This book reminds me more of a travelog about many of the sights and sounds you will encounter on your quest to become best friends with your Accounting Information System.

It would make a lot more sense if the authors skipped a lot of the details of where Accounting Information Systems fit in our social experience and get down to dealing with the dirty details of how someone would go about writing a system of their own.

Then they could spend a chapter on how to go about the testing of the system and how and why to do a complete re-write of this masterpiece.

This's good one, for all MIS and can use in the real worl

This is one book our professor recommends to all MBAs, IT Auditors and accounting professionals. I think its worth the price.

I absolutely loathed it.IT WAS HORRID,HORRIBLE,AND THEY REALLY NEED BETTER PICTURES!

I love lots of diffrent kinds of books and I loved lots of theones I've read and I loved these books and they are in my top list. Irecommend these books to children who like adventure and fun in their books. Also I think it's very good for moms or dads to read to their children for bedtime stories and together time.

Chester Cricket , a cricket who lost his home beacause two overweight women sat on an old stump which he he lived in. In this charming story Chester is seaching for a new house to live in.He searches and searches but no house suits him.A must read!

George Parkin Grant was Canada's leading political philosopher this century. A so-called "red tory," he was a critic both of statism and the market, a position almost unknown in the United States. He was above all a critic of modernity, of modern Western man's technological "fate." He deserves to be much more widely read. Unfortunately, this volume is marred by too much editorial intervention. Grant wrote with extreme economy, and his prose style is positively noble, yet time and again the editors cut and chop his essays while inserting lengthy editorial introductions. I am thus still waiting for someone, anyone, to publish a complete edition of Grant's Collected Works.

Here we go again. TAKE 2. I liked the book a lot; however, I think the worst aspect of the book is the absence of direct comment, by Grant, on Plato's works and in particular, 'The Republic'. Grant makes several references to friend, Professor James Doull, and writers, Simone Weil, Leo Strauss, who aided him in his understanding of Plato and Socrates. Obviously, Christianity also gave Grant perspective on the pagan philosophers; nevertheless, the careful reader cannot help but feel cheated by the lack of direct comment on the 'Republic' in particular. If Doull 'taught' Grant how to read the central books of the 'Republic', I wish he would have shared it. I humbly think Book V of the 'Republic' is the republic. You understand Book V, you began to catch a glimpse of Socratic philosophy before Plato, before the Athenian law court acted. That's my only complaint. I think the reader shows well how Grant was influenced by Heidegger, Simone Weil, Leo Strauss and others. The political essays are worth reading for anyone with an interest in Canadian history, and the abortion essays, although I do not agree with them, are intellectually and morally honest expressions of genuine thoughtful concern.

The worst aspect of this reader is it's inability to show what Grant thought about the 'core books' of Plato's Republic. In several essays Grant makes mention of how indebted he is to Dalhousie Professor James Doull for 'teaching' hm to read the Republic's central books.Which books? Book 5? Book 4,5,6, and 7. Moreover, the material on Plato in the 'Thinking Their Thoughts' section is wholley inadequate in giving the reader much incite into Christian's claim that Grant was deeply affected by Plato's writings. How so? It's obvivious Grant admired Heidegger and it is shown why. Regretably this failure doesn't mortally wound the overall work.

This book purports to be about an ancient Welsh tradition of Witchcraft. What it actually contains is material clearly drawn from Hebrew mysticism (Kaballah), Gardnerian Wicca, and Greek ritual. The ritual quarter guardian names in this book are the archangels of Hebrew tradition, and the author places them side by side with Irish, Welsh and Roman names.

Almost all of the symbols in this book are drawn from published Gardnerian material that has been widely available for decades. So, all in all, there is very little Welsh material here, old or new. You'll want to pass on this one as the claims do not match the material.

This is the book I have been searching for years to help enlighten on anyone's path to spirituality. This book covers prophecies to the rise of Atlantis! Since owning this book for over a year, it has become a refrence guide that I can not live without. If interested in Paganism to Bhuddism, one will find this book informitive & to the point. Lord Rhuddlwm Gawr is a truely gifted & knowlegable writer. No matter what spiritual book I may be reading, this book must be within hands reach! Grab this book while you can & open your eyes. R.R.D.Newsome

I first came across the original version of this title in 1985. I believe it was printed in the early 80s. The advertisement stated that it was a good book to study if I wished to be a Witch and interested in the Celtic tradition. I had just been initiated into the Gardnerian tradition in New York, and since there was almost nothing in our book of shadows, I was very pleased that this book became available at just the right time. Since then, I have read all twenty three of Rhuddlwms books which began to appear in 1976. Unfortunately there are only four of them currently in print. This one (I think) is the best of them all. It is affordable, and contains relavent material for almost any tradition. Excellent Excellent book. You will find out when you read it, that it will touch a cord in you that will take you down a path which you will love and cherish.

Gloria Wilson
Offeriades Dynion Mwyn tradition
New York

You feel in reading George Duby's book that a corner is lifted on the real world of life under Henry 11 and his sons.It is a long way from the romanticised version we are fed as children but no less fascinating.The story of the last days of William Marshall must be one of the most moving descriptions ever written of a powerful man preparing to take his leave of this life. Spellbinding. The description of a tournament must be the most comprehensive ever written I was brought up on Ivanhoe and all that! The most devastating discovery is the very minor role played by most women in the lives of the Plantagenets - it will horrify the modern woman.This book evokes all the drama we have seen in classic films like "The Lion in Winter" and puts it in perspective. Not for everyone but for those interested in the twelfth century a real spellbinder. Does anyone know where I can get a copy of William Marshall's biography in English?

Knights. The word brings powerful images to mind, images of brave and noble men. Men of unyielding courage who fight in great battles, defend their kings, and rescue princesseses. William Marshal does all of this, and more, in this true story of the greatest knight who ever lived

This book is great for those beginning the study of medieval life and warfare of the middle ages.William Marshal is the greatest knight that England has ever produced, and a reader will become captive in the story as William becomes one of the nations greatest and respected nobles.

I really wanted to like this book and to a degree I did. However, it would be misleading to suggest that on completion I was truly satisfied with the pages I had just read.

Written in 1884 by George F. Williams the book is a fictionalised narrative account of the American Civil War. Williams was both a soldier and a war correspondent during the years of civil conflict between North and South and thus writes with the duel perspective of a fighting veteran and a newspaper reporter. In his preface to the book Williams suggests that the "faithful picture" he is presenting is done so "under the guise of fiction". Therefore it is important for the reader to remember that this is not a factual account but rather is a record which has undergone an "author's license".

The book is the narrative of Frank Wilmot described as " a stripling of twenty, fair complexioned, quite tall for his years, and the possessing of a tolerable share of good humor". Following Wilmot through both minor skirmishes and major battles such as Gettysburg and the Wilderness the accounts of combat are particularly powerful. Similarly the aftermath of battle is described in a manner which is honest and believable - "Horror stricken and heart sick, I gazed over the field along the line which we had held, seeing bodies in every direction and in every possible attitude. Here one poor fellow had crawled to the foot of a tree, and died as he sat. His fez was still on his head, the gibbering skull beneath it seeming to laugh at me, as the jaws had relaxed and fallen apart".

There is a great deal of dialogue within Bullet and Shell and I feel that this is perhaps one of it's faults. Written 116 years ago the dialogue will of course be dated, and that's how it reads but the interactions also rely somewhat on clichés. If you read novels regarding the Civil War you will eventually come across the Northern Irish Private or more often the Irish Sergeant. Bullet and Shell has one in the shape of Dennis Malone who is full of "begorras" and "to be shures". Often then for me, the nature of the dialogue took away from the intensity of the events. Furthermore, at times I was reminded of a bad performance of Hamlet I saw as a child at school. The dialogue was all there but the actors were not sure what to do with their bodies and thus with arms hanging limply at their sides there was no animation other than the words.

In his excellent synopsis of the Civil War -'America Goes to War' - Bruce Catton notes that "the 1860's cannot be judged by the standards of the more sophisticated and intricate twentieth century". Here he is talking about the nature of warfare and of soldiering in general. However, the same principle can be applied to the reading of novels regarding the war. Bullet and Shell was written in the 1880's and as such perhaps conveys the norms of American fiction of that period. These are no better than those used today but simply different and the experience of reading Bullet and Shell perhaps both highlighted and reflected these differences.

I'm glad I read Bullet and Shell and I would encourage others to read it. Not because I think it's the most enjoyable piece of Civil War fiction I've come across but due to the fact that it's written by someone who experienced the war first hand and thus has much of value to say to us.

George F. Williams was a real person, a member of several New York volunteer regiments that were part of the Union Army during the Civil War. Williams himself was both a soldier and a volunteer, and his "Bullet and Shell" written nearly twenty years after the end of the war is his account of the actions of the Union Army of the Potomac.

Be aware that this is a work of fiction based on true events and true people - including U.S. Grant, Generals Meade, Warren, Kilpatrick, Sedgwick, Custer and others. Williams apparently did not wish to go to a strictly autobiographical account as was the custom in those days. Here he skillfully chose two young protagonists - Frank, based on himself, (as was Osborn, the war correspondent) and Tom, a Virginian, who while pre-war friends argued over secession and slave rights - and then when war broke out found themselves on opposite sides.

The carnage of battle is vividly described here - at Seven Days, Chancelorsville, Gettysburg and the Wilderness, as well as the final drama of Appomattox. Here Frank describes as close friends are killed nearby, the tedium of camp life,foraging for food in a destitute country, the adventures of scouts behind enemy lines, and the true events of the war as they built to a climax.

In one dramatic scene "Frank" (Williams) temporarily captures his former friend Tom at Gettysburg, then let him go - their friendship apparently still intact.

He also describes the characteristics of the Generals to a tee - Warren, nervous and irritable; Grant - "steady calm and confident" and Meade, "courtly".

Again, this is fiction based on fact, whereas it is presented as being strictly factual. This being the only reason why I did not give it 5 stars as it is indeed a classic work of the War Between The States.

And yes, the wonderful illustrations of Edwin Forbs are a plus!

While I found this book fascinating overall, the writing was rather dry. At times the ethnographer's naivety and bias are somewhat disturbing, but he is ultimately successful in conveying a vivid picture of the Canela. I would recommend this book soley because the topic is very interesting and offers an interesting cross-cultural study.

William and his wife Jean are very successful in executing a both interesting and seemingly accurate investigation of the Canela. Like Chagnon's book Yanomamo, but less harmful,Crocker's, The Canela keeps the reader reading. The introduction sets the scene well and the historical context chapter is helpful in understanding the tribe and its origin. The following chapters on bonding through kinship, ritual and sex are easily understood. I also enjoyed the epilogue which answered a few of my questions on the Canelas current state. All in all, a successful ethnography.

The title is not all together indicative of what the authors try to accomplish in this book. The book attempts to be both a tutorial and a reference for programmers and administrators. The book consists of four major parts. The first part is the Introduction, which contains chapters on MySQL in general, installation on Unix and Windows, SQL for MySQL, and general Database Administration. This is accomplished in less than eighty pages which makes for brief explanations, limited illustrations, and examples. The second part is the MySQL Administration. This part has chapters on Performance Tuning, Security, and Database Design. The third part is MySQL Programming. The chapters' topics include general database applications, Perl, Python, PHP, C API, Java, and extending MySQL. Part four is the MySQL Reference. SQL syntax for MySQL, MySQL data types, Operators and Functions, MySQL PHP API Reference, C Reference, and Python DB-API are the chapter topics included in this part.

The authors do not assume that the reader is knowledgeable about relational databases in general, SQL, or the related topics. For example, the chapter on SQL on MySQL does not just describe the subset of SQL-92 that MySQL supports, but rather it contains a tutorial on the SQL for the commands that MySQL supports. Chapter seven on Database Design contains a tutorial on taking a database to third normal form complete with Entity-Relationship diagrams, unique identifiers and relationships. In part four, the PHP chapter contains a mini-tutorial on PHP and a complete PHP application. While the level of thoroughness is nice in the sense that you do not have to refer to other volumes to comprehend the subject, it makes for some very intense reading because of the size of the book versus the topics covered.

Overall, I like the book as a general tool, however there are certain omissions, for example: there is no reference phpMyAdmin or WinMySQLadmin. These tools are very easy to use and helpful in working with MySQL. In addition, the topic of creating InnoDB or BDB tables for transaction support is not addressed. The explanation of granting privileges in MySQL was a little confusing. Some supporting illustrations or diagrams would be well received there. The book is fairly successful in covering its broad topic domain. In conjunction with the MySQL manual, the book should meet most of my needs, but if I were a full time database administrator, I would probably want a dedicated reference book.

The security chapter is well written and the reference section is comprehensive.

This book is an excellent reference book for MySQL. In fact I'd rate it the best MySQL reference out there when using MySQL as a coder. But if your looking for this book to tell you how to manage MySQL look on, this book is not for you! It's pretty weak in that area (as is the official MySQL documentation). But again, as a programmer I've found this book invaluable as a resource and would never be without it. I'd recommend it for novices and advanced users.

...and I hate to say that, because I was really, REALLY looking forward to reading this book! Alternate histories fascinate me (as they do many readers) and although I'm happy to say that the author appears to have a good grasp of Custer as a personality and doesn't paint him as a heartless, Indian-hating, glory-grabbing brute (which is refreshing!), his style is extremely dry. The research is sound, but it's more like reading a history textbook than a novel. So, if you're looking for a teeth-rattling page-turner, I'm afraid this isn't it. "Marching to Valhalla" is a much better bet!

I have been reading alternative histories on and off since MacKinlay Kantor wrote "If the South Had Won the Civil War" several decades ago. The two key factors in any alternative history are (1) what happens differently to alter the flow of history and (2) what significant chances result from that alteration. Such stories are usually flawed because the first part becomes convoluted beyond belief, but that is certainly not the case with "Custer's Luck," written by Robert Skimin with researcher William E. Moody. The pivotal moment is, of course, the Battle of the Little Big Horn, and the authors have George Armstrong Custer discover the true size of the Indian camp he is about to attack. So instead of continuing with his suicidal charge he reunites his elements of the 7th Calvary with those under Reno and Benteen. With a unified command Custer is able to compel Sitting Bull to surrender by employing his standard tactic, threatening the women and children. Therefore, instead of the newspapers being full of the massacre of Custer's troops on nation's Centennial, "Long Hair" is credited with a great victory. All of this is certainly plausible.

Equally reasonable is the idea that Custer would then have been tapped to run for President in 1880. The main thrust of "Custer's Luck" is therefore going to be what happens to the destiny of America with Custer in the White House. If you have a reasonable grasp of American history--and there is no reason to be reading these types of books if you do not--then half the fun is recognizing where and when the authors are lifting ideas and events. This goes from such relatively minor things as the court-martial of a black West Point cadet to Custer insisting the U.S. cannot afford to be Isolationist, the political philosophy that was the flaw in American diplomacy throughout the 20th century. Ultimately, "Custer's Luck" wants to have the United States try to begin that century the way it ended it, as the preeminent military and political power on the planet. Consequently, Custer fast-forwards the nation in terms of developing a strong navy, building the Panama Canal, provoking a war with Spain over Cuba, and even supporting women's suffrage.

The main sub-plot of the novel focuses on Red Elk, a young Sioux Warrior who vows over the dead body of his pregnant wife that he will kill "Long Hair." Red Elk is a fictional character, originally created in Skimin's "The River and the Horsemen: A Novel of the Little Big Horn." Given that previous novel along with the fact Moody is the editor of "The Journal of the Little Bighorn Associates," it is not surprising that several of those who died with Custer--his brothers Tom and Boston, Myles Keogh, Mark Kellogg and William Cooke--are prominent throughout the novel. Even Frederick Benteen, never a Custer supporter, becomes a Congressman bent on derailing his former commander's ambitions. There are also some soap opera elements; at one point Custer even ends up in the arms of Lillie Langtry. But even before we get to Skimin's final postscript comment "Any comparison to Camelot is in the mind of the reader," it is clear that John F. Kennedy is the major model for the Custer Administration and its theme of "The New American Empire." After all, Custer puts brother Tom in a Cabinet post while his brother Boston is elected a Congressman, Libbie wants to fix up the White House and Custer has the government supporting the fine arts.

I am perfectly willing to grant that many of the things Custer does in this novel could have been done at that time. I will even agree that a national hero such as Custer would have been after winning the Battle of the Little Bighorn could be swept to the Presidency (although Custer's narrow victory in the election does not ring true to me, even if the man was a Democrat). What I find hard to believe is that a President Custer would have been so visionary. When he works out diplomatic solutions to get both Geronimo and Sitting Bull back to their reservations, it is clear that Skimin and Moody are offering us a different Custer than the egotistical daredevil of history's current judgment. Then again, this only underscores that the character is ultimately only a device that allows the authors to shape their alternative America, so there is a logic to their alterations. However, the ending of "Custer's Luck" conveniently frees Skimin from having to finish what he has started. The significant changes that should be at the heart of this alternative history are therefore secondary to the parade of historical figures Custer and his cohorts encounter in the novel. To say the least, I find this to be an unsatisfactory way of concluding this story, essentially negating much of the momentum Skimin and Moody had in creating their alternate America.

I thoroughly enjoyed this "what if" story of a successful Custer who seemed to be ahead of his time, and yet suffered from the same character defects as more recent leaders. While the details surrounding some of the lesser characters was a little tedious, it was a quick,interesting, and fun read. In the final analysis, Custer could not escape the Little Big Horn and, as with JFK, the promise of a great leader was not realized. Don't miss this book if you enjoy alternative history and Custer mythology.

Many people would like to say that Shakespeare did not write this play. But this is hardly fair. Even with the world's finest writers such as Marlowe and Dickens, not every single thing they write can be a masterpiece. But what makes "The Two Gentleman of Verona" worth reading? Well, Shakespeare presents us with a valid theme. (Conflicts often exist between romance and friendship.) There is also beautiful language. Launce and his dog offer some interesting comedy as well as a beautiful and memorable passage in 2.3. The scene where Valentine is accepted amonst the outlaws is memorable. This is Shakespeare's first play where a woman (Julia) disuises herself as man to do some investigating. It is also easy to see that several elements of this play were used in "Romeo and Juliet." To be sure, this is not a masterpiece like "The Comedy of Errors," "Richard III," or "King Lear." But it is still an good study that is worth some interest.

Although few would claim that Two Gentlemen of Verona is one of Shakespeare's greatest plays, it is well worth reading in order to serve as a reference for the best of his romantic comedies. In essence, Two Gentlemen of Verona gives you a measuring stick to see the brilliance in the best works.

The play has the first of Shakespeare's many brave, resourceful and cross-dressing heroines, Julia.

Shakespeare always used his fools and clowns well to make serious statements about life and love, and to expose the folly of the nobles. Two Gentlemen of Verona has two very fine comic scenes featuring Launce. In one, he lists the qualities of a milk maid he has fallen in love with and helps us to see that love is blind and relative. In another, he describes the difficulties he has delivering a pet dog to Silvia on his master, Proteus', behalf in a way that will keep you merry on many a cold winter's evening.

The story also has one of the fastest plot resolutions you will ever find in a play. Blink, and the play is over. This nifty sleight of hand is Shakespeare's way of showing that when you get noble emotions and character flowing together, things go smoothly and naturally.

The overall theme of the play develops around the relative conflicts that lust, love, friendship, and forgiveness can create and overcome. Proteus is a man who seems literally crazed by his attraction to Silvia so that he loses all of his finer qualities. Yet even he can be redeemed, after almost doing a most foul act. The play is very optimistic in that way.

I particularly enjoy the plot device of having Proteus and Julia (pretending to be a page) playing in the roles of false suitors for others to serve their own interests. Fans of Othello will enjoy these foreshadowings of Iago.

The words themselves can be a bit bare at times, requiring good direction and acting to bring out the full conflict and story. For that reason, I strongly urge you to see the play performed first. If that is not possible, do listen to an audio recording as you read along. That will help round out the full atmosphere that Shakespeare was developing here.

After you finish Two Gentlemen of Verona, think about where you would honor friendship above love, where equal to love, and where below love. Is friendship less important than love? Or is friendship merely less intense? Can you experience both with the same person?

Enjoy close ties of mutual commitment . . . with all those you feel close to!

"The Two Gentlemen of Verona" is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. Maybe that's because it's one of the only one's I understand. My youth Theatre did a wonderful production of this play. I was not in it, but I saw it twice. It was set in the 60's, peasant-shirted and bell-bottomed. I think it's a wonderful story, although a bit unrealistic because of all the forgiveness that happens at the end of the play. But I think that it's a play everyone should read. This edition of the play is, I think, a very good one. If you are planning to buy a copy of "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," I would advise you to buy the most current edidtion printed by the Folger Shakespeare Library. They have lots of information in the book, and many definitions of the more difficult Elizabethian words.