Departments Books

The entire book story is pathetic and a non issue.

Mr.Robb beleives that Pentagon censors by not cooperating and funding the military hating movies they don't agree with.

That is NOT censorship stupid. That is just a refusal to cooperate with leftist propaganda.

I don't think Mr.Robb would like to fund me for writing a book about how pathetic a person he is!

Is he then censoring me?

I don't think so.

Regards
Martin from Sweden

While reading of this book would be a good education in propoganda for everyone, it could have been written in a far more educational manner.

I, like many, I would guess, did not realize that those credits at the end of the movie, thanking the armed forces, are more than a simple thank you. They indicate the Pentagon has approved the movie for propoganda purposes.

Most people realize that propoganda was a prevailing force in the movies of the World War II era. But the same propoganda continues today, in a much more subtle form.

A more interesting book would have covered the history of government propoganda in Hollywood releases, not just centered on mostly movies of the last 20 years. There was not a mention of the Disney movies seen on the DVD release "On the Front Lines", or of other movies of the era (such as Abbott and Costello's "Buck Privates"). This was propoganda at its peak.

Also, it would have been interesting to understand the logic behind how the Pentagon would think movies such as "The Swarm" and "Airport 77" would make individuals want to join the armed forces.

I also continue to wonder, as it wasn't mentioned in the book, why the Pentagon supported movies such as "Run Silent Run Deep" or "The Caine Mutiny", both of which deal with mutiny in great detail.

While I admire the author for tackling such a subject, and in bringing it to the public's attention, I just wish he had tackled it with a bit more fervor.

Robb's book is an invaluable resource for those interested in the mechanics of propaganda from Hollywood. The author shows again and again how the Pentagon sanitizes its image through the raw power of institutional trade-off. Movie and tv producers simply do not get the Pentagon's money-saving goodies unless their scripts conform to the high command's self-serving demands. Unsurprisingly, the result is often a subtle but sometimes dangerous departure from reality which may benefit the Pentagon's recruiting program, but in turn witholds important facts from public scrutiny. In Vietnam, American troops experienced a particularly savage disconnect between the war they expected and the war they got. It's at least an open question whether the disconnect would have been as great had the post-war years featured more of the unsanitized realism of "Attack" or "Paths of Glory" instead of the relentless banality of stereotypes like "Battle Cry", "Operation Petticoat", or scores of other unchallenging recruiting posters for the Pentagon. I'm sure thousands of others like myself were similarly seduced into paying a personal price for Hollywood's deals with the Defense Department. (And In response to the anonymous reviewer from "Heartland"-- the 5th Amendment applies only to legal proceedings, which hardly applies in this case.)

On the downside--and I'm sorry to say there is one--the book would have benefitted from better editing. As far as I can tell, the chapters follow in no particular order, adding up to a loose format that scatters both focus and impact. I don't know whether the chapters could have been grouped around common themes, but some such would have helped sharpen the presentation. Moreover, facts tend to be needlessly repeated as though someone has lost track of the earlier text. In short, the text could use some honing and reorganizing.

Nonetheless, Robb has performed a genuine service by calling attention to this long-standing sweetheart arrangement. The chapters on "The Green Berets", "Battle Cry", and "Lassie", are particularly revealing of how the system works. In the future, I hope some enterprising researcher will go further back to produce a history of Hollywood's relation to the armed services, which would lend valuable perspective to Robb's findings, and perhaps open up options for reforming the process. At book's end, the author lists some Hollywood personalities notable for their resistence to Pentagon pressure, such as Clint Eastwood and Kevin Costner. With this book, Robb shows that his name deserves a place among them.

One of the principles the USA was founded upon was the freedom of speech; no government entity can restrict the freedom of expression of a private individual. This however does not preclude government agencies from sponsoring their own speech, or supporting those whose speech reflects favorably on the actions of said agency. This latter intrusion of government into the mass media can be as harmful to society if not more so than outright censorship, primarily because it is less overt and more excusable.

This book deals with one form of such government - sponsored speech; the US military providing support to movie producers to make movies as long as the movies reflect favorably on the US military. The book gives a thorough and carefully-cited history of how Hollywood works with various branches of the US military to help get movies made. In turn, the military branch(es) in question have a say over the movie script, including the right to censor or rewrite entire scenes. The US military helps by providing access to military hardware, installations, and sometimes personnel to movie makers working on military movies. The result is often movies biased towards the US military, with a subtle goal of increasing recruitment. Products of this arrangement include Top Gun, Black Hawk Down, and Stripes. The unfortunate result is that parts of military life or military history that should be known are rewritten, whitewashed, or sometimes ignored altogether. This includes abuse of war prisoners by US servicemen, rapes of innocent women in and around battlefields by US servicemen, and substance abuse within the military.

This arrangement is supported at multiple levels in both Hollywood and the US government. In Hollywood, directors, producers, studio companies, and actors and actresses take part in this symbiosis. In the US government, soldiers, field officers, staff officers, and presidential administrative staff also take part in this symbiosis.

There are however, those who refuse to play by these rules. Two examples cited in the book are Kevin Costner and Oliver Stone. The military refused to support Costner's production of Dances With Wolves because the script shows US soldiers killing Native Americans...during the 1800s! This shows how ridiculous the censorship process has become. US soldiers killing Native Americans is a commonly known fact, and should be acknowledged by the federal government. The US military could have taken the initiative, owned up to their actions, sponsored the movie, and at the end of the movie's credits include an apology for their actions. Instead, they refused any help whatsoever unless all the scenes between Native Americans and US soldiers were cleaned up to protect the military's image.

Overall, the primary conclusion I got from the book is that to watch Hollywood movies with a little suspicion. The story you are seeing has probably been tampered with and censored one or more government agencies, often with the purpose of furthering propaganda of one type or another. Another conclusion I got from reading this book is that ever since 1970, the war movies that have done the best in terms of critical acclaim and Academy Awards have been those completed without military support; Platoon and Apocalypse Now are the two best examples. In all, I am glad I read this book. I highly recommend it.

This is not, per the editorial tag, "the most important book ever written about Hollywood." Nor does it uncover a secret collaboration between Hollywood and the military. As a matter of fact, the collaborative partnerships between Hollywood and the military are no big secret to anyone with an IQ beyond that of a tuna fish sandwich. How else could "Top Gun" be filmed aboard an aircraft carrier? As if the active duty officers of a U.S. aircraft carrier have nothing better to do than to host a Jerry Bruckenheimer production on board their ship? Perhaps fetching them decaf cappucino and warm croissant?

Robb's book is established on the flawed premise that the military has some kind of obligation to support the free market endeavors of film producers who are developing movies that work against the obvious agenda of the military. How and why the military's position in this regard should differ from any private company that negotiates film sponsorship in return for product placement or favorable portrayal of their services in the resulting film is not argued very well by the author. Instead, Robb simply chooses to rant about the military's meddling in the creative "vision" of the film artist. I'd like to ask him to imagine a film location wherein military staff are enthusiastically working on site--with expensive and even classified military resources--to complete a scene that makes them all look like morons. Can Robb really envision such a thing? Perhaps he can similary be led to believe that McDonald's sponsored the production of "Super-Size Me"? Or that George Bush showed up on various locations to film cutaways for "Farenheit 911"? Robb's premise is rather naive, almost child-like...

The book does have two positive attributes. Robb's case by case analysis of failed efforts by various producers and writers to obtain military sponsorship are really good examples of exactly how NOT to approach the military in a negotiation. Secondly, many of the documented examples of various Hollywood scripts--before military editing and after--illustrate the valuable contribution of the military beyond supply and technical advisement: many of the changes actually improved some really crappy dialogue, particularly with regard to the script of "A Clear and Present Danger," and "Air Force One." That really surprised me...

On a side note, I have to agree with a previous reviewer in presenting the fact that this book is not very well edited. It is badly marred by typographical errors, and a lack of logical progression. Further, the emotional state of the author (bitter, enraged) is a bit distracting, and left me completely unsympathetic to his complaint. You can practically see the spit flying out of his mouth as he shouts and rages on, lol...

Read a few chapters before you buy...

I totally understand his take on customer service, and how we have to demand it from our service providers. At times he comes across as being a jerk, but when do people get better service when they just suffer quietly, never complaining or demanding more for themselves? Sure, a minimum wage taco maker may not care if the taco has 2.5 ounces or 3, but I am so tired of hearing minimum wage employees complain that they just don't make enough money to care. I'm not at a restaurant to play guidance counselor to a punk teenager, I'm there to get the taco I paid for. Our standards have decreased immensely for today's service workers. Why are we paying more and getting less, and, even more disturbing, why are we defending it? It's just like that old adage "Our ancestors had a different name for burger-flipping; they called it opportunity." It's suddenly my fault, as a customer, that the worker behind the counter is only deigning to serve me food until he "finds himself"? That I should put up with less-than-quality service because he is "above" it? Good Book!

How to get and give the customer service we would all like. Do uninformed sales associates, or the lack of a thank you after a purchase drive you insane? Accept it no more! Learn combative techniques in this book. Fight for what you deserve.

This book has taught me how to get the best service from anyone I am doing business with. It has taught me how to win as the little guy up against Sears, CitiBank, Macy's and many others. YOU are the customer in almost all situations. Do YOU get what you are paying for? I DO!! This Tape/Book is funny and informative. You will learn a lot about getting service in today's world of NO SERVICE.. The audio tape is great. The book has more examples and ideas in it though. It also teaches how to give excellent service

Glen spends a lot of time in his book promoting the notion that everyone is entitled to have their egos stroked and that they are to be constantly reminded that they are the most important people in the world. This is nonsense, people are not entitled to such vanity. It is typical of the yuppie-me first mentality which permeates society today. Glen fails to take into consideration the low wages of people who provide the services today. He also fails to note that you get what you paid for, and since I bought his book in a clearance rack, I sure got what I paid for.

This book is a horrible waste of time. Oh my gosh, the minimum wage taco maker put 2.5 oz of cheese on my taco instead of three. Well, I think that I will march to wall street and burst into the CEOs office and get him to give me a new taco. If you want to learn how to become a complete jerk, please read this book, as it is an excellent guide. If you want real customer service, try Clark Howard's book.

This little booklet provides the most basic information about patents. I bought it thinking that it would be a good thing to supply new employees at my company. Although I think it is OK in terms of content (nothing particularly bad), I am not sure that there is anything interesting enough here to get anyone to really read through it.
Most of this information can be found on-line and up to date from government websites. Although I have not checked, it would not surprise me to find this very information as it was created by the USPTO. Unless you are keen to have things in bound form, there really is no need to own this book.

This is quick 85-page overview of the patent process. It provides the key steps, requirements, and definitions in very plain terms (almost in the same style of language as the IRS's 1040EZ instructions). However, it steers clear from giving ADVICE. If you need advice, try Patent It Yourself, from Nolo Press.
Some of the information in this slim volume can be found at http://www.uspto.gov/. But this book brings it together in a very convenient and affordable package. It is worth the modest price!

This book offers a simple, straightforward interoduction to patent law. If you are starting from scratch, this is a good place to start. There isn't much "how to" in this book, so it's probably best for someone who plans to work with a patent lawyer or service.

An easy read.... this book gives a quick introduction to intellectual property rights and application procedures. Not nearly as helpful as some other, thicker, "How to" books.

This book gives a decent description of patents, but it's out of date. For example, it says the head of the patent office is called "Commissioner" when that was changed and the head is called "Director" and the "Commissioner" is actually the third in rank (second is "Deputy Director"). The book says the USPatent Office handles 200,000 patent applications, but the number is actually closer to 300,000. There have been significant changes in the patent laws such as publication of applications, 20 year terms, WTO related provisions, NAFTA related provisions, WIPO and PCT related provisions, etc. that do not appear. So, take this book as background information only and know that in many instances it is obsolete. Recognize that patents are not a "do-it-yourself" activity if you want decent protection. See a patent attorney if you want accurate, up to date advice and worthwhile coverage. Stay away from the invention submission/promotion companies.

Bruce Burdick, Registered Patent Attorney No. 27,422

This book was very helpful for me. The best section is toward the end, which tells a little bit about many specific schools. Most importantly, it lists the percentage of applicants accepted into each school. This was SO helpful for me because I had less than impressive undergraduate grades. Thus, I am able to narrow down which schools I want to apply to based on how likely I am to be accepted. I would buy the book simply for that quality alone, since I think it is very difficult to find schools acceptance rates. On the flip side, if you had really good grades, you could be selective in applying to schools that are highly competitive based on the acceptance rates. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is up in the air about where to apply, it helped me narrow down my selections and THEN go research the best schools FOR ME online.

The book is not really the best book to use. And, to be quite frank, no book on MSW programs is a good book to use.

I say this mostly becuase programs change their requirements and their expectations year after year.

Your best bet is to use the book as a guide to help you narrow down your search, and to help you understand what the MSW program amy generally look like. But, really, any MSW progrma book can help you do it. And, you can get the information for free online.

The book may help some, but for many the best bet is to find the program you are interested in and research what that program expects and is interested in.

Also, the section about personal statements is a bit pretentious and biased. A personal statement should come from the student's perspective, and there isn't too much you can do wrong. The "Do's and Don'ts" are pretty common sense, and what you probably learned when writing your essay for undergrad.

Overall, keep your money and do your research online and through the school you're thinking about applying to.

Best of luck to all!!


p.s.--I got into my first choice MSW program without muchhelp from this book!!!

This Book did not help me do anything but get worried about writing my personal statement for Graduate School. I wound up buying another book that made me feel much better and really helped me write my essay.

This book helped me get accepted to a graduate school of clinical social work in the Northeast. (I only applied to one.). I highly recommend it to anyone applying to graduate schools of social work!

I used this book to apply to graduate programs in New York. I followed the guide and got into every school! I am so glad I bought this book!

This really helped me to understand our Secretary of State. The book also provided a good review of what was happening in Birmingham during the 60's.

This is an interesting look at Rice, her work and her life. But it leaves a lot of unanswered questions. I didn't feel as if I knew her any better after reading the book than I did before.

At times she seems cold and uncaring. At other times, she seems warm and interesting. But I guess that could be said for all of us.

This is a book worth reading. But don't expect to understand the subject. Perhaps she won't let anyone understand her. But this author certainly did not.

Mabry brings some interesting information to his reader of one of the most despicable, incompetent, false and ruthless atavists ever to occupy the planet earth, moreover public office.

Rice's scheming adoration for saying and doing whatever it took/takes to get on the top dais of a given colosseum, in her continually pathetic and aforementioned ruthless attempt to be the cynosure-at-all-times is beyond legend. Just one glance of her souless and vengeful countenance is all it should take of any observant soul to realize the monster who lies within............ This book delicately refers to same, but, alas, not enough to adequately educate its reader.

Tragically, Rice's plan has worked to her proverbial Joesph Goebbels success and whether it's directing national/internation policy that gives new meaning to the word ignorant and imperious and, as a consequence manifesting the death of thousands and the ruination of a pragmatically imperfect (read : managable) world for the future, suppressing the truth - lying outright before the public or, eternally looking beyond embarassing in the face of various world politicos, starting with her speech impediment and then her eternal practice of obsfucation by using several thousand words to answer a simple yes or no question................, this poster child of an affirmative action poseur dilettante is a study, be it by Marcus Mabry of what "worst case scenario" truly is.

This is the first time I have ever reviewed a book. I felt compelled to
compliment Mr. Mabry on the thorough research he so painstakingly did for
this book. The book is easy to read and it keeps the reader interested in
the subject without getting bogged down in minutiae.

The author describes the life and times of Dr. Condoleezza Rice with
both personal stories and historical events. Many of the childhood
personal stories and recitations are quite moving. For instance, the Secretary's assimilation into Stanford University was discussed . The historic contention between the State and Defense Departments was highlighted. This inter-agency competition may limit the Secretary's
options-particularly during times of war. A strength of the work highlights
areas where the organizational design of the cabinet itself could be
reconfigured or enhanced to benefit future presidencies.

Several great crises presented early in the current Administration.
For instance, Hurricane Katrina left thousands homeless in the USA.
The Asian Tsunami left thousands dead with billions of dollars in
property claims.

The aftermath of terrorist attacks in New York City cost many lives and displaced people and businesses . Sunni insurgents destroyed the Golden Dome of the Askariya Mosque- one of the holiest places of Sh'ia Islam. The Hezbollah kidnapped an Israeli soldier and the Hamas prevailed in open elections to become a voting majority.

Add to this the current Iraqi difficulties in coordinating internal security with an iterative withdrawal of the United States at some future time. The current fear centers around control of Baghdad when the United States leaves or withdraws to a position outside of the daily skirmishes between the Sunni, Sh'ia and protagonists outside of Iraq.

The peacekeeping forces (whether American, Iraqi, United Nations or a
combination of the above) in Iraq must manage historic contentions between warring factions while hoping that the conflict does not spill over into neighboring countries like Turkey or Iran. There have been significant border clashes between the Turks and the Kurds, as well as Iranian involvement in the conflict.

The challenges ahead deal with the role of the United States in the region,
as well as the transitioning of the American peacekeeping forces to
Iraqi security forces and possibly United Nations forces for the long term.
The long term vision involves the mix of security forces.

Preferably, these forces will be Iraqi with a permanent contingent of United Nations forces concurrent with an iterative phasing out of U.S.A. involvement over a rational time horizon. The work could deal in more detail with the future role of the United States in Iraq and the Secretary's current work to re-shape that role.

To obtain a verifiable ceasefire, the Sunni, Sh'ia, Kurds and mixed
communities must come to believe that they could lead a better life in
a loosely knit governance with a fair economic resource-sharing
arrangement. Right now, these parties have not internalized this goal.
And so, they are jockeying to gain the upper hand.

This process will continue until the Iraqi security apparatus develops with some assistance (preferably) from the United Nations Peacekeeping forces.
If the country ever gets to the point of a verifiable ceasefire, the next
step is to deal with governance and the return of thousands of professional
persons who fled the country for their lives and careers. These people
need to return in order to reconstitute the country from the present
disorder and destruction.

All of these events rose and continue to rise in unison to present the Secretary with an unparalleled series of challenges not seen in recent years. The work discusses the Secretary's career in government and
academia with carefully chosen events which provide a unique profile
into the experiential domain over the previous decades of service.

The author combines the Secretary's personal dynamic with the job
of Secretary of State. In these times, the job of Secretary of State
requires a facilitative persona with considerable practical and academic
acumen. Dr. Condoleezza Rice is such a person.

The book is highly recommended for students of government, politics,
journalism and academe everywhere. Events are happening so quickly
in the Middle East that a sequel to this book could be contemplated .

This book is an incredible story that is beyond entertaining. This series of books details the incredible adventures of men trying to keep our country safe during a time when this is a very important issue. The threats are real and reading this book, I feel that the story and action could be real. The characters are grounded in real life and I think thats what makes it so appealing.

Harriman is a super writer and has a keen wit. I just finished this and really enjoyed the story. This is a page turner, and set in SW US border area. Book is very into (accurate) detail such a the gear the ex-seals carry and geography of the area. Strongly advise this book for you action adventure types. Part of what I like best about the author is a happy ending.

A page turner, granted it's nothing really new if you read Marcinko, McNabb, Weisman... But you get what you came for. The shopping list gets a little tiring though, brand name dropping at every chance.

This in some ways was better than the debut novel.

I will be very much looking forward to reading more from this series. Hollywood execs need to take a close look at making this into a series of movies.

If you are a fan of action and adventure - then this one should be right up your alley.

While we watch 'The Minutemen' and debate their worth, illegals of all calibres are slipping into this country at an alarming rate. With Homeland Security unable or unwilling to stem this flow, 'Home Team-Hostile Borders' tells a frightening tale of what can easily be our next worst nightmare.

This book is tacky, exploitative and the authors are just trying to make a quick buck. If the pictures were of a child and any other stranger to that child we'd all be sympathetic and understanding of the terror the child was going through. Why, just because we call the stranger Santa, should it ever be considered laughable?

This is a great little book and perfect as a kind of nostalgic "stocking stuffer" for Christmas. (Think "George Bailey," not "Billy Bob Thornton.") I don't know if it's at all for children, but I really appreciated the book for all the fond, not so fond, but very funny memories looking at the pictures and reading the captions brought back for me and my wife and family. (Such memories are clearly what motivated so many to send in their old photos, most of which are hilarious.) The pictures and captions were obviously lovingly put together and crafted by the authors and my only gripe with the book was that it wasn't longer. More pictures, please! How about "SoS the Second"?

PS Somebody named "Polar Bear" seems to have had a "bad Santa" event and needs a hug! Lighten up, Frances, this book's about Christmas fun, not "stranger danger." (Hey, it's "Santa Claus, not your relatives.)

Childhood rite of passage wouldn't be complete without the horror of sitting on Santa's lap. What makes this book so hilariously funny are not the pictures themselves, but the commentaries that go along with them. Kudos to the writers. After looking at 250 pictures, how they came up with such witty observations is beyond me.

Size of book was disapointment. Only 4x6. Pictures of children seemed to be all the same. Hard to get different shots, I guess. Title was interesting, therefore led me to buy it. Wife thought it was fine. Would not have bought if in a book store and could page through it first before buying.

This book is not only a perfect stocking stuffer, but anyone who was a kid, is a kid, or has been around kids will enjoy the humor. Some of the photos were true laugh out loud moments. Great book. Fun to read!

Princeton Review: Gourman Report of Graduate Programs, 8th Edition: A Rating of Graduate and Professional Programs in American and International Uni versities ... in American and International Universities)Princeton Review: Gourman Report of Undergraduate Programs, 10th Edition: A Rating of Undergraduate Programs in American and International Universities ... in American and International Universities) As an educational professional for over thirty-years, I have used Dr. Jack Gourman's guides to select my graduate schools, to help my children select their undergraduate and graduate schools, and to help my students choose their colleges and universities. As consumers of collegiate products, most parents just accept what a school says about how good they are. Dr. Gourman (Univ of MI) furnishes us accurate information to measure school quality vs. price. Given the impact of these decisions on a child's education, Gourman has done a great public service by publishing his evaluation. It shows how far from accurate are the evaluations contained in popular "news" magazines which many depend on to make this momentous decision. Gourman's guidea are easy to use but they also contain a discussion of the methodology he uses in his analysis. This is key information for parents concerned about getting what they pay for.

I've used several major ranking references. I have found the Gourman Report to be the most accurate in rating educational institutions in terms of faculty quality and library - an often over-looked yet the MOST important resource for research in graduate schools and professional schools such as med schools, business schools and law schools.

By contrast, other ranking reports tend to put too much emphasis on subjective opinions (mostly gathered via opinion polls) in their ranking calculations. Some put almost no emphasis on the size of the library; and some calculate a "library size to student population ratio", making a lousy library of a small school seems better than a good library of a big school.

I have encountered many disenchanted students at small private universities who are disappointed at the lack of library resources and the small selection of classes in their particular programs. Their research is slowed down or made impossible because of the inadequacy of these resources. They would have avoided such disenchantment if they had used the Gourman Report.

Jack Gourman is a former professor from the University of Michigan who compiles his rankings by calling professors in various departments at different schools and asking them which programs they think are the best in their field. Not a bad way to rank schools and programs if your sampling is statistically valid, but since Jack is vague about his methodology, we'll never know that. What we do know is that his rankings are noticeably skewed in favor of large state universities and especially the University of Michigan. For instance, most observers rank Harvard Stanford and Yale among the top three law schools, with Michigan between fifth and ninth, but Jack consistently ranks the Wolverines in the top three. (Hey! They've got a great football program, haven't they?)

This approach produces ludicrous results in his rankings of undergraduate institutions (a separate book), but is less of a problem with graduate programs which are (1) the province of larger universities, and (2) subject to fewer constraints in their acceptance of out-of-state residents.

The book is especially useful as a checklist of all of the major players in a particular discipline. Just remember to move all Big Ten schools down one to two notches, and the University of Michigan down three to four, and you'll end up with some pretty decent rankings.

Jack, you really should make your ranking available online. Otherwise, many people will not refer to it and they will miss the opportunity to access the most objective and accurate college ranking!

As an educational professional myself, I can assure that the rating provided by Dr. Gourman is certainly the most objective and well prepared of its kind. Of course, there is no equal to the National Research Council study conducted every 10 years, but the Gourman Report certainly fills the gap.

While this book appears to be thin, it has many illustrations of edible plants found in different parts of the world. No one likes to think that they would need to forage, but if it were necessary, this would be a good resource to have. I feel confident that I could locate several plants to sustain myself with if the circumstances arose.

While the book informs us about edible plants, it warns that there are similar plants that are poisonous -- and doesn't give any description for them! I'd have to be really, really hungry before I would risk using this book.

lots of good info if you spend a lot of time in woods ,or if you don't and find yourself lost ,this book might keep you alive.

Good little book that covers quite a lot. Gives good information on those plants in the wild that can be used for food. Along with this it gives excellent clear color close up pictures of the plants with a description of their botanical structures, habitats and distribution, edible parts and other uses such as making baskets, rope, medicines, etc. Also gives good photo descriptions of the most dangerous and poisonous plants and how to identify and recognize them.

The Illustrated Guide to Edible Wild PlantsThis book is very informative on edible wild plants. Recommended to those who are serious about wilderness survival and disaster preparedness.

It works as long as you have enough time to study don't think that the book alone will help. But it early enough to read and review to take practice tests. It is an excellent tudor.

This book was exactly what I needed. I haven't taken the test yet, but it's a great resource for studying and I have confidence that it will help give me at least a basic idea of what to expect. Shipped quickly. I'm very satisfied.

This book is accessible and covers much of the exam material in the depth you need to know it. However, it glosses over plant biology (a very major component of the exam) as well as much of the animal physiology and evolution material it contains. It was very frustrating on exam day to see all kinds of information not covered in this book -- and I'm not talking specifics here but GENERAL CONCEPTS. If your undergraduate biology study was more focused (i.e. you haven't had development or plant bio or physiology or evolution or cell bio), you're probably better off taking an in-depth review of the Campbell general biology textbook (an older edition of which I'm sure you could get cheaply and not feel bad marking up). Also, if inconsistent diagrams and lapses in text editing aren't really your cup of tea, this book might not be for you.

You might as well buy any version you want for a test you will take soon, but I did find this book very helpful for reviewing without much time to do so. The situation will change when the test goes electronic, however. In that case the old versions will likely be obsolete.

This is one of the best GRE subject books for any person trying to score high on the GRE exam in Biology. It covers everything you need to know in detail. The illustrations, the diagrams, the graphs, the charts, are all very helpful too. They even show you some basic math to help you understand everything better and for it to make sense for you. It has three sections Cellular and Molecular Biology, Organismal Biology, and Ecology and Evolution. I could not put it down it was so helpful and I understood everything that they wrote down. This book is very specific and as mentioned above and thorougly explains everything without you saying this is too much. There are about 14-15 practice questions at the end of each section and the answers are explained fully. The end of the book there are 200 questions that cover everything that you read in the book and the answers are again fully explained at the end. I am not a good multiple choice test taker but after reading about 10 pages on a certain topic I answered the question correctly at the end. I highly recommend this book you will definately score higher on the GRE subject. Even if you are not a good test taker you will most likely get a higher score! The book might I add is interesting to read too and is very thought provoking.