveil, harass, and disrupt legitimate First Ammendment activities of groups it disapproves of here in the United States. Glick documents these activities (often referred to as COINTELPRO for the FBI program of the same name) and gives human rights, peace, civil rights and environmental groups (the most frequent targets) an undertanding of how these anti-democratic operations work and how to indentify and counteract them. As one of the founding fathers said: "The price of Liberty is eternal vigilance" and this is an important work in that grand tradition.

"Desolation Island" is probably my least favorite Aubrey/Maturin novel. I should add that it contains the single most exciting description of a sea battle that I have ever read! This alone makes it well worth reading. The description of the "horrible old Leopard" racing thru towering seas desperately trying to stay ahead of "the bloody minded" Waakzamheid is guaranteed to make your pulse beat faster & your head shake in wonderment as you visualise it. The towering seas these men faced in their wooden vessels are awesome to contemplate, & Patrick O'Brian's descriptive powers will make the scenes vivid to your minds' eye.

Jack Aubrey & Stephen Maturin have become so real to me in the course of this series that I have a difficult time reading about bad things happening to them. It may sound silly, but since most of "Desolation Island" is a series of misfortunes & tragedies, it was hard going for me. Unlike other installments of this 20 book series, the plot of "Desolation Island" is pretty much self-contained; it has very few repercussions in the later books in the series. Of course, any reader embarking upon Patrick O'Brian's world will eventually want to read all his tales, but this one would be safe to read out of sequence.

Desolation Island is one of the richest, and at the same time most easily approached, titles in the Aubrey Maturin series. I'm an avid Patrick O'Brian reader, one who's been through the series more than once, and I'm running through this one again right now at spare moments.

Maybe it's heretical to suggest not starting with the first book, but Desolation Island, H.M.S. Surprise, and The Far Side of the World are the ones I recommend to people when I'm trying to get them hooked. Master and Commander is excellent, but it seems to me like O'Brian was writing for a genre audience to start with. (The historical setting is truly wonderful and the characters are a delight, but he was writing for readers who were already interested, say, in the detailed workings of the royal shipyards.) By the time he got to Surprise he had hit his stride, at least for me. The books had stopped being "Another variation on sea life during the Napoleonic age" for him, and the world he was writing just feels complete and right.

Also, those three books all feature long, solo voyages. It's a simple point, but that plotline is easier for a beginning fan to understand and follow. In some ways it gets at the heart of O'Brian's writing best, too. The ship's community as a close, isolated society, the complex nature of Jack's choices as captain, Stephen's isolation with his secret life, the consolation they take in their friendship -- those elements all shine during the long voyages throughout the series.

Desolation Island, as a starting point, also includes one of the most exciting, tense chases in the series. It has a full set of complex minor characters whose fates you really do care about, and it's one of those O'Brian plots that gives you a double-take or two if you don't know where it's going. Highly recommended.

Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series is a special genre unto itself. I can only compare it to Jane Austen with sea legs and a jolt of testosterone! O'Brian offers a unique and realistic insight on human nature.

In this book, Maturin's fruitless pursuit of love has brought his spirit to new lows. His friends fear for him; even he, as a physician, fears for himself. But his secret agent role brings a new lease on life. He is assigned to get the details of the newly fledged American intelligence service from a convicted American agent - who just happens to be a beautiful woman, strongly resembling Diana, the object of Maturin's hopeless love.

In the course of this voyage, Captain Aubrey comes to a sudden realization of the true horrors of war, and Dr. Maturin finds the generosity of spirit to enjoy and mentor vicarious love. With a long and suspenseful chase on the water, a witch on board, and a "Jonah" to boot, this is one of the best yet.

I cannot even begin to describe how fantastic this book is. I've been working in gourmet restaurants for about three years now and have checked out many books on wine to try and understand every nook and cranny of wines; most of the time I still felt a little confused. The way the book is organised helps you to easily understand every aspect of wine including the varietals (grapes), laws of appellations for each country and so much more. It's so easy and detailed to understand (studying is still required, trust me) and also uses graphs, maps and tables to make the information even more clear. Yes, the book can be considered a bit pricey, but if you are a student, in the industry or want to know more about your hobby, I can't think of a single reason why this wouldn't be a worthwhile investment. There are cheaper books out there, but the information they provide is no where near the quality you can get with this book; believe me, I've got a mini-wine library where most of the books will now be collecting dust because all the information I need is in this book.

Also recommended: The Oxford Companion to Wine (detailed definitions to wines, regions, etc...); Wine Lover's Companion (nice pocket guide for quick definitions to wine)

I cannot even begin to describe how fantastic this book is. I've been working in gourmet restaurants for about three years now and have checked out many books on wine to try and understand every nook and cranny of wines; most of the time I still felt a little confused. The way the book is organised helps you to easily understand every aspect of wine including the varietals (grapes), laws of appellations for each country and so much more. It's so easy and detailed to understand (studying is still required, trust me) and also uses graphs, maps and tables to make the information even more clear. Yes, the book can be considered a bit pricey, but if you are a student, in the industry or want to know more about your hobby, I can't think of a single reason why this wouldn't be a worthwhile investment. There are cheaper books out there, but the information they provide is no where near the quality you can get with this book; believe me, I've got a mini-wine library where most of the books will now be collecting dust because all the information I need is in this book.

Also recommended: The Oxford Companion to Wine (detailed definitions to wines, regions, etc...); Wine Lover's Companion (nice pocket guide for quick definitions to wine)

This is a fabulous book that belongs in the libary of anyone even remotely serious about this broad and beautiful subject. The authors have surveyed the wines of the world, and include accurate information, maps, and engaging "insider" viewpoints. The chapters on wine and food, wine and health, and wine in restaurants are particularly helpful. A fabulous reference now used in the wine programs of dozens of colleges and professional wine societies, Exploring Wine is accessible to all with an interest in enjoying wine. Well done!

Before I say how much I like this book, I'll confess I have not read it cover-to-cover, as I have the 3rd Edition and it is over 1800 pages. But it is a refreshing change from other texts on the same subject written by folks who think MS products are infallible.

Why did I get this book? I'm not an IT person, but I write a lot of code... mainly for PHP/MySQL-based web sites that usually run Unix-based systems using Apache servers. When offered the challenge of designing a huge web-based application for my employer's intranet, I accepted, but only later found out I had to run my scripts on a Windows 2000 Server. And to make it worse, I would not be allowed to administer the server... only our IT department staff was allowed admin rights to it. And if that wasn't bad enough, no one on our IT staff knew how to run Win 2K Server. Yet they expected me to have all the answers for them. This book has given me the answers.

Now, don't get this book if you are looking for guidance on running PHP/MySQL on Win 2K... no no no. There's plenty of information on the net for that. What I'm talking about is the stuff like Active Directory, or DSN, or SMTP... things that I needed to know to get all our users up and running with the correct permissions to specific directories, databases, email, etc. Its a good introduction to the topics to familiarize yourself with the terminology. If you need advanced coverage on a topic, you may need to get other resources. But this has been a great starting point for me.

One point I want to re-emphasise... before I bought this book, I bought another book on MS IIS 5.0 which just about made me sick to my stomach. The other author was some kind of pro-MS zealot and laced the book with lots of sugary-sweet praise for MS. But not Minasi. I was impressed with his balanced perspective and his mix of both compliments and criticisms.

Anyway, I recommend this to people who know little to nothing about Windows 2000 Server.

I did a review of Mark's book on 02/11/01 for the second edition which I really enjoyed and I am not going to repeat most of what I covered there. The third edition is a nice improvement - particularly in the area of Active Directory and the all important DNS. I recently achieved my MCSE certification for Windows 2000, and after reading over a dozen Windows 2000 books I will say that in my opinion Mastering Windows 2000 Server 3RD Edition is the best single volume Windows 2000 book available. If you are considering studying for the W2K MCSE I highly recommend that you read this "real world" book FIRST all the way through instead of trying to concentrate on areas pertinent to each exam individually. A good understanding of Tcp/Ip, DNS, and Active Directory (including group policies and delegation), that this book will give you, is crucial for your success. The chapters on IIS and Terminal Services were much better than anything I read in any of my "core four" books. Mark's writing style of course is very enjoyable and his tips are much appreciated. Now being a little critical, I would have liked to have seen info on configuring remote access policies, certificate services, and ipsec - maybe next edition. Still a must own book for serious Windows 2000 Server users.

This is the book that made me wonder how come all those other technical books make learning Windows 2000 such a difficult and confusing task. I was lucky though since this was my first book on Windows 2000 and I got it at a time when I really needed to get to grips with it fast.

With absolutely no experience in Windows NT 4, networking or administration, I had to learn Windows 2000 Server and the theory at the same time, including DNS, WINS, DHCP, TCP/IP, Active Directory, scalability and security. I literally read the whole thing over a weekend and went ahead the following week to single handedly set up a Windows 2000 based LAN for a small company, and was able to easily cope with all their demands. The network was soon up and running with the Active Directory, DNS, WINS, DHCP and TCP/IP in perfect working order. It is no exaggeration to say I owe the project's success to this book alone.

Mark and his team's writing style make reading it a pleasure. Depth of content gives you a deep feeling of satisfaction that you've covered the subject thoroughly and gained a very clear picture. This is the book by which I judge the quality of other books on Windows 2000 topics, and I have yet to find one that contained something this book didn't tell you and nowhere near as clearly or comprehensively. I have not yet needed to look at another book on Windows 2000 Server, and nor do I think I will.

The book starts out with an introduction to Active Directory, installation (local and remote), the MMC, the Registry, Hardware installation and Storage Management, followed by Managing User and Computer Accounts, File Sharing, Software Installation, Network Printing, Connecting PC Clients and Macintoshes, Terminal Services, How Running a Big Windows 2000 network is different, Novell Netware Integration, a massive 250 pages on TCP/IP in Windows 2000, Internet Information Services, Tuning and Monitoring, Backup and Disaster Recovery, the Remote Access Service and ends with a handy appendix explaining over 30 of the most useful Performance Objects that can be used in the Performance Monitor.

Mark Minasi has deep insider's knowledge of the product and you can sense his enthusiasm as he shares his knowledge with you, leaving nothing out and all with a light touch of humour and very well organised. This is the best book on Windows 2000 Server and I would especially recommmend it to those just starting out, although I'm sure it's every serious administrator's essential Windows 2000 companion too.

The fourteenth of Patrick O'Brian's brilliant twenty-volume nautical series finds Captain Aubrey and Stephen Maturin in the south seas. After we get off the deserted island where O'Brian left us shipwrecked in "The Thirteen Gun Salute", we get a new ship, fight the French, find the Suprise, and finally end up visiting the penal colony that is today Australia. O'Brian, of course, has done his homework. The brutality, violence, corruption, and degradation of Australia make for some harrowing reading. Maturin occupies himself with his nature studies, surrounded by wholly new species, including the platypus that provides us with another cliffhanger ending. Because while "Nutmeg" is a sequel to the previous volume, it is also left unfinished. O'Brian's dry wit, intelligent prose, and nautical research are as powerful as ever. On to the next one.

This fourteenth novel in the Aubrey-Maturin series begins where the last one left off, with Jack, Stephen, and 157 crew members cast away on a not-quite-desert island in the South China Sea, attempting to build a schooner from the remains of the wrecked DIANE. After time out for a game of sand-lot cricket (these are Brits, after all), they find themselves holding off a concerted attack by predatory Malays. O'Brian certainly knows how to start his story off with a bang! With a little fortuitous assistance, they make their way back to Batavia, and Gov. Raffles supplies them with a recently raised Dutch ship -- which Jack renames NUTMEG. They set off to rendezvous with the SURPRISE, with adventures and single-ship action along the way, and eventually make it to the penal colony at Botany Bay. O'Brian has some pointed and highly critical observations to make on the British governance of early Australia, and he also maintains his high standards of character development, wit in describing the relationship between the captain and the doctor -- their personalities are extremely differenent in many ways -- and beautifully painted pictures of life and weather at sea. This is one of the best so far of the latter part of the series.

Let's face it, all of Patrick O'Brian's novels in this series are wonderful. The Nutmeg of Consolation is no exception. If you have gotten this far in the series, there is absolutely no reason to stop now. This one takes place primarily in the South Pacific and Australia, and therefore does not have much in the domestic life of Aubrey and Maturin. The novel opens when they are stranded on an island in the South Pacific. Adventures naturally ensue, and ultimately, they find themselves in Australia, clashing to a certain extent with the locals. All in all, a completely enjoyable novel, filled with the humor, the action, the human drama that we come to expect in the Aubrey-Maturin series. Enjoy.

"The Wine Dark Sea" is a slightly misleading title for this exciting continuation of the Aubrey/Maturin books. Much of it takes place on land, in Peru and the Andes to be exact, and those parts are wonderfully written as well as exciting. The nautical sections of this novel, while also thrilling, are really a continuation of the previous book "The Truelove" to such an extent that they could almost function as one novel! Characters are aboard whose motivations and actions will be mysteries to those who haven't read the previous installment in this series.

To those familiar with Patrick O'Brian's previous stories, "The Wine Dark Sea" will not disappoint! Just don't start here if you're not...

The Wine-Dark Sea by Patrick O'Brian

There are few prose stylists writing today who can compare with Patrick O'Brian for the smooth, evocative and fluid stories which come from his pen. This book, a particularly fine example of O'Brian's craft, is part of his Aubrey/Maturin series of sea-faring novels. Sailor Jack Aubrey, while a typically crusty man of the blue briny, is also a well-read and witty contrast and companion to Doctor Stephen Maturin, an erudite physician with a huge love of the sea. Together, the two have had many adventures, but in The Wine-Dark Sea, they face some of their greatest challenges ever with remarkable spirit and aplomb. The story here is great entertainment with lots of page-turning action, but the lush writing is simply seductive and so easy to become lost and quite "at sea" within. While these are often consider "men's books," I strongly suspect that many women would be attracted to the strong plots, grand characterization, and fine writing; there is never the least hint of the crude or the coarse in these highly literate, but so readable novels. I have often suggested the works of Patrick O'Brian to writing students as a model for crisp, fresh, lively prose and most highly recommend this series to anyone who loves a great read.

I once had a creative writing instructor who insisted all ofhis students read one of O'Brian's novels to learn what truly superiorwriting was all about. I chose The Wine-Dark Sea and am I glad I did. O'Brian is truly a master! The Wine-Dark Sea opens with Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin in pursuit of an American privateer sailing the South Sea. The British, already engaged in the Napoleonic Wars, have made the mistake of also blundering into war with a young upstart, the United States. Maturin, in the Wine-Dark Sea, desires to relieve the pressure on the British government by inciting the revolutionaries of South America, more specifically, Peru. O'Brian, a master storyteller, also has a sharp eye for detail. His descriptions of the landscape, the sea, life on board the midgit man-of-war and even the Andes are no doubt the best in all of literature. The spine-tingling barbarity and bloody battle scenes are so real, they'll make you glad you're only reading a book (although the writing is so good you may forget that at times)! I really can't praise O'Brian highly enough. He is both artist and perfect craftsman and beside him, most authors rapidly pale. If you love the sea, if you love adventure, if you just love a good book, you absolutely can't go wrong with The Wine-Dark Sea or any of O'Brian's other novels. All of them are just perfect. END

Want to learn to build your own amazon.com? It's in this book. You'll have to be proficient with ansi-SQL and/or ADO 2.0 in order to really take advantage of the information presented here. But overall it's a well presented book on ASP. If you plan to buy this and want to build true interactive sites with full database integration, pick up ADO 2.0 Programmer's Reference and Instant SQL Programming also from WROX Press, then you'll have a strong book base to build powerful web sites such as amazon.com. The only drawback is its concentration on VBScript rather than ECMAscript (aka JavaScript). Try and stay away from the VBScript presented in this book and use ECMAScript for the examples instead. The reason is because Microsoft and Netscape are finally agreeing on ECMAScript standards that will be much easier to translate into Client-side Cross-browser code if you use it for Server-side code now. As ECMAscript matures it will present a much more flexible environment to work in than VBScript will (much the same way that C compared to Visual Basic does now). I don't have a book recommendation for ECMAscript, I haven't found a good reference yet, the info on the web has been my resource. But if you're desparate for a reference, WROX Press also has a handbook called Instant JavaScript that isn't too bad, but has lots of room more improvement. Happy Building! Ciao -C

I purchased this book with one goal: to incorporate a database into a web site. With this book, the example code available on the WROX web site, and the Microsoft Developers web site, I was able to exceed my own expectations.

I approached this task with solid HTML and Javascript skills but no background in ASP or VBscript and no other programmer to consult with. The answers are all there in concise, yet detailed explainations. If you would like to see what I was able to achieve, visit AccessDB.net.

There is no fluff in this book. I would not recommend this book to a novice or casual web site developer. It is packed with detail that will quickly swamp you in technology that you have no intention of using. However, if you are serious about implementing ASP, Microsoft database technology and more, on an NT4.0 server, this is an excellent book that will remain useful for a long time.

If you have read the first edition of this book, this second edition may look familiar. However, the book has more pages - about 1000 (edition 1 had about 600). There are several additions, especially topics on MTS and Message Queue, which are very good in themselves. "A case study in compatibility" is excellent guide for all, to develop for a varied set of browsers. A whole chapter is dedicated to transactions, a prelude to the chapters on E-Commerce case study and MTS.

The best part is an extended reference at the end of the book, and this time JScript is also covered.

I have a few comments about this book
1. The book should have been thinner, with some chapters on CD-ROM
2. You must be at intermediate level to use this book, else you could get lost easily. Beginners, don't yet touch this unless you know VBScript

In short, without a doubt, the best book ever written on ASP.

A nice collection of artists, with some great examples of what they can do. But....
Paper stock is poor and some prints are a bit blurry.

This is a great artbook, featuring many famous furry artists. I love the art, and look at it regularly. If you're a fan of Michele Light, I recommend it.

This book started my physical collection of furry publishings, and still remains the best singal pice I have. Not only is it perfectaly published, but contains excellent examples of anthropomorphic artwork. Its my personal bible.

The book is wonderful but stops in the middle of no where. The last update recieved was Summer of 1999. Alot has happened since then & the new pages would be wonderful. One of the reasons for paying the price for the book was it would never go out of date. Especially seeing the material provided was clear, concise & covered all a collector could want! Please,Please go back to printing & selling the updates! Great Book (as far as it goes)

I ordered this book and just loved it! It has a separate page for each beanie baby and I will never have to buy another beanie book again because I can get the updates directly from their website. Well worth the money! Thanks Peg for creating such a wonderful lasting book! One that I can keep and grow with my collection!

I love my book but updates have stopped. I wish updates could be started again. I would recommend that the available books be purchased. The last update was Summer of 1999.I am having trouble finding updates. If any one knows how to get up dates, please e-mail me.