Distribution Books

Great starter book into Pen Testing. Big book with lots of information. Great book to read to prepare to start your CEH or CISSP studies.

If you live and breathe IT security, this books is for you. I would like to somewhat disagree with some of the earlier reviewers. I don't think this book was intended to be "the one and only" penetration toolkit manual. However, what it does do - it introduces one to the world of penetration testing providing enough information and examples on a wide variety of tools. A lot of great subjects are covered, such as reconnaissance, enumeration, scanning, web application testing, wireless penetration and more. It's a very insightful read, even for those who are just researching in the area of security. It will open your eyes on many aspects of information security. The CD itself is a good resource, but you may need to update some applications by now. Nessus signatures do get updated regularly.

At around 700 pages in size, the 'Penetration Tester's Open Source Toolkit' by Johnny Long is a solid reference material which is a nice pickup for anyone that is concerned with this subject matter. As with all Syngress books, you aren't buying these for the highest quality paper or design, but rather the material within. This is a solid book that most users should find helpful in their jobs.

**** RECOMMENDED

If you are going to do any work in the Information Assurance world you will want to add this book to your shelf and keep it handy. The authors of this book know the topics and present information clearly.
Each chapter is a stand-alone lesson, and all chapters build on each other to create a big-picture of exploiting any network and reporting results. The CD that comes with the book gives you excellent tools to start or fill out your library. Some are getting dated as of this writing, but all are still solid tools that you can update once you've learned them.
I highly recommend this book!

Title: Penetration Tester's Open Source Toolkit
Author: Johnny Long, Aaron Bayles, James Foster, Chris Hurley, Mike Petruzzi Noam Rathaus, Mark Wolfgang
Publisher: Syngress Publishing, Inc.
800 Hingham Street
Rockland, MA 02370
Copyright: 2006
ISBN: 1597490210
Pages: 678 plus appendix and index

This book not only covers what tools are available for penetration testing but also details how to use them to effectively test the system. Some of the tools, such as whois and ping, will be very familiar to the Linux user and most power users of other operating systems. Other tools are less familiar but very powerful and a real insight into what can be done to gather information on a system before attempting to penetrate it. Part of what makes this book really interesting is the way the authors approach this subject. They don't walk the reader through all the details of a handful of tools but instead they take a task-oriented approach. For example they go first through enumerating and scanning a system, then testing databases, web server testing, web application testing, wireless penetration and network devices. They then end this section with information about writing open source security tools. Chapter 8 starts a section on the Open Source vulnerability scanner Nessus. It automatically finds many problems in the system by trying to penetrate it using various scripts. The results are captured and the generated reports detail the information it was able to obtain. This is a very powerful testing product and one of the most common ones you will find in the marketplace.
The authors detail how to set up a Nessus client and server, scan the system and understand the results. Although almost three hundred pages are dedicated to Nessus it is a very powerful and highly configurable program that can consume a full book by itself to use its full potential. Penetration Tester's Open Source Toolkit is highly recommended, insightful, and very interesting to read and experiment with.

Basically this is a one of the standard refenence books for power system people who do research or development work. It's massive, and the information is in there somewhere.

The book is in good conditions but i did't considered the customs taxes. Be careful!!!!!!!

I think this book is a valuable one for both practricing engineers and academecians. It provides basic theory of synchronous machines and devlops models for the same. It gives an over view of fundmentals of power system stability (transient and small signal. It includes modeling of generators, governors, exciters and stabilizers in the simulation of system stability. Also covered in the text is the voltage stability and several examples.

I recommend to both graduate students and power system engineers in the field.

The book covers many imporant problem solving methods of Power System Stability and Control. It shows very clear steps to approach problems and set up solutions to achieve system stability and supplies different algorithms to control the system.

muy buen libro para quien gusta de los estudios de estabilidad electrica..God bless you!

As a veteran substation automation and SCADA engineer, I was looking for something to deepen my knowledge of protective relaying schemes. This book is an excellent source of basic relaying information. It provides insights into all the major types of protection schemes, but I did find it a little weak when it comes to in-depth explanations. Its coverage of the new generation of microprocessor-based relays is pretty much a 30,000 ft overview of them, which is too bad, since they are the main form of relaying being deployed at present. Considering that it was published in its latest revision quite recently, I was diappointed by the lack of microprocessor-based relaying and the vast capabilities this new technology provides.

This book gives a very good guide for the technician or engineer about
the way relay protection is designed to work.

I had read a lot about this book before I bought it. It is seen as one of the classics for the subject. However I have found it disappointing. Where the blurb suggests that the book tries to cover IEC and IEEE rules, it is heavily biased towards the American system. This is ok for covering the basic technology but it doesn't help those engineers practicing outside North America.
The final nail in the coffin is that somehow the ANSI/IEEE C37.2 device list at the beginning of the book is all wrong. Five device numbers are completely omitted and all devices from 16 to 89 are misnamed. It doesn't give the reader much confidence for the editing of the rest of the book.

This Book has a great "A-Z" aspect of protective relaying I highly encourage people just graduating to buy it as a good referance book it will definatly help in almost all aspects of relaying.

The definitive book on the subject. It is intended for the profdssional who is in charge of protecting the electric power system. In the new third edition, the book increases its discussion of protection of additional types of equipment including generator (intertie, generator, excitation systems), capacitor bank protection, underfrequency and undervoltage load shedding, special protection schemes, DC tripping scheme designs, fault location and event reports. It is also upgraded to cover the latest technologies in microprocessor applicaions, including digital based devices and designs.

This is the definitive book on the subject. Mr. Blackburn has been a force in the subject for many years and has keep this book current throughs its multiple editions. He provides a real-life perspective on the problems that real working engineers face in their day to day activities.

This book is very disappointing to use. One one hand, it is well written, and very clear to understand. But on the other hand, it contains *very* little information, almost everything I needed I had to find on the net, or search the man pages. It claims "not to be a reference". Then why buy it at all! I'd rather buy a book which teaches the material *and* contains all the information I need.

Although more detailed books like Welch's 'Practical Programming in Tcl and Tk' are very useful, Ousterhout's original book is still the best way to learn the language. His style is clear and concise, and he covers the core of the language with good examples and thorough explanatory text.

The layout is clean and easy to read, without any space wasted on fancy graphics or eye-candy. Instead, you get clear tables laying out what happens, or listing the commands in a certain functionality area. For example, page 122 has a table I've gone back to many times that lists the different return values from catch.

Even though I have and use other Tcl books, when I just want to check a point of syntax or verify functionality, this is the one I go to. It's an invaluable book for a Tcl/Tk developer.

I read this book in a matter of days. It flies by quite fast. It lacks examples but I thought it gave me enough information to be able to figure out the other things. Besides by working out problems do you learn best and this book gives you the basics to do that. Explains well and doesn't go on and on and on. Good starter if you want to learn Tcl/Tk

I've read other books written by the authors of the language, and found them to be lacking. But this author's book is really well organized, thoughtful, clear, and has great explanations. I was up and running creating widgets, etc. in a matter of no time.

I think this book is more of an instructional guide (and a damn good one too), but I don't believe it is oriented as a reference guide. I know that there were a few gripes on this should be both, but I wouldn't want that. Technology changes, so I prefer references to remain online. Gone are the days to cart a wheel-barrel of reference material for a given project, only to be obsoleted in a few years.

This book opened the doors to the great wonderful world of Tcl/Tk. And I am confident it will help others in years to come.

This is a very good book to learn tcl/tk. It is a little dated, but the language is covered very well. Start with this one.

The book is very well written, and Issa uses historical references to show the importance of logistics. He also points out some failures, and conversely some success stories; the Panama Canal example comes to mind.

I would equate the book with case studies of logistics throughout history, with some keen insights into the future of logistics and the technologies that will take us there. I would recommend the book to anyone involved in the transportation / logistics industry.

Finally a resource on the logistics industry written in an interesting manner that without being full of graphs and figures. The past in stories and the predictions that detail the real opportunities and astounding changes.
A must read for anybody involved in strategic thinking and planning.

This book is a incredible resource and is definitely a must read for anyone wanting a deeper knowledge in the logistics field. Mr Baluch shows his incredible wealth of knowledge and expertise in this field with his in-depth understanding and analysis of the case studies in his book. As a senior in college studying business, this book has greatly increase my knowledge and understand in the field of logistic. This book is a definite keeper for your library. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn from a leader in his field.

This book is a great insight into global logistics-- the book is rich in lessons and presents the past and future trends relating transport logistics in a simplified way. This book is a must read by all engaged in logistics and supply chain profession in any part of world.

Mr. Issa Baluch's book brings the topic of transportation logistics to an understandable level through both his well-researched historical examples and his expert analysis of present and future methods of transport. His intelligent interpretation of modern logistics in areas such as industry, military, relief, and global growth is invaluable as a learning and reference tool to any individual or group that is interested or involved in the study of transport logistics. In short, "Transport Logistics" is brilliant work that enables a reader to be captivated by the historical methods of transport and to be informed of the present and future use of logistics.

Finally, after reading several non-fiction books of great interest but lesser quality writing, a good match of both subject and quality.

The Bible as a book is the subject of this history, which is not explicitly (or explicitly is not) a religious or spiritual work, and the author announces his intention not to declare his personal spiritual intentions.

However, by the end of the book, when he has examined recent archaeological manuscript discoveries that historically place the original of the some books of the New Testament back to 100-125 BC, he is certainly secure that these are real books written at the time they claimed.

Further, he concludes that the Bible as translated and transcribed through the many centuries for many reasons, is remarkably accurate to the originals, which of course we know to be due to the hand of God over His perfect Word.

It is also just plain fun and interesting to see how the Bible came together as a book, not just a collection of disparate writings. Probably the most fascinating "Bible" is a picture Bible that just told the Bible events with pictures (no captions). Apparently the value of a picture of the time (I believe 1100-1200 time frame) was devalued from a thousand words, because captions in Latin were added after the book was written and bound.

Then, the book was taken to Asia on a missionary/discovery expedition, where it was used to witness to Kubla Khan, who was so intrigued by it that he had his scribes write captions below and around the Latin captions based on the explanations of the pictures by the missionaries. And there's more! The book was brought back, and sent on another trip to the Middle East, where it was annotated there in Arabic, around the Chinese and Latin!

The Book : A History of the Bible

This is a fabulous book! Beautifully written, illustrated, and packed with countless details to make it a surprisingly exciting read. This is best Bible history I have seen.

Christopher De Hamel offers up a detailed history of the most influential book ever. No, he doesn't get involved in the complexity of theology or the arguments of veracity and soul. What he does is to give the reader a chronology and background of the Bible, how it has evolved, yet maintained its wondrous significance over the millennia.

For those of you who maintain a strict fundamentalist view of the Bible, you might be disappointed to learn of some of many translations and iterations that have given rise to different interpretations and beliefs inherent to the Judeo-Christian tradition. But to Mr. De Hamel's credit, he deftly sidesteps any issues as to who is right and who might be wrong. His is a historian's view, not that of a theologian.

The illustrations of various Bibles, lushly printed from copies generously made available by various libraries and monasteries will give you some idea as to the love that was invested in each version. They balance what can at times be a slighlty dry text. All in all it makes for wonderful history, without denting any of my beliefs in the process. Thank you Mr. De Hamel!

First things first, the very title of this book may generate unfulfilled expectations.

Here is the author's statement of what this book is about: "This is the history of the Bible as a book. It is the story of a literary artifact. This is not an account of the writing of the Bible, or of the events in the ancient Near East and in Palestine which are described in the text of the Bible itself. The title, which has evolved several times during the writing of the text, is The Book, a History of the Bible, but it could as well be The Bible, a History of the Book...." [Page viii; italics omitted by reason of Amazon's technological limitations.] This book, then, is concerned with a series of tangible artifacts, words reproduced on various media and known collectively as Bibles.

The author is identified as "the Fellow Librarian of Corpus Christie College, Cambridge." For 25 years, we are told, "he was responsible for all sales of medieval and illuminated manuscripts at Sotheby's in London." He has a doctorate from Oxford University. He is a Fellow of the Society or Antiquaries. His previous publications are a book on Bible texts and two on manuscript illumination.

Mr. de Hamel is a manuscript man and a bibliophile. That is plain enough to see. What his religious beliefs, if any, might be, I haven't a clue, for he takes pains never to explain them. Perhaps the closest he comes to revealing himself is in an offhand remark toward the end of the book to the effect that in spite of centuries of diatribes, vitriol, finger pointing, and viewing with alarm, the competing texts of the Catholic and Protestant translations of the Bible are remarkably similar in meaning.

The contents of "The Book" are nicely summarized by the headings on its contents page:
Introduction
1. Latin Bibles from Jerome to Charlemagne
2. The Bible in Hebrew and Greek
3. Giant Bibles of the Early Middle Ages
4. Commentaries on the Bible
5. Portable Bibles of the Thirteenth century
6. Bible Picture Books
7. English Wycliffite Bibles
8. The Gutenberg Bible
9. Bibles of the Protestant Reformation
10. The English and American Bible Industry
11. Missionary Bibles
12. The Modern Search for Origins
Bibliography
Index of Manuscripts
General Index
Photographic Acknowledgments

As can readily be seen, even a book with 329 large pages of text and illustrations can provide only a very broad overview of a subject that consists of innumerable examples scattered over thousands of miles of space and more than two millennia of time.

As it happens, the author comes down from the mountaintop only once, in Chapter 8. There, he takes out the microscope of scholarly research to examine the astonishing Gutenberg Bible. And it is quite remarkable, to me at least, just how much scholars have gleaned from intense examination and close analysis of that book. By a series of convincing arguments, we deduce what niche in the market Gutenberg aimed to fill. We read an account of his marketing strategy from no less a personage than a future Pope. We examine his printing procedures, involving four separate compositors (and maybe four presses). We determine the date of his printing (sample pages ready to show to potential buyers in February 1455; a complete copy bound on August 24, 1456.) We take note of the increase in his print run mid-way through, probably owing to unexpectedly high sales. And we calculate the probable size of this first edition of all printed first editions: about 140 copies on paper and 40 on parchment.

An earlier Amazon reviewer has written of "a slightly dry text." That is true enough, but I think that Mr. de Hamel has provided us with about as sprightly a text as we could hope from any serious treatment of his subject. That aside, there can be no dispute about the many illustrations. They are beautiful, with pride of place going to a wonderful, two-page spread devoted to a Gutenberg Bible flung open and displaying all its typographic glory. With, I think, the single exception of a still from Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments," all the illustrations are in full color, even those reproducing monochrome images and texts.

For all the things I have mentioned so far, I would be happy to assign a full five stars to this book. However, there is another consideration. This is a book about manuscripts and printed books, some of them of magnificent quality and spectacular beauty. This book, this tangible object of the printer's and bookbinder's craft, does not measure up to its subject.

The binding of the hardbound edition is typical of the cheesy stuff dumped into the market these days: far from robust, almost flimsy; devoid even of cloth, simply paper pressed into boards. The paper within the book is smoothly coated, very white stock. It is as well-suited for photographic reproduction of images as it is terrible for displaying text. This is a picture book, you see, and the text is no more than a vehicle for the display of imagery.

Printing was accomplished by some sort of offset process. Shiny ink lies absolutely flat on the surface of the shiny pages. While reading the book, one is often obliged to shift it around in order to avoid unpleasant reflected glare.

The book is a large, squarish quarto. Its text runs 42 lines per page, just as in the Gutenberg Bible, something not likely to be a mere coincidence. This forces a comparison with that two-page spread I've already mentioned. Against such competition, this book appears very feeble indeed. The Gutenberg--as well as many of the illustrated manuscripts and printed books--lies symmetrically on its two pages, providing a serene balance of text against margins and dark printed letters against warm, creamy paper. This book has its single, wide printed column arranged asymmetrically, so that each page has a wide left-hand margin for notes and a narrow right margin. The paper is too white for extended reading comfort. The printed columns are too wide to take in with a single glance, requiring a reader to be shift gaze along each line. (The old scribes and the earliest printers knew better than to make that mistake.)

The typeface is quite unsuitable for such a monumental work. It is some transitional serif font that I do not recognize, quite similar to the Times New Roman so familiar to users of computers, but with slightly wider separation between letters, thinner vertical strokes and idiosyncratic designs for the lower case "k" and the "6." Considering the size of the pages and the wide spacing between the lines, the font could and should have been two or even four points greater in size. Considering the subject, it should have been a darker, more decorative, old-style font, perhaps Garamond or Goudy.

The book was printed in China with the English author's text generally edited to American standards and spellings. The printed text is set with ragged line endings on the right-hand side. I'd be willing to bet that it was composed on a computer with a minimum of adjustments from a human hand or eye. The ragged ends are far more mechanical and irregular than any manuscripts of the medieval scribes.

For a book about the most intensively proofread book in the last two millennia, there are an annoying number of typographical errors. Some of them are the sort of thing characteristic of computer spell checks, such as an inability to pick up "that" when "than" is intended or vice versa. Others are just plain slovenly, "Boywer" for "Bowyer."

Finally, there is the matter of the page numbering. The Introduction begins on the unnumbered page vi. It continues to page xi. Chapter I begins overleaf on an unnumbered page that is immediately followed by an unnumbered full-page illustration. The text continues overleaf on what is finally identified as page "14." Now, THAT is bush league book making!

Since this otherwise admirable book falls (as an artifact) well short of the standards of the very subject with which it deals, I reduce my rating to four stars.

This is a beautiful book to look at,but what I really loved,was how it answered my question "how did we get our Bible"? It has strengthened my faith even more to learn that manuscripts,cunniforms,and even the wrapping on an Egyptian mummy,some items dating from as early as the 2nd century BC coincide(with only slight differences) with the Bible as we know it today! It is so awesome,that this is true,despite the age or location where the artifacts were found. The author also lists where these artifacts now reside,which museums,libraries,the Vatican,private holdings,ect.Wonderful work.

I finished this book in just about 2 hours. i skipped a large portion of it becuase it didn't apply to me. A large portion of this book focuses on career-based stress. I'm disabled, and therefore unemployed, so the career-based info just didn't fit me more. There was some helpful information i will hang onto, but overall, it just wasn't for me.

This is a great book for ideas on how to get back control of your life. If you have a extremely stressful career like I do you'll love reading the different ideas in this book. Chapter 6 covers ways to fight burnout, figuring out when you're most productive & how to deal with work overload. Chapter 16 covers mastering your environment which has lots of ideas on how to deal challenges at home & work plus ideas on how to recharge your energy. This is a great book & well worth the money!

In my career as a professional speaker, the one nagging issue that members of my audiences keep bringing to my attention is the increasing difficulty of managing stress in an era with too many pressing concerns. They are vitally interested in both the health and well-being of their families and the state of the world, and they face increasing stress on all fronts. In an era that presents too many jolts too frequently, people tell me that they welcome this new and improved edition of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Managing Stress.

In one form or another, men and women from all walks of life face a similar problem: how to manage stress efficiently. CIG to Managing Stress is the crib sheet for attaining vital perspectives and proven techniques for maintaining a healthy, balanced outlook about one's self, job, family, and environment.

Unlike other books in the field but similar to other books in the Complete Idiot's Guide series, CIG to Managing Stress is easy to read and brings a smile to the reader's face. Instead of relying on a single expert, it brings together the knowledge of a wide range of experts in the field. By reading this book, you will gain insights and effective strategies for handling what has become an arduous part of daily life: keeping stress at minimal levels.

Yours Truly,
Jeff Davidson

Jeff Davidson presents a unique and very helpful approach to dealing with everyday stress. A well-written and easy to follow guide.

Wayne D. Ford, Ph.D., author of "Stress Management for Over-Achievers" docwifford@msn.com

Although I would have liked to have seen more on the topic of burnout and maybe something on the stress of raising an unruly teenager there was a lot in here on stress that I hadn't considered before. There were also some approaches to managing stress that were new to me, and of course that's always appreciated. The little boxes on every page like what a concept, etched in stone, and warning were kind clever

Jim Daly's book is not just inspirational. It's important because it is real. It is as real as the chipped linoleum floor of a crummy kitchen in a lousy apartment building. And that's about as good as his future looks. How he overcomes betrayals, heart aches, deaths, and a slew of disappointments is amazing.

It is THE amazing grace in the end that sends this story into a realm that couldn't just happen without some divine help.

Focus on the Family is lucky to have this guy. He's the real deal. He's the genuine article, not fake, not flattering, not unfamiliar with real struggle. He knows how important a family is because he didn't have it.

This would be a great movie; uplifting and meaningful...something movies have not been in a long time....and it's so gritty even Focus on the Family could not handle it.

This book took courage and bravery to write. Read it because it will impart these traits to you.

This was an excellent book. The author shares so much of his own personal life - much of which was heartbreaking. But he also shares how he was able to rise above his past to become the man God wanted him to be. This book will give you hope that you, too, can rise above your own past and have a fulfilling, life of purpose.
It was definitely worth reading. I'm putting a copy in my church library to share it with others.

Jim Daly's early years read like the start of a sort of horror story that gets worse and worse a time goes on. If you have struggled with anything and become discouraged, get this book and see what faith can do for you (as it did for Jim Daly).

Jim Daly and Bob DeMoss have combined their gifts to produce an excellent book for married couples and parents. Well-written and positive, the book constantly points us to enduring values --- and thus away from the stress and strain that so often sidetrack us.

How do you see past the daily grind? The answer is a change of focus: Daly shows us what we ought to be thinking about, looking at, and considering as we raise children, manage a career, and forge a family.

A great wedding gift --- helps new couples think about these issues on a pre-need basis. An excellent anniversary present --- shows couples how to unite around common goals and common ground.

Well-written, encouraging and always realistic. A hope-filled book that lights your pathway to the family God wants you to be!

Dr. David & Lisa Frisbie
The Center for Marriage & Family Studies
Authors of: Raising Great Kids on Your Own: A Guide and Companion for Every Single Parent

Finding a Home (literally and figuratively) for Jim Daly was not an easy task. Jim was the youngest of five children. His parents had met at Alcoholic Anonymous and alcoholism became an ongoing theme for the couple, particularly for Jim's father. Realizing that she had to choose between her children and her own issues, Jim's mom left his father and fled with the children. She had to work several jobs at a time just to make ends meet.

Then tragedy struck. Jim's mom got sick. None of the kids really understood what was going on until cancer took her life. At this point, in their step-father abandoned them and left them to fend for themselves. Finding a place to live was difficult enough but the real trouble was finding a home.

Finding Home is a wonderful read. The author's purpose for writing the book is to share his life lessons with the reader. In this, he provides a very open and honest story. He has been extremely careful to show his life in a balanced way: the good times and the bad times, his mistakes and his misjudgements, and the many times when grace stepped in. Extremely inspirational.

Oliver Goldsmith (c. 1730-1774) was born to an English clergyman in Ireland and is often described as an "Anglo-Irish" author. Originally trained in theology, he later studied medicine and worked as an apothecary's assistant. Both then and now, critics regard the vast bulk of his writing as "hackwork"--poorly written material undertaken for the money offered. Even so, Goldsmith was indeed an exceptional and often innovative author when he put his mind to it, and his finest works rank with the best of his age. By most accounts Goldsmith wrote the comedy SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER in 1771; it was first performed in 1773 and has remained a favorite of the English stage ever since.

The play concerns the Hardcastle family, who are country gentry living living outside the common realm of English aristocracy of the day. Mr. Hardcastle dislikes "society" and frequently battles with his silly wife over his refusal to spend a season in London; Mrs. Hardcastle is in turn besotted Tony Lumpkin, her wayward son by a first marriage. Indeed, the only sensible member of the family is daughter Kate--and as the play begins she is told by her father that his choice for her husband, Charles Marlow, will arrive that very night. But things do not go as planned: due to a prank by Tony Lumpkin, Charles and his companion George arrive under the impression that Hardcastle's house is actually a roadside inn. Needless to say, complications abound, and Kate finds herself assuming the role of rural barmaid the better to study her intended and bring all complications to a happy resolution.

SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER is often considered a turning point in English theatre. Earlier comic authors tended to emphasize themes of hypocrisy for comic effect; Goldsmith certainly makes use of this, but instead of giving us cuckolds and strumpets he takes a more kindly point of view. His characters may sometimes be foolish and silly, but they are not so much vicious as playful and although the plot is farcical the situations are never unkind. The result is a charming confection of smiling entertainment. SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER has remained a favorite of the theatre for over two hundred years for a reason: it is as spritely, elegant, and amusing as it was when first produced. Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

This play is a wonderful little comedic satire that is as funny now as when it was written in 1773. Mr. Goldsmith's characters are wonderful, and the storyline is funny without being "sappy". His characters are so very human! He does not shy away from exposing human frailities, and he does it in such a way that no one would take offence to it. His characters make common human mistakes based on misunderstandings and practical jokes, but his characters are not tragically changed from these occurences. They, as well as the audience, understand human frailties, and look upon these as things that help us grow. This is a jovial, friendly play that is well worth the time it takes to read it. I find that reading plays is a nice alternate to reading long novels. A little different from short stories. I like the economies of a play. So much is written and so much is implied all in five scenes.

SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER is one of the best plays to be written during the Restoration era. It's full of wit and great one liners, not to mention that it's a comic satire on the dramatic conventions of the day. The play is quite funny and when performed is one of the few "classical" (meaning anything pre-20th century) plays that all audiences seem to enjoy. Unfortunately, Goldsmith's masterpiece is seldom performed nowadays. Most American's have never heard of Oliver Goldsmith (is that the guy who directed PLATOON? is a typical response), let alone SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER. SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER instead tends to be one of those plays that everyone in theatre knows about, but that most people outside of the theatre universe don't even know exists. It's a shame because the play is a masterpiece of wit and comic timing and has so much to offer to modern day audiences.

This play is a rollicking satire on the British caste system of that era, seen through the mischief, mayhem, and mistaken identities of this work. Almost a must-read!

Few English plays dating from the eighteenth century appeal to modern audiences. For much of that period comedies were characterized by an exaggerated sentimentality and intense moralizing. Independently, the playwrights Oliver Goldsmith and Richard Brinsley Sheridan rejected this moralizing mode, returning to the English stage a humorous, mildly satirical form of comedy.

In a short period they created three plays that are still enjoyed today: She Stoops to Conquer (Goldsmith, 1773), The School for Scandal (Sheridan, 1775) and The Rivals (Sheridan, 1777).

In recent months I have read all three play. All are quite good, but I especially liked She Stoops to Conquer and The School for Scandal. While The School for Scandal is widely admired for its witty dialogue, She Stoops to Conquer offers the most hilarious situations.

The basic theme in She Stoops to Conquer is familiar. The guardians, her father Mr. Hardcastle and her aunt Mrs. Hardcastle, have arranged a suitable marriage for young Miss Hardcastle. She, of course, has other plans. Oliver Goldsmith adroitly transformed this overly used situation into delightful comedy. The plot is complicated by a shy suitor, friends with their own plans of elopement, and an unruly prankster, all leading to utter confusion in the rustic Hardcastle household. I quickly became engaged with the ridiculous happenings; I read She Stoops to Conquer in a single sitting. Five stars.

Possible Interest - Another Comedy and Two Moralizing Plays:

John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, first staged in 1728 in London, was another exception to the moralizing trend in the eighteenth century. This delightful, satirical comedy is considered the first modern musical. Five stars.

In the prologue to The Conscious Lovers (1722) Sir Richard Steele states his objective: "To chasten wit, and moralize the stage" and to "Redeem from long contempt the comic name". Steele's objective was to instruct and to ennoble rather than to amuse. Humor is clearly subordinate. Two stars (plus perhaps 1 star for historical interest).

George Lillo's moralizing melodrama, The London Merchant (1731), was a resounding success in the summer of 1731 and was apparently performed 179 times by 1776. Its repetitious moral lessons seemingly resonated with eighteenth century audiences. Three stars.

Liz Curtis Higgs' Bad Girls of the Bible series is second to none, and in my opinion the audio is even better than the book, because Liz is the reader. She's an accomplished speaker and the injections of humor are so well done. I also enjoyed the audio of "Bad Girls of the Bible" although it was abridged, and I hope Liz will eventually do an audiobook of "Really Bad Girls of the Bible."
Liz brings these women to life and shows that although they and we are separated by many centuries, we're quite a bit alike. There's much we modern-day women can learn from those ancient girls and their trials and tribulations, and in the process, we can strengthen our own relationship with God.

This was my first Bad Girls of the Bible book to read. I must say it wasn't what I expected. I learned a lot more about the women of the Bible than I knew which means Liz does good research. I have taught for 40 plus years children and my teaching would have been different had I had all the background information and was able to compare it to today.
I especially loved the way she brought it to how modern women today would be like those of old. I loved the fact that God can love flawed women and men as far as that goes. Because you learn also of the flaws of the men of God too. You learn they weren't perfect but yet God loved them.
However Leah and Rachel left me wondering why God blessed Leah more than Rachel - an answer that still plagues me.
As a Bible teacher, Liz has left me hungering to research and learn more about these women. It seems most all Bible teaching at church is focused at men and on men in the Bible. The women are left unseen and even men could profit from understanding the women of the Bible. After all it might help them relate to their wives.

This is my favorite Bad Girls book so far! It is more applicable to real life for me.

Excellent book! It was very encouraging to see how even the "best girls" in the bible made mistakes, overcame them, and how God loved them and helped them through their mistakes. Loved it!

I always get a lot out of Higgs' materials. Her wit and wisdom (thru her own Bad Girl experience) never fail to show me new ways to grow in my faith.