Indoor Books

and she is an honorable Romulan of an old and honorable Romulan family. Unfortunately 'honor' in the old-fashioned sense, was not currently in favor in Romulan society, success was. Ael had the misfortune of being the aunt of a most unsuccessful young Romulan, the Commander of 'The Enterprise Incident' who had managed to lose the cloaking device to Spock and Kirk. Ael made the error of defending her niece instead of condeming her, a choice that not only did nothing to help her niece but also brought Ael into disfavor herself.

Now Ael has discovered a secret weapon that Romulan High Command was prefecting, one that would bring all the enemies of the Empire to their knees. A weapon that Ael realized would totally destroy the Empire as well. Ael needed to reach out to the Federation to prevent this from happening, to the one ship and crew that could stop this disaster from taking place, to the Enterprise.

This is a more light-hearted entry into this series of tie-in novels. Duane has populated the Enterprise crew with not only all the favorites but also with many welcome additions including Harb Tanzer, head of the Recreation Dept. and a young Horta, both of who appear in other novels in the series. There is quite a bit of interaction between the various crew members of the various ships involved.

The plot is well thought out, the characters, both new and familiar, are well written. The author manages to keep the action moving, achieving a good balance between back story and plot advancement. Fans of the series, even rather casual ones, will not want to miss this one.

this is right up there with blackfire, covenant of the crown, and yesterday's son as my favorite trek books..I wasn't too fond of The Wounded Sky so I was skeptical comming into this one, but I'm glad I didn't judge it on my dislike of Diane Duane's previous work. If I had I would have missed a totally great read.

This is classic Trek in all its glory. High stakes, a classic enemy in the Romulans (alot of great peeks into why they are they way they are by the way), great character moments. Every element that makes trek great is in this book.

Not to be missed.

I have loved this one since it first came out, still have the original book and read it often. I love how the Romulans--or the Rihannsu if you will--are given true character...you get to know and care about them and while the so called twist is not suprising when it happens, you are still sad to see it happen. I especially love the "new" characters that are introduced. One of my absolute fave parts is the interation between Ensign Rock and Spock, in fact Ensign Rock has become one of my fave peripheral (SP?)characters. In my opinion this is a definite must have in your collection

Diane Duane has crafted a good basic story about a Romulan commander joining forces with the Enterprise crew to foil a despicable new weapon that she feels will be a permanent blight on the honor of the Romulan people. It has some nice suspenseful moments and builds to a satisfying climax.

However, it is also terribly padded. There are pages and pages of exposition that do little to advance the story and belabor the character points that are being made. Characters converse for pages about matters that turn out to have little to do with later events. Worst of all, Duane goes to great lengths to show us how the Enterprise crew is one big happy family. They are always giving each other amused looks, gazing at each other with appreciation, and trading gentle, affectionate comments about each other. Such a constant barrage of warm fuzzies grows tiresome rather quickly. Fortunately, this aspect of the book grew less egregious toward the end of the novel.

I know that some of you Star Trek buffs ('Trekkies' as we are (affectionately?) referred to by American culture at large) will be surprised to find me reviewing this book so highly, because Ms. Duane has seldom, in her work, ever agreed with my phillosophical views. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by an element within My Enemy, My Ally which I will explain in a moment.

The story is unique in that it centers around, not the Enterprise crew itself (Kirk, Spock, and co.) but around one Ael T'rellelieu -- a Romulan war hero who, disgusted and heartbroken by the supplantation of her culture by some young, politically motivated hotheads in the Senate, and horrified at a dehumanizing weapon of mass-destruction they have invented, turns to her despised enemies -- the Enterprise crew -- for assistance in its destruction, thus making herself and her family, in the eyes of her own culture, nonpersons and traitors, worthy of exile and vilest death.

The surprising moment, for me, was the answer Ael gives when the Enterprise crew questions her as to why she a Romulan -- a race which prizes family loyalty above life itself -- would do what she has done in coming to them: "It is a matter of m'nhe'sahe." "M'nhe'sahe" -- an untranslatable Romulan word which the resident linguist among the Enterprise crew renders as, "The kind of love that requires you to give your last breath for the sake of an enemy, or kill a friend."

Observant people familiar with Christianity will see what I'm getting at here. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Sound familiar? Ms. Duane, in the concept of "mn'he'sahe" has given us, whether intentionally or not, a surpassing picture of the love of God. Congratulations, Ms. Duane, you've not only given us a superb work of literature, you've also written on of the best parables I've seen in years. Keep it up!

Book was used and showed signs of discoloring. After a couple of uses of book for reference- pages began to fall out.

Having played and taught go for 35 years, and having seen many books come and go, I still consider Go for Beginners to be the best book to introducing the game and to teach some of the basics. Compared to most such books, this one is actually fun with some anecdotes.

This is my first book on Go. Hard to understand but quick to read through. I read it through in two days and i'm just starting to digest it all.

This a very good introductory book. If you have played around 10 games and and least won some, this is probably a good book for you. It could be too hard for a total newcomer who doesn't even know the rules. For them I would recommend either learning from the web and playing a bit before, or "Learn to Play Go, Volume 1" from Janice Kim, which is a lot simpler, but shallower, so you'll want more very soon.

I read Yasunari Kawabata's "The Master of Go" a couple of months ago, and I was so thrilled by the novel and so puzzled to know what this game was about, that I bought a 13x13 goban (the only size available in my country right now) , and I ordered immediately Cho Chikun's "Go: A Complete introduction To The Game" and Iwamoto's "Go for Beginners". I started with this book, and quite soon I had to stop: it was just a little bit too much for a real beginner, and sometimes, diagrams were hard to read because the print has some minor flaws. I gave this book four stars though, because actually it IS a great book, but the problem is: it's hard to read for someone who starts from zero. So, Once I'm done with Cho Chikun's own primer, I'll go back to Iwamoto's little book. Then, I think, I'll have the muscle to follow the explanations.

good stuff out of you Mister Carey, Interesting, informative, useful, entertaining, captivating, for the average dart player, and yet, for the more accomplished, Nugatory, Otiose, Idle, Empty and Hollow! I expect to hear from you....SOON!!!!

good for the absolute beginner. someone that doesn't know absolutely nothing about darts. After this book, if you want to improve your skills, you have to buy another one. But for start is good

This book can be used as a wuick guide for beginners. It gives some tips and information about the history of some of the common games. I wouldn't recommend this book though if you are really concerned about the complications of technique and style.

I guess this is a good overall view of a simple but difficult game. I got more information reading articles on the Internet. I should have gone for something more advanced or with better stories. It covers all the basic bases and if I made a contribution to the group that sponsors darts in the United States I am glad. It is about a 90 minute read - maximum. If I was of the type I would have read it and returned it but I have a conscience. If I picked it up in the store I would not have made a purchase. Lesson learned.

A writer doesn't produce a book on the subject of darts because he wants to get rich. He writes the book because he loves the game, loves the people who play it, loves the euphoria of the "kill shot," because he wants others to experience that thrill, too, and because he wants to make a noteworthy contribution to promote his chosen sport well into the future. He loves the fire, the competition, the team, the good guys, the bad guys, the camaraderie, the wins, the defeats ... all of it. Chris Carey is this kind of writer, and his book should appeal to anyone who loves darts - period - be it soft or steel-tip, the world over.

This book, however, is not just for beginners. If you've played darts for any length of time and find yourself in a rut, Carey's book is your prescription. It will not only help you think through your issues, away from the line, but it is also a resource to provide new angles to attack problems you may not have thought about before or, perhaps, have lost sight of. For this reason, chapter eight - alone - is worth the price of admission.

This book, now in its second edition, is a much-heralded resource for darts players ... and I don't make this claim lightly. I am a darts book author and player, too, and my respect for this effort is, frankly, immense. Bar none, this is the leading book in our sport, the best seller. And, there's a reason for it. Not only does Carey's love of darts shine through, he is a respected writing talent, with the blessing of the American Darts Organization, to boot. Because of these things, and the topics he has chosen to explore, this work is a "must own" for every darter's library.

I was heartened to see Carey elected to also keep the original foreword in this revision which was written by the late, great, Tom Fleetwood (along with an informative new one from Buddy Bartoletta) because - if for no other reason - it shows his level of respect for the darting world's pioneers. And, since this work has received the blessing of a world respected steel-tip organization, I am also happy to see he has continued to discuss matters of the soft-tip variety, too, without prejudice. I emphasize this point because it makes his book truly universal in its appeal, and I applaud this ... loudly.

It looks as though each chapter has been improved, as well, but forgive that I did not go back and compare the '93 version to this one too thoroughly. The graphics that worked before were kept, but new ones were also added to help readers and players better visualize the messages Carey is conveying. It seems ridiculous, considering the volumes and volumes that have been written on darts, but I have never seen before such a well-delivered image like the new one found on page 29. That graphic, among few others, should be pasted to the underside of every eyelid that steps to the line! Had the information from this singular image been memorized by my inexperienced partners before drawing them in tournaments, it would have kept my hands from clenching together involuntarily after their successful effort at a 42, instead of the triple-16 we needed to win a match. Yeah, sure, I'm calm enough to write about it now ... lol.

Finally - while I also enjoyed Steve Brown's insight immensely - to include the pearls from Stacy Bromberg, too, is priceless for the future of women's involvement in this grand sport of ours. Bromberg is a pioneer in her own right, and an inspiration for those who will certainly follow her lead. I applaud the choice to include her thoughts in such an important, long lasting, far reaching piece of work such as this.

All told, this book is better now then when I first read it some twelve years ago. I was then, and remain - simply put - inspired by it.

Many good books on the subject and this is one of them! Fun and makes you think as you do harder ones.

Great book for this sudoku addict. The puzzles are very hard. Even the easy ones. Michael Mepham is my favorite sudoku author. I love this book! Not recommended for beginners. Hint: The first 5 puzzles relate to how to solve the puzzles in the how to do section in beginning of book. Then they get easy.

I got interested in Sudoku puzzles through the newspaper, and I felt I had the grasp of it and could solve them fairly quickly when I received this book as a gift. While the introduction to Sudoku was helpful and much more thorough than other books, I was very nearly put off by what they consider "gentle" puzzles. I found them quite difficult compared to what I had encountered in the newspaper and on the internet. So I would not consider this the book for a very casual sudoku puzzler but rather someone who wants more of a challenge. Assuming I ever get through the "gentle" ones, I imagine the moderate and tough part of the book will go untouched.

Sudoku! Even the name is redolent of an island paradise far from the traditional workaday rat race! Did you know that, as Michael Mepham confesses, the game is an American one which the Japanese picked up and gave it their own translation for its name? It's true: "Su" means "number," while "doku" means bachelor. And In English, "sudo" means "pseudo," that is, ersatz or fake, while "ku" means, well, in English we have the expression "cuckoo," as in "I'm nuts about Sudoku!"

Mepham is an affable editor who has grouped his puzzles from easy to hard, or in his words, gentle to diabolical.

Every couple of spaces he helps out and drops a digit into one of the boxes. For imagine how "diabolical" this game would be with no numbers in it whatsoever! Will Shortz has several Sudoku books not worth the paper they're printed on, for Will is great at wordplay but I wouldn't trust him across the street without his pocket calculator. Meanwhile, England's Mepham is a sly dog, for when I picked up my pencil, never having seen a Sudoku puzzle before, and tried to solve the one on page 65, I saw right away the numbers 1, 6, 7, and 9, and I thought to myself, "What if this is some sort of reference to English history?" For example, which famous philosopher and author of THE LEVIATHAN died in that year? Why, Thomas Hobbes, of course, the man who wrote, "All that is real is material, and what is not material is not real." In France in that same year Papin invented the pressure cooker: coincidence? I think not!

As a puzzler, Mepham's happy flourish is his reluctance to use the number "8," and also his quirk in labelling his hard puzzles easy, whereas even your own children in 4th grade will be able to polish all his so-called "stumpers." It's sort of like, you know how in England, you have to drive on the wrong side of the road? Grading your Sudokus is like that here. This was last year's hottest puzzle craze, and for me, the puzzles on page 65 (the aforementioned "moderate" Hobbesian puzzle), 105, with its geometrically spiral hint cluster, and 127, with its ribbon of hints forming a northeast-southwest pattern, are the sweetest flavors on display here.

Two pages of worksheets help pad out a book that needs a lot of padding out. The pages I got were filled in already by another owner, a man I suspect by his handwriting, who must have been a complete dope.

Sudoku really is addictive. My first real experience with sudoku (outside of US Weekly or some other magazine that was on the coffee table at my sister's house) was this book. I struggled a little bit at first even on the easy ones, but once I figured out the basics (and help from the tutorial examples in the introduction) I was at home with this book.

Many sudoku books from my experience lack a solid introduction on the basics of how to solve. There is even some guidelines and suggestions for how to solve the more complicated ones, although I have yet to necessarily need that knowledge. I think this truly is the shining point of this book, next to having 132 puzzles that clock in at various difficulty levels.

Another bonus is the fact that there are blank grids at the end in case you screw up too bad or simply want to reproduce them with a photocopier. This is another feature that is not always included in other books.

Finally, a suggestion for other solvers out there that are having troubles with the quality of paper that these puzzles are printed on (this is a trick I learned when I was doing those grid-box logic puzzles from my childhood): put scotch-tape over the grid and then use a pencil. The tape is incredibly easy to erase from and adds some more durability to the book. This is also simple to do and would only require seven to eight strips of tape for each grid (I think. I typically do the puzzles in pen anyway and it turns out looking like a warzone on the grid... I rarely have pencils just sitting around).

Finally, if you like this product, I recommend "The Sudoku Code" by Francis Heaney and Frank Longo. It integrates every puzzle into this code that runs throughout all 200 puzzles in that collection.

It's a good read but I've tried to do the dice setting but yet to see it work. well written book though.

This book needs no intro. Covers the aspects of dice control, trouble-shooting and goes further with some wager tactics. It contains not only the words of Frank Scoblete, but also of other great and known shooters.

The main objective here (obviously) is dice control. But I was actually happy when I saw several wagering approaches. There are books that cost a lot and are about progression build ups on a hot roll. Well, there's a small 6 step 6-8 press that has become a favorite I committed to memory with no question or doubt. A work of art that puts you in a zone of safety after 2 hits on either number.

Not much more to say. It is what it is and you get more than you pay for. The expense is small and can always serve as an excellent point of reference.

hkb

My cousins and I were at a casino in Tunica losing big time. He usually has a good run so I was betting away on his rolls. He would pick up the dice, blow on them, say a prayer, kiss his nuckles, and go through a whole ritual before shooting. He's what Frank would call a "gambler." One of the dealers asked if we had ever heard of the Dominator, neither of us had. He said, "try reading the Dominator before coming down here again." I read this book on a Thursday and went to the casino that Friday night. Did I try to become an overnight controlled shooter? Heck no, I stood at the table for about 20 minutes until I found someone that was. I walked away happy that night.

I believe in the techniques, and have been practicing them myself, but have yet to try my novice skills at the casino. I'm ordering a makeshift golden touch craps table that I found on Ebay.

I blazed through this book in a day. It's a solid read, but definitely a little longer than it needs to be, as a lot of stuff becomes redundant as you move along. I also thought the learning sections could've been organized a little better, but admittedly, I may just be splitting hairs with that one (I think my conclusion is I would've enjoyed the DVD more - except it's really expensive.

Anyone who is reading this book with hopes of becoming an instant craps whiz better look elsewhere. This book preaches hard work, focus, meditation, among many other things. If you truly believe that this works (I'm a bit skeptical myself, but hey, that's why Frank would call me a "Random Shooter!"), then this will give you all the tools you need to go forth. But if you're sincerely interested in "breaking Vegas" via craps, then this book will show you how to get started.

I like this book, it had the information I wanted to learn. I also bought "Get the Edge at Craps by Sharpshooter" because I always like to get several opinions on the same subject to make up my own mind on what to believe. They both contain basically the same information except "Get the Edge" goes into the mathematical formulas of physics a lot deeper. I like the writing style better in this book.

It boils down to this, if you want to learn how to throw the dice and learn from the best out there, get this book.

If you want to impress your friends by punching numbers in your calculator to show the probabilities of physics then get the other one.

In my opinion you only need one book and this is it. Plus it goes over all the rules and betting so you don't need another book on learning how to play either.

This is the only book you need on Craps.

If you liked the movie Rounders you'll certainly like this book. It's a story well balanced between narrative and strategy chapters. Buy this book and have fun with Matt!

Matros has a mathematical background and tells a good story. It is interesting to follow his rise up the tournament ladder and to experience a first hand account of the poker world. However, while eh sprinkles the stroy with some poker tips, Matros' advice is skimpy, especially when compared to Harrington and Sklansky.

Mike Matros has a bachelors in mathematics from Yale and a MFA in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence, which is itself an interesting combination. One does not normally think of the two sides of the brain converging in a single person, but apparently, it has in the personality of Mike Matros. Matros is a rising tournament player who after writing this book placed 3rd in a WPT event, netting him over $700,000. That story, and others, is related in the book (as a postscript).

Poker books have been around for decades, but due to the sport's recent, explosive popularity, the market has seen a signficant increase in both the numbers published, as well as the creation of new sub-genres. Anyone who is in the market for a book on poker deserves to know where Matros's new poker book fits within this marketplace. Here's my shorthand for the sub-genres of poker books:

1. Technical and Strategic. These books seek to explain, not merely the rules of poker, but strategies and the technical mathemetics needed to become a winning player.

2. Poker Memoir. These books are more about the poker player than they are about poker. They recount stories of bad beats or significant events in the life of the player.

Works that fit #1 are absolutely essential reading for anyone interested in improving their game. Books by writers like Dan Harrington, David Sklansky and Mike Caro fit this category well. Works that fit #2 are not, in a sense, technically necessary but are enjoyable reads nonetheless if one loves the sport. A great example of an excellent memoir book is Michael Craig's recent THE PROFESSOR, THE BANKER AND THE SUICIDE KING, as well as Jim McManus's POSITIVELY FIFTH STREET.

Not all books are simply one or the other, because as the market has grown and expanded, hybrids that are a mix of the two have emerged. These books attempt to combine the best of #1 and #2, but in my experipence, rarely succeed. For instance, a hybrid poker book will focus on poker stories, as well as strategy, in an attempt to make poker strategy more readable and interesting. But in so doing, these books rarely provide enough technical depth on given situations or needed mathematics to be truly helpful. Thus, hybrid books will tend to be the weakest in those chapters that are devoted purely to strategy. An example of this is several of Phil Helmuth's books, which are more about Phil Helmuth than they are about poker.

I consider Matros's book a hybrid, and like most hybrid books I've read, it fails at offering substantive analysis and technical depth of the game. His training in creative writing is definitely evident in reading the book, as he is truly gifted writer of nonfiction. I found myself genuinely liking Matt after reading about him in tournaments. He also does a good job of putting the reader at the table, in certain hands - something which only talented writers can successfully do. He is like Michael Craig, in that sense - he is able to take you experientially into the tension and excitement of gambling, and that alone makes this book worth reading.

But I thought the book was weak in the chapters where Matros appeared to be providing technical information to the reader. For instance, the game theory chapter is slim on actual game theory. We learn nothing about solving actual games; we're simply recounted anecdotes involving problems suggested to an Internet discussion forum, and a prediction by Matros that game theory will one day revolutionize the science of poker. As an economist, I've heard this prediction before - not with poker, necessarily, but with any number of fields. It was once predicted that Chicago price theory would be supplanted by a game theoretic approach, but that day has not arrived, despite the signficant contributions to the field that game theory has made. Hence, Matros came across to me as more of a cheerleader in that chapter than he did someone who could open up the black box of game theory and relate it with relevance to a layperson.

Hence I felt the book was not balanced well, and suffered the fate of most hybrid poker books. It worked well as a narrative about poker-playing, but worked poorly at explaining poker strategy to the reader. Nevertheless, I think Matros understands poker very well, and the few nuggets I did get from the book on playing were helpful.

This book out of all others I have read(Sklansky, Brunson, Harrinton, etc...), this is probably my favorite. I myself, and a player who is wanting to learn the game and work my way up. This book gives you that hope. He seperates the book from Beginner, average, to advanced. And along the way, he shows you what he did and the mistakes he made. You get a sense of what not to do when playing poker for a living or trying too. The is a strategy-story book which is very different among others. I highly-highly recommend this book.

I cant wait until his 2nd one comes out!

_JAck

Most importantly, I feel the need to correct something one reveiwer said.
"Dave M (Alexandria, VA) The amazing part is that this book was written BEFORE he won playing in the 2004 WPT Championship. He was nothing but an amateur with a couple cashes. He had no business writing a book."

The fact that this book was written almost in its entirety BEFORE getting the big payout is the true testament to its validity. I believe this book would have been inconsequential had it been yet another luck draw player made famous by his/her 15 minutes on ESPN. All theories and practices are well thought out and layout a natural development of this man's poker strategies. A great read for anyone bored with taking their friend's money every Saturday night, but not ready to start rounding.

I emerged as a new solver after reading this book. Highly educating, esp Chapter Five "Pulling Back the Curtain: The Hidden Rules of the Grid". I also loved the tips on how to get Saturday-savvy. D'oh! Now I understand why the top-row words are always consonants-concentrated. I also learned a lot from the author's explanation on the high occurrence of the Quartet letters (E, R S & D) at the bottom row. What a great REDS idea.

Hey, if you like to work crossword puzzles you're gonna love this book. You will not only be thoroughly entertained, but you will learn a thing or two in the process. Newman's enthusiasm is contagious even though I was already quite passionate about the subject to begin with. Maybe even fanatical. But if I wasn't before reading Cruciverbalism, I probably qualify as a full-fledged fanatic now because I've experienced a distinct improvement in my solving skills thanks to a few insider tips from the master.

Check it out. You'll be glad you did.

An entertaining little book with some good suggestions for improving your crossword puzzle solving skills. A bit too much self-promotion for my taste.

This work is marred by unexpected self-aggrandizement and mean-spiritedness. In the first chapter, the author lets us know he was able to beat competitors to win three major crossword competitions in a row. He also tells us he was brave enough to attack, in writing, Eugene Maleska, then crossword editor of the New York Times. Dr. Maleska's approach, and one of his apparent flaws as Mr. Newman sees it, was to encourage and use many crossword clues based on classical and obscure references, including Latin words, rather than the more pun-oriented wordplay, and contemporary references approach used by most modern crossword constructors. There is some irony that Mr. Newman's book is titled, "Cruciverbalism - A Crossword Fanatics's Guide..." rather than simply "Crosswords - A Fanatics's Guide ..."

Word play and current references make crossword puzzles accessible to a wider audience, while less common "academic" references often inform and educate. Thus, it is appropriate to contrast and discuss each of these approaches, and consider if one approach is always more appropriate and desirable, or if both should co-exist to appeal to different audiences, or to the same audiences at different times. However, Mr. Newman's comments are not just a reasoned explication and evaluation of these two construction approaches. Rather, his attacks are ad hominem, and appear to reflect a strong and extended personal animosity that has continued even after Dr. Maleska death in 1993.

Mr. Newman has, to me, the ill-manners to note that after Dr. Maleska's death he, Mr Newman, was assigned to edit Dr. Maleska's puzzles. To quote Mr. Newman, this is what the phrase "spinning in his grave" was invented for.

During Eugene Maleska's tenure at the New York Times he produced irritation and anger among some solvers and many constructors, not primarily by his approach to crossword construction which many disagreed with, but more by his notoriously sharp rejection letters to crossword constructors whose work he would not accept. An earlier perceptive reviewer told Mr. Newman to "deal with it"; I agree. Mr. Newman's obsession with Dr. Maleska, and the author's self-promotion, fatally damages what should otherwise have been an outstanding work.

Some reviewers here refer to the author as "Stan". Whether they already know him or not, its clear many folks hold him in high regard. Additionally, the book carries a short endorsement from the current and widely respected NY Times crossword editor. Thus, this work appears atypical of Mr. Newman's attitudes and relationships in the crossword world.

The author is clearly in the top tier of crossword solvers and constructors, and very well versed in the business side of crossword publishing. This work already contains some quite fascinating anecdotes and stories about crossword solvers and constructors, discussion of solution strategy, as well as some interesting history about the growth of the U.S. crossword interest/obsession. Its list of 100 essential words for crosswords puzzles is excellent. If the egregious personal attacks and egocentric references could be removed from any later editions, and the work expanded -- the relatively small format, page count, and margins make this almost more pamphlet-sized than book-sized -- to include more for Mr. Newman's clearly outstanding knowledge of crossword solution strategies, history, construction, and the crossword business this would be an exemplary work for crossword enthusiasts.

The often stated, "It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It" applies here. Mr. Newman's stories and anecdotes are frequently informative and often fascinating. Rewritten with less animus, this would be an exceptional work. Unfortunately, in its current state, it reflects an inappropriate pettiness, and contains so much vain and boastful writing that it cannot be highly rated.

An interesting book for crossword lovers and fanatics alike!

I've had a strong interest in crossword puzzles for years now and after playing some related word-games, I've recently begun to wonder about the crossword puzzle construction process. So it was with this in mind that my curiosity became tweaked when I saw Newman's book "Cruciverbalism: A Crossword Fanatic's Guide to Life on the Grid", available on amazon.com. So I bought it and its turned out to be a good purchase.

The book in quite short; only 140 pages long and is divided into six chapters.

The first chapter deals with Newman's ongoing 'annoyance' with the late Eugene Maleska editing techniques as Editor of the NY Times Crossword in the 1980s and 90s. I've noticed some other reviewer were somewhat taken aback by this 'assault' on Maleska, but after reading this section, I think I can at least appreciate Newman's point of view. It was Newman's disagreement with Maleska's methods that ultimately lead Newman into his strong affiliation with crossword puzzles.

One chapter deals with the history of crosswords and yet another gives some background as to how Newman got into the crossword puzzle business as a lifetime vocation.

The real meat of the book resided in the three remaining chapters. Here we find several topics of interest...

1.)what puzzle constructors think about when constructing a grid; i.e. the basic rules. What's allowed and what isn't.

2.)100 commonly found 3 and 4 letter words (that are at least 50% vowels) and make up significant number of the short words that surround the main themes.

3.)There is one section called 'Hidden Rules of the Grid' that is an extensive list of the different categories of clues that constructors use when building a puzzle e.g. quips or quotes, foreign words, starters and enders, comparatives, fill in the blanks, plurals, hedgers, rivals...and many more. Each category is accompanied by a brief explanation and examples .

4.)The penultimate chapter discusses several useful tips as how to improve your solving abilities, but only if your intensely interested and willing to spend some time and considerable effort to do it.

5.)And finally, on the last 2 pages there are a couple tips on how to approach the more difficult 'Sunday Stumper' puzzle. With regards to items 1-4 above; I was vaguely aware of them to begin with and not truly surprised to see in this book. However, these last hints were something I'd never considered and would be very useful as an approach to solving harder puzzles.

Conclusion:
Although this book was not exactly what I was looking for, it was enjoyable and interesting to read. I was really looking for some useful ideas as to how to actually construct the physical puzzle itself. The main part of this book deals with how constructors think about tinkering with 'clues' to make an answer range from very easy to 'a revelation in the science of word-play'; and it succeeds famously in this regard.

R.Nicholson

P.S.
In my meager attempts to construct even the simplest puzzle, I became acutely aware of just how hard it is to get even a corner of a puzzle to meld, let alone an entire grid. I've even consulted computer crossword puzzle makers, put in a couple of witty phrases that I want to use as my theme; the result, the program whirled for a long time and in the end came up with nothing usable. So my admiration (and some degree of jealousy as well) has increased for these cruciverbalistic heroes, since my humbling experiment with CW construction.

This book is very helpful to someone trying to improve their level of bridge. The purpose is to communicate better with your partner in an approved manner.

Well organized and thoroughly complete
Clear and easy to access presentation
Careful choice of material and progress of presentation
A very high quality publication

This is the standard reference book for bridge conventions. It has been around for years. It is excellent. There is no competition.

A group of 9 women chose this book to study current and popular bridge conventions. We have found that it is thorough and easy to understand. While we are studying each convention, we are doing as Root says, to take the ones that we wish to incorporate into our own bridge play and reject those that we do not wish to use. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to clarify the many bridge conventions that are being used today. Even if you don't use a convention yourself it is certainly wise to know about it when you are in competition with others.

Not only are many conventions covered, they are covered well. I like the authors style, and how they go through the entire sequence of bids. You will be able to use the Convention, ratehr than think you know it only to be surprised by some mystery sequence.

Almost 20 years old, still holding its own.

This book has a lot of good information on portable grills. It contained a lot of things that I did not know that were extremely helpful. After reading this book, I feel that I can use both my George Foreman portable grills easily. Thanks for writing such an informative grilling book.

Do listen to the sour grapes reviews. This book is for people looking for meals that you cannot pull together without first shopping at multiple locations to purchase the ingredients. I prefer simple recipes with items I can find in my pantry or pick up on my way home from work. Save your $$$!!!!

I can boil water except I usually burn it, so imagine my joy to find a cook book with so many easy to use and tasty ideas. My favorite cooking item is my George Forman grill and everything I have tried so far comes out great.Her varied uses for chicken are most welcome to those of us on special diets or just trying to cut the fat from our diets. The ingredients are easy to assemble and instructions easy to follow. I also gave a copy of this book to my uncle in Missouri. He is a legendary griller. The back yard is his kingdom. He has enjoyed her book and has gotton some great new ideas from it. Thank you Grill Power for bringing me and my George Forman even closer than before.

This book was a huge disappointment, what fluff they filled the pages with. Most of the book is dedicated to reused recipes where she substitutes the grill for what would normally be a frying pan. Eighty percent of the book is recipes and eighty percent of the recipe info is about other things besides the grilling. That means 64 percent of the book is not about grilling!

There is very little useful info for new grill purchasers. This book is a marketing ploy for new grill buyers. There are better cookboooks out there for recipes. With them I will figure out how to substitute the grill for the frying pan, without the author's help. Even her stated qualifications as an author for this book are sad. I went through this book over the first few days I had it. Right now I'm not sure where I left it, and I don't care a bit.

In regards to the high regards; maybe it's their first cookbook?

This book has been fantastic even for an experienced griller. The recipes are excellent and the organization of the book makes it user friendly. I do not find the "fluff" I have found in many pop cook books and absolutely don't know where the sour grapes vindictive reviewer below is coming from.

I have done lots of outdoor and indoor grilling and have used two kinds of indoor grills and found Grillpower very helpful on both types. I commend the author and look forward to other books down the pike. I concur with all the other positive reviewers. Five stars on this one.

this book was poorly written and was not helpful to me either as a beginner or intermediate or advanced Tx Holdem Poker Player. Waste of money.

Skimmed the book for about 1 hour. Increased my winnings by 25%. Best book in the business.

A book titled Texas Hold'em for Dummies.....I got this for my husband who was learning to play the poker game. He had checked out a few books at the library and then I gave him this one. He said it was the best that he had read.

I really know nothing about poker whatsoever, and after reading this book I know the basics. A lot of it was over my head, because I'm really not looking to play in a casino setting, and that's what a lot of it talked about. I did pick up some great tips though and for the price, it was worth the purchase.

I am a big fan of televised Texas hold'em, but when I started playing with a group of collegues, I realized this is a tricky game. Texas Hold'em for Dummies is a simple-stupid book that teaches you everything required to survive at the poker table. Easy to understand, plenty of examples, and a great reference if you forget anything. I gived this book two thumbs up-