After successfully completing a bookcase I decided I'd tackle a bigger project - a 500 sq. ft. second-story multi-level cantilevered deck. It took me a long time by myself, but I did it and every single thing I needed to know was in this book. Design issues, code requirements, foundation work, hardware, and clearly illustrated instructions for each procedure. I spent about a month reading this book, walking the space, and sketching designs. I frequently referenced the book during the construction and always found solutions I needed. The guy delivering the French doors commented that my "contractor" was doing a very professional job!

As a side note, the author presents a variety of railing designs but prefers a "porch-style" railing. This was MUCH more time consuming than I expected, but is my single favorite feature of my deck.

The gallery of deck photos was good, though many of the exotic design elements could not be built with the information in this book alone. In my opinion you can't look at too many design photos while preparing your own, and I did browse a number of other books and magazines for this purpose. But for the technical details, this book was my bible.

I will be building my first deck in the near future and have purchased several "how to" books on the subject. This book is far and away superior. For starters, it has construction PHOTOS where most books have only drawings. It's so much easier grasp the techniques when looking at a photo. Also, when reading the other books, I always seemed to have many unanswered questions. This book answered them all. Don't make my mistake - buy this book first. It's the only one you'll need.

This book proved invaluable when my wife and I built our second-story deck five years ago. The design tips on layout and construction techniques turned what could have been just an ordinary rectangular deck into (if I may say so) a work of art. Although we are both engineers, it was still very useful to see the photos and diagrams describing exactly how each step should be completed, and also how to add the little touches that noticeably increase the professionalism of the finished job.

Marvelous job... just a masterpiece of writing on Christian character. Dr. Owens really did it with this book.

I've been reading this book, and every chapter is hitting me hard, it sure isn't any wishy washy book, it is a book based strongly on Biblical Character. I've also heard some of his preaching sermons... STRONG AND POWERFUL!

This author was my teacher and friend in college. He has impecable character and has put together a great book to help everyone to have godly character. I promise that if you get the book you will have to finish reading it. It is helpful to adults, teenagers and children. I hope you take the time to buy it and read it.

Without doubt this is the most beautiful and fascinating compendium of antique golf clubs you will ever come across. It is well worth every penny. The illustrations are superb and the content flawless. You will be amazed at the splendour of the Clubmakers Art.

I recently recieved this book as a gift for my birthday from my wife. I was highly impressed with the fine quality and craftmanship of this work of art. I plan to give this book to my friends that are as interested in golf as I am, and even to the ones who don't like golf! No one could ever be displeased with this book! My compiments to Jeff Ellis on his accomplishment.

The Clubmaker's Art is a magnificent example of hard work and dedication to the golf industry. I received the book recently, and I couldn't be happier with what I got. The pictures are so life like, and they pop out at you. This is the best example of quality in the writing industy, and I think that every golf collecter, lover, and player must get this book!

Coaching Football's 40 Nickle Defense, by Jeff Walker, is the most extensive and complete guide to coordinating a defense to stop all offensive attacks. The 40 Nickle Defense employs an eight man front while at the same time covering all eight passing zones. Coach Walker, position by position, covers stance, alingnment, and keys. Coach Walker gives the reader a lot of imformation and explains how to teach it to even the youngest of players. His detailed chapter covering linebacker play in the split defense is by far the best ever written. The 40 Nickle defense, in one way or another, is being used by every football team at all levels. Coach Walker takes a defensive scheme, that is balanced, weak side and strong side, can put 8 men in the box to stop the run or show 8 men in the box to force the pass and have all 8 passing zones covered, and gives coaching points and strategies for all 11 men on the field. This book is a must for all head and defensive coaches.

Coaching Football's 40 Nickel Defense is the most comprehensive book ever written on the split defense. The author goes into great detail and illustrations on fronts, alignments, stunts, and positional needs and responsibilities. Coach Walker goes into depth explaining secondary alignments and responsibilities and how they fit into the front and coverage called. The book is a must for all coaches who work on the defensive side of the ball.

Jeff has done an outstanding job of explaining the concepts and processes of the forty nickle defense. The drills are helpful to any level coach. He simplies the stance and alignment for down linemen.If your a DB coach his numbering system and rotation concepts will be of interest. Coach Walker's linebacker drills will improve reaction and the level of play of your backers. The book is informative with regard to any offensive scheme, as well as, adjustment that can be made. You'll find the forty nickle a balanced defense that can be easily taught to your players.

This book does not belong with other Java books. This is a real computer science textbook that should be sitting next to Rivest's Algorithms book. The use of Java is incidental and makes the book very accessible without detracting from the issues at hand. It has to be one of the most well conceived computer science books ever written.

The material covered is maddeningly difficult to master informally because concurrency errors often manifest themselves as rare, random, and disastrous events that cannot be reproduced. Most of the book is laying down a solid formal foundation in which to reason about concurrency; the only hope for getting it right when things are difficult. It also comes with analysis tools (in Java of course!) to help people who learn by exploration, experimentation, and visualisation.

It was only after reading that book that I was able to really understand the conecepts of interleaved actions, race conditions, semaphores and monitors (as well as other concurrency-related issues). As a newcomer to IT generally, reading this book enabled me to understand better the Operating Systems course at Imperial College. I think the reading of this book should precede any approach to a course on operating systems. As a final note, Jeff Kramer is one of the most popular lecturers at the department of computing of Imperial College. Many other studens I spoke too were convinced that his teaching was by far the most efficient. I strongly recommend the book! I still use it at work as an ever useful reference.

I have also used this book in manuscript form for two years at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and am now using it in Victoria, Canada. In both cases, the book forms the introductory part to a larger course on object-oriented distributed systems.

Without this book the students would be lost in the mire of COM, RMI, CORBA etc and learn no principles to carry them through after graduation. Magee and Kramer package up the classical Hoare CSP in such a way that it is palatable, easy to use, and really illustrates difficult points to students on-line. Students say the course is fun. It is fitting that this book should appear just as Tony Hoare retires from Oxford. Magee and Kramer show how concurrency should be done in the new millenium.

Just one word of warning: there are five notations to master in the book: FSP modelling, LTS diagrams, UML diagrams, structure diagrams and Java. I found that being forewarned on this aspect helped me explain the need for all of them to students.

These books are awesome. Just make sure you start with the first book and read them in line. It would be best is you ordered all three at one time so as soon as you finish one, you can start the next one! There are a lot of characters, and if you wait a while between reading each one, you may have to refer back to te previous books to find out who certain people are.

I thought that this was an incredible book! It left you wondering.... whatever will happen between Tristan and Zoey? And, what about Summer? I guess you'll have to read it and see what I'm talking about.

I have been following Cherie Bennett's work since the Sunset series and I have to tell you that this is one of the best! It leaves you hanging and dying for the next book to come out! I guess you'll have to read it to understand what I'm talking about.

When I first saw the book, I was transfixed. I must have spent quite a number of hours going through the pages, standing up, the world dissolving around me. My particular favorite is one picture of Gary Oldman lying in a coffin. It captured him perfectly. I don't know much about photography, but the beauty of his works is that it can be understood and loved by anyone - there is a human association within every shot. For a while I was reluctant to buy it - the price was a bit too much for me, but I kept on returning to the bookstore to see it, taking a half an hour bus ride each time at the other side of the city. I grew restless when I didn't take the ritual visit. Eventually I did get it - and I finally feel complete. He captured perfection.

Not much to pay for a book that is this outstanding. The photographs themselves are really beautifully reproduced, very high quality printing supporting how good the photos themselves are. Fascinating layout also. Great photos. This is one of those books that you keep going back to and still enjoy. You will be happy that you got this book.

Albert Watson's images in this book are quite simply some of the best images of Black & White photography in any book! They are technically perfect and arrestingly beautiful. His images are powerful, moving, creative, and always well composed. Furthermore, the printing in this book is one of the best I've ever seen.

If you appriciate masterful black & white images you would probably be happy with this book even if you had paid 5 times what this costs!

This book is truly a must-have for anyone who appriciates great photography

Great book to learn different techniques and jigs to make chairs.
The chairs are a little poor from the design point of view.
There is a video that covers the construction of chairs. The book addresses you to the video most of the time, what makes you think of the book as a mean to sell the tape as well.

I think the book explains very well by itself and no tape is necessary. On the opposite, the video is not very valuable without the book.

Finally...a book written about how to build something, for people that don't know how to build it!!! Awsome!!! Takes the fear out of building chairs...well NOT all the fear, but at least most of it.

This is a must have book for first time chair builders!!

I have attended several of Jeff's woodworking classes. He is not only a first rate woodworker, he is a first rate instructor. Even if you don't feel ready to try chair making, this book is worth having for the techniques you can learn.

I really love the Chic Simple books ... I find the photographs, text and lay out to be really inspirational and compelling on a daily basis i.e. we all have to get dressed each day, and these books (especially "What Should I Wear?" - my real favourite) have made it more fun for me to wear, and buy, my clothes and accessories. There is one matter about this new book which has disappointed me in only a small way, and that is that the authors have chosen to use certain photos and text from older books in this, their new book. I dislike paying for the same content twice. I also had very high hopes for this new book, the first new 'big' fashion/wardbrobe-planning book by these authors for some years now, and was a bit cheesed off to find the same images/text, apparently recycled. It's just a small thing, but it seems to me to be a little lazy on their part. That said, I'm still a fan of the book, and wish I'd had it years ago when I started my first job (I wear suits for work & this book really focuses on that look and how to 'polish' it or expand upon it). This would be a great book for a recent graduate, or for the library of a corporate employer looking for a simple yet thorough and elegant style guide for their staff.

This book does an excellent job of getting you from nothing to wear to a closet of every possible wardrobe nessessity for the office. The organization is fantastic, going from one interview outfit and then starting a collection of business appropriate clothing based on four suits. Great book for someone getting a promotion, returning to work after a leave of absense, or a new college graduate.

Although I do not work in a field that requires suits---I couldn't pass this book up. There may be a time I need to know how to dress for a business lunch, etc. The point is this book is a must have for all woman entering the work arena again or for young woman just getting out of college. The pictures are wonderful and the advice is perfect as in the other Chic books. I love this book..........

This is a good discussion of a complex problem in Churches of Christ. I mean, just where are we going? Where did we come from? Overall, the discussion was adequate and worthwhile. Sometimes, it seems that conclusions are reached simply to be consistent with our heritage - not that that is all bad - but sometimes other conclusions are just as valid. Worth the time to read.

The authors provide a stimulating discussion of the need for reassessment and redirection within churches of Christ. Beginning with the perceptive observation that the church most of us know came of age in the 1950's, they highlight the growing sense of disorientation felt by many in an increasingly post-modern world.

Before suggesting directions and solutions, they provide helpful perspective by taking a giant step backward and tracing our modern roots from the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century through the American Restoration Movement of the 19th century. In doing this they demonstrate that at least some of our perspectives and distinctive doctrines were influenced by people and historical forces much more recent than the first century.

After that, the authors get to "the crux of the matter," retrace the current crisis of identity, diversity, and change in the church, and attempt to offer some directions for the future. Chief among these is a call to re-focus attention on the "core" of the gospel: "the story of our creator God's actions to save us from sin and death, culminating in the life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Christ." This focus, they submit, provides the best platform for biblical interpretation, individual growth and congregational unity.

On the issue of biblical interpretation, for example, the authors contend that good interpretation acknowledges the core as a "center of gravity, allowing that core to govern both the reading of the text and its application." This approach de-emphasizes a search for "rules" and "patterns" and re-focuses on broader aspects of the text: purpose, theme, genre, context, and principle.

The authors acknowledge that the book is not intended as a fully-developed theology, but as a starting point for further thought and discussion. From that standpoint, I would highly recommend it as a very interesting and thought-provoking read.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this clearly written, thought provoking book. It was especially meaningful to me because I know and respect Dr. Foster. Not growing up in the church of Christ, the brief history of the church's beginnings was very helpful in bring me up to speed and the authors made clear and easy to follow conclusions about why our history is vital in understanding the crises we face today. The ideas of pre-modern, modern, and post-modern (which can be difficult to grasp, at least for me) were expained in terms that made them obvious. It was not only informative, it was challanging. The authors managed to appeal to both the "traditionalists" and the "progressives" with out riding the fence themselves. As a post-modern woman in a rather conservative church, I was surprised that the authors were able to make me see the other side of the story (that of the more traditional member) and give me a larger respect for them. Their style of writing is so easy to read and their hearts seem to flow through their words. I recommend this book highly to anyone in the church of Christ who is looking to understand the problems we seem to be facing today. The book is a quick read and is not written in an "academic" style that might seem off-putting to a layperson. It is so relevant that I am hopeful we, at our church, will be able study it in a bible class in the near future.