Languages Books

my wife and i can only offer glowing remarks for this product. our 5 week old is calmed by the music and poetry offered on the cd. the accompanying literature explaining language acquisition is fascinating, as well.

Pleasantly surprised with the accompanying written material included with this CD. It provides a broad overview of Mandarin that can be played for a newborn to expose the child to the language at several levels.

My baby loves this CD. She is 4 months old and loves to listen as we bounce and play with her. It is amazing how much she seems to zone into the music and speech. Time will tell if this is helping her learn Chinese, but she is really listening and hopefully picking up the sounds of the chinese language.

This is a GREAT product. I am really impressed. Even though the product is intended for 0-2 year olds, I bought it for my 26 month old son who has a mandarin-speaking babysitter. I am so happy I did. The CD is basically what I hoped for. Lots of great songs and rhymes, but what I didn't expect was how great the booklet that accompanies it would be. It shows how well researched and organized they were when they put this product together. I have been teaching Chinese graduate students English as a Second Language for 10 years and I'm convinced if they had had this product as babies and toddlers their perception and production of English would be better today. You will not be disappointed!

This CD has great audio quality and great content. My girls like it just fine. I didn't give it 5 stars because I feel, as a native Chinese Madarin speaker, some of the musical arrangements are kind of weird. Also, some of the nursery rhymes that I grew up with are butchered (either incomplete or completely changed). But overall, it's a great first CD for the little ones to be exposed to the language.

Not good for reading to child before bedtime. Not enough words, story, substance. We were bored with it after one reading. My 2yr son isn't old enough to read yet, but when he is, I am guessing he will read it once and then be bored with it again.

My daughter has loved these stories since she was three and started recognizing words right away. They really helped her put together phonics sounds with words. The text is simple and the stories are relatable to young children. The pictures are bright and Biscuit is adorable.
My daughter is now 5 and can read any Biscuit book w/o help. She even chose one for her first book report in kindergarten. A definite for all children ages 2-6.

My daughter loved this book it is very easy reading and quite enjoyable she is very proud of herself when she can read a book. Thank you for making her day

We recently introduced Biscuit to our daughter (nearly age 2 yrs). She asks to read about Biscuit's bath several times a day and comments as we read together. The word repetition creates an easy rhythm we both enjoy. The text and drawings work well together.

My 6-year-old brought this book home from school, and it's a fine learning-to-read book for her. What struck her, though, was the (unintentionally?) hilarious nature of a few of the illustrations. They have to be seen to be appreciated. Call us juvenile, but we laughed until we cried. I'm buying one for home, and more for gifts! Thanks, Biscuit!

Where the K&R book is terrible for learning C, this book makes it a snap.
It provides an organized and complete tutorial for the novice C programmer as well as a useful reference for the more experienced C user.

As some one who took an unguided path into C programming, I can really appreciate how much of a difference this book would have made if I came across it earlier.

This book elegantly lays down the structure and parts of the C language. It presents the reasons behind various features of the language.

This is the book that will teach you to think about programming in an intuitive way.

I have read the second edition and recently bought this third edition that has ANSI standard C in the main body of the work, rather than K&R C. I am using it to brush up on C that I have not used in a while. It is still a great book.

I have read the other reviews from December 1997 through February 2004. I do not have much to add to what has already been said, other than what the others write is true. I wish all technical books were this well written.

The perfect balance of complete, useful information on ANSI C. All technical information (data types, operators, declarations, pointers, arrays) is there. It it all explained in sufficient, readable but not wordy detail. It is remarkable in its efficiency.

It's all in there - the preprocessor, railroad diagrams showing the syntax of each statement, code snippets where they useful. Data structures, starting with the bit datatype, then defining and explaining more advanced concepts of unions, structures, and the user-defined types using _typedef_. Then full examples tieing it together with linked lists, then doubly linked lists.

A brief section on software engineering concepts showing the importance of design and test, and finally a complete working C interpreter.

What really sets it apart though is its complete reference of the most-used standard library functions - formatted and file I/O, string and memory manipulation functions. Effective use of the proven library functions is one of the marks of the software professional, and the outer framework of most useful real-life programs is getting data in and out.

The book begins with a very high-level overview of programs to establish its context, but this is NOT a how-to-program book. If you already understand the fundamental concepts (arithmetic and logical operations, looping) and you need a comprehensive book on how to use C, this is the one. There are lots of books in the "this is a reference, not a tutorial" class (e.g. K&R) and lots of wordy tutorials that never get to the difficult parts (like 'how do I pass a pointer to a multidimensional array.'). This is one book that is sufficiently organized to be a reference, with enough clear explanation that you'll learn how and why things work.

I've had my 2nd edition of this book since it was new in 1991 and recently purchased a copy of the reviewed edition for a friend. It's still excellent, with improved coverage of new features and extensions, and removal of the obsolete adjective "new" when referencing the ANSI standard that's been ratified for a good long while now.

There is no mention of C++ - this is a C book. Good ol' ANSI C is still the language of choice for many if not most embedded projects, even new design. I believe a solid foundation in C will serve any C++ programmer well - under the 'object' layer of C++ lie member functions that actually do the work, and those functions look a lot like C...

Like most good technical books, this one's not cheap, but it's a quality Springer-Verlag binding on acid-free paper that will last a career if not a lifetime. And considering the depth, breadth, and clarity of the content, it is a bargain.

A must-have.

15 years ago I came across this book accidentally in a second hand shop primarily selling Springer books.
I already had K&R because it was best known, but was not really satisfied with it as a transitioner from Fortran.
This book had all I needed, especially on pointers (see all other reviews).
I always enjoyed reading it. It's not about becoming a C obsfucation contest winner,
but about C as a tool for software engineers.
Combined with Harbison & Steele's "A C Reference Manual" and Hanson's "C Interfaces and Implementations",
which are my other most referenced C books, you will have a solid basic library to rely on as a C programmer.

This is the best book on C++ ever written, even better than Eckel's "Thinking in C++".

It is a very clear book, easy to read, with colors, well organized and with exercises. Solutions are provided for the exercises.

I think the most important thing about this book is it's written with ISO C++ 1998 and STL in mind. Most other books teach you C++ 1989 (or even older!) and have an appendix about ISO C++ 1998 and another appendix on STL, and believe me, that's not good for you.

This is certainly the best C++ book I have read for auto-didactic purposes. C++ is a horrible programming language (coming from a functional programming POV, as well as a ton of ANSI-C systems and Fortran numerics coding in my past), which has unfortunately become a standard in many fields. Should it be a necessary evil to you, this is probably the book to read. Better yet: find a different line of work. All right thinking people should avoid making C++ a part of their profession. It has erased more hours of talent than MS minesweeper or solitaire.

After having purchased and read many different C++ books over the last few years in an ongoing quest for C++ knowledge... I can whole
heartedly endorse this volume... You will learn C++ from this book , buy it, study it , move ahead with your C++ journey...

Attending lectures on C++: Not a clue.

With this book: No problem at all!

The book is great!

If you like to learn from examples and illustrations, and do not have too much time to waste with long explanations, this book is for you. All the major topics of C++ are covered in a nicely structured series of 33 chapters. To name a few:

-Pointers
-Classes
-Methods
-Overloading
-Dynamic Memory Allocation
-Inheritance
-Polymorphism
-Abstract Classes
-Exception Handling
-Templates
-Containers
-etc

Every topic in a given chapter is typically introduced in two pages, the first with an illustration and/or a sample code, followed by a clear and concise discussion of the topic, including its motivation and caveats. The discussion on pointers is particularly illuminating, as well as the discussion on Classes and Object Oriented Programming, which is after all the heart of C++.

I would not recommend this book for someone who does not have any previous exposure to a structured computer language, but it is definetely a great guide and reference on C++ for those already familiar with C, Pascal, etc.

It is really a very good book from IBM about DB2-SPL. In our company we bougth a lot of DB2 book, but this is the very best.

from basics to tricks

Has been extremely helpful. Good information

If you are a developer or DBA who is new to DB2, I would highly recommend this book to you. Both administration and development topics are covered, helpful best practices and tips are included, and illustrative examples are used.

The fundamental DB2 concepts and the different DB2 tools such as the Control Center are introduced in a very straightforward and easy-to-understand manner. This allows DB2-newbies to get fully up to speed on DB2 terminology and functionality, while serving as a gentle refresher for those who might have prior DB2 experience. The book achieves a good balance of topic selection and level of detail. More advance topics that are covered are explained in a manner that most novices would comprehend and in enough detail to be useful.

The prime focus of the book is on leveraging the ease-of-use and autonomic capabilities of DB2. If you are a developer not wanting to memorize database and/or SQL command syntax, you will particularly appreciate this book. The book shows how most common administrative tasks can be very easily performed using the GUI tools and Wizards provided with DB2. Ease of application development is demonstrated in both Java and Microsoft .net environments. An easy and intuitive introduction to DB2 SQLPL is also provided.

Overall, I think that if you are new to DB2, or need to learn the essential concepts/features needed to develop and/or administer DB2 quickly, you will be very pleased with this book. It is a perfect starting point for introducing the most important concepts, features, and tools. As you gain more experience and familiarity with the product, a more advanced book can be obtained.

I didn't know anything about writing DB2 stored procedures until I bought this book. After reading it I have written several procedures to aid in data migration. It is well laid out and has all the necessary information. The best part is that you don't feel like you are reading a technical book.

The book describes IBM's Procedural Language, which runs on their db2 servers. It is not a general purpose language, like C or Java. Rather, it is tied directly to db2 and IBM's implementation of SQL. But within this context, the book explains the expressive power of PL. It shows at length how you can write stored procedures, triggers and functions in PL. The level of detail and the cited examples should reassure you of PL's capability.

But why even write business logic code at the database layer? There have been other books on n-tier application design, which call for the locating of business logic in a middle tier and not at the database. The authors' rejoinder is that while that makes for an elegant design, practical experience shows that often, crucial logic needs to be at the database. This reduces networks traffic and can heavily improve perforance. Hence the need for PL, or something like it.

Be wary of the book's claim that PL lets you write "portable application logic". It is portable only between instances of db2 running under linux, unix, Microsoft Windows or IBM's operating systems. When you write embedded logic in PL, you are also embedding yourself or your company into db2. Which may indeed be fine by you. But just so you know.

Very good collection of Stellent Content Server. Only reason i gave 4 star instead of 5 is that sometimes it is hard to find stuff you are looking for. I have this book for about 18 months now and i have used it so many times both during new development as well as fixing some bugs.

Now that Stellent is bought by Oracle and not knowing how oracle will integrate Stellent CMS with other oracle products, I would suggest hold off buying it, if you are looking for a long term value. If you looking for only short term use, go ahead and buy it.

brian did a great job of getting right to the matter at hand with excellent real world examples.

I only wish this book was written two years ago. However, it is a very well written book with a good layout and great examples. At last many questions that I did not know to ask have now been answered.

Way to go Brain!

Well written, easy to understand and use, congratulations on a truly useful tool. I have worked with Stellent for many years, and have this book next to my keyboard at all times! Bex has always provided clear answers for the user group, but this provides a clear direction no matter what you need to do with your Stellent system.

Kudos!

If you do any customization to a Stellent Content Server or want a detailed over-view of what can be done to a Content Server, then this book is for you. Both developers and managers could benefit from this book. It's easy to explain what needs to be done or what you are asking for, once you know what can be done within the Content Server.

Finding information is easy in the book and Bex's example are clear cut and to the point.

I found this an exellent book. The original design patterns book drew its examples from C++ applications. I could see a use for the patterns in C++, but I thought most of them would not have been necessary if the code had been written in Smalltalk.

This book did an excellent job of showing how and where the patterns could be used in Smalltalk applications. The authors also extended and clarified many of the pattern so that they were simplier to understand. The book is more than a companion to the GOF book; it is an enhancement of it.

This book gives you a better understanding of the patterns than in its original version (the GoF one). I am not a SmallTalk programmer but a 9 years C++ one. At work I had to use the GoF book and never liked reading it. In contrast to this, the SmallTalk companion is easy to read and you can understand the patterns within the first few lines of their description. Take the Bridge pattern and compare their discussions in the two books. If you really like the Gof one then buy it. But according to me, it would be a big mistake buying the GoF in favour of the SmallTalk companion. Trust a C++ programmer :-)

This isn't a Smalltalk translation of "Design Patterns." Instead, it's a companion to that book. You'll need to read the first one to get the most out of this one. If you have read the first one, you'll find this one is better written and really casts essential light on some of the GOF material. The Smalltalk aspects of this book are really a non-issue (except perhaps showing static-typers how many hoops you don't have to use in Smalltalk). This is required patterns reading.

I bought this book because of the unresolved questions I had after spending so many hours exploring the GoF original book. I am an experience C, C++, and Objective C programmer, not a Smalltalk guru at all. And I found the GoF very confusing and intimidating. My current projects these days are written in Java (I miss Objective C). I looked for a book that would cover the pattern catalog in Java because I was really questioning the purpose of some of them in that language. Creating some mechanism to overcome the C++ language is somewhat understandable, but why bother with Java. Take the prototype pattern for example: "...It's (the prototype pattern) less important (to use it) in languages like Smalltalk or Objective C that provides what amounts to a prototype..." (page 121) Sure, ok, but what about Java? Can you give me an example on how it would benefit a language that doesn't really require it like Obj C, or even Smalltalk? Then the sample code refers to the maze example but not much material is given here. I bought several books with Java and Design Patterns in the title but was very disappointed with the beginner level these books approach this problem. The titles are seductive but the content is not that great. I don't need another ADOO (I've read Larman's book already. Get it if you are new to OO BTW.) So I ended up getting that book as a last resort. And you know what? It's great. I program in Java all day (and sometimes all night, sigh...) and this book spends more time on my desk than the GoF original one. So, if this comments remind you some of your experience, you should give this book a try. And this book lighted up another bulb in my brain: I ended up downloading Squeak and prototyping in Smalltalk some of my projects just for the fun of it, but that's a side effect I guess ;-)

I found this an exellent book. The original design patterns book drew its examples from C++ applications. I could see a use for the patterns in C++, but I thought most of them would not have been necessary if the code had been written in Smalltalk.

This book did an excellent job of showing how and where the patterns could be used in Smalltalk applications. The authors also extended and clarified many of the pattern so that they were simplier to understand. The book is more than a companion to the GOF book; it is an enhancement of it.

Mary Kirtland has written a terrific resource for those who wish to know more (i.e. go from basic to advanced) on how to program with COM and MTS. I found the example code (and companion CD-ROM) very useful and relatively bug free. Some of the chapters include:

Windows DNA (now .NET)

COM (101)

Data Access Fundamentals

MTS

ASP

Extending MTS

Application Definition and Modeling

Building Data/Business Objects

Packaging

Building the Presentation Layer

Debugging and Troubleshooting (an excellent chapter on a tricky subject)

Performance Validation

Deploying

Extending the Application

COM+ (pretty good for when this was written, it is time to update the book with the latest and greatest, however).

Most of the information here is still relevant, especially to those with a smattering of COM or MTS under their belt and are hungry for more. Everything is wrapped up well with a comprehensive index. Well worth the purchase price. Definitely a must along with "Programming Distributed Apps with MS COM+ and MS VB."

This book does a good job of explaining the COM standard from the ground up. The first third is devoted to COM. The rest of the book is an overview of building an enterprise application from the ground up using Microsoft technologies.

I used this book as my primary reference in preparing for the new Analyzing Requirements exam (70-100) in the new MCSD track based on the recommendation of someone I know that passed the beta. It may not be listed as a study guide for the test, but it is far better than the Syngress or Sybex study guide for that test. (They were both fairly useless.)

This is an excellent overview of Microsoft's DNA and the technologies that make up DNA. The pieces of the DNA puzzle are clearly defined individually and the way they relate to the others. The Island Hopper application sample (maintained up-to-date on MSDN) is a great hands-on intro to the topic. The amount of coverage on topics like COM, MTS, MSMQ, etc. is just right: technically deep enough to help you understand the concepts, short enough to prevent you from shifting your focus from the architecture to technologies contributing to the architecture.

You may try to surf Microsoft's DNA pages to understand the topic (and potentially get lost in the amount of links that span hundreds of different Microsoft technologies) or get this "one" book to really understand what Mr. Gates is talking about for the last couple of years.

After being confused by multiple books on Windows DNA I was very happy to see a book that actually showed and an entire application which utilized this technology. Part I of the book offers a very concise explanation of MTS and COM without getting too deep into the subjects. Part II showed examples of components that the sample project utilized. I enjoyed the fact that the author used both VB and VC++ in her examples. Beyond the examples, the author also offered very good insight into component design and tool selection. It was enough to get you up to speed so that you can look into deeper books on the subject.

Everyone always draws the same n-tier diagram and says they are going to build a scalable, MAINTANABLE solution.

This book actually provides a blueprint, not the 30,000 ft view.

At my job, we call it "The Good Book"

I don't know much about Cuba, but this book has set me straight. Make no mistake. This is not just an academic book, or not just one more journalistic account of today's Cuba. It is not about a specific issue or a specific time for Cuba. This book is indeed ABOUT CUBA. While it narrates the story of a particular group of intellectuals living in Castro's Cuba, it exposes a lot about the system: contradictions, paradoxes... It says so much about Cuban life in general, rich with anecdotes, reflections and so much more. And above all, the prose is great and it makes excellent reading. By all means, this is THE book about Cuba !

I personally know very little about Cuba, other than it is the last communist stronghold in the Western Hemisphere. I read bits and pieces from academic books, but did not get much insight from them, let alone any enjoyment. When someone suggested this book I was skeptical. Instead, this book, while telling one specific story (of a sttrongly political nature) that happened in Cuba, offers so much information and insights into Cuba's life - political, cultural, economic and social. I read it all in one go, found it extremely interesting and stimulating, and really really enjoyable. I would recommend it without reservations to anyone with an interest in Cuba, who would like to read a "real" Cuba story, filled with lots of academic analysis, but also being a piece of outstanding journalism and thus very very easy and pleasant to read.

Aún sin conocer mucho o casi nada sobre el tema de Cuba, encontré absolutamente fascinante este libro. Creo que es la primera vez que yo haya leído un libro de unas 250 páginas en dos días ! Es una historia fascinante, densa y llena de eventos y emociones. Aún dejando de un lado lo académico que tiene este libro, es un libro que nos mete en La Habana de 1996, haciendo sentir el lector como si éste estuviese presente. La historia expuesta en este libro es una excelente novela, pero - lamentablemente - no podemos olvidar que se trató de una triste realidad.

This is a truly great book. By providing a detailed account of the major 'purge' of Cuba's intellectuals in the 1990s, the author examines and analyses the delicate and intricate relations between the apparatus and the island's renowned intelligentsia. Some issues (often taboo even for Western academics) are approached very directly and very balancedly, such as the blurred border-lines between research and espionage, and the relations between genuine intellectuals and Cuba's repressive apparatus - indeed, the same apparatus that occasionally purges them. The arguments contained in this book derive from genuine evidence of crucial importance, namely those would-be classified documents, which somehow leaked out of Cuba in 1998 and were published by the author, causing great embarrassment by the Cuban Government, and an uproar among intellectuals, artists and others. Over 100 pages of those documents are contained in the book itself. Altogether, this is excellent reading. It is extremely central to the study and knowledge of today's Cuba.

Con gran maestría y excelente prosa, el autor de este libro nos coloca en la Cuba de hoy, justo al medio de un drama humano vivido por fieles miembros del aparato castrista. Un drama, justamente, que nace de esa fieldad y que termina por comprometerla. Es una de las tantas historias de contradicciones y tensiones de la Cuba de hoy, que ocurren en los medios más sencillos como en la familia o el lugar de trabajo, así como entre intelectuales o personalidades políticas. Tantas batallas llevadas a cabo por valiosos cubanos, a veces victotiosas y a veces no tan victoriosas, que en cualquier caso nos demuestran la desesperada tentativa de los cubanos de seguir en el camino hacia la democracia.

Even More is a sweet heartwarming tale of love that spans generations. It beautifully portrays the timelessness of the love of a mother for her daughter, of a daughter's love for her mother and the loveliness of the great circle of life.

Barbara Quick and Liz McGrath have written a beautiful rendition of what every mother feels in her heart when she looks at her baby and sees future generations. It's filled with love, hope and joy.

I highly recommend this book as a gift for yourself, your mother or your children

Reviewer name: Deven Vasko of Betsie's Literary Page
http://betsie.tripod.com/literary

First off, I absolutely loved the concept of having a story written in both English and Spanish and commend the authors on such an undertaking. EVEN MORE is a beautiful tribute to the unconditional love of mothers and children everywhere and focuses on growing up. Starting with the birth of a child, we then follow each of the various stages of growth with the mother sharing her love for her child and the child in turn sharing their thoughts about their mother in cute little "I love you more" phrases.

Matched with the declarations of love are sketchings, drawings, and images depicting the child's growth to coincide with the words of the story. There are even pictures that appear to have been drawn by a child. Though I loved the book in its entirety, my favorite part comes at the end where the daughter has had her own child and is repeating the cycle of "I love you more."

Beautiful, colorful, and spotlighting endearing love, this story touched my heart and made me think of my deceased mother as well as my own daughter who I too love...even more.

Reviewed by (...)

"Even More" celebrates the special relationship between a mother and a daughter. Author Liz McGrath takes the reader on a trip along the cycle of life from the birth of a child to the birth of a grandchild. Along the way the mother finds ways to express how much she loves her daughter and the daughter also expresses her love for her mother. This is a wonderful book to show the young reader the strong bonds of love that exist (or at least should exist) between a daughter and a mother. This is a very well done bilingual book written in English and Spanish for children about four to eight years old. Sure to help the young reader understand how important they are to their parents, "Even More" is a highly recommended children's book.

This book is a gem to give as a new baby present as it is beautifully illustrated and reads as well the first time you read it to your first child as when she reads it to the next sibling!

This is a beautiful and tender book that captures the deep love a mother/parent feels for their child. The illustrations evoked many wonderful memories of early parenthood and also of my own mother. The writer and illustrator of this book clearly are speaking from the heart! This is one to share with all parents-young and old for years to come.