Hill Books

I used Mr. Burton's book to study for the Remote Access Exam. The material is very relevant to real world issue I deal within our network day to day. His chapters match close enough to the exam topics to cover what you need and his examples are excellent.
I had first picked up the Cisco Press Book: Building Cisco Remote Access Networks edited by Catherine Paquet. I have endured some boring, painful reading in my time ( I've got a Civil Engineering degree to prove it) but this came close to being the all time worst (ok, groundwater modeling was worse). I was so delighted to read Mr. Burton's material after that and would recommend, at a minimum you pick this book up in addition to the Cisco Press. At least you can get some great working sample configurations out of the book which I consider lacking in the Cisco Press title.
The errors and spelling mistakes were minor. This book is well worth the money. Oh, I passed the Remote Access Exam also.
- Ed Horley, CCNP, CCDA

As I recall, both authors were listed as co-authors with Terry Slattery on a previous book titled "Adv. Ip Routing With Cisco Networks" which received great reviews. All work for Chesapeake (great qualifications).

The book contains lots of helpful examples, configs, etc.. Big help on typically tough topics.

On a side note, Bill Burton is also an instructor for the BCRAN class and from some of his students comments, he also did a great job teaching the class, so he definitely knows what he is writing about.

Incomparable with Cisco press CCNP books on this same topic. I've rated both of those - "Building Cisco Remote Access Networks" and "CCNP Remote Access" with only 2 stars.

This book, unlike Cisco Press books, is very coherent, very clear and goes to the right level of depth to give you proper understanding of the material. What is more important it will give you understanding of how to apply the information on the job.

One tip however, all remote access books I looked at miss one important piece - they do not explain the complete set of interrelationships between serial interfaces, asynchronous interfaces, lines, controllers, vtys, ttys, etc. Therefore you need to read the introduction section from "Cisco IOS 12.0 Dial Solutions". It is a horrible read and you will have to fight through it. Read it five times, if you have to. But, it will give you the mental map and the foundation needed to understand any book on this topic.

I had the good fortune to take Bill Burton's BCRAN class at Chesapeake not long ago. He is an excellent and enthusiastic teacher and that is reflected in his book. It is written in a witty, conversational style, which makes it easy to follow. There are lots of sample configurations for the most common remote access configuration scenarios. He "holds your hand" as you are walked through these, including the 'show' and 'debug' commands you need when things aren't going well.

He notes in the Introduction, that the book is intended more as a practical reference to use in real-life than as an exhaustive BCRAN test preparation guide, which I think is a pretty accurate assessment. I've read some parts in depth, and skimmed most of the rest of the book. I expect it to be a useful and accessible guide in configuring all flavors of remote access. I bought the book because of my classroom experience, and was not disappointed.

I was given this book to read along with the course material for the CCNP v2 BCRAN exam. This book has much more information in it then the course material. Bill Burton does a great job in explaine some very difficult subjects. Good job. Highly recommended as both a study aide as well as a reference aid.

I am new to local geology and found this very readable. It read like an interesting book, as opposed to a textbook.

Once, while hiking the North Cascade mountains with my uncle, Duwayne Marlo Anderson (a noted geologist), he pointed to a particular mountain and explained to me how it had moved, by the forces of plate tectonics, from a position far to the south, northward, up the coast, to be lodged in its current location in northwestern Washington.

Four years later I found myself at Paradise, in Mt. Rainier National Park. I'd come there for a weekend of snowshoeing with my wife and her parents, but I'd inadvertently forgotten to bring the book I was reading ("The New Science of Evo Devo, Endless Forms Most Beautiful," by Sean B. Carroll). Desperate to find something to read (I feel naked without a book in tow) I found my way to the gift shop and stumbled across "The Restless Northwest" on display. Leafing through the book, I happened to turn to page 58, which describes two superterranes that were lodged against the northwest coast of ancient North America roughly 50 million years ago, pushed into place by the movements of the ancient Kula and Farallon plates. Here was the explanation for the mountain that my uncle had pointed out years earlier. I snatched up the book and read it cover to cover over the next 5 days.

This is an absolutely great book. Hill Williams is a respected and accomplished science writer with a distinguished carrier. He understands the story, and has the writing skills to make it interesting. And what a story it is.

Williams begins by taking us back 200 million years ago to the super continent Pangaea and describes how it broke apart, pulled in different directions by the forces of plate tectonics. He tells the story from a story teller's perspective, weaving the various narratives of plate tectonics, seafloor spreading, volcanism, glacial activity, etc. into the chronicle that describes how the Northwest came by its unique landscape. Of the many topics Williams covers, a few stand out in my mind as the most interesting. First on my list of favorites is his explanation of how the Rocky Mountains were formed. Second is the way he recounts the additions of superterranes and their part in forming the northwest corner of Washington, as well as the Canadian Rockies and Vancouver Island. Possibly the most interesting story he tells is that of the great basaltic floods that covered the Columbia River basin, flowing over much of eastern Washington, even following the course of the Columbia River all the way to the Pacific Ocean. My personal favorite, though, is his description of the great floods that accompanied the semi-cyclic emptying of ancient Lake Missoula.

While those were the highlights for me, there were many other fascinating accounts, including massive underwater flows caused by earthquakes, and the earthquakes themselves, powerful enough to lift whole sections of the landscape by meters, while equally depressing other regions. And, of course, there is the story of the cascade volcanoes, symbol of the Pacific Northwest itself.

This is a relatively short book (only about 160 pages - I read it in less than a week), but it's surprisingly complete and detailed. The illustrations add greatly to the book. They are well drawn, easy to read, and they speak to the text using the same terminology.

This book will appeal most to the casual weekend geologist (I place myself in that category). If you enjoy hiking the Northwest, and especially the Cascades, Columbia River Gorge, and/or Olympics, the book should have special value in helping to explain the formations you'll see, and the forces that created them. The next time you find yourself on a craggy peak deep in the Olympic National Forest, and you look down to see a marine fossil or sedimentary rock at your feet, you'll know why (if you read the book).

As I read this book I had only one regret. I kept wishing I could see a movie that illustrates the string of events described here. I've seen short animations that trace a billion yeas of continental movement in a few minutes or so. That's not what I'm talking about here, though. I'm talking about an animated, narrated production, 45-60 minutes long, tracing the formation of the Pacific Northwest with as much detail as that given by Williams. Until the movie comes out, though, you'll have to read the book. Needless to say, this is one that I highly recommend. Happy reading!

It isn't often one finds a simply written, slender volume
that covers this much ground (sorry). Williams uses analogy
and simple illustrations to present a smack-up-to-date
understanding of Pacific Northwest Geology. Best of all,
he does it in a way that draws the reader into the
scientific process -- the geologists in the submarines
exploring ocean vents and fairylike mineral castles,
or scrambling through brush looking for places where
the pattern of rocks changes dramatically very quickly,
or frustrated in their efforts to gain access to layers
deeply embedded in the earth that might help answer their questions.

From beaches in West Seattle, to tree rings underwater
in Lake Washington, Williams tells great stories of
the puzzles presented in the earth around us, and the
people who figure them out.

"The Restless Northwest" by Hill Williams is a well written commentary on those fundemental processes responsible for shaping our Pacific Northwest. Hill's straight-forward style of presenting technical subjects makes the book an excellent source of geologic information, particularly for the casual reader. His depth of understanding of complex processes and ability to explain them in a manner comprehensible to most readers is commendable. With numerous simple diagrams together with easily understood discussions, he has clearly explained such technical processes as plate tectonics, geologic terranes, the great floods from ancient Lake missoula and many others. Willams has a knack for accurately converting complex sientific data to a form well understood by the general public. I have read a number of books that attempt this challenge and in my opinion "The Restless Northwest, a geologic story" is one of the best of its kind.

The authour, Hill williams was a science writer for the Seattle Times for twentt-four years, not a professor of geology, there in lies his power as a story teller, and by God what a story.
The story of our great NorthWest spans 175 million years, to a time when there was no Atlanic Ocean,to a world pushed together, all in a prehistoric hairball-"Pangaea" (MOM).

This is a new look at a very complex history of the world, plate movement, over a incomprehinicble time span, but with the use of tons of maps, common but understandable nartive, this work is outstanding

I had the privlage of hearing VJ Smith speak on Marty. This simple man obviously had a dramatic affect on the people he encountered. This very quick reading book has the punch of a freight train at full throttle. If you want true success this is a must read for everyone. The simple truths from a simple man could change your business, change your life!

This book was recomended to me and it was an absolute easy read! It's a very short story that wakes up your inner spirit. I'm buying one for all the GRADs I know. Those who deal with the public should definately read this book, but everyone (male or female) will benefit from it. Not only will you enjoy the read....but gain a renewed sense of relationships & life! Even if you are not looking for inspiration, it's written so that you can't put it down.

I worked at this Wal-mart when Marty was an employee there. He was an absolute joy to be around and the story is 100% true to form of the way this wonderful man treated his customers. Quick read and very uplifting!

My wife's employer bought the book for she and her coworkers to read. She became emotional as she read it and suggested that I would like it. I'm not into emotional books (I rarely read a book) but it's a quick read so I took it from her. Like others, I couldn't put it down and feel great for having read it.

What a great story. I cannot imagine anyone not enjoying this great little work. I have a bad habit of buying books and after the first chapter or two putting it back on the shelf. Not this one! I could not put it down until it was finished.

This book is amazing and is presented in a simple concept. Gary's story about his son coupled with the "Ring in the Rubble" concept is a blueprint for change for your life. Minister W W Cooper Jr Bowie MD

I was privileged to hear Dr. Bradt speak at an investment conference. The presentation was powerful, and when I later read the book, I could tell that the important insights came not just from academic observation but from convictions gained through personal experience. Rubble happens to all of us, and when it does, Dr. Bradt provides some approaches to use it as a pathway to something better. It sort of reminds me of the biblical phrase, "What was intended for evil, God intended for good." I highly recommend this enjoyable, insightful and very readable book.

What I liked best about this book were the specific actions that it said to take at the end of each chapter. They got me to dig a little deeper in some area. Many of the topics weren't new or radical but I actually like that they made sense and made me think a little deeper about what I had experienced and worked through on my own.
I had actually worked through some of these stages already by chance, help of friends or multiple books. But this pulled it all together. It would be good for someone just hitting a major challenge.

We've all heard the cliche, "It's not what happens to you. It is how you respond to it." That sounds easy until you are the one having to deal with it. Then the platitudes sound hollow unless of course you have read Gary Bradt's excellent book.

I liked this book A LOT because Bradt offers practical advice that works if you are going through change or leading others through it. The premise is deceptively simple - when things around you feel as if they have collapsed into a pile of rubble, there is a positive outcome if you will simply start digging.

I found the metaphor of "digging through change" struck a chord of realism, and the fact that this is an expert who has lived the lessons he teaches is a real plus. Your ability to embrace change on a personal level and lead others to do so on an organizational level determines, in many cases, the results you achieve. If you want to win you have to keep digging, and this book shows you how.

Randy Pennington, author
Results Rule!: Build a Culture That Blows the Competition Away

Gary Bradt, a first-time author, does an amazing job explaining how it is possible to create a positive experience out of a stressful, negative one. The story of his son's dramatic recovery from a tragic illness is inspirational and emotional. Bradt explains how even this awful experience became a positive one in his life. There was much to learn from reading the individual stories he relates."Ring in the Rubble" is both educational as well as exciting to read.

What a wonderful description of location (with colors and scents), native Hawaiians and their rich culture, the dynamics of business-for-profit in the name of health care, and interpersonal relationships--as well as a woman opening (reluctantly) to spiritual experiences and a new (to her) dimension of healing. For those who have "fallen" into their spiritual awakening, this book can provide some explanations. For those who are afraid to take on their own ability as healers, this is a story of courage and a demonstration of results.

This may not be the best read for those who don't believe in past lives or communicating through dreams...and yet again, why not?

A great read when you want to escape to the islands--or need inspiration to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Fortunately, I took this book on vacation with me because, once begun, I had to read it straight through. I was so captivated that I was unable to put it down. BB really gets into the heads and hearts of her characters as she brings them to life for the reader. She captures the heart and sole of the real Hawaii, too, avoiding the superficial Hawaii known to the multitudes of tourists. If you love Hawaii, the Hawaiian people, and a great read, then this book is a must. It will have you running the gamut of emotions along with the true to life characters of this story.

What a wonderful novel...I would highly recommend this book. I have never been to Hawaii, however after reading this book, felt as though I have visited the islands. I found the story to be very enjoyable, characters engaging, very well written and will look forward to more of BB Hill's work. I would highly recommend this book to everyone. Susan

I'm too lazy to ever write reviews -- ever!!!! But I had to write one for this novel. This is such a unique story. Although I was engaged by the story, the characters, the unfolding drama, the romance... I was struck most by what I felt when I finished reading it -- this feeling of... hope?? I guess this writer just touched on something that I'd love to believe in -- a sort of everyday specialness, the idea that there's something deeper out there than going to Starbuck's every day at 10:30. Read this book. You won't be sorry.

"A River Through Time" was the perfect read for our vacation in Oahu. We have visited Hawaii for many years and love the ancient and present cultures. The time shifting of former lives is handled very well and the story is beautifully crafted. BB Hill is a skillful writer with a great narative sense. You'll feel like you've been there. If you love Hawaii, you'll love this book!

As I read the messages of this book, I was held spellbound. Penny Kelly's description of the changing face of our global climate corresponds with our future's course now unfolding before us: the rise of multinational corporations as the ruling power in our societies and the devastating effects of their abusive influence and control; enhanced communication via the expansion of the large global network (this information was given to Penny circa 1980 before the Internet was commonly known); our frightening imminence toward widespread fighting, violence and terrorism throughout nearly every region and culture of the world; and weather extremes of drought, flooding, and devastation of the environment related to disrespectful abuse of our natural resources.

Robes details the socio-economic upheavals throughout this century as a part of our own inevitable evolution, simply because we are outgrowing our old systems that are no longer serving us. The more we adapt ourselves to these changes, the less suffering we are likely to endure.

Penny experienced a probable future in 2413 A.D. that paints a scenario of a more serene, workable worldscape that offers us technology harmoniously blended with nature, and balanced, cooperative living arrangements in a family-like structure consisting of large groups of people.

Most importantly, we should take note of the message that as we move toward the future our greatest problem concerns the deteriorating health of the masses related to third-world decline, and, in our American culture, due to what I call "fake food" and other unhealthy lifestyles, and our dependence on failing systems, such as our national government, to implement healthcare solutions that in the end only make matters worse. A more workable solution lies in learning how to effectively take care of ourselves through healthier choices. Our poor health may very well be the factor that accelerates the demise of large groups of people on this planet throughout this century.

This book enabled me to clearly see my path ahead me and what I must do for myself and for others if we are to implement a smoother transition for this generation and future generations.

This book really made me ask the hard questions. I am 22 years old and I can see a lot of what she has said in reguard to children and how they are raised, which leads to inmuture and unnurtured children becoming unnutured and imuture adults it a cycle that must end.I am still processing the information in this book, and wondering where do I begin, what steps do I take to make a change. This book is a gateway, it makes you see what we have done as creators who have not taken responsiblity for what we have created,It gives me knowledge and hope.It is a bridge from detruction and ignorance to balance and creation with nature in all its forms. Which will we choose? I highly recommend the time and effort that this book will take to read, not because it is a hard book but because it will take many readings to grasp and assimilate the information, it really is something you must re-read as many times as it takes to reinforce the beautiful lessons it teaches.

After wading through a pack of other books and newsletters about "earth changes" and examining futurist viewpoints, this is the only (source) book I found that I could actually relate to through daily life. This is not an abstract book. It is very logical and chillingly clear as to how we are gradually sliding ourselves into the (scary, and yet way down the road, hopeful) future.

I would recommend everyone give this a read! It might help us all.

This was a very thought provoking and eye-opening book. I am also a clairvoyant and my messages are in alignment with what she says in this book. More importantly than anything though, she offers very clear and practical ideas for preparing and taking care of ourselves and our loved ones during the changes that she writes about.

This book offers some possible pictures of our human future on the planet, and, it also offers hope and ideas about how to make good use of these ideas.

The little men in robes who have shown these visions give a very clear sense of what is coming and how we can make the needed changes to be ready - and possibly even avoid the worst of it. Certainly that would be the best outcome, but it may or may not be possible.

I really enjoyed the simple way that the information was laid out, without any sense of attachment to being right or having power over others from the author. Her own voyage and willingness to 'walk her talk' add a lot of credibility and gravity to what she speaks about in the book. This is one of the better books on the subject that I have found.

My copy is annotated throughout and I have returned to look things up or re-read chapters many times. It is not the kind of book you will put away and forget. It is a peek at our collective likely future, but it is also an intensely personal account. It took the author years to grasp the reality she was shown. A lot of pain comes up for her and her readers about past decisions as well as future choices. I wish I had raised my son differently. There are many changes to make to align with the future she was shown. There is a silver lining for humanity. The lives of the grandchildren of the survivors will be much better than ours. Think of what you can do to ease the transition for young people. Read this book and get started.

A great, fun, and easy bot to build. Good customer service.

I would recommend it for everyone.

This is a great bot. I recommend it for everyone. Easy to put together and lots of fun.

I should start off by saying that I'm not a kid, nor did I buy this and give it to a kid. I am 22 and I'm working on a completely hand-built robot. Since nobody else has written a review from this perspective - the adult hobbyist - I thought I would

First, however, for the sake of parents and uncles and aunts who read this. I think this is a good kit for 12-16 year olds, provided they are really computer savvy and have a long attention span. If your kid is fixing your computer more often than you, he might like this. If already knows how to program, this kit is for him. In any case, you probably need a knowledgable adult to get past the basics with this kit. The kit itself is a little on the cheap side, I'm not sure its worth the price above. (I found it on sale for less than half , but I've seen it advertised for 3 times as much too.) It took me 30 minutes to build it, but I was doing it real carefully. Any kid can probably do it in the same amount of time, although some of the instructions are probably going to be confusing for a kid. (How many 12 year olds know the difference between a worm gear and a spur gear?) Luckily, there are plenty of photos, which make the instructions pretty "kid-friendly". It does require an abnormally small flathead screwdriver that I don't think most houses have lying around. (An eyeglass repair kit would be perfect for assembling this.)

Once you build it and put in the batteries, it starts working right away and you can use the included remote control to play around with it. There's lots of online documenation included on CD. While the documentation is noble in its intent to teach, it covers way more material than a book could practically teach to an early adolescent, and therefore moves a little too fast at times: basic electronics and semiconductors, programming, etc. You might want to supplement this kit with extra books if the child shows interest. The extra project ideas seem like they would be engaging, but except for the most simple they're going to require an adult to help design the circuits unless your child is a whiz kid at electronics.

Okay, now I want to address the "Big Kids", like me, who are interested in intermediate/advanced robotics and buy kits like this to get experience and to later take apart and hack onto other projects. For me, this seemed like a good deal because it includes a BasicStamp 2, which costs more new (~$34)than what I paid for the whole kit. Sadly, its not the same BasicStamp 2. It operates the same electronically, but has a different physical form. This means when you're done with Mr. Sumo, you can't pull his brains out and plug them in to your own breadboard.

Okay, moving along, the engineering uses a smart architecture, where the low level such as PWM for the motors, A/D for the sensors, etc. are handled by their own, dedicated chip, a PIC16C505. Sadly, however, this is an OTP (one-time programmable) chip. This means you can't rewrite any of the low level functions without buying a pin-compatible, surface-mount PIC, reprogramming it, and then surface-mounting it to the PCB. In short, it's a lot of trouble.

The BS2 communicates to this PIC using two I/O lines and sending very basic, 8-bit commands. This is where the robot really limits itself. The control over certain crucial aspects, such as the motor speed, is handled solely by the low-level PIC16C505 and from the BS2 you don't get much access...you can't set the motors to different speeds, for instance, nor redefine what each speed means. (It has speeds 1-4, with 0 being "stopped"). Why would you want to? Because the DC motors weren't matched well when the kit was manufactured, and one overpowers the other, resulting in my robot continually dragging to the right. (Your robot will of course differ.) There's no easy way to fix this, without low-level access to the PWM code.

This is the bad, however. There are a lot of good things about this kit. The software is pretty amazing. The IDE is real easy to use, and it even includes a downloader that is way faster than others I've used (6811 and JStamp downloaders, eg). Plus, it has a "visual" memory map that helps you understand how much of the EEPROM your code is using up...that's a neat feature. Also, the little breadboard, while tiny, has convenient access to 11 I/O lines, as well as +3V from the BS2, +6V from the batteries, and ground.

Communication with the PIC16C505 is easy too, because the author include two convenient serial transmission routines in the program template that you use to build each new program. The sensors and conditioning circuitry and software are designed to eliminate "flutter" that often frustrates me on other projects. There is a bright IR LED, two decent IR sensors, and two CDS light sensors. The motors are small and fast, although geared down to add some much needed torque. With fresh batteries and a little bit of grease on the axles, I would guess this thing can go 60 feet per minute. The machining of the kit is good; everything fits snugly. The bread board has mounting holes for standoffs in case you want to add another deck on top, and the belly has tabs machined for mounting an RC servo. (Although, its a mount I've never seen, and none of my servos fit it.)

Well, this review is so long I ought to bind it and sell it on this site..the long and short: probably good for kids...with the right adult mentor. For adult hobbyists it's arbitrarily limited (as opposed to RoboSapien which is designed to be hacked), but still could be used as a test bed for small circuits. For the price I payed, I'm happy, but I wouldn't have gone much higher. (Then again, I'm a poor college student...)

I have had the original build your own robot kit for a year now and I thought it was pretty good. The concept and price was great, but there were a few rough edges in the original execution. The original wheels [were poor] (and for some reason say "FORD" on them) and it got pretty expensive buying the BS2 to go with it. Using an "acorn nut" as a front "caster" was pretty innovative, unfortunately it didn't work that well on rough surfaces.

The good points about the robot were the remote control and how easily a BS2 could be added to the robot so that I could write my own programs and try them out. Even with the [poor] wheels and "caster" it was probably the best experimenter's robot out there. The information on the CD-ROM was great, although I wish it was available on paper (costs a lot to print out all the information).

Myke seemed to have learned from the first robot and the Sumo Bot is fantastic. It now has a very solid sheet metal chassis (with a front scoop), it runs by 4 "AA" batteries and has a caterpiller bulldozer like track that allows it to run over just about any surface. The robot is really built like a bulldozer, it will last a long time.

Best of all, the optional pieces from the original kit, the BS2 and AppMod are built into the robot. All you have to do is put the CD-ROM into your PC, download the programs and BS2 programming software, conenct the robot to the PC using a serial cable and you can start writing your own programs or adding your own hardware.

This review probably reads like a sales pitch, but I've had my Sumo Bot for a week now and I LOVE IT! It's very robust, easy to use and program and best of all, it's fun.

Brad

this was an awsome robot i got it two weeks ago and im 13this robot has a cool way to be able to be progrmaed i already tried life simulation and many others this is the best robot with the most features its unbelievable i recommened it for beginners and those who love robotics it will be the envey of your block

Schaum's book here is the best book I've found on vocabulary building. Although it is targeted at students taking exams, the book's rich content will benefit any serious student of French. A whopping 46 chapters, divided into 10 major units covering Travel, Services, Food, Shopping, Medical Care, Home Life, Entertainment, Sports & Leisure, Education and Work, and Appendices on Numbers, Time Expressions, The Francophonie, Clothing & Shoes Sizes, etc, it provides tons of vocabulary items, to meet most of your everyday needs. It is also illustrated with many pictures (black & white) e.g. interior of a car, an airport, bathroom, etc with items labelled.

Most other vocab. books simply categorize topics and then throw a long list of items at you, with no drill/exercises to help reinforce your learning. For me vocab. acquisition and retention need drill and exercises to complement memorization. The book's drills and exercises do just that. Apart from Schaum, Practice Makes Perfect's French Vocabulary by Eliane Kurbegov, is the other book I know that also offers exercises to complement the categorized topics. However, at 22 Chapters, it is only half the size of Schaum, and nowhere as comprehensive.

I own several vocab books: Schaum's, Practice Makes Perfect, Mastering French Vocabulary by W.Fischer and 10,000 French Words by W. Rowlinson.

Overall, I rate Schaum the best.

Note: I have not checked 6,000+ Essential French Words which comes with a CD that reportedly pronounces several hundred essential words, allows you to build flash cards and I think also has exercises.

I studied French for many years. I can tell you much of the vocabulary in this book is very, very useful. I would fancy that an American student of French would benefit from this than a Canadian one, since they would be less likely to cover these terms in French courses on the high school in the U.S., and they wouldn't cover these everyday words in Canadian French university courses or American ones. You are dealing with terms related to cars, sports, travelling, hotel reservations etc.. I think that is useful, and you can't feel fluent without knowing these terms. I have a very old version of this book (1985), and I eventually want to get this newer one and compare.

I borrowed this book from a library but I think I need to spend a bit more time on it so I have decided to purchase my own copy. Basically it's different from the other vocab. books which it has exercises for you to do for each unit, and the materials are not very condensed, as with other vocab. books where they just categorize and throw a bunch of vocabs at you. Learning vocab needs drill and exercises, not pure memorization and I think this book does well in this area. I think if you really follow the book and work on all the exercises you will learn a lot. The only thing which made me take a star out of my rating is that the pictures and perhaps the layout of the book is a bit boring...ZZzzzz and outdated but actually the book wasn't very old at all.

I am also going to try out the grammar book and I hope that works well for me.

I have given this product a hundred per cent rating because:
1)it is easy to understand and
2)it is comprehensive; it contains some topics, such as "L'enseignment" and "Au travail" that are rarely found in other books of its category.
I recommend this product to anyone who wants to learn French fast and easily.

The first time I saw the book in a book shop, I didn't buy it because it looked like it was meant to be used by students cramming for exams. Maybe this is indeed the purpose of the book. I am an adult learner trying to learn French on my own. Since I don't have to pass any exams, I didn't think the book would be of any use to me. The second time I saw the book, I bought it anyway because it wasn't so expensive and I thought maybe I would pick up some useful vocabulary anyway. The book is surprisingly good. In fact, this is the best book I've found on vocabulary building. Its 46 chapters and the appendixes cover the words and phrases needed in a wide variety of situations. Maybe advanced students may find the book easy, but the level of difficulty is just about right for an intermediate learner like me.

In this great audio program, Napolean Hill shares the secrets he learned from Carnegie, Ford, Edison and other legendary giants of the early 20th century.--- and the common set of universal principles that Hill discovered at the root of their success.

On this two tape set you will learn how to:

* Unleash the power of positive thinking

* Gain an unflitching belief in yourself and others

* Motivate others with your enthusiasm and faith

* Develop mental skils

* Transform your ideas into realized accomplishments

NAPOLEAN HILL also ends the series with his prayer and a special challenge he recieved from Andrew Carnegie.

So much powerful information on just 2 tapes. Good stuff. Thank you Napolean!

These cassettes need but one word; AWESOME! It is obvious that to me that all of today's so-called motivational gurus have taken a page from Napoleon Hill. I understand now that all I ever needed to know about personal achievement and life are contained somewhere within Dr. Hill's Philosophy. I hate to think of all the money I could have saved with those other books and tapes.

Learn from the master himself, the one and the only NAPOLEAN HILL! Mr Carnegie's challenge and suggested affirmation to Dr Hill alone is worth the price of these cassettes. I used a variation and doubled my sales in one month! These cassettes and THINK & GROW RICH Provide all of the personal development strategies you'll ever need to succeed!

I like listening to the inflections and style of that old Napoleon Hill. Keep in mind that the audio is kinda rough to listen to because it was recorded a long time ago. The ideas and thoughts of this person will live on forever.

A tape that you will want to listen to time and time again. Listening to Napoleon Hill himself is mesmerising. His story, his findings and his subsequent philosophy is so easy to understand and even easier to put into action. Good Luck to all who heed his advice !

While not intended primarily as a textbook, I have used SeaLife as the text in my introductory oceanography class for the past two years. The authors present their ideas clearly and the illustrations are well done. An adequate index is furnished.

although not a "complete" guide, a wonderful book for every sea-loving creature! wonderful pictures and informative text for every amateure or pregraduate student

A "must have" for both armchair and amateur naturalists with a keen interest in the marine world. I'm a scuba diver who lives in the Pacific Northwest but takes vacations around the world. The joy of this book is that it begins with the beginning--the origination of the oceans, including a bit of tectonic theory--and progresses to a detailed description of many of the genera in the oceanic realm. It's not a detailed guide to my particular corner of the world, but as a general guide to the world's oceans it can't be beat for both it's breadth and depth. This is a beginner's book with some real 'meat' to it! I highly recommend it.

I first ran into this book in the bookstore of the Institute of Oceanography at La Jolla, California. I was tempted to buy it, but put it off for a while because I live very far inland and could not justify the purchase. I later bought it elsewhere, but passed it on to my daughter who lives much closer to a sea coast and gets out there occasionally. I was glad to give it to her because after going over this volume for a few months I can say that this is probably the best first book for anyone interested in marine biology. It is certainly very beautifully designed and well written.

The color plates and great black and white drawings really illustrate this book in a way that is seldom seen in such works. Numerous details are covered in the text that are backed up by the superb illustrations. The plates of marine habitats and their inhabitants were especially effective in this regard.

If you can get just one book on marine biology, this would be it!

This is an absolute must have if you are looking for a quick explanation of all aspects of ocean life. The authors have done a thorough job of making short, detailed explanations to almost anything you might be looking for. This book is basically a fun to read encyclopedia of marine life.