Image Books

"100 Essential Techniques" solved at least a half dozen situations right off the bat. George's writing style is clear and concise and his selection of techniques are those that you need to be aware of. Having flipped through the book several times reading what was intriguing, I am reading from front to back. I found that I could read this book on my comute and remember the simple steps on how to impliment the techniques when I was in front of the computer. Real sweet, what's next George?

Clear but concise explanations of many of the features and functions you may already be marginally aware of, but may not understand how to use. These features are generally only mentioned in other books, but are more clearly explained here. I teach the Adobe suite, and feel pretty comfortable using these applications, but most of what I know has come from books because I live in an isolated area. Whenever a book comes along that helps me to understand features I haven't been using, I really appreciate it. Short on glamour, it is just black text on white pages; the techniques are most often presented in two page layouts with screen captures as needed. The book is small enough to hold on your lap or have next to the computer as you work. Reading and using one technique a day might be a great way to go through the book as opposed to just reading. Some tips will be of interest to new users, while others are aimed at the intermediate or advanced level, which is exactly how it's noted on the back cover. Easy reading, chapter headings make it simple to find what you need, but there's also a good index. I find the organization very helpful. There are general tips presented first, regarding the use of Bridge, and setting up preferences to work with the suite more interactively. Then techniques for individual application components are presented and I appreciate the inclusion of GoLive here since I use it. I know everyone else uses DW, but our school chose to go with the Adobe Suite way back when. I have been responsible for the extensive dept. web site and I found GoLive up to the task. And last, tips having to do with the use of Acrobat and Version Cue. I've been using Acrobat for years, but on a fairly rudimentary level and I didn't understand Version Cue at all, so this book has provided some terrific information there. All in all, I think this book is a bargain, excellent, much needed information presented in a simple format. Some tips may be over your head if you're just beginning, but later on you'll be glad they're here. Especially useful: tips on using Bridge more fully, the most useful and least understood aspects of Photoshop and Illustrator, using Master Pages and Frames in InDesign as well as creating books (something I need to do right now), CSS in GoLive (a special thank you for that), time-saving batch processing techniques, and Acrobat and Version Cue techniques that wrap up the final needed tips. This book is definitely not a rehash of anything you've seen elsewhere. It's all the information I was hoping to find in other books and didn't. This book is an excellent resource and I'll keep it handy. There isn't one thing in here I would consider filler. The subtitle is 100 essential techniques and that seems to fit the content perfectly.

This book was super helpful getting me up to speed when I did an upgrade from the pre-CS product line. It covers the basics, but also gets you into some of the more advanced time savers. There's a website for it too, which has been updated with a couple of new tips.

An excellent book, particularly helpful in discovering the new nooks and crannies of the CS line. It's definitely a book I wish I had sooner. It shed a lot of light on the Bridge as well as Version Cue that I just wasn't getting before.

I am familiar with George's style of writing and this book is no exception, to his casual yet informative tone.

Thank goodness! Finally, a resource that's quick access, a quick fix to my problems and helpful, succinct answers to my questions. A must-have for anyone using the new CS2.

This is a wonderful book not only for photographers, but also for those interested in timeless pictures of Americana. I found the subjects to be most interesting, as they are indeed captured moments in our history.

The book is also of special interest to those interested in Cirkut cameras; I own one and was very glad to be able to obtain such a specialized book that demonstrates what the cameras were capable of in skilled hands.

The book is very impressive, with multiple fold-out pages that do justice to the ultra-wide format photographs that are reproduced. The printing is first rate and everyone that I have shown the book to has been pleased with it.

The above headline pretty much sums it up. Sorry for ending with a preposition ( I should have said "an" to be silly).

I've never seen a photo book quite like this. This is an oversized book and when many of the prints are folded out they really are a yard long. While many of these picture are not artistic masterpieces, they are masterpieces of documentary phototgraphy. The level of detail these photos hold is something to see and you get a very good feel for the time and place of the picture.

The author obviously has a deep respect for the history of photography. The images, reproductions, and explanations are excellent. This is a beautiful book that every panoramic photographer could relish for many years to come.

I have an interest in panoramic photography, currently own a Widelux camera (can take a 120 degree pano on 35mm film), and am looking to buy a Kodak Panoram which performs similarly but on 120 format film. If I could afford a Cirkut camera, and the film and chemistry costs, I'd have one.

I'm also a history buff.

"America by the Yard" combines history and panoramic photography in a series of stunning images that seem to draw the viewer in. Consider it a series of graphic, high-resolution photos showing America growing up from circa 1900 to almost 1950.

The photos have so much detail, and so much width, that the photos continue to reveal new details each time I "read" it.

When showing the book to friends and co-workers, it has the same effect on them: lots of "oooohs" and "aaaaahhhhs" and exclamations.

An amazing book. I can't reccomend it highly enough.

This wonderful collection of touching poems, penned by the brilliantly gifted poet Anna Marie Fritz, truly captures the emotions of the human spirit. This book is a must-read and a must-have for your library.

I just finished Anna Marie Fritz's poetry book, Anna-Versery. This is a marvelous book, filled with delightful, skillfully written poems depicting life, love, and nature. I highly recommend it!

If you enjoy poetry, then you will absolutely love these poems by Anna Marie Fritz. I enjoyed every line of the easy to read, beautiful flowing of words. Some of the poems in ANNA-VERSERY left me spellbound as I read the feelings that came through by this author. This is a book of poetry that should be on your bookshelf. Don't miss out on these words of love, happiness and sadness. You will smile at some; feel anguish at others. If you have an ounce of passion, I recommend keeping a hanky nearby from the tears you will shed.

Reviewed by award-winning author, Bobby Ruble, ...with wife, Kam...

Anna Marie Fritz has chosen to present her poetry as snapshots of memory, so that each poem in the collection recalls information and events - some perplexing, others clear - that she apparently collected from life's experiences. She had diligently preserved the feelings and concepts her mind had stored up in the course of life, which have resurfaced in these verses. And now, even as she tries to externalize these musings, she can't help clinging to emotions that take her back to the "lost chances," the "yearnings" and the "outstanding moments" she had encountered in life.

Anna-Versery is a lovely work of art. Provocatively nostalgic. Delightfully lyrical.

I've read quite a few books of poetry and none have been as easy to relate to as Ms. Fritz's book. She writes about things that everyone can relate to in such a beautiful and unique way. Some poets like to write very abstract poetry, but THESE poems are easy to get a hold of, visually and emotionally. "Fruitless Mission", "A Kindred Spirit" and "The Dark Space" are among my favorites. This a book every poetry lover MUST HAVE!

I got this book to refresh myself and the Dummies book for a quick reference.
I highly reccommend that.
This book walks you through step by step the entire process and well over 90% of the entire program.
The examples are very easy and the text is spot on accurate.
The only complaint I have is that I wish that the information that we hagve to enter was all in bold text.
Some is and some isn't, but this is a minor complaint compared to quality of the training you get from the material.

This book is clear, concise, and well-written. It covers everything I've needed to know about AutoCAD, and probably everything I'll ever want to know. Explanation of the more difficult concepts is thorough and complete, and the exercises are very helpful, keyed as they are to practice drawings on the included CD-ROM. A great reference...structured by topic, so it's easy to find what you need.

If you are using AutoCAD 2005 or LT 2005 as a beginner who needs step by step instruction or a seasoned AutoCAD user who can use a good reference manual - this book is well worth owning. It is a very thorough and clearly written book. No new or old AutoCAD feature is left unturned.

I've been a long time CAD user experienced in almost everything but "AutoCad". Always seemed to find a way around using this industry standard (eg: .dxf or other file translator to bring into your CAD app). Well, after alot of digging my heels into the ground to avoid AutoCad, due to it's unfamiliar CAD interface and menu nomenclature, I decided to give this book a try. WOW, what an eye opener for me! Absolutely the best. Spend the time to do all of the excercises in this book and you'll no longer dread the unfamiliar GUI (graphical user interface) of ACAD. In a matter of approx. 40 hours of study, I feel relatively comfortable using ACAD, along with our other CAD programs. Do yourself a favor and get this book if you have any interest in learning ACAD, you won't regret it. Ellen Finkelstein and crew did an absolutely fabulous job!

The Finkelstein Bible series -as reference books for AutoCAD- stand head and shoulder above the others, the depth, the accuracy and the conscientious effort is unmatched. If a supplement book for exercises at the same technical level is published, we will definitely have an undisputed knock out.

At first I was a little hesitate to purchase this book considering that I have over two hundred books on the subject of the Beatles, however, I'm glad that I did since this book stands out from the others. Definitely, it's informative as a reference guide, and it includes a large amount of rarely seen and unseen photos of the Beatles together and apart. Also, the appearance of it is quite attractive with its lavish hardcover; moreover, the beautiful black and white, and colorful photos that it contains. Without a doubt, if you're either a die-hard or casual fan, then you should definitely purchase this book, and place it next to the other valuable Beatles items that you may own.

I picked up this book on a whim for my 2 year old who is obsessed with the Beatles. However, I have spent several hours myself looking through it and I love being able to read about the stories behind the pictures, even if she cant enjoy them yet. The pictures are brilliant and the size of them is also good, no squinting to see whats going on. I would recommend this book to any Beatles fan, and to anyone else who wants to know more about them, not only as a band but as individuals.

I love this collection of Beatle photographs taken from early in their careers to the post-Beatle years. (I have two copies of this book - the first one has a chronology that stops in 1999-2000, when George was still alive and the second one includes George's tragic demise in 2001).

I love the way a Beatle song is used as a title for each chapter. The photos are well documented and include many people who crossed paths with the Beatles, such as Harold Wilson, Ed Sullivan (of course) and many lesser known people.

The book also provides a rich history for each year that is being covered. Events are chronicled in the chronology and is a very "Beatle friendly" gauge indeed. The Beatles' travels and events regarding same are recorded. There are two pictures of George, packing his "Beatle Bag," with the picture captioned about how BOAC provided the Fabs free flights from England to France provided they advertised with those bags. Harold & Louise Harrison, Sr. are shown, sending their son off to America proudly and lovingly. These make a good book even better.

Many of these photographs had not seen the light of day prior to the publication of this wonderful book. No Beatle fan should be without this one!

Yes, it is one of the best Beatles photo albums I've ever seen. It covers that period from 1963 through the breakup and to George's death in 2001. Some of the pictures are familiar, others aren't. It's a wonderful journey to start at the beginning and see the Beatles' milestones and how they change. We see their early exuberance and eagerness to please by posing in showbizzy poses in matching suits, being feted and receiving endless awards. They morph into the ultimate cool icons, hair growing shaggier, clothes weirder. Their relationships are chronicled. First it was Cyn, Jane, Patti and Mo. Then it was Linda and Yoko. Eventually Patti and Maureen were replaced by Olivia and Barbara. I love the early pictures of the women - all those wonderful dolly dresses and Patti's amazing eyes. (I was sooo jealous of her!). The pictures thin out after the breakup. There are intermittent photos of the individual Beatles and their families (mostly Paul) through the 70s, 80s and 90s. The last photo in the book is the sad photo of Paul the morning George died. There are almost no photos of the Beatles taken in America so it cannot be called a comprehensive collection. After all, this was the English press (Daily Mail and AP)and a lot of these photos never made it stateside until now. One thing that historians will note is the plethora of shots from the middle '60s showing just how important they were during that time. I'm so happy to have come upon this book. It is highly recommended for Beatles fans both who remember when and who want to know what it was like.

This is a collection of rare Beatles' photos taken from pre-1964 to a period 'after the Beatles.' Each chapter of the book is titled after a Beatles' song (e.g. chapter four is titled "Hello Goodbye").

The photos have descriptions beside them giving an explanation of what is going on in the pic, where it might have been taken, who is in the pic, and other facts that might pertain tom the pic such as record stats, radio shows, TV programs, etc.

Periodically throughout this book a chronology of a certain year (i.e. 1968) will be shown. The chronology explains what happened on certain dates or days in that year. For instance, in the 1968 chronology, on 23 August it states "Ringo quits the Beatles during the recording sessions for the White Album."

The book contains 600 photographs selected from the archives of the 'Daily Mail." The book contains over 200 photographs from negatives never previously printed and are said to be printed here for the first time.

The pictures in this book are pics taken at parties, vacations that each Beatles member took alone, or together, recording studio shots, candid shots (some of these are just plain terrible, but fun to see), and many other various settings. This is a great book for Beatles' fans, and a must for hard core Beatles collectors.

This transaction was very professional and timely. I enjoyed doing business with this business person.

I am a woman with epilepsy who found much of the information in this book applicable to other historically marginalized groups who are not necessarily black.

Independent economic development is the key to community revitalization and political success in a capitalist society. Those with the most money are the same ones who can decide and then access the elected officials in their community. And a community with ample economic opportunity for people is not going to have drug use and other forms of crime polluting the area, people are going to have stuff to do with their time and the means to support themselves/families.

But that development can never happen when we behave disrespectfully towards the customer who has entered our store. Anybody running a business must act like they genuinely want to make a profit off of it--in order to get their wish of a sale. Nobody is going to come in and realistically hand us lots of money simply because we are one of them.

The book is intended to be used by people who are already out working in the 'real world'. But it would also work as a text in economics classes. Come to think of it, it could even be used in social science and/or public policy courses, particularly those dealing with community redevelopment and urban groups.

Do we have to return to Jim Crow to spend our money with each other?This book lays out a plan of economic empowerment.

One of the most memorable points made here is about the benefit of using a "sales job" for large commission dollars and then, using that money to start your own business. Thank you Brother Kunjufu!!!

Dr. Kunjufu lays it out in this book. He discusses the history of African-American businesses, the obstacles, and solutions for personal and community empowerment.

This book is a most have for anyone who grew up with Barbie. I know now why I always wanted long slender legs."The Body Burden" is about women as a whole. It shows that as women, we are not alone in our thoughts, feelings and food issues in a society obsessed with media perfectionism.

I found this book very well written by Ms. Handler. It is hard to realize, a woman who's grandparents created the Barbie doll went through so much pain while growing up. The poems were so strong and so heartbreaking that I wanted to cry. I also cried to the chapter about her father who sounded like a wonderful man. I had lost my mother three years ago so was able to relate to it. I feel that this book will be very inspirational to all women of many shapes and sizes. This book shows readers a true survivor. I would recommend this book as a worthwhile read. Ms. Handler truly has talent in writing as well and should release a book with all her poetry she has written in the past. I hope to see another book by her in the years to come.

When I first picked up the book I was very interested in seeing what it was all about, the title really caught my attention. In the book there were a lot of things that I could relate to. I myself am a bit overweight and have always struggled to lose the extra pounds. Her story really is an inspiration to all those unhappy about their body. I never really stopped to think about how the image of Barbie affected people and when I was reading Stacey's story it really made me think about how today's society portrays women compared to the way most women really are. I hope that it makes people stop and think and realize that it is not how a woman looks on the outside that makes her beautiful. I think Stacey I very brave for telling her story and I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a truly inspiring tale.

A fabulous book!! I laughed, I cried...I could relate to many of Ms. Handler's writings. So many women try to conform to the "societal standards" of what women are "supposed to look like." Ms. Handler certainly has a unique way with words and has expressed herself openly and honestly! How refreshing! I believe that this is a MUST READ book of quality, for women of all shapes and sizes. As a BBW (Big Beautiful Woman) that has accepted for a many years her size, I am glad to see that there is an author acknowledging the various sizes of women and the importance of self-acceptance regardless of size! I look forward to additional writings from Ms. Handler!

Stacey Handler's book is an emotional revelation. You don't expect that such a challenging personal journey would need to be undertaken by the granddaughter of Barbie's creator. You imagine instead an idyllic childhood surrounded by every Barbie doll ever made, every Barbie pal, every Barbie accessory -- no matter how expensive. You picture endless happy hours lost in play. No doubt that was true some of the time. But, in her insighful and courageous new book, The Body Burden: Living In the Shadow of Barbie, Stacey Handler reveals that things are not always what they seem. Always overweight, haunted by the impossibly perfect Barbie she saw everywhere, badgered by her grandmother to control her eating, Handler struggled to be thin, to be like Barbie. How ironic, I found myself thinking as I read her book, that such an impossibly skinny doll should cast such an large shadow. Yet it has for many young girls who look in the mirror and see a very different image from their beautiful, popular, fashionable Barbie with her handsome, adoring Ken. When that disparity is reinforced every day by size-prejudice in television commercials, magazine ads, and the attitudes of loved ones, the effects can be devastating. Despite its considerable bumps along the way, Handler's story is one of personal triumph. Through sheer force of character, she has emerged a woman very much "in the process of becoming". Her poems and essays give encouragement to women everywhere facing issues of body image and personal self-worth. She's been there and she knows what it takes to survive. A gutsy, no-holds-barred anthology of one woman's journey to self-acceptance.

Rilke's Book of Images is a wonderful way to enter the world of poetry if you are hesitant because of bad memories of tough English courses in high school or college. Beautiful, powerful and accessible, you will love to sit down and get lost in the language and intensity of this work.

Edward Snow has captured the essential grace of Rilke's poetry without sacrificing faithfulness to the original text. In this book of wonderful and exquisite poems, the lyric genius of Rilke comes through; Snow's own poetic sensibility is also clear. Some of my favorite Rilke poems (such as "Autumn" or "Memory") are rendered here in a way that perfectly suits their quiet, holy sense of both solitude and communion. Read it.

There is very little question that Rilke was the greatest German poet of the 20th century. The only question that remains is whether he was the greatest poet in any language. His brief, imaginative poems capture the essence of man in the modern period, alone, isolated, and without meaning.

Edward Snow has captured the grace and subtle imagery of Rilke in this altogether outstanding collection of poems, in large part because he is a great poet in his own right. Readers of Rilke will surely be familiar with a number of poems in this bilingual collection, such as Autumn:

"The leaves are falling, falling as if from far off,
as if the heavens distant gardens withered;
they fall with gestures that say "no."

And in the nights the heavy earth falls
From all the stars into aloneness.

We are falluing. This hand is falling.
And look at the others: it is in them all.

And yet there is One who holds this falling
With infinite softness in his hands." (85).

Rilke is that poet that you, if you are tormented by memories of high-school poetry lessons past (dactylic metre sound vaguely familiar?), ought try. His imagery is accessible, his meaning clear...and he manages simultaneously a beautiful degree of both spiritual and metaphorical richness.

Snow's translations of Rilke's poetry are superb; he consistently preserves the metric structure and is also conscious of the need to employ every word and consider every nuance of meaning, rather than simply settling for glossing it (a surprisingly common problem in poetry translation). In the challenging world of finding faithful poetry translation, Snow's work is outstanding...and the original material to my sense of literary aesthetics unsurpassed...little of Rilke's beauty is sacrificed in the execution of this translation. Rilke's simultaneous spareness, sensitivity, and richness endure here; rather than imposing himself upon the reader, Snow succeeds admirably at the translator's task, and brings Rilke to the English-speaking audience.

Rilke ranks among the world's greatest poets. Each poem in the Book of Images is an elegant snapshot of a beautiful world. Snow's translation is superb, and he is commonly regarded as the preeminent English translator of Rilke's poetry. This text contains the translation and the original German side-by-side so that readers can gain a better appreciation of Rilke. The Snow translatio of the Book of Images is one of the greatest English-language poetic achievements.

I just bought the book and will start learning it immediately. The book is amazing in its illustrations and quality. I had a complaint about another book by Tony Mullen. He responded to my complain in a matter of hours. I will let more experienced reviewers evaluate the book, but I will highly recommend any author who cares so much for his customers.

I ordered this book without much hesitation, once I discovered Tony was writing it. Having read his past book "Introducing Character Animation with Blender", I ordered this one without thinking twice. Now that this book is in my hands, I can't regret for my choice. The overall quality of the publication is impressive. Not only for the contents but also for the technical production: fine paper with color quality images. It's not common these days. The book is composed of 400 pages (7 chapters) plus an appendix and they are:

Chapter 1 - Re-creating the World: An overview
This chapter describes those tools and techniques that are not well explained elsewhere by the Blender literature. It covers topics like material creation with nodes, transparency, subsurface scattering, sky maps (sphere maps and angular maps) and those tools that can be used to fake physics, when accurate simulations are not necessary at all but you still need a "quick and dirty" method to achieve an effect efficiently and with sufficient speed (an example: water simulation with surface tension displacement or cloth simulation using a displacement modifier). Obviously, these techniques are useful for everyone involved using Blender. No doubt. Much appreciated.

Chapter 2 - The Nitty-Gritty on particles.
The first thing I thought after reading this chapter was:"WOW". *ALL* the latest development on Blender particles is covered here: emitters, reactors, positioning particles on a grid, chained physics systems, various types of visualizations, force fields (harmonic, magnetic, vortex, spherical, wind, etc.)
You will be guided through the creation of a convincing fire material using clouds and stencils textures! All is explained gradually and with great style. Highly informative.

Chapter 3 - Getting flexible with Soft Bodies and Cloth.
As you can expect, all that has been developed is covered here: baking, how to animate a spring, force fields and collision, using curves with softbodies (it will teach you how to animate a chain using an empty), stress maps, how to produce a fantastic cube of gelatin using lattices, simulating clothes. It will even explain how to use the demolition plugin to produce a window breaking in a spiderweb pattern!

Chapter 4 - Hair Essentials: The Long and Short of Strand Particles.
How to produce hair, fur and grass. After covering the basics, this chapter will guide you through the creation of an hairstyle on top of a practice head. One of my preferred chapters.

Chapter 5 - Making a Splash with Fluids.
One of the most interesting part of Blender: the fluid simulator. All is covered here: domains, resolution, inflow, outflow, fluid object intersection, kinematic viscosity, obstacles (considering animation, of course).

Chapter 6 - Bullet Physics and the Blender Game Engine.
One of the less undestood parts of Blender is certainly the game engine. So I was favourably impressed when I have seen an entire chapter dedicated to it. This chapter describes all the tools needed to produce hard bodies simulations, using the game engine and the powerfullness of the Bullet Physics Library. Actors, actuators, IPO curves, rigid body simulations with IPO curves, joints, ragdolls ... This is material that will be probably new to most Blender users.

Chapter 7 - Imitation of Life: Simulating Trees and Plants.
This chapter explores a few tools that can be used for creating trees and vegetation in general, like the L-System, ngPlant and Ivy Generator.

Each chapter is independent, so you don't need to read the book from the first page, with the exception of chapter 4, who strongly depends by the two previous chapters. This book is of course not intended for beginners. This book is completely updated with the latest Blender development and it covers the actual stable release. This is the documentation Blender needs. I highly recommend this book. It is well written, well presented, well structured and, most importantly, it's definitely fun!

I purchased this hoping to learn to use Blender, and open-source program available from blender.org. The book is very well written, very informative, and an excellent reference, but definitely NOT for beginners; the author even says so. If you, like me, are a beginner, either buy this AFTER getting "Character Animation With Blender" or "The Essential Blender," buy it WITH one of those, but if you are serious about learning 3D imaging, animated or not, this is a definitive must for your library.

I must say, I'm biased... I started liking this book the first time I read the title! The book is very impressive, it is full-color, lots of images, and the chapters are nice and modular so you can jump to the section the topic you're interested in. Tony Mullen did a great job in making the complex straightforward. The tasks in the chapters are clearly written in step-by-step style. He gets right to the point of the chapter and has you work through the material. Another nice touch is seeing pics and blurbs on various Blender artists/developers.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn and/or master physics in Blender 2.46. This book has great tutorials. Unlike Tony Mullen's other book Introduction to Character Animation you are not working on one project, you work on lots a bit like the Essential blender. There are pictures to help you on every page and there ar .blend files on the CD.

I like the way the author writes. Creative imagination and follows scripture very well.

This book, and entire series, is enlightening and movtivational. It is brilliant in its uses of bibilical stories and scripture to create fiction that inspires one's life today. I haven't read such a good series in a long time.

These 4 books were a great read.
They take you through the Bible stories in a very interesting way. I loved the angels in the books, and loved each of their personalities. I hope there are more books to come.

I waited for this book for over a year, and I have to say, it was pretty much worth it. "Final Confrontation" tells the story of Jesus' ministry on earth,along with his resurrection, from an angelic point of view. I found the view points of the various angels and demons quite interesting, especially during his birth and crucifiction.

I did find a few grammatical errors in the book, but other then that, I would definitely give this book five stars. Although I wish that the series would not have ended witht his book, I think that the author, D. Brian Shafer, did a fantastic job in both his writing and accuracy. You've probably all ready read about the life of Jesus through our (a human's) viewpoint. I would reccommend reading this book, so you can see it through a spiritual one.

I read through this book so fast that I was disappointed that it came to an end. I have been following this series from the beginning and have never been disappointed. This last book deals with the life and ministry of Christ. Shafer's treatment of the drama aruond Jesus, the devils consipring, the miracles that throw them and the search for a betrayer was ecellent. I also enjoyed the historical material included in the book about Jerusalem, the temple, Herod, etc. I am recommending this entire series to all of my friends and to my pastor. I hope they make this into a movie someday--it would be great! You listening, Mel Gibson?