This book reminded me of a Dean Koontz novel but with a little more substance and without the golden retriever. Wilson asks the question, what does it mean to be human? Aliens settle in orbit around earth and ask humans if they would like to live forever. However, living forever would mean becoming something not exactly human but perhaps better. 10% of the world population, including the protagonist, decide not to take them up on their offer. The book then follows the adventures of the hero and his few companions who have also declined the aliens' "gift"

What would I do? That wasn't the only question that popped into my head when I finished this novel. It was followed by a host of others. Excellently written, Wilson made me feel good about the human species, when I thought the times could only get worse. Even reading it at 16, the novel made me feel like I was there and living. Excellent.

Why are all the best books out of print? And why didn't this man get some sort of award for this book? It was an old topic explored in an original way. I read this on a road trip from Ohio to Florida, and I will tell you, I hated when I had to take my turn driving. I could not get my mind off of this book from page one until the end. What an excellent storyteller this author is!

In college, I took a Dickens class. We read about a book a week. Needless to say I didn't get around to Bleak House. But I read Pickwick Papers, mainly because I was amazed at how funny it was. Dickens rivals Twain in his biting sarcasm and humor aimed late 19th Century society: The usual cast of slimebags appear; the criminal system, petty thieves, and lawyers, just to name a few.

This book is a delight, and not all that laborious. It takes on all the political issues of other books, and leaves you with characters that are very real yet utterly fictitious; and since it was written in serial format originally; one can't wait to find out what happens next to these sheltered, naive, silly aristocratic characters who surely must have influenced Monty Python's Twit of the Year competition. Except Mr. Pickwick; the dignified President of the Pickwick Society. He's a twit, but one with moxy.

The Pickwick Papers, (or rather The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club) although not Dickens' best work, is still a wondeful novel. The writing isn't as consistently good as it is in his later novels, but none of the writing is bad, and there are several flashes of brilliance which seem to herald what Dickens' would become when his genius had time to ripen (one of these can be found at the end of chapter 44, a beautifully written account of the death of a prisoner in a debtor's prison). In the beginning, despite being very funny, the novel, and indeed Mr. Pickwick, may seem rather inane. Keep reading. The story of Mr. Pickwick's trial and eventual imprisonment is one of the most brilliant pieces of comic literature, and Mr. Pickwick grows into a truly monumental character by the end. And Sam Weller, Mr. Pickwick's cockney servant, is one of the best characters in all of Dickens. Clever, witty, and cynical, he seems to light up every page. The book has a very happy ending, in which all loose ends are tied together and every character gets what he or she deserves. It is truly uplifting. I strongly reccommend this book.

Having never read any Dickens before - and unaware this was his maiden effort - I was hooked from the first few pages. The benevolent Mr. Pickwick, with his faithful sidekicks, experiences Victorian England as a well-to-do citizen. While the bulk of this novel deals with the "softer" side of society, the hard-edged aspects of the era are nonetheless acknowledged. With memorable characters, marvelous misadventures, subtle comedic touches, and an occasional suprise around the corner, this novel holds it's own as a "classic." My only "Pickwick" regret was waiting this long (24 yrs. old) to read it. This book will undoubtedly serve as a springboard for ALL of Charles Dickens' works.

Charles Schwab has written an excellent book on how to get started in investing. It's easy to read and a excellent primer. Don't make this your only investment or financial book. I also highly recommend 'Mutual Fund Investing For Dummies" by Eric Tyson and "More Wealth Without Risk" by Charles Givens.

Written for those just beginning to consider an investment plan, Charles Schwab's Guide to Financial Independence provides good sound advice that individuals can't go wrong with. The book includes sections that guide readers through the task of determining their own "investor profile" and asset allocation plan. Schwab recommends diversification through no-load mutual funds and cost-effective index funds and provides additional insight into the tax and record-keeping aspects of mutual fund investing. Some of the more interesting parts of the book: Mrs. Schwab's firsthand experience with an investment club and the book's epilogue, probably the only part actually written by Schwab. I found almost no negatives to this book except the part about dollar-cost-averaging which is a commonly misunderstood concept. Although there were many references to his own company, the book didn't seem to be self-promoting in general. I would recommend this book to anyone with little or no knowledge of investing.

Buy this book. I can't say enough good things about it. First, the book is extremely well written, and targets a specific audience, that many of us are in.

If you are not professional investor, and want to learn more about the basics of investing and about the different products out there, then read this book.

Charles Schwab takes your through a good squence of explaining different investment philosophies, tools, tricks, etc. He proves that you don't have to beat the market to make money, you just have to match it. Now, I have heard this before in other books, but the overall presentation and support for this, is much well represented in this book.

If you are starting out, or attempting to re-organize your finances, before you get a money manager or financial advisor, get this book. It will definitely save and make you money. You will learn how to invest within your comfort level, and by the end of the book, the stock market and investing will be demystified.

You will regret not reading this book. I think this would also make a good gift.

A useful text with numerous examples to motivate and encourage your team to get creative and innovative. Useful to owners of small businesses and entrepreneurs to understand how the big organisations succeed. It is little things that could be done for big returns. With the focus on simple things like benchmarking and audit, understanding markets, products and services, it brings all together on winning customers. I have often trawled this book for best practices from time to time and without fail, I have found often new insight and ideas each time I flipped through it. Its a kind of book you may want to read and dip into from time to time for ideas to spark your creativity! The best practice agenda & top ten diagnostic questions at the end of each chapter are useful tools to develop your own best practices.

An enthusiastic two thumbs up!

Unlike most businesss books that say in 300 pages what can be said in 3, this book delivers its message clearly and concisely.

It offers many "best practices" learned from direct client experience that can be used immediately in companies. Colored with examples, and punctuated throughout with tidbits of wisdom.

A must buy!

The books quotes numerous examples. That's what the book is all about.

Readers may use these as foundation point for implementing best practises in their own companies. Different companies have different situations.

These ideas motivate one to perform well, often to surge ahead of the competition. Gives you the adrenaline pump to come out with the best.

The importance of value-chain is emphasized by quoting examples of companies such as Lexus which managed continuity of service despite problems in plants of its suppliers.

Readers have to be cautioned that this book is not a panacea to customer-service problems.

Customer Service is not a mere toll-free number. A reader will realise this and much more by reading this book.

This book is a great introduction to NLP. It covers the fundamental principles and techniques in a concise manner. There is no fluff, which is something I appreciated. It can be used by novices to learn the "big picture", and as a refresher by those who are familiar with NLP. There are many exercises, and the step by step instructions are clearly written. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning and experiencing what NLP has to offer.

I agree with one reviewer's comments on the "clinical" writing style of the book. There's a somewhat impersonal, managemential voice to the book, and the constant, dogmatic "NLP is the answer to everything" tone ingratiates at times.

But, once you get past the style, this is a great introduction to NLP. The ideas are clearly, concisely explained and laid out in an organized fashion with plenty of headings. Like a textbook, there are 43 meaningful exercises here that lead you through all the concepts presented. I looked over quite a few NLP books before this one. This is simply the most practical, organized, learnable really, intro to NLP I've seen. Hopefully, a more personal version can be written someday.

This is one of THE most powerful and effective NLP books to date. It teaches some theory, BUT NLP isn't abot theory, it's about what works - for YOU, as an individual.

A key tenet ("presupposition") of NLP is that *nothing* works for *everybody*, and *nothing* works for *anybody* *all* of the time. You have to try things out until you find the exercises and methods that work "for you". And even then you may find that they work better some days than others.

After reading quite a few books on NLP, I'd say that this is the nearest thing you'll find to the essence of NLP short of going on a "top notch" training course. Read the book, and DO do the exercises, but only when you're ready to progress your life to a whole new level.

For those who are ready for something better - highly recommended.

If, on the other hand, you're really not sure if you're ready to step out of your "comfort zone", then stay clear of this book. Once you've read it, you'll never be able to put things back the way they were.

This book packs a double good punch!

The first is that it is the best personal growth-self help book I've ever read. Seriously. I am a self-help junkie with a large success library of self-help books and the Lazy Man Way to Riches Revised is my favorite by far!

Karbo and Nixon revised the original 70's "Lazy Man", which was great, into this true classic that works for today's world.It still has everyword of the original in it, but it also now has more up to date ideas and suggestions. Their style is simple and direct, easy to read and understand and it has tons of wonderful motivational quotes! Everyone loves a good quote!

Now here is the best thing about it ... it's easy to apply to my life so I can actually achieve the goals I set - not just read how to achieve them. Karbo and Nixon are like the wise old owls in the woods. Their wealth of experience and information about how to "get from where you are to where you want to be" has all been pulled together and put into this book. I have already made some long overdue changes needed in my life.
I'm on my 3rd reading and I find great new stuff each time I read it. It's highlighted in 3 different colors now .(Combined with the workbook that goes along with the "Lazy Man", I feel this is the best self help program ever because it helps me apply what I am learning..)

I really bought the book for the self-help part. I didn't even think about the second part of the book when I ordered it. I have to tell you - the second part of the book was a fantastic surprise. I am in sales and didn't think I had anything to learn, but I learned so much from the first part of the book I figured it wouldn't hurt to read the second half.

I'm glad I did because I learned alot from the second part of the book, which is really about direct response marketing. I don't do mail order, but I found the selling and marketing principles more helpful than any other sales or business book I've read. The part on ad writing is worth the price of the book alone. Much of the information in the second part of the book is dated, but the basic selling and marketing principles are timeless and work in today's world just as well. I am now using those principles to help build my Internet business!

I've read about 75 of the best known self-help books, and The Lazy Man's Way to Riches is the most unusual one, and it actually works! If you want to actually accomplish things, get it - but get the ORIGINAL, 1973 edition, which AMAZON.COM has in paperback and hardcover. Avoid this re-issue or the "Roadmap" workbook, both written 13 years after Joe Karbo's death. They are loaded with extraneous writing that sometimes contradicts the original text within.

I've read about 75 of the best known self-help books, and TheLazy Man's Way to Riches is the most unusual one, and it actuallyworks! If you want to actually accomplish things, get it - but get the ORIGINAL, 1973 edition, which AMAZON.COM has in paperback and hardcover. Avoid the re-issue or the "Roadmap" workbook, both written 13 years after Joe Karbo's death. They are loaded with extraneous writing that sometimes contradicts the original text within.

Published in 1820, Maturin's "Melmoth the Wanderer" is usually named as the last of the Gothic novels. Gothic here implies the incorporation of Burke's elements of the "sublime", wherein terror and sorrow invoke in the reader a heightened sense of empathy with the events unfolding in the narrative. Maturin pulls out all the stops of his time in creating situations of hopelessness, fear, and both religous and social sadism. Melmoth himself has sold his soul to the devil (will these people *never* learn? ;-) and attempts over the course of scores of years to find someone so desperate that they will take this "bargain" off his hands before the devil comes for his due. The novel is constructed of tales-within-tales, depicting the awful conditions the people Melmoth seeks out find themselves in. For example, the "Tale of the Spaniard" is told by a prisoner of the Inquisition (although this tedious tale takes over 120 pages to even GET to the Inquisition), whose life is still not so horrible that he would willingly trade place with the wandering Melmoth. The narrative is infuriatingly slow and convoluted, and only a perseverance surpassing the average will reward the patient reader with the creation of atmosphere that keeps this book on the "must read" list of true afficiandos of the supernatural. A minor note: Patrick O'Brian pays tribute to the author by naming one of contemporary literature's most well-known characters after him: half of the "Aubrey/Maturin" team of O'Brian's 19th-century novels of naval warfare.

Let's dispense with the formalities. Melmoth the Wanderer is a really long, really verbose book. However, it is a MASTERPIECE of gothic literature. Its best parts (and there are many) surpass Poe's nightmarish tales for sheer paranoia and fear, but the inordinate amount of time Maturin takes to reach the next denoument in the story took away from my overall perception of the novel. Very long, and gothic to the point of absurdity. (you'll love it!)

"Melmoth the Wanderer" is a tour de force of Gothicism, however, the psychological profundity of each character distinguishes this novel from typical examples of the genre. The multi-layered narrative, while occasionally confusing, is worth the concentration as Maturin weaves a complex and gripping tale. Of particular interest is the Tale of the Indian, which is concerned with the influence of Melmoth over Immalee, an innocent girl, alone on an Indian island. The description of her innocence is magnificent in its simplicity and effectiveness. An absolutely astounding, challenging and exciting book.

It seems to me that everyone is happy with the book, but is it really that good? In my opinion it's far from perfect preparation guide for OCP exam. It's true that author covered *almost* all topics from OCP preparation guide, organization of the book is indeed good, questions at the end of each chapter and sample test at the end of the book are real gems. Even typographical errors are almost gone in this edition compared with author previous edition Oracle7 to 8 Upgrade (which was probably not proof read at all).

So, where is the problem? First I found layout of the book simply terrible, it really hurts readability of otherwise more or less well-written chapters. You'll probably need a set of markers at hand while reading to make clear distinction of key words, wrapped syntax and dense sections. Extensive usage of boldface and lack of white space in this book makes this even worse and as such worthless for any kind of reference in the future (ok, this last one is perhaps too much to expect from cram book, after all ;-).

When I prepared for upgrade exam from Oracle 7.3 to 8.0 I used Exam Cram study guide as my primary source of information, ILT Courseware as second and Oracle technical manuals for detailed explanations on particular topics as third source of information. This time around I think ILT courseware is better exam preparation resource than Exam Cram book Oracle8 to 8i Upgrade. ILT is certainly more readable (thanks to clear layout) and more comprehensive at the same time.

Topics that I found incomplete or with missing explanation in this book are: LogMiner (incomplete description of V$ views), LOBS (temporary LOBS...), DBMS_REPAIR, FGAC (data dictionary views?), Constraint Changes in Oracle8i and last but not least, chapter on Resource Manager is a clear example of how NOT to present new feature in study guide.

You should also be careful while reading and answering the questions because some statements (answers) are wrong, for example false statement introduced in Oracle7.3 to 8 Upgrade book that makes you believe that partitioning of bitmap indexes was not possible in Oracle8 is still here, wrong definition of normalized / denormalized dimensions and unclear definition of prefixed index are also examples of possible misunderstanding of the topics.

So, the question is should you buy this book if you already have ILT? Don't forget that the main objective of Exam Cram books is to help you pass the exam (not necessarily help you to really *learn* something), I'm sure this book will deliver that promise. Those of you without ILT don't have much choice, Mr. Freeman book is still the best OCP 8 to 8i study guide on the market. Good luck!

With this book and experience as my preparation, I just passed the 8i upgrade exam with plenty of room to spare. The average question on the real exam is actually easier than those found in this guide. Just as I discovered with the Oracle8 Networking Exam Cram text, I scored 10% higher on the one that counted.

There were no fill-in-the-blank questions on the real exam this morning. But knowing the material well enough to successfully deal with that type of testing will enable you to navigate through multiple-answer / multiple-choice format without a problem. I do not fault the authors for this variance; Oracle most likely changed the format (or much less likely, fill-in-the-blank questions still exist, but were not randomly selected for my test).

There were many typographical errors that prevent me from giving this work 5 stars. It seems like search and replace was used overzealously (e.g., "Cer1tification").

So when will Exam Cram be releasing a book for the "8i to 9i Upgrade"? ...

I found this book to be an excellent upgrade guide with just the right emphasys on the new features and still maintains good integration with general Oracle theory. Easy to read and few errors.
One warning, expect the real exam to be much more difficult than the book's questions.
I read this guide three times and passed the exam with 80%.

This book is remarkable and different from almost any other war remembrance I have come across. Not only has Robert Knox Sneden penned a highly descriptive account of his years with the Army of the Potomac and as a prisoner of war, his work is illustrated with scores of his own watercolors depicting what he saw -- many made at the time he was witnessing places and events during the war.

Sneden had an unusual vantage point. An engineer and draftsman, Sneden's services were employed as a map maker for several Union Generals during the first two and a half years of the war. Although a private, this posting gave him an easier life than experienced by most privates. Although in the field, Sneden was attached to headquarters. His staff position and duties also gave him considerable free time -- from which we benefit. Sneden used this time to record his observations in both written form and via sketches and watercolor renderings of war scenes.

Sneden's posting was not without difficulty or danger. Several times he had to reconnoiter close to the enemy or between the lines in order gather the information needed for accurate local maps. He was also asked to journey over recently fought over battlefields to aid in the construction of after-action reports -- after the Union army had left and local control had reverted to Confederate partisans.

On one such journey away from the main army, Sneden and a few of his companions were captured by Mosby's Rangers. Sneden then began his journey through the Confederate prisoner of war system staying in Richmond, Andersonville and several other locations.

His experiences are well written. Sneden has a very matter of fact style of writing that gets to the point and is descriptive without being overwrought. Having read "Company Ayche" by Sam Watkins and "All for the Union" by Elisha Hunt Rhodes, I would rank Sneden's work as highly among Civil War remembrances. His unique position enables him to comment on battlefield and camp experiences in all their gritty detail as well as those portions of the Union high command with whom he came in contact. His prisoner of war writing reveals the brutal realities of life at Andersonville and other locations. The raw and inhumane world of these men is given testamony by Sneden in his gripping account of what he and others bore.

The artwork illustrates the text well. Although probably considered somewhat rough strictly as art, it is poignant and captivating. His original maps are also fascinating as historical documents.

This is a very good book. The war and prison scenes are engaging and very interesting. The author's style is highly readible and very convincing in terms of giving a front line view of army and prison life. The plentiful contemporary illustrations makes this book a stand out among the genre.

Private Robert Sneden of the 40th New York Volunteers was trained in architecture and engineering and assigned to make detailed maps of the unknown terrain being traversed by the Union Army. This assignment gave him unusual freedom to roam the areas and battlefields to which he was assigned. Fortunately he kept a daily journal and made well drawn sketches and watercolor paintings as he went. The book covers the period from September 29, 1861, shortly after he joined McClellan's army encamped at Leesburg, Virginia, to December 26, 1864, when he was finally reunited with his family. With an artist's eye for detail and a surprisingly deft ability with the English language, Sneden provides the reader with some of the most memorable descriptions, watercolor colors of scenes, and eyewitness accounts ever published on the Civil War. Sneden's experiences can broadly be divided into two major periods.

The first general section of his journal concerns the events connected with McClellan's move toward the botched siege of Yorktown, Virginia, and ends with the bloody battles of the 7 Day's War in which Lee attacked the Union forces at Mechanicsville and forced the ensuing retreat. Sneden's almost matter-of-fact descriptions of the fighting, confusion, carnage, small unit movements, individual heroism, death, and destruction are powerful and moving.

The second general section of Sneden's journal concerns the events leading up to his capture by Mosby's Confederate cavalry, his internment first in Richmond and finally at the infamous Andersonville, and his eventual release and reunion with his family. No brief review could possibly do justice to the descriptions of the inhumanity displayed at these prison facilities. Sneden's accounts are strong, detailed, and painful to read.

I highly recommend this book. It is a book which belongs in the collection of anyone interested in United States history and the Civil War in particular.

Robert Sneden served as a map maker during the early years of the Civil War, and finished his war in the Andersonville prison camp. Recent discoveries of his drawings and diary have allowed this book to be published. The story is breath taking, a personal sojourn through the mud and battle of America's great tradgedy.

The book is well edited. Brief italicized passages place the reader within the context of the battles and time. Sneden spent most of his time as a staff member at the Division and Corp levels, allowing him to see a wider view of the war than most. He drew maps, but he also drew many sketches. These provide a visual beauty to the book.

The water colors were obviously created after the war, and the diary entries were also updated from memory. His style as an artist is horizontal, with landscapes and muted muddy colors and great details, a map maker who draws the world around him.

Sneden was an interesting man, with some bigotries, and some brilliant insights. His frustration with the generalship of the Army of the Potomac is shared by the reader. His description of prison life in Andersonville reminds me of the book King Rat, and is both evocative, realistic, and saddening.

The wealth of detail is incredible -- early balloon experiments, the frustrations of mud, dysentery, and nature, and the incredible rapaciousness of the average soldier (digging up church cornerstones in search of souvenirs). Thse details are fascinating, but they are encapsulated within a story of great scope -- one man's war that mirrors the entire Civil War.

Sneden was an artist, a good commentator, and he got around. The result is a true story, fascinating for both the civil war buff and the average reader. A tremendous book.

This book will truly tell you what you need to know, but you'll have to hunt for it. It's packed with information but badly edited and the index is near useless. It's badly organized as well, so you might have to look in several places to find info on a single topic. It's rich in info on some topics and pretty skimpy on others. Still, if you've got the patience to sit down and read it from cover to cover you'll be well prepared to start growing. So far we're satisfied with our results and we've avoided many of the pitfalls of first-time growers. I especially liked the case studies, colour pictures and grower anecdotes. The seed bank listings and URLs are also useful.

Grown a garden before and needed help with pests and problems? I did, but then I got this book. With this book I saved the crop this year, from spider mites to mold - we had it all and were able to find the answers we needed in the Indoor Bible.
The color pictures and drawings are really clear and helpful, and the whole book reminds me of a college text book with it's sections in logical order and a bunch of references at your fingertips to help figure things out.
There are a lot of grow books out there with lots of pretty pictures, but this one is seriously informative and yet easy to use for all us stoners. Great tips on security and safety of indoor gardening make this a lifesaver considering the current state of paranoia in some countries.

Hi - I work in the "field" and I must say I was surprised to see how well structured this new effort of Cervantes. Instead of judging growers methods from a an objective and superior perspective [aka ed] Jorge just offers a complete overview of growing styles from all over the world. The book is packed with pictures, drawings and interesting web links that truly help out the reader in understanding in a simple step-by-step way. Jorge has gained my respect in evolving his guides to "panoramas" and maintain always his humour and personal gardening experience to a level where reading becomes a pleasure and learning a fun process. Thank you Jorge - I hope you guyz out there will appreciate his new book the way I did! Greets from Switzerland - ZtefaN