Design Books

Interesting and fascinating - very easy to follow - good examples and exercises. One of the best books on rapport building and the use of NLP. Lots of useful other goodies. Bravo!

Very smooth flowing. Very charming and informative. I've listened to it three times in a month. Definately a must have for wanting to network.

I am only half way through this book, but in the two days I have had it, I have not been able to put it down! It is incredibly eye opening and I find myself following Boothman's advice already in my everyday interactions. This book is well worth a read.

This book is easy to read, gives exercises that enables you to use what you have read and puts you in a position to get more out of your life. If you want to be more effective in ALL your communication, get this book.

What a wonderful little book that packs a great big wallop! If you are serious about connecting with people in business, and reaping the rewards that come with more and better relationships, then this is an absolute must-read book for you.

I had the good fortune of reading Nick Boothman's first book, "How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less," while on a flight to a conference in which I was teaching. I was inspired by the simplicity and practicality of Boothman's approach. I began using his techniques before even leaving the airplane and continued to use them in the cab, the hotel, and at the conference. It was a breakthrough moment for me. My audience paid closer attention, laughed more, and learned more than any other I had previously served. This happened because I connected with them in a much stronger and more meaningful way-Boothman's way. I've been following Nick's direction ever since.

Now, Mr. Boothman releases a pitch-perfect sequel-"How to Connect in Business in 90 Seconds or Less." While this volume is grounded in the same principles as his first book, every page is crafted with the businessperson in mind. As I have read and re-read this snappy, entertaining, profound book, I am amazed at how much more Nick Boothman has to teach me about persuasion-the craft of getting people (in this case clients and other business contacts) to want to do what I want them to do. It's all KFC: Know what you want, Find out what you're getting, and, Change what you do until you get what you want. Sounds obvious, right? Wrong. If it were many more of us would be much more successful than we are.

Some of the material in this book is good basic sense that your mother told you but somehow leaked out of your head. Boothman puts that good sense back into your brain with a greater freshness, clarity, and practicality.

"How to Connect in Business in 90 Seconds or Less" illustrates the power of connecting with businesspeople quickly and consistently. Don't let your ego get in the way of picking up this book. You'll learn a lot stuff you thought you already knew.

Great book. He displays how to cartoon men, women, children, elderly and many types of animals. He does it in an extremely visual way that even a child could follow along. This book is packed with 95% illustrations and 5% text. To me, that's a winner. The 5% text that is in there is invaluable. The print is nice and large and easy to read. I am very happy I bought this book. It is a keeper.

From the beginning of this book to the end, it is filled with (finally) basic, step-by-step instructions on drawing cartoon people, body parts, the "action line", body language and style. And then it starts all over again with animals! Mostly dogs, cats, and different fowl, it also includes less common animals, like beaver, porcupine, raccoon and many sea animals. Can't forget the great alligators and dragon. Finally, the book spends time on placing the characters, reference lines and specialty shots and the all-important "balloon". Another great one by C. Hart. I think I own most of his books and they are all worth great merit, better than the other books I've seen out there by far.

A few years ago, on a whim, I decided to start drawing. I didn't know where to begin so I bought this book. I really believed I couldn't draw. The techniques in this book were so easy to learn that soon I went from drawing stick figures to expressive cartoon characters. My confidence went up and I took on more complicated projects. Now, I work part-time doing illustrations and it all started here!

Christopher Hart has truly done an excellent job with this book. Filled to the rim with illustrations, techniques, explanations and inside information, if you've ever wanted to learn about humorous illustration or cartooning, put this on your list. You'll be glad you did. :o)

This is an excellent book for any beginning artist or anyone else wanting to learn cartooning. Chris Hart publishes some of the best books on art that I've ever seen. This book gives good details on drawing that is easy to follow and understand. All in all, this is one book that should be in every artist's library.

I've bought a copy of the translation of this book to Hebrew, which covers Hebrew contents in HTML pages, and it's my favourite and recommended HTML book.

Actually, I have two copies - one is always loaned to a family member or co-worker who wants to study HTML quickly and easily, and I'm surprised this book is out of print without a newer edition (e.g. HTML 4.0) coming out.

This small book covers everything about HTML in a concise manner. For someone who knows the very basics of HTML, every chapter is stand alone - no need to read half a book to get a specific topic.

The coverage is very good. e.g. many CGI manuals assume the reader knows the HTML side of forms and continue straight to code, even though most people want to learn both subjects together (how much can you do with a form that has no script begind it ?) - this book covers the HTML side of forms clearly, complementing those manuals.

Though a few of the chapters that dont deal directly with HTML (e.g. finding a home to your pages) are a bit weak, those dont make the core of the book.

I hope a new edition of this book comes out covering HTML 4.0 and fixing the weak chapters (e.g. giving URLs to sites such as geocities and giving a short hands-on manual on uploading pages).

If you use HTML or any related technology (JavaScript, CGI, etc), I recommend you put your hands on a copy of this book and stick to it.

I hope this book is reprinted. It is the single source book of code that I keep on my desk. I have recommended it everyone who asks and I am sorry to see it is gone!!

This book is probably the best and easiest-to-use HTML books out there. It's a little out of date now, since browsers have been updated, but I still use it and recommend it for quick reference.

I also use this book as a text, even though it is a bit dated compared to Castro's Visual Quickstart Guide (which I also use). The layout of the book is the reason it remains of value, and will so for years. For someone learning the basics of HTML, each two-page spread covers an HTML tag. The lefthand page describes the tag and dissects it, describing all attributes and values they can take. The right side shows an example of the code and how it looks in a browser. There is no clearer way to explain HTML for beginners than this. One caveat, though ... the appendix with the numeric codes for special and reserved characters is seriously flawed. If there is an edition for HTML4.x, the editor of that book had best make sure the errors in that table are corrected.

I've really enjoyed this book very much. This book provides a disection of each tag and a picture of the source code and the outcome. As a reference it's helpful, because it provides a clear and consise format. Plus, it'a a great size to carry around. Can't wait for the next edition!

I received this book as a gift about 10 years ago and have yet to tire of it. It is beautiful and funny, surreal, creepy and profound.

I own multiple copies and give them away to worthy friends. Visually, artistically, and intellectually stunning, this masterpiece is unique in the world of art/literature. The author/artist Tom Phillips began this work in the 1960s, and first published it in book form in the 1980s. He called the result of his decades of effort The Humument and it is a completely illustrated version of W. H. Mallock's 19th Century novel A Human Document. Each page is a well conceived and compelling work of art. On each page the author leaves only a few of the original words revealed. These surviving phrases tell, in prose and poetry, the pathetic love story of Bill Toge. Symbiotically linked to the art itself, the preserved text, and its tale of Toge, reveal a story Phillips found submerged within the original text, a story which Mallock neither wrote nor intended. Phillips calls his work `mining for meaning'. Everyone who has received this book from me has had great difficulty putting it down until they had read/absorbed/experienced/lived/studied it from cover to cover. If there is such a thing as a priceless book, The Humument would be a good candidate for the category.

As a poet and artist, I am interested in the automatic art practiced here, and it's ability to reveal the unconscious issues of importance in our lives. The work hails Burroughs' and his method of drawing poetry from the chaotic texts around him. Unlike Boroughs, Phillips has used an entire novel, and some of its original author's shortcomings, and indeed the shortcomings of the genre from which it is drawn, to make individual points about the artist's current world, some one hundred years later. The book can be "read" sequentially or individual pages shown as moments of art, from an amber necklace that displays an entire life. (To borrow a phrase from Vonnegut.) I'm also interested in his method. According to the author's notes, he drew this book at random, using the first book that he could afford with his current pocket change. (Amounting I believe to about two dollars,) and then he treated the pages within. This incorporation of the everyday, and the use of simple inks has enabled a spare time, relatively inexpensive project to become a work of art relating the human condition in a manner simular to life itself, incorporating the one page at a time method of daily life, that amounts to a beautiful work. Truly the art of the proletariat, not some etherial "l'art por l'art" that can only be experienced or appreciated by the upper class. Phillips states in his intro that he has yet to find a work of such depth and vocabulary to apply other new treatments, but for those aspiring artists wishing to emulate him, I have an excellent choice, an underappreciated, yet highly available novel of the Harlem Rennaisance, Della Larsen's "Quicksand," which covers several worlds of angst and incorporates a panopoly of words.

Truly an elegant, messy piece of work.
Tom Phillips' Humument is one of the most affecting marriages of image and text that I have viewed/read. Visaully, it is stunning, with its layers of subsumed text and inventive imagery. Moments of profundity bordering on Zen surface intermittently, whilst bawdy puns [...] up beside.
If you're looking for sustained, easily interpreted narrative, then this book simply is not for you. If, on the other hand, you long for a story that is as much in your head/heart, as on the page, I can heartily recommend A Humument.

I love this book. I first learnt of Tom Phillips when he recently did the cover of an album by a band called Dark Star, and then was introduced to his work whilst on work experience last summer. I hunted down a copy of this book, and then devoured it completely. at times moving, at times funny, and all the time completely incredible to just look and marvel at. the art work is great. ingenuitive, original and inspired. this book seems to be getting harder and harder to find... buy one while you can.

The topic is very well covered. It offers some very good harmonic devises.

If you want to be original in your playing, this book is for you. I have gone through all the exercises, and believe me, it will take a lifetime to explore all the permutations that can happen in this method. I tried using this method in my playing employing my own bass runs and other sweep picking techniques. The results are truly amazing. The best part of this book is that the writer encourages creativity. It is not that show and follow sort of books you get often. This is the ultimate guide for original playing. A must have for the independent guitarist.

I'm a professional guitarist and guitar teacher and am submiting the below review based on many years experience performing and teaching the guitar in a variety of styles.
Many guitarists' right hand technique is limited to the use a pick only. Others favor the use of their individual right hand fingers exclusively. The technical exercises required to excel at each approach vary somewhat and the strengths of each approach also vary. For example the pick is a wonderful tool for creating a consistent sound while performing complex, linear single note lines while the use of individual fingers allows for a more contrapuntal approach and excels when wide intervals are required.
Since both techniques are strong at bringing out different types of musical material the obvious question is; why not use both approaches at the same time and get the best of both worlds? In fact a number of great players have been doing just that with what has come to be called Hybrid Picking technique for quite some time but, up to now, no one as knowledgeable as author/guitarist Assis-Brasil has taken the time to really address the technical challenges that a person encounters when trying to get a significant level of mastery in this area.
Hybrid Picking For Guitar is a well organized book that finally addresses this neglected area of guitar technique: the art of using a guitar pick held between thumb and forefinger combinded with the remaining available right hand fingers together as a powerful and well integrated 'team' which then allows the player to optimize the strengths of both approaches. The beauty of the approach is that the player doesn't have to sacrifice anything; if an idea sounds better with a pick it can still be performed with one whale a phrase that can only be played using individual fingers can also be executed with ease and each phrase could be part of one longer integrated line.
The book explains the technique extremely clearly and lays out a series of well thought out exercises that are designed to help the student gain strength, independence and control. The curriculum then progresses to examples which both help the student extend facility while also showcasing some of the musical ways in which the technique can be used. Perhaps the highlight of the book is the section at the end which features a series of wonderful and varied compositions by the author. The pieces are both very instructive and very musical which is not always the case in instructional books.
Most essentially author Assis-Brasil does a great job of giving a sense of how Hybrid Picking technique can be used both to transcend the limitations of existing guitar technique and the confines of traditional guitar vocabulary and/or play traditional guitar phrases with more ease and speed. It soon becomes obvious that, as a guitarist, one may be able to play musical ideas that have previously seemed only possible to execute on piano or saxophone for example.
Assis-Brazil has made a great contribution to guitarists by writing this excellent book because it lays out a methodical approach to mastering the technique and gives inspiring examples of it's application in real music. I strongly recommend Hybrid Picking For Guitar to any student of the guitar especially those who want to expand their technique and musical vocabulary in line with their imagination not limited by traditional guitar technique.

This is a great book/cd combo.The compositions are fantastic.I have been working on the study #1 and it is really beautiful.When you think what a single lesson costs this becomes a bargain of the century .My only complaint is that the standard tab lets you know which note at which fret but not which finger plays that note.Most of the times this is pretty obvious though.Definitely the best book of its kind that I have seen .

By LEE PROSSER - JazzReview.com

Recognized for his unique stylings and innovative approaches, Gustavo Assis-Brasil shares with guitarists his many intricate insights for a complete method of combining pick and fingers for hybrid picking. His book will educate and entertain. In creating this fine book of instruction, the author provides step-by-step exercises. He gives standard notation and tablature, and there is a CD with examples and compositions included. The user of this book will learn how to combine legato, alternate, and sweep with hybrid picking. Chapters include an excellent section on hybrid picking lines, melodic pairs, 12 tone lines, harmonic exercises, permutation chart, and voicings. Each chapter covers in-depth its subject matter in concise, clear writing and examples. Highly recommended for those interested in developing hybrid guitar picking skills.

This is absolutely the best reference book for Southern gardeners. If "it" is not mentioned here, "it" is not meant to be planted in the South. Information is easy to understand for beginning gardeners. I am on my second edition.

Although the black/white interface may seem antiquated, the plant list is extensive enough to make this a REAL resource for even the nonprofessional gardener. Great and reliable reviews of nearly everything Southern in a garden.

An excellent reference for the serious Southern Gardener.

Gardening is a lifestyle that sings to my soul. This is THE hymnal. Pick up a copy and sing with me.

I own and operate a nursery and use the book constantly. Not many books focus on the south but finally, one that does. It is very factual and offers a lot of supplemental information in addition to identification of plants.

This book served as a guide to go from not knowing anything about iMovie to being able to create a large slideshow project. I ordered another guide first and couldn't get off square one. This guide allowed me from starting at no knowledge to understanding well enough to get my job done. The iMovie icon sat on my desktop for years before this book opened it's utility. A small and worthwhile investment to get the most out of this software. It has even given me the bug to get a camcorder and move from photography to videography.

I love this book. Its so easy to read and informative that it'll suit any age! Its an easy way to get the know-how on Imovie and Idvd and also helps seasoned ammatures (like myself) brush up on the commands and answers any questions you might have.

As digital video cameras spawn in the hands of you, me, parents and tourists like cockroaches in my kitchen we find ourselves needing the kind of technical and aesthetic help not really seen since the advent of `desktop publishing'. Once again a `Missing Manual' has come to my help. `iMovie 3 & iDVD: The Missing Manual' is an excellent book.

I previously reviewed iPhoto2: The Missing Manual and said "The target audience for this book would probably be a little less technical than myself, however when I find myself in a field I don't understand well I don't mind a little stuff for the absolute newbie" -- and once again this is true. iMovie 3 & iDVD: The Missing Manual finds me in an area where I am technically inferior. Once again I truly appreciated this book and its style.

The book is broken up into four sections, one devoted to video cameras and shooting a movie, a large one on editing in iMovie 3, and smaller sections on exporting out of iMovie 3 and on using iDVD. At the end are two useful appendices: the first is a menu-by-menu look at iMovie 3, and the second is an iMovie 3 troubleshooting guide. The latter is often needed and always useful -- iMovie 3 still has more than one bug.

The first section gives a great deal of incredibly useful information about video cameras and how to use them, including hints on various types of shooting such as sporting events, interviews and weddings. The technical information on cameras is perfect if you have yet to buy a camera, including a guide to which features are essential and which unnecessary as you can do the same thing (only better) in iMovie 3. When it goes on to the `how to shoot' section, you get pretty much the same advice you'll get anywhere, but since we didn't really read all of from the last book on video we read (and forgot half the bits we did read) it's nice to have it there again.

The second section does a good job of explaining the details of iMovie 3, even down to some of its shortcomings and bugs. I also appreciated the way it spent as much time on improving the quality of the finished film as it did telling me how to use the various parts of the software. It follows a logical sequence through the movie-making process, giving good details on how iMovie does the job, how to get the best result and what sort of things to avoid -- particularly useful for things like transitions and effects when less is best.

The third section, titled "Finding Your Audience," is a bit more of a problem. It really has nothing to do with finding an audience and a lot more to do with QuickTime. The section first spends ten pages telling us how to get our edited film back onto the camcorder or onto a VCR, then it spends a lot of time dealing with exporting to QuickTime, including posting movies to the web and some info on using the QuickTime player, including some "tricks" with QuickTime Player Pro.

The attention to the finished product in the second section carries through to the fourth section on iDVD, though the writing here is not quite as good. It is incredibly informative, however. I learned a great deal about putting together all sorts of iDVD projects, including ways of customizing almost every aspect of the finished product.

O'Reilly have the usual marketing stuff on their website while Pogue Press have the handy little Missing CD section with links to all the free and shareware software mentioned in the book. Neither has a sample chapter or the table of contents.

One of the drawbacks of getting free software is that we don't get good free documentation. One of the benefits of free software is that we can choose which `documentation' to buy. Some people might prefer the style of the `Dummies' books, others the style of Peachpit's Visual Quickstart Guide. I've had a look at all three and like the balance of depth and explanation that Pogue has in his `Missing Manual' series. I once again find myself recommending a `Missing Manual' to everyone. While catering to the beginner, this book goes deep enough that all but the most long-term user of these two pieces of software will find something to learn in this volume.

Yup. This book really made using iMovie for the first time a walk in the park.
Wiht absolutely no prior experience in this sort of stuff (the closest I've come is Photoshop Elements), I was able to, on the first try, make a music video of my son's first christmas.
I was then able to convert an old videotape from the late 70's into a gleaming, groovy DVD.
The book is well laid out, easy to navigate and above all, usable.
It's a five-star manual, no doubt about it.

I bought this book as an afterthought when I started using I-Movie. At first, like most of us, I thought--hey, I can use I-movie intuitively without a manual...but after my Imovie 3.0 crashed and corrupted the movie I'd been working on for 100+ hours, I was eternally grateful to have it nearby. This manual is wonderfully organized, very easy-to-understand, and answers virtually every question you could have about I-Movie and I-DVD. It walks you through everything from how to shoot footage that is eye-appealing...to editing it to a work-of-art in I-movie...to converting it to a Quicktime video and/or burning it to DVD. It is honestly one of the best manuals I've ever used for anything---clear, concise, yet comprehensive. Thanksfully, you don't need to read the whole book in order to "get started" with I-movie; rather, it's a great tool to pick up on an "as needed" basis while you're editing. This book is definitely worth the small investment. It truly is "the missing manual" for I-movie. O'Reilley has done it again...great job!

An easy, colorful read with beautiful color photos of Kahn's world. Any chapter can be read individually or as part of the whole. Her explorations into the world of design and aesthetics are methodical but by no means boring. This is not your mother's decorating book.

For a lively trip from Central Park West, to Harlem, to Connecticut take this book for a ride.

This book solidly places the creative inspiration of collectors on par with that of designers and artists. Any reader, by following the path that Kahn has set for herself, gets permission to embark on their own path of discovery and exploration, and with the benefit of the copious lessons the author has learned along the way! Clearly, thoroughly and in a enlightened way, acquiring things of beauty and originality is made accessible to beginners and made fun for the jaded....both will be preparing for the thrill of the hunt!!!

The most surprising and impressive art collection and interior design advice. Great photos. I loved it.

While Miss Kahn's taste is quite unique her creative approach to designing and decorating space has resonance for anyone. There is a real sense of excitement and joy in her approach which comes through on every page. There is also a remarkable lack of ego and self importance which makes it great fun to join in this quest for the original and different. The lessons learned and tips are practical and valuable for anyone trying to personalize their own environment. This book is a primer on how to be original and courageous in an area that generally lacks both. Fasten your seatbelt, it's a great ride.

What Jenette Kahn has written here is much more that a retelling of a life (although it is that); rather, it is a marvelous evocation of the refining of a very particular, resourceful, and uniquely demanding taste. What Kahn shows us is her artistic (and artful) obsessions--with space, with self-expression, and with visual delight.

Reading In Your Space felt partly like looking at oneself in the mirror in great lighting (the "recognition factor" of one's own design-maven ambitions) and partly like having someone throw open the doors of (to?) an entirely new world that you always suspected lay just beyond the threshold of what you were able to imagine for yourself, by yourself. And the best part? She not only gently suggests how you might think about designing the spaces you inhabit, but tells you where to go to find what you want, how to make the connections you need, how deal with recalcitrant sources...and then how to rethink it all if need be ("You can always repaint!") and let the spirit of the place--and the prized possessions it it--tell you how and what it wants to be.

In Your Space chronicles a personal journey of education--learning to see (and to trust the seeing) and learning to understand what a space can be coaxed to say about its creator and to evoke for those lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a very personal vision. It does so with an execution that is equal to Kahn's own standards: her witty, brisk-but-intimate writing somehow manages not to leave anything out, and the photographs are so luscious they make you want to lick the page.

This book contains big color photographs of interiors; reference guide at the end of the book detailing resources of Arts and Crafts literature and furnishings

This is a user friendly book to have close at hand. If you're like me I am always looking at ways to incorporate colors, designs and arts and crafts style into our 1922 Chalet Arts and Craft's home. I especially appreciate all the colorful pictures and the textiles shown. Paint, stenciling and wallcoverings being modest in cost and are realistic changes that are indeed affordable. Lots of ideas and examples to pull a room together. I refer to the book frequently and I am pleased I bought it.

For newly into the arts and crafts movement and restoring our bungalow, this book concentrates exactly where we needed it to -- the interior. From shots of wonderful restored homes to our favorite section (before and after), this book will become our favorite resource. Excellently focused!

Great source for anyone who is considering doing and architectural project, either interior or exterior, with an Arts and Crafts feeling.

As soon to be purchasers of an 'arts & crafts' home in the Hudson Valley (NY), my husband and I never heard of 'arts & crafts' style homes. This book has been such a wonderful inspiration for us. The book is filled with color photos, wonderful ideas, themes and history! We will borrow from what we've learned and put those concepts, colors etc to great use in our new home. What was especially dramatic was the before and after pix of rooms/homes. You won't be disappointed in this purchase.

I decided to start with this book as I think it is the most convenient to start in the data mining field. One big advantage of the book is the way data mining techniques are explained. It is mainly based on textual and graphical explanations. There is little equations, only what is necessary to implement the algorithms.

This book widely cover areas such as data preparation and understanding, classification, anomaly detection, association analysis and clusering. Although the book has a strong emphasis on the two last ones, nearly all standard data mining techniques are at least briefly discussed. However, this book does only have a fiew pages about kernel methods for example. Indeed, it is normal, as kernel methods are more suitable for machine learning (I mean making prediction) than data mining (I mean looking for description).

Therefore, this book is:

* able to explain data mining without thousands of equations
* a good way to start with data mining
* covering nearly all standard data mining techniques
* focused on association analysis and clustering

and it is not:

* a good book for kernel methods and other advanced techniques
* written in the statistical nor in the database perspective

My comment: if you are in the data mining field and not comming from mathematics or databases, then you really should buy this book.

Data mining could be considered to be "Artificial Intelligence Lite", since it deals with many of the same issues in learning, classification, and analysis as they occur in the field of artificial intelligence but does not have as its goal the construction of "thinking machines." Instead, the emphasis is on practical problems that are important in business and industry, even though the solutions of many of these problems makes use of techniques that a thinking machine should be expected to have. Data mining has become an enormous industry, and has even been the subject of political and legal concerns due to the efforts of some governments to mine data on its citizens. This book gives a general overview of data mining with emphasis on classification and associative analysis. Anyone who is interested in data mining could read the book, but some rather sophisticated background in mathematics will be needed to read some of the sections. Pseudocode is given throughout the book to illustrate the different data mining algorithms. There are also exercises at the end of each chapter, but noticeably missing in the book is the inclusion of real case studies in data mining. The inclusion of these case studies would alert the reader to the fact that data mining is of great interest from the standpoint of business and industry, and would lessen the belief that data mining is just another academic field or just another branch of statistics.

Speaking somewhat loosely, the goal of data mining is to find interesting patterns in massive amounts of data or the classification of such patterns. This entails of course that one have a notion of what is "interesting" and one of the main problems in data mining is to find suitable `interestingness measures'. And since one is typically dealing with large amounts of data, one must use various statistical sampling and preprocessing techniques to massage the data and obtain a `representative' sample of the original data. In addition, one must be able to handle data that is `anomalous', i.e. data that has characteristics that are markedly different from most of the other data, or that has attributes that are unusual if compared with typical values for those attributes. These issues and techniques are discussed in detail in the first three chapters of the book, where the authors outline some of the bread-and-butter topics needed for effective manipulation of data.

The real substance and power of data mining comes from its role in classification and for discovering interesting patterns in huge data sets. The authors, in chapters 4 - 7, discuss various powerful techniques for data classification and association analysis. Association analysis in particular has been used quite extensively in recent years, due to the use of market basket transactions in on-line purchasing and the goal of marketers to learn the purchasing behavior of their customers. Association analysis uncovers relationships in the marketing data in the form of `association rules'. For disjoint itemsets X and Y, an association rule is a logical implication expression between these itemsets that has a certain `strength' that is measured by its `support' and `confidence.' The support measures how often a rule is applicable to a given data set, while the confidence measures how frequently the items in Y appear in X. The support reflects the ability of the rule to be not due to chance alone, while the confidence measures the reliability of the rule inference. The collection of all association rules that can be formed from a data set is too large to be practical and so strategies must be developed to prune the number of rules. The authors discuss in detail various methods for dealing with this computational drawback, such as `frequent itemset generation' and `rule generation.'

The detection of anomalies consists of the identification of `outliers', which as the name implies are data objects that lie "far away" from the other data objects. It remains of course to quantity what it means to be "far away" and for this reason this branch of data mining, as the author points out, is sometimes called `deviation detection' or `exception mining'. The omission of outliers is sometimes justified, since they are merely artifacts that only serve to alter the statistics of a particular data set. However, sometimes their presence signals important information, if not a major scientific discovery. Data mining therefore must contain tools that detect anomalies intelligently and efficiently. The authors discuss anomaly detection in fair detail, emphasizing the statistical techniques that are available to do it. They classify the techniques for anomaly detection as being `unsupervised', `supervised', and `semi-supervised'. As the name implies, supervised anomaly detection requires the existence of a training set with both anomalous and "normal" data with each class being labeled as such. When these labels are unavailable, one has to perform unsupervised anomaly detection, and for this approach to work the anomalies must be distinct from one another. If the normal data is labeled but the anomalies are not, one must do semi-supervised anomaly detection. The only weakness in the authors' discussion is that they do not include real-world case studies that illustrate the different techniques, such as clustering and density methods.

This book gives an excellent overview of data mining techniques, and gives thorough information about machine learning fundamentals. The key advantages of this book are its clean structure and high quality content and illustrations.

I've just made it through the first 6 chapters of the book so far but I really enjoy this book so far. This book is terrific at introducing this material in an easy-to-understand manner. I've found myself using to supplement my machine learning textbook when more thorough explanations are needed. The section on support vectors was the easiest to grasp from about a dozen references I had on hand. I've seen a few typos here and there but I suppose that's expected from a first edition.

This book is amazingly well written. Everything is explained in a very clear and to-the-point style. The book can be read from front to back or used as a reference book. It contains countless diagrams and the structure of the content is immediately apparent.

The book covers a lot of the important aspects of data mining. It provides algorithms and techniques for classification, clustering, association analysis, and anomaly detection. Every algorithm is not only formally stated, but also explained in a way that conveys intuition.

I only wish other authors also wrote books this way.