I bought this book about six months before I planned to buy the ring, and it really gave me a good starting point for shopping. I found (like others have said) that when I went to jewellery stores and made it clear I had an idea about what I wanted to spend and what kind of diamond I wanted, I was given a great deal more respect by the salespeople then when I shopped without that information. This book helped prepare me for my shopping experience, but in no way was I ready to purchase after simply reading about diamonds. I needed to go out and look at different types of stones, and decide what we wanted to buy. After all, a diamond is more then just metrics and cost, it's value is in it's beauty, and beauty is judged by the eye. Each stone is unique, and so to get a feel for what diamond to buy, one needs to look at actual diamonds.

This book also helped me build a relationship with a jeweller -- something far more valuable then the raw information in the text -- because it gave me the information I needed to begin evaluating diamonds with confidence, and thus I was able to choose a dealer I felt comfortable with, and who provided me with what I knew was a good value.

One area where this book is lacking is in the insurance arena. It could provide more information about the options provided.

It should also list online links to diamond-related sites. I found a number of useful sites during my personal searches that should be in an appendix.

My husband and I purchased this book in 1993 when we were talking about "getting engaged". This book helped my husband in learning a great deal about diamonds and how its not just size that matters. We have used this book over the years for every diamond purchase we have made - which have been quite a few. Ms. Matlins' book is informative and fun. We have recommended this book to friends and family and constantly use it as a foundation in making diamond and fine jewelry purchases that will last a lifetime.

I read this book few years ago cover to cover before I purchased the diamond ring for my then-girlfriend (now wife). It is very good.

I notice that even the jewelry stores merchants talk differently once they found out you know their trade. Some even brought out a different collection because they know you appreciate the better quality. Knowing how to tell the difference in quality prevent you from being ripped off.

I wonder if the new edition coming up this year will talk about the injection into the market of large batches of diamonds stolen from the Russian Treasury.

Great story, poorly translated, and bogs down in details you may not care about.

Reinhold Messner is clearly one of the great climbers of all time and maybe arguably the greatest. Having climbed all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters by himself without supplemental oxygen, this is the story of the tallest-Everest.

Like good fiction, the story has several dimensions that work together. The three basic themes include: ·The story of the opening of Tibet ·The story of climbing Everest ·The story of a waiting love one

For the pure climbing enthusiast, much of this book is likely to be pretty boring. Approximately half the book is dedicated to the story of obtaining permission to climb Everest on the Tibetan side and his traveling through Tibet on his way to the mountain. Reinhold Messner has a deep love for Tibet and its people. For him this first trip through Tibet was as exciting as the assent of Everest. For someone less interested in this, the first half of the book is excruciating. Interwoven in this section is Messner's political agenda to free Tibet from Chinese domination.

The story of the actual climb is amazing. Undeniably one of the most amazing ascents ever, he climbed Mount Everest, alone, without supplemental oxygen, during the monsoon period! Obviously crazy, the accomplishment is undeniable. What was especially great is getting a sense of what it was like for him to make the climb, the obstacles he faced, and the nearly robotic drive to the top of the mountain. It is both inspiring and daunting. During the ascent, he finds himself in impossible positions like his having fallen into a crevasse or crack in the glacier. You know that he survives but you still find your self on the edge of your seat in total suspense. It was difficult to put the book down during this part of the book.

Throughout the story there are excerpts from the diary of his girlfriend. For the most part, I found this annoying and did not want to hear her story. At the same time, it was interesting to have the perspective of the loved ones who wait at the bottom to see if you come home. It certainly is hard for anyone who cares. At the same time, those climbing the mountain give the mountain everything and emotionally, mentally, or physically there is nothing left. Undoubtedly this is a major reason for Messner's previous divorce. While mountain climbing may be the art of suffering, this element of the book shows that it is also a part of the lives of the climber's loved ones.

The worst part of the book is the writing. I am not sure if it is on the part of bad English by Reinhold Messner or poor translation by an editor. In either case, those familiar with working with the Germans will recognize the sometimes-strange sentence structure, phases that do not make sense, and the occasional struggle to figure out what the heck he is trying to say. I look forward to my German improving so that I can read the book in German.

All in all, an amazing story and is well worth the time to read it. The reader that is able to skim through uninteresting parts will enjoy the book more. Otherwise it requires some amount of dedication to power through the parts that are of disinterest.

Messner manages to weave his way thru all the complex issues and logistics involved in a mountain climbing expedition. However, much of the narrative is spent detailing his inability to deal with his status as a world reknowned climber and constant bickering with his then girlfriend who accompanied him on the climb. Despite these shortcomings, the book is intriguing and a gripping account of a solo climb of the world's tallest mountain. The pictures are an added bonus.

I could not say anything less then that Reinhold Messner's "The Crystal Horizon" is a great book. It is not a usual climber's book, but rather a strange mix of history, politics, religion, geography, meteorology, personal history and world views of the man who is beyond doubt the greatest living mountaineer. The book deals with the first solo accent of Mnt. Everest, accomplished during the monsoon season. It is ravenously illustrated and photographed. It is an exciting adventure. It is a riot and a sad story of a man who escapes to the mountain to find peace. It is well worth you time.

One should forgive Messner (or rather his translator) some awkward sentence structures, punctuated by the action and verbal phrases put at the end of sentence, and quite frequent exercises in the obscure mix of native religion, Buddhist witticisms and Central European Christianity. I do however, applaud the honesty and occasional beauty of those philosophical excesses, particularly when he talks about feeling akin to Sisyphus when climbing and when he exhibits the diary entries of his girlfriend which does not always portrays him in the best light possible.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot.

When I finished reading this book I found myself strangely unmoved by it. It never seemed to delve deeply into its own story or my imagination. True, it's a short book, and that could have been part of the problem, but I've read many short books that still managed to leave a lasting impression. This book struck me as almost a speculative fiction equivalent to a cheap romance novel in its shallowness, predictability and overall forgetability.

Not only was this book uncompelling, but the main character was an unlikeable person who was constantly demeaning or insulting her more likeable sidekick--and she seemed to have a major gripe about just about everything else, as well. I can understand some of her objections, but she could stand to give it a rest sometimes. When I read a book, I generally imagine myself in the lead character's point of view, but Joan had such an unpleasant, unkind disposition that it was uncomfortable to ride her shoulder.

I guess I'd recommend this book if you want a quick read and don't want to have to think too much or get involved in the story or relate to the characters, but otherwise save your money.

Kara Dalkey is able to develope two well thought out characters for the reader to enjoy. They play off each other throughout the story. I only wished it was longer! The story mixes a modern day setting with fantasy elements, in an plausible and often times humorous fashion. Crystal Sage was a page turner until the end and a satisfying read throughout.

While reading this book I was aware only of being thoroughly caught up in the story. It was when I'd (reluctantly) put it down to for a while that I found myself marvelling at how well Ms. Dalkey wove her themes together. Celtic fairy legends mingle with Native American mythology. And both fantasy elements mingle with a realistic treatment of the very modern clash of values between those who love the wilderness and those prefer the controlled environment of buildings and roadways. It's rare for a book to be both this much fun and this thought-provoking at the same time. If there were a sequal I'd buy it today!

The book is supposed to be an academic objective fact list, but unfortunately it involves lots of political considerations regarding to the decisions about which facts to include. For example, Israel is ommited from many country lists (e.g. from the academic institution list - there is no Israely university over there!), and many African (French-oriented) countries. It's a pitty to find a book coming from Cambridge so politics oriented. This is not a real academic fact finder! - Grahm K.R. Schneider

The Cambridge Factfinder is a very useful reference for anyone doing research into almost any subject. I have found myself refering to this book quite often over the years to obtain obscure information that is often hard to find quickly in other places. Like the Almanac, it has a whole host of current and historical information. This is definitely a recommended reference for anyone's library who does any sort of writing or research work. I found it both interesting to browse through, as well as a quick useful reference.

This book is a complete database of essential information. Subjects covered vary from Astronomy to music and from Country information to mathematical formulae. Other random information in the book include Shakespeare's plays, genetic information, famous artists, political leaders, composition of food(e.g. fat content in food) to name just a few.

Best of all, the information is up to date, pretty accurate and easy to find.

The most complete and reader "friendly" reference books, I have ever read.

The book gave excellant background information on the subject.

I was not looking for background, so it was not helpful to me. I believe it would be very good for someone interested in the technical aspects of the subject.

This book is just full of information about colors and gem stones. It makes you realize we live in a world that is alive with atomic particles and their vibrations and influences on the human body. It is almost like reading about magic, but without the mystery produced by illusions. Any reader interested in these subjects will enjoy reading it. Even the scientific parts are really interesting.

An engrossing and informative book that is chockful of facts and esoterica. I knew about Edgar Cayce before reading this book, but I didn't realize he covered these subjects in his clairvoyant readings. It made me realize even more how the world and everything that is in it is made up of atomic vibrations. The author covers a lot of material and keeps it in perspective throughout. I wish there had been more. Just wonderful! Mr. Cayce was a man of faith and a devout Christian.

Having purchased the Level One Manual from Hammerman Associates, I was eager to see how Level two would help with my report writing needs. Once again, everything is explained so that it is easy to understand and takes you step by step.

I would highly recommend this book after you have purchased their Level One book.

I teach Crystal classes and love using the Hammerman books. They are packed with lots of great examples and enough details for the students to take home for further study and use outside class, back in the office confronting real-world reporting problems.

I found this to be a great step by step manual to learn Crystal Reports. The data files were easily downloaded, so the answers to each exercise matched exactly. Each topic was broken down with exercises to reinforce the learning experience. The book was well written. Thank you.

Carlos Fuentes is a major author in Mexican literature, with notable successes in history and fiction. In this book of 266 pages, he introduces us to the lives of a spectrum of persons living on both sides of the Mexican Border, particularly with Texas. He speaks with authority about the historical injustices involved in the American conquest of Texas, the War on Mexico, and our continuing hostile dependency on each other. The Americans need cheap labor and the Mexicans need jobs. In nine vignettes (chapters), he gives us a glimpse into the lives of various persons on both sides of the border. The Mexicans come North to go to school legally or to do menial work illegally or legally. The message in this book is quite clear. We want the Mexicans when we need them to do tasks cheaply that our own labor force will not do. We do not want the Mexicans when they become dependent on us and stress our social system for such things as health care or education. Carlos Fuentes points to the type of economic slavery that this creates, not much better than the era of slavery which Abraham Lincoln fought against. Fuentes achieves some balance in showing also the internal corruption of Mexico, and the many ways that they miss opportunities to improve themselves. The vignettes are funny, sad, passionate, and sometimes lacking in clear focus. Some characters fade into and out of various chapters creating a fabric of impressions about the life on the border. The reader has to relax and let the images flow past, with the poetic inserts by Fuentes about the various conflicts. This is clearly not his best book but in some ways it perhaps reveals more of his own most heartfelt conflicts which accumulated while he spent many years as a child and young adult in the USA. It is a particularly good book to read while you are traveling near the Mexican border and can get your own impressions of this SCENE.

Carlos Fuentes is without doubt one of Mexico's most prolific writers. The fact that his novels are filled with social- political commentary makes him controversial. Some people like their novels without the authors views, others love it as they like the added "realism". Fuentes makes no qualms about his views and his portrayl of Mexicans on both sides of the border and the huge differences in cultures which create conflicts. The concept of this book is interesting but falls a little short on substance. Nine chapters detailing different peoples lives on both sides of the border and how they are interelated. The loose interweaving of the characters lives on both sides of the border are accurate and hence disturbing to some readers. The story centers around one powerful Mexican, Leonardo Barroso and various other people on both sides of the border who are loosely connected. The beauty of this book is in the authors insight into the vast differences between Mexico and the U.S. and how this plays out on his characters. Fuentes is a master of language and his imagery is magnificent. His use of language creates a world that takes on a new life as he transports the reader into his world. An example is one of his characters missing life in Mexico " Not a single tile, not one adobe brick-only marble, cement, stone, plaster, and more wrought iron, gates behind gates, gates within gates, gates facing gates, a labyrinth of gates, and the inaudible buzz of garage doors that opened with a stench of old gasoline, involuntary urinated by the herds of Porsches, Mercedes, BMWs that reposed like mastodons within the caves of the garages". Fuentes is a master at drawing vivid paralels as he creates images of Woolworths contrasted with mercados, or his symbolism of the Vatican and Washinton DC or his tirade on American TV pop culture filled with references to Elvis and filled with such diverse topics as Pat Boone, Charles and Diana jewelry from the Home Shopping Channel, credit cards, CD's with greatest hits, and my favorite, diet milkshakes. For people who live along the border this book is a riot at times and at others reflective of a sad and tragic love story, the relationship between cultures in the US and Mexico. As a character in the book reveals on a tatoo on his lower lip, We Are Everywhere. An excellent book for all interested in what makes these two countries "so far from God so close to heaven".

A fascinating look from numerous perspectives at the increasingly intermingled Mexican and U.S. frontier. The short stories range from life in the oppressive border factories pumping out goods for America to the lives of those who control this commerce, to workers entering the U.S. for menial jobs, both with a visa in relative comfort and with nothing to lose in the deserts along the Rio Grande. This book is ten times more informative, realistic, and well-written than most of the works shoved down a student's throat in any type of ethnic literature or sociology course concerning these issues. Highly recommended book by Latin America's most overlooked great author, Carlos Fuentes.

This has to be the worst title I have picked up in a while. The author rambles on and on and on about things that have nothing to do with Crystal Reports. Endless filler material here with sample code that looks like it came straight from the Crystal web site. In terms of report design and use, Crystal: The Complete Reference (Peck) is a much better book and I wish I could swap this one for it!

Here are the good points:
. the examples do follow through many of the features of Crystal Reports 9

Here are the bad points:
. there is a lot of unnecessary verbiage which pads out the size of the book; the verbiage is intended to make the text friendly, but for someone trying to determine how a feature works, it is highly obstructive and irritating
. the typeface in which the book is set is quite difficult to read
. the examples do not pass on understanding of the principles of each feature; the attempt to grasp a general concept gets drowned in the details
. many features (too numerous to mention) are glossed-over, including advanced features needed by the enterprise programmer
. the index includes references which are totally useless (e.g. McLuhan, Marshall who has absolutely nothing to do with the topic) and lacks completely necessary references
. while not a "1,200 page tome" (see another review) it is a 639 page tome

While the title includes the word "Master", this book is really for the programming beginner. For example, veterans do not need another tedious review of object-oriented programming, or SQL, or Basic language syntax, and so on. Seeing as there are entire libraries on these topics, the reviews are necessarily inadequate anyhow.

Already a SQL, VB, and .NET programmer, I wanted o add CR to the repetoire. I picked this book up from Amazon and was pleasantly surprised with the depth and descriptions. If you're looking for a book that gives you the low down on CR, pick this one up.

I also travel as a consultant often and this book is not a 1,200 page tome either (which I appreciate).

Enjoy!

Road Trip, the fourth and final installment of the Friday the 13th series by Eric Morse is an excellent book, completing Morse's round up of loose ends left over by the movies!! With Road Trip, Morse concludes the series with some very unforgettable scenes. I don't want to give too much away, (especially for price!)Road Trip begins when a bus loaded with football players, cheerleaders, and a mascot goes off course and crashes into Camp Crystal Lake, of course murderous hilarity ensues! Any fan of the Friday the 13th movies will absolutely love these books, my personal favorite being Carnival. I'm sorry but when I talk about these books I have got to praise Eric Morse a lot, he wrote these books so well at times I felt I was actually in them, that is how good these books are and completely make them worth the money. To tell you the truth, these books are probably better than the upcoming Jason X release and promise to give you more enjoyment.

It was a good book but not as scary as "The Carnival". Teddy, got his revenge with the mask, for being treated like dirt. Some of the killings were pretty grousome. It wasn't exactly what I expected from the title "Road Trip". Eric Morse is a great author and I would like it if this wasn't his last Friday the 13th book.

This was the first F13 that I read. I read it over after reading the other F13 novels, and I found this one to be...different. As someone else reviewing this said, it isn't really a horror story. No, it isn't. The story is deeper then that. It lets the school mascot, the geek who is tortured at school, relieve his inner pain when he gets a hold of the hockey mask. The story is almost dramatic in a way. It's weird, but a very interesting idea. In this story, the victims deserve everything they get. Now, for the many who say all books made from movies don't have anything to do with the films (the Halloween series and this) that doesn't matter much. And really, this book is a lot like the movie. The revenge part. The mascot getting revenge is just like Jason in the movies. Of what I know, no one liked Jason as a kid befire he died in the movies. In a background kind of way, the two have a bond. This was a very creepy story, but I know there could have been a little more. The setting was very scary, and it wasn't milked for all the fear it could have made someone feel. The ending was okay; I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. I recommend Mother's Day, the first of the series. It is, in my opinion, the best of all in the series and it seems a lot like the movies, except more creative.

When I first purchased this book is looked like just the ticket to learn Crystal Report Writing. The table of contents promised a full and rich coverage of the topic. The author provides a light hearted approach and takes the dryness out of the subject. However, the big difficulty is the author does not include the database with the book. He claims that the student SHOULD have access to CRAZE.MDB. Not everyone has access to this data. All the examples and exercises are dependent upon this database. It is a real struggle to work through the concepts using a totally different database. The author does not even provide a listing of the data so the student could create the database before wading through the topics. Be aware of this drawback before you venture through this book.

This book would be an excellent guide for helping a non-computer professional produce rather basic and simple reports. However, the examples provided remain at the simple level and are useless in helping produce more complex reports. A section on more complex formulas would have been appreciated. Whatever true power there is in Crystal Reports remains unexplored by this book.

I am a consultant. I went to a client sight never having seen this program before with this book. I had things up and running in a few days using this book.