Curtis Books

THIS BOOK HAD ME VISUALIZING THE FLORIDA KEYS AND RELIVING THE EXCITEMENT OF DEEP SEA FISHING WHILE KEEPING ME ENTRIGUED WITH THE ADVENTURE OF BREAKING IN AND OUT OF CUBA AND THE THREAT OF AN ONCOMING HURRICANE. GREAT BOOK.

If Jimmy Buffet could write a serious novel, it would be the Nautilus Project. It is filled with local Keys knowledge that I enjoyed learning about. I really enjoyed seeing the world through Jim Riley's imaginative eyes. The last few chapters really kept me up at night. I just had to find out how it ended.

Capt. Clive Upchurch

I really enjoyed reading this fast paced adventure and learned alot about fishing in the process. Loved the part of the two ways to climb and oak tree (read and you'll understand!) Can't wait to read more from this author.

I enjoyed reading this fast paced adventure and learned alot about fishing in the process. Loved the part on two ways to climb an oak tree (read and you'll understand!!!). Can't wait to read more from this author.

Really enjoyed the book. You kept wanting to turn the pages to find out what would happen next in the story. Can't wait for the second book to come out by this author.

The book arrived in good condition just days after I ordered it. You saved me some good money on my textbooks! Thanks.

This book provides the student of Ancient Greece with the foundations of Greek art and architecture. His book is not dry and read fairly quickly (he even managed to make me laugh a few times!) and his expertise is evident in every aspect. I enjoyed reading this book and feel that it deepened my knowledge of this subject.

I used this book in my first classical archaeology course as an undergraduate, and later to brush up my weak points before the exams for the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Now that I am a professor of classical archaeology, I always use this updated edition as a textbook in university courses that I teach on the subject.

In addition to its great academic and pedagogical merits, I feel good using Professor Biers' book on a personal level, because he is, in my own experience and by all accounts, a kind and honest gentleman.

`The Archaeology of Greece' is an excellent book to introduce you to the numerous treasures the Greek world has left behind. Aside from plain information about the artefacts, the book also pays a lot of attention to the social background of the time. As the modern scope of archaeology lies mainly in explaining the past rather than just discovering pots and pans, this information is very welcome. Overall I find that Biers has done an excellent job in writing the book. His information is thorough and detailed and you never get the feeling that something is unclear. The illustrations are superb: you'll find a lot of nice pictures inside that are not just decoration but an essential part of the text.

Yet, I take one star off because the presentation of the book isn't always as good. First, there is very little `division' in each chapter. Each of the ten chapters has a division into art, architecture, sculpture, painting and mosaics and miscellaneous stuff. But it is not enough. For example, one of the chapters is about a few late-classical sculptors, among them Praxiteles, Skopas and Lysippos. All you see though, is one long batch of text under the header `sculpture'. Especially for students like me, it would be so much more helpful to divide `sculpture' into more parts and put more heads in the text, for example one with `Praxiteles' and one with `Lysippos', etcetera. Now it sometimes becomes unclear what the author is really talking about. Additionally, the author gives a lot of information about different sculptors and styles, but he seldom compares them. And IF he does, the lack of any heads makes the information very difficult to find.

Another strange thing was the connection between pictures and text. It often happens that the picture a text refers to, is one or two pages ahead of the text itself. So if page 167 refers to figure 9.25, you have to turn the page before you know what it is about. I think this problem could have been avoided easily with some better editing. Alas, the book has some typographical problems but on the level of information it's very useful and informative. I just hope these flaws will be removed in the next edition, but still recommend the book.

If you want a nice introduction to the archaeology of the Greek world, this book is a must. With up-to-date archaeological discoveries and theories, lovely pictures, and useful information on all subjects, one truly feels enlightened about the subject through reading this book. A must for all!

Curtis Peebles, an aerospace historian affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, has written a book that serves as a good introduction to the early years of American satellite reconnaissance. Without going into too many details, the book does a good job of describing the different aspects of the program, and its ramifications. The book will probably appeal more to those who were involved in the Corona Project, or looking into it for a particular reason than to those looking for casual reading.

This book is a fascinating look at America's first spy satellites. The early history of them seems plausible, the author describes both the successes and failures of the program, the codewords and mission numbers are accurate, and the book offers tantalizing looks at Corona photography. The book has its humorous moments, especially when describing the "funnies". And it gives a respectable "hats off" to the photo interpreters who worked with it on a day-to-day basis. The book does all the hard working Corona personnel proud; they've been hidden far too long! Congratulations to everyone from Dr. Land to the Corona recovery teams and users to the author of this book!

Do you like spies? Do you like mysteries? If you do, read this book. IT is packed with fun facts and a history that will blow your mind!

This book brings together quite a bit of new information about early satellite imaging in general and Corona in particular. It covers many interesting political, technical, military and personal aspects of the subject. The author combines information already in the public domain with new information from sources who have spoken with him now that the program has officially come out of the "black world". It is heartily recommended for anyone interested in the development of military space technology but is also a fine source for those who are mainly interested in Cold War politics. Hats off to anyone reading this who was involved in Corona. You folks did a lot to make sure the good guys won!

Of the 3 books on this subject which I have so far read, this was the second book I obtained and read. The most accurate picture can be gained by having all three books (sorry, but more $ to Amazon, and you may tire of seeing certain images again).

Peebles' Corona book has more chapters on the human side of the recovery (mid-air capture, ++) and process (3 stages of interpretation, ++). Reading this latter part brings more meaning to McDonald's Appendices (mentioned below). [Most human story. The whole story is important cold war history.]

Day's book has a chapter on the Soviet Zenit program and launch vehicles lacking in the other books (++) and a few details not covered by either Peebles or McDonald.

The most technical, expensive, longest-delivery time, and most professional is McDonald's ASPRS book. A chapter details the Corona earth model (++, math). The appendices include redacted original reports (++) and some marginally reproduced space images (++). The book also has a pointer to the breast cancer X-ray ID which the NRO/CIA claim to have released. These will not be found in Peebles. [Most space images.]

I never really appreciated this book until many years after graduating from college. I had this in my library just sitting around. The data structures course I took in school was completely uninspiring. However, when it came to researching and implementing appropriate data structures for my own software, I didn't realize how comprehensive this book is. It covers more algorithms and in greater detail than the ever popular Cormen book. The pascal-like examples are very thorough. There are times when code is not provided, but it gives you enough detail to extrapolate from what is already there to get started.

This is one of the 2 texts we've had for our data structures course. I'm not sure what the other book is, because this one was so good. It covered the material in a clear and precise way. I even have a copy of this book today, for further reference!

I seriously like this book. It's explaining is close to crystal clear to me when I read it, and the algorithms listed (in pseudo-code) take it to a practical level.

One of the best ways to discover the strengths and weaknesses of a textbook is to teach a course using it. A few years ago I taught a senior-level course on Data Structures using this book. The book was a joy to teach from, and I would happily use it again -- I thought it was one of the nicest textbooks I've ever used.

(In case you haven't figured it out from the above paragraph, I believe that Paul Schreiber's review of this book is far too negative.)

In this book, Lewis and Denenberg attempt to explain data structures and associated algorithms. They rely too heavily on obscure proofs, have few, if any worked-out examples and many ambiguously worded questions. Their assesrrtion that a "high school" math background is needed is clearly false. The book also suffers from poor typesetting.

-excelent part about DB2 working in sysples, locking mechanism
-excelent part about stored procedures
-good introduction to database administration

I started a new job and needed to learn DB2 in a hurry. I bought part 1 and part 2. I was coding in no time. But the best part is they make excellent reference books because they are laid out so well. These books are well worth the investment.

This readable volume covers DB2 data sharing, stored procedures, DB2/CICS interface, DB2 database objects, and the SQL EXPLAIN. Model programs and JCL can be downloaded from the web. I look forward to an instructor's guide (hint to Murach) as they have for other publications.

Buy this book!!! Some computer books are written by computer geeks who know
their technical stuff cold. They can't teach worth a darn, but they are
deep technical wizards who are highly versed in techno-babble. The worst
part of it usually is, they aren't even aware when they are babbling their
techno-nonsense!!! The people who wrote the Murach series are NOT (let me
repeat, the Murach folks are NOT) such people. It was the most amazing
experience to have read this book, and to have had the feeling that either
Curtis Garvin or Anne Prince were looking directly over my shoulder
anticipating the various questions that inevitably arose. This book is
incredibly well structured. It is written clearly, concisely, and with
relevant in-depth examples. The authors take pains to ensure that they
present their programming examples without (WITHOUT!!!) falling into the
trap of disjointed techno-babble so common to such books. Again, you get
more than your money's worth with this book. Buy it, and recommend it to
anyone else who wants to learn, refresh, or EXTEND their DB2/COBOL skills.

Buy this book!!! Some computer books are written by computer geeks who know their technical stuff cold. They can't teach worth a darn, but they are deep technical wizards highly versed in techno-babble. The people who wrote the Murach series are NOT (let me repeat, the Murach folks are NOT) such people. It was the most amazing experience to have read this book, and to have the feeling that either Curtis Garvin or Anne Prince were looking directly over one's shoulder anticipating the various questions that inevitably arose. This book is incredibly well structured. It is written clearly, concisely, and with relevant in-depth examples. The authors take pains to ensure that they present their programming examples without (WITHOUT!!!) falling into the trap of disjointed techno-babble so common to such books. Again, you get more than your money's worth with this book. Buy it, and recommend it to anyone else who wants to learn or refresh their DB2/COBOL skills.

The Dinner Club by CURTIS not COREY Taylor is NOT about a gay man, and as the heading for this section credits CURTIS not COREY Taylor this should be corrected IMMEDIATELY. The Dinner Club by Curtis Taylor is a poiniant and healtfelt look at a crumbling marriage, the reasons for it, and it's ultimate redemtion. A beautiful story of endings when all is lost, and beginnings when much more is found.

The plot and characters are there but this book just lack depth. I was frustrated reading most parts as I felt Talylor could have developed them better. Maybe it is the editing, the sometimes deadpan dialogue and and lack of style. Or the writer is trying to tell too much in such a short story. However I will keep a look out for Taylor's future effort as he does show glimpses of a promising writer in certain scenes of Dinner Club, like the poignant moment shared by the members of Dinner Club when they could not even bring themselves to acknowledge the word "Gay".

This is a great book by Corey Taylor. I was able to identify with Brandon, and I felt like I knew several of the characters in the book. I was sorry that it was so short. I enjoyed spending time with these people. Very entertaining!

It doesn't matter what your sexual prefrence is, this book is awe inspiring. It has the Heart so many books lack. The characters came to life, and I felt as though I had known them all my life. So when they were happy, sad, or just having a fun time, so was I. Mr. Taylor's story telling stlye is hypnotic to say the least. I as a writer myself Highly recommend the book to anyone who wants a well written feel good novel. There just isn't enough great things I can say about this book.

Holleran, Maupin, Leavitt, Morrden...the list of modern and contemporary gay authors goes on and on. What makes them so significant, what gives them the ability to stand out from the rest? Their sense of style and ability to tell a story. And that is exactly what will add Corey Taylor to the list. Taylor's first novel is a quick read that may be hard to find since it was self-published, but it is a novel that is worth the search. Brandon Sinclair, the main character in The Dinner Club, is doing quite well on his own. Yet, he is soon faced with having to go back to "Smalltown USA" in Effingham, Illinois to take over the family business because his father is dying of cancer. Taylor weaves a nice heartwarming story that is not too cluttered with detail. He keeps the plot moving, but stays strong to his theme. As the back cover suggests, it is definitely a "feel good" book. It will uplift you in some way. I have nothing but praise for Corey's first book, and I look forward to the next.

The Ignatius series of commentaries are marked by their clarity and depth of coverage. Though a thin volume, this commentary on Romans is still packed with solid, doctrinally sound, exegesis.

Of course, it is difficult to review any in this series without thinking also of the Navarre series volume, The Navarre Bible: Romans and Galatians (The Navarre Bible: New Testament). The strength of the Ignatius commentary is it's broader overview word studies and outlines in addition to it's clarity. The strength of the Navarre commentary is in the introductory section - and the Navarre volume contains Galations and Romans together which seems to be a good fit as these two epistles overlap in so much of Paul's theology. The Navarre Bible also includes the parallel Latin vulgate not included in the Ignatius Bible. For the Ignatius commentary, you would need two volumes to get both Romans and Galations studies.

Having both the Navarre and Ignatius commentaries would be ideal for study and it is highly recommended to use both in preparation for teaching. However, if your budget allows only one or personal study is your sole purpose, the Ignatius study is the one to choose even if it requires obtaining the second volume for the epistle to the Galations.

Another great effort that makes the book of Romans come alive. The special helps reflect the historical and patristic positions on Scripture. "Pop theology" is thankfully missing from this amazing study.

Our women's group was looking for a Catholic Bible study that did a good job of incorporating history, theology, and personal application all in one! This fabulous study has that and more! We are devouring it and savoring it. The footnotes are incredibly helpful in helping us put meaning to Paul's words, and the discussion questions do the job of reiterating Paul's meanings and giving our group a fabulous place to start our discussions. As the leader, I never have to stimulate discussion. In fact, thus far, we have always run long and had to cut people off to stop. There is so much valuable "meat" in this book, and it portrays Paul, the Catholic faith, and all of Scripture with reverence, accuracy, relevancy, and orthodoxy. I haven't found anything else that comes close to the depth and breadth of this study.

The Ignatius Bible studies are great resources. The print, however, is unacceptably small. If you have even minor eye issues, you need magnification to use these study guides. This is a real drawback to an excellent series of commentaries.

My main issue with this study guide is the way in which the commentary and notes are formatted on the page. They are squeezed in with tiny print at the bottom of the page like regular footnotes in an academic journal and they are broken down by the verse to which they refer. So there really is no flow to the notes, they're just choppy, jumping from one subject to another.

I think a more effective means of explaining the contents of Paul's letter would be to have the text of the letter on one page and have the notes on the facing page. And have the notes in a flowing paragraph style rather than the choppy verse-by-verse format that are in this book.

I could get similar styled notes in the New American Bible that I already own.

I, too, am writing to cancel out the vote of the idiot-child who first rated this book. When Amazon deletes his comment and rating, maybe it will delete mine, too.

i need some help with the characters. I got a school assignment to do on oscar wilde's play Lady Winderemer's Fan. I got 5 questions to answer and i need some help

I prefer to read the original French SALOME as Wilde wrote it for Lady Sarah B., but amazon.com only has that at one hundred dollars (try the usual e-text sites)

This is an excellent useful no frills edition of all the essential plays with the unusual inclusion of Salome. Not a note about its unusual history, nor commentary for any of the other plays. Just what you need when all you want are the plays in one conveniently sized volume. Get it. Essential to any library.

My commentary: Wilde, the loving son of a fierce Irish nationalist, concealed his Catholic faith and true nation allegiance to infiltrate the oppressing Empire and reveal its corruption in these plays, albeit sugar-coated. He was jailed while researching its deepest perversities and broken there before he could write his magnus opus busting this wide open. The closest we have is Dorian Grey and the first scene of Ernest. But his unjust and unholy imprisonment produced De PRofundis and later his Ballad of Reading Goal, which read.

Much of Oscar Wilde's public persona can be seen through the plays and reading them it is easy to see why he was so admired, talked about, loathed and scorned. While I don't find him in his plays to be the epitome of wit some make him out to be, it is easy to see how innovative his plays must have been.

Despite being funny in a witty kind of way in many places, they also outline if not his beliefs, then at least his beliefs as he presented them to the public. And what I found was a playful, self mocking kind of "opulence" - where Wilde's supposed aesthesism is not dogmatic but rather to be enjoyed. Thus, we see him participate in society through his characters while mocking society. Another important aspect is that despite his most witty characters (characters one would naturally identify with Wilde) scorning conventional morality, the actual outcome of his plays contains a morality of its own - and one that's quite close to some modern-day libertarians: a happy ending means that people make the best of their circumstances to enjoy themselves and live a happy and fulfilling life in the freedom of pursuing what they want to. Even if this is nothing like what Wilde wanted to convey, it still adds to the plays' reading.

I found the actual plays to be quite undifferentiated in that there is nothing that is in one that is completely radical compared to the others - rather, it's good to read them all in order to immerse oneself in that kind of atmosphere for a brief moment. The only exception is Salome, which is very unusual, but I think it's clear that it was intended to be so, and there's something avant-garde about it (especially the refrains about things like the moon scattered throughout).

But enough from me, read it and find out part of the reason why Wilde has left such a unique mark on world literature/culture/etc!

I recommend this collection of Wilde's plays, not only because it has nice, big, clear print (better than some of the other available versions) but because of its wonderfully pithy intro by John Lahr. In fact I just put a John Lahr book in my shopping cart because I liked this intro so much. I finished reading Richard Ellman's 500+ page bio of Wilde the other day, so you wouldn't think I'd find anything new in this short intro, but Lahr put things together, with fresh ideas and insights, so I really ended up admiring Lahr's writing ability.

As to the plays, well of course you need a collection of Wilde's plays in your library!

I feel a great need to post here to offset the student who posted and gave less than 5 stars. I hope you finished your homework!

My First Deer Hunt Written and photographed by Curtis and Michael Waguespack of nearby Pittsburgh, Pa. Is a 26 page illustrated book with large eye catching full color photographs with big easy to read print narratives below each photo. The story wonderfully illustrates Jason Lynch and his five year old son Dawson's first deer hunt together. There are no guns, violence, killing of animals or safety issues mentioned in the book rather the story exemplifies how satisfying it can be to a youngster to learn from his father how to track and locate deer and what other animals also inhabit the forest.
The book is a great way to introduce a youngster to the outdoors and that will quickly peak their curiosity for that forthcoming trip to the field with Dad.

I got this book and love it. It teaches me a lot about deer hunting. The best part is when he sees a big buck.

If this is truly a book about hunting, where are the firearms or archery equipment? I was truly disappointed when I received this book. I had wanted to use this book to help teach my youngest son the safety and ethical rules that true hunters follow. This includes the safe and responsible use of firearms, and the respect a hunter gives to the animal once it is harvested. This book provides none of the above. It shows a father and son stalking and tracking deer, but it does not show them hunting deer. A much better book on this topic is "When Pappy Goes Hunting", by Kurt and Christi Bonello.

Michael and Curtis Waguespack's "My First Deer Hunt" is the delightful story of a young boy who accompanies his father on a deer hunt. Though readers may cringe when imagining the images of guns or a deer carcass, they may be charmed to find that the authors employ neither of these. Instead, "My First Deer Hunt" shows how the characters track and watch the deer, leaving out all violence and resulting in a happy ending for all. This approach seems appropriate for the intended audience of young children, and is not meant to teach children gun safety or how to disembowl an animal. "My First Deer Hunt" could be enjoyed by any young child, hunter or not, since it shows the main character's curiosity and his enjoyment of a day out with Dad.

This book is a great way to introduce a child to not just hunting but also to observing animals in the wild. I like the fact that there are no guns pictured in the book and the emphasis is on tracking and observing. The pictures are captivating and the story has some good lessons while being fun to read. I've bought two for my little cousins who are definitely future outdoorsmen.

This book breaks from the typical children's stories and offers new excitement to kids. It went over great as a gift.

would like to get in touch with Ron to get some lessons in casting for the tournaments coming up in Delaware. THANKS

this is a great book to learn the many variations of the pendulum cast and other cast,but the bait fishermen have been omitted.there is very little mentioning of rigs,baits, and sinkers to use to obtain maximum distance and may have really hurt sales of this book because had a serious chapter or two been devoted to this topic it could have doubled or even tripled sales because millions of catfishermen copy surf fishing trends for thier own fishing .

Ron Arra has written a unique guide to increasing casting distance without losing sight of the needs of the average fisherman. Although competitive casting is touched on , very practical advice regarding equipment, lures and rigs, and special casting situations are covered. Photos and verbal descriptions of specific techniques are clear and concise. I was fortunate enough to have a teaching session with Mr. Arra and although he gave me specific advice on my own problems with casting, almost everything he told me was written in the text. He is as nice in real life as he comes across in his book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever been unable to reach breaking fish secondary to short casts. I was able to increase my distance by 30% after reading the book and with some practice!

This interesting and great book that is easy to read and that's a classic for any sports fisherman who enjoys surfcasting. Reading this book. Power Surfcasting has helped me achieve casting distances that I have not been able to attain prior to reading this book. The casting techniques, knot tying, lure selection and bottom rigs for various fishing conditions, that one would desire to use are excellent suggestions. Proper rod and reel selection were a invaluable asset to help me significantly improve my fishing and casting abilities. Arra demonstrates the overall proper rod and reel selection to achieve casting distance and techniques for every sports minded fisherman. The Ron Arra video, Surf Fishing and Distance Casting demonstrates, poetry in motion and is a great companion to the book, Power Surfcasting by Ron Arra. To all sports fisherman, have a great day fishing.

The ability to cast long distances is an invaluable asset to any surf caster simply because it could make the difference between fish and no fish in certain situations. However, it is very unfortunate that the author was not very successful in teaching this concept due to poor production and inadequate visual aids.

I found the fuzzy, poorly reproduced sequential photographs of the casting motions difficult to follow. In my opinion, not photographs but a series of clear illustrations, showing the side and overhead view of the cast, could have served as an effective visual tool.

If nothing else, this book will at least make one aware of different casting techniques to increase casting distance which is valuable in itself.