Spencer Reviews

Many Dimensions

Published in Audio Cassette by Blackstone Audiobooks (1997-08)

Author: Charles Williams

List price: $49.95

New price: $31.47

Average review score:

Freaky, Deaky, Sheiky

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-04

For a provoking supernatural thriller (to the extent early 20th century Brits can be thrilling) Williams can't be beat. But here Williams goes beyond his typical heterodoxy to apparently reject the Triune God and further poses a bizarre revisionist history where Persians have somehow maintained the engine of King Solomon's flying carpet. That's all well and good for ecumenical sorts I suppose, but, personally, I think Mr. Williams drew a bit too deeply from the hookah during the Golden Dawn ritual at which he conceived the plot of this particular metaphysical potboiler. Ultimately the book seems to abandon the cycle of redemption. Williams finds salvation outside of Christ's death on the cross and instead in the workings of a queer rock. Weird, Wilde stuff. So I would skip this one, unless it's raining and you don't have anything else to read, or you've read War in Heaven and have a burning desire to know the fate of Giles Tumulty.

Also, the quality of the Eerdmans books is disappointing. This is unfortunate since they're publishing a third of the current Williams catalog. My copy of Many Dimensions is already falling apart and the pages resemble a digital scan of the original. My Regent College copy of All Hallows' Eve appears to be of better construction. Read it or War in Heaven instead.

Very funny for Charles Williams, and well done

Helpful Votes: 15 out of 17 total.
Review Date: 2001-12-13

Charles Williams is always deep, and often thick and meaty. Happily, in this novel, he is extremely funny. Watching what the British do when a spiritually powerful stone is dropped into their outstretched hands is a fine pursuit. Some situations are farcically funny, others witty, and some are, in the end, pitiful- the kind of jokes about the human race that are rooted in our failure to do all we should with our great gifts, that we wish we didn't have to make.

Williams combines an ultimately serious theme with high poetry, good plot and characters, and his highly individual treatment of the supernatural and mysticism for a very satisfying read (and re-read).

Does God Play Dice?

Helpful Votes: 26 out of 33 total.
Review Date: 2001-04-03

Contrary to popular belief, I'm fast coming round to the idea that Williams was a *philosophical* writer rather than a *religious* writer. And not only because he himself described his seven novels as "metaphysical thrillers".

Unlike "Descent into Hell" - which is quite frankly an overwrought gothic monstrosity - "Many Dimensions" is a 'typical' Williams story, with standard English prose (standard for the 1930s, that is), a straightforward plotline and plenty of pace. In fact you could put "Many Dimensions" up against later fiction of a similar tone - like Dennis Wheatley, for example (not very well-known now, but immensely popular in the 50s and 60s) - and be hard put to pick a winner.

So where does the philosophy come in?
Primarily in the form of a series of very basic, but also very important, questions that lie just below the surface of the story - and sometimes not even below the surface.

Questions like: "If you can restore all of the people in group A to health, but in the process throw at least an equal number of people in group B out of work - at a time when work isn't that easy to come by in the first place - which group should take priority?"

This question, and others closely related, run all through the story yet, due to Williams' writing skill, they do nothing to impede the plot unless the reader actively chooses to think them through.

The final answer Williams gives, I *think*, is that there is no *easy* answer. Only he frames his conclusion far more lucid and impactful manner than that last observation might suggest.

In short, this writing has the power to enthrall and satisfy a wide range of readers.
The only reason I don't give it five stars is because the literary style is typical of British writing in the 1930s, which I guess won't necessarily be to everyone's taste.
Having said which, I really do recommend the majority of Williams' novels as a taste worth acquiring.

Oh yes, why did I give this review the title "Does God Play Dice?"? When you read the book I think you'll know exactly why.
Good reading!

How does one measure God...or Spacetime..., for that matter?

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-10

Even to his fans Williams can seem a bit remote, but once you get used to the British inflection and syntax in his dialogs - and identify the parameters of the uncanny worlds he portrays - Williams can become exhilirating. His is a very unique and peculiar genius. This particular book has depths and images I will ponder for quite some time. It also has a very subtle and intelligent humor. I should probably read it again. Apart from the provocatively and profoundly problematic talisman of the Stone and a clever plot illustrating some fascinating ethical and theological conundrums, I believe Williams brilliantly (and prophetically?) explores (what I had previously thought was) the ultra-modern and ultra-sophisticated (or perhaps, if you prefer, science fiction) topic of teleportation in its many forms. No doubt this guy got his Images from a Dimension few of us visit during our daylight dealings and distractions.

Nice Follow-along to "War In Heaven"

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-31

On page one the reader finds that Charles Williams's "Many Dimensions" has a setup similar to his "War In Heaven"- namely, that the scholar Sir Giles Tumulty (a crossover character from "War...") has obtained an ancient artifact which purportedly has supernatural powers of a religious flavor. The remainder of the book develops as a struggle over the artifact between those who are aligned in someway with the forces of light and those aligned with the forces of darkness.

"...Dimensions" falls short of "War..." in that Williams's narrative in "...Dimensions" is less cohesive and more prone to various sidebars and extraneous characters - always a risk in a Williams novel. To his credit, however, the extraneous sidebars and characters allow Williams to perceptively comment on some character types and issues commonly encountered in the modern (or post-modern) world.

Though perhaps not as good as "War in Heaven", worth reading as a loose sequel to that book, or can be read as a stand alone. Somewhere between 3-4 stars and generally better (if only by being more substantive) than most contemporary fiction and certainly better than "The Da Vinci Code".

Technical Drawing

Published in Hardcover by Prentice Hall College Div (1996-12)

Authors: Alva Mitchell, Henry Cecil Spencer, Ivan Leroy Hill, John Thomas Dygdon, James E. Novak, and Shawna Lockhart

List price: $93.75

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Average review score:

Good combination!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-18

This book is a good book to learn basic drafting pratices. It is also a good referance book to keep in your bookcase beside your desk.

Excellent text for technical drawing

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-22

This book is an excellent reference for anyone needing an introduction to or a reference for technical drawing. Most of the content concerning machine component drawings are geared (no pun intended) more toward traditional methods for technical drawings (i.e. compass, ruler and pencil), but the methods given are well suited to modern computer-oriented methods of solid modeling. Engineers in the manufacturing industry will find it especially useful, as it can be a helpful reference for weldment drawings.

great examples that work poorly

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-02

The thing this book does best is demonstrate the inferiority of 2D drafting when compared with 3D modeling. In several parts, the 2D documentation of the parts glosses over some of the more complex implications, and simply leaves it to someone else downstream to figure out. If you try to build some of the example parts in 3D, you see that the dimensions in probably 40% of the parts I worked through simply don't add up.

Shouldn't the book at least describe the concept of draft on example parts that are for the most part cast and forged parts? Some of the example parts become extremely difficult if you consider draft.

Also there is the combination of some very dated material with some semi-modern entries, especially when covering computer hardware. This kind of thing is almost impossible to cover in a published hardcopy because the computer hardware has gone through two generations between writing and distribution of the book.

On the plus side, it does have some nice examples, but this is far from complete if it is being used to prepare college students for jobs in the 2000's.

The true value of this book . . .

Helpful Votes: 13 out of 14 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-09

I can only speculate that this book is, as was one of the previous editions I've read, used and loved, is bound to provide an exceptional foundational education in the skill of technical (engineering design) drawing/drafting for those with the natural aptitude for freehand drawing. Readers will indeed learn about and develop precision drawing skills--whether drawing with instruments or computer.

The true value of this book is in its ability to guide and therefore transform the natural artist's raw talent into that of a professional grade design artist--capable of rendering technical depictions, representations, or designs, at any time, with little effort, and without error. As with learning to walk, this of course takes time, patience, and practice.

I have personally witnessed the struggles of many whom, having necessity to complete a course of study based upon this book, were ill-suited by their own admission for the discipline required of the eye, hand, and attention (or mind) as demanded by the capable sketch artist--to say nothing of the trained detail design drafter.

If realizing the instructional value of Technical Drawing, 12th edition, seems to come at great pain and effort, the obvious question clearly becomes one of aptitude for drawing. However, while the aptitude for drawing is extremely beneficial, proficiency in technical drawing can still be achieved by sheer tenacity.

Technical Drawing, 12th edition, as with previous editions, is therefore highly recommended for the tenacious engineer, designer and drafter. It has stood the test of time as a solid component of engineering design instruction in this nation's premiere academic institutions.

Reference book in need of an editor

Helpful Votes: 15 out of 31 total.
Review Date: 2005-01-16

.: edit, June 30 2007 :.

New rating: 3 stars

I wrote the original review in 2005, after several hours of trying to decipher this book and find misplaced information within it so as to complete a class assignment. Discovering that one of its specific textual errors made my specific task impossible, I wrote the following.

If Amazon let me increase my rating, at this point I would, but I maintain that it is unpolished and desperately under-edited.

.: end edit :.

As a freshman engineering major, I have been compelled to use Technical Drawing for a graphics course. This has been a profoundly frustrating experience. It seems that the authors, in their zeal to attain unto the dry, lifeless style characteristic of most professional engineering publications, also unintentionally created a text which is superlatively unclear.

I am recurrently astonished at the utter incomprehensibility of entire paragraphs. I will read a section, cynically assert that it communicates nothing, read it over a dozen more times, show it to others who in turn read it a dozen times, only to have my first conclusion affirmed.

There are extremely blatant contradictions.

Terms are used at the beginning of a chapter and not defined until the end.

It speaks voluminously about how critical it is to follow the prescribed techniques, only to devote less-than-the-bare-minimum amount of space to the actual descriptions of those techniques.

The review questions are frequently unrelated to the content they are supposed to be reinforcing, or are simply placed in the wrong chapter.

This (expensive!) book is a conspicuous example of "writing by committee." Technical Drawing may well be a decent-enough reference book - useful if you need a reminder about material you already know - but expect to get angry at it, especially if you're learning the information for the first time.

Henry IV, part 2 (Shakespeare, Penguin)

Published in Paperback by Penguin Classics (1981-12-17)

Author: William Shakespeare

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Average review score:

Falstaff and Richard II's Consolation Prize.

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-15

In "Richard II," Bolingbroke usurped Richard II's crown and became King Henry IV. In "1 Henry IV," King Henry IV stopped the rebellion by Hostspur, Worcester, and Vernon. But his enemy Northumberland is still out there. And this brings us to the present chapter "2 Henry IV." Despite the title, the real star of this play is Falstaff. In "1 Henry IV' Falstaff had a moderate roll. The learned Isaac Asimov was of the opinion that Shakespeare got more than he bargained for with his Falstaff and realized he could write a play with Falstaff as the prominent character. One minor complaint I have is that while Falstaff probably could handle a play, some of the scenes with him seem drawn out. Northumberland reappears and he is of course sad over the death of his son Hotspur. (Slain by Prince Henry in Part 1.) We also meet the Arch Bishop of York who becomes an enemy of Henry IV. The Arch Bishop delivers a striking passage that emphasizes that the past and to come always seem better than the present. In Act 2, we quickly learn that Falstaff has built up some debts and that he is neglecting his duties to the king. (Big surprise!) Prince Henry is a backstage player for the early part of the play, but rather than being close to Falstaff (as in Part 1), he bitterly rebukes Falstaff for his style of life. Also, Prince Henry expresses some sorrow over his father's failing health. But he is afraid he will be seen as a hypocrite if he shows it. (Many people in his position wouldn't be able to wait to wear the crown.) Interestingly, a woman named Doll begins to find Falstaff attractive. King Henry IV does not enter until Act 3.1, and we can see that the rebellions have taken their toll on him. He is having insomnia and he can only talk about the tribulations of his crown. It is even possible that he feels he deserves his afflictions. Later, Falstaff gathers his men together in a well drawn comical scene. Westmoreland and Henry IV's son Lancaster defeat the rebellion of the Arch Bishop of York, Mowbray, and Hastings in a less than honorable way. But this is not an invention of Shakespeare. It really happened. In the comical 4.3, Coleville surrenders to our favorite fat rogue Falstaff. It is on the funny side when Falstaff comments that Lancaster is so uptight because he doesn't drink. But the sad part of the play returns soon enough. Despite the fact that Henry IV 's enemies have been defeated, Henry IV's health has failed, and he doesn't have much more of a reign to enjoy. (And if you follow my reviews, this constitutes a small consolation prize to King Richard II.) The scene where King Henry IV admits his crimes, begs God's forgiveness, and wishes the eventual Henry V well is one of Shakespeare's greatest moments. I always liked how in "Richard II," Henry IV was a young and energetic usurper, and then in "1 Henry IV" he was portrayed as somewhat more heroic and a likable king, and in "2 Henry IV" he was portrayed as a sorrowful and penitent man. Some people dislike Henry V for banishing Falstaff, but the truth is Henry V has little choice. Falstaff's actions (as comical and entertaining as they are) are flat out criminal. Though Shakespeare did not keep the epilogue's word by putting Falstaff in "Henry V," he would eventually reappear in "The Merry Wives of Windsor."

Hilarious Comedy and Moving Drama

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2000-03-25

My only complaint about "2 Henry IV" is that Shakespeare draws the scenes with Falstaff out too much (in my opinion). Falstaff is funnier than ever. King Henry IV's younger son Lancaster is a very striking figure. While his father is ill, he commands the forces against his father's enemies. 3.1 where King Henry IV contemplates the consequences of the crown he usurped from Richard II is quite moving. The scene where Lancaster crushes the last of his father's opposition is quite chilling. I can not overestimate Shakespeare's genious in how he handles Henry IV in this play. In "Richard II" his ambition and cruelty for the most part never ceased. In "1 Henry IV," he showed himself to be a competent (and even likeable) king. In this play, he clearly regrets and suffers for his actions against Richard II. (Even if we remember his cruelty in "Richard II," it is hard not to feel sorry for him at this point.) The scene where King Henry IV has his final talk with the eventual Henry V is one of the most moving passages in literature. King Henry V's complete reform is not only well drawn, but it helps prepare us for the next play, "Henry V." But if you want to see more of Falstaff, remember he has the lead role in the later play "The Merry Wives of Windsor."

The Making of a King

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-15

Shakespeare's "Henry IV Part II" concerns the triumphant decline of King Henry IV, and the ascension of his son, Henry, Prince of Wales, to the throne as King Henry V. As in "Henry IV Part I," Part II's main action concerns the attempts of the King to suppress civil strife, which is manifested once again in threatened rebellion. In "Henry IV Part II," the rebels are led by Scroop, the Archbishop of York, the most powerful religious figure in England. The Archbishop's involvement "turns insurrection to religion," thereby hoping to gain popular support and enlistment in the army against Henry IV.

Henry, Prince of Wales, as the next in line to the throne, is expected to take a hard line against these threats, and lead the charge against the rebel forces. However, as in Part I, Prince Henry is nervous, as a young man will be, about accepting responsibility for himself, much less for an entire nation. A frivolous youth, he associates with the common folk in bars and taverns, led in his debaucheries by the notoriously comic Sir John Falstaff. The dichotomy between Prince Henry's father figures, the frail, but courageous King Henry IV and the robust, but cowardly Falstaff sets up the scope of the choice Prince Henry must make. His choice, he comes to realize, will affect the course of his country.

The forces mount as the play moves forward - the King's army is ordered, well-equipped, and led by formidable generals - the Archbishop's army is made up largely of untrained citizens. The meeting of the armies' leaders in the Gaultree Forest of Yorkshire is the emotional and tactical climax of the play, and handled with dramatic precision by Shakespeare.

The growth of Prince Henry, the shaping of his mind, his relationships with his noble father and brothers, as well as those with his low, vulgar drinking buddies, forms the focus of "Henry IV Part II." Through five deceptively simple acts, Shakespeare illustrates the birth of a man and a king, and points the way to domestic peace. This is a play I enjoyed very much indeed, and would recommend reading alongside "Henry IV Part I" for maximum effect.

The single editions have much more background

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2003-06-26

This is the play where Henry IV squashes the Percy rebellion but himself becomes ill and dies. So, Price Hal becomes King Henry V and this leads to the next play of that name.

The wonderful Falstaff is also on glorious display. This is also the play with the famous tavern scene (Act II, Scene IV) that can be read endlessly with new enjoyment.

Everyone has his or her own take on Falstaff and his treatment at the hands of Henry V, but I dislike it even though I understand it. Prince Hal and his transformation into Henry V is not someone I admire a lot. Nor is Falstaff's manner of living, but his wit is so sharp and his intelligence so vast that it is easy to still delight in him.

But, you certainly don't need me to tell you anything about Shakespeare. Like millions of other folks, I am in love with the writing. However, as all of us who read Shakespeare know, it isn't a simple issue. Most of us need help in understanding the text. There are many plays on words, many words no longer current in English and, besides, Shakespeare's vocabulary is richer than almost everyone else's who ever lived. There is also the issue of historical context, and the variations of text since the plays were never published in their author's lifetime.

For those of us who need that help and want to dig a bit deeper, the Arden editions of Shakespeare are just wonderful.

-Before the text of the play we get very readable and helpful essays discussing the sources and themes and other important issues about the play.

-In the text of the play we get as authoritative a text as exists with helpful notes about textual variations in other sources. We also get many many footnotes explaining unusual words or word plays or thematic points that would likely not be known by us reading in the 21st century.

-After the text we get excerpts from likely source materials used by Shakespeare and more background material to help us enrich our understanding and enjoyment of the play.

However, these extras are only available in the individual editions. If you buy the "Complete Plays" you get text and notes, but not the before and after material which add so much! Plus, the individual editions are easier to read from and handier to carry around.

Henry IV Part II - A Good Play In the Middle of 2 Great Ones

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2002-12-16

First off, I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed Part I and absolutely adored Henry V. Having said that, I found Part II to be enjoyable, yet perhaps leaving something to be desired - like more action. Falstaff and Prince Hal both come off as somewhat disingenuous and calculating Machiavellian individuals. Disappointingly, Falstaff speaks poorly of Prince Hal while unwittingly in his midst. Conversely, The Prince of Wales prematurely takes the crown before his King Henry IV's death as well as disassociating himself with Falstaff after he is crowned King. These instances, along with others throughout the play, show the self-serving tendencies of both characters.

However, we can proudly witness the maturation of the young King from wild & dissolute young Prince Hal into one of the most revered monarchs in English history, King Henry V. Part II remains an intriguing play due to its paradoxical nature, yet unfortunately rarely acted out today. Now that I have read Henry IV(I&II) for the first time, I gladly move on to one of my personal favorites, Henry V. I recommend both parts(Folger editions) for all Shakespeare enthusiasts - they have given me greater insight into the young Henry V - when he was more concerned with downing a pint of ale rather than downing the French at Agincourt.

2 Magnificent Quotes from Henry IV Part II -
"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." - King Henry IV
"He hath eaten me out of house and home." - Mistress Quickly

Plain Tales From the Hills (Immortal Masterpieces of Literature

Published in Hardcover by Spencer Press (1937)

Author: Rudyard Kipling

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Average review score:

Great stories, decent edition

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-09

The stories are wonderful. I've read a decent amount of Kipling and am always pleased to find more of them. This particular collection contains a bunch of really charming tales that range from funny through tragic. These types of short stories remind me why I love Kipling so much. As with all Kipling, it's worth noting that he was a product of his time and some of his writing could be considered offensive to the modern reader.

This particular Kindle version is quite good with proper formatting and few if any typos. My only complaint (and only reason that this lacks a full 5 stars) is the lack of hyper-links in the Table of Contents. This makes it very difficult to jump to specific short stories.

handle with care

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2005-02-18

A fine collection of extremely well-crafted stories.
But these pages are crammed with racism, with remarks on the worthlessness of a native indian's life, their stupidity and their weakness.
One of the stories starts with "we are a high-caste and enlightened race", any man who shows interest in the ways of life of the natives is ridiculed over pages and the only remark on the death of a native child is: "They have no stamina, these brats."
Well written, but disgusting.

Nostalgia for 60 year olds

Helpful Votes: 11 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-12

I bought this book to recall the halcyon days of my secondary schooling in the years 1957 - 61. Then the book was an assigned text for all students in English in New Zealand. The language and the concepts were then frankly beyond the comprehension of 15 year olds. As I grew older, I became aware of the position Kipling held in the Late Victorian era, and the period following the end of the First World War.

I came to understand a little of what the British Empire meant in those times, and the great debt owed by the world to the British Army which subdued Iraq, Pakistan, and the Indian Continent for almost 200 years.

Without the benefit of the bomb, with a tiny armed service, and a desire to provide fair and equitable government, the Raj governed fearlessly through the efforts of the thirds sons of many of the great English Families, while the fourth sons provided the humanity of the Church. Patterns we could well emulate again today!

This was bread and butter to Kipling. In his early years as a huge supporter of the system, as a spiritualist after the death of his son in the First World War, and in his later years as the designer of the huge Military Cemetaries established in France and Belgium after the War to the Empire's dead, he truly became in his own words a "Builder of the Silent Cities".

In 2006, the concepts of his writings are remote from many. In terms of the trials of people, and their attempts to rise over their circumstances through a sense of duty and moral propriety, Kipling's works are without peer. For those starting out to discover him, start with "Stalky and Company", and move to this book, and his other works as extended learning. I hope you come to love his simple characters as I have, and that your School System, and its weird sense of Boyhood Literature does not destroy the desire to read Kipling until your late 60's

This book has brought great joy to someone in the prime of life, and brings back some important memories of Scouts, Church and Honour in a time when these are so sadly lacking.

One of the finest collections of short stories in english.

Helpful Votes: 15 out of 16 total.
Review Date: 1998-05-12

Rudyard Kipling writes concisely and with great insight on a wide range of issues. With each story only taking up a few pages the depth of characterisation is superb. 'The gate of one-hundred sorrows' is one of the finest short stories ever written.

Yesterday�s Fad, Today�s Flat Beer

Helpful Votes: 8 out of 20 total.
Review Date: 2004-05-17

I believe Kipling was wildly popular in his day. This collection of stories about English life in India may have entranced the masses and sold a lot of newspapers in the first decade of the 20th century, but in the context of almost exactly a hundred years later, they have lost most of their shine. While Kipling might have been the foremost raconteur of British India, compared to great short story writers like Chekhov, de Maupassant, or Twain, he comes across today as coy and contrived. Certain phrases make their appearance in far too many of the tales, for example: "Once there was a....but that's another story." Cute kids, the wisdom of animals, the wiles of the fair sex, the unfathomable nature of "natives", gruff officers, perfect ladies, the one-dimensional earthiness of the common soldier---these are stories filled with stereotypes. Kipling's stories may hold your interest for a short time and you can wonder at the change in taste that has occurred between 1907, when he published these, and today. In many tales, Kipling depicts the lifestyle among the higher echelons of the British Raj, but only through a veil of irony or humor. A regular topic is the struggle for social status among the British; efforts to short circuit the pecking order and reversals suffered thereby. People marrying "beneath them" or trying to marry "above them" are often found here. Though people still refer to Kipling as "a writer about India", it is still true that he wrote about his compatriots, not about India. The two or three tales with Indian characters who are anything other than servants lack any depth. Even the pathos-filled "Story of Muhammad Din", which shows understanding, ultimately deals with illness as something inevitable in India---there are no questions as to why death comes to small children so frequently. Overall, Kipling provides a certain local color to British literature of the late 19th and early 20th century, but cannot be regarded as a great British writer on the level of Maugham, Conrad, Lawrence, Forster or Greene because he lacks broader humanity, deep thought, and universal vision.

Introduction to Electronic Circuit Design

Published in Paperback by Prentice Hall (2002-08-19)

Authors: Richard Spencer and Mohammed Ghausi

List price: $123.33

New price: $98.68
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Average review score:

no comment about the content

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-24

the book was expected as hardcover, received is paperback and the printing quality looks like photocopy.. sorry the price became too much.
i returned the book immediately.

Awesome book

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-03

This book is great. Exlains everything crystal clear. Just be careful when you order it...I ordered a hardback and they gave me two paperback sections, part A and part B.

Best Book for Electronic Circuit Design

Helpful Votes: 25 out of 26 total.
Review Date: 2004-10-18

Bottom Line: This is currently the best undergraduate textbook for a first course on electronic circuit design.

The authors give full, complete solutions to the end of chapter problems! This makes this text extremely good for self study. Sedra and Smith should consider doing this because all serious students will use a disciplined approach to learning and benefit greatly from this; you either learn how to design the circuits or you do not. The solutions are excellent. *I do not, however, give this book a great review simply because there are solutions.* This book is simply written better than the other available books.

As I write this, there are three other good textbooks on the market that compete well against this one. However, this book stands out in that it actually talks to you as if you are an intelligent student; other books read like a data sheet or a dry manual.

This book emphasizes design and intuition without sacrificing rigor, but it is not a cookbook. It is for those serious about designing electronic circuits and understanding why a particular design path should be chosen over others.

It is less encyclopedic than Microelectronic Circuits by Sedra and Smith but has better explanations on how to design circuits; Sedra and Smith is good for reference, examples, and the analysis of the said circiuts. Electronic Circuit Design by Comer is more brief than this text, presents the fundamentals, but does not contain enough detail and intuitive design procedures. Microelectronic Circuit Design by Jaeger is the most systematic, has the best examples, and very good examples of analysis and design procedures. However, the book by Jaeger fails to do what this book does -- bridge the path between real-world design procedures and textbook circuit specifications for designs.

All in all, all the said books are good books. However, I believe this one is better than the popular Sedra and Smith textbook and could be supplemented by the Jaeger book as a solid way of learning.

This is definitely the clearest, most lucid book on electronic circuit design I have read to date.

The BEST book for Electrical Engineering Undergrad

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-06

I am an undergraduate electrical engineering student, and I wish I had found Spencer/Ghausi years ago; It is by far the best, best, BEST book I have ever seen on circuit design.

There are three main things that make this book so great:

#1 -- It explains things extremely well. Things are explained simply, concisely, completely, and in a way that is down-to-earth and easy to understand. There are so many other books that get lost in math proofs before even explaining basic concepts; This book first explains concepts and builds an intuitive understanding of the topic, and explains WHY the topic is important to learn about, and then goes through the math proofs in a very easy-to-follow way. But don't think that you are going to be bogged down with long chapters; even with all the enlightening explanations, the sections are shorter and quicker to read than other books.

#2 -- This book is actually FUN to read! When I entered college, I decided to study electrical engineering because I thought that this stuff was really interesting and fun. The textbook that Arizona State University uses (Sedra/Smith) quickly squashed all joy and fun out of the subject. The Sedra/Smith textbook was so boring, difficult, and frustrating, and it never once made electrical engineering seem fun at all! Every time I would open up Sedra/Smith to study, I would fall asleep because it was so boring! THIS BOOK IS NOT BORING. It is interesting and fun to read. No coffee is required to read this book! Since I have been using this book, I have rediscovered the reason why I chose this major in the first place.

#3 -- This book always answers the question "...so why should I care?" Every subject is accompanied with an explanation about why the subject is important to you, and how it fits in with the real world. It is surprising how many other books just throw a bunch of information at you, and just expect you to be able to figure out what it's all for. With this book, you always know what each piece is for, and how they all relate to each other. For example, I now know WHY I would want to choose one amplifier type over another; The Sedra/Smith book never explained that to me - it just presented me with a bunch of amplifier types...

Get this book! You won't regret it.

BJT Explanation is the best I have ever read

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-01

This book is a great book in my opinion. I have not finished all of it but find it to be a great reference. The thing I liked the most about this book so far was the explanation of the BJT!! It is the best explanation I have read on the subject so far. The author clearly tries to show why the inventor of the transistor would think to use PN junctions characteristics to make the BJT, and how important the minority carriers play in the whole process, something entirely neglected in most other descriptions. I truly feel now I understand how a transistor works, and can analyze not only the npn transistor but the pnp transistor as well, and get why pnp transistors are thought of as being hole injected versus electron injected for the npn.

Pan - God of The Woods

Published in Paperback by Lulu.com (2005-10-14)

Author: Lawrence Spencer

List price: $23.22

New price: $21.01
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Average review score:

philisophical read

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-19

this book is very opinionated and if you have a problem with that you shouldn't read it. i loved this book very much and while i dont agree with some of the view points, i think the author makes some valid ones.

Please loan the editorial dept a dictionary

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-26

Chapter one ends on page 17 with "A subtle scent of pine lingered, though there were no pine trees. And through the" I'm serious! That's how the whole first chapter ends. The proof reader doesn't know milkweed from milk week (see page 18). Sheesh! I spend hard earned money and precious time on books on which the editor spent no time at all. I am insulted.

The Only Book About Being I God I've Ever Seen

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-14

I've never seen or read a book about being a god before. This has to be the most unique, original concept for a novel in the history of western literature! Life as a god is not what I imagined it could be -- this beyond anything I would have thought possible!

Where's my divine intervention?

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-02

A very entertaining read about a guy who, hovering between life and death, meets the Great God Pan who intercepts his soul and helps him with the process of regaining he Godly status (which we're told we all possess.)

Though the story is very engaging, its shortcoming is the fact that everything resembling spiritual guidance in this book relies on divine intervention, with the noteworthy exception of the message that priests are never to be trusted. It seems to me that most of us are not destined to have this type of interaction with God(s.) As someone quoted above, "you don't need to pee!" well, maybe if you're Pan but i'm pretty sure those of us with bodies still do.

At one point in the book grand schemes are put into place to save the earth environmentally. There are huge obstacles that are overcome, of course, primarily by the gods who happen to be assissting. Again, without the divine intervention these grand schemes seem unable to overcome human nature.

Chico Enteprise Record Newspaper Book Review

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-04-13

Willows resident Lawrence R. Spencer takes up the same theme in his over-the-top satire "Pan: God of the Woods"
Spencer writes in a disclaimer that "the author and publisher assume no responsibility of any kind whatsoever for any negative influence which the material in this book may have upon the reader. ... The author accepts full responsibility for any positive effect the material in the book may have on the reader, no matter how insignificant or remote."

Derek Adapa, a software developer, sustains what proves to be a fatal wound in a hunting incident on Mt. Shasta. But Pan, representing all the pagan deities down through history, teaches Derek's disembodied spirit the truth about the godlike power of human beings. Pan plays Virgil to Adapa's Dante as he shows Derek his grieving wife Jennifer and tells him the secret of the twins being born to his mistress, Paula Cadmus (herself not what she appears to be).

The language is sometimes strong and the opinions stronger in "Pan." "There is no heaven or hell as you have been taught to think of it," Pan tells Derek. "Those are lies told by priests to make people obey them."

Eventually Pan (the fertility god of the woods) and his cohorts convert the world to environmentalism, and the military-industrial complex stops making fighter jets and starts producing greenhouses. All is well.

There is yet one more message. Pan welcomes readers to "embrace the Spirit of Playfulness. Embrace the joy of your own ability to create, my eternal friend. Pretend your own illusion, your own future, your own universe. ..."

"Be here, then be there," Pan poeticizes at the end. "You're free just to Be. / You don't have to eat or to breathe or to pee! / You are who You are. It's fun being free! / The same as You've been, and always will be!"

By DAN BARNETT - Book Columnist
Dan Barnett teaches philosophy at Butte College.

Strategy and Tactics of the Salvadoran FMLN Guerrillas: Last Battle of the Cold War, Blueprint for Future Conflicts

Published in Hardcover by Praeger Publishers (1995-05-30)

Authors: Jose Angel Moroni Bracamonte and David E. Spencer

List price: $119.95

New price: $119.95
Used price: $139.40

Average review score:

informative yes but too bias

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-15

I found this book very informative and well set out, however I found it way too bias. Its funny how the writers try over and over to justify why the death squads in El Salvador had no choice but to use heavy handed techniques and at the same time blaming it on the FMLN. I think this book is very informative if one is to ignore their political agenda.
I give it 3 out of 5 because no one else seems to have any information on this subject.
So yeah I would recommend this book perhaps with a bit of caution on its political biasness.

This guy wanna make a quick buck with a book of this kind...

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2002-09-06

This is a well writen book clearly because the author did hired a good editor. But how will this guy really know the FMLN strategies when he hasn't been part of FMLN. The beutiful words used in this book and the so called documetation and interviews are not reason enough to become an expert in the matter. He just want to make some money out of this. Stay away from this book, many inocent people was murdered for this guys (and I'm talking about the salvadorean army).

Freedom kept by ballot AND bullet...

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2002-06-28

I truly enjoyed reading this book! It has GREAT information concerning the weapons and tactics in this terrible war without being too political. Rare is a book about the War in El Salvador that doesn't have some kind of political spin, Left or Right. The author keeps it real by explaining in great detail tactics, weapons, and order of battle, of the Communist insurgents. It also has information about who TRULY armed the FMLN. It's intersting to know that the FMLN had American M-16 rifles BEFORE the Salvadoran military did!! I also enjoyed Mr. Bracamonte's attention to detail concerning the small,everyday events in the FMLN battlefield, particularly about the unforseen role of most FMLN female radio operators... I believe it is a great book to get if you are intrested in the actual battelfield events during the civil war in El Salvador. In my opinion, it proves that the FMLN was better off as a political organization, without resorting to violence and how a PR defeciant Salvadoran Army managed to grab victory from the jaws of defeat.The Salvadoran people have Democracy today because they refused to be intimidated by the FMLN and voted. Freedom was kept by the ballot AND the bullet. In conclusion, GREAT book!!!!!!

Largely ignores the real reasons of the conflict

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2001-12-17

This book is a very good at describing the strategies and tatics of the Salvadoran FMLN freedom fighters, but it ignores the real reasons why Salvadorans had no choice but to fight the government. They blame it on 'communist aggression', but this was a civil revolution; these were people who had been denied their right of self-determination as peoples through democratic elections. If Salvadorans wanted communism, so be it: it's their right and duty as peoples to determine their own political, social, and economic future. The authors weakly defend the small elite class that violated non-deregable human rights through state terrorism for centuries. If you choose to read this book, read it along with: Revolution in El Salvador by Tommie Sue Montgomery.

Superb study of an effective insurgency

Helpful Votes: 8 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2005-02-25

This is the best study of the strategy and tactics of one of the most effective, albeit unsuccessful, modern guerrilla movements. The Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) was a tough fighting force with a brilliant political warfare component.

I spent a lot of time in El Salvador during the war to help the Salvadoran army and saw the FMLN firsthand, and can verify many of the book's findings from my own experiences in the field. The FMLN was a worthy opponent, and well deserving of respect and serious academic study. Jose Angel Moroni Bracamonte and David Spencer have faithfully and incisively dissected how the FMLN operated, and they draw lessons to apply to future conflicts.

This book is to the FMLN what Douglas Pike's landmark book "Vietcong" (MIT Press, 1966) was to the North Vietnamese-run insurgency in South Vietnam. Spencer's companion volume, "From Vietnam to El Salvador: The Saga of FMLN Sappers and Other Guerrilla Special Forces in Latin America" (1996) rounds out the most complete picture yet, in English, of the once-formidable guerrilla group.

The Welkening: A Three Dimensional Tale

Published in Paperback by Howard Books (2004-07-01)

Author: Gregory Spencer

List price: $12.99

New price: $1.93
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

Enjoyable & Hoping for more!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-27

I purchased this book shortly after it was released. For a while, it sat on my shelf untouched due to the fact that I had too many text books to read through. When I finally picked it up, and dusted it off, I found an enjoyable tale. It is full of great word play and descriptions of places and people. Readers can identify with the four main characters, who call themselves "The Commiseration of Misfits". This was a great story and I hope Mr. Spencer will write a sequel or maybe write other stories. He has a good imagination. Hopefully "The Welkening" will not be the last thing we see from him.

The Welkening? No thank you.

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-03

I read this book years ago when it first came out and it held my interest.
But, when i read it again a few weeks ago, I realized how lame it really was.
The 'three-dimensional tale' aspect of this book is just boring. By the time you get into one side of the story, the author has switched over to a children's story book! It's totally pointless, unless your objective is to add pages to the book.
Character development was almost nil as well. You know who they are, but not WHO they are. I didn't ever develop a connection with the characters, which is what a good author knows how to do!
The writing was my main turn-off with this book. It's just not good. Mr. Spencer can't seem to decide what type of book he is writing. Sometimes the teenagers in the story(ages 15-18) speak as if they are 40 years old, then other times you would think it's kids from 1985 you are reading about. The dialogue is just silly. But not in a fun way, more of a 'are-you-kidding-me-he-can't-be-serious' way.
Then, when you add some of the mixed metaphors and the odd descriptions, you just lose interest.

If you are not an avid reader and have not read very many talented authors, you might enjoy this. Otherwise, look up Stephen Lawhead or Frank Peretti for some first class story-telling.

What Could Have Been

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-08

This has to be one of the hardest books to review. Much of the acclaim in the friends' reviews is true. The Welkening is a complex tale, three dimensional, clever, unique, fresh, innovative. The glich is, there are so many problems in the writing, the story is hard to follow. Would that Gregory Spencer, such an imaginative mind, had spent more time learning the craft of fiction. Or that his editors had helped him with things like repetition, poor transitions, weak set up and absent foreshadowing, baffling character motivation, and muddled point of view. This story had the potential to be great. Instead it may well languish on shelves because no one cares enough about the characters to persevere. Too bad. The Welkening contains, in small doses, some of the most inventive language. If only Spencer had Tolkienized his story, even a little ...

The Welkening Review by Linda Branch

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2004-10-14

Gregory Spencer has captured the essence of a three-dimensional tale in his new book, The Welkening. He has developed the four main characters into believable heroes who find action and mystery around every corner as they come up against forces of evil in a strange land.
Spencer writes with visual richness that carries the reader into unknown worlds that are paradoxes of shadows and blinding lights. He creates the extraordinary out of the ordinary with sensitive symbolism of animals, numbers and nature and allows the characters to grow through great paradigms of self-awaness.
The Welkening gives us clues in the very first chapter of the path on which we are being led, but I missed them because I was carried away with the intrigue and fast pace that each page gave. I did go back and read the novel a second time and found clever clues on each character that would prove to be important as the story grew.
Readers of all ages will enjoy this novel and they will hope that Spencer has a Welkening Two on the drawing board. He certainly left the door open for us to want to know more about the life and times of our heroes. One book just whets our appetite for the adventures to continue.
Gregory Spencer's The Welkening is delightful fantasy...or is it?

So...When Can We Expect a Sequel?

Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2004-09-24

Gregory Spencer has woven a three-dimensional tale rich in adventure, symbolism, and humor. Four friends, who call themselves misfits, are desperate to escape their tormenters and somehow enter an alternate dimension, where a soul-sucking evil has been let loose in the land. How they learn to become in Welken and of Welken, whether in this dimension or their own, is the central story. The heroes are not perfect, but they strive for goodness and mastery over their own insecurities and limitations. Spencer weaves his symbolic lessons through a balanced blend of both action and reflection, infusing the dialogue with delightful word play and a deep appreciation for the power and possibilities of redemption. There is more than enough mystery and imagination to satisfy even the most ravenous readers of young adult fantasy. When all is said and done, this is an excellent tale, a grand adventure, and a good time.

45 Rpm

Published in Paperback by Princeton Architectural Press (2002-10-01)

Authors: Spencer Drate and Charles L. Granata

List price: $18.95

New price: $4.85
Used price: $1.40
Collectible price: $18.99

Average review score:

A stunningly visual survey of 7-inch 45 album sleeves

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-15

45 RPM offers a stunningly visual survey of 7-inch 45 album sleeves. The chronological arrangement features over 200 albums from all genres of music, chosen for the innovative and appealing designs. Students of design will find 45 RPM draws some important links between the art and music worlds and those with a special nostaligia for the heyday of the 45 will delight in this visually impressive compendium.

No adaptor required

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-11

There have been quite a few "album cover" collections assembled and published, but to my knowledge this is the first volume dedicated exclusively to the art of the 7" record jacket. If you are already scoffing at the use of the term "art", be advised that this collection includes original works by Pablo Picasso (no slouch, you know), Salvadore Dali and Keith Haring! As you browse through the decades, you realize that apart from establishing the 45 sleeve as a valid form of modern art, the sequentially arranged portfolio serves as a fascinating visual montage of the development of pop music, from pre-Elvis to post-punk. Informative, engaging guest essays by artists and music sleeve designers rounds off this very worthwhile package. Music geeks will want this on thier coffee table (if there's room!)

A Fascinating and Engaging Book

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2002-12-26

This is a engaging and attractive book. The story of how the 45 developed is what made it so interesting to me. As the introduction points out:-

"The decades-long success of the 45-rpm single belies a turbulent history. In its infancy, the small disc was at the center of a fierce battle, a fight brimming with jealousy, greed and caustic recriminations. The culmination saw two rival record companies emerge victorious, with the fallout of their erstwhile battle etched deeply into the vinyl landscape of twentieth-century pop music culture."

The introduction places the battle between Columbia (who had perfected the LP in 1948 and RCA (who introduced the 45 in 1949) in historical context. There was much here that was news to me. The initial 45s were issued using a colour coded system: red for classical, midnight blue for light classics, green for country-western, yellow for children's music, sky blue for international, and cerise (orange) for R&B. Traditional black wax was kept for money-spinning pop. By 1952 all RCA records were black, apart from special promotional pressings.

Alongside the fascinating facts what makes the book attractive is the reproduction of covers. Chosen for their inventive design these are organised chronologically. A specialist introduces each decade in that period. There are over 200 designs - a treasure and source of ideas for anyone interested in design. For those who remember buying their first singles it also acts as a trigger to memory. It also makes it clear that single and album covers were one of the most important features of a genuine mass art.

A visual history of pop music

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2004-01-15

45 RPM: A Visual History of the Seven-Inch Record celebrates a often overlooked, yet vital form of art, that of the seven inch sleeve. Not only are there more than 200 pictures display in this book, but an excellent history detailing the rise and fall of this format.

There are basically five main chapters starting with the 50's all the way to the 90's. Each chapter is preceded by a written piece authored by different individuals, ranging from a record collector, renown sleeve artists, a music journalist and a music critic. Each provides thoughful, authorative, and interesting insights into the period of time they are introducing.

The real meat is the pictures, and there are a lot of them. Some have complained that some of the pictures are of poor quality, with wear and age showing, but I felt that was part of the appeal of the book. To me, the use of sometimes worn sleeves created a natural representation of what someone's record collection might look like...I sort of felt like I was looking through a friend's record collection, or browsing through a vintage record store, rather than a book of reproduced sleeves. The artwork contained within is beautiful, thought provoking, outrageous, even shocking, but always entertaining.

Shoddy haphazard compilation with little to recommend it

Helpful Votes: 9 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-20

Unfortunately, the first book to concentrate on 45 rpm Picture Sleeve art is a real disaster. It offers a random assortment of capriciously selected picture sleeves arranged by decade but with little other thought applied. It appears that the records included happened to be in the editor's collection the day they were photographed. This is a just a quickie nostalgia marketing device. It doesn't present a cohesive, coherent portrait of graphic design. It doesn't do record collectors any service, either. PLUS, many of the images are of poor quality sleeves, with bad ring wear, bent corners, writing, rips, etc. There's no excuse for not finding better condition copies of most of the very common items in this book. Obviously no one knowledgeable about records was consulted for this book. Expect it on the discount shelves and remaindered quite soon.

Alan Moore: Portrait Of An Extraordinary Gentleman

Published in Paperback by Abiogenesis (2003-12-30)

Authors: Leah Moore and Jose Villarrubia

List price: $14.95

New price: $19.99
Used price: $7.85

Average review score:

One of the Greatest Geniuses of our time...

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-10

Alan Moore is one of the greatest writers of our time. With Comic book titles, graphic novels, book titles and movies under his belt, it can easily be said that he will go down in history as one of the greats. Now, inside this volume, Alan Moore's friends, co-workers, associates and confidants give their side of what they feel Alan Moore represents to them. How many people have been inspired to create their life's work because of him? How has he influenced other outstanding authors? What kind of person is he and does he realy practice magick? All of these questions and more are addressed in this excellently penned and highly Visual edition of "Alan Moore: Portrait of an Extraordinary Gentleman" by Spencer Millidge. This one is definately a keeper!!!

a contributing author comments: notes from Link Yaco

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-12

This was a delightful and strange experience for me. The editor, Gary Spencer Millidge, has a deserved cult following for his charmingly weird STRANGEHAVEN comic. I believe we exchanged email once, he in Britain, I in New York. My main contact was with THE SMOKY MAN!

Smoky is a fantastic soul who lives in Sardinia. Smoky is his nickname due to some pun on Turkish tabacco and his name, I believe.

In poetic English, which sadly, has been improving over the years, Smoky had originally asked me to contribute to his website ULTRAZINE. If you haven't seen this bilingual site, you must. I believe I wrote two or three. And each was translated into Italian. I have to admit that being translated was an exciting experience for me. Even more exciting was Smoky apologetic payment for my work: 10 lbs. of Italian comics! Yes, he mailed me a big beautiful STACK of comics. And they were GREAT. Oh, just wonderful. That was the first time I ever saw DYLAN DOG. Wow and double-wow.

Then Smoky began a special Alan Moore tribute issue of Ultrazine. The list of contributors grew rapidly. Soon major players were jumping on board. AND AN IDEA FLICKERED.

...or at least that is how I understood the genesis of the project, in my interpretation of Smoky enthusiastic poetic English.

I think I had been the only English-language writer on the project at first, but THAT soon changed! MAN, did it change!
But Smoky was a gentleman and included me in the project even tho my one-book authorship dimmed in the shadow of these giants.
Bless Smoky. And bless Gary, who by then had graciously taken on the Herculean task of editing the project. Without him etc.

And the result is a polished lovely book that I am truly proud to be part of.

It was a fantastic experience that I shall treasure to the very end of my journey.

A fair tribute, worth it for some...

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2004-07-22

...but not for others. I do feel that the book was a little too long--a few too many single page tributes that just seemed the same ("I first read Alan Moore when I...;" "Alan Moore changed the way I...;" etc., etc.). I feel like this book would have been a better service if the articles had been kept down to people with some legitimate statement on Moore's work or their personal involvement. An excellent example of this is Steve Bissette's essay in which he outlines his dealings with Moore from the Swamp Thing run, on through Taboo, into their falling out over a hornets' nest of problems in the early nineties. The article is not entirely "in tribute," but it does good service to the fans by being informative on a subject frought with rumor and speculation. I'm sure Moore was probably surprised, if not chagrined, to read it.

The Dave Sim article is excellent (I'm working on reading that right now as a matter of fact). It's daunting but highly rewarding: Sim is easily the most undervalued comics interviewer, for a multiplicity of reasons that aren't worth going into here. The more scholastic articles by Jose Alaniz, in my book you can take them or leave them. There doesn't seem to be much appreciable about what he's written about that a cursory reading of the same texts (especially the "Best of all Tailors" chapter of From Hell) couldn't provide. I'm sure they're of some value to someone, but that doesn't really include me.

Also, the book is co-produced by Italian, English and American people/companies, hence the inclusion of a lot of nameless Italian artists (and a couple of writers). I'm sure that's of massive significance to the Italian comics community, but it's pretty far removed from everywhere else. Still, it doesn't muddle up the book too much...and the pictures are nice...

Altogether, I would neither characterize the book as entirely without merit, save the interviews, nor would I characterize it as a 100% tour de force production. It's a good book for hardcore Moore fans (or wanna-be hardcore fans, with a decent but incomplete bibliography in the back). My advice, if you don't have a copy of Watchmen (which you SHOULD), From Hell, V for Vendetta, and a good Swamp Thing or two, buy those first and then enjoy this book.

Inconsequential tribute to a great writer

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2003-10-16

This is a strange book. On the one hand, it's packed with art from a long list of talented illustrators. On the other, I don't know who these illustrators are; they all seem to be European. So, although I like their artwork, the fact that they are doing two-page tributes to Alan Moore means nothing to me.

And then there's the text. If the text isn't an interview with Alan Moore, it's not worth reading. 99% of it is just forgettable. There are three essays by one person (who shall remain nameless) that are memorable because they are so horrible. These essays are 'post modern' --- which means that they are full of silly jargon and obscure references to Derrida and that sort of thing. If you don't know what post-modern writing is, consider yourself blessed.

The one really worthwile part of the book is at the end, in an exchange of letters between the cranky Canadian cartoonist, Dave Sim, and Alan Moore. Moore takes the time to describe why he's interested in occultism and how his research in the last ten years has enriched his life. It's a unique story from a brilliant man. He seems to be spelunking his own psyche and then writing about his discoveries.

I can't recommend this book. It looks nice and the end is good, but it's not really worth the time.

Happy birthday Mr. Moore

Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2003-07-08

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the funniest and most beautiful tribute ever made to an author! I have never seen anything like this in centuries! I think that the basic idea of the whole project is strongly related with being an Alan Moore fan, which is a thing that a lot of the autohrs involved in the book share. But there's more to it: that means that even though every contribution is not perfect, neat and amazing, love, respect and passion are always granted in every inch of this work. Every artist/writer that has participated has done its best, even in a simple way, to say: Happy birthday Mr. Moore.

If you're expecting me to cite my favourite contributions you are wrong: too many and too beautiful, and right now I can only remeber one of those that Moore will appreciate more: Will Eisner's one!

In a few words: a must-read for all Moore's fan over the globe, buy it and you won't be disappointed.

P.S.: I was almost forgetting to say that in the end of the volume there is a complete bibliography, which can be considered a stand-alone motivation to buy it.

Spencer Books