Games Books

I first purchased this book for my son when he was a toddler... He is now 17 Years Old! He loved this book and we enjoyed comparing the pages to see what items were on EVERY page. Now that we have been blessed with a daughter (she is now 11 months old), it is one of her two favorite books (she also loves Baby Minnie's Busy Day, a Disney board book). Even at 7 months old, she could point out the white kitty when I asked her "Where's the Kitty Cat?" I highly recommend this book and would like to find the other books in the series to purchase for my daugher.

You must have this book. My kids can't read yet, but they love this book. I love it too since the art work is so great and it is fun to find the mice, puppy, cat, butterfly, and spider on each page. The artwork and "cutouts" for the dog and cat are well layed out. Lisa McCue works in her initials too on various items like a window sash and book binding as well as a copy of the book in the attic scene. I never get tired of looking at this book as a parent.

My thirteen-year old, severely autistic daughter had this book first when she was about three or four years old. It was her favorite book because each page had the same four characters to look for although the background art changed. She expected the puppy, the kitty, the mouse and spider all to be there, and to her delight, they always were. She wore this book out, and then it went out of print. We bought a used copy last week from bibliohound through amazon.com, to give her for her thirteenth birthday. It arrived in nearly new condition, and my daughter will be thrilled! This is the third or fourth used book I've purchased through amazon.com, and I've been happy with every purchase. If you can find a used copy of this book, it is WELL WORTH THE MONEY SPENT! The artwork is so delightful that I even enjoyed the hundreds of times I spent looking at it with my daughter.

My 9 month old daughter loves this book. She always manages to pull this one out of her stack of books and never grows tired of it. I just wish I could find more like it. I highly recommend it to all parents.

My son got this book when he was 16 months and loved it then and STILL loves it now (he is 22 months). He loves to point out the puppy, cat, mouse, flowers, ball, bat, chair, etc... His favorite thing is to turn the pages with the holes in this board book. It is wonderful! I highly recommend it!

I just learned how to hook rugs in June and I've already completed 8 pieces. I'm HOOKED! I bought this book before my first lesson and have referred to it frequently. It's inspiring and informative. Pat has great designs and advice.

Purely Primitive: Hooked Rugs From Wool, Yarn, And Homespun Scraps by weaving expert Pat Cross is a full-color instructional guide with sample patterns to creating "primitive" style hooked rugs - marked by their simple design, crafted via techniques that have existed for centuries, composed of wool, cotton, or linen textiles, and which share echoes of the past to enrich the present. Extensive technique descriptions make following the sample patterns or creating one's own as simple as possible, in this most enjoyable and enthusiastically recommended addition to do-it-yourself home craft reference and needlecraft resource collections.

Pat's book is a most comprehensive book on rug hooking in the primitive style...starting with a definition of primitive! Her style of writing is clear and clean...directions and ideas are abundant...patterns are included...and the color pictures just bring it all to life. Folks, get out your fabrics and hooks and start a great journey...you'll love it!

This is a great book! I have several books on rug hooking & this is the one I keep going back to. It teaches everything you need to know about rug hooking. She has many new ideas, & her rugs are gorgeous! Also included are patterns on these great rugs. A MUST read for beginners & seasoned pros alike! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Being new to rug hooking, I was in search of a book that covered everything, from start to finish. I purchased, and read 4 other books, but all seemed to be lacking the perfect detail Pat Cross includes in all of her sections. If you are new to hooking, let this be the first book you read! Most of the other books have only black and white pictures, but her book is done in color photos- a must, if you wish to see all the detail in hooked rugs. I would definately purchase any other books Pat Cross has on this subject!

What an absolutely awesome book! Mr. Kohler did a wonderful job. I love this book and recommend it to everyone interested in retro gaming. It is packed full of useful and insiteful information. To top it all off, the book is in a fun, easy-to-read and enjoyable format. I can't recommend it enough.

I hope Mr. Kohler does a revised and updated edition of this book. The information in it is too good to be allowed to just fade away. I'll definately buy an updated copy.

Just one comment to the author Chris Kohler should he read this review: How about a hack about the Scot Adam's text adventure series for the section of your book on Text Adventure games? Scot Adam's was big in the early 80s.

Thanks!

A great reference for those who like to tinker with the hardware side of retro games. I found this book to be a very good reference, well thought out and very applicable to the hobby of retro gaming and will appeal to the enthusiast at all levels.

Chris Kohler's RETRO GAMING HACKS: TIPS & TOOLS FOR PLAYING THE CLASSICS tells how to emulate classic games on cell phones to computers, how to locate vintage game hardware, how to convert gaming tools, and how to write your own retro-style games in various programs. From playing old games on original hardware or making conversions, RETRO GAMING HACKS is for avid gamers who want to tweak the experience.

Some of these 'hacks' I knew about, many i did not. But every 'hack' in here offered some level of detail that made my retro gaming experience just that much better.

The bulk of the hacks are focused on emulators - how to get them, how to use them, etc. Which means that you will be Retro-gaming on your PC. Before I nabbed this book, I thought that would be a slightly less than awesome experience. Mainly because the controls leave a lot to be desired (who wants to use a keyboard to play Satan's Hollow.) But thanks to one of the hacks, I now know where to go to get retro game controllers that fit right into your PC.

While retro-gaming on the PC is the the focus of the book, it by no means describes all the content. There is tunds of cruncy goodness in here on obtaining old platforms and cartridges, to hacking your old cartidges / games into your modern platform.

All in all a joy to read, and even more fun to implement. Pick it up! Its a good 'un.

Are you an avid game player, programmer or video game journalist? If you are, then this book is for you! Author Chris Kohler, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that shows you everything you need to know to get your retro game on.

Kohler, begins by showing you how to play the real thing, setting up classic game systems, fixing broken hardware, and getting good deals on buying games. Then, the author covers new hardware and software that plays old games, whether on an all-in-one joystick or on the PalyStation 2. He continues by covering MAME from all the angles, learning how to play classic arcade games on the PC and other platforms. Next, the author shows you how to play classic console games. Then, the author brings back those classic computers, showing you how to set them up or emulate them. He also shows you how to play with text adventures. Then, he shows you how to get DOS games to work properly under modern operating systems, or even get DOS up and running again. The author continues by showing you how to play at game design. Finally, the author shows you how to hack around inside games, exploring glitches and bugs to your advantage.

The author of this most excellent book shows you how to emulate classic games on everything from cell phones to computers. More importantly, after reading this book, you will have everything you need to have to rediscover classic games in style.

In my opinion, Return to White Plume Mountain is one of the very best adventure modules out there! It features a very clever central plot, realistic encounters, logical combat situations, and several opportunities to roleplay and interact with the dungeon's inhabitants.

This supplement provides very clear and detailed histories for both Keraptis and White Plume Mountain. The plot is unique, realistic, and intriguing. The effects of roleplaying and of interacting with the non-player characters is outlined. In addition, the dungeon crawl itself is not linear at all, allowing the players to roam at will. And the maps look great!

Although a lot of information is presented, the module can easily be altered or customized. There is no setting specific material, so White Plume Mountain can easily be inserted into any ongoing campaign. However, no addition work is needed to fully enjoy this adventure.

I have run this module with 3 separate groups of players, experiencing 3 very different, yet wonderfully memorable, adventures. Do yourself a favor, purchase Return to White Plume Mountain - it is worth every penny!

On the long, bitter-sweet journey through life, can you ever go back home? Sadly, no. But you can plop down and stay at some really cool motels, replete with cable, mints, and mini-fridges, on your wayward jaunt into the unknown. Such is my mundane, quasi-philosophical revelation after DM'ing this adventure. No, it's not quite as profound as the "Belarius maturity conundrum," but hey, it's enough for a few weekends' worth of glorious casual play. Which is all we really need sometimes! Old-timers (*hack, cough*) on the Greyhawk scene will probably be most enthusiastic about the adventure's detailed "world" trappings, more so than with the actual plot. Remember Erol Otus' cryptic, enchanting pictorial map of the Mountain's environs, in the original S2? Now, we actually get to meet Thingizzard (and find out why her potions are something to be wary of!), hack our way through the Twisted Thickets, and perhaps even fall into the beguiling clutches of Dragotha. But, once the adventurers venture into the shadows of a cave known to hundreds of thousands as the Wizard's Mouth, everything changes. And that's where both the problem and the beauty lie. Anyone looking for a mere re-tread of the original spectacle of Lawrence Shick's magnum opus is bound to be disappointed. It's a new age. Now, monsters need food, logical housing, a reason to live, and a reason to die. (I guess Belarius wasn't the only one psychologically scarred 20 years ago.) Dungeons need architecture. And adventures need a conclusion, answers to questions, and yes, sadly, a plot. If you can detach yourself from the nostalgia of the original, and appreciate this work as an entirely separate entity, you'll be absolutely thrilled with the sheer ingenuity of Bruce Cordell's story. I can virtually guarantee that no veteran AD&D'er will be able to figure out what's going on until they're well in over their heads. Keraptis' ancient experiments, it seems, have left quite a magical legacy; a new, mutated form of meta-magic, nearly sentient, has evolved in the dungeons below White Plume Mountain, with horrifying (and extremely amusing) repercussions. As the adventurers enter, several power-mad warlords are fighting desperately to control Keraptis' dreaded Indoctrination Center, and the notorious weapons of the first White Plume module are being used as the primary symbols of power and destruction. (I'm being intentionally vague here, because if you haven't read it, get this module! You're in for a treat.) A few of the encounters are misplaced, or over-powered - Mossmutter, a corrupted great wyrm, may well wipe out all but the most experienced adventurers in an eyeblink, and Killjoy the efreeti is more of a cardboard cutout than a true, deep-thinking nemesis. But these are merely trivial concerns - the adventure is a joy to run (and experience!), the full-color maps of the dungeons are gorgeous, and veteran players will get a serious overdose of nostalgia as they slog through the original level and witness the cataclysmic changes two decades of chaos and mayhem have wrought. New players may be overwhelmed by the colossal challenges and Byzantine intrigues awaiting them on the Indoctrination Level, but nevertheless, a great time will be had by all - and hey, if you have to lose a character, what could be cooler than having his soul schlorped into Blackrazor? Minor reservations aside (which are fixable anyway with an hour's worth of fine-tuning), Return to White Plume Mountain is easily the 2nd-best adventure of 1999. (Only Return to the Keep on the Borderlands is better.)

At first thought, the original WPM would seem to be a poor candidate for a "modernized" sequel. Contemporary players would probably laugh at Lawrence Schick's 1980 classic as an archaic dungeon crawl full of over-complicated traps and large, deadly monsters that sit in tiny rooms with nothing better to do than wait for a group of PCs to come along and (hopefully) provide some much needed feed. Which, of course, is exactly what WPM was, but it was loads of fun nonetheless. Revisiting WPM and injecting a more logical and realistic story framework without destroying the familiar aspects of the original is a daunting task, but the Silver Anniversary edition succeeds beyond any expectation.

RTWPM starts by detailing many of the mysterious NPCs and strange locales that were only hinted at in the original. Thingizzard and her potions, the cursed ruins of Castle Mukos, the Great Swamp and the dracolich Dragotha finally get their due and Keraptis' infamous Indoctrination Center plays a central role in the scenario. While these details are entertaining in their own right, the strength of RTWPM is a central plot device involving "sentient magic" that is not only consistent with the events of the original WPM scenario, but is exceedingly clever in its own right. It wouldn't do to reveal the secrets of the story here, but the execution is a brilliant example of how to create a subtlety challenging and wildly novel situation for the PCs without violating the spirit of the D&D game, using heavy-handed DM tactics or requiring a substantial rework of any existing campaign standards. The NPCs are wonderfully sketched and run the gamut from sturdy locals to deranged gnomes and rebellious efreet. Hardened veterans and green novices alike will be entertained by ample doses of humor, danger and drama that culminate with a surprise ending.

Flaws are few and minor in nature. The map are pleasing to the eye but have been printed on the inside front and back covers which means that the DM cannot refer to the map and text at the same time, but must flip back and forth. One area (the old inverted ziggurat) has a monster that should have been encountered and destroyed by the existing denizens long before the PCs come on the scene and the answer to the feasibility of feeding and keeping happy a large number of creatures in a relatively small number of caves doesn't seem entirely adequate.

While the nostalgic aspects may be lost on the half-dozen or so players who didn't play the original version in their youth, RTWPM will definitely entertain all comers in high fashion. Although WPM was originally set in Greyhawk, there really isn't any setting specific material here and the scenario can easily be dropped into any campaign world. Best of all, RTWPM is a veritable bargain combining a relatively low price with enough high-quality material sufficient to keep the average group of players busy for several sessions. RTWPM deserves the highest recommendation.

This is easily one of the best adventures for D&D that I've ever seen. It's very imaginative, well-written, and has plenty of information for DMs. It's got just enough story backing up the hack-n-slash to keep players interested, and the final encounter is monumental. It's great fun to play for both DM and PCs.

The original S2 was one of the more clever and interesting A&D modules I ever read. Most of the others were just an excuse for hack and slash and grab the booty.

The original adventure encompassed more thinking and even a little negotiation which was uncommon in 1st edition AD&D.

So, that's why I'm happy to see a revision to the old module into a book form. This new edition has some very interesting twists and a big moral dilemma at the end which I thoroughly appreciate. It also has a method in it that potentially will ruin the lives of foolish PCs so DMs may want to be careful in playing this one out if their players aren't the thinking or cautious types.

Overall, there's a lot more room for negotiations in this series. I like that as I'm trying to push more roleplaying in my players. Moreover, the storyline is set up with four warring factions; all evil but I plan to change that to a few neutrals since the PCs in my campaign are all good and would never negotiate alliances with evil groups.

This game is great for an adventuring group from 7-10. I would add that they should be interested in thinking out possible traps and tricks and also be adequate (or better) at negotiations. The weapons may unbalance the game so make them either super evil, which means good PCs must destroy them, or have them destroyed at the climax (will make sense when you read it). Lastly, you may want to give the different warlords more allies as the module gave them a skeleton crew of thugs.

I have both the Thoth Tarot and Rohrig Tarot with me as my most favorite cards of all among tarot cards. The Rohrig Tarot in particular is a more clearer and readable version of the Thoth Tarot Deck. The images are spectacular, beautifully illustrated, and clues to RWS Tarot were written all over. It's a must-have set of deck for all Tarot readers most especially for beginners. When you have the cards, you will also need the book in order to get more familiar with the meanings of the symbols used.

I was skeptikal when I first received this deck a year ago as a gift from a friend; but the very first time i shuffled it the cards literally came to life in my hands! They have such a presence about them, a life of their own. Very powerful cards!
Vibrant colors, images that you can get lost in for hours, and a very alluring energy.

I am very possessive of this deck. I only use it to do readings for myself, and to do Tarot Spells with. It's one of the very few i keep just for me! I thought for sure this would be a mediocre deck at best, boy was i wrong!!

"Certainly anyone who is seeking spiritual understanding has heard of the tarot. But what is it? Perhaps the tarot is best described as an initiation into a secret metaphorical language-a language that leads each of us to our own spiritual center." - From the Rohrig Tarot Book

Aesthetically speaking, the Rohrig tarot deck is the most beautifully captivating deck I've seen. In fact, this deck contains some of my favorite tarot images-especially The Fool, Magus, High Priestess, Hermit, and the Court Cards. At first glance, you may think you're looking at a collage deck, especially with images and writing superimposed on torn notebook paper. Upon closer inspection, however, you realize that German artist Carl-W Rohrig has painted each of the vibrant images. Sensuous lines (and bodies), hues of electric blues, starscapes, photo-realism, and stunning visual metaphors grace this sumptuous deck. Another intriguing aspect of the Rohrig tarot is the artist's inclusion of sketches and writing on the cards-mostly on lined notebook paper renderings, but also on the component images themselves.

For example, on the headdress of the Knight of Swords, Rohrig has written-in both English and German-words like passion, flexible, ambition, straightness, thinking, aims, concerning. On the Magus card, the upper part of the Magician's head gives way to a star-lit sky, with a bright super nova at the center. Rohrig has superimposed writings and sketches on the body of the Magus, which include a drawing of a winged foot (Mercury), sketches of lemniscates (the infinity symbol that's above the Magician in RWS decks) and the German words for communication, flexibility, and geniality.

The writings and sketches themselves are an added source for intuitive information, but so are the visual metaphors that Rohrig employs. For example, a large, round eggshell-hued sphere is superimposed on the belly of a naked woman on the Princess of Disks card. With the Judgment card, a trumpet mouthpiece floats below a woman's chin, symbolic of the horn blown on the traditional Judgment card. In fact, a sketch resembling the RWS card is on the lower left of the image.

The cards are quite large, measuring approximately 6 ½ by 3 ½ inches. The backs are non-reversible, but depict a surreal water/spacescapes of blues, violet, and silver-with hints of black, hot pink, and black. The card attributions follow traditional renderings and each of the Major Arcana cards depicts a Hebrew letter, astrological glyph, and rune symbol. These are explained in the Rohrig Tarot Book, but not in the L(ittle) W(hite) B(ook) that accompanies the deck. The LWB is eleven pages and provides key words and phrases for each of the cards. Both the LWB and the Rohrig Tarot Book provide three spreads and an explanation: The Cross, The Seven Cards, and the Partner Spread.

Disks, Swords, Cups, and Wands comprise the Minor Arcana, with the Court titles following the Princess, Prince, Queen, and Knight tradition. At the top of each fully illustrated Minor Arcana card, the suit name is displayed in light gray, almost like a shadow, while the keyword is superimposed in dark black. This could present some difficulty for those new to Tarot or beginning readers, because, at times, the suit isn't obvious-especially with the Cups.

If you're not sure you'd like to work with the Rohrig Tarot, you could always purchase the Rohrig Tarot Book, a 160-page companion book that reproduces each card in full-color on its glossy pages. The only thing missing from the card images in the book are the borders, which include the card title/keyword at top. In the companion book, Francesca Marzano-Fritz provides a thorough treatment of the Majors. Her insights are sharp, accessible, and profound. However, only key phrases are included for the Minors and Courts.

If you're a fan of artist Salvador Dali or collage decks in general, I'd be very surprised if you weren't seduced and enamored by the Rohrig Tarot. Surrealistic and symbolic, this deck captures the senses and stimulates the imagination. It's probably not a good working deck for those new to the tarot, but the Rohrig Tarot is a must-have for those who collect art decks. Personally, this deck doesn't work well for me in terms of readings, however, I've found the cards to be fantastic for contemplation-and I can see how they'd work great for journaling, as well.

(To see 9 images from the Rohrig Tarot, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)

This book is an outstanding companion to the visually compelling deck. I highly recomend both, as long as you like a little of the modern (very German, very 20th century) mixed in with the very old.

I originally purchased the cards first. However, whenever I did a spread, I didn't know how to interpret it. This book has been an essential tool and now my friends, family, and co-workers have asked me to do card readings for them.

Thank you.

A must have book for the avid pheasant hunter!

If you are reading this review then you are probably a Ringneck pheasant fan like me. I will say up front, this book won't dissapoint you. The large color photos of pheasants, fields, dogs, hunters and guns are wonderful. All are in full color and obviously shot by good photographers. There is also a fair share of narrative with many of the photos so you can spend lots of time reading and enjoying the book.

The item was in perfect condition.It was shipped in a moderate time and in excelent shape,so good I orderd 2 more.

A GREAT book full of some very colorful pictures. If the sight of a flushing Pheasant in full colors in autumn brings you joy - you will enjoy this book. Pictures of bird hunters, western landscapes, birddogs, shotguns and short stories.

Two of my co-workers purchased the book for me for my birthday. They understand my passion and obession that I have for pheasant hunting with my Chocolate Lab, Bailey. Especially in the off season! If I can't hunt the birds, then I need to be reading about them. This book is beautifully illustrated and well written. It discusses and describes the true passion for hunting pheasnts. Its an easy read and the pictures are awesome. All in all and excellent read and even better as a gift. Thanks Toz and Mojo!!!

Did Curt Sampson come to Carnoustie, Scotland in 1999 expecting to turn the British Open upside-down like he did Augusta National in "The Masters?" If so, he was beaten to the punch by a genial Frenchman named Jean Van de Velde who gave golf's signature event its wackiest finish ever.

I didn't like "The Masters" much; its agenda was a little harsh. But "Royal And Ancient" sees Sampson approach his topic with more respect, and get better results. He takes in the history of the Open, champions from Old Tom Morris to young Tom Watson, the sound of Carnoustie's winds whipping through the media tents and the dry fescue, and the separate pilgrimages three American golfers take for the big event.

"Royal And Ancient" is scattershot in many ways; none of the three golfers Sampson spotlights make the cut. He spends a good deal of time honing his Dan Jenkins aspirations, detailing the misadventures of a tour hanger-on who doesn't merit the print. Sampson wrote a famous bio on Ben Hogan, and there are times Sampson seems in danger of writing another here.

But after a slow beginning Sampson puts you right at the center of things, analyzes expectations against results and giving a thorough sense of what a British Open entails by using this particular year's edition as a case study. He rambles some, but he tells some fun stories and quotes some interesting people.

The big controversy at Carnoustie most of the week was the condition of the course, with the rough grown so high players could not try to advance the ball if it went off the fairway. A writer likens it to asking basketball players to play with a medicine ball. Meanwhile, course superintendent John Philp argues the game is supposed to be a test of skill and not a birdie racket.

"Carnoustie in 1999 looked like it had been working out," Sampson opines. "And had joined a motorcycle gang."

A tough layout made for a strange leaderboard, topped much of the time by Van de Velde, a Frenchman who at the last hole in regulation demonstrated the Frenchness of the words "elan" and "folly." Sampson does a great job describing the scene, Van de Velde going for the green with a three-stroke lead rather than sensibly lay up. The result was one of those bizarre moments that make sports fans out of casual bystanders, and a Scot named Paul Lawrie who made the local fans very happy.

"Except for the heroic Nicklaus versus Watson duel at Turnberry in 1977, no Open finish in the TV age could compare. But there is romance in tragedy, and tragedy in romance, and the travails of the doomed, flawed hero affect us more deeply than someone's big win," Sampson writes.

Maybe, but Sampson finds Van de Velde months after defying expectations he would shrivel up like a raisin from his shame. Instead, he kept his head high, determined to enjoy what he can from life.

Still, it was a lot easier to enjoy the 1999 British Open if you weren't Van de Velde, and easier still enjoying it with the help of Sampson's clever, comprehensive book.

Sampson for me is the consummate golf writer; clever, knows his game and does it all creatively. Witness the way he puts together this chronicle of The Open. Starts with the Morris' and their famed dominance of early golf, then the interest of England and the rest.

Interwoven here are the rest of glorious Open history-Palmer, Player, Nicklaus, Watson, and Hogan. Then the tie with Carnoustie and the wee little iceman.

Boy this author can captivate you while getting it all down. This flows and ebbs till it ends up at the Burn and that 18th. Never Compromise --- great putting with new found friend--- never compromise style -- must go for it!

This is like author's other books (try them out, especially Hogan and Eternal Summer and Masters, they're favorites) this was just excellent reading to the end.

a great job of not only capturing the 1999 open, but also giving the reader the feel for the history and passion of the open.

Golf is more than a game. When we can not play the game, we watch it. When we can not watch the game, we read about it. And who is best at capturing the feeling of the game of golf on print than Curt Sampson? He is the story-teller of golf.

Only the very best writers can sustain drama when they're recounting events whose outcome is already well-known--and who isn't aware of Jean Van de Veld's slow-motion deflation on the final hole at the 1999 British Open at Carnoustie, the culminating event in Curt Sampson's splendid new book, Royal and Ancient? Sampson's a wonderful phrase-maker-writing of Tiger's "adhesive gallery" is a good example-with an ample feeling for the game and the people who make it interesting, from the tournament players at the forefront to the deeply sequestered greenkeepers, such as Carnoustie's John Philp, who tried to defend the old links against the assaults of a generation of golf pros who regard birdies as a birthright. Sampson's written other good books, but this one is superb.

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.

This book is very helpful when you are trying to learn how to use Second Life.

I love this book!! It rocks!! It really helps you get around in Second Life (SL) as a struggling "Newbie" those first few days and weeks. The book is beautifully presented, with high quality illustrations, great tips, and the author's Avatar; "Ansel Gasparini" is a cool dude : ) It really enhanced my whole SL experience.
After you read the book and get on Second Life, go visit the in-world site where you can see some of the stuff in Brian White's book. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to start their Second Life adventures..! Let's get this party started... let the adventures begin!!

See you in Second Life!! : )

I've read many books on Second Life but none come as close to being the perfect book as this one in terms of helping a newbie understand this exciting virtural world, and how to make the most of the environment, the community, and the economy. Each chapter starts with an overview but quickly gets down into practical applications of the chapters topic and then adds a step-by-step tutorial on how to use that feature or principal to get real stuff done inside of Second Life using common building tools already available to most residents. I just wish I had started with this book instead of having it be the last one of many. A must read for anyone wanting to get the most positive experience out of Second Life. And technical enough for even those who have been residents inside of SL for awhile to learn new concepts and how to apply them.

I highly recommend reading this book if you are even the least bit interested in finding out about Second Life and how it works. And for the verteran an overview but also practical steps to making your experience even richer inside Second Life.

If you want only one book to read for Second Life this is your book.

This is an excellent first book for those who have signed on to Second Life, fooled around some, and have lots of questions. My advice is put a few hours into Second Life, then read this book. The presentation level was just right for me as an intro. But start by going on Second Life, THEN read the book.

A good intro that is well illustrated. Almost all the tutorials work like they are supposed to. Much better than the Official Guide.

An excellent book that shows how important it is to adjust one's negotiating strategy to fit the situation. Unlike so many other books on negotiation which offer a cookie cutter approach, Watkins does a superb job in helping you develop strategies that will work in just about any situation.
A great companion to the book "Bargaining for Advantage" by Shell.

Michael Watkins , author of 2003's classic "The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels" has followed it up nicely with "Shaping the Game: The New Leader's Guide to Effective Negotiating." Whereas the earlier book was a step-by-step guide to what a new leader needed to accomplish, the latest book focuses on how negotiation skills can play a key role in successful transitions.

Watkins, an expert in leadership transitions and in negotiation, has come to believe that, "...effective leaders negotiate their way to success in their new roles." This book is meant to help ensure success in that endeavor.

Watkins sees four objectives for negotiations during career transitions:

1. Create value for both the new leader and for the organization.
2. Ensure that the new leader captures a fair share of that value.
3. Build and sustain relationships by the way the negotiations are conducted.
4. Enhance the new leader's reputation as a tough, creative and trustworthy individual.

His framework for negotiation likewise contains four elements:

1. Matching negotiating strategy to the reality of the situation. No more one-size-fits-all negotiation strategies.
2. Planning to learn and influence.
3. Shaping the game - strategies to change the negotiation game to better suit your strengths.
4. Organizing to improve your skills as a negotiator, and those of your organization.

I like the way Watkins has organized the book. He provides plenty of clear, visual models of the negotiation process. Each chapter is concluded with a checklist that summarizes the key things to watch for when negotiating. The book is a fast read, and it will be easy to find what I need to help in specific situations later.

If you are entertaining several options for future employment, or entering a new position, consider using two books as guides. First, use George Bradt's The New Leaders 100-Day Action Plan: How to Take Charge, Build Your Team, and Get Immediate Results as the most practical step by step guide to early success in the new role. And use Watkins book to help you understand how to do some of the tougher steps in Bradt's book.

If you have any need to negotiate in your current role (and all of us do), pick up Watkins book to help you improve your ability to create and capture value. His stuff will work whether or not you are a new leader.

This provides a nice clear layout of the ideas behind successful negotiations. It's helpful to think clearly about the values and motivations of all the 'players' in the process. Great book and easy but thoughtful read.

In "Shaping the Game: The New Leader's Guide to Effective Negotiating", Michael Watkins came up with a high quality book on critical skills required for successful negotiations. The author wrote an interesting and insightful book on achieving effective negotiations. Negotiation involves getting people who both have common and conflicting goals to be able to present and discuss issues and reach an agreement acceptable to all parties.

This is a very useful book that presents the negotiation process methodically, which helps the reader to follow and understand the process. The ideas you learn from the book are very helpful in any negotiating situation, whether one is interviewing for a job, buying a car, leasing a house, making a sell or negotiating between managers and workers for salary increase and conditions of service or a major contract.

This is an excellent book that is essential reading for all managers who need to learn the techniques, strategies and practices of effective negotiations. The author reinforces his well presented arguments, proposals and solutions with an interesting story of Paul whose duties require him to be involved in various challenging negotiating scenarios that should assist readers in reinforcing the concepts that they would have learnt.

This excellent guide to negotiation is concise, highly readable and eminently practical. Author Michael Watkins simply and clearly outlines the essentials every negotiator must know. More importantly, he situates negotiation where it belongs - at the very center of every leader's required set of skills. He duly notes that negotiations differ in many ways, and that a negotiator needs to adapt a strategic approach to each situation and context. Where appropriate, he draws on the work of other writers about negotiation, sometimes correcting their broad generalizations and oversimplifications. He illustrates his advice about negotiation with the story of Paul, an executive whose career exposes him to various negotiating situations requiring a range of skills. This tactic could be hackneyed or hokey, but in Watkin's hands, it works well. We highly recommend this book as an excellent tool for honing your negotiation and leadership skills.