Directories Books

I received my copy of the January issue of Autograph Collector Magazine and read the review on "The Address Directory & Autograph Collector's Guide" (which I own and use a lot). It received rave reviews as "refreshing, rich in data and this book will keep autograph collectors busy for a long time." Since I have used this book I have been getting better than average responses.

I just heard that this book received the No. 1 rating from Autograph Magazine, Congratulations!

I like the way this book gives background information on celebrities. I can always use some useful facts about celebrities when I write to them. I use the celebrity birthday list a lot. It is a good way to break the ice in writing to a celebrity. I usually write to all the celebrities that have the same birthday as me. Other times I just write to the celebrity wishing them a happy birthday. I have had good success this way. Some of the celebrities that have replied to me are Mohammed Ali, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton and Ron Howard.

I live in a small town in North Dakota and writing to celebrities is the only way I have to contact them. I have used the "The Celebrity Address Directory" and I am getting fantastic results. I had a couple of return to sender and used the satisfaction guarantee form in the back of the book. I got answers to my requests right away. I contacted the publisher by e-mail and the publisher had the new addresses within minutes! I will stay with this book forever, it is the only one I will ever need.

When I received my copy of this book I was surprised. It has many top name celebrities and a lot more! I like the lists he has in this book - celebrity birthdays, celebrity charities, celebrity hobbies, top paid entertainers, Rock' Roll Hall of Famers, Nobel Prize winners, places to get in person autographs and via venues -places to send a request where a celebrity is performing. I haven't seen these features in any other celebrity book. Got to go, I have letters to write.

For years I wondered how there were so many "Matching Numbers" cars with, say, factory tach, 4 speed, etc. available today at large bucks. With the help of this guide, one can assemble or restore the car of their dreams just as if one had special ordered it from the factory in 1964. Of course the purist would say that to take a '64 Impala SS that was originally 250 horse automatic and convert that to a 300 horse, 4 speed, factory tach etc. was counterfeiting even though all the parts have the right casting number, date codes, etc. Well, we can't make that call because opinions run rampant among auto enthusiasts.

Whatever your goal, this book will help you achieve it. Whether validating the authenticity of a barnyard find or assembling the car of your dreams, Alan L. Colvin provides the information to answer your questions. It is presented in a clear, concise maner and organized for easy reference while browsing swap meets and surfing eBay.

My only regret is that I didn't have a copy of it sooner!

If you are going to restore any Chevy or Chevy engine in this time period, you will not find a more conclusive set of working drawings, factual insight or list of part numbers anywhere! I bought the book for the information of the different Chevy engines. With the wealth of information available I might just get myself a Chevy to restore!

By using this book, I figured out what year and model the block, heads and assembly date were for the motor in my 1956 Chevy Nomad. I knew nothing about the motor. I now know what I have.

Mike M.

I have this copy plus the 65-69 and 70-75 versions and find all of them excellent reference material with one caveat, no information on 6 cylinder engines, heads, exhaust, etc. For the V8 enthusiast though, it's hard to beat.

This book is exceptional and details all the finer points that you must know when thinking about, or have purchased one of these fine cars. Take the time and read through this book and it will give you years of knowledge. The book will also educate you as to the correctness of the Chevrolet you either have, or are looking at. It also will help verify myths with acctual facts and documentation as tho the true nature of the cars and their history.

Rivages have become the best-selling guides of their kind in both Europe and America. Originating in Paris, they set the standard for excellence with their fabulous color photographs, superb maps and candid descriptions of the most remarkable hotels of Europe. Each book also contains a restaurant guide to the country and a color atlas pinpointing the location of every hotel and inn. More than 500 establishments are profiled in this guide.

I'm not usually a guidebook fan, preferring instead to do tons of my own research from a variety of sources. Sometimes my friends ask if I'll plan their vacations for them, because I come across some of the most unusual and memorable places to stay that they've never heard of. This book had such special, wonderful information (and photos!) of so many charming and unusual places in Italy; it truly was a gem of a book. I stayed at several of the places recommended, and they were even better in person than in the book.

"This series has long been respected as one of the best of its kind. Each book contains detailed color maps and a listing of accommodations by area. They include color photographs, the address and phone number, a star rating, amenities, price, and a brief paragraph describing the property. Newly revised and updated, these excellent guides to accommodations in Europe are highly recommended for all libraries." Library Journal

I have used the book on three road-trips to Italy and it never failed to be very helpful. I have stayed in about ten of the hotels mentioned in it and they were, with the exception of one, very close to the description given in the book. I think it is the best travel-related guide I know.

I used this book in conjunction with information I discovered on websites, travel magazines and books. The places definately had character and charm. More upscale type places (probably not for the backpacking type)and extended lodging options available.
Places listed here were difficult to find in the typical Frommer and Fodor travel books. E-mail, website address, #'s all available in the book. Trusted my instincts and booked several places from this guide and all were EXCEPTIONAL. Would use again

I love this book
Especially love the way it lays open flat when
so many are so hard to work with as they keep closing
Love the tabs for sections & the way the Author uses
more than one card design in examples
Highly recommend this to anyone loving tarot and
wanting a very well put together book heaped with
information
A+++++

This is a great book. I use it all the time, and I'm a professional tarot reader. It has good insight into the cards and gives alternative card meanings. I like the layout of the book too. It's a must have for anyone trying to learn the tarot meanings.

Firstly, I love the spiral-binding of this book! It is so handy and practical as I can examine my deck of cards without having to hold down a page. The book is also well-organised, and is divided into several sections:
How to use the book
Different decks, different influences
Tarot basics - history,symbolism, learning to trust the tarot, delving beneath the surface, illuminating our inner selves, more decks, more influences
The Major Arcana
The Minor Arcana - cups, wands, pentacles, swords
Preparing for a reading - choosing a pack, setting the scene, synchronicity & practice, reading for a friend
Case Histories - the Celtic Cross, the Three-Card Spread, the Horoscope Spread, the Triangle, the Star Spread, the Consequences Spread, the Five-Card Horseshoe Spread, Creating your own spread

And at the end there are lists of useful websites & books, and an index.

There are full-color illustrations of the different decks which is not just a visual treat but practical in enhancing one's interpretation.The different colored tabs for each section makes it easy to find the headings.

Overall, a great value for those interested in Tarot, and an invaluable asset for beginners.

I am very new to tarot and this book has taught me alot.

I often turn to this book when I can't make sense of a spread. It almost inevitably gives me a down-to-earth perspective. I also like that although it offers clarity, it does not give cut-and-dried silly predictions. I've found this sort of thing in other books -- most often in books that come with tarot card decks -- and they never fail to amuse.

The one complaint I do have is that there is apparently nothing offered about reversals. I tended to avoid them in my readings until I got a deck of round cards that would not allow me to do so. Since then, I've always been curious about reversals and have not been entirely satisfied with the wide variety of explanations I've found in books. Too bad this author doesn't offer opinions (if she did in the text prior to the card interpretations, I missed it).

This is the most complete HTML reference I have ever seen. While it is not a textbook, it certainly lives up to being the Ultimate HTML reference. It is as valuable of a recource as many of the other reviewers have said.

Years ago, I created my own website from scratch using HTML. It was an extremely simple format with no bells or whistles. Over the years, I have tried to keep up with all the new options in HTML and XHTML. The ability to do more with the code has given me far more options. Now I can use code to do what I envision my website rather than work within strict parameters of what the text will allow.

With this said, I am not a professional website designer by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not sure if I'm following proper HMTL (or XHMTL) protocol or if I'm using a lot of code that is just confusing my viewers' browsers.

The Ultimate HTML Reference can be used in a variety of ways. The first chapter explains the differences and uses of HTML versus XHTML. The rest of the book is separated into intuitive sections so that those new to HTML can learn step by step. Finally, the author has added a variety of extremely useful appendixes: for code that is rarely used anymore (and often no longer supported by common browsers), for non-standard elements, and code in alphabetical order for easy reference.

Great reference as I'm using HTML on our website and with job postings. I needed something a little more in depth so that I can do fun things with them and this has been great. Some of it's a little over my head which is why I purchased a second reference. What can I say, I'm kind of a techie, office geek and I like to learn. :^)

HTML is the root and powerhouse of every site, and the only language key to every web site's existence. So THE ULTIMATE HTML REFERENCE is also a key source for any who would master HTML programming. One of the world's experts in HTML produces a comprehensive reference on the topic, packing scripting notes with explanations and examples. Any library catering to programmers - and any working Web programmer - as well as many seeking a clear reference introduction need THE ULTIMATE HTML REFERENCE.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

For over ten years, I have enthusiastically promoted Dave Taylor's "Creating Cool HTML 4 Web Pages" book as my favorite HTML reference book. Its organization, code examples, and writing style are first-rate. I think I may have found a worthy replacement in Ian Lloyd's new "The Ultimate HTML Reference", though I say this with the understanding that this book is really intended for the hard-core HTML coder who needs a handy reference for one of those weird commands that didn't come immediately to mind. This can be a really useful reference for the super-advanced coder, though beginners can get a lot out of this book, too.

Unlike Taylor's book which was laid out in a format that permitted the user to start with simple tasks and build on them, The Ultimate HTML Reference is organized by HTML elements (Structural Elements, Head Elements, List Elements, Text Formatting Elements, Form Elements, Image and Media Elements, Table Elements, Frame and Window Elements, and Common Attributes) and the attributes within the elements (for example, Chapter 4, List Elements, is divided into the various attributes like dl, dd, dt, dir, li, menu, ol, and ul). It even provides a little instruction for basic Javascript commands like onkeydown, onmousedown, ondblclick, and others.

One of the appendices covers deprecated elements - that is, those elements and attributes that are no longer supported by the newest HTML and XHTML standards (but most browsers still permit their use, just the same). Another covers some of those special (read that annoying) proprietary and nonstandard elements (remember the "blink" command in Netscape--that only worked in Netscape?).

The organization of the book makes it very easy for individuals with at least some HTML coding experience to locate the elements and attributes they need, and describes in just enough detail how to apply them. While there aren't as many examples as I might like, there seem to be enough for most users. What I do like is the compatibility chart that goes with each attribute. The chart displays compatibility (Full, Partial, and None) of the attribute against several versions of the most currently popular browsers: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Opera.

Within the book's first 25 pages, readers receive preparation for upcoming changes to the HTML standards, as XHTML (eXtensible HyperText Markup Language, a hybrid of HTML and XML--eXtensible Markup Language--a highly structured, rules-based markup language) begins to take over. XHTML tightens up some of the structuring that was missing in HTML, which makes the code much more readable and easier to modify as needed, and if you need to transition to full XML (for things like content management systems), much of the work has already been done. HTML 4.0 and earlier code, in comparison, can be really sloppy, but it still renders just fine in most browsers. For example, in HTML 4.0, capitalization is optional, and line endings don't need to be terminated in a formatting attribute, like "".

XHTML also imposes more stringent rules on quoting. Every attribute value must be quoted. For example, quoted attributes like class="gallery" are mandatory in HTML 5.0 and newer. HTML 4.0 code permits code like class=gallery.

The author takes pains to differentiate the older HTML vs the new XHTML, and if you haven't started coding in XHTML, be prepared to break newer browsers on their way to a computer near you. Not today, but maybe a year or two (or three) from now, the older HTML formats will begin to disappear as XHTML becomes the new standard. If you want to read more about the differences between HTML and XHTML, check this page out. But I digress...

What surprised me were the number of new attributes and elements that I had not used before that are a part of XHTML as well as newer releases of the HTML specification. It turned out to be very useful in a recent office project where we converted one of our product manuals to HTML--a project that had plenty of tricky points to deal with.

What this book only briefly touches is Cascading StyleSheets (CSS), which are used to apply more advanced and creative formatting to web pages. That said, CSS is completely out of scope to this discussion, though it may be good to know that the same publisher, Sitepoint, has a companion volume, "The Ultimate CSS Reference", by Tommy Olsson and Paul O'Brien, also $44.95. I was so impressed, I bought a copy for myself. I've already discovered that The Ultimate CSS Reference is equally valuable to a web programmer's arsenal of reference materials. A Javascript book from Sitepoint is also in the works.

A companion website contains everything in the book, fully hyperlinked and searchable, as an additional valuable resource. It's free, to boot. The free companion site to the CSS reference book can be accessed at http://reference.sitepoint.com/css.

What can I say? This book replaced Taylor's book as my primary HTML reference at home and at the office. It's well worth the 45 dollar price-tag. I can only find fault with the fact that it doesn't have enough chunks of sample HTML and illustrations of how the HTML will render. Most of my loyal readers (?) know that I'm pretty tough with my ratings, but taking that really small negative into account, I give this book the MyMac Magazine rating of 4.5 out of 5.

I can only take one little challenge at a time. So far Sandy Berger's book has helped me with e-mail and finding and organizing things. Those two chapters are my favorite chapters. The reward for working hard to understand attachments with Sandy's help is being able to receive pictures of all four grandkids that are scattered around the country. This book opened that door for me. I look forward to tackling other chapters and learning other skills.

I did not have any computer experience. I was not fortunate to be exposed to computers during my schooling. I felt like I could learn to use the computer and found this book to be the perfect tool to help me.

I read the paragraph by Horrace Deets, AARP's top guy, and agree that Sandy Berger can help you get the most out of your computer experience. I feel like I am making up for no computer experience and will have plenty of computer fun in the future.

I found out you don't have to be described as a "Grown-up" to enjoy this book. My parents are enjoying it but they are o.k. with the description "grown-up"; I don't think it fits me. Still I found the information in Sandy Berger's Your Official Grown-up's Guide to AOL and the Internet right on the mark for what I needed to know about computers. And I am only 27. So I guess it doesn't matter where useful information comes from as long as it is helpful.

I love this book. I am 66 and just bought my first computer three months ago. This book, along with America Online Simplified, is my bible. It is so easy to understand and so complete. I will continue learning from it.

Reviewer: Paul Gerstenbluth (ariefound@aol.com)

Review: Grown-up's Guide to AOL and the Internet, IDG Books Worldwide

Give me a Ticket to Ride on. The Grown-up's Guide to AOL and the Internet is your destination ticket to a rewarding online experience. America Online makes it easy to arrive online, but what do you do once you get there?

Open Grown-up's Guide to AOL and the Internet and find the road signs to:

* Travel and navigate AOL and the Web using links, browsers, and search engines

* Stay in touch with family and friends with AOL email and learn about Instant Messaging and Buddy Lists; and

* Explore popular topics online including travel, money, health, hobbies, retirement, research, and genealogy.

Grown-up's Guide to AOL and the Internet's Contents at a Glance:

Pro Reaction

Book font is 14 points for easy reading. Grown-up's Guide to AOL and the Internet pages are loaded with tips, definitions, cross-references and notes. Also, there are dictionary type thumb indexes through-out the 15 chapters for finding information quickly.

CD-ROM contains America Online version 3.0 and 4.0 for the Macintosh. Also, it contains for PC users' 5.0 for Windows.

Con Reaction

Missing from CD-ROM is Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator for Macintosh users. Utility shareware such as Always Online should have been included on the CD. Also, missing is summary of index of Websites mentioned in the book.

End Notes

The Grown-up's Guide to AOL and the Internet is an easy-to-use traveler's guide, written specifically for adults 50 and older. It shows you step-by-step how to use the Internet to enhance your daily life.

The book also shows you how to find invaluable resources and services such as e-mail, travel planning, hobbies, health and money management, and retirement tips.

Grown-up's Guide to AOL and the Internet simplifies and defines the lingo, walks you through the basics, and points you to online destinations and activities.

=== Paul Gerstenbluth is President of the ARIE Foundation. The ARIE Foundation's mission is to provide VA hospitalized patients with hobby materials and computers that helps in their stay and recovery.

Online stores come and go, especially the big ones, but this book lists hundreds of terrific small online stores that carry really unique stuff. I especially liked all of the stores that sell natural cosmetics and natural fiber clothing for me and my kids. I've had this book 2 weeks and already its saved me lots of time.

Thank you for an excellent guide for online shopping! If you are looking for great Internet guides for Kids & Family, High School, and College students, please check out the You Are Here Internet series!

I was tired of seeing the same old online stores over and over again. This book pointed me to some real winners. It's a big time saver. Very easy to find what I wanted quickly.

I learned a lot about online shopping that I never knew before. But the best thing about this book is all the online stores, listed by categories. I found some neat stores. Loved the party section.

Before picking up this excellent book, I was wary of online shopping -- and I still am, but now I'm intelligently wary. The authors do a marvelous job of helping understand what you can trust and what you can't, how online shopping works in all its various manifestations, and what strategies to use when you do shop online. The book showed me that online shopping is not (as I had thought) just for shopping addicts who need a fix 24 hours a day, but a great space for intelligent and discerning consumers. I'm still not a big spender online (or anywhere), but I've used the book to help me find some things I couldn't find anywhere else and at surprising prices. I think this book is going to go down in the so-far brief history of online commerce as a milestone achievement. It has certainly changed my views about WWW commerce and made me a better consumer. I can't say enough about this expansive, easy-to-use, fun, and informative work. I hope they plan to update this work regularly.

This small book is a delight. Very imaginative. The authors have taken a clever approach to inventing new words. Take an existing word; add, eliminate, or change ONE letter. Then provide a new definition that has some relationship to the original word. As an example, here is one that I invented myself: kinkdom: A geopolitical jurisdiction populated by sexual deviants.

This book is the coolest thing since sliced bread.

I just love the laid-back style of humour that the authors use, especially in their choice of highly colorful words for the definitions.

Clever and charming, this little book is a must stocking stuffer for your literate friend or relative. I hope they come out with a sequel!

The premise of this book is the following:

Step 1: Make up tons of portmanteaux.
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Comedy gold!

I don't know about anyone else, but this seems a weak foundation, and I did not find the execution particularly amusing.

On the other hand, I adore the design and typography. That alone yields three stars, because I am an obsessive æsthete.

Not expecting much, I picked up this little book while waiting in line at my local Barnes & Noble. By the time I reached the cashier I was laughing so hard I had to step aside to catch my breath. Afterward I bought 10 copies to give to my friends and co-workers, who found the book as clever as I did. Even the drawings are great!

This book is a gem, to be treasured and re-read for years.

The CareerXRoads series by Gerry Crispin and Mark Mehler should be a reference book that every recruiter buys. I am a recruiter with almost 22 years of experience and since 1998, I have purchased CareerXRoads. It is that good.

Candidates who want to use the Internet to find their next position will also find these books very helpful.

Gerry and Mark include informative articles for recruiters and job seekers alike at the beginning of the book.

Then they dive into the Internet and review websites that are job, resume, and career management sites. Their reviews are very helpful.

Recruiters, this book helps you determine where to spend your time and/or money to find niche sites to conduct searches. They also will suggest when a site may just be a waste of time.

Candidates, Gerry and Mark help you organize your job search. Their list of niche sites may help you zero in on companies who do what you want to do. Then, you may apply online or try to network your way into an interview.

Bottom line, if you are a recruiter or a candidate, purchase CareerXRoads.

Bill Humbert www.recruiterguy.com

Recruiters, job search sites, corporate career sites, HR testing online -- these are standard elements of the 21st century world of work.
If you are experienced at clicking in and out of employment-related sites, you will appreciate the very professional presentations of 500 sites the authors consider the best. There are also references to 2000 other sites.
If you're overwhelmed by the topic, or fear you'll never catch up, this volume is a place to begin. After perusing the book, you will know more about professional uses of the internet in the areas of job search and employee recruitment.

I am a career management consultant. The first two suggestions I give all new job seekers at any levels is to get a copy of CareerXRoads and get some business cards printed.

I have found that CareerXRoads is the bible for a good job search, using the internet; Obviously it is a great help in finding Internet sites where the right jobs are posted. But better than that, it tells you where to post your resume and how to post it, using the right format, key words, etc.

As a Career Coach, I recommend this book to all of my clients.
And, even more critical, as a Recruiter, this book is where I go to find the hard to find candidates.

CareerXRaods is both on my desk and another copy is in my attache.

I am even thinking of giving my kids each a copy on their birthdays.

Richard Stone
Human Resources Consultant

Every job seeker and recruiter should own this book!
This book is a tremendous resource to a job seeker. It offers advice on everything from networking to resume development. On the recruiter side, it offers advice on how to maximize your recruiting efforts in a variety of ways. The index and rating of internet sites is an invaluable tool to both [I should know - I used this book during a recent job search and now use it on a regular basis as I have found a new position as a Partnership Recruitment Manager!]
I have met one of the authors [Mark Mehler], and he has a true committment to helping individuals and companies use the internet to its full potential in job and candidate searches.
I highly recommend this book!

As with all books in this series, its about big pictures and only a small amount of text. Great for browsing. I enjoyed the fact that architectural style on one page has nothing to do with the next since its alphabetical. In the top 10% of coffee table style picture books I've bought.

it was one of my favourites until i got the phaidon atlas of contemporary architecture but this book is also a good one. 500 houses over the world. quick guide to have information around the world.
ayse gokbakan yildiz, architect

I was thrilled with this book (and all the other mini-Phaidon books: The Art Book, The Movie Book, The Fashion Book, and The Garden Book -- I think that's all). It's absolutely gorgeous with large pictures on each page and just enough text to make it interesting and informative. I love the alphabetical organization that essentially randomizes all the eras and countries, thus making the diversity more apparent. And, of course, IT'S CHEAP! I love it!

This book is absolutley the most amazing book on house architecture I have ever seen. Anyone who is interested in houses and house architecture around the world should have this remarkable work.

Fascinating tour of homes, with most of the really rewarding images revealing the indigenous styles of homes across the globe, including the iglu, the long house, dung hovels, and dozens of other styles that incorporate the folk wisdom of humans across the centuries. The modernist austerities were the least interesting, even more boring than castles from the Hapsburgs. Some of the contemporary puzzle pieces were striking, and each page repaid the time invested pouring over the details captured. I wish that they would double page load, and show a representative interior of each exterior captured here.