This book is GREAT for the very beginner, but if you want to make good 3D games, do not buy this book. it barely touches on terrains and collisions. there is only one chapter on 3D games, and it is not thorough. the majority of the book is dedicated to 2D and basic "hello world" style programs. if you want to make 3D games, visit the DarkBASIC forums and skip this book.

Jonathan and Joshua have once again done a fantastic job on a very detailed book. This book will help you out on the basics and details that are needed when working on your programming skills.

Being active in the Darkbasic Community i know alot of people have waited for a book on their(and my) favorite game programming language. this book is an excellent source for people new to the Darkbasic programming Language.

I bought & read this book because of the good reviews; I want to save others from making a similar mistake. Eliminate the component which is nothing more than an introductory lecture on Adam Smith, & what is left is the worst fiction that I have ever had the misfortune to read. The protagonist is an obsolescent Wally Cleaver with a taste for drambouie. He feels the need to drive cross-country & rent a cabin in Yosemite in order to finish the last chapter of a dissertation -- in spite of impending deadlines. He needs to recuperate for several days whenever he has done something really arduous like driving in a car for more than 3 hours, and is jealous when his girlfriend (also exhausted after having made an arduous plane flight) kisses the snout of his barking dog, Rex. Has anyone ever kissed the snout of a barking dog? Has anyone ever felt jealous about it? If you have, then this is the book for you! And to think (I'm being optimistic) that the author only required a sabbatical, 4 years, & the assistance of hundreds -- simply amazing.

All anyone ever hears about Adam Smith concerns his Wealth of Nations, everywhere from Economics class to movies like "A Beautiful Mind." This book is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Adam Smith as a person and about what he really thought. Instead of dry biography, this book brings Adam Smith and his theories about economics and society directly into today's world. The story is funny and the characters are interesting and likeable; the novel makes the economic theories relatively painless. I've heard that a true economist is someone who sees something work in real life and wonders if it would work in theory; I think it's important for people to learn that this icon of economics was more complicated than that, and because of that I highly recommend this book.

I read Saving Adam Smith because the author, Dr. Jonathan Wight, was coming to my school as a visiting author. I did not know anything about Adam Smith or economics before I read it, but I learned about markets, economy and self interest v. greed. I thought the book was easy to read and I was surprised to understand the economic theory in the book. I liked the adventerous plot that kept me intested. I liked the storyline about the drive across country and all the trouble they got into. It was a fun book to read.

« The Oxford History of' » could suggest some grey bearded professors laboriously writing history nobody but them would understand, but far from it, Jonathan Riley-Smith has managed to edit the erudite contributions to this book into a pleasant and interesting format. Some pages, very few actually, are a little heavy going but most chapters are fascinating. They assume a reasonably smart reader ' nobody buys a history of the Crusades if he or she is exclusively into hard rock or soccer ' but for the average person with an interest in history and a probably bad recollection of the Crusades as they were taught to teenagers some decades ago, this a perfect book. It requires no more than a general idea of the who's who at the time and even that is made very clear chapter after chapter. I particularly enjoyed the sections describing the Crusades from the point of view of the people who were at the receiving end. Yet the book is balanced and does not fall into the stereotype of picturing the crusaders as greedy bad guys, turned loose on the local populace by manipulative popes and clerics promising them that past and future sins would be forgiven, although there was quite a bit of that. The chapters on the military orders are great and the final chapter describes the later perception of the Crusades throughout history with plenty of surprises: who knows that Voltaire was scathingly contemptuous of the crusaders? Think of it, though, it fits the great man's view of the world neatly. The illustrations are very good and abundant. Anyone with an interest in the Crusades should read this book.

Heavy historian buffs may rate this book as a 5, because it is packed with all kinds of information one might never imagine about the Crusades. It certainly deserves credit for all the research that had to go into compiling the essays in this book which cover such areas as the music, poetry, art, architecture of the times, as well as the prevailing thought of the times, both Christian and Muslim.

I gave it a 4 because it didn't meet my own personal expectations. I wanted to know more about the Crusades, but delineated in a different way to make it easier to digest, perhaps in more readable chapters explaining succeeding Crusades: their journeys, missions, and results. I did glean useful information and insight, primarily that the Crusades were much more involved than what we generally perceive today as a simple-minded holy war against the infidel Muslims. I was surprised that the Crusades were also against heretics within Europe, and that there were some critics of the time who opposed killing for the sake of God. However, this book was overwhelming in its details about people, places, dates, and yet I am still left wanting to know...what exactly happened?

This is a great general history of the Crusades, edited by one of the most prominent living crusading historians. It covers all the important battles, but is also heavy on social history, the "East meets West" aspect of the Crusades, and it's rather good on the Crusader kingdoms as well. If you crave the details of the Mamluks' machinations or the rise and fall of Shagarrat al-Durr, it might be best to eke out Riley-Smith's history with a book by a historian who knows the Arabic sources. This volume also contains a lot of lovely illustrations, some of which are actually helpful.

You will find that this book encompasses the traditional Crusading period, but doesn't stop there. This is because there is some debate when the Crusades actually ENDED. Are fifteenth-century pogroms against European 'infidels' to be considered Crusades? What about the Albigensian Crusade? There are two scholarly armed camps on this issue: Riley-Smith and his students on the one hand, and, well, nearly everyone else on the other. Just be aware that it's a contentious issue.

For that quasi-mythical animal, the interested layperson, I would also recommend Maalouf's The Crusades through Arab Eyes, and almost anything by Steven Runciman.

This book reads like a video game. Don't waste your time with IT!

I loved it. The art work was fantastic, and Lara isn't a helpless female victim in the movies. She's tough! The second book gets better, so try it, she's a lot better than the video game, in my opinion.

The Tomb Raider series has now been turned into a monthly comic book from Top Cow and this special edition combines the first thee part story that intros the series. You meet Lara Croft, world reknown explorer, her butler and an old ex boyfriend in the form of Chaser Carver who always manages to get to Lara and makes for some great banter between the two.

In this special edition you will learn a bit more about Lara Croft and some info on her mother.

The artwork is simply great and proves that Top Cow has once again managed to give us another strong well written female action hero. Lara is drawn just the way you imagine her to be.

This book has some nice descriptions of the area and gives you a starting point. But it is full of internal contradictions (e.g., 2 day trip in the description but 4 day trip in the summary) and outright errors (e.g., the phone number for White Squall is wrong throughout the book) and the information is getting outdated faster than you would think (e.g., the fellow who welcomed kayakers to tea out on the Mink Islands has moved and some marinas have new names and phone numbers). The black and white photos are disapointing, being colour originals not well reproduced in grey scale. At best, this book is less useful than talking to a local resident or outfitter. More up-to-date (and verified) information can be found on the Internet. If you know nothing about the area, this book will give you a sense of what to expect and ideas on where to go. Just double-check any facts before you go. -- They're writing another guide? Here's hoping they get a better editor this time.

This is wonderfully written by experts. It is a book for amateurs, intermediates, and advanced alike! I am looking forward to Reynolds' next book about the waters around Cape Cod.

If you want to paddle in Georgian Bay, then this book is a good investment. The author provides practical information for numerous routes around the bay, and the required experience level for each. He also includes trip lengths, camp sites, fees, access points, and possible extension routes. This book is sure to enhance your Georgian Bay experience.

Personally, I really didn't like TOMB RAIDER's first story arc. Thankfully, after those 4 issues everything changed for the better. The artwork is still absolutly beautiful, but the plot and characters have greatly improved. Unfortunatly, they don't reach the greatness of the issues that follow this collection.

If you enjoyed the first collction, then you'll love this one. If you didn't like the first one, then give this one a chance (it's much better).

The next collection is even better

Continues where Vol. 1 left off. Dinosaurs and more in this volume!

If you enjoyed the first book, this one won't disappoint!

This book is very informative. It not bias and shares both points of view on many issues. The way the book is organized is appropiate for the books content. The dates are clear and very accurate. I enjoyed reading and using this book for reasearch because the text was interesting to read. I feel this is an easy bok to read in that the catogories are very clear. This book could be enjoyed by people of all ages and levels. Wether this is your first time studying the crusades or your 100th I feel this is a great book.

With the global competition ever more intensified, there has been a plethora of literature on innovation and technology. With no doubt, those interests focus on the competitiveness of the firm or national economy. This edited volume is no exception. But unlike other books, the point of emphasis is somewhat shifted to the left: what is the impact of global competition on the inequality between the North and the South; unemployment or job creation; uneven developed competitiveness among regions, in particular G3; the prospect of small and medium-sized enterprise. The overall thread of this book is much more akin to ones of development economics than those of other materials.
This book is the one of the series: 'Unemployment in Europe' 'Managing the Global Economy' 'Creating Industrial Capacity: Towards Full Employment' 'Employment and Economic Performance' You can guess what would be the tone and interest of papers in this book from the name of other books in the series. Those are particularly concerned with how to restore full employment, particularly in Europe. Writers delve into how to make innovation more benign and less threatening to the job creation. But naturally, job creation is not attainable without flexibility and company dynamics especially on the face of globalization. So this volume focuses on how firms can be made more innovative to introduce new products and services, open up new markets and develop new industries. Most model cases are from the US and Japan. Vis-a-vis globalization, writers intend to draw policy recommendations to sustain prosperity by way of stimulating technological development. But when it comes to real actor to foster the development, the point is far from clear, and that, not that realistic. They seem to have Japanese developmental state in mind. But I'm not that positive to that kind of position as a student of Japanese economy and a Korean.
Besides, each paper is not that bad. Thou those are hard to be said as innovative, well written and giving good vantage point on the subject. But overall quality of the book looks not that brilliant. I can't be sympathetic to the conclusion. To me, their appraisal of East Asia is not that appealing. And their position doesn't go beyond the context of EU area.
If you have interest in the topic of innovation, competitiveness, and development, papers in this book are surely helpful. But if you are not oriented in those field, this book should be not your choice. If you want to be accustomed to the field of innovation, and to know what is the state of art discussion, read 'The Dynamic Firm'. If you want to be oriented to innovation and technology from the view of development, Ruttan's 'Technology, Growth, and Development' should be the pick. It's much more systematic and influential.

This play can be read as anti-semitic. In fact, it's pretty hard to defend it from such charges. Shylock is a pretty rotten character and the fact that he is jewish is difficult to overlook (particularly since the other characters mention it on pretty much EVERY page). However, I think it is important to mention that the "heroes" of this play do not necessarily have to be interpreted as heroes. They are by no means perfect and there are many subtle (and some not-so-subtle) instances within the text in which their biases against ANYONE unlike them is illustrated. If one reads the play this way, then Shylock becomes more of a tragic figure rather than an absolutely heartless villain. I don't know. My feelings about this are mixed. There are a few funny parts of this play and the language is, as always, beautiful. The theme of putting a price on human beings is one which has been explored numerous times since. Overall, it is enjoyable, but perhaps not so much so as some of the other comedies. Do not read this play without having read a few others by Shakespeare first. It is an excellent play, but not his best and not his most enjoyable either.

After reading most of the other reviews here, I am fully aware that most of the reviewers didn't read carefully enough (or watch carefully enough if they saw the play.) Now, I'm not saying its not open for different interpretations, but there is one thing I would really like to get straight.

I read MoV for a Bar Mitzvah project on Anti-Semitism. Naturally, my sympathies went to Shylock. However, even if i were Christian, i still would've favored Shylock. What many people believe is that Shylock is a cold hearted ruthless person and only wanted to get back at Antonio because Antonio was a Christian.

Not true. Shylock specifically says something along the lines off, "Why should I lend money to you? You spit on me, and call me a Jewish dog!" I'm not saying that Shylock was a good guy, but I am saying that he is not the villain.

In fact, the "Merchant of Venice," in this story is actually Shylock, not Antonio, contrary to popular belief. My thoughts on the story was that Shylock requested a pound of Antonio's flesh because he did not trust Antonio. Who would trust someone that spat on him? The fact is, Antonio doesn't pay him back in the end.

Now, there's always something else we have to put into consideration. Would the judge had given the "spill one ounce of Christian blood" verdict at the end if Shylock were not a Jew?

This is the mark of a great play. A play that really gets you thinking. But I encourage you, I beg of you, that when you read it or see it, please do not hold Shylock up to being a cold hearted villain. Hold Antonio up to that image. (joking, of course, Antonio's not a bad guy, he's just not a good guy.)

This is a wonderful play - and unless you have seen it or read it you don't know it at all. That's because everything the popular culture tells us about this play is false (for example; how many of you think this play is about a merchant named Shylock? ;-)

The Merchant of Venice is a lively and happy morality tale. Good triumphs over bad - charity over greed - love over hate.
There is fine comedy. Portia is one of Shakespeare's greatest women (and he ennobled women more than any playwright in history). There are moments of empathy and pain with all the major characters. There is great humanity and earthiness in this play. These things are what elevate Shakespeare over any other playwright in English history.

Plays should be seen - not read. I recommend you see this play (if you can find a theater with the courage and skill to do it). But if it is not playing in your area this season - buy the book and read it.