I like the way it is packaged but it would be better if they mentioned that the book by Les Daniels is a condensed version of his Superman: The Complete History. From whay I can see in side by side comparisons, the Golden Age history is word for word from the first book (they did include a complete comic story that wasn't in the first one, however). Also, they state that the Superman #1 reprint is accurate size. I have my doubts. I own Superman #24 from a few years later, obviously, and it is about 1/2 inch larger in dimensions on the top and side. The statue is nice, though. I feel the package is worth it at Amazon's discount price but not full retail.

Very similar to the Batman Masterpiece Edition, this is a beautiful, but oversized and pricey, package. It consists of a large reinforced cardboard box containing a softcover reprint of Superman #1 and an abbreviated hardcover version of Les Daniels' Superman: The Complete History. Where the Batman Masterpiece contains a 9" Mego-style Batman figure, the Superman Masterpiece contains a superb 7" sculpture of Superman, designed by Alex Ross, reflecting his first appearance in Action Comics. Actually, the statue could be a maquette for the Fleischer Superman cartoons. It's really impressive! The box lid opens like a book, and the arrangement of the items within is very nice, giving them maximum visibility. This display, however, causes the box to be about twice the size of what it needs to be. Because of its large size and abundance of empty space, I guess Chronicle thought they could get away with it being priced so high. The Superman statue is so well-done, however, that I'll give it an extra star over the Batman Masterpiece. I even bought a second one so that I could display the statue.

This beautifully assembled Masterpiece Edition includes three classic pieces: 1)A handsome, well documented book written by comicbook historian Les Daniels. 2)A faithfully reproduced full-color edition of the FIRST EVER Superman comic which first appeared in 1939. (And last but certainly NOT least...)3)A finely crafted, richly colored 8 inch tall statue of Superman as he was originally drawn in the 1939 comicbook.

All three come encased in a sturdy fold away box perfect for both storage and display.

A MUST for any serious collector of "The Last Son of Krypton" or of classic comics.

One of his lesser known works, Shakespeare's Trojan play is also one of his most intriguing. Not quite a burlesque, 'Troilus and Cressida''s lurches in tone, from farce to historical drama to romance to tragedy, and its blurring of these modes, explains why generations of critics and audiences have found it so unsatisfying, and why today it can seem so modern. Its disenchanted tone, its interest in the baser human instincts underlying (classical) heroism look forward to such 20th century works as Giraudoux's 'The Trojan War Will Not Take Place' or Terry Jones' 'Chaucer's Knight'; the aristocratic ideals of Love and War, inextricably linked in this play, are debased by the merchant-class language of exchange, trade, food, possesion - the passionate affair at its centre is organised by the man who gave his name to pimps, Pandarus, and is more concerned with immediate sexual gratification than anything transcendental. The Siege of Troy sequences are full of the elaborately formal rhetoric we expect from Shakespeare's history plays, but well-wrought diplomacy masks ignoble trickery; the great heroes Ajax and Achilles are petulant egotists, the latter preferring the company of his catamite to combat; the actual war sequences, when they finally come, are a breathless farce of exits and entrances. There are a lot of words in this play, but very few deeds.

Paris, Prince of Troy, has abducted Helen, wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta. Led by the latter's brother Agamemnon, and his Machiavellian advisors Ulysses and Nestor, the Greeks besiege Troy, demanding the return of Helen. However, Achilles' dissatisfaction at the generals' endless politicking has spread discontent in the ranks. Within Troy, war takes a distinct second place to matters of the heart. While Paris wallows in luxury with his prize, his youngest brother Troilus uses Pandarus as a go-between to arrange a night of love with his niece, Cressida. When one of the Trojan leaders is taken prisoner by the Greeks, the ransom price is Cressida.

There is only one character in 'Troilus' who can be said to be at all noble and not self-interested, the eldest Trojan prince Hector, who, despite his odd interpreation of the quality 'honour', detests a meaningless war, and tries to spare as many of his enemies' lives as he can. He is clearly an anachronism, however, and his ignoble slaughter at the hands of a brutal gang suggests what price chivalry. Perhaps the most recognisable character is Thirsitis, the most savagely cynical of his great Fools. Imagine Falstaff without the redeeming lovability - he divests heroes and events of their false values, satirises motivations, abuses his dim-witted 'betters' and tries to preserve his life at any cost. Written in between 'Hamlet' and 'All's Well That Ends Well', 'Troilus' bears all the marks of Shakespeare's mid-period: the contrapuntal structure, the dense figures, the audacious neologisms, and the intitially deferred, accelerated action. If some of the diplomacy scenes are too efective in their parodic pastiche of classical rhetoric, and slow things down, Act 5 is an amazing dramatic rush, crowning the play's disenchantment with love (with an extraordinarily creepy three-way spaying of an infidelity) and war.

The New Penguin Shakespeare is the most accessible and user-friendly edition for students and the general reader (although it does need updating). Unlike the Oxford or Arden series, which offer unwieldy introductions (yawning with irrelevant conjecture about dates and sources) and unusable notes (clotted with tedious pedantry more concerned with fighting previous commentators than elucidating Shakespeare), the Penguin's format offers a clear Introduction dealing with the play and its contexts, an appendix 'An Account of the Text', and functional endnotes that gloss unfamiliar words and difficult passages. The Introduction is untainted by fashions in Critical Theory, but is particularly good at explaining the role of Time ('When time is old and hath forgot itself...And blind oblivion swallowed cities up'), the shifting structure, the multiple viewpoints in presenting characters, and Shakespeare's use of different literary and linguistic registers.

Troilus and Cressida is one of Shakespear`s many romances, and, like most of his romances, is a tragedy. Since time immemorial, Shakespears` works have been used as plays, literature and (least often) just casual reading. While Troilus and Cressida is one of the less known plays, it is no less a good one. It is based in Troy(as the name might imply)during the much renowned Trojan War. The valiant Troilus, son of the Trojan king is enamoured of Cressida, also of Troy. Meanwhile, the Greek hosts have laid siege to the city, and the warrior Achilles refuses to fight, encouraging further interaction between the two sides. Cressida, however, is the daughter of a Greek sympathizer(if that is the correct word)and may not be able to honour her commitment to the Trojan prince...

I think this is one os Shakespeare's most underrated plays, probably because of all the uncouth characters. Based on Chaucer's rendition of the story, T and C are Trojan lovers, and she is then traded to the Greeks in exchange for captive soldiers. Aside from this, the women of Troy are wanton and lustful, and the men are prowess driven. If you can deal with this, you will really enjoy Shakespeare's ability to wrap this into all kinds of twists and turns. It delivers a mixture of satire, comedy, romance, tragedy, and a semi-historical (in that people at the time probably believed the Trojan War really happened). Interestingly, this mixture of laughs and tragedy is reminiscent of war novels I have read about Vietnam. The romantic dimensions give this play its edge, and somehow WS manages to make it plausible in spite of all the killing and deceit going on at the same time.

In his book, Joseph Daniel Sobol chronicles the revival of storytelling as a widely practiced American folk art and its emergence as a formidable commercial enterprise over the past three decades. He tells the story largely through the history of the National Storytelling Festival, held annually in Jonesborough, Tennesse since 1973. Mr. Sobol attempts to offer both an enthusiastic account of the storytelling revival and the Jonesborough festival and a scholarly analysis of the revival and festival as social phenomena. This dual approach is on the whole successful, as Sobol manages to be simultaneously inspiring and detached.

Those looking for a good story will be especially pleased by the early sections of Sobols book. Here, he lets a number of storytellers tell how they became involved with the revival. Sobol tells of his own early exposure to a storyteller named Brother Blue at Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco. We meet those who found storytelling to be the ideal means of expressing themselves spiritually and artistically after frustration with conventional artistic forms. These accounts--nearly uniformly presented as life-changing experiences--continue throughout the book but become sparser as Sobols focus shifts to the evolution, successes and tribulations of the Jonesborough festival. As far as academic prose goes, Sobols is quite lively, and his social scientific analysis of the storytelling phenomenon is strong and balanced. But the first-person accounts that he includes are so compelling that one longs for a book-length oral history to serve as a companion to this one.

Sobol does not shy from dealing with the more trying episodes in the history of the National Storytelling Festival. For the most part, these sprang from the its growth from a small, regional event into a large, profitable, and truly national one. Whereas at the beginning, anyone who showed up and told a story could be considered a storyteller, by the mid-eighties, distinctions were made between national and regional performers. Along the way, questions arose regarding personal and cultural proprietorship of stories; while individual storytellers were frustrated that their stories were being told by others without permission, cultural groups--Native Americans in particular--were concerned that white storytellers were profiting by telling their stories. A series of conferences in the mid-eighties grappled with these issues. In 1987, the first National Storytelling Congress, held in St. Louis, initiated a discussion of personal ownership of stories. While it did not adopt any formal code of its own, it inspired other, regional, groups to do so for their members. The following year, in Santa Fe, the congress heard grievances from Native Americans and other groups who felt that their storytelling traditions had been violated by white storytellers who told stories from them. As in St. Louis, no formal codes were adopted at Santa Fe regarding cultural proprietorship of stories. Many storytellers did, however, take the experience as a cue to tell stories drawn from their own experience.

-Daniel Weiss for PlanetAUTHORity.com

This book is a studyof the impact that the National Storytelling Association (formerly known as NAPPS) and the Jonesborough, Tennessee, National Storytelling Festival have had on storytelling in the U.S.A.

This book is partially scholarly speculation and partially informally-formal (and interesting) interviews with well-known national storytellers. Here is a study of what has been known as NAPPS (National Association for the Preservation and Perpetuation of Storytelling, which then became NSA (National Storytelling Association) and is now, since the book was publishes, NSN (National Storytelling Network). A reader gets the history of the organization as well as compelling discussions of it by people who have been connected for years with the fall festival at Jonesborough, Tennessee.

In one chapter, Sobol discusses other festivals throughout the country which have been modeled after the original at Jonesborough. This chapter shows the power of the original group as well as its far-reaching influence.

Perhaps the least interesting thing about the book is a jargon-laden introduction and beginning of the first chapter. Once Sobol gets into his interviews with storytellers, the reader's interest picks up.

Storytellers and fans of the National Storytelling Festival will want to read this history of the storytelling movement's growth. Sobol interviewed Jimmy Neil Smith and many of the festival's key performers to prepare this useful portrait. Scholarly, informative, and insightful. A must read for professional storytellers and NSMA members.

This book is the much anticipated follow up to PIHKAL, and although it does contain some interesting information, the narratives are often disjointed and whimsical. It is as though the authors said almost everything that needed to be said in PIHKAL and included this additional commentary to satisfy themselves rather than the reading audience.

The chemistry section, however, is superlative, and is more than well worth the cost of the book in and of itself if you are interestd in the subject matter.

A penetrating, intellectually substantive work that earns its right at center stage on your bookshelf. Filled with enlightening perspectives and solid scientific thought, hours are spent absorbing its wisdom.

Highly recommended.

This is the second book by the Shulgins which mix their autobiographies with the subjective effects of new and well-studied psychadelic drugs. It lies on the cusp between top-level synthetic chemistry and guru-level self development, and is amust for anyone interested in self development or recreational drug usage. Highly recommended, but it would make more sense if one reads PIHKAL first.

Which path is right for Billie?

The book "To Walk the Sky Path" is about a boy named Billie Tommie who lives in Florida's Everglades. Billie is stuck between two worlds--modern and Seminole Indian.

I think that this book has too little action. The story doesn't get you interested at the start, so you can't get into the rest of the book.

I recommend this book to people who like easy-going books and books about everyday life.

Ten year-old Billie is a Seminole native american. He lives in the Florida Everglades with his grandpa, grandma, brother, sister, mom, dad, and uncle.

Billie is the first one in his family to go to school. When he sleeps over at his friend Jeff's house, he cannot understand how they can eat food that was in a box or a can.

Seminole native american or All-American person, Billie wonders which he would like to be more.

I recommend tihs book to people who like books about other cultures.

Billie Tommie, a ten year-old boy, lives in the Indian ways but now he is going to school with the white boys. Billie's grandfather, Abraham, tells Billie legends and stories of the Indian ways. Grandfather says if Billie leads a good life, he will walk the sky path, the city in the sky, when he dies. Billie wants to walk the sky path but he wants to learn about the white man's ways too!

Which path will Billie take?

I think this book did not have a lot of action. But in some parts it was funny!

I would recommend this book to people who don't like excitement.

I agree with the author's premise and was looking forward to getting this book so that I could make the most of my home. Unfortunately, the examples tend to come from the Rich & Famous. The author name-drops and shows extremely expensive homes and furnishings. I'd like to see this author do the same kind of book showing solutions for ordinary American homes using typical American furnishings. I don't mean cheap. I just mean typical. If the author's answer is that the ideas can be "translated" easily to any budget or home, then why doesn't the author SHOW such translations?

From the lush photographs, it's obvious that Clodagh's usual design client is not the likes of me (a student). The photos and text detail the author's design process for people such as Robert Redford and recording studio executives, who naturally have somewhat larger budgets than my own, and live in fabulous penthouses in Manhattan and have guest homes in California.

The photos of the homes are a bit intimidating, but the author's attitude is not. She seems to genuinely want every person's home to be as beautiful and functional as possible, working within the boundaries of location and budget. And even if your own preference is not for the rather minimalist, Zen-like look she favors, her design principles are adaptable to any style.

Toward that end, her workbook at the end of the book is great. It is basically a list of questions to ask yourself during the redesign process, and takes into consideration things like a home office and childrens' needs. I found it especially useful during my move to a new apartment. Asking these questions helped to solidly define what I needed in a home, and consequently narrowed down my choices to a manageable number.

My only minor criticisms are of the layout and the feng shui. The text is frequently interrupted with pages of lists and the author's thoughts on color, which makes for rather disjointed reading. And the author relies very heavily on feng shui, which is baffling is you're unfamiliar with it, as I am.

If you can't get Clodagh for your project directly, you can still incorporate many aspects of her original and wonderful design style for your home. It's very well laid out with Clodagh outlining in clear detail how to approach every room and situation imaginable. The book is also filled with one gorgeous photograph after another of Clodagh's work. An original book from an original woman and a treat for the eyes and mind. Your home will be a happier that you got it!

Hiking the length of the Continental Divide takes a lot of physical and mental strength, and Karen Berger was up to the challenge on both counts. I think the author is a better writer than many who have written about the long thru-hikes.

Hoping to hike this trail myself someday, I bought and read this book to learn what I could, and I learned a lot. I wish there had been more written about wildlife, of which they certainly must have seen plenty. I could have used a little less discussion of trail politics, history, grizzly bear fear, and the pain of steep climbs, and more on gear, camp life and the magic of the trail: the smell of wet sage, pines, and alpine tundra; or watching meteor showers in a black sky while camped along babbling brooks.

On the other hand, the trail is different things to different people, and Karen did a good job of painting the experience as she saw it. This book is well worth reading.

Karen Berger and Dan Smith report from their 3,000 mile trek about issues that are near to the heart of any hiker. They discuss issues around cattle on public land, about the use and misuse of water and about the way hikers influence the land and the people around them. The narrative includes information on the history of the American West and historical 'hikes' such as the Lewis and Clark expedition. By mixing these tidbits with a delightful report of the difficulties and wonders of their hiking they create a book that is best read by candle or flashlight in the comfort of your tent. The only problem is that it is too heavy to take on a long-distance hike. Recommended for anyone contemplating the Continental Divide Trail or any other long distance hike.

Karen has succeeding in writing an intimate, lively book. She succeeds in taking the reader along with her on the trail. Her descriptions are immediate and rich in detail. It is a shame they have elected to leave out Daniel's journal entries. I thought they were a great part of their book about the Pacific Crest Trail. Karen and Dan try to see both sides of the issue, even when they are passionate advocates. This is a rare trait, much to be valued. I think she may need to read Edward Abby's Desert Solitaire again, he is more complicated than she sees him. She paints truly beautiful word pictures of the high country along the divide. I disagree with her on one point. She seems to have compassion and understanding for most wildlife but a pathological dislike for cattle. As an example is her description of the cattle running down the trail ahead of her, looking back in fear. She sees the animal as stupid for not just running away from her. Perhaps she has not recognized this as a herd animal, used to being herded by humans. Maybe the cows were in reality wondering if this crazy human really knew where it wanted her to go! It may be more exasperated than frightened. Just a thought. If you want a sense of what it would be like to hike the Continental Divide this book is for you. I hope Karen & Dan keep hiking and writing.

The Wild Bull of Blue River is a delightful telling of Indiana in the 1890s during the gas boom. The story focuses on Lamb, a young girl whose love costs her a family, and the Wild Bull, her protector. Interwoven with poetic language and excellent descriptions, The Wild Bull of Blue River gives the reader characters to care about and a romantic and historic storyline. Great for adults and students!

Unexpected turns of events written in a primitive style make this book fun and emotional. You will think about the story long after you have closed the book. Lots of room for ideological comparisons and discussions.

The book The Wild Bull of Blue River gives a picture of what it might have been like to live in the Indiana of the 1890's. The writing style is a little different and old-fashioned but charming. Unmarried Lamb Hackleman, the daughter of a German farm family, refuses to name the father of her unborn child, and so her stern and stubbornly proud mother banishes her from their home. The child is born, and Lamb must work at a nearby paper mill to provide for him. Will she ever be reunited with her kindly father and with the harsh mother who prepares for the grandchild yet refuses to seek Lamb out? Will she ever again see the young man who fathered the child, the one she loves but refused to name because she feared the punishment her mother would inflict on him? In the background of this story is the Wild Bull itself. Feared as a killer by the neighbors, the bull was Lamb's secret pet. She had rescued it from certain death after its mother had fallen and given birth prematurely out in the bitter cold. Once the bull saved Lamb's life, another time the life of the child. Can the Wild Bull save the future for the two young lovers? Read the book The Wild Bull of Blue River to find out.

This book was interesting reading if you think Jefferson's wall of separation phrase was meant to be one-sided (if there could ever be such a thing). For the true meaning of Jefferson's phrase, read Justice Hugo Black's opinion in Everson v. Board of Education, 330 U.S. 1

I make no claim to authority in matters of American Consitutional matters, but I enjoyed this book on one level, but feel it misses some of the debate on another level.
The book gives a great introductory background to what Jefferson was possibly referring to when he talked about the wall of separation of church and state. The author is very detailed, and speaks with clarity and authority. The clear writting style is smooth and helps potentially dry details come to life.
The author spends some time discussing the original intent of what Jefferson wrote, and details the debate between those in favour of permable wall, a high and unbreachable wall, or no wall at all. Each side in the argument, at least according to this book, all assume that Jefferson was right. The debate is about which side properly understands what Jefferson was saying. Therefore, this book strikes me as somewhat incomplete, because there is no further elements in the debate other than the supposed original intent of one who is dead. Hugo Black attempted to introduce a policy decision that likely had little to do with Jefferson's World of the early 19th century, but was particularly applicable in the late 20th century.
It seems either the book or the debate over the separation of Church and State needs to consider the normative impact of a wall or variations. The American people (with or without faith) would be better served by a dynamic judiciary, and a discussion of principles rather than history.

Thomas Jefferson and the Wall of Separation Between Church and State written by Daniel L. Dreisbach is a in-depth study into what Jefferson ment by his statement "wall of separation between church and state."

Introduced in an 1802 letter to the Danbury, Connecticut Baptist Association, Jefferson's "wall" has been accepted by many Americans as a concise description of the U.S. Constitution's church-state arrangement and conceived as a virtual rule of constitutional law. This book delves into what Jefferson really had in mind about the separation of church and state, and gives the reader a scholarly understaning of this famous phrase.

The book is not very long, but the impact that you get from reading it feels like a book much larger. At 128 pages long we are provided an opportunity to disseminate Jefferson's views on the constitutional relationship between church and state and, in particular, to explain his reasons for refusing to issue presidential proclamtions of days for public fasting and thanksgiving.

The "wall of separation" metaphorically represents the constitutional provision, the admendment, however, differs in significant respects from Jefferson's felicitous phrase. The former prohibits the creation of laws "respecting an establishment of religion" (excepting, perhaps, laws to protect religious excerise), thereby limiting civil government; the latter, more broadly, separates "church" and "state," thereby restricting the actions of, and interactions between, both the church and the civil state.

Reading this book splits the fine hairs and you get an appreciation of what is happening and the suggnificance of why it is written as such. Dreisbach has provided appendices in which documents from the Papers of Thomas Jefferson gives the reader an insight as to Jefferson's thinkings and are invaluable. There are notes and a selected bibliography that is also very helpful.

Jefferson's architectural metaphor, in the course of time, has achieved virtual canonical status and becomes more familiar to the American people that the actual text of the First Amendment... moreover, jurists have found the metaphor irresistible, adopting it not only as an organizing theme of church/state jurisprudence but also as a virtual rule of constitutional law.

I found this book to be very interesting and the prose to be fluid and well-documented making for and interesting read.

This book, by admission of authors, follows bottom-up approach. Although I do not favor that approach, I would accept it if 'UP' was ever reached.

Reader is encouraged to look at the code while reading this book, however, very few references to the code is found, it's mostly talk, talk, talk, and you just lose it long before you're able to get a big picture.

I just couldn't believe how much space was wasted in the first part of the book explaining things that you ought to know before you even think about buying this book. I wish that space was used for more code/examples instead.

There is hardly any code in this book, and on the other hand it tried to chew so many subjects that are impossible to fit in this book and deserve (and have!) books on their own. I don't need a book on how CPU works, just show me a piece of code in Linux and try to explain it assuming some theoretical knowledge on the readers side that has to be assumed.

If you expect Stevens-like masterpiece from this book, you will be disappointed. If you already have Kernel knowledge, I guess it might be used as a reference. If you don't, it's close to useless.

Oh yes! This Second of Edition of "Understanding the Linux Kernel" featured a variety of new additions. The most significant being the inclusion of all those attributes, which distinguished the 2.4 kernel version from the 2.2 one.
This new edition also revised some of the staples of its predecessor, like: individual components of data structures, programming pathways, and interdependent algorithms. Its pattern is just as dynamic as that of the First Edition: with expanded elaborations on all those programming and performance tips.
In all, this is a good book to consider, if you are seeking Linux Kernel knowledge. But, if you already own the previous edition, and do not plan to adopt the Kernel 2.4 version, then there is no wisdom in spending on this one.

My interest Ranges from admin to security to drivers.

This book (or tome in many peoples eyes) is the utter definition of 'internals explained'. I sat with this book and Linux Device Drivers 2nd Edition (also from O'Reilly) and practically obsessed! It's generally very good for anyone who does /anything/ linux. You will learn how to communicate with the kernel, and get a great explanation of all kernel specific functions. Whether you talk to it, interprocess with it, whatever; this book will be a /major/ help for kernel related tasks, It was for me. As a bonus, in the back you can find all functions and headers by reference and alphabetic. In essence, i was very satisfied and glad i came upon this 'tome'.

Hope this helps