This was an excellent book. It was very thorough. My only caveat is that if you are just looking for a quick refresher on punctuation, this book is probably overkill. But if you are patient and want to thoroughly revisit the rules of grammar and punctuation, then this book is a good choice.

The author is very knowlegeable and does a terrific job of explaining the rules without any trace of condescension.

Collaboratively written by Michael Strumpf (Professor of English, Moorpark College and founder of "The National Grammar Hot Line" and West Coast editor and writer Auriel Douglas, The Grammar Bible: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Grammar But Didn't Know Who (Whom) To Ask is a thoroughly comprehensive, superbly presented reference and guide to the use of English grammar, designed and written to be accessible and "user friendly" for readers of all educational backgrounds and skill levels. From an in-depth tutorial to parts of speech to deconstructing sentences to rules of punctuation, The Grammar Bible is an exhaustive and authoritative linguistic rule book, written in a lively, appealing, easy-to-read style and is an especially recommended reference for writers.

Recently I've read quite a few books on grammar. While most of the books have been very good, The Grammar Bible is exceptional. More than just an analysis of common grammatical mistakes, this book contains all the grammar that you've either forgotten or that you've never been taught. Now, anyone can learn that serious grammatical terminology because the author's explanations are crystal clear. The author gives a generous number of examples to illustrate each concept he tackles. More importantly, every example is fully dissected and analyzed. The book is well-organized with strategically placed questions and answers to real life grammar issues that make the book fun to read. The meat of the book, starting with a chapter on nouns, builds up in great detail all the way to the structure and diagramming of complex sentences . After Chapter 13, the author delves into vocabulary, punctuation, phonetics, and spelling. Also, at the end of every chapter there are a handful of review questions that help to reinforce the main ideas of the chapter. The answers are provided on the next page.
The Grammar Bible requires some time and effort,(it's close to 600 pages long)but you will be well rewarded. You'll start to appreciate good writing and you'll recognize incorrect speech. Even better, YOU will write and speak better after working with this book. Again, this book goes in-depth, but it is user friendly and fun. If you just want a quick refresher on your grammar, check out Grammar 101 by Claudia Sorsby . But if you want more, you will not be dissappointed with this book.

This is by far the steamiest, juiciest, most erotic medical book I've ever read -- and believe me, I've read a few! Migeon and co-editor Burkholder are without a doubt the hottest hotties writing about internal medical today. This is a must-read!

The Guide to Internal Medicine is well written and organized. Although a layman, I can follow the conversation. I highly recommend this book.

This book serves the student well on the wards, in clinic and studying for exams. Succinct yet detailed information is presented in a readable format that teaches the essentials of Medicine. Three sections--Clerkship skills, Symptoms, and Conditions--provide a helpful resource for learning as we encounter patients with these symptoms and conditions.

Excellent behavior modification resource for pullers of all ages. While the format of the workbook is geared toward children and adolescents, the underlying principles and techniques used in the book will help all pullers. The authors identify 6 main reasons we pull, then lead us through exercises in which the puller identifies their particular triggers related to each of those 6 reasons, and tailors a program that addresses their own unique pulling patterns. For example, what situations or environments do you pull in? Are you aware or unaware when you are pulling? Does a need to fiddle or to have something in your mouth play a part in your pulling? The book helps you identify you patterns and gives concrete suggestions on how to deal with them. The authors are very understanding and compassionate.

I've had Trichotillomani since I was 11 yrs old. I still have it at age 38. Would this book be for me or is there one better suited for my length of time with the problem?

The Hair Pulling Habit And You: How To Solve The Trichotillomania Puzzle is the first self-help book for young people suffering the compulsive habit symptomatic of the condition known professionally as "trichotillomania". Effective strategies to deal with compulsive hair pulling are provided through a an easy and fun text enhanced with engaging illustrations. The Hair Pulling Habit And You is a unique, practical, invaluable, highly recommended instruction book for chronic hair-pullers, parents, and therapists.

You get to know the people(or non-people as it may be) and their lives in a singel page. Even if you have never picked up a book, this one will draw you in. It doesn't make much sense If you think too hard about it, so it's great to read anytime.

This is a book I constantly go back to. It's almost a comfort, I know the characters so well. Very entertaining, funny and to stretch a bit...thoughtfull. You may learn nothing from it, (if you do, let me know) but it may keep you busy for a while.

This is not actually the original novel. It's Douglas Adams reading excerpts from each of the novels in the series recorded live at the Almeida Theatre in London before an invited audience. I'd suggest it for the person that already knows all the books in the series and wants to complete their collection. Since it's just the really good bits, it's particularly suited for those times in the car when you're sitting in traffic, your sense of humor is just about nonexistent and you really, really need a good laugh.

Curran's "In Advance of the Landing..." is a singular book that explores the mythological basis of the UFO phenomenon. Less concerned with the 'proof' of whether or not UFOs exist, Curran sets out to show that the impact of the belief in flying saucers and extraterrestrials (all of them much more clever and wise than mere earthlings) is pervasive and sits entirely within the continuum of Judea-Christianity beliefs.
A revised mythology for a new technological age is beautifully rendered through Curran's photographs and words.

I've read virtually every UFO book that's come out over the past 40+ years, and this remains one of my all-time favorites. I have the original softbound edition, which has become a cult classic and now goes for something like $100. This is more of a sociological document than a UFO book. It perfectly captures the entire spectrum of quirky characters involved in the UFO field, and the photographs are an absolute hoot. I return to this book time and again just for a laugh and to remind myself that there are nuttier people in the UFO field than me. There's nothing condescending about the authors' treatment of their subjects, however. They obviously have a genuine fondness for them -- and you will, too. This is a "must have" for anyone with an interest in UFOs.

In 1983, as my wife Fayaway and I were travelling through Patagonia, I met a man with a penetrating but pleasant gaze, and an inviting grin, in a small village in the middle of the pampas. We shared a table and conversation for an afternoon, discussing a variety of subjects of common interests. I was myself in Argentina on business about which I was rather reticent to speak: my wife and I were travelling to Lago Lacar in the Andes foothills, following reports of a plesiosaur-like creature, which I then believed (and believe still) to be a gigantic species of the long-necked protozoan _Trachelophyllum_ (Kudo, 1966). I was, however, rather shy about admitting to holding such seemingly daft ideas at the time, but the gentleman had such a convincing and genuine air, such a gentle and open manner, that I soon told him my entire plan, and of my hopes of capturing and naming the creature _Trachelophyllum fayawayi,_ after my wife and companion on this and many other journeys. He never laughed at me, never let slip any hint that he considered my dreams to be less than rational, less than realistic.

Thus do I imagine Douglas Curran, the author of _In Advance of the Landing: Folk Concepts of Outer Space_. Judging from the material in this book, he has a way of drawing people out to discuss their dreams and hopes about outer space and extraterrestrials. These stories reveal individuals who hold that humanity's salvation or doom might live in outer space, and that flying saucers are the craft of any number of entities: angels, devils, saviours or invaders. A skeptic might see these folk as possessed by an obsession, but Curran views them as adherents to a variety of new religions, all taking their cosmogonies from the outer dark. Most of these people find hope and salvation in that darkness. Though it is difficult to pick a favorite, I think that the book's representative figure is John Reeves, the gentleman who was taken on a trip in a flying saucer to Venus, and who subsequently erected an obelisk marking the spot where the spacecraft landed. Those readers concerned only with scientific truth might laugh at such a narrative, but Curran's portrait reveals a man full of conviction and dedication to the cause of informing the world about visitors from outer space. The book is full of such unique individuals, all convinced completely of their own particular truths. Curran's journey across Canada and the United States produced a wide variety of charming, fascinating, and unique portraits of adherents to their a new mythology for the Space Age.

Though Mr. Curran would probably deny it, one of the most interesting characters in this work is the author himself. Driven by curiosity and a sense of adventure, he set out on a glorified road trip to discover what people thought about outer space. In doing so, he came to believe that humans need order and hope, and that many of us look to the stars for these normalizing abstractions. It would be interesting to see what sort of book Curran would produce today, now that alien abductions have replaced hopeful messages from space angels as the most common UFO event. Perhaps Curran could not write such a book, since the most important elements in his character seem to be hope and joy, ideas which are rare in the abduction phase of our vision of outer space. There is a real need for voices like Douglas Curran's, and I hope that this book comes back into print soon.

This is a book of poems about insects. The poems are great; their content is funny and rhythmic. Through the poems we learn about the various insects. Some have very creative text formatting such as the inchworm; the text is shaped like a humped-up inchworm. The illustrations are very creative collages that are unique compared to most other children's books.

I began reading this when my first son was 2 years old and he loved the poems then and he loves them now. Neither of my children are otherwise very interested in reading about insects but this book captures their interest and they laugh hysterically at some of these poems. After reading these they have found some of the more unusual insects such as the walking stick outdoors and called it to my attention. We've owned the book for 3 years, every once in a while my now-5 year old will find it and get excitedly proclaim "we haven't read this in a long time" and begs me to read it again (and again and again).

Some of the insects featured are the inchworm, tick, walking stick, praying mantis, monarch butterfly, daddy long legs spider and army ants.

The poems are so much fun I don't mind reading the entire book two or three times in a row. A fun book to read to young children. This is good reading for just plain fun or to introduce poetry or to enhance learning about insects and nature.

We just love reading Insectlopedia! My 6 year old daughter andmy 5 year old son both think it is a great read. Ethan & Alissalike the poem about the Whirligig Beetles the best.

I read this book while sitting in the Dr.'s office this week. It was not only fun to read, but educational as well. At 27 I learned some interesting things about insects! And the illustrations are outstanding, especially for adults who can look further into the artwork.

As a father of a one year old I find my self thinking about the legacy that I would like to leave for her and the lessons that I would like to impart to her. This book provided inspiration and an easy to follow roadmap. After losing a mother to cancer and having a father living with cancer, I am well aware that we have no guarantees in life. I will refer back to this book often in the years to come and will share it with friends.

Inspirational message and invigorating writing style. I will recommend it to all the people I care about.

KRAMP ERIN TIERNEY - Devoted and beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend. With total faith that God causes all things for her ultimate good, Erin joined her savior on October 31, 1998, following nearly five courageous years with breast cancer.

I am truly grateful to Douglas E. Harding for this superb book, which is a collection of articles by Douglas over nearly four decades. Every one of these is a gem. Mr. Harding teaches you how to look inward and how you can come to the realisation that what you are really is an infinite capacity for love. The Advaita concept which is not that easy to grasp has been lucidly demonstarted by this articulate sage. This book is a must for any seeker.

Love and best wishes.

mr harding has for half a century traveled the world sharing his view of our ultimate identity. he has also found time to write some great books. this is one of his best. for that matter it is one of THE best. he simplifies the in-seeing into our truest and deepest identity. with that seeing and realization comes a great clarity of who and what and where we really are. you could sit in zazen for 10 yrs or read this book in 3 hrs. either method has a very good chance of helping you know yourself in a truly new and wonderful and freeing way. most problems will shrink into a manageable size once you realize WHO has the problem. most joys will be increased when you see the wonder of their SOURCE. this book is profoundly spiritual without being dogmatic, sectarian, or emotionally icky. there's no superstition here, just a clear sweet insight into WHO you are and what I AM.

At first glance Harding's "headless" approach looks more like a gimmic than a spiritual exercise. Pretending that one has no head seems like something for children to do. Harding's methods help one break through the subject/object duality of experience. All experience begins with the "I" thought. With Harding's headless method the "I" is no longer idenfied with it's customary location in the head but with what one experiences.

I admit I had a hard time with some of his language as there seems to be a slight communication gap (for me anyway) between British and American english. It wasn't until I actually has a headless experience that I saw the profundity of his work. With so many spiritual texts sounding like the other this is truly a unique work and perspective.

Make Success Measurable! is definitely becoming the Bible at work. Very well written, and Smith's ideas are well-supported. We've received positive feedback from clients, and we've expanded our client base because of this good word-of-mouth. I strongly recommend Make Success Measurable! It's as good as Guerilla PR: Wired, which focuses on techniques to getting solid public relations coverage, especially nowadays.

You can rarely pick up a job description in the public or private sector that does not include a statement seeking "demonstrated experience and success working with the principles of quality management and a commitment to customer service." One of the cornerstones to quality management is the ability to focus on outcomes instead of activities.

Make Success Measurable is filled with practical techniques. Even more, it is a workbook, providing opportunities to apply new concepts to real work. Whether you want to be able to create more focus within your own work unit, be able to demonstrate tangible results to your manager, prioritize your own work by aligning your day to day activities with the most important initiatives, or coach customers who are seeking your expertise in developing performance measures, this book can help.

As a result of reading this book and trying the exercises, you should be able to:

1) Convert new visions, strategies, and directions into achievable outcome-based goals that can better yourself and others in your organization.

2) Set goals that are specific, measurable, aggressive, achievable, relevant, and time bound. (SMART Goals)

3) Set goals that matter to those expecting a return on their funding dollars.

4) Set goals that matter to you personally in terms of opportunities, rewards, and skills.

5) Choose from a variety of management disciplines to achieve your goals.

6) Set goals that matter to customers who want speed, quality, and prompt service.

"I believe you will benefit from this book because the challenge of setting and achieving performance goals has become very confusing". Douglas K. Smith writes, "It has been more than 30 years since Peter Drucker wrote about the importance of managing for results. His work led to the widespread practice of management by objective. But an awful lot has happened in the past 30 years. The world of business and organizations has changed dramatically, turning many of Drucker's specifics (though not his wisdom) upside down. In the aftermath of total quality, customer service, time-based competition, strategic alliances, globalization, reengineering, core competencies, continuous improvement, innovation, teams, horizontal organization, benchmarking, best place to work, information technology, diversity, environmentalism, deregulation and reregulation, eCommerce, and privatization, those of us left standing in today's organizations are unsure about what performance goals and outcomes make the most difference and why. We know that setting performance goals is key to managing ourselves and others, but we no longer know how".

Douglas K. Smith organizes his book in four parts. In the first part (Chapters 1-4), he provides the background, concepts, tools, techniques, and frameworks you need to set specific outcome-based goals that matter to successfully navigate today's most pressing performance challenges. In the second part (Chapters 5-7), he focuses on helping you align and coordinate goals throughout your organization. In the third part (Chapters 8-10), he describes the management disciplines you need to achieve your goals and how to make choices among them. In the fourth part (Chapter 11), he concludes the book with a step-by-step design for building an outcomes management system in your organization.

In this context, in Chapter 10, he reviews the management disciplines you must understand in order to succeed in the face of change, and introduces the critical distinction between decision-diven change and behavior-driven change, and describes how to manage each successfully. Hence, he argues that most change efforts fall far short of their potential. Usually that's because leaders fail to address the deep behavioral changes they are seeking. And thus, he lists the following ten management principles as the heart of any successful change effort:

1. Keep performance results the primary objective of behavior and skill change.

2. Continually increase the number of individuals taking responsibility for their own change.

3. Make sure that each person always knows why his or her performance and change matters to the purpose and results of the whole organization.

4. Put people in a position to learn by doing and provide them with the information and support they need just in time to perform.

5. Embrace improvisation as the best path to both performance and change.

6. Use team performance to drive change whenever demanded.

7. Concentrate organizational designs on the work that people do, not on the decision-making authority they have.

8. Create and focus energy and meaningful language because these are the scarcest resources during periods of change.

9. Stimulate and sustain behavior-driven change by harmonizing initiatives throughout the organization.

10. Practice leadership based on the courage to live the change you wish to bring about.

Finally, he argues that if you expect others to change their behavior, you have to change yours. It's as simple and as hard as that.

I strongly recommend.

Excellent! Douglas Hill's unique voice/presence lends a special feel to this book. I demolished it in one day, and the second book in the series soon after. But the third book: where IS it? I have done extensive searching, hoping to discover an obcure copy hiding somewhere, but no book seems to exist. I cannot even find a website for Pan Books, the publisher of this series. Supposedly the book was released in 1995, but that may have just been a projected date. The quest continues...

i absolutely loved this book, and the one after it. it was exciting, enthralling and riviting. Does anyone know where i can got the third one? I hear that it is called "The Limitless Bridge"

This book gave me alot of enjoyment. As did the second one. I still can't find the third one! Red is a very likeable character as is Auriflamme. You can picture her beauty and Krost's size with relative ease. The setting was fabulous and as it seemed to be based on earth, it was easy to imagine. The words contain hidden power that is very strong if you know how to find it. If I could give it more than five stars I would!!