Robin Williams Books

This is perhaps the best biography of Wilberforce, apart from that of his sons. It will be interesting to see the quality of William Hague's biography, which will be published later this year.

You can do so much with this book. It's also inspiring and fun to read. I love it! Robin Williams rocks!

Very unintimidating, with before and after examples of how certain pieces were improved. It will change the way you look at written copy. I am a novice and it helped me learn the basics very quickly.

Upon receiving the book I was surprised how thin it was. But overall I am very happy about the purchase. A thicker book might have been more complex. This has simple language, it's easy to read and easy to apply. After reading most of the book I had to create a flyer, and following the tips made the work easier and the result much better: even graphics professionals say the result is pretty good!

I read some of the other reviews in preparing to write this. I am definitely a non-designer but have found a need to learn some design principles. I thought the book was great for its intended audience and probably for more experienced people as well. I have already applied the design principles in my work, web site development, and I re-did my letterhead based on what I learned here. Is it the best that could be done by an experienced designer? No. Is it a lot better than it was before? YES! I tested some of my small web page improvements on a few people and got confirmation that I have learned some very useful tools to improve my work.

I got a chuckle from some of the negative reviews, things like "I am a designer and it didn't help me." Duh! It is not aimed at them, and I thank the author for that as it might have gone over my head if it were.

I am excited enough about what I learned that I plan to take a few college courses to go even further. Thanks for the inspiration!

Turned the light on for me as to why my fliers, brochures and business cards were so hard to really "get." Because I'm a visual artist I hadn't thot I needed any help. How wrong I was! This book is great for beginners, it's short and sweet, and great bathroom reading!

Just in case you bought one with CD, the CD installation software starts with Windows IE4 software installation. It would not work on most of the computers nowadays. However, the activities and quizzes are still valuable. They are in html format which can be opened with the latest Windows IE version or another internet browser such as Firefox. Just skip the installation software and open \home\home.htm file on the CD directly with the browser. Here is what I did in Windows XP, go to My Computer and click on View, Explorer Bar, Folders. Open the folder under your CD/DVD drive and drill down to "home" folder and double click to open home.htm. It should open automatically via the internet browser.

This book set the bar for general bio classes. I've seen this text used in high school AP bio classes as well as many college bio classes. It is well organized and provides an great explanation for things you need to understand. The picture help to further understanding.

This is an exceptional textbook. Each topic (covered clearly and thoroughly) lays the necessary foundation for each successive topic. The diagrams provide further clarity to the material and are placed accessibly on the same page as the written text. I highly recommend this text to anyone who wants a solid grasp on the fundamentals of biology.

Thank god I bought this book! I had just recently forgotten my biology book for a project I have to do over Christmas break, which was a newer book for the curriculum and instead of having to search for second rate information over the internet this book contains everything you need. In my opinion the new Standard Prentice Hall Textbook is only a quarter of the quality of this book.

Hands down, Campbell's Biology is the most beautifully written and illustrated biology textbook on the market and has remained so through many, many editions. I am a plant biologist and was pleased to see that even at the introductory level, this book gave plant life equal prominence with animal biology. If you want to fall in love with biology, this is the text to get you there. Campbell and Reese accompanied me through freshman biology, every upper level undergrad and graduate biology course I took, and finally served as an indispensable reference when studying for my qualifying examinations. I don't currently teach intro bio, but if and when I do, Campbell and Reese will lead my selections for the textbook.

On more practical matters for the potential book buyer--While it is fantastic to have the most up-to-date edition, we are talking intro bio here. So you really can't go wrong by grabbing a discount copy of the sixth edition and hanging onto it for dear life. Every edition of this text is worthy of a place in your permanent collection. And it is heads and shoulders above a crowded field of competitors. Couldn't offer any higher praise than this.

I read this entire book in three days and learned so much about everything. There is not a lot of technical information in the book but design concepts and things that will just make you so much more prepared for designing websites. I have also read Robin Williams other books and I am totally in love with her writing style. Check them out if you haven't already.

I have only read about 6 chapters but there is so much basic information available about what is important when designing a web page. I am using this for a college course and this is preparing me to design a hypermedia project.

This book is OK for someone who might be trying to teach another the principals of webpage design. I had to buy it for a graduate level textbook and didn't see much use for it. It might be better used in the K-12 area, not college level.

I was required to buy this book for a grad course. It is to the point and easy to understand.

This book is seriously out of date for modern web design and development.

I worked through the whole book, the style was nice, very good explanations, it was fun and not a drag. Great book to transition from another HTML software program. The reason I only gave it 3 stars vs 5, it is very basic (nothing wrong with that).

I bought this book for my wife for her birthday, as she is now designing sites for my web design company. I also work in conjunction with teams of people on web sites as the project manager, and in IT rolls, working with numerous programs. I decided to take a look at it the first time waiting for a dance recital to start. I couldn't have bought her a better book.

I have worked in Dreamweaver since version 2 and bought several books for the program, but this book is the best! In fact, it's the best technical book that I have for learning programs. It's got an incredible organization. I have tapped into it myself to catch up on some of the new features that I would have otherwise missed since I do these things in other programs.

This book gives you everything you need to know to produce an awesome web site, and it does it in a fresh way. You don't feel like you're looking at a technical book, and you can sense that the writers have a passion for what they are doing. Did I say organization? I know I have but I had to say it again. Great book, can't beat it.

Before I started this book, I knew very little about DW MX. After reading this book, I was competent at making professional websites with DW MX. Lynda Weinman deserves all the praise she can get for a job very well done in putting this book together. After every exercise you've acomplished knowing how to perform another task with DW. I look forword to learning about Flash now with my Flash MX 2004 HOT book!

I have never worked with any web publishing software before. However, this book has made it very easy to learn Dreamweaver MX. It contains a CD with website files to practice all the new content in the book. If you learn by doing, this is the book to buy.

Potential buyers be warned: Dreamweaver MX is obsolete, so the training copy included on the CD is just that--a trial/training copy. It cannot be purchased, nor registered, nor updated (on a Macintosh; the work-around does not affect a trial copy). So all the instruction is effective as a general introduction to Dreamweaver, but useless for the purpose of actually posting a website. If you have a paid copy of MX, well-enough. I find the book technically rather than creatively oriented, but then cold fusion seems to be the general mood, while H.O.T. strikes me as a cute advertising gimmick. Onward to Dreamweaver MX 2004.

All of Robin Williams' design books are not only well-written, but extremely accessible, and this one is no exception. In fact, this is my favorite of all of her books. I love that she includes so many details about the projects. She even includes detailed colophons in the backs of her books, which is very useful if you are at all interested in fonts and type styles. Even if you do a lot of design work, this book is useful for jump-starting creative blocks.
Her Mac books are pretty good, too.

I lived actually in Spain and the sender estimate that my item will last at las more than a month, but it arrives in excellent conditions by the 2 first weeks.

The second edition was needed, but could be more meatier than adding a few extra insights from the first version. But hey, I love the writer.

Book has excellant information, good examples, and plenty of suggestions and recommendations. Easy to understand with many design images.

This book was used as the textbook for a class I took. I was very dissappointed. The info was from first year design classes, and there were even suggestions given that are common "no-no's" in graphic design. It had several interpretations of each design problem, which was interesting to look at, but nothing too inspirational.

This is book is like an introductry to computer, if you have never used any computer and just bought MAC, then this is the one for your, other than that, dont' buy it, waste money.

I love Robin Williams, and own a number of her books, but was expecting something something a little more in-depth from this offering. Essentially, it's a re-working of her previous Little Mac Books aimed (as those were) a newcomers to the Mac OS. If you've read previous versions of The Little Mac Book, don't bother with this one. Get something with more meat on the bones. That said, if you ARE new to the Mac (especially if it's your first computer), there's absolutely no better starting point or more companionable guide. Robin's very folksy, down-to-earth conversational style has a way of taking the technical and making it accessible.

Excellent for learning the basics of computers and the MAC. I started with the PC but changed to the MAC and found the book to be an excellent introduction to basic use of the computer as well as MAC in particular. If I could have found a book like this one, I probably wouldn't have gotten the MAC. Written in very understandable language for the beginner.

There is so much information in this one little book. It's one of my favorites.

I've been a Mac person since 1992 - just bought a MacBookPro and wss chugging along fine...till a couple of applications disappear from the Dock. (If you don't know what a Dock is, you really need this book!)

How do I figure this out? I type half a dozen phrases into the help form...no luck. So I look up this book and there it was. I learn all sorts of other things too.

Well, sometimes the online manuals just don't go far enough or they're too cumbersome to use. Who wants to spend half an hour tracking down a single phrase? When that happens, this book nicely fills the gap.

Easy and fun to read with many clear diagrams and screen shots. A nice companion to your new Mac!

Ah, the trouble kids can get into when they are alone! Van Alsburg and his wild imagination create a game that comes to life, and he has his usual gorgeous illustrations to back it up. It's a pleasing adventure that I wish I could experience. Who doesn't want to see wild animals running amok?

This is a book you will read over and over. This author has a way of creating stories that will last in your heart forever. Both the story and pictures are wonderful. A must have for all family libraries.

This should be the first book that you should get because it is probably the best way to describe a game that practically comes alive. It's impossible for animals to appear out of nowhere and for it to rain in the house, but this book is really good. I hope that you like it! -Sean, Nantucket, MA

"Jumanji" is a great book for some people, but a scary book for others. How can a game come true? If you believe in magic, the book will seem more real. If you read "Zathura" too, it will be even better. I would give ten stars if I could! Chris Van Allsburg creates some great books! If I had a chance to meet him I wouldn't miss the chance! -Nathalia, Grade 4, Nantucket, MA

Jumanji and Zathura are exciting books. Jumanji and Zathura go go together well. They are both exciting. In Jumanji a boy and a girl find a game and play. When they are done they put it back where they found it. Then two boys take the game. They think Jumanji looks boring, but tucked inside the Jumanji box they find Zathura. Then there is a lot of action. These two books are awesome! I highly recommend them to kids of all ages. -SB

I have had a copy of this book for about 10 years and it is a great resource for clear and concise layout guidelines.

Last week, I took a look at my son's yearbook committee drafts. Yikes! I just got a copy for them!

A real gem for type novices: brief and structured overview in a non-technical language, with plenty of examples to compare the difference in effect. In my opinion: a must for everyone creating copy (be it a club newsletter, an invitation to a party or a corporate brochure).

I bought the first edition of this book when it came out, and I just bought this copy of the second edition because I wanted it.
This book is an extremely valuable reference book. If you follow the pricniples set forth in this book, your documents will look professional.
Robin Williams if the premier author of Macintosh books, and of books on design. All of her works are more than worth the price.

For first time mac users, this book is a must! It has great pointers and tips to understand some things most people don't know. It shows you differences in symbols, and shows you key commands that are useful and helpful. I learned a lot from this book.

I'm reminded of Shunk and White's "Elements of Style". Short, correct, and invaluable. That's what Robin William's book is for people who care about the look of their written word on a computer. It's easy to make your work look professional and "The Mac is Not a Typewriter" shows you how.

If you can't get yourself into a screenwriting class, buy this book and study it for yourself.

This book covers so many aspects of screenwriting. From story, to character, to rewriting and marketing. I especially liked the description of the scene card method and the sequence examples. They call it "Mapping the Journey." It is so vitally important before you start writing a script. This method is a great one: decide the overall sequences that tell your story, then use cards to write out each scene that goes within those major sequences.

They also have a great list of questions to ask yourself about your characters, and they encourage you to get into the psychology of your characters. Both what the characters know about themselves and what they don't.

Whether you're just getting started or a pro who needs to brush up on techniques, this book has what you need. Kudos to Russin and Downs for writing such a great book!

Cheryl McKay
Screenwriter: "The Ultimate Gift"

I am a new screenwriter and having never studied the art, I wanted to find a book that would help me get started. This book is the total solution. The writers provide examples using films nearly everyone has seen to illustrate their points. The book is easy to read and all subjects are covered thoroughly, from how to start the idea process, to the correct structure of a screenplay, to how to sell it once it is written. I would recommend this book to any and all new writers.

If everyone in Hollywood has written a screenplay, then at least half of them have also written a book about screenplays. The world is surely not suffering from a lack of screenwriting books, each of which proclaims to have the answers. As a result, when one finds a book that actually DOES have the answers, it's something to celebrate.

There are too many good things to say about what Russin and Downs have done, and certainly no way to say them all here. The chapters on Character, Theme and Dialogue are particularly rewarding. Their scene-card method will help you more effectively outline and assemble your script. The writing exercises will jump-start your creativty. But one of the best aspects of the text is that Russin and Downs approach screenwriting not only from a savvy as-seen-from-the-trenches Hollywood angle, but also acknowledge its theatrical roots (i.e. the stage). The end result is a solid combination of practical modern advice blended with tried-and-true wisdom concerning the dramatic arts.

Yet perhaps what I love most about the book, and what keeps me coming back to it when so many other screenwriting books have been exiled to a life of collecting dust, is the way the principles, maxims and advice contained therein are applicable at virtually every stage of a (screen)writer's development. This isn't just a book for beginners, or a book for pros, or a book for all of us in between. After the initial read, you'll find yourself going back to it time after time, taking a quick flip through the index or table of contents and gleaning some new bit of wisdom to help you tackle that script that's got you tearing your hair out. The chapter on Genre is a great example of this. So much so that whenever I, personally, am about to begin a new script, I'll consult the section on that genre (or genres) and refresh myself on its core elements and themes.

In closing, I can't say enough about Russin and Downs' work. Whether you're a beginner in search of "that one book" to help you on your way, or a seasoned pro wanting an insightful--and witty--refresher course on what makes a good script great, "Screenplay: Writing the Picture" will be your guide from when the ideas fade in until the words "fade out."

Russin and Downs have written a masterful book! Incredibly, considering the number of good books on the subject there already are, the authors have not only covered all the normal details of screenwriting craft, they have gone above and beyond.

For example, in chapter 6, they cover the historical approaches to screenplay structure. They discuss Aristotle (of course!) then go on to Polti's famous 36 dramatic situations then Egri's work; Campbell's `Hero's Journey' comes next and finally the venerable three act structure and its modern interpretation using page numbers a la Syd Field and others. A few computer programs like Brutus are discussed. Most important, they make sense of it all by giving their fantastic concluding opinions in a concluding section title "Form vs. Formula."

Here's a snippet from that section that smacked me upside the head:

"It's interesting to note that few Hollywood screenwriting gurus have ever sold a movie (and Aristotle never wrote a play). This is because the ability to structure a story and the ability to analyze the structure of a story are two totally different talents. They come from different parts of the brain. Plato pointed out in his Apology that writers are unable to give an exact account of their process. The same is true with top-notch screenwriters: Unlike the story computer Brutus or screenwriting gurus, good writers seldome have an analytical understanding of what they do or how they do it. Instead, they have a practical understanding of dramatic techniques, the basics of several storytelling methods (like Aristotle, Campbell, and the others), and the ability to use a technique or follow a formula if it works, or to abandon all formulas if they don't."

The book is filled with such clear and commonsensical information that that fact alone is worth the price of the book. Another example comes quite early in the opening chapters where they point out that the screenwriter is not writing for an audience but for a reader. This is sometimes forgotten, I believe, in many writers' minds.

At the end of every single chapter, there are very interesting exercises (1. Describe a leaf floating on a lake. Describe only the leaf, but from your description we should know details about the lake.) that serve to sharpen the writer's sensibilities and skills.

Quite honestly, I am so in love with this book, I have two!
Highest recommendation.

This book is for those who cannot afford film school. Once you start reading it you'll pretty soon start feeling as if you were surrounded by the walls of a fine film school.

The writers are produced screenwriters who had a formal education in the UCLA. It shows.

The book is thorough. It has sth for everyone:

-How to impress a reader (the gate-keepers in film production)

-What is the professional format of a screenplay.

-The need to write using theme and meaning without falling in the temptation of preaching or educating.

-What comes first: the story or the character?

-A summary of the most important approaches to story structure.

-The fuel of every story: power and conflict.

-The atom... molecule and body of story: From beats and scenes to entire
sequences.

-The fine method of using scene cards.

And much more: genres... narrative... dialogue... rewriting... marketing... the pitch... writing for television... playwriting for screenwriters.

You might not be able to afford film school... with this book who needs to? The teachers will be in your living room... kitchen... bedroom... car...

Why 4 stars?

It is lacking in one subject, an extremely vital subject. An old controversy: What do you write first? The end of your story or the beginning? I believe to build a successful screenplay you need to write your story backwards not forward.

The school that defends writing a story starting from the end is in extreme need to be rescued from the debris that were left by the advent of film gurus and structure fanatics.

If you are interested in that read John Howard Lawson...

I have found there is another extremely important thing missing in this book. That is the analysis of Point of View. The fact is that much of your story's success is determined by the points of view you use to tell it. Different point of view convey different emotions in the audience. Still, the authors don't mention much about this subject.

One more thing, the authors say that screenwriting is about entertainment and not art, and that you shouldn't use subjects that challenge the audience. And if you wish to do so, then you better go and write a play and not a picture. Of course, there is much more that can be said about that.

There has been many directors and writers who did use movies to do more than just entertain. They had firm beliefs and they showed them in their films. Want some examples from classic cinema? Chaplin and Eisenstein. I'm not getting into their stories, but they are good examples that movies sometimes do reflect more personal and challenging ideas than just pure "entertainment".

There is in the back cover a review from a "top" screenwriting teacher, saying that "Writing the Picture" is the best book on screenwriting. That's a lot to say, and if you consider the missing elements I just mentioned (the value of climax, the importance of point of view and the idea that sometimes movies can do more than just "entertain") then the book doesn't live up to be "the best screenwriting book" around.

MMM... on second thoughts, now I'm starting to believe this book could be 3 stars...

This really has been a difficult book to review because there are some pretty good things over here. On the other hand, there are key elements missing. Still, there are many screenwriting books that are far from being as well written as this one is.

Oh! What a difficult book to review! Just get the f#~# book and look elsewhere for the missing elements.

----Time has passed and I have to add to this review the following:

The book is just great. It might not have everything... It is close. I'm saying this because I'm constantly coming back to this book as an essential guide.

Whenever I have a question about scene cards, I read this book again.
Whenever I have a question about genres, I read this book again.
Whenever I have a question about format, description, dialogue, character, world, sequences, readers, etc. I read this book again!

So, despite the aspects I didn't like about this book I have realized it has become one of the most important books I have to study screenwriting.