Bryan Books

This book has very detailed technical specs and performance data which is complete. Unfortunately the photographs fall short in the detail department (especially close-ups of the
attachments/mounting points, external details) which are useful for anyone doing a replica, which is 90% of the reason for purchase.The side profiles are basic line drawings without the overhead, left,right,front and rear views that provide needed details.
But for the price you get general info that is available for free on the internet as well as B/W photos(that could be enhanced for better clarity) and 3-5 artist renderings(very excellent). Over all a good value for the price.

This tank could have made a great diferens in een early ending of the war. This book makes this statement.
The pictures are of an high detail.

I'm very impressed with the developmental details leading up to the M26 Pershing tank, and the preponderance of incredibly crisp photographs are simply amazing. I recognize many Korean War pictures from Jim Mesko's Armor in Korea, and the clarity of the same photos in Zaloga's book is a night-and-day difference.

Again, plentiful details on World War Two deployment, from Operation Zebra to the close of hostilities. Just a little more detail on the immediate post-war disposition of these tanks would have been appreciated.

After such intricate coverage of the Pershing's development, even including self-propelled artillery derivatives that weren't put into production, the M46 Patton and M26A1 modifications appear rushed and lacking in essential details. I can't blame Zaloga for not including exact production quantities except 360 M46A1s, as other sources can't seem to pin those numbers down either. One thing I definitely would have appreciated was information on which models served with which units with the occupation forces in Germany, and when they were withdrawn.

The Korean War gets multi-page coverage, but outside of initial deployment during 1950 there is insufficient information on units that traded in Chaffees and Shermans for Pershings and Pattons, or specifics on the withdrawal of Pershings other than "the M26 had been declared 'limited standard' before the outbreak of the Korean War and was retired from service shortly after" (p.42). Shortly after the war, or after the outbreak of the war? How many M45 close support howitzer tanks served in that war, and when were they withdrawn? Did the M46 Patton replace both the Sherman and the Pershing, and if so, when? "The M46 and M46A1 were declared obsolete in February 1957 and were retired from service..." does not illustrate the fact that M46s continued to serve in reduced numbers with battle group assault gun platoons after the two remaining divisions in-theater were reorganized to the Pentomic structure in 1957. Of course that's picking nits in a ten dollar book, but these nits prevent me from giving a full five stars to an otherwise excellent book on the development and service of the M26 Pershing and M46 Patton.

it still takes a back-seat to R. P. Hunnicut's exhaustive and complete book, "Pershing: a History of the Medium Tank".

What this slender book does have is some good info (little of which is new) and a lot of excellent, clear pictures. It's an excellent reference on the tank and a worthy addition to the series.

The M26 Pershing was the US Army's belated answer to the German Panther and Tiger tanks. Until the invasion of France the US thought their "Tank Destroyer" arm would defend against Nazi armor while the obsolescent Sherman tank would be used to exploit breakthroughs. The close fighting in the hedgerow country of Normandy showed the flaws in this policy and urgent requests went out for a better armed and better protected tank. The Ordnance dDepartment's answer was the T26E3 (later M26) which had been in development. The tank, nicknamed "Pershing", was rushed into production and early examples arrived in Europe late in the war. The Pershing also proved to be a powerful asset in Korea when facing the Soviet T34 tanks used by North Korea.

The recent release of a model of America's M26 Pershing tank led to several new books coming out on this little-know armored vehicle. If I have to choose only one of the new crop I would pick this one. Mr. Zaloga is a dedicated researcher and is very knowledgeable on combat vehicles and their histories. In a thumbnail Zaloga traces development of the new tank and then looks at how the Pershing was used in WW2 and Korea.

For a modest price the reader gets a history of the tank and color scheme information. The Osprey Vanguards are not meant to be the "final word" on any vehicle, but serve as modestly priced, readily available references. This is one of the best in that series.

A must have if your a Myst player. The Larghe's

I thought the guide was a wonderful help. Sometimes you just don't know what to do. The guide will help and give you explanation about the surrouding and the characters. And with the puzzles around. It's worthy having it, even if you don't need it. It's there, just in case you get stuck and can't get out.

Written like a detailed journal of someone who'd gone this way before. My only complaint was that some of the screen-shots were a bit small. But, worst case, you'd just have to follow the whole, prescribed route to see the item in the book more clearly in the actual game.

Great book it really helped me to win the game.

I also received it in a timely manner.

Regards

Joyce Parratt

It all worked out. Great Service.. Will definitely use again...

This book is like Canada Dry Ginger Ale- dry, crisp, and refreshing. Beverley Nichols was a very arch and witty writer! A combination of Jerome K. Jerome and May Sarton. This book is about his cats, his friends, and his garden. There are some very funny parts and some very sad parts. Some are almost too sad to read, but that is the way it usually is with excellent books like this.

Having read Trilogy1 and 2 of this series, I just had to get the third. It did not disappoint at all. A continuance of Beverley Nichols life with his beloved garden, and lifes ups and downs.Recommended reading.

Some readers of Beverly Nichol's books have found his writing hilarious, but I do not. I find him amusing, and have read the trilogy plus his GREEN GROWS THE CITY because they sustained my interest, but he is not P.G. Wodehouse or John Mortimer for that matter.

I cannot judge from Nichols books whether or not he had a particularly deep understanding of human nature. From time to time, he allowed himself to be drawn into odd misadventures with eccentric others, and he certainly had his conflicts with busy-body females, and as often as not he had charming female friends. His best friend in the world seemed to be Gaskin, his 'man' and his cats.

The central theme of MERRY HALL, the first book in his trilogy, is the restoration of the grounds and gardens at his old Georgian Estate. LAUGHTER ON THE STAIRS covered the renovation of Merry Hall--the Georgian Manor house. His third book, SUNLIGHT ON THE LAWN, has people as it's focus--those who inhabited the area in and around Merry Hall when Nichols lived there in the late forties and fifties. First, there is the sad departure of Oldfield whose gardening days come to an abrupt end. Then, there are various episodes involving the ever meddling Rose, tea with Miss Mint, fractious neighbors, overgrown fields, and wells without water.

As always, in a book by Beverly Nichols, there are cats. Nichols had a great love of black cats, and the cats often play a role in one of his tales. Most of the time the story is funny, but sometimes a cat meets a sad end. If you are a cat fancier, you may find his cat exploits familiar and amusing. This is a nice book for bedtime reading and a fitting end to the series.

Sunlight on the Lawn is the third volume in the Merry Hall trilogy by Beverley Nichols. Where the first volume focused on the garden at Merry Hall and the second focused on the house, this volume focuses on the community, providing a humorous glimpse into English village life in the 1950's. Gardeners and fans of Mr. Nichols' spendthrift ways will be happy to know that large-scale projects continue apace in the author's garden.

It is a mistake to read the foreword first - it casts an elegiac tone over the rest of the book. Save it for the end. Also putting a bit of a damper on things is the fact that we realize in this book that Our Beverley is something of a coward - he touches so lightly on the death of one of the characters (real people - this is memoir, not fiction) that the reader is left gasping, and spends the rest of the book wondering if he has mis-read. For these reasons I have knocked one star off of my rating for this book.

Having said that, if you have already read and enjoyed the first two volumes, you will be eager to spend more time in the company of this author, and see what his friends and neighbors are getting up to. Mr. Nichols is a keen observer of people, and with his deliciously dry wit (and unsparing of himself) he turns everyday situations and relationships into real entertainment.

Highlights of the book include the escalating but ever "civil" fued between Our Rose and Miss Emily, and how Bob helps extricate Miss Mint from a very sticky situation involving the tenants from hell.

I'm off to order more books by Mr. Nichols!

Beverley Nichols had a rare talent. His writing is witty and humane and perfect for relieving the stress of life lived in the modern world. When you read this book you will be saddened that only two others of his sixty odd minor masterpieces are still in print. Buy this book if you love gardens, or old houses or simply reading well written stories, some of which are laugh out loud funny. Beverley Nichols writes like Oscar Wilde, except his subject is gardening and old houses and the curious people who dwell in them.

Yeah, neither do I. So if you want to spare yourself a couple hours of hearing big Bill yammer on, avoid this collection. Did I mention the cheezy musical fanfare all around Bill's voice on these cd's? It's like NFL films music run amuck for 2 straight hours. The pictures are good, but the book isn't much to read, and it's all so cluttered (does being hip and cool have to mean unreadable?) it made my skull ache.

I've been reading basketball books since I was a teenager and I have to rate this one as one of the best! It gives excellent insight on every memorable games and moments of american pro basketball from George Mikan to Vince Carter. The double CD is also superb with the live broadcast recordings. I recommend this to everyone who loves basketball.

If your looking for a book that has simply beautiful photographs about the NBA, it DOES'NT GET BETTER THAN THIS!!!! This book literally has hundreds of pictures ( big, small, colorful, black and white, etc. ) that chronolize the entire history of the NBA. It is perfectly decorated with big, sharp, bright, colorful pictures that strike the eyes as the pictures come to life with big, bold headlines and lettering that complimant the pictures. The pages are a smorgasborgh of important historical NBA moments and legendary players from the beginning up until the 2000 Lakers championship. These historical events are displayed in non - chronilogical order. You turn to a page to see the Showtime Lakers of the 80's, then you turn to the next page to see a huge picture of Jordan making a monster dunk. The next page after that, may be black and white pictures of the 60's Celtics. This book has words but it is basically for tantalizing the eyes with gorgeous photographs that cover memorable moments of the NBA. It will put a smile on your face as you relive these precious moments in this fun NBA scrapbook. The pictures you will see in this book are of the Boston Celtics (60's and 80's) ; the Lakers(60's 70's 80's and 2000) ; the Bulls ; The 76ers ; The New York Knicks(just to name a few), Magic Johnson, Micheal Jordan, Vince Carter, Larry Bird, Allen Iverson, Kobe and Shaq, Bob Cousey, George Miken, Dr J, Chamberlain, West, Gervin, Wilkins, Ewing, Auerbach, Russell, Barkley, Baylor, Havlicek, Drexler, Pippen, Malone and Stockton, etc., etc., etc.,. This is only a tiny piece of the pie. If you are a NBA fan looking for a fun little book with many beautifully photographed pictures, this would make the perfect gift. You will cherish this book!

If your looking for a book that has simply beautiful photographs about the NBA, it DOES'NT GET BETTER THAN THIS!!!! This book literally has hundreds of pictures ( big, small, colorful, black and white, etc. ) that chronolize the entire history of the NBA. It is perfectly decorated with big, sharp, bright, colorful pictures that strike the eyes as the pictures come to life with big, bold headlines and lettering that complimant the pictures. The pages are a smorgasborgh of important historical NBA moments and legendary players from the beginning up until the 2000 Lakers championship. These historical events are displayed in non - chronilogical order. You turn to a page to see the Showtime Lakers of the 80's, then you turn to the next page to see a huge picture of Jordan making a monster dunk. The next page after that, may be black and white pictures of the 60's Celtics. This book has words but it is basically for tantalizing the eyes with gorgeous photographs that cover memorable moments of the NBA. It will put a smile on your face as you relive these precious moments in this fun NBA scrapbook. The pictures you will see in this book are of the Boston Celtics (60's and 80's) ; the Lakers(60's 70's 80's and 2000) ; the Bulls ; The 76ers ; The New York Knicks(just to name a few), Magic Johnson, Micheal Jordan, Vince Carter, Larry Bird, Allen Iverson, Kobe and Shaq, Bob Cousey, George Miken, Dr J, Chamberlain, West, Gervin, Wilkins, Ewing, Auerbach, Russell, Barkley, Baylor, Havlicek, Drexler, Pippen, Malone and Stockton, etc., etc., etc.,. This is only a tiny piece of the pie. If you are a NBA fan looking for a fun little book with many beautifully photographed pictures, this would make the perfect gift. You will cherish this book!

Best collection of NBA action photos of any book I have found. 216 pages of excitement. The book also had two audio CDs that connected to 82 pages of the book with live original broadcasts and commentary from Michael Jordon, Karl Malone, Bill Walton and others. It's amazing to listen to the CDs as you enjoy the book. Each CD track number is noted on 82 pages of the 216 page book.

The award winning sports jounalist Bryan Burwell tells the legendary stories of the greatest moments in NBA history with 9 chapters with hundreds of photos and stats. Chapters include: Great Shots, Michael & The Jourdanaires, Great Moves, Great Duals, One-Man Show, Power Moments, Unusual Moments, Monumental Moments and Final Moments.

This was a great gift to myself and to give my Dad.

Ok, I'm not done yet with the book but after two chapters, I could already share with people something: this book is a solid introduction to the field of biocomputing. It cover many aspects in 10 differents chapters (database, data mining, collaboration, read the table of contents).

The autor is enthousiast about his field of research but he doesn't miss an important thing: criticism!! At the end of chapter, you have a small dose of concerns he have about biocomputing. Where we could make mystakes, what we should do?

I'm about to choose if I want to do my master degree in this discipline and this book is great to introduce me with a large perspective to this branch of science.

If you working in this industry, this book might be a little bit boring but even for me who work 5 years with computers networks and databases, both chapters about those technologies learned me something interesting so... I'm quite happy about my decision to acquire this book.

While the book does an adequate job of explaining the purpose to bioinformatics, it wasn't very technical. I had it as a text for a graduate course, and many of us whose background was in computing found a need to find outside references. It's not a bad book for some high level coverage, but it never seems to get to the meat of a subject in much depth or detail. It is more for someone interested in existing tools and databases, but not for a developer who wants to get started in this field. If you're in that category you may want to look at some other text books such as "Bioinformatics in the Post Genomic Era" by Augen or "Fundamental Concepts of Bioinformatics" by Krane and Raymer. Another potential source is Lesk's "Introduction to Bioinformatics" (a bit older, but it does talk about specific computational skills).

This book was a pleasant surprise. It's one of the few books on bioinformatics that I've read that doesn't assume the reader has a PhD in biochemistry or mathematics. It's a gentle but thorough introduction to many of the problems faced by life scientists who are trying to get a handle on this thing called bioinformatics. I've been working in the life sciences for years, and this is the first book I've read that explains how I can make use of the various search engines, genomic analysis tools, and the dozens of genomics databases worldwide in my day-to-day life.

I especially appreciate the author's frank analysis of the state of the art at the end of each chapter. He seems to put a balanced spin on the field, pointing out the vast potential of bioinformatics computing in practical medicine and materials synthesis, while grounding the reader in current political and economic realities that are limiting many aspects of the field.

I consider it a must read.

Dr, Beregeron ofers a sensible yet visionary exposition of the field. For me, the future direction of this field is most compelling. It is a primer that can be challenging to the most sophisticated afficionado, also.

Bergeron wrote this book such that if you have a computer background, you can relate to the topic at hand, and if you have a biology background, you can pick up the material quickly. He uses one to teach the other, and does so rather comprehensively. Major topics and areas of interests in bioinformatics are covered, such as:
* Databases
* Networks and the Internet
* Bioinformatics search engines
* Data mining techniques
* Statistics
* Pattern Matching
* Simulation techniques and modeling

Any of these topics deserve a volume of books dedicated to them, but the author gives the readers enough information that can be useful in determining where to go next. Even though the topics are mostly computing related, the author takes a great care at talking about these topics in the context of Bioinformatics. He even lists the specific applications of each topic at the beginning of each chapter to aid the reader in relating to the topic at hand. For example, after reading the chapter on modeling and simulation, you would know that modeling is used to determine the efficacy of drugs and to determine drug side effects during the drug discovery process.

Databases are probably one of the most important and well known tools in Bioinformatics. The enormous amount of data available for analysis requires large and fast databases. In fact, the amount of data in bioinformatics doubles every eighteen months, so databases and database design is an integral part of bioinformatics computing. In addition to the vast amount of raw data (sequence data and protein data for example) that is stores in databases, the analysis such as pattern matching, simulation and visualization of data requires constant access to databases. The author talks about what are know as primary databases, databases that are used to store raw data, and other value added databases, the one's that store analyzed and/or verified data. One thing that reader gets out databases is the realization of what the data life cycle is in the bioinformatics world, and how it affects all the application areas of bioinformatics.

The databases around the world are either somehow integrated together ease the task of data discovery and data mining. Due to the vast amount of information available, various data mining techniques have been developed over the years to assist in finding the data that a researcher is looking for. Tasks such as data enrichment, missing value analysis for sequence data, data characterization and data distribution analysis mark some of the tasks that data mining techniques needs to accomplish. A number of data mining techniques such as hidden Markov Models, Decision Trees, Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms are talked about and the pro's and con's of each one is discusses in detail. A bioinformatician needs to be at least aware of the various data mining techniques and should have an overview how they work and why they work in general.

After the data has been discovered, a method of visualization that can get the point across, per se, needs to be used. Visualization and simulation techniques are talked about to show the reader what a bioinformatician needs to do with the information found. There are a number of graphical tools available out there, some free and some not, that are used heavily in this business to aid the understanding of the vast amount of information that is available. Various modeling techniques are being used today to aid with the drug discovery process and figuring out the side effect of newly developed drugs. I would say that this area of bioinformatics will see the most growth in the coming years, and the author, Bryan Bergeron, does a great job discussing this topic.

Statistics is another technique used heavily in bioinformatics computing. Even though most of the statistical tools, Matlab and many others, have been used for a number of years, one must know the theory and reason behind using numerous statistical techniques in Bioinformatics. These techniques are integrated into bioinformatics search engines and the software applications for modeling and simulations, but one still needs to know how they work. Bioinformatics is a new field of study, and not by any means been perfected, so there are still a number research track and advancements that are still untapped, thus making the theory behind how some of the available tools work very important in this field.

Bryn Bergeron in Bioinformatics Computing gives the necessary background for anyone interested in the field of bioinformatics. After reading this book, a reader can get a good idea of which area s/he wants to pursue further. The topics are broken into logical units that can aid the reader in realizing what specific field of bioinformatics is more interesting than others.

Even if you don't decide to pickup one of many advanced books in this topic, you should know about an industry that is growing rapidly, and Bergeron's book can aid you to do just that.

I love 19th Century Baseball and this book is 19th Century. Mr. Salvatore makes this book wildly enjoyable to any fan of baseball history. At times the book shows a little "subject jumping," but all in all this book is fantastic.

Although it's not easy to criticize a book which the author says took four years of his life, and I believe him, shoppers should know that at times this book would be better titled "The Late 19th Century Including a Few Vignettes From the Life of John Montgomery Ward." Yes, this book is symptomatic of the modern trend to make them at least 25% longer than they need to be. The author thinks nothing of spending page after page describing oddities of Ward's hometown which really tells us nothing more about him than the single line "he grew up in the middle class of a small town in Pennsylvania" would have. The entire first chapter is devoted exclusively to speculations on various pictures of Ward without even putting the pictures next to them. There is at least one chapter which fails to mention Ward at all. The narrative wanders off the path often, even in the early going when the reader's attention is most at risk, and stays off for long periods of time. I would have much preferred it if this book had been one of those tall affairs with a great, wide margins and little info boxes along the side. Then one could read or not read the boxes at one's option. Or, it could have been a hypertext document and then if one wanted to read more on some of these topics, click and read more, but no reader should be forced to wade through some of this material, especially as some important details are buried in the middle of it, risking the skimming reader missing it. I suppose the fault is with the editor, but it's difficult to say as words like "faro" and "turnverein" are included without explanation -- maybe originally that wasn't the case. Please note that there are 32 pages of footnotes as well. On the other hand, entirely at the author's door are some very big questions left completely unfielded. Why is there no speculation, for example, about why Ward never participated in that most common of human activities, creating children? Also, in this connection, I am surprised that the possibility that he was tricked into his first marriage by a possible false pregnancy is never considered. His wife was after all an actress and must have been familiar with the trick from the Dramatic tradition. Another important issue: who was Ward actually? What were his politics? He seems a very unlikely revolutionary. Rather, like Aristophanes and W.S. Gilbert, he seems to criticize the system from the right, not because he fails to believe in it, but because he finds those in charge to be no-talent hacks and, significantly, because he can. His "revolution" seems to have been accomplished more by cleverness and opportunism than by principle and reality so naturally it was only a matter of time before the cards came crashing down. A little more of the author's or others' judgement on this would have been welcome, or even just a more inside look at how Ward went about his recruiting and alliance building, but all we get are two sentences. Other than these issues, I did enjoy the book quite a lot and although I cannot recommend it as highly as some others, I feel no doubt that on a research basis at least no stone has been left unturned. Certainly its topic is both rare and enjoyable.

Bryan Di Salvatore has captured the early history of baseball with his fascinating biography of baseball's early days. His profile of John Montgomery Ward, a pitcher and later an infielder, provides a detailed look at the evolution of baseball in its formative years. This was a time of numerous rules changes from underhand pitching, walks counting as hits, absence of a fixed pitching rubber, changing rules on how many balls it took to walk. The author meticulously but always in interesting prose tells us about the many battles between owners and players, the reserve clause, poor playing conditions. Ball players were lazy, overpaid, carousing drinkers(sound familiar) said the owners. Owners were greedy, interested in squeezing players for every nickel(sound familiar) said the players. Clearly the era evoked has many parallels to today except the average player salaries were clearly more in line with real wages. The average ball player made 3-5X the salary of the average working man. Generally the players were more accessible to the public although in one scene John Ward complains about the annoying fan groupies. For the baseball fan this book will clearly be educational and is well worth reading. Very few books describe the pre-1900 era and this book is a rare and thorough glimpse on the emerging popularity of baseball.

A Clever Base-Ballist: The Life And Times Of John Montgomery Ward is the riveting tale of John Montgomery Ward's life and historical baseball career, from his expulsion from Penn State University for stealing chickens, to pitching baseball's second perfect game in 1880, to becoming a member of the New York Giants. More than just a biography for baseball history buffs, A Clever Base-Ballist also paints a bright, engaging picture of American life at the turn of the century. For baseball enthusiasts and millennium enthusiasts alike, A Clever Base-Ballist does not disappoint!

Between 1878 and 1894 John Ward Montgomery amazed major league baseball fans on the field and exasperated owners off of it. As a pitcher for Providence, he won 87 games in the two seasons of 1879 and 1880. He also pitched only the second perfect game in National League history. He later moved to shortstop and led the New York Giants to pennants in 1888-1889. His natural leadership skills ensured he had a future as team captain and manager.

But Ward infuriated the owners by bucking their system of control over the players. The National League had established a "reserve clause" binding a player to his team for life by "reserving" his services for the next season even without a signed contract. While the contract and hence the player could be traded, a player could not unilaterally choose to play for another team. The manner in which owners erected this legal means of controlling players amounts to some of the most interesting sections of this book.

This infuriated Ward, who was also a lawyer; he believed players should be allowed to ply their trade wherever someone was willing to pay them. Accordingly, he organized the Brotherhood of National League Players in 1885 as a fraternal order not unlike the Grange and other secret societies of the Gilded Age. In effect, this was the first union of professional baseball players. When Ward learned in 1889 that the owners had established a fixed scale of salaries, setting the upper limit at $2,500 for each season, he led a walkout and established the Player's League controlled by ballplayers. It was a good idea but it failed after only a year because the competition ensured a financial disaster for both leagues.

Bryan Di Salvatore's fine book is largely the story of Ward's efforts to overcome the "plantation-style" rule of baseball owners. He was never able to do so, and he finally retired at age 34 after a 17 year career to lead a lucrative law practice. This is very much a "life and times" biography and one will learn much about the milieu of the latter nineteenth century as well as about Ward and his baseball career. Broadening the story helps significantly, as it places in context the larger owner/labor dynamics that have shaped Major League Baseball to the present.

I have been in the search of a home for months now and the one thing I kept telling myself was that when I finally bought it, I would also buy this book. I looked at lots of books at Home Depot, B & N, etc. but this is one of the best and most creative landscaping books I have found. So today, knowing that I have a home and YARD that I can call my own, I am buying it!!

This book is great as general advice. There are SO MANY different projects though that there is not a great level of detail on any one. Just enough of an overview and "how-to" to make you feel comfortable about taking some of these projects on for yourself or answering those questions that always used to make you go "Hmmmmm." Still, for a first time homeowner it will give you a lot of ideas and confidence to start making plans.

This is a great book with so many very well illustrated projects. I have just built a new home and am beginning to landscape my 4 acres I find this book very useful. All the projects are described in great detail with lots of pictures. Thanks L. Rocha

I bought this book over a year ago. I've read through each project a dozen times. I love about 94% of them. Our house sits on a lot that is ~ 100 feet x ~ 120 feet. I was going to get crazy this spring and summer with a new patio, arbor, and several garden areas.

Sometime a couple of months ago, my book disappeared. I have searched nearly every square inch of our attic and basement, in addition to every closet, underneath every bed, and even in the garage. My wife has looked as well, but to no avail.

I'm 32 years old, and losing this book has nearly made me cry on at least four occassions. It's that good.

Our library doesn't have it. None of the hardware stores in town have it. We have one bookstore in town - and they don't have it. Last weekend, I finally broke down and bought two other books, thinking that by doubling up it would somehow take away the pain of losing my B&D Creative Landscapes book.

It hasn't worked.

I'm purchasing another copy on line this afternoon. There are just too many things in the book that I can't find anywhere else. It's nothing that difficult, but they do such a great job of making things easy to follow, and each project gives you ideas for three more.

Buy the book. Buy two copies. And be sure to hide one in your drawer where no one can take it.

This book is so well layed out. I give this book 5 stars because it has excellent descriptions and pictures. I built the terra cotta fountain in the book and I love it so much.

My husband and I like to play computer video games. This was a necessary book since it gives us hints & help we would not have known to get us thru the levels.

The book provides plenty of information on defeating the enemies you encounter in Doom. You will find it very useful.

I especially liked abilility to find the storage cabinet code without reading the PDAs

This players guide is a must-have for Doom 3 fans, like myself. This guide contains the best information about the game that will help you fight your way through hell and back; full maps with the locations of all the key cards, items, secrets, weapons, and enemies, as well as the codes for all the storage lockers. This guide tells everything you need to know about the weapons, enemies, characters, and offers the absolute best strategy to playing the game. Because of the dark, mazy levels in Doom 3, it's rather easy to get lost. As a result, this guide certainly comes in handy to help find your way out of a certain level. I highly recommend this Official Game Guide for Doom 3; it's the best one out there!

This seems like a good guide for Doom 3. Of course all of the Prima's I have purchased are always good. Of course I am really bad when it comes to gaming. The Best way to describe my gaming is that I need a gaming eye dog to get me throught the games.

A great must have. I played doom3 for 3 months and decided I needed help, so I got "The Guide" and it was a big help. I didn't realize what I was missing!! Besides, it gave names to my enemies,told me about the weapons(which aren't quite the same as the "old doom") and told a story. I like it and think it was worth the money. I think the games should be sold with the book.
RC

The book appears to be an encyclopedia of horror films, however, the reviews include only films released from 1931-1939. It makes no sense why the 1940-1946 horror films are not included, which he calls the "Silver" age of horror. Senn's writing style is like that of a graduate student in film rather than a style that communicates chills and suspense. Senn biases his reviews of the film and actors based upon "academy award" potential rather than the atmosphere and mood. If you are a Bela Lugosi fan, you will be disappointed in the reviews like I was. He tries very hard to be "diplomatic" about Mr. Lugosi, however, none of Mr. Senn's top 10 list of best horror films include Bela Lugosi. Mr. Senn dismisses Lugosi films like "The Corpse Vanishes" because of the absence of 'film school etiquette'. I am a serious fan of the golden age of horror films and consider "The Corpse Vanishes" to be extremely atmospheric and haunting and one of my favorites. Senn has a strong bias towards Boris Karloff because of his "acting" abilities, e.g., the ability to play two parts in one film. I like Boris Karloff very much but have not found any of Karloff's films, with the exception of Frankenstein, that would rival a Lugosi film in terms of mood and atmosphere. Don't base your opinion on whether or not to buy a DVD format of the film based upon Senn's reviews.

A fan of Lugosi or Karloff? Find it in your budget to pick up this masterpiece. Bryan Senn is a young, inspired, well-read cinephile. His specialty is the 1930's. He's very good. He acknowledges his sources and blends them perfectly into this valuable tome. Interesting pictures and wonderful trivia abound. For example, did you know that, in 1932, Fay Wray was filming "King Kong" during the day, "The Most Dangerous Game" at night, and still going back to Warner Bros. studio for pick-ups on "Dr. X" all at the same time? This remarkable lady is still alive(around age 96). (I met her at a California film festival.) If old horror movies are your bag, are you in luck!

If your interested in 30's horror this is the one book that you must have. Senn provides full coverage of the genre in the 30's--in depth reviews of all the decade's major films and short reviews of films that are more marginal in importance (mostly mysteries with horror overtones).

Golden horrors has the best format of any film book I have ever read. for each major film covered, Senn provides seperate sections on plot summaries, the strengths of the film, its weaknesses, and its prodiuction history. This means you can skip over reading the plots of films you have already seen and get the historical and analytical meat.

Senn's taste is informed and almost always on target. He not only tells you what's good or bad about the film but why. There's no vague generalties about ambience or directorial skill--he explains with specifics how the director (or writer or cinematographer) achieved his effects.

The production histories are complete and usually very interesting.

The book also includes 10 best lists for 30's horror films by Senn and other writers. Finding out Ray Bradbury's top 10 picks will, I think, be of interest to most fans.

I can't recommend this book to highly. It's simply the best on the subject and nothing else is even a close second.

Senn's book is simply the best ever done on the classic (and otherwise) horror films of the thirties. It surpasses the coverage of the thirties in such recognized masterpieces as UNIVERSAL HORRORS, and it is hard to see how a book could offer better understanding of the films addressed. If Senn would do a similar job on the forties, he will go down as one of the great authors in the genre. He might anyway.

It was the era that started the horror film genre in America...the 1930's. It was the age that brought us groundbreaking films and made household names of people like Karloff and Lugosi. Author Bryan Senn gives fans of classic horror films the ultimate resource to these films. Over 500 pages which cover 46 classic films including "Frankenstein", "Dracula", "The Mummy", "White Zombie", "King Kong", "Mark of the Vampire", "The Black Cat", and lesser known films like "Murders in the Zoo", "Devil Doll", and "The Return of Doctor X". Senn doesn't just give a passing glance to these films. Each receives some 8 - 12 pages in the book. He starts with the full film credits, then provides a lengthy plot synopsis before launching into the real meat of each film as Senn provides a critical and knowledgeable analysis of each film's assets and liabilities and productions notes.

Senn rightfully points out milquetoast actor David Manners being a liability on three classic horror films: "Dracula", "The Mummy", and "The Black Cat", essentially playing the same dull, uninspiring romantic lead in each film. As if Manners' performance and his own utter disdain for the roles were not bad enough, there is the revelation that he earned four times as much for his role in "Dracula" as Bela Lugosi did. The production notes in Golden Horrors are perhaps the most interesting part of each film's coverage. Even a classic horror film like myself discovered lots of new bits of information about these films that I didn't know previously. For example, the Satanist character played by Karloff in the Black Cat was based on real-life Satanist and occultist Aleister Crowley. Senn is right on the money when he says that there has never been a film like "The Black Cat" in terms of it's mood and its grisly scenes of corpses floating in glass tubes. One can forget in this era of the shock film that "The Black Cat" was released back in 1934.

In "Mark of the Vampire" Bela Lugosi's Count Morla goes about with a bloody wound to the side of his temple. The original script of this Tod Browning film revealed that Morla had an incestuous relationship with his daughter Luna and then murdered her and committed suicide. This was dropped from the film as it would have never made it past the 30's censors, but it goes to show just how dark and ahead of its time the film was, despite the cop-out ending. In discussing "Bride of Frankenstein" we learn that 17 minutes were cut from the preview screenings to the theatrical release. Included in the cuts are Karl (Dwight Frye) murdering his wealthy parents and blaming the monster. Another interesting film that Senn looks at is the underrated "Dracula's Daughter". This was the last horror film made prior to the two year horror film hiatus/ban in 1936. The film was to have starred Lugosi reprising his role as Dracula but that was dropped. When we see Dracula in his casket, we are seeing a wax dummy of Lugosi. Interestingly, Universal still had paid Lugosi $4000 for the role he never played...far more than he earned when starring in "Dracula" in 1931.

Senn covers many more great films of the 1930's inclucing "The Ghoul", "The Old Dark House", "Mad Love", and "Werewolf of London", all aided by over 100 photographs. Nearly as interesting is the appendix of another 71 films that were borderline exclusions into the horror genre. Some of these films were new to me and although many are not available on DVD or VHS, I certainly intend to hunt down those that are. This may be the ultimate resource for fans of Golden Age horrors. You'll spend hours pouring over Senn's meticulous research and certainly learn a great deal about the films you've loved for so many years. Another fantastic offering from McFarland Books!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

This is a good crash course in the essentials of the Lorraine Campaigne, the "who, what, where, when and how." Unlike some books in the Osprey "Campaign" series, it is very readable. Unfortunately, like most books in this series, it is written in very broad strokes, without a lot of details to give the story some life and color. But the many photos and illustrations go a long way to compensate for this short-coming in the text, and anyway, what do you expect from a 65-page paperback? The maps are extremely helpful in understanding the tactical and strategic situation on the battlefield and in the sectors, but they sometimes take a while to parse out.

I bought this book to read on the airplane while flying to France for a visit in Lorraine. The book was an excellent summary of WWII progress in the area, including detailed maps and photographs of several towns I was visiting. Very well done.

As Osprey Campaign series books go this is one of the best. The focus of the book is the blunting of the Nazi counter offensive by the Patton's 3rd Army. It is laid out in the traditional Ospery style and as always gives the reader a broad overview of the campaign.

What makes this book better than most is that it does not get lost in the details of the military movements. It does a fine job of explaining the whys and the hows. Not an easy thing in the limited space avaliable. The most interesting part of the book focus on the German commanders, fresh from the Russian front, fighting the American military with the same Eastern font tactics. As explained, the American use of artilery and close air support made the tactics a disaster.

Steven J. Zaloga, the renowned expert on armored vehicles, has delivered a solid campaign synopsis of the battles fought in Lorraine between 5-29 September 1944. The campaign pitted General Patton's pursuing 3rd Army against the hastily-raised 5th Panzer Army under General Manteuffel and elements of the 1st Army. This campaign has received considerable attention in other far lengthier works, so this volume does not claim to break any new ground. However, it does offer a balanced account which covers all the key events and offers perspectives from both the American and German points of view.

As in all the Osprey Campaign series, the volume starts with a section on the opposing strategic plans. In assessing Allied strategy, Zaloga conforms to conventional wisdom in suggesting that if only Patton's 3rd Army in Lorraine had been accorded logistical priority in September 1944, then perhaps the year might have ended very differently. This is actually the voice of Patton glorifiers/Montgomery bashers. This conveniently ignores the logistic bottlenecks back at the beaches: even if Eisenhower had given Patton the bulk of available supplies, the Redball Express could not have supplied Patton very much further east at that time. The Allied armies were consuming vast quantities of fuel in their pursuit across France and they needed a deep-water port like Antwerp in September 1944 far more than a tenuous foothold across the Rhine. Finally, does anyone seriously believe that Patton's 3rd Army - which only had 8-10 divisions at the time - could have mounted a serious invasion of Germany with minimal support from the other Allied armies? Zaloga ignores the vast manpower and material resources that were still available to Hitler in September 1944. Despite widespread condemnation by many armchair strategists, Eisenhower's "Broad Front" strategy was the best course of action under the circumstances.

The section on commanders is a bit odd because the majority of the space is devoted to well-known higher-level commanders, including Hitler, Model, Bradley and Patton. The corps and below leaders who actually fought the battle are barely mentioned - the two US corps commanders receive one sentence each. Major General Wood, commander of the exemplary US 4th Armored Division, is barely mentioned anywhere in the text. Given the local nature of the armored battles in Lorraine, it is probably inappropriate to describe this series of actions as "Patton versus Manteuffel". These were battalion and brigade-level fights.

As expected from a technical expert, the sections on the opposing armies are quite good. In particular, Zaloga makes very good points about the US edge in battlefield communications. However, one major item lacking here is a discussion of tactical organizations: what did German armor battalions look like in comparison to their US counterparts, particularly in terms of scouting assets, support weapons and maintenance capability? As a former armor officer, I can attest that maintenance capability is much more critical in sustaining armored combat than is often appreciated. Unfortunately, Zaloga leaves this vital area blank and instead tells us that the Germans committed about 616 tanks and assault guns against 1,280 US tanks and tank destroyers.

The sections covering the actual campaign are quite good, starting with the destruction of the 106th Panzer Brigade on 8 September 1944 and progressing up to the final battles around Arracourt on 25-29 September. While the 3-D maps are quite good, the standard 2-D maps leave much to be desired since key phases of the battle are not depicted. There is no map depicting the German offensive that led up to the Arracourt battles, so it is difficult to determine how the Germans coordinated all their units. This tends to make it look like the panzer brigades were committed with support from other units.

The section on wargaming the battle is ridiculous as it usually is in Osprey books. With the availability of superb computer simulations of the Arracourt battles such as Talonsoft's WEST FRONT and OPERATIONAL ART OF WAR (which are never mentioned in this section on war gaming), it is absolutely ludicrous to read a discussion of a "war game" where the players "wear personal stereos, playing deafening music to recreate the effect of motor noise within the crew compartment. Players could also wear cardboard spectacles, with narrow slits to simulate the view through a periscope or vision port..." and so on. Please stop. Given the existence of Avalon Hill's SQUAD LEADER series and the Talonsoft products, which adequately cover the Arracourt battles, this section is a gross insult to serious wargamers.

Nevertheless, Zaloga's book is a useful campaign summary to keep on the bookshelf. Certainly the organization of the material is more interesting than the actual subject, for this overly-covered campaign was certainly not one of the epic struggles of the Second World War. The US 3rd Army was winded after a long pursuit and at the absolute limit of their logistical chain. Although beaten in Normandy, the Germans were starting to regroup but the Lorraine campaign offers one of the very few times in the Second World War that they fought poorly on the offense. Most of all, the strategic stakes were low in Lorraine. If the Germans won, they might have hurt 3rd Army a bit but they would probably only have bought themselves a few weeks respite. On the other hand, the US achieved a tactical victory but so what - the campaign still ended in stalemate for logistic reasons and the weather. This is a key factor ignored by Zaloga and most other writers on the Lorraine campaign: yes, the 3rd Army defeated the German spoiling attacks but how did this translate into a strategic success? The fact is that the strategic circumstances of September 1944 prohibited 3rd Army from inflicting a decisive defeat on the Whermacht, no matter how much tactical skill they demonstrated on the battlefield.

This little book gives an overview of a single campaign in France during 1944. It involved the liberation of the Lorraine area by Patton and his famous 4th Armored Division versus German armor expert von Manteuffel. The author, Steve Zaloga is a long-time student of armored combat in all areas. His expertise shows in this book as describing this campaign weaves the technical aspects of armor with the personalities of the commanders and the tactical situation. As with most Osprey "Campaign" series books there are chapters covering the larger picture, the opposing commanders, the forces involved and then looking at the actual campaign and significant engagements. At the end of the book are quick notes on touring the battlefield today and on creating wargame simiulations of the campaign. A quick and easy read, but packed with good historical information. Highly recommended for history buffs and armor fans.