Publications Books

I bought this book as an additional material to study for the CISA exam. However it didn't help me with the exam at all. Furthermore, in an attempt to cover many things, it did not cover anything in detail. This book is just an endless recollection of bullet points. On top of that, it misses very sensitive topics like disaster recovery planning.

Not having much experience in the IT audit field, this book was a great resource and was easy to understand.

This book has some material relevant to the CISA examination based on the 2003 content areas, although it is not organized or focused as a CISA examination guide. If you are looking for CISA review material for the test, I would strongly suggest to stick with ISACA's combination of review manual and questions CD. I also searched everywhere for study aids for this grueling test and ended up using ISACA's expensive material, but it proved to be the best choice as I passed the Dec 2006 test.

However, as owner of a copy of this book, I assure you that this is an excellent reference of IT management, planning, implementation, risk assessment and control procedures for anyone in the IT business. Most of the material is still relevant as of 2007.

Audit is not the most exciting topic in the world, but this no fluff book really sets the standard. The care the authors took is obvious from the start, the table of contents is one of the most detailed I have ever seen, it allows the book to be used as a reference.

My favorite chapter was Quality Management, best job of making quality approachable I have seen to date. My least favorite was Project Management, it seemed to lack the application and lean to theory a bit.

I am not an auditor, but as an auditee, this book really helped me understand how they think. Recommended!

This is a huge book but spends no more then 1 page on any topic. In my opinion the authors only have financial audit experience and little understanding of IT controls. This book shows the failure of the 'integrated auditor' as the authors are tyring to be IT auditors with little IT experience. They touch on some very good points in a few instances and, in general, the book is decent. The authors do not know much outside of the CISA, IIA and financial based certifications as they seem to think that the ISSA (Information Systems Security Assoc.) is sponsored by ISC2/CISSP's (it is not). Overall, I have not been impressed with this book.

Fun way for children to learn about the Bible. Makes a great baby gift.

My son is 3 and he received this bible for his Dedication when he was 18 months old. We started reading it together about 8 months ago and it is fantastic. He loved the pictures and the stories and it is worded perfectly and is wonderful!!!!

The problem with this beginners Bible is how it represents God. Imagine, the story of Noah begins with God being "sad" because people didn't think of him (and so consequently flooding the earth). This makes God seem like a tyrant to a small child (imagine creating fear in a child re: thinking of God). The actual scripture says "the thoughts of man were only evil all of the time." This could be better put into child language such as God felt upset because the people he made kept hurting each other and doing mean things to each other (so SOMETHING closer to the idea in scripture). A kind of lazy thinking dominates both the text and illustrations (which lack any depth or expression besides googley eyes). Imagine my dismay when I received three for my sons first birthday. As someone who does not like to take God's name in vain, I feel this thoughtless representation does just that.

As a 3 & 4 year old Christian Preschool teacher, I absolutely love this little book! What is even better is that my students love it too! :o) I can never get away with reading just one story from this book because the kids always ask for more! I first saw an older version of this book when I was talking with our Kindergarten teacher in her classroom. She told me that she loved it too because it covered some stories that our normal Bible curriculum didn't cover. So, about a two months ago, I purchased one to use in my own classroom. I was so impressed with the reactions of my students in the classroom, that I have decided to give these great little books to all of my students who move up to Kindergarten at the end of the year as a "graduation" gift. It was such a blessing to see the looks on their little faces when received their books. Thank you for having such a wonderful starting point for young hearts who are on their way to a lifetime of serving our Lord and Savior.

My kids - ages 5, 7 & 9 - devoured this book. They each read it cover to cover in the first few days. Its been 6 months since I bought it for them, and they are still reading it.

A very zen approach to becoming more mindful and thereby becoming more meditative and spiritual about every day miracles. This book hit all the high notes with me.

Easy inexpensive purchase!
Very quick delivery!
I love it when it's like that!

Two copies (One for a friend)

Mindfulness in Plain English, Updated and Expanded Edition

Not quite as easy a read as I was lead to believe in the reviews. But definitely an excellent overview of mindfulness. I liked how it pointed out the pitfalls some beginners run into. I liked how they outlined the variety of ways meditation can be practiced. I would recommend this book to other beginners.

I purchased this book because I was interested in learning about the concept of mindfulness. I wasn't exactly looking to develop a serious meditation habit, but during my reading of the book I began to embrace the idea. I read the book and wanted to re-read it fairly soon after finishing, but I loaned it out to someone. I'm eager to get it back and read it again, but I've told someone else they can borrow it! I may have to buy another copy. The book is well-laid-out, covers the subject matter very well, and opened my eyes to a new way of thinking. I'm trying to become a more regular meditator; currently I do it in ten-minute increments a couple of times a week at minimum, but I'm hoping to build from there. Also: I'm currently reading the "sequel" to this book, called "Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness: Walking the Buddha's Path." I'm only in the beginning but I'm finding it on par with "Mindfulness in Plain English" -- informative and eye-opening, and teaching me things that I feel can impact my everyday thinking (and hopefully result in an overall healthier mind).

THIS BOOK ENGAGES THE READER. THERE IS ALSO HUMOR IN THE PART ON MEDITATION AND THE INTERFERENCES THAT COME DURING YOUR ATTEMPTS TO MEDITATE THAT MAKE THE BOOK EVEN MORE ENJOYABLE.

Save your money. This book contains out dated websites and scant information that is readily available on the internet, and in far more informative detail. The secrets are hardly that, and many one page articles on the internet can give you all the information you need to know.

Whalin writes from having been on both sides of the book publishing desk: acquisitions editor, literary agent and writer. When marketing nonfiction or fiction with a book proposal, this book will be invaluable to your efforts. Whalin tells you what the editor and agent look for in a book proposal they can accept. The book presents a comprehensive guide to writing nonfiction book proposals. If you've completed a novel you want to market, you will also need to write a book proposal; many parts of this book will apply to the fiction writer's book proposal. Whalin references authentic resources that give a roadmap to completing a fiction book proposal. On page 102 Whalin writes, "The proposals that sell, however, are the ones in which the author thoroughly presents the concept and includes all of the necessary information." Then in an appendix he includes a checklist to use when preparing nonfiction book proposals. I recommend the book.

This book is a great introduction to book publishing. The author really knows the back-end process of book publishing well and provides much insight for beginner and intermediate writers. Another good book to purchase would be: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published, 4th Edition. While Terry's book is great, the Complete Idiots guide touches on a few areas in addition. All in all Terry's book is a very good book and worth the money.

Terry Whalin's BOOK PROPOSALS THAT SELL gives aspiring writers a publishing insider's expertise while maintaining a true empathy for outsiders longing to crack the door to the publishing world. The author's longtime industry experience adds a huge portion of credence to his practical, information-packed tips.

The happy ending (and beginning) for my own story came when publishers accepted both nonfiction proposals I wrote using Terry's wise counsel. Thanks, Terry, for all you do to bring those on the outside successfully in!

What I like about this book is that fact that it tells you the things you need to know PRIOR to actually writing that non-fiction. I am so glad I bought it because it will save me a lot of time and effort. Now that I read it, I now have a "vision" on how to approach writing that book and weave it into a successful manuscript. It also saves me time surfing the Internet searching for guidance on how to write a winning book proposal. This book tells it all. From book conception, to submission, to marketing, and much, much more. Its a must read before writing.

This book clearly dispells many of the myths and exposes the secrets of the publishing and the self-publishing industry. He does not day how to write your book, rather how to get it into print and distribution. He has terrific ideas about promotion and boosting sales and ultimately profit. He has 95% of submitted manuscripts, pays low royalties (approx 10%), and take up to three years to get your book into print, all the while usurping all the control of the content and layout.

I am a self publishing author myself and always researching ways to market books, especially here on Amazon. I thought I really knew all the tips, tricks and tactics of Amazon marketing...boy was I wrong!

Aaron Shepard lines it all out in an easy to understand guide to marketing your book to the best of your ability on Amazon. But, please do not let the name of the book fool you; it goes way beyond Amazon marketing, including how to actually build and create a book from scratch, covering concepts such as researching before writing, naming the book, interior design and which printing company to use.

If you are a self-publisher or aspiring author, add this book to your shelf. Mr. Shepard has years of experience in the writing field and is generously passing it on to us. I actually have it by my computer as I write for quick reference. I was so impressed by his simplistic and informative writing style that I am now ordering his other books.

"Aiming at Amazon" by Aaron Shepard is my favorite book right now because I successfully used it to create my already written book, "The Magi of Futurity", and have it listed on Amazon. After checking with others and reading the reviews for Aaron's book, I was very impressed and couldn't wait to order it. Within two months after reading this book, along with Aaron's "Perfect Pages" book, I had accomplished my goal. Thank you, Aaron, for producing such wonderful guides for aspiring authors!

(Please note that I actually wanted to rate this text with 4 stars, but Amazon's system will not re-display the stars for a revision of the 3 stars being displayed. My apologies to all...)

Aaron Shepard has done an admirable job of uncovering the inner workings of Amazon. By lifting the curtain and allowing us a glimpse of the ghost in the machine, the author demystifies the mechanism behind what is at first glance unknowable and unexplainable.

Of course, the trick is that Amazon keeps morphing. Fortunately, Shepard provides updates to his book via a website address printed on the back cover of his book. Unfortunately, the site has seen no posted updates since the December 26, 2007 publication date. (As I write this, August 2008 is drawing to a close.)

<<
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Aaron Shepard contacted me regarding this comment. When I wrote this review, a reader typing in the web address provided on the book cover (www.aaronshep.com/publishing) arrives at a page that displays (among others) the following line:

Updates for Aiming at Amazon and Perfect Pages.

Clicking on the "Aiming at Amazon" link takes the visitor to the following page, which offers NO updates:

http://aaronshep.com/publishing/books/AimingAmazon.html

Aaron pointed out this what is actually required is for the person to click on the PRECEDING line (Aaron's Publishing Blog) to get to the updated informtion.

I did urge him to revised the page text, because it's far from intuitive at first glance that that the "Updates" line is merely a description for the blog link that appears above it. Hopefully, he will change the text on the "Updates" line so that other visitors will not similarly leave his site believing that no updates had ever been provided.

...end of this Reviewer Update:>>
>>

However, it's a good book for those authors who are mystified as to the ins-and-outs of having a blog appear on their books' detail pages. You'll also learn on page 148 how to create a super-short web address that points to your book's detail page.

This book is also an excellent compendium of hard-to-locate web addresses and e-mail addresses that Amazon otherwise keeps buried under its vast expanse of pages and contact information. Shepard has undoubtedly created a "required reading" resource for authors who are determined to wring every possible benefit from having their books available for sale on Amazon.


J.D. Mosley-Matchett, Ph.D.
Author of A month of Marketing Technology tips

Aiming at Amazon is the most valuable book I've ever read. It will save you money during the production of your book, and make sure that you make more money after it is produced. Highly recommended for anyone thinking about self-publishing.

This is the third edition I use. I am a psychiatrist but like to keep up with what happens in other fields of medicine. I use it to look up illnesses and symptoms my patients and friends com up with. I use it to get ideas about diagnoses. I believe this is a book to recommend to new doctors. Of course the articles about each somatic state are very short so they need to be followed up elsewhere. But this book is a real good starter. I recommend i warmly.

This is probably a redundant review since all the reviews are 5* reviews, but I'll give you my perspective. This is the third copy of this book I own, the other two being previous editions. If I could own only one medical book, this would be it. While it has grown ~ 500 pages since the last edition I own, it's all good. Every topic is covered both succinctly and authoritatively and kept up to date. The section on AIDS for instance was excellent, nonexistant from my previous edition. Same with Autism and countless other topics. Cross referencing this with other medical texts, time and again the information was accurate, current and on target. The editorial style between topics was consistent, highly readable and easy to absorb quickly. Sitting down to read a topic was always a pleasurable learning experience - loaded with information and to the point.Most importantly for a book of this nature the Index and Tables of contents for each chapter allow you to get to information quickly. This book makes highly effective use of your time investment in a topic.

This book ranks as THE essential book to have in any medical library, whether your library consists of one book or (as mine does), several walls of bookshelves full of books.

I am studying for NP and found this book is comprehensive, with all info you need, symptoms and signs, diagnosis, treatment...under each disease or disorder, well organized and easy to find information you need. And the price at amazon.com is lowest I ever found.

This book has been wonderful! I am thrilled to be able to use it on my journey through nursing school. This book is a pathophysiology life saver as well. The care plans listed here and the information that is in this little book make life much easier! If you are in the medical field, you should own this book. If you are someone that is interested in just learning more, you might want to try the family edition that isn't quite as technical.

A well edited reference book that helps one understand nursing diagnostics. The writing is a bit small and the paper is very thin but other than that its a great little book.

After visiting most of the places in this book last year, I wanted to read this book to find out the experiences of those who fought in this battle. It was a great book, especially if you are a WWII buff like me.

Read this book first when I was 15 years old and it motivated me to learn more about history of the second world war. It's one of the great books on world war II and D-Day and it is highly recommended!

The military interviews were lame. An important part of history, would have liked more intel detail and military strategy.

A great deal of ink and celluloid has been used to describe the Allied invasion of Fortress Europe on Tuesday June 6, 1944. This book remains and no doubt always will be one of the best accounts of what happened that day. It captures the heroism of the common soldiers on both sides. While some of the men collapsed under the pressure, most exhibited great bravery as they fought for what they were told to fight for. One of the best features of this book is that Ryan depicts the German soldiers as fighting soldiers; he very rarely mentions the concept of Nazism or the origins of the war.
There is also very little mention of the clash of egos on the Allied side, although he spends a great deal of time describing the personality conflicts on the German side. I do not fault him for this, for it was these conflicts that kept the German mobile reinforcements from entering the fight on the beaches when they could have made a difference.
D-Day was not the greatest battle of World War II, greater ones took place on the Eastern front between Germany and the Soviet Union. However, it was the most complex in execution and was necessary from the Allied point of view. Given the tremendous power of the Soviet offensive in the east and the blockade of supplies, Germany would eventually have been defeated. However, if the D-Day invasion had been repulsed, the Soviet armies would have overrun all of Germany and possibly even much of France. As a consequence of this, the post-war world would have been very different. From this perspective it was one of the most significant as it put allied armies on a course through Germany. You cannot understand history without knowing about D-Day.

Cornelius Ryan invented two genres with his ground-breaking history-The Longest Day.
On the one hand, he started a trend to personalized history. His book relies heavily on the recollections of those who fought on both sides. In this he anticipates Ken Burns' The War - A Film By Ken Burns and Lynn Novick and also The Second World War the more scholarly John Keegan.
His other innovation, a brisk style of story-telling that hops from the personal to the technical to the strategic has won the day in the fiction of war. Tom Clancy Red Storm Risingis one of his legatees.
Aside from considerations of this book's considerable influence, this is one absorbing read. The personal sense that comes from Ryan's extensive interviews with veterans comes through on the page and the effect is extremely involving, even hypnotic.
The prose style, which seems a little overwrought today, was borrowed heavily from Henry Salomon's TV series Victory at Sea - The Legendary World War II Documentary (History Channel).In 1959, it seemed lke the best-maybe the only way-to discuss events whose importance was becoming more evident as they receded.
This edition lacks maps-except for one that doesn't even include Normandy, and there's no way to tell the strategic part of the story without them. There are also the same typos that existed in the first edition.

None the less, an exciting book and a great introduction to the power of personal history.

Lynn Hoffman, author of bang BANG: A Novel and the pioneering New Short Course in Wine,The

Jorge Luis Borges was one of those rare writers who can take even a bizarre, utterly unbelievable idea, and spin it into an exquisite little gem of prose.

And this classic writer was at the peak of his powers when he collected together "Ficciones," whose plain name belies the subtle power and exquisite beauty of Jorges' short stories. Even among Borges' many short stories, few of them can rival this little labyrinth of strange ancient cities, fictional histories, and the eerie depths of the human mind.

"I owe the discovery of Uqbar to the conjunction of a mirror and an encyclopedia." An odd old saying from the Middle-East leads the narrator to seek out the long-lost heretical histories of a fictional world known as Tlon. Its beliefs, language, and metaphysical eccentricities increasingly fascinate the narrator, until it's almost a surprise to realize that Borges invented all of this.

The stories that follow are no less engrossing -- the recounting of a strange, haunting novel, a man who attempts to LIVE as Don Quixote, a man who tries to dream a new being into existence, a lottery that determines the way the people of Babylon are to live, an examination of a brilliant and underrated author, an exploration of the eternal Library of the universe, and a labyrinthine spy story.

The second round of short stories is a bit less enthralling, merely because it focuses more on "typical" Borges short stories. But they are still pretty enthralling pieces of work -- the remembrance of the brilliantly eccentric Ireneo Funes, the story of a scar, a series of murders linked to "the secret Name," a condemned man's begs God for a year to perfect his art, a forgotten heretic, a conversation leading to revenge, the Cult of the Phoenix, and a man entranced by the "Arabian Nights."

Mirrors and labyrinths fill Borges' work -- real and imagined, in word, metaphor and reality. You see them in an endless library, a guitar melody, a contradiction in religious faith, a complex plot, and in the mind of a man who loses himself to an obsession. The mirrors show you the sides of people that they would never see themselves, and the labyrinth twists the mind into new places where it would never normally go.

"Ficciones" explores places where normal fiction would never go -- such as a Babylonian lottery for different places in society, corrupted by greed -- even as it imbues its eulogies, metaphysical ponderings and explanations with the tinge of reality. The cults, deaths, and art that Borges describes seem so plausible, and are given such depth and detail, that it comes as a mild shock when you realize, "Hey, he made all of this up."

Part of that is due to his unique style, full of elegant wordcraft and gently luminous imagery ("a round yellow moon defined two leaf-clogged fountains in the dreary garden"). Even a stabbing is made brutally beautiful, and often dialogue is unnecessary -- the most beautiful and striking stories in here are the ones where Borges (aka the narrator) eagerly explores some invented facet of the world.

And woven through these stories are many of the things that fascinated Borges through his career -- a tragic hero, ancient heresies, an elusive God, and people whose lives he could somehow explore through his own imagination.

If you could criticize anything at all, it's that few of the characters -- aside from the Borges "narrator" -- are much more than walking symbols of a murky little message. But hey, you could simply see this entire book as an exploration of Borges' own imagination by himself. He happily recounts countries that are nonexistant, books that were never written, geniuses who never were.

"Ficciones" is about the dullest name you can possibly give to a work of genius -- an intricate little web that is all mirrors and mazes. Absolutely stunning.

My knowledge of Borges is small; before purchasing Ficciones I had only read two or three of his short stories. Enough, however, to know that it would be well worth the short time it takes to read each of these stories.

Borges had an unusual and amazing way of compressing the most stimulating, fascinating material into a small number of pages. You may read one of his stories in ten-fifteen minutes and contemplate it for a week (or more) and remember it for life. And still, you may well want to reread it many times; it has happened more than once that upon finishing a Borges short I immediately wanted to go back and start from the beginning.

The strange thoughts on infinity and the nature of existence are presented in a way that stimulates thought in a humble yet intruiging way. Ideas that may be well recognized and used in other fiction (in some cases overused) have some other element, some different approach, so that even if the premise is not "new" the experience certainly is. How this can be done, and in so few words no less, is beyond me.

This was certainly one of my very best buys and I know that this book will be well worn by my reading alone, not to mention that of the many people I will lend it to with my best recommendations. These short stories will bring beauty and excitement of the mind to many an otherwise boring, mundane day.

Borges, a half deaf Mephisto indian from Peru, wrote in the later half of the 20th century when half of his inheritance had been squandered in Bordellos charging full price. His forte into "asylum" literature came about as a result of being incarcerated by accident in a Bolivian prison camp which inspired the film, "Papillon". His days were spent by writing and re-reading a book he carried inside his pocket for 22 years which was titled, "Moth Collecting for Youngsters". Most of these stories deal with tidal waves and rocks but some, deal with the memories of his youth like "Hopping on Empty Books".

Transport the Wachowski brothers to the 1930's and ask them to express their philosophy by way of short stories. You might get something in the same ballpark as Ficciones. The diversity and genius of Borges' work is so unique that if you were to know all the languages in the world and had no word limit, it would still be hard to do a review that does justice. Ironically, this is exactly the kind of challenge that Borges would stand up to. I will attempt to review this work by enlisting adjectives that come to mind.

Surreal, mystic, recursive, sophistic, heretical, philosophical, religious, profound, imaginative, ingenious, circular, open-ended, unorthodox, personal, hallucinational, original, universal, self-referential, concise, contextual, complex, ironic.

Here are a few examples of the complexity of Borges' mind at work.

Borges attributes certain imaginary books and volumes of books to some of the authors that he is most influenced by. In reality, these books are projections of Borges' fertile mind and no more. In the process of critiquing imaginary works of art (let's call this meta-art), he creates an instance of the meta-art in the mind of the reader. It's like me talking to you about the eating habits of a third person you haven't met, and actually does not exist! Borges never fails to leave you with a lasting impression of a meta-art that resonates with your senses. On second thoughts, this is obvious because the meta-art is as much a figment of your imagination as it is Borges'. Every meta-art is a reflection of your own creative mind, while Borges is simply holding a mirror. And talking about mirrors, here's a quote from Borges as attributed by him to the meta-art in his first short story "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius": "The earth we inhabit is an error, an incompetent parody. Mirrors and paternity are abominable because they multiply and affirm it." And with this we come full circle just like you would in most of Borges' stories.

Borges is fascinated with the idea of god and provides several unorthodox notions of god that might be as appealing to scientists as they would to priests. This is done more so by illustration than by elucidation. In fact, subtle self-references and recursions are an integral part of the entire work. The stories embody the concept that Borges sets out to illustrate, and always come full circle at the end such that appreciating the story is equivalent to appreciating the concept. Whether it is the wizard of "The Circular Ruins", the librarian of "The Library of Babel", the spy of "The Garden of Forking Paths", the teenage boy of "Funes the Memorious", or the playwright of "The Secret Miracle"; the self-referential nature of the work is haunting. Each story leaves you wondering how Borges could convey so much with so little words [This also speaks volumes about the quality of English translation]. Then again, the very topic of brevity and excessiveness is discussed in one of the reviews of a fictional book. It is like Borges does not let anything go. Yet again, the very topic of an all-encompassing book is discussed in the context of a fictional book that aspires to BE god.

There was not a single story of the seventeen that was not profound. There is no chance that you would not re-read this book after reading it once.

Borges never fails to please, to challenge, to entertain, and more importantly make one's brain shift into high gear!
If you are looking for an easy read, don't expect to find it in Ficciones.

However, if you are looking for a little cerebral cortex arousal; grab this book and find a cozy spot...you won't be disappointed!

Reading with his head instead of his heart, Borges looks to fill his mind with all the minutia and information he can possibly hold and release it back in his works with finely crafted and fascinatingly playful philosophical stories.

The sparse, objective writing of Ficciones is a far cry from his earlier lyrical style, of which he says: "In those days, I sought dusk, the outskirts, and unhappiness; now, mornings, the center, and serenity."

Thankfully in the newer center, we are treated to 17 extraordinary stories that are teasingly succinct, yet brimming with imaginative and aesthetic prose!

The scarcity of words requires that the reader pay attention to them all or miss much of the wisdom and subtleness that define the delicate and ingenious style that is this fine master of fiction...Jorge Luis Borges!

Aside from scripture, this may be the most important book you ever read about God. It's that good. It's an annual re-read for my spouse, and will become one for me, since it's reawakened my awe of God and his majesty.

When I pick up a book this slim, I usually think I can knock it out in a short amount of time.

I was wrong.

Like a lot of C.S. Lewis books, the length is deceiving: you can't just breeze through them. The depth of intellect and the power of the words mean slowing down to absorb what A.W. Tozer is saying. It really is an amazing book of knowledge, insight and experience.

I also recognized a lot of problems with faith that Tozer addressed then--and it's worse now!

I can't recommend this book enough.

This is a classic work.
It is short and still covers many attributes of God.
What's so good about this book, is authors ability to give comprehensive and interconnected view of divine attributes; to show how they are connected and do not oppose each other.

I would recommend this book for everybody.
It's easy to read and will cause you to rethink your relationship with God for better.

The Knowledge of the Holy by Tozer is a must read for every Christian. He seems to see into the heart of God and knows, as we all should, that God wants us to know Him and in knowing Him worship and serve Him. The book has short chapters each on something "True about God" and the essential first chapters explain why we need to think rightly about God, anything short is idolatry. As I said, the book is essential reading with an open Bible next to it for all Christians, young and old.
In Jesus
steve

This is a book about the attributes of God. Tozer does an outstanding job of pointing us to God by recalling those things which the Bible says are true of God Almighty.

A few ideas Tozer repeats throughout the book. These ideas are:

1) Modern man has lost the vision of the majesty of our God, and the first step to aquiring it is to determine to "Aquaint ourselves with God".

2) In attempting to see God the way that He truly is, we must believe in order that we may understand, not the other way around.

3) That God is unitary in His being and that all of His attributes work together perfectly without conflict with each other. Also, since God is infinite then all of His attributes are infinite as well.

I read a chapter from this book daily, and my hunger for His presence has certainly increased as a result. This book has helped me to see how futile I am in myself and how pride and worldliness are my biggest hinderences to drawing near to the Lord. This book will help you to see that nothing else in life really matters in comparison to our Almighty God.

This is a great book, top-notch quality both on the text, pictures, quality of the paper used and information provided. In my opinion just one thing could make this book even better: a better organization/rating system for the fishes/invertebrates covered. The author put a lot of text for each fish/invertabrate without a simple to read classification on wheter a beginner like myself should buy or not that particular animal. For that I am using the excellent The Complete Book of the Marine Aquarium [Hardcover] By Vincent B. Hargreaves, which provides a rating from 1 thru 5 on each animal depending on the complexity of keeping it on a fish tank.

Robert M. Fenner's THE CONSCIENTIOUS MARINE AQUARIST is an outstanding library reference. Revised and updated in a second edition, it provides saltwater hobbyists with a wealth of detail on keeping a successful saltwater aquarium. Chapters cover, in detail, everything from water health and saltwater species biology to discussions of setup options, maintenance, and more. Color photos abound and the information is detailed, not cursory. A top pick any saltwater hobbyist - and collections catering to them - must have.

This is a very informative book for anyone who is starting up a new saltwater aquarium. The illustrations are great. It covers a lot of depth and provides practical tips to setting up and maintaining an aquarium.

This book provides a great overview of the hobby. This is really where most people should start off reading in the hobby to determine if they're going to create a reef in their living room. Perhaps some should start with Paletta's The New Marine Aquarium first as a quick 1 day read, but really those who plan on enjoying the hobby would be well served by skipping the superbasic and getting into this book. That's not to say this is the only book you'll ever need - but this is enough book for most people to be quite content with. (For those of you who are 'bitten' by the hobby, The Reef Aquarium series by Delbeek & Sprung is an excellent resource, but there are others.) Enjoy,

I have been keeping a marine tank for less than 1 year. I got tired of just using the internet for all my knowledge-base of marine aquariums; spending many hours digging through all the forums for whatever current problem/issue i had, reading so many conflicting opinions and answers from 'experts', and often ending up at least as confused as when i began.

So I bought this book, read it, and feel much better equipped for the hobby. I still refer heavily to internet sources for more granular knowledge, but at least I now have a solid, reliable source for a foundation on which to build.

This book gave me more confidence, and left me eager to learn and do more in this hobby. It is beautifully illustrated, well composed, and the author conveys his own passion of the hobby and eagerness to educate responsible marine hobbyists.