Oliver Books

This is an extremely comprehensive volume that covers all the ground that designers, budding designers and photoshop enthusiasts need to know...The case study even tells you how to create a postcard ready for the printers and how to create your own site using ImageReady. There's stuff on printing, workflow, image correction, filters, as well as the obvious like layers and selection... This book is another winner from friendsofED!

I've had Photoshop for over a year. I've spent most of that time being frustrated with the program. I bought Foundation Photoshop 6 a little over a month ago and am now learning in leaps and bounds. Foundation Photoshop 6 is truly excellent for beginners, providing easily understood instructions, explanations and exercises. With this book, anyone can learn to create amazing graphics. I highly recommend it.

For me as a beginner it was really helpful and covered a big range of topics

Dr. Kratz is certainly the foremost authority on this subject. His command of the intricacies of developing markets in Eastern Europe is exceptional. His understanding led the Deutsche European Equity Fund to its 5 star number 1 rank among stock funds in its category. One would be well-advised to listen to his insights into these exciting and critical markets.

I read Dr Kratz's expose of frontier emerging markets. A very good book. He masters this asset class and the details which make a good and savvy investor in frontier markets. It is by far one of the most interesting fields of international investing, and I am sure this book is just the beginning of many more to follow on the field - it's a primer. I recommend the book to students and practitioners of finance and investments. Dr Kratz strikes a healthy balance between academic thinking and practial experience and application.

Dr. Kratz's new book on frontier markets is essential to the understanding of this new genre within the equity asset class. It offers a unique journey through the creation of a young emerging equity market and supports conclusions with strong empirical analysis. It supports the notion that valuation in "frontier markets" is more an art than a science, but in order to truly understand such markets one has to be open-minded and a keen observer of what Kratz calls the philology of the frontier market valuation debate. This is new, and sure to fuel the debate on the subject of asset pricing in an environment with little objective and hard data to come by.

My daughter bought this book for her daughter at the school book fare. It was a start to the world of HANK ZIPZER for my granddaughter. We have bought several since then to keep our girl interested in reading and these books are listed on the accelerated reading program.

I bought this for my 9 year old 4th grader and he absolutely loves it. He can relate to a lot of things that Hank is going through, and although Hank's tactics seem silly, he always seems to arrive at a sensible solution.

This series of books offers a great peek into the stuggles of childhood that so many of us can identify with! Henry Winkler's description of life for Hank is very real and his travails and solutions are funny and sweet. My thanks to the authors for giving us these books to give to our kids!

I was a seasoned HTML programmer a few years ago. Since then, I fell out of the craft and needed a book to start from the beginning so I wouldn't miss anything. This was that book. Examples, references, and meaningful information pertaining to the language. Recommended to anyone looking for a place to start on their own webspace.

Honestly, I just got the book today. But guess what, I've been glued to my desk for 5 hours by now... First of all, if you know what it feels like to have ALL of your questions answered regarding the webpage you're working on then you know how I feel right now. This book is every bit competent as it was written to be - an html "reference." I am no newbie in html but still, I like how the book organize and explain the syntax and methodology of this language. My favorite section of the book was on style sheets, not only did I learn quite a few new tricks (or maybe they were simply not listed in my other reference) but I also found the cross-browser reference very useful. This is a fantastic reference that's full of examples and thoughtful materials. Just so you know, my other reference is the well-know "html 4 for the world wide web" by Elizabeth Castro. I must say it is well deserved the praise and hypes because nothing I've seen can topper this champ for for it's purpose -- it'll get you started in no time. But trust me, after you start programming in html for a while, you'll need a more in-depth reference. well, look no further, this is IT. At first I was hesitated to buy this book because there's no review on it......now I'm just a happy reader.

This is the only book for HTML 4.01 needed. Written and arranged so that information is easily found and understood. An excellent, comprehensive resource for both novice and experienced alike as it touches on everything one would need to know, forms-tables-style sheets-deprecated's, etc.

IN HOT PURSUIT, Terry Oliver, 3rd Age World Publishing, 2007, Vancouver
A Review by Janet Hudgins

Before you break the spine of Pursuit you'll see the cover picture that tells you where you are going: off to adventure whatever life offers, wherever it takes you and no looking back. It takes a little courage and imagination for a sixty-something with a family, and don't we all wish? But I digress.

Barney's his name, life is his game and he wants it all. Before he puts down in Vancouver, Canada, he encounters Trish, his seatmate on the plane and a problem drinker. His apartment is a sublet in Vancouver's prime West End that comes with a plethora of bohemians, a dog and a art collection, and while taking care of all of his characters thus far, Barney adds the soup kitchens of the drug infested East Side to his already substantial day care. Then Trish becomes his night charge. And there is still the family in England. Barney's wife and his children each come into the plot but they all must come together when Hunter goes missing.

Terry Oliver's talent is in engaging the reader. He keeps the plot moving and makes the highest and best use of dialogue. If you are over sixty or over your teens, In Hot Pursuit will resonate and you will need to carry it with you until the last chapter.

A very well written story of a couple's later life that illustrates how the "more mature" have moved beyond child rearing and their careers to a new period of their lives.

Terry Oliver's characters are relatively normal people who are determined to use the time of their 60's to explore many of their unsatisfied interests.

Well developed characters become involved in interesting and believable adventures.

Highly recommended.

Barney Roper is an empty-nester whose children have left home and whose marriage is struggling. He decides to make a clean break for it, leave the United Kingdom and come home to Canada. Within the first week of his adventure, Barney realizes that old men should be explorers, as TS Eliot said. So he becomes a Third Age Explorer.

With some sadness and some humor, this novel deals will all the different sorts of issues that arise in this post-60 stage of life, and there are plenty of unexpected twists along the way.

This book is chock full of good dialog, and it's evident it was written by someone with a fine ear. All the way through this book, I couldn't help thinking that it would make a good movie script.

I understand the author has a sequel in the works, and am looking forward to it!

I loved this book! It is one of my all time favorite books...
This book is about the spiritual warfare that goes on around us everyday & how we invite or bind our angels!

Combined the fictional flavor of Frank Peretti and C.S. Lewis. I love the Peretti set of Piercing the Darkness and This Present Darkness, but this was much better.

This book reached deep into my soul and seached out a the Demons hidden there. The emotional and constant struggle of good vs. evil was right before my eyes. It makes you realize the spiritual warfare that is amoung us. This book is a facinating expeirience of self discovery through one man's struggle.

Oliver Statler's Japanese Pilgrimage is a delight. Retracing the steps of generations of past pilgrims, he brings their stories to life and evokes a gentle reflective mood for the reader. As well, modern Japan is brought into focus through his appreciation of the links between tradition, Buddhism and Shinto and contemporary culture. A really delightful read, and a good "travellers tale" that will be enjoyed by those who have or are planning to visit Japan.

This book tells the story of an American man who makes a famous pilgrimage around the island of Shikoku with his Japanese friend.
Having lived/studied in Zentsuji Shikoku for a year, (the home of Kobo Daishi the monk who created the pilgrims trail) I can vouch for the books authenticity.

It is a tale about the 88 temples along the way, the political intrigues, secret love affairs between villgers and pilgrims and the stories of despair and pain. Oliver weaves a beautiful web between the past history which he quotes and the present conditions of the modern pilgrims and village people he meets along the way. It is not only a book about Japanese culture accurately and sensitively crafted but the spiritual journey of the author also and his struggle with his inner darkness. Its a great read.

Each temple along the way has a personality and a shadow and the pilgrim connects the stories of the past with his present journey as he interviews the local people and describes their various characteristics. The journey traverses various provinces from Kagawa to Kochi where the various people display unique attitudes towards the pilgrims varying between open hostility to hospitality.

It is a good book to realize the complexity of Japanese culture and to appreciate the beauty of this amazing island of sea, temples and mountains. Oliver is truly an amazing oriental observer with the spirit of zen in each page. He writes honestly, openly and without pretention.

They just don't make books like this anymore! This is a wonderfully rambling, lyrical, impressionistic portrait of the Shikoku Pilgrimage, anecdotal and episodic and yet gradually unfolding according to an underlying narrative plan. It's accessible and simply written and yet well-researched, informative, and highly evocative of Japanese religiosity as it functions in real life. At times it's intensely personal, based as it is on the author's own pilgrimage experiences (mainly a complete walking circuit of the eighty-eight temples accomplished with a friend in 1971), and yet at other times it's intriguingly biographical concerning monks and pilgrims prominent in the pilgrimage's long history. The author's fervent enthusiasm and deep esteem for this religious phenomenon and its underlying spirituality overflows on every page, and yet he's quite realistic and straightforward about some of the shadier and unsavory aspects of the pilgrimage. Finally, the icing on the cake, the book is profusely illustrated with fine woodcuts and paintings both premodern and modern, once again proving the principle that a picture's worth a thousand words.

The book is divided into three sections, and with each section the reader gets closer and closer to lived religion in Japan. In the first part Statler concentrates on outlining the historical personage of Kukai (later known honorifically as Kobo Daishi), the 8th/9th-century monk and founder of the Shingon school of Buddhism in Japan upon whom the pilgrimage is focused. In the second part Statler attempts to portray how layers and layers of legend and belief enlarged and eventually apotheosized Kobo Daishi and of how faith in him as a divine savior was spread among the populace by wandering, itinerant holy men (many pious if unlearned, some inevitably charlatans). Finally, in the third section the pilgrimage itself comes into sharper focus, including discussions with current pilgrims and priests along with accounts of many past pilgrims such as the Kabuki actor Ichikawa Danzo VIII, the feminist writer Takamure Itsue, the Chicago anthropologist Frederick Starr, and the haiku poet Masaoka Shiki, to name only a few. And of course all three sections are permeated with legends, folk stories, anecdotes, and miracle tales that are fantastic or even bizarre--and that capture the mood and feel of the pilgrimage perfectly in all its ambiguity.

Just a word of warning, though, this is not a guidebook. Statler does not describe every single one of the eighty-eight temples*, and for those temples he does describe he skips around a lot and backtracks now and then with no attempt at going along in their order on the pilgrimage route. And there is absolutely no concrete information on travel and accommodations or the like, so don't count on this book for such purposes. Instead, allow this book to get you into the spirit of the pilgrimage, whether you really intend on actually performing it or not, in fact. Indeed, you don't need to know a thing about Japan to follow and enjoy this fine account, and yet those who've studied Japan for years will doubtlessly find much to learn and enjoy as well. And if you happen to have fond memories of life in rural Japan, then believe me, this book will definitely take you back there in spirit.

*(In the back there is an appendix with each temple listed by name and number along with the principal deity and sect affiliation of each, though this is more in the nature of an FYI than a guide per se).

We've loved ALL of the Katie Morag stories, and (more importantly) so have our children. They are smart and socially aware and beautifully written and illustrated.

Hedderwick is a master story teller with wonderful illustrations which delight children & adults. Katie Morag's home is so comfortably chaotic and the parents and grandmothers are characters. In this tale, there is an increased understanding between the "fancy-ways" Grannie mainland and her strong, competent counterpoint, Grannie Island. And the Scottish is wonderful!

I love the Katie Morag series of children's books. Little ginger haired Katie Morag is split between the traditional ways of Granny Island and the modern Granny Mainland. Granny Island works with her hands and isn't afraid to get dirty. Granny Mainland wears nice clothes and bothers about her appearance. Katie Morag loves them both, but they don't appreciate each other.

How to solve this? Why, with sheep of course. How perfectly Scottish.

This book was recommended by my Dutch mother-in-law who loved the story as a young girl. It is a wondeful tale of animal and human, and teaches that we truely need each other to survivie. I enjoyed this more than any other man/wolf stories Ivé ever read.

I read this book as a child and have never forgotten it. Wrapped up snugly in my warm bed in England, having imaginary adventures in far off Canada. I also remember a further book called Son of Kazan. I have searched many times over the years to find either of these books, I am now 56 years old , and I am grateful to Amazon for making them accessable to me, I was beginning to think I would would never find them. I highly recommend Kazan to any child for an exciting and stimulating read.

An exciting and deeply moving story, Kazan is a must-read for anyone who loves and appreciates animals and nature. They story is told mainly through the eyes of Kazan, a dog who is one-quarter wolf, and this point of view truly enhances the sense of adventure. I felt an instant kinship with the author even though the story was originally written in 1914.

The Last Prophet's Book puts a whole new twist on a story thousands of years in the making. When war between Hamartia and Plenarius breaks out, the strain on Plenarius is too much. They fight armed with a prophecy, which is about to unfold on a lesser, meaningless planet, called Earth.

The Last Prophet's Book is one of the most intriguing books I have read. This book is so jam-packed with biblical names and hints that you can't help being caught up in the words of Calvin Oliver Wilson.

While it may begin slowly, the book has exploding action! The first couple of chapters set the scene for the rest of the book. The action doesn't end before the last chapter.

The book is sci-fi and yet tries to hold to certain components of Christianity. There are quite a few aspects of the sci-fi following in the book. Ships, planets, and futuristic technology all find their place, even within a Biblical worldview.

Wilson mixed different languages into the book, making hidden meanings in many of the names. For example, Hamartia, the name of the evil planet means sin from Greek. Or the name of Zaragiah's adoptive parent, "An" is from the Chinese for peace.

Wilson crafts a space saga where the universe is not devoid of God but created and centralized around Him. While much of the story borders on a Star Wars type novel, the protagonists in this book use the power of God instead of the "the force'. Fortunately, it pulls this off without being too cheesy or preachy.

Jim is the last living prophet on our world, who works out a very meager living on a ramshackle farm. His prophetic visions tell a story of two other inhabited planets created by God and their inevitable encounter with our planet.

The blending of science fiction and religion makes for an entertaining story. The development of the main character hero Wesley, who overcomes immense obstacles and plot points, keeps the pages turning.

Although I enjoyed the compelling story of the hero, I would have liked to have found more history and information about some of the items and technology used (but thats just me, I'm a geek).

If you enjoy fantasy or science fiction stories such as Lord of the Rings or Star Wars this book will have you racing to the end.