Hoffman Books

I wish that I could rate this book higher, but it's quite simply the worst-edited book I've ever read. I bought it because it seemed to cover a wide variety of useful and interesting topics in great (but not bewildering) depth. I was not disappointed with the coverage - I still don't know of any other book that strikes such a nice balance for the advanced student - but I found it to be almost unreadable. Bad grammar, terrible spelling, and frequent typos are always annoying. In an otherwise difficult text, though, they can double the work required to understand the material. I found myself constantly thinking "I don't have a clue what he means here - is it because I don't have a good handle on the subject at hand, or because of a stupid typo somewhere?"

Presumably, the author is not a native speaker of our language, so I can't blame him for making so many mistakes. But given the excessive price of the book, the publisher could have afforded to hire a small army of editors to fix up the text before printing it. I don't mind spending this kind of money for a rock-solid, definitive textbook on a tough subject, but this one, sadly, doesn't make the grade.

This is a good book to acquaint the reader with some of the important factors to consider when deciding whether or not to renovate one's property. There's no doubt that renovations do payoff in the long run and, in many cases, renovations are essential if you want to sell your house. From talking to real estate professionals, I have learned that one of the most critical selling points is whether or not the rooms in a house have been updated and look modern. If your rooms are outdated, you may be forced to accept a lower offer from prospective buyers. When I bought my current property, the basement was finished, but the walls were covered with dark paneling and the walls of the basement stairway were painted brick red! It was quite ugly, and I knew I would want to make improvements, so I lowered the amount of my bid to compensate for the cost I would have to incur to refinish the basement. This is the type of material covered in this book. It is all about making your home look as up to date as possible in order to maximize its value.

There's a section of pictures, in color, in the middle of the book illustrating what rooms looked like before and after renovations were made. These pictures do a good job showing just how much difference a little work can make.

This is a good, practical book, but it's also a bit mundane and boring. It's really a reference book, and not something that most individuals would want to pick up and read, from cover to cover. You won't find inspiration here, or anything earth- shattering or unique. It's just a reference guide for those who are thinking about making some renovations to their home.

If you need to sell your house soon, and you've got some work to do before placing your home on the market, then this book could provide you with the answers and advice that you need. It's not the best book I've ever read on this subject, but it's a good place to start.

This is a real life account of service in the Royal Navy from 1793-1814. It provides some insight into naval service of that era from the standpoint of an officer. It has some failings in that it does not identify the time from year to year, and sometimes leaves the reader wondering exactly where the action is taking place. It also reflects the biases of the writer who comes across as a little self-centered and concerned with his own personal comforts. It is a little hard to sympathize with the writer's complaint about being retired as a commander on half-pay, as that was probably about five times the earnings of an ordinary working person and, as he relates in the book, he tended to squander money when he had it. He also dawdled about Paris for about 3 months after being released from captivity rather than reporting back to the Admiralty. Overall, the book is worth reading if one wants to gain some insight into the realities of naval service, where disease and accidents were often more life threatening than the enemy.

There are some outlandish historical mistakes, For instance, here are two, Davy Crockett died in 1836 in Texas, and the author has him in Oregon in 1846, and the location of the massacre of Jed Smith's men is at the mouth of the Umpqua, not at Scottsburg. Otherwise, the parts about following the trail and the things that they found while doing it are very good, and quite interesting.

This shop reference for students and apprentices was not what I was expecting. I bought it for metrology references to help train some line inspectors. It has since become well thumbed and greasy because my machinists keep borrowing it, preferring it over the complete handbook. They like that it's not as detailed and just covers what they need to know.

This book bills itself as "a documentary of courtroom confrontations from the most incredible trial in American history." I'm not sure that the famous Chicago 7 trial stands up to that description, but it is indeed an interesting case, tracking the trial of Abbie Hoffman, Bobby Seale, and other activists who defended themselves against charges of conspiracy.

Unfortunately, with the exception of an introduction, the book consists entirely of transcripts of courtroom proceedings. The transcripts have been edited down to be more accessible to the layman, which I think is a poor compromise between authenticity and accessibility. If you're going to publish the transcripts, I think you should publish the transcripts. If you're going to make something that's accessible to the layman, I think it should be written as a narrative, with a healthy dose of quoted material so that the reader knows that the truth is being printed. This compromise is authentic enough, but not entertaining enough for any reader who's not passionate about the subject matter.

But even though this isn't the most flowing read in the world, it's still an important document, and I'm glad that it's out there to be referenced. Anyone involved with the prosecution would have to be ashamed by this public record of their actions.

(This review refers to the book which contains three of Hoffman's many tales.) If you enjoy European fantasy, Hoffman invites you to enter his dark realm where the distinctions between the Real and the Impossible are blurred. Allow yourself to be lead into a parallel universe, where nightmares take on frightenting intensity; where the solid world melts into obsessions, doppelgangers and the scent of brimstone. Where men sell their souls (or their reflections) for passion, fame or talent. Such is the literary milieu created by ETA Hoffman, which inspired Jacques Offenback to compose an opera on three of these chiaroscuro vignettes.

Each tale features a different protagonist--a passionate but morbid young man ensnared by insidious evil or a warped mindset. Still we empathize their their various predicaments as they inevitably fall prey to the schemes of devious men, or even worse--their own propensity for paranoia. It is left to the reader to judge each case for himself. Certain elements are common to all three tales; the importance of Music, superfluous references to artists, scientists and writers of the day, and the quaint contrivance of protecting the identity of the cities by merely giving their first initial. Hoffman's themes are depressing but fascinating; so often the love of good women can not avail the heroes, who simply refuse salvation. Permit the mists of confusion and tempatation to swirl through your brain until you are gradually released from your stifling bondage to the
Normal with its limitations of the senses. Surrender to the dark side--from the safety of your armchair!

Readers familiar with the history of United Telecom and its growth from a sleepy affiliation of rural telephone properties into a global telecommunications company will enjoy John Hoffman/s perspectives. Hoffman supported the growth and consolidation of the company, from his assignments doing regulatory work with local legislatures, to lobbying at the federal level. Hoffman has unique perspectives on the formation of Sprint, and shares inside knowledge of some of the events and personalities involved in the explosive history of the company since 1985. Hoffman's perspectives may seem to some to be colored by his personal involvement, but he tells it like he sees it regarding controversial personalities and actions. Hoffman's book went to press right before Sprint's failed marriage into the WorldCom family, it would be interesting to see how he would have reacted to that reckless initiative and the subsequent financial ruin of the company.

This particular workbook is good because it does help develop thinking skills in young children. It is too easy for the 4 and 5 year olds that I purchased it for, however.

Vote Hoffman, Rubin, Sanders
I found this dusty book and really did not read it through because I think it's Socialist but here are a few first pages excerpts for your reading pleasure:

As long as the system is flexible we must try to use it. Blur the in and outside; we've nothing to hide.

Our opportunity is to transform.

New Goals: Understanding, communication, contact and organization; humans helping solve rather than create problems.

We must attempt Unity

Seemed somewhat relevant to me.