Industrial Books

This is the original, and, in my opinion, still the best reference book on phase lock loops.

a detailed comprehensive coverage of all aspects of phase-locked loops. The book contains lots of paper references relating to each chapter and has many examples as well.
A recommended book for research students.

Superb book. Essential reading and reference for any serious PLL designer. This updated edition does for DPLLs what the original did for analog. I haven't seen any author come close to Gardner for comprehensive, accurate treatment of these topics.

Este libro contiene todo lo necesario (de lo mas simple, a lo mas avanzado) para poder entender como funciona y como implementar un Lazo de Enganche de Fase (PLL). Ademas está explicado con mucha simpleza y claridad.

I am gladly surprised to see how the author has taken the effort, not just to make a routine revision of the classic book, but to write a completely different book. Non interesting material has been removed, while new up-to-date topics have been added (for instance Charge Pump PLL), based on the own author research, and other published papers.

The approach of some classic analysis has also changed. In particular the approach to the so called Loop Filter as a controller and not as a filter.

In summary, a very valuable addition to PLL literature, worth to buy even by readers that own previous editions.

Marty Stuart is able to capture the inner essence of the people and places he photographs and conveys it to the reader/viewer. I really enjoyed this essay.

this is just an awsome book to read' there is so many interesting photos and stories. to me its breathtakeing... i am a longtime fan of marty stuart' and will always be, i hope he writes a volume II to this book. would be neat to see what else he has to say about this day and time... love ya marty... the rockabilly king you will always be..

Marty Stuart is country music's renaissance man. What a truly rare combination of talents: great voice, great picker, great songwriter, great photographer, and is keenly aware of the fact that he's had the good fortune of having stood among American icons.

The photos in this book are excellent by any standards. I was expecting the photography to be so-so...generally when a talented person tries to branch out, it doen't translate to their new endeavor...but I have to say he's got an excellent eye. Not only that, but he can spin a yarn like a true poet, and that is what makes this such an all-around joy to both read and look at.

Something to look for in this book: the story of going to see Connie Smith in concert as a boy and telling his mother "I'm going to marry her one day"....and 27 years later, he did just that. Wait until you see the picture he took.

This book captures an important piece of American history and does it well.

Marty's keen eye catches the souls of his famous subjects in a way that the ordinary photographer has missed. This book is a masterpiece (just like his last album) and belongs on every coffee table in America. His photos are unbelievable and his accompanying words prove Marty's talent goes way beyond his music.

Marty has been blessed, not only with musical talent, but with a real sense of being a part of history. Thank God Miss Hilda turned him onto photography, as well as music. The moments captured in his book will be there for us to remember people and places long after they are gone. Not just for the good times, but the hard times as well, the "road", the music, the eyes of the pilgrims looking out at you from these pages, make for an absorbing journey across America and thru Marty's life. And he's right about using black & white vs color. Makes you LOOK, not get drawn to some bright color, instead of getting the point of the picture. Give the boy another 25 years and I know we'll get a companion volume to cover the new millenium part of his journey. Although, I hope he doesn't wait THAT long.

This book has precise and up-to-date information on ferrets, written with a tinge of humor. It is also complete with pictures and amusing illustrations.

this book will tell you the tricks of the trade of caring for these little cuddly troublemakers. Anything from wriggle-free nail clipping to how to ferret proof everything. Great book, pretty good ferret disease overview as well.

From her touching memorial to her fuzzies ,all the way through the practical hands and hearts on information Ms. Jeans delivers what she promises a very practical guide to ferret care.All fuzzies should be lucky enough to have owners that have read this book. Better than raisins, a new snuggy sack or jingle ball. Thank you again Ms. Jeans

Deborah has done an excellent job on the Domestic Pet Ferret. Up todate and precise imformation. A must have book for potential buyers of ferrets. It is the ABC of Ferrets !

As a new ferret mommy I wanted to make sure I did all my homework before bringing the little one's home. This book covers all the basics and then some and offers the author's own experiences as a ferret owner as well. Even if you are not new to ferret parenting this book is a great resource for the lifetime of your ferret. I am looking forward to anything new Deborah Jeans puts out.

If you are interested in this high challenging and highly satisfying skill of becoming a process consultant, read this book, by one of the biggest names in the PC universe...Edgar Schien. This book is a classic and all OD consultants should read it !

Process Consulting is not the typical consulting intervention where 20 somethings come into your organization, do a survey and hand over a thick report after collecting $ per hour !!

Process Consulting is both an art and craft performed by people who intervene in organization systems that are seen as 'human systems' and are sensitive in not inducing 'dependency' of the client. The delicate art is to intervene at the process level rather than the content level and extricate without creating much ripples. Most known consulting deals with 'content' consulting and therefore has more measurale outcomes than the supposedly soft process consulting.

Process consulting is truly empowering and the consultant is a traveller in the process of discovery with the client, constantly asking questions.

In this second volume, Schein builds on Volume I by dissecting the nature of process and change in lieu of the specific group processes that make or break effective group work. Likewise, in this volume, he brings the concept of process consultation home, so to speak, to help managers and leaders understand themselves and their organizations as a consultant might understand them.

Given that process consultation assumes that organizational leaders know their organizations best and are the most appropriate and capable managers of change, it makes sense that organizational leaders understand group processes. Schein emphasizes that diagnosing an organization's problems is intervening to fix them. He provides explanations of the circumstances when process consultation is most necessary. He advises leaders that more time must be spent intervening on how things get done than on what actually needs to get done. "An effective manager must be able to create situations that will ensure that good decisions are made, without making those decisions himself and without even knowing ahead of time what he might do if he had to make the decision alone." (p.39)

Schein provides a useful model for differentiating between the content, process, and structure of organizational challenges and the task and interpersonal aspects of those challenges. He advises that process should always be favored over content; that task aspects should always be favored over the interpersonal; and that structure, while potentially the most transformative element of change, is the most difficult area to address, because people will resist tampering with the comfort structure provides. He also provides explanations on the essential challenges relevant to content and process that every group must face. The lesson he offers for leaders and consultants is that whatever is done to solve a problem must begin with a clarification of the primary task of the group.

Schein devotes considerable space to explaining the ORJI model of intrapsychic processes. (We observe, we react - emotionally, we judge based on our observations and feelings, and we intervene to make something happen.) "The most important thing for managers or consultants to understand is what goes on inside their own heads." (p.63) The trap of ORJI is MIRI, i.e., that we misperceive, inappropriately react, react rationally based on bad data, and intervene incorrectly. To avoid the MIRI trap, we must check our cultural assumptions, our personal filters (see volume I), and our situational expectations based on previous experiences. Schein also provides a clear synthesis of the unfreezing, changing, refreezing model of change and improvement. In unfreezing, the motivation and readiness for change are developed; in changing, new points of view are adopted; and in refreezing, new points of view are integrated to affect changes in the process approaches to tasks.

Schein devotes most of the latter half of his book to explanations and analyses of intervention processes. He discusses the "exploratory", "diagnostic", "action alternative", and "confrontive" models of intervening, how they might initiated and when one might use each. "...The tactics of intervention should focus initially on exploration, inquiry, and diagnosis. Only when the consultant feels that the client is ready to think about alternative next steps is it appropriate to move to action alternatives and confrontive interventions." (p.157) Schein also provides specific kinds of interventions which might fall into any one of these four basic categories of intervention.

This volume, taken with the first, provide not only a clear theoretical framework for understanding organizational change, but also useful tools and approaches for pre-empting organizational roadblocks and addressing organizational dilemmas once they've appeared. These books are essential reading for any leader or consultant.

In this second volume, Schein builds on Volume I by dissecting the nature of process and change in lieu of the specific group processes that make or break effective group work. Likewise, in this volume, he brings the concept of process consultation home, so to speak, to help managers and leaders understand themselves and their organizations as a consultant might understand them.

Given that process consultation assumes that organizational leaders know their organizations best and are the most appropriate and capable managers of change, it makes sense that organizational leaders understand group processes. Schein emphasizes that diagnosing an organization's problems is intervening to fix them. He provides explanations of the circumstances when process consultation is most necessary. He advises leaders that more time must be spent intervening on how things get done than on what actually needs to get done. "An effective manager must be able to create situations that will ensure that good decisions are made, without making those decisions himself and without even knowing ahead of time what he might do if he had to make the decision alone." (p.39)

Schein provides a useful model for differentiating between the content, process, and structure of organizational challenges and the task and interpersonal aspects of those challenges. He advises that process should always be favored over content; that task aspects should always be favored over the interpersonal; and that structure, while potentially the most transformative element of change, is the most difficult area to address, because people will resist tampering with the comfort structure provides. He also provides explanations on the essential challenges relevant to content and process that every group must face. The lesson he offers for leaders and consultants is that whatever is done to solve a problem must begin with a clarification of the primary task of the group.

Schein devotes considerable space to explaining the ORJI model of intrapsychic processes. (We observe, we react - emotionally, we judge based on our observations and feelings, and we intervene to make something happen.) "The most important thing for managers or consultants to understand is what goes on inside their own heads." (p.63) The trap of ORJI is MIRI, i.e., that we misperceive, inappropriately react, react rationally based on bad data, and intervene incorrectly. To avoid the MIRI trap, we must check our cultural assumptions, our personal filters (see volume I), and our situational expectations based on previous experiences. Schein also provides a clear synthesis of the unfreezing, changing, refreezing model of change and improvement. In unfreezing, the motivation and readiness for change are developed; in changing, new points of view are adopted; and in refreezing, new points of view are integrated to affect changes in the process approaches to tasks.

Schein devotes most of the latter half of his book to explanations and analyses of intervention processes. He discusses the "exploratory", "diagnostic", "action alternative", and "confrontive" models of intervening, how they might initiated and when one might use each. "...The tactics of intervention should focus initially on exploration, inquiry, and diagnosis. Only when the consultant feels that the client is ready to think about alternative next steps is it appropriate to move to action alternatives and confrontive interventions." (p.157) Schein also provides specific kinds of interventions which might fall into any one of these four basic categories of intervention.

This volume, taken with the first, provide not only a clear theoretical framework for understanding organizational change, but also useful tools and approaches for pre-empting organizational roadblocks and addressing organizational dilemmas once they've appeared. These books are essential reading for any leader or consultant.

Edgar H. Schein is Professor of Management Emeritus in the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a real academic heavyweight having written numerous books, articles and papers. In 1969 he published 'Process Consultation: Its Role in Organizational Development', of which he states that he "was writing more in anger than with perspective". In this follow-up book he tried to explain and clarify the concept of consultation and helping which was outlined in the first volume. "The goals of this new book, then, are (1) to reaffirm the concept of process consultation as a viable model of how to work with human systems, (2) to clarify the concept were needed, and (3) to introduce some modifications and new ideas that elaborate on the original ideas."

The book is split up in 3 parts. In Part I - Introduction and Overview, which consists of three chapters, Schein introduces the common grounds of managers and consultants (which is the helping orientation), process consultation, and "the process" itself. He introduces a definition of process consultation which "is a set of activities on the part of the consultant that help the client to perceive, understand, and act upon the process events that occur in the client's environment." Whereby he emphasizes that the concept of process central is to understanding consultation and management. "Process refers to how things are done rather than what is done." He continues, "Process is everywhere. In order to help, intervene, and facilitate human problem solving, one must focus on communication and interpersonal processes."

In Part II - Simplifying Models of Human Processes, which also consists of three chapters, Schein examines several models of consultation and argues that the process-consultation model works for consultants as interveners and is potentially most useful for managers. "The most important thing for managers or consultants to understand is what goes on inside their own heads." He introduces the basic ORJI cycle, which is based on the fact that our nervous system observes (O), reacts (R), analyzes, processes, and make judgments (J), and intervenes in order to make something happen (I). He later updates this cycle into a more realistic depiction of the ORJI cycle, through the introduction of 4 traps. Schein than states that the cultural rules of interaction is possibly the most powerful determinant whether a viable helping relationship will be established. In the final chapter of this part, he examines in detail a simplified model of the change process: (1) Unfreezing; (2) changing; and (3) refreezing.

In the final part of the book - The Consulting Process in Action, which is also the longest part of the book with five chapters, the author examines in detail the strategy and tactics of intervention. "The most important point to be made about clients is that the consultant must always be clear who the client is at any given moment in time, and must distinguish clearly among contact, intermediate, primary, and ultimate client." Schein discusses what the consultant or manager can actually say or do to accomplish some of the goals of process consultation. "The strategy and tactics of intervention have to be guided by the ultimate assumptions underlying the helping process." In addition, he provides categories of types of interventions and discusses the possible dilemmas that can arise in the consultation processes. "The skill of intervening is to be so tuned in to what is going on that one's sense of timing and appropriateness is based on the external events, not one's internal assumptions or theories."

Yes, this is a good book on process consultation. I was somewhat concerned when I started reading this book, due to Schein's highly academical background. However, the book has been a revelation. It is highly practical and has good tips on which can be put in practical use. I believe that it useful for both consultants and managers, as the author set out from the start. I believe that the three parts can be read in any order, whereby the last part is possibly the most useful as it is the most practical. Please note that the writing style is now somewhat outdated and academical. Highly recommended to consultants and managers alike.

This volume and its follow-up, Volume II, are essential reading for consultants and anyone interesting in taking a leadership role in improving an organization. Schein devotes entire chapters to the key human processes in organizations: communication, roles, group problem-solving, group decision-making, leadership and authority, intergroup processes, and interventions. In each one, he not only explains what he has learned through years of study and experience, but also the most salient aspects of organizational theory relevant to each area.

Schein differentiates process consultation from other forms of consultation by first making clear the role of the process consultant, who is not an expert providing information or advice, but rather a coach who seeks to help a client understand and act on events, which happen in the client's organization. Consulting is helping the client to understand problems and to decide how to solve them. The consultant's role is to teach diagnostic and problem-solving skills, not to work on the actual problems.

Communication is a central group process critical for effective functioning of groups and organizations. The process-consultant can help a client understand the communication patterns in a group by assessing who talks whom and how much. Interruptions, who interrupts whom, how much and when can be useful information when attempting to diagnose an organization's shortcomings. Schein includes in this chapter an explanation of the filters, which inhibit or enhance an individual's capacity to communicate effectively. They are: self-image, the image of other people, the definition of the situation, motives, feelings, intentions, attitudes, and expectations. When groups come together to accomplish a goal, certain predictable tensions may undermine the groups ability to solve problems. Individuals in the group may be concerned with their own role in the group, their ability or expectation to influence the group, the need to have the group's goals connect with their own goals, or whether they will be accepted and respected in the group. Sometimes groups need assistance in identifying and processing these tensions before they can concern themselves with the necessary task and maintenance functions required to accomplish their task.

For groups to solve problems they must become good at problem formulation, evaluating solutions, forecasting consequences and testing proposals, action planning, implementing action steps, and evaluating outcomes. Schein offers sage advice for groups wishing to develop their capacity to improve: (1) Don't confuse the symptom with the problem itself (2) Don't evaluate courses of action prematurely - remain open (3) Test proposals using multiple sources and methods, and (4) Plan for action carefully and methodically. Schein offers clear explanations of various decision-making models, which are helpful for a consultant or leader to understand. Groups will function most effectively when the decision-making model is clear and understood. Often models are employed by default, which can alienate and undermine group members and subvert effective improvement efforts. A central failure of leadership is often the gap between what leaders say and how they behave. An effective leaders and process consultants need to become experts in this problem and its potential effects. Awareness of group processes will not only help the leader avoid interpersonal or intergroup problems, but it will also help solve them should they arise. Schein includes useful sets of Likert scales to rate group effectiveness and mature group processes; a model of the stages of group problem-solving; and a continuum of leadership behavior.

Schein's view of the process consultant as a capacity builder parallels his implicit view that organizational leaders need to understand and seek patterns of behavior that downplay coercion and expertise and emphasize participation and differentiated responsibility. This volume and its partner, despite their ages, are still relevant and useful to the leader or consultant.

This book is a fantastic resource for Business Analysts and Project Managers alike. I've recommended this book to several of my contemporaries, and use variations of many of the tools discussed in the book. If you've ever had a creative block on how to demonstrate good analyses, this set of tools will provide you with the spark you need.

Traditionally, project management tools and techniques have been seen as vehicles for reaching an objective or, more specifically, a project deliverable. However, most project management literature just describes individual tools and, at best, loosely gathers them into a quasi-toolbox to aid the project or program manager in doing the job more effectively. Thankfully, the business community finally has Project Management ToolBox by Dragan Z. Milosevic, not just another review of available tools and techniques, but the most comprehensive text ever published on the subject. The author makes a strong case for the need for a more systematic and pre-constructed project management toolbox, one that is of significantly more value than the simple sum of its individual tools.

Within the book, Milosevic develops a new role for project management tools and the toolbox in three distinctive ways. First, the book provides a clear roadmap for how to deploy and customize each tool depending on the specific project and company environment. Second, the book goes beyond individual tools by offering a more effective approach, i.e., constructing a toolbox, unique to an organization, which gathers together a predefined set of tools, thus supporting not only individual project management activities and deliverables but also the complete project management process. Finally, the book spells out how to customize the toolbox. Constructing a generic project management toolbox has value, but customizing it to fit a company's competitive strategy significantly enhances that value.

The book content is clearly and logically organized by project management process - initiating, planning, implementing, and closing - and then by practical applications. This helps users locate tools according to use, i.e., to support one or more specific deliverables in the project management process. Also, it reinforces the applications aspect of the toolbox for a standardized, company-specific project management process.

In summary, the Project Management ToolBox is not just the resource for a collection of project management tools and techniques. It offers an extensive set of tools that goes beyond the limits of generic domains and also takes the guesswork out of when and how to use them in order to support the project management process and to deliver concurrent projects as dictated by a company's strategy for competitiveness and profitability. It also describes how to link project goals and practices and the organization's mission, and it offers much value to managers of organizations of any size or endeavour. In short, it is a must-have book for the project manager.

I don't share many of my consulting "know-how" secrets, but in this case I will, because I think the field of PM will benefit from the ideas presented in this book. After working 20 years in the consulting and project management field, I felt I was as knowledgeable as one could be about managing projects. Then one day, I came across Dragan's PM ToolBox. WOW! Every page is an eye opener. And this book really is a toolbox because its filled with detailed examples, report layouts, checklists, and figures which I have personally incorporated into my projects management and documentation. And those work examples have helped me win additional PM business many times over.

If you think this is just another "Here are the PM process steps" book, then click on by. But if you do, you will miss out on the chance to reach a higher level of excellence in the field of project management that will set you apart from the rest.

Thanks Dragan for a job well done!!

I must say I was excited to discover this book: finally a book holding a comprehensive set of templates! For each tool/template, the author provides answers to practical questions that most people face and provides a short case study to illustrate its usage.
Good Job ! It is to be used as a reference material, not to be read cover-to cover.

If you're a project manager, this is one of those invaluable resources to add to your personal "toolkit".

This is a very practical reference book to keep close to your workspace. It contains more than 50 tools you can incorporate into your practice.

When that moment arrives in the project where one of your managers demands some additional piece of information presented in a particular way (as Murphy's Law describes - always at the busiest, most hectic, time), and perhaps it's one of those things you've never personally done before ...

Don't panic, just reach for the "Toolbox".

Each tool is described clearly, most including a table, diagram, or sample of the tool, along with instructions as to best practice use of the tool, e.g.:

o When to use it

o The best place in the project life cycle to use it

o Its benefits (in case you need to "sell" its use within your organization), and

o Advantages/Disadvantages - enabling you to make smarter choices among the tools, and more effective application of the one you select

One suggestion for future editions: I'd like to see more correlation of these tools with the Project Management Institute (PMI)'s PMBOK - both in terms of consistent language and project phasing. (The author does include a short appendix that attempts to do some of this.)

Notwithstanding, I still consider this book a valuable resource for my practice.

Many organizations struggle with the implementation of the balanced scorecard. It is rumoured that about 70% of these projects fail. There are many reasons given for this, like wrong timing, no commitment of the organization, inadequate IT etc. These failures are a shame because, as the book Quest for Balance shows, the use of a good PMS helps organizations obtain better results! So we should concentrate more on the reasons for PMS-failure and the things we can do to make these successful. This book concentrates on the human factors which influence this success. These factors are still too often ignored, probably because humans are so hard to deal with. Based on case study research the author has discovered which factors are the most important, like visible commitment of top management and a firm belief in performance management. Also management styles are discusses. With this book the failure rate of BSC-implementations surely must go down.

Many organizations struggle with the implementation of the balanced scorecard. It is rumoured that about 70% of these projects fail. There are many reasons given for this, like wrong timing, no commitment of the organization, inadequate IT etc. These failures are a shame because, as the book Quest for Balance shows, the use of a good PMS helps organizations obtain better results! So we should concentrate more on the reasons for PMS-failure and the things we can do to make these successful. This book concentrates on the human factors which influence this success. These factors are still too often ignored, probably because humans are so hard to deal with. Based on case study research the author has discovered which factors are the most important, like visible commitment of top management and a firm belief in performance management. Also management styles are discusses. With this book the failure rate of BSC-implementations surely must go down.

Many organizations struggle with the implementation of the balanced scorecard. It is rumoured that about 70% of these projects fail. There are many reasons given for this, like wrong timing, no commitment of the organization, inadequate IT etc. These failures are a shame because, as the book Quest for Balance shows, the use of a good PMS helps organizations obtain better results! So we should concentrate more on the reasons for PMS-failure and the things we can do to make these successful. This book concentrates on the human factors which influence this success. These factors are still too often ignored, probably because humans are so hard to deal with. Based on case study research the author has discovered which factors are the most important, like visible commitment of top management and a firm belief in performance management. Also management styles are discusses. With this book the failure rate of BSC-implementations surely must go down.

Andre de Waal manages to prove the importance of the human element as a critical success factor for using performance management systems (PMS). In this book he gives a clear overview which factors are important and how managers can use them. He uses very interesting case material to support his views. This book is not only for managers that want to set up a new PMS but also for managers that already use a PMS and struggle with it. A book that every manager needs to read and use in practice!

In every implementation project the most difficult part is dealing with the human factor. It isn't so difficult to technicaly implement a balanced scorecard but getting people to actually use it always turns out to be the most difficult part. This book researches which elements we have to take into account to make sure that managers will use the balanced scorecard. Seeing that the scorecard is one of the most popular management tools of the last decade this is very important. The book provides useful advice as well as proof that using the scorecard indeed helps a company get better results. This is good news for everybody.

This is a great pocket book for a quick review. Seller was prompt and book was in excellent condition.

This is great to use while your sitting at your scanner. Easy to read and understand.

Faulkner is easy to follow and understand. This book is just the right size to carry around with you to use as a reference,also.

Very useful, great supplement to MRI in Practice. Worth the price.

Beleive me this is THE best little MRI review book I have ever seen so far. It is very easy to undersand and very concise. IT covers everything in an easy to understand way. I really helped me.

This is a great book which includes many good explanations. I've been working on 3G for a few years but some subjects have remained unclear. This book has helped to clarify my understanding. The explanations start at a basic level but then become more detailed. The supporting log files showing the content of individual messages help to make the content more practical. The detailed explanations on the signalling procedures are really useful.

Very well writen book which provides the reader with a strong understanding of UMTS. The content is suitable for both the beginner and more experienced engineer. Back-to-basics are included in addition to more detailed descriptions. The book is well structured and the practical emphasis demonstrates the author's experience in the subject.

An excellent book packed with information. The content is clear and comprehensive. It has provided me with a good understanding of both HSDPA and HSUPA. The book serves as a very good reference for signalling procedures with the complete content of messages included. I highly recommend this one.

This book has helped me a lot. The level of detail is greater than in other books, and the content is more practical. The majority of explanations are from first principles so you can follow them without having any prior knowledge. This approach of starting from the basics and leading into something more detailed results in a thorough analysis of each subject - probably why the book has more than 600 pages and uses a smaller font size than others. The summary bullet points at the start of each section are really useful. As is the use of example log files to support the explanations. The most used chapters for me are those on HSDPA, HSUPA, Signalling Procedures, Flow of Data and Radio Network Planning. Also good to see a complete chapter on the Iub interface.

Well writen and well presented. Chapters on HSDPA and HSUPA are very good. Summary bullet points at the start of each chapter are a nice idea - good for revision when you're trying to remember everything. Also useful to have the relevant 3GPP specifications listed there. Chapter on logical, transport and physical channels includes plenty of detail. Signalling procedures chapter very comprehensive. Good to see link budgets described in detail. This book should be valuable to anyone working on or studying UMTS.

My grandfather was a conductor on the railroad and retired about 10 years ago. He is recently widowed and is very lonely. I'm not sure what this book is like or about but he loves the railroad and is always talking about his years on the rails. I would like to know if this book would be a good birthday gift for him next week.

Niemann's quick patter, penetrating heartfelt look at the people around her, and brevity take us on an adventure that caters to my Tom Boy and captures my short attention span. I read it cover to cover in one day, thought about it for days later.

Gritty, dusty, muddy, ballast-strewn dirt under foot. A coppery feeling in the mouth. Eyes strained and burning, almost too tired to open. Perpetual noise---the incessant squeaking, grinding, thumping and crashing of heavy, lumbering machinery. Break time, and the codgers slumping in straight-back chairs leaned against the wall are all snoring, smoking, or describing their latest sexual conquests. Oily, smoky air stinking of hot grease. The feel, smell, look and sound of heavy industry, all the same day after day, night after night. These are the sensations that Niemann and Bertucci's book leaves in the reader's mind.

The title and even the subject matter notwithstanding, I hesitate to categorize this book as a volume on railroading. The impressions of the people and their work-lives that are featured in the prose and the photographs are descriptive of all those who labor in the blue-collar jobs of heavy industry. These railroaders have much in common with miners, steel mill workers, grain elevator operators, truck builders, and all the rest on whom our nation's economy depends.

If we must, because of its focus, speak of it as a railroad book, let us be clear about what it is not: There are no ballads or wreck songs here, no folklore about John Henry or Casey Jones, no heroic histories of rail disasters, no financial analyses or statistics of ton-miles hauled or ruminations on the nostalgic era of steam locomotives. What we really have is a book of contemporary photographs, some taken with film and some painted with the brush of words. Both kinds of photos reveal the grass-roots operating railroader and the real, unembellished, and usually uninspiring environment in which he or she labors.

What is the lasting value of this book? It is truly American sociology and history. Not the history of the corporate board room. Not the history of company economics. Not even the technological history behind roller bearings and the huge diesel-electrics that haul unit trains from Powder River coal fields to the ravenous furnaces of east coast electrical generating plants. The history in this book is both more basic and more essential, for it shows us the working conditions of the people who make the machine run, whose work enables the rail corporations to prosper, and whose personalities are shaped by the unsympathetic and unending tasks set for them.

If, Gentle Reader, you react badly to harsh language, to untempered sexual remarks, or to photos including "explicit" centerfolds taped to a yardman's locker door, then perhaps this book is not destined for your reading list. On the other hand, if you find fascination (or perhaps reminiscence) in unexpurgated portrayals of blue-collar working Americans or if you merely wish to understand the demands of such work and how it shapes the people who perform it, then I believe that you will treasure this book as a most worthy addition to your library. Whether you shelve it with your books on sociology, heavy industry, American history, or transportation will be your call. It integrates them all.

By the way, if you find fulfillment with "Railroad Voices," explore "Set Up Running," a similar exploration into the life of a real, unremarkable railroader, an engineman on the Pennsylvania Railroad. Both books show us the real world of the railroad employee with grease on his (or her) clothes, gloves on his (or her) hand, and a union dues deduction in his (or her) paycheck.

This is one of the best railroad books I have read in my 30+ years in the railroad industry, and I found it difficult to put down. I have shared my copy with my railroad colleagues, including several women, who all said they enjoyed it immensely, and want their own copies.

The two women have a gift for capturing the true essence of our industry. Ms. Niemann writes in the language of the trainmen's locker rooms, switch shanties and locomotive cabs, a mixture of railroad slang and profanity, but, that is the way it really is.

Lina Bertucci's photos truly convey the sense of never-ending fatigue, boredom, grime, that was (is) part of railroading, then and now. (I also had the pleasure of knowing Ms. Bertucci and some of her female co-workers when they became the first women hired by the Milw RR for train service in the '70s. Those women fought some real barriers to be accepted in what had been a all-male environment.)

I've only worked for the railroad for 2 years but reading this book brings back memories of some of my trips. I was going to wait to read this book on the plane but I just couldn't put it down. Once you read the first page, you're hooked and you want to keep reading. The railroad, in a way, is like one big family and this book brings that to the reader.

The collaborative work of Dennis R. Jenkins (a thirty year veteran engineer and manager on the Space Shuttle Program and other space-related programs and currently the Verville Fellow at the Smithsonian Institutions' national Air and Space Museum) and Jorge R. Frank (an aerospace engineer with eighteen years' experience on the Space Shuttle Program), "Return-To-Flight: Space Shuttle Discovery Photo Scrapbook" is the illustrated story of how NASA grounded the entire Space Shuttle fleet after the Columbia disaster on February 1, 2003, in order to find out what had gone wrong and fix it. After thirty months of hard work, NASA launched the Space Shuttle Program's Return-to-Flight (STS-114) using the space craft Discovery. This was the most photographed flight in Space Shuttle history (including images taken from inside the cockpit and from a camera mounted on a long, robotic arm used to examine almost every inch of the Orbiter) and the foundation for this informed and informative history of this cutting edge aviation program. Superbly illustrated with 350 full color mission photos and an informative text, "Return-To-Flight is a seminal work and a core addition to personal, academic, and community library Aviation & Space Exploration History collections.

This is a great book for anybody who is interested in manned spaceflight. It is a very thorough photo documentation of STS-114, the first flight of the Space Shuttle after the Columbia disaster. All aspects of the flight are covered, from training, launch, rendezvous with the International Space Station, on-orbit activities, EVAs, through re-entry and landing, plus a preview of the next Shuttle flight. The pictures are all in full color and are reproduced very clearly. I highly recommend this book!

This book has some amazing photos. The level of detail that can be seen in the photos almost rivals the kind of detail that you get by wathcing an IMAX movie.

The format presented by the authors of this book is really unique. STS 114 was one of the most photo- documented spaceflights of all time. The book presents every aspect of the flight in some of the best photographs taken whether on the ground, or taken in space by the astronauts themslves. NASA is the repository for some of the best pictures of manned spaceflight. The authors have done a magnificent job of compiling the many thousands of pictures taken of this mission and presenting them in a truly awe inspiring way. The photos in the book taken of Discovery while engaged in the "pitch manuever" were as breath taking as when the manuever was actually performed.
All space enthusiast will relish the idea of being able to acess in book form the photographs taken during this mission. My congratulations to the authors for doing what should have been done a long time ago. The adventure is for "all mankind". I can't think of a better way to enjoy the ride other than by actually doing it! The authors should seriously think about follow on volumns which document the remaining shuttle spaceflights.

Michael H. Cooper

This book captures all the fascinating details of Discovery's long journey to the launch pad, launch and time at the Space Station. Dennis Jenkins and Jorge Frank have done a wonderful job of putting these amazing pictures together and creating a great book about Return to Flight. I would highly recommend this book to any space shuttle enthusiast of any age.