Software Books

THE BEST Book on UDB to get INDEPTH!! If you want to know indepth, read this -most of the content may be in ibm db2 udb information center also.

I was trying to learn SQL and database basic. I have been looking to several different books and I was lacking a book that would systematicaly explain data base and SQL basics. This is the book. Chapters regarding Data Retrival are just right, not to short and not to long. Just right.

I recomend the book to somebody that would like to learn SQL and DB2 basics.

I used this book to write Exam 704 (Advance DB2 UDB DBA certification). I cleared the exam with flying colors.
I consider this book as DB2 UDB Bible. This is one of the some good books on DB2 UDB.
Also recommend to DBAs who are not preparing for certification since it covers almost all the aspects of DB2 database.

Regards
Prakash Gautam

I just found this book, and after reading it wish I had found this years ago. This is the most comprehensive book on DB2 that I have ever seen. This book has already saved me a lot of time. The performance chapter is great and helped me improve the performance of my DB2 server by over 30% in less than a week.

This is the book I was waiting for long on DB2UDB. This not only covers topics for certifications but also good (very good) reference material for all UDB DBAs on LUW platform.

When was the last time you picked up a book and couldn't put it down? Markus Egger's "Advanced Object Oriented Programming with Visual FoxPro 6.0" is such a book. He covered everything I needed to know. He covered the fundamentals (a short review of terms), given clear explanations to everyday problems and demonstrated how objects are used in real world designs.

My favorite chapter was "Using Shrink-Wrapped Classes". Until now I have avoided using the available classes distributed with Visual FoxPro because there was a lack of documentation in the original manuals and didn't have the time to open each class and explore. Now that I have read this chapter I ask myself why was I pushing a square wheel up a hill all these years when I could have used these classes immediately and start building on them. Another favorite was needing to know how to hide properties and methods in classes and never being able to figure out how to make these classes work properly. Now I know!

I read this book in two evenings and now I am going back over my classes to re-configure them.

Hentzenwerke Publishing has done a phenomenal job with all it's titles. Not one has been a disappointment. Unlike IDG Books "Bible" series which has been nothing more than fluff and someone wanting to show-off their code.

Almost reads like a novel. I couldn't put the book down. It was immediately relevant, and I can see it being so for years to come. It has permanently changed the way I write code in VFP.

Overall pretty good book, I pretty much read it cover-to-cover over a two day period. However, my expectations were a bit high after reading all the other reviews on this site. First of all, his description of the Component Gallery totally lost me. More importantly, from chapter 12 on, the author elects to assume that everyone has access to a ... piece of software called Rational Rose to design an OOP app. This disappointed me, I would have preferred to have things explained in a way that I could follow along with the tools I have as a VFP developer.

This is probably the best book that I have ever purchased for learning the real nuts and bolts on Visual FoxPro's OOP capabilities and the tools available in it. I encourage both new and seasoned programmers in Visual FoxPro to BUY THIS BOOK!!. I don't think you'll find a better one out there. The way Markus covers the FFCs and other advanced topics is great!!! It is hard to describe in 100 words or less how valuable this book is.

In order to benefit the Power of VFP, a developer should understand the power of OOP in software development. This book tells and guides you how OOP is applied in application development using VFP. The explanation of OOP tells it loud and clear that Object Orientation is very important aspect in today's software development. Markus and his associates really deserves commendation of doing it well.

This fall I learned that Priscilla Maine was a distant cousin. In the course of getting to know her, I learned she was an author. Being curious about her work, I requested "Angels Unaware" as a Christmas gift. I sat down with my autographed copy and couldn't put it down! Priscilla's characters became so real to me that I began feeling what they felt. I found myself frustrated with the people for not accepting Rebecca, angry at the attitude about unmarried nurses (I am a nurse myself), and ready to strangle the haughty Reverend. Angels Unaware is a vacation for the soul. Share it with someone you love. As for me, I can't wait to read "Journey of the Eagle".

Priscilla Maine is a gifted writer who breathes life into her characters in this beautiful book. ANGELS UNAWARE provides escape from the here and now, whisking readers back to an earlier time. The hardships of the period are drawn in such detail that it makes one appreciate the convenience of running water and electricity. Having read this book, I eagerly anticipate Maine's next, which I have now purchased, JOURNEY OF THE EAGLE.

Angels Unaware is one of the best books I've read in a very long time. The characters are unforgetable, and the story is very interesting. Details from that time period add to the continuity of the story, and it is obvious that Priscilla Maine did a lot of research before writing this work. The theme of having faith in God is not lost; neither is it pounded in. Rather, it is woven into the fabric of this book. I look foreword to reading the next book by this author.

"Angels Unaware," by Priscilla A. Maine takes its title from the Hebrews Biblical text 13:2 "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." The theme's in Maine's book serve this homily well, as her characters learn what it means to untangle old hates and prejudices in order to extend their gifts and create a community together.

"Angels Unaware" shows us lives of strength, courage, and grace laced with ingenuity and hardwork. Almost every character goes through convincing change throughout the course of the book--even the villain of the piece (you'll have to read to find out this surprise).

Priscilla Maine says, "My great-grandmothers came West with a wagon load of dreams. They birthed and buried their infants alone, plowed fields, outlived husbands, tragedies, and trumphs that inspire my writing." Those fore-mothers, reading over Maine's shoulder must surely be proud of how she continues their heritage.

--Janet Grace Riehl, author Sightlines: A Poet's Diary

Angels Unaware, by Priscilla A. Maine, is a powerful, well-researched historical novel. The author's own spirituality shines through as she recounts the strength and determination required of a woman, alone, who takes her medical skills and strong religious beliefs to the hill country of southeastern Oklahoma. Rebecca Rice isn't satisfied to live out her life in the manner expected of a middle-aged widow in the 1890s. Much to her brother and sister's consternation, she ventures into the backwoods to serve people who have no access to adequate medical care or spiritual guidance. Rebecca relishes the challenges of her mission, eagerly casting away a way of life that leaves her "empty and unfulfilled." After several days of travel, she arrives at her new home--a dilapidated, vermin invested cabin. But making the cabin habitable is the easy part of Rebecca's new life. She encounters hill people resistant to her offer of service, people who harbor deep-seated prejudices and fears. For the first many months, Rebecca's only friends are a young woman who at first appears to be retarded; an old, gnome-like woman, accepted as a healer in the backwoods; and an orphaned wolf cub who becomes her constant companion and protector. She teams up with "Ole Woman" and accompanies the healer when she makes her rounds to families in the area. Although largely ignored by the hill people, Rebecca at last feels as though she is moving toward her goal of faith healing. Throughout this insightful book, Angels Unaware brings the reader to an understanding of the hardships endured in this isolated hill country where superstitions and ignorance often prevail making health improvements and spiritual development a slow, arduous process. I found myself aching with Rebecca's effort to help people so resistant to her faith healing and rejoicing with each hard-won acceptance. Angels Unaware weaves spirituality, medicine and the complex lives of hill people into an unforgettable story of grit and courage. I highly recommend this entertaining novel.

Mary E. Trimble Reviewer

Like my title of the review reads, if you have computer science background and just starting with PERL, this is the book for you. It teaches PERL the way computer science people are taught programming languages like C, FORTRAN etc. Starts with basics and proceeds in systematic and logical way. It is an easy read and will get you up and running in less than 2 days.

I know several programming languages and wanted to use Perl on my website. Within days I was able to take existing scripts and modify them to use on my site. I was able to generate several program to help maintain the site within weeks. Great book!

This is the first and from what I found "ONLY" book for a novice. I have read numerous titles on Perl and was always left with basic questions. If you want to understand Perl, read this book.

I read Beginning Perl, 2nd Ed (BP2E) to gain some familiarity with Perl 5. I do not plan to really write anything in Perl, but I find myself using other people's code quite a bit! In those situations I would like to know how the code works. I also enjoy being able to make small changes if the code does not work as expected. Perl is basically everywhere, so it pays to understand it to some degree.

James Lee's book is excellent from start to finish. I found his explanations very clear and his writing style lively. He covered just about everything I hoped to read in a book of roughly 400 pages. The book is ideal for the self-educated since it contains exercises with answers in the back. I personally enjoyed learning more about regular expressions in Ch 7, since PCRE is an important part of several network security tools.

It is easy to take a good programming book for granted. I have started and stopped reading several other books written to teach programming because their style is terrible and the assumptions they make confuse the beginner. BP2E is always conscious of what the reader has already seen. The author makes it clear when a briefly mentioned topic will be more thoroughly explained later in the book. Plenty of technical authors could learn from this example.

Even if you plan to read the author's new book -- Beginning Perl 6 (or BP3E) -- you may want to read BP2E. Perl 5 will be with us for many more years, so it pays to understand the material in BP2E. (It's possible that BP3E could demonstrate Perl 5 and 6 syntax, but I doubt it.)

Beginning Perl is a great introduction and resource. It does assume the reader has some basic prior programming experience, but either way it is very logical and easy to follow. The book is well-organized so that you can easily find what you need. There are tips and shortcuts strategically placed throughout the book to help you along the way.

I bought this book very recently, having no prior experience with Perl. I had seen a couple of scripts that other people had written, but since I have minimal programming experience I could only somewhat figure out what they were intended for.

I read the first chapter of Beginning Perl (11 pages), and read bits and pieces of the second chapter (37 pages). Then I began writing my first Perl scripts, using the book primarily for reference. It makes a great reference tool because the index is very thorough and the examples are easy to understand without necessarily reading the entire book in order. About 3 hours ago I couldn't have told you what a subroutine was or how to create a hash, but now I have completed my first interactive program using subroutines, hashes, various types of loops, error-checking, etc. That would have taken me weeks to learn if I had not discovered this book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning Perl.

As a fairly new user to the Mac and iPhoto I found this Missing Manual a valuable help in learning to properly use the application. I own 3 of the Missing Manuals and would recommend them to anyone.

This is a helpful reference manual for the new I-Photo program. I would recommend this book to anyone new to I-Photo.

Ain't gonna do a bang up job with out it.

Walt

I have learned so much from this book. The book is very well written and gets to the point in a simple and easy way to follow.

This book has saved me a ton of time and answered a lot of my questions about iPhoto and I am only about a third of the way through the book so far. It is a real joy. Questions that Apple staff in the local Apple store were unable to answer to my satisfaction are amply covered in this book. While the first section on fundamentals of digital photography is more basic than I need, still I got some useful information out of that section. I gained an understanding of the workings of the iPhoto image files - original and modified - and on how iPhoto interfaces with Elements 6.0. I also bought the Missing Manual for Elements 6.0 and find the two albums play well together.

Things that I previously was unable to figure out became clear within a short time thanks to the Missing Manual for iPhoto '08. I feel more confident that I am going to master the photo processing software and spend much less time at the iMac while doing a better job of editing and printing my images. A great value because it translates right into time saved. Much easier than using on line help and tutorials because the manual asks the questions that I was unable to even think to ask - and then proceeds to answer the questions. I am very pleased with this book. I have over 15,000 images in iPhoto now and feel that I will soon be in command of the images and not the other way around.

A well-written and coherent overview of the web design process and the specific requirements of web application design.

Some of the useful features of this book are
- well-selected examples
- a description of the product development process
- an excellent description (with examples) of how to develop and use "personas"
- guidelines for when and how to use specific models of interaction in a product
- simple, bullet-pointed summary guidelines for solving interaction and display design problems
- case studies at the end which are evaluated using criteria the author has developed throughout the book

I am a designer working in this field and this is the guide I would recommend for exploring and understanding the practice of web-application design.

Mr. Baxley has an insightful perspective illustrated in his "Universal Model of a User Interface." He simplifies the process of moving from conceptual to concrete interface design by deconstructing applications into two separate layers. The top layer contains the structure, behavior & presentation & the bottom layer contains more granular aspects of the top three. By explaining the key factors in designing each of these layers he makes it easier to understand & integrate all the aspects critical to interface design. If you don't have time to read Rosenfeld & Morville's Information Architecture, be sure to read this book as he covers a lot of key IA issues too, though he prefers to call it the "organizational model" behind an application.

This book is tattered from referencing it and has many passages underlined. Unlike some usability books it is organized in a manner that moves you through the design problem space. It begins with setting definitions and examining the possible forces behind these projects. Then Baxley dives into the meat of the design process through a 3 layered approach. He covers all the bases - from the user point of view to navigation, Help systems, forms, layout and shows how it alI fits into the models within the layers. It is well written, making points clear without repetitive passages. I would recommend this book for beginners and old hands. It is a great book, written following the usability rules he is propounding.

The back cover of the book states: "Most people involved in the design and specifications of Web applications, whether they're visual designers, engineers, or product marketers do not have a method for understanding or prioritizing design issues." I agree - however, I would add that those of us who are involved in usability testing / user research should also be added to the list. As a consultant working in the field of user research, I give my clients this book - the main reason being that it gives us a common vocabulary and way to think about how to conduct usability testing or user research at any stage of the Web development process. While not written to do so, the book actually provides a "template" for what needs to be tested / researched at each stage. This type of organized thinking can only help those of us in the trenches provide meaningful feedback. One request of the author - a sequel entitled "Applying the Principals of Making the Web Work to User Research" - (while not necessarily the best title - you get the idea!)

An impeccably-organized encyclopedia of web design.

If I had to base an entire web design class on a single book this would be the one. Bob Baxley's "Making the Web Work" is easily the most comprehensive manual for applying good design to create a great user experience on the web. This book has both breadth and depth-just look at the table of contents. Regardless of your level of web design proficiency you will find more than your money's worth of useful insight here (even if you have already read just about every other web design book!).

One thing I especially like about this book is that Bob doesn't provide a single solution for a design challenge, but takes time to present and evaluate (pro/con and why) several alternatives. He doesn't just feed you the "right" answers the way Jakob Nielsen does in his "Designing Web Usability." Bob's approach will help you gain a thorough understanding of the options and make informed design decisions.

The two case studies of Amazon and Ofoto included at the end of the book are the most comprehensive I have seen: they're about 30 pages each!

About the only gripe I have is that Bob takes the liberty of using lesser known versions of some terms without providing their more known synonyms. For example, while Lou Rosenfeld and Peter Morville have all but established the terms "ambiguous" and "exact" for the two types of classification schemes, Bob prefers to call them "subjective" and "objective," respectively, without providing the alternative terms. Similarly, "organization scheme" is replaced by "classification scheme", and "organization structure" with "model of association." My IA students have enough difficulty keeping one set of terms straight!

Overall, however, this one serious web design book. Highly recommended. Other books I liked: "Interface Design for Ecommerce Applications" by Paul Gokin (search for this one on the web), "Designing Web Site Interface Elements" by Eric Eaton, and "Submit Now: Designing Persuasive Websites" by Andrew Chak.

Technology affects art and the many changes in computer animation and effects means that the art world faces both new challenges and new innovations in 3D modeling. Surprisingly, Peter Ratner explains, the changes mean less technical challenges for artists with more ability to focus on creating art rather than deciphering computer systems - and the second edition of his Mastering 3D Animation is just the place to begin. Ratner is a professor of the topic at James Madison University - and the founder and head of the first computer animation program in Virginia, so his background lends particularly well to discussions. His paintings and computer graphics have received exhibition and acclaim - also a plus for artists seeking more than just a programmer's technical tips.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, from its technical standpoint of working between the program and the supporting 3D theory/thought process that Mr. Ratner provides.

Finding that balance of an artist and technologist from where to launch one's vision and future visions of creativity starts with good knowledge. Ratner gives many facets of where to see this vision and tutorials to follow through with your own creative projects.

I commonly work with many high-end graphics programs, Lightwave 7.0 being my newest program on my plate. Peter Ratner's 3d book getting me from a begining user from just reading the index to a 3D artist ready to start the new facets of my own portfolio. Mastering 3D Animation helped quite a bit everything from the Modeling and subdivides to the theory/progress.

Joseph Arthur
Information Architects, Principal

Peter J. Ratner's second authoring effort, Mastering 3D Animation, is a 333-page softcover text that is a comprehensive, detailed and practical tutorial guide addressing nearly every aspect and segment of the 3D graphics genre. The book's 14 chapters-and accompanying follow-along CD for PC and Mac-speak to modeling (beginning and advanced), animation, special effects, lighting, surfacing techniques, facial animation, elements of action, figure movements and composition and cinematography. It's an exceptionally capable complement to Ratner's first book, 3-D Human Modeling and Animation. (Ratner currently is updating the latter text with a wholesale rewrite.)

Make no mistake: This is no cursory guide to constructing simple geometry, slapping on some stock textures, animating basic movements along spline paths and rendering to AVI while you're sipping on a latte, watching the Discovery Channel. A full-time professor in the 3D Computer Animation department of James Madison University and the program's founder, Ratner relies on the broad and substantial digital and conventional art experience that has rewarded him with artistic entries in more than 80 national and international juried exhibitions. Ratner is well-versed in most aspects of 3D art creation, choreography and cinematography. The results of his industry experience are a splendid collection of detailed and refined insights and experiences assimilated into a thorough tutorial guide. I have no doubt-as many experts agree-that Mastering 3D Animation is equipped to serve as a collegiate-level textbook for 3D computer animation curricula.

Spanning the many processes related to generating 3D digital art, Ratner illustrates his critical techniques with 658 black-and-white line drawings and grayscale screen captures. The images vary from basic and sketchy but illustrative black-only perspectives, steps and graphs to grayscale representations depicting character renderings, particle systems, height fields, geometric displacements, facial close-ups, rendered environments and more. Of particular interest to those having cinematography or traditional art backgrounds are the commentary, instructions and grayscale reproductions of painted and sketched art dating back multiple centuries.

Those attending to a more technical emphasis and interest are accommodated in every respect, however-minus superficial references to hardware specifications. Early on, Ratner clarifies his intentions in composing this text: "[The book's] purpose is not to create button pushers who can boast about megahertz, abundant RAM, big monitors and software with all kinds of bells and whistles. It is hoped that aspiring 3D artists will learn some valuable lessons from the great art geniuses that have preceded them." (Foreward/vii) Yes, Ratner does wane philosophical, at times, but his contemplative tendencies bring a refreshing and purist perspective to a field frequently inundated by overly technical meanderings and functionally pointless rambling. Thus, Ratner blends an in-depth artistic and technical knowledge with a practicality and philosophy altogether forming a well-rounded perspective-one catering to persons of various inclinations and backgrounds.

The companion CD contains 200-plus 3D models in a variety of formats: LightWave 3D's .lwo and .lws; Wavefront's .obj; Maya's .ml and the generic .dxf. Tutorial project files are archived in QuickTime (.mov) and JPEG (.jpg) formats, and Ratner also includes a Photoshop brush file (.abr) for creating "grime" textures.

As for the text's informational composition, chapters one and two explore the basics of 3D modeling-polygonal and spline-based (NURBS). Chapter 3 addresses basic 3D animation, while the fourth delves further into animation by considering the role of deformation tools: skeletons ("bones"); kinematics; lattice flexors, etc. In Chapter 5, Ratner explains special effects, including the use of spheres, particles, collision detection, voxels, fragments, displacement mapping and more. Part II of the text, Advanced 3D Modeling, begins with commentary about the human head's structure and composition, including muscles and bone. Ratner explains both the NURBS- and polygon- based methods for modeling the head. Special attention is allotted to features, such as the eyes, eyelids, eye sockets and ears. There's no lack of detail, here, and NURBS fans will experience a rare sensation-a feeling of belongingness.

The next two chapters, six and seven, are devoted to modeling the human figure. The latter stresses finishing-hair, eyelashes and clothing. Chapters 9 and 10 comprise Part III: Preparing for Animation. Lighting is the focus of Chapter 9, and Chapter 10-another that may appeal particularly to conventional artists-deals with surfacing techniques. The author goes beyond the typical texture map types-cylindrical, planar, spherical, cubic, etc.-and the use of photos to address alternative surfacing methods, such as transparency (alpha) and displacement maps. In short, Ratner extends well beyond the conventional surfacing methods most highly publicized, deeply exploring what might be categorized more aptly as upper-echelon trade tips than as common genre knowledge: creating sophisticated bump maps; using grayscale gradients in displacement; and more.

Part IV of the book, Character Animation Fundamentals, includes chapters 11-14: Expressing Emotion with Facial Animation (11); The Elements of Action (12); Movements of the Figure (13); Composition and Cinematography (14). Once again, the author uses an expansive knowledge of choreography and anatomy to help quantify how human emotions are exhibited: body posturing; eye wideness; lip contour; eyebrow position; even directional muscular pull. Each of these considerations can be projected in a 3D figure, and Ratner shows the reader how. "A muscle is composed of a bundle of fibers that work in mutual association to perform common duties," Ratner writes on Page 248. "... It is this combination of movements that results in the complicated harmony of the facial muscles."

The Elements of Action chapter confronts those issues pertinent to a convincing human portrayal by a mere collection of polygons or surfaced curved lines: timing; sound syncing; weight and recoil ("squash and stretch"); walk cycles and more. Chapter 13 addresses concerns complementary to those in the previous one, including body mass motion, pace and impact, equilibrium, action lines, rhythm and still more. The final score of this harmonized tutorial prose pursues line composition, spatial arrangement, blocking (proxy geometry) and all manner of photographic issues and techniques. The reader will learn practical cinematography terminology-camera techniques and movements, transitions, more-and the fundamental tenets of motion depiction utilized by artists centuries earlier.

Mastering 3D Animation is a wonderful book, full of useful information that you will refer to again and again. It covers many complicated issues in an easy-to-understand way so that beginners and advanced users alike can grasp the information. Definately a title that will remain in your library for years to come.

Although a nice book that goes into depth in areas that other modeling books haven't, the generalized, not-to-mention-one-specific-application approach the author has taken left me, a beginner, bewildered and drooling. Also, I think some of what isn't explained in detail was not explained purposely as it was difficult to put into words and considered common sense, which seems to be the case with several tutorials and books that I've read on modeling. I want to know things like: Once I have my splines slapped down in a front perspective, how do I push and pull them properly from other perspectives so they'll take shape, or When defining detail with polygons, how many should I tesselate, how can I manipulate them to look like a gradual bump for a muscle and not a sharp cornered cliff? To sum it up, the book was written for the more experienced and those who are very well aquainted with their software packages-I was expecting step-by-step modeling for newbies.

This book is a MAINSTAY in my reference library. Though I do only limited back-end development in the applications I work on, this is the first book I look for when I need to be pointed in the right direction. I highly recommend it!

I bought this book as a complete Oracle novice, transitioning from Microsoft T-SQL to PL/SQL. I was worried about the transition being difficult until I read this book.

It is one of those very rare books that presents advanced concepts in a context understandable by users of all experience levels. The author often throws in tips about Oracle PL/SQL quirks to watch out for, as well as some very applicable information about how Oracle works internally.

I've since become more comfortable with PL/SQL, and the book also serves as a great reference. I highly encourage you to read this book straight through.

I recommend this well-written book to anybody wanting to learn PL/SQL, as well as anyone needing a great reference.

Although the information was accurate and useful, I think the strength of this book was it's clear and logical presentation. It is easy to read and very helpful. For example, I needed to know how to dynamically build the "where" clause for select statements and his chapter on DBMS_SQL gave me the tools to accomplish my task at work.

This is definitely an excellent book. No one should rank it less than 5 stars just because it was published in 1996. Please do some research before talk. Actually, Scott Urman has wrote a book, "Oracle8 PL/SQL Programming", which was published in 1997. Buy this one if you want to learn PL/SQL 8.0.

Oracle 8 is out and in this book it only covers to Oracle 7. It is a very well written book. It is a valuable reference however it was published in 1996. Still looking for Oracle SQL Plus 8.0 AND the PL/SQL Programming. I hope the author steps up to the plate and updates his work.

this book is great on several levels. i love the workshop format, which allows me to get involved by doing the assignments and i am inspired by the images. this book is exactly what i wanted it to be.

I purchased this book for a friend's birthday and decided to get a copy for myself. I have a great interest in photography and have two small children. This book has wonderful ideas for compostion and easy to understand tips. All of the ideas and suggestions reinforce what I am learning in my basic photography class. I love that each photo includes the manual camera settings that were used.

As a beginner photographer, I loved all the information in this book. The assignments were especially fun for me and my daughters. I loved the pictures and it gave me several ideas for creating beautiful family photographs. Since it's the only book in this Photo Workshop series that I've bought, I don't know if they all use this format, but it was very helpful for this new photographer!

Love this book! The pictures inside are just gorgeous and information about the camera settings for each picture are included. The book is an easy read and is full of insightful information. There are practice sessions at the end of each chaper too. I can't say that I have taken the time to do any yet, but the suggestions are still great none-the-less.

I highly recommend this book to any avid photographer and aspiring professional photographer. I'd like to get more books in the photoworkshop series.

I rarely take the time to write a review for something I buy. But this book has really touched me and enlightened me. It is so well written and organized. I am a mom of six and love taking pictures of my kids. I'm trying to learn more to be able to take really good pictures. This book was so straight-forward. The pictures are REAL - not the strange art-studio type pictures that seem so popular now. I really appreciate that the information is shown for each picture. It's really helped me "see" what differences aperture and shutter speed make. The exercises at the end of each chapter have pushed me to really think about what I'm taking pictures of and stretch my thinking a little more outside the box. I can't wait to complete some of the assignments and upload them to the website. I've bought 6 or 7 photography books on amazon and none compare to this one- its just the best and well worth the money. What I want to know is - does Ginny offer workshops? I would LOVE to attend one if she does!

Got here in a timely manner, looked good. If they do this all the time,
I'd buy from them again.

I needed to lay out a school newspaper in QuarkXPress, having never used Quark before. I bought the book on Friday and had made a newspaper by Sunday. This book is that effective. The chapter about learning Quark in 30 minutes is for real. Since that weekend, I have often referred back to this book; its other chapters have included everything I've needed.

Amazing. Someone actually knows how to put a manual together. Even the president of Quark suggests buying this book so that we can learn Quark Xpress. At first I was too frustrated with Quark (having come off Pagemaker 6.5), to learn it. Then I purchased this book and whammo, I'm now an expert. Can't figure out why Quark doesn't just put this manual in their product instead of the thick, overwhelmingly poor manual they supply.

Don,t get scary by the size of this book. Usually when you are looking at one of those monsters (909 pages) you know it's more like encyclopedia than useful manual. But this book is different. Information is systemized, instructions are clear. It's easy to reed and easy to follow. I didn't know anything about Quark Express. And I started from this book. I found everything and even more that I was looking for.

This book is one of the best I have run across for learning and using a piece of software. I needed to learn Quark quickly and after reading his "Learn QX in 30 minutes" chapter, I felt I had enough of a handle to get started on a project.

I am constantly referring to the book now as a reference.

Can't go wrong with this one.