Interesting plot development with believable characters that are easy to relate to. In fact the appeal of this story for me was that an otherwise ordinary set of people were caught up in an international diamond mystery, complete with a secret code to decipher and dangerous antagonists to outwit. I had a great time reading this one and recommend it to anyone.

A great mystery novel. This book was hard to put down. I took it to work and would keep my clients waiting until I finished the chapter.

This rollercoaster tale of mystery, love, and dangerous escapes shows how to write an adventure that will draw in the audience and entertain them throughout the story. After laying out a good foundation on the main characters, the plot unfolds in a "need-to-know" manner, offering up fresh tid-bits of information on characters and situations as necessary. You learn new details right along side the characters, and as a result, you get just as much surprise or confusion as they do. The amount of detail available on everything from the characters' thoughts to the process of mining diamonds paints a vivid environment that helps the reader feel the action is happening all around them. At one point I found myself so enthralled, that I stopped reading and announced one of the characters had better die, because she was such a bitch! You just can't beat that kind of entertainment.

I really enjoyed this textbook. The authors of this book really did a good job making you enjoy math. I used to hate math, but this book was an exception. They greatly explain theorems and other things so you won't get confused. One way I liked this book was its many math related photos. Also if you are confused on a lesson they have answers in the back in the book to help you to check your work or give you answers to things you are struggling in. They also have in class lessons so you can understand the concepts you are about to learn in the lesson and homework. They also greatly explain how to do proofs, and everything that involves triangles and trionometry to statistics and functions. They give you reviews and self-tests with all the answers in the back of the book so you can master the information you have just learned in the chapter. Also, I recommend this to anyone who loves math, anyone who is ok or great in math, or anyone who justs wants to learn trigonometry. Finally, all the teachers I have ever had me use UCSMP this book have always loved the books, the material that the studnets grasp easily, and the benefits that the book gives over other textbooks.

This text provides a quick, concise review of the pimary topics covered on emergency medicine exams. I found it to be a good way to prepare for inservice exams and the written boards.

If I could only use two words to describe this biography they would be: exhaustingly long. This biography is wonderful: intricately researched, you can tell that the authors are immersed in their subject, and the authors do a fine job of balancing information on Klein's different facets: both as a man (and there's a lot of facts and information to support the notion that Klein is a confused homosexual, had a sham marriage (which the authors failed to call by its name), is a wonderful father, a horrible perfectionist and occasionally abusive boss) and as a designer and business tycoon. In the same way, they are careful to include as much information on Klein's personal life as they do of his now almost mythical business deals that (in an odd way reminiscent of Barbra Streisand's demand for "complete artistic control" in her first record contract with Columbia) demanded complete creative control. However, it is a telling detail that Sharon Churcher and Steven Gaines are at their best when they are describing, in intricate detail, the launches of different Klein products, including a behind-the scenes look at the promotional campaigns that went along with them- and except for a couple of illuminating personal anecdotes, these are the best parts of the at times overly-long book. It is telling because although these descriptions are fun and detailed, they are also clearly "the sort of minutiae culled from the hundreds of puff pieces written about Mr. Klein in glossy magazines." The descriptions of the decors of his different residences also clearly come from decoration magazines. All this excessive information makes the book, as the New York Times book review said "exhaustive...to read." The authors's real problem is that ocasionally they get lost in all the background information they present. This constant barrage of information can confuse and burden the reader, and it often turns out that all the information given is for a character of only peripheral importance in the story. Many of the authors' sources, including anonymous male prostitutes, seem highly suspect. I think that Calvin Klein's anxious desire to prevent the book from ever seeing the light of day may have fueled the publicity and the hype around it more than its rather tepid and suspect allegations. In the end, the portrait of this fascinating man remains incomplete in large part because of the book's rather odd final chapter, which focuses not on Klein but on his latest wife (from which he is now divorced, I believe) Kelly Rector. And although the authors, as the New York Times unflatteringly put it: "raid...his life...publish...rumor and innuendo and speculation over his marriages", they seem oddly reluctant to confront the truth about an aspect of their subject that they readily document: that he is quite obviously gay.

A fascinating look into the nooks and cranies of the man, his associates and his world. A fun and fast read.

Yikes! No wonder why Calvin Klein tried to stop this book, it doesn't let up. The best parts were the kidnapping chapters and all the business stuff. I felt like I was inside the fashion industry--and didn't like it. This book isn't for the squeamish.

There has to be better books than this. Every third word is a contraction. i have no problem with them persay except should we use them all the time? besides the teacher who is teaching my class (Steve Gerson) wrote the book so it seems like a way for him to make money on the side and the ability to make the students use his book. His content on web pages should have been left out because its outated. Overall try not to use this book.

Steve and Sharon Gerson provide a comprehensive guide to Technical Writing, and then some. The reader gains practical technical communication knowledge and helpful guidelines to the job search as an added bonus. This book should be on the shelves of anyone with a career that require concise communication skills (in other words, EVERBODY).

The title of the Illustrator 9.0 WOW! Book is not an understatement. This beautiful production is unique among software-related titles; the balance of clear step-by-step instructions, color illustrations, and side bar tips will deliver value to both seasoned AI 9 users and novices. Perhaps best of all are the many gallery entries by an international cast of Illustrator experts--a diverse array of graphic designers, artists, and, even cartographers--that are liberally interjected throughout the text. It is enjoyable to see what the pros can accomplish with Illustrator 9.0, which when coupled with the targeted analysis of techniques, makes learning a pleasure and inspires readers to push their abilities further. This is a book that promotes learning through quiet reflection and experimentation rather than the frenetic pace so typical of computer training classes. I'll be keeping my copy of WOW close at hand for frequent reference.

Within twenty minutes of receiving the Illustrator 9 WOW! Book the editors at Design-Bookshelf.com registered full approval for an Editors' Choice! ... The Peachpit WOW books are always a joy to see, but this time Sharon Steuer has taken WOW to new heights. We find 9 WOW to fill the gaps from basic transparency lessons to negotiating the new layers palette to be superb... even where Classroom and other heavily marketed Illustrator books fall short. However, besides the excellent instruction and well planned tutorials, Sharon always presents the information with a kind, human touch. You find yourself savoring each page again and again. The information is presented beautifully too. No pulp paper here -- WOW is lavishly printed in full color on heavy, opaque, coated stock and you get the full visual impact of what Illustrator is really capable of. On a final note, the first thing I did was shave the spine off, and drill for 3-ring binder use at my desk... a second copy is on the way for the coffee table at home! BRAVO Peachpit... another blockbuster WOW book!

Despite the book's compact form factor, the AI9 Wow Book is bursting with art, inspiration, instruction, and tips.

In addition to pieces from perennial computer artists like Ron Chan and Bert Monroy, I was delighted to find prominent graphics like the logos for the Matrix movie and Cracker Jack, and familiar Time magazine infographics. Graphics for McDonalds, North Face and Apple are also displayed and discussed. Overall, the range of artwork--from spontaneous sketches to fine-art calligraphy to precise medical illustrations--is inspiring. It has helped me expand my graphic techniques (and my business).

While many computer books spend pages walking you from step A to B, the Wow! Book's step-by-step instruction is terse and precise. I had Illustrator open as I worked each step, something I'd recommend to others.

The highlight of the book is Chapter 8, the chapter on AI9's transparency, styles, appearances, knockouts, and opacity masks. It opens with a thorough intro to transparency, appearances, styles. The art that follows demonstrates both simple and more advanced and specialized techniques. I found the offset linework appearances (done by Illustrator 9's product manager, Ted Alspach) especially mind-opening; it clearly demonstrates how a single path can carry multiple strokes, fills and effects. Other techniques convinced me that my art production could be accomplished in Illustrator, rather than shuffling between it and Photoshop.

In the span between Illustrator 8 and 9, many techniques for brushes have been developed. This book includes plenty of new brushes technques. The brushes supplement by Sandee Cohen, in Chapter 4, was particularly useful to me for creating Flash-exported animations.

If you purchase this book, be prepared to spend plenty of time trying out--and learning--Illustrator 9's fantastic capabilities.