Elliott Books

This book does a very good job of consolidating all of the information regarding Swing that can be found on the internet and putting it into one book. Just be sure to note that it is HUGE.

It contains many interesting code examples and pictures. It takes every JObject (such as JLabel, JFrame, JTable) and compares what they would look like among different look and feels.

I highly reccomend it for any Java desktop programmer.

Man, has Swing grown; no wonder it took 5 authors to write this book! Anyway, they do a good job describing a very complex subject. The text is definitely more of a reference than a tutorial, but if that's what you're looking for then definitely check out this book...
*IF* you have another source for layout managers. Other reviewers have pointed this out as well. In my opinion, this topic deserves its own chapter because every time you put a component in a container you have to be aware of its layout manager. And when a dialog box gets complicated, as they are wont to do, you have layout managers dealing with each other ad infinitum - and that is precisely when you really need to understand how they work so you can make sense of what is going on when you resize something.

This is for people who have a working knowledge of Swing and who want a comprehensive reference on their desks. I am preparing for the java Developer exam and thought this would help me get up to speed with Swing. But this is an over kill. Trying to learn Swing with this book is like trying to open a can of Coke with a bulldozer. It would have been more helpful if the Title was something like 'Swing Reference'. If you want to learn some Swing to get some work done very quickly stay away. If you are in the Guru class then go for it. 4 stars because it is indeed a well written reference (Juding from Chapter 1 and 3 and some skimming) But not 5 stars because the Title is misleading

I can't recall a tech book so thoroughly unreadable! Maybe if I was more well versed in Swing this might make a little more sense, but seriously....it's great that these folks know all the inheritance lines and can spit them out in eight words or less, but seriously...imagine this as a classroom lecture..anybody awake? anybody still here? well, this class inherits from that or this implemements that interface, and if you look closely, you'll see how this references what we said 47 pages ago (or better yet, what we're gonna say 36 pages down the road!)...all well and good...but we're trying to write real programs and solve real problems....c'mon guys, we're not experts here, else we wouldn't be buying the book!! how about a litle real world usage...I don't have to time to check out the API docs to try and figure out what these guys are yakking about...a major disappointment.

This extremely hefty book on Swing has just about everything in it. However, it is intended to be a reference on Swing, not a tutorial. The problem with the Java Swing API is that it is so large and unwieldy itself that it is difficult to write a complete and useful reference that does not reflect that fact. If you need a good tutorial on Java Swing, you might want to look at the Core Java books by Cornell and read the chapters that apply to Swing. Cornell manages to carve out the basics of writing a Swing application very clearly without getting wrapped around the axle in details you do not need if you are a beginner. Then, come back to this book when you need to write an application to get the details you need. Since everything in Swing is a JavaBean, much of each component's behavior is controlled by a set of properties that are manipulated by accessor methods. Thus, this book has a table for each class that presents the class properties, the data type for each property, the accessor methods, and the default values. In addition, the book has plenty of demonstration code that shows how to use just about all of the various Swing components. The book even has chapters dedicated to changing the look and feel of components and also repainting issues, which loom large in Swing. You can download all of the book's code from the book's website at O'Reilly and Associates. I highly recommend this book to anyone who already knows the bare basics of writing applications with Swing and needs a useful reference. There is no better one out there in publication of which I am aware.

I don't enjoy or fancy any celebrity writing bio's about themselves or how they DO IT, so you should too books...Give me a break! If you're looking for something ridiculous, this is for you. The fact that it's written by a infamous comic and it's a work of fiction, I had to read it. I admit I only read it 'cause it was by a celebrity. But I'll take a piece of their twisted imagination over I'm such a wonderful person cause I'm famous any day!
:)

I've always been a Chris Elliott fan, and this book does not disappoint! As I was reading, I could almost hear Chris narrating the book. I laughed out loud so many times that my wife would call into the room and ask what show I was watching. His account of Teddy Roosevelt was hysterical!

I read some of the negative reviews, and it seems as if they were expecting a James Patterson or Michael Crichton novel. I sincerely wonder about these people who do not know how to have fun or enjoy a laugh at a wonderfully written book full of absurdities but backed up by a complicated plot.

5 stars for a fan of comedy. 0 stars if you do not have a pulse.

my wonderful sister told me yet another great book to read-and from finishing that FLOP of a vamp book(go see other review) i needed something great and funny:D
this was too funny i laughed out loud soo much at work!! and once again the texting of the funny bits back and forth was great:D
"a cavalier king charles spaniel drinking a bottle of root beer!"
hahahahaha!!!! one of my faves was the description of the jail levels:P soo funny:D go read it and have a nice little laughfest:D go on...what are you waiting for?!....*shove*
p.s. i liked when he wrote as himself being great and all that:D hes too funny

Ok, so maybe I am a purist when it comes to books. I actually bought this book after hearing it recommended on the Bob & Tom radio show one morning. And I do think Chris Elliot is hilarious--I really enjoyed Cabin Boy and Get a Life.
This book has a lame plot, no character development whatsoever, and frankly, the same dirty jokes get really old when they're reused every few pages. Comparing this to Monty Python is a travesty--I've read Eric Idle's books, and while they aren't Nobel winners, they're better than this.
I can usually become absorbed in a book rather quickly, even if it is so-so; I literally had to force myself to read it. (I rather regret that now, in hindsight, but I figured I had spent the money....) I would pick it up the next time not remembering what happened because the characters were so disengaging and lame, then have to skim the past few pages to try to get back into the story.
Unless you want inane drivel and are entertained by it, don't read this. Or at least pick it up secondhand, that way the investment won't be so great. In short, the biggest piece of literary excrement that I have ever had the misfortune to read.

I like Chris Elliott a lot. His show "Get A Life" was as bizarre as it was funny, he was great on Letterman and I thought his dad (Bob Elliot of Bob & Ray) was a comic genius. His book, however, comes off as plodding, forced, waaaaaay too self indulgent, painfully, shockingly unfunny and just plain bad. It's an inept Monty Python wannabe, without the humor, wit, intelligence, sophistication or talent.

What it all boils down to is (***SPOILER ALERT***) that Chris Elliott (he is his own main character and narrator) lives in the Dakota next to Yoko Ono. She wants his apartment so she can turn it into a recording studio, so she helps send him back in time to track down the Thwacker, a lame satire of Jack the Ripper. And who does the Thwacker turns out to be? Why, Chris Elliott of course. If he's the Thwacker, he'll be arrested, tried and jailed (and thus, stuck in the past) and Yoko can get his apartment. Laughing yet? Neither was I and I read the entire book.

Try "The Eyre Affair" and the other Thursday Next book by Jasper Fforde instead. These books are witty, endlessly inventive and loaded with enough charm and humor to satisfy bibliophiles everywhere.

A clear and easy to understand discussion of the Elliot wave theory. Readers are shown how they can apply the theory to forecast market and stock direction. If you want to study 'the wave', surf through this book.

David Colletti
Founder
StockTradersHQ.com

I've been reading this book again and again for about 3 times. Every time I read it, I got new stuff out of it.

None of the sentences in it is redundant. When I first got this book, I also bought myself a highlighter, cuz I want to study it really carefully, I want to make sure I dont miss a thing. But eventually, I highlighted pretty much the whole book!

Treasure. Even if it costs $500, I'll still buy it. Worths it!

This is kind of book I was looking for to enhance my basic knowledge about Elliott Wave Theory. First Two chapters of the Book explains in simple language about the basics of Elliott Wave priciple and How to count and identify the wave and trading opportunities. Second Chapter imparts you about application aspect of Elliott Wave priciple such as, Ratio analysis,Longterm Wave formation principle and different approaches to wave principle.

Finnaly the Apendix LONGTERM FORECAST UPDATE,1982-1983 summarises the entire principle and provide you an insight.

A fellow reviewer of this book said "Obviously people either love this book or they hate it." I disagree. I love and hate this book at the same time. People with different backgrounds and perspectives will view this book differently. I would like to offer my opinions here to those like me, and to others too.

I consider myself a "serious beginner". I read my very first book on stock market in last March and bought my first stock in last May. I became interested in Elliott Wave Theory (EWT) in last August, one week before I gave up my academic career and started trading as full time pursuit. Currently I make a living by trading S&P index with the guidance of EWT.

Ralph Nelson Elliott is one of the greatest observers in human history. I believe that his achievement should be equal to those of the greatest ones such as Newton and Darwin. But I doubt that he will be ever widely recognized simply because the subjects he and his theory have been observing are actually the judges, i.e., we human beings.

EWT had been forgotten by the majority of trading, investing society for decades. Mr. Frost and Mr. Prechter and their book were the main reason that EWT became widely appreciated. I love the concise, old fashion way of writing of this book. All the rules and guidelines of EWT are presented clearly and demonstrated precisely with very well chosen examples. This book is a must have for any Elliott Wave student. I have studied three different editions of this book for five times. I studied some sections and pages more than ten times. This is the book one needs to read over and over again. However, this is a textbook, not a trading manual. Many of the wave counts in the examples are full of hindsight and not practically useful. And many of the situations in the examples aren't tradable. To have a feel of actual application of EWT, one certainly needs some extra practice.

What I dislike about this book is that the authors blended their own opinions into EWT. There's nothing wrong with that if the contributions were meaningful. The reality is that they were often wrong and misleading.

I have heard claims such as "if it didn't fit in Elliott Wave, you counted it wrong", from EWT loyalists. The authors had the same superstitious belief throughout the book. From my limited experiences, I see incompletes, failures and arguable patterns everywhere from hourly charts to weekly charts. Even if this belief is true, it's based on hindsight, and doesn't do any good to what EWT is supposed to do, i.e. to forecast and to make money. This belief will create a mindset which leads to a fatal psychological state. One consequence is over trading. When over trading, you win you will be damned and you lose you will be damned. If you are a trader trading with your livelihood on the line, you know what I mean. I was puzzled by the superstitious concept for weeks until I read Elliott's description of triangle in his classic Natural's Law. He said "......the triangle falls outside the wave phenomenon, as herein discussed, and should be IGNORED." This is enlightening. The moral is that EWT isn't a school exam, in which every question has an answer.

Elliott defined "Half Moon" and "AB base" patterns in his classic Natural's Law. The authors of this book considered that "Half Moon" was not a separate pattern but merely a descriptive phrase. The authors of this book didn't agree "AB base" either and implied that Elliott was too old and confused to give right judgment. They claimed "The authors have never seen an "AB base", and it cannot exist. Its invention by Elliott merely goes to show that for all his meticulous study and profound discovery, he displayed a typical analyst's weakness in......" This is outrageous. And this is where my hatred for this book is from.

Half Moon deserves to be a separate pattern for four reasons. First of all, Elliott said so! Secondly, Half Moon has well defined structures. It is a five wave pattern in which wave 5 significantly bigger than wave 3 and wave 3 significantly bigger than wave 1. Wave 1 and wave 3 can be zigzags in some cases. Thirdly, Half Moon starts from a zigzag and ends at a zigzag. There may be another five wave pattern following the last zigzag, may not, depending on where the Half Moon is at in the pattern one degree higher. If Half Moon isn't a separate pattern, it will violate EWT's rule "five wave pattern in a correction phase will be followed by another five wave pattern". Fourthly, Half Moon happens in market often and is extremely profitable or destructive. I learned Half Moon pattern the hard way in January. At 11:00 am EST on January 4th I called market bottom and reversed my SPX positions prematurely. I lost more than 50 % in a day.

I wonder why the authors of this book had never seen AB Base. I see AB Base everywhere in market. AB Base has unique structure in which motive waves of one degree lesser are actually zigzag and corrective waves of one degree lesser are five wave. AB Base pattern isn't very frequent. But its variations are so common they occupied really high percentage in history. AB Base definitely deserves to be a separate pattern. AB Base has so well defined structure it offers great certainty and trading opportunities. For example, with no doubt I opened March OEX 615 calls at 12:45 pm EST on March 20th for the price of $0.50. The calls expired three hours later at $5.38. The return was 980%. One of the authors of this book, Mr. Prechter rose to guru status and fell hard back in 80s and 90s. If Mr. Prechter was humble enough and studied AB Base carefully before completely denied it, he might recognize the market pattern in late 80s not later than November 1990 and found its analog in history. This way he would at least have a strong alternative wave count and forecast which pointed to the actual market direction in 90s and therefore avoid the catastrophe in his career and decade long humiliation.

There are more improper and arguable comments in the book. I may be wrong though. As I mentioned above that my experience and knowledge are limited.

Five plus stars for the introduction to EWT and zero star for the disrespect and arrogance. Final rating 3 stars.

This book by no means intends to teach you Elliott wave but to have it advertised to you and never give you a grip on the wave principle, so you can only rely on their service which is pricey.

the reason I say that is that you can only grab the principles of Elliott wave by practice and seeing real chart examples, but this book rarely brings real chart examples of the market- less than 4 charts in the entire book which is ridiculous for a material like Elliott wave, the rest is theoretical graph, so there is no application whatsoever.

I always hate books that carries another service behind it.
however in his service, Mr Prechter is more wrong than right:
1- at end of 2006 Mr Prchter predicted on a video forecast on his site for subscribers that oil has topped and it will go down from $75 top, just to come 2007 and prove him wrong by $25

2- at year 2000 Mr prechter predicted that market will never top year 2000 and wrote a book about what he predicted to be a historic crash, just for 2 years later the market proved him wrong as it started climb up all the way and topped year 2000

3- even at end of 2006, he tried to explain his wrong prediction away by saying that the nominal value of the market is going up but the dollar value is going down because of deflation and that will cause a crash, yet 2007 proved him wrong again

4- at end of 2007, his wave count for subscribers are full of "may be this, may be that, market has plenty of options...etc" totally undecided

5- Neely's book on the other hand is very specific, full of rules in every step of the way that leave no chance (almost) for misinterpretations , plus his service is much cheaper, available for anyone to continue his peruse of learning Elliott.

The 2 stars are given because the writing is really concise and doesn't have fillers, which is a plus.

This was my first book that I purchased for learning 3d studio max.. I also bought the fundamental book too.. I've only flip through couples of pages then I put it away to collect dust. The exercise are hard to follow, they gave complete instruction for teaching you a certain command. But you wouldn't find motivation to delve in to the 3d world by building something that's meaningless. The book is only good for advance user as it'll teaches you how to press certain short cut keys and stuff..

I found this book hard to comprehend.. even if I'm a immediate user, I wouldn't picked this book, as this is so boring.. It teaches you how to do certain things, but don't tell you much why you are doing it, or why is it necessary to take the steps..

there are few other good ones out there if you are a intermediate user...

This book is not bad, just lack of good modeling example, this book is really for beginner, Anyway, the mapping tutorials are good.

100

Boy, not only is this thing boring and monotonous, it tries to cover everything really fast. So what you get is a paragraph describing a really important function. And the book is filled with these tiny paragraphs. The first quarter of the book involves real boring things that people on this planet grow up knowing. Like organizing things and what not. If you are reaally hard core and want to totally devote your life to 3dsmax, do not get this book. Cause half your life is going to be spent trying to decipher what the heck the author is trying to say.

This book upgraded my skill 10 fold. After reading this book my work was shockingly better and I also go back and use it as reference all the time. If you can name a function or tool in 3dsmax you will find a section on it in this book. I mean we are talking a book with 6 pages just for bevel. The organization of the chapters and tools is genius. This book will not tell you how to model, it will tell you how to use the tools and functions of 3d Studio Max. I would buy this book even if they charged 10 times it's price, you can make your money back in seconds with the skill you gain from this book.

I read the book very eager to know from Mr Stats statements who are the best players in the NBA history, based on digits numbers and keen reasons. I am very excited he rescued Doo Doo, only MVP excluded from the official NBA 1996 list. I agree removal of some players from the list and I did not approve some positions, high or low. A couple of mistakes gave salt and pepper to the book: talking about Russell, 1956 Olympics took place at Melbourne facilities (Rome 1960) and Drexler out of the list of best since 80s, on the final pages.
I strongly recommend this book to the hoop lovers and to who spent a lot of time to write down best ever 5 10 25 50 100 et cetera. For the book update it would be great if Mr Stats can suggest where to put Nash (2005 and 2006 Mvp and 2007 Nowitzki. so how much Duncan goes up after 2 more rings. O'Neal remains n.1 with 1 more ring, but I will be convinced of his choice only if he wins another title.

Mr Kalb does have a strong point in believing that Oneal is the greatest, but if most fans disagree there may be a even stronger reason to disbelieve. To answer this question we have to be clear on the nature of the game itself, the better we understand basketball, the criteria we use will be more accurate. There is just one word to describe the game of basketball, "versatility", and thus the greatest player should be the most versatile one, i.e. he should be both a Mr Inside & Outside. And, sorry to say, Oneal just can't play the outside, not even the free-throwing line. Imagine the scenerio where the hoop is raised higher, such that dunking becomes impossible, or that a new rule is set that players can only shoot from outside the paint, Oneal is going to have great problems scoring. And in the history of nba, if the criteria of "versatility" is correct, then Bird & Magic must be the two top ballers ever to play. If jordan is taller by a few inches, then there can be no doubt that he is the greatest, but unfortunately, jordan just can't rebound well, and thus it's quite impossible to call him the greatest.

You can draw any of this names out of a hat and make an argument as to who should be number 1. (take your pick)
Magic, Bird, Jordan, Kareem, Russell, Wilt, Oscar. Anyone that even considers shaq as a top ten or even top twenty doesn't know NBA basketball. All this writer saw was that every other book out there had Jordan at number 1 and he felt he needed to grabs someones attention by doing something different. Stats dont say a thing about any of the players I just mentioned, this guys were extra special because they had character, they were winners, they signified what was good about the league. I take the Admiral or Dream in their prime over Shaq anyday. Dont believe the hype, shaq is one of the best ever, but never make the mistake of putting him at number 1. This book should be banned.

First, let me start off by saying that I didn't read this book. I would have except for one reason: I heard him on WFAN (radio station in NY) and I heard him saying that Shaq was the greatest player ever. That alone is enough for me to discount the book as simply a publicity stunt.

Everyone's giving their lists, so here's my top six:

Jordan
Russell
Chamberlain
Magic
Bird
Abdul-Jabbar

First of all, I don't care how gawdy someone's stats are: if you don't deliver when it counts then it doesn't matter. Year after year, Chamberlain put up gawdy stats. And year after year, his teams got their butts whipped by Russell's Celtics. Year, after year, after year, after year, after year, after year... The point of the game is to win, and Russell was the ULTIMATE winner!

Jordan is the best combination of Russell and Chamberlain and I've always thought this. A man possessed to win like Russell who could put up gawdy scoring numbers like Chamberlain. He shot 84% from the line also, so he wasn't a liability like Russell and Chamberlain were. In today's era, Chamberlain would be hacked to death and his scoring would drop considerably.

Shaq the greatest ever? Maybe the STRONGEST ever, but the greatest is just silly. He played defense for three years of his career (his three championship years), is a putrid free throw shooter, relies exclusively on running people over as his move in the post. His rebouding for someone clearly larger than all of his competition is disappointing. Can you remember a playoff game where Jordan's team needed him desperately and he came through with seven points???? Again, the best ever is SILLY!

Btw, Tim Duncan is not better than Karl Malone, as someone pointed out earlier. Better than Robinson, fine. However, would Duncan win anything if he was playing during the Magic-Bird-Jordan era? Many a great team came up empty simply because they played in the wrong era. The Jazz would have won two championships if not for Jordan. How many times were the Knicks denied because of Jordan? The only reason people give Duncan such high regard is because he won and he won because he never went up against as many great teams as Malone's teams did. Malone's teams had to get through Hakeem's Rockets and Barkley's Suns and the very good Seattle teams and Magic's Lakers and Jordan's Bull to get a sniff of anything. Duncan had to get through a Lakers team that had Shaq and Kobe, that's it. Spurs-Nets final? Come on!!!

Too many reviews here are low because they hate Shaq or are mad that Jordan is #3.

I didn't have high expectations for this book. Mark Twain said there are 3 types of lies: lies, d@mn lies, and statistics, so calling himself "Mr. Stats" was not a selling point. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I decided I wouldn't rate the book based on how the list agrees with mine. If I was that much of an egomaniac, I would write my own book and give it more than the maximum rating. What I wanted was a well-thought out list with convincing arguments for each man's place. Even if I didn't buy the argument, because I have a different method of rating the players, I wanted to see someone who could hold up his criteria with consistency and passion. He does so. To prove that I don't like the book because he confirms everything I believe, here is how far apart we are on ranking the top 8 players:

Elliott Kalb's rankings: My rankings:
Shaquille O'Neal Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain Oscar Robertson
Michael Jordan Larry Bird
Bill Russell Magic Johnson
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Michael Jordan
Larry Bird Bill Russell
Magic Johnson Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Oscar Robertson Shaquille O'Neal

He lists his methods for ranking players in the introduction, using measuring sticks such as MVPs, Championships, All-Star appearances, first and second-team All-NBA honors, outside opinions, and to break ties, he takes big over small, new over old, and winners over losers. He also places heavy value on how well a player peaked versus how he played over the long run (which gives the nod to a guy like Bill Walton over Robert Parish).

A few of the impressive qualities of the book is that he gives older players their due, such as Bob Pettit, Dolph Schayes, Bob Cousy, Sam Jones, George Mikan. He doesn't overlook their accomplishments and their contributions, going so far as to rate Pettit over every forward except Bird and Tim Duncan. In addition, while respect is given to the pioneers, youth is served, as players such as Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett are also featured.

The ultimate tribute to this book is that the Kalb convinced me to re-think a few of my own rankings. I still stick to my guns on Oscar Robertson being the greatest guard of all-time, but thanks to Kalb, I moved Bob Cousy ahead of Isiah Thomas and John Stockton among point guards, because he did dominate his era far more than the latter did in theirs. I have also reconsidered how I rate Rick Barry, Bill Walton, and a few other players.

As a breath of fresh air from most books and articles, he mentions things the mass media intentionally overlook: such as Karl Malone's big game chokes (he cites them one by one), Dennis Rodman's contribution to the 1996-98 Chicago Bulls; Michael Jordan's 3 consecutive losing seasons and his 1-9 playoff record before Scottie Pippen, and how Scottie Pippen put up his finest seasons in Jordan's absence. His statistical research is immense and impressive, listing such obscure stats as the oldest players to average 30 ppg, as well as the youngest.

Along with covering detailed statistical parts of their games, he will compare a given player to some contemporaries, asking people from a panel, so that you can get outside opinions. He also compares players to non-NBA contemporaries. Sometimes this works - Bill Russell and Joe DiMaggio was insightful - and sometimes it does not - Charles Barkley and Elvis was a bit cornball.

He also remembers things like Allen Iverson's incredible run in 2001 (whereas most writers forget the guy who finishes #2), and he takes into consideration how players didn't vote for Rick Barry due to personal dislikes, rather than on-court talent.

The only letdown comes with statistics. It's like jump shooting: you live by it and you die by it. They never tell the entire story. For instance, it is hard to gauge defense, before 1974, when blocks and steals were not recorded, and even when they were recorded, they never tell the entire story (Joe Dumars and Dennis Rodman didn't amass great totals in either category). With that in mind, it seems like when in doubt, offensive players were given more honor than defensive players, placing some questionable offensive-minded players to fill out the list, when the argument supporting them appears to fly in the face of his standards for comparing players. Let me expound.

While some defensive players got their due (Bill Russell #3, Dennis Rodman #30), there were some questionable people who got on the list who were lousy defensive players, or fair, at best, such as Pete Maravich (#47), Dominique Wilkins (#49), and Bob McAdoo (#44) while guys like Dave Debusschere and Nate Thurmond were left off. There is a chapter in the back explaining while some players were left off, but I thought the explanations were lacking. In all fairness, though, if every argument - pro and con - were carried out to the fullest detail, this would be an encyclopedia, instead of a book, and who is going to pay for a 50-volume set of books? But I will cite what I thought were a few inconsistencies:

Kalb argues that Nate Thurmond never won a title and never made first or second team All-NBA, which is true. However, Reggie Miller never did, either, and the All-NBA team only selects one center, but two guards. Both players played in the finals, but didn't win. These similarities should have disqualified Miller, but Miller's playoff heroics let us know that these standards are not the end-all/ be all. Therefore, consider that Thurmond made first team all-defense twice, which Miller never came close to achieving. Furthermore, if the award would have been given back then, he probably would have won defensive player of the year in 1971 (Kalb does offer "what if arguments, such as 'What if the three-point shot had existed when Maravich and Schayes played?') The two greatest offensive centers in history, Chamberlain and Jabbar, both have said that Thurmond was the toughest defensive center they played against. This gives him a credible argument for being the greatest defensive center in history or at least #2 (behind Bill Russell), and when you combine that with the 20.5 ppg, 22.0 rpg, and 4.2 apg he posted in 1968 (remember, Kalb prefers looking at a player at his peak rather than his longevity), I think he should be an obvious choice over guys who didn't play much defense and shot a lot. To me, putting guys like Maravich, Miller, McAdoo, and Wilkins, who only played on one end of the court, makes as much sense as putting Mark Eaton on the list. Maravich couldn't defend and never played for a competitor, and McAdoo nearly destroyed the Boston Celtics, before he did destroy the Detroit Pistons and was responsible for giving the Celtics the greatest frontcourt in history and forcing Dick Vitale from the NBA into his job as the most annoying man in the world. The only time he won a title was when he became a poor man's James Edwards- type of role player who scored about 10 ppg.

Another inconsistency is that only one MVP is not in the top 50: Wes Unseld. He is listed as the guy who just missed the list. However, all of the arguments that kept Thurmond off the list should have put Unseld on the list. He was MVP. He played in 3 finals, made All-NBA, and won a championship, which gave him more credentials than Wilkins and Miller.

The only area for some improvement involved a small handful of outside opinions/analysis. For instance, asking Stephen A. Smith (who I hold in low regard) who is better between Oscar and Magic, he says Magic and adds "I'm only 35 years old, and I only remember seeing Magic". You can tell that he knows next to nothing about the Big O and that pretty much disqualifies him as a knowledgeable opinion. I'm slightly younger than he, but I've made it a point to research Robertson in order to make an informed opinion, as has Kalb. I think someone like Matt Guokas or Tommy Heinsoln would have better complimented the other two opinions listed in that comparison (Leonard Koppett and Nate Archibald). While I am not a Smith fan, he would be better suited to discuss Iverson versus Gary Payton. And while Boston Globe writer Bob Ryan makes many good points in the book, asking him to compare a Boston Celtic to any player is about as unbiased as asking the guys from Saturday Night Live to compare somebody to Mike Ditka ("Ditka versus Tiger Woods in a game of golf: Ditka!"). This is again nitpicking, as these instances were few and far between. I guess the book was so wonderful, that I wanted even more. I would have loved to see what everyone on the panel thought about each match-up, but again, that makes for a 50-volume set of books.

There is a small section in the back talking about some of the great teams: the best Russell team, the best Jordan team, as well as the best individual season. It wets the appetite to think about Kalb listing the greatest teams ever (how does the '67 Sixers stack up against the '73 Lakers, the '86 Celtics vs. the '87 Lakers, etc), or who the greatest defensive players are by position, who the greatest sixth men were, the greatest coaches, rookie seasons, etc. He's knowledgeable and interesting enough that you care what he thinks, even if you don't agree, which is a high compliment.

Overall, this book is an excellent read. If you don't know your basketball history, this is an excellent way to hop on board and learn about it. If you do know your basketball history, this is your way to compare your opinions to another educated historian and learn a few things. The book is an incredibly fast read, with each player having about 6 pages devoted to him. You get a big of career biography, some statistical analysis (but not too much, which becomes as dull as some baseball books), comparisons to other players, and commentary. It is also a unique book. I have an entire library, but none of them have the audacity to devote the entire topic to comparing and listing the players of history. The book is extremely well written and the research behind it is some of the most thorough research ever put into a basketball book.

This book and the config examples helped me get of the ground with configuring a VoIP "Toll Bypass" setup for my company. Recommended.

I'm really glad I picked this title up. No, it's not an all encompassing guru level text on VOip, but for us folks who have some idea of the technology, but want some further information, it's really good. I can understand many of these 3 or 4 star reviews but these 1 star reviews are, in my opinion, missing the strong parts of the book.

The revolution of voice over data networking promises to lower costs, increase performance and transform companies' business communications strategies - and we all need to know about it. This book provides an indepth insightful presentation of both the big-picture strategic benefits and the down-dirty plumbing particulars. A truly valuable reference material.

If you know nothing about VoIP before reading this book, you will not know much after reading it. This book does not go into detail regarding any of the protocols for VoIP nor does it give much detail regarding router configurations.

Skip this book.

I just passed the CVoice exam and this was one of the (few available) books that I used. I also used the Cisco Interactive Mentor for VOIP and found it to be FAR superior to this book, both in terms of general technical info and test preparation. I also recently picked up Integrating Voice and Data Networks (Cisco Press) and what I've read so far has convinced me that there is no reason on earth to buy this book anymore -- the long awaited "good Cisco VOIP book(s)" are here, and this is definitely not one of them.

Aside from the IPv6 padding (which I also objected to), I also had a real problem with the author's writing style -- it was almost like someone just typed up some random notes. I can't understand what the 5 star reviewers are talking about ... this book is definitely NOT going to be a classic. My only hope is that there isn't a second edition.

Save your money and buy the CIM or Cisco Press book.

Having never read a Marlowe book, I can't imagine that Parker kept his writing very true to the spirit of Marlowe. Having read every Spenser novel, I can tell you that about 1/3 of the way through the book I just started imagining that Marlowe was Spenser in some sort of time warp and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Is this the way it should have been? Of course not, but I like the Spenser novels so I guess I really can't complain. I just kept wondering where Hawk was!

Poodle Springs is Robert B. Parker's completion of a novel started by Raymond Chandler before he died in 1959 featuring private detective Philip Marlow. While I have read some of Chandler's previous novels featuring Marlow I have no emotional attachment to the character so I come with a blank slate in terms of evaluating whether Parker lives up to Chandler's character. Frankly I thought Parker did a fabulous job with the novel. It is a rather straightforward, gritty mystery, and a well done one at that. The tricky part is the unlikely event of Marlowe's being married to Linda Loring ne Potter (what her last name really is was a bit confusing to me, except she is now Mrs. Marlowe in this novel).

In this novel Marlowe is living in the plush community of Poodle Springs with his very wealthy wife instead of his usual gritty haunts in Los Angeles. He is hired to find a man who has skipped out on a $100,000 IOU from an illegal gambling establishment. It turns out the fellow is leading a double life involving pornography and blackmail and has gotten himself way over is head. Marlowe, intrepid as ever, chases him down in a nicely twisted plot. While doing this Marlowe has to deal with his rich wife's unhappiness over his continuing to be a private eye when he could live a life of leisure and spend time with her. But that he can't do or he wouldn't be Philip Marlowe anymore. The story revolved more around the case than Marlowe's marriage to Linda but Parker does a great job of blending it in. Frankly, I think this is one of the better novels Parker has written.

My only complaint about the novel is that we really never get to know Linda very well at all. Her mannerisms come off as a spoiled rich debutante but she is clearly not that. But we don't really ever know where she is coming from or get to know her. I suspect that Parker had plenty to work with to flesh out Marlowe's actions but had absolutely nothing to go on as to how Chandler envisioned developing Linda's character. So, my speculation is, in deference to Chandler he didn't try to flesh her character out too much but just left her pretty much like he found her. She comes off as a real swell gal.

Overall, on pure enjoyment, I highly recommend it.

"Poodle Springs" is not Raymond Chandler's best work. It is not Robert B. Parker's best work, either. It doesn't quite have the edge of the usual Marlowe, or the wit of the usual Spenser.

Having said that, Chandler and Parker are both quite talented and capable authors. Either of them could make a cereal box interesting! So you could do a lot worse than spend a few hours with "Poodle Springs." It is a quick, fun read. The mystery itself is not mind-bending, but it does keep you guessing for a while.

I would have given the book four stars, such is my respect for both authors. However, a pet peeve. Parker fans are, no doubt, well aware of Parker's penchant for angst-filled relationships, where the parties love each other desperately - even perfectly - but cannot live together. And forget being married! In Parker's world, marriage risks crushing the vibrant soul of the hero every time. This was an interesting theme, maybe, when Parker first explored it with Spenser and Susan Silverman.

But since then, he has included it in every book series he's touched. The pattern is the same every time, and it has gotten quite tedious. As annoyed as I was to see it reappear in the Sunny Randall and Jesse Stone novels, at least those series are purely Parker's domain to use as he wishes to explore his marriage issues. But to impose his peculiar hangup on Chandler's work here in "Poodle Springs" is to, I think, overstep his bounds. And I say this as a devoted Parker fan who owns every one of his books.

Well, there's not too much to say about Poodle Springs without giving it away, but these two authors are a dinamic duo, to say the least! Poodle Springs was the best book I've ever read in my entire life. I loved the story so much that I couldn't put it down. I read all 400 something pages in one night! Take that Harry Potter!

If you like suspence thrillers with just the right about of 50's mystery stories, complete with melodramatic love stories and dialog-over-action, then you'll love Poodle Springs. I definetly recomend it. Go out and buy one. Please.

Chandler is best known for his half dozen private-eye Philip Marlowe novels, written during the 40's and 50's. (Chandler also authored numerous screenplays and short stories...) Marlowe is a hard-boiled, handsome but tough-guy detective who solves crimes in no frills mysteries in the vein of his fictional contemporaries Sam Spade and Mickey Spillane. "Poodle Springs" arose from four chapters penned by Chandler himself prior to his death (in 1959), and then completed in full-length novel form in 1989 by fan and famous author Robert B. Parker. The setting is undoubtedly fashioned after the ritzy Palm Springs and the grittier side of Hollywood.

Marlowe has moved in with his wealthy wife, who wants him to quit the "sordid" detective work that seems to be his passion to concentrate on her and her social activities. But Marlowe refuses to be a kept man, insisting that his work defines him and makes him whole despite his love for wife Linda. After his move to the Springs, he lands a job investigating a missing photographer that owes a hundred grand to a casino. He soon enough figures out the gambler is basically a con man who is already married to a nice downtown Hollywood gal worlds apart from his (other) wealthy wife, another Poodle Springs denizen. The plot moves along at a decent hunt-and-chase pace, filled with smoking, boozing, and sexual innuendo (but nothing explicit), with a couple more shootings along the way before Marlowe figures the whole thing out before the cops can zero in on the villain.

Supposedly Parker has done a credible job finishing the book. The novel is a quick, fun read without too much violence or overwrought suspense - and few words are wasted on anything but the central storyline as Marlowe relentlessly chases clues and solves the mystery. Such classic fiction from half a century ago seems a little tame by today's thriller standards, but then again a low stress read can still amuse and entertain. We enjoyed Marlowe well enough to consider seeking out some of the original stories and catching up on his famous creator's own story telling prowess.

I know this book is ment for children, but I was 'tweenage' when I first read this book. It's a lovely book.

I don't think it should upset so many people that is has one paragraph about the baby, who has the mind of an adult, not liking breastfeeding. Really, would YOU like to breastfeed when you are, say, 30 years old?

No? Well, that's Sonora's persective.

Once again, it's a children's book, don't take it too seriously

I'm glad I preview books before my children hear them...NOT something I'd want my children enjoying. The author's agenda is questionable in my opinion.

I loved this book, being a fan of fairytales this one brings out a light twist I love. Great, for children of all ages, definentally a must read bedtime story. It has humor, action, and as all fairy tales end, a great ending! You must read this book for it will keep you smiling the whole way through!

This was an OK story, but like Cheri, I took umbrage at the ridiculous statement about breastfeeding. If Sonora were really so intelligent, she would have continued to breastfeed, knowing that it was the healthiest food for her. Silly, I know to have something like that spoil a book for you, but there you have it. A statement like that can leave a lasting impression on a young mind, so you have fair warning, parents. (By the way, I usually like Gail Carson Levine's stories a lot.)

Nothing like teaching kids as early as possible that breastfeeding is "barbaric" and "cannibalism". I am truly disgusted that children are reading this nonsense. Shame on you, Ms. Levine!

This was Raymond Chandler's last novel, published before he died. It doesn't seem quite up to his earlier books. This novel is shorter in length and less rich in details about the rich and corrupt. Chandler had worked for years as a scriptwriter in Hollywood. His drinking may have flushed away his talents. This 1958 story does not have the range of contrasts in his earlier stories (not necessarily a bad thing). The monetary figures are far out of date. An $18 a day hotel room doesn't imply the luxury it did then.

Philip Marlowe receives an early morning telephone call to follow a passenger on the Super Chief. [That was an express railroad train in those bygone days.] Marlowe does this even he knows little about this job. [He needed the money?] He learns others are interested in his subject for their own reasons. Was she a murderess who got off because of a quirk in the law? [Chandler must have been talking to Erle Stanley Gardner.] Is there a nasty blackmailer pestering Eleanor King? Will somebody stop him? Marlowe has the same kind of adventures with the same kind of people that you find in his earlier works. One big difference is that middle-aged Marlowe refuses payment from a client, as if money means nothing to him! There is less violence too. In the past Marlowe suffered beatings as if Chandler was secretly angry with his fictional character. The refusal to accept payment for his work is so fantastic as to question the judgment of Chandler. Will Marlowe marry a rich heiress to live the life of Nick Charles? That was a dead-end for Dashiell Hammett. There are echoes of scenes from his earlier works. And old, rich, and sick man hired Marlowe but the ending leaves few people satisfied. Or is that the most realistic ending?

In 1953, Raymond Chandler published his finest work, "The Long Goodbye." It took him five years to release his next Philip Marlowe mystery, but in 1958 he finally released "Playback," a reworking of a rejected screenplay Chandler had written. In "Playback," aging private eye Philip Marlowe is hired by a gruff law firm to follow a young woman, but he's never told why he's following her or truthfully who she is. Reluctantly Marlowe goes along with it all, but finds there's a lot he doesn't know when an egotistic and curious man begins harrassing Marlowe's target.

Many a person has called "Playback" Chandler's weakest novel, and they're not wrong. The writing lacks the luster and appreciation for life found in Chandler's other books, and the mystery is lacking in the complexity and therefor intrigue which previous Marlowe mysteries held. The conclusion of the mystery is equally unspectacular. But it's not all bad: even at his weakest, Raymond Chandler stands head and shoulders above the rest. There are a number of delightful lines in the book, and it's never once dull. If nothing else, the beautiful and wonderfully upbeat ending makes reading it worthwhile.

Unfortunately, "Playback" was the final novel Chandler published before his death in 1959. (The beginnings of his next Marlowe mystery, "Poodle Springs," can be found in his short story collection "The Simple Art of Murder.") Despite its status as Chandler's weakest work, "Playback" is a fitting and suitably low-key close to the portfolio of one of the greatest American writers who ever lived. The novel's final line cheerily states, "The air was full of music," closing the book on Mr. Philip Marlowe, and though it's been a hard goodbye, "Playback" makes it a sweet one.

Phillip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler's classic noir hard-boiled, fundamentally honest private detective forever literarily associated with Los Angeles and its means streets is a bit off course here in his search for the inevitable exotic/diabolical `missing woman' (`dame' for the non-politically correct types)outside of San Diego. And it is more than the geography that is off. I love Chandler as a great writer with a good ear from the West Coast American scene in the 1940's but hasn't Marlowe followed that woman before in a previous novel? You get my drift. Sure there is plenty of sparse but functional dialogue, physical action and a couple of plot twists but Marlowe needs to think about that rest home for worn- out indigent gumshoes (since he never made enough money). He has taken one too many hits on the head for the lastest worthy cause. Give me those background oil derricks that sound like money churning out the wealth while looking for General Sternwood's Rusty Regan in Big Sleep or the run down stucco flats in pursue of Moose's Velma in Farewell, My Lovely any day. However, even on his uppers as always with Chandler you get high literature in a plebian package. Read on.

"Playback" is Chandler's least of everything. It's his least funny, least compelling, and least believable novel. Most Chandler/Marlowe novels stretch credulity in the big picture by using far-fetched coincidences to tie plot threads together. A few of his books--especially "The Big Sleep" and "Farewell, My Lovely"--are so good, I don't even mind.

But "Playback" stretches credulity in little moments. And in such moments, the dialogue is often painful to read, to wit: "Don't kid yourself. You're a dirty low-down detective. Kiss me." Ugh. The stale cliche of the resisting female melting in Marlowe's arms after some forceful manhandling is beyond tiresome. It's annoying.

I'm not sure what the opposite of unputdownable is (must be putdownable), but whatever it is, that's "Playback." I waded through its scant 166 pages, and I felt like I was fighting a riptide the whole way.

This book is for the diehard Chandler/Marlowe fan in the same way that "Pylon" is only for the diehard Faulkner fan or "Answered Prayers" for the diehard Capote fan. Chandler published "Playback" five years after "The Long Goodbye." You'd think in five years he could've mustered a better piece of writing and re-writing. But, figuratively speaking, he mailed this one in.

'Playback is a rather prosaic effort by Raymond Chandler, which is disappointing to anyone who has enjoyed his other great works starring the enigmatic private eye Philip Marlowe. The prose doesn't crackle like his earlier works, and the 'modernization' of Philipe Marlowe (he actually has sex with his femme fatales) is distressing.

Now as for the story, we have Marlowe hired by some mysterious individuals to shadow a gorgeous woman for some unclear reason. Lots of running around San Diego County, some violence, but the overall effect of the story is one of randomness. A painless yet forgettable read.


Bottom line: really not worth the bother.

This was a tough read. Describing the aftermath of a cataclysm is a tall order and Elliot does a thorough job of it here. Thorough is great, but it doesn't necessarily make for "entertaining" or "highly enjoyable" reading. Kindof like Matrix Revolutions was a grind to get through.

Elliot does a real good job of giving her world depth. The world machinery is never explained, only described. Of course characters offer piecemeal explanations but their knowledge is imperfect.

Theoretically I love this. That's how I like to approach my RPG'ing as a DM. But you know what? It just doesn't read that well. It's kind of a slog to get through. There's no strong central arc, it's basically a chronicle of events. The different threads don't have much motive power to get you to turn pages. (Well, depends on the reader.)

This book made me dislike Sanglant and Liath. There's so much going on, they don't get many scenes--and when they do they're always fighting and talking about how inconvenient their relationship is. Gee, there's a real simple solution to that--leave. Just quit complaining.

I got kindof irritated at all the "beautiful" men in the book. I mean, okay, men can be "beautiful". But surely their beauty can be communicated in more diverse ways that just saying "incomparable beauty" or "angelic beauty" or having characters (male or female, hetero- or homo-) get all hot and bothered at the incomparable beauty of these beautiful men.

Anyway, still 3 stars for effort. Keeping the complex world and plot under control (which they are) is a real achievement. Not much in the way of action here. The next one does pick it up. This is probably the nadir of the series (like Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), but it's still okay.

Why oh why is DAW books releasing books printed on low quality paper - and at the same if not higher prices!
Hello?! DAW, stop this garbage right now. As consumers we kind of notice when an awesome author like Elliott has her books printed on pulp that will yellow with age in about 5 years.
Take a look at the first five books. If you have collected them because you liked this story and might want to reread it, you won't be happy when this book and #7 are yellowed with age while the first five are still practically new. As for me, I will not be buying this book, I will go to my local library and read it before it disintegrates in a few years.
Shame on DAW books!

The sixth of The Crown of Stars series is the best one yet. I couldn't read it fast enough.

Not only could this book have been about 80% shorter (as a previous reviewer accurately stated), but I am beginning to get a little fed up with the stompfest directed toward my favorite character in this series. Poor Alain has been wrongly accused, imprisoned, beaten, almost killed, struck crazy, and stripped of everything he has ever had in the world, simply because a man thought he was his illegitimate son. If the sheer volume of abuse this man has suffered isn't unrealistic enough for you, then the reasons why should be. I understand that the author wants this character pushed down and trampled on so that his triumph at the end of the series will be that much sweeter, but sometimes the trampling is so outrageous that no amount of triumph can ever be sweet enough. I plan on feeling a bit empty when Alain finally comes into his own.

As for the rest of the characters, I honestly had trouble keeping everyone straight. Some characters I don't even like anymore. Liath is no longer fun to read about. Sanglant is suddenly insecure, and he was so much more appealing when he was strong. Hugh is icky. He gives me shivers. It's like reading about a wierd uncle who makes your skin crawl. We understand that John is scarred. No need to keep calling him "Scarred John". The whole Heribert situation has me dreadfully confused. Who possessed him? Is the real Heribert dead? The rest of the characters sort of merge together in a mish mash of people who have bit parts that don't really seem to add much to the story. Why is Hannah still around (for one example)?

Oh, and someone needs to spank Blessing. Hard.

In the Ruins (2005) is the sixth Fantasy novel of the Crown of Stars series, following The Gathering Storm. In the previous volume, the Seven Sleepers raised the enchantment to thrust away the land of the Aoi, but three crowns were disrupted; yet Anne compensated for the setback. Then Liath guided the molten streams of lava up through the central crown, killing Anne and her retinue and the enchantment failed.

Prince Sanglant and Zuangua killed the diamone within Henry and the freed Regnant named Sanglant as his heir. Both armies then acclaimed him as their ruler.

Dragonback Ridge shattered and released the dragon. Alain and the dragon faced each other momentarily, but then the dragon flew away. A wave washed over Alain and then carried him back toward the sea; but the cart caught on the rocks and his chains held him back. His foster father Henri and the dogs found Alain lying amidst the ruins, released him from the chains, and took him home.

In this novel, the land of the Ashioi rejoins the Earth at the same time as the current Feather Cloak, Secha, gives birth to twins. The restoral also has unforeseen consequences among those left on Earth. The violence of the unfolding spell raises volcanoes, generates tsunamis in the Middle Sea, causes rivers to run backward, and buries villages under mudslides. Great windstorms tear down trees and scatter the ever present ashes. Huge waves wash over the shore and sweep far inland. Then the widespread ashes and dust obscure the sun.

King Sanglant has inherited the remains of two armies; both are at half strength after the fighting and the effects of the Cataclysm. After the virtual destruction of Estriana by tidal waves, Sanglant refuses to look further for Queen Adelheid. Nor does he send a party to look for Liath. Taking his survivors, Sanglant marches north toward Wendar.

The hot windstorm blows down the tents of King Geza and Lady Eudokia. The Eagle Hanna wanders among the survivors, witnessing Geza's divorce of Princess Sapientia and his hurried departure to Ungria, but she is captured by Eudokia's soldiers and taken away in chains as they depart. Sister Rosvita waits for her return, but is forced to leave without her before the coming of twilight. Finding Sapientia as they exit the camp, Sister Rosvita takes her with them.

Liath struggles across the devastation that she has created, coming to a ruined watchtower. There she finds Eldest Uncle with a skin of water. He takes her to the river to wash away the grime and ashes. Then she falls sleep, waking once with the arrival of two masked warriors, but falls asleep again for many days.

Waking once more, she dresses herself in an ancient tunic and her mantle, then climbs the watchtower. From there she sees an army of refugees coming. When they arrive, Eldest Uncle and a younger version of himself embrace in joy; they are twins who have been separated in time. Unfortunately, Kansi is with the refugees and turns them against Liath. She flees, but Kansi sends sorcery after her. As she falls, a golden griffin catches her and flies away.

This novel recounts the destruction from the Cataclysm and the subsequent violence among the various human factions and between the Ashioi and the humans. The Ashioi who walked the shadows still remember the war with the humans and horse people; they outnumber the Lost Ones who traveled with their land through the aether and are eager to resume the conflict. The self-deluded humans, however, mostly consider the Ashioi as a sideshow to their own righteous killings. And the country folk and townspeople die mostly unregarded by the nobility.

Highly recommended for Elliott fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of high adventure, noble thinking and magical weapons.

-Arthur W. Jordin