Services Books

I love all the curious George books. Who Doesn't?

author of "Hobo Finds A Home"

I liked this book a lot. Curious George books are great. He is always getting into trouble and it keeps you reading. I still haven't watched the movie yet but the books make me want to. My 2 year old sister likes them too. It is a good family read. Enjoy!
Jacob - 5 and 3/4 finally (with a little help)

If you've raised any children in the last 57 years, you've probably already read H. A. Rey's 1947 children's classic "Curious George Takes a Job" and you already know how... questionable some of its content is. For those of you who don't have kids, you should know what's in this book before buying it.

Check out page 17. Curious George has been found literally swimming in a vast vat of pasta. Instead of calling animal control and having him put down and tested for rabies, the cook who catches him in flagrante de pesto, instead puts him to work washing dishes -- with both the monkey's hands and his FEET. I sincerely hope no one actually ate off those dishes afterwards. Where is the heath department when you need them?

Anyway, the cook sends him to work with the Elevator Man, washing windows on the outside of a hi-rise building (without a safety-line!!!). Curious George sneaks into a room, paints it, and dashes down the fire escape. He falls and breaks his leg. We're treated to a picture of a crying monkey with a wobbly leg, bent in four or five places.

In the hospital, on page 36, George has recovered from his broken leg and is left alone for a few minutes. Okay, to keep it brief: he gets into the ether. This violates EVERYTHING I was taught in school about drugs not being fun. And then, on the next page you can tell by Curious George's rapturous grin just how much he enjoyed the experience.

And I haven't even mentioned the use of tobacco on page 41 or the prevelence of extremely high-emissions fossil-fueled vehicles on pages 13 and 14.

Bottom line: this book is POISON. Protect your children from it at all costs.

As last week was National Children's Book Week, and CG Takes a Job happens to be my favorite, I figured I'd say a few words about it. As a VERY curious five year old boy whose father bought him a Curious George stuffed animal at the tender age of two, I was in awe of the fact that not only could George paint a pretty cool mural of the jungle on an unappreciative woman's wall, but he could WASH DISHES WITH BOTH HIS HANDS AND HIS FEET! This blew my mind. Here I was, an impressionable (and curious) young lad, who watched his own parents dread washing the dishes, and this monkey did it in double the time. I was hooked. This is still my favorite book, even if it wanders a bit (from the zoo, to a restaurant, to an apartment building, to the hospital to . . . well, you get the idea), I still recommend it for curious kids and adults alike.

News Flash!

In the skyscraper apartment building yesterday a monkey hired to wash windows painted a woman's apartment to look like an African jungle. Hired by the elevator man, he was warned not to get too curious but to stick to his work.

At first the monkey, at the time of this report we do not yet know his name, worked without even looking in the windows. But when he got to an apartment being painted, according to the painters we questioned, he got too curious, stopped working, and watched the painters.

When the painters left for lunch the monkey entered the apartment and used their paint to recreate his native African environment on the walls and furniture coverings of the apartment, complete with palm trees, butterflies, birds, two leopards, one zebra, one giraffe, grass, bushes and a portrait of the "artist" playing in the trees.

Returning from lunch the painters discovered the monkey finishing his creation. The painters, with the apartment owner and the elevator man, chased the monkey down the fire escape.

Forgetting that concrete was much harder than the African jungle ground, the monkey made a foolish leap to the pavement and broke his leg. An ambulance arrived and took the monkey to the hospital where, at press time, he is receiving medical treatment pending identification.

The woman whose apartment he painted said, "He got what he deserved! Making my apartment into a jungle, indeed!" and the elevator man added, "I told him he would get into trouble (if) he was too curious."

If you want to learn not to be too curious, to see how a monkey got hired as a window washer, to find out whether the monkey survives the hospital and to enjoy all of the other funny stuff this little monkey does, then read "Curious George Takes a Job!" A very funny book!

I have gotten a lot from the stories I have read so far. The ones I choose to read were perfect for me and told my own story. I don't feel so alone and am working on my money issues with more confidence and less shame right now. I have looked into meetings in my area and will try them out to see what works for me. I am thankful I was able to get this book online.

This book is probably the best book for a person who is suffering from the addiction of debting. The stories are wonderful and really help when it comes to the issue of debting.

I have found by going to Debtors Anonymous meetings and reading this book I can now live a life free of debt.

Thanks DA!

What good does it do to know all the best financial advice, if you are powerless over putting it to use? This book reveals how people powerless over compulsive spending and debting have been able to apply good financial principles to their lives by living the twelve steps and asking a power greater than themselves to take the lead in their life.

This book helped me to put my spending in a different perspective - it is excellent reading and I will be using it as a reference whenever the "urge to spend" comes up again.

This book gives both practical information on a very popular and much needed self help program, Debtors Anonymous. The contributors tell their stories of hope and inspiration of what led them to get into debt and how they got out of debt. It also gives many suggesions for folks who are 'underearners.' People who underachieve and don't earn enough to live on or don't earn up to their potential. HIghly recommended.

I had the privilege and honor of knowing Larry Bell and his family so I have to admit that I may have a bias toward the positive, but I agree with the other reviewers that this is an outstanding book that is hard to put down and I highly recommend it.

No matter what side of the debate you were on over the Vietnam War this book gives you a unique insight into what goes on behind the scenes in covert operations. The author takes the reader through the whole range of emotions that for me ultimately concluded with a sense of pride for our country.

This book will be of particular interest to anyone who served in the US military or covert operations during these turbulent times.

Sadly, Larry passed away in September 2007, but this book will live on as a testament and a tribute to those who served.

Semper Fi Marine!

This was a real page turner. Just when you thought things couldn't get worse, they did. A big salute to Mr. Bell. He is a REAL hero. Everyone needs to read this book. I now feel I have a real understanding of the CIA. I also have a much better understanding of the Vietnam War. I hope he sells a million copies.

Dead Horses in the Sun written by Larry Bell is an enthralling story. From Chapter One to the end the reader begins an astonishing trip from the dramatic ending of South Vietnam back to the very beginning for the author and his military time in deepest Africa. The next two chapters provide funny, and exciting episodes and escapades that include; two riots, a flag stealing and shooting incidents, to participation in the indentification and capture of an East German agent-right in the American embassy! Mr Bell continues the story by describing his training as a CIA agent in Washington, D.C. Which was followed by his eventual assignment to South Vietnam.

Upon arriving in Vietnam the excitement and drama escalate to a fever pitch as Mr. Bell goes from paramilitary operation to another to interrogating defectors and prisoners of war to reveal astounding penetration of the South Vietnamese military intelligence service by a long-time Viet Cong agent. Teamed with his Vietnamese interpreter he develops two operations; the capture of over three million in communist liberation funds to the recruitment of a high level communist.

The book continues with the conversion of the author from a career employee to a contract agent to handle the communist agent. He lived in Vietnam for a total of seven years. With five years in an undercover status, moving from the northern city of Danang down the coast to eventually remaining in Saigon.

Departing only one week before the end of Vietnam Mr. Bell lived an fought in a country he had come to love only to see it all dissolve before his eyes. Very highly recommended reading.

Some of us wore Uniforms as soldiers, and some of us did not. This exciting autobiographical book shows us the
"other side" of operations during the ten years of conflict in South Vietnam. The side of United States involvement that
did not make the evening news on a regular basis. When read, the reader will have a better understanding and an
insight into the day to day workings of the CIA that is not usually disclosed i.e: They are Human beings after all!
Having walked the same ground in South Vietnam myself in many of the cities and towns described in this book for 27
months, I can tell you that this book is the real deal!
Author, Larry Bell has done an outstanding job of letting us see the other side of the war in Vietnam. The reader will
have great difficulty putting it down.
This book carries the highest rating from The Military Advisor.

This book was recommended strongly by a friend, and I can
honestly say it's the first time her recommendation was great!
Mr. Bell has projected his life to the public during an exciting
time for him and made it very exciting and entertaining. He
projects himself in a modest fashion in very, very serious situations and it is quite evident his bravery was at a high level thoughout his time in the Congo and Vietnam. His breathtaking description of riots in the Congo had my heart
bounding! Later in South Vietnam he continues describing events
that happen one after another in rapid sequence that makes the
book move rapidly.
As a historically-oriented woman I thoroughly enjoyed his book
since his story is only peppered with necessary abbreviations,
military nomanclature and intelligence 'language'. By keeping
this information to a minimum he continues the story line with
little distraction to the "flow" of his telling the story.
My father read the book at my urging since he is a Vietnam
veteran and he later told me he had read it in one sitting since
he could not put it down. So this review is for two people who
have read Dead Horses in the Sun and highly recommend it!!
I'm only hoping our present CIA continues to have dedicated
employees like Mr. Bell due to our fight in Iraq and against
terrorist worldwide - we need them.

If I could only buy one book to help me get through a family member's dementia this would be it. I have read it, underlined it, quoted it and used it. It is a source of information and comfort. This is a must buy!!

This book is absolutely wonderful. Other books on caregiving were too clinical. This book is like having a wonderful conversation with friends who have been through what you are experiencing. The book offers the perspectives of many different caregivers which was very helpful because the nature of the dementia differs for many people. There were helpful tips and suggestions and words of advice from caregivers and this was presented in short easy to digest segments.

I am a caregiver to my 90yr old blind mother who suffers from vascular dementia as well. This book was written by other caregivers with information , questions and answers that can only be appreciated by those who care with someone with this type of illness. The book covers many types of dementia, whether it be Alzheimers, vascular or others. What is really important is that the book encourages the caregiver to take care of themselves if they are to be able to take care of their patient.

This book is one of the best books on caregiving and dementia. It gives real life stories and situations that one can really relate to. The authors have done a great job. Each chapter is about a different issue in the life and path of the person with dementia as well as ones about the caregivers. You will see so much of yourself and the person you caregive for in these pages. I gained further insight into what to do in many situations I have encountered as a caregiver. Good stuff and highly recommended.

I find this book to be a very loving and thoughtful account of the stories of caregivers of loved-ones with Dimentia. It has practical advise on how to cope, where to go for support and even a some comical moments told with the utmost of respect! I would recommend this book to anyone who is a caregiver or knows someone who is. It seems we all know someone with this disease.

I've been in banking for nearly 13 years and have sometimes struggled with much of the terminology used during corporate functions, meetings, or just watching CNBC. Whether a novice or a veteran, it's something that should be in your briefcase, pocket book, or in your desk for quick reference. This is a "NO BS" assessment!

Paid for by me. ;O)

This can almost be considered an inexpensive textbook. It not only defines, but explains the terms in a simple, easy to understand format. Although in dictionary form, it consistently relates the terms to one another so the reader will understand how the concepts interwind. Includes financial and banking terms.

I use this in a training class about bank documentation. It is very helpful and comprehensive. It defines terms in concise and easy to understand words. Even a seasoned banker can learn something from this dictionary.

book should contain all banking terms because most of them are not understood by layman

Working in an IT company catering to bankers I bought this book to help understand their lingo. I have to say it hasn't disappointed yet. It is also very up to date the latest IT/banking terms. If you were to read all the definitions in this book you would probably know more than you banker. A great reference. Buy it!

Retired NYPD Det. Al Sheppard is too humble to say so...but he is a True Hero! E-Man is an excellent book...a riveting account of his years with the prestigious Emergency Services Unit of the NYPD. There is an old saying "When a Civilian needs help, they call the Police. When Cops need help...they call the Emergency Services Unit...ESU!" I've known Al for some 17 years...and although I knew a lot about his 20 years of service with NYPD, even I didn't know most of his (and his fellow officer's) courageous exploits...detailed in this book. Buy it, read it, but be warned...You will have trouble putting this book down! --- Dr. J. Hill, Professor of Criminal Justice & Retired NJ Street Cop.

I cant wait till part 2 of E man comes out and hopefully it will.....I have read books by Schmetterer before....that is why this one caught my eye....The Coffey Files....and also Tom Walker has a new book out no one should miss.....A no put down amazing book.....by the author of Ft Apache the Bronx....we are lucky to have authors such as al sheppard schmetter and walker....readers like myself who like REal stories...need them...

Al Sheppard has done an excellent job of capturing what life as an E-Man is about. We have a saying, "Know your job, do your job" and Sheppard is a fine example of that.

From
An active E-Man

E-Man is a powerful collection of vignettes that showcase the excitement and energy of life in the NYPD Emergency Services Unit. It captures the true flavor of life in the streets without the sterilized writing you so often see in memoirs written by professionals trying to capture the essence of another's experiences. Schmetterer, the co-author, is to be complemented for not falling into that trap and thereby allowing us to experience Al Sheppard's life as an E Man as if we were there.

This book is as gripping and as exciting as the other reviews say it is. The only problem is its atrocious writing style, which is so bad that it obstructs the understanding of the content of the book. I had to reread many passages several times to figure out what Sheppard really meant. Topics are disorganized, digressions are sudden and often without appropriate context, grammar mistakes and typos abound (i.e. it's a 9mm submachine gun, not ".9 mm"; one rappels with a rope, not "repels"), police jargon and New York specific idioms are not always explained, and so on. Clearly, nobody proofread the manuscript before publication.

On the other hand, the rambling, conversational feel of Sheppard's writing style serves in a way to authenticate the story. His adventures don't have the life sucked out of them by the blandness and distance that would be imposed by an active co-author. You really feel like you are talking to the man who lived the story, rather than hearing it second-hand.

And what a story it is! Sheppard makes it clear that NYPD ESU is an incredible organization. If you are at all interested in the workings of SWAT teams, rescue operations, or anything related, this book is, despite its flaws, a must-read.

This was a great book to use with eighth graders! A classic piece of literature was a great way to end the year!

I received this book and think it's great! Thanks loads!!
Congratulations on a product that's certain to help a lot of government employees succeed where otherwise they might not. Having served on numerous selection panels in the past, I often wondered why so many employees "missed the boat" on putting together a "sellable" application. Now, that shouldn't happen anymore. R, Don

Book offers resume-writing tips for Defense civilians

By Kellie Lunney

Federal employees and those aspiring to work in the government need to master the art of electronic resume writing, according to a new book from a federal resume expert.

Kathy Kraemer Troutman's Electronic Federal Resume Guidebook provides readers seeking civilian jobs in the Defense Department with advice on navigating Resumix, the department's electronic database for managing resumes.

The Defense Department uses Resumix software to manage resumes and search for qualified candidates. The transition from a paper-based system to an electronic system means that Defense employees and potential applicants have had to brush up on their computer and resume writing skills, according to Troutman. Under the electronic resume system, applicants submit their resumes for specific positions, and hiring officials search the resume database to find an applicant with the right mix of qualifications.

"I believe the electronic system is here to stay and that it will be better in the long run. If you can write a good resume and understand the application process, you can master this," writes Troutman.

Troutman, a former columnist on careers for GovExec.com, includes advice on writing and editing resumes, a brief history of the Resumix system, and a soup- to-nuts description of how automated human resources systems work. A CD-ROM that contains electronic resume samples and official job kits accompanies the book.

Special tips ("One resume is the best for today's electronic job search") and inside information ("Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force agencies require self-nominations for announcements") are sprinkled throughout the book, and Troutman provides a review summarizing the section's main ideas at the end of each chapter.

Most of the book is devoted to crafting the perfect electronic resume with tips ranging from how to incorporate keywords that will yield successful job matches through Resumix to avoiding bureaucratic jargon.

A list of dos and don'ts in the electronic resume process includes:

*Do research keywords, skills and industry language.

*Do limit experience to recent jobs and jobs that directly support your qualifications

*Do keep acronyms to a minimum.

*Do write with nouns and verbs in the active voice.

*Don't submit extra documentation unless requested. *Don't use phrases like "responsible for," or "worked with." *Don't fax your resume.

*Don't repeat yourself.

The Electronic Federal Resume Guidebook is Troutman's second book. The Federal Resume Guidebook was published in 1995.

As a former federal personnelist and now a professional job searcher and writer/editor of electronic resumes and KSAs, I can tell you that this book is an excellent resource. I believe that soon all federal vacancies will be filled via the online application process (rather than the traditional paper application process), which makes this a very timely book for the federal job seeker. There are numerous sample plaintext resumes, KSAs, skills sets, and templates in the book and on the accompanying CD-ROM. Also provided are numerous relevant "buzzwords," "keywords," and "noun phrases" essential to ensuring that applicants will get "hits" in an agency's searchable resume database. With all the samples and templates provided, your RESUMIX resume is practically already written for you. All the reader has to do is fill in information relevant to their own experience.

Bought the book. Landed a GS-9 job.

How's that for a book review?

The math: The book is on the expensive side, but you have to think of the cover price as an investment. Put another way: now I'm making more money than I made when I was on active military duty (I'm a retired grunt; retired Sgt. First Class pay plus GS-9 pay equals more than active duty Sgt. First Class pay).

Federal Resumix Guidebook how-to in short: It teaches you how to organize your past employment experiences into a consolidated nonstandard resume that contains the actual words GS managers may be using to search for employees.

The book causes you to think of the Resumix system as a search engine looking for you. Does that make sense? :-)

Incredible Play; Beautifully written; compassionate & thought
provoking, not to mention profoundly educational.
I've never learned so many new words @ once . Get out your OED !

Last year I had the opportunity to play Echo in a production of this wonderful play. All I can do is thank Lee Blessing, and my director for giving me this once in a lifetime experience. Of all the productions I have performed in none has moved me, brought me closer to my fellow actors, nor changed me in the ways that this play has. In exploring the relationships between three generations of extraordinary women, Mr. Blessing reveals so much about mothers and their daughters (it amazes me that a man could write about women and their feelings so accurately). There is basically no set, no costume changes, and very few props, which means that the play itself must be powerful enough to keep the attention of the audience for about two hours. This is no easy task, but the play moves so quickly and smoothly through a series of flashbacks, that it transports the audience into the world of these women and holds them there until the very end. Because the show was double cast, I had the unique opportunity of being both a performer and an audience member. Both experiences were equally intense, and if I ever get the opportunity to be either again I won't hesitate to take it. I enthusiastically recommend this play to actors, directors, audience members or even just to someone who is looking for a good read. Enjoy. -One Echo

Reading this play was the most touching inspiration anyone could ask for. It's complex imagery and natural poeticism moves the reader, and the audience, through the story of three women's linear relationship with one another. Each scene reveals to us another facet of their fears, their needs, harshnesses and vulnerabilities. I had the honor of playing Dorothea in a production recently, and fell in love with the craft of acting all over again. Anyone who is thinking about staging this play will find themselves open to a world of technical possibility as well as interpretive direction. If you don't push it too hard you will notice that there is no need to; Mr. Blessing has already done most of the work for you. Think simply, and the beauty and profuound relevence of this play will unwrap itself before the audience, like a gift.

I have never seen this play performed, but after reading the script I would love to. Setting and action are kept to a minimum, allowing the dialogue to express more clearly the relationships between the three characters. Mr. Blessing demonstrates a wonderful grasp of familial relationships.

Eleemosynary - charatible, the giving of alms.

And so begins one of the real gems of the contemporary American Theatre written by perhaps the best home-grown playwrights to appear in the last 15 years.

In Eleemosynary playwright Lee Blessing, like he does in all his work, celebrates the joy of language and its intrinsic power to create storms of imagery. In this short, eliptical and direct play which demands a symbolic staging, Blessing gives us three generations of Westbrook women- a unique family blessed (and cursed) with supreme intelligence and eccentricity.

I have directed the play once and seen it staged several times and each encounter has proven fullfilling past expectation. It is poetic without pretension and it is charatible without resorting to maudlin posings. The matriarch of the clan- the bold Dorothea is so carefully drawn as is her daughter Artie and grandaughter Echo. Dorothea's eccentricities do not become shallow manipulations here (as say similar characters do in Steel Magnolies for example), and that truly is a testement to Blessings sublime mastery of language and space. Like all great plays, Eleemosynary touches the heart and the head at the same time as it is filled with laughs and tears.

Discover and savor this highly polished diamond!

I have the listened to the BBC dramatization of Enquiry at least a dozen times and the unabridged version several additional times and it never fails to entertain me. It was the first of the Dick Francis stories I listened to or read and it is brilliant from several points of view. The development of all the characters is done so well, especially Kelly Hughes and his helper Roberta and minor characters such as the sleazy detective and the horse trainers and owners. You meet so many memorable characters as Kelly seeks to clear his name and Dexter Cranfield's as well. Kelly Hughes was the kind of hero several stories could have been done about and I wish there were more. While not all the Francis stories were written quite as well as this story, I listen to this one several times a year. I strongly recommend this book/audio to all fans of Dick Francis and the hourse racing business.

Jockey Kelly Hughes and trainer Dexter Cranfield have their licenses suspended by the Oxford stewards for supposedly throwing a race. Hughes believes that they were framed and he sets out to clear their names and get the licenses restored. Who would want to ruin their careers? As the truth is revealed we hear a story of sexual deviation, blackmail, fixed evidence and attempted murder.

"Yesterday I lost my licence."

That's how the book begins ... and indeed Kelly Hughes, a leading jump jockey , has been indefinitely suspended from racing after being found guilty of deliberately losing a race.

He knows that someone has rigged evidence against him, and rather than sit back and wait for the ban to be lifted , he sets out to find his secret enemy.

Hughes isn't a detective, and just as he doesn't really know how to carry out an investigation, the reader can't guess at how the plot will develop. My favourite highlight is when Hughes is driving home after a dance. At first it seems to be just a 'filler' scene, but it turns into something more dramatic - and the writing here is particularly well-crafted.

The two main characters are Hughes himself , a widower, and Roberta, the snooty daughter of his employer. Near the start of the book Roberta asks him:

" "That picture .. that's your wife isn't it?"
I nodded.
"I remember her". She said. "She was always so sweet to me. She seemed to know what I was feeling. I was really awfully sorry when she was killed"
I looked at her in surprise. The people Rosalind had been sweetest to had invariably been unhappy. She had had a knack of sensing it, and giving succour without being asked. "

Unfortunately Roberta has been brought up by her father to regard jockeys as an inferior social class, and it takes a long time for the two of them to kindle any real friendship, let alone romance.

Francis is particularly good in this book with the minor characters - such as the aristocratic Bobbie, who clearly is very fond of Roberta but can't help hinting that Hughes is a better match for her, or Derek the diffident mechanic who kept most of his brains in his fingertips.

The plot doesn't flag, the tale builds to a satisfactory climax and I only wish Hughes had appeared in another of Francis' books.

This was the first Dick Francis book I have read and I must say that I am impressed! I bought it because I had nothing to read one rainy afternoon and because I am interested in horseracing. I read it in one day. The characters were real and the plot was interesting. If you look at the copy I have you will see all kinds of scribbles in it where I have marked quotes and phrases that I liked. For example, Kelly describes how he feels after his accident as "Not so much as banging the head against a brick wall as being actively attacked by a cliff". Yep, I know that feeling...Francis just said it better than I could have. Just one warning...don't pick up this book unless you can afford to spend the whole afternoon reading it.

The primary reason I continue to seek out and read Dick Francis is that he continually creates heroes that are efficacious and rational. He avoids the common pitfalls of most modern writers, and instead invents characters who pass the ultimate test: "Would I like to meet and know this person?" If you can answer "yes" to that question then there is great potential for enjoyment in the fiction centered around that character. If you answer "no" to that question, why even bother reading further?

Dick Francis' characters almost always recieve an unreserved "YES!" Read "Enquiry," it's not the best from Francis but it's still furlongs beyond the rest.

I'm a big fan of the Dummies series and never thought I'd find anything to compete with it except for the Idiot's Guides. I was wrong. I found this book covers the topic much better than the Dummies and Idiot's guides. The author writes in my kind of language - plain and simple so the average guy can understand. And the indepth coverage of the industry is a bonus. I really like the author's down to earth style of writing. This is a buy.

I am currently working in Silicon Valley and found this book to be extremely helpful for me to understand networking and communicate with my clients here in the Valley. Mr. Keogh clearly explains the fundamentals of networking so that the reader can follow the how networking works and have confidence in discussing networking with others. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Keogh's books.

I'm a college instructor. During the summer I was asked to teach a basic network course for the fall term designed for students who are beginning their networking studies. Books I used for my other networking courses were MCSE books that were too detailed for my students. Then I came across this book, which is perfect for my class. The material is detailed enough so students come away with a good understanding of the concepts, yet not too detailed to overwhlem them. This is a perfect blend - and the companion website to this book offers slides and test questions free. I highly recommend this book to any instructor - or any student.

Keogh keeps an excellent balance between material for "complete idiots" and material for engineers. He uses simple metaphors (lots of highway traffic comparisons) to explain the "why" and "how" of networks, and anticipates reader's questions fairly well. The book is up to date, and covers just about any subject you need to be familiar with if you want to talk to engineers using their vernacular. The industry overview, covering major players, was particularly useful. There is one flaw, whose importance depends on your own reading habits: the writing style is atrocious, and it looks as if the book never went through an editor at Prentice Hall. While the conversational style makes the material easier to absorb, there is a good number of spots that would be marked in red all over if this was an English 101 paper. Still worth it, though.

I always found computer networking mystifying in the way it can transport my words around the world in a fraction of a second. I've read a lot of books on the subject, but this is the only one I found that clearly explains this process. The book is full of networking jargon, but that shouldn't scare you because each is explained in a way anyone can understand. He uses the highway metaphor, so if you understand how cars travel the highway then you'll easily relate to how words and pictures travel on a network. I recommend this book hands down.