Don't let the dismal fact that this book is twenty-zillionth on the bestseller list discourageth you.... it is well worth orderething.

I first came to this book through the published endorsement (hence, not personal) of the great C.S. Lewis, who made his first reading of the Well in November of 1914. He read it many times thereafter.

In my ONE reading of the two volumes, I can attest to the fact that this is a beautiful story, a rich fantasy, a vibrant fairy-tale with no fairies. Among other things... a love story. Strictly speaking, as regards genre, it is a "romance". The chivalric, bardic story of Ralph of Upmeads, the least likely of the King's four sons, who devotes his life to the quest of the Well at The World's End... a fabled well which promises to reward its discoverer with perpetual youth.

If you are in love with Tolkien's The Lord of The Rings (and who isn't) you should definitely consider having an affair with The Well At The World's End. Let me defuse the daunting issue of Morris's use of archaic language. Be ye warned, in every sentence you will constantly encounter words such as forsooth, hitherward, quoth, whither, rideth, erstwhile, deem, draweth, betwixt, and I wot not else. At first I thought this would be really intolerable. But I quickly adapted to it, and even found it kind of "not vile".

Remember... Volume 2 is essential. It's NOT a sequel, it's a conclusion. Get both volumes, and escape the world of car horns and remote control for a bit.

I applaud this new re-issue of what is definitely a fantasy classic. Previously, one had to search a hundred used-book stores to find it. Now it's a click away.

And as regards it's place on the bestseller list? I am reminded of the wise words of the great Henrik Ibsen, who once suggested that "the solid majority is always wrong."

I've been interested in the history of fantasy for a while, and I was definately intrigued when I happened upon this title. I immediately ordered it and read it. The Well at the World's End is marvelous. Every once in a while I start wanting to read a romance, and this is a good romance. The story is pretty original and was very different for its time. The story follows Ralph as he searches for the WELL AT THE WORLD'S END. He has enemies and intrigued galor to fight through. Along the way, there is also a love story, too.

The Well at the World's End is a good read even for modern readers. It is an excellent example of "romance." It is also good just as a curiosity read. Fans of Tolkien, Lewis, and Eliot should visit William Morris's writings. Personally, my favorite thing about the book was the archaic prose. For the first twenty pages I thought it would be bothersome. After that, I was used to it and the book flowed nicely. It is sad that few people read William Morris today.

I rank this book up there with the Gormenghast series and the Lord of the Rings. A fantasy masterpiece, it is the precursor for everything that came after. Yes, the archaic medieval language is tough to get into at first, but after ten or twenty pages it becomes natural to the mind and presents no problem. One sees that the language is part of the beauty. Overall, this book is like one of those medieval detailed tapestries, with kings, adventurers, knights and noble women trotting through forests toward distant castles. This is medieval romance at its finest, and because it dates from 1898, it is happily free of the Tolkien imitativeness that has so infected a large portion of modern fantasy. Forget Terry Brooks, read The Well At the World's End.

With the advent of the Clustering Technology Formerly Known as Wolfpack, clustering has entered the computing mainstream. As a contributor to several white papers and studies on the subject, Shannon Knows DEC is no stranger to clustering technology. Nevertheless, while plenty has been written about clustering, vendor-specific collateral and trade press articles leave a great deal to be desired. Until now, customers seeking in-depth knowledge of modestly parallel computing have been unable to turn to a comprehensive information source. In an effort to cater to prospective adopters of Microsoft Cluster Server or NUMA-based systems, IBM engineer and cluster guru Greg Pfister recently published In Search of Clusters, Second Edition. In this 550-page book, Pfister manages to render a variety of complex technical issues understandable to those of us who do not possess a degree in computer science. The author makes ample use of analogies (including the now-famous "pack of dogs" example from which the Wolfpack sobriquet was derived) to point out the differences between parallel, cluster, and distributed systems, and to help his readers make sense of acronyms such as SMP, MPP, and NUMA. Technically oriented readers will appreciate the fact that Pfister reviews various clustering implementations-and the strengths and weaknesses of each offering-in great detail. The book hardly qualifies as light reading, but if you can understand SKD, you'll have no problem getting your money's worth from Greg's tutorial. In Search of Clusters, Second Edition (ISBN 0-13-899709-8) is available from AMAZON.COM. If you're contemplating the purchase of a clustered system, or if you're looking for insightful coverage of this evolving technology, In Search of Clusters definitely belongs on your bookshelf. Terry Shannon Publisher, Shannon Knows DEC

As other reviewers have said, this is an excellent book and is a *must have* for anyone exploring practically any aspect of cluster computing. Even beyond the quality of the information conveyed, the writing style is wonderful and the author makes an otherwise abstract and cumbersome topic quite readable and quite approachable. This book is regarded as the Clustering Bible worldwide, and I've seen copies placed prominently in the bookshelves of individuals in Beijing, Tokyo, Paris, and the US. Microsoft's own Cluster Server was codenamed 'Wolfpack', as an honerable reference to the cover art of this specific book.

Aaron McKee
Clustering Products Manager
TurboLinux Inc.

This book provides a terrific introduction to the hardware, software, and systems architecture of parallel computing, candidly discussing the issues and trade-offs in various approaches. The emphasis is on clusters, but there is lots of information on the whole continuum from single processor machines to SMPs to clusters to distributed computing. Pfister will leave you with a better understanding of things like how SMP machines keep processor caches coherent, what the differences are between SMP, NUMA, and distributed computing, how various cluster products work, real world cluster issues (like system administration), programming models used in parallel computing, and why programming code that runs efficently on these architectures is usually the hard part.

The book is somewhat dated - nothing about Beowolf for example - but the concepts remain valid. Many of the issues are illustrated with reference to mainframe clusters, especially IBM's 390 sysplex, which I found particularly interesting since I don't have much experience with these systems.

The style is highly readable and informal, but not insultingly non-technical. The book is loaded with opinion and insights - it is not a dry textbook of issues related to clustering. Highly recommended for anyone in the business of creating information systems that need to run fast.

It's 1849, and the Gold Rush has begun. Susanna, her sister, and her father are off to California in the search for gold and the competition is ablaze. Susanna wants her family to find gold, too, but she also doesn't want her family to forget about the love they must share with each as a family. Along the way, she must confront her feelings, even as the craze for gold increases. There are more dangers to her family other than the loss of money, and Susanna must react bravely to whatever happens. Will she and her family be victorious in the Gold Rush, and will their family values fade? Seeds Of Hope is a well --written and nice addition to the Dear America series by Kristiana Gregory. It wasn't the best in the series, but I enjoyed it a lot.

It is January, 1849. Fourteen-year-old Susanna Fairchild, her father, and her sixteen-year-old sister Clara are on board a ship, almost to the end of their long sea voyage from New York to Oregon, when they hear news of a gold strike in California. Susanna's desperate father, grieving after the death of his wife and nearly penniless after losing all his money, abandons his plan of establishing a medical practice in Oregon and decides to mine for gold in the hope of gaining back the money he lost. Writing in the diary left behind by her mother, Susanna describes life in a rough-and-tumble mining camp and the dangers she and Clara face when they are left alone for weeks at a time. But in spite of the many hardships they face, the two sisters grow closer and experience the joys of finding new friends and their first loves. I highly reccomend this book to all fans of the Dear America series. Kristiana Gregory has written a beautiful story about a family that faces many losses but manages to grow stronger, not from the riches that they struggle to find, but through the love they share. This has quickly become my favorite book in the Dear America series.

This book is really good! I read it at least once a month!
It's about a family that's heading to Oregon to settle with other realitives. While they're heading to OR they hear news of the gold rush! The captin of the ship decides to change course and head to San Fransico Bay where all of the crew jupms ship and head for the gold fields.
Susanna's Pa gets geared up and is ready to go gold mining also. Taking Susanna and her sister along.
This is a very intruiging book about her life in the Cal. gold fields.

This Book is about a 13 year old girl named Hattie Campbell and her family riding on the Oregon Trail from Missouri (back in 1847) to try and find a better life. If I were to recomend this book to anyone it would be to someone who enjoys reading books in diary form or that are considered adventurous stories that take place in the past. Although I am not sure if the author has written any other books, I know that this brand,which has a series, called "Dear America" is also very popular. I so far have really enjoyed reading this book because it is very exciting and something new happens in each journal entry. This book also has a lot of detail, which is why I enjoyed reading it.

In the 1800's, many people traveled the Oregon Trail in search of a better life. Hattie Campbell and her family were no exception. While traveling the Oregon Trail, Hattie kept a diary of her adventures she faced while making the long, hard journey. In her diary, Hattie tells of the hardships that the wagon train faced such as disease, theft, and exposure to the elements. This book is appealing to children grades 5 and up. Teachers, as well as parents, can use this book to teach their students about the Westward Expansion of the United States.

We read this book for our education class at the University of Mississippi. Hattie Campbell explains her adventures in such a way that it motivates anyone who is reading this book to become interested in the Westward Expansion. As teacher candidates, we quickly realized that this book could be integrated into all subject areas. This selection is an easy read and once started you will not want to put it down until the last page is read.

I liked this book, because it tells about how people felt about going to Oregon. Hattie Cambell tells about the hard times and the good times. When Hattie begins to explain about the trip to Oregon, it feels like you are really there. Pretty soon Hattie meets a 14 year old girl named Pepper. Hattie and Pepper have lots of adventures together. When Hattie gets bored she walks around, and finds out that an old lady is a criminal! So, whenever Hattie gets bored she finds something to do. When they are almost there, Hattie's friend, Pepper, gets married! The book tells all the details about what life on the Oregon Trail was like. Another book you might want to read is Facing West. It also explains how it felt to go to Oregon to find a living. If you like to read about history, these are good books to read.

Any O'Reilly book is instantly recognizable by its cover, even from a distance: Each features a black-and-white pen-and-ink drawing of an animal, often an exotic one. (The choice for C++: The Core Language is a coatimundi.) More importantly, they're all instantly recognizable by their contents: literate, technically impeccable guides to the subjects at hand. This title is no exception, and was an immediate classic from its first publication in 1995. The authors focus their attention on the problems of experienced C programmers who are new to C++. "What are the core subset of the language's features that make C++ what it is?" they ask-and answer in 16 concise chapters covering principles of object-oriented programming, abstraction and encapsulation, references, polymorphism, and implementing an object-oriented design.

This wasn't the first book I picked up to learn C++. Initially, I thought it couldn't be as useful as "Practical C++" by Mark Terribile (McGraw Hill) which is three times its size. After reading through several grueling chapters, I picked up "C++: The Core Language" and what a difference (night and day)! Satir and Brown have done an excellent job of providing easy to follow examples when presenting structures vs. classes. They have totally demystified C++ for me. I highly recommend this book to anyone transitioning from C to C++.

After reading the excellent "Visual C++ Blue Book", I still felt a little ignorant about how the OOP works with C++. Though the "Visual C++ Blue Book" explained it well, OOP is such a 'core competency' or 'fundamental' I felt I needed a little extra understanding on these concepts of C++. This book did an excellent job of explaining the core concepts of OOP as it relates to C++. Since it is short, I didn't get bored with the endless yammering of many authors. It was quick, consice, and yet somehow managed to be extremely thurough. I highly recommend this book to anyone even though it recommends itself to C programmers moving to C++. I'm from VB, ASP and was able to grasp all of the concepts. Buy it, it will make you a better programmer.

All the other big names of horror-movie-actors have been covered: Karloff, Lugosi, Chaney, Lee, Cushing, Price ... Here is finaly the first book about John Carradine and all his films (and not only the B-Movie-Horrorfilms !)It was time !

German: Endlich ein Buch über den grossen John Carradine. All seine Horrorfilm-Schauspielkollegen sind ausreichend gewürdigt worden, von Lugosi, Chaney und Karloff über Price, Lee und Cushing. Nun endlich gibt es ein Werk mit vollständiger Filmograhie (und nicht nur die Horror-B-Filme) über diesen Altmeister. Wie alles aus dem McFarland-Verlag teuer aber in jeder Beziehung in Topqualität !

This is an indispensible book from two very gifted writers (I highly recommend Mank's Hollywood Hissables and Karloff and Lugosi: A Haunting Partnership) and an enterprising publishing house. Carradine was one of the greats, a versatile character actor and a tremendous villain. He also possessed one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. This book will help you seek out great films you have missed, as well as entertaining you with stories about a very colorful man. It clears up some mysteries (I always wondered why Carradine underplays too much in his one classy horror film House of Frankenstein), offers tantalizing surprises (what became of that Carradine audio Bible?), and is simply lots of fun. We are left to wonder why one of the greats was so underused in his later years. Thanks are due to Fred Olen Ray for treating old veterans with respect in his films. I'm so glad Christopher Lee hasn't met the fate of all the other old horror stars. Nearly 80 and doing Lord of the Rings! Will Amazon carry his Jinnah movie soon?

John Carradine's career spanned six decades and films thatranged from acclaimed classics (The Grapes of Wrath) to undisputedstinkers (can anyone say anything positive about Billy The Kid Vs. Dracula?). In John Carradine: The Films, author Tom Weaver deftly documents each and every film of the multi-talented actor. Complete cast and credits listings, synopsis and author commentarty for each film are included, as are remembrances from various co-stars, directors, Carradine's sons and even Carradine himself.

Weaver's commentaries on the films spices up the usual dryness found in many "Films Of" books, due to their rather strict cast/crew/summary formula. An opinionated reviewer/critic, Weaver doesn't pull his punches in offering up his takes on Carradine's films. Whether or not you agree with his views, it's nice to hear definite opinions for a change in a book like this, instead of the oft-times "take-no-controversial-stand" approach which, while certainly objective, doesn't always make for the most fascinating or interesting reading.

And for regular readers of the author, not to fear...the classic puns are here in good abundance, and will not fail to make one groan and shake one's head on occasion.

Rounding out this tribute to the "thin" Dracula are recollections of Carradine from directors Joe Dante and Fred Olen Ray, and a mini-biography by Gregory Mank. Carradine's flamboyance, lust for life, and love of Shakespeare, as well as his regrets and resignation to the many poor roles he either chose or was forced to accept in order to "feed the family" are just a few of the many sides to the actor that are captured by Mank.

In all, Tom Weaver has assembled an extraordinarily fine and fitting tribute to a too-long overlooked personage of classic horror history. Par for the course for the author, John Carradine: The Films is thoroughly researched, hugely informative, frequently amusing, and most importantly: simply a must-have book.

This is an excellent book and a must for anyone considering fostering or adopting a child older than the age of one. Before getting our first set of foster children (sibling group of 4) I could not make it half way through the book, because it upset me so much. I just could not believe that it was really like they said it was. IT IS EXACTLY LIKE THEY SAID IT WAS! After having the chilren a couple of months I read the book through being able to relate to everything they said. It is all extremely sad, but true. And if anyone wants to help these children , they must be aware of their needs so they can meet them. Love is just not enough. I had a friend, who has adopted 8 children, tell me that before our endeavor, and I did not believe her. Now I know she is right and now I listen to every word of advice she can give me. This book will open your eyes to the sad, hard truth. Read it and weep, but it WILL prepare you to understand and help these children. I wish everyone the very best and when you get discouraged, ask yourself if that child would have been better off if they had never come into your home. I am sure your answer will be "NO." And when you are done with the book, give it to your social worker to read. Of course they could never completely understand until they have fostered or adopted themselves, but it is a start.

Of all the adoption books I've read, this one has been the most informative. Although many the case studies may be a bit scary, one should know the types of hurt these children experience. It also explains all the behaviors a child may experience due to the many upsets in their life, and techniques a parent should explore to eliminate the ones that are destructive (mentally, physically or socially). The adoption terms are fully explained so no one every feels lost. I have recommended this book to several friends who are considering adopting.

As an adoption educator, adoptive parent of three (3) special needs children, as well as a birth mother in reunion, I recommend ADOPTING THE HURT CHILD to all prospective adoptive parents. Society tends to sugar-coat adoption, believing that adoptive parents are saints and the adopted child should be grateful to have a family. Unfortunately, particularly when adopting older children, adoptive families are not well-equipped nor adequately prepared to appropriately deal with all of the emotional, behavioral and/or psychological issues these children hold within themselves. When the child begins to act out aggressively, rebelliously or sexually, we/society, tend to criticize the child for not being appreciative of the new life he's been given, or dismiss the behavior, reverting to the old "bad blood" concept from times long past. Often, these special needs children seem to be typical to outsiders, acting out only in the home environment. ADOPTING THE HURT CHILD gives readers insight into how these children became hurt and offers sound advice on not only dealing appropriately with the child's behavior, but on seeking professional help, how to set parameters, exercise patience, creating a safe and nurturing environment and more. As an adoption educator, I utilize this book as a basis when teaching workshops on adopting special needs children and it continues to bring better understanding, as well as empathy and compassion to both the adoption professionals and prospective adoptive parents whom I train. I also give this book as a gift to all of my children's physicians and therapists so they, too, can better treat my children. This is a book written in the true sense of "the best interest of the child." I encourage you to read this book and share it with everyone in your support circle of friends, family and health professionals. Education is the best tool we have to promote understanding.

The thing here is to not confuse the real-life stupid (and funny) stories with the packaging that these stories are delivered to us.

While each story is condensed to about a page there is a regular attempt on each and every account to hide some little fact at the start of the story, use that hidden fact as the punch line, and then finish the story with some poor pun on the crimial being caught, spending time behind bars, etc.

On any given item it works, but it quickly becomes tedious when reading the book cover to cover.

I think this book is best taken by reading no more than 3 or 4 stories at a time, or for reading one aloud and your next gathering of friends.

The cover price is a little high in my estimation. Get it at a discount and you'll do ok.

Leland Gregory's What's the Number for 911? books are an absolute riot! His latest, The Stupid Crook Book, is even better. He said on the TODAY show that everything is true and verified, and amazingly he has amassed an entire book of truly stupid, funny, and entertaining things that criminals do.

This is a perfect book if you need a laugh or you're looking for a great gift!

Another reviewer mentioned seeing this book on The Today Show. I saw that too. Al Roker was cracking up over it.

This is the type of book I refer to as a "booty-sleeper." That's what I call a bathroom book* that is really too compelling to be a bathroom book, because it holds your interest so long you forget you're on the toilet until your bum falls asleep. Like Leland Gregory's crazy-911-call books (also booty-sleepers), The Stupid Crook Book is just really funny and stupid and highly amusing. It's unsettling to know there are people this dim among us, but I giggle almost continuously whenever I pick up this book.

*For people who weren't raised with books in their bathroom: a bathroom book is any type of light reading consisting of small stand-alone pieces. It's a book you can open to pretty much any page and read a complete bit or bits within a minute or two--like trivia books, almanacs, collections of short-short stories or essays, and books like this one.

Among all the textbooks I have seen in economics, I have found Mankiw's to be the best. It is clear and concise, addressing all the important intermediate issues in macroeconomics. The description of concepts is simple, and the book benefits from a three pronged approach to teaching - graphical, mathematical, and anecdotal. The student is free to choose whichever one he feels most comfortable learning from.

As an instructor of introductory macroeconomics, I often rue the fact that we do not utilize this textbook. I borrow material from it INCESSANTLY and without shame.

It presents the "Keynesian" viewpoint on macroeconomics in an extraordinarily clear and interesting fashion. Frankly, I consider the introductory (read literally - first semester macro books) texts to be a waste of time. There is absolutely no reason this textbook should not be used for a first semester macroeconomics course (assuming one has already taken an introductory microeconomics course).

Suggested plan of study for those interested in a fairly serious study of macroeconomics (without an INSANE amount of mathematical preparation): this book and Barro's book with the same title. Barro's book presents the real business cycle theory approach in a clear manner (though the book is somewhat dull in comparison)...then decide for yourself which 'camp' is making the most sense.

I have read at least one hundred textbooks for my undergraduate and graduate courses and this book is the BEST text book I have ever read. In general, I never liked economics, but this book made me think, understand, and like economics. The true triumph of this book is its simplication. Instead of explaining the details of Macroeconomics (which most econ textbooks tries to do) the author brilliantly pulls the reader into thinking about economics in more detail than what the book presents. Makiew is not only a consummate economist, but he is a consummate writer as well.

The Mark of Zorro is an outstanding book about the masked rogue helping the poor and oppressed. It tells the first, the original story of Zorro. Fighting for justice and for a love of a girl, Zorro has to prove his toughness against the corrupt governor, Captain Ramon and a fat landlord, called Sergeant Pedro Gonzales. The story takes place in a California of former times.

The love for Lolita Pulido is the essence of the book. Besides Zorro, there is Don Diego Vega, a lifeless caballero with a rich and influential father, Don Alejandro Vega, who asks Señorita Pulido to become his wife. The third man fighting for Señorita's love is Captain Ramon. As a high ranked military captain, he, too, has influence in the country of Old California. The reader will soon realize, that Senorita's heart speaks only to Zorro, the Curse of Capistrano. But Lolita's father, Don Carlos Pulido, a mistreated caballero of good blood, needs his daughter to marry Don Diego Vega or Captain Ramon, as it is his desire to become rich and influential again. In fact, Don Carlos is not informed about his daughter's love to the highwayman.

Zorro's job in the pueblo of Reina de Los Angeles is not done, after he gained the Señorita's love. The Curse of Capistrano helps the oppressed and mistreated natives against the corrupt governor and his army. Zorro fights several times with the governor's soldiers, Captain Ramon and Sergeant Pedro Gonzales. Although the highwayman seems to be an undefeatable enemy, the soldiers, led by Gonzales, always make fun of Zorro, by telling untruths about embarrassing defeats. The showdown, of course, will be in the end, after the Pulido's rescue from the jail, which keeps the reader on the edge.

Johnston McCulley shows an awesome skill for introducing new characters. He plays with the traditional image of good and evil. Zorro, the heroic figure, fights for peace and justice. Although considered a highwayman, he acts gentleman-like and charms the beautiful Senorita Lolita Pulido. On the other side, there are the soldiers and servants of a corrupt governor. Sergeant Gonzales, for sure, is the best example of the evil. Described as a fat landlord the reader often sees him drinking wine excessively in the pueblo's tavern. He does not even get close to capture the Curse of Capistrano. The most interesting character besides Zorro, is Don Diego Vega the lifeless caballero. He seems to struggle for the Senorita's love not with love by himself but with his money. Don Diego, also is a friend of the landlord and because of his name, the Don is highly respected by the governor. The lifeless caballero will show some great surprises throughout the story.

Overall, the Mark of Zorro is an exciting book, which keeps the reader interested from the sword-clashing intro to the dramatic showdown. The story of a heroic rogue, the love between Zorro and the Lolita and the soldiers' unsuccessful chase for the reward produces an awesome literary opus.

EN ESPAÑOL

Spanish paragraph de Cristobal

The Mark of Zorro es un libro muy emocionante. Sucede en California Vieja. El carácter principal es Zorro, Un caballero que lucha para la justicia. Él lucha para el amor de Señorita Lolita Pulido. Pero Zorro o La Maldición de Capistrano es cazada por el ejército de gobernador. Esta situación produce un cuento impresionante. El libro es magnífico y usted lo debe leer también.

Who could resist giving this book five stars? (Obviously, not many!) Johnston McCulley presents the first appearance of Zorro throughout the world in this classic novel of old Spanish California. Originally published in 1919 and entitled "The Curse of Capistrano", this novel is one of the most adventure-packed stories you're probably ever going to find! If you haven't read this book, you should!!!

Many people have seen "The Mask of Zorro" starring Antonio Banderas. Even more are familiar with Guy Williams' 1957-59 portrayal of the legendary hero, or even Duncan Regehr's series in the early 1990s. But very few have, unfortunately, ever read the book that started it all, "The Mark of Zorro", originally entitled "The Curse of Capistrano" in its initial 1919 release. This is such a shame. Few Zorro stories of today -- excepting some fan fiction -- can rival the genius in Johnston McCulley's work(s). His Zorro is the ultimate adventurer.

Zorro's best-kept secret is the fact that there wasn't *one* Zorro story written by Johnston McCulley -- there were sixty! A wonderful new company is currently in production of republishing every one of these classic stories. I've read some of them; they're every bit as good as "Mark". Truly "must-reads". Miss them at your own expense.