To the contemporary mind, the Crusades represent a bizzare, even horrific, historical event. It is difficult, if not impossible, for those living in the 20th Century to comprehend the religious fervor that prompted thousands from Western Europe, both the great and the humble, to commit themselves and their fortunes to the expirgation of the infidel from the Holy Land. Of the sordid history that is the Crusades, however, the most baffling is perhaps the notorious Fourth Crusade in the early 13th Century, when Christians from Western Europe, and their Venetian allies, attacked and laid waste to Constantinople, arguably the greatest city on earth and, more to the point, inhabited by fellow Christians. The mystery is made even more remarkable by the knowledge that the Pope himself forbade the Crusaders' attack of Constantinople. What prompted the Crusaders to rebuke the Holy See? What went wrong? The present work provides an insightful and lucid analysis of the unhappy events that culminated in the destruction of the greatest city in Christiandom. "The Fourth Crusade" is essential reading for anyone who has tried to make sense of a momentous historical event that seems to defy rational explanation, or for those who simply conclude that Constantinople fell victim to the Crusaders' greed. The reality is much more complex, though "The Fourth Crusade" manages to present its analysis in an entertaining and engaging manner that brings to life a period of history like no other.

This is by far the most detailed and enjoyable to read feild guide to amphibians and reptiles we could find. However, it does not include as many different species as some do, but it has much more information per species. I wish Thomas Tyning would write more nature books.

Following in the tradition of Yale's Cardiovascular Health Guide, the Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide, and the Johns Hopkins Medical Guide to Health After 50, the venerable Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons offers us this latest addition to the health-obsessed consumer craze for complete home medical references. As expected, this book offers only more of the same: a good name, a lot of pages, and a redundant course in layman's medicine. Given the sheer size and weight of the volume (lifting it is an exercise itself), you would expect the entries to have more detail and, well, more specialized terminology. The diagrams which accompany many of the chapters elicit more boredom than information (save for the psychiatric section's tables, which are rather good), and the overall organization of the book sacrifices content for accessibility. I've seen many home medical guides at the bookstore lately, and this one just doesn't stand out in particular. My honest recommendation is that you look past the University's illustrious name and opt instead for the MERCK MANUAL HOME EDITION (paperback version), which for its small size and affordable price is the best home medical guide for the entire family.

Very informative. I suffer from PVC's and try to get my hands on as much info as possible. I found this book to be very helpful in my understanding more on this condition.

I think there are many examples in this book, but I found the physical and mathematical model about the cosolvent flushing is not enough, also,I belive more details about the its actual design can help me to understand this remediation methods.

The book is a good starter for real beginners hence its title is apt. The writing style is very dry which is most likely the influence of Dobbins who's articles are generally dry, cynical and sometimes self promoting. Parkers reputation and expertise with planetary imaging certainly gives the book some value. If you're serious about solar system photography, there are many other better resources available though for the absolute beginner it may be worthwhile.

This is a first rate book on the practical study of our solar system. It covers telescopes, mountings, filters, cameras, films and other equipment. Information, observing tips and programs, sketches and photographs are presented for the Moon, 8 planets, minor bodies and comets.

The film photography section is the best I've read for work on the Moon and planets at high power in telescopes and meteors and star fields in wide angle camera lenses. Formulae are provided for guess-free calculation of magnification, exposure time and tracking factors. For those that are so inclined, various darkroom techniques are also discussed at great length for developing and processing images.

The only drawback of this book is its date. Recent advances in film and in digital techniques of processing and the use of CCD and video cameras are not covered. But for those who wish to pursue the most accessible methods of observing our solar system, this is the best book around.

Being an amateur astronomer for 50 years, I consider this book required reading for anyone interested in astrophotography. It is written in a way that will not bewilder the beginner and is more than technical enough for the advanced. CCD imagery is a different field and this book does not intend to try to cover that, even if was written more recently. Definitely worth the money. The authors know what they are doing and know how to explain it. In my opinion, a classic.

I have had bad experiences with cluster books before, this one is no exception. There's no how to in here, just a bunch of lecture. For mega nerds only, average computer people need not apply.

A "Beowulf" is the concept of using a network of low cost personal computers for distributed processing. The book doesn't specify a particular configuration. The author describes the three fundamental parts of a Beowulf system: node hardware, network hardware, and parallel software applications. Three chapters explain how to use the message passing interface (MPI) standard to distribute the work for a program executing on multiple nodes. An example MPI program for sorting is presented. The features of the Linux operating system are covered in Chapter 4 since Linux is a common choice for Beowulf clusters.

Before I purchased this book I was completely intimidated by the idea of building a Beowulf Cluster. I found this book to be a surprisingly thorough and accessible resource, allowing me to get a great understanding of what was needed. I've just placed my order for the equipment for my first cluster and can't wait to get it up and running!