If you don't have the latest Newton's, you're not doing telecom.

If Amazon had a 20 star rating system, that is what this book would get. I keep mine located between my PC and my phone in the office...which is where I use it the most. And I use this book, literally, every day. I have only found one item I have looked for that I could not find between the two covers (a FHSS encoding method at 1Mbps). I emailed the author and it is due in the next revision. Most of all, don't let the title decieve you! This is NOT a straight telecom book. Need info on cellular, paging, wireless LANs, data networking? It is ALL there. This is the most used book I own and I own hundreds. The best investment in a book you will ever make!

How do you improve on perfection? Hard work and new content. We may be in the middle of a once in a lifetime industry downturn, but Ray Horak and Harry Newton certainly haven't been laid off. They're busy getting us reading for the next innovation wave with the 19th edition.

I give copies of this book to every student who attends TrainingCity.com Voice & Data training classes, and everyone loves it!

This book is rated among the timeless and yet it is VERY TIMELY for this period of our lives. It is not only interesting, but it guides 'anyone' to understanding the difference in "telling" and in "reporting something to prevent harm". The author is at the top of the list for the very best of authors in Childrens' Books!

This book is literally "timeless" for all ages, especially for adults as well as children. It should be placed in school and church libraries, and discussed over and over again for making certain understanding is there. The Publishers should keep this book out front for many, many years.

This book and Eleanor Estes' book The Hundred Dresses are the only two childrens' books about bullying that I recommend. This book presents clear, effective ideas about how bystanders and teachers can work together to make a difference in stopping school bullying.

My family grew up reading our mother's tattered original hardcover version of JUNKET IS NICE. It remains my all-time favorite.

Dorothy Kunhardt is probably best remembered for PAT THE BUNNY, the first touch and feel book. But JUNKET (reprinted as PUDDING for trademark reasons, we think) is nothing like it at all -- this is very much a book about words and imagination, not about touch and feel.

All the people in the world gather ("first all the people who could run very fast and their friends came") to watch an old man with a big red beard and red slippers eating Junket out of a big red bowl, and guessing what he might be thinking about as he's eating and eating his Junket.

"'To make it easy, I will tell you three things I am NOT thinking about, and I really and truly am not.

"'I am NOT thinking about...

"A rabbit wondering if there could be a bunch of grapes tied to his tail." [... and so forth ]

"'Well, that makes it very easy,' said the people. 'We will just guess everything EXCEPT a rabbit wondering if there could be a bunch of grapes tied to his tail.' [...and so forth]

And away they go. The fun of the book is in the guessing, and children have a great time coming up with additional guesees, although they'd be hard-pressed to top ideas such as,

"THEN SOMEONE GUESSED, a hippopotamus with all the lights turned out, laughing at how hard it is to see the other people on the sofa.

"'WRONG,' said the old man, and he went on eating his junket."

If you find this book, buy a bunch of them -- you'll want to give them as gifts.

I still have my childhood copy, copyright-1947, and read it to my 5yr old boy & twin 4yr old girls. I still find it delightful & so do my kids. I recommend it strongly for its warmth & absurd humor. I'm going to buy two more copies. One for me-to see if they changed anything other than the title (I hope not) & one for my 5yr olds kindergarter teacher.

This book does a masterful job of implying many of the more important things in life: honor, revenge, pudding. The relationship between man and boy as they bond over pudding and learn much of the ways of life is indeed touching.

Ray Bradbury takes you on mind journeys into his past, and perhaps into your future. He treads on the edge of reality, sneaking glances over the precipice, knowing that to jump means to fly.

I bought this book in Miami Beach. I picked it from among other writing-related books when I opened it and saw a chapter entitled "Drunk, and in Charge of a Bicycle."

This book is not about writing mechanics or technique. It forces you to face two absolute requirements for being a writer:

(1) You must love to write and do it every day, and

(2) You must use your own voice.

According to the author, the desire for fame, money, or literary elitism is as useless as a computer without software. (I would suggest that it's more like a program without a computer. Whatever.)

The last chapter, and the concluding poems, are inspiring. Mr. Bradbury knows that writers despise untruths. I finished his book in two evenings. When I put it down I said, "Yeah." Next morning I would be up dark and early. Writing is hard. Everything else is harder.

Ray Bradbury is my favorite author. So much so that I named my Scottish Fold cat "Bradbury" in honor of him.

And it's all because of books like this.

Zen in the Art of Writing is classic Bradbury: the crisp, short sentences, the vivid mental imagery, the amazing insights into his own writings -- all of it. This book uplifts me, moves me and fills me with awe.

It is, without a doubt, the best book on writing I have ever read.

Why? Because what he shares seems as pertinent to me as if he wrote it FOR me. Example: Page 17. One day, he discovered that his story titles were nothing more than a list of nouns, such as The Lake. The Night. The Monster. The Town Clock. The Carousel. The Crowd.

Such simplicity. Yet, after reading this book I found myself creating my own mental list of titles the same way. Suddenly, just about anything seemed ripe for a story, and infused with some hidden, dark meaning.

The Man on the Corner. The Empty Room. The Ten Foot Oak Tree. The Noise in the Basement. The Tea Leaf. The Knight and the Bishop.

I don't know why it works for me, but it does. Each of those "titles" (that I just came up with as I'm writing this) could be fleshed out into a story. For some reason, when I see things as nouns, my imagination is uncorked and I begin to feel the urge to explore the thoughts invoked.

Try it sometime.

Another example: The chapter "How to Keep and Feed a Muse." Priceless. Magical. He shares ways to awaken the sleeping giant within...and set pen to paper with stellar results.

If you're a writer, you need this book. If you're a lover of Bradbury, you need this book. If you just want to know how one of the 20th century's most lauded authors achieved that status, you need this book.

I re-read Zen in the Art of Writing whenever I feel my muse begin to slip away like a wisp of fog caught by a sudden breeze. And she returns to me. Grudgingly, perhaps. But she returns.

I believe this book could do the same for you.

The thinking person's alternative to any self-help writing book by other well-known authors.

Ray Bradbury is eminently qualified to spin such a work and he does so elegantly and thoroughly.

The inherent spirit of writing is captured nicely in these pages!

.....that they or their friends may have to face in their young lives. In one story Alexander deals with issues surrounding moving to a new neighborhood. In another he deals with the repercussions of spending all his money. And, in the last, he deals with just a plain old bad day where nothing seems to go right. In each story Alexander feels kind of glum and is afraid that no one understands his struggle. By the end of each story though, he learns a lesson and learns his responsibility for his actions. The stories don't end on particularly happy notes, where all works out despite everything, but rather shows a given realization being reached by young Alexander: that if you spend your money frivolously, you won't 'be rich', that everyone has bad days and it's just part of life, and that sometimes we have to do things we are afraid of and that we don't want to do, such as move to a new neighborhood.

The stories are written on about a second grade reading level. Kids ages seven and eight will have little difficulty with the language or with following the story line. Honestly though, I'm not sure that kids this age will get the moral of the story on their own. They may just see the ending where Alexander doesn't get what he wants as unfulfilling until an adult explains further.

I grew up just loving Alexander in Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day. My mother read it to us a children (ok, so now you know I'm not too old!) and I was just thrilled to see such a good copy of not only it but the other Alexander stories as well. The library binding is very nice and this book will definitly be a keepsake for my children someday. If you like to have books to pass on, this one's for you!

My son's name is Alexander (goes by Alex). I gave this to him as a birthday gift and we have read it over and over many times. The three short stories are just the right length for a bedtime story. This book has humor and the boy, Alexander, is one boy that all children can relate too. The illustrations are great too! I highly recommend this for any child.

Growing up in a Christian household, The Carpenters' music were among the few secular artists we listened to. My introduction to the Carpenters was when my parents bought their 1980 Christmas album. We played it almost to death! In fact, I remember as a teenager overdubbing harmonies with my own voice using two tape recorders, just like the Carpenters did on their albums. I was about to turn 10 years old the very month Karen Carpenter died. I could hardly believe she was gone, because the memory of her beautiful voice was so powerful. I was 15 when the ABC movie on the Carpenters came out, which let me see a glimpse of the reason for the tragic end of Karen's life.

As an adult, reading Ray Coleman's book brings back fond memories of the Carpenters and their music. It also gives disturbing insight into the sadness, the anorexia, the complex relationship with their loving yet undemonstrative parents, and the overwhelming need of both Richard and Karen to be perfect yet both desiring to be human.

I hope to see a documentary video based from this book, along with updates on Richard's life today. The Carpenters will always have my respect for being true to their talent rather than trying to fit into the "image" of everyone else. I will always enjoy their music.

I have been a huge fan of these 2 incredibly talented people since I was 7 years old (which got me a few odd looks in the playground I can tell you). I'm 19 now and the music still moves me.
This book offers not explanations, but insight into not only the Carpenters music, but the personal demons that threatened to engulf not only careers but lives.
Intriguing, inspiring and heartbreaking. Karen and Richard proved that 2 normal kids can achieve their dreams and touch people's lives.
But as they fell victim to their excessess, and Karen paid the ultimate price.
Karen's glory may have been brief, but fewer flames have shone with as much humanity and beauty.
Thankfully Richard could overcome his adversity and continue with the wonderful legacy of their music.
They truly are stars

To outsiders, it seemed as if Karen and Richard Carpenter were living a dream. And they certainly seemed to have it all - looks, wealth, fame, fans, and an abundance of talent that has gone almost unrivalled in 30 years. Critics from the era and hard rock fans dismissed them, labelling them with phrases such as "Squeaky Clean," "Too Good To Be True," "All American," and many, many others. But appearances can be deceiving.

Richard had a drug dependency (the substances he abused were legal, by the way) which almost cost him his career and could have ended his life had he not been rehabilitated, and for 7 years Karen was in the terrible psychological grip of a then unknown disease - anorexia nervosa, a disease which ravaged her emotionally as well as physically, in an identical manner to the fashion in which cancer and AIDS ravage their victims. But despite their personal troubles and turmoil, the Carpenters music remained beautiful, enriching, and touching.

With the exclusive co-operation of Richard and Agnes Carpenter and their family and friends, entertainment writer Ray Coleman describes the Carpenters adolescence, their rise to fame, their years at the top, their legendary music, their struggles and Karen's ultimate tragedy in a way that is objective, emotional, and touching, painting a sad portrait of a beautiful woman who never realised how beautiful she was, a beloved woman who never knew how much she was loved, and a famous woman who worked in a corrupt and CORRUPTING industry but never lost her down to earth morality and values, whose greatest wish was to have a family of her own, a wish that sadly, she would never obtain. But if Karen's story achieves anything, I hope it is this - that it may save the lives of other anorexia sufferers. Surely that is what Karen herself would want.

It is now 2000, 30 years after the Carpenters debuted. Their records are still being bought, their songs listened to and admired while the artists and critics who deplored them have long been forgotten. Finally, their talents are being acknowledged - Richard is praised for being the great musician that he is, a superior producer and arranger with an unparalleled ear for quality and timelessness. And Karen's voice, that haunting, gorgeous voice, is recognised as being one of God's greatest gifts to music.

The Nature Company's Guide to sharks and rays is a well written introduction to this group of truly wonderful creatures. It is not the best book, but if you have an interest it should be in your library. It will be especially useful to the teen reader or marine naturalist/hobbyist. The photography and illustrations are beautiful and informative. The write ups on individual species, while not all inclusive to any particular group or geographic area are great. They cover some little known but fascinating animals. My only complaint is that it's a little TO visual, it tends to rely on the graphic to make points over the text and is a little short on newer science. But this may be a plus for the new student of marine biology. If you or an friend has an interest in fishes in general or elasmobranchs in particular you want this book.

What an excellent, well organized reference source for anyone interested in sharks, and especially for scuba divers looking for a good identification book.

Of all the shark books I've reviewed, this one tops my list and is recommended to readers of my web site.

We bought this book as a Christmas gift for our 12 year old daughter who is fascinated with sharks. What a gem!!! We keep it on the coffee table now as a reference book. Every time an undersea show comes on, someone grabs the book to look up whatever they discuss. This book is full of great information and incredible photographs. Anyone interested in the ocean MUST get this book. We are all certified scuba divers and it is especially valuable to us for identifications, habitats and habits of sharks and rays, and general information which we need to know when siting one of these marvelous creatures!!

I am 16, and am still intrigued by this completly unique style of writing, unfortunatly, my brother lost my book, and now i am franticly trying to relplace it. I anxiously awaited the fith addition to the book series, and have been waiting sice 1997. it is 2001 and i am dissapointed and a bit sad to see that even the site is closed down...

If you want to read a really good book get this one. This is the best book I ever read. I liked it because it wasent like regular books. It was cool because it was pretty scary. I would recamend this book to every one that likes horror books. The first two where good but this one was even beter.

I think it was a good thriller . The hole seirs was some of the best books I have ever read . Plese get more of the Strange Forces or Strang Matter books they are very good.

Really funny book that deserves to be on the shelf of all the Dirk Gently fans out there. One man: six identities = great fun -- and a really well-equipped private eye. If you wondered about the passions of documentationalists (or tap-dancers!), this will reaveal all. Vukcevich is a premiere modern surrealist, with one eye on the punchline, and one foot dangling off the wire. Read everything he's written. With any luck, there'll be a sequel to this...!

Ray Vukcevich's fiction is so off the wall it's astonishing. Hilarious, outrageous, ingenious fun.

This book contains some of the weirdest, wackiest, cops, crooks and gumshoes you will ever meet. Vukcevich populates his vision of Eugene, Oregon, with characters you can't ignore. I can't say this is a book you can't put down, because you do - you want to savor the gems he presents to you before moving on.

My only complaint? It was over way too soon. I am now waiting for the further adventures of Howells, et al. In the meantime, I'll have to content myself with Mr. Vukcevich's short fiction.