O Books

Please excuse my English, I'm just a French guy who tries to express himself in this marvellous language!
What a pertinent and fascinating book! I got clear answers for questions I had for many years!
Even if we don't have all the answers, such a book makes me believe we are not far from understanding the main part of it, and also what we will never be able to understand!
Looking for information about evolution and Christian faith, it's by "chance" I found Denis O. Lamoureux website. Reading his articles, I already had the feeling there was something particularly accurate in his way of reconciling Christian faith and modern evolutionary science. When I read a book written by a scientist on such a subject, it's mostly pertinent on the scientific part, and the reverse with a theological study of Genesis. But such a synthetic book had to be written by someone absolutely aware of the evidence about evolution and the theological problems that are raised for conservative Christians like me. I mostly recommend it for the reader who is already convinced by this evidence, who is not ready to become a "liberal" but who is open minded and who is not afraid to walk where not many have walked before! This book made me realize it is possible to believe in the inspiration of Scripture and not to take the first chapters of Genesis historically. Before reading the book, I admit I thought it was just impossible.
The way Denis O. Lamoureux analyses ancient science in the Bible is really convincing, and his comments with New Testament passages dealing with Genesis 1-11 put a new light on these chapters. This is a book I highly recommend for people who are still looking for arguments reconciling modern science and conservative evangelical faith!

Like Denis Lamoureux, the author of this book, I'm an Evangelical Christian and a student of palaeontology and evolution.
At one time, such an admission would have incited whispers and invited accusations of congnitive dissonance. Many see the act of trying to marry evolutionary science with Christian theology as futile, like trying fit a square peg in a round hole. And for many years I felt the same way. I felt as though there was some piece of the puzzle missing that would help me to make sense of the book God inspired and the world He created.
Lamoureux's latest contribution is that missing puzzle piece.
Having been born and raised in a conservative Lutheran church, I was taught to believe in young earth creationism and was told that evolution is a tool of the devil. Probably the most common objection to evolution was that it contradicted the sin-death connection presented in the Bible. After all, if there was death before Adam, how could Adam's sin have introduced death into the world, as Paul repeats in the New Testament? In his book, Lamoureux attempts to answer the "sin-death problem". His solution is simple: There is no sin-death problem.
We reach this conclusion by first recognizing two important categories in the evolution/creation dialogue: concordism and accomodationism. Concordism is the belief that the Bible's statements about science and history are always accurate, and that any scientific theory that contradicts the Bible must be wrong. Accomodationism is the understanding that God accomodated His message of faith, love, and redemption to the first Hebrew people using language and motifs they were familiar with (e.g., solid firmament in the sky, preformatism, numerology, etc.), and that any attempt to milk scientific insight from the Bible is missing the forest for the trees. Citing the example of Jesus' incarnation, Lamoureux sees the latter position as most in-line with God's nature, and defends this view using an inductive Bible study method, pointing to one example after another of the primitive science and history found in the Scriptures. Lamoureux is careful to defend biblical inerrancy, however, stating "... the Bible is the inerrant and infallible eternal Word of God transcending time and incarnated in the incidental imperfect words of humans within history" (p. 174).
Once we accept that the Bible does not necessarily contain accurate science, we are free to accept the conclusions of evolutionary science, regardless of whether or not they accord with the Genesis creation account. Using the analogy of human development in the womb (Psalm 139:13-14), Lamoureux presents evolution as just another natural process, ordained and sustained by God, by which the Lord achieves His good will and creates human life. In fact, Lamoureux sees evolution as the perfect creative process by which God both reveals Himself to us in the design reflected in that process (Deus Revelatus), and by which He hides Himself from us in the non-miraculous nature of that process (Deus Absconditus), thereby allowing us as His children the opportunity to truly exemplify our faith in Him. This was a key point that really struck a chord with me. After all, we wouldn't need faith if we could use science to prove God's handiwork in the world.
But how can Jesus, the Prince of Peace, make use of evolution, which involves suffering and death, to achieve His good will? Lamoureux offers a robust theodicy in answer to this question, noting that Jesus himself declared that suffering and death exist to bring glory to God (e.g., John 11:4). Strangely, this contrasts with Paul's understanding of the origin of death through Adam, as revealed by Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15. Returning to the concept of accomodationism, Lamoureux completes this puzzle by noting that the origin of human suffering and death in Genesis 3 is itself an accomodation of God to the ancient motifs of the first Hebrew people. Death isn't a result of sin, as Genesis 3 states and Paul repeats. Death exists to bring glory to God, as Jesus himself tells us.
Some of these claims will no doubt leave many Christians uncomfortable. Lamoureux's suggestions are well removed from traditional church thinking (though perhaps not as far removed as some might think). I am still not sure how to feel about some aspects of the book, but that's part of the beauty of works like this one: It forces us to engage our Evangelical minds and to actually THINK about what we believe and why we believe it. Lamoureux admits to not having all the answers, but this is something he has learned to live with. What remains clear is the author's undying committment to Christ and to understanding the world and the Word He has given us. And for that reason alone, I think Lamoureux deserves to be heard.

This is an amazing work by Denis Lamoureux. With a resume which includes having been an atheist, a young-earth creationist, a dentist, and now a biologist, theologian, and North American evangelical, Dr. Lamoureux is uniquely qualified to address this important Christian topic. This book had to be written, and Dr. Lamoureux was up to the task.

As a parent, I can say this work is vital for the faith of our children. One of my children has already asked the question - when scripture and science disagree, which one is right? Much of the North American evangelical community seems to be setting our children up for a great faith collapse when they begin to explore the scientific evidence for the emergent nature of the cosmos, the earth, animals, and humans. Scientific evidence is presented so overwhelmingly by the scientific community that we risk making Scripture irrelevant in the minds of our children if we continue to keep the false dichotomy between science and faith, between creation and evolution. We must teach our children that evolution does not equal atheism. Dr Lamoureux firmly establishes a basis on which to do this.

Others have described the content of the book very well. I will only add that in addition to being a text on Evolutionary Creation, it is also a great reference on "How to read the Bible". Dr. Lamoureux describes the "message-incident" principal, which states that God delivered theological messages of faith encapsulated within the scientific and historical beliefs that were common to the ancient people who received His revelation. Their inspired writings are laced with their views of the world and written using ancient literary styles. As 21st century Christians, we should seek to separate the spiritual messages from the ancient wrapper in which they were originally delivered. He very astutely demonstrates how to make this separation, with thorough exploration of ancient cosmology, geology, biology, history, and literary practices.

For example, how many Bible readers know that Gen 1-11 is a combination of two ancient sources in a single piece of literature? Dr Lamoureux not only makes this statement, but demonstrates how the two sources were redacted by the ancient writer to create a message of faith which separated the God of Israel from her ancient near eastern neighbors.

Has anyone ever considered that in Jesus' parable of the mustard seed, the living word of God states that this seed is the smallest of any seed in the world? In the 21st century we recognize that there are indeed smaller seeds than the mustard seed. Dr. Lamoureux demonstrates how Jesus Himself accommodated to the ancient scientific understanding, further making his case that ancient perspectives on science and history weren't the point of God's revelation.

Finally, as other reviewers have mentioned, Dr. Lamoureux tackles the sin-death problem and natural suffering. These are some of the fundamental issues with resolving biological science and Christian faith. First, suffering and death preceded humans, therefore humans are not the cause of suffering and death. Second, while recognizing that in an evolutionary context, the emergence of the image of God and our sinful nature is a mystery, he softens this mystery through the analogy of embryology and child development. When exactly does do developing children become accountable for their actions, and therefore become responsible for their sin? As a parent, I can appreciate this mystery. There isn't a single point in time, and the emergent process is different for each of my children. This is a very good analogy for the evolutionary emergence of humans and sin. As humans became more "human" and more instilled with God's image - better understanding how God would have them live - they became more and more responsible for their actions and sin gradually became an option. This analogy by Dr. Lamoureux was quite revealing, and quite freeing.

By all means, take the time to read this book. It is not a quick read, so be patient. It will change the way you read Scripture, and change the way you understand God's grace - directed not only at our hearts, but at our minds as well. It will allow you to teach your children that God is the creator, regardless of the process by which he created. It will allow North American evangelicals to preserve our belief in the inerrancy and inspiration of Scripture, while accepting that the "Book of God's Works" can also be understood via the scientific method.

What an amazing book! Contemplating evolutionary creation truly is quite the spiritual intellectual adventure, giving a glimpse into how little we are and how big God is, and how limited our knowledge is of His purposes. With terms and categories that are remarkably well defined, the book provides an excellent baseline for those fascinated with exploring issues in the relationship between science and Christian faith. The vital reflection on the foundations of Christianity and scrupulous discussion on the challenges in evolutionary creation also contribute to making this a must read for those seeking answers about our origins and the idea/implications of God creating through an ordained and sustained evolutionary process.

Lamoureux has quite a gift for helping people to get beyond "evolution versus creation" in the origins debate. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to take his course on Christian perspectives on the relationship between science and religion, during completion of my biology degree in 1999. I entered as a committed atheist, thinking my choices on origins were either evolution or God, but I wanted to hear what someone with PhDs in both theology and evolutionary biology might have to say. My mind was opened to a new world. I was challenged to examine my own assumptions and how I explained the part of me that seemed so sure "there was something more" to this life. I realized there was faith involved in my atheism, and I could not convince myself that Lamoureux was crazy. Both his love for Jesus and acceptance of evolution were so strong, genuine, engaging. I started a new journey, of conversion to Christ, resulting in a much needed clarification of values and complete change of career path, and the beginning of personal study in science and Christianity that continues to this day.

Lamoureux presents much substance in his Christian theology and evolutionary science. The number and depth of ideas invites a "swallow whole and give time to digest" approach to reading this book. Some chapters, like the one on human evolution, are very challenging and require time for rereading and reflection. Hermeneutics, the rules by which we interpret the Bible, are a keystone in the book--they play a central role in the recognition that how God created is incidental to the fact that He created. Unfortunately Christians create significant stumbling blocks for each other and non Christians when they confuse incidental issues with foundational messages of faith.

The most controversial idea in the book surely is that a literal Adam is not foundational to Christian faith. Lamoureux states that the purpose of Adam is to remind us that we are created by God in His Image, we have all fallen into sin, and God judges us for this sin. So sin did not enter the world through Adam and pain and death are not Divine judgement for sin. Lamoureux sees evolutionary creation's greatest challenge in this "sin-death problem", or in explaining the passages in the Bible that see Adam as the onetime event for the entrance of sin into the world. He presents much food for thought in concepts of eternal life, the meaning of Jesus dying on the Cross, and how Jesus actually develops a disconnection between sin and death. Though Lamoureux suggests viewing humans more as "works in progress" than of a "fallen world" or original perfect creation, he affirms that sin is real, thus humans are in need of redemption.

No matter what you believe when you begin reading this book, you will have the chance to exercise your critical thinking skills and reflect deeply on your views about Jesus, science, and origins, and how you put all the evidence together. This evidence (or divine revelation) comes from two sources, says Lamoureux, the Book of God's Words (the Bible) and the Book of God's Works (the physical world, as understood through the methods of science). This is known as a two books model of the relationship between science and Scripture, or a "two scrolls theology". It is foundational to Lamoureux's work and powerful in developing one's own worldview. He also describes a sense of freedom that comes with appreciating both of God's Books, a freedom I have been blessed to experience and hope I can experience more fully as I continue in my own spiritual journey. Thank you so much for this book, Denis Lamoureux!

I naively thought that this book was going to be an expansion of the author's paper "Evolutionary Creation" (available on the Internet), but it turned out to be much more than that.

Denis Lamoureux is Associate Professor of Science and Religion at St. Joseph's College, University of Alberta, has doctoral degrees in dentistry, theology and biology, and is an evangelical Christian.

He has written one of the best (and probably the most provocative) books yet on the compatibility of science and the Bible. He starts by clearly, completely and biblically demolishing scientific and historical concordism as a viable approach to interpreting Genesis 1-11 by making a very strong biblical case for God having accommodated His message to His chosen people in the science of the time (a flat, circular, immovable earth with ends, foundations, an underside, a solid firmament overhead with the sun, moon, and stars set in it, and a sea of water held up by the firmament) and in the approach to history of the time (stylistic). We now know from archaeology, etc. that this was the status of science and history in the Ancient Near East but is not an accurate description of the cosmos and human history as we currently understand it. Therefore, it is clear that the creation story in Genesis should not be taken literally. "In the same way that [God] took on fallible human flesh in the person of Jesus to reveal His love for us, the Creator employed imperfect human ideas about nature to disclose in Scripture that He ordained and sustains the world" (p. 175). Lamoureux summarizes the points he has made in two tables of the failures of scientific and historical concordism (pp. 150 & 242).

He then builds on this foundation to make the case that "most of the events in Genesis 1-11 never literally happened, but that this is not a problem whatsoever to the Christian faith if believers recognize that the attribution of divine and human action is accommodated through ancient categories in order to reveal, as effectively as possible, Holy Spirit messages of faith" (p. 312). "Just as sin was never literally taken away through animal sacrifice, one could argue that sin never literally entered into the world through the first man mentioned in Scripture" (p. 313). "The Church is built upon no one other than Jesus Christ. Adam never died for our sins, but the Lord did. Believers are Christ-ians and not Adam-ites. The Cross should never be conflated with the historicity of Adam, his sin, and judgment" (p. 331).

New Testament references to Adam and Noah are shown to be the same accommodation to the understanding of science and history of the time. In addition, Lamoureux points out that the New Testament references were making theological, not historical, points. Having said that, he clearly defends the historicity of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. No slippery slope for him!

Lamoureux's approach paves the way for acceptance of biological evolution by evangelical Christians by solving a lot of biblical interpretation problems, but it creates some theological problems. In order for his view of evolutionary creation to become accepted in the Christian churches, theologians and pastors are going to be very busy for a long time.

Throughout the book, Lamoureux compares and contrasts five basic positions on origins: Young Earth Creationism (Creation Science), Progressive (Old Earth, Day-Age) Creationism, Evolutionary Creationism (Theistic Evolution), Deistic Evolution, and Dysteleological (Atheistic) Evolution. He also discusses divine action, intelligent design, and the anthropic principle.

The penultimate chapter is the author's very detailed account of his personal struggle in coming to terms with evolution, from childhood Catholicism to atheism to Young Earth Creationism to Evolutionary Creationism, a struggle which formed the common thread throughout his professional career.

The book has ten appendices, including Sumarian King Lists, Jahwish and Priestly Sources of the Biblical Flood Account (Genesis 6-9), Fossil Pattern Predictions of the Christian Origins Positions, Age of Earth, Carbon-14 Dating and the Archaeological Record, and Human Evolution. It also includes extensive Notes, a brief Glossary, a Subject Index, and a Scripture Index.

I highly recommend this book to any Christian interested in the compatibility of modern science and the Bible, and to any agnostic or atheist interested in an approach to Christianity that does not conflict with modern science.

I'm always looking for more ways to use Excel - and I hoped this book would help me solve some of the glitches I've come across. But - it's better than that. It offers problems I've never even encountered - and what fun to try and duplicate them! There are so many little tricks that just aren't covered in the usual classes & seminars. Definitely worth having on the shelf - nearby, so you can grab it quickly!

At last, a computer book written, as I now think they all should be, by a professional comedian. This book is not written for the absolute beginner, but by someone who has used Excel enough to have a couple of annoying problems that they would like to have fixed.

The first Annoyance is "Kill Clippy." This was one of the most hated "innovations" in history. Even Microsoft eventually had the sense to turn him off in Excel 2002. But if you're running an older version, or if someone else using you're computer turns him on, here's how to get rid of him permanently. And for a joke he offers you a web site on "clippycide." That's what a computer book should be.

This goes on to nearly every aspect of working with Excel. Chapter 9 starts out:

Excel's basic functions haven't changed in years. Of course, Microsoft has to addd new stuff to give you a reason to upgrade to the latest version. In Excel 2003, that reason was support for XML."

XML is supposed to make it easy to transfer data from one program to another. Of course there are XML annoyances, one is that the XML that Access produces isn't necessarily readable by Excel. Oh Boy!

Excel Annoyances ...

This book is made for those who have had one or more vexing problems with Excel. If that's you, the answer can probably be found here and lots more besides.

Curtis Frye is an established author, including several books on Excel. He has the book divided into chapters that deal with several categories of problems: Entering Data, Formatting, Formulas, Manipulating Data, Charts, Exchanging Data, Printing, and Customization.

His solutions vary from basic training on how to use a feature, to how to tweak things "just so." Each Annoyance is the result of someone's problem with an aspect of Excel. Since many people do not upgrade to the latest version of Excel when it's available, the book covers solutions from Excel 97 through the current Excel 2003.

One of the most interesting things I learned was the existence of a function that translated numbers into Roman numerals! I never knew this existed. That's not to say I would ever have any use for such a function, but it was interesting playing around with it. If you want to try it out, type a number in one cell and in another, type this formula: = roman(cell), where "cell" is the location of the number you typed. You'll see the result in roman numbers, as advertised. Slick! Someone once threatened to file his income tax return using roman numbers, just to make things hard for IRS, and this is a way it could be done. IRS would probably object.

Screen shots are used liberally in the book. These may simply be a shot of a worksheet but often a related dialog box is also shown. Occasionally a text box includes extra information that may be of importance for a subject.

One extra feature include in the book is reference to some time-wasters, also known as games. Each is an Excel version and is free to download. There's Pac Man, Arkanoid, BlackJack, Rubik's Cube, Tetris and more.

There are occasional answers using Visual Basic, but for the most part, the answers simply use the settings that are already in Excel. Most users never tap the full potential of Excel, and I'm no exception. I feel I am an expert, but I certainly learned a lot by reading this book and you will too, if you use Excel at all.

Ok, Excel is the dominant spreadsheet. No question of that. But it has some surprising "features" which this book calls annoyances. It gives a multitude of them, with fixes for all. (Another O'Reilly series might call these fixes hacks.)

Logically enough, the book starts off with those difficulties that can be met when inputting data. Many of you will applaud that the leading annoyance is the Paperclip, on which much verbal ire has no doubt been expended. So Frye forthrightly shows how to terminate this pesky little bugger.

Later sections talk about formatting, formulae, charting, printing and so on. The chapters essentially follow the main functional structures of Excel. Some features might not be obvious to you; depending on your expertise. But chances are that for the average Excel user, you'll get some good advice from Frye.

This is a well organized and written set of useful hints and pointers for Excel. They range from solutions to difficult data analysis issues, to tips about graphing, pivot tables, and importing data from various formats, notably XML.

The book is organized into chapters around central Excel themes; editing, formulas, formatting, charting, etc. Each chapter has a set of annoyances with a description and a solution. These annoyances are sometimes bugs, and sometimes just difficult issues that reasonably advanced users will run into where the help is either insufficient or poorly written. The fixes are generally fairly short and contained within the bounds of Excel, though the book does point to external sites and software where appropriate.

Definitely a must have for the power Excel user.

loved the application portion. Exodus is now one of my favorite books of the Bible.

Intermediate level of study from an evangelical position. Don't think that the NIV Application series is fluff...this is a great title to continue your study through the book of Exodus.

Peter Enns has contributed a wonderful addition to the literature on the book of Exodus with this latest commentary. His book is a fine blend of theology, scholarship, and practicality. Some very helpful insights are brought up throughout the text. Add to that a very readable style of writing and you have an excellent reference work for pastors and teachers!

Up until recently, there haven't been a lot of evangelical commentaries on Exodus. Most of us have either used the 30 year old commentary by Brevard Childs, or we have used Walter Kaiser's commentary (which is not bad by any stretch, but not as detailed as one might wish).

I am pleased to report that the new commentary by Peter Enns fills an important gap. It follows the familiar three part format of the NIV Application series (Original Meaning, Bridging the Horizons, Contemporary Significance).

But where this commentary excels is in the insights into the text and its relation of the book of Exodus to the rest of the biblical canon. I like how Enns relates the deliverance of the baby Moses from the water to his leading the Israelites throught the water of the Red Sea. In both instances, God saves his people through the water. He also compares this with the Noah's ark story.

Enns also does a good job at relating the stories in Exodus to some of the events in the life of Jesus (their special birth narratives, their both being used of God to deliver their people).

In his discussion of the Ten Commandments, Enns brings out truth and meaning that may not have been apparent to the casual reader. He notes that these commandments were given because being a part of God's chosen people has ramifications for our relationship to God as well as our relationships with one another. He also stresses that when we preach these commandments, that we keep in mind that they are a message for people who are already saved, not a message for those who need to be saved.

I also appreciate how Enns discusses the Pauline usage of material in Exodus, namely Exodus 34:29-34.

This commentary deserves to be used side by side with Doug Stuart's recent offering on Exodus. These two books should satisfy the expositor of Exodus for years to come.

Rev. Marc Axelrod

As with all of the other fine commentaries in this series it breaks each section of Scripture into 3 sections: 1)an "original meaning" section which gives a thoughful interpretation of the passage. 2) a "bridging contents" section which draws forth timeless theological principles that are applicable for God's people in any place, time, and era and 3) The "contemporary significance" section which is intended to give the modern reader a "bonifide" (not moralistic i.e., "do this...don't do that...be like him...don't be like them..) application based on what it meant to the original readers. Although the author doesn't deal with interpretive issues in-depth (because this isn't the aim of the series), he does do a fine job of getting to the "interpretive" heart of the matter (although, at times, I felt he overdid the "re-creation" motiff). Along the way He shows how the book of Exodus written so long ago is of vital significance to God's people today.

This work fills a great gap in evangelical literature on the book of Exodus and gives relevent application for readers of all theological persuations. In all, this book and the series of which it is a part, is a tremendous resource for the Pastor/teacher/layman!

Exodus (The New American Commentary) I found this book to be extremely informative and helpful in leading a small group study of the book of Exodus.

I am very pleased with the book and the time that it took that i got it. Not to mention if you are interested in the Book of Exodus this is a good commentary to look through. he (Stuart) is very interested in the event of the exodus.

This is a wonderful commentary. He writes in an easily understandable style. The commentary is very thorough. A good evangelical commentary.

The thing that most impressed me about Douglas Stuart's commentary on Exodus for the New American commentary series (Broadman & Holman) is the easy proficiency with which Dr. Stuart exegetes how a particular Hebrew word or phrase should be taken in context, weaves in the ANE background, and demonstrates the way the theology not only relates to Exodus and the rest of the Pentateuch, but to entire biblical corpus. Those familiar with Dr. Stuart's prior work will not be surprised by the depth of scholarship undergirding his insights here. For a conservative commentary that is sufficiently meaty but still easy on the eyes, one could do no better.

Exodus is a pivotal book, a key volume not only in the Pentateuch but in the whole of the Hebrew bible. And Douglas Stuart is a first rate evangelical Old Testament scholar (who has already penned commentaries on Ezekiel and some of the Minor Prophets). Put the two together and you have an important and powerful combination.

There have been a number of good commentaries on the book of Exodus. Many consider the 1974 volume by Brevard Childs (Old Testament Library) to be the best written, albeit by a non-evangelical. Good volumes of a somewhat more conservative and evangelical variety have been penned by Enns (NIV Application Commentary, 2000) and Durham (Word Biblical Commentary, 1987). But this is the newest and perhaps best treatment of the book. Part of the New American Commentary series, this just released volume will long serve as the first port of call for evangelical assessments of this important Old Testament book.

Good commentaries offer a balance of two things: the technical, grammatical, cultural and other background material, along with sound theological analysis. Both exegesis and exposition are required. This volume fulfils both requirements nicely.

Stuart has clearly done his homework. (He says he consulted over 1700 items, not all of which are featured in the bibliography.) He is up on all the relevant literature, and is aware of the current debates. He also writes well, and is able to provide the theological sense of the book, and individuals passages throughout.

Given the constraints of the series, his introductory remarks do not occupy much space (only 50 pages out of an 800 page work). But more detailed discussions of important points are scattered throughout the commentary. Thus a number of excurses into various disputed issues, difficult topics, or theological hot potatoes are interspersed in these pages. Surprisingly however one such item, the Divine name YHWH as revealed in Exodus 3:14, receives no separate excursus, but just a half page discussion (along with a half page footnote, leading the reader to further study).

While acknowledging that extra-biblical evidence for Exodus is thin, he is more optimistic than writers like Durham about the book's historicity. He also ascribes Mosaic authorship to the book.

His thematic approach to this book is to highlight the servant theme: Israel's' exodus from Egyptian servitude is replaced by servitude to Yahweh. The transition from being servants of a bad king to being servants of a good king is the overriding motif of the book, although Stuart lists eight other key themes, including the necessity of law, the promised land, and covenant relationship.

The commentary itself is a nice blend of giving the sense of the text along with the various technical considerations that need to be addressed. More scholarly discussion is reserved for the footnotes, which are plenteous and lengthy. Thus the main body of the text can be easily followed, but the numerous excurses and footnotes take the reader to more advanced levels, when deeper considerations are called for.

All in all this is a very fine commentary indeed, which should serve both student and scholar for many years to come.

This book doesn't contain a lot of jargon. It has pictures of how to do things and explains things in non-technical terms. Great for beginners but also useful as a refresher when you haven't used some aspect for awhile. Well laid out index so easy to find what your looking for. These people have done a good job. Hope they bring out another one more advanced.

I had no idea what the interface looked like or ANY idea about how to use 3DS Max; I just knew I want to learn how to do animations.

Well, I know this book isn't going to have me making 3D animation movies, but it does give a great insight into the program's basics.

Lots of hands-on exercises, just as I like. Lots of pictures too. The authors do an excellent job of spelling out the basics and telling you exactly what you need to do to complete an excerise. And, as you move further along in the book, they "neglect" to tell you how to do something they've already covered - just like a teacher would do in class. It forces you to explore, reread (if you don't understand a subject) and practice with the program - what you need to do if you're ever going to learn to use 3DS Max.

A very well written book about the basics of 3DS Max 7.

I highly recommend this book to the beginning 3ds max student. It was very helpful to me, as it explained more of the basics and gave more detail behind the steps. Also, the tutorials frequently used diffent tools to accomplish the same task. This showed how to use the graphical interface, quad-menus, toolbars, etc.

I found it the best of several books I bought to get my feet wet with 3ds max. It really helped with some of the basic lighting and material concepts. While, this book doesn't even begin to touch all the features of 3ds max, it was a great primer and I'm glad I read it.

This book is perfect for those just getting started in 3ds Max 7. There are a lot of easy to follow screen shots to accompany the text so it is possible to still follow along when you're not in front of your computer. It is written with plenty of step by step explanations of what you are doing and why as well as a great accompanying disk to help with tutorials. It even tackles some of the more difficult aspects of 3d modeling such as composition, the dreaded material editor (it even throws in a side bar about UVW unwrapping) and lighting. It is written with the beginner in mind and does a great job explaining concepts and procedures without insulting your intelligence. It may, however, be a little below intermediate users, it can be a great tool to brush up on fundamentals. I can't recommend this book enough for those looking to get their feet wet in MAX.

The book by Till & O'Connell is great for newcomers simply because it doesn't attempt to give you too much information but only what new users might need to learn the basics of max 7. I had never turned on max 7 and within a week I was amazed as to how much I had learned without having any previous experience with 3d softwares. This should be the first book you buy if you are starting from scratch with max 7.

Lynn Austin has hit a home run with her 5 book series on the chronicles of the kings. They are biblically accurate, and thoroughly engaging. Even if you are not familiar with the biblical accounts, you will enjoy reading these books. And for those of us who are students of the scriptures, these stories bring an added dimension to God's Word. I recommend that you get the entire set because when you finish the first, you will be hungry for more. They are a quick read.

Lynn Austin is a wonderful writer who has been able to bring the history of the Bible to life while maintaining true to historical fact. It is amazing how you can visualize the trials and events that shaped the lives of these people from so long ago.

I've been nothing less then impressed with this series since book #1. And after book #4, "Faith of My Fathers," I'm still highly impressed. Taking the story of Manasseh, Lynn Austin seemingly took it, and split it into two parts. And she was quite clever with the delivery. Some might assume that this came to an abrupt ending, leaving the reader clueless. If you know your Bible, there's nothing clueless about it. This is what I'd call the II Kings version of the story. Yet in The Bible, Manasseh's story continues in II Chronicles. And it worked that way with a lot of the kings. In a lot of cases, most of the kings we read about in The Bible concerning The Northern and Southern Kingdoms were split into two different sections, II Kings, and II Chronicles. From Jehoshaphat, to Joash, to Amaziah, to Jotham, to Hezekiah, to Manasseh! ALL THESE KINGS and more were split up into the two sections. Ok, there's the Bible history lesson! What about this story? Read on!

Ahaz, Manasseh's great-grandfather, was one of the most worthless kings in all of the history. And Manasseh wasn't too far behind him. He was the son of one of the greatest kings to ever reign, Hezekiah. If you don't know the whole story and read this, you'll wonder if anything good ever came out of Manasseh. Lynn Austin, being the author, and better yet, the voice of reason, gives Manasseh a reason to be bitter, and to do what he did. But Austin gives Manasseh a childhood friend in Joshua, who's as clumsy as an Ox! His nickname is Ox. But something happens. And from nicknames to nonsense, there is a reason that these two former best friends are now bitter enemies. King Manasseh is nothing but a master of disaster, and he raises hell throughout the land! He has people executed, and he destroys what he father put together. Joshua wants nothing more then to get even.

If you're wondering if some of the things in this are extreme, they are indeed. What's worse, they really happened. But the good news is that certain people didn't forget the faith their fathers held so dear. I think that's where the title comes from. Because when times get so tough, the question is simple. Are we going to run to God, or run away from God? I'd personally suggest not running away from the great Yahweh! But I think when things get tough, you want to be a rebel just as much as Manasseh. But what do you do? Where do you turn? And for the record, by the time THIS story comes to a close, he still has a chip on his shoulder.

But there is one final installment, and it happens to be "Among The Gods." I think it should be pretty good. That's probably going to be Lynn Austin's II Chronicles part of this story. I already know the end, but I can't wait to read her novelization of it! She's a great storyteller. So far, I have yet to be disappointed.

ms austin is the first female author i,ve ever read, but after reading this series on the kings of judah it's completely opened my mind to all writers;the only regret is she didn't continue on with more books in the series.

Faith of my Fathers is the 4th book in Lynn Austin's Chronicles of the Kings series. After King Hezekiah's death, his son Mannasseh becomes king at age 12. Fear grips Mannasseh's heart as he begins to question God as to why his father died when he faithfully served God. Years later, as he goes to visit his mother's grave in the cemetry he comes upon a man who calls himself a "priest" and begins to accuse everything Mannasseh has grown up with and had been taught. The accussations make Mannessah call upon the prophet Isaiah and his palace adminstrator Eliakim--Mannessah's boyhood friend Joshua's father. During their conforntation King Mannessah accuses Eliakim and Isaiah of conspiring aganist him, using Isaiah's own prophecies aganist him. Eventually Eliakim and Isaiah are executed leaving Eliakim's family in great danger. Joshua and Mannasseh, once best friends have become bitter rivals. Joshua must now find a way to flee Mannasseh's terror while keeping his family safe.

I found this book to be the best out of the first four. And since they keep getting better and better I am guessing the fifth and last book to be more amazing! Lynn Austin does a wonderful job depciting the terror of Mannaseh's reign. He is simply insecure and believes everyone is plotting aganist him. Instead of turning to Yahweh he starts turning to the stars, mediums, etc. for answers. He even begins promoting orgies for worship and sets up Asherah poles and places for women to "offer" themselves to the idol goddess. I have never shed a tear in the first 3 books of this series but the beginning of the book when Eliakim and Isaiah were being falsely accussed and then executed drew a tear from me. It's amazing to see how even when confined to the darkness of a prison and facing death the next morning, these two men trusted God to the very end. I also found it exciting to read about Joshua's plans and such for smuggling himself and his family out of the country. Especially near the end he decides to smuggle the ark of the covenant and Mannasseh's brother--Prince Amariah to Eqypt.

With a host of new characters and some old ones as well this is definatly worth the read. I'm looking forward to reading "Among the Gods" and hope Lynn Austin decides to write more biblical fiction in the future. :-)

This book contains a wealth of information most people never knew about beer. This includes the history of beer brewing and the health benefits of moderate consumption of quality micro-brewed beer.

I think it was William Blake who said that the world is contained in a single grain of sand. O'Brien shows the world in a single (and multiple) glasses of beer.
Someone else said that if we each keep our little corner of interest clean, soon the whole earth will be clean. O'Brien shows how to clean up his little corner.
The writing is sharp, interesting, with more facts than Britannica. It shows how beer had and still has the potential to bring equality, ecology, and pure joy to the world. By focusing on his part of the world-- on his interests-- O'Brien gives us drink for thought about what the rest of us can do. The book is inspiring! --Mykel Board

Mr. O'Brien has brought together vital information for those who are seeking to think about as well as better appreciate this noble beverage.

Goes well beyond the works of Michael Jackson or the single facet beer history books books in my collection.

A call to action with ramifications on your view of business ethics, community and trade.

"The Beer Jockey" of Kansas City- Jim Quinn

Humor, history, and business savvy blends with a beer activist history so it's hard to peg this title for any one section - it's featured here because its strength is a coverage of the sustainability movement's values and business interactions, which documents beer marketing, the evolution and growing strength of microbreweries, and their interactions with local communities. A fine survey of corporate and non-corporate powers and divisions makes for involving reading.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Part history, part manifesto, and a lot of fun. This book is one of the most informative yet enjoyable non-fiction that I have read in a while. O'Brien provides lots of good facts and figures about good ol' beer that you can use to surprise and impress friends and family. This is also a practical guide to living more sustainably by enjoying a pint or two from your local brewpub. Moreover, the book is well written and easy to read.

My husband had received this book for his 50th birthday so he knew it was good. Our neighbor is enjoying it too.

Knowledgeably edited by Ronnie Sellers, Fifty Things To Do When You Turn Fifty is an informed and thought-provoking collection of fifty writers contributing ideas, advice, observations, and instructions upon turning fifty years old. As an ideal how-to and what-to-do book informing its readers of the many fears and beliefs that might concern most fifty-year-olds, and explores why they might feel as they do and what to do to avoid or confront such barriers. Fifty Things To Do When You Turn Fifty is very strongly recommended to all readers who have or are contemplating turning fifty-something as the ultimate guideline of staying young as an explorative and practical fifty-year-old.

This is a compilation from various authors writing on the subject of turning 50. The first contributor really lays it on the line by saying "Stop complaining" and get your act together so that you'll get through many years after 50. I appreciated that these 50 writers "provided essays on a pro-bono basis" and profits from the book will go toward non-profit organizations focused on cancer research. This is a great book to give as a gift to friends reaching this sometimes challenging milestone.

Knowledgeably edited by Ronnie Sellers, Fifty Things To Do When You Turn Fifty is an informed and thought-provoking collection of fifty writers contributing ideas, advice, observations, and instructions upon turning fifty years old. As an ideal how-to and what-to-do book informing its readers of the many fears and beliefs that might concern most fifty-year-olds, and explores why they might feel as they do and what to do to avoid or confront such barriers. Fifty Things To Do When You Turn Fifty is very strongly recommended to all readers who have or are contemplating turning fifty-something as the ultimate guideline of staying young as an explorative and practical fifty-year-old.

Knowledgeably edited by Ronnie Sellers, Fifty Things To Do When You Turn Fifty is an informed and thought-provoking collection of fifty writers contributing ideas, advice, observations, and instructions upon turning fifty years old. As an ideal how-to and what-to-do book informing its readers of the many fears and beliefs that might concern most fifty-year-olds, and explores why they might feel as they do and what to do to avoid or confront such barriers. Fifty Things To Do When You Turn Fifty is very strongly recommended to all readers who have or are contemplating turning fifty-something as the ultimate guideline of staying young as an explorative and practical fifty-year-old.

There is no more complete review of the finite element method. Furthermore, all notation is written in matrix from without any hard to read diadics. Every section gives explicitly, the implementation of the procedure discussed so there's no guess work required.

This book is really THE milestone, the only one I really enjoy. A page-turner, a must for all people into FE stuff.

The enormous influence Zienkiewicz and Taylor have had on the profession of engineering as mentors, teachers, engineers, and researchers, places them among the very best professors this century has seen. May I take this opportunity at Amazon.com to pay tribute to such professors worldwide for the spirit they infuse, dynamism they create, and the legacy of selfless service and excellence they leave behind. Students of 21st century will be grateful that Zienkiewicz and Taylor went before them.

From the masters of the finite element method, this may well be the best book ever written on the subject. In this book, the authors come across as the sages of ancient India preaching what they know is the best, guiding us, and setting a stage of research for the years to come. This is a monumental piece of work in the history of engineering.

This is the ideal book for beginners in finite elements, though the approach is slightly more theoretical. If you have a good background in linear algebra and are comfortable with matrices etc, you should have no trouble finishing this one. You can aim at the definitive work by Professor Bathe after finishing this one.

This is the most beautiful text book I have ever seen! With this book I am learning to "key out" fish for identification. A whole new world is opening before my eyes!

This is a very informative book. I would have preferred more pictures and less artists renditions, but one can't be too picky.

This may very well be the best fish guide we've seen yet. The organization and utility of "Fishes of Alabama" has clearly been influenced by the best previous titles which use a similar format (such as "Fishes of Arkansas"). For each species, national range maps are given in addition to Alabama dot localities overlaid on a state watershed map.

Perhaps the most important aspect of this title is the illustration. Some artistically uninclined individuals will prefer photographs, an opinion to which they're entitled, even though photographs are, for most vertebrate groups, inferior to accomplished artwork in both a functional and appreciable sense. Truly landmark wildlife compendiums tend to use quality artwork over photos - that's an historically-substantiated fact. "Fishes of Alabama" is no exception here. Each species account is headed by a beautiful, small specimen painting that showcases important identification features. Each account's painting is duplicated in large plate format in the book's center. The artwork, for those with enough culture to appreciate such achievement and an eye for depiction of important detail , is worth twice the purchase price on its own.

Throw in the consideration that the biological information on each species will help not only sportfishers, baitfishers and ichthyologists active in Alabama, but also in additional states inhabited by the species covered, plus a better-than-average foreward, and you've got yourself a must-have title. "Fishes of Alabama" is likely one of those books for which the timeless esteem and utility that it beckons will cause the price it commands to increase substantially once it's out-of-print.

This book is a great reference for any ichthyologists or anyone who loves fishes and art. It contains a lot of information and citations for each species.

This is an excellent reference book. Joe Tomelleri is a remarkable artist with a talent I have never seen before. His illustrations are so close to looking at the fish in a stream. He is a master at capturing life. The information in this book is very complete and concise. A great buy for the money and just a beautiful book to look at even if you are not extremely interested in fish.