Ware Books

It's not that I don't like these books. I do, sort of. As another reviewer mentioned, there are a lot of interesting ideas. There's also a lot of time wasted on the stupid antics of characters who were in a position to do more and ended up smoking 'til their brains were fried, then getting lucky. And that sums up two of the major flaws in these books: the characters are annoying most of the time, and things happen to turn out well because they got lucky, not because they did much of anything on their own. So, not only do these books reek of stoner stupidity, they are also NOT character driven. And that is a HUGE flaw in a cyberpunk novel, which is usually written around broken, down-and-dirty characters who end up doing the right thing even when they don't believe they can (not falling on their butts and somehow still landing on their feet, as Rucker's characters do).

For me, these were throwbacks to the hoary old 'idea' novels and moldy, cardboard characters of the past (sorry, couldn't resist). Frankly, these stories were a drag to read. I normally finish a book of this length in 3-5 days. I've been reading this for nearly a month. And sadly, there IS some funny stuff, and there are some interesting ideas, but the whole thing just meanders in a very boring fashion.
Had this not been an omnibus edition, I doubt I would have read the 2nd and 3rd books. Look elsewhere, say Neal Stephenson, early William Gibson, maybe Elizabeth Bear (who writes like early Gibson), if you want good cyberpunk.

This volume collects three of the four novels in Rudy Rucker's intellectually stimulating and thoroughly enjoyable *Ware series: Software, Wetware, and Freeware. The arc of these three novels carries the reader from the dawn of the 21st century, when humanity's lunar robots reprogrammed themselves for freedom and consciousness, to the middle of the century, the radical future of artificial life, and beyond. In Rucker's mostly optimistic vision of the near-future, robots (from the Czech word for "slave", remember) give way to self-directing boppers (and human-dominated asimovs), who in turn pave the way for the quasi-organic moldies, who themselves become the staging ground for something far more transcendent. Meanwhile, humanity tries as best it can to keep pace with its new neighbors while inadvertently catalyzing their evolution from time to time. An exhilarating intellectual romp!

Rucker's novels work on so many levels that it beggars description. His intellectual and philosophical speculations about the nature of conscious life itself provide the skeleton, his joycean linguistic inventiveness enrobes his fresh ideas in strange flesh, and his sheer joy at being embodied succeeds both in animating his creation and in bringing the genre of science fiction, which has long been decidedly cognitively top-heavy, from the neck down. This is science fiction for people who love the raw stickiness and smelliness of physical existence. Moldies and Meatbops, or, more properly, the novels collected therein, easily ranks as Rucker's SF masterpiece.

Each Of these books are masterpieces of what good modern Cyber Punk should be. If your thinking of just getting one of these books, its inevitable that your going to want the others as well, so do your self a favor and just buy this colection instead.

This book wasn't very helpful in finding places to go for a vacation to Ohio. The descriptions were short and lacking. There wasn't a lot of hotels or dining options included. I wouldn't recommend it.

Unspoiled by an overwhelming burst of tourism, Ohio can be an ideal destination for one seeking a relaxing vacation. "Particular Places: A Guide to Ohio's Best Road Trips" is a complete and comprehensive guide to travelers who want to go on a vacation to the road less traveled, with fifteen destinations lied out with plenty of suggested activities, accommodations, and great food to be found. Ranging from the world's largest collection of historic lunch boxes to perambulator museums, Ohio has much to offer travelers, and "Particular Places; A Guide to Ohio's Best Road Trips" is the guide to get for it - highly recommended for community library travel collections.

This soft-cover book describes a collection of fascinating towns around Ohio where history, art, architecture, culture, and good food come together. Beautifully printed, it is full of maps, charming drawings, and specific recommendations for activities and meals to make your visit worthwhile. I agree with the publisher who says that in this time of iffy air travel and high fuel prices it's worth exploring your own neighborhood.

Even though the item description clearly states 112 pages, I apparently didn't read it closely enough & was very surprised when this "booklet" arrived!

Perhaps the information contained in this small booklet is difficult to find elsewhere, but unless you are specifically a children's nursery rhymes series collector, this book is a waste of money! Had I seen it in a bookstore, I would have passed it by unless it had been on sale for $5-$7 MAX.

If you do collect primarily nursery rhyme Royal Doulton, it "might" be worth the investment, assuming you're having difficulty finding the info in more comprehensive volumes. That is not the case for me, so I was very disappointed!

If you want to collect Royal Doulton series ware, I consider all four volumes in this series a "must have." I like this book because of the detailed photos -- the author goes way beyond just giving you a taste of Royal Doulton. If you only have one or two pieces of series ware, this book will help you identify them and let you see the whole spectrum of items that would complete your collection. While a terrific reference, this book is not a price guide and no prices are included. The only thing I wish this book had was more color photos. The china is so beautiful it deserves more color. That is the only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars. Louise Irvine really knows her Royal Doulton - this book looks like a labor of love to me.

Being new to the world of Royal Doulton, I am so pleased to have found this series in the Central Library in Wellington, New Zealand. However I was unable to purchase in this country and after some attempts in the UK, went exploring on the internet. I am now the proud owner of the 3 of the volumes - albeit missing Volume II (Vol.2).

Being a new collector of Doulton ware, I didn't want endless information about the product(s), just enough to have a good understanding of dates, times, periods, production,design and marks. All of this is available in these easy to read, easy to handle books. I am really thrilled with them and know that I will enjoy them for life.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I sincerely hope that you enjoy this series as much I do.

Jo-Anne
Wellington

Some useful information, but really poor organization. When I found Middletown Plate company it was one page from where the index said it was. This turned out to be the case when I looked up several other companies. Once the error was two pages.
According to the table of contents the preface was on page 12. Page 12 was blank. Instruction in how to use the book would have been helpful.
Rainwater, Rainwater and Felger seem to know their field, but I found the book thinner on detail than I would have preferred.
Lastly, the language is at times intrusively mannered and cultured. It is irritating and breaks good communication.
The book gets a three. The authors know what they're talking about, but it's a slog finding their knowledge in this book.
DM, Syracuse, NY.

If you buy or sell silverplate, this is one of the must have reference books. This is a complete history of silverplate in America, with the companies and the lines they produced. Contains many photos taken from catalogs. Figural napkin rings or holders, butter dishes, mechanical jewelry boxes, candlesticks, many different holloware forms and the companies who made them. It is additionally a cultural history that reflects the lifestyle of Americans through their silverplated products. Carefully researched, this is the third edition, an indication that it is a useful book that has remained in print. A chapter on care and restoration. Five stars!

"Dreading an arranged marriage to her adoptive parents' nephew, Serena was elated to receive a letter from the twin sister she hadn't seen since childhood-silver-haired Sybelle., who'd been adopted by a Kansas ranching family. Serena hastened to her sister's side, but no sooner had she arrived at the vast prairie mansion than her heart filled with foreboding. Sybelle was strangely distant, and Morning Star Ranch was a house of dark intrigue...
The more Serena learned, the more danger she was in. And unless she dared to place her trust in handsome, dark-eyed Quinn, she had no chance of escaping the fate that awaited her on the night of the summer solstice...a fate too terrible even to imagine."

Dreading an arranged marriage to her adoptive parents' nephew, Serena was elated to receive a letter from the twin sister she hadn't seen since childhood - silver-haired Sybelle, who'd been adopted by a Kansas ranching family. Serena hastened to her sister's side, but no sooner had she arrived at the vast prarie mansion than her heart was filled with foreboding. Sybelle was strangely distant, and Morning Star Ranch was a house of dark intrigue: hidden gold...drugged wine...a pond whose black, glassy surface concealed a hideous crime...and a drink-crazed wrangler who didn't care which of the twins he sacrificed to his own desperate scheme.

The more Serena learned, the more danger she was in. And unless she dared to place her trust in handsome, dark-eyed Quinn, she had no chance of escaping the fate that awaited her on the night of the summer solstice...a fate too terrible even to imagine.

I purchased this book at a magnificent Wedgwood show at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. This is a wonderful reference for anyone interested in Wedgwood as art. There are several interesting articles on how the company was established and how they developed their craft in pottery. The articles include discussion of major pieces made by the company, and their various types of pottery.

The second half of the book is a catalog of over a thousand works. They have a black & white photograph, a description, provenance, marks, and more on each of the pieces.

If you want to get into understanding Wedgwood in a serious way this is an essential resource in your education.

One of the BEST reference books on Wedgwood yet. This book is basically a pictorial inventory of all the items that are part of the Beeson Collection located at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the largest single collection of Wedgwood outside of the UK. A wonderful book with lots of superb color and black and white photos, and descriptions of all the major categories of ware, including Jasperware, Basalt, Caneware etc.

As an avid collector, I rely on seeing the actual identification marks (the curve of the impressions, the case, etc.), not just a description, for each piece. Otherwise I would have rated the book 5 stars. I do think the authors could have provided more photographs of the identification marks, including all the variations.

This is an excellent book for anyone in a leadership position within the investment management industry. Although it is focused on people in investment management, its insights apply to any organization. Reading it will help you understand how emotions affect decision-making on investment teams and how to manage emotions so that they enhance rather than undermine your results. Although all of the material is very well done, I found the chapter on accountability to be the most useful for my own business as well as in my efforts to teach accountability to my children. Congratulations to Jim Ware and his co-contributors on their fine work.

As there's no table of content here on Amazon, I would like to take the priviledge to type it for you as below:-

Introduction: The Elements of Greatness
Ch 1 Investment Leadership: Building a Winning Culture for Long Term Success
Ch 2 Curiosity: Learning How to Learn
Ch 3 Accountability Part 1: Taking Responsibility
Ch 4 Accountability Part 2: Making and Keeping Agreements
Ch 5 Candor: Revealing, Not Concealing
Ch 6 Authenticity: Eliminating Drama
Ch 7 Awareness: Using Emotional and Intuitional Intelligence
Ch 8 Genius: Maximizing Your Contribution
Ch 9 Appreciation: Shifting from Entitlement
Ch 10 Fit: Investment Personalities and the Seven Behaviors
Ch 11 Decision Rights: Establishing and Clarifying the Rules
Concluding Thoughts: Measurement, Behavioral Finance, Integrity, and an Invitation for More

Obviously, though not that obvious before my purchase (that means I failed the acid test for a smart trader), it is a very niche book on HR management for Investment/Trading Firms, "not" on Investment/Trading. I am not qualifed to tell whether it serves its purpose well (that you may even be convinced to contact the author's Consulting Firm). However, I would like to warn potential buyers of the risk of a wrong bid.

p.s. Nevertheless, I like the passage below in Foreword by Michael J. Mauboussin, Chief Investment Strategist of Legg Mason.

Shortly after his retirement, Jack Welch spoke to a group of 5000 HR executives and delivered a message he was sure they would appreciate: The head of HR should be the second most important person in any organization. Anticipating some audience adulation, he was surprised when a strange hush filled the room. Prodding, he asked how many of the participants worked for firms where the CEO treated the head of HR and the CFO with equal respect. Only 50 hands went up. Welch was astounded. Ninety-nine percent of these companies emphasized finance over people! "If you managed a baseball team," he asked, "would you listen more closely to the team accountant or the director of player personnel!"

In Spirits of the Great Hill, Winfield returns to the format of Shadows of the Western Door in retelling stories of hauntings and other supernatural activity in the Western New York area. This is a good book, but not nearly as gripping as Shadows was. Those who read ghost stories just for the chill will probably find this book boring. But for those who like a bit of history as well as a question left in your mind, you'll enjoy this. The book is especially enhanced if you're familiar with the WNY area. As a native of the area, I find I get a bigger thrill from being able to actually place myself in the locals listed in the book, especially the Roycroft section, since East Aurora is my home town. All in all, Spirits is quite good, and many stories are not such that you'll forget them anytime soon.

In Spirits of the Great Hill, Winfield returns to the format of Shadows of the Western Door in retelling stories of hauntings and other supernatural activity in the Western New York area. This is a good book, but not nearly as gripping as Shadows was. Those who read ghost stories just for the chill will probably find this book boring. But for those who like a bit of history as well as a question left in your mind, you'll enjoy this. The book is especially enhanced if you're familiar with the WNY area. As a native of the area, I find I get a bigger thrill from being able to actually place myself in the locals listed in the book, especially the Roycroft section, since East Aurora is my home town. All in all, Spirits is quite good, and many stories are not such that you'll forget them anytime soon.

Liked the story line but none of the characters. As is usual in romance novels, the heroine is stupid, headstrong, and far too stubborn to ever make it in any century, always depending on someone else to get her out of diasters of her own making. Also her love interest is almost nonexistant in the book and very little is ever said about him. None of the other characters are ever fleshed out, merely appearing as one dimentional. This being said, it did make for an interesting 2 evenings read.

I don't usually read "romance novels", but this is a must read! The characters are so vivid you really care about them and they just jump off the page. My best advice is to FIND THIS BOOK somewhere--it's worth the work.

We've just ordered a new copy of "Your Aladdin's Lamp" because our old copy has literally fallen apart from being read and reread. Every story in this book is an inspiration and I recommend it highly. And I have proven in my own life, time and again, that yes, it really does work. Thank you, William Hornaday!

This hardly known book in today's Religious Science Movement is filled with personal stories of Dr. Ernest Holmes on his spiritual retreats to Asilomar as well as his work as a practitioner and leader of the Institute of Religious Science, a metaphysical institute of great importance to world religions. William Hornaday captures the essence of the mystic and the extravert, Ernest, who has changed millions of lives through his Wisdom of the Ages. If you are someone of faith and a person for all religions, this is the book for you. If you have lost your way in the terror of dogma, ritual or exclusion, the stories in this book will lighten your heart and soul. And if you are already a fan of Ernest Holmes, this book is a "must have" in your collection.