This book fills a niche that should have been done by somebody a long time ago. It includes most of the popular analysis techniques that a management consultant would normally use, and provides a common process description for employing the method. It makes an excellent complement to Porter's series of books and can be nicely combined with more conceptual treatments in the strategy field. I have already bought several copies for my office colleagues as it will be useful for them in their consulting work as well. I can see why it has gotten many good reviews and I'd concur with these. It is worth having this one on your book shelf although, like me, you may find yourself pulling it off the shelf to refer to on a frequent basis.

It is rare to find a text that pulls together the many quite different techniques that can be used to analyze a business and the competitive environment in which it operates. This book does that, and more!

The authors have addressed their personal needs as much as the needs of those who will use the benefits of their labours. Now, when asked about a technique or asked for a recommendation as to how to attack an issue, one can turn to this one text and extract the most appropriate tool(s) and make sensible assessments of which of the various analytical tools is most appropriate.

The authors have gone one better - and I suspect that more than one MBA student will appreciate their efforts - they have included a very useful and quite comprehensive outline of financial analytical tools that add to the more "marketing" oriented techniques detailed in the core of the text. The various financial ratios are now at your fingertips. The financial analysis can be woven into the market and environmental competitive analysis.

Oh to have had access to this at an earlier stage of my career.

One of those indispensable tools. A "must have" in the office.

As a strategy consultant, I am often asked to provide my clients with well analyzed recommendations and findings. My biggest problem always has been to justify the methods I choose to reduce a wealth of data into something meaningful. For years now, I have relied upon Porter's classics and my strategy texts from my MBA program, but they usually aren't practically oriented. This book, better than any other I have seen, provides a straight forward set of instructions and directions, along with enough examples and charts, to keep me on the straight and narrow with my analyses. I do have a few beefs eith this book - as I do most of the others on my shelf. Unlike my strategy texts, the text isn't the most colourful, and it could have benefitted from even more samples although it is already quite large in size, and you cant read through the book from cover to cover, but I keep it handy anytime I'm applying a strategy method and it works great in that way. The other thing I would have liked is even more coverage of some of the newly evolving technology-focussed methods. These minor shortcomings aside, I'd recommend it to others who, like me, have to rely upon the application of proven methods to regularly produce findings for our business clients.

To start with i would like to say that i loved bothe the princess and the goblin, and the princess and curdie, so i have nothing agains mcdonald in general. i thought that i would love this book, and i liked the beginning, but after that it started to go downhill. the story wasn't bad, but most of the characters were. the king, even though it said he was kind, only showed meaness and cloesed mindedness. the queen was also closeminded and did nothing when her husband bullied her. and the princess only cared about her self. even though that was part of the curse, it still annoyed me that she could be so shallow. i have no idea what the prince saw in her. despite these faults the story still had a good moral and wasn't a totaly bad read, all in all it could have better, but it could have been a lot worse too.

George MacDonald was a Scottish clergyman of the mid-to-late 19th century, now known best for a variety of children`s fantasies, such as The Princess and the Goblin (recently made into a moderately successful animated feature), The Princess and Curdie, and the remarkable At the Back of the North Wind, as well as such adult novels as Lilith. Those are novels, but he also wrote some shorter pieces, perhaps aimed at a slightly younger audience (though very enjoyable for all ages). The Light Princess is one of these. (Another is The Golden Key: both books are available in very attractive Sunburst paperback editions, with illustrations by Maurice Sendak).

It is the tale of a princess who is cursed by a mean, jealous, witch so that she has no gravity. The book is full of puns, so MacDonald makes much both of her weightlessness, and the lack of gravity in her character. Naturally her parents are upset and try to have her cured, but to no avail (although the efforts of a couple of Chinese philosophers to provide a cure are rendered amusingly). However the Princess is quite happy with her "light" state (of course it is in her nature to be always happy). In the way of things, a Prince appears, and falls in love with the Princess. Then the witch realizes that her curse has failed to make the Princess unhappy, so she takes further steps, which are thwarted by the selfless behavior of the Prince, and which result in the Princess recovering her gravity: not an unmixed blessing, but one which her new maturity allows her to realize is best in the long run.

This is a delightful story, told with just the right mixture of whimsy and mildly serious moral comment. The characters are lightly and accurately drawn (the Princess` parents and the Chinese philosophers in particular, are delightful), and the story is predictable but still quite imaginative, with a number of nice touches to do with the Princess` weightlessness. Maurice Sendak`s illustrations are wonderful as usual.

When I received this as a gift, I had already read and thoroughly delighted in "At the Back of the North Wind," "The Princess and the Goblin," "The Princess and Curdie," and "The Golden Key." When you read MacDonald, if your heart is right, you feel sheltered--the world he creates for you is as trustworthy and pure as C. S. Lewis's Narnia or Rivendell of Tolkien's Middle Earth. At the same time, you feel challenged to transform your own world and make it more like MacDonald's.

I was expecting another dose of the same awe-inspiring goodness without false piety or preachiness that is MacDonald's literary legacy. In "The Light Princess," however, there was an unexpected ingredient--a sharp wit that pervades the whole book and made me laugh out loud more than once. In a modern world where wit and vulgarity are viewed as conjoined twins, how satisfying a book this is! MacDonald infused delicious humor into his characters without losing the innocence. I fell in love with this book by page three, and it has surpassed "The Princess and the Goblin" as my favorite work of George MacDonald.

The fact that my favorite illustrator of all time, Maurice Sendak, added his talents to this book is icing on the cake. Sendak always grabs the heart and soul of the written work and renders it into drawings too evocative to be believed. The drawing of the prince with only his head above the water took my breath away, and in one fabulous illustration, the hilarious expression on the face of the gravity-deprived infant princess as she floats away reflects the hilarity of the story itself.

If some of MacDonald's other stories have turned you off because they are too long, too "deep" or whatever, don't miss this treasure as a result. It is MacDonald-Light, and by that I mean not only easy to read, but typically illumined with beauty and truth. Plus, it's a love story that pokes fun of its own sentimentality. Anyone not brain-dead and heart-numb ought to adore it.

Now that the original manuals of DiGrassi and Saviolo are widely available on the Web, and Silver's Brief Instructions is likewise available, this work's shortcomings in presenting the actual stylings of Elizabethen swordplay are rather painfully evident. Most glaring is the way that "Methods and Practice" got Silver completely wrong, only referring to his "Paradoxes" and not once citing the in-depth, competent, incisive combat instruction available in Silver's "Brief Instructions on my Paradoxes of Defence".

If you are interested in a first look at Elizabethan swordplay, this isn't a bad place to start. They have gone through the basics reasonably well, and tried to explain how to use them. Choreographers and fencers who wish to be shown what do do, rather than doing the research themselves, will find it an excellent resource.

But accept it for what it is - a basic explanation of Di Grassi, Saviolo, and Silver, not an advancement of the art. I came to Turner and Soper after many years of trying to work out these moves from the original manuals, and found a frustrating blend of careful analysis of the painfully obvious, further confusion of the already muddled, and utter silence on all my real questions. Serious researchers will be disappointed.

For a first place to begin, it's probably easier and quicker than trying to read the originals. A choreographer interested in pre-digested knowledge will find this book an excellent source.

Detailed and scholarly work about which the theorists can argue. Worth reading at least twice if you choreograph fights regularly for someone who is interested in "realistic" portrayal. From The Ring of Steel: www.deathstar.org/groups/ros/library.html

There is a lot of good information contained in this book just waiting to get out. Unfortunately, the poor chapter organisation and the abyssmal index makes finding the information you need (or trying to find it later) a frustrating experience. There's also a lot of padding with CGI and PHP scripts that didn't seem to serve any purpose unless you really wanted to learn how to program 'hello world'. Overall, it will teach you the gist of administrating an Apache Web Server, but I found it disappointing.

Everything you need to know about v.1.3, but with Apache 2.0 just around the corner (currently in beta), you might want to hold off until the 2nd edition. This edition touches very briefly on 2.0, providing a general overview of what to expect, but no meat. A lot remains the same, but some critical things are different, and clear documentation of the kind that this book provides for 1.3 is scant. Hopefully something will come out before too long fill the void.

Of course, Apache 1.x is no slouch, has the majority share of servers on the web currently, could be all you need and more. If you're inclined towards the tried, tested, and true, and shun the unproven, consider this a 5 star recommendation for an excellent book on an excellent, if somewhat venerable, web server.

Excellent instructions, and an amazing companion to the O' Reiley book. Takes the guesswork out of Linux Apache admin, and is a handy tool for any other Unix folks as well.

It's so nice to read a technical book that is accurate and in English not geek.

It was great to have the band members themselves give their view of things, but there's little that couldn't be summed up in a couple of pages. Instead you get countless variations on a few themes: John Fogerty loves the blues, CCR worked hard with John in control, John is a vindictive jerk.

It would have been nice to have heard from a broader range of people: childhood friends, early fans, etc.

if you love Creedence you'll love this book ,do yourslf a favour and read this book about your most favourite band . however not enough photos and they should have been in color .

I've enjoyed reading this book many times. I've like the fact that they talk about some of the good times.

This was a pretty fun horror-fantasy-thriller novel. A talented but unsuccessful musician, Billy, makes a deal with an angel and gains the power to do anything he can imagine. So he becomes a super-hero, minus the flashy costume and catchy name.

The story takes a turn when the lines begin to blur between justice and brutality. The tension in the story builds as Billy's power gains power over him, and he starts to become a monster ruled by whim and cruelty.

The story is quite captivating, and the writing very skillful. I had no idea this was their first novel, as I saw in another review. It was definitely hard to put down. A good short read, which you should pick up if you can find it.

Skipp and Spector, who are decent horror writers, come up with a unique twist for "The Cleanup." A street vigilante is invaded by supernatural powers and becomes a hero to be feared. Good stuff, though not as good as their best novel, "The Scream."

Even though this is Skipp & Spector's first, it's one of their best. You'll be begging for more, while at the same time, begging for it to stop!! I liked this one even more than "The Light at the End," if that's possible. Billy Rowe seems to be a run-of-the-mill, burned-out artist w/ talent, but little motivation. After witnessing a horrific crime, he begs for help and guidance from the spiritual world. His prayers are answered when he is granted "The Power" to clean up his life and the streets of New York. Whether he uses the power for good or evil is up to Billy and he begins to have trouble differentiating between the two as vengence drives him on.

Wait for the next book or else go to their website and get the manual.

This is by far the best book I have read covering Samba. The beauty of this book is that it covers the topic from a Linux Admin's point of view, but explains the Windows networking and client setup -- including how to do logon scripts, etc. It also explains how to set up a Domain Server using Samba. I was dissapointed though is that it hasn't yet been updated to the current version of Samba 2.2. I was really hoping for up-to-date information on Domain Configurations -- however, the information was complete and I have found the book to be very helpful.

There was only one question in the advanced setup that I could think of that this book didn't answer. That was how to deal with a multi-domain set-up and the impact that has on browsing.

I was very pleased that this book even had a section on the protocols and how to integrate or block these messages for use over a VPN or how to keep the bad-guys out with firewaling.

Basically, very complete and explains every thing clearly. I would just appreciate a second edition (even a subscription to this book's editions).

Ok, firstly, I am *not* a fan of Microsoft File Sharing (SMB/Samba) as it is usually set up poorly, and quite insecurely. That said...

There are times where one has no choice but to use Windows Networking, and truth-be-told, the Samba implementation of the SMB protocol (Windows Networking) is (in my opinion) faster, less buggy, and more secure than the native Windows version.

Now, as with any network file sharing scheme, the System Admin *must* know how to properly configure & secure the system. That is where this wonderful book comes in.

Within these 600+ pages, Mr. Smith shows he understands his topic like the back of his hand, deftly helping newbie and experienced SA alike with both the basic configurations of file & print sharing, as well as esoterica of the SMB protocol suite.

Another feature about this book that I find exemplary is that the author speaks to *Nix admins about Windows file sharing like *Nix admins, not Windows admins trying to figure out how to share a file with a Unix user. This is very important to keep the number of pages about how to use "cat" "less" "vi" or other common tools to a minimum...

Overall, this is one of the best Samba books I have found, and highly recommend it to anyone deploying Windows file sharing in a mixed environment.

A great book on African game hunting with many -hard to find- pictures amd facts, but when the writer talks about the guns themselvs and the gunmakers, you can spot some mistakes that shouldn't have come from such a skilled writer.

Ex. he claimes that "James Purdey himself invented the top lever", while infact Scott did invent it and it was later used with Purdey's double bite looking system. And several mistakes like this.

In general, worth buying.

I am a fan of Craig Boddington's writing. I think he is an honest gun and hunting writer (and I don't have a lot of respect for most gunrag writers).

I appreciate his insights on "Safari" rifles and found the book a great read and helpful for subsequent reference. I very much appreciated the time and trouble it took to obtain surveys of what guns Professional Hunters reccommend for a Safari.

I also purchased "Make it Accurate", "American Hunting Rifles", "Shots at Big Game" and "Where Lions Roar: Ten More Years of African Hunting". I really have enjoyed them all.

I wish Mr. Boddington would publish a compilation of all of his hunting and rifle articles in one book or perhaps a CD. That would be some great reading!

Boddington's experience and skill with guns and a pen have fired my imagination for the sport since I first read him several years ago. Above all his enthusiasm for Africa was infectious. I read this book many times as I prepared for my first hunt on the dark continent. His recommendations on caliber and bullets were proven out by me in the field. They were also agreed upon by the PHs that I encountered as the discussion always arises around the night's fire. The book is also very helpful in it's mention of African animal behavior. Easy reading, fun, valuable and important. I hope to cross his track one day to thank him myself.

The long title first struck me very impressively. However, as I went on reading the book, I find it frustrating and uninteresting. It's hard to write a book with a boring life (no offense, Mr. McCaws). But rather than diving into how the McCaws from not a nerd, a technologist, or futurist becomes successful, the author tries really hard (but unsuccessful) to make McCaws as a great visionary. If you look at the reference section in the book, you will see that most materials for this book came from newspaper. The author has to admit in his book that McCaws didn't spend much time to be interviewed either. Besides, some readers might find the book funny and silly in a technical point of view. Well, I have a feeling that the author doesn't have much insights on the wireless industry. I just read "AOL.COM" before reading this book. And in comparision, this book is really a frustration even though I really want to know more about McCaws, a local well-known family.

This book is obviously the story of Craig McCaw and how he made his fortune in the cellular phone market. The book does a good job of summarizing Craig's life from a family tragedy that shaped his business life, to his strong belief in cellular communication and how that made him a millionaire.

The good news/bad news is that he eschews the fame and glory of a typical egomaniac like Donald Trump. It's great from a role model standpoint but since McCaw is so protective of his privacy and is around so few people, it was difficult to write a glamorous tale of an unglamorous life. Particularly since there is no mention of McCaw ever being interviewed by the author. Therefore, you are left with the history of cellular phone development in America coupled with mention of McCaw's unique management style.

That was enough for me as I had no knowledge of the business and it was interesting to see how a conservative man leveraged himself to great wealth. But don't buy this book if you want stories of drugs, models or other scandals. This story is nothing more than a successful business tale and that is enough.

Very insightful, quick reading book about one of the nation's most unique business leaders, a real character. There should be a sequel about McCaw handling the big shakeout in telecom and about his pet project, saving Keiko the whale. I hope Corr does another book.

I have been teaching Graphic Design for many years and have found that Designing with Type is the perfect textbook. Now with the addition of the website...and its numerous links to design projects from schools around the world, as well as suggestions for books, magazines, organizations, and other web sites, it is a truly unique and invaluable tool for both teachers and students.

I have used this book both as a student and now as an instructor of typography and find it to be one of the most valuable resources on the subject. There is also a free new web site that supplements the book. I have found that students benefit greatly from using the book along with the website. I would strongly recommend checking out: ...

I use this book in a fundamentals class. It has solid exercises and simple, comprehensive info on typography.