Technology Books

This book is excellent. I first read this book in graduate school in 1976, and I continue to find Weinberg's ideas useful. It was outstanding then, and it has held up with time.

Weinberg distills the essence from von Bertalanffy's classic and manages to present it in a very accessible fashion. The book has been out of print for quite a while so it is great to see a new edition. The message and information contained in here, although originally published in 1975, is now more relevant than ever.

Weinberg covers many aspects of systems theory beginning with the main stumbling block with the present scientific paradigm: the idea that the universe is mechanistic. His treatment is much more general than Robert Rosen's in "Life Itself" but still conveys why the mechanistic notion is flawed.

He then outlines the general systems theory approach before leading into the idea that a system is simply a way of looking at the world. He then outlines the principle of indifference. This leads straight into two sections outlining various aspects of making observations. Finally he discusses behaviour and then some general systems questions.

Throughout the book he uses many examples from disparate fields in conjunction with questions for further research. It is great to see someone who doesn't preach systems but actually uses the ideas.

Definitely a must-read as we decided how to solve the myriad of issues before us.

Weinberg's book will not teach you how to be a systems thinker. It will, however, provide a stimulating discussion and thoughtful examination of an alternative approach to problem analysis and solution. The book is not so much about how the systems approach works or how it can be applied to complex problems as it is an invitation to his readers to explore their perceptions of what they think they know versus what they really do know. Throughout the book, Weinberg follows the strategy of leading the reader through a series of logical discussions designed to bring them face to face with their biases and misconceptions about systems vs. reductionist thinking. In doing so, Weinberg exposes the shortcomings of the reductionist approach to problem solving by demonstrating to his readers that the real solutions to some familiar and apparently simple problems are very complex.

Through his examples, Weinberg shows that by viewing a system holistically within its environment, we may be able to discern patterns of behavior/actions and recognize interactions, interrelationships, and interdependencies among the components that will be missed in a reductionist approach. From that view, we can better understand the system and, perhaps, better predict how it will evolve over time. The success of his approach is demonstrated by the fact that people are still reading and quoting his book 25+ years after it was written.

One facet of this book which I found beneficial may be a drawback for some readers. Weinberg wrote from the viewpoint of a computer programmer and a scientist. A person not versed in either field might have difficulty understanding his examples.

I was searching for an alternative to the out-of-print book 'Quality Software Management, vol.1: Systems Thinking', written by the same Author.
Having read few Sofware Management series books from the same Author, which I rate at the very top of my list, I was biased on very high expectations. Surprisingly, I have found it being quite verbose and in the end, I couldn't get too much inspiration out of it.

In computing, a timeless classic is anything that is worth reading for any reason other than to obtain a historical context after five years. If that still holds true after twenty five years, then it is truly an extraordinary piece of work. That label applies to this book. It is not about computing per se, but about how humans think about things and how "facts" are relative to time, our personal experience and environmental context.
Human thinking is a complex operation and that is the point of this book. The problems and examples presented are not those in computing, but problems in how we think about the world and how that world can be different from person to person. In many ways, Weinberg anticipates the development of the science of chaos, where small changes lead to disproportionate large changes. His example of the "small" change of a single character is a classic. A man was considering the purchase of a piece of real estate, but when told the cost was fourteen million dollars, sent the response by telegram, "No, price too high." However, somehow a character was dropped, so the agent received the message, "No price too high", purchased the property and so a classic error was invented.
Weinberg uses science and mathematics as the genesis point for most of his examples. The laws of thermodynamics, chance and simulations in state spaces are used to demonstrate the points. As someone with a wide background in science, I found his examples of how scientific thought gives us an anchor but yet alters over time excellent learning material. Thought problems are included at the end of each chapter and they cover many different areas. Some involve mathematics, others science and many could be the point of a vigorous philosophical debate. Together they form the best collection of thought experiments and points of contention that I have ever seen gathered together in one location.
This is a book that is a true classic, not in computing but in the broad area of scholarship. It is partly about the philosophy and mechanisms of science; partly about designing things so they work but mostly it is about how humans view the world and create things that match that view. This book will still be worth reading for a long time to come and it is on my list of top ten computing books of the year.

The author claims that the common used classification of algorithms have serious drawbacks and that not all important algorithms, such as Euklid algorithm, can be classified using that classification. Because of that author suggests a new classification of algorithms, containing:

* Brute force
* Divide-and-Conquer
* Decrease-and-Conquer
* Transform-and-Conquer
* Dynamic Programming
* Greedy

The proof of completeness of the classification is not given in the book, but it is obvious that more algorithms can be classified by this classification than by standard one. However, some problems built in the standard classification are not eliminated from the new one: this classification has no unique property which would be crutial property of the classification.

Book is written very good. It is interesting for reading, methodically corectly written, so it can be used as a textbook for the primary course on algorithms.

I find proposed classification very interesitng and usefull, regardless all problems that are built in it. This will, for sure, make many people dealing with theory of algorithms think about all drawbacks of the existing classifications of algorithms and maybe they will produce even better and more sound classifications.

I recently finished using this book for a course. I found it to be very well written and the presentation was excellent. Most books on algorithms are hard to read and overly mathematical. This book emphasizes more the textual explanation of algorithms for practical applications and not as much on theoretical proofs etc. The exercises at the end of the chapters strongly reinforce the contents and insightful hints to every exercise are given at the end of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed using this book and found it challenging. Other books I used for reference such as the MIT classic Introduction to Algorithms was also useful but much more difficult to understand initially.

For those of you who've always wanted to throw the Cormen text out the window rejoice you finally can! This book is an excellent introduction to algorithms. Though not as thorough as the Cormen text it's orders of magnitude more readable!

This was my textbook for my algorithms class at UW-Madison.
I like it better than Cormen's book, (introduction to algorithms) I think it's more readable and easy to follow.

A couple of caveats:
1.) This book is more of a survey. It does a deep-dive of some algorithms, but a lot of them only get a high-level description. If you are interested, you will have to look elsewhere for details, etc.

2.) The exercises are very well-written, and very interesting, some of them have been interview questions that I have encountered. The thing is, there is no answer key, and the hints section is not very useful at times.

Still, this book opened my eyes to the beauty of algorithms and math, and the elegance of solutions that are possible for "hard" problems.
After you read this book, you will have an idea of what is possible and it will give you enough ammunition, enthusiasm, and background for digging deeper.
A great collection to pair with is Sedgewick's collection on algorithms, Bundle of Algorithms in Java, Third Edition (Parts 1-5): Fundamentals, Data Structures, Sorting, Searching, and Graph Algorithms, Third Edition which may fill in some of the detail that this book may lack.

Even though this book is only a few years old, it seems like a well-worn classic. That is not to say that it is outdated and irrelevant; it is exactly the opposite! While my knowledge of algorithms textbooks isn't encyclopedic, I can say that this book was way ahead of the curve in it's layout. Before it, most books presented a bunch of algorithms with some loose affiliations such as being search algorithms or dealing with graphs. This book groups algorithms into major themes and makes it much easier to learn the fundamentals of algorithm design. There have been a new set of algorithms textbooks coming out as late (Kleinberg and Tardos, Dasgupta et al, etc) that have the same approach as this book because it works so well. Don't miss out!

This book has definitely provided me a solid background in H323.
In addition, it is a very useful reference, for example, I was
able to follow the call setup and media setup packet flow of an IP phone captured via a protocol analyzer(ethereal), thanks to the very clear illustrations. This is definitely a must for network administrators/managers considering a multimedia network implementation.

This book provides a highly-technical in-depth look at H.323. Aside from reading a few whitepapers on the Internet, this book was my first real introduction to H.323. The subject itself is rather complicated to a new-comer, but this book provided a high level of detail without losing the reader. While it is no "for dummies" book, it is clearly written so the person with the right background (i.e. with a firm grasp on networking and TCP/IP) can pick it up and follow along. So why 4 stars and not 5? It realy has to do with the architectural graphics. In some of the information on the Internet ... , there are some really good architectural graphics that depict H.323. I think the book could be even better if the authors included such an approach.

This is a treasure of H.323, VOIP information! Excellent protocol information. This is no paper weight, gathering dust! I use the book and I'm glad to have it on my shelf.

This is by far the most comprehensive book on the market. I agree with the previous review, IP Telephony with H.323 is for advanced uses and a great reference guide as well. I highly recommend it if you want a thorough understand H.323 and IP Telephony, however, if you wish to learn about a particular subject, for example QoS or MPLS, this book will not provide enough detailed information (check out Cisco Press).

Must buy!

We are in the middle of a project that uses H.323. Everyone in the group likes the book. We bought a couple of hardcopies.

I decided to try the electronic version, mainly because I could immediately have access to it. It was a mistake.

First, it required me to update my Acrobat Reader to 6.0 (AR6). Then, to read the book I had to register/activate AR6. Two problems right here: as far as I could tell, you can only register AR6 if you have a .Net Passport. If you don't, tough luck. Go to MSN and get one. I happen to have one (from my Hotmail account), so I thought "no big deal." It turned out to be a big deal. After you enter your Passport login/account, it asks for more personal information (name, email, etc.). I don't like to give out this information unless I have to. Reading a book is not a good reason IMHO.

After all that I decided to cancel the AR6 registration and to return the book. You cannot return the e-book (or I could not find a way to return it). I'm sure Amazon states that clearly, but I probably missed it in my rush to get the copy.

I would gladly recommend the hardcopy, but go for the e-book only if you don't mind all the hoops.

Yeah, it's not perfect but it isn't totally dry reading and it is great as one of several first books. I just liked reading it and I didn't fall asleep while doing it like some of the other bee books I have. Also picked up info not in some of the other books. Heck, used ones are so cheap it is very worth buying.

This was the book that turned me into a beekeeper, before I ever bought my first colony. The information on basic beekeeping is solid, and the descriptions are engaging.

I have read most of the beekeeping books that Amazon carries and I will highly recommend this book to anyone looking to get into beekeeping. It goes into a lot of detail just where a new keeper needs it. If you are an experienced beekeeper and are looking for detailed information in things like queen rearing then you may want to to get a book written specifically on the subject because that area in particular is a volume or two into itself.

A nice read, but having kept bees for about 4 months now I found it a little weak. Prior to Vivian's I have read a book by Dadant Publishing which gave a good foundation. Also talking with other beekeepers has also helped conciderably. At times I found the book a little on the quaint-side which for me wasn't of interest. Also found his section on Africanized bees (so-called Killer bees) weak. Presently I am in Brazil working with these bees. Certainly they require a different approach a little more protection and a larger smoker, etc. I've been working with them since I started and am still at it. Certainly they can be aggressive, but one learns to adapt and they are a good producer of honey. An excellent and well informed article on the Africanized Bee can be found in "ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture" by A. I Root. The article gives a balanced and much more positive picture of our little Africans. They tend to be more disease and mite resistant, and build up quickly, etc.. So don't worry to much they might even bring some positive aspects to their weaker European cousins.

This was my first book on beekeeping, and I whole-heartedly recommend it to any beginning beekeeper. I now have some 20+ beekeeping books but this is still my personal favorite. The information on bee diseases is a little old, but the clear concise explanations of all other aspects of small scale beekeeping and his warm writing style more than make up for this. Mr. Vivian obviously enjoys his bees and his affection for them only serves to foster the same in the reader. If you are thinking of beekeeping, or introducing the subject to a friend then this is the book to buy.

I bought this book as a step in investigating fires and arson steps of investigation in writing a novel. It does have a lot of good information, but it's very generalized--not specific. Good for the amateur fire sleuth that wants to get enought information to be able to 'talk the language.'

The best fire investigation reference book on the market today. Thanks John.
Mark Howell
AIC-Fire
Denton, Texas

If you are a fire cause and origin investigator, you need this book! If you don't use it, you can bet an attorney will use it against you in civil or criminal proceedings. This book should be right next to your NFPA 921. DeHahn writes in a pragmatic and easy to understand format. I understand that the 6th ed. is getting ready for relase so you might wait a couple of weeks and get the latest. Bravo Dr. DeHaan, you've done it again!

The best book I know about fire; I like it for the strict scientific and pragmatic approach and the lot of practical hints, useful for a fire operator but also for a fire student.
Reading it, I understood a lot of things I watched in my 20 years of firefighting, and it changed my perception of fire behaviour and my understanding of a post-fire scene analysis.
A great help, and this edition is a lot better than the previous I had, the 3°.

Written in an understandable, practical manner, this book makes a difficult subject comprehensible by even the unscientifically minded.
The author writes clearly and the book is very readable. The text is accompanied by great photographs & illustrations.
What a relief to find this book after attempting to plow through some of the other texts on this subject. Highly recommended!

This book was very helpful. I was able to identify 10 pieces that had been sitting on my shelf! I was like a kid in a candy store with all the pictures.

I found the text to be very informative. The pictures were clear and the descriptions were accurate.
The histtory of the LE Glass company was helpful in identifying the value of items I have purchased and am presently selling.
I would highly reccomend it to persons that are collecting or have an interest in the history of american depression glass ware.

Loved the book!!! Has pictures of glass pieces that I am collecting with a value along with the photo.

We are fairly new glass collectors and have found this book to be very helpful. The estimated values seem a bit on the high side and have quite a large range, but do give you an idea of what things are worth. We collect Moon & Star and have never found such a complete listing as in this book.

Tom Felt's L.E. SMITH GLASS COMPANY: THE FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS blends a historical overview with an identification and value guide perfect for L.E. Smith glass collectors. Measurements, maker's marks, years of production and color photos of pieces throughout make this a 'must' for any serious collector of the glassware.

El autor colombiano cubre un tema de inmediata y urgente aplicabilidad en las empresas y señala las características socio-técnicas de los procesos de desarrollo e implantación de tecnología de información. Este libro contiene material de lectura obligada para el nivel superior de toda organización, empresarial o gubernamental, y constituye un aporte importante a la paz en Colombia, donde infortunadamente el atraso en el manejo de la información salta a la vista. La falta de datos ordenados y confiables sobre la demanda y oferta de servicios para 41 millones de colombianos, en su inmenso territorio, impide atender oportunamente sus necesidades y expectativas. El uso generalizado y acertado de la tecnología de información produce riqueza que genera rentabilidad económica en las empresas y rentabilidad social en el conglomerado nacional. El fortalecimiento de la gerencia de la información permite un mejor conocimiento de la realidad y de los retos y oportunidades que ésta ofrece. Todo se mueve gracias a la información y ahora que la tecnología ofrece nuevos y mejorados instrumentos para crear mas riqueza se necesita la intervención decidida de la alta gerencia. Gerenciar es producir resultados y luego superar los resultados obtenidos. Estrada relata cómo hacerlo mediante la tecnología de la información.

Recomiendo esta lectura a los lectores interesados en el temade creación de capital intelectual a partir de la información...

'La riqueza de la Información' plantea,con un enfoque pragmático,como la sabiduría organizacional puede llegar temprano ó tarde,dependiendo del grado de consideración que este tópico merezca de la gerencia. La muy completa temática,la claridad con la cual se plantea y su amenidad invitan a consultar a menudo este escrito.

The author has the knowledge and experience necessary to deal with the subject, along with the writing skills to make it an enjoyable read.

The book deals with the importance of information and information technology in today's organizations, not just in the traditional sense, but also in others, such as the growing importance of a holding on to a highly trained and mobile workforce in order for a company to maintain a competitive edge. The author blends theory with practical cases taken from his own experiences in the marketplace. The book has been a constant and very useful reference during the past year in my professional activities.

Este libro es muy claro y didactico al tratar el concepto de "capital intelectual" y como la tecnologia de informatica es clave para mantener y aumentar ese capital.

This product provides a blueprint for supplychain continous improvement. Full of strategies to build a robust program for supplychain improvement...one should take their time to carefully understand the text to implement and execute the strategies

I am really pleased to read this book cos I am dealing with one inventory project. I found it is helpful.

Excellent reference for supply chain improvement

James Martin's book, "Lean Six Sigma for Supply Chain Management: The ten step solution process", is an excellent resource. It is written for supply chain professionals to explain six sigma process methodologies and how they can be applied to improving real business processes.

Mr. Martin does an excellent job of pulling together a broad set of information to explain these quality improvement methodolgies and how these can be applied to supply chain processes. He has created a great reference. This is the type of book that you want to read while your working on a process improvement project. The concepts are directly applicable.

This is most definitely a book for Supply Chain and Operations Management practitioners. If the reader is looking for a high level review of the subject matter, I would not recommend this book. This book is a serious, dense study of the material with practical applications and techniques.

Of the various industry texts that I have read, this is probably the "slowest read" mostly because there is so much content and meaning in each section. At the same time, the book design is modular so that the practitioner may skip chapters and study just their focus area. Mr. Martin definitely displays his expertise with fluff-free, accurate, and useful information. A must read for people serious about transforming their supply chains.

For me this book provided exceptional details with which to get your supply chain failures and problems under control. The section covering "Root Cause Analysis" presents the reader with detailed descriptions and examples of analytical methods useful for evaluationg the data associated with the supply chain process. The book demonstrates the myriad of elements that can run the supply chain process into a company quagmmire. This reader felt quite familiar with a number of the typical sins that cause supply chains to malfunction at the most crucial times in a company's commitment to a timely delivery process.

I read the book from cover to cover. I have all of Leo Laporte's books, listen to his podcast This Week in Tech (TWiT), and watch his cable TV show.

Leo Laporte does another great job. I wish he would continue producing these type of books.

If your interested in computers, PC or Mac, or just technology in general, this book is for you. Filled with great info and interesting facts you'll keep refering back to this book over and over.

We have TechTV no more, we no longer can watch The Screen Savers and see Leo, and I can not watch Call For Help anymore now that it is only shown in Canada. All of those things are sad but we still do have Leo's wisdom, teaching, and advice coming to us each day through the pages of his new almanac. Just like the past three almanacs...the information is clear, simple, and to the point. I enjoy getting my daily dose of help and technology with this book. Yes you can search the web for this info, but that is not the point. This is a daily one stop source for some everyday, useable information on computing. I own all the almanacs that have been produced and this new 2005 version holds true to it roots of teaching, humor, and just plain fun.

Mr. Laporte's style is always well written, informative and has a touch of humor. It's my opinion that this is a book for those new to tech or for those who just like to have some good miscellaneous tips and info at hand. After purchasing the very good 2002, 2003 and 2004 Tech Almanacs, it was a given to add this one to my collection.

It's written differently than the previous almanacs in that the old Tech TV crew is not involved as they were in the previous books. Each page is devoted to a day of the week covering a special download, software, gadget or web site along with lots of useful general information and trivia facts. Each week also has a special focus such as Computer Networks, Linux, Blogging, Web Design, Stopping Spam, etc. Mac's are covered also as well as Mac gadgets.

I enjoyed it, I'm glad I bought it and I recommend it!

I like teaching this novel, but I don't have time to teach the full text. This abridgement does a good job of capturing the fullness of the story and the characters in about 40% of the pages. I like the historical timelines at the beginning and the Notes sections at the end. My students find the novel easy to manage, too.

If you ever thought Hey, it must be easy to be an actor, just pay attention to Michael York, who's using only his voice! He keeps separate several characters, male and female, with nuances and accents that we can understand instantly.
Pity about this abridgement is that the translation was never edited. There is no distinction between that and which, for instance. "Which" is used exclusively.
But I'll keep listening to M. York, c'est formidable!

If you are the kind of person thirsting for the image of Man as a being to whom nothing is impossible - and to whom everything great is possible, then "Les Miserables" is the novel for you.
With a few exceptions, such as Ayn Rand, there is no writer in world literature who has portrayed such a grand, noble, sublime and inspiring image of man as Victor Hugo.
In "Les Miserables", Hugo has given the best expression that his genius could to this element.

The theme of this masterpiece is : "The projection and glorification of a moral-spiritual force based on Love, Compassion and above all Conscience, aimed at overthrowing the existing order of human existence and establish a new world where these cardinal values will guide human life."

Such an important, profound and philosophical theme could only have been selected by a visionary such as Victor Hugo - whom I consider the greatest novelist of the 19th Century.

Other than Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" I do not know any single novel in world literature which seeks to present a unique philosophy to change the world and give a new direction to human existence.

According to me, the plot-theme is : "The step-by-step purification of a man's soul and his achievement of spiritual perfection."

Jean Valjean is the hero of the novel. The best years of his life have been wasted because of the iniquities and injustice of the prevailing social order. Emerging from prison after 19 years, his soul is immersed in anger, bitterness, hatred and a feeling of vengeance against society. How he acieves spiritual perfection, as viewed by Hugo, is what the story is all about.

However, this point has not been recognised by many. While most say that the theme is : "The injustice of society towards the lower classes", Hugo's intention was to dramatise "Man's struggle against the laws of society".

Keeping this in view, the accepted plot theme is (as best defined by Ayn Rand) : "The lifelong flight of an ex-convict from a ruthless representative of the law", this representative being Javert.

However, the struggle of Jean Valjean continues long after his conflict with Javert is resolved.
Victor Hugo is not just showing that Conscience is above Law, but this: what is the highest level of selflessness and self-sacrifice a man is capable of and what makes it possible.
As far as I can see, the accepted plot-theme has been identified the way it has been, because it defines a specific purpose(i.e., Javert's pursuit of Jean Valjean). Perhaps critcs would dismiss my point of view because neither is it Jean Valjean's explicit goal to become perfect nor does he set himself an objective which would symbolize his attainment of perfection.
But I look at the plot to have been construsted in a manner which inevitably leads Jean Valjean to perfection.

Bishop Myriel is the guiding image for Jean Valjean:his role represents how love and compassion can resurrect a man's conscience.

Fantine is the symbol of the woman and Cossette is the symbol of the child who are the victims of social evils.

Javert-the implaccable, ruthless and awe-inspiring policeman who shall never compromise on his values - is the symbol of blind conformity to the existing legal and social order.

One of the greatest achievements of "Les Miserables" is its sweeping sense of drama. What I love most about Hugo is the superb dramatic situations - suspenseful, thrilling, emotionally intense - he creates.
The scenes are so breathtakingly grandiose and mind-blowing that one can only think : "How did he get such a brilliant idea??!!"
The best part of the novel is the fighting at the barricades during the July Revolution in Paris - led by, perhaps the most admirable hero in 19th Century Romantic fiction - Enjolras.
Enjolras - despite a minor role - made a greater impact on me than the two central characters - Jean Valjean and Marius. One also cannot forget the lovable, heroic, 12 year old Gavroche.

The greatest drawback of "Les Miserables" is the plethore of esssays on various social, historical, religious and other issues, which are exasperatingly long, which interrupt the plot, make the novel cumbersome and the reader impatient.
However, they give the reader a picture of the world which Hugo had in mind (and which he wanted to revolutionize-and how) while writing the book.
They may not be directly related to the plot, but are certainly related to the meaning of the novel.

Further, the plot tends to become loose at times. The coincidences are rather naive and force the reader to conclude that they are meant solely to bring coherence in the story or to present a particular aspect of Hugo's philosophy.
Some may find the descriptions unnecessarily meticulous, though in poetic terms they are stunningly beautiful.

However, all this seems irrelevant if we concentrate on the profound pschycological analysis of the value-conflicts of Jean Valjean (and Javert) rarely matched in world literature; the scope and intellectual value of the novel; its immense social and philosophical significance and its wonderful portrayal of man as a heroic being.

But above all is the unsurpassable dramatic treatment rendered by Hugo's genius : the sheer artistry, the incomparable ingenuity, the soulful emotional content, the startling originality and compelling suspense-there is NO OTHER SINGLE WRITER IN THE WORLD who has equalled Hugo in this aspect-make, in addition to its numerous merits, "Les Miserables" one of the greatest achievements of the human mind.

I have had the CD of the Original London Cast Musical of Les Miserable for about 10 years and have been a huge fan but nothing could prepare me for the book which although a long and hard read, is the most amazing book I have ever read. Everyone has something to learn from it and if you are looking for a reason to read it heres a reason: in the words of the great Victor Hugo himself : "As long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, books like this can never be useless."

You look at this book cautiouly, circling it warily. 1,260 pags?!! (Do not even consider an abridgement, for that is wicked) To read this massive work, you must be brave and determined. It is not easy or light, and, although it is far and away my favorite book, there were many times when I would lay it aside and blink with that slow, "God give me strength" air. Yet what epic journey worth its scratch is fluffy, over-in-a-day fun? Jean Valjean has hardship, so does the reader. One doesn't so much read as inhabit Les Miserables. I lived with this book for an entire semester, and had been dipping my toes into itt for over a year. When I finally read the last pages, there were tears streaking my face. That is a rare compliment to Hugo. My tears were not only for the sad fate of the convict-saint, but for th completion of such a long journey. I never rea Les Miserables to finish it. Perhaps this is merely an indication of insanity, perhaps an accurate reflection of the mind set necessary to read and enjoy Hugo. Get lost in his page-long sentences and revel in the vrebiosity! Be brave, and don't give up.