Hoffman Books

A must read-and-keep for everyone young-and-not-so-young, specifically those who are deeply involved in the planning, design and construction of our environment, as well as the stakeholders, along the entire professionals in the vast field of building industry!

I am an architecture student, and this book has insight that I may not have gained through other resources. It is a fast read with a lot of great examples and theory. This resource contains multiple ideas from leading practitioners in environmental sustainability. Chapters include: "Practice, Building Community, Public Works, Homes and Schools, Products and Materials, and Resources."

Short papers on many different topics concerning green building, sustainable design, and renewable energy. Top experts in the field offer advice, experience, and resources.

The Earth Pledge Foundation's Sustainable Architecture White Papers brings together leading voices---of architects, designers, planners, educators, manufacturers, and journalists---in a handsome, diminutive volume. The essayists are each a part of the sustainable design movement; some have been in the trenches for years, such as Randy Croxton and Kirsten Childs, James Wines, and Bill Browning, and others are household names, such as William McDonough (writing with his chemist collaborator Michael Braungart). Some address the big picture and others deconstruct the micro components of the effort, such as non-toxic paints and office furniture. The volume includes an interview with Samuel Mockbee, who founded Auburn University's Rural Studio, and whose clear-eyed approach to how architecture fits into communities is remarkably elegant and simple. "The smart architect thinks rationally about a combination of issues including sustainability, durability, longevity, appropriate materials, and sense of place," he says. "The challenge is finding the balance between environmental considerations and economic constraints." What's important about a diverse collection of essays like this now is that it comes when the movement is breaking into the mainstream in a more complete way than it has in the past. Sustainability is being addressed, increasingly, as something that involves not just the physical but also the social, institutional, and spiritual aspects of life on earth. This volume is a valuable guide to that breakthrough, from the practical to the visionary.

Not only is this book exciting to read and action packed, it also has a high standard of morals, and keeps me going back to read it again and again.

Much like Joseph Campbell's work, it is in keeping with the hero journey, whilst keeping alive the old western tradition of using American bullwhips, and fighting evil at the same time. Cliffhanger's 10 rules are rules everyone should live by, and stand out long after reading the book. It is something everyone should have on their book shelves.

sensational mix of characters, wide range of stories from fact to fictional, businessmen to waitresses, children to knights in shining armor, assasins to friends, people against own government, hero against villans against all villlans.

About the book: The freedom fighter, Cliffhanger battles the assassin, R.L. Justice and his Dark Knights of Order as sinister plots unfold upon the seemingly unimportant town of Fort Seven Mile.

Inspired by Cliffhanger's writing and heroic actions council members, Mary Lawson, Misty Finnegan, and Gunsmith, Ben Carter plant the seeds of rebellion as powerful forces set their sights on the secret project, "This Veil of Knowledge," a form of mind control being conducted as an experiment soon to be unleashed upon the world.

It's a great story and full of action and some serious whip work!

Review of The Symposium of Justice by Benjamin Poston of The Pulse-Journal.
February 26, 2004 Edition.

Cliffhanger, based loosely on timeless storybook heroes such as Zorro or Robin Hood, prevents the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl by "Scarface the Rapist" in the book's opening chapter. He leaves behind the symposium of justice, a manifesto that includes Cliffhanger's 10 rules that read like Moses' Ten Commandments.

Henceforth, the main character becomes an avenger of evil while walking the thin line of the law-the local authorities and criminals despise him. In this way, the freedom fighter is both the protagonist and the antagonist.

Woven into the novel are stories of political conspiracies, horror, romance, science fiction and legal drama that are deliciously vivid in their depictions and climax into a thrilling payoff that taps into the immediacy of pop culture.

I found this book to be very straight forward with excellent examples detailing the concepts discussed. Makes usually dry reading very interesting. Only wish is it explored even more complex tax issues that are "outside" the scope of this book. Thanks!

This book is an invaluable resource for any entrepreneur. Tax law is confusing, and the book provides clear guidance on how to keep more dollars in the bank.

Tax attorney Frederick W. Daily provides the 10th updated edition of TAX SAVVY FOR SMALL BUSINESS, which packs in the latest tax updates and details on deductions, ownership structures, IRS bookkeeping requirements, and more. It combines a complete strategy approach with insights no business, whether big, medium or small, can afford to miss.

I just set up an LLC and wanted a general education. This is one of several books I bought. It is the best of the bunch. Great explanations and insights by a guy who has been involved with tax audits and has a good idea of what flies with the IRS and what does not.

The political agenda seems to be well in hand. Creatures of the night are getting ready to unleash something far more dangerous than a mere bite. It could change the human way of life forever! Turn the page to experience the most spellbinding tale of 2006!

A catatonic man has awakened from a long lifeless state, only to be thrust into a political web of sinister weaving. Andrew Gabriel will have to face his maniacal half-brother, Craven Maxwell in an arena that is filled with pitfalls and death. Craven is set to run for the Vice President of the United States of America, but that is just a cover for something very dark and dangerous to get him in the White House. Within this tale, one woman will become a special part of Andrew's life, a part he is unwilling to compromise or let slip out of his reach. Who will come out the victor and who will die as a result of unfortunate circumstances?

VAMPIRE ROYALTY: THE REBELLION is by Valerie Hoffman. Ms. Hoffman took a familiar vampire premise and penned one of political strife and underhanded intrigue. With characters that move along the story at a brisk pace, slowing unfolding their tale of greed and the most unholy of political plots this reviewer has ever read.

To be honest this reviewer did not expect this story to turn out the way it did and was quite surprised and pleased by the flowing rhythm and quality of crafting Ms. Hoffman displayed in spades with VAMPIRE ROYALTY: THE REBELLION. Ms. Hoffman's voice is clear, fresh and a much-needed boost in an overflowing genre of mediocre books.

Andrew has come back to the living, one could say. He is not only a vampire, but also a man of strong fortitude and courage. It is the compromising of his kind and the human race that will be at stake in this tale of political mayhem. His evil half-brother has developed a scheme that could jeopardize the human race, creating a system that is deadlier than any plan known to man. Add to the mix a woman that means the world to Andrew and her life could be in danger as well. How will this all play out? Can Andrew defeat Craven and bring harmony to their kind and the humans?

With so many paranormal/vampire books to choose from these days, it is hard to pick what is best for you. If you love intrigue broiled in a hotbed of scalding politics of the Capital, then you will definitely want to pickup a copy of VAMPIRE ROYALTY: THE REBELLION by Ms. Hoffman today!

This reviewer would like to note: There are a few scenes in this book that are very graphic and are not for the faint of heart.

Reviewed by Janalee Ruschhaupt, 2006
Courtesy of Love Romances and More

If you like Anne Rice, try Vampire Royalty. It's filled with action, romance and mystery. I understand it is the first in a trilogy and I want more!

I was so pleasantly surprised by "Vampire Royalty," surprised only because I hadn't heard of the author. Vivid characters, imagery and thought provoking themes. I recommend it highly.

I was recommended this book by a friend and it turned out to be a wonderful novel! I thoroughly enjoyed it from begining to end. Hoffman really weaves a tale of love, deceit and thrills. She is obviously an expert on vampires and portrayed them in a unique way you usually don't see in other books, film and TV. Her writing is superb - clear, crisp and flows in the literary manner of a seasoned writer. I believe this book is the first of a series. I can't wait for the second to come out. Definitely check this book out!

Robbie and Dora are the spookiest ghosts on Fear Street. At least, they think they are. Until Oliver Bowen moves into their house. Oliver can't be scared! The kid has an explanation for everything. The sheet rising off a chair all by itself? Only the wind. The howls and moans at midnight? His sister having a nightmare. The horrible face in the attic window? Just a weird reflection. But Robbie and Dora have a plan. A plan to scare Oliver out of his socks-and out of their hosue for good.

this is a good book.oliver is not a bit afraid of ghosts.he cant be scared.but 2 ghost named robbie and dora are planing to scare the hell out of oliver but they always fail. but after all this they have a master plan.

It's about Oliver Bowen who is haunted by a ghost. My favourite part was when the ghost possessed the computer, it created a startling scene. Once I started reading this book I couldn't put it down. A must read for anyone who is brave enough.

This book is about Oliver Bowen. Oliver Bowen is not scared of anything, Even though he lives in a haunted house. There are even ghosts there, Robbie and Dora, two of the ghosts are trying to scare him. Next comes the funny part, Robbie and Dora followed Oliver to school. Dora's plan was to make his tools float but that did not work. Now they will have their master plan. But will the master plan scare Oliver? Thee's only one way to find out.

comman

This book starts off reviewing the basic concepts of OpenVMS and then gets into some real solutions for real problems. Nicely updated for todays VMS programmers.

DCL is the native scripting language of OpenVMS. Like batch files in DOS, or shell scripts in Unix, DCL makes all features of the VMS operating system available to you. This book takes a very useful, complete, and organized approach toward DCL and the VMS operating system. If you're just starting in VMS, or if you want a well indexed sourcebook of powerful VMS DCL services, this is an excellent book for you.

This book is very good for beginners in DCL and also a very good dictonary for already experienced people. This book was one of my most borrowed ones in my bookshelf.

Ken Hoffman really has a way of putting a smile on my face. This collection of stories is easy to read and hard to put down. I have just lent it to my mother and know she will enjoy it, too.

This is the only time I have received a book as a gift that I actually liked. Someone gave me a copy at work. I LOVE IT. Now I am going to give it to my sister to read.

Ken Hoffman has a unique way of looking at the world. His ability to find the interesting aspects of everyday life make for a thoroughly enjoyable read. I would recommend this to my friends.

I have read it twice.

Both humorous and substantive. One part is about the Hoffman's bittersweet story of infertility treatments that result in an adoption - a tale that is both funny and encouraging. It is very easy reading and I recommend it to everyone.

Students of the Chicago School of Architecture owe a deep debt of gratitude to Donald Hoffmann for his pioneering work on John Wellborn Root who, along with Louis Sullivan, were the pioneers of late 19th century urban architecture in America. This is an important book for any architectural library.

Root's Ironic Legacy Hoffman makes a thorough case for John Wellborn Root's place as one of America's great architects. It is therefore a bitter irony that Root's less talented partner, Daniel Burnham, is cited in most modern encyclopedias as one of the founders of the Chicago School of Architecture, while Root---especially at the time of Hoffman's 1973 book---often is not. After all, it was Root's creative genius that propelled the firm of Burnham and Root into international focus at the moment of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

Root's relative anonymity began with that exposition, for he had died two years earlier of pneumonia. He had been set to rise to certain international stardom as consulting architect for the exposition. He had planned to feature American forms, not European ones. He submitted the site plan and died unexpectedly the same month.

His site plan was mostly realized, but not so his thematic proposal, which was overwhelmed by Parisian Beaux Arts designs. This lost opportunity was also America's loss. Burnham was largely to blame: he was chief of construction, and he inexplicably countered Root's American theme. The resulting exposition design under Burnham's leadership merely repeated a previous European showcase.

Because of the European theme of the Chicago Exposition, the Chicago School was set back a decade. Even worse, architects all over America emulated the exposition. To this day, the American landscape suffers the influence of the Chicago Exposition. One is left to marvel at how different America would look today had Root lived even long enough to guide the exposition to American forms.

About 97% of Root's buildings were razed in the first sixty years of the Twentieth Century, primarily because the business district of Chicago can't grow outwards because of geography. Therefore, it must grow upwards, and that means taller buildings are forever replacing tall buildings, Root's included.

Root's legacy is indeed full of ironies.

Root's Roots Hoffman's important work on this book is singularly responsible for reviving Root's place in architectural history. In the quarter century that has passed since Hoffman's book was published, Root is now accepted by historians, though not the general public.

If there is a weakness in Hoffman's book, it is the spare attention given to Root's life outside Chicago. Here are three details which would have rounded out this otherwise splendid book:

(1) Root was born in my hometown of Lumpkin, Georgia in 1850. I remember the commanding wooden two-story home in which he was born. It was torn down about 1963. Adding to the Root irony, his birthplace today is occupied by a simple brick house. Most natives of his hometown know nothing more than the text of a historical marker about Root, which seems to point out this modern house.

(2) John Wellborn Root's father, Sidney, invented international business in Atlanta. Sidney engineered Atlanta's economic boom which began during the Civil War and has yet to stop.

(3) Root named his masterpiece, the Monadnock, to honor his father, whose family admired Daniel Webster. Webster lived near Mt. Monadnock in New Hampshire.

Root's Future A recent weekend in Chicago took me to three of Root's remaining buildings. One of them, the Monadnock, bowled me over. It is hard to believe that it could have been built in the Nineteenth Century, for it seems fresh even today.

My visit also led me to Donald Hoffman's book, which has now inspired us locals to recognize John Wellborn Root's 150th birthday in January, 2000. Hoffman has thus dispersed one more of Root's ironies---Root's hometown will never forget him again.

John Wellborn Root's short life was elemental in the development of the early skyscraper. With his partner, Daniel Burnham, Root quickly climbed the social ladder in his adopted city of Chicago, receiving commissions to design South Side mansions for industrialists in the 1870s. The firm of Burnham & Root quickly rose to great acclaim designing commercial buildings such as the Grannis Block and the 10 story Montauk Block, credited as the first building ever referred to as a skyscraper. Root engineered several key technological improvements that made the tall building possible, including the use of a steel within a concrete foundation and was, along with contemporaries William LeBaron Jenney and Holabird & Roche, involved in the use of metal interior frame to support a large building's weight, rather than the historic use of masonry load-bearing walls. Root's Second Rand McNally Building was the world's first building to be supported only on a steel frame. The 22 story Masonic Temple was the world's tallest building when completed in 1892. Root's designs generally frankly expressed their structure in a Romaneque manner, being instrumental in the creation of the so-called "Chicago" or "commercial style". Yet his work was often beautiful, as seen in the Women's Temple, Rookery and Monadnock- the latter two critically-acclaimed structures still standing in Chicago.

Root was an accomplished orator and reader, and if he had not died in 1891 at age 41, he, rather than Louis Sullivan, may have become the spokesman of the Chicago style. The artuiculate Root wrote many articles in trade magazines and spoke at architectual forums, speaking of his architectual theories. Certainly Root was a witty, pleasant gentleman greatly admired by his peers.

Nevertheless, Hoffman's book is not uncritical; the book looks at the failures and the minor commisisons of churches, train stations, and the like. A complete history of Root's work is presented with special emphasis is placed on the most important works listed above. Hoffman's book is well footnoted and his conclusions are supported by the evidence. After the first chapter, Hoffman mostly eschews biography, focusing on Root's career.

The book is interesting and rich in details. Hoffman explores the dynamics of Burnham & Root's successful partnership whereby Root, the designer, handled the drawing, and Burnham, the planner, laid out interior floor plans and handled the "jaw work" in talking to clients.

The relationship with Burnham is interesting for it is Burnham who is best remembered today for his later work in the city planning movement. Although Root's buildings have mostly been demolished as their cities, Chicago, Kansas City, San Francisco and others, have grown upward, several survive and this book keeps the memories of the others alive.

What an amazing book! Amy Hoffman's book is hilarious, deep, and smarter than a six-foot shelf of queer theory in its understanding of friendship, squabbling, and community. It's rare that a book this funny is also crucial reading, but it is, for anyone who wants to know more about the 1970s feminist and/or lesbian/gay movement and its passions and commitments, not to mention anyone who has ever sat through a political meeting or worked in a collective.

I loved this book. Amy Hoffman captures an incredibly exciting time for lesbians, gays, and women in general. She's funny, moving, and insightful. I was in Cambridge during that time, (have just finished writing a novel about it, a matter of fact) and the book evoked it beautifully for me. I recommend it for all women, gay straight and in between, who never stop trying to figure out who they are, no matter what their age.

This book is the best LGBT read of 2007. Hoffman is informative and wonderfully self-depracating. Her rich history of working in Boston for a gay newspaper is full of amazing tales, making the book easy to read a bit by bit or straight through. As a younger reader, Hoffman's book helped me to appreciate all of the hard work gay rights activists put in to ensure the freedoms we celebrate today, especially here in Massachusetts.
Thanks Amy for your enlightening book!

John Hoffman writes about life choices that should be common sense but just aren't today. He emphasizes a very practical approach to getting your priorities right. A helpful book for anyone who is unhappy with their life situation.

Avoiding a Mid-life Crisis is a refreshing book on moral living and a look back at what most of our parents taught us while we were growing up. John Hoffman gives insight into how to live a happier and more fulfilling life. The book offers a gift of words to guide us in the somewhat offset and surreal world in which we live.

This book shows a common sense approach to life. It would be valuable for anyone at any age. I enjoyed the process of checking my own life to see if any negative life patterns were in it to be eliminate. Great quick read!

Pat