Design Books

fabulous book, covers in detail what you need to know to make a fine paddle, including relative expansion rates of popular woods for paddle making, highly recommended to save your self from making lots of scrap from perfectly good paddle blanks.

Very informative book that covers everything from the historical background of paddle design to a detailed how to on how best to build a paddle. As an avid paddler and woodworker, I found this book to be perfect.

Great Book with lots of useful information. Would have liked a few more paddle designs, but overall, great book.

The book does exactly what it says, tells you about the history of different paddles, tells you how to make simple paddles, then tells you how to make complex paddles, and finally tells you how to traditionally make paddles. Ity really hits the spot for me as someone who likes making stuff, but am not quite ready to make my own canoe yet! I loved this book and am going to give it to my oldman.

I actually made a canoe paddle, and plan on making some more. My new paddle served me admirably on an extended trip. This is as complete a treatment of the subject as one could hope to find. Making a paddle is a reasonably complex process but the authors explain every step with well-illustrated clarity.

Roddy Bullock does a masterful job in smashing the ridiculous premise upon which Darwinism and Material Naturalism are based and he achieves this by being intellectually accurate, winsome, and entertaining. I highly recommend it!

I found this book to present a unique perspective on evolution and intelligent design. Unlike most books that are heavily into theoretical arguments, the Cave Painting illustrates the debate with an allegory -- highlighting presuppositions and logical flaws. If you prefer more detailed and scientific reasoning, the second HALF of the book is a thorough set of endnotes including copious quotes and references to support the arguments presented in the text. Highly recommended.

This book does all things well. It entertains and explains at the same time. It is not only a masterful introduction to the subject, but a concise yet comprehensive summary of the matter as well. Buy more than one so you can share it with others - somebody you know needs this book. And the conversations that ensue will more than make up for the investment.

The Cave Painting is a critically important book that covers one of the most heated controversies in the western world today. In short, the contents of the book are summarized in the introduction: "We are the product of intelligent design or we are not the product of intelligent design. One of these claims must be true and truth is not changed by your theory or mine." For this reason it behooves us to carefully look into the facts. The author, an accomplished corporate attorney, in 526 pages carefully documents his case. Many Neo-Darwinists may not agree, but they need to at least carefully review the evidence which has convienced millions of Americans and many scientists that life, which as Richard Dawkins documents, appears to be designed, actually is designed. Page 229 to page 526 carefully documents the author's case with 691 footnotes. Is design an illusion, as argued by Richard Dawkins, or is design real, as most Americans have concluded. Bullock covers many of the arguments against Intelligent Design, showing why and how they fail. One example, which I can relate to because of my career research involvement, is the claim by Richard Dawkins that half of an eye is better than no eye (page 262). The enormous amount of research on sight has shown why this argument is fallacious. Half an eye is in no way equal to half as effective vision as a whole eye, but rather no vision. As Duke-Elder documented in his 24 volume classic work, the eye is clearly irreducibly complex. Work on disease conditions and knock out genes has repeatedly confirmed this. One still has vision in spite of certain conditions, such as near-sightedness or far-slightness or astigmatism, but these conditions result from slight eyeball variations and are not comparable to half an eye or even one-twentieth of an eye as Neo-Darwinists try to argue. Even very minor variations, such as in tear production levels, can render vision difficult or largely impossible. These examples in no way show how the eye could evolve from a cell. Some argue "don't evolutionists have a neat progression from an eyespot to a lensless eye to a human eye, proving the eye can evolve by slow gradual changes from non-differentiated cells?" Sounds logical. My response is "read the book."

The Cave Painting presents, in an exciting prose, the crux of the "Intelligent Design" debate. By demonstrating the concept of "design inference" in an actual novel, Mr. Bullock clears the air for all future discussion.

Everything in the universe has the scientific right to be studied -- and it also has the right to have this question asked of it:

"Is it naturally occuring, or is it designed?"

In contemporary culture, this question is asked of many issues: forensics, archeology, SETI, and any venture where one must decide whether something is "deliberate" or "accidental". Mr. Bullock demands that this question also be allowed to be asked of biology, DNA, or life in general.

A great book, great appendices, and long over-due!

This book is so unique, I would recommend it for anyone who loves the history of the stage or just unique perspectives and biographies.
Not only is the story engaging, but each page is tasty eye candy.
You will not be disappointed with Century Girl!

Loved everything about this book: the subject, the era, the layout, the photographs, the ephemera. This was an enjoyable read and I've purchased copies to give as gifts to friends that I know have an interest in this time period. My only caution is that the text is "handwritten" and sprawls across the pages. I found it charming, but others may find it difficult to read. All in all, a delightful glimpse into a life led in the glory of days long gone.

Wow, this book is fantastic! Lauren Redniss put a lot of highly detailed work into this charming publication about the last Ziegfeld girl alive. Doris Eaton is a spunky little lady who, at the age of 104 has graciously opened the pages of her life during the days she was a Ziegfeld girl. The book is beautifully illustrated and colorful with lots of photographs and clippings follwing Doris' career as well as her siblings. Ms. Redniss did a marvelous job. I can't rave about it enough.

You must buy this sweet book if you adore the Ziegfeld Folies, fashion illustration, collage, lush photos of flappers, and want to know more about the last of the living burlesque dancers Doris Eaton Travis. This wonderful book makes a fab gift for collectors of nostalgia and vintage frocks. Features pages and pages of handpainted/tinted photos and whimsical creative collage spreads of 1920's photos.

Century Girl: 100 Years in the Life of Doris Eaton Travis, Last Living Star of the Ziegfeld Follies is a new order of biography. Lauren Redniss uses hand-written text as an artistic element to guide the eye through the evocative images she has created using photo-collage and line drawings. The result is a visually stunning tour of the extraordinary life of Doris Eaton Travis

The book chronicles the life of Norman, Oklahoma, resident and University of Oklahoma graduate Doris Eaton Travis. The book follows Travis and her siblings, once known as the Eatons of Broadway, from their lives as child actors, to their success in theater and early films, and ultimately to their sad and often tragic fates.

Travis alone was able to leave show business behind. She had the strength to adapt herself when circumstances demanded; from dancer, to entrepreneur, to book-keeper on a horse ranch, to college graduate at 88 years old. She returned to the Broadway stage at the age of 94 and recieved an honorary doctorate at 100. Her's is a story of reinvention and ultimately of success.

Lauren Redniss teaches at the Parson's School in New York City. Her work is often seen on the Op-Ed page of the New York Times, which nominated her for the Pulitzer Prize. She is currently writing a biography of Marie Curie, due out in the fall.

This book is a work of art from cover to cover. Redniss knows her subject well and the story is told largely in Travis' own words. It is the author's unique, artistic approach that brings this fascinating story to life so vibrantly and with such immediacey.

In one section of the book, for example, Redniss discusses Travis' sister Mary Eaton's beauty, and the eagerness with which men gave her expensive gifts. The text takes the reader to photographs of Eaton in a seductive pose layered over images of Eaton's name in lights on the marquis of the New Amsterdam Theater. These images flow into a still photo from Eaton's starring role in Glorifying the American Girl. As we read of Eaton's beauty, we see coming off the page a Broadway star at the height of her fame and a woman who epitomizes beauty in the early twentieth century....and we understand why men were so easily parted from their money.

The artistic elements flow together seamlessly and carry the reader through this lovingly crafted biography. Redniss' incredible images allow the reader to experience the lives of Travis and her family in ways that text alone simply doesn't allow.

This book would appeal to anyone interested in dance or theater history. It has appeal to the general reader as well. Doris Eaton Travis is an extraordinary human being. Her ability to overcome tragedy, to reinvent herself, and to constantly strive to learn is an inspiration to all. Lauren Redniss' extaordinary book is the perfect vehicle to bring her inspiring story to life.

Susan Sully's book revived many delightful memories of my recent visit to Charleston. Her evocative prose paired with the beautiful photographs made as much of an impression on me as seeing Charleston's gracious architecture in person. It's not often that such a pretty book is also so well written, but Sully' elegant, beautifully crafted sentences do justice to the photos and the grand old homes themselves. After reading her book I wanted to book a flight back for another visit!

Just named one of the ten best books of 1999 about South Carolina by "The Nation," this winner rises above the usual book of stunning photography in the quality of Sully's writing. Her thoughtful and incisive reflections upon a complex city are rendered in delightful, sensual, intelligent prose. All this is compellingly presented in a classic coffee-table stand-out!

Praised in House Beautiful (May '99) for author Susan Sully's "evocative text [that] lifts this book a notch above many similar style books," Charleston Style was listed by The State newspaper from Columbia, SC as one of the top ten books by or about South Carolinians published in 1999. The State's reviewer, William Starr praises the book's "uncommonly attractive" appearance and notes that "the author combines valuable information with an artistic sensibility.... Among the book's virtues is Sully's willingness to look beyond the obvious into homes which give us some very different views of this most traditional of historic cities."

Despite author Susan Sully's grammatical errors, misspellings ("sheathes of wheat" instead of sheaves of wheat -- why, oh, why don't editors catch those anymore?), labored metaphors, and use of cliche' ("dripping with spanish moss"), I loved this book. Josephine Humphreys writes a beautiful and moving foreward. The photos (by John Blais) are literally breath-taking (to borrow another cliche'). Imperative reading for the student of architecture or design, or for those simply enamored of regional style.

Susan Sully's Charleston Style splendidly captures the unique beauty of my city. Sully's writing is gorgeous, lush and evocative as many of the homes she shows us. Her thorough research is obvious; then she takes the facts and, with words, weaves a beautifiul gossamer fabric representing one ofAmerica's most beloved cities. As a Charlestonian, I was introduced to places I never knew existed. The detailed photographs, artistic and architectural, complement the text. I bought numerous copies to give to friends who have visited Charleston in reality or in their dreams.

Everyone knows of that one female relative who is the walking definition of the term packrat - closets and basements full of useless items, and whenever they need something useful they can't find it. "Clutter, Chaos, & the Cure: or Why You never Misplace Your Toothbrush" is here to help, promoting great advice on eliminating ones excessiveness to streamline their belongings and their life, and how to prevent the problems from going and reemerging once more. "Clutter, Chaos, & the Cure: Or Why You Never Misplace Your Toothbrush" is highly recommended for any packrat or recovering case and for community library self-help collections.

This book is an easy and fun read - great illustrations and organizing tips and ideas. It also has fun facts/trivia, like how the U.S has more malls than high schools. This book is well worth the price and should easily help one get organized!

My wife bought this book. I found it lying around the house and picked it up. A real eye opener. The book is witty,useful and to the point. I do a lot of reading in Zen and in a funny, down to earth way it touches on some of the themes of holistic living. A worthwhile read.

As a chronic pack rat and the owner of three other books on organizing, totaling 697 pages, I was delighted to come across this handy little volume. In a mere 88 pages, CLUTTER, CHAOS AND THE CURE cuts right to the chase, telling you all you need to know to make getting organized easy, fun and so rewarding. The author has a great sense of humor, understands the psychology of clutterers, and offers a multitude of valuable, easy to follow hints. Her top five organizing tips, on one and a half pages, are worth buying the book for! I refer back to them constantly. Even the illustrations amuse.
Highly recommended!

Love this book! Its breezy and easy to read. The suggestions are simple yet things I never thought of or have not thought of in ages. My favorite chapter is A"Breathe-Easy" Holiday. When is the last time you had a breathe-easy holiday? Read this book it is a must have and a great great gift for the person who has everything but organization.

Codin' was a good introductory if you already have a solid background in computers (OS, File Systems, file types etc...) and at least an intermediate understanding of html (although to the author's credit he offers some bonus material on html if you don't). It really works well if you are an advanced html person with at least some web design experience but want to dive into scripting and creating interactive websites. He does a good job of introducing php as a language and showing some simple techniques to get you up and running quickly, especially with forms. Not a book for advanced php developers and there is really no javascript which I think would be an important component to show how the two languages can be used in conjunction. Also maybe some explanation as to when php is appropriate vs. say a full OOL (object oriented language) like java or where it might make sense to use javascript instead of php to handle front end stuff. Overall it is a good book. I thought the author could have done a better job of explaining in the form chapter how the form fields can be input into a database but he stopped after explaining the input into a flat file which most people I have found wouldn't find all that useful since a db is the way to go in most instances. He goes into the db in the next chapter and sort of leaves you hangin with the previous form explanations. He circles back around and explains in later chapters but it was a little confusing because you had to infer some stuff to make the connection. Overall I recommend the book though and I have a Master's degree in IT and am very familiar with html, css, and SQL, and now a decent foundation in php.

BTW, I found the code examples offered on his site very useful and helped me get past some of the stuff that I had to infer.

I really think this is a great book for beginners in the php/coding area, It's very clear and with a clean and good practice in mind. As for me is not that useful because of my previous php knowledge, but it's a good point of reference for those familiar with php also. Overall... great book, great explanations.

If you liked Stylin' w/ CSS and want to make dynamic sites, this is the book for you. It starts very basic, and builds slowly. I enjoyed it.

I've spent a lot of time looking for a resource I could use to teach myself php. The biggest problem I've ran into is the book/website either being 1) over my head, or 2) unbearable to read.

Luckily this item was neither of the above. Though I haven't made it though the entire book yet I have found this to be -extremely- helpful and well written. I don't come from a coding background at all so I had to find something that really started from the ground up. I found this to be easily understandable to someone who doesn't get coding. Additionally his website has two extra beginning chapters if you really need to go over the basics (which I did for the coding part).

The language is clear and concise and not confusing or dull. So I would highly, highly recommend this title to anyone from a design background looking to expand their talents. So far it's one of the best I've found.I will definitely look at this other books, the next time I'm in the market for another computer book.

I'm a big fan of Wyke-Smith's "Stylin' with CSS" so I snapped up this book immediately. I'm not finished with it, just yet, but I think I can still point out one thing. I'm reading Larry Ullman's "PHP for the World Wide Web" (2nd Ed.) at the same time, and I find that the two work really well together. "Codin'" moves very quickly, and he tends to gloss over things a bit, but combined with Ullman's more in-depth book, I'm learning a lot. They reinforce one another, I suppose.

This book works through some great effects in cookbook style, such that if you follow the recipe, you can great some fantastic results. Although I am using CorelDraw 8 LE on the Mac, and am a beginner when it comes to graphic arts, I was still able to amaze friends and family with the output!

The written style is clear, concise and easily understood, and the side bars are very informative. The color pictures in the center of the book are helpful in defining the target look, and the enclosed CD with electronic "recipes" and results is great.

This is now in my top 10 technical book list!

I absolutely LOVE this book. It's opened up a whole new world of possibilities with Corel Draw 9. By the time I've experimented with all of the tutorials, I'm sure I'll be quite the whizz kid. Unfortunately, I'll have to do it all without any help from the CD. There is no INSTALL.EXE on the CD. Therefore, I am unable to install it. Although I can access its contents through my CD-ROM, using it that way tends to freeze up my system and it's just not worth the aggravation. But the book itself is a real jewel and I truly enjoy reading and learning from it. Shane Hunt's writing style immediately puts the reader at ease. This alone is worth its weight in gold and is a rare and welcome commodity in "How-To" books. Thanks Shane!

This is the best how to book I have ever worked through. It is a must have for Corel Draw 9 and 10 users who have never learned all the hidden secrets and shortcuts to this program. After learning each and every technique in this book, my talents in graphic design have multiplied greatly! I find my self creating amazing graphics I never would have believed possible. Thanks Shane Hunt for writing this incredible book!

After trying several of the web based tutorials I decided to try Shane's book. One of the best things about this book is that it takes an artistic approach in the instruction. I have used what I have learned from this book in all my projects to date. Shane has made me a more creative Corel Draw user. After several years of just using Corel Draw I am now creating on a level I never could have attained before. One should know the basics of Corel Draw before using this book. If you know how to access the menu commands then you should get this book. Highly recommended.

The CorelDraw 9: FX and Design is one of the best books on the market to get the most out of your software package. Author Shane Hunt knows his stuff. He presents facts, tips and creative ideas in a fun and entertaining way. This book is exactly what I needed to teach me the 'how' of CorelDraw 9 and at the same time teach incredible creative tools I can use right away. The Official Guides are fine but this book gives you the tools to think not only 'outside the box' but outside the stratosphere.

Layout and design of this book brings inspiration for the expirienced gardener and easy reference for the needy. Great pictures too. Shipment arrived well wrapped within a week!

I think this is an excellent book and I will make good use of it.

Lots of pretty pictures, but no information on zones. Because of cold winters, the zones of each plant is important to me. I have to do additional research to find out if a given plant is suitable for the climate I live in.

I grew up talking about this book with my Grandma (the author). This has been keenest interest since I could remember. Walking through her gardens outside her home have allowed me to learn and grow with her words.

I recently moved to Madison, Wisconsin and am new to gardening. Although we are still in the process of "hardscaping" this year (our lot was in desperate need of retaining walls and a couple of updated patios/pathways), I am reading everything I can about plant selection. Unlike LOTS of other landscaping books, this book shows pictures of plants together AND names and discusses every plant in the pictures. So I already have several good ideas about plant combinations that look attractive together--all I have to do is prepare the soil and go to the nursery. So many other books are full of beautiful pictures, but fail to tell you the names of the plants in the pictures. If you are a beginner, this book is a perfect start!

A door opener, maybe, but also very basic. I needed something slightly more advanced than this picture book text. If you have no experience with web pages and limited experience with computers, this might be the book for you. For me, it was a waste of my money.

Creating Web Pages Simplified, the best book of web page creation I ever read. This book will clearly show you how to create a basic web site, to a great state-of-the-art web page. Why buy another web page creation book when this one has it all? Graphics, incredible exaples etc. This book is a must. I recommend it.

The full color photos and easy to follow instuctions make this a great book for the experienced and inexperienced computer user alike. I would recomend this book to any one who wants to learn how to build a web page or wants to learn more about building web pages.

Some of those commenting here are teenagers; here's a comment from an almost-50 Mom. This book provides a great overview. I've been in computers for 25 years, but never had occasion to create my own web page. This book gives a good overview of the various parts of a web page and how the pieces fit together.

Those of you who are mainframers will laugh your heads off when you see that the internet has made Script cool...

This book is a door-opener for those who want to learn to use HTML. This book teaches you the basics, and gives you room to expand, and learn more by practice and trial-and-error. The best book for learning HTML!

The title---it does not say "I'll Design a Life That Works, For You". From page one you realize you are not reading the book as much as you are integrating it into your being. As each light bulb gets turned on to the ideas Mike Tate has provided, you actually become a better person in a variety of ways. Each page is a progression and you know you are being guided on your own path. By your own considerations, the reader designs a life [yours] that works. It is effective and the impact to one's own well-being becomes dramatic. It would not be fair to say it is a "Must Read"---no, this book is a "Must Integrate". Your life will work better for you when you do.

This book helps you think about things that you may have never thought of before (but probably should). When you recognize that the day-to-day has become the month-to-month and, before you know it, the year-to-year, it's time to put your life into perspective. This book is a wonderful tool to help you meld your life, family, career and faith into a simple, coherent whole. I highly recommend this book as a travel guide for life.

Mike's guide gives a structure and process for making choices when life's activities mushroom and I feel as if I have lost control. Visualizing and dreaming are easy for me; however, "Design..." makes me put details with those dreams. Already, I have experienced the change from "I wish I could ..." to "Look what we did!" This guide is a personal tool, a management tool, and a business planning tool. I am giving this book to all my friends, family, and business colleagues. It is a gift that will "keep on giving" and make a difference in the quality of life for those who will use it.

Loving planning and organizing, this was a book for me. However, I was skeptical since my husband, Henry, is the opposite. How could developing a life plan work if my husbands plan didn't match? With encouragement from this book, I developed a plan and presented it to my hubby. It felt like I was exposing my soul to a mate of 22 years. Impressed and surprised, Henry embraced my plan and with few adjustments we have Our Plan now. Mike Tate's book offers good advise, pratical solutions, thought provoking activities and spiritual guidance.

I recommend it to you and your family. Jane

"Design a Life that Works" is a great road map to assist professionals in their working journal. I recently showcased the "Leadership Begins with Sacrifice" section during our Annual Christmas lunch. I purchased magical wands for everyone and presented the below question to our Colonial Properties Trust associates:
If you waved a magic wand and, just by this action, one thing would change in the world, what would you want that one thing to be?
Mike Tate did an outstanding job with this book and I would recommend this book to professionals that are struggling with a great career and a meaningful life.

Vondie Andrews, Vice President, MF Division