"If William Shakespeare were alive today, he would be writing and directing movies..." is the statement made boldly on the back of this book. Taymor delivered her vision of what might of been in the (highly underrated) bigscreen version of Titus, of which Titus: The Illustrated Screenplay, is based. This screenplay provides glorious color photos of key elements in the film, a complete word-for-word script, and tells just how Taymor brought the story from the stage to the screen. Fans of the cast may find some information lacking, and the book could have spent time detailing the costumes, but overall the book was hardly disappointing. The photographs are one of the best features of the book, most in full color and some spanning over two pages. These pictures show a great amount of the setting and costumes, as well as the emotions expressed in important parts of the movie, alongside bold print quotations that apply to the moment. What makes this a good companion to the movie though, is that it gives the full script of what is said in the film, often valuable to those that can't decipher the words directly from the actors' mouths. Shakespeare's writing can often be confusing to those not familiar with reading his stories. While there is some parts hard to understand, the book describes some of the meanings behind the characters' actions, helping to show what occurs. Some of Taymor's liberties are also pointed out, particularly the uses of anachronism throughout the storyline (to show how this story applies to modern times). Taymor takes some time to describe the process of making the movie. She goes into who is involved in the costumes, setting, score, etc. and also how the story became so important to her to make into a movie. However, there isn't a large amount of detail that could have been discussed in this part of the book. There is an illustration of a setting, but no drawings of the costumes, and little brought up about the cast behind each of the characters involved, which might have been of interest to fans. Despite the things that are missing though, the book is worth getting for what it does have. Those that enjoyed the movie will find this book equally enjoyable.

If you're a lover of Taymor's unconventional movie, you will find equal delight in the book that accompanies it. Things like this are really quite rare. In my personal opinion, this is a bit of a treasure of a find.

The pictures alone are grand. And the word-for-word transcript of the text makes it perfect to read while simutaneously viewing the film. It really lets the impact of the weighty dialogue come out.

The introduction is of special interest to me- informative and insightful, it put the subject matter in context.

While I might have wanted more information concerning the behind-the-scenes goings on in the film, I find this a small quibble at best. Things this *unique* don't come around very often. Therefore, when they do, sieze them with joy.

Not only is Titus a powerful story, it is a beautiful film that speaks to our time. This book I found nearly as enjoyable as the movie. Like the other reviewer stated- if you liked the film, you will like this too.

I really am pleased in my decision to purchase this; I think you would be too.

Trinity is set in the future after the the aberrants(super heroes gone haywire) came back. This RPG combines the white wolf system with a future setting with some of the most unique in rpg player accessable technology and psychic abilitys that make for a very intersting gaming session. I would reccomend this to any white-wolf fan looking for something other than grim dark supernatural of the world of darkness.

The Trinity Players Guide is, IMO, the best Trinity sourcebook relesed so far. It lacks the color section previous Trinity books had, but its contesnt make up for this loss. Among other things, here you'll find: lots of info about the Aeon Trinity, on par with the Order info found in the Order/Region books; additional stuff about the Orders, which is especially useful if you don't own an Order's book or it hasn't been relesed yet; additional character creation material (merits and flaws, new abilities and backgrounds etc.); detailed information on Psi and Psi-related stuff; and a new, alternate Psi system, more flexible and complex than the one found in the main Trinity book (kinda similar to Mage).

Resuming, this book is fantastic: it isn't as pretty-looking as previous Trinity stuff, but it's essential to any serious Trinity player.

I think it was really good because it was humorous. His family helpd him a lot josh had a lot of friends in his class. In the beginning he got argry at himself. He was held back in third grade and had the army teacher,Mrs.Goodwin. He wanted to go to fouth grade he had a hard time in spelling and math. If you want to know the rest read the book.

I think The Flunking of Joshua T. Bates was really humorous. Joshua was having a really great summer until his mom told him he had to repeat third grade.Then he finds out that his third grade teacher is Mrs.Goodwin. Joshua is such a worrier because he worries about his report card but that's not all - Tommy Wilhelm, the the class room bully, gets to go into fourth grade and Joshua is so mad that he says that he is going to East Africa.Read to find what happens to Joshua.

I highly reccommend this book for any age readers.Joshua T. Bates is the main character of the story, and has a funny sense of humor. His Mom says to Josh 'You have to repeat third grade.'Josh's teacher Mrs. Goodwin [the tank] and now he has her another year! I would hate it if I had to repeat third grade another year! Joshua gets into a lot of fights because he is 'so stupid. Read this book to find out what happens to Josh in third grade!

I liked this book. I knew C++, but had no clue about Visual C++. Hell, I even know Visual Basic, but when it came trying to figure out VC++, I was lost. If you are in the same boat as I am, then I HIGHLY recommend this book for a first VC++ book. It has many great step through examples that are easy to follow. It is true that it doesn't get into too much detail about the inner workings of Windows or C++, but I wasn't expecting that. It goes over most major topics with VC++ though. COM,SDI,MDI,ActiveX even a bit with some DirectX stuff. At the moment I am going though the ENTIRE book, and learning about more of these topics that I initially skipped. I HIGHLY recommend this book if you already C, or C++ and want to learn VC++ rather quickly and easily.

This book , has done much for me and I believe It would be as so for any one who wants to develop real applications capable of all Technological features of computers.

It introduces almost all components of a visual program , including Report Lists (tables like in Excel) , menus , File Operations , and Multimedia (the important components of a game , DirectX ! ).

It also makes you familiar with basic Algorithms and Code segments that do the real work for your program , such as a Painting Application and a Database application.

But the most important feature is that you will EVERYTIME REFER TO THIS BOOK . I own many other hardcopy and online books on Visual C++ , but none of them has any use when compared to this one.

The price is also very reasonable , what I suggest is to omit all the new colorful covered books and buy this book , unless a new updated edition is not published.

If you are new to Visual Studio and Visual C++ - including MFC, ActiveX, etc..., then you need this book. This book teaches the essential skills you need to develop applications in the Windows environment using Visual C++. This book assumes you have a good knowledge of C++ and Object Oriented Programming with C++. The authors do a wonderful job of walking you through everything you need to know - including: dialogue,single document, and multiple document based programs. The English is very clear and concise. This is one of the few books with good style. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who is starting out in this area of programming. After reading this book, you may want to get into more details. Frankly, I think this book and Michael J. Young's "Mastering Visual C++ 6" published by Sybex is one of the better combinations to have. See for yourself! =)

To start off, I must say one thing: Wow. Simply put, Desperation is one of the best books that Stephen King has ever graced his readers with. A lot of people, even people that like Stephen King more than just a little, might be discouraged by the size of the book, but they really shouldn't be. I finished the book in three days. King grabs you in the very beginning, dragging you through until he's done. It's great that he doesn't come out and reveal anything about the history of the small mining town of Desperation until he absolutely has to, and when he does, he simply slaps you in the face with it. Readers should be aware (especially those not familiar with King's writing style) that the bad situation he begins the book with continues to decline. It's not a happily ever after story, and I really don't think that anyone below sixteen should read it. Aside from the custom blood, guts, gore, and sex thing, King also drags a good bit of...questionable theology into the plot. Nevertheless, a great book, well worth reading.

I began this book on February 24 and finished it on March 1 (yes, one week). I have only read two other Stephen King books: The Green Mile and Cycle of the Werewolf. I gave both of them a "Good, but..." review. Then I read Desperation, and was amazed. It sounded pretty boring at first, but as I kept on reading, I didn't want to stop. Before I knew it, I was done with it. Now right after I read a book or see a movie, I like it or hate it. But as time passes, I realize how much I like (or hate) it. So I waited a week or so, and I realized how much I loved it. The characters are so well introduced, and the hatred that builds inside you for the antagonist is incredible. Now I am extremely afraid to go to any western state. I swear, if I see so much as a vulture, a coyote, a spider, or a mine, I will freak out and run for my dear life. I guarantee to anyone who reads this book: you will like it. If you don't, you seriously need to get a life. Tak!

Two words: Scary book. I now doubt if I'll ever pass through the state of Nevada, and I will certainly start shaking the next time I see a cop like Entragian. This is my third King book (after The Stand and The Regulators), and I must say that I'm highly impressed! This book started off seemingly predictable, but it only took a chapter or so before Peter and Mary Jackson's fears of the local law from Desperation, Nevada started becoming chillingly real. Next, meet the Carver family, your average all-American gang. They too get swept up by Desperation's evil, and soon you will too. To put this book down before finishing it will give you a serious case of insomnia. Get ready everybody, this one's going to be a New Line movie, and I can't wait! As a final point, I'll quote Collie himself: " I'll tell you one thing, Carvers: when you've got a nutty cop on your hands, you've got a situation." He's not kidding!

Jim Hawkins, a young man living in rural England with his parents, helps run an inn with his parents. His life changes forever when a mysterious dying pirate takes residence at the inn. The shadowy pirate is often on the lookout for strangers who begin to show up in search of the pirate. Rum finally takes its toll on the pirate and he dies, leaving behind a mysterious chest that the strangers are interested in. Upon examination, Jim discovers a treasure map.

With the help of Jim's adult friends, a crew is formed to go in search of the pirate's buried treasure on a remote tropical island. The journey is uneventful until, Jim saves the day when he realizes that their crew consists mainly of pirates who hope to cause mutiny upon reaching the island. Ultimately, a raging battle takes place on the island where Jim and his friends must outwit the pirates who are led by the one-legged Long John Silver.

For a children's book, this book had a lot of inappropriate material - drinking and violence. I also had a tough time with the old-English writing style and the nautical terms. This book was ahead of its time, though, in terms of the adventure it described, but I was hoping for more. Fans of H. Rider Haggard (ala King Solomon's Mines) will enjoy this book but I was sort of happy to be done with it as some parts were engaging and others were muddled.

"Treasure Island" is the classic adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. Set on the high seas amid treasures and pirates, it is the story of a young boy's adventure. "Treasure Island" has been done by everyone from Disney to the Muppets. It's been imitated many times and influenced countless books and movies.

A mysterious pirate shows up at an inn owned by Jim Hawkin's mother. The pirate is killed by a gang of rogues, but Jim finds a treasure map belonging to the pirate. Jim then embarks on a journey to far away island to find the treasure. Of course, nobody can be trusted - especially the cook, Long John Silver. With his peg leg and parrot, Silver is the stereotypical pirate. Once the island is reached, sides are chosen - the mutinous pirates against the ship's crew. Jim goes on a journey within a journey on the island, going from one side to another, as the treasure is hunted for.

Everyone should read this book at some point. It's especially good for young boys, due to the fact that the main character (Jim) is a young boy. It's well crafted, and easy to read. And it's hard to put down once you get going. What else can you ask for?

I never did read this book as I was growing up and have now read it for the first time as an adult. I always thought that this book would not be very good but I was wrong.

I write this review for those students who may hesitate to read Treasure Island. This book is a story of high adventure. In it is the tale of a young boy who comes to possess a treasure map and goes off on a whirlwind adventure filled with sea voyages, pirates, island adventure and treasure. Stevenson wonderfully portrays the characters of young Jim Hawkins, the hero of the book, the fabled Long John Silver, Billy Bones and Ben Gunn. Each adds their own sense of mystery and suspense to the story. The settings of the story from the Admiral Benbow Inn to the Hispaniola, their sailing vessel, to the island itself are very vivid and make you feel as if you are really there. The adventure to and finally on Treasure Island is filled with secret meetings, battle scenes and a quest to find a long since buried fortune in gold. The novel is truly great and is a very entertaining and interesting read.

For those adults who have never read this novel definitely read it and for those who have already read it, read it again it is well worth it. The swashbuckling adventures of Long John Silver and his men, along with Jim Hawkins, are truly timeless. If you have children of age, share the story with them. It is truly a family classic worth sharing with generations to come.

Like most people, I own a stack of Stephen King books, and for some reason I've never gotten around to review the ones I liked best, which makes me sort of ashamed of myself, since I keep saying that the quality of King's writing is often underrated. This is not the usual Stephen King book, this one is actually pretty mellow, compared to Carrie, for example, (that was the first of his books I read, and I hadn't read anything that gory before), but it still has its share of scary stuff, like The Ten O' Clock people, and The Moving Finger (after I read that one I really felt kind of nervous about the bathroom sink for a few days). I only could't get through the essay at the end, Head Down, because I don't understand absolutely anything about baseball. My favorites were Dedication, The End of the Whole Mess, The Ten O'Clock people, The House on Maple Street, and Popsy (oddly funny if you think about it). I suppose hardcore fans of King's horror will be sort of confused by this book, but I think any lover of short stories, like me, is bound to enjoy it.

i like SK particularly as a short story writer. if he has a good story he never fails then. considering his other collections, this was not as inventive as the two previous. not as matheson-like as the first. this was a great collection. a bit mixed. the end of the whole mess and umney's last case seemed to be the most inventive ones. but his other horror stories were good too. there are even some crime stories here, they are actually pretty good. although SK delivers, his collection is all in all very readworthy, his writing style good, this collection marks the sad decline of SK. some of the stories are great, true. some of the stories, however, are only good in the hands of a master. and some of the stories are completely uninteresting. it's very enjoyable, but don't expect too much.

As an enormous fan of King, this book was warmly welcolmed in my arms. I wasn't dissapointed. As always, when it comes to King, I was sold. There's also a particular reason why I welcomed this book so much: In various books about King, I learned about many of those early and hard to find King stories, all the uncollected ones, and the rare ones. I was a bit sad about realizing that maybe I would never ever own these oddities. Then, finally, a new collection of King-stories showed up, mostly containing some of those old and hard to find stories. I was happy! And the book also featured a few new ones. Again, with Night Shift and Skeleton Crew, I liked all the stories, even the teleplay Sorry, Right Number (I haven't seen the adaptation yet), the Brooklyn August-poem and the Head Down-essay. I loved The Night Flier, The Moving Finger, Chattery Teeth, You Know They Got a Hell of a Band, Home Delivery, Crouch End, Rainy Season. My Pretty Pony really touched me. I don't know a hang about baseball (I am Danish, sorry!), but King makes it interesting. All I can say is that any true King fans must read this book. There's also a Sherlock Holmes-mystery involved. I only wished that King had included stories like The Cat from Hell, Man With a Belly, Pinfall, and some others of those hard to find. What about this story "The King Family and the Farting Cookie" that he wrote for his children some years ago? That could have been major fun to own that gem!

When one finisheds "Casterbridge," one is immediately struck by its place in the development of the novel. Hardy came after Dickens and before James, and his style intrigues as you connect parts of it to the former, parts to the latter.

His plotting is sort of Dickens "lite." There are mysterious benefactors, sudden tragic deaths, reversals of fortune, paternity mysteries, ect. His prose is cleaner and easier to read than both Dickens and James; "Casterbridge" scans better than "Bleak House" or "The Wings of the Dove."

The story begins when a pastoral laborer, in a drunken rage, sells his wife and child one evening. When he wakes the next morning, abhorred at what he has done, he swears off liquor and decides to make something of his life. The novel truly begins eighteen years later, when his wife and daughter come back to present themselves to him. In the course of the rest of the novel, we witness the fall of the now Mayor of Casterbridge, brought about by his own character flaws and the interventions of fate.

Henchard, the main character, is a facinating combination of hot-spirited volition and turn-on-a-dime repentance. He is quick to do things which damn him but just as quick to admit his guilt. He is a wonderful character and a precursor to the later "psychological" novels of James and Forster. The satellite characters remind one of Dickens, but they are not nearly as startling and interesting, but of course, a character such as Henchard never existed in all of Dickens.

The novel proceeds to its forgone conclusion inexorably, albiet with a few melodromatic touches, yet it sustains its tone and readibility due mostly to Henchard, and the dramatic situations Hardy puts him through.

Well worth a look.

I remember having read this book in high school. I immediately fell in love with Hardy. (I was also fond of Hardy Boys at that time, so in my opinion the name Hardy acquired a special significance.) Unfortunately, though, I never liked another book by him quite so much. I've read Tess of the d'Urbvilles, Under the Greenwood Tree, Far from the Madding Crowd(which was perhaps his second best novel, as others here have affirmed), and perhaps a few others. It is strange, or perhaps significant that I remember the exact circumstance when I was reading this book. It must have been about ten in the night. I had cleared my study desk, and unlike my common practice of lying on my stomach on my bed to enjoy a book into the night, I sat down on the straight-backed chair at the desk to read it. Very soon, I was overwhelmed by the narrative of Mr. Hardy. My father came in to see what I was up to, saw the tears streaming down my face as I turned the pages of my book, and quietly went away. I have never before owned any story books- my parents told me to read out of libraries. But now I am 22, and have started earning some money of my own, and I'm going to start a little collection of my most beloved books, to pass on to my children, perhaps? And this is among my very best.

Having never read Hardy before, I picked this book at random off a list provided by my Western Civilization teacher. I can't help but attribute my choice to destiny; this is quite possibly the best book I've ever read, written by the single greatest English author in history. While some other reviewers have classified his descriptive passages as somewhat dull, I thought they were rather intoxicating; I don't know how one could not enjoy the superbly vivid style Hardy employs. It's impossible to really describe his writing to one who hasn't read it.

The plot in Mayor of Casterbridge is compelling throughout. I read somewhere that the book was originally published a few chapters at a time in a literary magazine, and this is quite evident, as every many sections seem individually complete with rising action, climax, resolution, etc. Hardy still manages to integrate these individual sections without flaw and create a wonderful composition of the life of Henchard. As everyone else has testified, the conclusion of the book is moving beyond description- without a doubt the most affective book I've ever read. Be forewarned: this is a book that will surely leave the reader in a depressed and brooding state. Going by Kafka's standard, that a book should be "like a suicide... an axe for the frozen sea within us", The Mayor of Casterbridge is surely one of just a handful of the great books in English literature.

While the book has some really great recipes, the instructional part of the recipes is fraught with errors. Read the instructions very carefully before baking.
For the beginner it would be helpful to have graphic instruction on "shaping" bread.

I LOVE this book. It has lots and lots of recipes for whole grain breads, white breads, rustic breads, quick breads, flat breads, etc, etc. However, what sets her book apart from other "comprehensive" books is the quality of the recipes. I am constantly picking up my copy of the Bread Bible to try something new, and I haven't been disappointed in the results yet. She also gives great pointers on ingredients and methods, and tells you how to convert "by hand" recipes to recipes for either the food processor or bread machine. The book doesn't have photographs in it like some, but frankly, if they had to make room for photos there wouldn't be so many great recipes, so that suits me just fine. It's beautifully designed and easy to read. It's a pleasure to own this book.

This book is one of the rare books that takes the novice baker to the heights of artisan bread making in an easy-to-read and easy-to-follow step by step approach. More importantly, Beth's tips will help allay the most common enemy of novice bakers - their fear factor.
Not only have I yet to make a bad loaf (one set of very impressed parents and many adoring friends later)-- I really appreciated the finer points of baking that are detailed in the side bars and the "alternatives" that are provided in the recipe itself -- unlike other books, you don't have to flip pages to figure out the different things you can do with the recipe. I also have learned from her the different ways to experiment and to be creative - something that you don't always feel comfortable with since bread recipes are not the best type of recipe to experiment with.
This book is an excellent compendium of many different bread styles and types, and thus, its shortfall may be that it is too dense a read for someone who wants pretty pictures a la ....

This book is easily the best introduction to voice and data communications I've seen. I wish I had this when I first got into the business 10 years ago! Jargon isn't used until after it's introduced, text is plain and easy to read, and illustrations are clear and informative. My only quibbles are the index could be better, and a larger glossary would be very nice. Also, it's not quite as up to date as I had hoped it to be; for example, it talks about V.34 as a pending standard, and no mention is made at all of V.90. Nevertheless, at $65, this 900 page book is well worth the price.

I recommend this book to everyone from clerical staff to technical people who want to learn all there is to know about telecommunications. In an industry that seems to be growing exponentially, this book may be your 'bible' in terms of keeping in tune with the ongoing advancements in information technologies. I am in sales and this book has given me a new perspective on things that I talked about daily-- but was not aware of what went on behind the scenes. From simple things like how a telephone actually works to modern day workings of a cellullar phone. In order to sell a product it is important to know your product, and this book will supply you with a blueprint to succeed in whatever telecommunications field that you are in. Buy it...Read it...and see for yourself. Ali Shah Toronto, Ontario

This is easily the best introductory book I've run across. It covers a wide range of topics in a manner that is conversational rather than dry and boring. It's an easy read and they make some very complicated subject matter very easy to understand. I was constantly amazed at how the material sprang off the page. Some outstanding historical material as well -- excellent overview of where the phone system came from.