Morrison Books

This book is an excellent read. I love all Mary B. Morrison's books because they keep me intrigued and turning the pages til there are no more.

I love Mary B. Morrison and this book is great just like the others. Her first series i think was a little more interesting but this one is just starting out, so let's see. A great read and highly recommended

I was disappointed with this story myself. I got so sick of hearing benito curse the man rants, and Valentino calling himself a g. Lace had the nerve to talk about p. power, I think Alexis Tylor may get sick if she read this. It was for a book club and unless the other ladies liked it..I won't be reading the series.

this is not a mary novel. very disappointed. i cannot explain what's wrong with mess. one thang for sure its not right.

Disjointed. Lacks character development. Motivation of Lace, Benito, Rita, Summer and Sonny are missing. Doesn't read like a Morrison novel. Other than some sexually stimulating text, there's nothing here. don't waste your money on this one.

I won't buy the next series but do await the return of the real Morrison books.

I am a beginner,I want to learn java quickly.but this book cann't
help me to do this.

I have two beginning Java books, Joyce Farrel's "Java Programming: 2nd Edition" and "Teach Yourself Java in 21 Days" of the two, this book is the easier to understand. However, it doesn't push the reader to experiment with code and push themselves like the first title I mentioned does.

I have experience in other OOP languages and that may be what made this book easy for me to understand. If I try to look at this book as a beginner that has never had any programming experience I think this book would be tricky to understand. I would suggest that anybody that wants to learn any kind of programming get a good book on programming logic and learn how to write pseudo-code and flowchart before they totally imerse themselves in OOP (or procedural programming).

This book does cover almost every aspect of Java. The one that I found it lacking in, and the one I need for work, are JDBC basics. Still, I think that before tackling JDBC a person should understand the basics and this book would do a good job of that.

I have had two people recommend "Thinking in Java" by Bruce Eckel as the best book for learning Java. I have not read it but it is free for download in PDF format. I think a book like that combined with this one would be the best for anyone that wants to be a Java programmer.

This book is a fairly good book if you have experience in C++. If you don't know object-oriented programming, my advice is to start from the beginning. Learn C/C++ first!!!!!

Wow this book sucks... unorganized and incomplete. The most common line was "you will learn more about that later on day xxxx"

STAY AWAY FROM THIS BOOK

This book never comes close to presenting istself as a stand alone subject for learning java. Especially not in 21 days or 100 days, I would challange if it could be done in a year. This book is poorly written with enormous amount of errors , not just in the text but in the program listing themselves. I doubt if this book was proof read or even if any of the programs where written and carried out to the extreme to see if they really worked. While this book covers a lot of topics there are poor to no examples on any of the material that is covered.

This book alone with the second edition is being used for a subject class for a college level course. The second edition is not as bad as the first , tho , what are the odds of the same program appearing in both books and in different formats and yet neither one will run when you get done. Well you just have to present them to the instructor and ask him to give it a go . oh! it wont run . maybe we ought to throw out the books. Heres an idea lets get hold of the auther , you mean they wont answer there email. WOW , and to think we buy this junk and nobody ever sits down and looks it over. Simply amazing. so if you are interested in java , i know two books at least to stay away from.

i have a library of several books that i use for reference, and i could not at this time recommend one. If there is someone out there who has some great degree of results let me know . It could also help others.

If i had to choose one it would be the " complete reference of java by Naughton / Schildt ". while not the best it does answer a lot of questions.

learing java you need to really be exposed to layouts ,events networking and windows. this book falls short on all accounts.

yes i am still working on java , i like the langauge and will learn it one way or another .

so happy programming to one and all.

do drop me a line

As a life-long Doors fan, I do wish this story were true. It would be nice to dream that "he got away". What an adventure that would be.

I liked Mr. Manzarek's writing style and his educated vocabulary. The story had me spell-bound. His use of details was so amazing. I loved how he weaved true band experiences into his fiction.

I really did want to. I was a huge Doors fan back in the 60's and have recently started reading the many books on them, including this author's memoir, "Light My Fire", which I liked very much. This novel, however, was so ridiculous that after the fist 30 pages, I should have known what was coming. By about 50 pages in, he had found and solved the mystery. Come on! At that point, I had my own (better) ending picked out, skipped a bunch of the middle, and was laughing sadly at the actual conclusion. The "disguised" names he gave people and places were so silly, and the way he referred to the other 2 band members as simply "the guitar player" and "the drummer" was actually a favor, although I'm sure he didn't mean it to be. I would love to believe that somehow Jim Morrison faked his death and is alive and well out there somewhere, but I know it's not true and this just seems to be a way of making money from a long-past tragedy.

Being a life long Doors Fan, I could not resist this book.
The first few chapters really get you thinking about the fact/fiction mysteries within. It's more of a page turner than I thought, and I give Ray Manzarek great credit for his writing ability. It's powerfully subtle with appropriate imagery to the whole rock and roll lifestyle. If it is possible to love Jim Morrison any more than you already do, this book will refresh that love.
Midway through, you will realize that this is purely fiction. You will also empathize with Ray in that you want to believe so much that "The Poet" faked his death and is alive philosophizing from a tropical isle. I loved the many mythological references. These set up another great myth,that it is possible for an Icon to choose to abandon celebrity status when the going gets tough. Has anyone seen Elvis at 7-11? Keep your eyes peeled for Jim on remote beaches...

Ray's easy narrative makes this a quick, but highly enjoyable read. The story is basically the one we all wish was true, what would happen if Morrison was still alive and had only faked his death in Paris.

On a Halloween night about thirteen years ago, I was listening to a radio program with the psychic Kenny Kingston. He was doing on-the-air readings. Someone called up and said (rather sarcastically, I might add), "Hey, Kenny...why don't you contact the spirit of Jim Morrison..."
In a very matter-of-fact tone, Kenny Kingston replied, "You can't contact the spirit of a person who's not even dead..."

Silence.

Wooly Bumps.

More Silence.

Is Jim Morrison dead? Is he hiding out somewhere? These are questions that Ray Manzarek addresses in the book, The Poet In Exile. I met Ray Manzarek and had a ten minute conversation with him about 10 years ago. Nice man. Very nice man. He's not much of a storyteller and I really think he wants to be, but he's a heckuva nice guy.

Lemme tell you about an experience I had about 20 years ago. I was at the Roxy in Los Angeles and I went there to see a Doors cover band, Wild Child. There was this guy sitting there who looked like Jim Morrison would've looked had he lived to become middle aged. He had short, graying hair and a neatly trimmed goatee and he was dressed in a nice shirt and pants and had a very intense look in his eye. He almost looked kind of nervous being there. I mentioned to my friend, "Hey, who does that guy look like to you?" Without missing a beat, he thought the same thing I did.

It's time for the Doors cover band to hit the stage. The drum crack signaling Light My Fire fills the room and the middle-aged, Jim Morrison lookalike finishes his drink and walks away looking hurt and wounded.

What the???

True story. It still sends chills up my spine.

Is Jim Morrison still alive? Is he hiding out? Is he in exhile? I don't really know and this book doesn't really offer any clear answers. If I was a cynic, I'd tell Ray to stop drinking the bong water, but I don't know. I think Ray really wants him to be alive, but all of us Doors fans want that.

Still after all that, maybe "Jimbo" is right where he needs to be; in the hearts and in the souls of all he touched with his magic. In that case, being physically alive isn't the important thing, knowing that his legacy lives on, is.

Not a horrible book...not a good book...

Peace and Blessings, children of Light...

When I fist saw this book in the bookstore, it was filed in the "Romance" section, due to the cover art. Like "Blackmantle" before it, it has those horrible bodice-ripper-style covers that cause it's target audience to overlook it and mistake it for romance. Heck, not even the bookstores seemed to be able to place it properly.

That being said, it's actually a fairly good, (if occasionally preachy), story about the Celtic, (later Keltic) immagration from Earth to escape the religious prosectution of "St." Patrick and his followers. (which even other Christians suffered from, as witness the group that flees with the Kelts when they escape the Celtic lands.)

The main weakness isn't really the fault of Patricia Kennealy-Morrison, but of the publishers. Mainly that it's too condensed. Originally meant as the first of a trilogy like her "Aeron" and "Arthur" series, it was rewritten as a stand-alone by decree of her publisher, who then dropped her like a hot potato, (a fate hurting many of the mid-range genre writers anymore.) It would be nice to see this book rewritten as the first of a trilogy - and in the hands of a publisher that *wants* to try and sell a book and pubicize an author. Patricia Kennealy-Morrison's too good of a writer to deserve this fate.

Let me state, first and foremost, this is the most egregious example of Mary Sue-ism I have ever read. It stinks; it wreaks; it screams Mary Sue. I didn't know you could do that with an entire book, not just a character. If you don't know what Mary Sue means, Google it and chortle.

The entire book reads like bad fanfic. While I can admire well done flowery prose, detailed descriptions and an attempt to differentiate the speech of an ancient people, the prose clunks along, a well-turned phrase suddenly crumpling into ungrammatical pain. The book is full of interminable descriptions with tongue-twisting dialogue even the characters would have protested if they could speak their minds. I would skip several paragraphs at once to get to the heart of a scene because her descriptions rarely had bearing on the action and were too boring/distracting to plow through. To publish such poor writing should be a crime.

There was nothing resembling tension, action, risk or excitement in this book. Ms. Kennealy is simply relating to her readers the events of the Celt's (Kelt's) immram from Earth and she's managed to strip every last hint of passion from it. Despite the fact her readers know it succeeded there's not the slightest bit of worry that some of the key characters may not make it. There is not the tiniest fear that their plans will be found out by Patraic or his followers and nefarious plots hatched to stop them. There is not the teensiest concern that a close friend might betray them. There is so little danger to the character's or their endeavor you wonder why you're reading it at all.

I honestly disliked the childish manner in which she portrayed both faiths. I'm a Pagan and even I found the way she treated Christianity to be offensive and rude, using the same hack arguments without thought. And she did equal disservice to her version of ancient Celtic faith (not that anything is actually known other than what little Irish monk-scholars recorded at the time) by holding it up as the one and far better faith. She becomes guilty of the hubris she decries in Patraic and his followers.

This book could have been so much better if Patraic were as sympathetic and admirable as Brendan and they had honest debates about the merits and flaws of each religion. But that would have taken away her cardboard cutout bad guy as well as her catalyst for the immram. Then Ms. Kennealy would have had to do something she seems incapable of - coming up with a better, more compelling reason for the Kelts to leave Earth. So, Patraic and his followers are brutish thugs and Brendan and the other Gael/Danaans proclaim themselves and their faith superior with a smirk and a wink. Yeah, that's mature.

If you need a Kelts in Space fix, go back and read her first three books. They are far, far better than this effort.

This book is racist and full of screeching dogma. It's also badly written, with clunky prose and eleven-line sentences. The action has a pace like continental drift.

The least we could hope for is an interesting way to be offended, but nope. Don't waste your money. No worry you'd waste your time, because it's unreadable.

I am a big fan of Patricia Kennealy's Keltiad series and very much enjoyed her other books, but this was a great disappointment. The author makes it very clear that it is her opinion that the bringing of Christianity to Ireland was a crime. It is a shame that the author allowed her feelings to get in the way of writing a decent book. There was a lot of potential of this book, but it was all wasted. If you wish to read a book by Patricia Kennealy - read one of the other books of the Keltiad.

Once, and not so very long ago, Patricia Kennealy-Morrison wrote fascinating books setting the Kelts in space. She created one of the best-loved fantasy heroines in Aeron, and rewrote the Arthurian legend. Then she wrote the turgid Blackmantle. I hoped it was an aberration, a necessary cleansing of her memories and grievances that somehow missed the editor's desk, and looked forward to her next book.

The Deer's Cry is the story of Brendan the Astrogator, the Kelt who led his people to space, and it should be a rollicking, wild ride. Instead, Kennealy-Morrison puts the reader to sleep with an overlong volume of endless bickering between Brendan and Padraig, also known as St. Patrick, using their feud to symbolize the conflict between pagans and the Church. That, I could have handled; the pagan world's reaction to Christianity was not always awe and acceptance, and it would have been a treat to show some real arguments and debates between the two principals--if Brendan had been less self-righteous, or Padraig the least bit sympathetic. Instead, the characters are all drawn in black and white, the battle is overbalanced in favor of the pagans (who always manage to get in the last word), and everything about the Christians or the early Celtic Church is shown in the darkest light possible.

I'm not looking forward to another book in this planned trilogy. If this is the form Kennealy-Morrison plans to espouse from now on, I dread thinking about what her Gwydion trilogy will look like. For now, I'll keep my "Keltiad" and "Arthur" trilogies as an example of what Kennealy-Morrison can do when she's focused and uses an editor.

After writing Batman in JLA and the graphic novels Arkham Asylum and Gothic, Grant Morrison finally comes to the Dark Knight's regular monthly series. Although not his best work (for that, see The Invisibles, Doom Patrol, Seven Soldiers, All Star Superman......), Morrison's Batman is definitely engaging. The stellar artwork from Andy Kubert is also something to behold.

As always, Morrison opens with a bang as an impostor Batman shoots Joker in the head. From then on, Batman's life is turned upside down when Talia al Ghul, the daughter of Batman's deceased nemesis Ra's al Ghul, informs him that he is the father of her son, a rebellious and violent 13-year-old named Damian. The boy is thrust onto Batman and he proceeds to wreak havoc throughout the Batcave and seriously get on Alfred's nerves. He and Robin also strike up an instant rivalry. After a fiery confrontation in Gibraltar, Talia takes Damian back and the two disappear from Batman's life.

Morrison then takes an.... interesting break to delve into the character of the Joker, as he recuperates in Arkham Asylum. Written in prose and digitally illustrated by John van Fleet, this tale offers a revolutionary look at the Joker and his fluid sense of identity, yet still manages to fall short. I am not a fan of van Fleet's digital style and I don't think it meshes well with Morrison's prose, which I also think could be improved upon. Too much superficial musings, too little clarity.

The narrative returns to regular comic book form, as Batman and Robin investigate another impostor Batman, this one a former cop on Bane venom and Hugo Strange's monster serum. Batman has a vision of three replacement Batmen, the last covered in shadow. "The Third Man is coming," Batman is told.

The final issue in this collection shows Damian Wayne, now grown, taking over the role of Batman as he fights the Third Man in the streets of Gotham City. Damian's Batman is violent and dark (and bald), darker (and balder) than any incarnation of the Dark Knight has ever been. At the end, he kills the bad guy and averts the Apocalypse. Is this really the future of Batman?

Morrison's Batman is definitely fun to read. He's dark, as Batman should be, but not so dark that he comes across as a parody of himself. This Batman laughs from time to time, has some fun. He's not hammering "the mission" into the readers' heads ten times every page. It's fun, with enough meat to satisfy readers looking for more than flashy artwork and dynamic action sequences (of which there are plenty, one of which includes flying ninja Man-Bats. What more could you ask for?).

Grant Morrison has never been one to stick to formula, and here his vision goes wild. From the Joker being shot to a visually fantastic romp in a modern art museum, Morrison introduces concepts to the Batman mythos that have either not been seen in some time or were deemed too crazy to work. From page one, Morrison's story builds like a massive puzzle, piece by piece, and only when the whole is seen does the image line up. Batman and Son is merely Part One of the puzzle, followed by the recent Batman: The Black Glove trade, and culminates in the upcoming Batman: RIP storyline (currently underway in monthly issues). Batman and Son introduces questions, The Black Glove provides more, and thus far RIP has given vague answers. For those who like long, labyrinthine stories, this trade is an excellent opening to a puzzling narrative.

I've grown reluctantly accustomed to different authors/artists coming up with material that contradicts previous works. I decided that, despite my personal feeling that Batman's son by Ra's al Ghul's daughter, Talia to be the one depicted in Alex Ross' superb "Kingdom Come." Nonetheless, I gave this alternate version a go.

First niggle of annoyance - the kid, around 10, is named Damien. How original is that? Somehow I don't see Talia, who is so busy running her father's League of Assasins to the point where Damian himself says she has no time to rear a child, having the time to see any of the "Omen" movies. The name 'Damien' has because synonomous with an evil child.

He isn't necessarily evil, but he HAS been reared by various teachers in the League of Assasins and become a bit to much of a handful for his mother to deal with, so she dumps the kid on Batman. Second niggle of annoyance - here and there have been conflicting storylines regarding Batman and Talia. There are ones that have them being lovers, even married at one point. Rather than rolling with that, suddenly there's Batman stating he'd been drugged up to be part of a genetic manipulation program that has resulted in Damien. Eugenics, anyone?

Not to give away too many spoilers, I will say what was essentially on the books back cover - the kid is hellbent on removing Alfred and Robin (Tim Drake who has officially been adopted by Bruce Wayne... I don't know if this is solely in this story because I haven't been keeping up on the monthly comics). Damien particularly has it in for Tim, feeling that his adoption status usurps his own birthright and inheritance.

Though you want more of this entire story line, however, and this is why I give it three stars as opposed to the five I would have given if the storyline stayed on track. I guess the 'Batman and Son' individual comic books simply did not have issues to justify a graphic novel. While it is mentioned on the back cover that there is a special Joker-based story...

Well, there was, mostly prose with random artwork here and there in the margins. The back cover fails to mention that, now halfway through the book, there is now going to be several more Batman tales not in anyway related to Damien (save for a one-panel nightmare Batman has).

The last story of this, "Filler, we need filler!" graphic novel actually DOES have Damien grown up in the future and being the new Batman, which is NOT a pleasant place. His form of crimefighting, though he tries to hold back partly in rebellion towards his mother and partly because he promised his father to not kill anyone. He can't always honor that promise.

Again, not being on the monthly issue circuit, there are many things in there that are shown but not explained making me at least go, "What? What happened here and how?" What's more is they seem to have blended Frank Miller's Robin from Dark Knight with Commisioner Gordon's wheelchair bound daughter. All in all, grown up Damien resembles something more like "Hitman," including the shaved head.

The first part of the novel is worth it in my opinion, but discovering that only about a third of "Batman and Son" is devoted to Batman and Damien really, really annoyed the hell out of me. I felt ripped off by false advertising. Having picked this up in a bookstore, the only thing I had to go on was the misleading description on the back cover. Unforgivable in my honor system, where an ommission is right up there with an outright lie.

The premise is a good one and one that inevitably had to be written about. The execution is so-so both from a writing standpoint and an artistic one. The piece as a whole seems rushed or at the very least subordinate to the deadline and required more cultivation for such an exciting idea. Andy Kuberts work though solid, dynamic and professional is not inspiring and lacks something. Morrisons writing seems like there was a bullet point list that needed checking off and little care was taken for connecting those bullet points. I also didn't care for the shoehorned story in the middle that seems completely out of place. I don't recommend paying full price or purchasing at all.

Batman's son Damian is where lots of conflict, and central part of the story happens. Batman will have to more or less "babysit" his own child, but its a child that has been taught the exact opposite of everything he (Batman) believes in. Damian is selfish, spoiled, nearly uncontrollable, alpha male which leads to a heated moment or 2 between him, Robin, the rest of the Bat family, and he believes its ok to kill which is a big no no for old Bats.

The biggest flaw besides the annoying character Damian, and the semi stupid (or completely stupid) Ninja-Man-Bats of the story however is the fact that Grant Morrison didn't do his research properly because he didn't read Son of the demon, or at least looked it up on wikipedia. Because of that he comes up with a last minute excuse as to why Damian's origins changed from being a regular child who Talia gave birth to, to being raised in a artificial womb (stupid indeed). His excuse as to why the origins changed was the same way Jason Todd was brought back to life because reality was altered by Superboy Prime , which was a horrible way in itself, and was used again in this case.

Another BIG flaw is how things are put together in this book. You should check out Grant Morrison's entire run on Batman for more details closure, etc, on these, and other stories of Batman. I agree with one of the reviews that says this is only part of the story, and was questioning why DC put out the books the way they did. Grant Morrison said that you should read his entire run to get the best of Batman's stories, as each of his story's connects with each other in more way than one. A bit confusing, but more or less mandatory to get the full effect of Batman and Son, and the other stories he wrote with in the last 2 or so years involving Batman. Trust me... there is a lot more to this story especially with the "3 ghosts of Batman", and "Batman RIP" story lines

On a good note though, while Damian is annoying, it brings out some of the best parts of the story. The heat, and tension between him, Robin, Alfred, and Batman are all somewhat hilarious, and keeps you waiting to see what this little jerk will do next. Also there is a great piece of dark comedy at the beginning of the story with Gordon in the hospital still feeling the effects of Jokers gas (a side story is involved). While the Ninja Bats may be a stupid idea, ironically it also brings out some of the best action in the story with Batman trying to fight them off.

For the final good note this book also contains issues 663-666 which are all great short stories consisting of Damian becoming Batman in the future. Joker returns in a story that reads more like a magazine with some art rather than a comic which may turn comic fans off. Also a story where Batman is confronted by a monster of a person that has a resemblance to himself and Bane. Sounds cool huh?

All in all Batman and Son is ok with a few funny, heated moments, with a little action peppered in, and artwork that isn't great, but gets the job done. The other stories that come along with the book are great if not good, and adds more reading time for your buck. Not saying you should buy it, but its entertaining enough to at least check out before you do or don't spend money on it.

This isn't a biography at all in the truest sense of the word. What it is is an in-depth analysis of his discography and studio habits. We get very little of his personal life in these 500 plus pages. He barely mentions some of his girlfriends or his only daughter for that matter. He seems to have written this book with an obvious bias against Van Morrison for whatever personal reason. He never misses an opportunity to reiterate ad nauseum to let us know he is difficult and moody. We get the picture already, move on. I'm sure people in the music industry might be able to comprehend all of the technical studio jargon and keep track of the endless stream of musicians and managers but not the typical fan. He did not address the fact or rumor about "Brown-eyed girl" originally being titled "Brown-skinned girl" and unexplicably he doesn't even mention Bert Berns in the Dramatis Personae. I give him two stars mainly for the interviews and quotes.

This bio is a very well balanced look at both music and the man behind the myth, contrary to some of the views expressed by other readers with obvious 'fan' bias. One wonders if Morrison was ever diagnosed as the mood-disordered bipolar he so obviously seems to be? Anyway, this book provides a clear look at the early years and recounts thoroughly the important years of the late 60s and 70s when Morrison's finest records were made. Of course, he is still creating wondrous music, bipolar or not. That's the important thing of note. Still, anyone who wonders how "Astral Weeks" came to be, not to mention "Moondance" and the many masterpieces that followed, will want to read this well-done work.

I've read "Behind the Shades" "Voidoids..." and others. I like Heylin's critical approach to his subjects--especially his "Secret History of the Other Recording Industry."
This book, however--leaves me thinking Heylin is SO MAD at Morrison for not talking to him--that he intentionally wrote a book that would tarnish the reputation of Van even more.
It's known that Van Morrison is more of a singer and writer than a talk-show personality, and his antics have been noted by his audience. Heylin, stating at the outset that the subject of his book wouldn't talk to him--and it seems like the title and every meticulously quoted and documented citations are all massaged to cast the artist in the poorest light.
There's nothing wrong with showing EVERYTHING about an artist--but it's still possible to celebrate their achievements. Reading Heylin is more like going over a court proceeding. He doesn't bother to make the achievements look like achievements--but points out faults at every possible opportunity.
You're a good writer, but you used your skill to hurt the artist--or get even for your ego bruising rebuff.

I'm a long time fan and was well aware that Van Morrison is not a very likeable individual. However, this bio seemed a compilation of public information about Van Morrison with nothing really revealing about the man who has written such great music. There's no way to reconcile the despicable person presented in this bio with a guy who writes the kind of great, humanistic songs that fill the Van Morrison portfolio. Unfortunately, Van isn't talking and given his apparent desire to paint a distorted picture of his past (one of the few good revelations in the book), we'll probably never know the real person.

This is the most complete bio of Van I've read to date, and while I wish it would focus more on the music rather than the man's disdain of fame and celebrity, it's still a fascinating read into the life of a very private man. Sometimes I felt that the interviews went on too long and I just wanted to say, "Okay, we get it, he's a difficult person but get on with it!" Still it's worth the read and apparently there aren't that many great new biographies about Van, so give it a chance.

After taking a beginning XML class where the required reading was the O'Reilly book on XML and XSLT (Learning XSLT) I had become completely frustrated with XML all together. I finally started diving through tech books to try to find something written in English and lo and behold Sams Teach Yourself book came to head.

I did have a current knowledge of XML, but this book shed light on an otherwise dim beginning for me. And the XSLT that is in this book is without a competitor when it comes to breaking down and simplyfing the methods for getting what you need layed out on the page correctly.

This book will NOT give you advanced methods such as MODE or IMAGE includes (which is a shame since these are very important); however, if you need to say, "A-HA" to creating an XML document and linking the XSLT and CSS to the file, then this is the book to pick up, jump in, then jump off into something more advanced.

I agree with the gentleman above (Mr. Sholto L. Douglas). I am 1/4 of the way into the book and I was so disappointed I just had to read the review on this book, which I should have done prior to purchasing it. However my previous experience with SAMS books had been excellent so I purchased it at a bookstore based on the publisher. I won't make that mistake again. From now on I'll purchase from Amazon AFTER reading the reviews.

As Mr. Douglas states the examples are sparse and poor. I am used to SAMS books providing many concise examples, analogies and exercises that aid in your learning. Not everyone learns best by theory.

Since I have never experienced Mr. Morrison's work my disappointment lies with SAMS. They usually put out a better product. I will return this book tomorrow. There have got to be a number of books that handle this subject better.

This is one of the worst books I have ever seen.
If not for the fact that it was bought for me, I would seriously look at returning for a refund.

Unfortunatley all I can do is recommend to the schools that I deal that we dump all purchasing of the sams 24hr series.

This book's index, and references to content is so badly done that it had to be done by kids because not even a computer would foul this up so badly.

Even the content itself is inadequate.
Yes I can learn the bare basics of XML with this book, but thats not much more than getting a brocure or similar info of the net for free.

If I had needed real XML knowledge this book wouldnt have even come close. As it is, its not even sufficent for basic knowledge. I know because I have reference material from my job that was better (even without an index on it).

I am surprised that SAMS would publish should a childish publication... My own 12 year old nephew can do a better job of proofreading & editing than the socalled professionals who did this book.

Those reviewers of this book who say its well organized need to learn to read as this book is very disorganized and virtually useless as anything but a $2 primer..
Ie; Its value is equal to a introductory primer that I have gotten in the past (litterally).

I think the bigger problem is not the author but the editors/publishers,proofreaders, who seem to be incapable of reading or scanning or verifying their own work.

I highly recommend not buying any SAMS book ever again.
Especally the 24hr series. The idea of a 24hr book should be that you can learn the subject in 24hr segments (whether clocktime or 24 steps).


An index that tells you page 134 for a item, but you find instead on page 180, or even the endofchapter stuff where it tells you to grab data from another chapter but its acutally yet somewhere else (a different chapter than specified).

I wouldnt consider paying more than $2-$5 for any 24hr sams book, because you will not get your $ value out of it.

I am happy though that I have been successfull in having several schools cancel current and all future dealings with sams 24hr series... Successfully eliminating at least a nice chunk of profit for 'incompetent editors/proofreaders'.


I do wish to point out to anybody considering this book...there are much better books for the same or better price than this.
Again if you must buy this book, get it cheap, say maybe $5 or less, that way you wont feel as ripped off.

scratching your head so much trying to figure this book out then ENJOY! In 24 hours you too can have all the confusion of XML as you when you strarted the book + be a bald! (at no extra charge to you)

I will have to say if you are interested in reading a book about writing xml code about writing xml code. Then this is perfect for you.

Confused? yeh me too... you'd think if someone spent the time to write a book about writing XML code they might would throw you a few more examples of how the actual code is written rather than spending the whole book talking about the history of XML.

I sort of feel like I could tell you anything about XML; how it started, the cool people who could use XML, I could even tell you what XML wore to SGML's birthday party last year. I couldn't tell you how to write the code sadly enough.

What's good: a quick summary of major XML technologies, including DTDs, schemas, XSL, SAX, DOM, and more. This book tells briefly what each does, and gives some idea of how the pieces fit together.

What's not: there's not nearly enough here to get a programmer going on a real XML project.

This may help a beginner get a quick, high-level idea of what the big pieces are and how they fit together. Don't expect to get any real work done once you've read it, though.

//wiredweird

Grant Morrison, Paul Dini, Peter Milligan, and all others involved have done better, but what's been presented here is a fun, action-packed, almost cinematic story of the resurrection of one of Batman's best villains: Ra's al Ghul. Batman, Robin, Nightwing, and a whole host of others, good and bad, race to prevent Ra's from possessing the body of Batman's son, Damian Wayne, and defiling the mystical hidden city of Nanda Parbat. Although the ending is rushed and the artwork could be better, the story works and is quite enjoyable. Not one of Batman's best adventures, but quality nonetheless.

People are far too critical of this book, and it is a real shame, as the book, cover to cover is a fun read. This is a comic. Yes, I know it written in large part by Grant Morrisson, which raised expectations, but it is a comic book. It isn't meant to be Shakespeare. it is menat to entertain, and man ohhh man, does it ever. I couldn't put it down. The art is truly wonderful, and the colors masterful. The story, though far from perfect, keeps you truning the pages. And the ending is satisfying and restores a charcater that DC was insane to EVER do away with. Give this one a shot.

The storyline of Ra's Al Ghul resurrection is not other than a inoffensive run of great talents (Morrison, Dini, Pearson etc) on a great character, Batman: the mountain gave birth to a little mouse in this case...
A washed out story that leaves you with a "so what?" aftertaste in your brain. The art is consistently good, but imho without any personality.
I hope the rest of the batman run by Morrison will be of another level.

I can't wait for Grant Morrison to stop writing Batman. This is some of the worst garbage to spew out of the DC Universe. Ra'a Al Ghul is kinda cool... Talia and her test-tube batbrat not so much. Only Nightwing and Robin redeam this meandering story at all.

Why does DC continue to publish these mega crossovers? Since the early 90's Batman has been subjected to overstreched storylines which run through Detective Comics, Batman, Robin, Nightwing and whatever other monthly Batman comic being published at the time.
The problem with this form of "pass the batton" storytelling is it inevitably streches the story too thin and the artwork ussually suffers at the hands of artists rushing to meet impending deadlines.
The writing on the book is a mishmash. Heavy weight writers Grant Morrison and Paul Dini have written some of the best Batman material, but their work does not come through over the pencil work of so many different artists. The fact that they only wrote four of the seven or so chapters does not help the flow of the storyline either. To get around the crossover story format, Dini and Morrison focus on the story of Batman's search of Ra's Al-Ghul, while other writers focus on Robin and Nightwing's individual dilemma's. This approach only helps to fracture the story into two, hindering momentum.
It should be stated that readers looking for the "realistic" approach of the Christopher Nolan Batman films will be dissapointed with the over-the-top action. The fight between Robin, Nightwing and 200 ninjas in the Batcave, where the ninjas are held at bay while Nightwing and Robin exchange witty banter is paticularly cringeworthy and borders on slapstick. For protege's of a master strategist like Batman, the decision to stand and fight an army of sword weilding assassins seems out of character and works againt the notion of Batman being the most plausable of the DC superheroes. It also diminishes the villains of the story if they cannot win with the odds stack so high in their favor.
The artwork is a mixed bag of good and bad. Fill-in artist David Baldeon and departing regular Robin artist Freddie Williams II do a great job on the Robin Chapters, while departing Detective Comics artist Don Kramer does his usual substandard job on the Nightwing chapters.
Ryan Benjamin and Saleem Crawford draw the Detective Comics chapters and do an above average job, assuring that DC will never hire them for a regular stint on the Batman monthlies; that honour goes to Tony Daniel and Jonthan Glapion, whose extemely sloppy, Jim Lee knockoff style artwork has been deemed worthy of "gracing" Grant Morrison's future issues of Batman by the powers that be at DC Comics.
Although we don't see as many of these mega crossovers anymore, when they do appear they are ussually disruptive to the momentum regular writers of the monthly comics try to build, and this story is no different. New readers looking for the best of Batman should look at some of the classic Batman tales of the 80's such as Year One, the Killing Joke, or Morrison's own Arkham Asylum, as well as more recent classics such as Ego, long Holloween, Batman Black & white, or Paul Dini's current run with artist Dustin Nguyen. The Ressurection of Ra's Al Ghul should be buried in the "soon to be forgotten" pile.

This book is an excellent read, but keep in mind it was written by mechanical engineers, I am a an electrical engineer and never got heavy into fluid flows so this book did me great justice. Someone mentioned that it does not mention forced induction in the text. With forced induction you are not particularly concerned about intake side, for exhaust side all you have to do is adjust the pressures to how ever many bar you are running, or as this book writes it into lbs/in squared, these equations are based off of perfect afr so figuring out the exhaust output pressure is not all that tough.
All in all I gave this a book a 4 because it is exactly what it says it is, but supplemental reading on fluid flows is a really good idea, if not a must... this book is more of highlights the fluids theories in intake and exhaust systems for you.

Very outdated. I regret not having read the reviews here prior to purchasing this book. The last time this book was updated was 1972! There is nothing in the way of forced induction. Turbochargers are not mentioned and there is a single reference to superchargers on page 17! "Fuel Injector" is mentioned once. I am definitely sending this one back. Not the first time I have been disappointed with Bentley Publishing. FYI, 1972 was the year Pong came out. As I said, the book desperately needs to be updated.

I have designed race cars for years and I definitely recommend this book. I found information in this book that I have not seen published anywhere else. It explains how tri-y headers work. It explains the theory behind pulse tuning of exhaust and intakes. The intake pulse tuning is the basis of why Porsche created intake manifolds that effectively change between several intake runner lengths. These theories are even backed up by proven test results performed by engineers. There are even simple equations that are directly applicable to designing an intake or exhaust. This book is "old" but then so is the 4-stroke engine and although today's engines may seem "new" they are fundamentally the same as the "old" ones which makes the material in this book very worthwhile. If you want to know more than what intake or exhaust you should *buy* and are possibly thinking about creating your own intake or exhaust system, definitely buy this book. If you are looking for a book like this but even more technical, I suggest the 2 volumes titled "The Internal Combustion Engine in Theory and Practice" by Charles Fayette Taylor.

The information in this book is just as relavant now as it was when it was written back in 1972. Physics is physics, after all. The book gave me a much clearer understanding of header theory. My only complaint is that Smith and Morrison obviously wrote this book for engineers, and I'm not one. I had to struggle to understand some of the concepts, particularly on tri-y header design; but in the end, it was definitely worth it. The exhaust concepts are equally applicable to carbs and fuel injection. The only things lacking were crossovers and merge collectors, but I guess those things weren't invented in 1972. This book will give you a basic grounding in header design theory, and will enable you to discern a set of well-designed headers from a useless tangle of pipes. If you plan on building a set of custom headers, this book is definitely required reading.

I read the book cover to cover. My impression is that this book contains exhaust and intake design information that was current in the 50's and '60s. Very little information for modern 4 or 5 valve per cylinder engines, and fuel injection tuned intake systems. No information on practical design of V8 performance exhaust system for street emmissions legal exhaust. Needs updated.

Birdie Tebbetts' career in baseball covered nearly his entire life and he expresses his opinions on a number of things, oftentimes in strong terms. A New England native Birdie says his best years in baseball were with the Boston Red Sox. After having spent a number of years in Detroit with the Tigers, Birdie says he was booed out of Detroit. Tebbetts says pitcher Hal Newhouser of the Tigers begged his way into the Hall of Fame. Newhouser, he says, had his best years when the stars were off fighting WWII. Could this be sour grapes for his not being in the Hall of Fame himself? As an executive for the Milwaukee Braves during the 1960's Birdie says it was a job he detested. Such things as deciding on a hospitalization plan for the groundscrew and who is to get the contract for paving the parking lot at County Stadium were meetings he had to sit in on. He does provide us with some interesting tidbits in regard to what scouts look for in baseball prospects. I may be wrong, but at times Birdie seems to come across as a braggert. I also didn't feel it was necessary for him to be so flippant in using God's name in vain so many times.

THIS IS A VERY NICE BOOK TO READ. I DIDN'T KNOW BIRDIE PERSONALLY SO I CAN'T COMMENT ON WHETHER HE WROTE THIS OR NOT. BUT I AM FROM CLEVELAND, AND REMEMBER HIM AS MANAGER DURING THE MIDDLE 1960'S. HE DID A GOOD JOB AND WAS WELL RESPECTED BY THE PLAYERS AND MEDIA. I ENJOYED THIS TALE OF HIS LIFE IN AND OUT OF BASEBALL. I AGREE WITH ANOTHER REVIEWER THAT I THINK MORE TIME WAS NEEDED ON HIS MANAGING CAREER. ALSO I WOULD HAVE RATED THIS 5 STARS IF THIS BOOK WAS LONGER. BUT VERY WELL DONE AND QUITE INTERESTING.
VERY RECOMMENDED.

Unlike a couple of other reviewers (....), I never knew Birdie, and cannot attest whether these pages seem written by the real man. What does stand out, however, is that any fan of baseball before the present - swing for the fences, no strategy needed - era will enjoy this book. James Morrison has culled many, many delicious stories from Birdie's diaries. Some stories are not brand new to baseball literature, but Birdie's viewpoint on them is worthwhile. Except for some quotes using swear words, I cannot see what Birdie's friends can object to here. The player-manager-scout's humanity and delightful humor ring out on every page. Perhaps the best chapter reviews player-umpire relations in the "old days," but the anecdotes throughout make it hard not to read out loud to others.

My only regret is that short space was given to Birdie's managing years. I suspect he was too busy then to post lengthy diary entries. Perhaps Birdie would have edited the finished product differently, had he lived, but this book will stand out with that of his Tiger teammate, Elden Auker's, as one of the best books on baseball from the '30s through the 50s.

...I knew Birdie well and know a lot of people who also knew Birdie well and none of us believe that Birdie authored this book. The man we all knew is not represented by the words on these pages. For example, Birdie wrote an article titled, "I'd Rather Catch". This was written by Birdie himself and Birdie spoke about it many times. In the article he praised Newhouser. Having known the man, I never heard him ever criticize another player. On the contrary, he was one of baseball's biggest fans. And he most certainly did not talk like the blue collar, swaggering, swearing person represented on these pages. This is a book published many years after his death. I would keep that in mind as the pages are turned.

Birdie was a great storyteller. This book was not written with Birdie's sense of humor,intelligence, or respect for the people in the baseball industry. I knew him well and do not believe that he wrote it. Unfortunately, since he died three years before he supposedly wrote this book, we can't hear his side of the story. This book is just not worth the paper it's printed on.