Wood Books

Mr. Tolpin combines his journalistic background with imagery and thoughts of both the useage and construction of the Toolbox. Everything from Masterfull pieces in the Smithsonian Institute to Ancient functional pieces are discussed and illustrated. Due to this book, I have decided to build a pair of wall mounted boxes to display old tools and bring comonly used tools to a better location when I'm working.

Lots of pictures, ideas, descriptions and this book serves its purpose of giving me ideas on current and future projects.

Recommended

I just received this book. Wow! Because of all the good reviews, I expected a good book. This is one beautiful book and is way above my expectations. I would have been satisfied if it only contained photographs and illustrations without the text, they are very clear. I have not purchased a book that has impressed me as much as this one, ever. I can only add my positive comments to the many reviewers before me. It is well worth your investment whether you just want to scan through a beautiful book or are a serious craftsman wanting to build fine furniture for your tools.

I'm setting up my first workshop. I bought Scott Landis' Workbench Book for guidance on building my workbench and this book for guidance on workshop tool storage. I found Landis' book extremely useful, but this one did not really have what I was looking for.

This book is called the Toolbox Book for a reason. While the subheading is "A Craftsman's Guide to Tool Chests, Cabinets, and Storage Systems," the focus of the book really is (often spectacular) handcrafted toolboxes. Only one chapter -- 14 pages -- is devoted to "Designing In-Shop Tool Storage," and much of that is about the generic design process (how to make a story stick, how to draw your design first, etc).

So if you're a novice like me looking for practical workshop tool storage ideas, I don't think this book is worth the money. I definitely didn't learn any more here than I have just browsing woodworking sites on the internet.

None of this is a knock on the book, really. It's a beautiful, well-written book that's gotten glowing reviews from other readers for a reason. But I think its audience may be more limited than the subheading, and some of the other reviews, might lead you to think.

Tolpin is a refreshing change from the old bland how-to's that have been republished with outdated material year after year. This book is no exception. I love how the author takes you through the history and evolution of the toolbox. The color pictures are gorgeous.(Or maybe it's the toolboxes?) This is a must own for any tool lover. A great gift idea for that person you know with the messy shop!

Incredibly helpful practical techniques. Don't even need to read the book, just watch the videos and you're good to go.

I am sure if you are a Google fan you now know that they offer SketchUp for free. Dr. Fukai's book assumed you had a limited amount of time (480 minutes) using the SketchUp 4.0 trial version included with his book. I can say that his book is truly one fantastic way to learn a lot about the details of modeling with SketchUp. Dr. Fukai's interactive "shorties" allows you to go over as often as needed to learn the details of this 3D software. I was having some difficulty part way through the tutorials and emailed Dr. Fukai and received detailed instructions on how to proceed. He is an excellent teacher and his book is highly recommended.

When the book/CD came I had problems getting the CD to work Didn't know if it was me or the CD or my PC. I contacted Mr.Fukai and he e-mailed me back immediatly. He stayed with me through a dozen Emails trying to help me.
The CD was bad BTW and he had his wife send me out a new one that worked just fine.
I was a bit exhausted from it all by the time the CD came but stuff happens to the best of us.
The CD is incredably helpful along with the book of illustrations. I haven't gotten through even half of it due to my work load but I'm sure when I continue with it I won't have much trouble in spite of being PC challenged.
Mr.Fukai I think has this book geared for people like myself as well as hard core PC users.
He seems to be doing his best to take you through it one step at a time slowly and deliberate.
I highly recommend this book/CD

Yes, you can still learn of lot from this book, as noted in the other reviews. But it is now showing its age. This book was written for Sketchup 4.0 when only a time-limited trial was available for free. Sketchup is now at version 6.0 and free from Google (except for the pro version). The advice in this book on how to squeeze a tutorial session into a time-limited trial is just distracting. More importantly, you will not be introduced to the new features in 6.0, such as styles and better organization of model structure. It would be very useful to have Dennis Fukai's advice on how best to use Sketchup 6.0.

The book is awsome! The instructions are so detailed and outlined. I plan on building my own family home, this is the Book!

As for the author, a master of his craft!

Mr. Fukai and Mrs. Babara Fukai, You have both left a wonderful lasting memory in my mind!

Thanks You

Michael in San Antonio Texas

Many thanks to IDW for embarking on this publishing milestone. Even the earliest, crudest TRACY strips are entertaining and enlightening. Chester Gould's abilities as a storyteller and artist take shape over the course of years. His economy of action, character and suspense grows over decades. It's fascinating to watch the character and the strip develop in these early panels, especially if you know what's coming. At the rate they are publishing these volumes, it is expected to take five-six years to commit the entire work to book form. There have been other attempts over the years, both in hardcover volumes and comic book variations, to reprint TRACY, but it looks like IDW has come up with a satisfactory format, great design, and a commitment to getting it done once and for all. Please support them.

An excellent start to a much overdue collection! Yes, this first volume was pretty much covered in Tommyguns, but its arrangement and hardcover setup make it worthwhile. I look forward to future volumes!

I've been a huge fan of the Dick Tracy comic strip since I picked up my first comic book reprint of the strip sometime in the latter '40s in the middle of the "Boris Arson" narrative arc from the mid-'30s. It was great stuff, and even at my young age I knew it was the real deal and drew upon some actual events for plot points; "Arson" used an iodine-dyed dummy pistol carved from a raw potato to break out of jail! (Ah there!, John Dillinger!)

I was hooked, and became a dedicated collector with issue #29 (toward the end of the "Flattop" arc) and had every single issue from that point forward 'til #137! (Somewhere, inexplicably, they all disappeared! They survived the disapproval of my father, but not, apparently, my first wife!)

Over the past 30 years I've acquired virtually every "Tracy" reprint I could get my eager mitts on, and they've been for the most part excellent. But due to the selectivity of the reprints (none of which touched on the "Boris Arson" arc), there's been no continuity of the Chester Gould oeuvre until this series debuted, and I was all over it!

I've purchased the first two volumes, devoured both, and, O joy!, "Boris Arson" has appeared toward the end of the second one. The publication date of Volume III is a month away, and I'm like a kid awaiting Christmas morning!

I imagine the reason this "Complete Dick Tracy" project wasn't previously attempted had to do with some sort of "rights" issue, but I'm delighted that it's underway... and I know that unless they accelerate the present two-a-year schedule, I probably won't live to see the "Moon Maid" years, but that's okay!

These early strips show how polished Gould had become since his rather crude beginnings, and how much he developed his technical and creative "chops" over the decades. The format is fine... anything larger to accommodate a fuller sized Sunday strip would probably have put the volumes well above the "widely accessible" price point... so it's but a minor inconvenience for me to wear my reading glasses.

Kudos to IDW Publishing.

Around the early 1930s, as Prohibition was coming to an ignominious end, gangster films began to really take hold. James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart led the way on screen, while Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler wrote the books, and on the comics page, it was Chester Gould, with his strip, Dick Tracy. Volume One of The Complete Chester Gould's Dick Tracy follows the detective from the very beginning in late 1931 to the middle of 1933.



As the comic begins, Dick Tracy isn't even a cop. When the father of his fiancee Tess Trueheart is killed by robbers, Tracy joins the police force and becomes a top detective without even needing to take an exam. He first solves the murder of Tess's father and then proceeds to be a one-man-gang against murderers, kidnappers, thieves and con men. His first real foe is the gang leader Big Boy, and most of the early battles are against Big Boy or members of his organization.



For those familiar with Dick Tracy's more bizarre foes such as Pruneface and Flattop, there may be a little bit of disappointment with the more mundane villains in this volume. Besides the bad guys and Tess, the main characters are Pat, a rather hapless fellow detective and Junior, a street urchin who Tracy takes under his wing. But it's Tracy who is the lead character, constantly meeting out justice with fist and gun. Like many such characters, Tracy himself is not that interesting, but is made more so by others around him.



Well-drawn and decently written, even these early Dick Tracy strips should appeal to fans of older comics. It may not be the best of these old-time comics (I reserve that compliment for other strips like Krazy Kat, Gasoline Alley or Popeye), but it is a fun read.

While I appreciate the effort to reprint the complete original Dick Tracy comic strips, certainly one of the most uniquely rendered creations in comics, I have reservations about the chosen format. The reproduction size of the Sunday strips is smaller than ideal, making for some challenging reading. To properly accomodate the Sunday strips, surely a larger format would have been better.

However, it's still fascinating to watch the evolution of Gould's trademark graphic style emerge from what started as a very ordinary-looking strip. Since it's probably not going to be done again on this scale, I suppose the best thing to do is accept the Sunday strip reproduction for what it is and board the train -- the best is yet to come.

I thought this book was written by someone who owned a restaurant in Mexico, but was pleasantly surprised to find out the location was in Austin Texas. This book consists of recipes that are on their menu inspired by authentic Mexican connoisseurs like Diana Kennedy and former head chef Roberto Santibanez who now owns the New York based Mexican chain Rosa Mexicanos. Having lived for years in Mexico this has taken me back to the culinary culture that I love and miss dearly. The artwork that hangs in the restaurant is beautifully displayed as is the history. This is definitely a go to book since the recipes are right on to what I remember in Mexico. Definitely worth getting, but remember this is an authentic Mexican cookbook and not a Tex Mex cookbook.

This book is a must for every Mexian food lover and art. I have attended a cooking glass by them and have eaten brunch at their restaurant. Absolutely fantastic. The almond flan is superb and very easy to prepare in a blender. The chicken in banana leaves is also a standout. Recipes are fairly easy to understand and prepare, it just takes a bit of time.

Beautiful pictures, great recipe. Perfect for a table book, not just a cookbook.

I do not cook- until now. We visited this restaurant in Austin and were so impressed by the beauty of the location that when I went home, I went online and purchased the cookbook. My only intention was to be an "armchair cook" until I read how easy most of the recipes are! I'm shocked to say it, but everything has been easy and delicious. Try it, you'll love it.

The cookbook Fonda San Miguel: Thirty years of Food and Art seems to be one of those titles you see from time to time, when an established restaurant puts together a collection of recipes and a publisher hopes that name recognition will move copies. But open the cover, try some of the recipes, and you find a culinary gem.

Fonda San Miguel is a well-regarded restaurant in Austin offering Mexican cuisine. Author credits are co-founders Tom Gilliland (runs the front of the house) and Miguel Ravago (the chef) as well as "text by" Virginia B. Wood, whom is an Austin writer. The foreword is by noted Mexican cuisine expert Diana Kennedy, who apparently is a friend of the founders and whose work has inspired some of the dishes.

From first glance, the book is visually sumptuous: all color photography of the recipes and art in the restaurant with attractive design, hardbound. And here comes the first of my few quibbles: even though the publisher, Shearer Publishing, may have bought the rights to the photography, or even done it in-house, it should have given full credit to the people responsible for the actual photographic and food styling work. There also should have been better photo editing; I noticed a few out-of-focus images, one of which seemed planned and appropriate although the others looked like mistakes.

The recipes, though - marvelous. I tried four for a family dinner: guacamole, Sopa de Elote (a smooth corn soup served with roasted chiles and cheese), Adoba Sauce (pork marinade made with ancho chiles, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, and black peppercorns), and Comote Y Piña (baked sweet potato puree with pineapple). The results were uniformly excellent. Unlike many cookbook recipes, I found that I could use each of these without modification or even adjusting amounts, which is pretty rare. I do wish that when a recipe referred to a preparation or technique elsewhere in the book that there was a page number associated, but, again, I did say quibbles.

The book originally came out in 2005, which does have me wondering why the PR firm that sent the copy is promoting it now, but it's nice to see that someone is taking an active interest in promotion this excellent volume.

Another excellent book from the brush and mind of Davy Liu. Having read his most recent children's book, Fire Fish, I was familiar with the brilliant art work and beautiful stories that this animator is capable of. Just like Fire Fish, this book is a thrill from page one till the end. The story is about Kendu a fox who dreams every night about a giant leaf. He is not exactly sure what the giant leaf means in his dream but he knows that he is happy whenever he is under it and always wakes with a sense of freedom, something that eludes him in real life. Kendu and his clan of foxes have been enslaved by beasts that work them within an inch of their lives. One day he is able to escape but none of the other foxes will follow him because they have been slaves for so long that the concept of freedom almost frightens them as much as being caught by the beasts. Upon his escape Kendu decides to search for the giant leaf of his dreams because he remembers the joy he always felt in its presence. While on this journey he befriends Yitzhak the money and Odelia the Koala. They undertake an exciting and fearful journey as each searches for what the giant leaf means to them. This a heartwarming spin on the story of Noah and the Ark and it will delight parents and children as they read. The animation is beautiful and makes you want to read more of Mr. Liu's stories.

This is a precious story of risk taking, friendship and steadfastness wrapped around Old Testament scripture.

The story's key character is a fox whose name is Kendu. He dreams of a giant leaf that will take him away from slavery. Escaping slavery is his dream, even though he believes the Wilds outside of his immediate surroundings is frightening and filled with potential peril. He finally discovers a clever way to escape, and he begins his travels determined to find the giant leaf-his way to freedom.

During his journey he discovers and befriends other animals. Each animal brings their own special dreams of the giant leaf and how it will improve or change their unique circumstances.

This lovely tale is brought to life with stunning, colorful and distinctive illustrations that enhance each character, their adventures and surroundings.

If there is a child in your life who will enjoy and cherish a story of adventure, hope, friendship, and love-then choose this book for him or her.

Armchair Interview says: Another book about hope for children.

My son, who is 7 years old, loves this beautifully illustrated book. He read it before bedtime last night. This morning, he insisted on reading the book to me, making sure that I viewed every single painting, because, he said excitedly, "that's the best part of the book"! His favorite painting in the book is the one when Kendu finds Reia in the Ark. We are looking forward to reading Fire Fish next.

We can't wait to see The Giant Leaf on the big screen!

THE GIANT LEAF is yet another sophisticated, elegant book for children (of all ages) from the mind and artistic gifts of Davy Liu. The story and illustrations are by Liu and the actual writing is by sensitive author Douglas Wood who has realized Liu's compassionate tale with distinction. The story is a clever and inspiring retelling of the Great Flood from the biblical book of Genesis, but this time from the vantage of the animals that are saved from the destruction of the earth - the punishment for man's ignorant abuse of a creation made for him. Because this book is written and illustrated in such a sensitive manner, the recreation of the Flood and the accompanying suggestion about our current abuse of the planet earth is subtle and therefore a story children will love - and the adult readers will hopefully take note!

Liu is a gifted artist and while the story is well told and very entertaining and important, much of the worthiness of this book lies in the extraordinarily beautiful art that weaves the tale into a cinematic adventure. The characters include Kendu, a fox with a persistent dream of a giant leaf that encourages him to set out on a mission to discover the leaf, a wonderfully silly monkey Yitzhak, and a koala bear Odelia. Together they form a friendship and a determination to fulfill their dreams, each sharing the image of a protective giant leaf that promises them protection as they venture through the wilds, avoiding the mythical Animal Eater. But what lies at the end of their adventure is the discovery that the Animal Eater is in fact a haven - an ark containing all the animals of the earth that will float despite the floods that cover the earth and the giant leaf is - well, somethings must wait for the reader to discover.

Davy Liu (with the able assistance of Douglas Wood in this volume) has found a niche that is most certain to become a classic series of beautiful books for children, books that will not only breed an appreciation for fine art but will also open windows of understanding the spiritual world in a fresh and tender way. We can only hope there will be many more in this series. Grady Harp, July 08

I was not at all surprised to arrive at the page for "The Giant Leaf" at Amazon with my review all written -- to find that every other reviewer gave this book 5 stars. It's that "entirely fresh" a perspective -- eye-popping in its vision of how to reach a new perspective on a timeless Bible story.

The book opens with the line: "The dream was always the same."

And that's really the goal this book accomplishes so beautifully -- it recaptures the awe, the jaw-dropping wonder of a classic tale. I won't spoil the surprises in this book by specifically identifying where the story takes us. That's part of the spiritual magic of your first "read" through this book.

What's great about the book, though, is that it doesn't preach -- it amazes. It doesn't instruct -- it invites us to discover these insights with the main characters, led by the brave little fox Kendu.

These books by Davy Liu -- this one and his subsequent Fire Fish (Invisible Tails) -- also are very timely right now because so much attention is being paid in religious communities to rediscovering the role of the natural world within our religious traditions.

Yes, it's a children's book. Yes, it's a family book. But it's a lot more than that. It's a new window into the wonder of our religious roots.

Books usually are. This is the one to get--if you're interested in The Ed Wood Story.
I read bits and pieces of Wood's prose on the internet--and the funny thing is, or maybe I should say the INTERESTING thing is, he was far better at writing prose, than he was at writing movie dialogue and directing.
The problem with Eddie's paperbacks is that the guy was so damn obsessed with crossdressing. Why? Why couldn't he stay away from it for a while, at least long enough to write a paperback or two or three (even) without having the male lead dress up in a bra and angora sweater?
Sheesh. Stuff gets old after a while.
It's easy enough to relate to him for wanting to do something in the creative realm (as a filmmaker, etc.), and not be able to pull it off.. I mean, whose heart doesn't go out to him for that? Better yet, to anyone? Who couldn't get that?--other than the typical businessman who is solely focused on the bottom line, making a profit?

Anyway, this book has the whole story. It's a sad tale--with a downer of an ending. What can you do? The cards had been dealt--and poor Eddie's hand did not show much promise.

And the biggest BUMMER OF ALL is that people out there are making tons of money off this guy's hard work and sweat!
Justice? What's that?

This is a labor of love, taking ten years and many interviews, as well as research, to give us the best hope we'll ever have of getting an understanding of maverick Ed Wood.

The structure is mostly clips from interviews, letters, and some of Wood's works, mostly interviewes. Thus one gets a sense of Ed Wood that in no way tries to be objective - instead it's about people who knew him, and their statements stand on their own (even when they conflict). There is actual research done as well - filmographies, book summaries, a small history - but most of the book is interviews.

The style however actually works - someone like Ed Wood may not always leave a very good trail. In addition, being very much a unique person in the unique culture of bargain-basement hollywood, personal testimony is just about the only way to have a hope to comprehend his stories.

The result is a fascinating, personal, and respectful book on a surprisingly complex man. Don't expect any punches pulled either - Ed Wood for all his likeability and charm (which he had in spades), was an occasional conman, and as his life degenerated, he fell into alchoholism, poverty, and domestic violence. Do expect a very personal portrait.

This book is an absolute must for any fan of Wood, B-movies, and the underside of Hollywood. As I write this it is out of print, but I gladly shelled out the money for a used copy. May it return to press soon - but you owe it yourself to get it.

Rudolph Grey has interviewed many of the people who knew and worked with Edward D. Wood Jr, and the entire book is compiled of quotes from these people. This non-narrative style may at first seem boring, but it's not. It is fascinating and touching, sometimes funny and tragic and gives a good understanding of several aspects of Ed Wood.

It also contains many pictures and a detailed list of Wood's films and books, including plot descriptions. This definately is a must-have for everybody who is interested in Ed Wood or old Hollywood independent films in general.

I first heard of Edward Wood Jr, the so-called 'Worst Director of All Time', when the Tim Burton film "Ed Wood" was released in 1995. Although the film is excellent, it does paint quite a rosy picture of Wood's life. The story in this book is much grimmer.

The book itself is a collection of interviews with the people who knew and worked with Ed Wood, copiously illustrated with black and white photographs, and covers his life and career. There are many entertaining stories here, covering the making of such films as "Glen or Glenda", "Bride of the Monster" and "Plan 9 From Outer Space", and the reader encounters a wide variety of eccentrics, losers and dreamers, who Wood met living on the fringes of Hollywood.

Sometimes the recollections of interviewees contradict each other, but that is memory. Grey doesn't give his own opinions on the interviewees and their remembrances but wisely stays outside and avoids judgement. The book is a fairly comprehensive account of Wood's life, but it is let down by mispellings, and often the phots are quite hard to see. It is however a must for anyone interested in Wood, 1950s "B" movies, or Hollywood.

Born in 1924, Wood was a highly decorated WWII Marine with an itch to wear women's clothes, make movies, and drink to excess. During his lifetime he would be notorious for transvestitism and alcoholism; he would also be involved in some twenty films, all of them cheaply made, all of them remarkable for their ludicrous incompetence. At the time of his 1978 death he was a raving drunk scratching out a living by writing pornography, and his film career was considered so trivial that not a single industry trade paper bothered to run an obituary.

But time does strange things. Within a few years of his death, Wood's films began to gain a cult-following, and in 1992 Rudolph Grey published NIGHTMARE OF ECSTASY, a loosely structured "oral history" of Wood's life as related by those who knew him best: his various wives and girl friends, his actors, his employers, his friends. The book would form the basis of Tim Burton's brilliant 1994 film ED WOOD.

Wood comes off as considerably less likeable here than in Tim Burton's bio-pic, which stopped short of detailing some of his more unsavory antics--including fraud, vicious alcoholism, the occasional fit of wife-beating, and his work in pornography. The Ed Wood of the 1950s might have been fun to know, at least so long as you didn't have any money in his ventures; the Ed Wood of the 1970s, however, was someone you would might have crossed the street to avoid.

Although a number of Wood's acquaintances led solid lives and attempted to help Wood as his life spiraled out of control, by and large Wood seems to have acted as a magnet for Hollywood hustlers, riff-raff, and trash--and before too long Wood himself became indicative of Los Angeles lowlife scene. While the interview subjects give conflicting accounts of specific events in Wood's life, the end result is the same: a tremendous sense of wasted effort, futile dreams, and unending pathos. This is some seriously bitter stuff.

NIGHTMARE OF ECSTASY concludes with a fairly solid chunk of factual data, including biographical notes on interview subjects, a chronology of major events in Wood's life, a bibliography that includes passages from Wood's novels, a comprehensive filmography--and even an annotated list of projects Wood was never able to get off the ground. I recommend the book, but I do so with a warning: if you're looking for a restatement of Tim Burton's film, you'll be significantly disillusioned.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

This is one of my all time favorite picture books for all ages. Peter Spiers beautiful illustrations need no words to tell this story. The possibilities for interacting with a child are endless as you wander through the familiar and find the surprising! My granddaughter is 2 years old and loves animals. What could be a better birthday gift?

The happy and humorous tone of this book will make it appealing to any child, whatever the family's religion.

The only text is at the beginning and it is a charming translation of a poem that summarizes the story of Noah. The poem is delightful in and of itself- Spier did a great job of translating.

The illustrations are then left without text, which is very refreshing, since there are so few picture books nowadays. I enjoy leisurely paging through this book with my young daughter, talking about the pictures in and of themselves, as pieces of art and as pictures that tell a story. I feel that the pressure is off in terms of trying to finish a sentence or a story when there is no text there.

In addition, this book is appropriate for Muslim families as well, since the illustrations (and beginning poem) are sufficiently vague as to accommodate for the small differences in the telling of the story in the Qu'ran and the Bible.

My first Peter Spier book. Not saccharine, wonderful details (including Noah mucking out the ark). Great to have a child read to YOU.

This is an excellent picture book - my three year old really loves it. My only "complaint" is that it takes a long time to go through all the pictures and talk about each one making it less than ideal right before bed unless you want to spend 20 minutes on just one book! Seriously though - the book is just wonderful and allows parents to go into whatever level of detail regarding the Noah story as they feel is appropriate for the age of their child. It is a softcover and the pages and cover are not of the highest quality - it would be lovely to have in hardcover with larger pages.

This book really does not need any words. It is so well illustrated that you can understand every part of the story. His detailing is stunning. Every time we read this book, we find new details. This is the best book of Noah's ark story!

Ol' Lady Grizelda by Justin Matott is a fabulous book about when you were a little boy. Ol' Lady Grizelda likes to eat kids stew. Ol' Lady Grizelda lives up on a hill and a little boy lives below Ol' Lady Grizelda. At midnight they see her planting peas and looking for treasure with keys.

This book has a wonderful lesson hidden within a delightfully told story about acceptance. I LOVE THIS BOOK AND HAVE FOR SOME TIME!

Mr. Matott came to my school last week and told us about how he met the lady in this book. It is a cool story and he said he wrote a chapter book about it. I want to read that too. Read all of Mr. Matotts books because HE ROCKS!!!

When I first saw this book i thought the lady was scary and weird. My teacher reads this book again and again now because we like it so much. It is a story about how mean people say things and then they find out they dont even know people. I mean when you read this book you will find out that the old weird lady is nice to kids and she is great. i want everyone to read this book because you will learn something and then you will really enjoy it. okay, that is what I would say about this book anyway.

I have been using this book in my classroom for the past three years. I have to keep buying new copies because the kids wear this book out. If you want to use a book that teaches tolerance, love and ultimately the way all people would like to be viewed, read Ol' Lady Grizelda, you will be glad you did. It has also proven to be a wonderful tool for my slower readers because of the glossary included. The language is challenging enough for my picture book/chapter book straddlers and they love, LOVE, the illustrations!

I bought this book a year ago because:
1. I was promoted to be an architect role and wanted an extra advice
2. The reviews for this book were exciting

Actually I was very disappointed with this book. This book will not teach you how improve your architecture but rather deal with techniques to review existing architectures.
The techniques themselves seem to be rather archaic and heavy and serve a little in practice, since the different work environment and organizations are not taken into account.

I can assume this book can be useful for an IT dept. architect that mainly focusing on evaluating 3rd party architectures and has full freedom to set the methodology.

If you want to learn some more real world practice, check Release It!: Design and Deploy Production-Ready Software (Pragmatic Programmers) (Pragmatic Programmers) which does not pretends to, but is actually one of the best architecture books I've read both for IT dept. architect, solution architect or development architect.

I bought this book for my husband. He uses it to help him with work. He is a Senior Software Engineer.

At the risk of adding one more gushing review to this excellent book - let me say that this book is very good for relatively non-technical folks also. I am working as a manager of a technical team and I used this book to come up on speed on the basics of software architecture. The material layout is very clear and consistent - it helped me to get through the basic concepts quickly and come back for a more detailed reading. The book helped me to ask the relevant questions and focus the team on the right sense of issues.

Only suggestion I have for a subsequent edition is to include one full blown case study.

Having been in the IT world for more than 25 years and studying this topic for many of those years I have found this book to be extremely accessible. I reference it often. I like the way it deals with real business world issues as opposed to on board jet navigation systems etc. I rate it right along with Craig Larman "Applying UML and Patterns".

It is a very thorough and well written book. Authors have introduced idea of perspectives (viewpoints related to cross-cutting concerns) and I totally agree with authors on benefits of using perspectives rather than treating them as viewpoints. My AD of new project is based on viewpoints and perspectives separation suggested by authors.

Though I have often thought of the similarities between the noses of bears and my own labrador retriever, and been tempted to ascribe those labrador characteristics to bears, I knew better. My reading about bears has included many tales of bear maulings and their extreme medical consequences. This book, though, showed me that bears can equal our canine buddies in establishing full and rich relationships. This unique story of love among the Minnesota woods made me wish that I could pull up stakes and establish a home in the woods and wait for the bears to visit. It really makes one wonder what relationships with other animals we might have if given the opportunity.

I never understood black bears until reading Jack Becklund's book. I laughed and cried, feeling as if I was right there with Jack and his wife Patti. Afterward, I wanted to visit that area, see the house, see the yard where Little Bit and the other bears played. I now want to find out more about helping these wonderful creatures survive. I have never been more moved by a book. I would love to communicate with Jack and Patti some time and get a picture of "Conversation with a Bear". They are incredible people and so fortunate to have had such a gift in their lives as becoming intimately involved with God's beautiful wildlife.
I would HIGHLY recommend this book. I am reading it again now for the second time. It is hard to put down. Thank you Jack and Patti for sharing this beautiful experience with us.
Joanne Setlock
Wallace Ave.
Buffalo, New York 14216

If you love animals, nature, the great outdoors, and reading about people who love all those things too, please get this book, sit down with a box of tissues, and enjoy! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll shake your head in wonderment. The author Jack Becklund and his wife Patti, move deep into the Minnesota forests. Their property is home to deer gamboling on the lawn, chipmunks and hand-fed squirrels munching seeds on the porch,wild mallard ducks swimming and splashing in the creek below, and a colorful array of native birds. But the real heart of the story is Little Bit, the black bear cub who toddles onto the back deck one day, and stays for the next six summers as a welcome, loving, and deeply loved guest of the couple. She is a magical spirit, a living, breathing gift from God, sent to bring great joy to their lives. We are honored to meet Little Bit's cubs, her mates, and numerous other black bears who live in the area, and come to trust the Becklunds. The story itself is incredible, but between the lines, we watch the couple come to love and appreciate the power of this sacred trust they've been given...the joy of the relationship they share with these magnificent animals.This is a book for all time...a classic in every sense of the word. The photos are magnificent, and bring the personalities of the animals into beautiful focus.

Summer With The Bears is about a couple who decide to leave the city for an adventure in Minnesota to observe the bears. At first Jack & Patti started out just observing the bears for hours to learn their habits and earn their confidence. And they do earn their trust. There were many more animals that they befriended. They kept a journal on everything that happened concerning the bears and other animals. They even named the bears.

As a true animal lover, I really liked this book. The pictures added to the book. If you are looking for a short and sweet read this is the book for you.

Summer with the bears is by far the best book I've ever read. If you don't have it or haven't read it do so now. It will change your life in some way I'm sure. I first read about it in the Reader's Digest and put my copy on order for the moment it came out. Little bit and all of the other bears touched my heart so much it's hard ot describe. I felt like I was there with them as events were happening. Jack and Patti you are so lucky to have had this special time in your lives and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your sharing it with us. Just goes to show that all animals are not as we always imagine them to be, yet we know at the same time they are not all created equal. There are those that possess a special trait and willingness to be different, that was little bit. Your book was written from your heart, and the pictures helped us to be there too. I laughed and I cried along with you. so few of us will experience what you did interacting with the bears on the level that you did. I attribute your book to helping me find a hidden talent I did not know existed in me. I started sketching, and yes mostly bears. I did one of you and Patti with little bit, if you'd ever like them all you need to do is ask and they are yours. You touched my life in such a special way that in turn I'd like to touch your lives too. Hope there will be more books and I wish you all the best in your lives. Thank You for sharing your special lives with the world.