I just wish I could have liked this book more. The subject matter -- the little warships that shaped world foreign policy for much of the 18th, 19th and early 20th century -- deserve more attention than they get. Perrett tries hard to convey this, but you sometimes get the sense that he wishes he lived in that era. At any moment you're half expecting him to refer to indigenous peoples as savages. He certainly editorializes throughout.
That aside, Perrett's book is an entertaining read, outlining some aspects of the history of gunboats. Yet, for all their importance, the gunboat story is divided up into a series of small histories -- the gunboats did this HERE, the gunboats did that THERE. There doesn't seem to be a common glue (apart from being gunboats) cementing the place of these small ships in history.
But it's hard to put down, nonetheless. His telling of the fierce little wars these ships fought in China and the middle east are the stories of Empire. Some significant gunboat incidents are marginalized -- the bombing of the USS Panay by the Japanese on the Yangtze River is one that came to mind, and the final chapter telling of the U.S. war on the Mekong River in Vietnam gets really short shrift, which was unfortunate. You get the sense it was tacked on.
But I'd recommend the book without much reservation. It's lively, it's fun, it's entertaining and informational, and you can't ask for a lot more than that.

My disappointment ... the book claims to cover templates, but I couldn't find any real coverage of the subject. It is, however, an excellent text for C programmers moving on to C++. Offers detailed explanation of important concepts in Object Oriented Programming. Enables you to see the reasons behind the features of the language like no other. Strongly recommended.

This book was quite helpful in my study of the AS400. I lays out the core material that any person can understand. I loved it.

This book was a requirement for my paramedic class (Washington State). It had every drug I needed to look up and gives detailed information about each drug, it's use, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, side effects, contraindications, side effects, and pre-hospital considerations.

However, there are some differences of opinion on some of the drug dosages and uses with my teachers, fellow students, paramedics and other drug guide manuals.

Over all I'd say a good reference, but not the end-all be-all. A useful tool in conjunction with others.

Also, it's pages are not weather resistant like other EMS pocket guides. I rarely use it in the field. However, it's been useful for other study purposes. I'd recommend buying a used copy.

Ethel Merman: A Bio-Bibliography is an excellent resource for the acquainted fan--one whose is familiar with all of Ethel's works and her personal style. However, it is NOT a book for beginners. It is written primarily in reference style (i.e., B01, B02, D32, etc.). The book is an excellent source of information, but it is in no way any form of pleasure reading. Those interested in purchasing this book should be sure they do not wish to view any pictures of Merman (there is only one), nor do they wish to read more than three pages of prose. However, the book is nonetheless a substantial REFERENCE resource. I would be happy to correspond further with any interested parties at jbradleyrogers@hotmail.com

After seeking out this documentary, I found not a copy in the entire libary system across America. Since it is out-of-print, I was delighted to find it at Amazon. When it arrived, I was extrememly excited to read this account of the parent's perspective during the Vietnam War.

Immediately, I was dissapointed by the writing style which gave me the feeling of watching a Lifetime movie. With repetitive comments from the mother or father trying to find out the how and why of their son's death in Vietnam being over and over "How .... DID ... MY ... SON ... DIE?!?!" That kind of melodramatic ....

BUT, because it is a true story, and I can see a mother totally losing it and going to any and all extremes to find peace with the death of her son, I'll have to rate this above a 2 star by giving it a generous 3. To someone with little background on Vietnam, this book does offer an eye opening account. If you know quite a bit about Vietnam, it is just the same old.

This book contains most of what you need for legal terms. Besides, who really needs to have their own copy of every legal term out there? Any library or firm you will ever study or work at will have the big version. All you need is a smaller one to carry around with you. And Black's still is the best.

I think it gives you very good ideas. But the way they are presented is too conventional, a little boring I would say. I would'n buy it again.

Hi, I'm Ferald Bryan. I wrote HENRY GRADY OR TOM WATSON for an academic audience, but many non-academics have found it useful. I am planning a sequel on southern oratory at the turn of the 20th century. I welcome all comments and criticisms. Thanks your your interest. FJB

A guidebook should do two things. First, it needs to present a lot of factual information about places in the area it describes. Second, it must evaluate the places in a way that is useful to its target audience. This book meets the first requirement: it gives some historical information about the Salt Lake area and it describes many stores, restaurants, hotels, and other locations that will interest travelers. It also talks about health care, education, and other topics that are useful to people considering moving to SLC. Unfortunately, this Insider's Guide fails the second requirement by describing pretty much everything in glowing terms: if you believe this book, everyone is nice, the restaurants are all good, and you can't stay in a bad hotel. Compared to the more useful and frank evaluations found in the better guidebooks such as Rough Guide, Lonely Planet, or Let's Go, this book is definitely second class.