Information Books

William Badke has written an excellent and extremely useful reference book on how to start research projects. As he aptly describes, getting started is probably the most difficult part of a research project; especially for those of us who are new to the art of researching.

The book is well written and referenced, with the author writing with a sense of humour and this also makes the book appealing since it could otherwise be a dry, boring book without the author's humour creeping into the pages.

While the new-to-the-art-of-researching student will find this book very interesting and helpful; many experienced researchers will find the book helpful also. The author describes how to use various resources, such as internet, periodicals and catalogues to assist the researcher realise his/her project goals.

In summary, a very well written and laid out book by a person very experienced in the the field of research. Definitely recommended for the novice researcher, however would also be useful for the advanced researcher. Well done, William Badke!

This book, now in its third edition, is a great introduction to library research for undergraduates and upper division high school students who are heading off to college soon. I'm planning on using it in for high school advanced library research course.
The author, a college librarian in British Columbia, gives a step-by-step introduction to the "information fog" and deals with such topics as defining the need for research and refining a topic, using keyword searching and metadata and controlled vocabularies, library catalogs and online databases, general internet research and other research sources.
A strength of the book is the humorous approach which tones down what most other authors seem to take too seriously. In his preface, for example, Badke states: "This book is definitely for you if you are: a university student whose term papers have been patented as a cure for insomnia; a Dilbert of industry who's been told to do a feasibility study on the expansion potential of ice cream bar sales in Nome, Alaska; a simple honest citizen trying to find the truth behind the advertising so that the next car you buy won't be like your last disaster-mobile, the car that made you persona non grata at the automobile association."
I had an earlier edition of this title which I liked also and so when I discovered the 3rd edition had been published I immediately ordered it. The way that the world of research changes continually means that what was once cutting edge is no longer so and having the latest is really important. I was impressed that the book mentions the Amazon Kindle which was only made available last (2007) November.
I reviewed several other similar recently published texts on information literacy but this one definitely is heads and shoulder above them all in terms of usefulness, cost and a light touch to a rather dry subject.

We live in the "information age". Communication on the information highway is fast pace. However, the problem is most of us don't have the map needed to travel that highway and so we have great challenges finding the destination. The material in Dr. Badke's book is the road map to the information highway. This book is the "GPS" to the information highway.

If readers follow this guide, they should be able to access the information needed much quicker and easier. It will save students valuable time as they learn research skills and strategies needed (needed for college and universities assignments). It will also make the research more accurate, as the student learns how to access information written by the best scholars in the field. A small price to pay for a resource is worth so much.

The author writes in an easy to read style. Hint: to get the most benefit out of this resource, take the time to do the practice exercises before getting involved in your actual research. If you do this, it should take you less time to do the actual research for your assignments. Try it. It works.

This book serves as a useful introduction to research techniques and options for the late high school or early-to-mid-level college student beginning research. Badke's writing focuses on finding sources and writing research papers. The writing assumes no current knowledge of conducting research of any kind, so parts may be simplistic for many, but there is a wealth of great research strategies within.

He begins with a look at paper design, and the place from which to begin your research. He then moves to database, periodical and internet searches. He then discusses how to formulate your research into a working topic, and organizing your data.

He writes for people who have never really used a library effectively or used a computer for research. Overall, this is a superb introduction to research that should be read by anyone attempting research.

This update to Badke's previous work on library research is excellent. I teach Language and Research at a Bible college and used to use his first book as required reading for my students. I was so disappointed when it went out of print. Now, this updated version is my new requirement. This book is written with the same humor and simplicity as the first, but with updated information that is a must. Dealing with electronic research is now the norm and Badke explains it very, very well. This is a must have resource for anyone taking on research.

Although Stephen's writing style may make it difficult for the scholar to take him seriously (he sounds more like an Info-Age
geek than a academic), he presents some extrordinary ideas that shouldn't be ignored or overlooked. For example, his list of the new elements and principles of design spawned by Info-Age art
forms is revolutionary. A must read for the Info-Age artist,
art critic, social-critic, or art educator!

I read Stephen's last summer and I'm now rereading parts of it in preparation for using video in my classroom next Fall. There's no doubt what Stephen says is true. The role of the image can often be even more powerful than the word. For example, Henry Hampton's documentary, Eyes on the Prize, conveys much more emotionally and intellectually than any book on the Civil Rights Movement. Even the most prolific readers out there are moved by powerful motion pictures and documentaries. So far me Stephen's work is only a start in terms of examining what we can be done with visual communication, especially the video.

I teach a graduate design class, and this book is a great way to let students think about their role in the fast changing world of visual communications. Stephens has a great way of putting things in perspective, and notes that each fundamental change in communication has met with resistance, i.e. we still think of TV as the Boob Tube. When I read it a few years ago, it seemed so new--it's fun to see how his theories are quickly melding into our culture seamlessly. It's been an optional read for my students--now it's time to make it mandatory!

His take that nobody has really fully taken advantage of "the language" of video because it is still in its infancy was very interesting and supported pretty well in the book. However, I felt there has to be more to developing video than the fast cuts of Pellington who he so often refers to. Also, I felt he undervalued the contribution new media will have, choosing to encapsulate aspects of interactivity and other digital technologies under the umbrella term of "video." It seems if video is going to fulfill a new function in terms of its ability to change how we get information and even think, it will do so within the framework of digital media, in which video, still images and words can each co-exist seamlessly and utilize their particular strengths.

His ideas are intriguing and challenging and his clear writing style makes the book a very good read. Even with what I felt were the weaknesses mentioned above, his challenge to video to rise above what it is now is needed and will hopefully encourage even more people to experiment with what video can do.

With TV viewing increasing, it is no wonder more people depend on television than books or newspapers. Mr. Stephens states that the image has not conquered the word yet, it may not happen at all, but he fears it will. Eloquently written and researched, with an excellent chapter 'thinking "above the stream"' that includes director Mark Pellington (Arlington Road). This book is especially useful for journalism students.

"Provides a detailed step-by-step guide to the tasks and responsibilities librarians are likely to encounter as book-group leaders conducting booktalks both on-site and online. Containing chapters on launching and running successful book-discussion groups; guides to 11 titles selected from the classics, nonfiction, best-sellers, and genre fiction; and lots of sample publicity material as well as helpful resources to lighten a busy librarian's workload (annotated bibliographies, online evaluation tools, professional organizations, and partnership strategies with checklists for getting help from bookstores, schools, and community groups), this is essential reading for anyone who may be considering taking on the role of a book-discussion-group leader and a refresher for the more experienced." (summary by South TX Library System)

Running Book Discussion Groups: A How-To-Do-It Manual by librarian, writer, and book group leader Lauren Zina John is an outstanding introduction and in-depth guide to the ever-popular and effective educational technique and activity of reading in groups. Informing readers of variable approaches to the stylistic presentation of leading such book oriented groups, Running Book Discussion Groups deftly covers such issues as book group organization, recruitment, resources, members, discussions and discussion kits, proper book selection for particular grouping interests, and so much more. Running Book Discussion Groups is very highly recommended for all librarians for their patrons, classroom teachers for the students, and anyone wanting to set up a book discussion group for socializing in their homes, and are searching for a comprehensive and expert "how to" guide for establishing and maintaining book discussion groups.

It has been said that, were the book invented today, people would be amazed by the technology: compact, portable, able to be scanned front and back with the flick of a finger, perfect for storing commentary. And books have a presence and a weight, that other forms of written communication continue to lack, whatever the media in which they appear. Would anyone perceive a lasting need, after all, for "blog discussion groups?"

Lauren Zina John's comprehensive, illuminating and often amusing account of how to bring readers together to share their experiences of a book reimnds us that reading may be solitary in execution, but it is, in the end, communal in its effect. This worthy addition to my reference library reminds me why reading a book alone is like traveling alone: you will appreciate what you see, but how better it is when there are others who, as interested as you, have come along for the journey.

A big thank you to Mrs. John for reminding us all why we read and why it is that we need to bring our experiences of what we read into a room filled with other readers.

Wow! Here's a book that tells you -- in wonderfully comprehensive (and delicious) detail -- everything you could ever hope to know about book discussion groups. Lauren John's "Running Book Discussion Groups (A How-To-Do-It Manual)" is a wellspring of historical data, organizational tips, publicity techniques, content summaries, managerial information, and very practical pointers about group synamics and group management. And at the center are ten unbelievably helpful 10-20 page samples of specific individual group meetings, including book summaries, author biographies, reasons for the choice of book, sources for procuring the book, materials to support discussion, and even intelligent and trenchant discussion questions. All this is presented in a witty package written by a warm, inventive, charismatic book-group-leader and professionaol librarian who could charm the words from the trees -- from her first admonitory anecdote about the book group member who felt she wa being victimized through the final listings of up-to-date references about the topic under discussion. This book is a must for the thousands of book group discussion leaders and would-be leaders as well as a delightful and useful read for the hundreds of thousands of book group members and educators in our midst.
Dr. Alfred Jacobs, Professor Emeritus
Mass Communications Program
Menlo College

This work is immensely practical and useful for book discussion leaders, priceless for anyone trying to start or maintain a group. As a librarian, I think it is indispensable.

It begins with an overview of the history of book discussion groups, beginning as they floated toward America to the present, including the Oprah era. She outlines the elements required for success, such as publicity, recruitment, book selection and overcoming book group anxiety. There are stories from group organizers summarizing their experiences and sample forms to survey potential members to set times, audience and topics. Other information includes suggestions for covering a variety of genres, sample flyers, press releases and group Web pages with author links and other potential resources.

The nuts and bolts of the actual discussion section offers hints on breaking the ice, playing devil's advocate, readers who dominate the conversation or don't talk at all, hosting an author, and online book groups. Perhaps for new leaders the most useful section is the 10 books for which John has prepared the summary, author biography, rationale for selection, publication and access information, support materials - including film versions, and discussion questions. This analysis model can be generalized by book group leaders preparing other titles for their sessions. I strongly recommend this title.

This book is full of fun facts and modern trivia to excite just about anyone. Whether you want to just catch up on modern events, or learn about something completely new, Ben Schott has made a great book. I would highly recommend it!

Nearly every page of this book has something that can spark a conversation among my friends, and more important, inspire me to think more about the world around me. I particularly appreciate the index (which even lists itself as an item) so that my browsing can have more focus. The only item lacking would be a bibliography, but many of the items are in themselves enough to key me to the right sources for more information.

Great book in a convenient desktop size. Well laid out, and packed with interesting info.
Would also make a great gift for students and business clients.

Hi - this is a fun book for fact-junkies. Any page you open to has interesting information; we have given it to 3 people for holday gifts so they too can spew possibly needless and deffinately endless interesting facts.

Slide-rule companies pretty much went out of business with the advent of computer age. Though in the Internet age the printed page is far from endangered, traditional reference works are. All the words of the massive bound volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, for which I paid $1,500 back in 1974, now come on DVDs thrown in for free with the purchase of some other computer program. The fabulously popular Wikipedia online is even beginning to rival Britannica in accuracy. And with data of every kind freely available on the Web, whither the yearly printed almanac? The "World Almanac and Book of Facts" or the "Information Please Almanac" now have a quaintness to them, almost as if someone published them year after year but had forgotten why.

So London-based Ben Schott decided to reinvent the yearly almanac. The result is "Schott's Almanac: 2007" ($25.95 in hardcover from Bloomsbury USA), designed especially for American readers (there are also British and German versions). In the brief introduction, the author writes, " 'Schott's Almanac' reflects the age in which it has been written: an age when information is plentiful, but selection and analysis are more elusive. ... 'Schott's Almanac' aspires to provide an informative, selective and entertaining analysis of the year. 'Schott's' is an almanac written to be read."

Superficially resembling the more traditional almanac, with familiar section titles like "books and arts" and "the States," "Schott's" is shorter (368 pages) and its content far quirkier. It's unlikely that years from now we will be driven to look up "street names, unusual" to find the "7 'wackiest' street names, according to a 2006 poll by Car Connection Web site." (A few of the selections, for the record: Psycho Path, in Traverse City, Mich.; Divorce Court, in Heather Highlands, Pa.; and, in Story, Alaska, Farfrompoopen Road, "the only road leading to Constipation Ridge.")

Oldsters beware, too. The print is minuscule and the overall tone decidedly hip. There are lots of fun lists (the "Hacker, Cracker, & Geek Speak" lexicon distinguishes among geeks, nerds, dweebs and dorks) but lots of serious talk as well, especially in the survey of the year that leads off the book. You'll find an official definition of genocide, a biography of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and a short article on Holocaust denial. Some of the sections (sports, the nation) are more prosaic than others (such as media and celebrity, which leads off with a comparison of the cover stars pictured on issues of People and US Weekly) but all in all Schott's lives up to its claim to be readable.

Odd corners abound. Here's a poem from Thomas Hood (1799-1845): "Dirty days hath September, / April, June and November, / From January up to May / The rain it raineth every day. / February hath 28 alone, / And all the rest have 31. / If any of them had two and 30 / They'd be just as wet and dirty."

Then there are the Ig Nobel prizes, for real research that seems pointless, with the 2005 winners in chemistry: "Edward Cussler and Brian Gettelfinger (University of Minnesota) for their tireless investigation into whether people swim faster in syrup or in water."

The "Oddest Book Title of the Year" award for 2005 goes to author Gary Leon Hill for "People Who Don't know They Are Dead: How They Attach Themselves to Unsuspecting Bystanders and What to Do About It."

Don't look for a review anytime soon.

Copyright 2007 Chico Enterprise-Record. Used by permission.

Reading this book helped me to remember why I got into computer science in the first place: it's a whole lot of fun. As Alan Perlis admonished us, we musn't ever lose that.

All of Don Knuth's books express how fun computer science is, but this one does it in a smallish paperback form with content that's easier to digest as bedside or subway reading than some of his other more famous volumes.

Knuth, if you know, is one of the authorities in Algorithm design and various aspects of computer science. If I remember correctly, he teaches at Stanford.

This book is a collection of some of his research papers. It is well organized and can definitely supplement your library.

U can read stuff that interests you, especially as a student (undergrad or grad). Definitely will help you if you have similar research interests as Knuth.

Chapter Table of Contents:

0. Algorithms, Programs, and CS
1. CS and its Relation to Math
2. Math and CS: Coping with Finiteness
3. Algorithms
4. Algorithms in Modern Math and CS
5. Algorithms Themes
6.-9. Theory and Practice I..IV
10. Are Toy Problems Useful?
11. Ancient Babylonian Algorithms
12. Von Neumann's First Computer Program (sorting)
13. The IBM 650: An Appreciation from the Field
14. George Forsythe and the Development of Computer Science
15. Artistic Programming

Audence:
1) Computer Science faculty and graduate students.
2) Mathematicians.
3) other scientists who want to understand their computer science colleagues.

Knuth is best known for his huge corpus
The Art of Computer Programming [TAOCP] (at this time vols. I-III)
This text (Selected Papers) really isn't for beginning programmers
(TAOCP is better for this even if more dense).
"Selected" is not a How-to book.
It's the Philosophy of the PhD on the computing field.

Math:
Yes. Selected Papers has a fair amount of algebra.
The level of math required to understand and appreciate the book:
for several of the papers, the reader needs an understanding of combinatorics:
'n!' as factorial (not exclamination point), running sums,
matrix algebra, and a bit of calculus. Other papers have practically no math (the last 3 and the opening chapter[0]).
Heavy emphasis appears on the concept of the iterative nature of Algorithms
(in contrast to other sciences which seek closed form solutions).
Can you read it w/o the math? Sure, but you would be losing major points (read it with a knowledgeable friend).

The Reading:
I really liked the paper on Toy problems. I needed this earlier in my career. Many computer scientists who like fun but get criticism will like this essay. It alone is worth the price of the book.

The easy reading introductory parts of various papers are readable withminimum math and have valuable insights (like Knuth's informal observation that 2% of the general populice feels comfortable thinking algorithmically).

The early chapters on algorithms show the importance of experimental randomization methods.

The astute review reader will notice 4 chapters (really
4 speeches) on the ideas of Theory and Practice. A lot of this material is redundant, but it conforms to the ideas of stepwise refinement and it shows some of the development of DEK's thinking. Note: he describes; he does not offer solutions.

Knuth has an obscure challenge during DEK's address to IFIP (T&P IV), slide 33. I worked toward this without knowing it.

I'll be honest with the review reader: I know the author, and
he asked me to promote this book. And it's a book well worth promoting.

The book is a pleasure to those interested in the field.
Chap 4: I sat in the audience for this presentation.
Every library should have a copy for inspection if not enough to have on every computer scientist's book shelf (next to TAOCP, and other books by Don)., and it can be a good gift book to scientists.

If this book is your first Donald Knuth's Book, the way you think about Computer Science will change. The author gives us the opportunity to think about Computer Science and Algorithms like a brillant scientist.

If you are a student you must read this book... and if you are not, I hope you already have it !

Knuth's most famous work, the "Art of Computer Programming" series, is justly famed. Bill Gates said something like "If you can read it all the way through, write me and I'll hire you". But most people can't make it through -- they're put off by the use of assembly language, or by the amount of mathematics. I have to agree that the use of assembly throughout is overkill, and I always wished there was some way to get the essence and excitement of "Art of Computer Programming" without the full tedium. Now there is.

"Selected Papers in Computer Science" succeeds beautifully in showing what its like to be a computer scientist, and how that is related to but different from being a mathematician. At the heart of the book are four essays on "Theory and Practice". Actually, it should be "Practice and Theory", because the only sensible way to progress in any field is to get some practical experience first, and then acquire the theory necessary to understand what you did, and to allow you to do more. Knuth covers this very well for computer science. I am in the habit of dog-earing pages in a book that offer an especially important insight. Looking back at my copy of "Selected Papers", I see that about 40 pages are so marked; an amazingly high ratio for a book of 270 pages. Try a test: read 10 pages from the book at random, if you don't find at least one important insight, then probably this book (and perhaps computer science in general) is not for you. If you do, you can be assured that the full book will give you many more.

I was an Army broadcaster for nearly thirty years, commanding major audio-visual activities and the largest radio-television network in the Defense Department, located in central Europe. In these assignments, all of Dr. Zettl's texts were used as our training gold standard. When I managed the Army "audiovisual school", the Soldiers Manual and other texts for television production were written with his principles, theories, and practices in mind. As an educator pioneering a film and TV school in a large college, all my TV courses in production were Zettl-based. I found that many leading industry executives (who's who among top networks) began their early education - as I did - in colleges that used the Zettl TV Production Handbook. In TV hands-on assignments, I continue to use his lighting templates and theories. I admonished my students to never cash-in his texts at the end of the course, but to keep them as references.

I have the essential text series: Video Basics, TV Production Handbook, and most especially, Sight, Sound & Motion. The best DVD on the subject ever produced is his own Zettl TV Lab 3.0.

I can't imagine any professional without the "Bibles" of visual information and TV production. All are well worth the price if you are career-minded, or a current industry member but learned your trade "on-the-job". The texts will not only provide context, but with details and information to help you throughout your career.

I love that you offer these books so inexpensively. If I went to my universtiy bookstore I would have paid three times as much. I can use my own money without having to use loan money to pay for books!

The book is totally new and under very good condition, and the dilievery time is much earlier than i expected.

This text thoroughly explains the intricacies of applied media asthetics in a concise and completely accessible way. It is a well organizied text that ehances its presentation through the use of many illustrations. I believe that this is the best text on the subject and that it has been since its first edtion.

"Sight, Sound, Motion: Applied Media Aesthetics explains the WHY of film and video production. If you're looking for HOW then turn to another book."

I would disagree with the above review. Only by learning WHY first, can we learn HOW later. This book is more than a cookie cutter approach to film and video. If you want to "click and drag" your way through an editing program, then true, this book is not for you. Add this to your collection if you want a book that teaches how to see and create film. Sight, Sound, Motion: Applied Media Aesthetics has staying power.

Even if you don't agree with the conclusions of the authors, this book is a 'must-read'! The authors lay out a very convincing argument for the validity of their 'Simplicity' approach to marketing, and the recommendations they make to encorporate the simplicity message in your own marketing, (or otherwise) plans are straightforward and well thought out. I have found the material to be compelling and easy to read, with just enough graphics to add value without clutter. (It seems that even while writing the book, the authors to care to embody the message through the medium!) The materials in the book can be applied to a number of areas in both business and personal life to increase your 'value', and I highly recommend this!

"Simplicity Marketing" rings particularly true in the most developed economies around the world. Businesses and consumers are often overwhelmed with the complexity of choosing goods and services available to them, many products are full of functions and features that only a small minority of users will ever utilize. To end the prevalent brand complexity, clutter, and confusion denounced above, Steven M. Cristol and Peter Sealey offer their audience four strategies called the 4 R's: Replace, Repackage, Reposition, and Replenish. Cristol and Sealey apply each of the 4R's to a multitude of situations in which the life of businesses and consumers can be made it easier at the profit of marketers cognizant of the importance of stress reduction, simplicity, and convenience. Cristol and Sealey correctly point out that only few companies are ultimately insulated from the 4 R's imperative. Cristol and Sealey also rightly draw the attention of their readers to the fact that the 4R's must be integrated into the brand and product strategy so that the product offered is perceived as part of the solution to the growing complexity of people's lives.

Even if you don't agree with the conclusions of the authors, this book is a 'must-read'! The authors lay out a very convincing argument for the validity of their 'Simplicity' approach to marketing, and the recommendations they make to encorporate the simplicity message in your own marketing, (or otherwise) plans are straightforward and well thought out. I have found the material to be compelling and easy to read, with just enough graphics to add value without clutter. (It seems that even while writing the book, the authors to care to embody the message through the medium!) The materials in the book can be applied to a number of areas in both business and personal life to increase your 'value', and I highly recommend this!

There have been a lot of bad books written about marketing especially for technologists. This is the one shinning light in the category.

It is as much a thesis for life as it is for the way you run your marketing and sales worlds. Having read the book twice, once for practical and once for pleasure the book is an excellent combination of examples, ripe for metaphor and theory.

As a head of strategy for a leading e services company this book was well worth my time and the time of all our senior managers. The four "R's" are the best way to simplify a horribly complicated world.

If I could give six stars I would

An excellent resource for anyone deeply interested in marketing, considering a new business model, or developing a new product.

Finally, marketing professionals who will intelligently embrace and (with ease) outline "repackaging" and "replenishing" strategies. These sections made the book worth the price for me.

The only drawback(s) with the book (though I gave it a full 5 stars), are the case studies. Too many of the online grocers are performing poorly in the marketplace to rely on them as standards, whether or not their marketing strategies are exciting and workable.

This is a great companion to Leeds earlier book--7 Powers of Questions. There's some great practical tips here that will help you work smart, have greater interpersonal influence, and avoid shooting yourself in the foot.

Bill Wiersma, Author, The Big AHA

The 'smart question' to ask is "Why am I looking at these types of books?" If the answer is to improve your ability to get more out of your meetings, interviews, negotiations, and communications with everyone at any level (internal and external to your organization), this is the book to buy by far. I've read many self-help communications books and this one really gets to the heart of the matter -- ask and you shall receive; ask the right question(s) and you'll get what you want/deserve. It was an easy and enjoyable read that gets you engaged from the first chapter (unlike so many other books that take 5 chapters to explain what they're to accomplish). The quizzes really provide helpful and immediate feedback. You can read from cover to cover or use as a reference. Either way, this book gives you tools to use right away. You'll carry this one around with you until you've mastered the technique.

You won't be disappointed (as I have with so many other books of this kind). This one is a winner, hands down!

This book is helpful in learning to frame questions that help to effect positive change. Most people are more willing to accept answers that they discover for themselves. And of course, no one will make any real change unless they want to. The best you can get with force is outward conformity, and you will only get it to the degree that employees feel they "must" go along with. It takes a lot less energy to help people find their own internal motivation than it does to push or drag them along.

I am in Consulting and I convert most of my statements to questions; and boy, it works. First few chapters of this book are essential to your business communications.

As a professional personal coach who works one-on-one to help others reach greater success, I really appreciate the approach of this book. "Smart Questions" is for anyone who doesn't realize that good coaching isn't about advising. This book shows you why asking the right question is much more powerful than giving an answer or advice, especially advice that someone isn't necessarily looking for. The essence of great coaching is all about asking smart questions. The best answers almost always come from whomever you're helping, not you.

I bought this book because I wanted a comprehensive introduction on the statistical approach to speech recognition. There is no doubt that this is an excellent book, that achieves this. If you are new to the field of speech recognition, be warned that this book isn't exactly the easiest to read, though.

For example, chapter 2 which discusses Hidden Markov Models, laying part of foundation for the following chapters, is full of mathematical formulas that won't be easy to follow unless you already have some background on the topic. I would recommend that instead you read L. Rabiner's paper "A Tutorial on Hidden Markov Models and Selected Applications in Speech Recognition". Rabiner not only shows the formulas, he describes their meaning, and the tutorial makes it easy for you to follow the text and actually understand what is going on.

That said, every chapter includes a section on additional reading (the above paper is mentioned in chapter 2) so you can always look up the references to help you understand the material, if you need to.

To summarize, this is an excellent text, that I would recommend to experts in the field, but beginners may need additional reading to get a better understanding of the book.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the statistical models and algorithms used for speech recognition. Jelinek sets up the speech recognition problem in the traditional way as the decoding half of Shannon's noisy channel model. While Jelinek glosses over signal processing, he provides an excellent overview of the symbolic stages of processing involved in speech recognition.

After a quick introduction, Jelinek digs into the statistics behind Hidden Markov Models (HMMs), the foundation of almost all of today's speech recognizers. This is followed by chapters devoted to acoustic modeling (probability of acoustics given words) and language modeling (probability of a given sequence of words), and the algorithmic search induced by this model. There are also advanced chapters on fast match (widely used heuristics for pruning search), the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm for training, and the use of decision trees, maximum entropy and backoff for language models. He covers several auxiliary topics including information theory and perplexity, the spelling to phoneme mapping, and the use of triphones for cross-phoneme modeling. Each chapter is a worthy introduction to an important topic.

This book does not presuppose much in the way of mathematical, computational, or linguistic background. A simple intro to probability and some experience with search problems would be of help, but isn't necessary -- you'll learn a lot about these topics reading the book.

All in all, this is the best thorough introduction to speech recognition that you can find. Read it along with Manning and Schuetze's "Foundations of Statistical Natural Language Processing" from the same series; there's a little overlap in language modeling, but not much. You might want to start with the gentler book by Jurafsky and Martin, "Speech and Language Processing", before tackling either Jelinek or Manning and Schuetze.

This is an excellent book for people with speech recognition knowledge. The algorithms are very well described in a sound and comprehensive mathematical framework.

This book provides an excellent overview of speech recognition technology using Hidden Markov Models. Although Jelinek is clearly speaking with respect to his experience at IBM - he might as well be describing any other commercial speech recognition framework in the world. As a researcher and programmer in the area of speech recognition I regard this book as an excellent reference. It is concise, and I would say that anyone with a reasonable grasp of mathematics should have no trouble understanding most of the topics. In some of the more advanced areas some readers might need to refer to one of reference papers described in the book. I agree with the first reader - destined to be a classic!

This book is possibly the first of its kind - exclusively devoted to Statistical Speech Recognition. The author is a pioneer in the area - one of the 'fathers' of the field,as it were. Thus one expects the text to be authoritative, and it is. The 'information density' is very high - it's a small book, but absolutely packed with information. You'll learn a lot about Hidden Markov Models and their use in Speech Recognition, but it also addresses many other issues, like language modelling and grammar, making it much more than a mere 'speech maths' book.

However, this is definitely not meant for absolute newcomers to the field of speech processing, and it does assume some background in advaced mathematics as well, especially in probability.

If you're looking for other aspects of Speech Recognition or code, you've come to the wrong place - but please don't spoil the rating of an excellent book by complaining that it doesn't have what it never promised to :-) - if you want a solid introduction to the field as a whole, i'd suggest 'Fundamentals of Speech Recognition' by Rabiner & Juang, and if it's code that you're looking for, there's lots of excellent open source stuff available on the net, notably from CMU and Cambridge, and there are some recent books in the market exclusively devoted to implementation of speech recognition systems.

To sum up, if you have some exposure to speech recognition and want to learn the maths & concepts behind the Statistical approach to Speech Recognition, this is your book.

I loved this book! A great resource for horse lovers, this book features all the expected popular breeds as well as several wonderful but rare breeds that I've never seen mentioned in any other book of horses. And the photography is simply glorious. Bravo!

This book was just what we were looking for. The photographs are gorgeous, and the text is informational, including topics such as breed characteristics, conformation, gait, color, breed registry, history of the breed, and additional interesting facts about each breed. This book is a "must-have" for anyone's equine book collection.

Judith Dutson's 96 Horse Breeds Of North America pairs stunning color photos by Bob Langrish with a fine survey of each of the 96 horse breeds of North America. Sidebars of information include height, place of original and special qualities for at-a-glance reference, while more extensive paragraphs on breed characteristics, history, conformation and color provide in-depth details. Perfect for any with an affection for horses and an interest in the breeds.

I agree with the reviewer who said that this is not a very good title. A better title would be Horses of NA or American Horses, or some such. But a great book with a bad title is still a great book, and THIS is a great book. The photographs are marvelous -- a word I rarely use. They're National Geographic quality. And the price! I would have guessed a hardback would be $60 at least. I don't know how they can sell it for so little. If you're a horse buff, you'll want this book.

This is overall a great book, with a really stupid title, don't let it deceive you if you are looking for a great book on horse breeds. Without seeing the book, I even thought to myself, "How did they ever come up with 96 breeds from North America!? I can't think of that many." As it turns out, the book is filled with breeds, the majority of which DO NOT originate from North America at all...strange. For example, Dutch Warmbloods, Halflingers, even Arabians, you get the idea. I suppose they really mean 96 breeds which are popular among horse owners in North America, but that doesn't make a really good title. The book contains a great deal of lovely photographs, but the format is nothing exceptional compared to breed books I have seen before. However, it's merit is featuring many breeds, exclusive to North America, which are often excluded from the books, such as the Shackleford, Sulphur, Pryor Mountain, Nokota and more.