Directories Books

I have been buying Morningstar books for mutual funds since 2006. There are a lot of books about how/what mutual funds are, but this is the only kind available for evaluating PAST mutual funds performance. (The other one is from Lipper, which is only available from the web).

Morningstar has a long history to keep track of mutual funds and ETFs data. This gives them an advantage to publish their views on various mutual funds. However, readers must be aware that the ratings are based on historical performance. Nobody can predict the market, but if a fund manager performs well over a long time, it is very likely he/she will perform well in the future.

This book also provide some insight info such as the manager has his/her own money in, and risk data. A plus of the book is that it provides 50 free mutual fund reports downloadable from Moringstar website.

A must have for mutual fund selectors.

I really enjoyed the analysis provided, it seemed to cover most of the bases I wanted to learn about, expenses, tax efficiency, volatility, returns.
Obviously it gets dated. It appears to be published early in the year. Be sure to get the latest.

While many people buy mutual funds because they find them easier than building their own portfolio of individual stocks, in fact buying into these funds is in some ways more complex than buying individual company stocks. How do you know what the fund in invested in (companies and sectors), fees, turnover, who the manager is, what their performance has been, how the fund has performed relative to its peers, and much more? It is not an easy task. This handy book provides you with loads of great information for 500 funds picked by Morningstar.

This isn't to say that you should necessarily buy the funds listed here. Morningstar also includes funds you should probably avoid (you have to make your own choices as to what is right for you). One of the interesting things I notices is that simply because something has a four or five star rating doesn't mean that you should buy the fund. This is due to the past performance versus future return probability. It might well be that a well performing fund is now trading at a high price and that the likely future return cannot justify the price. So, the analyst rating also has to be balanced.

The editors have packed a huge amount of information onto each of these pages. You get a snapshot of governance and management (with a stewardship score), a chart of performance, a graph with an historical profile, a star rating including risk for several periods, a portfolio analysis, and a few paragraphs providing Morningstar's take on the fund, and contact information. In the back of the book are several lists that slice and dice the various funds different ways according to specific criteria.

Since funds do not remain static for the entire year, another nice feature of the book is that you can download up to 50 fresh charts during the calendar year. One word of caution that I learned by hard experience is that if you block pop-ups, you need to make an exception for Morningstar. You will try to download the new chart, your count will decrement, but you won't get the chart because you browser will have blocked the pop-up containing the new chart! That was a tad frustrating.

Terrific and interesting information.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

Great book very informative,a must have if looking to invest in mutual funds

Being an Insider myself, I've seen guides and addresses sold for years. Most of which are a joke. But not this one. E.J. Fleming never fails. He's one of the most prolific and talented writers of our time and this book is a must have for movie and star buffs! Thank you - thank you!

This is a terrific book to use to navigate the Hollywood area for anyone interested in the movies. We drive up and down streets with my husband calling out names and events and loved it. We are locals in the San Fernando Valley and for the LA person comenting that changes have occurred in the area and streets over the years, "duh!." Some of the addresses are 100 years old but in the odd case that a street is not there or has been moved, as far as we could tell there was a note included. We didn't check everything, but we didn't have any problem using the lists. THis is a great resource for movies and LA history and great fun for vacations. It's heavy though!

I envision E.J. Fleming huddled over a pc reviewing census information and entering data in a database and cross checking it against his formidable stacks of notebooks. E.J. is tired, tired, tired. He has worked day and night so I don't have to. Stop, I'm just kidding but this is an incredible collection of information. I am in total awe re: how someone could collect so much data, collate it, and present it in an easily accessible manner.
This directory is exactly what is implied. It is an enormous collection of addresses relating to celebrity homes, film locations, historical sites.......and here's the kicker.....the locations of scandals and crimes. That having been said, this is not a rolling narrative that relates a lot of juicy stories and histories. It presents the facts and it is up to the user to draw in the lines and reach his/her own conclusions.
So why did I drop $75 for this book. I was weary doing this type of research with only lukewarm results and a relatively miniscule database. This book has everything and I can let my fingers do the walking.
Now here is my warning. I reiterate don't buy this if you are expecting a lot of lurid stories as there really aren't any per se. However, buy this book if you want to know things like all the places Humphrey Bogart resided in LA, who cohabitated with Ramon Novarro, or where Laurel and Hardy filmed a lot of their classic shorts. Buy this book if you have a curious mind and the information provided has you asking other questions.
This is an impressive collection of information.

I am a tour guide in Hollywood - one of the very few that actually research our tours. I thought I knew a lot about Hollywood, but this book made my jaw hit the floor.

Mr. Fleming has published the BIBLE for Celebrity addresses. The most comprehensive book on stars homes I have ever poured through. I've even turned a few of my colleagues on to the book, who their own copies immediately.

You've made my job easier Mr. Fleming, and you have published a riveting and important document.

I liked this book because it let me make my own card games with Pokemon with my brother. It also has a contest that I did for free! I liked it because you get to make your own cards anyway you want and you can also make cards that aren't with Pokemon. I made ones with dinos.

This new version of Blast is great for making card games with Pokemon. It's so much easier to understand! I really like "Pokemon Swap" too, but Blast lets you make games not just cards.

This edition of Blast is greatly improved over the first. An excellent group project for 4th graders (9 years old) and up.

Young people love Pokemon right now so I thought I'd try something different in art. I brought in ten copies of this book and walked students through the process of making their own made-up Pokemon on the cards. Now their energy is focused on their unique creations. A great idea, Alex and Gille.

This book is the best I have read on this subject. Its biggest asset is the fact it starts from the basics of NDS and builds on this information. It includes real world examples (which I found invaluable in both solving and understanding the problem) and all solutions are explained in "straight talking English". Can't wait for the next release !

This book is the best I have read on this subject. Its biggest asset is the fact it starts from the basics of NDS and builds on this information. It includes real world examples (which I found invaluable in both solving and understanding the problem) and all solutions are explained in "straight talking English". Can't wait for the next release !

If you are responsible for a production NDS environment, READ THIS BOOK! It is fully updated for the latest NDS changes, and provides a thorough understading of NDS processes and troubleshooting methods. The only resource on NDS that is more comprehensive is Novell's Logic Source for NDS II.

Peter Kuo and Jim Henderson are awesome! If you liked their NDS Troubleshooting book, you'll love this Guide to Troubleshooting NDS. An easy read, this book provides background information on the NDS and how it actually works...in plain English. It builds upon this background information to include troubleshooting techniques to help you successfully manage and repair a NetWare network. It also includes easy to read tables with NDS Error codes, as well as DSTRACE and DSREPAIR switches with explanations in one convenient manual. As a side benefit, it includes a significant amount of information to help prepare for Novell's Certified Directory Engineer tests. Thanks for my new Bible guys!

As a single mom, finding inexpensive accomodations can make the difference between taking a vacation...or not!! "America's Cheap Sleeps" has been an invaluable resource - saving me not only money..but alot of time looking for a place to stay! I found the information to be accurate and complete, and the added info on pronunciation a welcome plus! Mr. Whitcombe's added knowledge and inclusion of helpful "tid-bits" was greatly appreciated! Thank you, Mr. Whitcombe!

This book has been a great resource in my travels by car. I've been able to find affordable rooms in every city I've visited, from north to south, east to west. The book is easy to use and offers helpful tips on finding accomodations that will not break the bank. America's Cheap Sleeps has saved me a load of money!

I found this book to be a great resource for cities where I don't know anybody. It gave me a place to find affordable accomodations and allowed me to do other activities with the money it saved me by going to large chains. It will come in handy for a long time to come.

Mr. Whitcombe has put together an incredible reference tool that anyone in America, or anyone who wants to visit anywhere in America, should definitely have. After my purchase of his book I took a two day vacation and in those two days I saved myself the cost of his book twice over. I recommend this tool to anyone and everyone, whether a cross-country sight-seer or a casual overnight traveller!

The book does a really good job of telling parents about some of the best public schools in NYC. The author also lets you know about the differences in philosophies, facilities and programs, to help figure out what would be best for your child. I hope it gets updated soon!

I used this guide when looking at schools for my five year old daughter. I found the descriptions very accurate--the author really understands the essence of these schools and appreciates the intricacies of NYC schools. If you're looking for a public school in NYC, this book isn't a luxury, it's a necessity!!

As a NYC K-12 educational consultant, I frequently listen to parents' worries about entrusting their children to the New York City public schools. This is unfortunate, because some local public schools are excellent. Hemphill's book is extremely valuable because she identifies top schools and demystifies the admissions process for zoned and out-of-zone students. She also explains admissions to gifted and other special programs. eglickman@abacusguide.com

My family is planning to return to New York City, and we need to find a school for my elementary aged child. This book has provided a good background of information, and answers all of the basic questions, i.e. test scores, class sizes, school philosophies etc. I do wish that is was updated (this is from 1997), and that there was an introduction that gave the reader some context of the New York City public school scene. I'd also like to see a ranking of ALL of the city's public schools so one has the option of seeing how their local public school stacks up against the ones profiled in this book. Despite those criticisms, I found this very helpful, and find myself considering some of the schools described in the book.

This is an excellent guide that should be kept next to your computer at all times! Its impossible to research the many sites and software available for kids without some assistance and this little book is a BIG HELP.

The book described some good web sites that were fun for my 6 year-old. I had fun with it too. I liked the section about child safety and tips on how to deal with adult content on the Internet. I haven't bought any software yet, so I can't comment on the software reviews.

I think this book is a boon for my wife and kids, finally a book that we can all use together, that lays out for us fun and educational software and web sites. It is nice to have all this information in one place -- and on paper, rather than on "the internet." So, if you are fairly computer illiterate like me, I would recommend it to other parents with kids who already have computers in their households.

every 2-3 months, I find myself at zany brainy or some other kids' store trying to buy software for my 5 year old. I never know what's worth buying, and the store help tends to be clueless. This book is the answer -- it's got great, detailed reviews of some very cool kids software. And it also pointed me to some neat web sites that my son has loved (dealing with space and astronomy which is his favorite thing). So I'd highly recommend this book. Don't know what I did without it.

I guess I really like this book because it actually has all it claims to have -- everything! Also, it doesn't have schools that aren't accredited, you know, diploma mills. The CD was great for searching and has test prep software and links to their main web site.

This is a wonderful book for anyone who is about to go to college. Instead of looking through the enormous amounts of college mail that gets sent to you, you can just look through this book and find which schools you think are best for you. This book contains detailed information about the majors, academic and recreational programs, abroad studies, application deadline, etc. It also contains tuition and room and board costs where applicable. This book is a great help in the college search--I would definitely recommend it to every college-to-be student!

Getting your kid into a good college is a nerve-racking process for most parents. It certainly has been for us. We have found the customer reviews in Amazon very helpful. That prompts us to distill our ratings of the various guidebooks.

The best short reference on each college is the Princeton Review of The Best (311) Colleges. It gives ratings of academic quality, difficulty of admission, percentage admitted, etc. There is also a brief summary of college life and what each place might be looking for.

Peterson Guide is comprehensive, and has long write-ups for each school. There is a front section for each school, listed alphabetically within each state, and a back section with detailed profiles of selected institutions.

Fiske's guide is interesting, but he basically has something good to say for each school, so careful reading between the lines and for "damning with faint praise" is called for.

The Yale Insider's Guide is extremely subjective, with different students writing various reviews. We did not find it too reliable, except in conjunction with other books.

Likewise for Barrron's Guide to the Most Competitive Colleges. Recent alumni write of their (invariably positive) experiences. Take it with a grain of salt, or read carefully between the lines.

Choosing the Right College by ISN was extremely helpful. Some readers criticized it for being allegedly right wing. We did not find it so. Rather, knowing the point of view of the authors helped us evaluate their observations. Other books do not make their biases explicit. A feature of the book we found particularly helpful was the naming of excellent professors and departments in each college.

Antonoff's College Finder was interesting only in conjunction with other books.

Three books written from the perspective of college admissions officers were very interesting and helpful. They are The College Admissions Mystique, by Mayher, Getting In, by Bill Paul, and most of all A is for Admission by Michelle Hernandez. We strongly recommend that parents and the kids who are the applicants read at least one of these.

Another very helpful book was You're Gonna Love This College Guide, by Marty Nemko. It takes the student through the decision process of big vs. small, urban vs. country, elite vs. the level just below, geography, and so forth. That really got our daughter unstuck in her thinking process.

Loren Pope is another helpful author for those who think that not getting into Harvard is the end of the world.

Three books we did not find to be particularly helpful are Getting Into Any College, by Jim Good and Lisa Lee, The National Review College Guide, by Charles Sykes and Brad Miner (too out of date), and The Real Freshman Handbook, by Jennifer Hanson.

One book we found to be unexpectedly useful was Getting Into Medical School Today, by Scott Plantz, et. al. Even if your child is not interested in medical school, this book puts college in perspective for any post-college program.

We hope readers find our review helpful.

I love buying a book that says it is comprehensive only to find out that it doesn't have all that "comprehensive" promises. This book has it all. I don't think I want a subjective book about colleges. I get fluffy stuff like that in the mail everyday written by the colleges. I'm a Joe Friday "Just the facts, maam" kind of person I suppose. This book had ALL the facts. I liked the free CD too.

Online pharmacies are a great way to save money. This book is a great guide. I have found two great companies to safely buy meds from. Visit them at:

[...]

Reading this book gave me the confidence to seek lower priced medication online and I have found a great Mexico pharmacy with guaranteed lowest prices, www.rxmex.net Great Prices on hundreds of medications, FDA, WHO and GMP approved!

Up-to-date for 2004-2005, Pharmacy Checker.com's Guide To Low-Cost Canadian & U.S. Pharmacies is a no-nonsense guidebook that rates and profiles 42 popular mail-order and online pharmacies. Quick and easy comparisons of prices for brand name and generic drugs, easy-to-use information on how to order from online pharmacies taking privacy, security, and cost concerns into account, and much more fill this handy reference. Simple charts and tables listing Pharmacy Checker.com's ratings make Pharmacy Checker.com's Guide To Low-Cost Canadian & U.S. Pharmacies enhance the clarity of this indispensible guide for anyone who needs health medication on a tight budget.

Ordering from Canadian and U.S. discount pharmacies can save significantly over regular retail establishments. The problem is how do you know which ones are reputable and which ones are not, which have quality medicines, which add shipping costs, which require a Canadian doctor's prescription, which ones can be trusted, which ones are licensed and which offer the best prices. This book includes the top rated pharmacies with the best prices according to PharmacyChecker.com. Whether you are considering a Canadian pharmacy, mail-order pharmacy, or an online pharmacy this will help you through the maze of potential suppliers and help you find the ones that will best serve your needs. One of the really nice features of the book is the information on hidden costs like dispensing fees, medical review fees, and shipping fees. It also includes all the information you might need including available payment methods, how a prescription can be submitted, contact information, and the like. If you are looking for an alternative to the high costs of filling monthly prescriptions locally and need advice on how to go about using mail-order or online pharmacies as well as which ones can be trusted you will find the Guide to Low-Cost Canadian and US Pharmacies indispensable.

It will break your heart but it will make you want to read more.

It was souch a great book I finished it in one night! Although it was sad, It was very interesting. You really got to know the characters. I hade to get the three other books as soon as I could! One night I stayed up till one in the morning to finish one of the books!

When the six Kelly children are split up Danny then sees a fake doctor he heard about in New York while at a medicine show out West. When he reveals the phony doctor's secret to everyone there, the doctor decides to hunt Danny down. It is a race to catch each other first before the other one catches you. A dramatic, heart-warming story filled with love, joy, and the importance of family.

This is a great book. I wouldn't recommend reading this book before: A Family Apart, Caught in the Act, and In the Face of Danger. It is the last book a Quartet about the Kelly children. Unless you don't want to read the first three I suggest you read A Place to Belong last.