Languages Books

The Best series of books to learn Network programming from. The BEST in the world. Nothing comes close.

If you are reading this review you probably are looking for a comprehensive text on socket programming. Look no further. This is the One. You can stop reading reviews trying to find the perfect one and go hit the Add To Shopping Cart button with confidence. Detailed, comprehensive and clear. A favorite.

This book consists of "in the trenches" information Mr. Stevens learned over the years by reading source, testing thoroughly, documenting extensively, and assembling carefully all this data into one heck of a book on Unix programming. I feel certain in declaring that many who've developed code on Unix know instantly of Stevens' works. This update to his book appears just as thorough.

I do agree with a previous reviewer who was unhappy with the code samples' dependency on a header file in the back of the book. It's a clumsy technique, but it's difficult to imagine another way to accomplish the goals of including the header.

This book is excellent. I had previously bought "Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment" by the same author and I loved it so now that I have to do network programming in Linux I got a copy of UNP. The book is well organized and has a lot more information than I expected (Raw sockets, Packet capture, IPv6 etc). Everything is explained clearly and with a lot of examples. It's a shame that the author passed away because I would buy any other book he wrote. Buy this book, it's expensive but It's so professional that is a "must have" for anyone that's going to be programming network applications in UNIX systems.

Thank you, Richard Stevens. Rest in Peace.

The book contains everything that I want to know about the Unix Sockets API. The book is well structured, and the explanations are generally good. I would give it 4½ stars if it was possible.

I do have a few minor gripes though. The text can be a bit dull compared to other books. I bought "Programming with POSIX(R) Threads" by David R. Butenhof at the same time, and this book is much more entertaining while still factual and correct.

I dislike that all the examples in the book uses a special header defined in the Appendix. That makes it impossible to use snippets of code from the examples to make your own applications.

I have not read this book nor am I a teacher, but have a question. Does this book help with other professionals and adults? For example someone who knows science and takes Calculus improves comprehension analytically? Or someone who knows spelling and now uses shapes for math may help in identifying, say, words? So, not to just teach the kids how to read but to help them with their profession (outside of just teaching) or with their everyday activity/living too? Sorta like self empowerment. Thanks! Steve
Sorry for the negative rating. I just want to be indifferent about it and I cannot put zero stars.

This book has a lot of ideas to help teachers of middle school and high school. It contains examples of many strategies for phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.

If you are stuck on a particular student and can't figure out what to do to help them, read this book and find help.

This book is also good for content area teachers who need help with their struggling readers.

I am a fist-year English teacher serving in a low-performing high school (based on states tests scores)in an inner-city public school district. I struggled to teach on-level text to below grade level students. Once I found this book, I felt like I had a master teacher standing next to me as I taught me students how to use strategies to create meaning from text. The title of this book is befitting of its content because when my students lacked comprehension, I had specific strategies to aid their understanding. Direct instruction of these strategies is based in cooperative learning. Hands down, this warmly written book equipped my students with the ability to comprehensively read any text that any teacher gives them.

Main contents of the book covers reading strategies, vocabulary, fluency, phonics, literary discussions, the reading process, philosophy on direct instruction of reading strategies, and cooperative learning.

This book is an excellent resource for teachers in all grade levels. The strategies can be used for elementary students and the book has helpful charts that direct you to the information you need if a student has difficulty with comprehension, vocabulary, word recognition and fluency, or spelling. One of the best resources I have ever used in 27 years of teaching.

This book provides excellent practical advice for teachers and specific strategies to help middle and high school students who struggle with reading. Most teachers will find this book easy to understand and apply to their day work of endeavoring to get kids into literature, regardless of whether or not the students are independent readers.

After graduating from film school, I had no idea how to start my career as a writer in the film industry. "The Writer Got Screwed" not only showed my how to start my career, but showed me the different kind of careers which exist for Writers in the Entertainment Industry. Most books don't explain what WRITERS working in the entertainment industry need to know: THIS BOOK DOES. If you want to work in the legal department of a studio, take classes in copyright and contracts. If you want to work as a writer in the entertainment industry, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.

Very few books explain how to start your career, the different forms of representation (agents, managers, and attorneys), how to protect your work (copyright registration vs. registering with the WGA), how to protect yourself (contracts-what do they mean?) and give lists of available resources (scholarships, WGA approved agencies, production companies, legal resouces/attorneys) for writers working within the entertainment industry--"The Writer Got Screwed" delivers on all of these areas. Whether you are working in film, television, feature animation, soap operas, or interactive, "The Writer Got Screwed" provides interviews with writers who work in these areas and valuable, RARELY FOUND, information regarding how these started their careers. This book is a terrific, must-have book for anyone who wants to write for the entertainment industry, and now is joined by a companion website at [...].

This book is one of those needles in a hay stack. It's not out there like all the other books for writers. But if you find it... you have found gold. It is written so that it is easy to understand and has tons of great information in it. A must have.

There are a lot of books out there on writing for the entertainment industry, but this was the one book that got me started. A lot of writers tend to pass around gossip and poor information, but this book set me straight from the beginning, and is now joined by Wharton's website/blog: brookewharton.com(rated in top 10 for film blogs). This is the one book that anyone writing for film or television should START WITH. I'm mystified by a previous reviewer who said that Wharton doesn't talk about the WGA (there's a whole chapter on the guild), and also that she doesn't discuss acquisitions vs. development (it's called spec sales vs. assignments in the 1st 10 pages of the chapter on writing for film). Clearly this person couldn't have read the book. If you need real answers, buy the book.

Given all the 5 star ratings, I expected better. Not that this isn't a good book, but it depends on the reader's sophistication. If you don't know anything about some of the basic legal and business aspects of the publishing biz, this book is a good start. On the other hand, if you're a detail oriented person who really wants to dig in deep into this subject, you may find the content a bit light.

Harry Mulisch is not well known in the United States -- and it's a shame. The Assault is an undiscovered masterpiece: a moral quandary is wrapped in a thriller and a deeply philosophical work; the result is stunning. The Assault is one of the best novels I've ever read; it ranks easily along works by Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Garcia Marquez, Lessing and even Tolstoy. I recommend this novel wholeheartedly. It will stay with the reader and reveal hidden layers of meaning over time.

----

I'm sorry to say I was not very taken with Mulisch's other major oeuvre, "The Discovery of Heaven." Unlike "The Assault" which is stunning in its minimalism, "Discovery" is excessively verbose and so pretentiously intellectual that it made me imagine Umberto Eco on speed.

I read this book for the first time many years ago, and I have re-read it a couple of times since then. I purchased another copy of it recently as a gift for an old friend from college. After my first reading of it, my conclusion was that it was probably the best novel I had ever read. This judgment was confirmed by a friend (a college librarian), who independently told me that she had the same opinion. I have recommended the book to many people since then. The novel tells the story of a teenager from the traumatic event that he undergoes in the last year of World War II in the Netherlands (1944-45) through several later stages in his life, and how he comes to terms with this event both psychologically and with regard to figuring out the details of what happened. The book has a beautifully crafted plot and is written in wonderful sparse prose. In the Netherlands, this novel was extremely popular and has probably become on the the most widely read novels ever.

A historical subject and a story which is full with hidden references and symbols. Mulish is always amazing and never boring. Makes excellent subject for a reading class.

I just wanted to comment on Peter Reeve's review. He says there is 'not much' of a Dutch literature.
Come on, Mr Reeve, the fact that the Assault is the only book to be found in American bookstores doesn't mean that the Dutch don't have a literature but rather that Americans can't read Dutch and that they think they don't need any more translated literature!
Mutatuli, Hella Haasse, Anna Enquist, Margriet de Moor, Frederik van Eeden, Louis Couperus, Joost van den Vondel, Godfried Bomans, F. Bordewijk, Gerrit Achterberg, Annie M.G. Schmidt, ...
These are but a few random stars of the Dutch literature. Saying there is no or almost no Dutch literature is the same thing as saying there is no American literature.

In a Haarlem street the Dutch Resistance kills an active collaborator. In retaliation the Germans have destroyed a house in that street in which live ten-year-oldAnton Steenwijk with his parents and elder brother. Anton survives, but his parents and brother are killed. As Anton grows up, he wants to suppress all memories of that time, and it is not a coincidence that he chooses to become an anaesthetist. But of course the trauma is buried within him, and affects his mental life in many ways, some that are inexplicable to him. But the members of the resistance who had carried out the assassination are haunted also, by their knowledge that their deed had led to uninvolved people being shot. All these states of mind are explored in this story, as much that lay concealed emerges over the 36 years after the event. The reader is engaged as taut knots are loosened and unwound.

During all this time the world moves on and new political issues arise - Vietnam; the anti-nuclear movement. Do they leave the old issues behind or are they connected with them?

This short book's limpid prose is very precise, profound and rich in unobtrusive symbolism. It is all very compelling

My toddler son is attending a French pre-school and we plan to enroll him in a French primary school as well. We don't know French at all and speak English in the home. We got this CD around his 2nd birthday and it has been a valuable tool. The songs and rhymes that are on the CD are the same songs and rhymes that he sings at school. I think this CD has helped him to learn faster and be able to "fit in" at school, when we, his parents, could not offer him any thing in this subject area!
The songs are very pleasant and not torture to parental ears, and the accents are authentic. This is 100% French language with no spoken English. However the CD does come with a booklet with the lyrics in both French and English, so if you don't now any French at all, you can read it and get some idea about what your little one is singing!

I love this CD. It is fun, very nice songs and rhymes. Very easy to follow. My kids listen to it every day in the car and in a month they are singing and counting in french.

The method is so wonderful that I just ordered the one for Chinese.

My 9mo. old loves this CD as much as I do. I studied French for 4 yrs and learned more from the songs on this CD! I like it because I don't get sick of it and find myself humming the songs when the CD is not on! I haven't bothered with the books yet but hopefully will get to them before baby finishes high school.

This CD is wonderful! I find a lot of products for children 2 and older but this product is geared specifically towards children ages 2 and younger who are learning another language. My degree is in French, so I understand the CD, and I think that the things that it teaches are excellent! It exposes children to sounds specific to french, like the double l which is pronounced y, the ever-problematic french "r", as well as idiomatic things like "Trois" as the number three as well as "toi" used as the informal you. Best of all it is all done in a fun way through songs, rhymes, etc. I put this CD on every night when my daughter goes to bed and we both really enjoy it!! I think I'm going to buy the Spanish and Italian ones too!

I just got this item yesterday and have not had a chance yet to go through the book but my first reaction is a little bit of disappointment.
I may not have read the exact description of the product but I was expecting a board baby book with lyrics and pictures and not a guide for parents that I am sure is nonetheless very interesting. We have another CD with a board book and it is truly amazing; The book is colourful and some of the songs are interpreted by children which is the second thing I was expecting from this product. It is so much fun to listen to those cute little voices instead of those quite boring adult voices.
The only thing I like about this CD is that it has a lot of songs and rhymes that I grew up with and I am glad that my son will be able to learn them because for most of them I had forgotten the lyrics.

This a great collection of poems from the past! If you enjoy whimsy, this is for you!

with eliot, a maximum of content is achieved through a FORM worked with a
care and conciousness not seen perhaps since the greeks. he understood,
as he once wrote, that the novel form ended with flaubert. in the centuries after picasso and stravinsky there is no place for anything in
literature which makes people remain sitting, whithout standing and perhaps dancing. the same thing could be said about pound, very different though very twin.

The Eliot of despair, the Eliot of 'Prufrock' and 'Wasteland' is contended with and overcome by the Eliot of the 'Quartets'. The message of modern mankind's meaninglessness, the broken fragments ( of Tradition) shored against his ruin is replaced by the vision of sacred turning, a Christian vision of redemption. Eliot is a writer whose work and life break down into these two distinct periods each of which has its champions in defining what is best in him.
As one raised on 'April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land' and 'Let us go then you and I when the evening is spread out against the sky, like a patient etherized upon a table' the most memorable lines are certainly of the first phase where it ends not with a bang but with a whimper.
Yet my admiration for the hypnotic power of Eliot's memorable lines is strongly qualified by my knowledge of his 'Burbank with a Baedaker, and Bluestein with a Cigar' with his all too fashionable literary anti- Semitism. Of course Eliot was not preaching death camps and extermination but he did connect his work to the tradition of Christian Anti- Semitism.
Thus I have always had difficulty being comfortable with my 'enjoying of Eliot's poetry. And I have never been able to sympathetically read 'The Quartets.' They have always seemed to me to be too impersonal characterless and abstract.
Eliot who for most of the century strode the English Departments as if he were a colossus did noble work in reviving interest in 'The Metaphysicals' but somehow failed in my mind to write a poetry humanly rich in the deepest sense.

When you think of the best poets ever, T.S. Eliot is one of those that comes to mind. His work is well crafted, intelligent, beautifully written, and has a flow to it that few poets can match. And this is a fine collection for the Eliot lover or for the reader unfamiliar with Eliot. It's divided into several sections. The first section is his Prufrock section, poems from 1917, which contains probably his finest poems: "Prufrock", "Preludes" "Rhapsody on a Windy Night", "Hysteria", among others. Then there is the Poems 1920 section which also contains many fine poems ("Sweeney Erect" and "The Hippopotamus" being my favorites). Then follows his masterpiece The Wasteland. Then The Hollow Men which is followed by the wonderful Ash Wednesday. Then the Ariel Poems (which contains "Journey of the Magi"). Then there are two unfinished poems, "Sweeney Agonistes" and "Coriolan" which I thought were weak. Maybe they would have been great had he ever finished them. Then there is a section called minor poems followed by the mediocre "Choruses from 'The Rock.' And then there is what I consider to be his true masterpiece, "Four Quartets." And the book finishes with some occasional verses, one of which is a sweet and touching poem to his wife. This is a great collection of poems.

Yep, this is a great collection of Eliot's works. I initially found out about Eliot throught the Movie 'Apocalypse Now' in which Brando is heard reciting the poem 'The Hollow Men'. The poem sounded so good I hunted it down and came across this little book.

My favourite poems would have to be 'The Hollow Men', 'Love song of Prufrock', 'Ash Wednesday' and 'Rannoch, by Glencoe (perfectly captured, drive through Rannoch and you'll see ;-)

Yep, definetly worth a read.

I've used it for about three years and it's very helpful. I refer to it constantly and use it to teach my students.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1VGIYK89EEJ53 This book has been a tremendous help for me in learning Spanish. But you will have to watch my video review to find out why.

An extremely helpful, easy to understand grammar reference guide to be used alongside any Spanish program.

A student in my college Spanish class a few years ago introduced me to this little treasure. I was so impressed by the way it was written and designed that I asked the college bookstore to make it available. It was quite obvious that 90% of my students did not know English parts of speech nor syntax therefore handicapping them if they wanted to learn a foreign language. I used the excercises at the end of mny of the chapters as part of quiz and test reviews. Since I retired from teaching I gave my copy to a friend who teaches high school Spanish, and recently recommended this book to another friend who is teaching Spanish in an adult learning center.

This grammar book is very good and is a great help to me. I recommend this book to anyone learning Spanish Grammar. The book explains English Grammar and for someone like myself that does not have a a clue regarding grammer it helps alot with clear chapters on each possible subject and then of course its use in Spanish.

I recommend this book, as it has been the most helpful out of all the grammar books I have used.

The primary purpose and goal of a writer's workshop is to help writers improve their writing. Simply stated, but often quite difficulty to accomplish because like most things in life, writer workshops can be classified into one of three categories -- the good, the bad, and the mediocre. Now in an updated and expanded second edition, award-winning writer and teacher Josip Novakovich's "Fiction Writer's Workshop" is clearly one of the good ones in the form of a comprehensive instructional that covers every aspect of the art of fiction while providing aspiring and practicing writers with all the tools and techniques useful to developing the consistent, day-to-day discipline so fundamentally necessary for becoming a success professional at the literary craft. Offering more than one hundred writing exercises, with each exercise including a specific statement of purpose to guide the aspiring author through every step of the creative process, "Fiction Writer's Workshop" also provides self-critique questions with each exercise for assessing written works with an eye toward identifying weaknesses and strengths before moving on to the next lesson. Enhanced with the full text of eight acclaimed short stories complete with analysis and exercises suitable for modeling and the reinforcement of 'lessons learned', "Fiction Writer's Workshop" is appropriate for all fiction writers regardless of personal writing styles. Especially recommended for those aspiring to write publishable works of fiction, the "Fiction Writer's Workshop" should be considered indispensable reading for anyone who has every considered or attempted writing the kind of novels and short stories that would attract the attention of academia, the general populace, and generations of future readers yet unborn.

I own the first edition. I'm a sculptor but in coming up with ideas I have recently thought of writing stories involving my characters. I borrowed this book from a friend about three years ago and rediscovered in on my bookshelf about two weeks ago. I love it. Buy the second edition. It includes short stories.

This book is a must read for anyone who has trouble getting started. The mantra that has been beaten into my head over and over by most college professors is the importance of writing everyday. However, that's often easier said than done. Outside of CW courses, class assignments and workshops, it's been very difficult for me to get started and I've never been big on journaling. This excercises in this book have provided me with countless "assignments" to help get the creative juices flowing. If you find that you need a little push to get going, this book is for you.

I have taken several classes lately and with them gotten several books. Most of them have at least some valuable information to make one a better writer with modern examples, but this book is unique in that you never feel like the author is giving you lines in which you are supposed to color inside of to make a good picture. You never feel pressured either. Since I am a beginning writer, this was the perfect atmosphere for me because there was room to learn new things, and reject some things without feeling I am suffering long-term as a writer. If one feels a strong sense of personal voice, this is the best book to acquire and develop new skills (as well as refine existing ones)

Once you have read an introductory book like Brayfield's Bestseller or Kings 'On writing' this is the book to buy and use.

Novakovich covers there basic elements: Setting /Character/Plot/PoV/Dialogue & Scene/Begins and endings / description/ vice and revision. He uses numerous examples form published literature and each chapter concludes with a number of good exercises.

One topic Novakovich does not cover is writers block. Maybe that is because he provides the solutions. Writers block is either due to lack of ideas or anxiety about one's writing. Novakovich provides the solutions - a chapter on the sources of fiction and a reference book to dip into every time one feels a anxious.

The beauty of Fiction Writers Workshop is the exercise - do them - and that all aspects are covered in one short book. That is also its disadvantage. Successful writing is complex, it requires fluent and adaptive use of a number of skills. To become fluent you will need to read and practice each in greater depth than can be provided in one book that covers them all. Don't make the mistake I made of going in depth on one skill first. It can lead to imbalance. Start with Fiction Writers Workshop and you will gain a balance.

Readers of this review can review it - tick the box 'useful' or 'not useful'. There is something I have noticed in those reviews. If reviews are critical then people are less likely to tick the box - 'useful' and more likely to tick the box 'Not useful'. What they are in fact saying is 'It was a nice review'. For a writer that is the worst kind of review. It leads you up the garden path. An author needs is honest candid review.

I'm not being nice about Fiction Writer's Workshop. It is that good.

just Jack

I bought this book when my daughter was about 13 months old. She enjoys flipping through it each day. The way that it is constructed is very durable with thick enough pages for a young toddler. Now that she's 16 months, I have started really teaching her what some of the images are and she can point to the right one when I ask here where something is. It features pictures that are interesting to her and the size of the book and pages is just wonderful.

This book is a great learning tool for a young child. My son could identify several images by 8 mounths old. The images and colors kept my son's attention, which is great when everything around him is something new to explore.

We bought this book and take it everywhere we go! Our child has always loved books and reading. This book is very durable and the large pictures and print are perfect for our child. It is by far his favorite. He took it to daycare with him one day and it was the hit toy of the day! We also love First 100 Animals. I highly recommend this book. our child was 15MO when we introduced it to him and 3 months later he still loves it.

My 16 month old son loves this book. He started out pointing to the pics and I told him what they were. Now, I ask him to point to the items and he does it. I recommend this book for babies.

We've had this since he was still in utero and from the time he could crawl over to the bookshelf and pull out a book, it's been his favorite. He loves looking at all the pictures and having us say the word that goes with the picture. One of the advantages of a book this simple is that you can do a lot with it (what color is the jacket? Is the boy wearing a shirt? Where does a bear live? etc. etc.) We have several more books from the Priddy Books series and my son loves them all. They have helped him learn a ton of words and at almost 2, he has the language ability and vocabulary of a 3-year-old. Can't recommend this highly enough, or other books in the series (100 animals, My Big Word Book, etc.).

This book is essential for any english or elemtary school teacher. I teach social studies and found many ideas within it informative and relevant. The book is written in an approachable way, filled with mini-lessons and examples of her own students writting. An easy read and needed guide for great practice within the classroom. I highly recomend this.

You can let students have choices about what to write and still have formal guidelines, unlike what the other reviewer/teacher wrote. Nancie Atwell's book is based on years of her own first-hand experiences in the classroom, and, as someone who assigns and reads well over 1000 formal essays per school year to over 200 students, I'll listen to Atwell's advice before some burned out teacher's rantings about the need to drill, drill, drill.

Atwell's research and dedication to the true teaching of literacy in classrooms of all levels has changed my philosophy of teaching forever. Those who judge her approach without attempting to understand it, are only missing out on an innovative and fresh approach to how English should be taught.

In my own classroom of tenth graders, I have gone from yawns and glazed eyes to students who leave my classroom at the end of the school year saying "I could write for pages and pages about how you've helped me become a better writer." I still address grammar, literature, "5 paragraph" essay writing, and the dreaded (and overrated)state tests. Instead of being students who force themselves to read and write for a grade, they are readers and writers who are proud of the accomplishments they produce in literacy.

I recommend this book to anyone who is serious about changing the way literacy is taught in our schools, and creating not only engaged students, but people who love to read and write.

I bought two copies of this book from Amazon, for myself and my class aide, on the strength of the other teachers' recommendations here. The book is as good as the most enthusiastic reviewers say it is, but it is seriously flawed, and to some degree self-contradictory, because it talks too much. As good as are the author's approaches, she doesn't really need 484 pages, plus numerous appendices, to get the message across. In fact, she buries the message in verbosity.

Note that other reviewers found the book easy to read. But if you are already convinced that you want to refresh your approach to teaching reading and writing, you may grow impatient with the overabundance of anecdotes, homilies and elaboration.

Teachers know there is no itemized recipe for teaching, but a book on teaching writing could at least demonstrate the virtue of being concise. Mrs. Atwell should read her own quotes and not "cloud the issues with jargon in place of simple, direct prose...." (p. 16). (This is one of numerous quotes of Donald Graves, who returns the favor by endorsing her book in an exemplary brief foreword).

As one who likes quoting great writings in every chapter, the author could have used and applied the Hellenistic Demos: "I will be moderate in all I attempt and do Nothing to Excess."

Summary: it's just too much of a good thing. I'm going to spring for the workbook (Lessons that Change Writers) and generate even more royalties for the author, in the hopes it is more to the point.

A book that helped inspire me to become a teacher. Some other reviewers may not find it totally "practical" for them to adopt, but anyone with common sense would know that you take what works best for you from as many legitimate resources as possible and adapt.