Richardson Books

I happen to have the 3rd edition of this book that was printed in the summer of 2004. I checked R. Kummer's claims about the errors in the book, and it is true that they are still in there. I noticed several other errors myself (e.g. pages 76-77 refer to supposed discrepancies in 1 Nephi when he actually meant to say 2 Nephi). Barring the occasional errors, I disagree with Kummer's review. The responses presented here are worth considering for any LDS who needs quick answers to some of the more repeated claims against the church. Some of the more controversial topics are given lengthier responses (e.g. "Blacks and Cain," "Adam-God," and "Apostasy") while others are more concise and to the point (e.g. individual criticisms made against the Book of Mormon).

The book is arranged in as an alphabetical topical guide with references to similar/identical topics under different names. It's pretty easy to find a response to a claim even if you've never read the book before. Several sources are cited, some more often than others. Perhaps if you want comprehensive details, you'd be better to read the books this author used to compose the book (e.g. "1000 Evidences" and "One Minute Answers"). Noticeably missing is a response to the DNA question, but that may be perhaps because it wasn't such a hot topic until the early 2000s when Simon Southerton came out with his book "Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church."

This book is no longer sold at Deseret Book and Seagull Book, so it's hard to come by these days. I'd say for $10 + S&H it's worth the price. I wouldn't pay anything higher than $15 for it.

First off, let me say that I am not a member of the LDS Church, but I am fascinated by its study and I enjoy researching it from both sides, pro- and anti-.

This book was a huge disappointment.
The arguments are, at times, passionate; but they're rarely convincing, and the amount of mistakes littered throughout this book really lessens its value.

To cite just two quick examples: On page 2, it says that Joseph Fielding Smith said, "We warn you against the dissemination of doctrines which are not according to the scripture...", and lists Church News, Oct. 9, 1976 as the reference. This quote actually comes from Spencer W. Kimball (Joseph Fielding Smith died in 1972).

Another error (which is not merely in the research) is found on page 28, and reads: "We claim that our scriptures came by revelation, and all, as used by Timothy, does not preclude more scripture, especially in light of the fact that scriptures were written both before and after Timothy wrote his scripture." The problem here is that Timothy didn't write any scripture! Timothy himself didn't write either 1st Timothy or 2nd Timothy; they are letters from the Apostle Paul TO Timothy, and they both say this clearly on their titles pages.

The author's ignorance of the New Testament is painfully obvious throughout this book, and really hurts his arguments. Save your time and money and avoid this amateurish work.

Shannon's review is pretty spot on. There is some great full color artwork, but not much beyond that. It just doesn't really have a very compelling story. It is trying to be a dark comedy zombie buddy story but it falls short. It's not funny enough to be a comedy, not scary enough to be horror and not introspective enough to be a character piece.

The big problems are that the characters don't seem particularly effected by the total collapse of human civilization and the potential for human drama isn't fully explored when the guys find Bettie. Finding Bettie leads to some rivalry, but the conflict doesn't drive the story forward or lead to any lasting change between Whip and Straw. The zombies don't ever feel menacing. There wasn't enough of a cast of characters for the zombies to chew through to make survival seem difficult.

If you want a good story in the similar vein go watch Shaun of the Dead. As far as comics, I'd suggest the Walking Dead series or Zombies!: Eclipse Of The Undead as alternatives to this one.

Coming across a good Zombie comic is few and far between. After reading the plot outline for "Living With the Dead" I thought "This has promise" and decided to purchase the book.

There are three issues contained in this collection and the first issue is really good. We are introduced to Whip and Straw. Two living survivors of some type of Zombie plague. They use masks and Zombie like strolls to make their way through the day without being noticed by the flesh eaters who have no over taken the country. While out collecting supplies they come across something they have not seen in years, a living woman. Once the first issue ended I was eager to read the second and third.

Sadly, after the first things go down hill really fast. The characters become unlikeable and by the end you're not rooting for Straw, Whip or who may just be the last girl on the planet, Bettie.

The art was very well done as well as the colors. The story had a lot of potential that I felt fell flat during the middle and end.

Some people will enjoy this story and some witty one-liners but it is also a story that once you have read it, you'll probably never read again... so is $10.00 worth it? For me, no. For a die hard Zombie fan, more than likely yes.

This book is the perfect example of what can happen when publisher's deadlines rush the author, resulting in a poor end product. Further, the editing in this guide seems to be sorely lacking. The book is full of gramattical errors and irregular sentences, many in broken English.

All of these problems could be overlooked if the guide accomplished what it claims. One glaring example of the haphazard organization of this work is the utter lack of clearly useful information and the inclusion of near worthless facts. For example, the "New Residents" section of the guide includes an odd commentary on Texas' Concealed Carry law while information relating to cable, phone, and internet service is absent. In the "Restaurants" section, there is only one Tex-Mex restaurant listed. That's right; one Tex-Mex restaurant merits listing in a city that is 40% hispanic, with a higher number of restaurants per capita than any other city in America.

Then, there are the factual errors. The guide states that teenagers who get driver's licenses in Texas can only drive to and from home, and then, only when someone over 21 is riding with them. If only this were the case. The fact that this is factually incorrect is excusable; the fact that this is included in a guide to Dallas is utterly incomprehensible.

Finally, the author of this guide seems to have a very negative opinion of Dallas. Whether this is a byass of the author or the intent of the Atlanta-based publisher is unknown. However, when the author states or quotes that Dallas is an "ugly city," that Dallas has "severe racial problems," and that Dallas is "utterly flat," it should indicate that perhaps someone with a more neutral stance should write a guide to the city.

This is a very comprehensive guide: it really disects Dallas. There is even a section on street names and their origins! I am very familiar with Dallas and was impressed with how well this guide gets Dallas, especially the shopping section, which quite frankly to Dallas natives is a full contact sport. The discriptions on Northpark and the Galleria, as well as Highland Park Village is very good. The section on hotels and restaurants is also excellent. I really can't think of an area not covered in this guide, whether you are on your first visit to Big D or a native, this guide will not disappoint and you'll learn a great deal about this singular city.

Although there is much of interest in this book, there is almost as much that could be tossed out without in any way detracting from the real content. It was as if, having laid out the story, the editors found themselves with too many empty pages left, and went about madly gathering up the most irrelevant minutiae to occupy the space.

The first chapter could be discarded entirely, or at least summarized in a paragraph or so. (Do we really need to know the exact text of every email that passed between the principals? Is it crucial to devote several mind-numbingly dull pages to what reads like the full text of a sales brochure for the University of New Mexico's Office of Contract Archeology - pages brimming with such breath-taking facts as a description of their facility and a listing of their vehicles and office equipment, etc., etc., ad nauseam?) The text is rife with such alarming digressions.

Likewise, it was hardly necessary to reprint the SciFi Channel's entire PR announcement heralding the broadcast (which occurred in November, 2002, while the book was copyrighted in 2004) of the documentary film of this Roswell dig. If one missed the documentary - two years ago - the fact could hardly pass unnoticed, since mention of the production is made, it seems, at every possible opportunity. One could almost detect a ghostly producer wagging a scolding finger at the truant reader absent from that stellar broadcast.

The book is saved from utter disaster by the short diaries of the participants in the dig, which tell, in brief vignettes, the very human story of the hopes, heartbreaks and hardships of both the very educated and the very common people involved in this effort. Of further compelling interest is the final report on the project by OCA's William Doleman. The afterword documents also merit attention.

Unfortunately, the upshot of all this archeological activity in the New Mexico high desert was that nothing substantial was found to advance the cause of those (myself included) who contend for the occurrence of an extra-terrestrial event. I am left wondering if the SciFi Channel people really thought that a dig of less than a week's duration with a skeleton crew of untrained volunteers would actually produce anything; or was this simply a high profile headline event calculated to generate a lot of viewer interest whether the dig was productive or not?

If that is the case, then this book can only be seen as a further attempt to capitalize on the hopes of the UFO faithful and the drawing power of the name "Roswell".

SCI FI Declassified: The Roswell Dig Diaries is the literary companion, including the final scientific conclusions, to the SCI FI Channel's highest-ever rated original special, The Roswell Crash: Startling New Evidence. For nine days, from September 16-24, 2002, the University of New Mexico's Office of Contract Archaeology in Albuquerque, headed by principal investigator William Doleman, in partnership with the SCI FI Channel, set out to conduct a historic "dig," archeological testing and related research at the "reported location of a low-angle extraterrestrial vessel impact in 1947."

The Roswell Dig Diaries is, for the most part, a thought-provoking and enjoyable behind the scenes look at Project Starlight, this unprecedented and comprehensive search for "memory metal," the Holy Grail of Roswell, at the debris field or "skip site."

From the opening timeline of Roswell events to the personal day-by-day journals and private e-mails of many of the personalities involved, The Roswell Dig Diaries demonstrates the highs and lows of such an undertaking. In short order, you will share both the frustration and enthusiasm felt by those on the project.
Make no bones about it, the debate over what exactly crashed at the former J. B. Foster sheep Ranch (located thirty-five miles south-southeast of Corona, seventy-five miles northwest of Roswell, New Mexico) in Lincoln County one fateful July 1947 night will continue.

The Roswell Dig Diaries makes an interesting addition to any collection concerning this source of endless controversy.
(Review by Robert A. Goerman)

Its odd, how things work out. In his Journals, Merton was ENTHRALLED by this reterat. He spoke in glowing terms of the participants,and praised the intamcy achieved. He states, flatly"this is the best reterat of my life." Yet none of that comes forth in this collection, which is more the pity. Of course, some of this is indeed dated[the world is radically changed in 33+ years]and perhaps, as it seems Fr. Merton was wont to do, he gets overly enthusiastic about something before he has completely immersed himself.Still, second level Merton is better then just about top shelf from anyone else.Some nuggets on prayer left me thinking that perhaps the great moments of this retreat were the celebration of the Mass that were held each day. In that silence was perhaps that ineffable moment that cannot be heard nor touched that Merton groped for so in his life and writings. So, in all not great Thomas Merton, thjough still necessary to see the entire picture of this good great man.

This volume contains lectures which Thomas Merton gave to nuns of the Loretto community during late 1967 and early 1968. He manages to say almost nothing of substance, except that "contemplation" (however we define it) is good, and that authoritarian structures are bad. Only the most fervent devotees of the somewhat trendy Trappist would find this book ineluctable; the rest of us can profit by avoiding it. We look to his earlier work for nourishment: Thoughts in Solitude (1958), New Seeds of Contemplation (1961), and many of his poems and journals. THE SPRINGS OF CONTEMPLATION strikes this reader as needless chit-chat about silence. We do not find God in the book, but a tired talkative Merton who is a bit too convinced of his own sagacity. Alas.

The comments here are pretty funny -- but true. The book certainly doesn't bring anything new to the table...if anything, it takes things away. But hey, what do I know, I'm a thirtysomething and not "THE Expert for Generation X."

I really didn't know what i wanted to do, so I picked up this bok to find out what was out there. I chose it becuase the other industry guides seemed to give an overly rosey picture of every career. This book told be everything I needed and wanted to know. Good, Bad and otherwise. Great source to get the skinny on careers. Now my only problem is to figure out which one I want to go after.

If you are considering a career change, are disenchanted with your first job or just don;t know what is out there this is a great way to learn about what opportunties are out there.

I am an assistant editor for a publishing house, and I must say that this book is weak. It is the backrunner of an already saturated market. It won't help much in your job search.

This book does not deliver on its promises. The information has not been researched in each field beyond a few actual cases, making the accuracy of the information highly suspect. There is much better information available on this subject from other sources, including the Occupational Outlook Handbook (put out by the Bureau of Labor Statistics). Very smug, very unprofessional writing. Save your money.

Editor displays almost no knowledge of biochemistry and its relationship to the topic at hand. A big waste of time on an important subject.

I have been working i the chemical industry for 18 years. I have found 1 advantage for this book compared with "Perry's Chemicals ... handbook 6 edition", the price. I have benn reading some chapter very thoroughly, i was very dissapointed. Crystallisation, fluidisation, centrifugal separations. In every aspect Perry was better. I have breafly been reading and comparing some other chapters and the result is the same.
Coulson seems to me to be old, made by people that have not been out working in the factory the last 50 years. The text is also filled with information for filling the pages ( an american sicknes compared wit europe), to a higher degree.

One of the many things Bill Richardson doesn't know is what a limerick is. This book will be a great disappointment if you anticipated that five-lined verse form. It does have lots of sing-songs and some la-di-das, however.