O Books

I have been visiting the Napa Valley for 10 years now and this excellent book captures the Napa Valley extremely well. The photography is up to the high standard set by National Geographic phtotograpers. Highly recommended from someone who does know the Napa Valley.

This is an excellent book. I recommend it to all wine enthusiasts.

This is a great book. It details the Napa Valley and the families in a great photographic format. I was completely fascinated by the imagery and the passion that they conveyed about wine making. Mr.O'Rear is a skilled photograher teller that weaves a silent story about the lives and art of wine making into one great book.

One of my desires is, after I retire from futures trading, is to own a vineyard. Mr.O'Rear has written a book that has convinced me that is what I should do.

Stunning imagery of the Napa region and the people behind the industry. O'Rear shows the reader the real Napa, and his breathtaking pictures do justice to this terrific region. The centerfold is a four-page foldout of the ornate wooden gates of each winery in the region; both clever and masterful at once. O'Rear shows Napa as only a true insider can. This is the one to buy and will impress anyone who opens it. A must for the true wine lover!

Napa: yep, that's it. The area just breathes the atmosphere of old times as can be found in the south of France.. but now in today's California, just north of San Francisco. And this book captures it all. The only thing *missing* from the book is the actual taste of the wine.

Once you've been there (either by car, or the famous Napa valley wine express) and you have seen and tasted this beautiful area, you will love the book as a souvenir. The quality of the prints is overwhelming - ranging from super-macro closups of cobalt blue grapes till wide, outstretching landscaping views.

And the book puts a face to the labels of your favourite wine. All the labels are listed, together with the matching winery's door, and some of the most famous Napa valley characters. Looking at these beautifully lighted out characteristic faces will give you an impression of the world behind the wine you are drinking.

WARNING: don't read this book if you are out of wine. You'll get too thirsty to resist.

Now let's wait for the video, Chuck! And the poster with the foldable airplane-ready frame.

The Navigator's Handbook is a must have for any leader in any organization around the world. What separates this book apart from countless others is Dave's ability to give you real world examples of how to grow as a leader. Whether you need to coach staff, develop a team or develop yourself as a leader The Navigator's Handbook does just that. I couldn't be happier with this purchase. I have learned more applicable information that helps me in my job in this book than 4 years for my undergraduate degree and 2 years for my graduate degree. 5 STARS!!!

Marianne Taylor, Graduate Student Biola University, CA.
WMIS: What's My Internal Screen.....O'Brien has challenged me to look past my daily wake up call of frustrating To-Do lists, future failures,fears and apprehension,which only robs you of your energy and joy.I have learned through the Navigator's Handbook to go beyond myself and exchange my daily wake up call for an attitude of gratitude.Changing my perspective has opened up more possibilities in my life.I've let go of my "stinkin thinkin" and have chosen to live in the AM mode regarding all my relationships.Take the WMIS challenge, are you living in the AM mode or FM mode? You have a choice.

As a small business owner and professional, I can attest to the fact that enormous and valuable research went into the preparation of this guide. During a recent major corporate transition, essentially all of the items described in the book became apparent at one point or another. I wish I would have read this prior to the transition. It would have saved me money and grief!! Regardless of the size of your business, this book will prove to be one of the best investments you'll ever make.

David provides an insightful look at what we do to sabotage success, whether you are working your way up the ladder or the CEO, and what we can all do to contribute to the success of our organizations as well as our own lives. He provides a unique, yet much needed perspective on what it is to be a leader and develop the leader in each of us. His approach is timeless and extremely timely. He back his points up with powerful, real life examples from his experience with various clients and companies and includes simple steps we can all take to navigate the changes and challenges that are coming at us at a breakneck pace. I highly recommend this easy to read and extremely powerful book. We need many more of the kind of leaders David is describing as the navigators today!

Having had fourteen years of senior level management experience and working as a practicing clinical psychologist and consultant, I found David O'Brien's book "The Navigator Handbook" to be both inspiration and practical in developing further my leadership skills. Mr. O' Brian chapters are concisely written and balanced, offering theory, case studies, personal reflections, entertaining anecdotes/stories, practical individual and group exercises and assessments which lead the reader to a higher plateau in the quest to become a navigating leader. The book itself is written in a very personal style which makes it engaging and enjoyable to read. A most read book for any individual interested in leadership, personal development and organizational change.

this is a core book for anyone interested in non-duality.
wish i could have met him!

Excellent reading between the lines and understanding that words are just pointers to the TRUTH Nisargadatta is expressing.

This is good supplemental reading to the main core of Maharaj's way of illumination, which is very well presented in "I Am That". There are several instances where the core is expanded on in new ways that further the understanding of the material.

The amazing Maharaj does not hesitate to go straight to the point, the Absolute. His words elucidates you in the Absolute experience and does not hesitate on reviewing anything else other than attaining this state. I simply loved reading this book. I have read it for the second time and yet it seizes to amaze me ever more. His profound subliminal messages carry important meanings which are not hard to comprehend at all. A great sequel to I Am That.

As usual Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj's words are powerful and profound. This book is a great compliment to I AM THAT.
What we have here is Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj giving very direct discources on apperceiving yourself as the Unborn. In this series of Q & A's Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj continually dismantles the concepts of the seekers and brings us back over and over to pointing us to our True Nature.
The talks are very focused and direct. Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj's methodical approach is designed to help you question and discard all the false ideas you have carried around about your mistaken identity and instead seeing your Self beyond body/mind identification. The talks are made to make you question, inquire and go a step beyond even spritual practices. This is a great book for those that are interested in cracking the shell of the false and peering into the Infinite and going past being a "seeker" learning yet more spiritual practices etc., etc., etc. These teachings are very direct pointers into Self-Knowledge of the Absolute reality and understanding what you really are and what was the state you were in prior to consciousness.
These are amongst some of the most concise and direct teachings I've come across in print.
"There is no birth, there is no death, there is no person, it is all just a concept, an illusion!"
Nisargadatta Maharaj

I just finished reading Nine O'Clock Blue and it was fabulous. I was intrigued at the mysterious beginning and loved following the lead character throughout the book. The twist at the end was shocking, but really tied the whole story together well. I highly recommend this book.

Nine O'Clock Blue got my attention with the riveting first page and
never let me down through to the equally exciting and unexpected
ending.

Poetic and vivid in its description of the times, places and
events that shaped the life of the intriguing main character Delia May
Burris. Her tragic life experiences help us to understand more about
our suffering society and explores the most challenging issue of
racial prejudice with compassion and insight.

In the end the skilled
and gifted writer Teresa Langness shows the potentially redeemable
goodness of humanity though characters who made choices we can admire
and emulate in our lives.

I just finished reading Nine O'Clock Blue and highly recommend this moving and engaging story. The soul-journey of its heroine takes you through a powerful range of human emotions and experience: from childhood innocence, to the demands of an adult awareness -- and its need to reconcile the unforgettable past with the hope and potential of the present. This is a gripping and compassionate story of the life of Delia Burris (from childhood, adolesence to adulthood) which chronologically unfolds against a backdrop of key, historic civil rights events -- masterfully interwoven with a poignant prose and mystical plot twists that are sure to keep all readers intrigued. Experience the journey of the Nine O'Clock Blue story, you'll be glad you did.

Choose an uninterrupted time to read this book whose layers of poetry, anguish and hope interweave to create world so terribly real that the reader becomes absorbed, transported by Langness' masterful storytelling. She addresses the eternal questions that separate and define people, that perpetuate divisions. The intimate experiences of family and small town life expose the tensions that explode in an urban nightmare. What is the role of the oppressed? the privileged? the observer? For those who wonder, Nine O'clock Blue provides both insight and inspiration through a gripping, compelling story intertwined with characters who remain your companions and settings that permeate your senses.

This ageless book belongs in your library, to reread, to share, to cherish.

Lea Ann King, Commissioner, Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations

Teresa Langness is a wonderful literary writer who deserves attention from both critics and the public. She manages to cross racial and gender lines by virtually seeping into characters. I loved the novel on its own, but because she's white, I find the novel fascinating and amazing.

"O is for Oystercatcher" is a phenomenal book for people of all ages. The artwork is colorful and unique. The pictures hold the attention of the children in my daycare while teaching them things about the seashore they did not know. And on top of it all, it's helping our pre-schoolers to learn their alphabet.

Aside from the children, the adults have learned a lot about the seashore also. Parents and kids are looking forward to finding out how many things in the book they can find at the shore this summer. All in all, it's a terrific book for anyone that loves the seashore. Thanks! Pam

This is a great book for adults and kids to get better acquainted with the creatures of the coast. It's all to easy to forget that when we're walking the boards, we are in a unique natural habitat with it's own longtime residents. Linoleum prints beautifully and intimately illustrate a wide variety of plant and animal life, while the accompanying text educates. This lovely little book makes a unique gift for a special someone big or small.

The ABC format is fun and the prints are beautifully done. Creative and informative, you can love it for the art or you can love it for the seaside wildlife. I love it for both!

More than just a book for children, with beautiful wood block prints of birds and wildlife found at the seashore.

Great gift for your summer shore house hostess/host. It will look great on their coffee table!

An ABC book for all ages, with beautiful illustrations and thoughtful text. I hope the artist-author will produce more wonderful books like this in the near future!

I have this item at my desk at work, and I find myself constantly pulling this down, and taking a few minutes to read it whenever I feel down. Almost without failure, it brightens my day. I followed this OJ trial to from the beginning to the end, and it was awesome! I bought at least 20 different books on the crime and the trial, over the past 10 years, most within the 2 or 3 years after the crime.

My mother bought me this notepad, and it is without a doubt, the best book I read on this topic.

I highly recommend it, for its humor and its lasting impression.

OJ was a real scumbag, and this notepad is constant reminder of that fact, and of the fact that we can't bring back Ronald Goldman or Nicole Brown Simpson!

MC White said: Check it out!!!

I found a Xeroxed copy of entire book (shame on someone) in a box from an auction. I've held onto it for years because it's so smart, clever, amusing and imaginative. I watched the trial on tv and wondered many times "what the heck is he writing?" Now I know! Beard and Boswell are demented to be sure, but I've always preferred black humor (don't even go there) and only someone with jumbled brain cells could come up with a book like this one. Buy it..it's priceless!

Here it is, four years after I first spent a summer reading and re-reading it with my friends (one of whom must still have it!). I've got to read it again. Maybe e-bay?

without a doubt, the funniest collection of drawings and text on the o.j. situation. a comical view into the demented mind of a lunatic!

OK, if the humor of the title of this review evades you, this is not the "book" for you. If you think the whole situation is funny, then get this book.

Page after page of doodles and notes that blow political correctness out of the water, and made me laugh out loud. This product is fall down funny.

Again, a classic that is out of print. Shame, shame, shame.

This is inarguably the best book on straight ODBC API. Very lucid in its presentation and full of practical examples, every page is packed with all the essential information. This is really a serious book for the serious ODBC programmers and every tool and technique to get the job done can be found in this book. My only wish is that the authors would update this book from ODBC v2.0 to v3.0, perhaps also include a few chapters on OLEDB.

Buy it, this book contains many recommendations how to write programs using ODBC. Great book even for an experienced professional.

I had a situation come up where I needed to access an Oracle 7 stored procedure that returned output parameters and no results set. The Microsoft Visual C++ CRecordset classes don't handle that situation very well. The only solution was to drop down into ODBC API calls. I struggled until I found this book. It takes a lot of the mystery out of an extremely complex API. It pretty much rides around in my backpack everywhere I go now!

This hardback text is one of the best database API books that I have in my collection. It is well laid-out and it has examples.

This book is laid out in the order statements are used, with the necessary create and destroy statements together. It starts with connecting to the database, moves to statement execution, and rounds out with retrieving your results. There are of course necessary chapters on creating tables and dealing with transactions.

Each ODBC API call is accompanied with a list of appropriate parameters, return values, and errors.

ODBC Database API's are used in layers:

To Setup: Allocate Environment, Allocate Connection, Connect, ...

To Shutdown, reverse everything: ... Disconnect, Deallocate Connection, Deallocate Environment.

With the ODBC API you are given a whole lot of notes? But how do you combine those notes to write a symphony? This is the only book on the market which really shows you how. It consists of a detailed ODBC reference and highly useful sample code that shows how to take the API calls and make an application out of them.

The calls are grouped in logical sequences, each call is thoroughly described, and then an example of a program that uses that call (and other calls) is given.

The writing is extremely clear. The presentation is excellent. The book is extremely well organized.

It does not assume any prior knowledge of ODBC though it assumes you know how to program C.

C is the only language used in the book. The use of ODBC in other languages such as Visual Basic is not discussed.

Though this book is old; I cannot recommend it too highly. I've used it before and I'll use it again.

Great book to help teach Biblical history. The choices in this are seem so few, as if the world is denying the existence of the Hebrew people. (Imagine that.) Wonderful activities that allow children to see basic concepts of life in early history. Also helpful for teaching life in iron age/bronze age culture for the non-religious. My children enjoyed stomping in clay to make bricks and a least one of them enjoyed the lentil stew. I highly recommend adding this to your curriculum.

My kids have really enjoyed using this book to supplement their unit on ancient Eygypt and Old Testament studies. It appeals to my first, third and fifth grade children, and many of the activities are such that they can open up the book and do the projects themselves - start to finish. I also like that it has a page or so of historical information to give some context and/or background to the projects. This is easy and fun for the kids to read on their own, but also great for me to share with them in a group setting. An excellent choice for homeschooling, or for just doing home Bible learning with your kids (like family devotions). Great for Sunday schools too.

We are using this book during our study of Ancient History. It is really wonderful to be able to help our childen understand the Sumerian or Egyptian culture by having our children create a clay tablet with cuneiform writing or by making a wooden "paddle doll" as the Egyptian children may have done. We have eaten meals that the Hebrews may have eaten in the desert, and will be making a bee hive that is based on one they may have used. Our kids love the projects in this book. The projects are easy enough for very young children to do, and most can be done with materials you have around the house, or could be purchased easily and inexpensively. The text is very informative, too, and can be used as a read-aloud with younger children in order to throw a little more light on the culture of the peoples we are studying.

This is a great resource. Although billed as Old Testament Days there are activities in here that would appeal to teachers who are not teaching 'old testament times' but teaching about that period of time. There are crafts for Egypt for example. Very fun and very easy crafts and information.

This is a fantastic resource for use with children. This resource helps children learn realities about life during bible times. It also has a wide variety of activities, not just the same activity done different ways. The activities take some time and may be a little messy but they are excellent for involvement and for learning.

This particular book is an essential for teaching and/or use in historical research in Old Testament history. This publication is very clear, concise, and accurate in its presentation.

Now in a revised and updated second edition, Old Testament Survey is a textbook designed for Bible students. Written by professor of divinity Paul R. House and assistant professor of Old Testament and archaeology Eric Mitchell, Old Testament Survey focuses upon the literature and narrative of the Old Testament in its methodical overview, which walks the reader through the biblical stories as well as the motives and reactions of principle characters. Charts, illustrations, sixteen full-color maps, and an index round out this excellent Bible reading companion.

Why get too excited about an Old Testament Survey textbook? I am excited, and here is why.

Paul House and Eric Mitchell combine to write this new second edition (first one published about fifteen years ago) of a text designed for use by "beginning students". In other words, this will be a required text for seminary and Christian college students for at least the next ten years!
But don't let the words "required text" fool you into thinking that this is a dry volume of facts and figures. House and Mitchell write with passion and purpose.

The passion comes from their solid belief in what the text of Scripture is:
"...the authors of this text want to make clear they affirm the inerrancy and infallibility of God's Word. Therefore, they also believe that the Bible's historical writing is based on solid historical principles. They believe there are good reasons to affirm what the Bible says on historical matters and that there are good reasons for using sound historical research when studying the Bible."

And what is their purpose? Stated in many ways, the goal of the book is to "help students learn and appreciate the UNITY of the Old Testament" (emphasis mine). They want students to delight in and learn about both the trees and the forest, breaking through to a level of understanding and appreciation for the unity of the Old Testament and hence an appreciation for the unity of the entire Bible.

They state:
"For centuries Christians and Jews alike considered the Old Testament a unified work. Jewish readers viewed the Hebrew Scriptures as a thorough account of their faith and history. Christians treated the Old Testament as the natural introduction to their New Testament. Neither group failed to acknowledge the many types of literature in the books, but both communities of faith found underlying themes and characters that bound the whole together.
In the last two centuries, however, the diversity of the Old Testament has been stressed. Children are taught that the Bible is not a book but many books. College and seminary students often analyze each biblical book in isolation from other Scripture. Few people can fit specific stories into a larger biblical picture. Lacking a grasp of the overall Old Testament plot and purpose, Bible students struggle to understand particular passages. This book attempts to chart some elements that unify the Old Testament.
They are men on a mission, and they accomplish their mission well.

They write as men who know the difference between wishy-washy preaching and bold proclamation, and they seem to be men who would prefer to hear and preach the latter. The language of the Bible is more sublime than Shakespeare, but at the end of the day we must remember we are not plowing the fields of literary criticism when we handle the Word of God. No, we are taking a living Word from a living God and bringing it as faithfully and forcefully as we can to a church of saints and a world of sinners.

So, for example, when the authors come to the introduction to "Joshua-Kings", they set the context as such:
"Deuteronomy leaves readers in suspense. Israel has set up camp just outside the Promised Land, poised to complete God's promises to Abraham. Moses has said they will succeed, but he is dead. Israel was at a similar pivotal position in numbers and failed to conquer. Will the people waste a second chance to claim their homeland? God has promised to fight for them. Will this second generation of Israelites believe Yahweh or be as rebellious as their parents?"

A resounding pastoral heartbeat beats throughout this text.

But the pastors are wondering how they would use the book outside personal study. Well, don't think for a minute that you couldn't use this within the local church. You can and you should! Wherever you might find some pastoral interns or men and women who want to dig deeper, or perhaps some mature highschoolers or homeschoolers. Ask around and see if there are even a few who will take you up on the offer to teach them the Old Testament at this level.

And don't miss out on the student guide, sold separately. Pastors, take a look at the student guide and all the fill-in-the-blank quizzes and maps and drills. In so doing you will realize that you did in fact sleep through much of your own Old Testament survey courses. You will be drawing blanks left and right as you try to answer the challenging drill sheets. This will prompt you to go through the textbook and guide for your own benefit too!

This book and the corresponding student workbook come highly recommended. Professional scholarship and pastoral sensitivity unite in a compelling textbook "for beginners"... and count me in that group because I am profiting from this one!

The author presents Old Testament truths and historical viewpoints like other Scripture surveys and Bible study books. However, this author has a passion for the Old Testament that is rare among modern scholars. His passion for the subject caused me to be more interested in the subject matter and lead to more enjoyable study as well as increased retention.

I'm a 32 year bible student and this book is one of the greatest surveys of the bible that I have seen. I'm going to recommend this book to all of my peers

Excellent book on the workings of antique telephones, many drawings of circuit designs and history. Amazon had the best price.

If you don't want just to collect antique telephones but also understand how they work, this book is the source for almost all your answers. Very detailed descriptions, very nice schematics and pictures.

I have worked with old telephones for more than 40 years, and the repair and restoration of them is part of my livelihood. I can state, with authority, that Ralph Meyer has brought together everything a person needs to know about old telephone theory, repair, restoration, and history. I highly recommend Old Time Telephones! to beginners and seasoned collectors or technicians who need an indispensable reference source. Dr. Meyer's book sets the standard for old telephone reference material.

Very informative book: for the collector, restorer and even the technician. Probably the best technical information widely available on the development of the US Public Telephone system subscriber instruments from turn-of-the-century local battery-magneto to the Princess and Trimlines. Covers development, design and even touches on the corporate thinking which influenced this. Keeps the interest of the engineer but not so technical that the amateur shouldn't be able to follow it too. While the emphasis is on Bell phones, the other major competitor's equivalents are covered as well.

I fell in love with old telephones when I bought my first oak wall telephone at an uncle's farm sale in S/E Minnesota way back in 1967. It didn't make any difference to me that it didn't work ... I just liked oak. I bought more wall phones, oak, then walnut and even one with a cherrywood case. The house got filled up with phones that were as much as 5 feet tall. I started collecting desk telephones and candlestick telephones instead. Very few of them worked but that didn't make any difference ... it was a history thing. Besides, I had no training in telephony and there weren't any books on the subject anyway.
And back then most folks, including me, were scared to death of Ma Bell's "Telephone Police."
But now Dr. Meyer's book is out ... I already knew the history of most of my phones but now with the information in Dr. Meyer's book I can actually make some of those old timers work again. If you are a newcomer to the telephone collecting hobby, you have a tremendous advantage over me ... it took me 40 years to learn the history of the telephone. You can buy Dr. Meyer's book, learn the history of the telephone in one weekend and at the same time have the technical information provided to you that will enable you to put grandpa's phone back on line again. The telephones from the 40s, 50s and 60s were the best ever made.
Put your offshore throwaway phone in the drawer ... use Old-Time Telephones as a guide to hook up grandpa's Western Electric 302 or 500 set, or a comparable A/E, Stromberg or Kellogg phone ... put a good phone in service in your house.
BTW ... I don't recall that Dr. Meyer's book gives instructions on the use of a rotary dial. You and your kids will have to figure out on your own how to do that.