Guides Books

This is the third book in a series which you will either love or hate. It is also one of those multi-book series which must if at all possible be read in the right order, which is

1) The Game of Kings
2) Queen's Play
3) The Disorderly Knights
4) Pawn in Frankincense
5) The Ringed Castle
6) Checkmate

The disordely knoights of the title are the knights of St John of Malta. This book also features a battle of wits and intrigue betweem the central character, Francis Crawford of Lymond, and his great enemy Gabriel.

There are two reasons why this series, and indeed the author's similar "Niccolo" series, should be read in chronological order. The first is that the plots are incredibly complicated and if you read them out of sequence you have no chance of understanding what is going on. The second is that many of the characters meet their deaths in ways which are exceptionally unpleasant both for themselves and for the characters who survive them. If you read one of the later books first, advance knowledge of how characters are going to die, and the effect it will have on surviving characters can have an impact on the pleasure you would otherwise have had in reading about them for the first time.

Like the books, the central character, Francis Crawford of Lymond, is brilliant, violent, and extremely complicated. Unlike the books he is very flawed. Lymond is a mercenary with particular interests in Scotland and France, and gets involved in nefarious deeds all over the world as 16th century Europeans knew it. Dunnett brings the splendour, cultural ferment, and violent cruelty of the Renaissance world splendidly to life.

If you are at all squeamish, or do not like having to make your brain work overtime to follow a book, leave this series alone. Lymond's story is neither "chewing gum for the brain" nor a comfortable read. And even if you prefer flawed heroes to knights in shining armour, Lymond may infuriate you from time to time. But if you can put up with these features, these books will richly reward the effort you make in reading them.

There is no middle ground: you will either hate the Lymond series or recognise these books as one of the greatest works of historical fiction ever written. Or very possibly both !

If you are considering this third in the Lymond series, it is fairly similar to the first two. I came to the series having very much enjoyed Dunnett's House of Niccolo series. Having read the first three Lymond books, I do not think they are as good. Mostly, we are constantly being told how brilliant, deep, and charming the protagonist is. Niccolo is supposed to be very talented as well, but Dunnett demonstrates that through the plot, rather than force it down our throats as she does here. It makes it much harder to like or admire Lymond as a character.

There are some other irritating quirks in the writing. In the first of the series, for example, we hear way too many times about the Crawfords' "cornflower" eyes. I wanted to put needles in them by the end. In this book, characters are always saying things "grimly."

Unfortunately, the story-telling is pretty good, so I have to mutter under my breath as I read. Without spoiling the plot, by this point you know to look for the villain, who is pretty obvious. On the other hand, I thought there were more clever bits to the summing up than in the first two books, some of which I had certainly missed. But if you have fantasies about horrible deaths for the hordes of competent, sensible women, the high-strung protege du jour, etc., I sympathize.

The Lymond Chronicles (I've read the first three, have not read any other Dorothy Dunnett - yet) are not for everyone. I have both volumes of the Dorothy Dunnett Companion by Elspeth Morrison, and refer to them often to look up the many allusions to historical events and figures, to music and literature, many of which are unfamiliar to any but the most learned reader. That said, they are incredibly rich and never bog down. As with any operatic work (and these stories are!), one must suspend disbelief (no human being, especially one as young as Francis Crawford, could be so accomplished in so many areas). Reading these books is a roller-coaster ride through great swashbuckling, dark intrigue, hilarity and sometimes tenderness. I am amazed that Dunnett never leaves something dangling, no matter how unimportant it seemed when first mentioned -- except, of course, that The Disorderly Knights ends with two important characters tied to the tracks. I have to go out and buy the next book in the series this afternoon.

I envy you if you are just about to read this book because there are 6 in this series and I have read them all! By this book I felt that I knew Francis Crawford (the hero) intimately. I worship him for being the kind of person we all secretly want to be: incredibly smart, strong mentally and physically, kind (although not apparently so), poetic, musical...basically your Renaissance ideal, yet with enough flaws in him to make him endearingly human. In this third book of the series he meets someone who is seemingly his equal, which brings out his character even more. I can't categorize this book as an "adventure" or "historical" novel because it is all that and much more. Read it carefully (although the urge to flip the pages to find out what's next is strong, it's a real page-turner) and you will be as hooked on Dorothy Dunnett as I am.

Francis Crawford of Lymond is sent by the French King to the Island of Malta where the Knights Hospitallers are threatened by an invasion from the Turks. While there Francis is caught up in the politics of the Knights, in particular one Graham Malett who the reader will discover is not at all what he and his convent raised sister are what they appear to be on the surface. As Dunnett slowly peels back the layers of her story, the reader is taken from Malta to embattled Tripoli and then back again to Scotland as Francis intrigues to discover Graham's hidden agendas. To say much more would give away the whole plot, but be prepared for some memorable moments that will stick with you for long after the book is finished. The scene with the sheep (LOL), the nail biting suspense in Tripoli as they try to defuse the flame before Tripoli is blown to bits and of course the final climax during the sword fight between Lymond and his greatest enemy.

Throughout, Francis Crawford is a fascinating hero, and is as suave, debonair, flawed and fascinating as only a 16th Century version of James Bond could be. This is a complicated tale, and one that a reader has to pay close attention to, if you let your mind wander you may have to back track occasionally as I did. Dunnett is also very subtle (sometimes too much so!) and you do have to wait until the very end when all is revealed during a heart stopping sword fight in an Edinburgh cathedral, and a big surprise for Francis that will have you scrambling for the next book in the series, Pawn in Frankincense: Fourth in the Legendary Lymond Chronicles. Five stars.

Excellent book to help those who have liver disease or family and friends of those with liver disease. The books answers questions
that arise when your personal doctor may not be available. Or that
you may forget to ask during your office visit!

This book is very insightful. It explains a lot about what is going on with several different liver diseases. It answered some questions that general physicians were unaware of about rare diseases.

i bought this book for my mother who has cirrohsis and recently had a ct scan show up with what appears to be a tumor on her liver. There are no heptologists in our area and the dr's around here don't even seem to care. this book gave my mother some concrete advice how to eat and how to
live. Since going on a super reduced salt free diet, my mother is feeling 100% better. She has lost 30 pounds and has really been encouraged. i am extremely grateful this book was written.. Overall it was written in easily understandable terminology.

Since being diagnosed with Hepatitis C, I've read Dr. Palmer's book, & continue to review it as questions come up. It is irreplaceable as a resource book.

I have read several books on liver disease but none of them are as good as this one. I have read the first edition a few years ago and it was very helpful since I have Hepatitis B and cirrhosis. It helped me a lot in understanding the treatment such as liver biopsy, interferon and Lamivudine. It probably helped me in staying alive and healthy since I followed her advice on diet, exercise and taking drugs and supplements. I learned that some herbs, supplements and drugs such as iron, vitamin A and aspirin that I took previouslly could be harmful. I also restricted my salt content and fat in my food. The second edition is even better since it is even more update on the supplements and drugs. The information on Glucosamine is particularly welcome since it helped a lot in my osteoarthritis. I highly recommend this book to anyone with Hepatitis.

good book, recommended by my professor as an extra. Glad I got it

I bought this book after it was suggested by one of professors in my M.A. in Counseling Psychology program. It is very helpful for the begining clinician in making a diagnosis and it also provides examples of clients with the particular disorders in order to demonstrate a clear picture of what the presenting features are like.

With its interesting clinical vignettes, this book makes the information in the DSM IV palatable. The DSM IV is a huge book loaded with information and facts. THIS book helps to make the diagnoses real and personal. I enjoyed reading it not just to study for my Licensed Mental Health Counselor test but also as an interesting guidebook to mental health disorders.

I found this book much more useful than any other providing disorder classification system.

I use this text as a support text for a class I teach on Sex crimes and Paraphilias.. It works well in determiong background on offenders.

I would definitely recommend this booklet for any one who practices or intends to practice ems. Its very detailed and great illustrations and not to big to carry in your pocket.

This is a great reference book for anyone in the ALS field, Easy to read and understand. Lots of helpful info. Would recommend to anyone!!!

This product is excellent for providing a quick reference to different medications. I love that I can turn to the medicine page and find out why the patient is taking that medicine. There are to many available medications to easily remember.

The pediatric reference section - for typical HR, kg and such for a certain age, is also wonderful.

Great reference book to have at 3 a.m. when you're brain may not be functioning at optimum capacity.

I've been using the EMS field guide since I graduated as a Paramedic in 1990...

Important and useful data is presented in a clear and concise format.

The guide is constantly updated to reflect the latest AHA guidelines.

Well designed, rugged and small enough to fit in a shirt pocket - who could ask for more ?

P.S. I live and work in Israel - I am not affiliated in any way with the guys who publish the EMS field guide...

THIS IS A MUST HAVE FOR ANYONE INVOLVED IN EMS OR ALS EMERGENCY CARE!! BUY IT! YOU'LL NEED IT!!

I would definitely recommend this booklet for any one who practices or intends to practice ems. Its very detailed and great illustrations and not to big to carry in your pocket.

This is a great reference book for anyone in the ALS field, Easy to read and understand. Lots of helpful info. Would recommend to anyone!!!

This product is excellent for providing a quick reference to different medications. I love that I can turn to the medicine page and find out why the patient is taking that medicine. There are to many available medications to easily remember.

The pediatric reference section - for typical HR, kg and such for a certain age, is also wonderful.

Great reference book to have at 3 a.m. when you're brain may not be functioning at optimum capacity.

I've been using the EMS field guide since I graduated as a Paramedic in 1990...

Important and useful data is presented in a clear and concise format.

The guide is constantly updated to reflect the latest AHA guidelines.

Well designed, rugged and small enough to fit in a shirt pocket - who could ask for more ?

P.S. I live and work in Israel - I am not affiliated in any way with the guys who publish the EMS field guide...

THIS IS A MUST HAVE FOR ANYONE INVOLVED IN EMS OR ALS EMERGENCY CARE!! BUY IT! YOU'LL NEED IT!!

I feel so thankful to have ownership of any material concerning herbs so my first inclination is to give "The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and Its Applications" a 5-star rating (just out of gratitude for the information's accessibility). At the same time, the manual should have been written much more tightly. It also desperately needs to be better organized.

Don't let the bulky size of this manual fool you. While so very many different herbs are listed - way too many of them do not adequately satisfy the claims of the title (as many herbs listed are not at all psychoactive -- but are much more appropriate for making a relaxing cup of tea).

Regarding the manual's organization: Instead of arranging the writing, after the header of each individual herb, the content merely jumps around from one willy-nilly topic to another and back again. There is no obvious order to make finding information easy {Example, tips on "growing" or "herb use" is spread sporadically throughout the pages instead of categorized under "gardening" or "uses"}. Also - the directions for dosage, when given, are not always clear or concise, if given at all. I also longed for better/more detailed photographs while reading this manual - so I used the Internet as an image subsidy-type resource.

Positives? I loved it when Ratsch included Shamanic uses (listing what tribe used the herb being studied and what was the plant's history, etc.). There are many other good things about this book -- but if you're on a budget, I'd spend my money on something that more specifically targets your interests -- as this seemed like a more generalized herb manual, over all.

Cristian Raetsch is a very famous author with great academic merit. He has written numerous books on psychoactive plants alone or with other writers. In this encyclopedia he creates and extensive and exhaustive review of all the phants with psychoactive properties that are kow today. The book is divided in sections including all plant kingdoms, including the fungi and some animal secretions (eg the toad bufo). Each chapter includes all the academic details that you will find in any botanical book, like where the plant growss, under what conditions etc, but also an extensive review of cultural or ritualistic usage. Usually, you will get much more than you would expect, for example a sample of discography for hemp usage, advertisements on psychactives used in he past, folk lore and myths around plants and their use in their most common natural setting etc. The book also includes uptodate information on not know plants and potions with psychoactive actions like kykeon, some and haoma, including detailed accounts of all the know theories and the authours authorative opinion.

The book is very easy to read and is full of great illustrations of very high quality. It is also full of colored information boxes.

Whether you have one book from this literature or thousands, you have to have this book!

This is THE reference work on Psychoactive Plants. Christian Raetsch gives all of the necessary information needed to work in this area and leaves it to the reader to decide for themselves.

I am a Certified Master Herbalist always seeking information in my field. To earn my degree and satisfy my personal quest for knowledge I've read over 100 books concerning the modern and historical use of herbs. This book is pure gold, not only for its pharmaceutical information, but for the historical and spiritual knowledge/wisdom it imparts. This is a book for any herbalist seeking to understand the history of their craft. READ THIS BOOK!!!!

This encyclopedia contains much of what one would be looking for in researching the topic of psychoactive plants and their cultural relevance. The reader is provided with a wealth of biochemical, botanical, and ethnological information. The presentation, featuring large, beautiful color photos, and well-constructed diagrams, makes this book an especially attractive resource to own.

Whether your are an entrepreneur, VC or lawyer, THIS is the book that you must read. It's really everything that you need to navigate the entire startup ecosystem. I've been in the industry for over a decade and I still use it as a reference and encourage both entrepreneurs and lawyers to read alike. I also think it's a great resource for VCs sitting on boards to make sure they are complying with all the latest and greatest regulations.

Includes all important areas of law for the entrepreneur. Was most helpful for our incorporation. Good, short, to-the-point, comparisons of S-corp, C-corp, LLC, partnership, and sole proprietorship. Still covered all issues and is updated to late 2007. This is important because the tax-code changes frequently (last major update was in 2003), and small changes to corporate structure and court pratices happen every year. Better than "Structuring Venture Capital, Private Equity, and Entrepreneurial Transactions." Better than "Starting Your Own Business" by Stephen C. Harper. Better than searching for piecemeal information on websites like news.YCombinator.

Other important areas covered are Contracts & Lease, Operational Liability, and Intellectual Property. I will be using this book heavily for those areas as well.

A book that every entrepreneur should read. Read it before you start the company, it will help you a lot.

This book goes into great detail about all aspects of Business Law. Anyone who currently owns a business or is thinking about opening a business needs to read this book, or at least have it near by as a reference guide.

However, the book is certainly aimed at Corporate USA and those who are looking to start up a BIG business. If you are looking to open or currently own a Small Business, then there are better books on the market that are tailored more to your needs.

This book deserves to be on the shelf of every entrepreneur. The Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Law will take you on a virtual tour of the start-up process, and beyond, from the legal perspective. As experienced entrepreneurs understand, any business is a web of relationships, many of which are detailed in legal documents. This is the case for the relationship (establishment) of the entity with the state, relationships between co-founders, relationships between employees and the company, relationship between the company and its investors, suppliers, customers, etc. The legal foundation for all of these is clearly explained, and this book includes a wealth of practical information that will help any entrepreneur to work more efficiently and effectively with their legal counsel.

Steven K. Gold
Author, Entrepreneur's Notebook: Practical Advice for Starting a New Business Venture

This book is a great overview for someone just beginning to think about starting a business venture, but it seemed to be more focused towards the needs of a large venture, rather than a small business. It covered a lot that I thought would not be applicable to the type of business I want to start -- a small town retail shop where I plan to run the business myself and will not hire executives or get funding from investors (other than probably a local bank or the SBA). Perhaps this just shows my ignorance of what owning a small business is about, though!

I also have to express my disagreement with his comments regarding attorneys. (Disclosure: I am currently an associate at a big law firm.) It sounds like he happened to get some bad attorneys. For what it's worth, my thoughts, based on my own observations of attorneys at large and small firms (my own firms and opposing firms), are this: (1) I don't think his experiences reflect the services provided by all large law firms -- I think the quality of services you get depends on whether you hire a good INDIVIDUAL attorney, not law firm, (2) you are much more likely to have someone "learn on your dime" at a small firm than a large one simply because attorneys at large firms do a lot more business and specialize in certain areas and therefore become more experienced with matters that arise in those areas, (3) most small firm attorneys will NOT be as great as the ones he found, and (4) most partners are so distracted by bringing in business and a million other things that associates are much more likely to focus on your deal, keep things moving quickly, and actually pay attention to the details. I think the ideal arrangement for a small business owner is to find a good associate who has a good partner to ask for guidance on big issues when needed. I just don't think it's fair to generalize that all big firm attorneys are terrible and negligent with small clients, or that associates are all clueless and learning on your dime. (I can provide proof in the form of reviews from my large and small business clients!) That all being said, there are some fantastic attorneys at small shops and if you find one, you will pay much less for their services. My best advice on finding a good attorney (whether at a large firm or a small firm) is to get referrals from other business owners.

The Entrepreneur's Notebook by Gold offer an enthusing reading for anyone interested in knowing the fundementals of starting a new business venture with the least amount of mistakes. This is why I liked this book:
1. Uses real life examples from the author's own experience to explain entrepreneurship and the mistakes not to make when starting a new business.
2. Uses very simple analogies (I love the chapter on cash flow).
3. Very easy to follow and explains the different entrepreneurial personalities in great detail.

I did not like this book for the following reasons:
1. This book is not universal and most of the chapters apply to entrepreneurship in the US only. Although the first chapters are applicable to any entrepreneur, the ending chapters are rigid and US specific.

Final Verdict: Still a valuable buy but more applicable to US entrepreneurs rather than Entrepreneurship in general.

Steven gives great illustrations to drive home his insightful advice for entrepreneurs. As he's "been there, done that," we can take his advice to heart in the hopes of becoming a success like him!

Great book for getting ready to open a new business. Would refer to anyone thinking about opening a business.

Gold goes far beyond the typical "here's the difference between a C Corporation and an LLC" to explain not only the nuts-and-bolts of finding business partners, forming a company, marketing your products/services, and writing a business plan, but also--and perhaps even more importantly--how to *think about* being an entrepreneur and how to make the critical decisions that can make or break any new venture in its early stages. And he does this not only from the point of view of someone who has studied and taught business (although he does fit the bill on both of these fronts), but as someone who has successfully started and run several businesses.

For example, he not only points out the need to put together a team, but explains how to recognize your own strengths and weaknesses and how to identify complementary team members who are most likely to work together as a cohesive unit. He not only explains the importance of finding the right corporate lawyer for your company, he also provides concrete--and nonintuitive--advice for how to avoid picking the *wrong* one. He doesn't merely repeat the mantras of "find your niche" and "focus on your core competency," he explains how to translate your "big idea" into a finely-honed business plan based on analysis of both your company's strengths and weaknesses and the market in which it will operate.

I highly recommend this book to anyone thinking about starting a business who wants to avoid common pitfalls and start off on the right foot with the "entrepreneur's mindset" and plenty of concrete strategies for success.

If you are cautious on your personal finance and don't want to just listen to your financial advisor, the book might be good for you. It covers a lot of topics of personal finance. The second part is especially good. It talks about the financial issue at life time changes such as marriage, becoming parents, divorce, etc. Very solid information on tax issues. A lot of tips on tax saving.

This is a great book. It is full of helpful information on the financial planning process. I highly recommend it!

Thanks!!! Books are fantastic and came as described. Great transaction!!!!

When I started teaching financial planning to US Air Force officers planning on reentering the general economy it was a little known subject and you had to scout up your material from pamphlets, magazines and newspapers with help from stockbrokers.
"Ernst & Young's Personal Financial Planning Guide" published by John Wiley & Sons, which is the same publishing house that publishes the JK Lasser's tax manual puts the information all in one volume.
Of intense interest to us is the chapter on starting your own business, which as authors we are doing in our senior years. The material is geared to the younger generation who are just starting out, but the advice is sound and easy to understand without an extensive background in accounting and economics.
Financial planning is rough at this period in our history, because of the skyrocketing prices of necessary goods and services not used in the consumer price index, hence they are excluded from inflation percentage calculations. Gasoline, medicines and health care are three I can name, off hand, that affect the general population, but fall outside the index. This phenomena is not addressed in the planning guide, but then Congress has not touched it since the Johnson adminstration either. It is not something that winning the lottery will answer for an individual, but it is like trying to hold a large balloon half-full of water in one-hand and keep it round.
"Personal Financial Planning Guide' is the best we have found for a realistic look at all aspects of financial planning. The table of contents and index are outstanding for locating information.
Nash Black, author of "Taxes, Stumbling Blocks & Pitfalls for Authors 2007."

Absolutely one of the best financial planning reference tools around! If your personally planning to restructure your financial life or hire a professional to do it for you, then this book is a must have. It provides a wealth of information as well as an extensive array of guidelines and tips for every area of your life . I especially like that it brings to light concerns of areas you may not be immediately affected by (aging parents) but should be planning for now. Having hired a professional, this book has proved Indispensable in that we have been able to knowingly select and plan individual or particular methods of approach towards our financial futures and better implement them through a professional planner!!!

This book is well written and easy to read. We are planning on living abroad for 2 years and it was very useful to ready about other families that have also done similar trips. Lots of great practical advice.

This book is a must read if you are planning a sabbatical or being dragged into one. The FAMILY SABBATICAL BOOK is filled with well-researched information about the nitty-gritty details of what to do, but it is also a well-articulated emotional testament about the journey. Perhaps we'll never take a sabbatical, it is my husband's dream, not really mine. But if indeed we go, I will have a much better handle on preparation. And if we don't make it, I have lived vicariously through the hard work preparation and steep learning curve journey documented in this book. Clearly people who take sabbaticals are way cool...and out of their minds.

Perhaps I took too seriously the book's cover and title. Bills itself as "explore the world," "Let ... 15 ... families who lived in Europe, China, and South America show you ..."

But the proper title and the proper cover blurbs ought read: Wanna live in an impoverished third world country? You can! Or, perhaps, "How you and your children can live in impoverished Mexico." There is not one word about China or Europe in the book.

Perhaps a better title might be: "Living in Mexico for a year-and-a-half on $35,000 savings, with tips for having fun with your young children"

Here's what I get from the book: Step 1: don't buy a new car and save like heck for a few years until you've saved $35,000. Step 2: ask your young children's teachers what they should cover during their year living in Mexico (the book is solely about Mexico); Step 3: rent your house while you're gone; Step 4: play with your children and anticipate that they will need your love and support during the first few months in a third world country where they don't know anyone or the language; Step 5: learn the language while you live there, and have fun; but don't expect the telephone to work. There's an oddly unfinished story about how the author's friends pestered phone company authorities to get service restored. We learn only that the person at the phone company who said she would help left town for a two week vacation. Did they eventually get their phone service restored? We never find out. Instead, there's a sentence about how bribing a policeman in a corrupt country 100 pesos can get you out of a parking ticket. Just what one is supposed to do with these anecdotes is unclear.

Since I'd believed the title and the book's cover honest, I was enormously disappointed to find no words about how to live in Europe--where England costs about 4 times the U.S. (after factoring in exchange rates and actual cost of living in much of the country). The rest of Europe is also dear these days with the Euro at near-all-time highs. And, as mentioned, there's not a word on China.

Please re-title and re-blurb this book. Living in a third world/developing country/Mexico is, compared to U.S. living, affordable, and one should nurture and love one's children, but I simply must disagree with the others who have reviewed this book. Proceed with caution.

I'm reading this book and saying, "Why didn't I have this book ten years ago??" It answers so many questions and makes the difficult seem entirely possible. It's well-written and a good read, enlightening about foreign travel in general. I often find this kind of "how-to" book sort of clunky and irritating, but this was a joy to read.

I was so happy to find this book as I was planning a sabbatical from my university to teach overseas in a developing country with my family. The book is amazingly detailed, and provides lots of great lists that I am comparing with my own lists. The discussion about the benefits about taking the kids abroad is fantastic! I really appreciate the details that the author provides, and the story of their family's extended stay in Mexico. While this book is the best one I've found, it very much is geared toward adults who are planning on taking a complete sabbatical - not people working, volunteering, etc. overseas. The book talks about difficulties in meeting locals, boredom, the excessive socializing with ex-pats, etc. I think a lot of that can be resolved by choosing specifically where you go (perhaps not going to a place with a huge ex-pat community) and giving back to the communities you are living in through working or volunteering with local organizations. A sabbatical doesn't simply need to mean a year of rest - but can also mean a year's break from one's routine. This book is an excellent resource and a delightful read, but the options of a sabbatical year can really be thought of much more broadly than it is portrayed.