Professional Books

Don Metz has a gift for stringing together words in a most beguiling way; sometimes witty and amusing, sometimes poignant, always informative. His stories kept me up well past my normal bed time.

In addition to "House" by Tracy Kidder, I was reminded of James Herriot's tales of practicing veterinary medicine in Yorkshire, England, where the stories aren't so much about the animals (or in this case, the architecture) but rather the people, their qualities and quirks, their relationships with their local vet (or architect) and the land.

I found this book to be a thoroughly enjoyable read in a few different ways. First, it provides insight into the workings of a profession most don't know much about, and how a country architect in particular spends his time. It also follows the career trajectory of someone gutsy (and perhaps wacky) enough to take the road not normally taken.

Being curious about both the natural and built environment, I learned a thing or two from the author's broad knowledge of things both natural and man-made. The book provides a taste of New England culture and values, with touches of dry humor appearing without being overdone. Lastly, I found the writing style to be interesting and easy to read, elegant but not overly complex.

Aside from teaching the reader alot about building and design, the author is interested in why clients make the decisions they do, and he writes about it with humor and compassion. It's hard to say which shelf this book should be on in the bookstore -- memoir, architecture, psychology, history or humor. It certainly includes all these categories. Anyway, I'm glad it's on my shelf. Five stars!!!

This is a book for all seasons. It's charming, humorous and insightful, and you learn tons about architecture and all the human emotions that go into the making of a house -- a must-read for every architecture student and anyone considering building a house.

If you liked reading Tracy Kidder's book, "House", you will love reading "Confessions of a Country Architect". Don Metz's memoirs of his architectural career will appeal not only to someone building a house, but also to anyone interested in people interacting and the often unexpected results of working together. His architectural adventures are humorous and often moving. Once you pick up this book, you will not put in down until you are finished.

David and Jeanie Stiles

My textbook came only a few days after I ordered it! I was very pleased with the seller as well because he kepted me updated with the status of my book.

It was really nice to find what we were looking for, at a price we could afford. It was as good as new.

i order this book but it was the wrong one instead of 2006 i need it a 2007. thanks.

Easy to read book-color coding is very helpful-more useful than other coding books.

Resource is great. Good directions and pics. Next time I will save money and buy the softbound instead. Great resource for student or experienced coder.

My Current Pediatric Dx and Tx gets used every day in class. If you are required another book for classes, add this book as a supplament.

Everyone recommended big fat books of pediatrics, with lots of words and little answers. But this book is all you want and need to know about in your pediatrics rotations. With diagnostic essentials, getting through diseases just gets a lot easier, and with therapeutical answers, it just builds good doctors. I specially liked the chapter on antimicrobials and vaccines, so essential in pediatric care. Definitely a must have for a good medical student with lot to learn and too little time (at the end, that's what medicine is all about). All my medschool classmates just wanted to have my book.

This was my reference of choice when I was an intern at a busy major children's hospital. It's comprehensive, not too heavy to lug around, gives you the important details and gives you references as to where to go next for further reading. It's not always enough information when it comes to specific cases. I usually went to UpToDate, PedsinReview or lit searches at that point. I think this is a solid book to have early in your career because it lets you cover the most relevant material in a readable manner. As a second year, I don't go back to Currents as much and mostly go with articles.

this is a well-written, decent source of information that I feel is geared more for medical students than residents. Its purpose is to familiarize the reader with common and well-known conditions and basic treatment definitions, along with basic epidemiology. It is not a one-stop reference for diseases, however, in that it will not go into detail regarding treatment including dosages and often time course of treatment; discussion of pathophysiology is quite limited. it certainly is unnecessary for a medical student to know whether to treat with high-dose vs. regular dose antibiotics, or whether single vs. double coverage for a given infection is more appropriate. but it would be much more helpful to your resident or attending to have such information in a reference book.

this book is an easy read; however, if you are in residency or beyond, i'd humbly suggest skipping this book and going for something along the lines of a Nelson's Textbook of Peidatrics. but if you're looking for a basic definition of diseases, then this book is certainly sufficient.

Designed by experts, and with care; "Current Pediatric Diagnosis & Treatment" is one book that both paediatricians and GPs know too well. It covered every aspect of child's health-care in a way that would arouse envy in other texts. Its superior methodology is one factor that has kept its name above others. The authors of this book deserve tons of commendations. They did a fantastic job. Every chapter of the book speaks for them!
Its illustrations are utterly comprehensive; and the frequency with which its information is updated ensure that only the most current advances in paediatrics are included.
Very welcomed! Books of this quality would ensure that doctors (and medics) will always live upto their respective billings.

"CRM: Getting it Right" by Ms. Judith Kincaid is a must for everyone who plans to play any role in a CRM project. It is particularly useful for CRM project managers since it lays out an excellent overview of the entire lifecycle of a CRM implementation. It is in fact a complete and exhaustive case study which walks the reader through every step.

Ms. Kincaid's excellent use of plain English and narrative method puts this book within the reach of a very wide audience. She succeeds in translating complex issues into layman's terms which any level reader could easily follow and benefit from. The clear writing is complemented with excellent visuals that make the material even more accessible. The book is very well organized and is full of practical tips and advice. Even experts in the field could benefit from this material by taking a bird's eye view journey and/or by zooming into smaller details as necessary.

The book is also full of ready to use excellent templates. Needles state, I highly recommend this book.

Enjoy it!

"CRM: Getting it Right" by Ms. Judith Kincaid is a must for everyone who plans to play any role in a CRM project. It is particularly useful for CRM project managers since it lays out an excellent overview of the entire lifecycle of a CRM implementation. It is in fact a complete and exhaustive case study which walks the reader through every step.

Ms. Kincaid's excellent use of plain English and narrative method puts this book within the reach of a very wide audience. She succeeds in translating complex issues into layman's terms which any level reader could easily follow and benefit from. The clear writing is complemented with excellent visuals that make the material even more accessible. The book is very well organized and is full of practical tips and advice. Even experts in the field could benefit from this material by taking a bird's eye view journey and/or by zooming into smaller details as necessary.

The book is also full of ready to use excellent templates. Needles state, I highly recommend this book.

Enjoy it!

This CRM book really stands out from the pack! Kincaid has written a great practical guide for harried business people who
want to know what customer relationship management really means and what they should do before they run out to buy software to "do CRM." The case studies were very helpful in program planning and the templates saved a good deal of time getting going.
For anyone in business who needs to manage a team of business experts and information technology experts in a major project, this is THE book to buy. From definition to planning, implementation and measurement, this handbook for change gets you started and provides real guidance along the way.

Judith does an exceptional job in laying out both the overview and the details for a CRM program in any organization. She obviously has a wealth of experience in what to do and what not to do in developing and maintaining a CRM program. I especially like her interest in definitions, such as the definition of a customer and the definition of customer loyalty. Key ideas are clearly outlined throughout the book and I found it very easy to read and follow. Very helpful book for this subject matter.

"CRM: Getting it Right" by Ms. Judith Kincaid is a must for everyone who plans to play any role in a CRM project. It is particularly useful for CRM project managers since it lays out an excellent overview of the entire lifecycle of a CRM implementation. It is in fact a complete and exhaustive case study which walks the reader through every step.

Ms. Kincaid's excellent use of plain English and narrative method puts this book within the reach of a very wide audience. She succeeds in translating complex issues into layman's terms which any level reader could easily follow and benefit from. The clear writing is complemented with excellent visuals that make the material even more accessible. The book is very well organized and is full of practical tips and advice. Even experts in the field could benefit from this material by taking a bird's eye view journey and/or by zooming into smaller details as necessary.

The book is also full of ready to use excellent templates. Needles state, I highly recommend this book.

Enjoy it!

As book titles go, CyberRegs: A Business Guide to Web Property, Privacy, and Patents sounds uninteresting. Fortunately, what the book lacks in flashy titles, it makes up in interesting content. CyberRegs is an engrossing and sometimes angry look at the perverse nature of patent law.

When many people think of the Internet and e-commerce, they think of a series of open and non-proprietary standards that enable computers to speak networking Esperanto. As the book shows, that does not necessarily jive with reality. Many companies have tried to homestead on pioneering technologies and use them to gain a lock on the market. Author Bill Zoellick cites numerous cases -- many still in litigation -- to illustrate this point.

The book starts with a brief background of the nature of copyright and patent law and doesn�t assume any type of legal background or expertise. Zoellick�s writing style is easy going but to the point, and he accomplishes his goal of examining the disruption and instability that the Web has introduced into the world of intellectual property.

Zoellick looks at the Web from many different perspectives, from business and legal to technological and political. While some may think they don't need a book about Internet law and regulations, the reality is that, for any organization doing business on the Internet, there exists the strong possibility that they may be infringing on someone else�s intellectual property rights.

One of the most controversial issues that the book looks at is one-click patents issued to Amazon.com. The one-click patents preclude any Internet business that has not licensed the technology from Amazon.com from enabling their customer�s to complete their purchasing experience with a single mouse click. The question of whether one-click is even patentable is a controversial one. Those who say it is, feel that Amazon.com is protecting a vital business asset. Those who don�t support it say that it only serves to stifle productivity. Zoellick gives numerous other examples.

CyberRegs also goes into such issues as digital signature and privacy. Zoellick does not take sides, but provides a fair-minded look at the debate between greater and lesser control of privacy and the Internet. The book also tackles such controversial topics as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Napster and DeCSS.

In part 3, Zoellick provides an excellent overview of digital certificates. He goes into detail on the parameters around the groundbreaking E-SIGN (Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce) act. Many have complained that E-SIGN is extremely light on details and specifics, which it is.However, Zoellick says that with E-SIGN, Congress took the approach that we don�t really understand how to do business on the Internet so issues surrounding authentication of electronic signatures are not necessarily easy problems to solve.With that, Congress restricted government action to the parts of the problem where they are directly involved and required.Congress recognized that for any effective solution, markets need time to develop and patience is required. Although this approach is hard when dealing with Internet time, it is nonetheless necessary.

You don�t have to be a lawyer to appreciate CyberRegs. Anyone who wants to have a business presence on the Net should read this book so as not to get involved in a legal tussle. While John Grisham may own the legal fiction market, CyberRegs is as close to a non-fiction legal thriller as you can get.

I am a senior engineer for network security operations who frequently reviews technical books. I was hesitant to read "CyberRegs," given its "Business Guide" subtitle. Noticing the book mentioned controversial topics like the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA), Napster, and the DeCSS case, I decided I'd give "CyberRegs" a try. That proved to be a wise decision, and I strongly recommend this book to anyone worried about the future of the Internet.

The book is exceptionally well-written, with a clear style and a welcome lack of typos (gasp). In a former life I read plenty of boring, repetitive policy books, but I had no trouble digesting "CyberRegs."

The book is arranged around the themes of copyright, patents, electronic signatures, and privacy. "CyberRegs" gives both sides of each argument, but wisely includes the authors own helpful opinion. (I was pleased to see the author share many of the security community's views on the DMCA, Napster, and so on.) Because Zoellick presents balanced arguments, readers will understand the opposition's complaints and can more effectively counter them.

"CyberRegs" was written to help business people engage in the debates and legislation shaping the Internet. Along the way the reader gains a solid historical understanding of how we arrived at the current state of affairs. Would you believe that software or business methods weren't patentable until recently? Would you believe the United States was the world's most egregious intellectual property pirate until 1891? Given this background, readers gain a sense of why policies developed, and how one can help influence the present and future of the Internet.

I found no major weaknesses in this book or its arguments, but I have two technical/security comments. First, "Web bugs" can be used to transfer more information than an IP address; some use "Web bugs" to validate email addresses. Second, giving customers access to data collected by businesses opens bigger doors for malicious hackers to manipulate that data. Readers may share these concerns, which the author doesn't address.

"CyberRegs" seems marketed as a "business guide," and speaks in part to "business people." As a technical person, I gained the knowledge needed to better defend my opinions on copyright, patents, electronic signatures, and privacy. Technical staff looking for the "why" of state of the Internet will probably love this book -- I certainly did!

(Disclaimer: I received a free review copy from the publisher.)

This is a complete primer on intellectual property and its value to the enterprise. Key issues that are addressed include:

Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)- this is probably the most important discussion in the book because it continues to be controversial.

Complete discussions of all aspects of intellectual property law as it pertains to cyberspace. The clarification of the protections afforded to patent holders that are not given to trademark holders is invaluable. In addition, I learned much about the value of patents and how a business model can be developed around patents alone. I particularly liked the discussion of patent ownership (employee inventor vs. company to which the patent was assigned). This alone makes the book worth reading.

Case studies - many of the case studies which are used throughout the book focused on pending court cases when the book was published. Many have now been resolved, the resolution of which open more questions and further cloud issues. I'd like to see an update or second edition that provides closure.

Excellent introduction to technical issues. The author has a knack for reducing the key elements into easy-to-understand chunks of information that teach non-technical readers quite a lot about technology.

If you buy one book on intellectual property law from a cyber-business perspective, this is the one to get.

Laws relating to patents and copyrights are always moving targets, but at this time they are running on jets. The speed with which technology is changing how we use things has left the legal system struggling to understand, much less keep up. However, it is a critical part of our society at large, as well as how we do business now and in the future. Therefore, all citizens need to understand the basics of the law and it is unconscionable that anyone in business would not understand the rules of copyrights and patents to a high degree. Yes, it is possible to hire lawyers, but they are expensive and cannot be with you every moment of the business day.
This backdrop serves to demonstrate how critical this book is to the management of the modern business. Since an Internet presence that allows for interaction is nearly mandatory, this could be the most important book you read this year. It already has a place on my best books of the year list for 2002. What makes the book so impressive is that the author pounds home the point that copyrights and patents are not fundamental rights, but are in fact derived under the basic notion of the common good. They are designed to encourage the creators of new things to make them available for the general society, while reserving certain key aspects for the inventors. The case involving the music swapping company Napster is examined in detail without a step up on a virtual soapbox. Zoelick also recapitulates the famous legal case over the video cassette recorder, which went all the way to the Supreme Court, where the decision turned out to be a sensible one.
The end result of that case should provide all of us with an object lesson concerning new technologies. It is clear that fighting the new technologies is at best a holding action rather than an effective long-term strategy. The best solution is simply to ferret out the best ways in which your business can open new markets and profit from the changes. Yes, changes in copyright law take many years to resolve, but in the end, the market and society will get the greatest good, which is the way it must be.
This is a book that should be required reading of anyone in business who makes decisions concerning intellectual property. In fact, some of the chapters are recommended for any citizen concerned about how our society is changing, as the effective resolution of these issues may have a dramatic affect on our economy.

Although CyberRegs has a much wider audience, my perspective of this book is that of a competitive intelligence specialist. The four topic areas covered, from a CI specialist's point of view are illuminating.

The first two topics, copyrights and patents, are the foundation of intellectual property and by extension, corporate and shareholder value. The author's discussion of both copyrights and patents expose loopholes that can work for or against you, depending on which side you are on. One theme the author repeatedly addresses is the fact that copyright and patent law is lagging behind the technology. He cites numerous case studies, all of which you will either applaud or condemn depending on which side of the issue you happen to be. As a CI specialist who engages in "white ops" (collection of competitive intelligence using legal methods), I was somewhat dismayed by aspects of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) because it draws legal boundaries that didn't previously exist. The CI community needs to be aware of this particular law because what was heretofore "white ops" may fall under black ops (illegal intelligence gathering) under the provisions of the DMCA.

The more technical topics, electronic signatures and privacy, are presented in the same balanced and thought-provoking way as copyrights and patents. Having recently read Bruce Schneier's SECRETS & LIES I had some insights into the technical aspects, but the nuances that Mr. Zoellick brings to these topics makes for compelling reading. He manages to raise thorny issues and provide answers from both sides of the issue.

Overall this is an invaluable book that should be read by anyone who seeks to understand the current state of intellectual property laws, the challenges imposed by the connected world, or how the laws and challenges combine to change the playing field. As stated above, the DMCA alone will have wide implications in my profession, and is certain to affect business operations and corporate policy in far ranging ways.

This cookbook is great and contains a plethora of easy to follow recipes from appetizers to desserts. A must-have for your kitchen library.

I had the good fortune to take a three-day "cookery" course from Darina Allen at her school in County Cork. She is the Julia Childs of Ireland. The demonstrations were great and then the students got to cook selected recipes the next morning. I recommend this book because it has 1. tested and easy-to-follow recipes. (The school always has students and instructors working from the written recipes.) 2. The Irish specialties, particularly the breads, are wonderful. Ireland is now a "foodies" paradise with hundreds of homemade cheeses and other artisan specialties, superb seafood, and a whole "slow food" movement. This cookbook is in its way a bible to what's going on. It is one you will use again and again.

The `ballymaloe cooking school cookbook' by school co-owner and Irish TV cooking show host, Darina Allen is my second volume in my search for the perfect Irish cookbook. As it turns out, this very heavy and long (639 pages) book is much, much more than a book about Irish cooking, as well it should be, since it is comparable to the Culinary Institute of America's textbook, `The New Professional Chef'. That is, it is a general textbook for essentially all styles of European and American cooking, with a tendency to include more Irish recipes than you would expect from a French or Italian cooking textbook. In fact, a quick browse reveals recipes from around the world, many with an attribution to a close Darina Allen friend, such as Marcella Hazan.

When I saw Darina Allen on the old Sara Moulton show, `Cooking Live' on the Food Network, I had no idea that her Ballymaloe Cooking School was so big and well established to support such a comprehensive volume.

Ms. Allen's general tone in this book follows much the same path as the Chez Panisse guru, Alice Waters in that it strongly emphasizes good, fresh ingredients and a philosophy to waste nothing. Even the most lowly scraps can be recycled in the compost heap or the stock pot.

Unlike Ms. Allen's `The Festive Food of Ireland', I am happy to say that these recipes give all their units in an uncluttered and familiar English system of units, such as pounds and ounces, cups, tablespoons and teaspoons. I was just a bit surprised to see Ms. Allen recommend using standard spoons out of the silverware drawer to measure for savory recipes. On one hand, this is brilliantly simple, since a standard teaspoon (5 ml) is a rounded `teaspoon' and an English tablespoon (20 ml) is a rounded soupspoon. One important difference to note here is that the English (and Canadian) tablespoon is 25% larger than the American tablespoon (15 ml).

The book covers a very broad range of subjects, featuring 24 chapters on stocks & soups; appetizers; eggs; rice, other grains, & legumes; pasta and noodles; vegetables; salads; fish & shellfish; poultry; lamb; pork & bacon; beef; variety meats; game; desserts; cheeses; cakes & cookies; breads, scones & pizzas; jams & preserves; breakfast; barbecue; finger foods; drinks; and sauces.

One of the first things that struck me about this book is that it delves into subject which few if any other cooking texts touch, such as shopping, fashion, kitchen safety, and manners at the table. Many of the book's more conventional sections are a bit off. The `cupboard basics' section violates the notion that you should never buy an ingredient unless you have definite plans to use it in a recipe in the next week. Ms. Allen's list includes things such as dried fruit, Carr's Water Biscuits, Nam Pla (fish sauce), Pesto, and Ballymaloe's own brands of Tomato Relish and Jalapeno Relish. I would make pesto myself and I don't anticipate using nam pla, harissa, tortillas, Carr water biscuits, or chorizo in the next month, and maybe not even in the next year. The same general comment can be made of the `essential kitchen equipment' list. I always go back to Madhur Jaffrey's sound advice to simply make the recipes you want and buy for only those recipes. Sooner or later, you will have built up a pantry and assembly of cooking tools to match your personal style.

I do not weigh this too heavily against Ms. Allen, as she also has great advice on what to do if your power fails on your freezer or if you plan to move and are dealing with a full freezer.

Although this is a text for training future professional chefs, many of the classic recipes are remarkably unfussy. The master recipe for chicken stock cooks for only 3-5 hours, and adds all the vegetables at the beginning of the cooking rather than waiting for the last hour. Similarly, the master recipe for the basic omelet only cites one basic kind of French omelet and leaves out at least one of the fussier steps I have heard from various sources. The recipe for scrambled eggs is also not quite as fussy as the classic French method requiring a double boiler (bain marie).

Some techniques are illustrated with a set of photographs illustrating the steps, but these tend to be small and some major techniques are not so illustrated.

True to the author's emphasis on raw materials and the fact that the school has its own farm for vegetables, eggs, and fresh herbs, the introductory paragraphs to each section are rich in advice on how to pick and use raw materials. The introduction to eggs, one of my favorite subjects, is especially good on identifying the best eggs (how long ago was it laid) for each job.

Overall, this is an excellent reference for all sorts of recipes. I happened to check out the recipe for `basic hamburgers' and found a recipe that exactly duplicated my projected improvement over Julia Child's favorite hamburger recipe. Where Miss Julia has us put sautéed garlic and onion sandwiched between two layers of ground meat, Ms. Allen recommends the sautéed savories be mixed in with the ground meat, together with egg. A surprising touch recommends we also wrap it in caul fat, but this is optional.

One thing you will find in this book that you will not find in a CIA tome is a very personable, comradely tone which almost places Ms. Allen at your right hand as you read through the recipes. That means you will have a lot more fun reading this book than you may with a CIA text.

If you are very new to cooking, I highly recommend this as a first cookbook, especially if your ancestry can be traced back to the Emerald Isle! But, this is much, much more than a cookbook of Irish recipes.

I am a professional chef and have reviewed many cookbooks. This cookbook is one of the best I have ever seen and used. I was so impressed by it that I went and attended the 13 week course at the School in Ireland. The recipes are timeless,delicious,and will work every time if followed properly. This is what cooking should be fresh, beautiful, and nutritious.

The recipes are excellent and interesting, the commentary is informative and educational. The emphasis on seasonality is a good reminder of the real growing cycle of food, and the fairly simple treatment of ingredients highlights the flavor of well grown ingredients.

I was really excited when I received the book. Fantasticbooks stated that the book was in "new" condition and when I received it, it was. I also appreciated getting the book via USPS as opposed to other carriers. I like receiving the book in my PO Box instead of hoping that I am home when the other carriers come. I will continue to use this vendor as I continue to buy textbooks! EXCELLENT~

Excellent book for those in helping professions. I will keep this book and not resell it.

I found this book very easy to read. It described each code very well and provided examples both what is right and what is wrong. Great way to learn the ethics code and become familiar with it.

Decoding the Ethics Code is must reading for psychotherapists from all the mental health guilds. Celia Fisher was a member of the APA committee that drafted the 2002 revision of the Ethical Code, and there is nothing like going to the source. The book is readable and informative, and helps to make sense of the new HIPAA regulations No ethical practitioner can afford to be without this resource.

This book is essential for the shelf of any practicing psychologist or psychology student. It explicates the newest revision of the American Psychological Association's Ethics Code in a way that is interesting and understandable. My copy never gathers dust.

Before I bought, I open inside, then not more than a minute, I can feel, "Yes, this is what I want". Most books are full of pictures and say what happen, but do not give the reason of why or how. This book is what I like, it explianed in details. Well, what can I say, if you like to read pure theory, buy it, if you don't really like formular, just only theory..think about it, if you like picture book, don't buy it. Summary: it is not for beginner. But once you understand it, it is amazing.

The only one book I ever red about aeronautic, where I dont feel me badly stupid on mathematics, physic and other academic disciplines... From propreller to tail, wing AND cabine measurements, every thing is in the Stinton's book. And a bit more, an excellent sense of humour !

I am a pilot and aircraft builder and found this book essential for the comprehension of the structures and flight characteristics of the various aircraft designs. It is clearly written and contains explanations of immediate comprehension along with the more traditional calculations.

This book uses an incredible number of line drawings to very clearly illustrate points. One of the better fundamental aero engineering books I have seen. (note: This book is written in 'British English'- and is stuffed with a number of words that are spelled differently from 'American English' yet very 'recognisable' (ie: manoevrability, aeroplane, etc, etc). Makes it a fun read too).

I used this book as the main source of information and design data for the development of my own airplane design. The author goes directly into design carachteristics without spending too much in complicated aerodinamics formulations, but deep enough to cover the necessary details of the design process. Just basic engineering knowledge required.

I have been looking for a book like this for some time. The math and physics are at the college level, but I figure I need to learn something new. This could be worth working on. Now to find the materials and get to building. Who knows, I might be able to convert my car, build a new airplane, or even a classy cabin cruiser. Great book.

It is an amazing book that covers all subjects related to fuel cells in an understandable manner. It is the best book to be used as text book in a fuel cell course. It is really the unique book that truthfully has the necessary amount of information to build a PEMFC.

Fuel cells are a new topic for me, and I selected this book because the title and description seemed interesting. It was a great choice because it is written in easy to understand language - making a complicated subject understandable. Although there are many parts of the book geared toward designing a fuel cell with mathematical equations - -there are also other parts that simply describe how the fuel cell works, different types of fuel cells, different sources of hydrogen, the hydrogen economy etc. A "must read" for anyone interested in fuel cell technology.

On the whole, this is an excellent text, but I was a bit put off some of the opening discussion. The chapter on the "Hydrogen Economy" -- while well-written -- really didn't belong in the front of this book. It feels like an opinion piece, and the discussion questions at the end of that chapter felt biased. The first few paragraphs of the book aren't about fuel cells, they're about pollution, fossil fuel use, and global warming. While these are important topics worthy of discussion, they aren't fuel cells. The same print space could have told me something about nomenclature (What's a PEM cell? You'll have to flip ahead to chapter 3 to find out).

If I'm reading this book, I get that fuel cells are an important part of our technological future. What I wanted was an unbiased exploration and explanation of the technology. I got that, mostly, but I also got the author's opinion on government regulations (the author is clearly for them, and appears to feel that they are the best -- possibly only -- way to create the Hydrogen Economy) and was told that Carbon Dioxide is a pollutant directly responsible for global warming. Reasonable people can and have disagreed with both of these assertions, and I could and have read both sides of these arguments elsewhere. I didn't need them here.

In a field where only a limited number of books are available on the subject, it is refreshing when such a well written, compressive volume is released. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The author has skillfully combined an easy to understand description of fuel cell technology with enough meat (equations) to keep an engineer satisfied. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in fuel cells.

An excellent introduction for medical students and physicians to the illnesses of chemical dependency...I look forward to seeing it printed and will recommend it for the clinical wisdom it represents to medical students and house-staff."

Barton A. Harris, M.D.

Chief of Addictions, The Wyman Park Recovery Center, The Homewood Hospital Center, John Hopkins Health System

The only source of this information presented in a compact, easy to use format... an important, practical, and helpful work for the practicing physician."

Harold Lasker, M. D.

Senior Attending in Psychiatry South Oaks Hospital and the Brunswick Hospital Center Amityville, N.Y.

"At last, a treatment protocol that includes Neurotransmitter Restoration methodology. I hope it will be widely used"

Donald R. Davis, Ph.D.

Research Scientist Associate, Clayton Foundation Biochemical Institute, University of Texas at Austin.

"Very impressed...quite timely...I would recommend its use to physicians in any specialty"

J. Allen Chamberlain, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Clinical professor of Surgery, Baylor University.

"Highly readable and informative"

Charles S. Lieber, M.D.

Professor of Medicine and Pathology, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine.