R Books

If you're a moderately skilled programmer, a self-learner, and you want to get beyond just "getting started" deploying and using Sql Server 2000 Reporting Services, this is the book for you.

I especially found the chapters on customized set up extremely helpful. The installation wizard doesn't offer a whole lot of options, and most of teh time you don't know fully how you want to configure it until you've tried it out. You'll get some good starters on rconfiguring your installation here.

You'll get enough basics to be ready to dive in, and then some tricks well enough beyond that to give you well on your way to devleoping customized solutions.

For a total beginner (which I definately was) this is a FANTASTIC introduction to Reporting Services. Three months after starting my first job as a programmer straight out of University, and now I'm the main person in the firm with Reporting Services knowledge - and it's all thanks to this book.

The writing style is actually excellent for beginners, as I was terrified by the prospect of reading such a mammoth. But these guys make it fun and interesting to read (right down to the jokes and sidenotes) and really do touch on everything you need in a useful manner without boring you.

And excellent resource that now never leaves my desk. I can only hope these guys do a SQL Sever 2005 one. I cannot recommend this book enough for those starting on Reporting Services. It really is the book to read.

And if you are looking for a book on SQL Reportin 2005 - I would still recommend this book to give you the basics and introduction which is unbeatable thus far.

I really the beginning part on the setup and installation of the reporting services themselves. At my firm we needed to set up a seperate server for this purpose and the IT group was swamped with another project and this helped a great deal. I still am workign on development but the book has been very usefula and easy to understand.

This book has been written from a VB programmers point of view. If you want to just start creating reports or if you're not a VB programmer (ie DBA etc) you may find this hard work.As another reviewer mentioned, you may find the authors' jokes and writing style to be a hit and miss affair.

Nevertheless, there is some depth on Reporting Services not to be found elsewhere that is quite handy.

Now that all the friends and family have promoted the book...

In order to understand something new, we all must relate that which we're learning to that which we already know.
Pete and Bill have a difficult time transitioning from campy comedians to thoughtful educators. To this extent, their writing style lacks any useful analogies whatsoever which might bridge the gap between the known and the unknown.

The book is full of droll and distracting fantasy references which are completely irrelevant to the subject matter, and are prone to taking the unsuspecting reader off task.

The potential purchaser should also be forewarned that the authors tend towards another immature trait of attempting to impress the reader with their linguistic abilities. Yet, to be effective at teaching they should have remembered to never use a complicated word where a simple one will do.

Many examples are rambling and inconcise, where step-by-step quickly degrades into an ambiguous and vague path.

Not every developer can obtain DOMAIN Authority in order to issue SSL certificates and it's too bad that the authors don't allow for this type of scenario, especially when a reporting system is on a VPN.

All of the content is there, but it's up to the reader to filter and translate most of it from the pitfalls aforementioned into something more to the center of the bell curve.

DENNIS R. JENKINS &TONY R. LANDIS are THE best AERO/SPACE historians.I have other titles by them.

Please provide list of ALL titles by them.

THANX VLC

Dennis R. Jenkins and Tony Landis write wonderful books about amazing machines.. (Check out America's super bomber XB-70)

Their style of writing is pure technical eloquence. They can take a complex subject and make it compelling reading whilst not dumbing it down or glossing over it.

The story evolves at a terrific pace and is neatly framed in the events and context of the era they occurred in.

The quality of the images matches the quality of the text. This is a book you will come back to year after year!

This book is an exceptional addition to anyones library on aviation. If you are a X-15 freak, it is an absolute must to have.

This research work was obviously a labor of love and reverence for the authors. They gave credit where it is due, from the pilot astronauts, research scientists, program managers, air force personnel, senior engineers, technicians, and even a handful of glad-handing politicians.
For the first time, the reader wil learn details of the B-52 mothership personnel.

The photo-documentation is vast; I find it hard to believe that a companion volume ("Scrapbook") was needed for photos and illustrations beyond Hypersonic!'s coverage.

For modelers, the AFFTC blueprint on page 179 is definitive data on the X-15 fuselage. Info in the text will enable accurate reproduction of wing and tailplane structures.

Hypersonic! will remain the standard reference volume on the X-15 for decades to come.

Not to take from old Chuck's efforts, but I've always thought the X-15 was the more interesting program. It's amazing the level of accomplishments they made, yet the X-15 is far from being as well known to the public as some other programs in aviation. If you like the X-15, this is definitely the book. It's not the kind of book you just fly through and look at the photos, then throw on a shelf... It is definitely worth your while to take the time and really read through the details of how the aircraft worked, what the Pilots went through, and how the milestones were achieved technically. The flight log in the back is amazing in it's detail, evening listing the chase aircraft and chase Pilots involved in each mission. I purchased it along with the X-15 Scrapbook, and they work well together.

The first time I ever stumbled on the word "numinous" was in a doctorate that proposed to analyse vampires as "numinous entities". Then, reading CS Lewis, I again crossed that word's path, and eventually, I decided to read the real thing.

In very short, the numen (from which the word "numinous" is based) is the mysterious, overpowering, and terrifying aspect of the Deity. It is "non-rational" in the sense that it is not to be grasped by concept and ideas, but something to be felt in one's flesh and soul, like actual fear, awe, and majesty.

Otto focuses on that aspect too often neglected by some religious people themselves: the mysterious and unknowable. Fanatics have a tendency to consider only that, to the expense of the rational side of the Deity. But both similarly denature It.

While this book is a classic, and a worthy reading for anyone interested in the subject of God and the studies of religions, I will say that, personally, I seem to have missed out on some of the things mentioned in the book. Maybe I badly read certain parts, or maybe the book is complicated and dense enough that a second reading is required to clearly understand it all. Or both.

In a way, Rudolf Otto gives mysticism the kind of analysis it deserves, and re-establishes those more obscure areas of religiosity as something worthy of our consideration, and undeserving of our scorn.

Like Schleiermacher, Otto wants to theorize a religious faculty completely distinct from the rational, moral, and aesthetic faculties. The object of this faculty is the "holy," which is fearsome, mysterious, and fascinating. Most importantly, it remains essentially distinct from the rational, moral, and aesthetic, which means that any language we use to talk about "numinous" reality will always be analogical. This is important because "the religious" as a distinct category has been under threat since the 18th century (or since Spinoza) by other discourses that effectively explain it away. Otto's contemporary, Freud, was about to deal the religious yet another heavy blow by reducing it to a vestigial remain of infantile narcissism. By only allowing an analogical relation to other discourses, Otto wants to preserve the religious from this encroaching secularization. Of course, it is not certain that his own theory is not a secularization. He does not, after all, make room for miracles (in the strong sense).

I'll admit I was a little surprised at the heavy Christian turn at the end, only because Christianity seems to tame the wildness of the "tremendum" and the "mysterium." All in all, a fascinating and useful read.

The best way to read this book is to HAVE READ IT in a state of obsession years ago and find that its general mood and the texture of its ideas exert a subliminal and subconcious influence on one's concious thought. Taken in parts it contains many assumptions or assertions that are actually quite disputable but in general, as an aesthetic device, it is necessary reading for any spiritual seeker. It is certainly a welcome anti-dote to those spiritual guides that make God out to be a divine butler waiting on his chosen humans beck and call. It also suggests a wilder and more flamoboyant spiritual universe than the one portrayed in so many lesser works. God, if he or she exists, is a wild, ecstatic, and uncontrollable force that transcends the vulgar, petty humanizations we force upon him or her.

The student of human religion is generally confronted with a serious problem; unlike say, science or philosophy, religion is much more strongly dependent on the subject and the social and cultural beliefs in terms of knowledge, practice and belief. It is harder as a historian of religion to divorce any 'essence' of religion or religious knowledge from its context and practice, especially given many of the leading lights of the world's religions seem to emphasize ineffable and unrepeatable subjective experience. Yet it is vital to try and understand religion and what role (if any) it plays in the human quest to understand the universe, and also ourselves.

Otto, a Protestant theologian, offered a concept he called the 'holy.' Also often called the numinious, this was a sense of something being sacred. Holiness gave Being a special set of qualities which set it apart from the universe and its furniture as we 'ordinarily' experience it. This experience is often one of terror and fear in the prophets of monotheistic religions (Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Moses, Abraham, Jesus and Mohammed) while in native and Eastern religions, it can be a sense of power or awe. In this work Otto applies the idea of the Holy to Christianity and other religions, and would later form a critical tool in the phenomenology of religion and religious experience.

This book is essential reading for any scholar of religion or philosopher interested in religion and questions relating to religion and religious experience.

Rudolf Otto(1869-1937) presents the idea of the Holy as that profound, overwhelming feeling of awe that can sometimes strike you regardless of your particular culture and/or religious affiliation, a feeling that's been a part of us since pre-historic times. He calls this feeling the "mysterium tremendum" or the "numinous" and proceeds to describe it in great detail, with examples. I liked the way the idea is first developed in a more general sense before emphasis is made of its Christian aspect, making it accessible to all people interested in the idea of the Holy and God.

At twelve years old, Alex begins thinking that she might be a good enough swimmer to represent New Zealand in the Olympics in 1960, when she is sixteen. Juggling high school, other extracurricular activities, and competitive swimming is tough, though. It becomes especially tough when Maggie, who has been competing since she was two, moves nearby and begins training at Alex's pool. Maggie has an overbearing mother and an absolute dedication to swimming that means she mostly wins her events against Alex. Alex remains certain that she will be able to come out on top at the Olympic trials, though.

As that time comes closer, Alex becomes less and less certain of herself, and she finds herself getting more and more overwhelmed by the events in her life. Will she be able to set everything aside in order to focus on what may be the most important swim of her life?

This was a decent story about swimming and about the pressures of high school, which haven't really changed all that much in the last forty years. However, I was disappointed by the predictability of the storyline with Andy. On the second page of the prologue, before we had even officially met him, I already knew exactly what happened. It was a letdown when my suspicions ended up being true.

I read this book over and over again. It's well-written and handles emotions more complex than most books for this age group.

I was at the secondhand bookstore, reading a book about greatbooks for girls, and it mentioned one I thought I'd seen whilebrowsing the shelves earlier. I went and picked it up, 259-page"In Lane Three, Alex Archer" and decided to get it - itsounded good and was only ... anyway. I spent the next three daysreading little parts of it at a time, and could barely put itdown. The epilogue was especially good, and after finishing it Iimmediately wrote out a new Favourite Books List - there was a new onein first place.

I loved this book! It is an excellent read and is well written. The story is beautiful and the characters are believable. It's a story an girl can relate to, no matter their age. The emotions and trials of Alex are very real; it's hard to put it down until you're done! I recomend this book to anyone. Not only does it talk about growing up a teenage girl, but it describes things such as the personal struggles of competiting in a way that is different and refreshingly honest. Buy this book today!

This book was a great book. If you are a swimmer you can relate to all the training and the time you have for everything else. If you have ever dreamed of going to the Olympics this book shows you what you have to need and go through. Alex shows courage and faith in this book. The book also gives examples of a swimmer's friendships and dreams. "In Lane Three, Alex Archer" is a really good book, it tells the story of a swimmer's life when she is training and trying to have fun.

I love this book. I read this book to my neice everytime she comes to visit. It has a wonderful moral to the story and kids are sure to really be engaged in the story everytime you read it!

My toddler son received this book as a gift for his first birthday. It came highly recommended from a teen friend who had treasured it as a childhood favorite. We weren't disappointed. I am not sure if it is the language, simple illustrations, or the premise but he never tires of It's Not Easy Being a Bunny. Not only do we recommend this book, we have already purchased it for other first birthday gifts. We give it an unequivocal A+ rating.

My little guy doesn't have any patience for books except for this one and "Put Me in the Zoo". We have to read this to him almost 4 times a day, and he can finish the ends of the sentences. It's so fun to see him enjoy books, and hopefully it will introduce him to other books too. I highly recommend this one. It's fun, helps with animal recognition, etc..

Now it's my daughter's (3 years old) favorite book.
I don't know how long it's going to last, but it's been at least 3 weeks that we read this book a couple of time every day.
She knows every word in it. And she loves the fun sounds I make( for Moose and to show the expression of P.J. when he tried to live with the skunks)
I don't know how deep she can understand it right now, but it's fun to read and our whole family enjoys it, bacause at least once a day my daughter asks everyone to listen to it.
I'm sure that it will be a nice book for early readers, because of the repetitive words.

This book is so funny -- as the name of the characters reveal, the Funnybunnies have loads of adventures to which every child can relate.

P.J. isn't happy with his looks. In fact, he despises his long ears and even rejects his cooked carrots at mealtime. He sets off to find his identity by trying out various families in the community. He isn't comfortable with the bears, the birds, the beavers, pigs, possums or moose. Ultimately, P.J. recognizes the merits of being a bunny after all.

This uplifting tale is easy for first readers because of its repetition. Younger siblings will enjoy the brilliant illustrations. Parents will love it for the ability to shout "Mooook" like a moose in the middle of the story.

I'm particularly fond of this book as it is the first book my daughter ever read in English (we are raising them bilingually in Germany).

Hats off to the Funnybunnies, and the author, Marilyn Sadler, who created them.

Christine Louise Hohlbaum, author of "Diary of a Mother" and "SAHM I Am: Tales of a Stay-at-Home Mom in Europe", lives near Munich with her husband and two children. www.diaryofamother.com

What a romp through my childhood days! I lived a few blocks from Karl's stomping grounds and it is totally amazing that we never ran into each other except finally becoming school mates at Boston Technical High School. The childhood memories he re-captures are authentic and true since they were the same ones I had, albeit mine was Irish/Polish. Our neighborhood was like a spaceship, secure, safe, interesting, diverse, and always going somewhere. Karl captures it all just right.
By the way, The Victoria Diner is still there, the booths and the great food are the same as always, even after 50 years. Amazing.

"Moose's" story of growing up in Boston in the 1950s brought back many memories of my own, memories which had become buried under 50+ years of later experiences. Though Karl and I have never met, we probably had plenty of opportunity to, since he and I attended the same high school (Boston Technical) and college (Northeastern Univ.). It was very pleasant to relive those times guided by such a master story teller.

The one part of the book that I didn't enjoy was reading of Karl's father's suicide, though this tragic event was important since it played such a key role in his personal development. I imagine it must have been very difficult for Karl to craft this section of his story. I commend Karl for having the guts to put it all down for the world to see. I don't think I could've done the same.

Part of my enjoyment in reading "Just Call Me Moose" was undoubtedly because of the many similarities between our lives (e.g., our mothers were born in the same year and attended the same high school, my father's name was Karl, we went to dances at the same church hall, and we both served in Vietnam). But I enjoyed the stories of his sometimes quirky Italian Catholic family just as much, if not more - even though I grew up WASP in America.

I believe that "Just Call Me Moose" will be enjoyed not only by folks in our age group, or who grew up Italian, or who lived in Boston, but also by folks of all ages, ethnicities, and geographic backgrounds. The major themes in Karl's book - family, humor, good times, bad times, taking responsibility for your actions, and the importance of memories - are common ones that will appeal to almost everyone.

Thanks, Karl, for a good read.

Illustrated with a handful of black-and-white photographs, Just Call Me Moose!: Growing Up Italian In America by Karl R. Bossi is the haunting memoir that follows the author from boyhood in '50s Boston, and the terror of his father's suicide, to the jungles of Vietnam as a member of a bomb disposal team, to civilian life. Over the course of fifty years, he learned that it was impossible to live fully as long as he shut out the reality of his father's death. Just Call Me Moose! is filled with dialogue straight out of the author's memories, and a no-nonsense realistic perspective of daily life even under the most extraordinary pressures. Highly recommended.

Karl Bossi writes a riveting and inspiring memoir that you won't be able to put down. Being from Rhode Island and traveling into Boston quite often, this book was especially interesting to me. He tells about the details of his life and how they have made him the person he is today, how the events and people in his life have influenced him. It takes courage to write a book like this and I encourage everyone to read this book. You will laugh, you will cry, you will never forget it.

A compelling read, I picked this book up on a Saturday afternoon, put it down once to eat dinner, then read long into the evning until I was finished. As an author myself, I read a lot of books and Just Call Me Moose is not only one of the best books I have read the past year, it is one of the best ever. The author, Karl Bossi, uses a very artful style to show how a childhood tradgey could suddenly resurface in the most ordinary of situations during his otherwise adventerous life. I found his childhood experiences especially interesting because they rekindled similar long lost memories of my own that left me smiling. You may not have heard of Karl Bossi before reading Just Call Me Moose, but once you've finished reading his book you'll be glad you did. Review by Ray Ryder, Author The Rockwater Mountain Murders and The Spirit of Whiskey River

I've been teaching guitar for the past two years, and with my young students (5 to 11 yrs old) this is a highly effective series. I recently got the flash cards to use as a teaching aid, and the results were immediate even with my most challenging students. The Kids Guitar series has a clear focus on both music theory and guitar technique. It is fun and engaging for the students, and builds gradually through a series of exercises until the student is comfortable playing all six strings in the first position using standard music notation (not tabs). My only wish is that they had a book three.

My daughter loves learning from the book, very easy to follow and great instructional CD. We also bought the first book and it was so easy for her to learn from. Great buy for beginners!

Product is cute. I just didn't care for the nylon strings so, I sent the product back on 09/14. I received delivery confirmation on 09/15; however, the amount has not been credited to the card used as of 09/24.

Will repost later upon receiving credit to return.

Bought my son a guitar for Christmas. Looked and researched books to help him learn to play. After searching for a while I chose this one and am glad I did. It is easy to understand. My son is 10 years old and I don't think it is too young for him. I recommend it...

I was very satified with this guitar course for my son, age 5. He has a small, child-size guitar with nylon strings, and I wanted him to be able to know that the strings have a note sound and to be able to see/hear how the guitar works to play a song. This book/cd worked great for that! I go through the lessons with him (he is not reading well yet) and it is a great activity for both. We have learned a few easy songs and enjoyed our time together.

My kids love this book. The pictures are great and the plot is simple.

For me the key lessons from the story are:-

1. That wise men (ie experts) are not always that wise.
2. Government intervention to solve a problem is not always that successful and often does a lot of damage.
3. It is sometimes far better for a government to simply find a way to accommodate a problem rather than try and fix it.

41 years later:

The cheese is government cheese.

The mice objected to the king's idea of good manners as species-centric, and rebelled.

The king blamed the peasants, and forbade them to keep cats or chase mice from their homes.

This made things worse. Peasants that could afford to do so moved as far away from mice as possible.

I can't wait for the next chapter.

One of the best books I have ever read. The message is deep wisdom that our government leaders and makers of US foreign policy would do well to internalize.

Your kids will like it too.

This was one of my favorite books since I was a kid. The pictures were funny and the story has two good lessons in it. People should try to figure out your own problems and don't judge a book by its cover. In this case the mice. The king learned to share his home and his cheese and that's the moral of this story. I would recommended this book to my friends if they where doing this project. It is a great learning experience for kids.

This is a wonderful story and both my 5yo and my 3yo love it (and I like reading it too). The King wants to get rid of the mice and his wise men keep coming up with progressivly worse solutions until the King is right back where he started -- and creative thinking saves the day! Great illustrations.

This is an excellent work about Theodore Roosevelt as a father. Although the author discusses his children throughout the book, the focus is on TR himself. One thing I have admired about President Roosevelt is that he loved being a father (although his relationship with his oldest daughter, Alice, was strained), and this drew me to read this book. I was not disappointed.

The author also gives us a glimpse into TR's father, Theodore Roosevelt, Sr., who was a very generous man with his time and money. After reading about him, I understood why TR valued public service.

Because the author focuses on the president, the reader will see how TR influenced his children to value public service. For example, all of his sons served in the military. Indeed, Quentin Roosevelt died as a pilot in a dogfight in World War I. The elder son, Theodore Roosevelt II, led the first wave on Utah Beach in Normandy on D-Day during World War II. He died of a heart attack some weeks later. Archie was declared 100% disabled in both World War I and World War II. Kermit also served well in both wars, but suffered from alcoholism and depression (TR's brother, who was Eleanor Roosevelt's father, also suffered from the same). Also, TR's youngest daughter, Ethel, served as a nurse in France in World War I.

This book is definitely worth reading to get a view of Theodore Roosevelt as a family man. I wish we had more elected officials like him today.

Completely understanding TR is impossible without considering his children, or his own childhood for that matter. These are the foci of the "The Lion's Pride: Theodore Roosevelt and His Family in Peace and War." TR was deeply influenced by his father, a wealthy and generous, many would claim great man whose most glaring defect and regret was what amounted to a buy out of his Civil War service obligation. TR called him the "greatest man I ever knew." Yet, in many respects TR spent the rest of his life attempting to overcome and reverse this blemish upon the family record through extraordinary patriotism and service. Leading at the apex of conflict and danger was the duty of a great and privileged family. This credo was embraced wholeheartedly by his children, which makes for fascinating reading. While some would argue this compulsion became excessive and detrimental, the Roosevelt's had no regrets and curiously embraced their family tragedies in the midst of great pain. This phenomenon is particularly evident in the death of the youngest, Quintin while flying patrol over German lines in WWI. On the other hand, if you are looking for an in depth look at any one or more of the children this book will not suffice. Indeed, the early chapters focus on TR's life leading up to WWI, while the latter chapters are largely dedicated to his offspring's activities in young adulthood, particularly those related to the Great War. There is little regarding TR's close and often tender relationship with his children during their childhood in the White House or at Sagamore Hill. As a result, while I greatly enjoyed this book, I was hoping for more breadth and insight into the children's upbringing and their lives after TR's death.

Renehan's accounting of the last years of Theodore Roosevelt Jr. is condensed and fascinating. Mostly covering 1898 and 1910-1919, the book provides insight into the southern New York high society of the early 20th century. Famous names, including Vanderbilt, Roosevelt, Cowles, and Coolidge, parade across the pages.

Nuggets include the mention of Harvard in that time as a conservative and pro-military bastion (compared to today's institution fighting military recruitment in court), Woodrow Wilson viewed as an appeaser, a coward, and an appointer of bigots in his administration (in contrast to a reputation as being a visionary negotiator), observation by Gen. George Patton that Theodore's eldest son, Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt III, was a courageous commander- but no soldier (both father and son won the Medal of Honor...a feat perhaps not matched by any other American family), and the contrast highlighted between Kaiser Wilhelm's non-combat patronage of his sons (during WWI) and the former president Roosevelt's sons participating in front line combat. Another interesting fact: three of Roosevelt's four sons died in military service--one killed in action, one dead of a heart attack a month after D-Day and one day before he was to be promoted to major general, and one a suicide). The fourth suffered from the long term effects of severe war wounds.

Roosevelt is also revealed as a founding father of the original progressive movement...born out of the Republican party, no less. "Progressive" used to mean advocating sensible capitalism through the restraint of unlimited power of large corporations (through the Sherman Act) and the promotion of sound environmental policy and conservation. It also demanded the U.S. government uphold its main role--that of national defense. This is in stark contrast to today's "progressive" thinking--complete rejection of market economics and corporations, radical environmentalism, and pacifism. Roosevelt must spin in his grave.

All in all a great primer of the former president. Makes you want to immediately run out and read more.

I read any book on TR. This one I was hoping would reveal more about his family. It still is a good read about TR.

This book made me want to be a better, more involved citizen. It really gets at the heart of this incredible family.

"Uncle Sam's newest, biggest bomber- the B-36 is a long, slim Texas gal with a wiggle to her rear. She's a little on the skinny side, but she's beautiful." (The New York Daily News, 1948)

"This is the mammoth battleship of the air on which the United States would largely depend in carrying the war- and the atomic bomb- to Moscow in case its dictators, avid for world domination, start the world's third great conflict in the next few year." (New York Sun, 1948)

During the early, somber days of World War II (1941), The Army Air Corps urgently needed a capable intercontinental bomber that could bomb targets in Europe from bases in North America.

The colossal B-36 designed to meet that critical need is the subject of veteran aviation writer Dennis R. Jenkins' book, "Magnesium Overcast".

Describing the "Peacemaker," the author relates, "The story of the B-36 is unique in American history. The aircraft was an interesting blend of concepts proven during World War II combined with budding 1950s high tech systems."

Mr. Jenkins summarizes his focus: "The intent of this work is to cover the development and production of the aircraft itself, and therefore its operational use is mentioned only when it brings to light information relevant to its design and construction."

The elephantine B-36 had a brief ten-year operational life during which it was the "king of the skies" for only about four years. It's development came at a time when the Navy and Air Force contended for control of America's burgeoning nuclear arsenal. Because most of the military expenditures were earmarked for exorbitant atomic weapon systems, there was tremendous political pressure on the developers to quickly create the consummate Air Force stratagem.

But there were performance limitations with the available technology. For the aircraft to reach its extreme (10,000 miles) long range - the 250 mph B-36 must routinely remain airborne for two days! Only the B-36's ability to fly higher that most jet interceptors and the complete absence of hostile surface-to-air missile systems kept it operational during the cold war. By 1955, its modest cruising speed made it an increasingly exposed target.

Mr. Jenkins reveals, "The B-36, despite its seemingly conventional appearance, pushed 1950's state-of-the-art further than any other aircraft of its era. Its sheer size brought structural challenges, while its high-altitude capabilities brought engine cooling and other problems. Sophisticated gun and bombing systems presented development, maintenance, and operational headaches."

To meet the extreme requirements of its mission, several outlandish design features were incorporated.

Early B-36 crews required a pilot, copilot, radar-bombardier, navigator, flight engineer, two radiomen, and 8 gunner/spotters. The "Peacemaker" was equipped with bunks for the off-duty crewmen and a galley- complete with oven to prepare hot meals!

One of the most eccentric systems developed for the B-36 was General Electric's complex system of 8 retractable remote control dual 20mm gun turrets. When greater range was needed, these heavy systems were soon removed.

Because mid-air refueling had not been developed, the aircraft configuration would be huge, considering the massive fuel storage requirements. To carry the massive bomb load, generous space for three substantial bomb bays was needed.

Later, in an effort to wring more useful life out of the "Peacemaker", the Air Force explored several curious modifications.

A pod that contained two turbo-jet engines was added under each wing, to provide a much-needed boost in power.

With the original 110 in. tires, only three runways in the world were thick enough to withstand the tremendous touch down weight of the B-36. Eventually when an adequate braking system was designed, a more practical multi-wheel landing gear was installed. Convair then experimented with an odd-looking track landing gear system for the aircraft that was designed for use on unprepared landing strips.

To extend the B-36's range, "all defensive armament except the tail turret and its radar, ...most of the remaining crew comfort equipment (bunks, galley, sound deadening, carpet) and astrodome" were removed.

Now, the vulnerable B-36 had virtually no defensive capability. The Air Force experimented with various parasite fighter planes that would be launched from aboard the B-36 when needed. The most interesting was the perfunctory McDonnell XP-85 Goblin, which was uniquely designed for this mission.

As a performance upgrade until the B-52 heavy bomber came on line, the Air Force experimented with replacing the B-36's massive wings with swept-back replacements (YB-60).

The most freakish experiment featured adding a nuclear reactor to power the NB-36H. Greatly modified turbojet engines used a sealed system of air or steam heated by the reactor. Such an aircraft theoretically could stay airborne for years! Unfortunately, very heavy radiation shielding was imperative for crew protection.

Thankfully, the B-47 Stratojet and the B-52 heavy jet bomber became operational and finally put an end to the expensive "Frankenstein" experiments with the outmoded B-36.

Magnesium Overcast: The Story of the Convair B-36 is a high quality, glossy, format book with a "jackpot" of intriguing photographs (many in color), instructive drawings and tables. Many of the wonderful interior photographs, diagrams and engineering drawing were taken from U.S. Air Force technical manuals. The graphics alone make this one of the finest aircraft books I have ever seen. Mr. Jenkins had done a superior job of presenting all the modification programs in great detail with a clear, concise style. He has meticulously researched and presented the life cycle of the B-36 from conception through scrapping out.


About the Author

Dennis R. Jenkins is a consulting engineer in Florida who works on various aerospace projects, including over 20 years on NASA's space shuttle program.

Mr. Jenkins also authored "B-36 Photo Scrapbook". This book began as a collection of illustrations that were assembled for "Magnesium Overcast" but would not fit into the finished work. Since many of these are significant - or at least interesting - and most have never been published previously, it was decided to print the scrapbook as a companion volume to "Magnesium Overcast."

His latest book is "Experimental & Prototype U.S. Air Force Jet Fighters" (Specialty Press 2008). Mr. Jenkins also authored "Space Shuttle: The History of the National Space Transportation System: The First 100 Missions," in addition to more than 30 other works on aerospace history, several on the subject of the X-15 program.

A great long range bomber that served in SAC to perform as a bridge between the "prop" planes and the pure jet. This book is throughly
researched and easy to read. Many photos.

The photos in the book are worth the price of admission, so it shouldn't be a surprise that the accompanying text is so flat. The book focuses almost entirely on the technical side of the aircraft and completely ignores the political, military, and economic forces that shaped the B-36. There are no crew accounts of 30 hour missions. There are few indications of how the B-36 was used (or more importantly, why it wasn't used). In fact, one gets the impression that upon leaving the factory each plane was just rotated back to the factory for an endless series of upgrades.

Still, the detail here is marvelous. Photos and diagrams are provided for nearly every important part. Changes are often detailed down to individual planes. While the book does have a tendency to get bogged down in model numbers and lingo, it still manages to impart a sense of the majesty of this huge and innovative airplane.

Very good reference on the B-36 Peacemaker. Well illustrated with black and white as well as color photographs. Many cut away drawings and diagrams. Considerable technical information A good source book for the serious researcher or individual interested in this Cold War era bomber.

"Magnesium Overcast" is just what an "airplane book" should be: large, attractive, detailed, with a wealth of superior illustrations, many in color. I'd hazard a guess that there are more than 300 high-quality photos and drawings, including a rare chart of the Convair production line.

In any case, it's all here: something for "rivet counters" and "number crunchers" alike. The authors deserve full credit for the thoroughness of their work and the obvious care they lavished on this project. Kudos also go to Specialty Press for producing this significant volume in such lavish style at a reasonable price.