Formats Books

I am not a linguist or a translator but my impression of this copy of the Quran is that it is more akin to a Christian version of the Living Bible. It does not appear to be a word for word translation but more of a modern day version of what the Quran is trying to express.

It is probably translated in a more agressive form than other efforts of the Quran. That does detract from it in my view because it at least warns Christians, Jews and other interested parties of a more radical understanding of what Islam actually embraces and teaches. I own 3 copies of the Quran but this is my go to copy. Despite what the moderate Muslims might say or believe we need to know what translation the radicals are most likely to get their theolgy from, which is the form of Islam we actually have to deal with.

I would classify it as the worst case scenario Quran. The above reviewer pointed out the difference between this Quran and another version by siting the passage that is translated either as "strike the neck" as opposed to "cut off the head" of infidels. The question is not what does the Quran say or what does it mean, but how do the modern day Muslims understand it, intepret it and apply it.

This version of the Quran more accurately reflects what I see going on in our world today. I highly recommend that you buy this copy regardless of the supposed flaws.

The 1993 edition (English&Arabic): Introduction: "xxx" pages of text; Quran: 930 pages; Glossary: 30 pages; and another 33 pages of commentary regarding: Why Allah sent prophets, Monotheism, Shahada, Polytheism & Disbelief, Shirk, Hypocrisy, the Jews and the Christians (see Quran 3:85), Christianity ("is men without a religion"[p.980]), Jesus (and the falsehood of his crucifixion), and Mary. (xxx&995 pages), hardback in slipcase.

...this is a translation you need to invest in. This is the version that is published in and distributed (usually for free) by the government of Saudi Arabia. If you wish to understand the Wahhabi interpretation of Islam, this is the translation.

It is very clear and very succinct and easy to read. It includes many tafsir (explanations from Islamic scholars) and Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad that adds depth to how the various verses have been understood and how they are understood today.

There are several appendices (at least in the version I have) which help explain the concept of jihad and the understanding of Jesus/Christianity from an Islamic point of view.

All in all, this version is very literal and very 'fundamentalist' (not in a militant sense but in the sense that the Quran is taken very literally and very seriously). One can not help but be moved by it.

Again, if you wish to understand Islam better, especially the more 'fundamendalist' (i.e. no nonsense) understanding, this translation is a must have. On an aside, I would balance it out with some other versions (for example, Muhammad Asad and Yusuf Ali) to get a 'feel' for the diversity of how the Quran is understood and presented to non-Arabic speaking people.

It's been five years since I originally wrote this review. While I stand by the original review, I have honed my senses a bit more and realize the deficiencies - and dangers - of this translation. It represents a very common translation that is very common throughout the U.S. Those free Qur'ans you see online? This is most likely the one you'll get.

What prompted the update was a book I just read by Khaled M. Abou Fadl called Conference of the Books and was so moved I had to include his words in this review.

In his chapter called "Corrupting God's Book" he takes this particular translation to task, calling it a "Trojan-horse" of a translation that is found in nearly every Islamic store or center in the U.S., noting that it has "the appearance of a translation" that takes "gross liberties" in translating the text. Not only are the Qur'anic verses spun to the Wahhabi understanding, so too the hadith-reports contained in the footnotes are "grossly corrupted."

Here it is in a nutshell:

"It is clear that the authors of the translation and their supporters do not like women, and that they projected their inadequacies and deformities upon God's text and the whole Islamic intellectual tradition."

Wow.

Still, a vital translation if you wish to understand how the Qur'an is understood according to this particular ideology.

This translation is the absolute worse translation you could buy! Please do NOT buy it. It's more of a salafi tafsir that the Salafi government of Saudi Arabia is trying to pass off as a translation of the Qur'an itself. It may have a nice appearance and may even seem authentic at first because of the ahadith they cite to "support" their interpretation (mind you these ahadith are usually taken out of context). However, I must warn you not to fall for this. All you have to do is compare this horrid translation to any other more reputable translation like Muhammad Asad's or Yusef Ali's and you will begin to see that the Noble Qur'an is nothing more than a Salafi tafsir. It wouldn't be so bad if they just labeled it as a tafsir but they don't. They want you to actually think that the tafsir is the actual translation. That their interpretation is actually what the Qur'an says or means! They take such liberty to give the impression that the Qur'an hates Christians and Jews, thinks of women as filth, thinks that women should only have "one eye" exposed to see and other horrible things.

Get a less controversial and more reputable translation like Muhammad Asad (which is awesome!). Asad actually tries to stays with what the Arabic says and lets you know clearly when he has interjected (which isn't often unlike the Noble Qur'an).

This book makes "Mein Kampf" look like a Zionist manifesto. It is the most repulsive thing I have ever read.

Sean M Burke has written the RTF Pocket Guide, The RTF Cookbook and other technical materials on the Rich Text Format (RTF). These writings are worthwhile, and should be mandatory reading for anyone attempting to program RTF readers or writers.
In my case, I needed to produce neat, printable reports from an Excel application written in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). (It is not commonly known that many Visual Basic features are not supported in VBA, including the ones I required for my output.) After some research, I concluded that adding an RTF writer to my application would produce a quality product with limited additional programming.

Microsoft's RTF Specification version 1.9 is NOT the place to learn RTF. It is very complete, but anything but a text book. Sean M Burke's writings brought me from the stage of RTF novice to an adequate programmer of complicated financial tables in short order. Thank you, Sean.
Robert J Lambird

This book saved me A LOT of time. I had to use PHP to write an RTF document with style definitions to be used in Word and Adobe InDesign. I spent a ton of time searching the web for tutorials or tips, but they were all complicated and incomplete. I also tried going through the source code of MS Word documents trying to figure out how it was written. After a lot of frustration, I found this book. It's short and easy to read and understand. It gives you the basics on how to construct an RTF file with code that is clean, easy to read, and easy to debug. It was just what I needed. I can't beleive there isn't any tutorial like this available on the web. I did still have to look at the MS Word code to fix a couple of things, and I also used an online reference to figure out some of the more obscure codes, but overall this book was very helpful. I recommend it.

I would have to agree with the reviewers that stated that this book is more of an introduction to RTF than a reference guide. While certain parts of the book such as part on Tables were helpful, there were some glaring deficiencies.
For example, regarding Sections the author states: "Sections are not discussed elsewhere in this book, because they only come up in certain formatting features that are beyond the scope of this condensed guide. The only notable exceptions are page header settings and newspaper columns." (pgs. 54, 55)
I believe this is a miopic view of Sections. Sections are used anywhere you need to create a physical or logical break in the documentation. Headers, footers, and newspaper columns are only a few of the potential uses for Sections. We are currently using continuous Sections to hide/show selected text blocks to customize our documentation based upon user selections. In fact, I bought this book specifically to learn more about Sections, but have since returned to digesting the RTF 1.5 spec. on the subject.

There was more introductory and expository material in the book than I would have expected for a pocket guide weighing in it only a scant 150 pages. In addition, the reference I would have expected, which would allow me to navigate an RTF exported from Word, I did not find.

I recommend this to anyone who has some experience working with RTF and who wants to try to actually understand it. For those looking for an RTF decoder ring, you won't find it here.

RTF Pocket Guide is an extremely useful guide to RTF and makes for much better and faster reading than Microsoft's RTF specs. As the book itself points out, it is an introductory guide and does not discuss parsing RTF documents as well as it does creating them. It gave me the information I needed to create programs to write database data out as RTF and certainly does a great job of explaining syntax and constructs.

As mentioned in other reviews, however, the editing for the July 2003 first edition is simply awful. A number of obvious errors exist in the initial sections. The overall content is so good that these errors are all the more glaring: How could an editor read the text and not catch them? If you treat these errors as opportunities to test your own growing knowledge of RTF syntax, they are actually kind of fun to find... but not what you would expect in a reference text. I have not found any obtuse errors; most are obvious as soon as you read them.

Overall: well worth the money, but also an imperfect tool at best.

Nice bookmarks - I am going to include in friends birthday cards.

I love Tiffany lamps and these are quite beautiful.

Despite the low price, I was disappointed that it was such cheap bookmarks that you have to tear off along the perforated edge. The perforated side is not smooth and looks unattractive. The paper quality is also not very thick and really cheap. I could use a piece of paper instead of a bookmark, if I didn't care about the feel, quality, and appearance. I will never buy another bookmark from this company, or any other company who care so little about the quality of their product.

I love stained glass and so does the girl I gave this little book of bookmarks to. They are glossy with beautiful bright colors and are all prints of historic pieces by Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Good item to buy if you need the extra amount for free shipping.
Some of the bookmarks are really very pretty.

They're pretty, plastic would have been nicer, as the other reviewer stated "they do the job"
And yes, I did use them as "fillers" to avoid shipping charges. hehehe

If you ever wondered about cameras professionals use, this book will demystify medium and large format photography. For anyone who is serious about photography, you must know all the equipment options out there. This book introduces reader to a subject largely unknown to amatuers. There is a wealth of information in the book and it is very well organized. This book will make you think about very important part of camera; the recording medium.

Authors cover different films, formats and cameras in very easy to read order. They make compelling argument for moving up to medium or large format even if you are not a professional photographer. I was delighted to know that moving up need not mean any more expense than using regular 35 mm equipment. This book is full of insights authors have accumulated over their long professional careers. You will realise why your expensive 35 SLR could not give you professional picture quality no matter how hard you tried.

Some readers may get overwhelmed by the information on a lot of makes and models. However this is very valuable information at one place and as your interest in MF and LF photography grows, you will keep referring back to these details.

What distinguishes large format from other type of cameras is the ability called 'movements'. Movements is what gives large format cameras the ultimate edge. It is not just the large size of negative. It is important to know this to understand LF cameras better.

You will realize that even with the advent of digital cameras, MF and especially LF cameras will retain their edge for a long time to come.

The status of this book is unknown: It's not a technical book, it's not an equipment guide, it's not a photography book neither...
Reading it is just having a conversation with the authors you met in a street cafe. They talk to you for 2 hours, they show you your equipment and say "you have to move beyond 35mm for better pictures" and they leave. But you're not convinced...
Why?
The most important reason is: The pictures in this book are awful. Maybe 2 or 3 are aesthetically OK, but the rest is just mediocre. When you see them, you say "If I'll have photos like these, why to buy medium or large format equipment?". It seems like the authors like travelling from time to time, and when you see the pictures they made aronud the world, you say "well they spent their money for nothing", the photos are so uninteresting.
The second reason: Technically, the book is near to level zero. Even the camera movements, which are the main advantage of large format, are not really explained.
All you can find in this book is a couple of tips and tricks, if you already know someting about the topic.

Why I wrote this review?
BECAUSE I WANTED TO CONVINCE YOU THAT YOU MUST MAKE MEDIUM OR LARGE FORMAT PHOTOGRAPHY. Believe me, it worths. When you print your first pictures from a 2 x 3 negative, you understand why. When the camera movements allow you to play with depth of field, sharpness etc, you understand how much you were limited with 35mm or digital. GO TO MEDIUM OR LARGE FORMAT, YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED. THE 2ND HAND EQUIPMENT PRICES ARE SO LOW NOW THAT YOU CAN OFFER YOURSELF SUPER CAMERAS! GO, AND TRY!

But not with this book... No.

This book contains a good overview of the various medium & large format cameras currently available on the market. It is however, a little dated in that it does not contain some of the newer 645 autofocus models. This book is highly recommended for those who are considering the purchase of medium or large format equipment,as it describes the strengths and weaknesses of popular rollfilm formats & brands.

For anyone contemplating moving into either Medium or Large Format Photography, this is a book well worth buying. I have a couple of other books by the duo of Hicks and Schultz, and have not been quite as enamored. With this book, they have hit a home run. Not only is there a great deal of practical information, the photographs and illustrations are all well done and printed with a semblance of quality. It has always amazed me that many books on Photography, are put out into the market with such poor quality paper and printing, that it belies the effort.

This is unquestionably the most worthless collection of pages I have ever read. It consists of very brief factoids strung together with meaningless chatter.

Do not buy this book if you want to learn anything about how to make large or medium format photographs.

if you are serious about learning how to write sitcoms, the Evan Smith book "Writing Television Sitcoms" is much better. Smith's book gives better more detailed advice, plus it is more current.

This book gathers the basic information on sitcom writing an a refreshingly straightforward manner. Because of the focus on successful network shows, the examples are necessarily lame. This book focuses on the structural requirements of teleplays as well as applicable business constraints.

This will not teach one how to be funny. No book can. But, as the book states: jokes are easy. Story is hard. This book will help you craft a better sitcom story in a professional manner.

If you think that is funny.....then you'll love this book.

This book is sorporific. It's humour-free and is as dessicated as the gobi dessert. Wolff and Ferrante are to comedy writing what Ronald Reagan is to rememberance. This tired and insipid book is the broker of an unalloyed satanism. It purports to transform sketchy scrips into something monolithically funny. But their techniques are utterly without value and character. My mother, bless her, has more depth and writing ability than these two charlatans, and she has never picked up a pen or read a book.

Boy, did I love this book... Mr. Wolff engagingly shares his experience as a veteran of the sit-com world with his audience of hopefuls, and makes it not only understandable but enjoyable. I was especially motivated by his step-by-step exercises designed to free the muse. And even though he was very direct about the chances of an unknown actually selling a show, he made me feel I can -- and will-- succeed. If he's this good on paper, I can only imagine how inspiring he would be in a classroom!

... too much of the book was dedicated to general photographic concepts (exposure, filtration, etc.) rather than specifically large format photography. As I've been shooting 35mm & MF stuff for years, I'm already acquainted with Photography 101 and was looking for a comprehensive reference specifically for LF photography.

If you're an experienced photographer looking for a book specifically for LF, consider passing on this one. If you're just getting into photography in general and LF photography in particular, this book would be outstanding!

Very good book in Kodak quality. I found a lot of interesting information for me. Recommend

This is a classic work and a great refernce manual for anybody who is serious about learning the view camera. It may not be as comprehensive as some books, but it is all the more accessible for it and it covers all the basic techniques.

Highly recommended.

Information on large format photography is not easily available. Good books are hard to find. I bought this book for the Kodak brand name associated with it. I am pretty disappointed.

The book gives you a rough idea about movements. Then it veers off to some very technical issues, in much more details than most photographers ever care to know. I am still looking for a book that will tell me the about various models available in the market, practial tips, various lenses I'd need for architecture and product shots, about using 6x9 or 6x12 backs with a 4x5 camera and so on.

Also, not a single colour photograph. Not good.

This is not a good atlas at all. Maps are small and you can't find many of the cities, let alone small towns in europe, at least in southeastern europe. Waste of money.

The only thing that keeps me from giving this five stars is the availability of completely up-to-date route planners on the internet. For research, however, it's great - lots of detail and helpful facts. I use it to plan a trip and then print out route maps for specific legs of the trip from Michelin's website - it's become increasingly difficult to get lost (something I used to do with great regularity).

Latest of a seies of like purchases. We do Europe almost annually and routinely take the latest atlas with us.

The maps are great, but it is hard to figure out which country you are looking at. I was hoping that each country would be covered on a double facing page. Was surprised when I got it because it was like one huge map cut into over 100 pages.

This is a very handy atlas for Europe and you can turn the pages very easily thanks to the spiral. The maps are clear and easy to understand but therefore there is no attention for very tiny towns or other details. This atlas covers Europe, but I think the maps of Eastern Europe are very bad because of the very large scales. This is not the right book for driving in Eastern European countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, Russia and former Yugoslavia due to the bad maps of these countries. Use this book for general directions only, but when you are going to visit a country, more detailed maps are necessary.

If you're planning to drive in Europe this Atlas is all you'll need. It is very well organized. The maps are large, clear, and easy to see. You won't go wrong with this one!

I just crossed Europe from Scotland to Greece using the 1996 edition. I thought the big scale would be helpful. Road numbers are difficult to find or missing completely. Maps are full of symbols which are not explained in the legend. It's cluttered and messy. Almost any other map has got to be better than this!
It cost me much time and many U-turns!

If you are driving on any roads which may need more information, or an otherwise main highway that may go through a city, I highly recommend you buy a city/province map as you approach an area. This atlas does not take into consideration the cross streets, forks, ETC. that you might confront, leading you into areas you had no intention of seeing.

I think the CD-ROM would be great to have, but I can't find it anywhere! Noel Rowe's _Pictorial Guide to the Primates_ is much much better.

As a primatologist, I suggest that this book would make an excellent addition to community college libraries. It gives specific information regarding diet, location (including a map), social groupings, and current status as well as a clear image of the primate. I use it to supplement texts, as it covers a variety of species not usually discussed.

This was a great reference book, but not a favorite of mine. I bought this version for a primates class yet it only helped minimally. The suggested class texts by Collinge and Napier proved to be by far the most effective tools in our research,the actual cd-rom version was very nice b/c it was in color and photographs could be viewed easier. The resale value was poor also!

This is a very informative book, easy to read and understand. It should be required to all first year Anthropology and Science students.

I really enjoy Belleruth Naparstek's work. I own and treasure many of her recordings. However, whoever decided the price point for this cd should be ashamed!

The package states that it's nearly an hour of affirmations, but it's like only 26 minutes long and they are basically the same affirmations found on some of her other cds. So for the same price of this, instead buy her Combat Depression or General Wellness cds because you get identical affirmations, but also a terrific guided imagery experience too.

I wouldn't have written this negative review if the price was adjusted to reflect the amount of content. I think $9.99 would be a more accurate price for what you get. Unfortunately, I got burned on this purchase, but I do hope that other shoppers get to experience her overall spectacular catalogue of self-help products.

On the cover of this CD, it indicates it is approximately 52 minutes. It is actually only one track, of about 26.5 minutes. It is an excellent affirmations recording - but if you have any other Belleruth Naparstek recordings, you likely already have this; it (or an almost identical recording) is used as "Side B" for many of her cassettes. I am a huge Belleruth Naparsted fan, but this should be more clearly indicated for the [$$$]CD price. However, if you don't have any of her other work, and understand that it's just under 1/2 hour (which is good for quick listening), this recording is wonderful and helpful.

These affirmations are part of my new regime of relaxation and de-stressing. They seem to be making a dent on my confidence and self-esteem, and I like the voice and music. My body feels better. I've taken to falling asleep to them. VERY encouraging!