A great reference that starts several billion years B.C. to about one thousand A.D. This book has up to Star Trek: Next Generation First Contact, Deep Space Nine Season Four, and Voyager Season Two. One favorite section of mine is the alternate universes section with ALL of the alternate universes up to date. Now I'm waiting for an revised edition...

Everything I need to know about Star Trek is in this amazing book. The only problem I have with it is that I bought it when Star Trek Deep Space Nine was ending it's fourth season, and in the book, it goes up to the end of it's fourth season. I had no idea what was happening for two years! Oh well, now I know. Anyway, this book really helped me to understand the world of Star Trek, and the amazing thing is, that everything in this book has followed history so far! Anyway, I reccommend this book to any true Star Trek fans!

As it says in the introduction, there are many contradictions and empty spaces in this history, but if there's a need to understand the way Star Trek works, it's an indispensable reference book. Also for writers who want to create between the time lines listed in the book, it is a very well organized tool, and when possible, it reveals the contradictions or problems found by the authors in conjunction with the original writers, so you can fill in the blanks of the history or propose new theories. Well, it's a must have for those REAL Star Trek fans!!!

P.D.: if you want a perfect book, please read the I-Ching...

A very good book for children with ADHD. It's easy to read and gets to the point, something all ADHD children need. It explains what ADHD is, that others have the same problems, and how it effects their home and school lives. It gives some wonder information about how they can help theirselves. I have read it to both my children with ADHD as well as ADHD children I work with and they all enjoy it, and can relate to it.

One of the most difficult things about parenting an ADHD child is explaining attention deficit disorder to that child. Patricia Quinn and associates have given a powerful resource to these parents - a true gift to empower them. In simple language, illustrated with eye-catching graphics, PUTTING ON THE BRAKES explains not only the nature of this disorder, but also how children and their families can learn to manage it. As an ADD Coach, I find this to be the most important resource that I can put into the hands of parents.

From a parents point of view, I really enjoyed reading your books. I felt it put me closer with my son, since I could better understand what the ADHD was about from a different point of view. It was like being inside the mind of a child with ADHD. When I react now, I think a lot more before making a rash outburst, because I know my son will be thinking "Gosh - whats the big problem?". Thank-you for letting me get closer to understanding what a child with ADHD goes through.

Overall quality is just what I've come to expect from Simon & Schuster: very good. I do agree,however, that the reader here lacks variation and depth. It detracts seriously from the production for me. I found myself getting bored and sidetracked through no fault of the writing, but of the reader. The story itself seemed rather tame for Kirk and Co. Gone was the style and panash and great Errol Flynnish type of adventure. I missed that.

Star Trek-The Original Series written by Michael Jan Friedman is a double plotted book where the main character get split and the adventures begin.

"Faces of Fire" has the Enterprise and her crew on a mission to Alpha Malurian Six to resolve a "religious" dispute, but while enroute to this mission They happen to pass a terraforming. Spock wants to monitor this and requests to be left behind on Beta Canzandia Three. This is the first book where we meet David Marcus, Captain James T. Kirk's son.

So, one plot involves a "religious" dispute and the other involves a terraforming. But the plot thinckens as they say, and boy does it ever. What good is a Star Trek book if we don't have the bad guys... this time as Klingons. The Klingons have heard of the terraforming and want to nose around and in the process they capture both Carol and David Marcus. Also, Spock is captured and now faced with certain death Spock and David plan, with the other colonists, an escape.

At the same time, the Enterprise crew with Kirk, McCoy, and Scotty are trying to find a solution to end the religious conflict. Here we have McCoy's famous word uttered... "Damn it, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a veterinarian." Or, whatever he's suppost to be other than a doctor depending upon the situation.

This book was a well-crafted story and entertaining as the plots moved along they kept your interest. I enjoyed this book with McCoy and Scotty trying to help Kirk... interesting, indeed.

Set in the timeframe of the original Star Trek missions this book tells the story of how Kirk first met his son David.

I thought that this book, while not the greatest Star Trek book ever written did a good job establishing characters that we will met later.

It also has a fair amount of action to keep you interested in the general story.

The book is well-crafted, its characters -- both previously established characters and newly created ones -- well-developed and for the most part plausible, the exception being the "villain" of the piece, whose motivations are too cardboard and trite to be plausible. The dialogue works, and the plot, while it starts somewhat slowly, becomes compelling as the story moves along. Unfortunately, the ending is somewhat unsatisfactory; the story is, essentially, a detective murder mystery in Star Trek's clothing, and I do not feel that the answer to "whodunnit" had been adequately foreshadowed in the earlier storyline. In retrospect, there WAS some attempt at foreshadowing, but it simply didn't ring true when the actual would-be murderer was revealed.

Definitely a good read, but just as definitely flawed.

Star Trek: The Next Generation Reunion written by Michael Jan Friedman is a Captain Jean-Luc Picard who-done-it mystery with flashbacks to his U.S.S. Stargazer days.

The author does a really good job at blending in the Stargazer part of the book to the general theme of the book. Long before Captain Jean-Luc Picard was Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise he was the Captain of the legendary deep space exploration vessel the U.S.S. Stargazer. For an incredible twenty-two years the Stargazer was on an exploration mission. "Reunion" is an excellent adjunct for the for the author's Stargazer series of books ("The Valiant, Double Helix #6, Gauntlet, and Progenitor").

Friedman works his storytelling magic with Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Commander Rike, and Lt.Commander Data with the rest of the Enterprise crew together with the Stargazer to join forces to solve a murder. I found the book full of action-adventure and the prose moved with a fast-paced style. The character development is well-thought out and so is the plot. The ending is typical for a Freidman novel... that's all I'm going to say so I won't spoil it.

Past and present come together in this book and I'd recommend reading this book along with the others I mentioned above giving the reader a more rounded experience with the U.S.S. Stargazer characters. This is an excellent read and I would recommend it.

Reunion was the first look in novel form at Captain Picard's past, intermixed with his current life aboard the Enterprise. While I'm not especially into murder mysteries, the author does a wonderful job. We see here, many of the characters aboard the USS Stargazer that he continues to use in later works. The characters, in keeping with the authors style, are all very well thought out. In minor agreement with other reviewer's, I would have to say that the villain's motivations were not really well detailed. The story does move along very well and it has an excellent ending to it. Overall a very good book and I would suggest reading this one prior to reading the other Stargazer books. Thank you to the author for a very good read.

The authors of this book are very witty and well-informed, whether they're writing about Pop-Rocks, The Brady Bunch, or Hippies (whom the authors define succinctly as 'lobotomized beatniks'). The entry on Evel Knievel will make you laugh out loud, and perhaps blush a little bit at the strangeness of the characters whom our society makes into idols. You'll find a lot of interesting information on classic American TV shows, bizzarrely popular consumer products, celebrities who defined their eras, and lots of little things you've forgotten about... like pet rocks, leg warmers, and mood rings.

This is an excellent reference work that profiles the most celebrated (and in some cases, reviled) touchstones of 20th Century American life. I highly recommend finding a copy.

When I was a conducting student in the USA I was largely taught from this book. I found it simplistic then and still feel the same. It is not in the same league as something like Gunther Schuller's The Complete Conductor, Prausnitz' Score and Podium, or the more recent Morgenstern No Vivaldi in the Garage.

This is the standard conducting text for major music schools in America (for example, I use it at the music school I attend). It's a fantastic book, with many elaborate and descriptive drawings to help the student along. There are hundreds of examples and exercises to help learn all the techniques and there are several additional sections on rehearsal, conducting opera, choir, and band, score preperation suggestions, notes on styles of certain composers and conductors, and sections about bowed string parts.

If you ever wanted to know anything (repeated for emphasis: anything) about conducting, this is truly your book. Related somewhat to Leinsdorf's Composer's Advocate, this book contains every topic on conducting I was able to conceive of. Beat patterns, as well as orchestral exerpts, are given to the reader to illustrate many important tips that (I'm sure) the aspiring conductor will find quite useful. If you, in your wildest dreams, have ever even once contemplated conducting, you will want to sincerely consider this book.

This novel is an adaptation of an episode in the "Next Generation" television show. It is well-written, and any flaws in it are not truly the fault of the author, Michael Jan Friedman, but rather of Ron Moore, the writer of the teleplay for the episode it was based on.

My primary objection, perhaps surprisingly, is not the method of justifying (or even the very fact of) the existence of the character of Montgomery Scott nearly a hundred years after the original Star Trek series; I found myself willing and able to suspend disbelief for that concept. No, what I found troubling and implausible was the characterization of Mr. Scott, and his inability to recognize what he knew, and what he didn't, and to avoid being a danger to everyone when let loose in an engine room.

The man was no fool, and perfectly aware that technology had changed while he'd been "away". And he'd plenty of experience examining unfamiliar, superior technology. He'd not have made the stupid mistakes he was portrayed as making. Nor would he have failed to understand that a chief engineer can't be interrupted while on duty. The entire concept, essential to the story, was an insult to the character. Other than that flaw in characterization, the story was good, and it was a pleasure to see Scotty back in action. I just wish that the creator of the story had had more respect for the character.

A good book. The chemistry between Scott and TNG crew is a wonderful pleasure.

A good book, which follows the episode closely, with some additional scenes. The audio version even features an intorduction and conclusion from Levar Burton. A must for all ST:TNG book fans!

The Sterns, best known for their books about vernacular American cusine, dug their claws into pop culture in this book full of short (1-3 page) essays about topics as diverse as Death Cars, Fish Sticks, and Florida's Fountainblu hotel.

The tone is generally mocking, sometime excessively so (some of the phenomena the Sterns spear are not so much in bad taste, but merely goofy), but the pieces are almost always informative and entertaining.

Out of print? What a shame. But come to think of it, this book could use an entirely new edition, with the Bad Taste items of the 1990s worked in and a few obscure items (Boudoir photos) expunged.

The entry on Las Vegas, which has outdone itself in recent years, could be expanded into a book.

A wonderful book. if you are mid 30's to mid 50's, this book's for you. I bought it in 1990- laughed out loud MANY times---I still read parts of it today, although the cover has come off! It has short articles on some of our nations funnier, and awfull-er things, from accordians to zoot suits- with stops at dino parks, liberace,diners, & fake fur, to name but a few. Reading it now, some things are definitely dated, and I would LOVE to see an updated edition ( hint hint, jane & micheal stern). All in all a fun, fast read, blast from the past for all of us to laugh at ourselves, and recognize someone we knew. and remember,"just because something is in bad taste, doesnt mean it has to taste bad."( the sterns, on cool-whip)

Witty and sharp-tongued, this book guides readers in a primer of that which was bizarre and tasteless in the 70s and 80s. Topics range from "Frederick's of Hollywood" to Jell-O [tm] to Chippendale's Dancers to those obnoxious cedar plaques you used to be able to find at truck stops across the country (and maybe still can, somewhere). Some of these topics will be totally lost on younger readers -- my 25-year-old boyfriend had never heard of the Mayflower Madame, never knew the glory of ring-pull caps, and had never seen a macrame plant hanger. For me, however, a child of the 80s, these are just part of the general background of my life.

Some topics are strangely absent (where was the section on raccoon-style eyeliner? Where were edible underwear, slogan-bearing buttons, and Love's Baby Soft perfume?), and others are explored in far more depth than might be strictly necessary (Charo is a prime example -- she just never blipped my radar like fish sticks did, I guess).

I loved it, though. It's a good source of laughs. Actually, it made me feel a bit nostalgic. I'm making Jell-O tonight.

Warning: There is some strong language in this book, including a few examples of the F-word. There are also some R-rated pictures in it. Also, it really pokes fun at people named Tiffany. I wasn't offended, but I thought I'd mention it in case someone else wanted to avoid such things.

If hockey and baseball can have Total Hockey and Total Baseball what is up with basketball? Not a bad book by any means but needs a bit more punch to it. How about more insightful essays like those "Total" books go for?

The Official NBA Encyclopedia is the best book any hoops fan will ever read. Not only does it hold all the info for the current players, but it holds the complete history of basketball. The NBA, all its seasons, the Draft, International players, coaches, referees, expanding, photos, development, Hall of Fame, and tons of other great stuff are found as well as complete reviews of the ABA,NBL,and ABL. The NBA Seasons in Review is one of my favorite sections. The only negative thing about this book is that the seasons for the NBA are listed backwards. This encyclopedia has every stat for every player that ever played. I love reading this awesome history, and the Official NBA Encyclopedia is the perfect gift for any hoops fan. If I could, I'd give it more than 5 stars.

I know that what other reviews said is true : this book does not have EVERYTHING, but believe me, it's pretty close. More than 900 pages of basketball history is enough to know who made this game as great as it is today. You will learn about the players that lead the path to Kobe, Kevin Garnett and all of today stars, the great coaches, the commisioners, even the referees! You have all the stats for every player that played in the NBA, ABA and NBL. At least for me, that's enough to give it 5 stars.

For a book on travel, it seems that the index would be from the viewpoint of (in this order) State; City, Restaurant. In this book if you are in Podunk, Somewhere you can't find it in the index unless you know the name of the restaurant.

More "out-of-city" locations would have been preferable.

In the text, list the State, City and restaurant with maybe one or two lines of description with a rating code.

Sorry, I was't impressed and am returning the book.

The best parts are the "sidebars", short articles on things like different styles of clam chowder and lists of good steak houses or pie spots that you might want to copy down for quick reference if you travel a lot. However, the restaurant listings are far too incomplete to really use this as a comprehensive source of advice for long road trips. Even "500+" listings have to get spread pretty thin over a country as large as the good old USA! And be warned, this is a meat eater's book that lists LOTS of steak houses, hot dog stands, hamburger joints and bar-b-q spots.

There is an average of about 10-12 places listed for each state, with no apparent relationship between the size of the state and the number of restaurants listed: Maine gets 20 listings (surprise, there're a lot of lobster shacks along the coast up there!) while New York gets just 19, and our largest state, California, only gets 26 (of which 70% are in SF, LA and San Diego).

Western states are particularly sparsely covered. There are only 7 tips for Colorado, but the Sterns guide us to 16 culinary Meccas in Alabama. The Sterns can't find even one place to list in Phoenix (admittedly not a great restaurant city, although I managed to find a few good spots the last time I was there). "Oh well, Mildred, there's nothin' here, we'll just have to drive a few hundred more miles to LA before we can eat."

Based on the authors' selection of restaurants for the area of the country where I live, Seattle, I concluded that the Sterns have no more insight into the identities of good local restaurants than you can find in a typical travel guide. My experience is that most conventional city and regional guidebooks list at least as many worthwhile places as the Sterns and they are usually written by locals who really do know some of good spots. For metro areas I've had good results with the Zagat surveys.

There are only 10 to 12 restaurants per state, but the ones that are listed are great. If you are driving across the U.S. and would choose your route based on great food, as much as sightseeing, then this is the perfect book for you. If you rarely get outside of your home state, then this book will be a disappointment for you.

Hopefully, one day Jane and Michael Stern will have enough reviews to publish several big thick books covering different regional areas in the United States, where they will have 50 to 60 restaurants per state.