Programs Books

I ordered this book to serve as a reference for my symfony work. It has been an excellent reference guide to symfony, though it is not meant to be a "Introduction to.." or "Getting Started" book. I highly recommend if you work or have a solid background in symfony and need a handy desktop reference manual.

This book is really the definitive guide. It covers everything you need to know to build a web 2.0 application with symfony. It is written by the people behind symfony, so the book is extremely detailed and has a great format that makes it easy to understand. Well done.

The books contains all the information you can find in the online manual on the website of the symfony project.
If you know this before (and I did), the book has the same quality like the online manual, in my opinion a very good one.

I'm a freelancer that was in search of a framework that would allow me to expeditiously develop applications for my clients, without sacrificing reliability. After researching several PHP-based MVC frameworks, I landed on symnfony due to its comprehensive set of features, strong OOP support, PHP5 utilization, and (very importantly) the great documentation. Yes, this book is available in web format online - but I'm very glad I made the purchase so I could learn the framework as I traveled, and it's much easier to use as a reference (I have it sprawled across my desk as I type this review). If you're looking for a great framework, I'm convinced symfony is it. And if you're looking to learn symfony, and have a resource as you build your skills, this book is what you'll need. The only caviat is, if you have no Object-Oriented programming experience, I would recommend you pick up "Objects, Patterns, & Practice" by Apress before learning symfony.

Well written and understandable for such a large chunk of software. You can be the judge yourself, of course, by reading it online before you buy the hard copy. I'd definitely recommend having the real thing if you're just starting with symfony though.. you can't dogear or bookmark the online version.

In this new supplement, the authors have identified four essential educational components that educators must process when addressing the issues of using technology within the educational setting. These emerging issues of cyber standards include (a) developing a compressive, site-based technology plan that focuses on the improvement of student learning (b) developing policies for cyber security that protects the school from potential liability and student endangerment (c) developing appropriate and factual communication strategies that support positive marketing of the school mission to the public and (d) how teachers can engage the use of technology for improving the teaching and learning process.

Today more than ever, American schools are facing a national dilemma on how to improve education. A new era of transformation is evolving from the traditional Industrial Age school to the school of the Information Age. To accomplish the reform of public education, a new way of thinking about old practices needs to be regenerated to create world class schools. In the book Developing School Programs and Policies, I discovered new ideas, methods, and programs that will help individual schools to regenerate the traditional into the practical. Many time in the history of school reform we have become bogged down by the theoretical and not the practical. This manual is purely practical and provides a step-by-step model for application, something that has not been commonly available in most education resources. The authors have addressed many of the complex issues of public schools by defining policies and programs that are ready to use and applicable to most school settings. The topics range from curriculum improvement, at-risk programs, the expansion of the school day, discipline, safety at school, teacher responsibilities, to the establishment of a vision and goals for school improvement. The book is truly an anthology of pactical ideas that can be used by school board members, superintendents, principals, teachers, and community task forces responsible for regenerating public schools. As a graduate student, I found the book very useful in helping me to understand how schools and school programs are designed.

The first supplement, Observing and Assessing Teacher Performance, is an invaluable tool for principals looking for an evaluation system based on improving instructional performance. The performance data that is collected is both productive and supportive because the process itself involves the teachers in their own instructional improvement. Helping teachers teach better is the ultimate goal of this evauation system.

What a novel idea!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reforming the educational practices within their local schools or to anyone who is a student of educational reform. This book truly weaves together the best practices and standards for school improvement and takes a hard look at policies, practices, and attitudes that are in need of fundamental changes as we stand on the threshold of the 21st Century.

If you are striving for a world-class school, you need this manual.

Sandy

Public schools are now discovering that they cannot prepare students to succeed in tomorrow's world unless they reinvent themselves today. The schools that will thrive in the future are those schools that embrace reform and take control over their own destinies. In many cases throughout the nation, today's schools are not in control of their own destinies because of the loss of local control and the inability to initiate an open agenda for public engagement in the school renewal process. Despite this, policy makers (state agencies and legislators) continue to establish mandates for holding educators accountable for student improvement. Designed in non-collaborative environments, these mandates are based on high-end accountability policies that regulate school reform. However, rarely are these reform mandates based upon the wisdom of school effectiveness research. Additionally, the local school communities are not consulted about how the new regulations will influence the education of their particular school populations. Five years ago, during the course of our crystal ball gazing, we missed several important concepts when developing this manual. We did not recognize that policy development would have such an influence on school reform measures, nor did we fully understand the extent to which effective schools research could have on the impact of policy development. To support communities in building stronger schools and regaining ownership, this manual provides a guide for supporting effective school practices through polices and programs based upon effective school research.

The authors are very detailed and descriptive with the information needed to administer the daily task of leading an effective and successful school. It is a definite hands on resource that you will want to keep handy and review and use daily. The authors are very knowledgeable and have studied all angles of organizational procedures and implemented suggestions for different sites that may be modified to adjust to your situation. It is a book that a new principal would find quite useful in setting up a building that would run successfully from day one and effectively limit major crisis from ill thought out planning. The chapter on safety is, in this time of major concern, a vital guide to helping protect a school from later regrets of irresponsible behavior to the safety and concern of all within its confinds. I as an administrator of an elementary school found it very useful and highly recommend it to others as a very useful guide and resource to keep on hand when reviewing or changing procedures within your building.

The days for public school security have arrived, and we, as educators, must take every precaution to protect the health, security, and wellbeing of every member who enters the school's environment. In the new supplement to be released in December of 1999, authors Michael King and Linda Harrison give you a comprehensive look at school security and crisis management. The new supplement entitled Programs and Policies for Developing A Safe, Secure, and Healthy Environment will provide expert advice on how to plan and develop a school crisis prevention plan.

The new supplement is divided into three major Chapters. Chapter 8-1, "School Building Security," provides administrators with an overall program for securing their school facilities. Chapter 8-1 concludes with a valuable assessment tool that administrators and security officials can use to evaluate the present level of building security and provides a reference point for future security planning.

Chapter 8-2, "Developing a Crisis Management Plan" provides policies and procedures necessary to prevent and react to school threats, emergencies, and evacuations. The Chapter is divided into two parts: those crisis situations that require evacuation and those crisis situations that require taking shelter.

Chapter 8-3, "School Health Services," provides policies and procedures for dealing with a variety of health issues. Its major purpose is to help school staff members recognize and react appropriately to those medical situations that occur within the school setting. It includes policies and procedures for reacting to student injuries, handling contagious and chronic illnesses, recognizing social and psychological issues, and administering medications.

All three Chapters of this new supplement are important parts of a comprehensive crisis management plan in any school.

This book is a great resource for when you're looking for that specific line of code. Its terrible to read from front to back, but its an excellent way to find exactly what you're looking for. Its so much code, it'll make your eyes bleed.

Director 8.5 is a monster application with huge range of functionality. Nyquist's "Bible" uses CD-ROM-based tutorials to carry you through the concepts with relative ease. The tutorials are part of one continuous complex project, taking the reader from the basics through media management, interactivity, project management and some pretty sophisticated Lingo programming. It is also organized to allow easy reference for specific issues. Having recently completed an 'Emedia & Design' programme I would have to say that Nyquist's book is probably the most valuable text in my library.

There is no better book with which to get involved in Director. I've read nearly all of them; nothing else comes CLOSE! Get IT! ENJOY IT! LOVE IT!

Este libro es realmente extraordinario para aprender a usar director, pues se ve desde el uso basico de cada herramienta aplicando los ejemplos que incluye el cd-rom.

Recomiendo este libro a quien nunca haya usado director antes, y para aquellos que habiendo usado, solo han aprendido por su cuenta sin referencias técnicas.

A well written book of the "Bible" series! Great examples and delivered in an understandable "lingo." This book is a must have for all Director developers regardless of your level or experience. There is a ton of useful information for everyone.

Great read. Great information. Great tool's. Have I written that this book is great yet?

Several years ago I read, what was for me, a life-changing book titled You Can Be Happy No Matter What by Richard Carlson. Since then, I have read this book countless times, referred to it often, given it as a gift, and recommended it to friends, family and clients.

Joseph Bailey's book, FEARPROOF Your Life has much in common with Carlson's earlier work, a fact that is not surprising considering the men were friends and colleagues. Bailey dedicates the book to Carlson's memory. Carlson's premise suggests that if the thoughts you're thinking aren't making you happy, you can choose to think other thoughts. In a similar way, Bailey maintains that although we live in a world where fear rules the media--every skirmish becomes a battle, every rain shower a flood, and every illness a plague, we can choose another way--we can choose peace. And, like happiness, peace is found within.

The idea that we can find inner peace is as old as scripture itself, unfortunately, most of us assume those scriptural passages refer to spiritual peace only, not necessarily personal peace and certainly not world peace. Living, as we do, in a world where we are never more than a newscast away from global catastrophic events--this is an important message for all of us.

FEARPROOF Your Life is a great book, it's easy to read, well written, and filled with examples from the author's own life. And for me, Bailey's willingness to share stories from his own experience gives more credibility to his insights and observations. He offers simple concrete ways for us to go about changing our perceptions and approach to life. Presented in a low-key, unpretentious way, the book itself acts as a testament to the author's own premise.

This book rings with the voice of truth and has something to offer, not only its readers, but the world. Thank you, Joseph Bailey for this contribution to peace in our multi-tasking, cell phone ringing, over-scheduled lives.

Armchair Interviews says: Everyone needs to know how to have less fear and more peace.

I bought this book because I love to read psychology books. Plus, I guess there are certain dragons in my closet that need to be exterminated that I alone know where they lurk. This book is some sort of "how to" ways of dealing with these fire seething monsters. It's very effective because 1) it is believable 2) it can easily sink in even if consciously you reject the idea, it cannot be rejected because your mind tells you, the pages are telling the truth. As for the rest of self-help books, it will remain a book unless you do something on what it says. Everything depends on you. But would it be not better to be "helped" by instructions especially if you persist, IF THEY DO WORK?

It's a few page book, easily read, and you can notice your head nodding on the words that you agree. But as I've said, agreeing is a whole different world with doing. So pick it up, stop nodding your head, and start applying through actions what it says.

To sum it all up, fear can be your true friend, reminding you of cautions to avoid and things to go for. In this perspective, fear looses it's power to frighten you but becomes a consoling friend that guides you. A shift of mind, a change of heart, and there in lies the magic to these pages.

I met Joe Bailey in 1997 when he gave a workshop at Discover U in Seattle, based on a book he had recently co-authored with the now late Richard Carlson, called Slowing Down to the Speed of Life: How to Create a More Peaceful, Simpler Life from the Inside Out. The concepts presented in the book and workshop (that we all have innate mental health, and we can choose our attitudes) made a major positive impact on my life at the time, but after the passage of ten years and due to some recent unexpected and unwanted changes in my life, I found myself desperately in need of something like a Joe Bailey booster shot. I was delighted to discover his brand-new book Fearproof Your Life: How to Thrive in a World Addicted to Fear, which has put me back on the right track again.

Bailey believes that fear is the basis of all addictions, and that the world is suffering from an epidemic of fear, which is why addictions are so rampant. Even the fear itself is an addiction. He also believes that there is a Universal Intelligence, and that each of us has a "true Self," which is "one with the Universal Intelligence," making us divine in nature. What we need to be able to do is to access that true Self, in order to turn our fearful and negative thoughts into a state of peace, calm, hope, and happiness.

Bailey shows that our thoughts are not real in and of themselves, that we are the creators of our thoughts, and therefore the creators of our feelings, experiences, and reality; most importantly, we can choose our reactions. Fear and worry are the ego spinning its wheels over thoughts (the familiar "busy mind"), instead of dismissing them and trusting to the innate wisdom and mental health that our true Selves possess. When we let the ego take over, it brings with it judgment, analyzing, striving, expecting, guilt, stress, and fear. We can reclaim our true Selves by listening to our intuitions, trusting in ourselves, reflecting quietly, and choosing peace of mind, our natural state of being. Bailey also emphasizes that neither the past nor the future are real, that only the present is real, and that the present is what we need to live in, rather than regretting the past or worrying about the future.

This is an incredibly simple but powerful approach, something of a cross between psychology, spirituality, and quantum physics. It's hard to explain, but it can transform your life if you follow it. Bailey's explanation is easily understandable and practical, taking the reader step-by-step through the theory to the practical aspects. But it is also inspiring, as evidenced in the summation he makes at the end of the book, "Ultimately, we are all here on Earth to discover and express the essence of our Being. Through fear and our addiction to it, we lose our awareness of our true Selves and become prisoners of our ego-based thought systems. Now is the time for all of us to become free of the fear that has kept us from joy, from creativity, from peace, from the courage to be honest. It is time to do the inspired thing, which is to live our life's purpose." Joe Bailey can show you how.

We live in a world addicted to fear. Turn on the news or open a newspaper, what do you see? Be afraid, the world is a scary place. The terrorists are plotting to destroy our way of life. Global warming is coming. Your retirement savings may not be safe. Your child might take drugs.

How do you feel after hearing these things? Does your heart begin to race? Do you start to get anxious? What kinds of horrible scenarios do you imagine?

earproof Your Life recognizes that for the majority of us, fear is a real concern. It directs our thoughts and drives our actions. However, the most destructive part of fear is that we tend to think of worrying as a positive and even loving activity, showing that we are responsible and caring individuals. The thought never even enters our mind that our fearful scenarios are not helping the situation or allowing us to find useful solutions to our problems. They are simply clouding the real issue (if their even is one), keeping us ever fearful. Get the book, you won't regret it.

Dr. Grayson's book is an excellent explanation and plan on dealing with OCD. He puts his explanations into such insightful terms I would wonder if he somehow knows what I'm thinking!

I've read practically all the self-help OCD books out there and this one is the creme de la creme. It is the only one that truly resonates with me and has helped me to change. I continue to use it in therapy. So many therapists have not been trained to treat OCD properly so this is essential reading for therapists (before they do go ahead and get trained properly ;-)

This is best one for OCD. It has explained the orgin and nature of OCD...The answer lies in the question - - THis is what OCD is about.The author discusses several cognitive techniques but also warns not to use some cognitive techniques. He selectively picks up best ones to fit OCD problem.
Also discusses Responsibilty ocd, pure 'O' ocd problem. Lot of techniques tailored for specific forms of OCD.
I recommend using this along with

[...] - Dr.phillipson

A very close friend of mine is an OCD sufferer and she was actually treated by one of the professionals at Dr. Grayson's practice. Working with her therapist, along with the proper medication monitored by a psychiatrist, were a tremendous help to her. She is now more able to cope with her symptoms. I've read up on OCD, and have found this book to be an excellent resource for sufferers and loved ones of sufferers. Also check out "Tormenting Thoughts and Secret Rituals" by Ian Osborn.

This wonderful book has the ability to help anyone suffering from anxiety/OCD. Dr. Grayson does a tremendous job in making the case that OCD can be overcome, and he gives great, practical ideas on how to get your life back and be happy. I hope you choose this book because I believe it is so helpful - you won't regret it.

Steven Schindler writes with a rare combination of compassion and street savvy, and in "From here to reality" seems to combine all the elements of great literature. Comedy, drama, suspense, romance, sex, & violence are intertwined in a realistic story set in a realistic time frame. Schindler keeps our interest through the twists and turns of LA and NYC, and the emotional ups and down of his diverse characters. His vivid and accurate descriptions of people, places and things keeps you " in the moment" as the story unfolds. I found it to be quite readable, very interesting and extremely creative with a surprise ending that effectively ties it all together and keeps you wanting for more. I highly recommend it

As a writer, I was truly impressed with how well Steven Schindler was able to vividly immerse the reader into a specific era of Hollywood, and into specific situations; of which he *must* have been privy. A good book, by a great writer. I highly recommend it.

What a great book! I would highly recommend it. The story is quick, witty, and fun with characters you want to get to know. Schindler takes you on a ride through Los Angeles, New York and most importantly through his characters hearts. It is a perfect read for a Sunday afternoon.

You can't help but keep on reading as the novel increases the intensity in mystery. You got to know whats gonna happen next!!And the ending, well, I don't want to spoil it. The main characters come to life; you want to get to know them, you want to know their secrets. Mr. Schindler has that ability to put you in the scene as you keep reading. Sort of like a when you dream and you see everything going on about. Another great reading experience from the author of SEWER BALLS, a novel about growing up in NY in the 60's. Both books I highly recommend... I'm waiting for the movie!!!!!!!

As I did with Steven Schindler's first two novels, Sewer Balls, and From the Block, I thoroughly enjoyed reading his latest, From Here to Reality. It's one of those books that you just don't want to end. Being born and bred in the Bronx, I can certainly vouch for the authenticity of the New York neighborhoods and experiences that Schindler describes, and the picture he paints of life in LA evokes a plethora of genuine emotions. I look forward to Schindler's next book.

An outstanding companion piece to the great(if not THE greatest) dramatic series ever made. Ed Robertson really did his homework in researching for this book. Jam packed with info and anecdotes from the crew and many fine stars who guested on the show. Dozens of photos both stills from the episodes and candid shots taken on the set. Detailed synopsises of each episode(without spoilers) Even a special list of every name used by Richard Kimble, jobs he held, and places where each story took place. Highly recommended.

Ed Robertson's book is definitely the best. I also own "The Fugitive - A complete Episode Guide" by John Cooper and "My Fugitive" by David Janssen's former wife Ellie Janssen which is worth a read!
Another amazon.com reader mentioned the Twilight Zone Companion. But where is the Peyton Place Companion? I'm missing a book on the TV series "Peyton Place" for several decades and wonder why there is still no book out there.

"The Fugitive Recaptured" was published in 1993, thirty years after the TV series, "The Fugitive", premiered on network television in 1963.

This volume, by Ed Robertson, is just about all a "Fuge" fan could want in order to find out everything you'd need (or want) to know about this excellent TV drama, which was on the air for 4 complete seasons (120 episodes from 1963 to 1967).

The book features an "Introduction" by horror author Stephen King, plus a "Foreword" by Fugitive co-star Barry Morse, who portrayed police Lieutenant "Philip Gerard", star David Janssen's chief rival and nemesis during the course of the series. A chapter detailing the origins and conception of the series is also, of course, included here. Interesting stuff too.

Within these 208 pages, each and every episode of "The Fugitive" is dissected and examined in detail -- including cast lists, writing and directing credits, episode numbers, original air dates, episode descriptions, and verbatim "Prologue" and "Epilogue" text (the exact words spoken by series' narrator William Conrad at the beginning and end of each episode).

Many fun "Fuge Facts" are also revealed for many of the 120 episodes. These "Facts" are bits of little-known trivia that make this volume an even more enjoyable read.

In addition -- This book includes extended chapters on the series' Pilot episode ("Fear In A Desert City") and the two-part final episode ("The Judgment"), which remains to this day one of the highest-rated TV programs in the history of the medium.

There is also an "Appendix" area of the publication, with "Appendix 2" consisting of some very interesting trivial facts and data concerning every Fugitive episode -- including every single "alias" that was used by "Dr. Richard Kimble" during the whole run of the series. This appendix is useful to mega-fans of the series, as it also contains information about the "Location" (City/State) of each episode, as well as Kimble's "Occupation" on each show. Example --- Episode 31 had Kimble pretending to be "Frank Borden"; Occupation: "Dishwasher"; Location: "Harrisburg, Pennsylvania".

Many top-notch black-and-white photos are also scattered throughout this paperback publication, mainly publicity stills.

"The Fugitive" (1963-1967) is one of the best TV dramas ever put on the boob-tube. The long-running cat-and-mouse game between Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen) and the police officer who let him get away, Philip Gerard (Barry Morse), provided some of the finest tension-filled moments ever aired on television.

"The Fugitive Recaptured" does, indeed, "recapture" the magic that surrounded this first-class piece of television entertainment.

Very Highly Recommended.

Certain television shows were so enormously popular during their original runs that they have been reincarnated more than once. THE FUGITIVE is one such drama. When Dr. Kimble began to run in 1963 in a three partnered minuet with Lt. Gerard and Fred Johnson, the American viewing public was so enamored of the chase that they refused to accept the judgment of THE JUDGMENT (the series finale) that the running had indeed stopped. Ed Robertson in his THE FUGITIVE RECAPTURED analyzes just what it was that made millions of Americans tune in every Tuesday night to watch Kimble run from one man only to pursue another. Robertson captures the essense of the spirit not just of the show but also of the social subtext of the show. In his Fuge Facts and plot synopses, Robertson well delineates the motivation of a doctor who, in his forced travels, became a collective Keroukian ON THE ROAD, with every watching viewer able to tap into the flip side of the American Dream, that out there in every dusty small town and bustling big city lay adventures that we could not aspire to but Kimble could. Roberston reviews every episode, judges its intrinsic worth, provides the needed Kimble trivia of both character and actor, and adds a handy list of names that Kimble used over a four year run. This list resembles a phone directory of a small town that Kimble must have passed through more than once. Reading THE FUGITIVE RECAPTURED made me think of the follow up success of the filmed version with Harrison Ford and the less succeessful small screen run of Tim Daly. It is not likely that the latter two will ever be considered worthy contenders for a pantheon of running heroes, but Robertson's literary paean to David Janssen serves as a perpetual reminder that for a spirit of a character or of an age to be recaptured, then that spirit must have been worthwhile in the first place. Robertson's book will not let Kimble ever run far enough or fast enough to escape our notice.

I can certainly add my kudos to Ed Robertson for his labor of love in this book commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the famous television program. This work brings to life the entire four years that the series ran on network television, and gives the reader the feeling that he was actually "on location" with the cast and crew as they produced this first-rate series. Each episode is fully documented with full credits for the director and all principal actors in the series. The episode synopsis give the reader a feeling of being on the run with the Fugitive. The opening and closing narration for each episode certainly sets the tone for each nights program.

If you are a fan of this great television series, then this book is certainly for you. I highly recommend it.

This is the sequel to the authors' Engineering Mathematics. It follows the same programmed instruction approach which is so effective in their earlier book. Students who like this approach and the earlier book should also own this book. It delves into more engineering mathematics topics like Laplace Transforms, 2nd-Order Differential Equations and Complex Numbers. All in all, a good book to study engineering mathematics.

The text is designed to meet the specific needs of engineering students who needs adanced math to complete their degree.The text is written for self-study and is completely self-contained.I think that the Advanced Engineering Mathematics text definitely has all of the math you could expect to use in electrical engineering.The nicest part of the text is the fact that the authors use bite-sized chunks of information.You will not get fancy derivations or cute stories at the beginning of the chapter.If you want all types of physical insight or mathematical modeling,this is not your book. If you are like most engineers and need to make it past this material,then the "cookbook" like feel of the text is exactly what you need.

This book is the sequel to Stroud's excellent "Engineering Mathematics", which focused on the undergraduate engineer and the math that he/she should know by graduation. This book continues on with crystal-clear discussions of numerical methods, linear algebra including the singular value decomposition and its uses, linear programming methods, multiple integration, and partial differential equations, to name a few of the topics covered. Just because the mathematics is more advanced in this book does not mean that it is any less clear than its less advanced predecessor. Stroud continues his tradition of holding your hand and leading you through every question you might have about working various types of math problems. I particularly liked his coverage of partial differential equations and numerical linear algebra topics. That is because it is hard to find advanced math books on these topics that are not written by pure mathematicians. Thus most of those books have a tendency to go overboard on proofs and not focus on the practical matters engineers must know in order to solve problems. The only negative thing I can say about the book is that it references Stroud's other book on engineering math, "Engineering Mathematics", during some of the explanations, possibly putting you at a disadvantage if you don't have it handy. I highly recommend this book as a reference every engineer should own.
NOTE: For some strange reason this review of "Advanced Engineering Mathematics" is appearing under that book and also "Vector Analysis" by the same authors. This is NOT a review of "Vector Analysis", just to clear up any confusion!

The programmed instruction approach is used very effectively by Stroud to make sure the student fully understands exactly what is being taught.

Brilliant!

I'll begin with the one problem I've found in this book (the only reason it doesn't get five stars): in the working of some of the example problems, the author leaves out numerous steps, does some odd algebraic manipulation, and some of the example answers are flat-out wrong (there are a couple in the section on Fourier Transforms). Now to all the great aspects...this book covers an extremely wide array of topics, assuming only an elementary knowledge of calculus and differential equations, addressing (in detail) many techniques frequently utilized by engineers with almost no rigor (great if you're an engineering student wanting to learn applied mathematics, not so good for pure mathematics students). The topics include numerical methods for solving algebraic equations, the Laplace Transform, the Z-Transform, Fourier Series and the Fourier Transform, power series solutions of ODE's, numerical methods for ODE's and PDE's, partial differentiation, analytic solution of PDE's, integral functions, matrix algebra, multiple integration, vector calculus, complex analysis, and linear optimization. The author's pedagogical approach is perfectly-suited to self-instruction, and I have been able to work through the book and most of its problems (for which all answers are provided) relatively quickly. My only problem with the content of the book (other than the aforementioned occassional errors) is in the coverage of multiple integration, where a large amount of work is devoted to line and surface integrals of scalar fields (including determining whether the line integral of a differential in x, y, and z is conservative without any discussion of curl). I just personally think this is the wrong approach for line and surface integrals, which are easiest to understand (IMHO) in the context of vector fields and vector calculus. Overall, I feel this is an excellent book for engineering students, and could even serve as a good starting point for mathematics students as an intro to the methods of harmonic analysis, PDE's, and complex analysis, before jumping into the theory of these fields. I whole-heartedly recommend this book.

I love Matsumoto's work. Maetel is one of my all-time favorite characters, as is her friend (and in the movie "Maetel Legend", her sister) Emeraldas. Harlock is...interesting, but kinda cool. Tetsuro, well...he's okay.

The plots are incredible! They really make you think (and I'm not just talking about the blurbs at the end of each segment!). There are very few manga that can do that.

I reccomend this series to any and every anime/manga fan!

In the distant fututre, ayoung boy named Tetsuro steals a boarding pass to a train called the Three-Nine. After emabarking, he meets a woman named Maetel, who bares a striking resembelance to his deceased mother. A grand journey begins that will take Tetsuro to the edge of the universe and back. He will meet many friends and enemies in his journey of wonder.

Despite the artwork which will turn off fans of superhero-style comic books, Galaxy Express has a style unto its own that needs to be appreciated by a more mature reader. The story is excellent, the social commentary is superb, my only problem is the SLOW release schedule. This book easily ranks equally alongside the other great (translated) mangas of our times, including Nausicaa, Lone Wolf and Cub, Dominion, and Adolf... Buy this book!

Here's a summery of the 18 volumes, NO spoilers^_~

"You think Tetsuro Hoshino has seen the last of the Gallaxy Express? Starting where the 2 part movie left off, Maetel sets Tetsuro back on the path to Manhood (NOTE, he is VERY young) & the trail of goals, making new friends & discovering the ones he'd thought gone, learning the harsh lessons of reality in the endless sea of stars. Mysteries come to light, only to be darkened by a new challenge or question or an old memory, & the entire gallaxy asks only of Tetsuro to survive & NEVER to forget.

Leiji Matsumoto, the creator, is second in popularity only to Hayao Miyazaki (Kiki, Totoro, Laputa, Lupin), & has one many awards for his interconnecting series.

This is one the whole family should watch because it's sincere, complex, inovative, provocative, dramatic, & contemplative above everything else. It's a helluva good story/plot that makes you think about the facts of life & its challenges. It has nothing corny or cliche, a literary masterpiece(despite the craappy artwork). It teaches about achieving goals, following hopes & dreams & beliefs, finding ones purpose in life, & keeping promises.

Personally, I wouldn't trade MY collection if you offered me 3 times what the whole set is worth^o^

His writings are like.......Pringles. "Once you pop, you can't stop."

I have liked GE 999 ever since I started readng it in Animerica magazine. So, I got this book, but discovered that this is actually the *sequel* to the *first* adventure of Maetel and Tetsuro. I got this information from the biographies of the characters and the clues in the story. As a result of not havign read the first series, I am a tad bit lost. Can someone tell me WHY they chose to publish the sequel in English before they translated the first series? It doesn't make any sense!

Anyway, the characters are fun and I enjoy their adventures. But the blurb at the end of every chapter is too deep and confusing for me to understand.

I like this, and I will look up the first series--right after I find out who started this translating mess in the first place.

I've been around program long enough to recognize what this really is. If you are in a 12 step group you should give this to your sponsor. It will touch his heart.

It's rare for me to find a book I can't put down. I'm very good at skimming to get the gist of a book but I was only a few pages into Great Wings when I realized I didn't want to miss one word. By the time I was less than half way through I ordered 5 more copies for gifts. Great wings is deeply touching and insightful...a book you will want to share with someone you love. Don't miss this one. It will lift your spirits and touch your heart.

I was enthralled, transformed and left crying. I don't like to write reviews, but this book deserves a lot of attention. Buy two copies and pass them on to friends. It is particulary suited for prayer groups.

I heard the author speak at a convention and then read the book. He was wonderful and the book is delightful. If you are a team player this is a must read.

Insightful life lessons conveyed in an entertaining parable format