Repair Books

This book is a bible for anyone who does their own maintenance on their boats. It's written so that you can easily understand it. Will save you lots of money in repairs.

Kudos to the author. Best book, I saved thousands on repairs. Though I no longer own a boat, the electrical stuff covers my RV!

Get it, you won't be sorry.

I have a 17" fishing boat with an outboard motor. It's a good informative books, but not for outboard motors. This book is for big inboard boats like yahts and sailboats with complex electrical wiring ann inboard motors.

Excellent reference for boat owners, especially sailboat owners, who like to maintain their boats themselves.

Everything you ever wanted to know about your boat but were afraid to ask. Nigel sets out to put tehnical data into laymans terms. A must have book for your ship's library.

This is a great reference book for anyone who likes pianos. It was very valuable to me as I researched how to buy a used piano. It's full of information on what to look for, how to compare new versus old and which brands are desirable.

I've been a dedicated piano amateur for over 40 years and thought this book might be a waste of money.....WRONG! 99.9% of the piano public can learn useful information from this book, including pros and cons of differing action technologies, all the parts and their idiosyncrasies that enable a piano to play well, right down to piano websites and piano moving companies. It is well written in plain language and is a must have for serious piano aficionados.

If you are considering buying a NEW piano, The Piano Book Supplement is a must have as well.

this book explains the workings of the piano, grand and upright, in great detail. it talks about pricing, negotiating, in great detail. it talks about restoration and used pianos. it gives good overviews about piano manufacturers and their "list" prices. make sure you get the supplement, because the piano prices change every year, and also manufacturers come and go.

This is a well written comprehensive guide for almost any piano. It is written by some one that has spent years as a piano technician and literally knows pianos inside and out. You can find a reference to almost any piano produced over the last 100 years. It gives useful information regarding problem areas and attributes of the pianos mentioned. It is essential for any one considering buying a used piano.

I looked for pianos for quite some time before reading this essential primer and then looked again after reading it. The difference is like looking through fog vs a very clear day. Larry Fine does a super job of explaining the workings of a piano and why a buyer or seller may want to be tuned into how they work (sorry for the pun). My once naive eye is much more critical in its piano search with Larry's info in hand. Many pianos that were of interest to me would have been serious mistakes after reading the book - thats the best perspective I can give. On the other hand, Larry aptly points out that there isn't a perfect brand name in piano's, voicing and tuning can bring many brands into a well heeled instruments for most purposes. My perspective on pianos has broadened greatly. Worth the read just for the great information and coverage of the subject.

this book gave me all kinds of usfull info stuff i never knew or would have even thought of.some of the info in the book i can use some of it i cant. so if you do get the book it will be of use...

I bought this book because my credit score was too low to get a home financing. After 1 month following the tips from this book I could see my credit score jumping from 600 to 700, which qualified me to finance my first house. The book is clearly targeted to people with lots of debt and really bad credit score, I believe the information for this kind of people is useful as well, even though this was not my case. For me, chapter 3 was my "bible" to understand how credit bureaus work and how to increase my score, also debuking myths like "to have a good credit score use only 50% of your available credit card credit line", which is simply not true. In fact, as you will learn in this book, you need to pay your credit card in full BEFORE the credit card company reports the balance amount to the credit agencies, which is usually one day after the credit card company closes your credit card statement, so the credit card company will always report zero balance to the credit agencies. If you don't do this the credit card companies will always report a balance, even if you pay your card in full at due date. This and several other important information I learned by reading this book. A must-have if you are serious about improving your credit score.

Everyone has an opinion. I imagine there are people skeptical of all the 5 star ratings. I'll put it this way: this book has helped ME, and that's all that matters. I'm sure it can help YOU too.

Okay. You can safely stop browsing herewith. Dana's book is IT, the last word on credit repair. How I wish I'd bought this book first before wasting my time and money on several other thouroughly crazymaking, unhelpful titles.

Not only is this book chock-a-block with unique and truly invaluable information, but author Dana Neal's witty style makes what might otherwise be a tough technical slog actually *fun* to read. I'm not kidding! It takes a special kind of writer--and a certain playful, unself-serious turn of mind--to get a reader of a book like this actually fired-up and excited about tackling their credit problems, not to mention frequently making you laugh out loud.

Let's face it, repairing muffed credit is not a job for the faint of heart. But if you're feeling a little daunted by the prospect, don't despair: before you make a single call or draft a single letter, Neal makes sure you know where to start, what to expect, and how to prepare for contingencies. This really helps you get your cajones in gear. And hey, some measure of trepidation is only to be expected, for when it comes to our money, our credit history and our good names, anyone can be vulnerable to shame or bullying, to name just two of the nasty tactics so often employed by creditors and collection agencies. But if you read the book, I promise you'll be well-armed to take them on. Neal's imminently DO-ABLE strategies combined with his You-Can-Do-It/Be-Bold encouragements banished any feelings of timidity I'd been feeling. And it's WORKING for me. Really, really working.

After reading just about every other book on credit repair out there, I can say without hestiation that Neal knows what he's talking about--and he knows it ten times better than anyone else. He gives you all the info you need, straight-up, without ever shaming you or making you feel like some kind of colossal, hopeless screw-up. And who needs that?

I found this book to be extremely helpful. It gives a complete explanation of how the credit process works, from credit reporting agencies and legal judgments to mortgage lenders and FICO scores, and it tells you specific steps you can take to improve your appeal to lenders. Although the book was very clearly written and easy to follow, having finished it I feel like an expert on the subject.

The coupling of Mr. Warren and Ms. Craig is casting genius! Never before has the usual dry home repair industry had such a sharp, sophisticated, and witty voice. This completely charming and easy-to-understand book has, undoubtedly drawn numerous women, such as myself, to an area which until now was perceived as forbidden. Three cheers!

Mr.Warren and Ms. Craig have accomplished something no one else ever has in this really wonderful publication. Many thanks to a couple in perfect harmony!

I was looking for a book that tells you how to prevent bad things from happening- a recommended schedule of maintenance for my home. This book tells you how to handle problems after they have happened. I get the impression that they want you to buy the book, figure out that you have no idea how to fix your problem, then look to see if there's a "Rent-a-Husband" franchise in your city.

This book was recommended to me after numerous attempts to become "mistress of my domain" failed. It is so well done I plan to pass the word along to all of my home challenged friends. Fantastic in every way,particularly in the extraordinary way in which it is written.

Truly helpful and a joyous reading experience.

Since my book is older, it was a used version, the hints are for older things. It does have some helpful tools, but lots of the annoyances, I already knew about.

This book is written in a very easy to understand language. The hints are pratical and should help everyone in some way. Microsoft will not tell you much of how to make your operating system work the way YOU want it to. Steve Bass takes care of that. It is a valuable resource for anyone who has a PC, novice or experienced. I consider myself somewhat knowledgeable about computers and I even learned a few new tricks.

I am still pretty much a neophite where computers are concerned, so I bought this book hoping that it could get me out of the "messes" I'm always getting into. It really DOES help! Thank you!!! Steve Bass, I'm now searching for other books you have written.

This is the first computer book I actually said down and read, cover to cover. It holds your interest, and each tip gets you excited for the one to follow. I call it my AHA book. All the time you read it, you go "Aha! That's the problem!" or "Aha! That's how to get rid of that!". Can't recommend it highly enough.

I've read many computer books, and I have to say this is one of the most informative. More important, Steve provides hundreds of tips to overcome the small (and large) problems of Windows. It's nice to konw that even a well-known computer columnist experiences the same frustrations we ordinary users do. Happily, he willing to share the solutions he's found.

In my first reading, I discovered the answers to at least 7 windows annoyances I've encountered.

And instead of including a cost-raising CD, the publisher has made 100 utility programs available online, a better solution that including them on a quickly outdated disk.

A useful, and often amusing book.

You need it!

All I can say is....Excellent book. It made a computer technician out of me. Tnx

If you are tired of all the PC how-to books that can't write a sentance in English, this is the book for you. Easy to follow with screenshots from the PC itself, this a guide even my mom can follow. It covers the basics of owning a computer from Windows 98 and SE, ME, and XP. How to keep them in tune and how to save some money doing it with free programs that are available online. What to take some of the mystery of the beige (black, grey, whatever) box on the desk, The Healthy PC will go long ways towards that end.

I absolutely love this book!!! I read about it here on Amazon and ordered it right away. I have been reading through it and using it on my computer for the past three hours... I can't put it down!!! My computer already seems more reliable, and I fixed little problems that I wasn't sure how to (i.e. The annoying send error file reports).
One of the great things about this was how explanatory it was... Although I knew what a lot of computer jargon means, I understood it after reading this book.
I HIGHLY recommend this for anyone looking to take care of their computer!

The first time I sat down with this book, I couldn't stop. I'm not a PC guru, nor am I a "tin horn." I think anyone who uses a computer from power users to novices will find it one of the most practical, easy to understand texts you'll find.

I also "googled" his name and found his website CareyHolzman.com. What a treasure trove of advice and help.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn how to use a computer or increase the knowledge they already have.

When you work or deal with young people, talking about computers
is a big challenge and most of the times you feel like a "dummie or an idiot". This forces you to run to Barnes & Noble or the local Library to end up more confused and frustrated not knowing which book to pick.
"The Healthy PC" is not as tedious as other computer books,
on the contrary once you start reading you will not stop, and if you follow the steps Carey recommends you'll feel very comfortable.
This is a great book, to bad he does not have any publications about hardware, but I understand his next book will be about "networking" available next year, I can't wait to buy it.

Very informative for the professional and for people installing a slate roof on their home. If installing a slate roof this is a must buy. Full of useful tips on buying the best quality slates.

This is a very informative book. Some of the information is focused on historic preservation, but overall a very good reference book.

The most informative book I have read in years. The helpful tips alone saved me enough money in unneeded roof work to purchase this book 15 times over. The general knowledge and instruction presented in "The Slate Roof Bible" is fantastic -- step-by-step pictures and instructions allow for the homeowner to attempt repairs or even a complete build for themselves, if they are brave enough.

This book is simply a must have for a homeowner with a slate roof.

I wanted to educate myself both for doing my own repairs as well as to evaluate contractors for an upcoming project. Not only did the book help, but it was fun to read and full of beautiful pictures and history. Don't get me wrong, though, it's an excellent technical reference too.

It's funny how you can drive around your whole life and not notice or appreciate a good roof. I live in Wilson North Carolina, and it is amazing how many beautiful older houses have their original slate roofs (and probably will out-last the house itself?) It is just such a shame that this wonderful material (Slate) is so little understood or cared for?

This is THE book for anyone who is fortunate enough to have an intact slate roof. Caring for and repairing one of these historical treasures is either impossible, or horribly expensive, unless you are willing to learn and do the work yourself. The Slate Roof Bible is clearly written by an expert in the art of slate.

This is the most readable computer text I've ever seen. The chatty format covers a lot of great information in an interesting way. The photos were superb too. Highly recommended.

The content of the book is good. But I wanted to write a review when I learned I would have to pay return shipping for a product that arrived damaged. The paperback cover is glued on, and it came unglued, and I can't get it to re-attach. The binding itself is also torn, and the first part of the book, the pages are loose at the bottom half.
I'm extremely upset at having paid for a new book and received this junk. I dont have a printer, and am not paying return shipping to get my money back, so I'm stuck with it. My only option is to let others know what happened to me. It wont hold up to repeated use, since it is a technical manual.

I had my first computer in 1997, and upgraded to a new motherboard in 1998, in 7th grade. Whenever my mom took me to the local library, I would peruse the PC magazines. When I got Internet access, I read hardware reviews on recent startups such as Tom's Hardware (1996), AnandTech (1997), and Ars Technica (1998); and shopped on PriceWatch (1995). The PC upgrade genre is all too familiar to me. I was young back then, too enthusiastic about clicking every menu item on the screen, and absorbed prodigious amounts of information in the process. As time went on, I pursued more academic subjects such as math and physics because, honestly, computers cause me stress.

_Repairing and Upgrading Your PC_ (2006) by Thompson & Thompson takes the stress out of this otherwise fun activity. First of all, the book has a standard outline:
Ch.1-3: introduction
Ch.4: motherboards
Ch.5: CPUs
and so forth. Each chapter is comprehensive. Their bits of advice appeal to a wide range of audience, a feat that online reviews often fail to accomplish. With the exception of a few sections on CPUs, chipsets, memory, and so forth, the book is still relevant in 2008. In this sense, this book is superior to the fragmented Building the Perfect PC, Second Edition by the same authors.

The best aspect of this book is that it helps the reader to avoid costly mistakes. Such valuable information is brewed from experience. For example, it claims that Seagate hard drives are more reliable than Western Digital, Samsung, and Hitachi. I would accept this claim based on my limited experience that two of my four WD hard drives failed - a Raptor and an RE2 WD5000YS.

Its chapter on optical drives is excellent. Finally, knowing its procedure for washing keyboards is worth the cost of this book - as I hate touching oily objects, and the so-called washable keyboards cost at least twice as much as this book.

Highly recommended.

This book saved me so much money! It's great, it works and you don't have to be an expert to understand and follow the instructions.

This might have been useful in 2000 when it was first printed, but references to Windows 98 don't help much in a Vista world. Why publish a 2nd edition without updating the information?

O'Reilly's an up and coming publisher of computer related books. Maybe a kingpin already. This selection is a true quick reference guide. Written by the Thompsons, this selection gives you a thorough look into buying, assembling and operating computers. You do need a basic understanding to get anything out of this book, but if this is the case, you won't be disappointed. I have a first edition copy, and it's still current. That says a lot, a first edition published four years ago is still not too outdated! Think about it. How many computer related books can you think of that's relatively current after four years? Huh?

This book is amazingly concise and thorough, yet also very easy to read. It contains many helpful photographs, and the authors maintain a great website that is tremendously useful and is a great addition to the book. I am not a big fan of the "In a Nutshell" computer books published by O'Reilly, but this book is definitely an exception. It's great for both beginners and experts.

Robert Thompson is a man who doesn't hold back from giving his opinion on why something is good or bad, either on his website or in his books. In _PC Hardware in a Nutshell_, he tells you just what he thinks of what's good and bad about PC components in just about any category you can think of, and backs it up with all the facts, figures and personal experiences you could ever ask for. Every chapter includes historical information on the components under discussion, detailed reviews of what they do and how they do it, and recommendations on what to use (and what not to use). The final chapter walks you through building your own machine step-by-step, though, this being an omnibus book, the chapter is necessarily slightly skimpy in comparison to _Building The Perfect PC_. The writing style is clear and lively, in fact the book is well worth reading as a book even if you don't need any specific information at the time. The only real complaint I have is something the author has no control over - the fact that new PC hardware comes out so fast that it's just impossible to review every single new thing in a paper edition. (Well, that and the fact that Thompson doesn't like Western Digital because he's had bad experiences with their hard drives, whereas I've been using WD exclusively for years and never yet have had one go out on me. I think that can be chalked up, though, more to the fact that there's just so much PC hardware out there that different people are just going to end up having completely different experiences with components from a particular manufacturer. That, or I just got lucky with WD hard drives.) All in all, this book is truly indispensable.

This is a great book that covers every aspect of building a PC. However, as of August 2004, the 3rd edition of this book is a bit dated. For example PC3200 memory is considered the newest memory and both Pentium 4 Prescott processors and Athlon 64 processors were not out when this book was published. If you are buying this book, you may want to wait for a 4th edition, unless you are looking to assemble an old computer.

I would not accept the author's hardware recommendations as the final word. For one thing, the components they review are in many cases no longer manufactured. Magazine reviews and PC hardware Web sites are going to have different opinions on what the best components are.

Let me start out with a huge thanks to O'Reilly. I'm not a big fan of large corporations or publishers - but I have come to trust O'Reilly implicitly wherever technical issues are concerned. Although I'm certain that they are not the "perfect" publisher, nor in the business for wholly (ha!) altruistic reasons, I AM amazed by the remarkable originality, diversity, range, quality, accuracy, and honorable business practices of this publisher. Oftentimes I wonder how they manage to maintain such a level, when their current library is so chock-full of tough-to-follow acts.

That said, PC Hardware in a Nutshell does not fail to meet up to these high expectations. Let me get the review portion of my review out of the way - simply put, this is the book I have been hunting for a couple years. That I did not immediately search the O'Reilly library only shows that I am a bit silly. I should have known better. End of review.

But I would like to carry this a bit further, and go out on a limb to discuss the only complaint prior reviewers have voiced: that the book is too "Microsoft-centric."

Rather than a weakness, I believe that this is actually a strength. Let me offer big kudos to the authors and publisher for realizing that a serious, yet accessible, compendium of computer hardware knowledge was necessary. The folks who register such complaints are those least in need of an in-depth introduction to PC hardware. These are the high priests of hi-tech, who rule the roost by virtue of their knowledge-monopoly on all issues technical. They would have you believe that if it was not hand-crafted from spare parts, duct tape, and copious amounts of solder and configured with the most obscure version of Linux, then it's only fit for a 4-year-old. They are, quite simply, dead wrong. Let them compile their own "PC Hardware for Only the Most Serious Tech Gurus", I say!

Thompson's very first point is that he intended the book to be of the most practical usability possible. The practical reality is that the people who desperately need such a compendium are poor fools, like Yours Truly, who are too technical to be satisfied with tutorials on how to use Microsoft Office, yet are not quite knowledgeable enough to get right under the hood of their PCs (never mind build a Linux box from spare hatpins and Reynolds Wrap). We, the "psuedo-techies", often do not come equipped with enough experience, knowledge, or confidence to take ourselves to the next level. We are the crowd who are using Microsoft products, yet would love to learn enough to understand exactly WHY Microsoft means "mush-mind" and Linux is God - but will never get there without a guide. This book is the guide, and to me it says, "Psuedo-techies unite! Power to the people!"

This is absorbing reading, even for people not remotely interested in motorcycling. Egan's easy style appeals to those who seek the out-of-the way places and indulge in spur-of-the moment holiday journeys.
To the avid motorcyclists these books are a must have. They run a close second to actually mounting up and riding off with saddlebags packed for a weekend in the mountains or at the seaside.

Peter Egan is the author of the Side Glances column in Road & Track magazine and the Leanings column in Cycle World magazine. He is noted by his readers as having a self-deprecating, ironic, and sometimes dark sense of humor, including detailed accounts of the failings of his vehicles.

Peter Egan loves motorcycles, and lives to write about them, the folks who ride them, and the places and states of being we experience while riding. His style is conversational and casual yet intelligent and informed, as though you were having a fireside chat over a beer with the world's greatest guru on the subject who just happens to be a humble ordinary guy like you. And you are. In this collection of some of his best columns and feature articles from Cycle World magazine, where he has been a contributing editor since 1978, Peter shares with us his love of the sport of motorcycling, the bikes and riders he has known, and several keen-eyed journals of his travels to some of the world's most beautiful curvy-road places, including the green hills of his native Wisconsin. This book is a must-have for any thinking motorcycle fan.

This is a wonderful book that really captures a lot of things besides motorcycles. The thrill of discovering new country, staying in cheap motels, dodging weather, and enjoying life all come through in this book. Mr. Egan discusses all of his experiences, from finding and fixing old motorcycles through trips with his wife with a sense of bemused wonderment, never taking himself too seriously. A great book, highly recommended.

Outstanding book on motorcycling. Some of it funny, so of it thought provocing. If you like/love motorcycles, you will love this book. A collection of the author's from Cycle World Magazine.