Software engineering books are usually the most boring books you can find: you read them only if you have to. The reason is not because the subject is boring (it really is not), but because most of the software engineering researchers lack either knowledge, first hand experience, culture, intelligence, or combinations thereof.
This one is an exception. It if the first time I read a book on software engineering with the impression that I learn important things, that the authors know what they are talking about, and do no try to sell propaganda, but to understand the real issues behind reuse.
Taking reuse as a focal point, the book addresses and highlights most of the software engineering issues at stake in the last 20 years, from frameworks, patterns, oo programming up to metaclass programming and meta modeling. This makes it incidentally an ideal reference book for teaching software engineering in the large.
Not only you get plenty of technical details and well crafted examples, but you also get a fully documented vision - so often lacking in this field : that the whole point of engineering software is not only about solving problems, but also about solving them in the right way, elegantly, and so that the code produced is understandable, maintanable, etc. In short, that it makes sense.

"Reuse Based Software Engineering" is the best software reuse book that I have found. The coverage is exhaustive. The book is over 600 pages with 600 words per page - almost half a million words to reuse. The logical organization is detailed and facilitates domain modeling - the hierarchy goes to 3 levels in most places and has at the top level these sections:

* Introduction
* Organizational Aspects
* Domain Engineering: Building for Reuse
* Object-Oriented Domain Engineering
* Application Engineering
* Managerial Aspects of Software Reuse
* Software Reuse Technologies

No other book has such a comprehensive coverage of both the technical and managerial issues. More work has been done in the past on the technical issues, and this book faithfully represents that emphasis. The section on Object-Oriented Domain Engineering is 230 pages long and includes many examples of code that would facilitate object-oriented reuse.

The four authors are top international experts on software reuse. The book cites about 500 publications from the software reuse literature. In addition to covering all the major results of the past quarter century, the authors introduce some of their state of the art work. If you are seriously interested in software reuse, this book belongs in your collection.

If someone wanted to read one book to find out about the Richard III controversy, this is the one that I would recommend, although I think that it is valuable for anyone interested in the topic. In addition to a history of the man and the times, it also brings "richardology" up to date with discussions of romance novels and the Richard III society. If that's not enough, it's gorgeously and generously illustrated.

I have some disagreements with the author, but he is relatively fair-minded and even-handed. Pollard hews to the traditionalist view, i.e. that Richard III was a usurper and murdered his nephews, but unlike so many authors (on either side) he is not consumed with a desperation to prove his case that leads him into nonsensical arguments. He even punctures a few of the sillier traditionalist arguments. He goes into some detail about some of the fine points of the arguments, e.g., the symbolism of the hog, that will be valuable even to people who are already knowledgeable. Pollard also has a dry sense of humor that enlivens the writing.

Pollard gives an excellent discussion and history of his subject, thorough and clearly written. Much of the material can be found in any book on the subject, but some of it cannot, particularly his discussion of a popular play of the Babes in the Wood and its influence on Shakespeare's version of Richard. Pollard believes Richard murdered his nephews, although he softens it by saying it's OK because everybody did it--well, lots of people anyway. He makes a strong case, perhaps the strongest of anyone who argues that Richard was guilty, but is not biased against Richard. His discussion of the bones found in the the Tower during the reign of Charles II would have been more valuable, however, had Pollard researched forensic pathology even a tiny bit; he reports what this scientist says and what that scientist says, throwing anatomical terms around and then in parenthese saying "whatever that is." (A glance at Gray's Anatomy could have told you, Pollard.) Pollard is simply parroting, with only a hazy idea of what he is saying, which pretty much destroys the worth of any conclusions he draws. But the bones are ultimately not conclusive, even assuming that they are the bones of the Princes, and the rest of the book is of solid worth. Every library should own a copy; individuals may well hesitate at the stiff price, cause by the fact that the book is printed on glossy paper and stuffed with colour pictures. Go for the paperback if you must, but the content makes this book in some form essential for those interested in Richard.

Why have almost all of today's most celebrated marketing wizards made it their business to know about this man and examine his ideas? Why does virtually every serious management book recognize, document, and praise his insights? How do his life and his legacy continue to inspire and inform the visions of today's most alert and innovative entrepreneurs? Why is global interest now mounting in his multifaceted work?

Fascinating and visionary, Abraham Harold Maslow (1908-1970) pioneered revolutionary ideas that helped form modern psychology and laid the foundation of the human side of management and marketing. His lifetime of discoveries in motivation and personality transcended academic psychology, and extended into the major business fields of management and marketing. Maslow also loved to explore nascent, barely perceptible social trends and speculate boldly about their long-term consequences. He was the originator of such important concepts as the hierarchy of human needs, self-actualization, higher motivation, team decision-making and business synergy.

All business students-not just of management development and organizational behaviour-should read this seminal biography. Critically acclaimed in its first edition and now revised and updated for this paperback edition, The Right to Be Human is a fascinating portrait of one of the seminal thinkers of the twentieth century-at once a vivid biography of a truly original personality and an intellectual journey to the very source of how we think about and manage our businesses today.

Edward Hoffman, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in New York with degrees from Cornell University and the University of Michigan. He has authored several books including Future Visions: The Unpublished Papers of Abraham Maslow, The Drive for Self: Alfred Adler and the Founding of Individual Psychology and The Book of Fathers' Wisdom.

One of the greatest biographies written this century!! While Freud and his followers convinced the world that we all repressed our inherent wickedness and immorality, Maslow sought out the good in people--"the best of humanity". Dr. Hoffman has written one of the most accessible and fascinating biographies of the century. Shown here with warts and all, Hoffman delivers a full and rich account of one of Psychology's greatest thinkers. As brilliant as he was compassionate, Maslow radically changed both psychology and the corporate world. However, Kudos need to go to Hoffman, who skillfully and eloquently brought Maslow to the masses. Anyone interested in psychology, business, or simply the trials and triumphs of a fellow human being will take away more from this book than any other text available. Highly Recomended!!

This book knocks the legs out of the diamond industry. What appears elegant and elite turns out to be a down and dirty industry, selling tainted, overpriced products. And they've maintained a monopoly during generations of anti-trust measures!

This book is very readable and very entertaining. I wrote a report on the subject for a MBA class which got great reviews. I'm inclined to think it was as much for the shocking truths which were revealed as much as my superior writing skills! I'd recommend this book to anyone who has ever considered purchasing a diamond.

This is an unparallelled history on the account of a most treasured mineral which continues to live on only through the de Beerse's famous and clever phrase: "Diamonds are forever." After so many found, cut, polished and rated by the 3 c's, it's stunning one can still be duped into buying a fake. There is a Statue in Antwerp, Belgium, of Lodewijk Van Berken, Go see it! You will understand!

With a 3.5 and a 5.5 year old, I've spent a lot of time with picture books in the last few years. My favorites are those with bright pictures, great rhymes and a happy story. This one tops the list!

My one-year-old son and I roar together when we read this noisy book! The book follows a lion cub in Africa as he goes on a walk to find someone to play with him. Of course, the other animals run away thinking he is roaring at them. Delicious alliteration adds to the fun as the cub runs into increasingly larger groups of animals. The illustrations using acrylics and colored pencils give the animals wonderful faces.

The author begins with this tribute by James Russell Lowell:

  These pearls of thought in Persian Gulfs were bred,
  Each softly lucent as a rounded moon;
  The diver Omar plucked them from their bed,
  Fitzgerald strung them on an English thread.

To which I feel inspired to add the following:

  These pearls that Omar found and Edward threaded
  Cecile MacTaggart, to a Scotsman wedded,
  Took, some from one string and some from another,
  And in a setting splendidly imbedded.

As an often overly dramatic and imaginative adolescent, I would go about chanting (silently to myself, of course) "I sent my soul into the invisable..." and since, have peruised the editions of Fitzgerald's Rubaiyat translations with sometimes thrill and sometimes apathy Now comes this new editor's compilation; this is a volume that will enrich all the senses. It is not just the verses of Omar, it is a fusion of all our artistic expressions. It should be read both silently to oneself and aloud, to oneself and the one you love. The pictures must be studied and drempt about. The book is not for brisk reading, but slowly and repeditively, allowing reality to fade and fantasy and memory to emerge. It is the "gourmet" for the soul.One suggestion: Cecile,(once this book is read she can no lomger be Mrs. MacTaggart) writes her editorialc history at the back of the volume, humbly allowing the history of the Rubaiyat to preceed the verses. I think her tales of the "agony and exstasy" that evollved this edition are so marvelously human; laughter, anger and tears, that they embellish the enjoyment of the reading. Perhaps one should read the last first.

I'd say move over Tom Clancy, but this book came out a long time before Tom Clancy. It was a very well written book by someone who was actually there. I'm not sure but I think it might have been somewhat autobiographical. If you get a chance you should check out some of the other books by this author, especially Submarine which I belive is a followup to this book and Cold Is the Sea which has the same character but entering the nuclear age.

This book is great! It is very descriptive with sub warfare. If you loved THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, you wll love this!

Breaks running down into 7 time periods from I. Running by Pre-and Early Humans (5,000,000-200,000 BC) all the way to VII The Modern Superstars (1950-2000). Covers the history of running spicing in some great biographies within the stories. Learn about the famous 20th century stars like Carl Lewis, Emil Zatopek and Haile Gebresilasie as well as obscure 19th century runners like George Seward, Harry Hutchens and Amy Howard.
Details how running began, the ancient Olympics, running naked, improvements in time keeping, all sorts of things that most runners never even think of. Running Through the Ages has great illustrations and excellent writing style. Ed Sears has really done his research. Whether you are a runner or simply a sports fan, I highly recommend this book. Not just track fans but all "serious" sports fans should pick up a copy of this great work!

Running Through the Ages is the most absorbing historical account of running and runners I have read. Its scope is wider than anything previously attempted, ranging from prehistory to the end of the twentieth century, and taking in professional running for men and women as well as the more familiar amateur era that dominated the last century. It is supported by hundreds of rare illustrations, most of which will be new, even to historians of the sport. There is a six-page bibliography and a comprehensive index. Edward Sears is a runner himself, and he wrotes with insight and enthusiasm as well as the skill of a storyteller. His section on George Seward, "The American Wonder", is a revelation. There are superb assessments of athletes as varied as Deerfoot, Arthur Duffey, Paavo Nurmi, Helen Stephens, Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, Bill Rodgers, Buddy Edelen and Haile Gerbrselassie, for this author has the deep knowledge of the sport to give credit to great and lesser names. All the great races are vividly described and the dramas of the Olympic arena expertly chronicled. This is a fine, inspiring and articulate book. I don't merely recommend it to anyone interested in the sport; I urge you to read it.

As an analyst and historian of the Pearl Harbor attack, Ned Beach brings to the table qualifications few others can match: a career as a highly-decorated Navy commander and combat veteran. That makes this look at America's on-scene military leaders on the Day of Infamy particularly insightful, and Captain Beach's opinions particularly worthy of respect.

Almost from the moment the bombs stopped falling, the rush was on to hold someone responsible for the catastrophe. Anxious to draw attention away from errors (or, according to some, deliberate policy decisions) by senior officials in Washington, D.C., government investigators and their defenders fingered Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and General Walter Short, the commanders in Hawaii, as the men to blame.

Beach sees this as accusation as a slur on the memories of two competent and dedicated officers. Kimmel and Short, Beach argues, did the best they could with the incomplete information and insufficient tools they were given. Beach does not subscribe to the 'Roosevelt knew' school of thought, though he does argue that Roosevelt's policies regarding Japan made war inevitable. Beach's main criticisms are directed at America's military and diplomatic intelligence services, short-sighted budget priorities, and political pressure to 'make someone pay' for what happened.

Very useful in its own right is Beach's concluding 'References' section, in which he shares his thoughts on nearly three dozen books, articles, and government reports on the Pearl Harbor attack. Toland, Prange, Clausen, George Morgenstern, and other key pillars of Pearl Harbor historiography are all covered in this chapter.

Author of the classic navy story 'Run Silent, Run Deep,' Captain Beach is a skilled writer as well as a keen observer, and the prose in this relatively short book never lags. 'Scapegoats' helped start the movement, still ongoing in Congress and elsewhere, to rehabilitate Kimmel's and Short's reputations, and clear their names of six decades of tarnish and shame. Beach ably makes a strong case for righting this wrong as soon as possible.

CAPT Beach's book is extremely well researched and expertly written. In just 200 pages, he provides the reader with the information available in D.C. prior to 12/7/41. He also shows how little of the information was passed to Hawaii. As to Kimmel and Short: "The glove does not fit; so...."

This book is nothing but the "Bible". Parker Smith (Wolf?) and Burris-Meyer & Cole is the staff of the scenery education. Packed full of pertinent and necessary information. After 25 years of building scenery this is still one of my foremost resources. Unlike Parker Smith which also covers lighting design and as such, older editions can be outdated due to changes in basic technology, Burris-Meyer & Cole is a timeless reference book dealing hands on with techniques that have been and will be around for a long time. If you haven't a copy of this and intend to be a serious scenery professional find a copy.

This book has been a constant source of answers for all of my questions. It is the foundation that all theatre designer/technicians need. If you can find it, get it!