Hoffman Books

Will this tell you everything you need to know in cardiac anesthesia? Well, yes. You should be able to *understand* all the concepts touched on in this book; but for that, you'd need a Hensley at the least. Under no circumstances should this book replace a good cardiac text; it is most effective being used in conjunction with Henseley or Kaplan. If used alone it will only make you a good cardiac technician, but not a cardiac anesthetist.
What this book does very nicely is explain WHY you need to understand these concepts, and provides a framework for organizing all the information available in more detailed texts. WHAT is important here? WHAT should I be worrying about? And, most importantly, WHAT the heck is going on? (it also has the best explanation of protamine reactions I've found yet). Who can't love a text that has section titles like "Prebypass housekeeping, or what obsessive compulsive anesthesiologists love to do"?
Its style is conversational, such that it was the only book I was able to read in the cardiac room itself. It's a bit like having an attending in your pocket. This is the book I recommend that you absolutely get for your cardiac cases, but absolutely never let anyone know you read. I hope that there will be an update soon...

I was extremely intimidated before my cardiac anesthesia rotation, trying to plow through Hensly quickly. I found this book searching for a different reference..
If you're looking for a very quick, down and dirty review, this is a good place to start. As another reviewer has said, a very quick read, written more like a chatty how to book but with all the salient information you need to perform.

I'm a CRNA who has been practicing for one year. I was put in a positon to perform primarily cardiac anesthesia. I purchased this book to enhance what I learned in school and at work.

I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who understands the basics of cardiac anesthesia. It is more of a reference for those who are in their residency or first years of anesthesia.

Overall there are probably more comprehensive texts, but it only took me about 4 hrs. to read through this text and I'm not a fast reader.

This book is a must for beginners and all iMac owners alike. It gives detailed explanations, with photos, of all the software Apple sends with the iMac. It answers 90% of the questions most people will have regarding the iMac applications. It is an indispensable guide for every iMac fan. Five stars and two thumbs-up from a double-decade Mac user.

A well researched, easy-to-understand guide by an acknowledged leader of the Apple community. As an independent observer, not on the P.R. payroll of any vendor, Ms. Hoffman's advice is highly valuable for any novice, intermediate or even some experienced iMac users.

This book should be packaged with every iMac. It's well organized and full of lots of great tips and answers to questions I had as a first time iMac user.

Not nearly as good as his other books in this series. I would also like to state that Leisure Books decision to use
microscopic print did not help in my enjoyment of this book.

I had never heard of Barry Hoffman when a friend of mine lent me Judas Eyes, but now I will definitely read his other books. His characters were so interesting -- the good guys had a bit of bad in them, and the bad guys had a bit of good in them. It was one of those "hard to put down" books, I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. It was a very unique story, and I kept thinking about it for a few days after I finished it.

The trail of dead males seems to run up and down the eastern seaboard from as far south as Georgia and as up north as Pennsylvania. The victims are butchered in some sort of sadistic sexual rape.

Shara Farris (see HUNGRY EYES) is no longer a vigilant seeking justice by hunting for prey. Instead she is now a bounty hunter seeking justice by legally hunting for prey. She joins forces with police detective Lamar Briggs, an individual who she helped obtain an acquittal on a murder of a rapist charge. They seek out the serial "John" killer. Shara can read the mind of the female murderess Mica Swann. By doing so, she realizes that Mica is just like her except her beast from within is freed through the killings.

The latest Barry Hoffman "eyes" tale, JUDAS EYES, is an exciting paranormal-psychological mystery investigative tale that will provide much entertainment to those readers who enjoy a thrill a page. The story line is fast-paced and the female characters are intelligent and have their act together even the killing machine Mica. On the other hand, with the exception of Lamar, the males (mostly victims) appear to think with the wrong head, which hurts the flow of strong tale that screams at the easy acceptance of "violence is as American as apple pie" mentality.

Harriet Klausner

I had the priviledge of having Mr. Hoffman as my first year Latin teacher at St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago. We used this reader numerous times to strengthen recently aquired Latin skills. A typical lesson in his class consisted of first learning the information through the grammer book, practicing preconstructed sentences in the textbook, and then graduating to the reader for fun stories. The reader allowed us to learn Greek and Roman history while improving Latin skills. The sentence structure used in this reader challenged our minds, and the reader increased our vocabulary. I strongly recommend it to any latin student.

This elementary translation book is an ideal supplement to help strengthen grammatical concepts learned in First or Second Year Latin. The 96 passages progress in difficulty, not only reinforcing grammar, but also introducing students to Roman and Greek history, culture, and mythology. What makes this reader unique, though, is that the readings in each section correspond unerringly with a set of grammatical concepts. Thus, each passage will contain only the grammar learned up to that point, so students are not frustrated by an unfamiliar concept that they must figure out from context.

However, this reader is clearly a supplement for review, unsuited to serve as the sole means of instruction for a beginning student. The passages do not provide vocabulary or notes underneath, although the glossary contains every word and the grammatical appendix lists every chart. Moreover, there is no explanation of the grammar, only charts. As a means of reinforcing concepts, though, Latin Readings will do more than just ensure understanding of grammar. Students will find themselves immersed in the Greco-Roman world, figuring out the grammar to read of historical battles and people, daily life, and myths. It is ideal as a review of grammar at the beginning of the school year, before getting into the next level of Latin.

Now in its eighth edition and enhanced with additions by Donald H. Hoffman, Latin Readings For Review is an ideal elementary Latin translation book which students of the language can use to practice and improve their understanding. Ninety-six brief Latin passages, one per page, form the bulk of this guide; additional sections are devoted to reviewing grammatical tenses and pronunciation. A glossary rounds out this superb study text for serious students of Latin; however, Latin Readings For Review is primarily meant for intermediate students to practice one's skill in Latin, and not a complete textbook in and of itself for novices. Most readings relate to Roman history or Greek mythology in this fine aid to the study of a classic language. Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers are the premier publishers of Latin and Greek language materials. Educators and academic department chairs should write for their free catalog offering a complete listing of all of their instructional texts and publications.

LSD: My Problem Child is not as hard to find anymore!

A second edition of the story of the infamous substance is now available. 232 pages plus 16 pages of color plates, with a new foreword from Stanislav Grof, M.D.

Click here to see the new edition and go here for more information and photos of the book.

Interesting book if you're that interested in the history of LSD. Now that the Dead are no longer with us, I suppose there will be less and less interest.

This book must be extremely rare to find a physical copy so if you are interested in reading it I suggest you look online (I read it at [...]). This book gives a complete history of the Albert Hoffman's research leading up to the discovery of LSD-25 as well its effects on society at the time, its uses, and even his correspondence with various writers and other enthusaists (bet you didn't know that he frequently met with Aldous Huxley). A quote in his introduction describes what he intends to write about:
"It is my desire in this book to give a comprehensive picture of LSD, its origin, its effects, and its dangers, in order to guard against increasing abuse of this extraordinary drug... I believe that if people would learn to use LSD's vision-inducing capability more wisely, under suitable conditions, in medical practice and in conjunction with meditation, then in the future this problem child could become a wonder child."
The beginning parts on his initial work with egrot alkaloids and his synthesis of LSD is probably only of interest to a chemist, but it isn't hopelessly complicated (I enjoyed that section even with my minimal understanding of chemistry). It wasn't until years after its initial founding that he was drawn back to it and discovered its psychedelic qualities. It goes on to discuss the thrill/fear of his first accidental trip and his awe of its capabilities. This book is more than just an account of events and history. Unlike typical scientific writings, it often discusses his feelings and beliefs about LSD and even his travels to other countries for personal psychedelic research. The last chapter especially deals with spirituality and the use of psychedelics.
One great quality of this book is that it is highly objective and although it includes some of Hoffman's beliefs it carefully gives both sides of the story. It basically recommends LSD only for medical or careful psychological use under professional guidance, but gives enough information and insight as to the nature of the drug, that you are free to form your own opinion.

I highly reccommend this book since it so carefully covers all aspects of LSD and other psychedelics. This may be of interest to those with or without a firm understanding of chemistry.

This whole series is terrific! So much interesting information packed into such compact books! I recommend all of them highly

This book is the second in a series on the Jewish prayer book. It makes the intricacies of the history and meaning of the most important Jewish prayers accesible to people with little prior knowledge and interesting to people with previous experience in the area. All the comments are very good, except maybe for Ms. Falk's, who sounds to me extremely removed from Jewish mainstream. The book has an interesting presentation, Talmud-like, with commentaries around the prayer being studied; once you get used to it it's alright. The Hebrew font is very easy to read, and the translation is indeed beautiful and faithful to the original. The only "minus" is that the book contains a few "typos" which one careful reading before the actual printing could have detected.

A good guide to the Amidah from varying perspectives. Unlike another reviewer, I liked the fact that the book had some "outside the mainstream" views as well as more traditional views. I hope that the authors of the next generation of Conservative and Reform prayerbooks take a hint from this book and put in more commentary to explain what our prayers are all about; a recent set of Orthodox prayerbooks, the Artscroll series, have already done so.

I have just finished reading The Oligarchs - all 496 pages of it, and I just wanted to let anyone know who was thinking of reading it that it is an absolutely, incredible piece of quality work. I enjoyed every page.

David Hoffman's "The Oligarchs" documents in great detail the rise of 6 businessmen--Aleksandr Smolensky, Yuri Luzhkov, anatoly Chubais, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Boris Berezovsky and Vladimir Gusinsky--who became the "oligarchs" who shaped the political and economic landscape of the New Russia. They were merely ordinary Russians until the Soviet Union collapsed. So how did a mere handful Russians end up controlling such an epic proportion of Russia's economy and have such great influence in its politics? And how did they manage to rise at Russia's decline? Hoffman's book will answer these questions by piecing together extensive research and interview to create a well-balanced, serious but at the same time, a downright fun and readable book. "The Oligarchs" is a landmark.

Much better than I expected, a serious work with a great deal of research invovled. It avoided the typical lurid embellishments of the genre, and also made the point of the important period of transistion in the Gorbachev period, where nascent Russian capitalism started. It lacks somewhat in that it focuses on only six men, and they are of varying importance in the post-Yeltsin period. As Putin reportedly said when asked about Berezovsky--"Who?" Nevertheless, a good job, an interesting read and thankfully avoids falling into the tabloid style of so much of the literature on the topic.

I must say that I picked this book up initially just because I was bored, but it delivered much more then I thought it would. From the lighthearted "Stag Party" to the highly intriguing and thought-provoking "The Way Things Should Be", this book had more twists on the were-mythology then any compliation I've seen. Brilliant. Simply Brilliant.

Bought this book as an airplane reader... had a few hours to kill. I thouroughly enjoyed it. it was perfect for what I was looking for. There's some serious stuff in there, but it's mostly light (were-guppy???).

Once upon a time there was a werewolf! Now, well this is the nineties! We have moved beyond a wolf, and realized that we can be anything! An elephant, a tiger, a left-wing republican

Probably better for large crowds & ways to enliven training seminars - you could add a little twist & make the activities "educational." This probably wouldn't go over well with a small crowd.

This book helps you organize, plan and execute a function while keeping it fun for yourself as well as your guests. It is a well thought out plan of action that encourages you to just plain have fun.

Entertaining is an art that, once learned, will make your parties a hit and the subject of your friend's conversations for weeks. An experienced hostess, Andrea Campbell knows the ins and outs of what it takes to plan a successful party. She shares all of her insider's tips and secrets in her latest book, "Perfect Party Games".

A successful party appears to come off effortlessly. Campbell shows you how to plan everything from invitations to a graceful way to bid lingering guests "Goodnight". Games create a relaxed atmosphere. Campbell offers a variety of choices from "Icebreakers" like "Who Am I Tonight" to help people relax and get to know each other to more challenging games like "There's a Sucker Born Every Minute" to bring out the competitive spirit amongst teams.

This well organized party tool includes a party planner by age and a guide for choosing games by type, number of players, time requirements and age as well as a preparation and budget list. Campbell literally tutors her readers on the art of party entertaining.

Campbell's earlier book, "Great Games For Great Parties" has helped people worldwide plan their parties for years. "Perfect Party Games" continues with this tradition, offering new tips and plenty of new games.

I'm always hesitant buying books written by multiple authors. I often find the writing annoyingly inconsistent and the overall structure lacking in cohesiveness. I'm happy to report that this book does not suffer from these conditions. It is a pretty smooth read and provides some insight into the ASP.NET world not provided by standard MSDN documentation. I realize this book is quite old at this stage, but for those still working in that environment it is still worth considering. Overall, I had few complaints with the book. Let's hope a second edition will be made available with .NET 2.0.

Since the book has moved to Apres, the link to download the code for the book has moved to http://support.apress.com/books.asp?s=0&bID=1861007752

I reviewed the orginal version of this book which was in C#. I've been lucky enought ot get my hands on the new VB.NET edition and it is even better than the original. I am more used to VB as it is, and I spent quite a lot of time translating some of the code snippets in the original, but now I don't have to! The book has changed a bit, it looks better than the first edition, and it is now completely 1.0 compliant. I've used the first book a lot, it's told me more or less everything I've needed to know. If you need to know about web services and you prefer VB then this is the only book you'll need!