This is a deftly-written, incisive, constantly-interesting novel of a young Englishman's never-ending treatment for tuberculosis in the French Alps. The author, writing perhaps from personal experience, convincingly depicts the medical (mis)treatment suffered by the protagonist, who is given an incredible run-around by ludicrous doctors who diagnose his condition as alternately hopeful then not. The protagonist's one chance for real happiness, an affair with a fellow (female) patient, does not endure, unlike his illness. The novel's finale finds him facing a seemingly perpetual future among the sanitoria in the mountains. Graham Greene praised this novel when it appeared. There was talk of it being filmed. Apart from a short story I once chanced upon, A.E. Ellis appears to have done little beside "The Rack". Yet it is quite enough, really.

This was the pseudonym of Derek Lindsay, who died last year (Andrew Sinclair: Derek Lindsay, London Magazine May/June 2001). 'Saturnine and reclusive', he was a friend of Kenneth Tynan and is mentioned in Kathleen Tynan's biography of her husband. Another friend was Cyril Connolly, and Ellis wrote a memoir for the Adam International Review memorial for Connolly. The only other work I have heard of is a play, Grand Manouevres, produced at he National Theatre, but not published as far as I can tell, and translations of film scripts for Lorimer Books in the 1960s. Sincalir is editing Ellis's unfinished/abandoned novel. There is also more on Ellis in Sinclair's memoir In Love and Anger.

I read this novel twenty years ago sitting up all night by a wood stove in South Wales. I was about twenty five and recently married. I found it heartbreaking. The love affair Paul has with Michele moved me immeasurably, with the final pages finishing me off. Tearful throughout, I broke down, sobbing. Why this book is so often out of print I will never know. Nor can I understand why no film has been made of it. AE Ellis is not the author's real name, and apparently wrote nothing else. I advise anyone who can get hold of a copy of The Rack to read it and then pass it on to a friend. I did. The friend never returned it; but I recently came across a first edition in a second hand bookstall for 50 pence. I don't think I'll ever read it again, though. It would be pointless. This book still affects me more than anything I've read since.

I have read books that left an impression but this one was worth sharing with others. The comments made were as if they were meant for me and me alone. It was as if the message of love was directed to me and my situations. I felt so much better after reading. Thanks for getting this book to me so quickly and to have it signed to me was an added bonus.

RISA'S THOUGHTS IS A GREAT BOOK AND HAS COME IN VERY HANDY IN THE PAST FEW WEEKS. I FIND MYSELF GOING BACK INTO THE BOOK TO READ CERTAIN PASSAGES. IT IS A VERY GOOD BOOK.

If you are the type that appreciates heart-felt words from a person's innermost self, you must get this book. It will surely lift your spirits, bring back loving memories, and overall make you feel just plain good! Sit in a nice comfy chair and lose yourself. "Risa's Thoughts" is a good read for ANYONE!

We are attempting to use this methodology for planning and review of onboard Aerospace Software, will give an update when we have actually used it in anger!

The latest revision of the well known COCOMO constructive cost model is calibrated with a Bayesian approach that balances 161 industry reference points with the determination of software development experts. Software engineers use the COCOMO model to make financial decisions, set project budgets and schedules, negotiate tradeoffs, plan to maintain or upgrade legacy products, and decide where to implement process improvement. The model equations are provided including normative calibration using 5 scale factors and 17post-architecture effort multipliers. The criteria described for assessing your project for scale factors and effort multipliers are fuzzy in some cases (Default to the nominal level when in doubt). The model can accept estimates of either logical lines of code or function points as the primary input parameter. The book is accompanied with a CD that contains the USC implementation of the COCOMO model and some instructional videos. The final 2/3 of the text covers emerging extensions such as object point data, application point data, phase schedule and effort model (COPSEMO), dynamic COCOMO, RAD schedule estimation model (CORADMO), commercial-off-the-shelf integration model (COCOTS), quality estimation (COQUALMO), and productivity estimation (COPROMO). Read "Software Engineering Economics" published in 1981 for additional background information on the COCOMO model.

This is great guidence for the people who involved in software cost estimation to deal with the current software engineering issues. It definitely helps to estimate the project's schedule and effort using COCOMO II (Implementation of the model).

A good book for the casual or beginning gardener. It covers most of the more common garden perennials in North America, and is well-illustrated with at least one color photo for each genus. Even the experienced gardener will find it valuable for basic information about a broad range of genera. Treatment of species and cultivars is rather cursory, although many of the commonest or most widely available ones are covered. The small size of the book makes it easy to refer to and carry around. The only drawback is that the color photos are all in the front of the book, so you have to keep flipping between the photos and text to match up the plant descriptions with their pictures.

This is an excellent, encyclopedic reference guide, whether you are trying to identify existing plantings or add perennials to your garden. There is a section with lots of backround gardening information; soil preparation, feeding, watering and etc. The really useful part is the plant guide.

There is a long section with color photographs of hundreds of flowering perennials. This is followed by a comprehensive descriptive guide to the plants, arranged alphabetically by Latin family name. A general description is followed by specific growing tips and varietal descriptions. All the photographs and descriptions are cross-referenced by page number so it is easy to go from a picture to a description or vice-versa. A comprehensive index further adds to the book's ease of use.

If you are dreaming of, or caring for, a perennial garden, this book is indispensable. As it points out, there are tens of thousands of perennials, most of which are not specifically addressed, but basic traits and cultivation methods are shared by thousands of varieties within each genus. This book will guide you to a successful planting plan for your climate.

Ran across this while browsing in our local bookstore. Not a technical book, but who cares when you're having fun. The photos are fabulous, about 400 of them; not drawings, but photos. Some wildflowers too: bloodroot, cardinal flower, trillium, wild columbine, etc. I found I had about 50 of the 400 shown, and the pictures convinced me I wanted more.

It didn't bother me a bit that the photos were grouped together. In fact, in identifying my own plants, it helped. I haven't bothered much so far with the book's text portion. And I discovered through the book that it "ain't just annuals" that give color and texture to a garden.

A slight but enjoyable memoir of a Toronto country gardener. The beginning is heavy going as she takes us on a tour of her first 5 houses, and it tails off a bit at the end. But it is a diverting couple of evening's read nonetheless.

This is an easy and fun read. I found it to be helpful in the basics such as the transplanting of plants. The discussion of various soils is very enlightening as I have a garden at the beach and of course, where I live. However, would I dig four feet holes or haul in manure by hand to enrich my garden? I don't think so-I believe in gardening the "lazy" way. But, I do think this is good information to have at hand.

Midge chronicles her gardening experience from city gardens in her early married years to the retirement home on a large property in the country where she and her husband create a garden from scratch. Her knowledge of gardening is gained by making mistakes and learning from them. Some of her experiences are hilarious and every gardener can learn from her mishaps and successes.

Being from a small town in Georgia myself, I completely bonded with the characters in both Mossy Creek books. These authors have done a wonderful job continuing these delightful stories and I look forward to reading more.

I have waited for the new mossy creek book very much, but I was a bit dissappointed. It was great meeting the old wonderfully exentric characters of the first book, but the reunion was laced with pain and hurt. The book concentraed around the question who burned Mossy Creek's old high school 20 years ago? The question unearthed secrets from the town's past. Some of the stories were really great like the love story between shy Josie M. and bigfoot, but while the first book was all along touching and fanny and a just a little bit sad, the second one had too much hurt people in it. But still I want to hear about the residence of mossy creek so I will buy the next book, I just hope it will be uplifting as the first.

With the twenty-year reunion at Mossy Creek, Georgia coming soon, Creekites wonder who burned down the town's high school back then that has forced locals to attend nearby rival Bigelow High School? Apparently the arsonist is taunting the Creekites by having sent to the town the ten cent fortune telling machine used during that homecoming day when the fire changed so many lives.

Though not even born yet, wallflower Josie McClure knows the impact of the fire because her mother was the homecoming queen who never celebrated her victory and forced her to compete for the Bigelow High School Homecoming Day Queen, which she humiliatingly lost. Rainey Ann Cecil thinks back to that fatal day in 1981 when she was twelve and with Robert Walker and Hank Blackshear believed they caused the fire. Amos Royden is now the sheriff and would like to solve the case that his now deceased father always felt blemished his law enforcement record. Other are impacted by either the fire or the upcoming reunion. Will the reunion complete the destruction of the Creekites or refurbish the civil pride of being a Creekite?

Written as a series of vignettes tied together through the reunion, the story line is humorous and sad focusing on how a pivotal event can change lives forever. Though an ensemble, the characters come across as genuine leaving readers to understand their pain, loneliness, and their need to belong. Fans will enjoy tremendously REUNION AT MOSSY CREEK and want to read the previous slice of small town southern living, MOSSY CREEK. Both novels colorfully and cleverly illustrate small town southern living.

Harriet Klausner

I had a chance to review this book. I think the authors can make us much better understand, particularly one who is about to learn the concept of statistics. You can apply this book with the SPSS program in order to interpret the results. Anyway, I still like the calculation parts which are removed in this edition (3rd) compared with the last one. I think they can help someone, who is very interested in statistics, to understand better before go ahead to use the computer. It's a great book for the beginner.

An excellent beginning reference book for anyone in need of understanding or interpreting univariate and multivariate statistics. Geared toward health care research, with many examples. A data set is provided with the book for students to use with different analyses. Reading audience is upper division undergraduate or graduate student.

A very well-written and helpful statistics book. It was required reading for a course in Quantitative Nursing Research last semester. Overall, the concepts such as t-tests, correlation and regression were explained in relatively simple terms. Examples with answers were found at the end of each chapter and the book came with a data disk. This was the most user-friendly statistics book that I have used so far!

When I started out in TESL, I found Ellis' seemingly endless accounts of inconclusive studies somewhat discouraging with regard to the integrity of the discipline. Years later, though, it's still the first book I turn to for information on landmark research or researchers in this emerging field. I'd highly recommend it for those interested in research in SLA but for few others.

When starting in second language acquisition, I found Ellis' summaries of seemingly endless lists of inconclusive tests discouraging. After years in the field, however, I find it's still one of the first books I turn to when trying to locate major works or researchers. I'd highly recommend it for anyone interested in SLA research, though I recommend it for very few others.

This is irrefutably the most comprehensive book on the subject matter. It is meticulously researched, well written and most importantly well structured. Never have I seen such an accomplishment in study of S.L.A. Ellis brilliantly dissects the dominating studies in the field. Moreover, he also presents their weaknesses and strengths. Interesting questions like the effect of formal instruction on language acquisition, the existence of a "critical period" in S.L.A are thoroughly discussed and commented on. In fact, everything you need to know about S.L.A can be found in this book. In my opinion, Rod Ellis is one of the leading researchers in the field of S.L.A. If you are interested in S.L.A. then this book is a must for you. Strongly recommended.

This book is quite different from Krenov's other, often intensely personal books. His motivation, in large part, is to make the case for his student's furniture, and only by extention his own work, and methods of work. He is concerned that the market hasn't a place for such work, and he hopes to make a place for it through this book. Krenov's previous stance in the Impractical Cabinetmaker, wasn't concerned with lack of viability, but the market has changed, and his students aspirations have apparently influenced him.

The last book Krenov published prior to this effort was Worker in Wood in 1981. In the intervening time, a great deal of his efforts have been spent establishing the Woodworking program at the College of the Redwoods in California. When I first heard that Krenov was writing another book I had hoped he would bring us up to date on his approach to woodwork, twenty years later. It is clear when you look at some of his recent work that it is quite different from where he was 20 years ago. It is also clear that some of the techniques then used have changed. It would be fitting if rather than the older books simply being republished, he could bring his many admirers up to date with a new volume.

While this book is well done, and shows many handsome photographs, there isn't much new. Many of the pictures have appeared previously in other publications, and the text, while powerful in places, is scant. It is rather like a catalogue to an exhibition. A dialogue between Krenov, his star pupils, and potential purchasers of their work.

Krenov books are almost perfect , but they have a substantial imperfection in having most of the pictures black and white. This last book corrects this imperfection offering superb color pictures of superb work. Magnificent examples of craftmanship, wise thoughts, and a contagious love for working with wood. A must for Krenov readers.

As usual Mr. Krenov's books are wonderful reading. His insites into craftsmenship are the best. In addison to his wonderful words are all the beautiful pictures of his and his students work. This is a book that no Krenov fan should be without.

The book was not the best textbook.....there is no study guide

This is one of the best book on global history, you can find every religion from east to west, north to south. You can read about all empires and kings, you can know all cultures and traditions. There is no other book which have reviewed and presented true picture of three major religions; Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

My daughter have to carry tree of these size books. Her school bag is 18 lbs. Why not divide all of these schoolbooks on two parts and make our kids happy. I believe school (elementary, middle and high) is not military training base.

Gregory Yamin