Mesoamerican archaeology is a little world by itself - I know, because I used to live in it. It has a very cosy relationship with museums and the "art" collectors who buy the objects that are looted from archaeological sites, which lie destroyed, torn into shreds under the forests all over Central America and Mexico. But it has almost no touch with reality any more. The things they say about the ancient Olmec are almost fantasy, because in truth we know so little about these people. Almost all the objects in this book were stolen from Mexico, ripped from the archaeological context that might tell us something about their real meaning. These are probably religious articles - we may never know. But imagine trying to reconstruct the rich life of rennaisance Italy by looking at reliquaries in Catholic churches! If you are still persuaded by the "mysterious Olmec" propaganda spouted by Coe and his looter buddies, go read Flannery & Marcus in the first 2000 issue of the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, and think it over.

The Olmec World is an amazing resource for those who study or have an appreciation of early Mesoamerican Art. At its most basic level The Olmec World is the catalogue of the 1996 Olmec Exhibition at the Art Museum at Princeton University the first comprehensive show of Olmec art in America. Drawing upon nearly all of the major Olmec museum collections in North America from Dunbarton Oaks to Princeton's own expansive holdings, the exhibition also drew heavily from many private collections never before shown to the general public. For instance, John Stokes' amazing collection of ceramic babies and jade masks are showcased in this catalogue. However, almost as impressive as the pictures are the essays in this collection. Michael Coe has done a marvelous job of soliticing and editing a myriad of papers on the mysterious Olmec.

I biggest complaint was the quality. Looks like a 1980 printer printed sideways and folded it to make a book. The pages fall out VERY easily. However, as far as information goes, it is good if you were doing a report. If you are trying to learn about getting into the business, wrong book. It seems out of date, and for the most part not very helpful. If it told a little more about being better at powder coating, or teaching you anything to even done with a gun, I would have found it more helpful. It's great for a report, nothing else.

Powder Coating made easy is an excellent primer that covers the basics of powder coating. An excellent reference for any one that is beginning in the powder coating business.

I have a fondness for writers from rural American; Taylor, raised in Iowa, attending college in Idaho seemed worth a chance. While this volume did not impress me, I am certainly willing to read more of his work. He writes in a very quiet and observant style; he knows precisely what details will be telling; he can recreate his reactions at an earlier age with astonishing believability. With only an occassional misstep, his language is precise and well chosen. Unfortunately, his characters never move beyond the particular to a universal observation of something about humanity and the reader never cares about the particular characters of the stories.

The Hiding Place is a slight piece of a ring of sentimental value being "lost" is moving, its sentimental value and hiding place recalled, and it's being returned to it's multilayered hiding place.

Musette Disappears is a short character piece of a small girl leaving church - and the memories of her.

Blacky's Story is the tale of the family dog, apparently never well trained, his exile, and the family joke/strain surrounding him.

The O'Connell Sister is the tale of twin spinisters who were anything but friendly to the neighborhood children.

Mr. Pierre is a story of the hairdresser with flair - a gambler, a cheat.

Thirst is a paragraph regarding dreams and thirst.

I am oversimplifying the stories - but they truly are more sketches, dreams, character studies, memories than stories of a more formal nature. Essentially a talented author has presented us with a solid collection of author's exercises.

AJP Taylor's "War Lords" divides each into his own chapter, including Mussolini, Hitler, Churchill, Stalin, FDR, and a back section for Tojo, etc. I first read Taylor's book in college, and upon re-reading it, i noticed it is full of his own opinions, verging on egoism. The best thing about the book is actually the photos and captions; it is also divided well and easy to read. The rest is fact sprinkled throught Taylor's opinions, which he quotes his opinion as being "the right one." Don't waste your money on this, check a library first.

This is an interesting enough book, though covering much the same sort of ground as "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawkin. Unlike Stephen Hawkin, though, the author uses his book as a vehicle for atheist rhetoric.

There is no problem with that, per se. It is just that the author does not appear to want to investigate the weaknesses in his claims (as of course there are in all such theories, whether they be from atheists or theists).

Darkside: Horror for the Next Millennium is an anthology featuring the works of so-called new comers to horror fiction: Wayne Edwards, Brian McNaughton, Caitlin R. Kiernan, and Christa Faust among others. A few "established" writers are thrown in as well. The first problem I had with the book was with the title: "Horror for the Next Millennium". It indicates that the material will somehow redefine the genere. Hardly. What exist's in this anthology are writers that have mistaken graphic violence and pornography for horror fiction's true strength: the fear factor -- which requires skillful subtleties. Indeed, that the writers have a skill to convey images in shocking detail is not in question. But so what? You want extreme violence? Read a True Crime book. What surprises me the most about the "new wave" of horror writers is their blatant violation of all the so called "horror cliches" that editors insist you have to avoid -- yet they continue to get published. For years now, horror has come under the thumb of the likes of Poppy Z Brite and others, who's stories seem little more than necessary evils. It's with no small irony that next to the "new wave" of horror, the "old-school" works of Lovecraft, Poe, and King look better and better.

Darkside is a compilation of 30 short horror stories: 1."Skinwriters" by Robert J. Levy - A pale woman with a rare skin condition becomes a living work-in-progress for a struggling writer. A little unsettling, yet beautiful. 2."Ice Dreams" by Elizabeth Massie and Robert Petitt - A perverse "family tradition" of ice-cold sex leads to the murder of several young women. This was a pretty good thriller/mystery, except for the child abuse. The ending was great though. 3."Wasting" by Lauren Fitzgerald - An at-home tutor helplessly watches as her 14-year-old student succumbs to anorexia nervosa. Psychologically disturbing, but not scary. 4."Backseat Dreams and Nightmares" by K. K. Ormond - A 13-year-old girl is raped and killed in the backseat of a car. Completely unnecessary trash. 5."The Stick Woman" by Edward Lee - For years, a woman is held captive by her husband in the basement of their home. Without a doubt, the most sickening, memorable story in this book. 6."Soul of the Beast Surrendered" by Wayne Edwards - The drawings of a young boy come to life and seek his help. Good ending. 7."October Gethsemane" by Sean Doolittle - An artist creates his masterpiece by painting with his own blood. Good ending, especially the pleading review for more of his work by an art critic. 8."Scars" by Lucy Taylor - Set in Africa, a man is sexually tormented and manipulated by a demon to kill. 9."ystery orm" by Brian McNaughton - A college student receives a mysterious letter concerning his dreams. 10."Tears Seven Times Salt" by Caitlin R. Kiernan - A young woman travels into the underground tunnels of New York in search of her heritage. Confusing, bizarre. I didn't understand the point of this one. 11."One-Eyed Jack" by S. Darnbrook Colson - The stakes in a game of poker escalate to sexual favors. I didn't think this story belonged here at all. It wasn't remotely scary. Just another excuse for more gratuitous sex, I guess. 12."Elena" by Steve Rasnic Tem - A woman's various sexual exploits with men and women. Again, not scary at all. 13."Family Album" by Adam-Troy Castro - A father witnesses his son's brutal death by looking at the photo album his serial killer made. Too short even for a short story--3 pages--, but probably not one I'd enjoy even if it were lengthened. 14."Having Eyes, See Ye Not?" by Sue Storm - Imitating Jesus' death, a young woman crucifies herself. Confusing, another baffler. 15."Sisters in Death" by D. F. Lewis - Three sisters share the same bed and die young. Very short. I didn't understand this one at all. Not going to try either, even though it's only 2 pages. 16."Window of Opportunity" by Roman Ranieri - A young man seeks payback on his bully. Pretty good 4-paged story, but not exactly horror. 17."Envy" by Christa Faust - An s/m routine between two lesbians. Pornographic, not scary. 18."The Man of Her Dreams" by Alan M. Clark - For years, a young woman is haunted by her dead abusive stepbrother. 19."For the Curiosity of Rats" by Jeffrey Osier - After the death of their young daughter, a married couple tries to cope with their loss. 20."The Stranger Who Sits Beside Me" by Yvonne Navarro - The woman who sits next to him on the commuter train slowly replaces his wife. A puzzler. 21."In Pieces" by Deidra Cox - A woman seeks a new victim for her kidnapper. 22."Voices Lost and Clouded" by David B. Silva - An older man is haunted by the accusatory questions of his mother. 23."If Memory Serves" by Jack Ketchum - A woman with a multiple personality disorder retells her horrific, Satanic upbringing. Good ending. 24."The Tears of Isis" by James S. Dorr - A woman is forced to remember her incestuous relationship with her brother when she starts seeing apparitions of a crying woman. Deals with Egyptian mythology. 25."Stick Around, It Gets Worse" by Brian Hodge - A man comes to terms with the purpose of his life after his wife dies. 26."Voices in the Black Night" by Larry Tritten - A trip to the library changes a man's life when he meets another man who can hear the books speaking. 27."Stealing the Sisyphus Stone" by Roberta Lannes - A pedophile seeks treatment via virtual reality. 28."The Nightmare Network" by Thomas Ligotti - A multinational corporation creates chaos among its employees. Confusing, boring, a bunch of long-winded gibberish. 29."Fiends by Torchlight" by Wayne Allen Sallee - The "Oklahoma City Bomber" shares his conspiracy theories. 30."...And Thou Hast Given Them Blood to Drink (and They Are Drunken with the Blood of Saints and with the Blood of Martyrs...)" by T. Winter-Damon and Randy Chandler - A lengthy biblical explanation of how the world is going to hell.

(...) I began this book at full-speed last November until I read Edward Lee's "The Stick Woman", and then I set the book aside for two months before slowly continuing with the others. If you've already read the above story, then you'll understand my shock. It was hard to digest such a brutal, appalling story--and what was even worse to imagine was that this sort of activity actually happens in our society. "The Stick Woman" left me completely desensitized, and it certainly reconfirmed my underlying belief that there is "no end to the absolute evil of men". (p 63)

In summary, this book was a complete gore fest with pretty much every author trying to outdo the other with the most traumatic, disgusting childhoods and fantasies. The majority of them are very disturbing and graphic. There are a few good stories in here though (i.e., "Skin Writers", "Ice Dreams"), but the rest are just polluted with extreme sex and violence. I would strongly discourage most people from reading this book. If you're used to reading about snuff and such, then proceed; otherwise, skip this one and preserve your sanity. In my opinion, somebody needs to stick a warning sticker or an NC-17 rating on this book.

Opening this book was like opening the rusty door of a subterranean torture chamber filled with screaming, crying prisoners reaching out in pain and suffering. I admit it was hard-core, perhaps even slightly pornographic on occasion, but these are hardened, desensitized times we live in. All too often, horror anthologies make the false claim that the stories will terrify, horrify, or shock the reader. And all too often those stories turn out to be the same tired and impotent offerings of made-for-TV style scares. The things that used to frighten folks back around the turn of the century are laughable now. Old fashioned ghost stories just will not suffice anymore. After all the real life horror on the daily news, writers like the ones in Darkside must dig deeper into their imaginative soil to unearth stories that will horrify the common Joe. So if you prefer your horror well-done and eaten while wearing your smoking jacket and sipping a brandy by the fireplace,! then read pick up a Poe anthology (not that there's anything wrong with that) and enjoy a few mild chills. But if you want to be HORRIFIED, then pick up this little tome. The horror is served up raw - and dripping with blood.

If you're looking for an advanced book on Delphi look elsewhere. The book is long on words and short on value. You have to trawl for information - the last third of the book is almost entirely taken up with the story of "Ace Breakpoint" detective, which I didn't even find entertaining let alone enlightening. A large amount of the book's text is printed source code (unnecessary when you have it on CD; it just serves as filler). And while every chapter is on a different topic, many are, while Windows related, hardly Delphi specific ("3D Fractal Landscapes", "Drag and Drop the Windows Way" (ie. not the Delphi way) etc.). All this would have been forgiven if the titbits in this book were worthwhile Delphi tips. But although various developers have looked at it, nobody in our office has yet obtained anything useful out of this book. It just sits on a bookshelf now, gathering dust.

You're not going to learn Delphi by reading this book so I wouldn't recommend it for novice programmers. Half the book is spent on internet related code like WinSock, FTP, and OLE. If you're not interested in these topics then you're left with very little else. It covers databases in only 24 pages which is incredibly scant. There is a great deal of filler in this book about Ace Breakpoint who runs a detective agency. It sounds like the author wishes he were writing about something else. Overall the book is far too narrative and reads like a cheap novel. The reader will probably find a few sections of interest and if you find the book at a book sale for around $10, then you might want to give it a try.

I like this book, after feeling i was mastering delphi 3, i bought this book, and now im really understandindig somethings, i newer understod before: FTP, TCP/IP this is a book, mostly targeting at the Delphi 3 advanced users, no beginner book! recommended.

I read 2 chapters of this silly book, thinking it might contain something about black holes. Maybe there is something about black holes later, but I got turned off real quick by the silly, useless, confusing, pointless, and whatever other adjective I can come up with to descibe the material in the first chapter. The first chapter almost made me stop there, but I thought that I would read at least one more..yuck

Not recommended

I picked up this book at the library where it was marked for destruction. The one I have is from the 70's, and the cover matches the sillines described above. A giant question mark encircles the title, with the caption "the end of the world?!?!" beneath, all against an orange backround. The book, the first and last few chapters beside, is actually mainly about black holes. I know very little about black holes, but I'm sure it is probably out of date by now, however, that did not make it unenjoyable to read, and it was full of things about the universe which tend to fill you with awe, such as speculations about its origin and fate. Yet, I certainly have to agree with the above review: many ideas presented in the begining and end of the book seem to not make sense, such as the author's belief that there were people who really did live to be 900 years old (as claimed by the bible), and also, it seems far less likely to me than it does to him that advanced alien civilizations have anything to do with humanity's history and development. Near the end of the book, he also writes as though notions of the "soul" and mind being apart from matter actually have validity. Even with my thoughts differing from the author's, and it most likely being somewhat outdated, it was still enjoyable to read. Also, there isn't any mathematics presented, which is good for a person like myself.

When I brought this book, I expect to read about the modern pro and con of actions of Robert E. Lee. Instead, what I got was a superifical biography on Lee and some summary judgement of his actions based on the author's say so. So where is that debate of Lee's critics?? Many people like to dismissed Lee's critics as revisionists but they got it backward. While Lee was alive, he was soundly critized in many circles by veterans of Confederacy and by his foes. It was only after Lee's death did this mythology of Lee's greatness took on a godly scale as the reconstruction period was ending. This period of Lee's mythology is the true period of revisionism which did not really end until Thomas Connelly came out with the Marble Man which brought Lee back to Earth and where author critized without merit. This book lack any depth and appears to be pretty shallow work. If the author wanted to back up Lee, do with so with evidence and logic. Just saying so don't mean much. This book will probably go back to the used book store soon......

Taylor's book is a satisfactory survey of Lee's life. Unfortunately, that is not how the book is billed. Taylor purports to answer Lee's critics. I'm squarely in his camp; I find much of the criticism of Lee to be scholarly opportunism: an attempt to make a name through iconoclasm. Taylor is right when he notes that the attempt to puncture the Lee myth went too far, but he fails to convincingly demonstrate why. He brings up specific criticisms infrequently, inadequately lays out the critic's argument, and often dismisses the criticism without having made a convincing case of his own. His arguments concerning Lee's attitudes toward slavery are never fully convincing, for example. This is particularly distressing when one can see that, in most cases, the convincing counterargument is there, waiting to be made. By constructing his book in the format of a chronological narrative, Taylor lost the opportunity to level a blast at academic graverobbers. A book aimed at answering Lee's critics needs to spend a great deal more time and effort on the critics and their arguments. To Taylor's credit, he never attempts to whitewash information damaging to one of his points. He tries to be complete in his portrayal, and that alone makes this a worthwhile read.

Most code samples don't even compile. A third of the book is wasted on some fictional account of an idiotic detective (what does that have to do with Delphi programming??). The technical info is scarce, and there isn't any depth whatsoever. Not worth the effort of opening the package.

Much of the code was ommitted on the CD. The code that is there does not work. There are no updates on the publisher's site as specified in the book. One of the authors who replied to my emails was sympathetic, but was also dissatisfied with the publisher. The chapter on hierarchical databases was the worst offender - and the main reason I bought the book. So much promise, so little gain. However, it was written well and I like the explanations. Raymond Kennington