Chicago as it is. The history of Capitalism and the history of American power have never been disected like this before. This is a good intro to those who are interested in cultural studies and their relevance to our every day lives. This is a superb work in the line of Braudel, Jared Diamond and Mike Davis.

Ably translated into English by Graeme Thomson, The Pig And The Skyscraper, Chicago: A History Of Our Future by Marco d'Eramo is a serious-minded and acutely insightful social analysis of Chicago as the penultimate example of the modern metropolis. From Chicago's humble origins to its towering rise in world prestige to the churning capitalism that keeps it running, The Pig and the Skyscraper looks closely at America's famous windy city and pulls no punches regarding the dark side of urban sprawl. A fascinating, in-depth account, The Pig And The Skyscraper is especially recommended reading for students of Urban Studies and the historical, contemporary, and future development of metropolitan Chicago.

There are not many books available on tempera painting mainly because few artists these days have either the time or the patience to grind their own pigments and mix them into a binder. For anyone who does have such an interest egg tempera is a fascinating and beautiful medium to learn. Anyone who has ever tried to scrape off dried egg yolk from a plate will soon realize how incredibly durable a binder it makes for a painting medium. The Practice of Tempera Painting covers a lot of subjects in-depth. Everything from preparing the surface, pigment to egg to water ratios, discussions of various pigments to actual instructions for the traditional hatching and cross-hatching brushstroke technique is shown.

The only section readers today might want to supplement is reading up on a more up-to-date book on pigments. Many of the pigments discussed in Thompson's book, while still available, are now known to present health risks. Modern pigments that are safer and just as lightfast (in some cases even more lightfast) are now available that Thompson and painters of the 1930's didn't have. Other than that one caveat this book is a great introduction to egg tempera painting.

This excellent introduction to egg tempera is invaluable to oil painters as well. Thompson's writing is filled with humor and wit, making the book very readable.

I was delighted to discover that, unlike so many books about painting techniques, Thompson's is clear and thorough without being a condescending "how to" manual. It also avoids being mired in footnotes and tedious tangential detail. It is obvious that he speaks from the perspectives of both painter and scholar. The only drawback is that the reproductions are in black and white, but as this was standard when the volume was written it is forgivable.

This book will prove informative for artists, teachers, and museum professionals (I am all three) who are in search of solid information on tempera painting. Look no further and enjoy the read!

There is truly nothing else out there quite like this book. I was looking for a book that breaks away from traditional quilting, expecially one that uses lots of curves in the design. And what a treat I found in this book! The authors use discarded clothing for fabric and buttons, and they delight in incorporating hidden elements, poetry, Chinese fortunes, removeable or repositionable parts and even game boards. Their method of sewing curves is super-easy, unlike other books in my collection. The result ? funky, creative, playful quilts that are great for, but certainly not limited to, kids. These are NOT your Grandmother's quilts! I would love to see more books by these innovative authors. If you have avoided learning to quilt because it looks complicated and boring, get this book NOW.

I've been looking for a book like Quilt Sensations since I started quilting. The projects are fun colorful and incredibly creative. Most of them are "playable" with hidden pockets and surprise messages and all of the quilts are a pleasure to look at. The authors focus mostly on texture and tend to avoid anything where you have to have a perfect stich and they give a lot of lee way in the instructions so the quilt can be made truly unique. The projects vary from super easy to more challanging. My only complaints were that a couple of the instructions weren't the best and I had to read them a over before my mind went "Oh!" and that some of the fabric the authors used can be rather expensive. All told this is one of my favorite quilt books ever and I wish there were more books like it out there.

George Richard "Richie" Diener was born in 1954 during the height of the baby boom. He is the picture of middle class. His father, George, Sr. is a spice salesman and mother is a homemaker. Richie and his little brother Russell are the poster boys for Nassau County, N. Y. suburbia.

Life unravels during the summer of 1969 when Richie, then 15, steals a bike and starts smoking pot. He begins associating with the drug takers and thugs and his relationships with his parents deteriorate to animosity. Bored by school, Richie scraps his dream of becoming a herpetologist. He is transformed from a boy who loved and collected every stray animal he saw into a sullen drug addict.

In February of 1972 matters reach a head when Richie threatens both parents after he totals their 1966 Buick LeSabre. George defends himself and his wife by shooting Richie to death. This is a very tragic story of how drugs will ultimately kill relationships, kill abilities and kill people.

My 8-9th grade English teacher picked this book out of our schools library for me to read and do a report on. I read the book in one sitting..it was that riveting! It held my attention and kept me looking for the answers and also asking questions. I am hoping to find a copy of it for my own teenagers to read.

Thompson has hit the bullseye. This is a very believeable and exciting novel. A true dipiction of living and dying by the gun in the Old West. I hope to see more books from J. M. Thompson!

This is one of the best Westerns in years. Billy Blue is a believable character. The story is very realistic and true to the time frame. Is this J.M.Thompson's first book? Don't recall seeing the name before. Hope he writes more!

The title of this book need not deter you. Yes, it is aimed at both Test Managers (the risk elements) and at web testers (the E-Business content). However, if, like me, you fall into neither category, it is still a very worthwhile addition to your reading list and workplace library.

The authors use very practical examples from real life testing to illustrate points. A continuous analogy of an individual E-Business being like a shop, with potential walk-in customers, works very well. Some rather startling facts emerge too; the average visit to the Systeme Evolutif web-site (of which Paul Gerrard is the web-master) is less than two minutes. I am sure that is true of a lot of sites, including those that are payment-now, real business sites.

Everyone in testing seems to promote 'risk'. Here is a strategy for answering the inevitable questions on ready-for-live issues based on whether risks have been addressed. "When enough tests have been prepared, executed and passed to convince the risk-owners that the risk has been addressed, enough testing has been done".

I have dabbled in web testing, both formally and informally (the latter probably every time I use the internet). The techniques for addressing real and perceived E-Business risks have a large carry over into other (i.e. non E-Business) test forms. The sections on performance, usability and Large Scale Integration rung some bells with me, and the use of tools is both encouraged, and discouraged. Strange as it may seem, the way of doing this did not seem to be contradictory. The sections on why the concept of E-Business is different only seeks to place MORE emphasis on why a coherent risk strategy is necessary. With web applications, not only is the time-to-market critical, but the price of failure can be so much more disastrous.

Use of American spelling and currency (everything is quoted in dollars) jars for the British reader, and look out for the words "we", "us", and "our". These are sometimes used a little ambiguously. (Ask who "us" refers to). However, expect to be challenged, and encouraged on to the land of better testing. There is a wealth of source material provided, especially on tools, and toll providers. There are lots of web-based references; additionally, a significant number of articles and books referenced are from 2001 or 2002.

The preface gives one of the reasons for the book being the ordering of the vast quantities of information that there is around. What was set out as an aim has been achieved, and both Paul and Neil have brought their experience, knowledge and communications skills to benefit us all. One of the dedications says: "To all those testers who do the best they can, but always think they should do more". I for one appreciate that the book was written for me. Thanks.

Although the focus is on e_business testing this book has changed my views about the realities of risk-based testing for any environment. First, the authors give a dose of reality regarding the differences between 'best practices' provided in the testing body of knowledge that is growing into hundreds of books (less than two years ago there were only a few dozen books on software testing, so this is a positive trend for the profession as a whole). Second, the fallacies in conventional risk-based testing are exposed. Here the authors propose that testing be exclusively focused on product risk, instead of trying to encompass the wider scope that includes project and process risk. This, in my opinion, is sage advice and keeps testing focused on areas where it can contribute to a project's success.

Among the strong points of this book are it's clear writing, which is full of examples, and the logical sequence in which the material is presented. In addition, the clear definitions of general risk management and associated processes and procedures, and how it all ties together are among the most succinct I've read. However, the best aspect of this book is the way the chapters build upon each other, and the complete coverage of risk-based testing.

Specifics include a general chapters on risk-based e-business testing and types of web site failures that lay the foundation for the technical aspects of the book. These are followed by chapters that show how to develop an e-business test strategy, how to fit risk analysis to a test process, and a comprehensive treatment of test techniques and tools. The latter is especially valuable because it covers the full range of testing techniques that are tailored to e-business testing, which includes static, web page integration, functional, service and usability testing. This part of the book also includes security testing and large scale integration testing - both of which make this one of the most complete collections of test techniques for e-business as well as general testing.

The remainder of the book covers the context of e-business testing (including brief advice on how it fits within Extreme Programming and the Unified Process), E-business test organization, planning and specifications (a wealth of information for the test manager), and E-business test execution (which also addresses important topics such as incident management and testing in a live environment). The two appendices, Essential Web Technologies for Testers and Web Testing Using Home Brew Tools are also valuable.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is involved in E-business testing, and also recommend that it be used in conjunction with Systematic Software Testing by Rick D. Craig by Stefan P. Jaskiel (ISBN 1580535089), which nicely augments this book.

Jill-
We have all four of your Scary Godmother books and need more! They are a great combination of story-telling, art, and spooky fun. More please!

I've purchased all of the Scary Godmother books in this seriesd and I have to say, I've enjoyed them all. But this is the one my nieces and nephews have me read over and over and over! It's almost Halloween and the Scary Godmother comes down with "the dreaded Boo Flu" so her little friend Hannah volunteers for Scary Godmother duty. It's a much bigger job than she thought. Great fun to see her trying to finish the list of Halloween chores. And poor Scary Godmother. The Boo Flu has her laid up in bed with the monsters trying to cure her. Yikes! There are so many fun things to look at. The full page pictures are really excellent. Lots of stuff for kids to point out and look at. And the whole book flows in a wonderful rhyme.

Great for Halloween and the rest of the year ( as my nieces and nephews have proved!)

Rarely has my daughter enjoyed a book as much as this one. It is even rarer yet for me to take the time to get online and plug it for others to buy! All of the Scary Godmother titles are great Halloween fun. The painted art simply has to be seen to be believed. A must buy for October 31st.

The Scary Godmother is one of the most unique characters to burst upon the scene in a long time. Ms. Thompson's second offering "The Mystery Date" is a grand adventure. She has a wonderful knack of developing "scary" characters and making you love them! Our darling Hannah builds on her relationships with Skully Pettibone, Bug-A-Boo and the rest of her friends, and adds more acquaintences to her circle.

What a treat to see another side of Scary Godmother, a side we can all relate to. Is it possible? Has she become even more endearing to the reader?

Just read "Mystery Date!" It is great for adults and kids alike.

Keep 'em coming, Jill.

...with any of the Scary Godmother Books. They are all instant classics. The illustrations are some of the best I have ever seen. My daughter loves this book.

...a beautiful and entertaining book. What adult or child would not find this book enthralling?

I am a eight year old boy, I loved this book. I really enjoyed reading this book and I learned alot about history from it.

This is probally the best book i have ever read, and I reccomend it to anyone that lies a wonderful story!!!

this book is a fascinating piece of literature. i purchased this historical novel for my son, who enjoyed it immensely. i found this to be the most enjoyable piece of fiction i have ever read.

I think this masterpiece will go down in history second only to the bible. It is by far the most well written, historically accurate, fascinating book i have ever had the immense pleasure of reading.

i read this awesome book in one seating and have since read it dozens of more times and have enjoyed it more and more with each read.

i strongly recommend this book to children, teenagers and adults.