I'vebeen involved with terriers for 25+ years and have hunted with terriers for the last ten years. Brian Plummer is one of the true "characters" of the terrier world. A Great read!

This book is a favorite of mine. It is one of the best books on hunting ever written. Despite its apocalyptic setting, "Tales of a Rat Hunting Man" contains more wildness and freedom than the vast majority of books and magazines on hunting. That description doesn't do it justice. This is a fun book, one that you won't be able to put down. The descriptions of rats and terriers and rat hunts will take you to a world you never knew existed. Rat hunting is a weird pursuit, and Plummer conveys it with humor, adventure and passion.
The introduction by Steve Bodio is worth the price of the book.
Read this book. You won't be disappointed.

Plummer is the most entertaining sporting writer I have read to date. He is thoughtful and well informed about rats, ferrets, and dogs.He also posesses one of the best and blackest senses of humour. A wonderful book.

This book does NOT offer 'A practical guide to valuation' but a theoretical,oldfashioned discussion of the 'Metrics War'and some empirical research on EVA, Compensation and CFROI-Fade.

My rating has got these origins: Empirical research on Compensation,EVA and CFROI-Fade: A+. Discussion of EVA/CFROI: D-. Terminology: D value for 'Hands-on-valuation': F- Structure: F- Style: F-.

This book does contain interesting empirical research on EVA etc, but it does not offer 'A practical Guide to Implementation' because it does not contain a STAGE-Approach. Its terminology differs from any other book I've read, you must often guess, which formulas the authors used, because they did not have the courtesy to express their formulas. Some formulas are wrong nad their discussion of the 'metrics war' betweenn EVA and CFROI lags 5 years behind reality. They attack old methods of CFROI,which Boston Consulting and Holt Value published 5 (!) years ago. They fail to know, that BCG have refined CVA/CFROI and that BAYER. Lufthansa,and VEBA have implemented these refined CFROI-techniques,which are way better, than the old methods, which the book attacks.

Moreover, this book is terrible to read due to a lack of structure, the absence of clear definitions, the lack of formulas, a wordy style,which exhausts your nerves, and many value judgements....

Kudos to S. David Young and Stephen F. O'Byrne, management consultants who largely steer clear of their industry's usual empty catchphrases and superficial hype. Instead, their lucid explanation of the importance of shareholder value takes center stage. The heftiness of EVA and Value-Based Management may be daunting, but most readers will be satisfied with Part I's strategic overview. The concepts reappear in Part II accompanied by a wealth of technical details, calculations and case studies to help finance professionals with nitty-gritty implementation of EVA (Economic Value Added) programs. The book honestly assesses EVA's power to motivate managers, noting that some companies just are not well-suited for this performance metric. We from getAbstract prescribe this book to corporate executives who have overdosed on consultant jargon but still want to drive value growth in their companies, and to finance specialists who seek a comprehensive roadmap to EVA implementation.

As an author, speaker and consultant on these topics, I highly recommend this book. Not only have the authors discussed the pros and cons of a number of approaches thoughfully and concisely, they also expand the level of understanding related to the calculations in an accessible way. Their book discusses both implementation issues and the nitty gritty of the mechanics. In sum, the book takes the reader to the next level of understanding. I highly recommend this book.

The authors provide us with extensive biographical information on each of the presidents, and a lucid, thorough explanation of how temperament infuenced the actions of each president; in the same political climate, leaders with different personality styles may well have made different decisions. The book is well written, interesting, and extremely relevent in a time when many Americans are questioning the character of their highest officals and preparing for a new presidential election. It gets a "two thumbs up" rating!

Loved the combination of psychology and history. If you find both interesting, you should definitely get this book. And you can contact the publisher to get an update that includes Bill Clinton. Other errors not mentioned by the previous reviewers include that the pictures for W.H. Harrison and J. Buchanan are actually swapped, that it has W.H. Harrison born in 1793 and married in 1775 and that John Quincy Adams's middle name is once spelled "Qunicy". Another curious thing: it appears that the book was written as if the presidents were to be discussed in chronological order, then later changed to group them by types. I think the latter was a better idea, but some references were left which seem to indicate the prior ordering. Then there is the question of the typing of the presidents. Both Lyndon Johnson and Jimmy Carter seem different enough from others in their groups that it's interesting to wonder whether they are really correctly typed. Do we really understand Johnson well enough? After all, he is the man who everyone is suprised to learn once uttered: "Two things are necessary to keep one's wife happy. First, let her think she is having her way. And second, let her have it." Then there is Martin Van Buren, who many on the web consider an Idealist INFJ. Even based on just the evidence presented in this book, it seems like it might be the case. His admiration of Jefferson, the fact that diplomacy was his best talent, his lack of charisma (compare to Jackson) and his tendency to work behind-the-scenes all seem to point this way. In addition, I don't think it's necessary to see Van Buren's efforts to avoid dividing the Union over slavery so cynically. Perhaps because he is married to one, Author Keirsey seems to idealize the Idealists out of proportion. They are 12% of the population, but to read him it seems that every single one has goals as earth-shattering as Gandhi's. Does this tally with your experience? Perhaps it's the lack of information about this president that leads to this misinterpretation. But don't Idealists have the tendency to be very private people? I hope it's not just the case that saying "No Idealist has ever been president." sounds more dramatic and marketable on the book cover.

Profound understanding of what makes Presidents tick. This book answers nagging questions about our current and past Presidents. Most importantly, it provides in-depth understanding of what we voters should be considering when we evaluate the presidential choices before us. For example, how would McCain's personality contrast with Bush's? If our relationship with Russia heats up, would it be better to have McCain, Bush, or Gore in the White House? A must read for any thoughtful voter.

Arnhem 1944: Operation 'Market Garden' (Campaign, No 24) by Stephen Badsey is a better than adequate description of the nuts and bolts of Operation Market Garden. The maps are informative and the prose do give one a better than basic knowledge of the military movements and counter movements. If one is simply looking for a narrative of troop movements then this is an excellent book.

Where the book fails is in the discussion of the multitude of errors that went into the planning and excution of the Operation. It was a campaign that was begun as much as a result of Montgomery's desire to be the one to win the war and not be bested by the Americans and Patton, as by military necessity. Once began, the British ignored the advise of the local resistance, utilized tactics that played into the strength of the Nazi resisters, and were too ambitious. This is not to mention the intelligence failures that convinced the Allies that they would be facing second rate worn out units.

All in all, Market Garden is a case study of what should not be done. Not only did it lead to the needless deaths, but it took vital resources away from the Patton's Third Army where they could have been put to better use and resulted in ending the war sooner.

This book is a fine suppliment to the Movie version of the operation. With the excellent maps, which are included, it clarifies the entire campaign. It should be reviewed in concert with the film. Many details are included which are available to the British author and which tend to explain the action and outcome. It is enjoyab;e reading and quite informative to someone who has not delved deeply into the details of the operation.

Recommended for all who have a perepheral interest in the subject, as well as one who is already quite knowlegeble of it.

This might be "heresy" but the point of history is to learn something; this book does something that all the many other books on Arnhem fail to do; it arrives at the truth. Most other books bitterly complain about how the British 3-D Airborne forces were dropped too far from the bridge, or how if provided better transportation means like light armored fighting vehicles (my view) and folding bikes, or if the 2-D forces had been more vigorous they could have linked up, gotten to the Rhine River bridge and the battle would have been "won". But this book sets the record straight.

When a portion of the British Airborne marched towards Arnhem, they could have taken the ferry but did not (not in their orders)and went past the railroad bridge that was blown up. Had they had better "situational awareness" they could have taken and kept the ferry. But this book goes a step further---so what?

The point of penetrating into Arnhem was to get across the Rhine river and run wild in the German industrial regions and smash war machinery and deprive the enemy with the means to continue fighting. But to do a "Sherman march" like this, these areas had to be undefended. That opportunity simply was not there. The Germans had compressed their lines of supply/communication and were defending in depth. So if we had kept the bridge or the ferry across the Rhine, we would have only been stopped on the other side by the Germans. THAT----is what is not understood by most people especially after seeing the superb but not quite accurate film, "A Bridge too Far" by Cornelius Ryan. Those that label Operation Market-Garden as a "failure" fail themselves to realize that what it sought--a collapse of the enemy from the inside---was not possible against a nation on a desperate total war footing, so such negative labeling is unjustified.

I'm all in favor of Airborne units receiving light AFVs in order to effect off-set DZ insertions, if there was a "time machine" I'd go back and have Hamilcar gliders deliver Bren gun APCs and Locust M22/Tetrarch light tanks that existed at the time. I'd have some of Gavin's 82d Airborne drop directly onto the south of Arnhem bridge to support the British 1st Airborne driving across from the north in the Bren gun carriers/Locust/Tetrarch light tanks. I'd had Patton temporarily in charge of the 2-D dash up to Arnhem bridge. He'd have better, medium-sived tanks and aPCs that could swim themselves across and not need bridges in the first place. But at the end of the day, we'd be stopped on the far side of the bridge or the river bank by the Germans, a 50 mile penetration, definately worth doing, but a STRATEGIC AIM of driving unhindered into Germany to collapse their infrastructure was not possible at that time. This book explains this like no other work, and places it in a must-read category--if you don't read it you simply will not understand the battle and will be subject to the cliches' and labeling. When you understand this, you will remove your disappointment in the leaders at that time for not pursuing further. The truth is XXX Corps could have punched its way through to Arnhem bridge but the Commanders knew that there was no strategic vaccum behind it to exploit that would justify the human costs. A lot of hard fighting stood ahead of the Allies at this point.

Airborne!

Surely, we can't talk and think enough
about the state of mankind!
But these are hazardous waters! Where should we begin
and where do we want to go from there? So, Having
Gould and Eco as guides seems like a clever start!

According to the book, the hebrew language has
no exact present tense?? The infinitely brief, the
very essense of the present, is not to be found - it
can be neither fixed, nor measured. It is therefore
completely justifiable, grammaticale speaking,
to leave out the present?

Yet, obviously, it is from the present we look at the
past and towards the future.
Stephen Jay Gould is always a pleasure to listen to -
and the right one to put time into perspective.
For a palaeontologist, like Gould, 7000 years
(timespand of human culture) is really no more than
the twinkling of an eye. So all we know is really in
the present - which hardly exist!

From this position we look out into concepts like
the eternity - which we obviously really can't grasp.
And into ourselfes were e.g. DNA was discovered as recently
as 1953. Mystery upon mystery.
So, we struggle to discover instances of regularity and
to fit them together with the help of stories. We throw
in a little religion "were religions do not
ask questions, they answer them". Still we are far
removed from any real "understanding".

And that is what these conversations are about.
With Umberto Eco and Stephen Jay Gould - it is
of course an ok read. But only an appetizer.

-Simon

Conversations About the End of Time is a a discussion of questions and answers given by four thinkers. Stephen Jay Gould, Umberto Eco, Jean-Claude Carriere and Jean Delumeau all answer questions and are given a chapter in this book to espouse their respective answers.

Just think of a coffee table discussion, of a one on one discussion and you get to read the answers on questions of import. Each answering these questions with their respective insights and down-to-earth style. Each having their respective life experiences to draw from to unravel perplexing questions.

With fascination you read the thought-provoking answers. The answers will suprise some, others may be right inline with what you'd expect, but nerver boring... challenging, educational, lucid and erudite are more what you'd expect and you are not dissapointed.

This book reads fast and the questions are cogent with the general topic. Each respective thinker answers in a style of their own and the reader does not feel irrelevant. This is an interesting book in that questions asked make the reader think as well.

I found the book to be highly interesting and it has a fascination woven throughout the text captivating the reader.

---------- ----------

I'm talking about that Darwinian theory of Natural Selection you keep telling as if it were true. It is "differential reproductive success". So then that means I need at least 2 different things to call some event NS. So then I ask myself what do these 2 different things have to do with each other? So then I say well either they influence each other's reproduction some way, or they could as well be in different environments. So they must influence each other's reproduction some way. So then I ask, what ways can the one influence the reproduction of the other?

+/- increase reproduction at cost of the other +/+ mutual increase of each other's reproduction -/- mutual decrease of each other's reproduction +/0 and so on -/0 0/0

but what you do, is pretend like there are only +/- relationships. You ignore all other type of relationships with NS. Your natural selection theory is false, for being unsystematic in describing the relationships between living beings. You make teachers into liars by it.

If you are an avid reader of business self-help and motivational books, which I am, you should pick up any of the Mission Possible series. I recommend Volume Three with Stephen Covey, Deepak Chopra and others. This book is not a deep study of one particular business topic. Instead, each author tells their story of success from their own perspective while focusing on their particular business expertise. By the time you're read all twelve authors, you've got a plate full of new insights and inspiration. I like the intervew format. It's a quick, easy read. Great for airports and soccer practices.

If you are looking for that special holiday gift, Mission Possible, Vol 3, is it!! The various authors provide meaningful guidance about life, living, and inspiration. It is a quick read, that you will want to read and reread.

The latest volume of the book, MISSION POSSIBLE, was one of the most uplifting and positive reading. I am currently living with an incurable disease, and the sharing of all the authors in this volume were very inspiring and let me know the Truth of my being, That I am truly whole, perfect and complete already, right where I am in my Path on this planet.
I have also heard two of these renound speakers, in person, and in my opinion, they indeed "walk their talk". I am greatful on this special Thanksgiving.

John Rossetti Deerfield Beach, Florida

After taking an art history class, I found this book to be very handy in many ways, although if preparing for an AP test, it does leave some major works of art out. I found using The Annotated Mona Lisa, and Janson's Art History also helped majorly in preparing for the AP test.

Marilyn Stokstad has put together a real masterpiece of art history with her book, Art History. In collaboration with Bradford Collins, and with contributed chapters from Stephen Addiss, Chu-tsing Li, Marylin Rhie and Christopher Roy, this large volume published by noted art publishers Henry N. Abrams, Inc. is deserving of pride of place on any art bookshelf.

The scope of this work is as broad as is the expanse of human history. Indeed, the first chapter begins with a survey of prehistoric art and prehistory. Spanning all the ancient cultures, there are chapters devoted to the art of the ancient Near East, Egypt, the Aegean, Etruscan and Roman art, Christian, Jewish and Byzantine art, Islamic art, the art of India, China, Japan, the Americas and Africa. And from there, it gets complicated!

This book tackles all the issues of art: philosophical considerations (the relationship between art and reality, and the meaning and importance of beauty in art), focus on artists in general and in particular, society's relationship to art, including the role of the patron, the importance of museums, and an investigation that goes behind the phrase, 'I know what I like.'

'Art history, in contrast to art criticism, combines the formal analysis of works of art--concentrating mainly on the visual elements in the work of art--with the study of the works' broad historical context. Art historians draw on biography to learn about artists' lives, social history to understand the economic and political forces shaping artists, their patrons, and their public, and the history of ideas to gain an understanding of the intellectual currents influencing artists' work.'

In addition to presenting a history of art, Stokstad and her contributors also present an introduction to various aspects of art appreciation, without with art history loses much meaning. Each chapter has an explanation of the techniques that were developed and important during the time under examination (for instance, lost wax casting, glassamking and Egyptian faience, Japanese woodblock technique, and Islamic carpet making, among many others, are illustrated in detail to enhance the knowledge and appreciation of the finished art works). Each chapter and time period also has a section entitled Elements of Architecture, which include discussion on elements from pyramids to skyscrapers and much in between.

The text is clear and concise, carefully explaining technical terms when they are used, and then using them sparingly. Every page is a visual feast, with full colour plates of photographs of paintings, sculpture, artists, locations, or architectural examples in great form, as Henry N. Abrams, Inc. publishers are famous for doing. There are literally thousands of illustrations, as there are often many per page; almost no page is without one, and the book is nearly 1200 pages long.

As an aid for those who will use this book for more scholarly purposes, there is an extensive bibliography in the back, in three classifications of listings -- general surveys and art history references, a selected list of art history journals, and then a chapter-specific directory of further reading for each art topic/period. Additionally, it has after the bibliography as Website Directory of Museums, which includes museums in every state in the United States and most major museums around the world. The index includes listings by artist, period, topic, and particular works of art.

This book has been intended to be useful as a text for a course in art appreciation, but also designed to be a joy to read for the casual reader who might not want an academically rigourous presentation. As Stokstad says in her preface, the intention was make this book itself a work of art, and in that task she has succeeded admirably.

This book is simply wonderful. It is indeed physically ponderous (this 2nd edition is one very, very large book, not two slipcased books as shown in some illustrations). However, its content easily compensates for its considerable bulk. All historical periods of art history are chronicled, with copious illustrations well-produced and nearly all in color. The text is incisive and easy to follow, yet never boring.

I recommend this book to any and all art lovers, whether beginners, advanced students, or just those who desire a comprehensive reference for library or home use. I personally consider this publication a better choice than the otherwise excellent Janson "History of Art" for most readers-- the writing is just more user-friendly, in my opinion (and the content is more inclusive, especially regarding non-Western art).

I bought the book sight unseen based on the glowing reviews here.

I wanted to get specific, detailed insight to which scanners worked well, and how to get great and consistant color out of them.

I got none of that. There was no detailed instruction on how to make and use color profiles with scanners.

They talk "about" scanning quite a lot, but give no hard specifics. Often the advice is that "more expensive scanners work better." That's something that I didn't need the book to tell me.

It does cover a great deal of basics for first-timer users, but little for people who already know how to pump pixels.

Every time I thougt it might get into some of the details I wanted, the chapter ended.

It is written too casually for me. It appears to be written by a few guys who have been around publishing. It reads like a collection of casual "shop talk," more than hard info. The authors occasionally get in over their heads technically and make some mistakes trying to explain things that they admit they don't understand, like how JPEG compression works.

I returned my copy, a great thing about Amazon. I got nothing out of it. One cool trick they suggested for Photoshop didn't even work. (c) 2000 kenrockwell.com

I've learned some thngs from this book, however like one other reviewer stated, just when you thought it was going to get to the good stuff, some stupid flip remark would be made and the chapter or discussiong would end. Very difficult reading. Too much about prepress. Not enough about photoshop, scanning and color management. Reads like childish manerishums. Author's have very immature writing styles.

Frequently, I find that I have to buy books that are overly technical for my purposes in order to get all the info I want. This book suits me, (though it may not suit the needs of a graphics profession). There are no buyer's guides to specific models of scanners here. However, there is a lot of detail about how scanners, scanning software and graphics programs work. The authors provide such arcana as the formula for determining what size a scanned image will be (depending on the options you pick) and goodies like this. There is info on file formats, compression, how to choose resolution and what influences the outcome of scans and how to correct the result. There is also a lot of information most applicable to professional print work, for which I have no particular use, except that info of this type helps to fill out my picture of how digital imaging works. If you want suggestions for scanning projects to do with your kids, look elsewhere, but if you're interested in the theory of scanners I would recommend this book. I'll also mention that, in my view, the writing is clear and well-organized and if I occasionally must pause to consider it's only because the material requires a little thought. This is not rocket science, but neither is it Sponge Bob and the authors treat it accordingly.

The pieces of the puzzle simply don't fit. One doesn't have to go through the subjects of the prebiotic soup, the origins of life, the cambrian explosion, irreducible complexity of molecular machines, the fossil record, micro and macroevolution, the fine-tunning of the universe for life, to make that clear. It is already abundantly clear. That is one of the reasons there should be a place for intelligent design in science. The other, of course, lies in the fact that intelligent design has already presented itself as a viable research paradigm. It is not enough to say, as evolutionary theorists like to say, that, as Dr. David L. Haury puts it, "science has no statement to make beyond the natural world". The problem, though, is that science may be working with a flawed conception of natural world in the first place, by conflating nature with matter. The fact is that information may be a structural and internal part of nature, as it is a structural part of computer "hardware" and "software". It is impossible to deal with computers from a purely naturalistic or materialistic perspective that excludes intelligent design in advance. The same may be true about the "natural world", and science has certainly something to say about that. Naturalist "scientists" may want laugh and scorn of intelligent design. But theirs is a partial, interested and biased laughter, as is the laughter of a Republican towards a campaign finance reform bill proposed by a Democrat. This kind of laughter must not be taken seriously.

this book fully covers the subject and gives all the scientific details in depth and up to date. many contributors and many graphics. few personal biases, discussion in a scientific style where other books are narrative / prosaic.

Excellent work. In depth treatment of the subject yet accesible to everyone.It covers every imaginable aspect of human evolution by the men and woman that are at the frontiers of this science.

Ike is a good role model for Mr. Ambrose, or anyone else. Until recently there hasn't been a lot of good, unbiased information on the Eisenhower the man. Although this tape is informative & entertaining it doesn't give you that. He talks in glowing terms on the inner Ike, his integrity, respect for subordinates, sense of humor & decency. Ambrose says Ike was no paragon of virtue but he doesn't believe that. Ike was a segregationist & women's rights were foreign to him. These faults & others are passed over lightly. If your only source of information on Eisenhower was Steve Ambrose then you would think Eisenhower was a good & great man. By the way I think so too.

Ambrose edited the Eisenhower Papers project for many years and finally turned his talents on writing a large-scale biography of Ike. In this project Ambrose lectures for one hour on his favorite hstorical topic. The result are mixed.

Ambrose has always been blatantly biased in Ike's favor and makes no bones about it. His first words are, 'Dwight Eisenhower was a great and a good man," which is undoubtedly true, but a biographer should take more pains to disguise their own feelings. There is very little criticism of Ike in Ambrose's work, which borders on the hagiography. Perhaps a bit more of Harry Truman's invective towards Eisenhower could have infused this tape.

Still, Ambrose is a wonderful writer and his works are always fun to read and informative. This is interesting listening even if it is a completely uncritical examination.

This one hour lecture by Ambrose is excellent. It provides a brief overview of Eisenhower's outstanding character. Ambrose also deals effectively with some of Eisenhower's lapses in character and leadership. I would recommend it to anyone interested in Eisenhower.