Training Books

If you get just one book on voice development, it certainly should be this one. As a phonetics teacher, I don't agree with every single detail in the book. But as someone who has taught English pronunciation and oral skills to ESL learners for decades, and also as a radio broadcaster, I feel a strong resonance with Lessac's approach. Differing in the details doesn't really matter, since the core of Lessac training is heightened sensitivity and slightly understated but focused control rather than specifics.

Lessac uses orchestral instruments as analogies to teach better articulation of each English consonant, e.g. the "N-violin" and the "T-snare drum drumbeat". Though impressionistic in approach, it does helps the student have an optimal quality in mind to aim for, and to pay closer attention to each internal physical event and the effect it produces.

Lessac has a fondness for coining his own jargon, like "NRG" ('energy'), "esthetic" (not "aesthetic"; 'anything that promotes sensitivity and induces awareness of sensation and perception in the body'), "kinesensic" ('intrinsic "self-to-self" sensation'), and of course the famous "Y-Buzz". The new terms are however well justified, since each figures importantly in the framework he teaches. The glossary in the back of the book can help keep everything straight. I also flipped to the index several times when trying to sort out the differences between terms like "tonal NRG" and "structural NRG" in the context of the book.

This is a solid course book, not casual reading, so take the chapters one at a time, mindfully, to reap maximum benefit from the book.

This edition is attractive and carefully edited; I found not a single typo in the whole book. My one criticism is the price. The outstanding content makes it definitely worth the cover price, but I don't see why a paperback needs to be so expensive. Like with Peter Ladefoged's A Course in Phonetics (with CD-ROM), I guess it is because it is a popular university textbook that commands a captive audience. About a third of the cover price would bring it more in line with similar editions. But that's not the author's fault, I assume, and doesn't merit taking off a star. And speaking of Ladefoged's book, it would be helpful to readers if this book included a CD-ROM as well.

As a voice teacher for many years, I am always being complimented on my speaking voice. Arthur Lessac's book was not my speaking coach, my operatic training was - but the technique is the same. Lessac has done a masterful job explaining the "old" Italian, bel canto/good singing technique that's been around since the 1600's - but he's done it for the speaking voice. Singers need to use the same technique for both speaking and singing, and this is the best book I've found on speaking technique.

Now everyone can understand logically how to improve their speaking and singing voice, and perhaps operatic voices will be better understood as not being something elitist or unnatural. Using the power of your instrument to produce quality sound is amazingly natural - it ain't magic. The "magic" is being given the vocal chords of an angel, inspiration from God, the constitution of a horse, the luck of (all) the Irish, and the intelligence of an Einstein to develop that voice into a Pavarotti, a Sutherland, etc.

This is probably the best technique out there for freeing and developing a strong vocal instrument for speech and singing. This is the only voice text (and I've read and studied them all: Linklater, Skinner, Berry, Rosenburgh)which gives a spicific structural breakdown for the production of healthy and tonal sound. Most other texts are just exercises, but Lessac's System gives exact physical placement for each vowel, consonant, and dipthong sound as well as extensive tonal work. Especially good for the dancer due to the strong physical emphasis of placement of the tongue, lips, jaw etc. His work on Consonant action is quite inovative, drawing on the actors imagination and assining each consonant sound to an instrument in the orchestra, thereby allowing the actor to more quickly understand the musical quality of speech. Here is a basic overview of what is covered in the text; anatomy of the vocal instrument, the alignment of the body and the economical use of muscular effort to produce sound, the use of optimum pitch to discover and develop the presence of tonality and broaden pitch and range, the use of melody and the onomatopoetic nature of language to communicate ideas, and the application of these skills to a text.

This is everything anybody (actors, speakers and liars) will ever need to know about discovering, developing and using with confidence the voice as a tool to communicate. Westerners especially, I believe, have trained and maimed their voices to suit ideals (The average woman speaks about 6 tones higher than her natural voice prescribes). This book, a trusted training manual in many theatre and opera schools, teaches practically and without pretence, the real abilities of the voice. This is all one needs to acquire/rediscover, with practise, how the voice can be an (extemely flexible) extension of oneself in a physical world. A wholistic adventure which necessarilly encompasses correct breathing and posture, which will eventually be effortless, simply because it is natural. From an acting perspective the Arthur Lessac voice system becomes a perfect partner to the Stanislavskyan system of acting (associated with 'The Method' in USA). The practice of the Lessac system can easily be taught to a child and has proven successful in overcoming a stutter. This probably because the learner is made aware of the manoeuvre-ability of sound and how it is created, and not only on voice as a carrier of language. The book contains many excercises, each making one discover and realise the immense power of (self-generated) sound. Living in Africa one often wonders at the vocal powers of its people. Westerners can also feel at one with their true voices. The Lessac system would be the first (and last) step on the route to rediscovery. This is a popular book (I had two copies stolen from me when it was out of print) amongst performers and all those who believe their bodies are instruments.

I first became acquainted with Arthur Lessac's work in the 1970's when I was in Graduate School. Since then, his Approach to Voice and Body Training has been the mainstay of my professional and personal life. His new book (the third version) has been written in such a way that complements the older version, yet takes us on a training journey that is wholistically and organically fresh and new. I enjoy teaching from this book, and my students enjoy learning from it!
--Nancy Krebs, Lessac Master Teacher

Lots of wisdom is a small book. May be about his life as a fireman, but it applies to life writ large!

I have read a lot of books on management and personal development. This books ranks right up there in terms of being a great personal development/self help book and I consider it up there with the best of the best.

I recommend reading a chapter a day and then repeating the process.

There are "fires" everyday in business.

Richmond has been revered among firefighters across America ever since he ran Philadelphia's Department. You'll see why in this gem: straight talk, profound lessons simply put, and no fancy jargon. Anyone will benefit by applying what he has distilled from his rich experiences.

I am always very hesitant about self-published books and/or books from iUniverse, etc., but this little book was a very welcome surprise. We constantly receive "advice"-type books and they are usually filled with the same old gobbledygook new-age feel-good tidbits that we've heard for years. Not so with Mr. Richmond's "What I've Learned". This book has concrete ideas and methods for strengthening, organizing and managing any type of team, whether it is a team of firemen risking their lives everyday or staff members of businesses and other organizations, all told in a very readable format. Cheers to Mr. Richmond for this very helpful book.

Widely applicable to all in management and/or leadership positions. An easy but insightful read. Don't be afraid of the title - this is not just for firemen!

When a friend of mine offered me an orphan cat I told him I knew nothing about cats. In fact, the first question I asked was how to train her to use a litter box. That gives you an idea of how low my cat database was. I went to the petstore the night before picking up my new kitty and scanned several cat books. This book seemed very user friendly and full of really practical tips. I bought it and read it cover to cover over the next couple of weeks as my cat and I learned about each other. It answered virtually all of my questions. If you are looking for a first primer on how to take care of and understands cats, this is the book for you.

This is a good little handbook, especially for the novice cat owner. I found it very informative on all sorts of stuff, from daily cat care to behaviour problems. However I do find the title a bit misleading. I originaly bought the book because the title made me think it was a book on cat-training. Some training is mentioned but the book is not really about conditioning and learning psychology. If that's what you're looking for find something else.

I found this book to be an excellent general reference for cat training. Lots of helpful and practicle tips. Lots of insight into a cat's world.

This is a great book for those people who have a cat that needs a bit of training. The book is very easy to read in a few settings. There are some good tips to train your cat. There are some very valuable don'ts in the book too. This book was written by a professional vet and cat owner so the author knows what she is talking about. I found some very helpful tips in this book. I woulld recomend this book highly.

I just adopted a cat. What next? How much should I feed him? How can I teach him tricks? Arghh! He is scratching my sofa. I need help! So I went and buy this book "101 Treaining Tips for Your Cat". The book helps me a lot. I don't actually count it, but I think the book consists of 101 tips and way to train a cat.
The book is in A-Z format, so it's easier to look up for a certain tips or problem. Some b&w pictures are also included.
Overall, if you aren't experience with cat, this book is worth a try

This book was exactly what I needed to get quickly up to speed on web design and construction. I last built a site in 1997. For my new site I had designed an easy to use, but complicated to build site. I had no real idea how to build it. This book taught me how. It was easy to read and had hands on (my favorite) exercises. The best part was that it focuses on the preparation stage as well as the site production stage. I needed to learn all I could about slicing images and rollovers. This book covers them very well. It shows you how to shave off download seconds. I didn't really know what to do with ImageReady before. Now I am using it to its full potential! Unfortunately, I'll have to learn Flash to really speed up my site.

I found this book extremely easy to use and very helpful. The lessons were quick and easy to understand. I wish they would have gone into more complicated applications. For getting a handle on how to use Photoshop and ImageReady it was wonderful.

I received this book about 1 1/2 weeks ago and I just tore thru it! Linda Weinman and Tanya Staples did an outstanding job in covering and teaching me what I needed to know about Photoshop CS. It beat out Photoshop class room in a book by a mile!

To bad I can't take it back!{

This has revolutionized the way I design websites for my realtor clients at realtors-image com

Thank you Lynda, Tanya and special thanks to Garo Green....what an amazing trainer he is. I made the move from Frontpage to Dreamweaver MX with his training manual.

The field of Graphic/ Web Design is wide open if you just follow these manuals from Lynda Weinmans HOT Manuals,

Thank you all and god bless!

This is the first time that I've tried learning through the Hands on Training (H.O.T) books and after reading & practicing with the CD that comes along with the book, I think this is a great training book! The book was very well written and the having the CD with the practice files to train with really helps you learn. I am in no way new to Photoshop, but I'd never used ImageReady before. With this book, I literally was able to understand and learn ImageReady CS in one day, and I also learned a lot of useful tips in Photoshop CS that I had never used before. Plus, with the way the book is written, anytime you have a question or problem, you can skip to a certain page or chapter that should help you. I am very satisfied with this purchase and plan on using H.O.T exclusively to train on any other softwere that I need to learn.

The book description refers to the book as "this full-color volume" in error. The update from Photoshop/Imageready 7 to CS has added 220 pages of content, but to hold the same price point, it was necessary to produce the book in black and white. I really miss the color. I occasionally purchase a Photoshop book that is not in color, but with one exception (Deke McClelland's Look and Learn Photoshop 6), they always end up being returned.

Don't let me discourage you from buying the book -- it's still a great resource, even more so since Ben Willmore's Photoshop CS Studio Techniques no longer discusses web/Imageready topics -- but please be aware that it's not "in full color."

I read this book cover to cover in no time, because I couldn't put it down! What a great read, so many useful suggestions on what to do in every potentially "annoying" situation. This book really trains the owner who in turn will now have to knowledge to train their dog the right way because they will learn how the dog thinks. Great, great, great book. I absolutely suggest this to anyone thinking about adopting... even if you've had a dog before!

Great book and great advice! Very detailed dog selection process helped our family get the perfect dog!

This book is unique in that it talks specifically about adopting a shelter dog. Shelter dogs have a whole different set of challenges and expereinces than puppies - and this book has simple, straight forward advice on a successful and rewarding adoption.

A truely worthwhile book -- leads those interested in adopting and saving the life of a shelter dog, rather than taking the puppy mill or breeder routes, through a step-by-step analysis of how to ascertain the right dog for your family and how to judge a dog by more than its cover! Buy it and you will feel empowered in the proper way to go about making a friend for life.

Well-written and consise, this book provides help for most common issues and potential pitfalls of adopting an adult dog. The story of the author's work w/ a "vicious" dog (last chapt.) is especially illustrative of how much adult dogs have to offer, even and perhaps esp. ones that did not grow up in good circumstances.

Further, the book's focus on positive reinforcement and emphasis on training and exercise (read "play") for a dog will prevent many problems if followed.

While writing this review, my newly adopted adult Belgian Shepherd brought me a pair of dirty socks from the laundry basket - time to consult the book! :-]

My husband and I recently got an Airedale puppy (10 weeks old) and have now had him for 5 weeks. Right before we went to the breeder to get him we both did some research about helpful books etc. This book was on the top of the list on the Airedale websites that I looked at. It was a great resource and full of information that will be helpful from puppy to adult including care of the dog, grooming, feeding etc. It was easy to read and included many amusing pictures of Airedales.

I have owned Airedale Terriers since 1979 and have bred them since 1985. This book captures all the essential information about Airedales and organizes it in a very readable manner. I send the book home with every Airedale puppy that I sell. This book gets my highest recommendation.

"Take equal parts of intelligence, strength, heart, and loyalty. Add a generous portion of humor, sensitivity, and high energy. Throw in a pinch of stubborness and feistiness. Pack this inside a handsome 50- to 70-pound dog . . . and you have the Airedale Terrier."

With this humorous introduction, dog trainer and author Dorothy Miner begins her book on Airedale Terriers, amusing those readers who have experience with this wonderful breed of dog and giving fair warning to those considering getting one. What follows this opening -- while it may maintain the same light-hearted tone -- is an interesting, readable book that is tightly packed with information. In the dozen-plus chapters that follow, Miner examines the breed in detail: the Airedale's history, considerations in puchasing an Airedale, basics and beyond in regard to raising and/or breeding Airedales, thoughts on owner responsibility, and more! With a well-thought-out table of contents and a concise index, the book is a breeze to use, whether reading from cover to cover or looking for an answer to a specific question.

From Miner's coverage of the topic, it's apparent she knows her stuff about dogs -- and Airedales in particular. Her words, like her in-person work, exude a calm, logical attitude -- an approach that is inspiring to the new dog owner. AIREDALE TERRIERS by Dorothy Miner is the kind of training manual that readers will turn to for new-puppy guidance and one they'll return to again and again as their dogs grow.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book on Airedales. For an inexpensive book, it contained great "breed specific" information on raising and training an Airedale. It also had lots of great photographs. It is, however, written in a manner which scared off my wife from the breed -- sort of no-nonsense, this is a big decision, don't take it lightly, an Airedale is not for everyone -- kind of way.

Well written overview or the basics of Airedale terriers. If you are considering the breed or are new to the breed, it's a must own book. Having had airedales for 25 years, I found the book informative and the chapter on training to be excellent. The author knows her stuff too... hands on all airedale obedience training included. This has all the information in one place in a well written, easy to understand format.

Im planning to go into Aviation Management and this is a great book that goes over everything that happens at an airport and how to run an airport!! Great book!!

Don't be afraid of the great amount of number data. It's all understandable

This book is an excellent text to all airport related personnels. I found it's particularly useful to people working in airport and/or aviation management who want to gain more in-depth understanding to all areas of airport operations. This book can also serve as in-house classroom training text for airline personnel. A highly recommended one!

This is a great source of information and very clear definitions of many of the key issues relating to Airport Management and Operations. Although written primarily from the European and Asia Pacific Airport and Airline perspectives, the author has worked very hard to include North American issues and examples. As The Airport Industry moves continually towards privatization, these differences will move to the background and be less obvious; and less important. This is a great starting place for the researcher or the occasional affectionato

This book provides a thorough analysis in all facets of airport operations and provides the reader with a logistical insight that is unmatched. While the book provides a great overview, it lacks information particularly on air cargo development and facility planning at airports. While the growth in air cargo traffic significantly outpaces passenger growth, air cargo development issues at airports become more significant. Air cargo development issues must be addressed by airport authorities. This book only makes scant reference to this. However, "Airport Operations" is a valuable book to all airport authorities, consultants and transport researchers. No doubt, a very timely piece of information.

This message is for the people who bought my book and wanted to see the recipe for the TEPAPHONE. I took it out of the book for personal reasons. I requested for a change on Amazon, but failed. I was surprised at the many email request I received for this particular recipe.
I thank everyone for their support in my research and hope to bring you more of the most rare and obscure recipes(Spells) in ancient magic in the near future.
Some say Franz Bardon stole the information for his mentor Ra-Ohmir Quintscher and that Quintscher invented battery magic in the 1920's. I don't know if Bardon stole the information or not, but as for Quintscher inventing battery magic, is a lie. I have found works dating to the early 1800's that speak of battery magic. And it is also said that his device was called the "Tepa" and is mistakenly called the "Tepaphone" This is also a lie because again I have older works that speak of ancient devices for sending or calling energy and the suffix is "Phone." I have seen at least 3 old devices that use the term and they all existed before either of the above mentioned people were born.I also have different versions of the same concept from different people with how and why their devices worked.
This is where research comes in. Most importantly understanding of what you read. I don't claim to know it all and I will never know it all, but my goal is to search for the truth, with an unbiased opinion. So that what was lost will be found again. We don't invent or find anything, we only rediscover it. Again thanks for your support.

READ ALL BEFORE BEGINNING CONSTRUCTION AS YOU MAY PUT YOURS TOGETHER IN DIFFERENT ORDER THAN SOME ONE ELSE.

THE TEPAPHONE


1) First you need to find all of the ingredients for the fluid condenser with this highest content of alcohol you can find. This must be put in an oil lamp. Make sure it's(the lamp) new or very clean with a new wick. They make oil lamps with the whole lamp almost completely closed and a very small hole for the wick. ( Picture a solid square, with nothing but a pencil hole in the top)

2) Second your going to need a copper pipe encased in lead or aluminum 10inches long 2 inches wide. Copper is the best conductor of any kind of psychic energy next to gold. The lead or aluminum casing being non conductors of said energy will focus and trap the energy for dispersal. The length as with any energy will decrease with length so 10 inches long will be enough.

3) You will need a copper wire 25 inches long. One end of the wire will be put in the Fluid condenser.( The Same hole as the wick) The other end will be put through the copper pipe and make sure it is grounded to the pipe and out of the other end.( Have at least 5 inches remaining, sticking straight out.)

4) You will need a square piece of copper that is 5 by 5 inches. Bend the lower half of the copper an inch up so that the end touches the back of the copper plate.(This will old your picture or pieces of paper with blood, mumia or other items to influence.) Fasten the plate with the folded end facing the pipe to the wire by soldering or making a hole small enough in the bottom of the plate for the wire to fit through.

5)This last part is very important!!!! You need to make a box to cover the area from the condenser to the pipe and the inside should be of aluminum(you want to condense the light and energy because this is your second power and the aluminum will reflect the energy and light) the box should have a small hole at the top for air and influence, but the light itself will sit in front of the hole of the pipe and should be sealed around the box to send the energy to your target. Focus on the hole and THINK of what you want to happen. You must see it in the physical, spiritual and mental just like the condenser.

The hole will be for you to send and focus your energy. If you feel strong enough you can go at it alone or the more people the more power.(If you can find people with the same frame of mind)

LAST BUT NOT LEAST PUT THE ENTIRE DEVICE ON A PIECE OF WOOD SO YOU CAN PICK UP THE ENTIRE DEVICE AND PUT IT AWAY WHEN YOU NEED TO USE IT. USE 2 "Y" BRACKETS TO HOLD THE PIPE UP AND IN PLACE. These are to be fastened to the board. One @ each end.




Remember that the ETHYL in alcohol is the only substance on our world that works in all three planes naturally. Spiritual, Mental and physical. This is why it is used in magic to increase ones power and ability.

Put the picture in the holder and think of what you want to happen. (I can't suggest anything, but I think you get the point.)
For mumia, use any piece of clean paper and stick the element on the paper and the paper in the holder. Remember also that just as you can send things, out the condenser can bring things IN!!!!
Remember that you must be full of PRANA to get good results.

Ar for the kind of fluid condenser you will need, here's a hint... It's one of the four elements and THEY MUST ALL BE UNDER THE SAME SIGN.

I just want to say that I have dozens of books on sorcery,demonology,witchcraft and after I purchased this book I was very upset because I read in my other books that magic like this did not exist and was only superstition out of control. I hope mr. Holder writes another one. Dude you have a fan.

This guy i have never heard of, but i hope he keeps writing. I dont know where to begin. He has you grinding up stones,giving away the secrets of nostradamus,levitation,controling the elements etc. The thing is he doesn't use, what he terms as wishcraft ( just seeing it in your mind)He shows you how to mix herbs and stones that actually causes chemical changes, like a scientist. I'm almost afraid to try some of this stuff, as he does give warnings to watch yourself. If you read it you'll see why.

I have never ever read a book like this on magic. You have to actually use potions and spells like the magicians of old. Some of the stuff was a little wild like "Jeffery Dahmers decoration tip # 15", Bringing dolls to life and having them walk around...
I must admit I was use to reading llewellyn and I was not ready for this. I got rid of the book. I have a huge doll collection in my room, enough said.

I was skeptic when I first heard about this book because you always hear about some guy claiming to have info on the powers of the universe. I bought the book and I could not believe it. This book is unbelievable, there are things here I always thought were pure fantasy. I tried to make a homunculous (a little man) and I actually became scared because it calls for several of your different "bodily fluids" among other things. I have read a lot of books on conjuring demons and gaining powers of the sorts and I have never read a book so full of information. He doesn't talk about B.S. to waste pages. From front to back it's all recipes from Nei kung to information on the Necronomicon even before the book was published back in1980!! He goes into the science of human combustion, nostrdamus mirrors even to making a talking magical doll like Chucky. He puts warnings on every recipe he gives not to sound cool, but its hard to explain unless you saw it for yourself. In a way he merges magic and science, but on a higher level.
The thing that got me the most is I'm a GAY Teen and he has a chapter in which he gives the spiritual aspects of why people like myself are "Coming Out so young" In his "anatomy of the souls." Unbiased and to the point. Definitely glad I took the chance. *****

If you have never used dvd studio pro before to author dvd's this is the book for you.It goes into great depth why the author does certain things.Once again apple has come out with a book to get you ahead of the game.

George Banks

This is by far the best instruction manual on using a software product that I have seen. It walks you step by step through DVD studio Pro's feature while you are creating a sample dvd. It teaches you in simple steps so you understand immediately what is being done. This is great for the inexperienced and experienced users of authoring a dvd.

Apple And Macintosh Graphics And Sound, Computer Animation, This is the official Apple Pro training course for DVD Studio Pro 3, so it's clear that this is the book you need to get. The nice thing about is that it's also very well written. If you have the earlier versions of this guide, you'll know what I mean.

The approach used in the book is to go produce DVD's. In fact after just a few pages of introductory this is what we're going to do stuff, you get started making a DVD. The first DVD is planned to take about one hour to make, it includes getting started with learning your way around the Studio Pro authoring window, making a title page and a simple menu. At the end of the hour you should have a burned DVD ready to play.

Having hit the ground running, from here the projects get more and more complex, and in each DVD you have to repeat some of the steps of the earlier one, this kind of repetition makes it familiar. By the end of the fourth project you've used basically all of DVD Studio Pro.

The format of this book is a directed hands-on tutorial. It's neither a cram for the test nor a general reference manual. But after working through the course material in this book, you can become a certified Apple Pro by taking the certification exam. You will have been exposed to and practiced everything you need to know.

First of all its actually 4.9 stars out of 5, but since the book is not flawless it cannot get 5 stars.

Apple Pro Training Series -- DVD Studio Pro 3 (with a DVD attached to the inside back cover) is a great book for the novice DVD Studio Pro 3 learner. (I am referring to ISBN 0-321-25610-7 Copyright 2005 by all4DVD and Martin Sitter)

The Book
There is no doubt, that you will learn a lot from this book, and if you are a novice in this area, do not waste your time looking any further: This is the book you want and need. I am a novice myself and therefore cannot say how helpful it may be to the Pro.

The entire book is in color (with the usual "Apple Blue" for certain text parts) and full color graphics (compared to the same-series Final Cut Pro HD book, where all graphics are in b/w)

The DVD contains:
My_Projects (that folder is empty, so you can save your lesson file here) 0MB
Media (contains all the files you need for your lessons) 3.45GB
Lessons (contains start- and finish lessons) 32.8MB
Appendix A (contains a PDF with a lesson: "Creating a Motion Menu in Final Cut Pro" which is not covered in the book) 4.6MB

There are some flaws, which may or may not make you angry while going through the book and by the book. Some drove me nuts, while others made me smile. You decide for yourself.

The Flaws (after reading the first 225 pages (total: a little over 720 pages)):

Page 31, Step 15, 2nd Paragraph
"As you select each button, it should turn red." Well, it does not turn red. Apple must have changed the appearance. But do not worry, it is working anyway.
[angry]

Page 45, Keyboard Shortcuts
Cmd-P Burn (It should read: Cmd-Shift-F Burn)
The Cmd-P (Command-key, also known as the Apple-key, plus the P-key) is usually opening the Print-Dialogue Window.
[angry]

Page 80, Step 1, 1st Paragraph
" . . . double-clicking the DVD Studio Pro icon in your Dock . . . "
A single click is enough for the Dock.
[smile]

Page 104, Step 1, 2nd Paragraph
Cmd-Option-O should read Cmd-Option-0 (Cmd-Option-zero)
[smile]

Page 194, Step 13, 2nd Paragraph
""Main Menu" should appear . . . "
That's correct: "should", but it does not, since it is not mentioned, that you will have to switch back to English Subtitle first in order to make this work.
[very angry, took me quite a while to figure this out]
And the next step after "Step 13" should be "Step 14" and not again "Step 13".


So and now I can't wait to continue with my lesson.

Good luck to you in becoming a pro -- this book will help you a lot.


One final advice for overseas orders: I ordered this book via Amazon.com to be shipped to Tokyo/Japan via "via DHL Express (averages 2-4 days)". It actually took 8 days to arrive. You may not waste your money on DHL's Express [loughing out load] Service.

I've used DVD Studio Pro since version 1 and when our company upgraded from version 2 to 3 I decided to buy this book to see how to utilize the new features in my DVD productions. Not only was I happy to find easy to read instructions and tutorials on the new features of DVD Studio Pro 3 (all in color), but this book has taught me some new tricks for some of the older features as well. One chapter that caught me off guard that was a pleasant addition was a detailed account on how to create you own custom presets for Compressor, including a great description on how MPEG-2 compression works (excellent for beginners and advanced). I'd recommend this book for anyone using DVD Studio Pro 3, even if your an advanced user this makes a great resource for your desk.

He's got an amazing grasp of the subject and very easy, organized way to present it. I'm enjoying learning what could otherwise be a very dry subject.

I bought this book along with Mac OS X Server Essentials. While that book is good on the GUI interface, this book shows in good detail what is really going on under the hood and behind the scenes. I have a much better understanding of Open Directory and LDAP in general as well as Kerberos and Single Sign in logic. Many of the other services offered under OS X Server 10.4 are also explained well. The command line information is good while not being so in depth as to lose the reader. You should have a basic familiarity with UNIX command line before trying to understand the concepts presented. The section on security is very good and presents a broad range of options to the administrator.

This book is a one-to-one version of the course material found in the Directory Services Integration and Administration v10.4 course, the Security Best Practices v10.4 course and more. The exercises are well thought out and easy to do. Not so easy to remember are the 800+ pages, but it is not meant to teach you all you need to know about being an SysAdmin. It is enough to get you through these two exams, which give you 7 credits and the ACSA. And it is enough to set you off into a job as Junior SysAdmin or, as in my case, a supporter with server duties.

Ideally, one should visit both official courses - not so much because more is offered in the actual courses than in the book, but rather because one can ask pointed questions of the teacher, that one cannot ask if something in the book is not clear.

As in most such books, it represents a beginning - the rest is a matter of acquiring experience. Do not expect this book to give you all the answers. I doubt if that would be possible. But it will give a whole lot of things to look out for and a whole lot of new input, especially if you have been doing some SysAdmin-ing and now want a look-see as to how the fulltime SysAdmins do it.

I read this book from cover to cover in order to prepare for two of the ACSA certification exams Apple offers, including the Directory Services Integration and Administration and Best Security Practices exams. If one is interested in the topics then one can learn an amazing amount of details and facts, otherwise difficult to come by in such an easily readable style.

However, I should warn, the book is not perfect in that the quality of the exposition can vary greatly from chapter to chapter. If I recall correctly, one of the first chapters explaining the basics of the KDC service and the concepts of Realms and principals contained grammatical errors so severe that they compromised the validity of the topic. Furthermore, some very interesting topics, such as cross realm authentication are barely touched upon.
Also, the information herein will not really help one troubleshoot a problematic service/server, but it will give you the background information, provided you are actively absorbing the information, which will allow you to analyze and think through troubleshooting scenarios.

However, any of these pitfalls are made up through such step by step explanations of the background processes behind promoting a server to an OD master, for example. I wish more OS books would cover such information either in this way or even at all.

Regardless, the book definitely did an amazing job of preparing me for the exams. I received very high scores on both exams (a 96 on the Directory Services and an 88 on the Security exam) and learned numerous interesting facts in every chapter.

At last, I would surely recommend this book for anyone thinking of getting an ACSA or someone just curious about the Unix side, along with its many possibilities, of OS X.[.....]

As another review states, this book is the guide for the relevant Apple ACSA courses. It succinctly provides you with an understanding of the basic information needed to attack the certification exams.

I do also recommend that you find the time and funds to actually take the classes. The folks in Cupertino have put a lot of work into creating great courses that offer you the crucial opportunity to learn by doing. The content and examples you work through during the courses are relevant to a wide range of applications, from small business to multi-national corporation as well as K-12, higher education, and research.

Schoun himself is one of the top independent providers of Apple training and has had no small hand in the development of the courses. I've had the pleasure of taking classes from him on several occasions and recommend his work highly.