If you plan on coding exclusively with JDK 1.1 I would wait for the upcoming two volume set (by the same title) from these authors. If they are as good as this volume, they will be worth the money in the time that they save.

It will take you no more than a second or two after opening this book to realize that your search for the perfect Java reference guide is over. Co-authored by one of the founding members and lead developer of the Java project at Sun, this book weighs in at almost 1700 pages, over 140 of which are used for the comprehensive index, and all of which are put to good use.

The book covers all the class libraries, including the AWT and applet packages, and includes brief overviews of each package. The bulk of the book is made up of the class library reference section. The classes are organized alphabetically, with their member methods following. Each class is introduced with a diagram showing it's place within the class hierarchy, along with its syntax, a description, a member summary, and example code. Each member entry includes sections on purpose, syntax, description, parameters, see also, and an example (some of which refer back to the class example). According to the book cover there are more than 600 examples and over 20,000 lines of code. (There is no CD-ROM included but the code can be downloaded from the Web.)

If all this sounds like a dream come true for Java programmers, it is. Although I haven't spent enough time with the book to be able to judge its accuracy, I would recommend it without hesitation to anyone programming in Java. It's the reference guide you've been waiting for.

Many first time martial artists might be bored with the many philosophical parts but when read through and through again will come to learn and master not only JKD, but also the way of life and living day by day as it happens.

Jeet Kune Do teaches us to not look at the outside of things (and that means everything), but to look at the inside. Now I'll talk like Bruce Lee talked. You don't drink dilluted wine do you?
The martial arts that are Americanized to a point of digust is diluted wine. Jeet Kune Do teaches not to look at the flower but to look at the roots.

But this book isn't about Abraham Lincoln. It's about the trait that we will all, both saints and sinners, one day have in common: death. And it is about the small triumphs of life that the dead remember. Just as William Carlos Williams was a doctor, and his poetry was informed by his contact with everyday people, so too Masters. He was a lawyer and a keen observationist. He writes directly and frankly, especially about male-female relations, which earned this book a bit of a scandalous reputation in its time. Of course, it is mild enough today that the book is assigned reading in junior highs, even in the South.

I've read this book three times through, and often re-read individual favorites. And I have it in easy reach on my shelf because I plan to keep re-reading it. There is something about the people of Spoon River and their sentiments that keeps me coming back. As May Swenson says, in her introduction to this edition, Masters "bequeathed to us a world in microcosm." A world, in my opinion, worth exploring again and again.

Masters has written not fables, but the essence of American life. He hasn't captured the life and times of 1915, but has instead recorded in 1915 the life and times of our present day America.

The same reason the paintings of Norman Rockwell makes sense is why Edgar Lee Masters poetry makes sense. To read the quick messages on the gravestone of one man, learning a little bit him, and something about a neighbor or two, we can learn a little about how we live in communities today.

Our lives, like Jimmy Stewart's character in "It's a Wonderful Life" found out, interact and impact everyone we meet. Who we love, who we should love and who we reject. And when we die, others feel the loss. Masters has aptly put this in a humorous, yet insightful way into short verses.

The poems don't rhyme. The meter is not solid, and the poetics aren't intricate. They aren't poems like Poe's or Dickinson, not in the way they wrote American poems. Don't expect iambic pentameter-based sonnets or villanelles. Expect a conversation, and listen in.

The poetry here is in the subtle use of social nuance. In the nuances are his insight and wit. Two readings will bring to light what you miss in the first.

Buy this book, read it slow. It reads faster than most poetry book, but don't get caught in the temptation to zoom through each poem just because you can.

After you read it, see the play if it happens to be performed in your town.

I fully recommend it.

Anthony Trendl

This book has moved me more than anything else I've read in recent years, and I highly recommend that othes read this outstanding work of art.

The McAlesters combine an informative introduction with a chapter-by-chapter guide to each of the major styles of home architecture in the United States. Each chapter includes both crisp, detailed line drawings and a wealth of photographs of actual houses themselves. The photographs alone--there are literally hundreds of them--make this book an invaluable reference work.

The McAlesters also provide newcomers with a useful primer to the language of home architecture. After reading this book you might find yourself using terms like "hipped dormer," "decorated verge board," "roof-line balustrade," and "ogee arch" when you visit a new neighborhood.

From Native American tipis to geodesic domes, from Chateauesque mansions to mobile homes--all this and more is in here. This book is a monumental achievement.

Some the things they reveal are far-fetched and may be impossible to ever prove one way or another, but there's plenty more that is incontrovertible. And everything in the book is interesting. Acid Dreams adds a fresh and wonderful perspective on this aspect of our recent history. A more recent book called "Hepcats, Narcs, and Pipe Dreams," provides a complimentary education on this topic, covering a broader history of illegal drugs throughout America's past. Readers who enjoy Acid Dreams may want to follow up with this one.--Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.

Here is my review: This is a beautifully written book. Truly inspired and profoundly inspirational. The author shares her fascinating journey of self-discovery in an eloquent style that doesn't hold back any punches.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in their own personal or spiritual growth, no matter if you started on your path twenty years ago or yesterday, or to anyone who desires a greater understanding of God, the universe and mankind.

This is an author who clearly loves life.

I cannot thank you enough Donna Gorrell for your brilliance, your insight, your honesty, your humility and courage to write this book.

But the book proved even more valuable after we adopted our hound. After a second reading, we understood much better what to do in addressing some minor problems and behaviors.

If you are thinking about adopting an ex-racer, first read Chapter 3: Determining Whether Adopting a Retired Racing Greyhound is Right for You. You'll be able to tell after this chapter if the Greyhound fits your lifestyle. If the answer is yes, buy the book immediately. It will become the most valuable source of information about your new best friend you'll have at your disposal. Then enjoy your new pal. You're in for loads of fun.

242 pages

In one reading, it's easy to see why "Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies" is superior to anything else out there. Here are some of the highlights that were valuable to us:

1. TRAINING
All throughout, there is much ink given to training. This book spends A LOT of time teaching you how to train your greyhound its name, behaviors, tricks, and commands. The training is very easy to understand, and it is oriented toward positive reinforcement and rewards.

2. HEADING PROBLEMS OFF AT THE PASS
There are a lot of potential problems addressed here, ranging from rivalries with other dogs, helping him get over fear, as well as a huge section on possible health issues and what to do about them.

3. FOOD
A big section on different things to look for while reading food labels.

4. HISTORY
It talks about what the dogs went through during their life at the track, so that you better understand where they are coming from when they enter your home.

Other books that we have read discuss these same things, but in a more general (and less-helpful) way. Here you find simple, practical advice.

If you want just one book on the subject of retired racing greyhounds, this is it!