Directories Books

I have used previous editions of this directory several times in the past when traveling to areas where I needed a place to stay and didn't know anyone who could offer one. In addition to providing the necessary contact information, the articles in the front provided enough background in the "lingo" that I could ask intelligent questions about visiting, which saved a lot of time.

This publication contains listings of contact and descriptive information on more than 600 Intentional Communities (ICs) in North America and is unquestionably the best available directory for Intentional Communities (ICs) in print...

I've been lived in an IC for many years and the 1990 edition of this Directory was VERY important to me - and perhaps owning and using this new edition will be so for you. If you live in a "nuclear family" (or live alone), you can dramatically improve your life by joining and/or starting an authentic community. And adding your energy to one of the communities in this directory could even be your best way to help save the world!

This directory is published by the Fellowship for Intentional Communities (FIC), which has published these directories for years, along with Communities Magazine - the only magazine that directly addresses the IC movement.

This print edition is the first to publish output from an online version of the directory and involved the least amount of editorial hand-work as compared to any previous version. The data in the online directory (and by extension, within this print directory) is now largely maintained by the communities themselves.

Despite its importance, I was tempted to only give it a 4 out of 5 stars - why? read on...

I am responsible for the online directory database record for my IC (Songaia Cohousing Community). I edit our online record and am pleased with the editorial work of the FIC editors as they modified the online listing for the print edition.

Unfortunately, the ease with which the many contributors can now add/edit information is not balanced by much fact-checking by FIC editorial. My community's listing is scrupulously honest in the objective information - I continue to maintain it carefully, changing the data as our community changes. I have personal knowledge of several listings which are blatantly inaccurate. The biggest errors probably involve listings which claim larger community memberships than they actually have. For example, one community claims 8 members in their directory listing... and shows many more than 8 faces and biographies on their website. Talking with the community's founder, I learned that it actually has just one member who has been in the struggle of "building community" for many years, without much progress.

Another challenge is the inclusion and mixing of many different types of communities - in all stages of development. While it mostly contains residential communities (what most expect when they think of an IC), the directory also includes (1) community networks (groups of ICs - associations), (2) non-residential communities, and (3) even some fairly typical charities. And since the descriptions were written by many individual contributors, it can be difficult to tell the difference until you further research the group... visit their website, etc.

Even among the residential ICs, "forming" or "reforming" ICs are intermixed with ones which actually have groups of people living together... right now. Specifically, the directory has listings for communities with people with years of established culture, e.g. East Wind (commune of 75 people, formed in 1970), Nyland (cohousing of 140, formed in 1990), Ecovillage at Ithaca (162 people, formed in 1992), which appear side-by-side with MANY "forming" communities of just 1 or 2 people - that are trying to grow into ICs - some for just a few months and some for many years.

All of this means to get the most out of this directory requires research on your part and that its data should be considered critically and not assumed to be factual... Perhaps it goes without saying, but people seeking a life in an IC should be cautious when they choose with whom they will live.

The Community Directory's Introduction, part of which is entitled "What This Directory Is and Isn't" is totally up front about these limitations and given the web's impact on sales of print references, it is reasonable for the FIC to limit its investment in editorial work.

One reason that you should buy this directory is to help provide FIC with more funds to make the next version better... the people working on it are smart, hard-working, and generous with their time, but the funds available for their time are limited by directory sales.

In conclusion, an earlier version of this directory proved an important way for me to connect with the IC movement. I think it may serve that purpose for you as well - why don't you go ahead and buy your copy and start making your life better by living IN COMMUNITY!

The Communities Directory is an amazing gateway to much that is hopeful in the world. People engaging in all manner of cooperative living experiments; finding a better way to more richly be in this small world. The 4th edition is a testament to the enduring commitment of the publisher, the Fellowship for Intentional Community, to co-creating a more peaceful, sustainable world.

This is a must have volume on you bookshelf and in your road tripping backpack. Be careful - it may change your life.

This is an amazing resource. Not only does it describe hundreds of Intentional Communities in North America, it also has a chart with selectors which make it easy to figure which communities you might even want to research. It also has an extensive resource section which includes info about other continents, and interesting articles as well. There is nothing else like it. Well worth the $30. And that's coming from a tighwad! Definately on my must-have list.

This review refers to the original volume that I have sitting by my TV. In these days with cable and satellite available many vintage TV shows are aired all of the time. A quick thumb through the book not only gives excellent overall view of the show but the cross reference of stars and other shows is suburb.

I have used this book since I "found" a copy on book stand in NYC back in the 80s. Worth the purchase price.I use it all the time. The 1992 version should be better.

Used in conjunction with the Prime Time Stars book, this makes an excellent cross-reference of TV programs and stars for the period covered. My hopes are that the authors write a update for both the television shows and stars. The format is excellent showing all aspects of the shows including dates televised, stars and their roles, and interesting facts about the production.

I purchased this book when it was first published over a dozen years ago and still refer to it several times a week. Not only is it comprehensive but Tim Brooks often gives short biographies of the stars, listing other shows and related areas for which a particular actor or actress might have been known. I'm sorry that it is currently out of print because I would like to have an updated version of the book.

Copywriting giants deserve equally large books to showcase them, so this Copy Book is the perfect literary wax museum to learn more about some of the advertising industry's greats. In it, you can almost, just almost, get into the minds of legends like Neil French, David Abbott and many others, and possibly get a glimpse into how their minds work and what makes them tick. Besides their professional advice, you might get some inspiration from the award-winning advertisement classics (check out the infamous Volk Wagon and Stella Atois ads) that accompany each of these wordsmiths. (The price is) worth every cent of it.

Sitting on my shelf are, oh, about 30 books on advertising. Maybe more. Ironically, "The Copy Book" isn't one of them -- it's too damn large! So it lays kinda slouched against the wall. But not for long, 'cos that baby tends to spend an obscene amount of time in my hands. And yes, as some other reviewer points out, Neil French is in sparkling form -- what's new? --, dispensing advice you wouldn't read about (Australian expression) -- except here. Abbott ... amazing. Steve Henry. Jim Durfee. Richard Foster (great essay!) They're all here and more. A must-read several times over. Ads are a little dated, but so what? The advice is priceless.

I read a copy of this book that belongs to my CD and quite frankly,I was awestruck. Been looking for my own ever since. You'll find all the writers you admire in there. Neil French in his element, David Abbott,name them, all the superstars telling you how they do it. And how not to do it. An unputdownable read for all in this noble profession, very inspiring.

Tired of advertising books that are big on art, but short on copy - full of page-shots where the body copy's been reduced or screened beyond legibility?

The Copy Book, by Alastair Crompton ("The Art of Copywriting") is different. In it, 32 top advertising writers share their views on how they write, and what makes a great ad.

It's full of good advice, and full of very good - and awarded - ads. Some of them are even long-copy!

This is beginning to sound like an ad. I'm not getting paid, so I'll stop.

Vaughn Davis
Auckland, New Zealand

I'm a woodworker, so when I was at the local tool store, I started thumbing through this book. The book is a wonderful survey of current woodworking. I saw lots of stuff that I'd love to build. When I saw a certain floor lamp very much like one I have been mentally designing, I bought the book.

This book can best be described as fancy, "glossy catalog."

One very helpful item is a summary of the 'terms and conditions' of the various craftspersons--required deposit, lead times, whether there is a charge for design work, etc. Apparently, I might be able to ask for (and receive) more from my clients.

I love this book. It is filled with beautiful, unique pieces of furniture. There are a few extreme designs, but most of the pieces you could imagine having in your own home. All of the pictures are in color and a good size so you can see the details clearly. Besides giving the names and postal addresses of the craftsmen, the author also furnishes websites and email addresses for many of them. In the back there is a regional index and a style index which are both very useful. Even though this book is paperback, I think it would make a great coffee table book because every aspect of it is beautifully designed; the text, the photographs and the layout.

(I looked over this book in the store, and hope to get it for Christmas)

Lots of great pictures! If you are a long time Fine Woodworking reader you will recognize many of them. However, you notice other nuances when they are placed with unseen pictures of the craftsman's other work.

The wide variety of styles is very useful for forming your own sense of design and proportion. You see traces of James Krenov's style on many pages. I found it more useful and inspiring than Taunton's Design Book series.

If you were looking to hire somone to make you a custom piece I suspect this book would be quite a help, but I'm looking at it as more of a survey of current work. I plan to use it to help refine where I want to go with my own furniture design and woodworking.

-Jeff

This is the perfect present to give someone who thinks that the art of making fine furniture is a dying one. In it are representative works by 125 of our finest craftsfolk. Here you will find artists who extends styles which have become timeless without ever being imitative (Robert Stevenson and Jeffrey Greene), woodworkers who are intent in opening new avenues of creativity (Tom Hobgood and Christoph Neander), and every variation in between. And each and every one is a master of the craft.

In a sense, this is a puff book - created to facilitate the contact between the artist and the knowledgeable consumer. Each furniture maker gets two beautifully printed pages to present their work and their ideas. Not very much room, when you think of it. Reading the book is like spending a day at the very best custom furniture show in the world. And like a good show, the submissions were juried by a panel to ensure that promotional or not, the contents were the genuine article.

I bought the book to look for some ideas for furniture - not to buy, but to build. If I look too long I get a bit depressed as I realize how much more skilled these makers are than I am. But it is an inspiration, and, eventually, it helped me make what I wanted to do a bit finer in concept. If you love to look at fine things, or are one of the fortunate who can look forward to having them, this book is a homage to artistry that is a combination of great imagination and the skill to execute it.

Over the past couple of months I've read a small pile of computer graphics books from the "Inspired" and New Riders [digital] series and others. I would put 3D design in the position of being one of the first practial how-to books a beginner should work with. Each section is clearly laid out, doesn't confuse with too much detail, and helps you gently step into CG. This book will get you oriented and everything after this will just be deeper studies in specific areas.

A lush, beautiful introduction to the world of 3D. Perfect for newbies and those just wondering what 3D is all about. Plus it includes a Cinema 4D tutorial (building a photo-realistic pool cue).

This book left me wanting more from this publisher and this author.

The BEST book out there for beginning 3D artists. Period. Should be included with all 3D software packages. If you're thinking about getting into 3D design, buy this first!!!!!!

Digital 3D Design is like a visual dictionary for the 3D design world. Out of all the 3D books I own, this is the one I recommend the most in teaching 3D and animation classes (with Bill Fleming's Photorealistic Toolkit a close second!).

It covers concepts and terms (introductory and advanced) in very clear and concise ways, fully illustrated.

It discusses all the major 3D packages, including Maya, LightWave, Cinema 4DXL, ElectricImage, SoftImage and others, discussing advantages of each.

It covers views, 3D space, lighting, shading, textures, resolution, UV mapping, splines, curves, polygons, points, advanced modeling concepts, raytracing, rendering, radiosity, setting up skeletons, animation, inverse kinematics--everything you'd expect if you were looking for the ideal textbook for a 3D class (I'm using it for my modeling and animation classes).

All this for around less than $30. A book every 3D designer, and instructor, should own! Highly recommended.

Several years ago, I was helping corporate clients prepare for a trade show in Sichuan Province. We put together a thorough guide to doing business in the province, covering its history, natural resources, legal requirements and related topics. If we didn't have the necessary information readily at hand, we could easily get it -- even the latest rules for joint ventures. But when we needed contact information on the province's government officials, it was almost nowhere to be found. We finally managed to assemble a useful directory -- but would have been delighted to have had access to a far more complete directory, like the one found in this superb Pacificom book. And we were looking for names in just one province. Here you can find listings for almost every part of China. If you need an up-to-date resource, to save you hours or even days of work, this is the directory I would recommend.

Directory of Chinese Government and Organizations is a "must buy" for anyone who is serious about conducting business in China. The comprehensive nature and detail shown in this publication is a mark that a true expert, who is knowledgeable of how to successfully conduct business in China, wrote this guide. No other guide offers the variety of industries as this one. Plus, the ability to search organizations by province, and by national, and state government is an added benefit. I know that one of the greatest challenges that many people have faced when working with Chinese agencies is finding the right person to contact. This is the first book of this type that I have seen here in the US. Not even the most respected sources, including the Wall Street Journal can match the caliber and standards of this publication. I look forward to future publications. I give it 5 stars and the authors and publishers at PacifiCom, Inc. and Gala Worldwide Communications have my full endorsement!

Knowing the right people and connection is essential for having a successful business in China. This directory contains up-to-date information of Chinese central and local government organizations and major national corporations. You need the book to help you understand who you may need to deal with. An essential tool to get you started!

This is by far the most thorough and up-to-date compendium of Chinese government and officialdom that I've seen. As someone who has been doing business in China for several years, I've been frustrated time and again by the lack of current, complete contact details. Other directories, many of them several times more expensive, purport to provide the information. Most are out of date before the ink is dry. This one delivers. In addition to central government functionaries, it lists party officials, military types and municipal, provincial and diplomatic offices - no easy task at a time when there's so much shuffling and reorganization in official China. I was pleasantly surprised to find website addresses for so many government offices. This book is well organized and, apparently, will be updated frequently by mail and online. Those of us who do business in China can only say: It's about time!

I am very happy with this book. It has two pages on each oil describing the aroma, a description of the plant, the history and myths, chemical constituents, uses, precautions, and other oils it blends well with. At the back is a glossary, a blend chart, which catagorizes the types of oils, and a skin type chart. I have found it easy to use, and helpful in my home creations.

This is one of my favorite and most referenced handbooks for essential oils. It is designed for one who knows at least a little about aromatherapy, and plans to be working with the oils. Warning: the drawings on some of the pages may be offensive to some, depicting a witch with an herb popularly used by witches at one time, and people not fully dressed on others. I value the book for it's wealth of information, and ignore some of the illustrations.

Two pages are devoted to each of the essential oils, which are in alphabetical order. Near the title of each oil there is a chart listing the plant/part (plant as in "tree", and part as in "leaves" or "fruit"), Latin name, family, note (top, middle or base), planet, and means of extraction. There are several categories that describe each oil. Aroma describes the kind of fragrance; "features" tell about physical characteristics of the plant, and where it is grown, and such. A section called "History and Myth" tells about how the oil was used historically, and any myths associated with it. The chemical constituents, oil properties, and any precautions are listed. Three sections are devoted to telling how each oil may effect the mind (as in being a sedative), body (as in helping to regulate women's cycles), and skin (as in reactions to say, oily or sensitive skin). The last heading on each page is "blends" which lists other essential oils which blend well with the one under discussion.

There are several helpful resources in the back of the book. A glossary gives a short definition of oil properties, and lists the oils with each property. A blending chart is included, categorizing the oils by what they are (trees, flowers, spices, etc.) and telling what commonly works well together. Another chart lists the oils under which skin types for which they would be most helpful.

This book is great! It covers most of the oils any one would use and some you may never have heard of. I really like that it includes the note( top middle base) for each oil as well. This is a must have book that you will use often.

This book is definately a must for anyone studying or wants to know more about essential oils. I used this book as a bible during my Diploma of Aromatherapy course, and I still find it a valuable tool for this modality, as it covers everything from where the plant originates from, its chemical properities, effects on the mind, body, skin, blending. I highly recommend this book for any aromatherapy enthusiast. A must on the bookshelf.

We are one of the doll hospitals listed in the book. We have already received a call from Louisiana from another doll hospital that was looking for Margon eyes. Also, we have a web site, and when we receive requests for the "closest doll hospital to where I live", we use the Doll Hospital Directory to answer their inquiry. We foresee using this book as a very helpful resource in our business. Every person who does any doll repair should have a copy.

I was very impressed with the concise information. I used it right away. I have a doll I wanted to have repaired. Several doll hospitals sent me repair information. One doll hospital even sent me photos of previous repairs. It's a necessity for anyone who collects dolls.

It is nice to have other doll hospitals to refer customers to that do not wish to mail their dolls for repair, especially knowing that they produce objects of fine workmanship. My name is Heather M. Sainsbury and my hospital, THE CHINA BISQUE DOLL HOSPITAL & GIFT SHOP IN ARCADIA, FLORIDA is listed in this excellent reference guide. The before & after section is amazing! You can look for pictures on my composition restoration there. I am honored to be included in this book, all that are listed are specialists. A SPECIAL UPDATE: THIS PAST YEAR I HAD THE HONOR OF WINNING 1ST. PLACE IN PROFESSIONAL COMPOSITION RESTORATION, BY THE DOLL DOCTORS ASSOC. AND HONORABLE MENTION IN PERIOD COSTUMING AND WIGS. Add this book to your collection it will become one of your prized possessions. EMAIL ADDRESS: dolldoctor@desoto.net Dollingly Yours, Heather M. Sainsbury C.D.D

This book is easy,fun to read AND it gave me a lot of doll doctors to speak with about repairs. It made getting the doll fixed so easy. Just the book I needed!

I loved the before and after photos of all the antique dolls that have been restored. Having this book has opened up a new world of collecting for me - now I can collect older or worn dolls and I know they will be as good as new. This book taught me alot and I reccommend it to any doll lover.

Dennis Dahlin has compiled a delightful and unique guide of interesting places to stay with an environmental or 'earth-friendly' element. The book is a dynamic resource with an update page available on their website. The book is enhanced with beautiful sketches primarily drawn by the author. Other environmental travel guides are in the works. We enjoyed the relaxing read and look forward to exploring the many inns he has discovered and shared with us. .....

The charm and character of the inns listed in this book make me want to take a trip from the tip of the NorthEast down, stopping at every inn. Hand-drawn sketches are marvelous! And, the info on ecofriendly places to visit is richly detailed. I've almost visited all the inns here in Northern CA--This book opens new pathways across the country, while treading lightly on the earth. A treasure.

This review is written by a connoisseur of travel guides who has been a globe-trotter for over 50 years, and a resident of the northeast for much of her life prior to becoming an innkeeper in the Caribbean. The book is exceptionally well researched and beyond compare in its meticulously researched and presented contents. It picks and chooses the most interesting inns, richly describing each one in an enchanting and easy-to-follow format. It inspires the reader with additional information about hiking groups, farmers' markets, environmental action groups, web sites, and other items of interest rarely included in similar, but more expensive, travel guides. Reading this book is like being taken care of by the best of the best inn-keepers. The illustrations are methodically detailed and beautiful to look at, as are the photos. Buy it, you'll like it! And give it as a gift, too!

From Planeta Journal - Guide to "green" hotels in the U.S. Northeast. The author provides a selection of hotels desgined and operated in harmony with the environment. Establishments in this guide strive toward being earth-frinedly via the use of solar heating, innovative recycling programs and/or organic gardens. The author describes these hotels and inns and provides rates, credentials and - most notably - lively histories of each hotel's origins and the owner's current work. Chapters include information about nearby earth-friendly restaurants, natural food stores, farmers' markets and destinations for low-impact recreation. This is the first in a series. Highly recommended.

I have only read about half of the book so far and already I have used many of the tips and scripts. All the scripts mentioned in the book are available online so you don't have do all that typing. Many of the hacks are not really hacks, but tips and recommendations on how to do things.
The only minor complain I have is that the book references other chapters, but you have to go back to the Table of Contents to find the page number for the chapter. I think each page should have the current chapter number on it.
Each page does have the hack number on it so it makes it easy to find a hack without going back to the table of contents.

If you use eBay (as a buyer or seller), this is the "user's manual" or best practices guide that should be part of your signup... eBay Hacks by David A. Karp.

Contents: Diplomacy and Feedback; Searching; Bidding; Selling; Working with Photos; Completing Transactions; Running a Business on eBay; The eBay API; Index

Most Hacks titles consist of 100 tips and tricks related to the subject matter being discussed. In eBay Hacks, you get an extra 25 for your money. What a deal! :-) Regardless of whether you're a complete newbie to eBay or you actually run an eBay storefront, you'll find things in here that will save you time and money on a regular basis. Reading the chapter and hacks on feedback, I learned that there are ways to prevent negative feedback even after it's been given. Since so much of who you are on eBay relates directly back to your feedback rating, this can be a critical factor in getting buyers to trust you (or others to sell to you). The chapter on bidding went into the act of "sniping", or bidding at the last second, so that you can stand a much better chance of not being overbid at the last second. I didn't realize there are third-party services that will do this for you automatically. No wonder I've lost some things I really thought I had nailed. Karp even goes into how best to compose photos that will draw people to your auction rather than send them away for something that looks more appealing.

Obviously, you can use eBay without this book and information. I'm sure you'll do fine. But the first time you find an auction miscategorized (because you were looking for that condition) and you launch a bidding strategy that gets you the deal of a lifetime for next to nothing, you'll wonder why you waited so long. Good stuff here...

Author: David A. Karp

Description:
eBay Hacks by David A. Karp
Published by O'Reilly ISBN 059610068X
Reviewed by Jim Lauria-HuNTUG member

From the introduction: "Essentially, you'll find in this book the tools to help you trade smarter and safer, make more money, and have fun doing it."

This second edition-revised and updated to June 2005-provides the eBayer with tips and tools (aka hacks) for successful bidding, buying and selling on the premier online auction web site.

I found the hacks provided by the author to be extremely helpful and informative, easy to use and understand. As a long time eBay seller I had become complacent with the tools and techniques which I had been using for months or even years. This book has given me new ideas and approaches to make my eBay business better.

Karp provides clever shortcuts and powerful tools to do all sorts of neat things like create better titles, listings and descriptions to fancier photographs (Hack 74) and even how to cultivate a good reputation and protect yourself and your $ (Hacks 25 & 85). He also provides warnings about your safety, privacy and money matters.

Included is a chapter on eBay's Application Programming Interface, XML, Perl, PHP and RSS and development of custom software apps that can be worked in to one's own business apps and can also be passed along to others-hey maybe even for a small fee!

The book is well written with plenty of photos, screen shots and lots of code to get you up and buying/selling in quick fashion. 438 pages that read through really quickly and are packed with plenty of good stuff.

I would recommend this title for anyone-novice or pro-who is or would like to make or save some money using eBay or just to have some fun while selling your wares. The book lists for $24.95-less online.

I give this one 5 stars.

One of my favorite activities in my spare time is buying and selling on eBay. It has quickly become the world's largest virtual mall of just about everything you can possibly think of. When I received this book I was eager to learn some of the "tricks of the trade" and found a lot of useful material, albeit some of it is geared towards power sellers and not the average user.

The book itself is packed with 125 "hacks" for eBay, which can range from the basics (leaving feedback) to the more complex (setting up your own online check-out). A lot of the hacks give you tweaks and twists on the normal way of doing things, or take a task and show you a different, sometimes a little more dynamic, way of doing it.

Some of the more advanced topics will only be feasible if you are a powerseller. The author covers a lot of third-party tools as well, which can quickly run into the big dollars if you are just selling a few things each week. However, there is a fair amount of material devoted to the mom and pop sellers, like many of us are. One of the shining points of this book is that it does show you how to do a lot of tricks yourself if you are willing to roll up your sleeves and play around with Perl.

However, the book is for more than just sellers. A lot of tips are there for buyers as well. Such things as how to snipe effectively, and how to take advantage of bid increments in the auction to get the item for the lowest price. Even though the author is writing for both parties, the buyer and seller, he does a good job of not taking advantage of one over.

A few of the topics he covers can be a bit controversial, depending on how you look at it. Things such as withholding feedback and sniping can be frowned upon by some -- but it is all perfectly legal in the world of eBay and the author tells you how to take advantage of it.

Overall, a good book for those who want to get more out of eBay than just the casual buyer/seller. If you want to kick-start your eBay selling career, this is one of the books you will want to have to help guide you; Whereas if you want to learn the tricks of the buying game, you couldn't have picked a better reference manual.