T Books

I found this book to rehash information found in many other sources. It covers a wide range of topics, but none in sufficient detail. A good overview of the topics; for detailed information look elsewhere.

I have a nice little library of books that would put a small library to shame, but I find myself connected to a few much like the kid with his favorite teddy bear. Well, this book is like that teddy bear. I carry it 2 miles each day to and from work. Any good book is invaluable to a job/certification. This is one of them!

I read the entire book over the last few weeks and found that is was very helpful in giving me a better understanding of networking. I learned a lot about the basics and a ton about the advanced aspects of NT networking. I found out about how to use key NT tools and the book was a great resource.

I don't usually take the time to come back and comment on a book unless it's very bad. In this case the book is way better than I've come to expect from most NT books. There were so many extra topics in the book that I don't think I've seen elsewhere. Important registry setting are listed and explained but not ALL of them (with no explaination) just what is important. I liked the IP Management section and DNS overview. The capacity planning section that somebody else here mentioned was excellent and the tuning and troubleshooting chapter had a great section on problem resolution. It covers a very wide range of topics relating to NT and networking and does it very well.

-Tom

This book, along with Tony Northrup's Windows NT Plumbing, will put you a step above your other NT peers. Both of these books go into the nitty gritty details of how NT REALLY works in the real world and how best to deploy and configure it.

Both are excellent primers on networking and TCP/IP as well as NT specifics. Highly recommended.

Anybody who's interested in how we write the world over would do well to pick up this book. It's awfully costly, it's true, but if you're patient and you poke around a little, you can find it used for a third or less of what it's listed for.
Serious linguists specializing in writing might read it through, but amateurs--like me--will just pick it up and leaf through it, stopping here and there, reading this chapter or that, or will use it to look up some specific thing they might want to know about, say, Bishop Wulfila's Gothic script's roots in the Greek alphabet or the origins of the Georgian or Armenian alphabets.
It tells about scripts found all over the world, big ones--Latin, Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, and so on--and far less well known ones, like Berber, Cherokee, Ethiopian, Deseret and some found in Indonesia and islands in the Indian Ocean.
It tells the historic backgrounds and--for lack of a better word--genealogies of the scripts, then shows how they work.
One thing that irks me no end is a shortcoming not with the book itself, but rather with the publishing business as a whole: the font used in the book is inadequate. It is appalling that in a book about writing systems, there are characters that have to be set in other fonts from the main book forn--sometimes even within one word--and characters that show up as composite characters with diacritics off center from the letter they modify. It is a fairly simple thing to edit a font and add characters as needed. It is a shame that major publishing companies seem unwilling to make the small investment in typography that would let them set a book like this in one font, with all the characters needed, so that it reads smoothly, without distracting inconsistencies throughout.
Now, this is indeed a niggling compalint, and it in no way reflects on the beek itself, the writers or the editors. It is the fault of the publisher, and should in no way dissuade anyone interested in this admittedly esoteric subject from getting this book.

It seems that this book is not intended for a general reader, judging both by its price and by multitude of unexplained linguistic terms plentifully sown in the book. I bought this book becuse of many positive reviews and because it was drastically reduced to USD45. The book scans many dozens of wrining systems, as good as it's possible to squeese into ten-some page article, but unfortunately, many of the systems, especialy the ancient and the modern Oriental are too complicated and extended to be fully accounted in a limited space, so you can get acquanited with some 30 Sumer pictograms and never know the other 550, or you can see the 200 Chinese chanacters and just recall there several thousands more or look into Devanagari alphabet but then keep in mind there is a multitude of amalgams that are not easily recognized and so on.
It is also very helpful if one knows like what exactly sounds a linguolabial or a laminal or a voiced epiglottal fricative, otherwise he may be at lost..

The "World's Writing Systems" is a rare event for in one tome it covers all the ways of writing known to us at present. As a professional graphologist this is an absolute boon not only for what it is but because it is also on special offer. While there are other tomes of similar ilk and implication this work has no equal. Until now the study of written language has had no clearly defined reference work.

It has now. Thoroughly recommended.

Peter West

This a detailed survey of the systems that have been used for writing the world's languages, going far beyond the most familiar ones to encompass ones normally known only to specialists, ranging from the ancient Turkish runiform script to the Vai syllabary of Liberia, invented in modern times. Although it was written by experts for experts to read (and priced accordingly, but see the last paragraph below) most of it is well within the understanding of interested non-specialists. The authors assume a knowledge of the International Phonetic Alphabet, but it would have been almost impossible to avoid that, even if the book had been intended for the general reader. Even there it is perhaps an exaggeration to say that this is assumed, because the IPA is set out (albeit without much explanation) inside the front and back covers.

In a book of this kind the quality of the printing is a major consideration, as the samples of text need to be large enough and black enough for the individual characters to be read, and ideally should harmonize with the surrounding text in English. Before the age of computer-based typesetting it would have been impossible even to approach this ideal except at enormous price, but now it has become realistic. In general this book comes very close to the ideal, with a very high level of typography.

At more than 900 pages the book goes far beyond a mere listing of scripts with samples. It also includes a great deal of historical and cultural information, explaining how the different scripts evolved to their present state. In addition there is information about how the more successful scripts, not just Latin but also Arabic, Russian, Hebrew, Aramaic and so on, were adapted to languages different from those where they began.

At its published price the book is probably beyond the pockets of most general readers. It is worth mentioning, therefore, that on at least two occasions in recent years it has been available through Amazon with a very large discount, and one can probably expect this to happen again. I bought my copy at 40% of the published price, for example, and with that sort of discount it need not be restricted to libraries and specialists.

...it's missing many language script tables that I was hoping for. Don't get me wrong, this book is amazing and filled useful information and language tables - just not all of them. I was hoping for some representation (optimally in an alphabet table format) of the usage of the Arabic-based script for Hausa, Swahili, the Central Asian languages, and some complete detail of which languages have (ever) incorporated an Arabic-based script, when they did, when it was withdrawn or changed (if applicable), comparative texts with the modern scripts, etc. In conclusion, a treasury of information (a lot of which might be quite difficult to track down on your own and would be very time-consuming), marred only by my high expectations. I definitely recommend this book to language lovers and for those who can appreciate the diversity of human expression.

Excellent resource!!! I found it useful at work the first day I
received it.

The item was just as described. Very fast shipping. Would do business with again. Thank you!

This book is a great refrences book for medical staff professionals. I work in a hospital and when ever I need to find out dosing, stability ,or even description of a intravenous medication it's in this book. Also this book tells you all about how to store IV medication properly. This book really helps me alot. It's also a great resources for pharmacy school as well.

I am a pharmacist with the Cleveland Clinic and need to have a reliable, thorough, and handy reference available at all times. This book is one of the best resources I have come by thus far in my career. It is a must have! Quick and easy look up to a wealth of organized information. All hospital pharmacists should not go without it!

As a hospital pharmacist, this is the book I have at my side at all times. Gives important information on infusion rates, stability, and usual dosages and concentrations. This information can be found elsewhere of course but I have been accustomed to looking here first.

This Bradley Hathaway book and CD are amazing. He is so real. I love it!

This book is cool because it comes with a cd combo. You can really feel the emotions when listening to Bradley read his prose. Highly recommend if you are a fan of indie poetry or just looking for something to listen to that inspires you. He talks about his faith in a way unlike most ive heard. its raw, its deep and it captures your attention.

There are no words for this book. Bradley Hathaway has captured the christian walk in a simple book of peoms.

Bradley's Book is absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!! I't is full of the honest truht about practicaly everything!!!!! I recomend this book for everyone ages from ages 1 to ages 1001!!!! It is deserving of your household and is calling your name... It opens the eyes to the simple beauty of God and his creations... You should buy it!!!!!!!!!!!

This book/cd is an excellent source of inspiration whether you are a Christian or not. Bradley's poems speak to the very basic issues that, I dare say, all of us encounter. From the need for a hug (my personal favorite) to the issue of what it means to really be a man.

The book is an excellent way to explain where the poems came from and a little more about what they mean. The book creates a context for the poems that help people understand the poems and not jump to conclusions about what Bradley "really" meant.

This book/cd offers an enjoyable collection of honest, insightful, and sometimes satirical, poems that will make you laugh, cry, and think.

I was given this book ages ago and it sat on my shelf unread for over an year. I was put off by the book jacket and the description of a girl in an iron lung. I even gave it to my sister who was eager for something to read and she finished it quickly and said it was good. having similar tastes, I finally picked it up and read it. I loved this book!! It is sweet, engaging and funny. It is not depressing at all and you are captivated within the first 20 pages. I read a lot of books. all types of books interest me and this one was one of the best I have read in a long time. I have been burned a couple of time by these customer reviews so now I am a little suspicious of them but I really highly recommend this book. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up. You won't be disappointed!

Having spent the first 19 years of my life growing up in Baltimore of the 60's and 70's, I was able to relate to the setting so it helped add to my enjoyment of this book.

The story of a young child who finds motivation and maturity from an older person who enters his/her life is not exactly an original idea yet Deford makes it just a bit fresher by using a growing city,changing times, and a good assortment of true-to-life characters as the backdrop.

The only nitpick I have is that there are a couple of minor subplots involving a rape and an affair that seemed to be there only as a device to hammer across the point that when you're a 14 year old boy, you learn people can do bad things. For me, those portions added very little. When the story stays focused on the relationship between the two leads(the aforementioned 14 year old boy and a 23 year old girl struggling with polio), the book is gripping and moves forward rapidly. Actually, it seems as though this book could be translated to the small screen pretty easily. I hope we see this as a Lifetime or Hallmark channel presentation soon.

You might be able to see the ending a mile a way but if you need some breezy reading for a vacation or a day trip to "the shore"(a term that will be clearer when you read the book), "An American Summer" may be a nice way to pass the time.

Last summer I came across this book by accident and I decided to read it and now I am so glad I did. An American Summer is the best book I've ever read and the entire time I was reading it I could picture what was happening in my head and I felt like I was there. i would definately recommend this book to anyone who wants a great book to read.

I have to admit I was reluctant to read this book club pick when I saw the cover. It looked like a trashy summer novel without much substance. How wrong I was!

Frank Deford brings the summer of 1954 to life with his novel about the unlikely friendship between a 14 year old boy, Christy Bannister, and 23 year old Kathryn Slade. When Christy rescues Kathryn's dog from near disaster, he is befriended by Aurelia Slade, her mother, who consequently introduces them, and through her connections helps him salvage his paper route. Although Kathryn is confined to an iron lung because of polio, she's one of the liveliest characters I've seen. She proceeds to teach Christy all sorts of things that summer: about girls, about swimming, about competing, and about having a vision and determination. While he secretly shapes his muscles with a Charles Atlas program, Kathryn demonstrates such personal courage that she helps him realize his own strength. Their friendship is bound through family secrets, challenges, laughter and perseverance.

This is a poignant tale, often humorous and touching without being maudlin.
All the senses are involved with Frank Deford's nostalgic story: The sounds of Kathryn and Christy singing "Sh-boom, sh-boom," smells of a pool and blooming nearby garden, tastes of RC cola sipped through a straw, and touches of an empathetic hand to a lifeless one. Although a quick read, it will be one you'll think about for a long time.

While browsing in a local TJMaxx this past summer I came across a copy of this book on the bargain aisle. The cover drew me in - different from on the one pictured on this site - the text on the flaps took hold of me, and the bargain price of $1.00 clinched the sale! I must say, it was the best dollar I've ever spent. Fourteen year old Christy Bannister moves from Indiana to Baltimore, MD with his family and learns a lot about life through his unique friendship with Kathyryn Slade, a twenty-three year old young woman with polio. Deford weaves a great story with true to life characters, ones that could be your own neighbors, as he touches on the issues of suburban growth in middle class America in the 1950's, the fear parents had of devastating childhood diseases, truth and trust among both family and friends, and how love can touch you at any time, any age, any place.

After finishing "Faith of My Fathers," I was convinced that "Among the Gods" was the II Chronicles version of Manasseh's story. Hey, I was correct. But Lynn Austin made sure that there was more to it then that. She made certain that the reader wouldn't forget the ultimate lesson in the life of Manasseh. And the lives of those he affected too. That's why she also continued the story of Joshua ben Eliakim.

Manasseh's story was anything but a fractured fairy tale, plain and simple. When he was king for most of his reign, all hell broke loose! You will see that in these pages. You'll also see the blinding bitterness and hatred that Joshua carries with him towards Manasseh. Throughout all this, he tries to make sense of his life. He also attempts to make amends to a future son that he vowed to raise as his own. Joshua has to see past his ways, and eventually understand that when it comes to God's will, God doesn't always make sense. Do we think that we seriously understand God all the time? Who do we think we are sometimes? If you find yourself asking that question a time or two, don't worry. God isn't afraid of tough questions. God is also a forgiving God. We need to do the same.

Has somebody hurt you and literally destroyed your life? God knows. Do you claim to belong to God, and his son, Christ Jesus? Then don't hesitate to forgive. In a twisted sort of way, that is one way in why I decided to give this book 5 stars. I don't agree in any way, shape or form with using crap like Apocrypha! I know that it was never an inspired "Word of God." I don't care what the scholars say, I care about what The Bible says. We indeed know for certain that Manasseh did say a prayer of redemption. What that prayer was, it was never revealed, and I believe that if God wanted it revealed, then it would be in His Word, not Apocrypha. The Bible is very clear about adding to His word in Revelation at the very least. BUT (and this is a very big BUT) this is a work of fiction, and I can understand why adding The Prayer of Manasseh might make it interesting. In my case, it really pissed me off. But I can overlook it, all the while I express what I know to be true. I may not be the most popular reviewer for my comments. But I've said what I've said, and I didn't make my comments lightly. In saying that, this was still a great read as a whole!

This whole series deserves a booming 5 stars! Lynn Austin did her homework. And if one person who isn't saved happens to read this, then praise God! For the most part, Lynn Austin is Biblically accurate. Compare the fiction you read in the pages of all five books with scripture in God's Word. Let God do the rest. This was great!

Another wonderful book from Lynn Austin. I had to stay up reading until 3:00 am to finish the book. I enjoyed it very much!

Excellent condition, prompt delivery. Wonderful story. I couldn't put it down.

I've never read a series as breahtaking as this one. I could not put the books down and I still think about it when I finished reading them. I definitely look forward to many more books that Austin will offer.

"Do you know that in the two years I've known you, I've never heard you laugh or seen you smile? I'll bet you have a nice smile, too. Like your mother's. She told me that A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."
Joshua tried to smile, but his heart felt as if it were breaking. "Would it help you to heal faster if I laughed?"
She considered for a moment, then shook her head. "No, I think the shock would probably kill me."
He did laugh then, but it was bittersweet. He sat up and wiped the tears from her cheeks because he knew that she couldn't do it herself.
"You're right," he said. "I can't remember the last time I laughed. And I'm so tired of feeling this way. Grief has affected every area of my life--it's hamstrung my work, blinded my judgment, poisoned all my relationships--but I don't know how to shake it off. I can't get free of it."
"It isn't grief that did all that," Miriam said. "It's hatred."

Excerpt from Among the Gods by Lynn Austin

Based on the life of King Mannasseh, chronicled in the Old Testament, as well as current archeological finds of an exact replica of Solomon's temple on Elephantine Island located in the Nile near Egypt, Lynn Austin has masterfully intertwined history with both Biblical and fictional characters.
Book five of the Chronicles of the Kings series, Among the Gods follows the physical, emotional, and spiritual struggles of Joshua as he impatiently waits on Yahweh to purge Judah of its evil king, Mannasseh. As the temple is defiled by false Gods, babies are being burned in sacrificial fires, and every type of depravity scourges the land, Joshua and Prince Amariah (the king's brother) followed by a host of Levites carrying the sacred Ark of the Covenant flee to Egypt for asylum.
Joshua thinks that waiting on God to act is torturous, but understanding His ways results in being more difficult a task. Even with the enduring support and encouragement of the woman who loves him, Joshua spiritually fails God again and again.
His relationship with his Heavenly Father isn't the only one that is daunting. The one he's attempting to build stone by weary stone with his rebellious, hate-filled adopted son, Nathan, is as well.
When will Yahweh once again call his people out of Egypt to inhabit the sweet hills of Judah? Can Joshua's insatiable need to control be broken, and will he withstand the test of fatherly love despite all, so that Nathan might see God's love through him?
Lynn Austin has given life--faults and all--to her characters in a way rarely seen. I invite you to pick up Among the Gods and take a ride into Judah at one of its worst times. Feel the utter wickedness of the kingdom, experience the robe-tearing sadness of God's people, and see Yahweh's justice and forgiveness as He sets the nation aright.
I deem this work a superbly written piece of historical fiction.

I read this when I was a youngster, and recently found this again. Its very nostalgic scifi story telling at its finest. About a young man (Andy) who builds a whole family of Robots from spare parts and old cans.

And then of course the SciFi plays in when all the robots are struck by lighting and come to life to help Andy and his friends survive a flood that also occurs at the same time.

Highly recommended for young and old!

A wonderful book that is full of adventure, intelligence, a wry sense of humor (almost reminiscent of the Henry Reed books) and fun! Not my number 1 favorite - that honor is held in a tie by "Bonnie's Boy" a wonderful (out of print) story of a young boy and his dog (still makes me cry!) and Kin Platt's "Sinbad and Me" another treasure that's out of print for some inexplicable reason. However, "Andy" is in my top five, and like others here, one that I could never get out of my head. Some of the language and technology is dated, of course, but the characters are wonderful and the story is extremely engaging.

Thank goodness that I saved my copy from childhood - who could imagine it would still be with me now? (You should have heard my shout of joy when I found it amongst some old belongings a couple of years ago!!)

My kids are going to read it soon, and I'm looking forward to talking it through with them as they read it.

I would LOVE a movie on this book - a great idea and easy to do now with "simple" FX.

Good luck to those searching for it, it's worth the wait.

It's funny, I've read hundreds of books over the years but this book has stayed on my mind since I was a kid. Andy Buckram's Tin Men was that wonderful mixture of fun, science, and luck. Andy was the kind of kid you always wanted to be. He was Boy's Life and Popular Science come to life. I'm sorry to see this terrific book is out of print. I still have my original copy, but I just can't find it anywhere. I'm afraid I lent it to some kid who never returned it. I can only hope it makes them appreciate reading as much as it did for me. Here's hoping for a reprint, and soon!

Like the rest of the reviews, this is the one book that stands out in my memory. I have been searching for this book for years. I got a copy the other day in auction at eBay. I paid about $15.00. I also found a place through Amazon called "Book Rescue" that sometimes has a copy. The price at Book Rescue is a bit higher ($80-$100) but I think any price is worth it for this wonderful book. I wonder if we start a chain letter, would we be able to get it back in print. I would love to see this in every school library in the USA. Books just arnt what they used to be!

I checked this book out of my elementary school library 30 years ago and it inspired a lifelong love of reading. I finally found a copy at one of the public library branches recently and my son thought it was great. Funny how it has stood out over the years out of all the childhood books I've read, just as it has for the other reviewers. It really should be brought back into print.

Simply the best reading I have done in months. The first chapter is worth paying for the entire book. Robert Alter just did it again.

Modern Biblical scholarship has tended toward a process of atomization: how many editors were involved in the creation of the Bible? How many different strands of tradition can we find in a given story? Robert Alter's "The Art of Biblical Narrative" at once provides a corrective to this tendency, and a striking alternative way of understanding the Good Book.

Although recent scholarship has emphasized historical- and textual-critical methodologies, Alter chooses a literary-critical approach; that is, he asks how we should read the Bible first and foremost as literature. Ancient Hebrew storytelling conventions were often radically different from those we use today, so we must learn to be attuned to things like a character's silence, or minor, telling variations in a scene that is repeated several times. In this way, Alter takes much of what may make the Old Testament (or Hebrew Bible) seem "boring" today--its Spartan narrative style, the apparent redundancy of many of its stories--and shows how these elements are actually integral to how the Bible tells its story.

Alter's prose style is scholarly without being suffocating. It is, however, dense with ideas. I often found myself reading as little as five pages at a sitting, as each sentence seemed so full that it was all I could take in before I had to stop for a mental breather. (I recommend reading the Conclusion first, which ten pages provide an excellent summary of the book's main ideas and may make it easier to digest them as the author investigates each one in detail in the rest of the book.) His examples are profuse, and well-chosen to illustrate his points.

Alter mostly steers clear of ideological disputes about what the Bible is or isn't, sticking to his purely literary analysis of the text. He occasionally makes comments to the effect that he sees the stories of the Bible as "historicized fiction," but his approach can still fit into any faith framework; it is just as possible for a devout Christian and an atheist to read the Bible as literature. What's more, Christians will not only find an enriching way of appreciating their sacred text here, but may even gain comfort in the face of some scholars who seem to think that a Bible with editors is inherently an unreliable Bible. Alter, to the contrary, shows that the Biblical author-editors must have been very sophisticated storytellers, and that what are often taken for mere inconsistencies today may well represent a deeply thoughtful approach to depicting the moral and social ambiguities the authors saw in their world.

"The Art of Biblical Narrative" takes effort to read, but those willing to take the time to absorb it may find their understanding of the Bible enhanced, deepened, even changed.

~

Alter's purpose in the book is made very clear, and that is to show readers of biblical narrative that there are authorial devices implanted in the narrative to heighten and signify parts of the narrative that the author feels is important or worth noting. He begins to show this purpose in chapter one by seeing the Bible as a literary piece of art. He illustrate mainly with the story of Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38 because it does not seem to fit with the rest of the Joseph narrative. However when one steps back and looks at the literary whole of Genesis they will see how themes of deceit and divine election run through Genesis 38 as well as the rest of the book. That one chapter may seem out of place, but in reality it flows beautifully in the larger scope of the book and not merely the Joseph narrative. One cannot read books as a compilation of short stories, but they must see the stories as having a literary and overarching theme that intertwines them together.
In chapter two, he further develops his purpose by proposing the biblical authors used literary devices like word-plays, embellishment, and fictitious characters to give color to the narrative. He suggests that the authors received the historical data from their sources, and then proceeded to make the message and intended application clearer by use of literary devices. So their use of a fictitious character would be acceptable because they are not changing the meaning or moral message of the text. He states that they would often detail the main characters speech and actions to give insight to their motives. It is helpful to see some of these literary features in seeing how the author might have pointed out characters and events in Israel's history, but only a foundationally different hermeneutic (as Alter pointed out) could accept all of these.
The third chapter really begins to illustrate Alter's purpose. Here he points out a literary device called "type-scenes", and they are the typical "flags" that the original reader would have expected to see for certain events. One illustration was the betrothal scene, where the typical events include a man (master or servant) goes to a well in a foreign land, meets a girl, wants to marry her, she goes back to her family, and etc. Alter points out the situation with Saul going to the well and instead of asking for a wife he asks for a seer. Then the story of Ruth where the roles of hero and heroine are reversed and Ruth goes to a foreign land and Boaz has his men-servants fetch her water. The idea is presented that the original reader is used to the typical sequence, and so when someone different or completely unordinary happens the author has now arrested their attention. That is the point Alter wants to make. The author wrote in such a way to highlight certain points or characters to the original reader, but the problem is that three thousand years later those literary features are not as clear. This chapter was really eye-opening to begin reading narratives looking for those points of deviation from the typical to better understand the author's intended meaning.
In the fourth chapter, Alter shows the importance of dialogue imbedded in the narrative sequence. The author uses direct speech to develop the characters in the narrative. The reader only knows what the characters are thinking by what the author has them say. The narrative events are a mere background to dialogue. Sometimes the speech that the author mentions is a shortened form of what actually must have been said. The reader needs to pay attention to when there is speech, when it stops, and when it seems that the author has purposely not said something that should have been said. This idea of dialogue intersects with the type-scenes and other literary devices to make the Bible a real literary masterpiece.
Chapter five points out the use of repetition in the Old Testament narrative. Alter says that this point of repetition is the one that is the hardest for the modern English reader and also the one feature that is most over-looked. For instance, the writer of Exodus repeats himself when he states the plague that is going to happen to Egypt and then he restates the plague when it happened. The modern reader is not going to think anything of this device; however the original reader was mostly likely hearing this read, and so the author is making sure the hearer gets the full details at least once. He also gives the repetition of key words or "word-roots" in the narrative and called it Leitwort. His example of this idea is the Samuel story and the repetition or emphasis on the words "listen, voice, word". This is not going to be done easily in an English translation, but it will aid the reader in understanding the author's intended meaning. He showed how different repetition is in poetry where there is no direct copying of a phrase or use of synonyms, but instead poetry is styled and creative repetition of thoughts that move the poem. Alter ascribes this use of repetition to the tension between the freedom of the biblical authors to write and the Divine plan for the text.
In chapter six, Alter describes the art of characterization as a literary device. It was already mentioned briefly that much of what is known of a character comes in direct speech. That is true, and it is often the most important things that can be known about that character is by what he says, because when that character acts then the reader has to infer things about that character. However in direct speech the character cannot hide what he is thinking or who he is. The author has the ability to only allow the reader to know certain things about each character. It must be noted why the author would switch names for a person, for instance, Michal is sometimes called the "wife of David" and other times she is called the "daughter of Saul". The author could be telling something simply by changing a name about the mindset of Michal, her current marital status, or another idea laid out by context. This is another interesting literary device that is probably overlooked by modern readers, but it can, like the others, aid in better understanding the author.
Chapter seven explains a literary device that has many authors each contributing to the finished product. Because the Bible has seeming inconsistencies in it, Alter assumes that it must be a book put together by multiple authors in a type of patchwork way. However, later he says that the author may have received differing historical accounts and then purposely put both accounts in the Bible. He says that the author could have contradicted himself and done it in such a way to be artistic.
The last chapter makes the argument that the narrative and narrator give knowledge to the reader. The narrator, he says, is omniscient because they know people's thought and even God's thoughts. The author is sort of "teasing" the reader with perfect knowledge, which the author seems to have and the reader can only see a glimpse of. However, the author often tells the crux of the narrative and then goes back and tells how that happened.
This book's purpose was to show how the Hebrew author's use literary devices to "jolt" the reader out of the norm. Although these devices are often purposely or ignorantly overlooked by modern reader because of the language divide, the literary features here (for the most part) are extremely helpful for the reader. Alter accomplished his purpose, and this text is very beneficial for Hebrew students to better understand the characteristics of OT narrative.

love this book. I am only on page 40 but am really enjoying every bit of it. Anyone interested in the Bible should read this book or any books by Robert Alter. He illuminates subtle literary devises in the text that you wont find anywhere else in Biblical scholarship, except maybe if you were a Torah Scholar and studied the Midrash Tanchuma (Hebrew commentary on the 5 Books of Moses) and understood it completely. But then Professor Alter translates all this into understanding the structure of well-written prose or poetry. Anyone who writes plots or makes film, or is interested in Joseph Campbell will find this extremely rich in content. He suggests that the Bible is not fictionalized History, but historicized fiction, a proposal too blasphemes for most "believers" to entertain, yet in reading this book, we find that it is not so blasphemes at all. This book will push your study of ancient Hebrew texts to a new level. All educators should read and be familiar with Professor Alters work. I think he is a breath of fresh air that encourages, not dissuades, people from going deeper into study of the Bible, from the secular to the ultra orthodox. It is densely written so if you have trouble with big words or lofty word filled sentences, this might be a problem, but I found each sentence strangely palpable and easily digested even for the non-scholar, mostly illiterate-type like myself. The book is magical and I am ordering it for a few of my same-minded friends

This book is dense with fairly small print, small margins and long chapters without section breaks; but, it is well written and does a good job showing the complexities and intricacies of scripture that lend credence to its inspiration. The author's perspective that scripture is historicised fiction can be ignored for the rest of the benefits of reading this book. Frankly, the argument for historicised fiction could just as well be used to suggest its inspiration.

Needless to say, as a result of reading this book, I bought Alter's book on Biblical Poetry.

A short book,with only 48 pages but it says alot.Every word and sentence pulls you in,I can't imagine being the one under the devil's spell.After finishing this book,I found myself still thinking about certain parts in it days later.To tell the truth I found this book very real and very scary,I still find it unbelieveable when I hear someone say that they don't believe in heaven or hell,God or the devil.This would be the book for them to read,it gets right to the point.

A very interesting and slightly disturbing tale of a true 23-day exorcism in the state of Illinois. It provides insight into the dark world of Satan, the inner workings of demons, and the faith of the Church and importance of unity within the community in regards to the Church.

Mmmm, a girl that floats to the top of a door and clings to it? Speaking, correctly, in languages she was not familiar with? Ok, we can not verify at all, today, whether Vogl's story here is true or not. makes for a good read, but we will never know if the events at this exorcism were real or told, as lies, to Vogl. Remember, Vogl was not there, but tells the story as told to him by others.

This is a good, inexpensive book on exorcism. Even though it is short (it can be read in one afternoon) it covers a lot of important points on the subject. Since it is only one case-study, the book is a little limited since no two cases are exactly the same. But, from what I have researched, the possession covered in Begone Satan! has many of the classic features of that affliction. The only drawback is that it is a translation from German and so the grammar is a little awkward at times. I would highly recommend this work for those wanting to know more about possession and exorcism but do not have either the time or interest to read a longer work on the subject.

I found this a very interesting and facsinating read. I believed it to be very factual and more realistic then some stories that are similar. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with the interest and facination in this type of knowledge. I give it 5 ***** I would even prefer more in depth discriptions of some of the actions of the exorcism. I personally believe these demons do exist and our knowledge of them can help to make you aware, and protect you from doing things such as oujia boards, and such, that could bring havoc into your life.

The title to this book says it all. It really is the Best IT Sales and Martketing book ever. NUFF SAID!!!!

YOU NEED TO BUY THIS BOOK if you want to turn your IT Business into a profitable one.

I cant wait for Ericks next book, hopefully he wont keep us waiting too long :-)

At a recent VAR meeting I attended, several successful IT services CEOs were asked what one thing they did to build a stable successful business. Every single one of them said marketing was the key to their business' success.

Most small IT services firms don't market. That's why they stay small. If you want to grow a consistent services business, buy this book and start marketing now. You will recoup several times this book's cost with your first marketing campaign.

Received this book at approximately 10:30am read the first few pages and cancelled my schedule for the day (first time I've done that in 13+ years in business) to read it from cover to cover in one sitting - and then again before the weekend was out just to ensure and assure I had gotten as much as I could before starting out on this amazing adventure. - Two (2) suggestions for you the reader of this review: 1) buy this book today - you would not be reading this review if your were not considering it - just do it. You will NOT be dissapointed. 2) Do Not skimp on the shipping you will kick yourself for every day you wasted!

This book is jam-packed with valuable insight to assist IT VAR's in selling and marketing to Small Business. It is required reading for my company's sales and marketing staff. I highly recommend it to anyone whether new to the business or an old veteran.

I am a business owner interested in the Managed Services market space. I have read so much about Managed services but have not found a step by step guide on how to implement the managed services business plan or sell those services to clients. What I needed were step by step guides on both the topics. I was introduced to Erick's books by another associate. This book and "The Guide to a Successful Managed Services Practice" by Erick were exactly what I was looking for. Erick is not just a subject matter expert in Managed Services but has practiced and implemented his teachings and recommendations. He explains several key concepts and best practices on Managed Services, Deliverables, Pricing, How to identify clients, sell, support and maintain the services and build a long term win-win relationship with the clients. The coverage on How to Hire and Train your sales staff is worth its weight in gold. Included along with these 2 books are several forms, analysis tools and documents which make the sales process a whole lot easier with predictable results. These are the bibles for my managed services business and I refer them frequently. If you are serious about building a profitable managed services business, you must have these books.