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Romola was engrossing and, of course, very well-written. I'm even inspired to find out more about a historical period that's not really one of my favorites.

Romola is constantly called Eliot's weakest novel, with even serious critics reluctant to praise it. However, it was seen in the 19th century as Eliot's masterpiece. Some of the blame for the novel going out of fashion must rest with F.R. Leavis who said that "few will want to read Romola a second time, and few can ever have got through it once without some groans." If Leavis, viewed as one of the great literary minds, thinks this, then more average readers like us are bound to be put off.

True, the start of Romola is bogged down in detail, but it is introduced by a wonderful, stirring and majestic 'Proem' which sees the Angel of the Dawn sweeping across the Earth and loftily states how humanity is the same now as it was when Romola is set. After this, the notes are best ignored - consult them separately, and concentrate on getting into the book. It is a stirring and sometimes hard read, and moves one with awe at what Eliot has created - you really feel you are experiencing Florence in the 15th century. There is one scene that stands out for me - the haunting and almost surreal episode where Romola drifts by boat to an apparent coastal haven. Images of peace and life are reversed disturbingly.

So ignore Leavis and the dissenters. If you've read another Eliot, you'll like it. If you haven't, maybe start with something else, but come back, for it's a rewarding read

Given the majority of Eliot readers begin with Middlemarch, I found myself in the unique position of not only beginning with Romola, but also on a subject that I find most interesting. That of Renaissance Italy. Beginning at the death of the great Lorenzo di Medici in '92 I read this great novel twice. Once quickly as any other Twenty-First century paperback; the second, slowly, with more respect for the intellectual scope within the pages.
After the first attempt I was mildly disappointed. I came away with no true sense of the whole that is fifteenth century Florence and a bewilderment at the inconsistent central characterisation of Tito Melema and his golden-haired wife, Romola. The supporting actors were brilliant, from Fra Girolama's fantatical Catholicism to Bratti's salesmanship. But I was left disappointed, believing in the superficality of Tito, the maddening naivety of Tessa, and the almost puritanical martyrdom of Romola.
So I re-read it. Slowly.
It is now extremely clear why this great work of english literature is, as Eliot herself puts it, a "book of mine which I more thoroughly feel that I swear by every sentence as having been written with my best blood".
Each scene is mesmerically depicted, the infintesimal attention to details and Eliot's total control of her subject matter shines through.
Renaissance Florence wasn't so well depicted by its contemporaries.
From Tito's waking at the Loggia de' Cerchi to his final fall at the Ponte Vecchio his character moves through a full range as you would expect from a man in his early twenties. His child-like mesmerism coupled with his Greek tutorage gives rise to a cherubic man whom Florence loves. His fatal flaw is his desire for love and a single terrible lie he gives that, like Murphy's Law, evolves into a a stigma that alters his very persona. What is all the more damaging is that you truly believe he is unaware of the pain he causes. He is truly egocentric, in an almost blameless way. For Romola, you cold argue the opposite. Indeed she is potentially more culpable. Her fierce intellectualism is offset by a descent into a world of religious supersition, a world where religion is used as a political tool. Throughout she has the knowledge of where her actions will take her and a terrible sense of duty and restrains her. From the beginning, with the story we hear so often of Tito's escape from drowning, to his final near drowning at the hands of the mob, to his strangulation by his father there is a certain bitter justice until all that he leaves is his proud and world-scarred wife Romola and the innocence that he preserved with Tessa. Tito's move from innocent 'hero' to startled villain is an excerise in human failings. Yet it is not a sufficient single human tragedy, as Eliot says, "Florence was busy with greater affairs, and the preparation of a deeper tragedy".
In many respects `Romola' is Eliot's King Lear. The parallels are many, including Baldessare's depiction. There is no Edgar, nor Edmund but the Fool is here in many guises. In taking one of Shakespeare's finest themes, Eliot has given true life to fifteenth century Florence and it is, perhaps, best encapsulated by Romola's final statement to Tessa's son, Lillo:
"There was a man to whom I was very near... who made almost everyone fond of him, for he ws young, and clever, and beautiful...I believe, when I first knew him, he never thought of anything cruel or base. But because he tried to slip away from everything that was unpleasant, and cared for nothing else so much as his own safety, he came at last to commit some of the basest deeds - such as make men infamous."
So, Eliot's `Romola'. Read it, delight in it because it truly is, as the author can rightly claim, one of the finest works in english literature.

Funny how Eliot's least-loved novel today was the author's personal favorite and her best seller during her lifetime. How did it slide into relative obscurity? Partly because Eliot's acknowleged forte is her depiction of rural life in Victorian England, whereas this novel is set in a large Italian city (Florence) during the Renasaissance. Also, the novel does bog down a bit in its own scholarliness, as nearly every reviewer has mentioned. Still, the innumerable references to prominent Florentines can be glossed over without losing much. As for the urban setting, Eliot's Florence is every bit as vivid as Dickens' London, or Dostoevsky's St. Petersburg. And, of course, every page is filled with Eliot's trademark wisdom.
For anyone who cares about great books, all seven of Eliot's novels are absolutely mandatory. So, by all means start with "Adam Bede" or "Middlemarch", but don't neglect "Romola."
A word about the Konneman edition: I love the compact format (It fits easily into a briefcase or purse), the lovely cover art and the high-quality cloth binding. Be advised, however, that it is loaded with typos, some of them hilarious. It's still a good buy, however.

When one starts reading a Victorian novelist, one prepares before hand to face a certain amount of wooden, heavy-handed moralizing, as every great narrative of the epoch is fraught with the opposition between the calls of pleasure and the calls of duty, between seeking for one's private advantage and sticking to one's role, with the writer making the latter to win overwhelming. This novel is no different, in that it's the dutiful Romola that has the upper hand over her nice and debauched husband Tito Melena in the end. However, the novel being set in late Renaissance Italy- a country with which George Eliot had an enduring love affair - it captures the atmosphere of the time and place in such a beautiful way that this enormous, throughly reserched historical novel has such a flowing, luxurious style that takes an almost liquid quality, like a fresh, transparent scream flowing along a summer Mediterranean landscape. Also, in the person of Savonarola, Eliot menaged to introduce the figure of the idealist turned evil through his attachment to his call. In short: a gorgeous novel. Loved it!

I found this book to be somewhat sexist. I do give the guy credit for having a sense of humor but we all know the line when it goes too far, and he crosses it one too many times. He seems to be pretty focused on sex or lack there of and doesn't seem to value women in general. This book would be fitting for a simple, less educated man.

I laughed out loud the first time on page two, learned something new on page three and enjoyed the whole read all the way through. "ABCs for Expectant Dads" is funny, smart, informative and mercifully direct. You have questions, and it has easy-to-find, to-the-point, very funny answers. Highly recommended.

Seriously, I couldnt stop laughing reading that book. After having 4 kids it was still a riot. My wife had to clean up after me when I was finished!

Tom, Boston, MA

When I was pregnant, I bought my husband a range of terrible "fatherhood" books before coming across Lieman's book. The ABC's, a clever guide which is light and enlightening at the same time, has the perfect balance of information and humor. A very funny, informative and highly entertaining book - by far the best book out there for expectant dads!

Whether you are a veteran father or you are expecting your first child this book is a must have. It's informative, witty and has been super helpful in explaining what to expect in the wide world of fathererhood. It has also helped me understand what my husband is going through as well.

This book is aimed at teaching someone who is ALREADY exposed to VB.NET how to create database driven Websites using VB.NET, ASP.NET, and ADO.NET. It takes a database neutral approach and you could use almost any database in using this book. If you are new to VB.NET but have a good understanding of another programming language, you will still be able to follow this book.

The book does not skip any steps in explaining how to use these three technologies on a Web project. It is very detailed in its explanations and has a lot of sample code that works! You have to download this sample code from their website (which is a good thing as you will have code that has been thoroughly debugged). Any problems I had using the code in this book had to do with Visual Studio.NET 2003 related problems. But once I fixed those issues, I had no trouble using the sample code. A lot of examples can be used immediately in almost any Web project you may be currently working on.

In the initial stages of learning these technologies, I was lucky enough to find this book and spent a lot of time reading THIS book only and to date, I have covered more than 70% of the book. I couldn't skip any sections as they are so well written and well connected (the various topics). This type of thorough treatment of a subject in the IT world is rare and it got me thinking if it is to do with the authors or the publisher. I have already decided to check out more books by the publisher first.

The thing I like the most about this book is the excellent explanations they give on how ASP.NET, VB.NET, and ADO.NET really work. They are very detailed and the explanations make sense! That combined with the practical nature of this book (tons of code) make it a very valuable find. By the time you are done with this book, you should have no trouble creating a database driven website. You still need 'ASP.NET Developer's Cookbook' by The ASP Alliance to create a complex website. But this book will give you the confidence you need to consider yourself a decent web developer in using .NET technologies. You can then go to the next level.

If you are frustrated trying to find a good book on using VB.NET to design websites, you won't be disappointed with this book. I found only a few books on .NET that I really like and this book made the Top 3 of that list. Enjoy using this book to master ASP.NET, VB.NET, and ADO.NET for the Web!

Over a year ago I posted in an ASP.NET forum complaining about the lack of good books utilizing the VS.NET IDE as a teaching tool.

Well, there are several titles out there now. But few good ones. From my post it was evident that I wasn't rerally willing to learn a language but try to wing the point and click way.

So one of the authors of this book just plain told me to go and learn a language like VB and then get her book.

Thast was both a harsh comment and a hard sell!

Apparently that is what I needed. I did realize that in no way my pretty lofty programming goals could be met with peripheral knowledge of .Net. I have a doctoral degree but programming really gave me a hard time getting started.

I would get to about page 200 of your average 6-700 page computer tome and stall in a sea of poor definitions and convoluted moronic explanations we are all familiar with and dread.

Which 2 year old wants a description of a cat as a feline quadripede domesticated mammal (that is a 3 letter word with that raises 4 hums?) Unfortunately, geek literature is plastered with that.

So I would go on to the next title. Finally I broke down and bought this book too and it hit home.

I now own more than 3 dozen programming books. I don't even program VB.Net any more but I still go back to the Torkelson/Patterson title the most because of the excellent examples, clear explanations and solid practices.

Some people just have the knack to teach properly! It is a talent, like all human endeavors not equally distributed, so getting your start from an effective communicator is key.

If VB.NET is your lingo this book will parley it to you the best!

Cudos!

I'm very disappointed with this title, so much talk where not necessary, examples that not directly related to the subject in hand, chapters introductions as if author is writing an article in a newspaper not for a professional developers, Authors seem to know their stuff very well but there is a difference between knowing the material and authoring a book, clearly they doesn't have that talent. I can't dare to compare this book to Jeff Prosise masterpiece "Programming Microsoft .NET", but I found O'Reilly's Programming ASP.NET book a much organized and useful book, don't waste your time and money on this one!

This is a good book, in fact, it's one of the best ASP.NET/VB.NET books I have read. However, it doesn't offer anything new or fresh or different.

If you're going to buy just one ASP.NET book, get this one. If you're looking for an advanced book, keep looking.

I can't believe the recent two less-than-stellar reviews of this book, because I found this book to be absolutely top-notch.

I moved from VB6 to VB.NET (Windows programming) not too long ago, but I had never done any Web programming. Someone had recommended ASP.NET Unleashed. It has lots of little code examples, but they're chock full of response.write's (yuck!). It also assumes you'll be using notepad as your code editor (double-yuck!).

In contrast, Programming the Web with Visual Basic .NET is a complete tutorial that explains how to develop Web applications and services the right way. It uses Code Behind exclusively, gives great tips for designing usable Web pages, and takes you through the Visual Studio way of developing ASP.NET applications.

The sample code is useful and interesting. I especially appreciated the chapter that shows how to use the .NET trace features to understand exactly how the Web page processing sequence and control tree works. I also loved the examples on using resource files to localize pages for international users and on developing a "breadcrumb" custom control (and why you need breadcrumb links).

The database chapter on ADO.NET was exactly what I needed to understand the Visual Studio tools for handling the disconnected datasets used in scalable Web applications. The examples tied together well and were fun too. What with Lizzy the milk cow running off with the bull next door, Daisy and MooMoo joining them, Bossy getting depressed... Along with learning to do database deletes and updates, I was treated to a regular dairy farm soap opera. :-)

Each chapter added greatly to my knowledge, and the final chapter cemented it with a surprisingly thorough start-to-finish Web site development project. I say "surprisingly" because most books' single-chapter, "start to finish" projects don't cover nearly as much ground as this one did.

Although this book seems to be written mainly for experienced VB programmers, I would also highly recommend it for experienced ASP programmers who want to learn ASP.NET (as long as they learn some VB.NET first -- this book doesn't try to teach that too -- it expects that you'll start with a basic understanding of VB.NET). The reason I recommend it for ASP programmers is that this book will teach them the Code Behind way of coding, rather than perpetrating the response.write way they had to code in previous versions of ASP.

"In Sweden, Foreign Minister Torsten Nilsson reveals that Sweden has been providing assistance to the Viet Cong, including some $550,000 worth of medical supplies. Similar Swedish aid was to go to Cambodian and Laotian civilians affected by the Indochinese fighting. This support was primarily humanitarian in nature and included no military aid."

I don't think most Vietnam veterans were aware of this. Anyway, this is a good book. Makes me wished I'd worked a little harder on mine, but then I've never really worked very hard at anything.

I have read a lot of books on Vietnam. If you want to know the combination of reasons why the North Vietnamese succeeeded, read this book ! Like someone else has said, what a shame the author was shipped back in '72, although one already knows ( from reading this book), what happened over the next 2-3 years. One cannot also help but feel that had America not tired of the war ( and the loss of American lives - for which the recruitment and personnel policies of the Army are greatly to blame !),the outcome may have been different. So bad was the sentiment against returning vets that some of them said they were coming back from Germany or Korea ( out of embarassment and the want to avoid being mistreated by their own countrymen !). I have to say,that as an Australian ( we also sent our men to Vietnam), I cannot get over the treatment meted out to vets upon their return.It disgusts me. The soldiers were not to blame !!Blame the McNamara's !!!

helps to understand the vietnamese mentality quite a bit more than other books I have read. A definate must for the vietnam war buff.

To Jane Fonda and her anti war friend this is a book that you should have read before you hop in the bed with uncle Ho and his terrorist gang. If Bin Laden is the 21st century is American's enemy no 1 then uncle Ho and his terror gang are the equivalent of late 20th century. To those who are suffered the ill treatment handed out by the communist after their victory you can hold your head high because like those of your colleagues in Hau Nghia province have done a marvelous job against the VC to give the freedom loving people of the South 21 years of a taste of liberty, religious and personal freedom. Thank you Stuart Herrington for honouring the brave men and women of the Army of Republic of Vietnam. Long live the Republic of Vietnam and may the communist tyrant of Vietnam, Cuba, North Korea and China will follow their forebear in Russia and Eastern Europe into the history scrap yard.

I've been trying to research Phoenix for some time and believed this book would shed some more light on the subject, but it really offered no profound insight over and above what I've picked up through various sources. The book does not read like a "spy novel" as it was billed. I'm hoping at some point in the future, with declassification of various operations, that more about Phoenix will become available. What the author described about his experiences in Vietnam are actually pretty basic offensive counterintelligence activities. Was hoping for more, but was ultimately dissapointed by the story he told.

Greg's book is one of the best ASP.NET beginning development books that I have ever read. I have purchased a total of 68 books on ASP.NET, ADO.NET, C#, and VB.NET; this is 1 of 5 that I still keep at my desk at work for reference. This book contains web applications and topics including the following:

Forums
Editable Datagrids
Product Catalog
Web Services
Mobile Applications
Sessions Variables
Sending Email
Shopping Cart
Database Connectivity
Logins
Cookies

AND SO MUCH MORE!

Pick this book up today; it is a wise investment, especially for a beginner who desires to own a book that covers VB.NET, ASP.NET, and ADO.NET together.

All in all i think this is a pretty good book. I can see how some might object to the way its pumped up to so many pages, though. At first it reminded me of the times you had to write a 10 page term paper and had had only 5 pages of material. Each code snippet appears twice. First in its entirety and then each and every line is repeated individually along with a comment , double-spaced. But I soon got over this because I found i was able to follow it very easily. Examples that build on previous ones are also repeated like this from scratch. Another thing to note is that you will learn the ASP.NET *CODE* not VS.NET. Most of the book doesn't even touch the VS.NET IDE. But because the examples are explained so clearly, you can learn alot just by reading instead of pointing and clicking.

All in all i think this is a pretty good book. I can see how some might object to the way it is pumped up to so many pages, though. At first it reminded me of the times you had to write a 10 page term paper and had had only 5 pages of material. Each code snippet appears twice. First, in its entirety and then each and every line is repeated individually along with a comment , double-spaced. Each control attribute is on its own line. Examples that build on previous ones are also repeated like this from scratch. BUT I soon got over this because I found i was able to follow the examples very easily. Another thing to note is that you will learn the ASP.NET *CODE* not VS.NET. Most of the book doesn't even touch the VS.NET IDE. But because the examples are explained so clearly, you can actually learn a lot just by reading instead of pointing and clicking and copying code.

Your previous ASP book has helped me to become a confident Web application developer using classic ASP. Suddenly when I had to move to .NET environment, I thought I was smart by purchasing books from other authors, just for change. I was wrong!. I will always be loyal to you Greg.

I have several ASP.NET books and this one is the best.
It is written pretty concisely, it has a lot of examples and its sample applications are useful in the real life. Chapters on IIS and Security are especially applicable for web development, though Part 3 which deals with working either could use more information on ADO.Net. Overall it is an excellent book for ASP.Net Development

Stegner once again reveals his writing prowess, This time in a self-indulgent adventure to haunts of his youth.

I have some qualms about this work, however. In particular, I was not so keen on those parts where Stegner relied heavily on book-based history that never directly touched his own life. To be frank, his writing in these parts surprisingly got a bit stodgy.

His thought on sense of place and belonging, however, are remarkable, hitting me right between the eyes. Indeed, he had me wistfully recalling my own childhood in what seemed a remote area of the world with the archaeological junk heap and all. In measuring his boyhood to my own, I noted how little times had changed in that interval of 60-70 years and how much has changed for kids in the last 40. It had me wondering how my own sons lives would be different were it not for the MAFIA (mother's against fun in America).

Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Wallace Stegner grew up on the prairie frontiers of North Dakota, Saskatchewan, and Montana, and in the mountains of Utah. As is indicated by the subtitle, this volume combines history, a memoir, and historical fiction. Readers who have spent significant time on the snow swept northern steppes may find a small part of themselves, and of this land, in Wolf Willow. ...
"On those miraculously beautiful and murderously cold nights glittering with the green and blue darts from a sky like polished dark metal, when the moon had gone down, leaving the hollow heavens to the stars and the overflowing cold light of the Aurora, he thought he had moments of the clearest vision ... In every direction ... the snow spread; here and there the implacable plain glinted back a spark - the beam of a cold star reflected in a crystal of ice." (The scene evokes in me a powerful memory, as I recall often standing alone on just such "murderously cold" snow blanketed prairies and gazing into those "miraculously beautiful" night skies.)

This wonderful collection of essays and fiction about the last Western frontier is both romance and anti-romance. Writing in the 1950s, Stegner captures the breath-taking beauty of the unbroken plains of southwest Saskatchewan and the excitement of its settlment at the turn of the century. Part memoir, the book recounts the years of his boyhood in a small town along the Whitemud River in 1914-1919, the summers spent on the family's homestead 50 miles away along the Canadian-U.S border. His book is also an account of the loss of that Eden and the failed promise of agricultural development in this semi-arid region with thin top soil.

Stegner is a gifted, intelligent writer, able to turn the people and events of history into compelling reading. The opening section of the book describes the experience of being on the plains and specifically in the area where Stegner was a boy. And it lays out the geography of that land -- a distant range of hills, the river, the coulees, the town -- which the book will return to again and again.

The following section evokes the period of frontier Canada's early exploration, the emergence of the metis culture, the destruction of the buffalo herds, the introduction of rangeland cattle, and then wave upon wave of settlement pushing the last of the plains Indians westward and northward. A chapter is devoted to the surveying of the boundary along the Canada-U.S. border; another chapter describes the founding of the Mounted Police and its purely Canadian style of bringing law and order to the wild west.

The middle section of the book is a novella and a short story about the winter of 1906-1907. In the longer piece, eight men rounding up cattle are caught on the open plains in an early blizzard. Stegner builds the drama and the peril of their situation artfully and convincingly. The final section of the book returns to Stegner's memories of the town and the homestead, ending with his family's departure for Montana.

Stegner lived at a time and in a place where a person born in the 20th century could still experience something of the sweep of history that transformed the American plains. I've read many books about the West, and because of his depth of thought, his gifts as a writer, and his unflinching eye, Stegner's work ranks for me among the best. I heartily recommend this book.

This book has no right to be so absorbing. Though the topic of this forgotten book by Wallace Stegner reeks of self-indulgence-- A writer returns to where he grew up, reminisces about his youth and the history of the frontier town his transient childhood most identified as home and concludes with a 100-page fictionalized account of a the terrible winter of 1906-- he manages to tie his past inexorably to ours, linking his nostalgia for his youth with our own, and exploring the promise and inevitable waste of the American Dream lived out on our frontiers.

Stegner, like Proust, experiences an "ancient, unbearable recognition" spurred by a return to the sites, sounds, and most importantly, smells of his childhood. He dreams of this period and is "haunted, on awakening, by a sense of meanings just withheld, and by a profound nostalgic melancholy." Everyone has some awareness of a deep meaning lurking in our past that has not, or cannot, be fully interpreted.

Perhaps the best part of the book is section three, the novella length exposition on the hope and danger of the high plains that does a superb job of creating looming dread as the winter drops hard on the land. Near the end of section three, Stegner expounds on what it is to be an American pursuing the Dream:

"How does one know what wilderness has meant to Americans unless he has shared the guilt of wastefully and ignorantly tampering with it in the name of progress? One who has lived the dream, the temporary fulfillment, and the disappointment has had the full course.... The vein of melancholy in the North American mind may be owing to many causes, but it is surely not weakened by the perception that the fulfillment of the American Dream means inevitably the death of the noble savagery and freedom of the wild. Any who has lived on a frontier knows the inescapable ambivalence of the old-fashioned American conscience, for he has first renewed himself in Eden and then set about converting it into the lamentable modern world."

Part history and part dreamy reminiscence, this book is an account of a boy growing up in Southwest Saskatchewan in the early part of the 20th Century. The central portion of the book is pure history, and the long chapters on cowboys are particularly challenging because they require an intimate knowledge of cowboy terminology. Stegner does not mince words about the difficulties of life on the plains--extremes of heat and cold, wind, hostile topography, lack of cultural amenities--the result of which is that most who grew up there moved elsewhere. But he also shows a passionate attachment for the country of his childhood. The narrative often seems rambling because, like James Michener, the author tries to incorporate so much besides history--including the biology and geology of the nearby Cypress Hills, the biologically diverse area nearby--and even his poetic musings have elements of fact, as when he describes the wind, or the gophers, or his swimming hole, or his school, or his family's homestead, or the problems involved in the town's incorporation.

This is an excellent book for beginner paranormal student or those with paranormal interests. It is also an extensive collection of haunted locations that are typically found in individual books, so purchasing this book can save you money. Although the book tries to include world-wide locations, its focus is mainly the United States. I would imagine that readers interested in foreign haunted locations would be disappointed with this book. Still, I recommended it full heartedly for use as starting source of paranormal investigations. There are more reportedly haunted places than one can imagine!

There are so many different writers in this book it's almost insane. So if you're looking for a real flavor of Jeff Belanger, you won't find it 100% in this book. However, the people that write about some of these haunted places are very well informed and have done their homework. It's really interesting to hear the stories and encounters of all these people not only across the country but all over the world. I would buy this book again if it were ever lost or stolen. It's a cool thing to have.

The International Directory of Haunted Places was not as good as the above refrence ( also a national directory by the same author ). Was interesting enough but was nowhere near as creepy as the afore mentioned. Pretty standard fare,was one of those books you could put down.

We are in this book so I might be a little prejudice, but it is REALLY a great source of information! As investigators, we love to read about the historical facts and ghostly inhabitants. This is a very entertaining book, and I highly recommend it!

as a paranormal investagator with new england appirtion, i found the contact phone numbers e,t.c. very helpfull. we have done several places thru the info in the book. well worth the money and a book i will use alot.

I purchased this product and found it very easy to use. The information in the front of the package was helpful and easy. It's been a very useful tool for testing pH.

The paper in this kit tears easily and can be torn to any size (which can be quite helpful when one is getting used to testing). You are able to compare the test strip against the color chart at a glance due to the convenient packaging of the product. Additionally, the information provided by the author has been very helpful to me during my journey to improved health.

This is a great product with concisely written, clear, how-to-use instructions. I buy these several at a time, because once I start talking to my friends about it, they always want one.
The author does a great job of explaining the importance of an optimal Ph for good health and the product is easy to use with extremely helpful, immediate feedback. It has given me the information I need to tweak my food choices for maximum health. I highly recommend this product.

This booklet is very helpful. Presents the information succintly. Very helpful, considering I have several encyclopedia sized books with the information dispersed throughout. I believe author to be well educated in this field, expresses her opinion and logic in easy to absorb way. This was actually 2nd copy I bought, as loaned first to a friend. I believe the program is a good one, also. Just a little difficult to discipline myself with all the dietary and supplements.

This product came so quickly, I think just a few days after I placed order. I am glad I chose this seller and would order from them again!

The iWorks'05 Missing Manual is truly a missing manual for Apple Computer's word processor/page-layout software and presentation software Keynote 2. If you are in a hurry to use either Pages or Keynote 2 or a very visual learner, I would recommend looking into a different manual. In the 379 pages, this book has a lot of detail on the two programs which is truly a manual. You can easy skip to the sections you need and do not have to read the entire book to use it. The author has chapters in both Pages and Keynote 2 and are very basic. In the beginning of some of the chapter he lets the reader know you can skip the chapter if you are experienced user. At the end of the book the author gives you resources to help you go beyond the book for additional help and ideas for using Pages and Keynote 2.

Pages

The book covers the basics of word-processing in case your are new to computers and word processing. The book then covers the layout features to Pages. The author gives you advice on different fonts and layouts. He covers why you would use certain fonts in the headers and body of the text. In addition the book covers creating tables, charts and working with objects. Objects include text, pictures and graphic in your document and how to place them in the document.

The author also covers how to use iTunes, iMove in Pages and why you might not want to use Pages to add in iTunes and iMove in to your document. He recommends using Keynote 2 instead. The book also covers exporting Pages to other word processors such as Microsoft Word and publishing the document to a web. The author also gives you example of what will happen if you export to various programs from Pages.

Keynote 2

The book covers the basics of how to develop and give a presentation in case you have forgotten or have never given a presentation before.

The author also spends some time on using Keynote 2 with laptops. He covers the reason why you might want to consider purchasing the PowerBook over an iBook. For instance, iBooks can only perform video mirroring which shows the same image on the screen as the external monitor and PowerBooks can be used in the dual-display mode which can show a different image than the PowerBook's screen. Keynote 2 can display to your audience the normal view of your slides on the external display and on your PowerBook you can show the current slide and the next slide, a speaker's notes, a clock, and time.

The book also goes in to using iTunes, iPhoto, and iMove with Keynote 2. They all integrate nicely together. The author also covers exporting Keynote 2 files to other formats. He discusses exporting to Microsoft PowerPoint, into a PDF, and into QuickTime in case the machine you are using does not have Keynote 2. The book also discussed how to publish a Keynote 2 presentation on a website.

I would recommend this book as a manual for Pages and Keynote 2. If you want use the program right way I would look for another manual if you are not willing to put some time in to the necessary reading.

Jim Elferdink's iWork 05: The Missing Manual covers Pages and Keynote 2 as it provides all the basics of how to create documents and produce presentations with iWork's latest, powerful features. Mac users receive a solid reference which will appeal to beginners and advanced users alike: particularly appealing when covering such new functions as Keynote, which has gone through a major update to make it a formidable competitor to PowerPoint. Business users, especially, will find iWork 05: The Missing Manual an essential reference to maintaining professional standards.

The learning curve for Pages can be steep if coming from Word or new to word processing all together. (Actually, it's probably less frustrating if your new altogether.) That's not Pages fault. I think Pages is actually quite intuitive. It is just different than Word, and in my opinion, far superior. This text does a great job explaining Pages' ins and outs, and also offers great tips that will help when using Pages in projects. The tips captions give the text a real hands on feal. It is written from the perspective of someone who really uses and enjoys Pages, not just a lifeless manual like the one that comes with iWork. (Though the one included in the box serves as a good reference.) I have't read the section on Keynote, as I do not have a need for it. Great Book, and still very useful even if you are an 06' user.

Would you like to create documents with classy and colorful Pages templates that make you appear like you have the art department on your payroll? If you would, you're in luck! Author Jim Elferdink, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that introduces iWork '05, a brand-new software suite that'll eventually replace the venerable but aged AppleWorks.

Elferdink, begins by showing you how to create a basic document. Then, he covers everything you need to know about formatting your documents and introduces you to Pages' built-in spell checker. The author continues by describing how to use Find & Replace, an editing tool that can make short work of sifting through long documents. Next, he shows you how to lay out pages. Then, the author guides you through table and chart creation and formatting--starting with tables. The author continues by exploring the next step in the life of a Pages document: delivering it from your computer into the hands and in front of the eyeballs of your intended audience. Next, he shows you how to make your own templates so you can add them to Pages' built-in templates roster. Then, the author shows you how to plan, prepare for and deliver a better presentation. He also shows you how to build a basic presentation. The author continues by showing you how to add to your slides everything from text boxes and pictures, to tables, charts, and fancy transitions. Next, he shows you how to import presentations created with PowerPoint or AppleWorks, so that you can continue editing with Keynote. Finally, he shows you how to customize Keynote.

You'll find in this most excellent book, step-by-step instructions for using every Pages and Keynote 2 feature, including those you may not even have quite understood. This book's also designed to give you a thorough grounding in planning and pulling off effective presentations enhanced by Keynote.

The mini manuals out of the box were ok, but this book is great. I was able to finish a project that was "stuck". The beauty of the book is that it explains terms and ideas without being a "beginners" book. A lot of detailed ideas to use and apply to your projects or just how to use the program more powerfully. iWork is a great little program (less than 80 dollars) that is made even better with this book.

As a Visual C++ programmer, I don't do web development for a living. When I do have to work on our company sites, I typically have a specific task to accomplish and no time to fool with it. I moved to .NET for one reason - productivity. I was delighted to find that this is exactly what Steve and Rob offer in "Moving to ASP.NET". They dive right into the practical tasks that I need to accomplish, giving background where needed but otherwise keeping their focus on getting the job done. Even with no VB experience, my database work was up and running in 4 hours. If you want to get up to speed on ASP.NET as quickly as possible, this book will make you productive your first day. I even had time left over for pizza.

Thanks, guys!

This was the first book I bought on ASP.NET and 4 months into the project I still go back to it now and again. It covers all the major topics to get your web application up and running with just enough info on all the major components of ASP.NET to allow you to make informed decisions about the design of your web application. I would recommend this to anyway starting out in ASP.NET.

Good for reading if you cant count sheep to fall asleep, but with no other practical use. I am amazed by the fact I cannot get even a single line of code out of that book and apply it (there is hardly any code) and the author's desire to go on and on discussing theoretical stuff and not even explaining their code if there is any. The pals assume you know already how to program in VB.NET and have done a few apps and now all you need is to get good theoretical background to become a teacher. Usefulness 0.

This book is my best buy on ASP.NET. Don't be deceived by the "Moving to" in the title: it is not a book aimed at VB6 programmers. It is a book for those beginning with ASP.NET. It only assumes you know VB.NET (you should) and have at least a basic understanding of object oriented programming and web technologies.

About it's style:
The authors have the (so much rare) gift of getting in their readers shoes and give you a clear picture of things.

It has strikingly clear explanations even when it goes in-depth. Everything seems to be in the right place: they provide the right detail, the right moment, focusing only on the topic at hand. And all this while being very gentle and friendly, enjoyable I'd say.

About it's content:
So many books out there weight too much and offer to little because their authors think they write a novel. This book has absolutely no fluff (not even about how great .NET is), no cross-reference, no code repetition. It has precisely what you need to get a solid understanding, and the precious little details which help you get a good grasp. Above all: covers both theory and practice.

The explanations built-up from the basics to the more in-depth, and take you from the beginner level to the confident one. Even if you know some ASP.NET (like me) but have some uncertainties this book will put your thoughts in order.

In the bottom line: once you finish the book you 'll be able to start programming with confidence.

If you are looking for your first book on ASP.NET or are dissapointed by some other (like I was) go for this one.

I have recently had the pleasure of being taught .NET by both Rob MacDonald and Steve Harris on a boot camp, and two better teachers you couldn't hope to find. Like the training course they authored, this book is outstanding and highly recommended.