Design Books

I'm a part time faculty member at a Boston art school. At the school I teach a class on Digital Illustration using Painter. I myself use the Painter WOW! Book as an instructional tool, and it is actually a required text for the class. If you're at all interested in Painter, reading this book is one of the best things you can do for yourself, it's a must have! Cher's book does not just tell you how you "could" use Painter; she provides real world applications of the tools within Painter to show what you "can" do. Due to the seemingly complex interface, without this book, a new user could potentially be scared away from the application. The Painter WOW! will help you work through the entire application, progressing at your own pace. As for seasoned users, such as myself, you are sure to come away with many new tips and tricks; you'll wonder how you ever worked without them. I started buying the Painter WOW! Books back when version 5 had just been released. WOW! 6 was great, and WOW! 7 is better yet! Not only is this book chalk full of useful information, it's a visual delight. Bravo!

I love Painter--been using it since it was a simple black and white sketch program sold in an imitation cigar box years ago. But this program, which imitates art media digitally, can be a bit complicated to use.

Once you do get acquainted with the basics from the tutorial included with Painter, you can improve your layer techniques, web techniques and practice the projects in this book.

I frankly got this for the CD with extra brushes, papers, textures and stock material. But the ability to go through the examples in the book has improved my technique with Painter. If you use Painter 7 AND Photoshop, there is a chapter on combining the two. That's VERY valuable.

Highly recommended for Painter 7 users.

When I saw a recent review that said the book has only one portrait technique, I just had to point out that it has lots more than that! A quick search turned up "Sketching with Pencils" (OK, the subject is feline rather than human, but still it's a portrait, p. 64), "Drawing with Colored Pencils" (starting from a sketch, p.65), "Gouache and Opaque Watermedia" (also starting from a sketch, p. 84), "Sculpting a Portrait" (using Chalk variants, p. 88), "Oil Painting on Layers" (as the reviewer noted, p. 180), and "Cloning a Portrait" (turning a photo into a painting, p. 215). Wouldn't it be great indeed to have more detailed explanations of the pieces in the "Gallery" sections? But I'm afraid that would make the book too heavy to lift! The step-by-step detail in the techniques is great, and the "Galleries" are there to inspire us.

This book is a great asset in helping one understand and navigate the complex palettes that come with Painter 7. It really helps the artist fine tune and accomplish the desired effects for specific examples. It also discusses the various ways in which to start a painting, either from a photo, a sketch or from scratch. My only disappointment would come from the lack of details on how to achieve the truly great effects seen in the gallery images. I think this book is a wonderful tool for graphic designers like myself. But it really skims the surface on creating great works of art. I think a lot of people who buy painter would love to be able to produce portraits and paintings of their favorite photographs. This book only has one tutorial on portraits and it is oil based. It also spent a lot of time on effects for type, animation and web based graphics. Doesn't Adobe and Macromedia already have these areas well covered. I bought Painter because I want to paint.

I won't add much more to the previous reviews except to say "me too". The manual that comes with the program is very terse and often doesn't go into much detail on how to achieve a particular effect. The Wow! Book, on the other hand, is carefully organized to explore the software section by section, with LOTS of illustrations to us instruction-challenged people. You can use this book instead of the manual, IMO. And Painter is a superb program, it's nice to see it has a superb 3rd party book to support it.

This is a good book which teaches step by step how to paint flowers and other still life objects. It starts off with easier projects and works up to more difficult ones. Each project lists what color of paints to use, along with pictures and instructions. Charles Reid also talks about what kinds of papers, paints, brushes, palettes and other materials you will need. Best of all his book is filled with beautiful full color pictures of his paintings. He is not a watercolor artist who uses many layers of transparent glazes, so if you are looking for that kind of instruction it is probably not for you. Highly recommend this book.

Looks great, haven't had time to read, but is similar to one he wrote (currently out of print) loaned to me by my art teacher.

I discovered Charles Reid at my local library and was smitten with his loose, colorful, gorgeous pictures. This book is a clear, helpful guide to making juicy watercolors of still lifes that sing with color. He has practical tips on brushwork, contour drawing and composition that are easy to follow and clearly explained. He also has step-by-step instructions for several of his pictures that show you how he goes about making his own pictures (often from everyday objects and flowers on his kitchen counter). I'm fairly new to watercolors and I found this book invaluable to improving my pictures and getting me to loosen up and feel creative and find beauty in simple objects.

I wish I had had this book years ago. It contains exercises to enable the reader/student to experience and learn direct painting techniques that bring freshness, spontaneity, bright vivid color and realism to one's paintings--inspite of an "untidy" style. If you're serious about watercolor, Reid can take you where you really should go. Reid embodies the principles of the best of watercolor and painting teaching of the past (particularly Hawthorne, Henri, Manet). He puts it all together into what I call a meditative painting style (stroke on color and pause to consider, then soften, add other color wet-in-wet, and so on. Doing the exercises in this book can revolutionize your painting and will, at the very least, bring immediate and important improvements to your technique and approach to watercolor. If you like Reid's paintings--flower, figures, portraits, etc., do yourself a favor--get the book and the two corresponding videos.

I first met Charles Reid and his wife Judy in 1988 and it was the beginning of an endless learning process ever since. I have learnt so much about watercolour from his books over the years since then. Charles' books are amazing in that he holds nothing back and just discloses all his knowledge in a wonderful style that is easy to learn from. Invariably there are step by step demonstrations to illustrate his methods. Even if the reader doesn't particularly like his style but would rather paint in a more classic sense with lots of glazes and so forth you will still learn so much about how the colours interact with water and on the paper. Charles' workshops are a great delight and if you are fortunate to attend one you will find that he is a friendly man of great warmth and charm which is reflected in his books.

There are over 177 miles of man-made tunnels and old quarries under the streets of Paris - and they aren't completely abandoned in modern times, but have become a focus for urban culture and art. For over 300 years visitors have chosen these tunnels to comment on events above ground: Caroline Archer & Alexandre Parre's Paris Underground charts both old and new material over the decades, providing an important survey of the history leading to the evolution of an 'underground alternative gallery'. Packed with images and examples, Paris Underground is an essential guide for any who would fully understand ALL the art of Paris.

Caves as a source of civilization sources have long been a part of cultural studies: what men and women do in the dark underground spaces to communicate their feelings, responses, fears, sensual pleasures. political reasons for escaping the world above at times tell us more than the formal written word. Such may just be the case of this excellent monograph on the tunnels and quarries that weave below the cit of Paris (the City of Light!) by journalist, writer, graphic artist Caroline Archer and architect, photographer Alexandre Parre.

While novels and films (such as Les Miserables) have informed us about part of the underground webs beneath Paris, the more than 177 miles of tunnels that have provided sanctuary for anonymous and illicit visitors for some 300 years. Whether the 'artists' of creation were in hiding from danger or political fears or merely graffiti creators on the rampage since the 1970s when the tunnels were 'discovered' more widely, the status of this underground gallery of art and history is a fascinating source of investigation into urban culture and outsider art.

The book is well designed with copious photographs of the many 'treasures' found and described by the authors. The art ranges from sculpture, to human remnants, to written word, stolen signs and tracts imbedded in the walls, to repeated images of 'Corps Blanc' (White Corpse) that appears to be some sort of mask-like signal to distract visitors' attention or summon fear to exit. Here are recreations of famous art done in incredibly expert fashion as well as some very strange gargoyle like carvings, three dimensional human forms emerging from the walls, clips of historical numbers and data, and both fine original art as well as lurid graffiti. It is an endlessly interesting and puzzling trek to follow Archer and Parre through these spaces.

Not only is the design of the book of the highest quality, the photographs and the writing are first rate - intelligent, informed, and entertaining. This is a book to return to whenever the urge for discovery of the hidden treasures of civilization arises. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, February 07

There are over 177 miles of man-made tunnels and old quarries under the streets of Paris - and they aren't completely abandoned in modern times, but have become a focus for urban culture and art. For over 300 years visitors have chosen these tunnels to comment on events above ground: Caroline Archer & Alexandre Parre's Paris Underground charts both old and new material over the decades, providing an important survey of the history leading to the evolution of an 'underground alternative gallery'. Packed with images and examples, Paris Underground is an essential guide for any who would fully understand ALL the art of Paris.

Paris Underground By Caroline Archer with photos by Alexandre Parre is a book I wish had been published before my most recent trip to Paris, France. Little known to the average citizen of or visitor to Paris, the city was built over the quarries from which stone for the buildings was cut. As the city grew, so did the caverns beneath it until on one fateful day during the reign of King Louis XVI on Dec. 17, 1774, an entire street (near today's Place Denfert-Rochereau )collapsed into the abyss. The King's council to investigate was formed and the finding were so alarming that within three years architects and inspectors set about building reinforcements in the form of inspection galleries, which ultimately (by the mid 1930's) resulted in 177 miles of underground tunnels within these quarries to make the city safe. Although entering these underground passages is forbidden except with express permission, for three centuries artists, musicians, writers, performers, and curious, daring cataphyles have found the lure into the depths irresistable and have made their way through clandestined passages. Through the centuries, because everyone needed to mark his or her way in order not to be lost, and because the bare walls beckoned to be decorated, the passages and quarries became an underground, daring art gallery. This book incorporates a remarkable attempt to catalogue the surreptitious art found beneath one of Europe's most thriving cities of the arts. The historic events, since the earliest graffiti in 1671, have been charted or commemorated, pictured, or commented upon, with drawings, writings, paintings, sculpture, and music created within the labyrinth. While most is primitive art "just for the fun of it," some is quite skilled and reveals great talent. For three centuries the underground has been the location for secret love affairs, hiding criminals, storing beer and champagne, and many other illegal activities, while also providing the stone canvas and dark inspiration for hundreds of artists and performers of all kinds. You'll want to read and study the photographs in this fascinating book.

Some people here may remember the news about the La Mexicaine de la Perforation's underground cinema in Paris last year (http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1299444,00.html). This story has never really been far from my mind since reading about it. Truly fascinating stuff. When I found out that a book was being released about the world below the great city I had to get a copy just to see what's actually under Paris.

Paris Underground by Caroline Archer & Alexandre Parre (published by Mark Batty) is a great new book dedicated to the Parisian underground art. A history lesson - Quarries started to be dug under the streets of Paris during the twelfth century to provide the raw materials needed to build the city above. At the time no attention was paid to the amount of rock being removed so when one quarry was depleted the workers moved on to dig another. This practise continued on and off till December 17th 1774 when the inevitable happened. The space left by the removal of the stones that built places such as Notre Dame finally gave was as one of the city's streets collapsed into underground darkness. More collapses followed so digging was stopped and task-forces were then set up to check, chart and reinforce the abandoned quarries and the tunnels, of which there are a staggering 177 miles worth, till they were made safe.

The first third of Paris Underground is dedicated to the history of the quarries (La Mexicaine de la Perforation gets a mention) and the official inscriptions that were created by the surveyors & builders. These are most made up of letters and numbers representing dates, depths, relevant engineer's initials and road signs indicating their actual whereabouts in relation to the Paris streets above. However, even this simple text and lettering is really interesting. No two appear to be the same due to the fact that the artists involved in their creation were not artists at all, they were just the builders and each individual writer had a different style. It actually makes for some really interesting studying of the letter forms and their accompanying text. Once the official parts are taken care of we are led to the underground world of the "clandestine visitors" art. Out of the original 276 entrances only a few remain but this hasn't stopped thousands of artists from illegally going underground and working in those inhospitable subterranean world. Over the years there have been innumerable pieces of art created inside the tunnels. These range from scribbles, sketches and tags to huge painted pieces, stone sculptures and mosaics, collectively known as Kata Art. The rest of this book is dedicated to their work. Perhaps the most interesting of these are the "tracts." These are hand written or printed documents that are hidden around the different sites. Some are used for communication between the cataphiles while others are just there for people to view their opinions, poems, short stories etc. These are considered the real treasures of the quarries as they don't last very long in the hot and damp atmosphere.

It's a really great book. I love it for so many reasons; it's not just because it's a beautifully bound and formatted book with fantastic text and photos, I love the art, I love Paris, and I am so much more than just intrigued by the tunnels them selves. The book weighs in at 192 pages, 8" x 91/2", case bound with dust jacket. Seeing as it's illegal for us to go underground in Paris and that the authors and photographer have done all the work legally I guess it'll be the only way that the majority of us will see what's down there so if this kind of thing interests you you could do a lot worse that hooking yourself up with a copy.

My title says it all. If you're looking to start a new hobby, get better at your current one, or want some leisurely California history reading, this book can't be beat. I can't wait to hit the piers...

Public Piers are great places for families and visitors to fish because they are the only places in California where anglers over 16 don't need a license. I've been fishing for 26 years now and build my own rods. I've traveled a lot and fished internationall and this book is unique in the focus it brings to fishing in my home state of California. Much thicker than the first edition and filled with tips and facts that have made my trips more productive. I have other books, like Tom Steinstra's well thumbed guide to California fishing spots, but, those are just a general guide without much depth. Ken Jones gives a detailed review of all the Public Piers in CA. I'd recommend it as required reading for those who are truly interested in catching fish off any California Pier. I've used the book and and found it invaluable as a deskside reference in looking up and planning fishing trips and answering questions authoratively on Ken's Pierfishing.COM website.

If you fish piers in California, you need to buy this book.

Lots of info and history,easy to read and use

The new edition is larger, but is chalked full of usefull info for any angler. It has great rigging techniques, and a huge amount of info on all of California's piers. Ken Jones knows his stuff, and the book shows it. I own both editions and they are perminant items on my coffee table at home. I'd highly reccomend this book to anyone interested in fishing...these books have it all!

I purchased this book due to a very poor showing last year (one of the first out) After reading the book and selecting what I thought to be the most critical components of a fast car, my son and I took third place in our pack and are headed off to district. The smile on his face was priceless and of course Amazon sells it cheaper than the scout store. Just make sure you know the rules so you do not get DQ'd.

David Meade's book is fantastic. I had no idea you could do so many things to a pinewood derby car. The instructions are easy to follow, with lots of photos. I am not someone who is comfortable building things, but this book makes me feel like I can help my son build a competitive car. Mr. Meade explains the physics involved with the techniques, making this project a very good teaching opportunity. Using this book was time well spent.

I feel just more than a little guilty after reading this book - like I took a family heirloom of secrets and read through them. Some of these secrets were way over the top, some of them are great tips - its a treasure trove of pinewood derby knowledge. Any one running a race needs to have this book to know what can be done to look out for some of the "extreme" tips that most troops should ban, and most dads need to have this book so their kid can be competitive. No one wants their kid to be that kid.

I had know idea the kind of things you could do to your car to make it go faster. Each tip is easily explained in detailed instructions well worth the price.

Pinewood Derby has been an American tradition for Cub Scouts since it was originated in 1953, a fun event for Scouts and their fathers. There are many books out there that tell you how to make Pinewood Derby cars, giving you helpful hints and serious suggestions on how to increase the speed of your car. Well, of all of the books that I have seen, I must say that I do think that this is the best of them all!

This excellent book covers all of the suggestions that I have seen in all of those other books, ALL of them. But, what really sets this book apart is that it is filled with many colorful pictures that show you exactly how to do each step in making the best Pinewood Derby car that you can. Yeah, this is a great book.

So, if you have an up-coming Pinewood Derby coming up, do yourself a favor, and buy this book. I give it my absolutely highest recommendations!

After taking a Computer Graphic Design Class last semister at the Community College that I attend here in the Kansas City area the class pretty much sparked my interest in looking at art. This is one of my first art books that I have bought my first being a book featuring art by MC Escher. I am interested in this style of art.. Lowbrow as it is called.. I like it because it's very thought provoking and makes you wonder where in the world do people get ideas for this type of material? It's really a trip for the mind.. As a whole this book is a very good introduction.. and includes art by several different artists.. you get a good first taste of what this type of art has to offer.. which is perfect if you are a newbie like I am.

I do not come from the lowbrow culture ,whatever that is, and have never paid it any heed. But I came across this book and my eyes have been opened. This art is NOT what I had assumed - it's clever, thoughtful, insightful, and challenging. It has an in-your-face attitude which I think held me at bay for a while. But through this book I have learned to relax, to appreciate and to enjoy. Many thanks and much admiration to Kirsten Anderson for assembling this, and for including three short but effective essays by three painters who helped me discover a whole new world lying right before my eyes.

This is a great book. Lots of great featured artists with excellent examples of their work. If you have any interest in this style (lowbrow) art, you can't go wrong with this book...

Can't say enough terrific things about this, it's one of the best selections of modern art available. Yeah. I said modern art and not "outsider" art. Sorry kids, but that new crap we see in Artforum and in the big museums is the hellspawn of marketing, grant maggotry, the corporate world, and the new corporate academia. It has little to do with the natural evolution of Western Art. If it tickles you to think you're being a Bad-Boy/Girl/Whatever by liking this "outsider" stuff then you're falling right into their game plan, you're a niche market and they'll try to eat up this world just like they ate up "alternative music" in one big gulp. This art is the art of true Americans and that other yuck--the so-called mainsteam (which includes the pre-fab avant-garde nowadays no matter how middle-class titilating and naughty it be) is the Devils' work--the real Devil, the one that created Wal-Mart and George W. Bush.

Love this art, demand that your museums purchase it, rejoice in the fact that you'll never see some Ryden or Williams hanging in a corporate headquarters, sing Hosannas that some trendy art monkey with a Smith degree won't be writing pompous reviews using terms like "globalization" and "gender" about this stuff, wrap yourself in the red, white, and blue, and sing the Star Spangeled Banner! I just wish we could find some equivalent modern creative types with this kind of vitality in music and architecture.

(Recommended--read Paul Johnson's recent history of art, especially the bit where he talks about how the modern art world went all to hell because someone figured out how to market the bejesus out of it)

Great book to get a well laid out view of the pop art of our times.
While the mainstream media ignores low brow art as if it doesn't exist, on the contrary it is very successful amongst the many who grew up on comic books, Mad Magazine, monsters, tv shows, and so on.

A great overview book, you can't go wrong with it.

I bought this book for my husband he he loves it. He is planning to buy one for a friend also.

This book has stunning photography and amazing writing. It provides a comprehensive, but not exhaustive history on Porsche's development. The book flows from topic to topic beautifully, making for a engaging read. This has been the best Porsche book I have read, and it was worth every penny. I would reccomend it to anyone who wants to learn more about Porsche, about its development as a company, about its amazing racing heritage, and about the making of the most captivating road car in the world. The Porsche 911.

An excellent 'coffee table' book, great photos and extensive, detailed information on this beautiful piece of machinery!

Randy's book sits prominently in my family room along side other Porsche books and is one of the few that is up to speed with some of the latest offerings from Zuffenhausen. Writing a book on the 911 is nearly impossible because there is so much out there. You have to know where to start and where to end,--and just how much to stuff in the middle. Randy pulls this off with a great selection of photos, most never before seen, and accurate detail of the nuances of the famous 911. The only negative I can find is what puts a book in the top 5% of books, and that is matching copy to photographs,--on the same page. This is extremely hard to do because it is generally unpredictable, where one paragraph or photograph will start or stop. That, along with a handfull of errors in photo IDs keeps it from perfection by design itself but it's nicely assembled and beautifully printed. Anyone with a 911 in their garage should have this book to help explain their addiction to normal people.

Although it doesn't have the technical details of Frere's "911 Story", I think for most of us this is a better overall book. I also recommend Leffingwell's "Porsche Legends". If you are a Porsche 911 fan, this is well worth having.

I don't think that I can say anymore than whats alreasy been said about how ABSOLUTELY GREAT this book is.

It really is a great resource to own. It has everything from layout (which one is the best and which ones aren't), to resume, to interview information. It also encourages you to think out of the box a bit by showing you what everyone wlse os doing.

Once agian excellent resource for up-an-coming fashion designers/students and even those who have left and are returning to the fashion industry.

This is an excellent book for anyone in the field of fashion or textile design who needs to make presentations to clients. Plenty of information on how to organize your thought processes as well as give your presentations impact. I would most certainly recommend this book to someone just starting out in the fashion industry. Even seasoned professionals could gain some new information on becoming more creative in their presentation of their product lines.

I purchased this book to help me with my portfolio layout for acceptance to the Fashion Institute of Technology. Although I needed to follow FITs guidelines, I feel that I gained a lot of great knowledge and excellent ideas and inspiration by referencing this book before submitting my portfolio to FIT. I am proud to say that I was accepted and will now be referencing the book to put together my portfolio for interviews in the industry.

For someone who loves to sew and is looking on how to bring their designs to the next level, then this is the book for you. It chocked full of great tidbits and even provides several portfolio options for the novice beginner. For great inspiration, it features sketches from up and coming designers and the established guard before they were on the map. Great reference book for hard core design fashionistas!!

A great book for more advanced Designers, show you different presentations of portfolio...Great but I wish that the pictures were in colors not in B&W.

This is a great reference, giving a good overview of most common test methods. Good bases for in-depth study or to structure a class around.

Lee Copeland's book, "A Practitioner's Guide to Software Test Design" provides an easily read introduction into a critical but often ignored subject. As those familiar with the IEEE Standard for Software Test Documentation (IEEE-Std-829) know, Test Design is the first step in turning the "What" of the Test Plan into the "How" of test execution. The IEEE Test Documentation lifecycle is Test Plan - Test Design - Test Case Development - Test Procedure Development - (Test Execution) - Test Summary Report creation. Many test engineers proceed directly from Test Planning into Test Procedure creation, and do Test Design implicitly as opposed to explicitly. This can have a negative impact on an effective test program. This book clearly shows how to implement the test design process described in Drabick's book "Best Practices for the Formal Software Testing Process".

Lee's book provides a concise description based on excellent Case Studies of Black-Box (Requirements Focused) test techniques, moving from the simple (Equivalence Class and Boundary Value testing) to the more complex (Domain Analysis and Use Case testing). He provides the best description I've seen of test case development using orthogonal arrays. Lee then addresses White-Box (Structural Focused) testing, showing how to approach Control Flow and Data Flow testing. Again, he has the best description with illustrative examples of Data Flow testing that I've ever seen.

Lee then describes two Test Paradigms: Scripted Testing and Exploratory Testing that appear to be significantly different, and shows how the two can be used together for even more effective testing. That's the way I've always done testing, by the way.

His Defect Taxonomies chapter provides valuable insight on how to use such information in test design (I never thought of that), and he concludes with a short chapter that addresses the critical question When to Stop Testing.

The Case Studies on "Brown & Donaldson" and "Stateless University Registration" are effectively used to provide valuable insight into the techniques.

This book would be a good read in combination with the book from Rick Craig and Stefan Jaskiel, "Systematic Software Testing".

In summary, this book is well done, is an easy read, and should be read by every test engineer.

Most texts on software testing have a chapter or two which describe test design techniques. This is the first text that is devoted exclusively to this subject. There is little in the way of theory. The text is practical and provides the software test professional with clear explanations and examples of test techniques that have been proven to be effective.

Although Copeland covers both black box (behavioral) and white box (developer oriented) test techniques, the majority of the test design techniques described are black box. Each technique is explained along with its applicability, advantages/disadvantages, along with references for more information.

For what can be a dry subject, Copeland effectively used humor to make this book very readable.

I also appreciated the chapter summaries, key points in the margins, and a thorough works cited -- including several web articles. Highly recommended.

The top two software testing books that I recommend are Systematic Software Testing (ISBN 1580535089), and this gem. Whereas the first book gives a complete process and accompanying practices, this one focuses on a collection of highly effective techniques that every test professional should have in his or her toolbox.

Copeland starts off with an overview of testing as a process, followed by case studies. These lay the foundation for the techniques for which a chapter is devoted to each technique. The chapters on the techniques are divided into collections of techniques that are most effective for blackbox (seven) and whitebox (two) testing. The next chapters are devoted to scripted testing with an emphasis on IEEE 829, exploratory testing, and test planning. The book wraps up with an outstanding chapter on software defect taxonomies, advice on when to stop testing, and case studies.

So why did I state this book is a page turner? Copeland has masterfully used humor, statements that catch you off guard, and a warm conversational style to hold your attention. Among the priceless gems of humor are the off-the-wall quotes that he uses in front of each chapter. One of many examples of how he holds your attention by catching you off guard is in Chapter 6 on pairwise testing: 'Why does pairwise testing work so well? I don't know', which he then follows up with one of the most cogent explanations of the technique I've had the pleasure of reading. As an aside, his treatment of pairwise testing - and the power of that technique - is reason enough to read this book.

Another aspect of this book I like is the thoroughness with which he presents techniques. This includes citing the work of other well known practitioners, using case studies, summaries, practice scenarios, and additional references for each chapter. Copeland also has a talent for clearly articulating and conveying complex topics and concepts, adding to this book's value as both courseware and a working reference.

If you are a software testing professional, or you are responsible for teaching this discipline this is one of the top books in my opinion. It is not as wide in scope as Software Testing: A Craftsman's Approach (ISBN: 0849308097), but it makes up for that by covering the essentials in the clearest possible manner.

This information in this book is simply presented and very easy to apply.

I think the price is a bit high compared to a related book (Systematic Software Testing by Rick D Craig and Stefan P Jaskeil). I managed to get the other book (536 pages) for about $40.00. While the other book represents much better value, I still bought this one and would do it again. If you can only buy one, I'd suggest getting Systematic Software Testing.

Pro Ajax and the .NET 2.0 Platform gets high marks from me because it is concise, informative and easy to follow. After reading the first three chapters I had a clear understanding of what Ajax really is. Author Dan Woolston has extensive experience with AJAX and he seemed to share it all here without overwhelming this reader.

Woolston did not waste my time in getting me up to speed. In the first three chapters I learned how to write my own reusable (cross browser) JavaScript functions that will work together to execute an Ajax call.

Of course I might rely on one of the various existing frameworks to do this for me. However, now I know what's going on under the covers and I can make an informed decision about what Ajax to use and when. I know exactly what is happening when Ajax is implemented and why.The book also does a nice job of covering CSS and the DOM (document object model). As you know (or will know after reading), these combine with JavaScript to create the foundation of Ajax! Once you understand how they work together you'll know more about Ajax than 90% of your developer friends.

Excellent Feature #1: The overview of JavaScript, CSS and the DOM is fantastic. I really appreciated the fact that it was concise and dead-on accurate in addressing the specific elements that a .NET developer needs to understand in order to code Ajax.

Continuing on, after the book had me up to speed with Ajax, it went into n-tier design. This is important because, in theory, a programmer can go hog wild on Ajax and break tons of rules regarding sound application architecture. So I was impressed that Woolston transitioned directly into best-practices for how and when to use Ajax.

The first third of the book covers Ajax theory and best-practices. With Ajax, one size does not fit all. Therefore, chapter seven includes overviews of many popular Ajax frameworks including non .NET frameworks such as Ruby on Rails, WebORB, xajax (PHP) and Direct Web Remoting (Java). It also covers .NET frameworks including Ajax.NET, Anthem and Atlas.

The other two thirds of the book are devoted to Ajax programming concepts. The author uses the Anthem framework for most of this coding. Anthem is an open-source, .NET framework in C# that is compatible with ASP.NET 1.1 and 2.0. It is extremely lightweight, requiring only one class file for core functionality.

Excellent Feature #2: The book's code walkthroughs are based on a fully functional n-tier sample application that you can download free. The sample application uses the AdventureWorks database which is also a free download from Microsoft if you don't already have access to it.

You might think that some .NET features and topics lend themselves to Ajax technology and therefore should be covered in more detail. You'd be right. Woolston sets aside complete chapters on Web services, Custom Controls, ASP.NET Security and Web Parts.

Excellent Feature #3: When you're done learning how to build your own Ajax, there are two chapters devoted to debugging and testing Ajax.

One of the last chapters was my favorite. Chapter 19 is all about usability. As you may know, Ajax solves many usability problems. But can also create new ones. Woolston addresses the good, the bad and the ugly.

The book provides ideas and examples of good Ajax. The author has test-driven many Ajax controls and shares his trials and tribulations. This feedback no doubt will save developers valuable time.

The book also discusses potential pitfalls of using Ajax. Woolston tackles cross-browser compatibility issues and how to best overcome them. He also talks about how to deal with the browser's back button. How to handle browsers with disabled JavaScript and how to work past the problem of pageshifting.

Some of the other usability topics covered in Chapter 19 include Ajax menus, bookmarking, type-aheads, connected controls, code visibility and page paradigms.

Suffices to say this book packs a big Ajax punch. I highly recommend it to any of my peers who are interested in building Ajax functionality into their web applications. This book is applicable to .NET developers who are working with ASP.NET 1.1 or 2.0. In my opinion, web developers of any skill level will find it helpful.

About 3/4 done with this book. Today I just built my 1st Ajax feature in a few hours at work with the suff I learned. This books is a quick read with great examples works in both 1.1 and 2.0. Buy it!

i didnot think that i would like this book because for me apress is famous with their books having lacking style of examples. Normally you find yourself lost in the examples eventough the topic is covered very well.
This book is different than others absolutely; it starts with what is ajax; and why ajax and with simple examples.
if you dont know javascript; it is still ok because one of the chapters covers javascript; so you can learn enough javascript to handle the simple ajax pages.
Before diving into ajax; it tells you about different ajax libraries; so i like this part too; you will have an idea about other ajax libraries too.
I could not run the first example which is the easiest one and i struggle a lot to solve it;but most of the codes in the book is easy to implement.
And guess what; as you can see from the title; the book is for .NET developers; so if you are a .NET developer; this is right book to buy.
It is not like other apress books that have coding examples problem. the sequence for the chapter makes the book easy to follow.
After reading this book; i start reading some tutorials about Atlas ( which is basically Microsoft's Ajax ) and it really helps you to understand atlas too;
If you like google maps; or virtual maps; this books has a suprise for you :)
i read 4-5 different books from apress and this one is the best; i will highly recommend this book to all .net developers who want to learn ajax with .net

I hardly ever review books and probably wouldn't have bothered this time if it were not for an email from Amazon seeking one. I decided to go ahead with a review because this book really filled a need I had for working with AJAX for the first time. It had me up and running in very short order. Did it go over a couple things along the way that I already knew? Yes. But I didn't mind it in that it treated all topics in an intelligent manner and helped explain where AJAX fit into the broader world of web development. Definitely geared for .NET. That's what I wanted. If that's what you're looking for, you won't be disappointed.

I had done some little test applications utilizing Ajax and/or Atlas prior to reading this book, and I wanted this book to really give a solid base from which to move forward with.

Mr. Woolston's writing style is personable but not too over the top. One thing I did not like about the writing style is the manner in which code is laid out at times. For instance, with many of the sample applications, Mr. Woolston will dump about 5-6 pages of code into the book and then work towards restating it in part afterwards with some explanation. I can see where it would be useful if not in front of the sample code/a PC, but in reality this book will not be useful if not in front of a computer working on the examples.

There are other times where some of the content is not really useful in furthering education about Ajax and certain examples it feels are stretched to make the chapters longer. I think there was likely a challenge in filling out a reasonable sized book because simply put - the fundamental elements of Ajax aren't that complex. I found myself done with the book in a period of less than a week.

Those things said, after reading the book I can certainly say the overall content has an excellent "perspective of the landscape". From a history of Ajax to a little primer on Javascript, CSS/DOM, and the XmlHttpRequest, he moves forward to examples of Ajax demonstrating the technology with an Ajax framework named Anthem. The main meat of the book are really these examples, where practice implements the ideas from the prior chapters.

Lastly, the book closes with a few chapters covering security, testing, usability, performance, and a token chapter on Atlas.

One other element that I appreciated in this book was the identification of a few free tools out there to aid in Ajax development. Those tools in their own right would have definitely contributed to some time savings a week or two ago when I was struggling with a couple DOM/CSS issues prior to reading this book!

In summary, perhaps a book stretched to fit it's cover but nevertheless a very useful read to me and I would certainly recommend it.