Languages Books

Of all the books I received as baby gifts, this book has had the longest lifespan. It was my daughter's favorite book as soon as she was old enough to turn regular pages, and almost a year later, it still is. Unlike shorter board books which become very repetitive, this book still has poems that seem "fresh" to me. Everytime we read it's a different experience, depending how many pages we turn at a time. It can be a short book or a long book, depending on the day. The illustrations are incredibly detailed. Even after what seems like a thousand reads, I'm finding clever twists and recognizing characters from elsewhere in the book. This book is a classic and offers lots of bang for your buck.

The illustrations for the rhymes are all of cats and other animals as stand in for humans and are very cute. As for the rhymes, there are not many of them and some are truncated.

When my kids were small, I went into a "Mother Goose" kick. I bought and checked out from the Library every Mother Goose I could find, we read them all, and THIS was by far our favorite. The selection of poems was varied, with old favorites and new poems I'd never heard from my childhood as well. The illustrations are beautiful and very fun, Rosemary Wells knows just how kids minds work!

This is a very good book, but it's not quite what I'd imagined. Most of the rhymes were not familiar to me. The illustrations are beautiful, though, and it's fun to read. We enjoy it, but if I had seen it before buying, I probably wouldn't have bought it.

This has been one of our kids' very favorite books since they were about 6 months old, edited by the clever Iona Opie and illustrated by the author of the Max and Ruby books. The sing-song rhythms enchanted them as babies, and the entertaining (and adorable) animal-based interpretations of the words have kept the kids coming back to pull this off the shelf. The collection is really well-chosen, with most of the "classic" nursery rhymes here; my only complaint is that the editor seems to opt for only one verse of most rhymes where in some cases I'm pretty sure there's more to it than that. The division into "chapters" makes it a little easier to find a closure point, since they keep wanting to hear/see "just one more!" A great baby gift.

The product is in excellent condition, and exactly what I wanted. Unfortunately, I took 27 days to reach me.

Words Their Way is an excellent source for teachers to use for word study. It gives great insight into how kids learn to spell.

The book is outstanding. The materials in the book is easy to read and follow. I use the activities and word sorts in my classroom each day. I have used the spelling inventory with my class, also.
I do have a problem with the CD that came with the book. I wish the word sorts involving words would be big like the picture sorts are. My students have trouble with the small size of squares.

This is a great resource. It gives many examples of how to impliment the program. One thing I really like about Words Their Way is the fact that is hands on. This will really help my students who are more concrete thinkers.

It's been shown that spelling provides a window to one's reading. This book explains the developmental stages children go through K- adult. The database software on one of the CDs that allows one to analyze the spelling inventories and sort the results is very easy to use. Classroom teachers appreciate the data I have been able to give them on their students. The word games and short videos on the 2nd CD are very helpful. The analytical phonics approach is very kid-friendly right up through high school. This is a very thorough resource that every ELA, SpEd, and Title I teacher should use.

This is a wonderful book! The instructions are easy to follow and all of the games are fun. I liked the fact that the finished games are on the CD so you could see what they are like while you are working on them.

As a special education teacher, I would like to think that I have a keen eye for books that can hold my student's interests while meeting their diverse needs. The Game Maker Apprentice does that and more. The only negative comment I have heard about this book from a student is that it does not cover modern three dimensional game programming. My response, you have to learn how to crawl and walk before you can run.
Game Maker Apprentice achieves its goals masterfully, and I will continue to use it to teach game programming with my students.

I have started using the Game Maker's Apprentice book and it is well written and has easy to follow directions. I am sure I will enjoy creating games with it.

I downloaded Game Maker 7.0 and read its manual prior to purchasing this book.

My hope was that it would fill in the "holes" not explained by the program manual.

First, the good.

The book gives an excellent explanation of program logic and keeps things simple and effective for any experience level.

I also liked the fact that you could read the book and see examples without actually completing the tutorials.

I especially liked the way the book would demonstrate a particular game tutorial with an easy-to-read flow chart.

So if you didn't understand the Game Maker's manual this book IS for you.

Here is where my 3.5 star rating comes in.

I paid about $25 for the book to go beyond the program manual.

The book had a couple of the tutorials that were listed on Yo-Yo games web site. I don't like the idea of paying for something that is provided for free. However, it gave a better explanation of Game Maker's interface.

Although you can make a fully functioning game without programming, I was hoping for more guidance on Game Maker Language (GML), which you will need in fine tuning games created with Game Maker.

I was also hoping for more variety in the tutorials. Not everyone may want to make an action oriented game. For example, I wanted to make a little board game, but that isn't discussed in the book. Hopefully, it will be covered in the next edition or another book.

I still recommend the book, but make sure you are getting it for the right reasons. Review the PDF file and sample text carefully looking at the table of contents and index. You might be able to accomplish your goals by reading Game Maker's manual and looking through the forums.

I own this book and it is excellent as is the software that comes with the book. (Game Maker Lite edition) I would not upgrade to the pro however as I paid for the pro upgrade key and Softwrap, the company in charge will not give me my activation key. Moreover, I have created two tickets with Yoyo Games helpdesk and both have been ignored. Buyer Beware. I have reported this to Paypal.

This books covers pre 93 Korn shell.

However this actually makes learning the shell more simple. At work we have a pre-93 version so the instructions are sure to work.

The author's "93" version of the book is also good, but a bit harder to understand for a beginner.

I am programming with korn shell for 12 yr. already. And I started with this book. It is an excellent book for beginner and even intermediate programmer. It took me about 2 days to go through all book. i still looking inside once in a while. Few times i was loosing this book, bought another one and after short time i dumped it and bought this one again.
Examples and explanation in this book are so usefull, short and easy to understand, that you can't find better book. Your learning efficency really depends on it. Buy it, by all means you will be glad you did it.

This book is *the* way to begin working with the Korn shell. I needed to get up to speed with a shell scripting language in order to do Oracle DBA tasks. I bought this based on the strength of it's Amazon ratings and was completely delighted.

The author has a great style, easy to understand and very clear. I found the procession of topics to be very logical; a nice gradual build up from the simple to the more complex. There is plenty of 'depth' in each chapter and good highlighting of potential problem areas and difficult concepts. These have additional coverage to help steer clear of the hassles and come to a clear understanding of the more challenging ideas.

The examples are well thought out, they present each topic of interest clearly and in a meaningful way, without clutter. I have coded almost every single one and found only a few errors. Within a chapter the examples are presented with increasing complexity, but are never the page after page monsters that leave you lost. It is amazing how well the author illustrates the content with short (20 - 30 line) samples.

When I was puzzled with something I had read here, I turned to two of my friends who 'live' in shell scripting up to their necks. Both have learned useful techniques from this book through my questions.

My copy is literally starting to come apart from constant use for reference. It is that good.

I found this to be an excellent hands-on tutorial in KornShell. Wish there were a book-2 and book-3 with advanced training.

I love the Korn shell. This book is a fine intro to Korn Shell programming. For users who want more than just an intro, you may want to consider "Korn Shell: Essential Programs for Your Survival at Work" by Larry L. Smith. Examples in Randal K. Michael's "Mastering UNIX Shell Scripting" are also helpful.

I'll be brief. My mom told me about this book years and years ago. I finally read it a few years ago.

Style-wise, I thought it was a bit melodramatic and I thought the author was stretching for words for emotional impact. Thus, I deduct a star for that.

What this guy's been through and what he's accomplished? Five stars isn't enough. I'd give him a million if I could on this site.

His journalistic travels to the middle east, especially his ride up the mountain on the back of a donkey, leaving his wheelchair behind - intense and beautiful.

I look up to John Hockenberry. I have a travel site, Wheel Adventure, and I am a paraplegic in a wheelchair. I think about this guy when I travel alone. If he can do it, I can travel solo as well. And I have and continue to do so.

Glad mom suggested this. One of the best reads ever and I was an English major and have read a slew of books.

I bought this book immediately after a close relative was injured in a car accident. It seemed different than the others (Although some of the others have been a great help in other ways). I know NPR and I had seen Hockenberry on NBC. The book was over the top better than I could have hoped. It is unique because it is written with such a clear voice in language that really grips you and takes you for a ride, it is funny--even laugh out loud funny and I'm a cynical person, it is witty, it has a political edge (which is why he and I would have some loud arguments at the dinner table), and it is not sugar-coated so while you are interested and amused you do get an education about what it's like to be a "crip." The best part is that when it was done, and I read it pretty passionately, I knew for a fact that I probably would not like him as a person, but I do respect him. Interesting take on "crips" for a newbie to that world. Thank you so much for this and I do hope that my dear cousin will be up to reading it one day.

John Hockenberry has a declaration to make, and he does it in an incredibly moving and entertaining manner. I highly recommend this book. It is poignant, very funny, and educational--about Middle Eastern geography and politics and about life from the perspective of those in a wheelchair.

From buying it (i think) 2 days early and reading over a very nice summer weekend in june 1995, i knew this book was - just- different. Amazing use of the language, probably the best crip biography to date (and it's well over a decade now. Based my Honors Thesis in College on what Hockenberry wrote in this book, traveled miles and miles to see his off broadway play, speaking dates across the country, and even got to know myself - and him, better as well, he ain't on nbc anymore, but this still stands as probably one of the must reads in disability studies or crip liberation.

I want to keep my review short because, if you have not read this book, reading my review will take up some of the time in which you could be reading the real book. When "Moving Violations" was first published, I heard a review of it on NPR. John Hockenberry is an NPR alum so I expected the book to be almost as good as the review led me to believe. I ordered it from Amazon and devoured it in almost no time. It was actually better than the radio review had led me to expect. A month later, I got a call from Seattle that delivered horrific news. My 21-year-old son had been in a contest with gravity and gravity had won. Although he had just had 18 hours of surgery, there was no way to know if he would ever walk again. Through the years since that time, I have read "Moving Violations" many times. It initially gave me entrance to a new world and was much more helpful to both my son and I than all the rehab publications combined. I knew, from the moment I answered that phone call that both my son and I had crossed into the Twilight Zone and nothing would ever be the same again. The Twilight Zone, however, had at least one map. My son's journey was, and continues to be, unique (as all such journeys are). I did feel, from the very beginning, that we had a preview of some of the directional signposts and even some of the scenic overlooks. I cannot help but think that our family has been living and learning about this new life in a richer way than would never have been possible if we had not read this book. As soon as my son came home from rehab it became clear that he had lost his will to live. I had a captive audience and started reading "M V" aloud. It is well written and mirrors many of the dilemmas in the life of a young male with spinal cord damage. I think it only took two days for my son to get interested enough that he started reading it himself. This book was truly one of the first things that helped him recover his will to live. Living with a catastrophic spinal cord injury is not even at the bottom of the list of interesting travel sites, and while I cannot believe that anyone would take that path voluntarily, "M V" is proof that, along with the horror, there can be adventure and possibilities in life; possibilities that could be so easily missed. So...READ IT! While spinal cord injury may never be a part of your personal life, sooner or later something awful could be. As the Eagles remind us, "The wolf is always at the door." In whatever guise the wolf presents itself, you will have learned something useful about what to do when or if the wolf appears.

This book gives the right approach to programming with J2EE tools. It explains when to use J2EE and when not to.
It's not only useful for J2EE programming but also for non-J2EE enterprise projects as well. I STRONGLY recommend it. I have learnt so much from this book.

I bought this book because I've read very good reviews. I found this book amazing. This books shows you how to make good designs and develop in J2EE, all the chapters with full of comments from Rod's experience. Many of the concepts of this book were later applied in Spring framework. I strongly recommend read this book for advanced Java developers.

Frankly, this book has gotten a little long in the tooth. One might say that, from the products it mentions and evaluates, it is out of date. But never mind!

Rod applies principles that never go out of date - only the examples do - or seem to. A product is stuck with its basic design forever. Thus a critique of the 2002 version of Struts is as valid as a critique of the 2007 version.

Pros: Readable. Insightful. It will make you a better architect.

Cons: Typos (how do chapters get mis-numbered in the ToC?!?) It really should be in a high-quality hard binding (though the binding is quite good for paper).

Summary: 'J2EE Design...' is worth much more than its weight in gold. Buy it. READ IT!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, particularly well-thought out design guidelines for developing J2EE application with or without EJB. The author introduced several best practices particularly the concepts and usage of Spring and Hibernate based j2ee development is quite helpful. In addition to this book, I find patterns and bestpractices from "Core J2EE Patterns /Deepak Alur", "Core Security Patterns /Christopher Steel" and "Enterprise Integration Patterns /Gregor Hohpe" would be helpful - especially if you are building a enterprise-class j2ee applications.
Now the downside, the book needs a complete revision to include changes with J2EE 1.4. The CODE SAMPLES explained in this book does'nt work now - please update.

It is a great book. But I give it only 4 stars is because it is hard to read. English is my 2nd language. I cannot read this book quickly. I even need check dictionary at least 2 times per page. I do not have the same problem when read other tech books.
"What is WebSphere" is another book I like. Also help me to learn system level stuff. It is much easier to read. Though it does not have so many stuff like Johnson's book.
I would like to suggest the auther to consider many tech readers are not very good at English.

Series book. The large, readable print makes this good for children to read.

Summary
Frog and Toad are friends who share life together. I love the "To Do List," which includes "Wake up." Lobel wrote and illustrated more than 70 books. This book received a Newberry Honor Award.

Illustrations
I love the fresh and pleasant green and brown pictures, as did my children.

When Frog and Toad saw a snake, the snake said, "Hi,lunch!" Frog and Toad ran away.
Toad made cookies and Frog said, "They got will power." Toad made a list then when he got to Frog's house, Toad said, "We have to take a walk." They went on a walk. Suddenly, Toad's list blew away.

My daughter's nursery is decked out in Frogs, so the discovery of these books made them books we had to consider. They are fun and the illustrations are grest. At eleven months she is too young to read them herself, but we read them to her - and she enjoys them. The stories are simple with a central theme - do good for others, treat your friends with respect, help your firends when they need help, laugh, and aporach life with adventure. These are great virtues to instill in young minds. If the books were made in cardboard stock, Teah would be even more happy with them - as it is she frequently grabs one of them when it's time for her bedtime story - and great bedtime stories they are. By the time she starts to read she will know the stories by heart, but that's ok - fond memeories of bedtime stories like these should help her build a lifelong interest in reading on her own.

The Frog and Toad books were favorites of my daughters when they were young. I often give them to young friends, and was very happy to share them most recently with my two year old grandson

Learn the value of friendship with one of the most delightful duos in all of children's storytelling! Perfect bedtime stories or beginner's reading books, kids love the animorphed amphibians and funny adventures. Buy one and you'll have to get them all!

J. Lyon Layden
The Other Side of Yore

This Merck home manual is a must have book.. I dont even keep it in the bookcase. i keep it on the table where we can get to it.When ever a test is called for i find itin the book so i know what to expect. when having a few miner aches and pains i have been able to gain information on what is the matter.. This book is jut plain good sense.I plan to get the one for older people. next .since i am a senior citizen i believe it will be even more help to me.. Again you must have this book..hallycatThe Merck Manual of Medical Information: 2nd Home Edition (Merck Manual of Medical Information Home Edition)The Merck Manual of Medical Information: 2nd Home Edition (Merck Manual of Medical Information Home Edition)

This is the best medical book out there unless you are a doctor and even they refer to it!

This book is a great addition to our household. Had the paperback version but now have the updated version for want-to-be doctor wife.

Ray

This book is great for looking up any diagnosis in a patient chart. There has only been 1.. yes ONE that was not in the book.... VERY informative.... gives suggestions as what to do with the diagnosis and what can cause it, etc. I LOVE this book, it quickly became my GO TO book for anything and EVERYTHING!!!

The Merck Manual is a great source of Western medical information. To complement this, I use the Yale doctor's book, AN ELEMENTARY TEXTBOOK OF AYURVEDA by Frank John Ninivaggi, M.D. of Yale University Medical School. Both give practical information about how to stay well and treat medical and psychological problems.

I have taken this book apart and used it in the classroom. I bought it used and didn't receive a CD-ROM with it. My students are able to glean many ideas from it for our school newspaper.

Tim Harrower provides a very practical guide to newspaper design. The art of newspaper design tends to be very subjective, so this book lays down some facts and guidelines to put to rest some of the indecisive elements of design.

For a beginner, this is a book that will give you the confidence and understanding to conquer page layout.

The CD gives the novice an even more practical guide than the book can deliver.

One criticism is that the book is printed on light gloss stock and is spiral bound. I am not sure how it was survive rough treatment.

Brian Hurst

This textbook is awesome. I've never seen a better textbook. It lays everything out, and makes it simple to understand. It tells you what to do and what not to do in simple language and clear pictures. It's one of few textbooks worth keeping for future use in your career (provided you're going into the newspaper industry)!

When I accepted my first "real" job in journalism as a page designer for a local weekly I was struck by a horrifying thought, I really knew nothing about newspaper design. I had done it before for my college paper, sure, but this was the big time. I needed a refresher course and I needed it fast... Tim Harrower and this spiral-bound book came to my rescue.

Although it was first published in 1989, this book will be relevant as long as newspapers exist, even in this age of computer design. Harrower explains and shows why certain designs are good and bad and he approaches it in a situational, problem-solving format. For example, he explains what should be done when you have to design a page with no art, when you have butting headlines, or two horizontal photos etc. Harrower says that most page designers stumble into the job and from this point of view he explains what exactly, a good design is. This book will always be on my desk.

(I wish my publications professor used this instead of the worthless $105 monstrosity he made us buy (and that we never used by the way).)

So, after some mild freaking out followed by a lot of reading, I can start my new job with confidence thanks to this book.

I am an editor these days.
I came on this book quite a few years ago when I was a sub. It was recommended to me by an old hand in the newspaper game.
Without doubt, it is the single best aquisition I have made in terms of newspaper design.
In the places I have worked, I have been regarded extremely highly for my layout skills.
This book, with a little creativity, is the basis of almost everything I do in terms of layout.
If you are serious about the newspaper game, get it, study it and then apply what you learn. It will help our career enormously.

As many reviewers have stressed out, there are many good dictionary that one can benefit from. But the OED is the only one that in addition to its definitions exhaustibly explains etymological information of its words as well as it shows quotations. The latter is the zenith of this dictionary. I can spend hours reading those quotations that may date back from the 12 century up to now. One may not find such a rich citation bank in any other source. So it is a real pleasure to browse through these twenty volumes and finding so much information.

I study several languages and I'm unaware of a dictionary in any language that provides such an abundance of information such as the OED. If I had to choose any book from my library to take with me to a desert island I'd certainly not hesitate in taking the OED.

In addition to its phenomenon lexicographical content it is an extremely well-bound dictionary that stands beautifully in my bookshelf. Luckily, I've purchased from Amazon for a real bargain ($398.00). For this reason, I suggest those interested in purchasing this multi-volume set to constantly keep an eye on its price fluctuation from Amazon, as another reviewer has stressed out.

This is THE dictionary, or more appropriately, this is the most complete ENCYCLOPEDIA of the English language ever created. With over 600,000 words in its twenty volumes and addenda, the Oxford provides not just exhaustive definitions, but pronounciations, a glossary of quotations, a complete etymology, cognates in virtually all languages, and variants, of each word.

Since its birth in Victorian England under the stewardship of James Murray, the Oxford has been considered definitive. Working with a small staff (including J.R.R. Tolkien in his younger days), Murray's original plan was for a three volume reference. Today, hundreds of lexicographers, philologists, and technicians contribute to the Oxford.

The sensual joy of browsing the hardcover edition is still unmatched, though with the rise of the Internet OED and its virtually instantaneous updates, the hardback edition is relegated to the same status as legal Case Reporters---attractive on the shelf, but less practical than online researching. (Legal publishers now often include a set of Case Reporters free with online subscriptions, knowing that clients like to see books on the shelves.)

The OED books (with the addenda) work out to about a $1,000.00 investment. Updates are additional. The Online OED is about $300 a year for individuals. Updates are included. So, in terms of price, the difference between the two seems to be a wash.

If you're a bibliophile, buy the hardback, but if the OED is going to be a working tool, go online. In the best of all possible worlds, buy both.

Acquiring this book is like a long-cherished dream come true! You cannot but marvel at this awe-inspiring compendium of English words.

I am still reading the rather elaborate introductory pages so that I can appreciate this awesome book better and also make the fullest possible use of it.

If you are an ambitious writer, a journalist, a voracious reader or simply a lover of English words, you just cannot do without this book!

The only complaint is that the shipping was delayed a little (though I had opted for the expedited option); it took about 15 days to receive the 20-volume set. (I had also asked for the 3-volume Additions Series which I received in exactly 3 days and in excellent condition too.)

But I must say that Amazon compensated me and also promptly responded to all my queries. Also the books were in such excellent condition. Here in India, even if I purchase new books from the biggest bookshops, I rarely receive books that are in such excellent condition. The books were also packed with meticulous care and still retained the fresh crisp smell of new pages and printing ink! What more can a bibliophile ask for?!

I'd wanted to get my hands on the OED for years, and I'm glad I finally did. This dictionary is all about fun while learning. Following the etymologies of words, checking cross references, and looking up words in sample sentences leads not only to a greater understanding of a particular word, but of the English language itself. As far as I know, the OED is the only dictionary that really does that, and the OED can truly be considered "complete" in that aspect. It looks wonderful on a bookshelf, makes me want to look up things that I normally wouldn't take the time to, and makes me feel satisfied as I build my language skills. Yes, it is expensive, but you really get what you pay for, and a whole lot more.

I just got my set today, so I can't really say anything more about it other than what has been said. Of course this is "the" big one. So if you want the best get this. I have seen other reviews compare getting the two volume set that has 1/3 the words for 1 tenth the price. blah, blah, blah. However it does not have 1/3 the content, just words. I got this set for 382 shipped from amazon brand new. That is right 19 bucks per volume right at 2 pennies per page. AS of right now I am writing this review and the price has already increased back up to 756. Nearly double. I should have bought two and sold one.