V Books

i like this book a lot. it has bright pictures and diagrams, gives lots of good examples to make things easier to understand, and is not too wordy. this is a book i will actually read.

Medical Microbiology would be an excellent reference book for any microbiologist. It contains general information about any bacterium you can imagine as well as overviews of the diseases various bacteria cause. Symptoms, complications, diagnosis, and treatment options are covered in detail. The book also contains wonderfully vivid pictorial accounts of the bacteria and their various modes of pathogenicity. A fascinating, well-organized text of sophisticated microbiology!

I've written reviews for several textbooks, and it is not uncommon for me to rant extensively about high prices and the use of color solely for the purpose of making a book appear flashy. In the case of Mims Medical Microbiology though, I have nothing but good things to say. This is an example of a book that uses quite a bit of color, but does so with good purpose. Moreover the color is not overdone, and it is generally used effectively to draw the reader's attention to important concepts or to make illustrations more clear, or realistic. While the price of the book is not trivial, this is still an excellent bargain when one considers the quality of the content. The text is is clearly written and well organized for learning. I highly recommend it for those looking for excellent introductory materials on medical microbiology.

At least a very "biologically correct" textbook of microbial diseases, I'm going to translate it only for fun, for me and for my italian entourage; and so many beautiful pictures that I never seen before in a similar text in Italy. I'd like to translate it for publication if possible. Antonio Angioi (microbiologist), Sassari, Italy

This text book is outstanding in terms of clear pictures and detailed descriptions. It exhibits numerous color photos which help remember the clinical signs and appearances of common infectious diseases. On the other hand, the text excellently outlines and explains the underlying theory and treatments. This book takes a modern approach to teach Microbiology by introducing the contents in a system based mannar. This is very different from the traditional way of teaching the subject in which the materials are delivered species by species. I think this way is more clinically relevant and thus, suits the needs of health care students.

This book is a compilation of various functions and commands available to the VisualBasic 5 environment. It provides examples and supplimental information to help users with different levels of expertise.

Recommended if you want to really program in VB 5.0.

I found this book to be helpful with my everyday programming. This book contains example code for every command in it. This bok also gives you the correct arguments for each command. I find this book to be one of my best developement tools in my arsenal. I recommend this book strongly to anyone looking to do serious VB programming.

This reference book is a mirror image of the online help, but a lot more convenient. It contains pretty much all you need to know...and unlike the majority of tutorial books out there, the example code actually works.

How can you not love the VB5 Language Reference.

I teach VB for a living, and I tell my students to re-read this Reference guide every 3 months---there's always something new that you'll see in it.

Others will tell you that this information is provided with Books Online (and it is), but I prefer the printed version.

Though you can get the exact same information online, I find that sometimes it's just better to have the hard copy in front of me. The book does a good job of not only showing the syntax, but what arguments to use and situations where the item applies. It's proven to be very, very useful and people would do well to pick this up if they prefer to use hard copy as I do.

This book was my first "Modern Masters" volume, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. It has a great interview spanning 'Ringo's perspective on his career, told in the chronological order of the books he worked on. It has his great uncolored artwork and sketches of various comic characters throughout, with a few colored pieces at the end of the book. It was sad though, reading about how he was determined to continue his creator-owned book Tellos, as this book was created before his unexpected passing. If you are a fan of Mike's work than you can't pass this up!

I'll be getting other volumes of Modern Masters for sure now. Next up is Bruce Timm!

Mike Wieringo's first major job was The Flash, and his exciting introduction to the comic book field was followed quickly by drawings of major characters from Superman and X-Men to Fantastic Four. But don't expect the usual reproductions of comics in this celebration: it includes sketches accompanied by an essential interview with Wieringo discussing perspectives, drawing challenges, achievements and comic book history and provides many important keys to understanding Wieringo's works and his place in the industry. A 'must' for any collection strong in comic book history and artists.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

You should have this book!

What, you need more? This features a comprehensive interview with Mike (nice job again Eric!), a detailed overview of his career, and tons of rare art. Buy it, the link is right there!

Now, if only there was a free sketch in every copy, then it'd be perfect.

Mike Wieringo is one of those artists who sometimes seems overlooked when the talk turns to the top comic artists, but it is certainly company he deserves to be in as proven by being the subject of the latest edition of Modern Masters from TwoMorrows Publishing. The thing I love about Mike is that he's really worked hard to develop a unique style all his own. So many modern artists are quite polished, and yet have little personality to their work. They seem to have all been graduates of the same art school with the same techniques. This is where Wieringo really shines. He's melded a style that combines traditional cartoon art with elements of animation and Manga for a truly unique look.

Mike's life and career in comics is told through a book long interview with Todd Dezago and along the way we get to see dozens of examples of Mike's work including published and unpublished work, some of it from when he was just 11 years old. It's really a great book for aspiring artists. I loved to draw comics quite a bit when I was younger but never felt I had the talent to go anywhere with it. Seeing Mike's early work I couldn't help but think, "I drew as well as that when I was 11!" This is a true testament to persevering and perfecting one's technique and skill. As we see Mike's work in high school when he was doing his own panel comic books and in college, you can see the steady progress he made as an artist.

Mike grew up as an army brat and moved around quite a bit. He talks about how he never had time to make many friends and kept to himself a lot, working on his art. Luckily Mike's dad was a comic book fan and both his parents encouraged him in his goal to become a pro comic artist one day. Mike took a trip to the San Diego Con in 1991 and started showing off his portfolio. He got his break at DC doing several short stories for the Justice League Quarterly anthology title but would soon graduate into his first major job as artist on The Flash, working with writer Mark Waid.

After his run on The Flash, Mike would go over to Marvel and work on Sensational Spider-Man with writer Todd Dezago. This is where I really took notice of his work for the first time. Mike and Tony talk candidly about this very tumultuous period at Marvel as they were going through their bankruptcy and soon had Sensational Spider-Man and other projects canceled. In fact you can see some fantastic unused pencils of Mike's from a She-Hulk & Thing project.

Mike would have an less than enjoyable run The Adventures of Superman before returning to Marvel again to work on the Fantastic Four where he would once again team with Mark Waid for a memorable run, again cut short by Marvel's inept management.

The book concludes with a 32 page gallery of Mike's work. The gallery includes both finished pieces and pencil layouts. There's also an 8 page color section which includes my favorite piece in the book, Mike's rendering of Captain Marvel that would make C.C. Beck proud. TwoMorrows has made another great choice in their Modern Masters series.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

This book is awesome. It's by far my favorite tome in the Modern Masters series. It's loaded with fantastic artwork from all different stages of Wieringo's career, even childhood drawings and early portfolio pieces. This is what these books should be, just overflowing with artwork. Readers will also learn more about the man behind the art through the long interview contained within. There's a small color section of artwork too, wonderful stuff!

In my opinion, Wieringo is one of the best artists working in comics. His drawings are full of life, energy, and emotion. His work also has an amazing clarity to it that when combined with his great storytelling ability makes for wonderful comics.

This book is a must for fans of Mike Wieringo and anyone who appreciates great cartooning.

MORE TAPESTRY CROCHET by Carol Ventura is a beautiful book; glossy pages, B&W pics throughout plus a center section of colored pics. Large direction pictures and clearly written out instructions (no abbreviations). If you are interested in the history of textiles you will find this book well worth having. There are patterns for round projects (eyeglass cases, change purses, shoulder bags, etc.), also hats, baby blankets, yarmulkes, hackysacks,a scarf and a flat tapestry.

Words just about escape me when I try to explain this book but I will try. It is a work of art, packed full of very fascinating history of crochet, and the illustrated directions are so clear and easy to follow, including left and right hand directions. Oh the purses in here are just beautiful and yes it does have the full instructions for them!! It also shows a very, new to me anyway, crochet technique that I just can't wait to try. This book is a great addition to any crocheters library.

This "Labor of Love," as she calls her book, is truly a gem. Designed and published by Carol herself, the book is colorful and well illustrated. A former Peace Corps volunteer as well, I know the hardships that Carol endured as a volunteer in Guatemala in the late 70's. I also know that passions that grow for colorful cultures, so unlike our own, by the sheer intensity of living and serving others in their unique milieu. The book shows the depth of study Carol has undertaken for her topic and a maturity in her design concepts, since her first book, "Tapestry Crochet," was published in 1991. In addition to the exciting projects, there is a wealth of knowledge about tapestry crochet and its history; natural fibers; examples of ethnic pieces from different corners of the world; right and left-handed instructions and her incredibly useful and unique graph paper. Dr. Ventura lists come great resources for crochet enthusiasts and includes a website where color photos of all the projects can be seen.

More Tapesty Crochet is a step up from her first book "Tapestry Crochet" -- it delves in deeper into the history of this unique craft and explains its many different cultural applications.

The patterns given in this book are very similar to the first book, it also gives a very detailed explanation of developing your own designs and patterns. The Author has learned a lot from her own mistakes and experimentation and tries to relay all that information to the reader so they can get going more quickly.

If you only buy one of the author's Tapestry books -- I recommend this one (it provides all the information of the first plus more detail), but the original book still provides different designs and ideas that compliment this one quite nicely.

This book is very interesting...I've made two projects from it already. The beginners will like this because you only need to learn a few basic stitches (chain, single crochet)and then follow the very complete directions to complete a project....some will take hours, some will take weeks.
The advanced crocheter will appreciate the history included in the book and also learning a new technique. Creating pictures by carrying the thread across a row is different for many crocheter's as we usually use bobbins....you'll enjoy reading about the author also.

Very impressed with all the info packed inside of the book... is a tad big for a pocket.

This book is great, it's very handy and you can keep it with you at all times, in your lab coat, or anything. Nice and Small, but filled with lots of useful information.

over two thousand dollars for a paperback book?

I'm very satisfied with this dictionary, because I can find anything I need in it. By the way, I am a medical student.

A lot of info in portable form. Better than Bantam or the other lightweight medical dictionaries you find in the health section of regular bookstores. There are some acronyms and abbreviations in the inside covers.

Everything I have read by Jones so far has been 5-star. He is lucid, literate, articulate, has much to tell and tells it unpretentiously and clinically, but without sacrificing anything in passion or wit. He is in no way a braggart or poseur, but does not let inappropriate modesty inhibit his telling of what is to be told. His warmth and humour leaven the narrative and add to the perspective without ever cheapening the subject matter. At the same time a proper British reserve (no cliche and no sarcasm, this is precisely what I mean) plus his respect for confidences, not to be betrayed even by untoward hints, move me to wonder how much more he could tell if only it were tellable.

The books are written with a naturalness which belies their density of information. Only an expert in the subject matter (which in this case means a qualified scientist and a good deal besides) could have written them. They are part of the tradition of the finest 20th century British non-fiction. There has been a great deal of rubbish in that genre of the period, both in content and in style, but it has included the likes of Peter Medawar, John Maynard Smith, George Orwell, John Masters, Churchill, and of course, R.V. Jones. On the one hand Jones' books are refreshing reading in an age of faction and pabulum; on the other they are precious historical material which gives the lie to much questionable stuff which otherwise would go unquestioned.

Dr. Jones is wonderful storyteller and surprised me with how humble he is, given his amazing achievements during the war. Not once did he fail to credit all those that helped him and constantly reminds the reader that the "true heroes" were those who risked and lost their lives, both on the front and acting as support for his efforts (e.g. photographic reconnaissance).

The story itself gives one an insider's view of how desperate the British situation was in 1940 and how a nation pulled together, despite petty rivalry and bureaucratic obstacles, to fight The Blitz and turn the tide in the air war.

Being an electrical engineer, I was also intrigued by the history of RADAR (RDF to the British) and remote targeting, and how it was employed differently by the British and Germans. However, I cannot say how a non-technical reader will like this.

Dr. Jones was an Oxford physicist from a military family who found himself in charge of English scientific intelligence during the Second World War. In this capacity, he led the effort to identify new German technologies and tactics, and then devise countermeasures.

Among his accomplishments were sending a raiding party across the Channel to dismantle and bring back a complete German radar station, anticipating and foiling the navigation systems the Germans devised for their bombers, anticipating and devising limited countermeasures to the V1s and V2s, exfiltrating Niels Bohr from Copenhagen and analyzing German effort to develop atomic bombs.

Dr. Jones certainly lived in interesting times, but unlike the much quoted Chinese curse, which continues that one may have powerful enemies, the powerful men in his life, most notably Churchill, had complete faith in him, and with good reason.

This is an incredible book, which I heartily recommend to anyone with an interest in military history or science.

I originally purchased this book in 1979, a year after it was first published. I have had to buy it again because my original paperback simply fell apart. Thoughtful, thorough, witty and absolutely fascinating, R.V. Jones is one of the people I would most have liked to meet during my lifetime (he passed away in 1997). I can't recommend this book highly enough.

This book is also known as the Wizard War.
The author as a relatively young man was the technical intelligence director for the British Royal Air Force in WW II. As such he was involved in the development of active, passive, and counter measures to thwart the German Luftwaffe.
Developments included radars, anti ship missiles,jet engines, defense against buzz bombs, and the jamming of radio navigation systems used by the Germans.
After the war the author returned to Scotland to become a university professor. He returned to service during the Korean War period. His other book Reflections on Intelligence reveals him to be a man of erudition and covers and fills in some of the gaps in the story told herein which could not be revealed at the time this book was written.
Another one for the complete shelf of intelligence classics.

I don't remember when or how I acquired this book, but it was a childhood favorite of mine. I am now nineteen, and could still quote stories from it to you. I used to refer to it as my "Bru Book", after Bru Bear...even though he wasn't my favorite character! ^_^ A wonderful read for children and parents to share.

This is an excellent book to share with elementary school-age children. Five loveable animal characters demonstrate the value of kindness, forgiveness, working together, etc. in a variety of fun adventures. I'd love to see another book like this one!

My husband was on a trip several years ago and brought this book back home for our son. We read it to him and with him several times. He loved the characters and the stories. This is a wonderful book and I appreciate the values that each story teaches. This book is certain to be a classic!

My son and I enjoyed reading this book so much, that is why I'm on this site seaching for more books by this aurthur, Hoping to find a book with the same characters, if it has'nt been written yet it needs to!

Several years ago a parent of one of my pre-kindergarten students brought me this book, asking if I would read several stories to my class. The children loved the stories and I loved the moral values they taught in a lighthearted way. Each of the five animal friends have their own human-like personalities and chacteristics which are easy to identify with. The friends learn and share with each other in realistic situations. The stories are written in such a way that I was able to share them with children in both christian and public classrooms. I enjoy giving this book to friends and acquaintences for their children; it is great.

This book is best read after you read a basic enneagram book first, when you feel comfortable with the different numbers and meanings. It is excellent for taking you to the next step, how to see yourself and others on a more spiritual level, and how to heal yourself. An excellent read!

This book is best read after you read a basic enneagram book first, when you feel comfortable with the different numbers and meanings. It is excellent for taking you to the next step, how to see yourself and others on a more spiritual level, and how to heal yourself. An excellent read!

This is definately the best enneagram book I've ever read! I wouldn't recommend it as your first enneagram book but for anyone who already knows the basic things about the different types. The book really has a great, new kind of view into the enneagram. It does not just try to describe the different types but goes much deeper; it tells you what to do to find the little child inside yourself. And, what I especially liked was the way the authors emphasized the influence of your Center - be it emotional, creative or intellectual - in your life and in your type. This book really is worth reading!

If you don't understand yourself your spouse or kids and life seems out of control. Follow the insights revealed in this book you can get it all together and help those around you whom you love.

This book was excellent when one wants to do further study beyond the basic numbers and wings. I had a few breakthroughs while reading it. Toward the end it smacks a bit of "new-age" which will probably not bother some, but, upset my own "Christian sensibilities" a bit. However, I (and other people that I know and study the enneagram with) have found it very helpful in furthuring our understanding of the enneagram. This is not a book for beginners. Riso's Personality Types is much better for that. But if one wants to delve more into the heart/head/gut centers this could be the book for you.

Peter Kahle writes with wit and experience. He has the kind of knowledge about selling books that is based on compassion as well as calculation. Naked at the Podium is a very useful tool for those who seek stimulating ideas on how to be successful in
merchandising their product. No author should make a presentation without reading this first.

I purchased NAKED AT THE PODIUM a few years ago at the first writing conference I attended. Though I knew it would be a while before I'd need the advice the book offered, I felt I'd better get it anyway just in case it wasn't available 5 years down the road when I'd actually need it.

While I'm still not far enough along in my writing career to be out on book tour, I was recently asked to deliver a 30-minute presentation to about 100 writing peers. In all my nervousness, I studied NAKED AT THE PODIUM like mad, learning how to breathe, assume a stage presence, and embrace my nervousness. My copy of the book aged rather nicely, with blue highlights, pencil underlining, and stars placed strategically throughout the columns next to all the gems of information.

Not only was the book enjoyable, but it helped me tremendously. When it came time for the presentation, my words didn't get all stuck in my throat like they usually do when I speak to large groups. And, the coolest part was that people were taking notes and actually learning from what I was saying (instead of sitting there with that squeemish feeling of watching somebody struggle up on the stage)! In fact, several people came up to me afterwards to tell me how much they got out of it.

Anyway, it was a real thrill...maybe I don't hate public speaking as much as I thought I did! In fact, I'm now proactively looking for more such engagements.

I owe it all to Pete and Melanie and the creation of such a wonderful reference tool.

THANK YOU!

Naked At The Podium: The Writer's Guide To Successful Readings is a very practical guide of tips, tricks, and exercises for authors who may not be quite so at home giving a public reading as with the usual day's work of bringing drama to blank sheets of paper. Techniques presented include how to use body language, cure pre-reading jitters, become one's characters, and generally make the reading a memorable promotional event to spread word of one's book. Naked At The Podium is strongly recommended reading for authors seeking to promote their books through public readings at bookstores, libraries, or other venues.

Before I read "Naked at the Podium", I had given a number of presentations of my book. However, after I read it, what a difference! I was more at ease, more confident, and the audience reflected this change. The result: more book sales. No writer setting out to promote a book can afford not to read, and use, this important contribution by Kahle and Workhoven. Evelyn McDaniel Gibb, author of Two Wheels North

Wow. Forget the fluff... here's a book crammed with valuable tips and information you will use to make any speaking engagement more effective.

As I was preparing for several Author appearances and book signings for my first novel (The Glass Cocoon) I was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of this helpful, informative, valuable and fun to read book.

Authors Peter Kahle and Melanie Workhoven have learned by trial and error the most effective ways to prepare yourself for any speaking engagement. They know most of the 'secrets' and 'tricks' and have written an extremely easy and fun book to read that will help you get rid of the jitters, and present the best you, you possibly can,when you get up in front of a group of people.

Melanie's background as an actress and Peter's as a author combine in a book that doesn't waste any valuable time in giving you great ways to prepare to have successful readings and speaking engagements.

There is a lot of information, practical advice, insights, tips, preperatory exercises (complete with useful pictures) in this book. The information is delivered clearly, concisely and with a generous dose of breezy humor and in-the-trenches examples. A lot of research and a variety of personal experiences from the authors and some others have been effectively tapped. The book will walk you through the whole process and experience and you get the feeling your best friend is holding your hand and filling you with confidence and encouragement.

Follow the advice in the book and you can be assured of not only having a successful speaking engagment, but also of having a lot of fun too.

Thank you.. thank you.. thank you Peter and Melanie for this extremely useful and valuable resource.

Christopher J. Jarmick is the co-author of the recently published mystery suspense thriller The Glass Cocoon with Serena F. Holder.

Good for telling your what your 1st step of action should be. It has simple cases that are very common in practice. The original cases are then expounded upon when one thing is changed. Good book.

This is as near perfect a surgery review text as you can find that will prepare you for both your third year surgery clerkship and NBME surgery subject exam and Step 2. This book is very quick reading and is FULL of tons of great diagrams, charts, CT, X-rays, U/S, angiograms, etc. It's written in a clinical cases format with specific and pertinent management questions and solutions, as well as differentials and diagnosing discussions, that will prepare you clinically for the wards, as well as prepare you for shelf exams (which contain a lot of patient management questions, many of which were discussed in this book). It also has enough anatomy and pathophysiology discussion for it to be useful as a source for background reading for surgeries you are planning on scrubbing in on. The radiographic images are especially useful, however, it would have been useful to have more diagnostic findings specifically labelled on many of the images. Most importantly, this is a book that you can realistically expect to finish and even master within the timeframe of your 8-12 week clerkship. Highly recommended.

I used five different review books on my clerkship and this was by far my favorite. Compared to Case Files, there are more topics and the format was definitely better.

I really like this book. The book is presented in a case-based question/answer format. The book is written in narrative form (no bullets, or choppy info). I like the design of the book and it's easy to read and understand. The cases presented are classic and in-depth. It's a long read though, and may be too much for boards when its crunch time. I used it mostly for reference and when I didn't understand something when I was studying for Step 2. It's a great book for 3rd year surgery rotation and the shelf exam. Good luck!!

I just finished my surgery rotation and took the shelf exam. I have to say that reading this book really prepared me for the shelf and also for the whole surgery rotation. I highly recommend this book. You may also want to have a question book such as pre-test surgery to do some practice questions.
Good luck in surgery.