Freeman Books

Having been out of the web-design loop for about 10 years, this book was perfect for me. I am a hobbiest who learned HTML back in the days of HTML 1.0 and got frustrated with the browser wars enough to move on to other things (and I mean other things completely non-web-related). Now, with the existence of the W3C and standards-based web-design, I decided to jump back in, and this book has brought me right back up to speed with all the basics. I couldn't recommend it highly enough.

I read this book from cover to cover, doing most of the exercises. Knowing HTML previously but new to CSS this was a wonderful introduction.

My only wish that could make it better is if the index was more comprehensive. As I started to create my own pages based on the learning, it was difficult to refer back to ideas because the index does not list many things. It's a pain to then search page-by-page in the chapter.

This is my only issue. I actually love this book!

This is a great book for anyone wanting to learn HTML and more. I'm usually someone who needs to have hands on training in order to learn but this book makes me feel as though I'm in a classroom. It's well written and makes learning an otherwise dull topic fun. The only bad thing is the binding on it is coming off. This started right out of the box. Unfortunately, hearing from others taking the same online course, this seems to be a recurring theme with this publisher's books. Content of book is great though and that's what counts!

I've been using HTML for quite a while, but I really didn't understand it -- largely because I couldn't bring myself to care. I just used my cheat sheet a lot.
Having worked through thsi book, I understand it all well enough to remember it.
This is the first book in the Head First series that I've used, and I hesitated because of the price. I already had an HTML book, and it seemed like an extravagance. It is absolutely worth it.
Now that I've emoted over it, let me describe the book for you.
It's like a good language book. This is very sensible, since HTML is a language of a sort, but I've never seen it before.
Instead of big blocks of code you're supposed to copy, the book works through concepts and patterns, with plenty of exercises and graphics to clarify it all before you're expected to take it to the keyboard.
There is an element of cuteness here, but it's sharp, not silly, and there is nothing extraneous. The entire book is designed to work with the way human brains learn information.
You'll work through everything from basic structures to getting your pages on the web to CSS. The natural "Wouldn't it be easier to...?" objections are presented, with explanations of why taking early shortcuts leads to regrets later. This is a good alternative to trial and error.
I'm going to order my next Head First book right away.

I teach college courses on Web development that emphasize Web standards and usability. This is one of only two entry-level (X)HTML + CSS books that I will recommend to students.

"Head First.." is a fun and lively book that is very much aimed at ordinary folks who are having a hard time figuring this stuff out. It's pleasurable scenarios and tongue-in-cheek humor push learning toward the authentic and affective.

This is an awesome book. It comes in hardback for a great price and it is huge. I already owned the 1st volume of sherlock holmes too.
The only dispute I had was that this volume and the first volume overlap.
So up to page like 400 or something were stories I had already read in the first volume. But, the second half of the book were stories I had never read, and all in all it was a satisfactory product.

It is a very good idea to publish all Sherlock Holmes' adventures in a
single volume.
Everyone who likes to read about solving crime mysteries in Victorian
England will be delighted.
I strongly recommend this book.

This entire book is amazing. A very good product!!

Here, in a single volume authorized by the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, are the definitive versions of the 56 short stories and four novels about Doyle's most famous literary character, Sherlock Holmes. Together, the stories and novels comprise what is still the finest collection of English language detective fiction in existence. Sherlock Holmes, whose first appearance in print was in 1887, continues to fill the public mind as the iconic private detective. Holmes and his friend and collaborator Dr. Watson enjoy a continuing existence in various film adaptations of the original stories, most notably Grenada Television's recent series starring Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke.

This volume opens with an excellent introductory essay by Christopher Morley, which puts both the Holmes legend and his creater in perspective. Following is the initial Holmes story, "A Study in Scarlet", which introduces us to Dr. Watson, formerly a medical officer in the British Army, now on half-pay convalescence as a result of a wound suffered in Afghanistan. Dr. Watson needs a roommate. A mutual aquaintance introduces him to one Sherlock Holmes, a self-styled consulting detective. Watson becomes interested in one of Holmes'cases, and we the readers are off and running. After "The Sign of Four", the "Adventures" and the "Memoirs", Conan Doyle tried to kill off his very popular character to make room for other literary projects. Popular pressure compelled Doyle to resurrect Holmes, who went on to star in the "Return", "The Hound of the Baskervilles", "The Valley of Fear", "His Last Bow", and "The Casebook."

The formula is familiar to Sherlock Holmes fans. A card, letter, or visitor to 221-B Baker Street typically introduces a new case with some unusual or bizarre element worthy of the eccentric Holmes's special skills and collaboration with Dr. Watson, his endlessly patient friend and nominal biographer to the British public. The story settings are typically London or some private home or school in England; two stories have flashback settings in the United States. If the stories are very much set in late Victorian and Edwardian England, they continue to translate well to a modern audience.

For this reviewer, perhaps the quintessional story is the short novel "The Hound of the Baskervilles" with its plot of a ancient family seemingly haunted by a deadly curse involving a spectral hound that turns out to have a very real presence in the physical world. This novel nicely balances first person and epistolatory narrative by Dr. Watson, building from the initial scenes in London to a thrilling climax on remote and wild Dartmoor.

This complete collection of Sherlock Holmes is very highly recommended to fans of the famous detective and to those persons who so far know Holmes only through movies or the TV series.

This is a classic. Sherlock Holmes is my favorite detective of all time and this book will have a permanent place in my library. I do not mind the small print. I love the convenience of having all his works in one volume.

One of my favorite books to share with my son. Even though he has out grown it, I cannot part with this book.

I bought this book after reading reviews, and was pretty disappointed. Sure, the message is good, but the story is kind of boring. My 20 month old was unimpressed.

A simple story of a teddy bears adventure of finding its missing button and ends up finding a home, it almost feels like a book for parents who are ready to adopt.

I remember watching a movie about orphans (I can't recall which one, NO....it's not Oliver), they were trying to look their best and behave their best when ever a potential parents-to-be comes by. And I sense some parallel with this story and sympathies with Corduroy.

A girl fines Corduroy in the shopping mall and wants to take him home. A mom point out the he's dusty and also is missing a button. Corduroy thinking this a problem goes in search for his missing button. In the end, he finds a home not because of his appearance but because there was someone out there who would loves him for what he is.

It's a book that makes you appreciate what you have, a good lesson to teach the kids.

I grew up with this book and had to order it so I could see it again. The story is simple and sweet, as are the illustrations. Tugs at the heartstrings: I recommend to anyone who has a heart or wants to have one. :-)

Corduroy is very charming story about an adorable teddy bear who lives in a department store. No one wants him because he is missing a button from his overalls. After a night time adventure in the department store, a young girl named Lisa comes to buy Corduroy with her very own money and to take him home as her very own bear. Lisa refuses a bag for Corduroy, and lovingly carries him home. Even though Lisa loves him just the way he is, she sews a new button on his overalls to make him more comfortable. Corduroy realizes that at last he has a home and a friend; the two things he has always wanted most.

This warm and heartfelt story teaches children the all important life lessons of unconditional love and a true home. Every child wants and NEEDS to be loved for who and what they are, no matter what mischief the get into. While everyone else ignored Corduroy simply because he was missing a button, to Lisa he was the perfect bear to take home and love completely.

Apparently, Corduroy is classic that has been around for many years. While I missed this story during my childhood, I more than thrilled to share it with my 3 year old. Corduroy is well loved in our house, and he will be in yours, too.

The Cd begins with the powerful witches scene-great music-definitely causing my students to sit-up and listen.

The Dover Thrift Edition is a good choice for a reading text because it presents the entire, unabridged play, and has enough notes to be helpful to inexperienced readers without overwhelming or distracting them. The omition of a scholarly apparatus makes the Dover Edition more flexible and keeps it from becoming outdated.

This product was great. It helped my students and I read and comprehend Macbeth so much better than us trying to read it and comprehend it. The actors voices are great! I think they do a great job being the characters on tape!

Virtually all editions of Macbeth will have at least some annotations. Rummaging through five different editions, I preferred the Yale University Press version, edited by Burton Raffel, as having the most comprehensive and comprehensible notes, as well as an excellent introduction to Shakespeare's play. Raffel not only explains the meanings of obscure words, but also gives brief notes pertaining to relevant history, geography, stage directions, etc, that are rarely addressed as fully by other editors. In addition, Raffel frequently gives the proper way to stress the syllables in a line when reading it aloud, which can be extremely helpful. (However, in most places these stresses need to be very subtle, so that you don't sound like "taDUM taDUM taDUM".) And Yale's page layout is among the clearest that I've seen.

(To find this edition: at Avanced Search, enter ISBN 0300106548; or, enter Macbeth as title, and either Raffel as author or Yale as publisher.)

As a bonus, this edition includes at the back a long essay on the play by Harold Bloom. This is not an uninteresting commentary, but Bloom desperately needs a good editor. His essay is not only at least three times longer than it should be, but is startlingly repetitious. Yale would have been wise to have asked Bloom for a rewrite.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was a dramatist whose genius is universally acknowledged, with a reputation as an actor, playwright and poet. He lived in an age of vast and significant changes characterised by the rise of the middle class and of a centralised government and the disappearance of medieval religious beliefs. England was transforming into a modern state. This was a time when self-realisation, self-respect and boldness of thought and action was idealised. Shakespeare's drama merely reflected the dramatic times of the age.

Shakespeare's genius can be reflected by the variety of his productions, where out of the 36 plays he has left, no two are alike and he managed to articulate the diverse subjects with exceptional expertise, handling both tragedies and comedies with ease.

Macbeth is a tragedy, intended to teach us a lesson about the human condition. The play is a tragedy about a wealthy Scottish noble called Macbeth who kills his king to gain the throne. During Shakespeare's time, this was a terrible thing to do, and from then on, Macbeth was doomed to die a tragic death.

The play starts with three witches confronting the great Scottish general Macbeth on his victorious return from a war between Scotland and Norway. The witches predict that he will one day become king. They also predict that another General called Banquo will be the father of kings, although he will not ascend the throne himself. The Scottish king, Duncan, decides that he will confer the title of the traitorous Cawdor on the heroic Macbeth. Macbeth, with the urging of his evil and ambitious wife murder King Duncan and ascends to the throne of Scotland.

Macbeth and his evil wife begin to do strange things, partly because of what they have done and also because they never get a whole night's sleep. Macbeth thinks he has to kill two of his former friends because he believes that they threaten his new throne. His efforts fail and he is eventually killed.

I needed to listen to this since I had listened to Stripped, the book that follows this one.

It explained a lot that I did not understand. That is the problem with finding a new author and reading a later book.

It was a good read.

My first and last time reading anything by Brian Freeman. It started out pretty good, but then when he got to describing the lesbian Nancy Carver, his homophobia and hatred of lesbians came raging out in his completely unrealistic and stereotypical description of her. From there, the entire book went downhill. He painted every single other adult female as surrealistically beautiful with incredible bodies. Apparently he's never seen an actual female police officer: they don't fit his stereotype. His Hispanic police officer in Las Vegas sounded more like a pimp than a cop. And the ending just cracked me up. His own wife and her ex-husband?? Give me a break!

I thought this book was a wonderfully well-weaved tale of mystery, murder & mayhem.
I'm an avid reader of mystery novels and while I truly enjoy the settings, detective characters and so on - I have always prided myself on figuring out the "guilty party" early in a book.

Not so with this piece of entertainment.

At various stages along the way I had it "figured out" only to discover later that I full of beans and I learned what I wanted to know only when it's crafty author let me.
This masterpiece provided me with hours of entertainment and it was so infused with twists and turns that I constantly felt as if I were riding a rollercoaster of emotions and intrigue.

Be warned that it is an addictive page turner.
The dishes & laundry can and will wait. Time spent reading this one is time well spent. Period.

Let me get straight to the point. If you like crime fiction, especially the novels that really twist your mind in knots while you try to figure out what's going on, then you need to buy IMMORAL. If, like me, you read and enjoy the likes of Connelly, Gerritsen, Deaver, Coben, Slaughter, Connolly and Child you will not be disappointed by this relative newcomer to the genre. He's good. He's very good, in fact.

This novel actually represents the first in a series featuring Lieutenant Jonathan Stride, later to be joined by Las Vegas Police Detective Serena Dial. Stride is based in Duluth, north Minnesota, a town on the edge of Lake Superior that I had never heard of before, and presumably not many others know it either as it doesn't even have a Starbucks (shock, horror). The story revolves around the disappearance of a rebellious, sexy and in many ways mysterious teenage girl named Rachel, whose behaviour affected several people before she disappeared and whose personality continues to influence others - including Stride - years after she was last seen. The tale also involves the love life of forty-something Stride himself, initially a widower having lost his wife to cancer a year before the story begins. His bedroom exploits are a little too graphically detailed for my own personal tastes, but it's fair to say that his romantic asides are very relevant to the plot and are not merely bolted-on to please a certain sector of the readership. Most importantly though the central story of what happened to Rachel is very well told and I was kept guessing right to the end. More than guessing, actually - at times I felt like shouting at the page demanding to know what's going on! The only disappointment was finishing it, because I simply did not want it to end. It more than held my interest at all times, there is never a dull moment and there is a complete absence of gratuitous violence. Brian Freeman has written two follow-ups to this debut novel and I'm going to buy them both. Definitely a crime fiction writer who knows his way around the courtroom and one to watch out for in the future.

The action flowed continually. The dialouge was first rate. This author has got it.

The best parts of the Annotated Chronicles?? When Tracy Hickman writes a note about a particular item in the book, and then right below it, Margaret Weis also includes a note and basically contradicts with Tracy says! I love the playful rapport between them!

I am positively boggled as to how a book can be co-authored by two (or more) people in a collaborative, fictional linear-story setting, and this Annotated Chronicles really does shed a lot of light in the writing and thought process of creating and writing these epic books! I love behind the scenes stuff like that! It's like watching the "Making Of" extras in DVDs!

Warning: THE BOOK IS HEAVY. I've been using it as a commuting-on-the-train and a working-out-at-the-gym book and it really is an added burden! But I don't mind!

Also, if you have never read the books, the annotations on the sides will be VERY distracting, not to mention spoiler-y!

Having read the Chronicles many years ago, and recently picked up the first volume of the Lost Chronicles, I turned to the Annotated Chronicles to mine the original stories for the best scenes and see what was contributed by the commentary of Weis, Hickman, and other members of the original Dragonlance design team. It's rare that one gets the opportunity to read authors' commentaries on their own works, and I found it overall a worthwhile experience - better, I say, to have this sort of thing than not (imagine a Lord of the Rings annotated closely by Tolkien!). Comments range widely from explanation of scenes, background to the plot, character origins, analysis, and development, and so on. Some of the notes explain the obvious but many give you an insight into what is for the reader unknowable (for example, concerns that Lord Soth, like Milton's Satan, would dominate at every appearance, which he tends to do...). I didn't find the notes obtrusive and tended to look forward to them as they appeared on the marginal horizon. A couple of things in conclusion: the annotations are not comprehensive (there is bound to be something that cries out for comment but does not receive it), nor are they systematic or (for the D&D folk) technical. If you have not read the Chronicles don't start with this edition. The annotations give too much away. Come back to it later.

This was my first experience with the dragonlance series, and I am now hooked. The trilogy was excellent to read, although the writing level was not quite up to the standard of Terry Goodkind and Robert Jordan, my other favorite fantasy authors.

The books receive 5 stars on merit, but this edition gets 4 stars because of the annotations. Many other reviewers have mentioned that some annotations are pointless and obvious, but those weren't the ones that bothered me. I enjoyed reading about the authors' mindset as they wrote a section of the book, or about character backgrounds. What I did NOT like, however, were the massive spoilers in the annotations. These spoilers really serve no purpose and have no context. Two that stand out in my mind are "***** is actually not a knight, as we discover later" and "******** is actually the dragon highlord" [names omitted for those who have not read the books]. The second example actually made me mad, as it ruined what would have been a big surprise at the very beginning of one of the books!

Many of the annotations are good, but the spoilers really overshadow the positive benefits. Read them seperately, IMO.

Before I actually review this book I would like to give a little background history of why I read it. Many years ago (I believe it was 1989) in my early teens, I began getting into Advanced Dungeons and Dragons' gaming system. I was happy, loving the game and all the rulebooks, even though there were few people around that played, (at least that I knew) and getting those few together was difficult. In need of some action, I soon found some satisfaction in TSR's line of gaming novels. Greyhawk was hard to find, and it seemed a bit outdated. Forgotten Realms was pretty cool but never really caught my full interest. But then there was Dragonlance. By the time I got to the series TSR was beginning to hit its spin-off phase pretty hard. Much like the huge line of Star Trek novels, there were a lot, and most of them not worth reading unless you were a Trekkie or an AD&D geek. Most of these novels were Dragonlance and I bought them all, and yes, I think I even read them all. There were even a few gems in the line, although most felt like filler material, trying with varying degrees of success to flesh out a semi-realized world.

Many years later, after not having read much in the way of fantasy for a long time, I had the urge to reread the Chronicles. And after a bit of looking around on the Internet, I found and thought I might read the Annotated Edition. As someone who enjoys writing I like to read about the evolution of a book and also pick up any little details that couldn't fit in the published novel. (For the best example of this check out Tolkien's Histories of Middle Earth, compiled and edited by his son Christopher.) So I ordered a copy, and at the same time getting a copy of the Annotated Legends, the direct sequel to Chronicles.

What I would like to do is a brief review of each book in the trilogy, as each one has a different feel, and rating each individually. Then I will write about the trilogy as a whole, and this edition in particular.

Dragons of Autumn Twilight-4stars
This is the best of the three, indeed I think it might be the best of the whole Dragonlance line. This one, above all others, feels like you're in an adventuresome AD&D game. It is an interesting cast of characters that is based on the game system's recommended party. You've got your half-elven ranger (Tanis), your cleric (Goldmoon), barbarian (Riverwind), thief (Tasselhoff Burrfoot), fighter (Caramon), wizard (Raistlin), dwarf (Flint), and your knight or paladin (Sturm Brightblade). Not much room for improvement there, at least from a role-playing standpoint. The storyline is something like this: 300 years ago the gods "abandoned" the world of Krynn, because mortals dared to believe they knew better than them. Oh yeah, and on their way out they left plenty of destruction that was called the Cataclysm. Like hurling a fiery mountain down upon the center of moral purity, Istar. Now we have a cleric who doesn't know she is heralding their return, and our merry band of adventurers must help her (although most of them are not doing it willingly,) to find some sort of holy relic in a ruined city that is very reminiscent of an AD&D dungeon. And guess what! Dragons are back. At least a black one is. They exiled themselves through mutual consent of both the good dragons (metallic- gold, bronze, silver, etc.), and the evil dragons (colored- black, red, green, etc.), close to a thousand years before. After that the companions attempt to figure out what is going on and trying to spread the news, both the good (the gods are returning!) and the bad (yet so are the dragons!). After some more adventures we see one of the elven capitals, meet the bumbling old wizard Fizban (one of my personal favorites), and a man with a large green gem stuck to his chest who seems to have a problem with not being able to die.

Dragons of Winter Night- 3stars
This book feels more like a novel and less like you're in the middle of a role-playing game. The companions are splitting up, trying to do their part in discovering what is going on and what they can do about it. The reason for three stars on this one is that the plots don't really seem to flow together that well. Most of the time you could care less when you skip to the next character off in a different place, as the suspense doesn't really seem to build up in between scenes. But there are some interesting things in this book. One of my favorites is when they are looking for the fabled port city of Tarsis. After the Cataclysm the oceans were moved around, and now they are faced with a landlocked city surrounded by rotting ships on a sea of sand, which of course upsets the party's plan quite thoroughly. We also see what happens when you walk into a forest kingdom that is ruled by an elf going mad from being controlled by a green dragon.

Dragons of Spring Dawning- 3stars
Well here we are, the last one, and it doesn't get much better than the last. Not bad mind you, but any excitement that you might expect from the ending is demolished by the fantastical, superhuman feats that are necessary for the companions to go through in order to save the world.
Although I will say that they do a nice bit about how love can conquer all. And I must admit that the aerial battles between dragons were done very well. In the end we are left with a world returning to brightness, and our heroes must now live up to the status Heroes of the Lance.

As far as the series as a whole, it is a fun read, especially if you have never read it before. If you have then it might leave you feeling slightly disappointed, although for me it wasn't nearly as much so as watching my old favorite 80's movies. Now for the annotated edition, it was ok. There were some interesting things that they made notations of, but most of it seemed like plugs for the other Dragonlance books. And the most annoying thing was that they would say almost the same thing over and over again in each book, like you had never read that particular note before. Maddening!
Anyhow, I am glad that I reread it. I just hope the experience is as good for you if you do decide to read this for the first, or even fifth time.

Have you ever wanted to get into the author's head just a little bit further? Or to rent them for a few hours and ask them questions? Well here you go...your wish had been granted...well sort of...well its the next best thing! The best description I can think of is this is like the DVD commentary option but better for its a book! =)
The Annotated Chronicles is chalk full of further detail of everything from plots, history, the why's and where's, who did whats, etc. In this wide margin addition of the Chronicle Margaret Weis (Author)and Tracy Hickman (Author) have invited us to the realms of their creation with lots of notes added in the margins.
So whether you are a seasoned vetrean or a first timmer I highly recommend The Annotated Chronicles version of the Dragonlance Chronicles!

I teach Calculus at the high school level and was very impressed with this book. I recommend it for my students as a supplement. It explains the concepts in "real words" and helps some of them understand. Also, additional examples that are well explained.

...given the mostly glowing reviews. Don't expect miracles from this guide. Nothing particularly enlightening in its contents, if you had stayed awake during classes....

Ok, I'm the type of person that likes to hold onto my old math books for future reference because we all tend to forget some mathematical concepts and equations as time goes on. This book is amazing. After having previously buying a disappointing DVD on Calculus, I had to find another source to supplement, and cover the ideas of Calculus. I found this book was extremely easy to reader and covers all concepts that you are likely to run into in your Calculus 1 and 2 classes. And best part is this book is very cheap compare to others out there yet it has concise and humorous explanations. I enjoy this book so much that it almost doesn't feel much like studying when reading it, yet I am better able to understand Calculus after each section. This book is definitely a keeper and maybe I'll even sell back my Calculus 1 and 2 textbooks to get some of my college money back. Good luck in your Calculus adventure.

I bought this book after seeing the reviews thinking it'd be wonderful but all it's good for is acting as a paperweight. There are no practice problems and the sections are very short. There are charts and formulas in the back but what's the point if they don't help you learn to apply them? IMO- Math takes alot of practice problems for success. I bought this and "The Humongous Book of Calculus Problems: For People Who Don't Speak Math", which I HIGHLY recommend. I'll now be buying "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Calculus" which is from the same author.

Students of calculus often find that they "don't understand" what the textbook is saying, what the teacher is saying, what the problem is saying/asking. This book explains the mathematics with integrity and humor. Over the past several years I am sure that more than a hundred of my students have purchased this book and the sequel, How to Ace the Rest of Calculus, and to a one they all love it! When the stuff in class doesn't hang together we all turn to "Colin and friends" to see how they explain it.

I really enjoyed this book.
It makes you understand that science is not perfect, that not everybody agrees or thinks the same about the issues, and that there is always much to be done.
It was interesting to know a little of the lives of the people behind the ideas, and also how often the desire to resolve practical matters pulls science.

Salsburg writes a selective account of the history of statistics in the 20th century. In so doing, he tackles the philosophical issue of a scientific revolution from deterministic to stochastic thinking (he writes that this is a revolution in the Kuhnian sense). I haven't personally found another book which displays the big picture of what happened so clearly, and from that standpoint consider this book a must read on the topic. It is well written and appears to me to successfully communicate to a broad audience.

I have given several copies of this book away to my statistician colleagues, as it is an outstanding overview of the development of statistics in the twentieth century.

It is not particularly technical but it probably would appeal only to statisticians, students of statistics, and others interested in the impact of statistics on the advancement of science.

This is a very intriguing read about the history and the developments in the study of statistics throughout the twentieth century.

The Lady Tasting Tea is a new book by David Salsburg (a Ph.D. mathematical statistician, who recently retired from Pfizer Pharmaceuticals in Connecticut). The title of the book is taken from the famous example that R. A. Fisher used in his book "The Design of Experiments" to express the ideas and principles of statistical design to answer research questions. The subtitle "How Statistics Revolutionized Science in the Twentieth Century" really tells what the book is about. The author relates the statistical developments of the 20th Century through descriptions of the famous statisticians and the problems they studied.

The author conveys this from the perspective of a statistician with good theoretical training and much experience in academia and industry. He is a fellow of the American Statistical Association and a retired Senior Research Fellow from Pfizer has published three technical books and over 50 journal articles and has taught statistics at various universities including the Harvard School of Public Health, the University of Connecticut and the University of Pennsylvania.

This book is written in layman's terms and is intended for scientists and medical researchers as well as for statistician who are interested in the history of statistics. It just was published in early 2001. On the back-cover there are glowing words of praise from the epidemiologist Alvan Feinstein and from statisticians Barbara Bailar and Brad Efron. After reading their comments I decided to buy it and I found it difficult to put down.

Salsburg has met and interacted with many of the statisticians in the book and provides an interesting perspective and discussion of most of the important topics including those that head the agenda of the computer age and the 21st century. He discusses the life and work of many famous statisticians including Francis Galton, Karl Pearson, Egon Pearson, Jerzy Neyman, Abraham Wald, John Tukey, E. J. G. Pitman, Ed Deming, R. A. Fisher, George Box, David Cox, Gertrude Cox, Emil Gumbel, L. H. C. Tippett, Stella Cunliffe, Florence Nightingale David, William Sealy Gosset, Frank Wilcoxon, I. J. Good, Harold Hotelling, Morris Hansen, William Cochran, Persi Diaconis, Brad Efron, Paul Levy, Jerry Cornfield, Samuel Wilks, Andrei Kolmogorov, Guido Castelnuovo, Francesco Cantelli and Chester Bliss. Many other probabilists and statisticians are also mentioned including David Blackwell, Joseph Berkson, Herman Chernoff, Stephen Fienberg, William Madow, Nathan Mantel, Odd Aalen, Fred Mosteller, Jimmie Savage, Evelyn Fix, William Feller, Bruno deFinetti, Richard Savage, Erich Lehmann (first name mispelled), Corrado Gini, G. U. Yule, Manny Parzen, Walter Shewhart, Stephen Stigler, Nancy Mann, S. N. Roy, C. R. Rao, P. C. Mahalanobis, N. V. Smirnov, Jaroslav Hajek and Don Rubin among others.

The final chapter "The Idol with Feet of Clay" is philosophical in nature but deals with the important fact that in spite of the widespread and valuable use of the statistical methodology that was primarily created in the past century, the foundations of statistical inference and probability are still on shaky ground.

I think there is a lot of important information in this book that relates to pharmaceutical trials, including the important discussion of intention to treat, the role of epidemiology (especially retrospective case-control studies and observational studies), use of martingale methods in survival analysis, exploratory data analysis, p-values, Bayesian models, non-parametric methods, bootstrap, hypothesis tests and confidence intervals. This relates very much to my current work but the topics discussed touch all areas of science including, engineering in aerospace and manufacturing, agricultural studies, general medical research, astronomy, physics, chemistry, government (Department of Labor, Department of Commerce, Department of Energy etc.), educational testing, marketing and economics.

I think this is a great book for MDs, medical researchers and clinicians too! It will be a good book to read for anyone involved in scientific endeavors. As a statistician I find a great deal of value in reviewing the key ideas and philosophy of the great statisticians of the 20th Century.

I also have gained new insight from Salsburg. He has given these topics a great deal of thought and has written eloquently about them. I have learned about some people that I knew nothing about like Stella Cunliffe and Guido Castelnuovo. It is also touching for me to hear about the work of my Stanford teachers, Persi Diaconis and Brad Efron and other statisticians that I have met or found influential. These personalities and many other lesser-known statisticians have influenced the field of statistics.

The book includes a timeline that provides a list in chronological order of important events and the associated personalities in the history of statistics. It starts with the birth of Karl Pearson in 1857 and ends with the death of John Tukey in 2000.

Salsburg also provides a nice bibliography that starts with an annotated section on books and papers accessible to readers who may not have strong mathematical training. The rest of the bibliography is subdivided as follows: (1) Collected works of prominent statisticians, (2)obituaries, reminiscences, and published conversations and (3) other books and article that were mentioned in this book.

The book provides interesting reading for both statisticians and non-statisticians.

Dennis Littrell comments in his review that he missed the fact that the formulas common in mathematical statistics were missing. For statisticians and mathematicians such things help put extra meat bewteen the bread in the sandwich. But personally I do not see where that would contribute much conceptually to the book and it could have the effect of turning off the non-mathematically inclined medical researchers and other medical professionals who could learn to appreciate the role of statistics in the scientific advances in the twentieth century. Also note that I have the hardcover version of the book. The only difference between the hardcover and the paperback edition is the reduced price. Publishers often do that with popular books to increase sales.

Living the Creative Life is challenging me to look at creativity in many new ways. The approach taken from the viewpoint of many different artists in many different media shows the versitality of our innate creative spirit. The idea that all humans are creative if they allow that part of the whole person to flourish is not new to me, but the way this author discusses the creative spirit is fresh. The book is beautiful to look at and I love the format -- small size, lovely illustrations and great ideas for jump starting creativity.

I know a couple artists that submitted their work to this book and I was happy to see them included!
I think any book that helps people with inspiration is great.

I do think this book is a bit fluffy. At least for me. I was hoping for something different maybe. Something meatier ~ Thanks

By asking several artist's the same question, it shows there is no "right" way. Everyone comes to their art with their own style. Great idea's to jump start the muse. The imagery was beautiful.

You can't but be inspired after reading this wondrous book! I will admit first hand, I personally have no intention (nor the talent), to ever become a world class artist by any means. I do have passion to create however, and this book along with another I received around the same time, Your Home A Living Canvas: Create Stunning Faux Finishes & Murals with Paint, by Curtis Heuser, have almost convinced me to rethink my day job. How rewarding (and envious), it sounds from all these talented souls, to be devoted and fortunate enough to get to spend their time without a doubt, doing what they love. Not to say it is without effort, but the pure joy and love for expression, explodes off the pages and simply can not be denied in both of these glorious titles.

Unlike the various first hand artistic testimonials featured throughout "THE CREATIVE LIFE..." - "YOUR HOME..." follows just one decorative artist's amazing creative journey, leading to the publishing of his extroidinary first book which documents the rebirth of his ordinary historic home, through must see mural and faux painting techniques and decoration. In addition, Heuser's book is full of beautiful before, during and after photography, and inspiring how to do the same for your own home-projects. There are similarities in both of these titles however, as the reader will discover and can almost touch the often unexplicable creative passion in the hearts and spirits of these diversely talented artistans.

There appears a special kinship between the artists and authors of both these books - as each are driven by the undeniable desire to express themselves through a wide range of interesting art mediums. I want to personally "Thank" both authors for so eloquently and unselfishly sharing their work and individual views on creativity with us! Both books offer rare insight and are worthy of our every penny! ENJOY!!!!

It is hard to imagine anyone could read this book without stopping multiple times to experiment with some form of art explorations of their own. The author makes it seem natural and oh so inviting. The only drawback is the small print on busy pages. It is sometimes difficult to read the suggestions.

My aim is to cover shakespeare this year with my 9th grader (I home-school). I purchased this book along with "Twelfth Night". I am so happy I did. The whole original text is included along with a translation of the play in todays english. At the end of the book there are MANY, MANY exercises and tests for the student to complete to ensure they have understood what they read. With this book, you can literally give it to your child and leave them to it. Obviously, you may need to give some guidance along the way, but it will be minimal. A homeschooler's dream because there is very little lesson prep. I will definately be buying other titles in this series!

"The Tragedy of Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare proves to be an amazing read if one thoroughly enjoys the challenge of deciphering the selective form of writing and occasionally complicated dialect. This classic play is based on the true, factual account of the assassination of Julius Caesar as it truly took place in 44 B.C. Of course, Shakespeare has completely made the story his own through the use of comic relief, characterization, and wonderful original composition. Julius Caesar, the ambitious and prideful dictator of Rome, has returned home from a victorious battle against his fellow Triumvirate, Pompey. As he celebrates and relishes his absolute power, little does he suspect the growing opposition of conspirators, some of whom he would never expect. This read is certainly worthwhile if one has a good taste for tragedy and does not mind a challenge.

The Arden Shakespeare series is the best, for either the beginning of scholarly research, the average needs of the English student, or as a resource for the informed theater professional. My only note of caution is for a casual reader who may find the extensive footnoting more of an interruption than a help. Love this book, love them all.

Shakespeare wrote Julius Caesar in about 1599. The play was the first of three Roman plays. Shakespeare based the source material for the play on a translation of a work by the Greek philosopher and biographer Plutarch, called "The lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans". Shakespeare, like Plutarch, praises and criticises the actions of the main characters in the assassination of Julius Caesar. However, the historical events in the play are fairly accurate, although the playwright sometimes changed the sequence and timing of events and added his limitless imagination to produce a timeless play that has been enacted and enjoyed by millions of people worldwide over the centuries.

The play is set in a period of political instability in Rome. The people of Rome celebrate Caesar victory over Pompey, their former leader. However, there are officials that are concerned about Caesar's growing power. The Romans were then aware that absolute power is open to abuse (there are people today who still do not know this simple fact). Among those concerned about the growing power of Caesar are Cassius and Brutus, who are both followers of Caesar.

Cassius persuades Brutus that something needs to be done to thwart Caesar's growing ambitions. Brutus has a problem with his conscience but ultimately decides that it is in the best interests of Rome that Caesar is eliminated.

Caesar receives warnings about the impending danger. During a festival that Caesar attends, he is warned "Beware the Ides of March". Caesar, however, dismisses the Soothsayer's warnings. When the Ides of March arrive and while Caesar is due to go to be crowned, warnings in the form of storms, bad omens and his wife's horrible dreams initially persuade Caesar to stay at home. However, Caesar decides to go after being advised that if he did not show up, Senators might change their minds about crowning him emperor. On entering the capitol, the conspirators stab Caesar to death.

Mark Anthony, a very close ally of Caesar, initially pretends to go along with the conspirators but he is determined to avenge his death. When Brutus addresses the confused crowd to drum up support for the assassination, Mark Anthony cleverly and expertly manages to turn the crowd against the conspirators and incites them to riot. With popular support in Rome, the triumvirs Anthony, Octavious and Lepidus plan to fight Brutus and Cassius. Brutus's conscience still troubles him and he sees Caesars ghost. Fighting takes place and Cassius and Brutus are defeated and both commit suicide to save their honour. The triumvirs then seize power after avenging Caesar.

I really enjoyed reading this edition of the play. Each scene is proceded by a summary of the secene and followed by commentary on the scene, and there are notes alongside the text explaining unusual words/phrases. As an actor, I have been reading Shakespeare for quite awhile, and I still found this book very helpful. If you are new to reading Shakespeare, I particularly recommend this because you will find it very helpful.