This is the best Director book I ever purchased! I learned how to do something in the 1st chapter and not just the last chapters in the book. I am just learning lingo and this book has a lot of useful examples.

I use Director 7, and this book is made for Director 5. . . And let me just say it makes no differnce want version of Director you are using, if you want to know about Lingo, then this is the book for you! After just reading 4 of the 18 chapters of the book, I know more about Lingo then I did after reading two other books! This is a must have for any serious Director User!

As someone who both works with Director and teaches it at the university level, I'm always looking for good books for beginning to intermediate users. This is NOT the first book I recommend for beginners (usually that's Director Demystified) because it's pretty dry and technical.

But, for anyone who has a general understanding of how Director works, this book is useful in the way a good cookbook is useful. If you know what you want to do, you can look it up and find clear instructions on HOW to do it. My copy is filled with post-it markers showing the answers to questions students have raised in class ("How do I get Director to... ?) The sample movies are very helpful, and teach a valuable lesson: learn the basic principle using the simplest of movies, then apply it to the real thing.

Since the most recent version of the book covers Director 5, I'm waiting for an updated version. But most of the information in the book is still valid...Lingo doesn't THAT much from version to version.

I just finished reading C. Bradley Thompson's "John Adams and The Spirit of Liberty," and am in awe; not only of John Adams but of Dr. Thompson's masterful explication of Adams' political thought.

I had no idea what a debt of gratitude I owed to one man, John Adams, who more than any other Founding Father developed and provided the intellectual framework that became the Constitution of the United States. At the very least this book should be required reading for any person who is interested in pursuing a career in politics.

To all of you who are interested in understanding the intellectual founding of this country I urge you to read this book. You won't be able to put it down.

And to C. Bradley Thompson, I salute you and thank you for your efforts in resurrecting the reputation and honor of this great man.

John Adams and the Spirit of Liberty as a co-winner of the 1999 Best First Book awad from the Foundaions of Political Theoy section of the American Political Science Associatio. The award citation reads as follows: "In John Adams and the Spirit of Liberty, C. Bradley Thompson offers us a thoughtful and compelling revisionist account of Adams's politics and political theory. Thompson begins by showing how Adams's critical rethinking of Calvinism led him to reject it in favor of a Lockean conception of the problem of liberty, social order and political authority. The question of politics and government, then for Adams, was how to protect the natural liberty and rights to which each freeman is entitled through constitutional arrangements that are the work of philosophy, reason, and free will rather than grounded in tradition and common law. By posing the problem in this fashion, Thompson argues, Adams developed the most systematic science of politics of all early American political thinkers. This science of politics is grounded in Baconian principles of science, the lessons of history, and a science of human nature. From these foundations it is possible to identify the distinctive requirements of modern (vs. classical republicanism) and the imperatives and principles of political architecture. In the process, Thompson demonstrates that Adams's prescription for political life was both complex and original. Rejecting both direct democracy and classical republicanism, Adams opted for a republican constitution that would constrain and elevate the passions excited by commercial society. Indeed, it was Adams's belief that a properly constituted public sphere would help cultivate the kind of modest virtues among citizens that were preferable to the vaunted glory of classical antiquity. In demonstrating the complexity and depth of John Adams's politics and political thought, Bradley Thompson provides us with a cogent argument for reconsidering Adams's place in the Founding period and the relevance of his thought for contemporary politics."

In the company of Jefferson, Madison, and Washington, John Adams' significant contribution to American political and intellectual life is often overlooked. This well-written, thoroughly engaging text seeks to put Adams in his rightful place among the Founders of our great nation. Professor Thompson provides a thorough analysis of the development of Adams' political thought: his early philosophical and religious thinking, his revolutionary writings (including the brilliant "Novanglus" pamphlets), and the mature thought of Adams the statesman. Readers will finish this book with a profound awareness of the unique philosophical revolution which fueled the American Revolution, and they will come to appreciate that Adams was (like the author) a brilliant mind. As a former student of Thompson's, I thoroughly appreciate this book.

I think this a great book to take on an airplane or when you just need to sit down and have a good laugh. It can relieve stress and really help you deal with your next best excuse!

Do you find yourself stammering and stuttering when faced with a conflict? Then hire yourself a speech therapist and a psychotherapist. But if you just find yourself in need of some light humor and a few dozen nickels too heavy, this is the book for you. From the ridiculous to the sublime, TUBOE:FESE(JAW) covers every possible area of excuse necessity. If you only buy one book this year, you should buy a bigger one, in case the leg on the kitchen table goes wobbly and you need something to prop it up. If you can possibly manage to buy more than one book, you're going to be hard-pressed to find a better one for this amazing low price, unless you're into those trashy Harlequin Romances.

(Look, what else can I say? It's a book of excuses. If you have an excuse not to buy it, you probably don't need it, right?)

Anyone in need of a zany and rollicking excuse need look no further than the frighteningly hilarious "The Ultimate Book of Excuses." I have a dozen copies on my shelf which I give as gifts after each birthday I forget: but not until I use one of its excuses like "I thought you were dead," or "I paid a clown with a hacking cough to knock on your door and sing 'Born Free' but he just screamed and jumped into a manhole."

Whatever the occasion, this book has the perfect excuse. If you don't own a copy, what's your excuse?

John A. Thompson, author of the Reformers and War: American Progressives Publicists and the First World War (1987)and a leading authority on the Progessive Era and First World War, has written a superb and compact biography of Woodrow Wilson, the best one-volume biography of Wilson that we have. Thompson's insightful account focuses on Wilson's leadership style and assesses both its strengths and weaknesses. As president of Princeton, governor of New Jersey, and president of the United States, Wilson exhibited both firmness and flexibility, and idealism and a practicality. Examining the abilities and the limits of political leadership in American democracy, Thompson carefully weighs the degree to which Wilson's successes and failures were a result of his own actions and a consequence of other factors beyond his control. This is a masterful achievement.

It may come as a surprise to many American readers that it has fallen to a British scholar (from the prestigious University of Cambridge) to write such a lively, elegant and thoughtful study of one of America's greatest Presidents. But those who have followed Thompson's earlier work on Progressivism will know what a fine writer he is.

Here he follows Wilson's career through all the highs and lows of political life, deftly sketching a powerful pen-portrait of Woodrow Wilson the tortured man even as he skilfully demonstrates just why Wilson was such a pivotal figure in American political history. The writing is crisp, the pacing never flags, and Thompson's conclusions are both striking and convincing. A powerful read, and in the current climate, perhaps an instructive one. Buy it, read it, and send a copy to the White House.

"Wilsonianism" has defined, and in many ways imprisoned, American foreign policy since the end of World War I. But what if Wilsonianism was the product of pragmatic, ad hoc, political considerations rather than an idealistic grand strategy?

In his marvelous and very readable study of the statecraft of President Woodrow Wilson, John A Thompson argues that Wilson blended certain idealistic values with hard political realities in his response to World War I. Thompson's book, while brief, is comprehensive: it begins with Wilson's childhood, takes the reader through his career as an academic and later President of Princeton University, discusses his term as Governor of New Jersey, and finally delves into the domestic and international aspects of the Wilson presidency.

This book will appeal to general readers, particularly those who wish to be better informed about the Wilson presidency, as well as academic specialists.

The 9th Edition of the "Comic Buyer's Guide Comic Book Checklist and Price Guide" for 2003 covers comic books from 1961 (i.e., the birth of Marvel) to the present. The basic purpose here is to includes individual listings for more than 100,000 comics broken down by Good, Fine and the proverbial Near-Mint. Most of the time you will find out both the month and year of publication for particular issues. With most of the superhero comics, especially those from DC and Marvel, there is information about specific guest appearances by other characters (so this will tell you about Spider-Man crossovers but nothing about Betty and Veronica). Abbreviations identify artists from Alfredo Alcala (AA) to Wally Wood (WW), as well as issue information on everything from O (Origin of) and W (Wedding) to 1 (first appearance of) and D (Death), as well as HOL (Hologram cover) and N (New costume). In other words, there is a lot of information available from Maggie Thompson et al. besides the basics.

Additionally the opening section of the volume answers a series of fundamental questions (e.g., What is the "Silver Age"?) and tells you want to pay attention to if you are new to collecting (cover variants, issue condition, etc.). There is also a Photo Grading Guide and Guide to Defects that will help you grade your comics, along with a system for maintaining an inventory of your collection. Each two page spread includes one small comic book cover in the upper right hand corner of the right page, which give you glimpses of both classic issues of Batman and forgotten titles like "Gold Key Spotlight" featuring Tom, Dick and Harriet. Consequently this is a solid volume that can be used to keep track of what you have and what you need to track down: already I have been using it to make a list of issues I need to pick up because stories begin in comic books I am collecting but then get continued in some title I pass on. At 800 pages this might be a bit much to tote around to Comic Book shows and conventions, but the alternative is copying all this information into some other format.

I want the prices to the comic books

The ubiquitous Internet is a double-edged sword. A major benefit is sharing information; a major detriment is the risk to customers of divulging private information. For e-businesses, therefore, privacy is a showstopper issue. This book was written to promote e-business success by helping organizations evaluate privacy needs, establish a privacy task force, use technologies to provide maximum protection, formulate privacy policies and procedures, implement and test privacy procedures, and monitor and modify privacy protection. This one's a winner--for companies that want to "win" at e-business.

In today's security conscious world, nothing is more important than the privacy of personal information being shared on the internet. Erbschloe and Vacca present a blueprint for developing net privacy starting with a 10 step privacy needs audit, developing the enterprise privacy plan and lastly the implementation of the plan. Full discussions of topics such as employee training about privacy issues, governmental and legal issues, monitoring the privacy plan once in place, security of laptops and telecommuting help the reader understand the scope of the problems and how to solve them. One issue, I had not thought about: privacy of shared customer data with vendors is instructive. Besides being an essential resource to businesses using the net, consumers should read this book to understand all the issues surrounding the safety of their personal information.

"Net Privacy" by Michael Erbschloe and John Vacca provides an excellent reference for understanding the privacy issues associated with Internet use. The book provides a comprehensive description on how sensitive corporate data is handled to in order protect consumer privacy and corporate liability. The book contains informative tips and techniques for securing privileged information from a business standpoint, and provides an understanding to the Internet user and e-business customer of the security precautions implemented today in the ever-changing e-business marketplace. The book goes on to provide a framework for the development and implementation of a corporate privacy plan. For an IT professional this process can be extremely useful in determining if you have each of the critical areas covered in order to protect corporate interests in an e-business environment. The book also provides great recommendations for corporate privacy protection in terms of mobile computing and Virtual Private Networking (VPN) environments.

There is a lot of good information in this book, but most of it can be found toward the beginning. The tips on predicting the weather alone could be worth the price of the book. However, the maps of the various waterways were absolutely terrible. I would recommend this book for a general overview and lots of tips and tricks for paddlers, and the two "Canoeing and Kayaking the Streams of Florida" guides for detailed information on specific waterways.

Book Review- Paddler's Guide to the Sunshine State by Sandy Huff

Coming from a whitewater paddling background, my first thought on looking at the river descriptions in Huff's book was, "Hm, not very detailed." On further reflection, though, this makes sense. Details of how to run rapids aren't needed in Florida, and the lack of details makes visiting the waterways described much more of a voyage of discovery- as paddling should be.
Huff has logically divided her book into three major sections. The first part contains tips for paddling in Florida, and includes chapters on gear and clothing and how to pack it, staying healthy, staying safe, and camping in Florida with sections on cooking and camp activities, all delightfully written by someone who clearly has had an abundance of paddling experience.
The second section describes in detail all the wildlife you might encounter on any trip on Sunshine State waterways, and your best strategies for safely dealing with those critters (Do NOT feed the wildlife!). Aunt Sally from Ohio will survive her first alligator encounter if you follow Huff's advice. There is even a short chapter on fishing.
Finally, the last section contains descriptions of over 200 trips on 91 waterways across the state. Every description contains all the information you'll need to make that trip: a map, where to put in, where to take out, the length of time and/or mileage involved, skill level needed, and local emergency phone numbers (great idea!). The descriptions are also keyed to the corresponding DeLorme atlas page numbers, and include a brief outline of what you can expect to encounter, all written in a tastefully understated manner.
It's difficult to find any flaws in this book, or figure out how to improve upon it. For every Sunshine State paddler or anyone who wants to become one, Huff's book is a must read.

-John Kumiski

If you want to have just one book on paddling in Florida then this is the one to get!! It has easy-to-read maps, web sites, addresses and phone numbers for further information. Paddling a river or creek is more than just knowing where to put in and take out. Sandy gives you all kinds of information on the area, fishing, wildlife, weather, safety and much more. I must have every book there is on paddling in Florida but they're going on the bottom shelf because this is the one I'm going to reach for when planning my next adventure!!

Being from the midwest I had heard about John Thompson.
Well really who did not hear about this awful accident.
I had no idea he had written a book, until I went to
the gift shop at North Memorial and had been a patient
there. Right on the counter was his book. Bought it,
read it in 2 days. It is hard to take at times as he
mentions the operations etc. You relize what he went
through beyond the spotlights. And it was not nice at
times, but he held on. What was so sad when his dog
died, Tuffy was the one who licked his face when his
arms were torn off and awoke him. Tuffy was his hero.
John is a hero and will always be a hero in my heart. Also
he had signed the book!

For a period of a few months ten years ago, just about everyone knew who John Thompson was - his accident was front page news. His book relates not only how he coped with the loss and subsequent reattachment of his arms, but also how he dealt with the publicity that followed and how he came to terms with having his life changed forever.

John and Paula collaborated to bring this compelling story to print. Makes you appreciate all that you have and realize that there really are still hero's in our chaotic world.

On Growth and Form written by D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson is a classic and should be found on the bookshelf of any well read person.

This book sets our mind up for an education in physics, chemistry, mathematics, and physiology with form and function. Language skills are needed for reading this book as the author uses the original Greek in places for explaination and emphsis. Aristotle comes to mind and German is used for emphsis.

If you want to get the full extent of the text and you are not up to speed on the subjects mentioned or you'll find it hard to read this book. This could be read by a junior or senior in high school. But, I think it would be more appropriate for college.

This book is the study of organic form using methods found in the physical sciences. This book is a challenge to read, but it is very logical and straight forward.

Biologists currently believe that DNA 'codes' 'information'--you can see the garbage we impose on these little hydrogen bonds--everything from your eye color to your ability to speak language.

Yet Physicists now believe that there are universal aspects to phase transitions, which make no reference to their constituent parts. I read Thompson as saying something similar: forms such as the spiral and hexagonal array are displayed in wildly disconnected systems, because they solve an optimization problem that is commonly seen. We may -not- describe a shell with reference to its DNA--not only would it be tremendously difficult, it would be impossible! These forms make -no reference- to constituent parts, only to the very high-level enviornment.

If this is correct, biologists may be barking up the wrong tree! Whatever made them think that DNA 'codes' anything? We know perfectly well that tiny changes in initial conditions can radically change the final product, but in a totally unpredictable way! Better to ask, why do so many things in the world--'living' or not--take on the form that they do? What is this urge to 'live', that is (in physicist's terms) to self-assemble? And, is our instinct correct, that life's form displays the same kind of universality that we know exists for phase transitions?

Thompson's reference to Leibnitz (usually taken as kooky classicism) is hand-in-glove with this argument. His discussion of effective versus final cause reads like a manifesto for a new (or long ignored) science. Wolfram take note: this guy beat you (was genuinely original, and even wrote beautifully) by about 100 years.

This book is a classic, no two ways about it. It is really the first credible attempt to start taking a quantitative approach to biology, and despite the developments of the past century (molecular biology, etc), the problems raised in this book are just as pressing as they were when thompson wrote it. Anyone working in cell biology nowadays will immediately see applications of the ideas in this book, for example to organelle morphogenesis. The genius and erudition of thompson shine through on every page, making the book inspiring to read.

This is the most wonderful Bible I've ever owned, and I have tried many over the past 20 years, including a variety of study Bibles.

Although study Bibles do offer value, I think that sometimes there is too much of man's option for me to use these as my every day primary usage Bible. The New Thompson-Chain offers something truly different from other study Bibles... it fully uses God's Word to explain itself without the help of man's opinions. It is an incredible tool to dig deep into the Word of God easily - it can be used by beginners or "road scholars" of God's Word alike. Top of mind benefits are easy to read text, incredibly thorough reference system, the pages just the right thickness, extensive maps, great archeological section, many blank pages in the front and back of the book to write your own notes. But what I like best of all is the unique index system where you can look up a topic and see all the scriptures on that topic printed out together, not just the scriptural references to look up on your own. That way, you can read 10+ scriptures on the topic, all on one page viewing, rather than flipping through 10 or more scriptures.

New King James Version + Thompson Chain Reference = AWESOME BIBLE!

For many years, I searched for the "ultimate" Bible. Being an avid New King James Version reader, we don't always have as many resources available as the King James or NIV people. My most useful Bible study tool is many, many cross-references, which I always looked for in NKJV Bibles that had the most. The Thompson Chain has much more than the standard cross-references. The chain references are just that: you go to the alphabetical index to find your subject, (which there are listed around 4,400 different topics) and you go to the first reference, and simply chain through the scripture references. In other words, they are cross-referenced in sequence order! The topics are as detailed as "blue" and as extensive as "God"; these more extensive subjects are then broken down into various sub- topics. Also, in the back of the Bible, the subjects are listed by title, then all the references are given, and the more main ones are chained throughout the scriptures, and some topics' scriptures are written out in the back also! There are also absolutely no commentaries, nor any conclusions drawn in this Bible! I would 100% recommend this Bible (in any version you use) for those of us who love many, many cross references, and believe first and foremost to compare scripture with scripture (1Cor. 2:13) in Bible studies. For those who like this, this Bible has everything!

I purchased my first Thompson Chain Reference Bible as a new believer back in the 70's. It was and continues to be the best study Bible for those who desire to search out the Word for themselves and compare scripture with scripture. And, the extensive Bible study helps in the back of the Bible do add a rich dimension in addition to the topical chain references.

I was a little concerned about the "new" TCR's as several reviewers mentioned degradations in quality and I certainly didn't like the thin glossy paper I saw in the hardbacks in the bookstore. I was delighted today when I received my large print deluxe leather edition Bible.

The Bible I received has excellent flat, opaque Bible paper perfect for note-taking. And, the binding appears to have stitching in addition to the glue, so I'd say the quality of the binding is fine and should serve one well for years.

One caveat in regard to the large print edition--It is LARGE! Not the print (it's 9 point instead of the regular 8), but the Bible itself. It's not so unwieldy that I would think twice about using it, but if size is an issue for you, check the dimensions and choose accordingly.

I can't say enough good things about this Bible. It has my highest recommendation; you won't be sorry in choosing this Bible.