I have about 38 "Serendipity Series" books from Cosgrove including about 15 printed in the 70's. I am now in my 20's and am adding to my collection. I understand that several of the books are out-of-print, and I am looking for those. I concur with others who want a complete set made available. I would also like to see a web site devoted to the books. I can't wait to read these to my children (when I have them).

Serendipity books are the best written books in childrens literature. Just this morning, up in the attick, I found 13 of my favorites. Also, in the box I found my stuffed animal, you know, the one you keep forever. Along with a cup of tea and a rainy day, I read, and re-read every book I owned. The lessons in these books tought me to be a better person (Little mouse on the Prarie) and connect with my brave friend leo...I highly recommend these books for your children, and you.

Hello to all Serendipity lovers
I have almost completed my collection of I believe at least 77 books from this series. I grew up reading and falling in love with all of the animals from Rhubarb to Fanny to Ming Ling. I encourage any reader (parent or child) to indulge themselves in the gorgeous illustrations and wonderful morals at the end of each story. Cosgrove and James have inspried me to start writing children's books on my own. I might be a famous author someday!

This book has great breadth and covers many different aspects of network security. Additionally, the authors provide a good level of detail on technical security matters, where appropriate. This is extremely rare in computer security books.

The most valuable aspect of this book is that the authors explore the thought process behind network security engineering. There are numerous books that cover the details of firewalls, VPNs, routers, intrusion detection, etc. However, there are few books that explore the thought process behind the deployment of these technologies on real networks.

A good percentage of the book is devoted to practical application of network security technologies. Common sections in each chapter are: "When to use ", "Deployment Locations", "Architecture Recommendation", "Performance and Reliability", and "Fault Tolerance". These sections are invaluable to every network security engineer.

Overall, this book is an excellent resource for anyone whose job involves network security. Managers will benefit from the practical discussion of the technologies. Engineers and administrators will benefit from the thorough technical detail. Both will benefit greatly from the case studies presented.

"Inside Network Perimeter Security" is one of the most well-written volumes I have in my (large!) collection of
security books. The topic encompasses a wide array of different subjects, all of which are covered very thoroughly.
The book doesn't sacrifice clarity for depth, though, like some others do. The chapters are well written,
concise and clearly thought out. This isn't just a book about how to set up a firewall: this is a book about how to
design a secure network perimeter. It's also the companion book to SANS' GIAC Certified Firewall Analyst (GCFW) certification, which makes it doubly valuable.

This book is an invaluable reference for Sysadmins, Network Design Engineers, and Security Engineers with most any networking focus. The authors offer real examples of configurations for multiple products to illustrate the points made in the discussions so the recommendations can be implemented wit h a minimum of trouble. The topics covered cross the range of issues associated with perimeter networks, Firewall, VPN, IDS. Each section offers it's own insights and solutions.

You want to have this book in your reference library !

Difficult to describe and impossible to forget, this book takes us out of whatever 'normal' world we inhabit and casts us into the horror of the Nazi's 'final solution'. The story of a young Jewish boy - the 'last of the Just' - is so powerful, so full of pain and confusion, so beautifully written, so honestly realized, that the reader will never be able to forget it. The last section alone, where the names of all the death camps are listed, in the midst of a kind of elegy, is among the most moving pieces of prose I have ever read.

Read this book. It will change you and stay with you when everything else you have read about the holocaust is forgotten.

OK, you've read many holocaust books, probably seen several movies, been there, done that.

This one is different, and different in so many ways that you'll never believe you've read one before.

Of course there are not many that start the story in 1105, that's different. There are not many that try to fix the story in a context that is greater than the ending. This one does that, and makes it so strong that you can not put it down.

First the context, the myth if you will. There are in the world 36 'just men' that take on the suffering of the world, that are the reasons God allows the world to continue. There are among these men, some number of 'unknown just' who see the world differently from most of us. That when one of these 'unknown just' dies his soul is so cold that God must hold him in his fingers for a thousand years so that he can open to paradise.

Ernie Levy is one of those men. A thousand years of history, two thousand years of suffering are all concentrated in the story of one boy, the movement of a family from Poland, to Germany, to France, to extermination. It's all so simple. It's all so wonderfully told. The story of a people, the story of a family, the story of a man, the story of the twentieth century, all in so few pages.

I hope you'll take the time to read it.

As a young boy I read this book and it made an enormous impression on me. Since then I have shared it with friends and family all over the world. It's a wonderful novel style history of diaspora and human endurance. It takes you across many ages in a entertaining way even though the subject is heart-wrenching at times. After Schwarz-Bart wrote the book, he never suceeded in topping it. Then again, if someone can tell a story like this the way he did, you don't have to write anything ever again.

The Lost Language of Plants takes the reader on a journey from our innate and ancient connection with the living Earth to our disconnection from it and the ensuing wounds. Then in a coyote sort of way, Stephen Buhner brings us full circle and shows us a way to walk once again, within the circle of life;a part of it, not apart from it. He speaks to the heart of our separation not only from the plants who are our teachers and healers, but from ourselves and each other. Reading the Lost Language of Plants I sensed an ancient and wise place deep within my psyche, maybe even within my DNA, ache for the healing that renewing our relationship with the plants can bring. The truths revealed within the pages of this book are at once compelling and painful and hopeful. This is a must read for anyone who loves the Earth, loves the plants and is not afraid to think or to feel.

The Lost Language Of Plants: The Ecological Importance Of Plant Medicines To Life On Earth by educator and environmentalist Stephen Harrod Buhner is a scathing expose about the abuse of modern Western medicines, and the over-saturation of antibiotics, while the conventional medical community neglect the natural healing power of plants. Offering a way for humanity to relearn and better understand the nature language of growing things, The Lost Language Of Plants is a spiritual book of reinventing one's world view to foster a better world and a testament to the need for a return to our shamanic roots and a renewed respect for, and protection of, the environmental biodiversity. The Lost Language Of Plants is strongly recommended reading for environmental activists, students of alternative medicine, and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in how the natural medicines of plant life can foster our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being.

Fascinating, informative and eye-opening, "The Lost Language of Plants" by Stephen Buhner shows us the life of evolving plant chemistries, revealing the science in the 'magic' of plants used as medicine by 4 of 5 people on the planet. A merciless exposé following the path of medical effluence through our soil, water, and air clearly illustrates effects on molecules as they change to affect generations to come... generations of all life: bacteria, plants, wildlife, and humans, as we reproduce. We have been participants in a medical experiment of reductionist technology for a few hundred years and the results are not widely known or circulated. Buhner's well-researched and brilliantly conceived presentation refutes any denial one may have harbored before reading this book.

Western thinking has its own way of seeing things and we live in the cradle of all that it produces. We see ourselves as an advanced society and display little use or respect for our elders, or those who have gone before us. Buhner's language unveils the illusion embedded within our language and our thinking, embodies ancient understanding and functional relationships, and reveals the complex communication between all parts of the eco-system. Stephen Buhner, as scientist, intellectual, storyteller and shaman, teaches us a language so that we may see differently. This is a passionate call to reconnect to our biocentric origins, to nature, to save our planet and ourselves.

Very concise, covering a large number of conditions with information about clinical features, diagnosis and treatment... just the best medical book for students, residents and general prationers.

It is VERY nice book. Especially for medical students and residents.
You can understand from detail to basic of diseases. With this book, you know how to approach and make your list of differential diagnosis.
I worked for infectious disease patients for a while, and this book was very useful because you can get the general knowledge not only about infectious diseases but also general internal medicine, skin lesions, bone diseases, and so on. I especially recommend the chart of antibiotics(Chart 37). I like this book because we can also get the update etiology of diseases. So nice.

This is a "must have" text for any student of medicine. It has all the information one needs for ward rounds, presentations, and exams. Medicine is an ever-evolving field and this book keeps up with all the latest developments. The references are conveniently given at the end of each section so the student can easily look up the most relevant articles. I especially like the "Essentials of Diagnosis" that precedes each disease entity and summarizes the key points. However this book is very much clinical/management-oriented. It does not have pictures/slides nor does it cover pathophysiology (for that, Harrison's is a better book).

I profess to be of a young age, and those who don't know me would probably consider my experience with musical theatre to be rather inextensive. I am, however, even at a young age, a Stephen Sondheim admirer. Yet even I, whose favorite musical is the ghastly and mind-numbing masterpiece "Sweeny Todd," was not entirely prepared for the unabashed "Assassins."

Assassins combines all the would be and have been presidential assassins of the United State's history and throws them all into a timeless world where Charles Guiteau (Garfield) can chat with Leon Czolgosz (McKinley) and Sam Byck (Nixon) at a bar while John Wilkes Booth (Lincoln) reads a copy of Variety magazine. It is more of a revue than anything, but the music (which you MUST own if you're going to buy the libretto) is so moving and so powerful it actually is able to draw sympathy for Lincoln's assassin. If the prospect of feeling pity or sympathy for Lee Harvey Oswald makes you angry, Assassins is not my recommendation.

Indeed, Sondheim and Weidman sucessfully made me feel sorry for Leon Czolgosz and Booth and Oswald and nearly all the characters in the musical. Some may think it unpatriotic; I think it presents the other side to woefully biased history lessons claiming the Assassins to be vengeful madmen searching for chaos. Assassins truly brings to light what's wrong with the American dream, and for any history buff, Sondheim fan, or just plain theater fan, Assassins is a MUST have.

Unfortunately, too few people in mainstream America have ever heard of 'Assassins' the darkly-comic musical theatre masterpiece by Stephen Soundheim and John Weidman. While it is sad, the public's apathy toward this ingeniously-written musical actually came in useful to me this past year. A participant in high school Speech, my partner and I were searching for the 'perfect' piece that would give us success, something achieved in past years, but not to the highest levels. Veterans of the Speech circuit, and this being my final year in the program, we were looking for something that would really stand out from the competition. Almost by accident, I came across a copy of 'Assassins' and soon saw its potential. Scene 16 (a seemingly-impossible exchange between Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald and Lincoln killer John Wilkes Booth) is one of the most creative scenes of any play I have ever seen, and after examination by both my partner and I, we knew we had a winner. In addition to its unusual setting (something judges love), it blended the right amount of humor, suspense, and irony to put all other speakers simply out of the race. Thanks to Soundheim and Weidman, Nick Cook and Brad Mariska (that's me!) took home first place trophies at a number of meets during the regular season and advanced through the sub-seciton, section, and state prelims, into the final round of the state speech tournament. While we didn't take home the title, we were crowned as the 5th best speech team in Minnesota, and all audience members there that day certainly agreed (despite the results) that 'Assassins' was the most unusual and interesting piece competing that day. And we couldn't be happier.

Being a Sonheim fan, I expected to like the music, and did. You need to get the CD even if you don't like the script. It stands on its own merits. My favorite: The Gun Song, a delightful little ballad about how easy it is to shoot someone. "All you have to do is crook your little finger." The script is equally compelling, though I imagine the subject matter may make it too controversial for many community theaters. (I hope not, as I intend to suggest it for next season in our little theater here.) The play does not promote assassination, nor does it present assassins in a good light. Instead, it shows these historical figures as what they are: madmen, with all the weaknesses of other humans, but somehow flawed in their logic. Consider Charles Guiteau, who assassinated President Garfield, in part to promote the sales of his book. Superficially, as good a justification as any, but, let's face it, crazy as a bedbug. The writing is superb, and the action varies from the absolutely hilarious scene between "Squeaky" Frome and Sarah Jane Moore, to the powerful confrontation between John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald. EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT!!!

This is a must-read book for the entire family! It addresses attitudes, history lessons, and a wealth of information on why African-Americans MUST do better at managing and saving money in order to build wealth. It also includes the nuts and bolts on HOW to achieve building financial wealth.

Not many people can write about money and make it interesting but this is one of the easiest and most captivating personal finance/money managment books I've ever encountered. The history of little known African-American entrepreneurs who made it from nothing also makes this a valuable book for someone who wants to know about black success in America as well as how to understand investing, insurance and buying a house. I couldn't put it down!

Talking Dollars, and Making Sense is a very enlightning book. It covers all aspects of finance and how to save money. Brook Stephens does her homework and uncovers the history of how slaves struggled to build wealth with the many obstacles they faced. I learned lots of tips on how to get my own financial house clean, and I am glad I invested my time to read Talking Dollars, and Making Sense. It was truly a wake up call to start to pay myself first. Anyone thinking about reading it should pick it up as soon as possible! It will save your financial life!!

This book is a wonderful collection of stories from every year of the 20th century. The authors of the letters are famous people and ordinary citizens. These letters express every human emotion love, loss, triumph, joy, and hope. This book is a pleasure to read.

My favorite story is about a young woman writing to her best friend about her bad marriage. Her husband is physically abusive to her and her son. She yearns for the courage to escape and become an independant woman which she eventually does. Another story by a young man who actually survived the sinking of the Titanic He writes his girlfriend about his experience of getting off the ship and waiting to be rescued.

There is a letter by a woman in Hawaii to her brother in Ohio. She recounted witnessing the bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War 2. She recounts going to a bomb shelter and depicts the commaraderie among the people of the time.

There is a Dear John letter addressed to Ernest Hemmingway from a nurse who cared for him while he was wounded in World War 1 He loved her but their relationship was a mere fling to her. She lets him down gently. This relationship inspired Hemingway to write the novel The Sun Also Rises. There is another letter written by a young unwed pregnant woman in the 1930's seeking advice from a doctor. Her father has no knowledge of the pregnancy and her mother is dead. She has nobody to turn to and her desperate plea for guidance is very touching.

There is another poignant letter written by the sister of a Vietnam Vet who died from lymphnoma as a result of exposure to Agent Orange. She expresses her disbelief, loss and sorrow to an anti war group. There are several stories written by expectant parents to their unborn children. Each letter is filled with anticipation and hope. Buy this book. You will never be able to put it down.

I concur with most of the points addressed by earlier reviewers, and found this book to be one of the best about history that I've read. Many of the letters were eye-opening, detailing facets of America's history of which I was unaware. As an example, I found the letter detailing the My Lai Massacre both illuminating and horrifying. The letter from Roosevelt to 'The President of The United States in 1956' honoring the first American soldier to give his life in WWII is one of my favorites, along with the letter to the Warner Brothers from Groucho Marx that an earlier reviewer mentioned. A few additional thoughts:

1. The choices of letters from the 1990s were the weakest of any decade. I suppose that's to be expected in the days of e-mail, chatrooms, and the demise of the letter writer, but I'm sure there were better selections than one detailing the results of testing performed on the stained blue dress worn by Monica Lewinsky, or the letter to a Star Trek fan.

2. The majority of the letters related to negative aspects of the century, which while powerful to read made it a bit depressing to read more than 30-50 pages at a sitting. As the various forms of media have always realized, bad news makes for better stories than good news. I wish, however, that there would have been more letters evincing triumphs, humor, and/or optimism. Such letters were in evidence, but not in abundance.

3. I agree with an earlier reviewer that noted the liberal bias of the letters selected. There appeared to be an inordinate amount of 'coming out' selections and letters voicing disapproval of the System. They were important letters, however, that gave me a different view of the country's past.

4. One of my favorite history-related books is A People's History of The United States by Zinn. This book of letters reminded me of that text, required in a college history class.

Overall, I strongly recommend this collection to anyone interested in the history of 20th century America.

Great bathroom read and it's thick enough (760 pages!) to count as a legitimate gift. All of the letters are interesting and some absolutely take your breath away (1934 letter from the head of the NAACP trying unsuccessfully to stop a lynching in Florida). Some are hilarious (Groucho Marx writing the Warner Brothers about "A Night in Casablanca" after they threatened him because of similarities to "Casablanca"). I've already given this book as a present to friends, relatives, and my kids' teachers (great gift to teachers!) and have heard nothing but raves. What a treat to find this meticulously researched and beautifully written jewel of a book. Letters of the Century definitely has "legs" (and a cute nose). I expect it to be on the best seller list for a long time to come.

Shalom, "The Life Recovery Bible" has truly been a God-sent resource of revelation in my recovery. The insight, the answers, and the "ease-of-understanding" provided by this Bible is like a living and refreshing drink of water to a barren soul!

It is THE text book of our "Alcoholics Victorious" group, assisting souls to the Joy and Freedom available to anybody... especially those in recovery... through God's True and Living Word.

I have read many, many books and spiritual publications in my life-long "program" of healing; this is the Word of God- containing the essence of the required healing power- written in a language easy for the recovering person to accept and understand.

I thank the authors for their obedience to His guidance, I thank the publishers for their making this resource avalable to the population, and - most of all- I thank God for His Love, His Mercy, and His Son, Jesus, for taking our disease, and freeing us from our bondage.

If you are in recovery, you will be better off with this Bible. In Christ, Amen.

I started reading bibles in depth 3 years ago, and I have purchased just about every translation and study bible in print. I was looking for God, for healing, for insights into what it really means to be a Christian, how to find release from the bondage of addictions and idolatry of any sort, and how to grow spiritually.

I purchased this bible in August 2002. Since then, I have found answers in it that no amount of personal or group bible study using other bibles, Christian radio, professional counseling by therapists or pastors, church attendance, or prayer have given me.

Almost every page has foot-notes, devotionals, in-depth comments, which teach about addictions and how to gain freedom, details about the road to recovery, all within a Christ-centered framework using the 12 Alcoholics Anonymous steps.

You can look up just about any life-experience topic in the excellently organized index/concordance in the back of the Bible, to focus on passages which help you understand who you are, what you do, why you do it, and ways to gain release from whatever plagues you, and get closer to God in order to gain peace and restoration.

I have abandoned all my other bibles in favor of this one. I would urge anyone who needs help in self-control, discipline, overcoming compulsive/obsessive behaviors, to dig into the Life Recovery Bible. You will be blessed abundantly.

If you simply want to grow spiritually, and you have no addictions, this bible is also for you.

Every day I can look forward to new insights and teachings in this bible, which I can apply immediately to my life.

The text is easy to read for such a large Bible, the NLT translation is easy to understand, and the footnotes and other devotionals do not interfere with my enjoyment of every page.

There is another Life Recovery Bible in the NIV (New International Version), which in my opinion is not nearly as good as this one.

I am a regular listener to Steven Arterburn on the radio--and have read several of his books. He frequently gives this Bible outrecommends it to listeners, so I couldn't resist the urge to check it out for myself.

The primary reason I purchased it was to read the study helps, as I know that he has some tremendous insights into the recovery process from a biblical perspective. I was not disappointed. I received a bonus though when I began reading the text of the Bible. The New Living Translation is without a doubt one of the most readable (without sacrificing accuracy) translations that I have read. It is like reading one of those good novels that you cannot put down. Within a week of purchasing it, I had read the books of Acts, Romans, Ephesians, I and II Timothy, and am halfway through the book of Matthew. It is that good.

One of the problems with older translations (i.e. the KJV) is that you have to mentally translate what is being said into language that you are familiar with. Its like a person who's first language is Spanish, but speaks English fluently as a second language. Unconsciously, they have to filter an English conversation through their natural Spanish proclivity. When they communicate in Spanish, that process is not necessary. That's the way that I found reading the NLT. It freed my mind of a distraction so that I was more free to hear the Holy Spirit. Doing so gave me some insight into one passage in particular that I had never received reading other versions.

I would highly recommend this Bible to new believers. I would also recommend it (especially for devotional reading) to seasoned bible students.

As has been said in several other reviews, the study aids are helpful to ANY Christian. We are all in recovery. Some of our addictions are just more socially acceptable than others. I give this Bible 5 stars!

This is perhaps the best programming book I've ever read! When describing each new concept Mr Prata talks about potential problems thus helping the novice C++ programmer avoid common bugs. I found it very easy to understand; with programming examples well suited to the subject at hand. Its Logical division of subject matter also helps to make it a useful referance.

I approached C++ programming from a BASIC and Fortran background. I really did not want to learn how to use the C Programming language before I could learn C++. I spent hours browsing various books (in the bookstore, of course) on the subject, and finally purchased this book. I have read the book from cover to cover three times! There is a lot of very useful information that can only all be learned over time. The reading is easy flowing, and the example programs are excellent. I have since learned how to program in C++ using MFC for Windows, and I only wish that I could find a book on MFC that is as concise and helpful as Prata's C++ book. I recommend this as a "must have" for any person wanting to do serious C++ programming

I am a VB developer with Powerbuilder knowledge, and have read over 100 Systems related books and manuals. Over 30 of them have related to programming languages or concepts. Let me reassure you. This is one of the finest how-to programming books on the market. I ALSO did my homework before purchasing a book on C++ and have perused many of the standard web sites which offer recommendations. Although there were several highly recommended books from which to select, I flipped through C++ Primer Plus (along with 4 others) several times before purchasing the book. Although I have not read all the other books, this one is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. BUY IT if you wish to learn C++ from the ground up. Best of Luck!