X Books

Ted Landau is the proprietor of MacFixIt, the pre-eminent web site for late-breaking information on what's working with OS X, what's not, and how to fix it. The site has grown to enormous proportions over the years, though, and it can be hard to find a fix or troubleshooting method for a particular problem or issue.

The answer is to buy this book. Not just for troubleshooting problems, but also for understanding how OS X works. And he doesn't hold back punches ... lots of times he mentions things like "Apple says [X] should work this way, but in my tests, it doesn't, instead, many users find [Y] works better." Trust this guy.

His book compiles and organizes just about everything on his site having to do with understanding and troubleshooting OS X/Panther and more, (and a lot of Jaguar, Classic and OS 9) in a crystal-clear, step-by-step way, with tons of sidebars that go into detail on tangenital topics. I've been using OS X for years, and train others how to use it, but via this book I finally understand the difference between a .pkg and an .app for example, and how to make a bootable troubleshooting CD, and tons more information.

It is a phenomenal piece of work. I don't know how he did it! I was on the waiting list for it for months, but it was worth the wait. I would've paid three times the price just in recognition of the amount of work it must've taken to write this opus.

Ted makes sure that complete OS X newbies are gently introduced to how OS X works, yet at the same time provides a ton of information and tips to OS X geeks who live in Terminal.

For example, in one small section of Chapter 3, he goes step by step -- in more detail and with more clarity than I've ever seen -- through the different application environments (Cocoa, Carbon, Classic, Java), making sure to always talk about why/when this should make a difference to you and how you can use the knowledge to help troubleshoot problems. In this same section, there's a page-long sidebar explaining a fundamental difference between OS 9 and X, that is, single-user vs. multiple-user. He mentions a couple different OS 9 technologies that I had forgotten about that tried to "enable" multi-user functionality in OS 9; and how OS X is set up from the start as a multi-user system.

Ted mentions in this sidebar that when you install OS X, the first user account is created (normally, the one for yourself, the installer) with admin privileges, and that *this user is by default set to "automatically log on" when the machine is started up or rebooted.* For this reason, many newbie OS X users don't realize that the mutli-user functions are in effect even if they've just installed OS X and are the only user. (And of course he tells how to turn off the automatic log-on feature.)

Many hard-core OS X users don't understand (or remember) how perplexing it can be for newcomers, and little facts like this one -- automatic login is enabled for the first user by default -- can easily escape them. New users wouldn't even realize there's a requirement to log on with a username/pw until they've created another account -- perhaps months later -- and are confronted by the login screen for the first time.

It's completely updated for Panther -- goes into detail about the new utilities and how to understand Activity Monitor, etc. -- yet contains a lot of info for Jaguar users as well. It's an essential book for ANY OS X user. It's the first book I recommend to students in my OS X classes, and the one I recommend to IT managers responsible for Macs on their networks.

MacFixit web site founder and author Ted Landau's newest book, Mac OS X Help Line, Panther Edition, has joined the ranks of David Weeks' favorite OS X books. Until now, I've recommended David Pogue's OS X The Missing Manual for beginners and intermediate Mac users. The nod for best advanced/expert level book has gone to Mac OS X Unleashed, penned by John and William Ray.

I've got to add Mac OS X Help Line (Help Line for short) to the canon of best OS X books. The Ray brothers' Unleashed is geared more toward the Unix-oriented sysadmin/expert user. In contrast, Landau's Help Line is written for the sophisticated OS X end user; someone who doesn't need the plumb the Uniy depths of OS X, yet needs detailed information on complex topics.

Landau has found the right balance: he provides 1144 pages of OS X depth and detail that "normal" people can use. Help Line does sit firmly in the "boat anchor" category (try holding it out at arm's length for a minute or so), but if there's an OS X question that you or I could pose, it'll most probably have the answer.

I could easily list the sections I found most interesting, but this review would swell to three or four pages. Suffice to say that you can find
detailed information on fonts (one of OS X's least intuitive areas), printing, permissions, and the OS X startup sequence. Each section has plenty of "Technically Speaking" or "Take Note" sidebars to add even more detail to particular topics.

Like almost all OS X books, Help Line covers the basics on the iApps that ship with OS X. Don't buy Help Line for the cursory coverage it provides on Safari, for example. Buy it for the detailed background information and troubleshooting tips for networking, instead.

Help Line's production values are very good: the screen shots are clear and legible. Sidebars are set off with background colors that don't get in the way of legibility. The binding has to hold 1144 pages together; I hope it lasts more than a year or two!

Now, Ted may object to my characterization of Help Line not being a newbie book, saying that he's written a book accessible to all. I beg to differ. The Mac newbie will probably be scared off by the pages of detail on complex subjects, as she pages through Help Line trying to find out how to just rename a file. Pogue's Missing Manual will better serve the beginner.

Even so, I can't speak highly enough of this book. If you want the best work for advanced/expert Mac users who seek to learn more about the guts of OS X, but not from a systems administrator's standpoint, buy Landau's Mac OS X Help Line Panther Edition.

MyMac rating 5 out of 5

This is a real go to book for troubleshooting under the hood types of Mac issues as well as looking for "how do I do this" types of information. I have been a computer technician for many years and have used a lot of technical books and I can say that this is one of the best I have used. It covers just about any issue you could come across in depth but concisely which every technician can appreciate.

This book will help you diagnose a problem, tell you how to fix it and where to get the tool to fix it if need be. For people that use the Terminal a lot it covers UNIX quite well. It will walk you through creating bootable hard drives and DVD's, configuring firewalls, installing 3rd party applications, configuring permissions. The book also covers the iApps, iCal, iChat, iDVD, iMovie, iPhoto, iPod, iSync and iTunes applications and so much more. This book will be very helpfull for everyone from the beginer to the most advanced user.

This is another outstanding Peachpit press publication.

If you only buy one book for your MAC Computer-this is the one to get!
Ted Landau's advice is without a doubt invaluable. His vast knowledge of the MAC and the Panther OS comes thru in easy to understand and simple to carry out trouble shooting advice. Even though the MAC is usually reliable, problems can occur. This is the book to go to before panic sets in. I have used the previous additions over the years, and only can give his "Help" advice the utmost praise. I have recommended the prior editions to other MAC users, and they have blessed his words. There is not only advice for correcting problems, but also preventing them. Apple should include a copy with every MAC .
This book should be owned by every MAC user. IF YOU HAVE A MAC-
PUT THIS BOOK NEARBY!!!

It's tough to tell this from Amazon, but this book is a thousand pages, which makes it quite a hefty tome. But that doesn't make it a doorstop. There are screenshots, but they are, by in large, useful and relevant, and the book doesn't use them to tell a click by click story of the interface.

The book is organized into four parts that start at the user interface and continue to peel away levels of the system until, in chapter four, the author covers the command line unix shell at a surprising level of detail. A level of detail which rivals O'Reilly's other command line exclusive books. In fact, this book gives a fine introduction to scripting bash and tcsh. It does as good a job there as it does covering printing, or the vagaries of the new Finder in the chapters that precede it.

This is a quality piece of in-depth work about the unmodified Panther operating system. It's well worth the price for those who are more interested in understanding than hacking (though I admit a love for the new Mac OS X Panther Hacks book as well.)

The publisher, O'Reilly Media, seems dedicated to covering Apple's OSX operating system, OSX, from every conceivable vantage point. Its "Missing Manual" series on Panther is a user's reference on how to use the operating system and its applications for productivity and fun. Its "Hacks" series provides dozens of tips, guides, and project ideas. In the "Nutshell" series iteration, "MacOSX Panther in a Nutshell" designs to provide in-depth, comprehensive information about the inner workings of the OS. It is for power users and developers who want to master the OS and have the fullest description and explanation of OSX.

This book starts out detailing the multi-layered architecture of OSX and illuminates its power and elegance. In great depth and detail, it explains the Unix components, Aqua elements, OS9 and Classic, the Finder, and the multitude of Unix services, daemons, and applications.

This is terse, descriptive prose. The authors focus a sharp telephoto lens on the skeleton, sinews, and pores of OSX, starting with basic elements and probing deep into the details of the file system, networking components, directory services, printing configurations and more. This in-depth description and large handfuls of guides and tips totals over 1,000 pages.

A separate part of the book is devoted to Applescript, X-code tools, and Java. The X-code tools are for developers. Part IV is all about Unix, including three chapters on "shells" alone, plus sections on text editors, the X-Window system, and a full 262 pages of Unix command references, touted as the most complete such source in print publication.

No mere user manual would have ten pages devoted solely to understanding and managing preference files, or five pages on using the Colorsync feature with Quartz filter scripts.

Surprisingly, only ten pages are dedicated to security issues. Although the Mac is known to be extremely secure, recent news shows even the Mac is vulnerable to sophisticated exploits.

For those with a need to know, this is the definitive source for deep knowledge of OSX.

Since I converted I have found OS X UNIX is amazingly friendly and accessible. Some people who had never used it before type commands and work with the operating system directly as a "cool guys" in movies! This book is very helpful and well written and it is serves as a very nice reference. I paired this book with Linux and UNIX for a beginner training suite, 4DVDs + 2CDs includes 4 Unix Academy Certifications ed.2008 This book and a video they contribute one another greatly. You improve the reading and by reading you improve what you have seen.
The book is very particular about the subjects that related to OS X and because there are some differences between OS X and other UNIXes it is nice to have a book that deals with it.

Do any of you remember the O'Reilly books from the late 80s on X Windows? Those became the definitive guides to X11, and probably were crucial in putting O'Reilly on the map as a prominent technical publisher.

Well, this book on Mac OS X Panther captures some of that early O'Reilly spirit. In its comprehensiveness and heft. But also in its terseness. Turn to a random chapter and start reading. The authors try to get to the point, without wasting time. They write at a technical level that assumes you don't know the specifics of that chapter, but that you are no novice to computing.

It should be noted that the second half of the book is essentially a standard unix reference. As you may be aware, OS X is now a unix variant. Which is neat. But also accounts for much of the book's size. Unix has built up a massive set of utilities in 20 years, and the length of the unix sections here reflects this.

Don't let this put you off either the book or OS X. On the contrary! The building of the Mac operating system on top of unix gives you more power and stability (against crashes) on the Mac.

This is a wonderful guide. It is small and very easy to follow. To perform a function it just lists the steps, no extra verbage, no pictures, just steps to easily follow. A good index makes things easy to find. It is perfect for me because I just want to use the basic things, nothing exotic. It might not be enough for someone who wants to do more, but for a basic user it is Terrific and small enough to carry easily. Don't hesitate!!

O'Reilly's new "Mac OS X Pocket Reference" hits a home run right out of the stadium!

Yes, Missing Manuals are good. As are Little Books, Bibles and Inside books. However few of those tomes fit your pocket, purse or brief case as beautifully as this little gem does! It's an essential quick-reference on OS X that all new users will use at least several times on the very first day it arrives.

Not only does it contain all the really essential commands and keys, it includes basic UNIX command info, printer, modem configurations, and a host of other important help one may need while at the desk or on the road. Add a user, remove a user, tune the dock, correct OS preferences, log in, log out, change passwords, and do just about anything the unfriendly new OS requires you to do.

I actually like it better than the frustrating online guide help. It is well organized, has a good table of contents and index, and is designed with a simple, easy to understand format.

But it's not just about help. Just thumbing through it you'll pick up tips that you hadn't thought of before. (Like building and using the powerful locate database!) It's a great little book, fits nicely in the brief case for travel and gives you the support you need when you need it.

Yes, I bought David Pogue's "Missing OS X Manual" for the kids and at home. I bought Robin William's wonderful "Little OS X Book" to send off to college with my son. But this one . . . it's in MY brief case all the time.

Although the Designer's Bookshelf concentrates on books in the visual communications fields, the Max OS X Pocket Reference caught all our Mac User's fancy and won itself a place in the Design-Bookshelf.com Editor's Choice Circle for July 2002.

This book is valuable as a quick start guide to Mac OS X, both for users of earlier versions of the Mac OS and for "switchers" from Unix and Windows--Part I of the book is all about converting.

Part II covers the basics of Mac OS X including window usage and keyboard shortcuts, the Finder and Dock, the Classic environment, and managing user accounts and logging in. The "Basic Keyboard Shortcuts" chart is especially handy.

Part III discusses system preferences and the applications and utilities that come with OS X. A future edition of this book would be much more useful if it provided information on the various "iApplications" (e.g., iPhoto, iMovie, and iTunes) and the other applications that come bundled with OS X. The book currently provides a one-paragraph description of the various applications but nothing on how to use them. The section on Developer Tools is so brief as to be almost useless.

Part IV covers the Unix interface to OS X, focusing on using the Terminal application and basic Unix commands. This section seems to be confused about its target audience. Some things are discussed at a very basic level, but at the same time it assumes the reader knows why they want to work with the Unix interface in the first place.

Part V is called "Task and Setting Index" and tells how to accomplish various tasks and configure the system.

Any book about a specific computer technology will become dated. This book was published in May 2002, and at the time of this writing (November 2002), some items discussed in the book are already out of date with the release of Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar). For example, iTools is now .Mac, and Sherlock is no longer used to find files (that function has been moved to the Finder).

Why do I give this book four stars? Much of the information is so abbreviated that it is not helpful, for example, the coverage of the applications and utilities. There just isn't enough content to justify the book's billing as a "pocket reference". On the other hand, it does provide a good overview of Mac OS X.

This book is invaluable - it's small, it's concise, it has what you want to know, and it's small enough to pack in your pocket. The main reason it deserves the five stars in full is because it delivers on all the Mac OS X content with depth that fits a pocket-book, plus some UNIX code. In essence, what Chuck Toporek has done is to create an all-purpose Mac OS X book small enough to carry with you. Mucho content in a mini size - that's why I recommend this book.

If your view of Malcolm X is from the Spike Lee movie, reading this book and the other books of speeches from his last year "Malcolm X: The Final Speeches" will turn your head around. Malcolm is depicted as a purely humanist, apolitical person, after his trip to Mecca who simply loved everyone. The speeches and interviews from his last year show him as an increasingly political person who was working with Cuban, Congolese, Algerian revolutionists and with revolutionary socialists in the United States to fight for African liberation and against the growing US War in Indochina.

Moreover, Malcolm's speeches from this year also document the reactionary and corrupt practices of the Nation of Islam under Elijah Muhammad and its terror campaign against Malcolm and anyone else who dissent. He had held back from this, but he needed to do this to expose the threats against himself and his family.

As in his other speeches and interviews Malcolm speaks in a voice with lots of practical school-of-hard-knocks knowledge and reasoning, in a soul stirring, voice, with lots of wit as well as wisdom thrown in.


While this book may not be directly available from Amazon at times, they are available from the booksfrompathfinder on Amazon that you can find by clicking on the new and used books on this page.

Dr. Bruce Perry, former collaborator, more recently biographer of Malcolm X, searched for decades after Malcolm X died for more speeches and interviews by Malcolm X. He spent years tracking down the man who had the tapes that led to this book, finding him in the rain forest jungles of Guyana, and being able to interview him while the revolutionary government of Marice Bishop still ruled Grenada. He knew Pathfinder would publish them, because Pathfinder was the publisher Malcolm X chose while he was alive to publish his work, because they believe in Malcolm X's words because they are Malcolm's.
There are three sections, two speeches given before Malcolm split from the Nation of Islam from January and February 1963, two interviews from december 1964, and the last two speeches we have in full, one he gave February 15, 1965 and another he gave the next day. Malcolm X was murdered on February 21, 1965.
You can judge for yourself how Malcolm X grew and changed.l One thing, it wasn't to become someone just into peace and love and non-violence and all sorts of silly things that people say, but that Malcolm X never was into. I just leave you with the contrast in titles. The titles of the 1963 speeches are "Twenty million Black people in a political, economic, and mental prison" anmd "America's gravest crisis since the civil war," rooted in the problems of Black people in America. The speeches given in the last week of his life speak of the world: :There's a world wide revolution going on" and L:Not just an American problem, but a world problem."

In 1991 I met Malikah Shabazz (one of M/X's daughters) and she autographed my copy of this, telling me that this was her favorite of the varying complations that filled bookstores at the time. I agreed then and now. This presents a more complex look at the varying stages of Malcolm's evolving philosophy while other such compliations are more selective to represent such phases in Malcolm X's evolution Elijah Muhammad's teachings (which I personally have no use for), socialism, black nationalism, etc. to promote the point of view of the compliers. Here, we see that M/X, while consistant in his search for something better for Black people. So it can rightly be called "A Malcolm X Reader" or "The Evolution of Malcolm X Thought."

He also mentions Nelson Mandela in passing in this collection, and what he has to say about his days in the Nation of Islam near the end of this book will give fans of the pre-1964 thought of M/X much pause. After this, check out "Malcolm X Talks to Young People." While that is a representation of his later thought, it's also quite good. But read this after the "Autobiography" and M/X Speaks" to get the full enchilada of Malcolm X Thought.

This book has all of the themes that Malcolm spoke about during the last year of his life. He patiently explains over and over that the U.S. government is not and can't be "ours", not without a revolution : it is theirs, it belongs to the superrich
( mostly -white ) man. He calls this system " the power structure" or, most scientifically of all, then and now, "Western, or American, imperialism". He speaks of the need for Blacks in "America" to be proud of their African roots;
the need to become and to stay politically independent of the twin parties of capitalist racism; of women's equality and dignity - that's right ; it's one of the main reasons he broke from the Nation of Islam - and he speaks of the Chinese, Vietnamese, and Cuban revolutions as examples to emulate HERE. Above all he teaches you , of whatever color , creed ,or sex , to start with the standpoint that most of the people in the world are your potential allies and what is called " America" - the U.S. government and the Yanqui Empire - is your and my deadly enemy. Anti-capitalist and pro-socialist, this is not the Malcolm of biographers, or movie directors, or other "interpreters" - it is Malcolm X speaking for himself, putting forward a line of march relevant to every fighter for meaningful social change today, tomorrow, and beyond.

I recently reread this book and I realized that I took it way too seriously. And I must say that Ms. Herndon has a wonderful sense of humor. I would definitely recommend this book if you're looking for a fun, light read.

This is possibly one of the funniest books I've ever read. Although I think it is categorized as a mystery, I guessed the ending about three-quarters of the way through. It didn't matter. By the time I got there, my sides ached from laughing. Angie, the heroine, starts out to be a sad insecure woman. By the time it's over, she's self-assured and confident. I loved her! Can't help but say she reminded me of me, insecurities and all. If you're looking for a whodunit that'll keep you guessing until the last page, this is not for you, but if you're looking for a book that'll make you laugh and smile until the end, you'll enjoy this one. I guarantee it!

This book is very funny. It is easily read and quite humorous. The characters are real, thus making the story that much more enjoyable. I highly recommend it

Angie Piscatelli is a NY psychologist who witnesses a robbery in a NY bank but she refuses to go to the police. Instead, she buys a blonde wig as a disguise - which changes her life. So certain she won't be recognized, she walks past the scene of the crime the next day and what does she see! The alleged thief is standing not fifty feet away from the bank he robbed the day before. AND - the thief follows her. Angie doesn't know whether it's because he's attracted to her or wants to kill her. He goes so far as to follow into a coffee shop and ask her for a date. Since she hasn't had date in ages and he's very good-looking she doesn't know what to do. Of course, she says no. So he finds out she's a psychologist and makes an appointment for a session. In the meantime, her ex-husband, the love of her life, appears on the scene and announces he wants her back. What's a girl to do? Read this book and find out. You'll laugh your way to the conclusion

Clear and concise, this book has taken me from knowing nothing about web design to publishing a site of my own in 3 weeks. While there is much more to learn, my site is running smoothly and 100% W3C Strict compliant.

this book is the greatest that i have read ever.
though that i have a little expiriance with HTML and CSS , but this book give you the actually way to write your code only at XHTML and CSS , with a great way of explaining .

Virginia DeBolt's newest book is an excellent resource for modern, standards based design. It combines the depth of a well qualified instruction with lively, real world examples of practical web applications. This book will save you so many hours of work and research by showing you how techniques have evolved and how each application meets the various standards. Webpage structure (including columns), various navigation methods, working with images and picture galleries, banners, links, blogs, and much more are all discussed. Also included (in color) are inspirational website designs showing these modern CSS based techniques.

In the course of designing our numerous large websites for parent support I have read over a dozen design and coding books on html and css, and this is one book I return to over and over again.

I've been studying at web design and construction for over 10 years. Since I'm both dyslexic and limited in my short-term memory, I've had problems with doing more than just the basics. Understanding XHTML and CSS have been problematic for me, and I've had to rely on programs like Dreamweaver and Front Page to write my pages. This book is finally bringing home how web pages are constructed, and how CSS is used for both styling and positioning things. Virginia has put together the best method of presenting the material in a manner that I can comprehend, and hopefully retain. I've purchased a lot of books on web construction, but none have helped me as much as this one has, and continues to do. I'll keep it over all the others as a reference in the future.

An excellent book that looks into the history and present controversy of mind control. A great book.

I have read a few conspiracy books in my time and Commander X is one of my favorite authors on topics which the major media seem to be ignoring. He is not as political as some of the other writers in the field who seem to have an anti American axe to grind. The good Commander is more into UFOs and ETS and believes we have gained a good deal of scientific knowledge from these beings. This book was easy reading -- it shows and there are groups among us who would like us to do their bidding; regardless of if they are terrorists or extremeists in our own military. Apparently, apparently there is a secret group working within our country to control our thinking...it is sort of an elitist group with branches in other parts of the world -- some have called it the New World Order. There are some exciting accounts in this book which makes it more interesting then some of the other books that have been written on the subject. I guess Commander X found out a lot about the Mind Stalkers when he "mixed it up" with the greys when he was abducted my the greys which he talks about in THE COMMANDER X FILES. Definitely buy this book if you want to know more about the evil that seeks to control us all!

I have read several dozen books on conspiracies, mainly those dealing with mind control and extraterrestrials. Some like the books by David Childress lack much in the way of new material. Commander X always has something new to reveal to his audience in just about every one of his offerings. MIND STALKERS covers alot of ground and really gets a person to thinking. I mean, some of this stuff seems so unbelievable...but you never know. Commander X always seems so convincing. This is probably the best book on the subject in the last two or three years that I have read.

Over the years there have been several good books written about mind control. All of these books are now out of print and impossible to find. I was very happy to see Commander X new book about this very interesting subject. This book has it all. From the early history of attempts by various governments to learn the secrets of the human mind and how to control it - to later successes using drugs, mental manipulation, to electronic implants and now possibly microwaves. Considering what is going on in the world today, this book makes you sit back and wonder if we're not all being manipulated by some secret group somewhere. Highly recommended!

I have three different books for objective C programming, which by the way are very hard to find. This book, which was published just recently, is the best objective c book I have read yet.

Objective C is a great language for all platforms, not just the Mac OS, and this book leads you to it. It gives you both Cocoa and standard C information. If you are interested in learning Objective C, this is the book for you! It's inexpensive, small concise and packed with information.

Probably the best book to read to learn Objective-C, if Apple's PDF on the language is not enough for you. Covers Objective-C both from Cocoa and non-Cocoa perspectives. Try Apple's PDF first, and if it's not enough to let you jump into one of the Cocoa programming books (which all mostly assume knowledge of C and Objective-C), then this book is recommended.

Andrew Duncan's Objective-C Pocket Reference is just the book that budding Cocoa programmers should have on their desk. It is well written, well indexed, and succinct enough to read in an evening if desired.

After reading it cover to cover, I think this will be a valuable resource for looking up any Objective-C related questions I have.

Note, you should have an understanding of C before trying to read this book. Also - it will probably make more sense to you if you already have some experience with Cocoa. This is a quick reference - probably not the best way to learn the language. However, the book contains a list at the end which recommends other books and websites which are more thorough.

I'd say it's well worth the cost.

O'Reilly's OBJECTIVE-C POCKET REFERENCE follows in its line of slim booklets designed for quick reference while at the computer. I found it a very helpful book.

While titled "a pocket reference", the book is not something that should be put on the shelf right away and merely consulted from time to time. For a beginning Objective-C programmer, reading the book straight-through can be very enlightening. The basics of Obj-C are easy to grasp, and an Obj-C beginner can immediately start constructing solid applications without knowing about categories, protocols, or root objects. But O'Reilly's book is the best place to start becoming familiar with these obscure topics that might just help one solve a particularly tricky problem.

I have only a few complaints about the book. One is that it talks about the #import preprocessor directive, but nowhere does it mention the advantages of using #ifndef guards. Another problem is that in some parts it is Cocoa-specific; I would have preferred that it concentrate on the OpenStep standard in general so that other OpenStep implementations might not be left out (but the book does occasionally mention GNUstep, which is great).

O'Reilly proves itself the best publisher for developers again with this book, and any Objective-C programmer should invest in it.

In One Over X Williams takes us on a fantastical journey through time, space, and even reality. Following the main character(s?) through the enigmatic plot gives us a vicarious sense of omnipotence...or impotence, depending on our level of understanding. Truly one of the most innovative works of the 21st century, One Over X embodies a mode of storytelling that has yet been seen in modern literature. Williams forges new ground in this opening chapter of his masterpiece epic. Buy it. Read it. Love it.

If you like a book that makes you really think, that challenges your ideas about the past, present and future, try this book. It's part one of a series, and if the rest live up this first book, it'll be a great series! Lives are changed in a heartbeat, and you see different stages of the hero's life, like reflections in a splintered mirror. The characters are strong and well-defined. You won't forget them easily, and the plot carries you along in a rush of excitement to know what comes next. Can you follow the twists and turns of this one?

This has got to be one of the better books I have ever read; starts off on a level that is just a bit harder and more complex than what I was use to, but WOW! it really explodes in to a great read.

I recommend this book not to just SCIFI fans, but people who just want a great story that they will never forget.

To preface this, I'm not a huge fan of reading fiction books. I must be a product of the 5 second generation. But I was recommended this read from a friend. I started it and the characters were confusing at first. I couldn't figure out what Andy was doing and why. I almost gave up. But as the characters developed, I couldn't put it down. The shifting from Andy's world to the Wolfcats was intriging! It appears that the author has took great pains to create a solid body of charcters that kept me riveted. The author, Mr. Williams has written a fasinating book that I would recommend to all. It transcends science fiction. I tried to catagorize it, but it is impossible. Keep up the good work Mr. Williams. I hope you write many more!!!

And I fear it will become more needed as the courts and the police chip away at our Constitutional rights. The best parts of the book were the sections that explained how to be inconspicuous, and how to maintain privacy with documents and other property you would rather not have the police see.

My comments should not be construed to be pro-crime, nor should the book be considered as such. It should be read as a primer on how to maintain the rights we have while the "justice" system erodes those rights and attempts to use the system against even the innocent.

This is an important book that should definitely be updated, since it was published in 1988.

"E.X. Boozie" did for the law what Abbie Hoffman did for shoplifting. He taught people how to use the law to their advantage. I own this book, although I am delighted to see it is still available post 9-11, where our rights are being stripped away one by one. I consider this book a survival guide in this day and age. I know for a fact that many of the topics discussed in this book still in fact work. I was taking a constitutional law class, and really stirred up the teacher (a former cop) by pointing out the folly of his logic that cops were always right. On more than one occasion he had to back down and admit that in many of his theories that the cops not the citizens would in fact be in the wrong.

The book was written in 1988, the end mark of an 8 year Republican administration. I feel that history is repeating itself again. Poverty is on the rise, and the poor are always who gets blamed for wrong doing. Look around on many of the t.v. specials, or nightly news and see if this isn't eery: "Reports come pouring out of government agencies raising the hue and cry that crime is on the rise in America. News Paper headlines and the Six O'clock News broadcast graphic stories of murder and mayhem on the streets. Politicians pontificate about cleaning up crime and bringing back "the good old days." Movies and television programs dramatically portray innocent citizens being brutally assulted by grotesque-looking thugs. And who are the thugs that recieve all this bad press? You guessed it- it's the ghetto people."

Lest you think this book is meerley a rant, by a guy who's name "E.X. Boozie" doesn't sound credible, he actually has done the research. He lists the exact court cases, which are available on line, or on the books which discovered these loopholes. For example: "A series of landmark Supreme Cases has formalized a rule, that when police aquire evidence against a person by violating his constitutional protections, they shouldn't be allowed to use it to convict him." He backs this statement up, by correct court cases(Mapp v Ohio 1961, U.S. v Weeks 1914, and Elkins v U.S. 1960.) He also includes the correct case number.

This is a book to own for anyone who cares about their rights.

"E.X. Boozhie" has written what is probably the best book on understanding the law in the USA. Instead of writing on how the law is written and established, he writes on how it is practiced and enforced. He points out what to look for (and look OUT for) in various situations that can get you into trouble, and what to expect if you do. The author has seriously done his homework. Each chapter is followed by about 2 pages of footnotes; nearly all of them legal cases.

Boozhie has helpfully added a "10 Commandments" list on how to keep yourself OUT of trouble! ("Be aware of the rules." "Don't attract attention." "Trust only what you control.") Just the thing we need in a society where Big Brother's presence is all too obvious.

A worthy inclusion for the bookshelf of any freedom lover.

This book is a clearly written view of how the law works, from the POV of a convict. I don't know what Boozhie did to get sent up. His text is pretty pro-lawbreaker, but that's to be expected, and given the current tendency of the government to ignore the law and Constitution, not as grating as one might think.