William E. Simon establishes himself in a pantheon with Milton Friedman, Ayn Rand, and Friedrich Hayek with this acolade to free-market economics. Socialists and collectivists of the world, mend your ways!

A good collection of songs, but what makes this collection really shine are the arrangements. Non-standard, gorgeous chord sequences, rhythmic interest, but still reasonably easy to play. And fun to sing along with.My favorite songbook for sight-reading practice.

This book is a wonderful compilation of many unavailable
children's songs and now makes my collection complete. My only
reservation is the lack of a CD or cassette as accompaniment to the book. This would be a fantastic aid for those of us who don't read music, but would like to use the book as a classroom teaching tool.

Charsley's treatment of wedding cakes is an interesting historical and social study. Feminists in particular will be intrigued and outraged by the symbolism that has gone into making the tradition of the wedding cake (particularly the cutting of the cake) what it is today. This book made me think about weddings in a whole new way.

Simon Flexner portrays William Henry Welch as probably the biggest contributor in helping establish the backbone for medicine / pathology as we know it today. Simon Flexner was a very good friend of Welch's, and this source is one of the best secondary sources available to explore what is basically a patriotic American who helped his country in every single way (including the war) but did not get the fame or credit he deserved because to achieve all that this man had, he could not afford to concentrate on any one topic. This is a book which has enabled me to access what his most intermediate friends described him as, and not only was it a good source, but also an excellent read. If you want to know why American medicine really reached its pinnacle, this book is the answer.

The Man with the Golden Arm is a beautifully complex tale that explores the experiences of the poor and powerless in mid-century Chicago. Frankie Machine returns to his old neighborhood after a stint in prison, having kicked a heroin habit and dreaming of becoming a drummer in a nightclub band. But all the old opportunities and constraints that worked on him before -- pressing need for cash, his skill as a card dealer, guilt over his wife's disability, temptations of drugs and petty crime -- kick in again, and he is inexorably pulled back into old habits and behaviors he had hoped to resist. Some call this a 'dark' tale, but it isn't really: yes, Frankie and friends are stuck in precarious, marginalized circumstances without real power to change, yet their lives unfold in ways that entertain contradictions that people of all circumstances face, between hope and despair, struggle and defeat, trust and betrayal, compulsion and choice. Algren is a uniquely gifted writer; he takes you inside characters' heads to see their thoughts and dreams (often off-kilter), and their humanity feels real and immediate. This is the edition of the book to buy -- it has wonderful essays about Algren and his work.

I don't know how I missed Algren, but I had never heard of him before I picked this book up. I only bought it because of the title. The darker days of my own youth have made me skeptical of books dealing with alcoholism and addiction. They never seem to get it right. This one nails it, seemingly without effort. Unlike other books of the genre, this one does not romanticize the ugliness it deals with. Frankie Machine's life is a tour through poverty, loveless marriages, addictions and hopelessness. It is not exaggerated. This is what it's really like. Algren's realism and intelligence make this one of the finest novels I've ever read. The details are so vivid and accurate that one has to wonder how many demons Algren shares with his characters. The Man With The Golden Arm is simply fiction mirroring life. It presents a side of life that many of its readers will never experience first-hand. Of that, you will be grateful. A combination of poor choices, bad luck, and lack of opportunity has overwhelmed the characters so completely that most of them don't know that they are already dead. I am a writer...this is one of those books that will always keep me humble. For most, their greatest achievement of words will never come close to to Algren's harrowing tome. Do not read this while distracted. It requires your full attention. It's that rich, that brilliant. This is not just a book about morphine, booze & the ghetto....it is a book of suffering, pain, betrayal, neglect & spite. Mr. Algren has been graceful enough to supply the compassion that most of characters seem to lack.

The great Nelson Algren's powerful tale. A work of art. Chicago, down-and-outers struggling with their various demons. One of the finest of all novelists. Algren, as a human being, had heart, wit, intelligence...and it shows. Not many writers today can touch him, although I can think of one or two covering the same turf: trying to make sense out of this insanity called life: Charles Bukowski, George Orwell, Henry Miller, B. Traven (The Cottonpickers), Kirk Alex (Working the Hard Side of the Street), Dan Fante (Chump Change, Spitting Off Tall Buildings) et al. You might want to give N.A's Neon Wilderness a try as well, a terriric short story collection. Algren's books last because his words have meaning to us--and always will.

I'd known vaguely about WWII, the same way many people do, when I picked this book up several years ago. I remember it from my father's book collection. Anyway, it held my attention and I finished it about four days. William Shirer spent many years in Germany until about half way during WWII. His experiences during that time as a reporter allowed him to tell a more-or-less accurate story and tell it in a fashion that, unlike many historical books, is enjoyable to read.

Some would argue as to the 100% accuracy of the book or to it's relevence to history. Personally, having read (and I'm not exaggerating) most of the so called "classic" biographies on the Nazi leadership, philosophy, policatal system and anything else, I think it is a very important contribution that covers the important parts of the Third Reich (1933-45) in detail. I think, given when it was written, that it is surprisingly unbiased and fair and Shirer has done his best to keep his personal feelings out of the book. He does make observations from time to time, but usually only in situations where he was actually present at the event.

If you are new to the subject of the Nazi rise to power and the subsequent 12 years, then I cannot think of a better place to start. There are other books on the subject, but few that are as easy to read and cover quite as much as this one.

William L. Shirer's classic "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" is the most complete single volume account of the history of Nazi Germany ever written. Shirer was a journalist, not a historian and the advantages of this show in his very readable prose and his vivid descriptions (for example, often referring to Herman Goering as "the fat Field Marshall"). The book starts with the birth of the Nazi party and how it found a spokesman early on in an ex-serviceman named Adolf Hitler. The narrative continues through until the end of the war, Hitler's suicide and the final few days under Admiral Doenitz. The only warning to the casual reader is that the book's length exceeds 1100 pages and it is crammed to the brim with facts. Also, it should be noted that the book was published over forty years ago and does not include more recent information that has come to light from, for example, the former East German archives. Nevertheless, this is still a classic work of jornalistic history.

I am by no means an historian, but I enjoyed this book as much as about any I've ever read. Shirer has deftly woven hard facts from captured Nazi documents, the Nuremberg trials and other sources with his own personal experience in Germany.

Despite the ample supply of facts, he does a tremendous job of making his history an interesting story. It is truly a page-turner, as the reader wants to find out what happens next. I think his personal experience with some of the leading players allows him to make them human, easier to relate to than most historical figures. Shirer seems to have a keen grasp of the human psyche, and uses his perceptiveness to get frighteningly inside the head of men like Hitler.

Reading "Rise and Fall" is much like reading a novel. The story is amazing, and because of the vast documentation available, we have as complete access to the events as possible. Some historians may shun this work, but I find it of immeasurable value and pleasure.

A word of warning: The book is very long (1100 pages in the hardcover edition), and isn't exactly what I'd call quick reading, despite its intrigue. I'm a fairly fast reader, and it took me a long while to finish it. Even so, I would recommend this to any and everyone.

This is a book that it is delightful, enchanting, at times thrilling, smooth sailing, and wickedly easy to pay attention to.

First off...generally, a pimpernel is a flower. In the book it's used as a communication symbol.

The plot? Well nowadays it isn't anything brand new, but for its time it was. This was the first "masked hero" kind of a story, which is pretty impressive considering we wouldn't have dear old Superman or Batman or Zorro or anybody if it weren't for that good old Scarlet Pimpernel. The Pimpernel rescues "aristos" and anyone else who needs the help, from the Reign of Terror in France. It's actually a very refreshing and fun book. I liked it a lot and think that its a true classic, which it is.

The characters? There's Percy Blakeney, the fool, the fop, the ridiculously annoying "demmed idiot." His charming wife, Marguerite, who is considered the "cleverest woman in all Europe". There's Chauvelin, he's the bad guy. He's nasty, and wicked, and despicable, and it's easy to hate him, yet I love him. There's the Scarlet Pimpernel, who actually is --------, but no one but his best friends know that it's him. His friends are part of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, and help rescue the "innocent" ( or maybe not so innocent) from the claws of the guillotine.

These 4 characters, plus Marguerite's brother Armand, get hopelessly entangled in a rather deadly and stomach turning game of who-trusts-who (much to Chauvelin's delight) that takes place mainly in glimmering ballrooms, enchanted gardens, and dark dingy alleyways. Told through Marguerite's perspective you really get anxious for her...

The Scarlet Pimpernel has some extremely interesting escapes and I think that is where Orczy's imagination sets in. It is like Sherlock Holmes without the feeling of "I have to figure this out." and more of "I shall see how it plays out and relax a bit." The book is sometimes funny, in an odd way, but look to it more for some good romantic scenes and some great excitement. Good vs. Evil. Masked Hero. Brave lady. Happy Ending. It's one of those, feel good, refreshing, suspenseful, two hanky books.

This note is mostly for people who are surprised at the wonderful reviews this book gets then find the first few chapters rather gruesome. I want to say, keep reading.

The first few chapters only set the scene. After you wade through them, the story picks up marvelously.

A college friend begged me to read this book when I was in college. I picked it up but couldn't stomach the first few chapters. I put it down. When I was studying for my master's degree, I picked it back up and loved it once I got past that stuff in the beginning.

Also, if you saw the movie first (any version), you won't find the movie ending in the book. The movie ending comes from a SP sequel.

I catorgize this book as a romance. Yes, there is adventure, but the conflict is that the Scarlet Pimpernel married the love of his life only to lose trust in her on their wedding day when he discovers that she was responsible for a dasterdly deed that cost a French family their lives. His secret life must be hid from his wife as well as the rest of England and France. As the story unfolds, the wife must learn to depend on her husband, whom she comes to regard as a complete idiot, and he must learn to forgive her.

Once you get past the gorey beginning, the story is great.
So, hang in there and read, read, read, and enjoy.

Having read this book roughly 4 times now,I can fully back the review of 5 stars. It is by far the best tale of Revolutionary France that I've ever read. Sir Percy's foppish tendencies keep the reader entertained while Chauvelin chases after him,adding much suspense. Percy's love, Marguerite, is who every girl would like to be. She is famed, beautiful,and wife to the swashbuckley and elusive Scarlet Pimpernel. Of course,one cannot forget the abundance of run-ins with Madame la Guillotine! I highly recommend reading this book, no matter what your usual preference of literature may be. It's amazing! "They seek him here,they seek him there. Those Frenchies seek him everywhere. Is he in heaven? or is he in hell? That demmed elusive Pimpernel." ~*

"Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once." - Caesar

Just one of the many brilliant quotes from this powerful and enduring tragedy, which happens to be amongst my very favorite Shakespeare. How could anyone not enjoy Marc Antony swaying the weak-minded and feeble-minded plebians with his vibrant and rousing speech? Julius Caesar is unquestionably quintessential Shakespeare, a monumental work that perhaps is surpassed only by Hamlet and rivaled by Othello, Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet, & King Lear.

Julius Caesar teaches us about the dangers and pitfalls of ambition, jealousy, power, as well as the sacrifice for the greater good - even if it is another's life. Amongst the bood-thirsty traiotors, only Brutus genuinely believes in the assassination of Caesar for the greater good of the Republic. Julius Caesar galvanizes the brain and awakens the spirit from within with scenes such as when Marc Antony proclaims, "Cry Havoc and let slip the dogs of war."
Countless amounts of quotes and passages throughout the play rank among my favorite Shakespeare. Needless to say, this book should be on the bookshelf of any and all with any semblance of intellect and enough cultivation to appreciate such superb literature.

The modern perspective following the text enlightens and should be read by anyone seeking more knowledge about this amazing tragedy and time in history. An irrepressible 5 stars.

Julius Caesar is probably one of the better plays written by Shakespeare. This play if full of intrigue, action, betrayal, and emotion. This play is not very long (5 acts), which makes it a quick and exciting read. The characters are built nicely, and what is nice about this version of the book, is that it is easy to read, and any words that may be unfamiliar are defined on the opposite page, making it easy to look them up, and understand Shakespeare's difficult writing style. This is definately a play worth checking out. It's a fun read, and with plenty of helpful tools built in to help along the way.

Shakespeare gives a whole new face to history, transforming Caesar's assassination into a conspiracy, in which the conspirators have some reluctancy to join in. Brutus, for example, is deeply tormented, as Caesar is his friend and trusts him, but he is manipulated by Cassius, who makes Brutus believe that his duty to the people of Rome should be greater than friendship, and that the Romans want Caesar dead. The book is an exploration into the human psyche, and changing characters. I find it interesting that, though the play is called "Julius Caesar", its central character is Brutus, who has to deal with the guilt of betrayal versus what he feels is a duty to the people versus his love of Caesar. Intense, breathtaking, dramatic.

This book covers not only ASP, but also everything related to it, such as ADO, Index Server, XML, MSMQ, and MTS. It's not a good book to start with, "Beginning ASP 3.0" by Wrox is a good choice. Only problem with this book is that there are so many spelling mistakes, it's a joke. You kinda lose your faith in the accuracy of a reference book that way.

This is no book for people who want to learn ASP. They should first read some other book, but after that, they need this book. This is the most complete ASP reference I have seen, loads of components are documented in a way people can understand and there is lots of functional sample code. All code is done in both VBscript and Jscript. Pittfalls, do's and don't are very clearly noted in the text and pages about win-nt configuration have screenshots. Yes, this book has made my life a lot easier. The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is the fact there's no 2 small chapters on VBscript and Jscript, so I still need to pick up the beginnersbook. Like all wrox-books no paper is wasted, and every page (1200+) is filled with small fonts and margins as small as the printer would allow, which makes the pagecount even more impressive.

As an intermediate ASP programmer many times you need to find reference for how to do something in a hurry. Well this book is the answer. Concise clear well organized. Good reference coverage of XML to the end. I've had it for a couple months and it has proven invaluable to me and my team for reference. This book is not designed to teach you to code elegantly and efficiently, but even if you are a seasoned ASP programmer.. don't pass this one up. Definitely a good buy for your reference shelf.