This one is strictly for amateurs. Perhaps the last section on customized Visual Basic programming is better. The first 4/5 ths of the book are Very Superficial. No details at all. I cannot believe a team of "high-powered Sql Server experts" came up with this cotton candy. Okay for an introduction if nothing else.

Catherine is right. I tried to work through Chapter 2 which was touted as buildig a "simple" package. The package was simple but I spent hours on it trying to follow poorly laid out directions and missing parts. Chapter 2 needs a redo so that one heads into the rest of the book with confidence in the authors.

This book does not provide examples of sufficient quality and number. Examples lack in the explanation of the master plan and the end result, as well as the specifics of the data models involved.In fact, those examples that are there, have errors, especially Chapter 2.
Although useful, the book needs a revision.

It is impossible to sum up social life and culture for the 19th century, and authors simply should not try. Hughes' book is a good example. It certainly has many pieces of useful information for both writers and scholars--I never knew that the Adelphi Theater was only open from October to April, for example--and Hughes' tracing of certain topics such as indoor lighting or the railways are concise and intriguing.

Unfortunately, she doesn't explain her terms nearly enough, and the quotations from contemp- orary sources seem overused--as though all of those period recipes were simply padding out space. There's an entire paragraph devoted to the etiquette of "cutting" which is completely incomprehensible if you are not first aware of the actual meaning of social cuts. Also, Hughes does not really work within context well; she doesn't seem to understand that etiquette books were not so much used by those in the upper circles, but by those aspiring to move upwards, or that the very reason for a plethora of etiquette books implies that they are needed--in other words, people are *not* following proper etiquette in their daily lives.

The writer of Victorian-based historical novels would do well to have this book on her reference shelf, but the casual reader will do better to read Sally Mitchell's Daily Life in Victorian England. This book would have been much more useful if it had narrowed its topic and explored them in greater depth.

While interesting and entertaining, this should not be considered a definitive guide to daily life in Regency and Victorian England. Kristine Hughes does a good job of giving the reader examples of historical writings on subjects such as etiquette and dress. Nevertheless, these few anacdotal resources do not constitute authoritative evidence that this is actually how people behaved in their everyday life. Just as a modern etiquette book reflects an idealized view of modern life rather than an accurate picture of how we really live, these original sources do not necessarily reflect the real lifestyles of the times. So long as you keep this caveat in mind, you will find this a very entertaining and readable book. The scope is extensive - everything from household appliances to travel to the various social institutions. There are many topics that will peak your interest, but consider this to be just the starting point for your research.

Whereas other reviewers were turned off by this book's inadequacies, I found it to be a good starting point for someone interested in the nineteenth century. Though by no means is it a definitive guide, its introduction to the era through categorized chapters makes for an interesting and informative read.

I've found the bibliographies in each chapter to be very useful, since they provide leads on other works that would've taken me much longer to track down.

With chapters on military, food, home life, business, and other topics, this book does a decent job of detailing the ins-and-outs of the upper- and middle-class Victorian lifestyle.

and clearly a cut-and-paste rush conversion job from the NW 5.1 book.

There are dangerous omissions and advice here. Do not purchase this book unless you already know NW 6 and just need a quick reminder occasionally (and thus can recognize likely errors)

I am a current Master CNE and have been a CNE for many versions of Netware (also an MCSE, CCNA, CCDA, CCSA). The book is filled with wrong information and problems. I'm not being overly critical, I'm talking basic information that's just plain wrong. It was right for NetWare 5, but not NetWare 6. In fact in several places, the book accidently says NetWare 5 when it means NetWare 6 - I think they were cutting and pasting from the NetWare 5 book. I virtually always buy the Novell Press books and this is the first time I have ever been this disappointed. The information that is correct is frequently woefully light on content. It's amazing how little of value a 1500 page book can actually say.

I purchased this book hoping to find a definitive reference on NetWare 6. I mean, who else would publish such a book but Novell Press themselves.

Unfortunately, within the first 50 pages of this book there are at least 10 errors on items such as what is included with the OS, minimum requirements for RAM and DOS partitions, what is included with the Express Install and what some of the features like NSS support. There were also numerous references in the text to NetWare 5 or 5.1, which makes me think that much of the text was cut and pasted from previous versions of the book. There are also some glaring omissions like no mention whatsoever of the new auditing tools.

Considering that the book was published about 5 months after the release of the OS, I was extremely disappointed in its accuracy. I'll be looking to return my copy and find something else that does a better job. I recognize that someone put a tremendous amount of work into this book, but someone should have done a better job at checking it for technical accuracy.

Probably not edited by anyone speaking English (at least, nobody that knows ANYTHING about networks). Extremely wordy, repetitive, regularly travels half-way around the world to get across the street. Exhaustive in its treatment of trivial details (like how to expand an NDS container) while lightly skipping over complex subject matter (like partitioning). The only good thing I could say about this book is the design and outline of its contents and the effort exerted in filling in the details seem to be well matched, both of them quite low. Would not recommend this book for anyone unless they are an incurable insomniac -- this is the cure. I wrote to IDG to express my dissatisfaction with this book and my disappointment with them for pandering it to the public.

I was looking for a complete guide to NetWare 5 for a new network operating system user. This is not it. The was written by experts for experts.

I had the chance to meet the authors at Brainshare 99, they were kind enough to autograph the book. In various installations this book has helped alot!! Especially with the new backup system Novell has implemented with Netware 5. Easy reading, not overly technical..

This book lightly covers all the theaters of war. The Chapters include: Moulding the Soldier; Infantry; Panzer Forces; Artillery; Airborne and Special Forces; The Waffen-SS; Casualties of War; France 1940; North Africa 1941-43; The Eastern Front 1941-43; Defeat in the East 1943-5; The Italian Campaign 1943-45; Normandy 1944; North-West Europe 1944-45.

It is not for the serious student that already has an overview of the Wehrmacht and wants details. That is why I got the book.

Example: It talks about how well the Waffen-SS did in actual combat and about their stringent training requirements. It does not mention that the Waffen-SS Division had more tanks, equipment, and men than the Wehrmacht Division.

It had a lot of personal stories in it.

The book is full of large, clear photographs.
However, there are several errors and inconsistencies that I found distracting to the point of lost credibility. Overall, the book is a nice overview, has some interesting personal stories from several German soldiers, but it is not for the serious WW2 student.

The book has NO references or bibliography. With the numerous quotes from German soldiers, this lack of references seems incongruous. On page 21, the bold statement is made that "statistical analysis have CONCLUDED that German troops 'typically' inflicted 50 percent greater casualties on their opponents that they suffered in return, regardless of whether they were attacking or defending, even in the face of overwhelming Allied numerical advantages and air superiority later in the war." [emphasis by reviewer]. I find this conclusion hard to believe, when one looks at the German killed, wounded, and captured in western Europe in 1944-1945. If this is a fact, I would like to see the numbers and type of statistical analyses conducted.

On page 15, the photo references "the private," yet the soldier shown has the white piping on his collar indicating he is a NCO (Handbook on German Military Forces, pg 553, US War Department, reprinted 1990, Louisiana Univ Press).

On page 24, the authors fall into the common error of calling the MP38/40 sub-machine gun a "Schmeisser" (Military Small Arms of the 20th Century, pg 118, Hogg & Weeks, Krause Pub, 7th ed).

There are several references to quotes from Guy Sajer, evidently from "The Forgotten Soldier," an autobiography of a German soldier who fought with Grossdeutschland in Russia. I read "Forgotten Soldier" in the 70s and loved it. ...
For authors from universities to use such a questionable resource casts doubt as to their other sources [and how they are teaching students to conduct defendable research].

On page 33, the authors place the ultimate demise of Germany on strategic blunders. While true, the lack of unit cohesion by 1944-45 clearly was a key element to the loss of many late war battles. When a group of men are thrown together and have a matter of weeks or months to train together (with some units assembled from the Navy, Luftwaffe, and other broken units), how can they form a cohesive unit needed to win in combat. See "Band of Brothers" by Stephen Ambrose and "When the Odds were Even" by Keith Bonn. Addressing this lack of cohesion is a missed opportunity for the authors.

Page 46 shows a photo of a tank commander with "two sets of headphones." These are headphones and throat mike. The authors also miss the opportunity to point out this tanker is a member of the SS (note eagle and unit armband on left sleeve). The deaths head badges probably mean this is a member of the 3rd SS, Totenkopf.

Page 97 references German Paratroops, yet no Luftwaffe eagles are visible, only Wehrmacht.

Page 107, photo claims to be soldiers in France. Eagles are visible on several sleeves, thus, authors miss opportunity of indicating they are SS. According to "Das Reich," by James Lucas, 1991, this photo shows members of the 2nd SS in Poland in 1939.

Interestingly, in the authors other book: "Weapons and Fighting Tactics of the Waffen SS," they have a bibliography and correctly label the MP38 as not a Schmeisser.

This book is a simple look at the ground forces of the Third Reich. It cover each branch of the armed service(Infantry, SS, Panzer, Artillery,etc) the training and role in WWII. I must admit that I skipped through most of the "historical" chapters, they offered very little insight and seemed quite basic. While this book is great (5 Stars) for the casual reader, it is less of a key tome for the serious WWII historian.

Elaine Feinstein, a friend of Ted Hughes, has written what amounts to the first full length biography of the former poet laureate. Readers, especially those with a strong interest in his first wife, Sylvia Plath, will feel, I suspect, rather let down by this book, even though the bulk of the biography seems to be about Hughes' relationship with Plath. Feinstein's caution and wish not to offend - Ted's living family, friends, and maybe Ted himself - is evident throughout the book. But more than that, there seems to be little here that readers have not already read before in various sources. Anyone familiar with one or more of the several Plath biographies, or Lucas Myer's recent memoir, 'Crow Steered, Bergs Appeared,' will find the information on Hughes' years in Cambridge, his meeting of Plath and their life together until her death in 1963 completely unsurprising. There are a few 'new' bits of information with regard to Hughes' childhood in Yorkshire but nothing of major interest. There are also some interesting pieces of information regarding his relationship with Assia Wevill and about Assia herself, but again, not much we didn't already know. The relationships he had with Emma Tennant and Jill Barber are better and more thoroughly documented respectively in Tennant's book 'Burnt Diaries' and presumably in Barber's forthcoming memoir. Almost nothing is said about his 2nd wife Carol, or Hughes' children with Plath, seemingly because the biography is unauthorized and Feinstein wishes not to infringe on the personal life of the still living wife and children of her friend Hughes. This restraint for the sake of the living is admirable, but it hardly makes for a well-rounded bio (readers interested in the inherent implications and difficulties of writing biographies would do well to read Janet Malcolm's 'The Silent Woman'.) Indeed, Carol Hughes becomes hardly more than a footnote in her husband's life in this book. In any event, the personal details entailed are certainly not salacious; in fact, I've read quite a few things in Plath bios, on the internet and in the newspapers that are hinted at in this book but never fully explained, or left out altogether, probably because they would be considered too disparaging to the subject. I personally have no problem with this - biography is more than simply gossip and the airing of dirty laundry (at least it should be.) Feinstein is mildly defensive of Hughes when it comes to his personal behaviour in relationships with women, and strikes a balance between that defense and holding Hughes accountable for his actions or non-actions. Feinstein also seems to have a genuine respect and fondness for Hughes, although her use of the first person in some sections in the book throw the reader out of 'biography' and into 'memoir'. I came away with the feeling that biographers should never personally know their subjects, and if personal friends write books about the lives of those friends, the books are more properly called memoirs. The biggest surprise is the fact that Ted's work seems to be discussed hardly at all. Again, since this book is unauthorized I can only assume that Feinstein was unable to get the permission to quote freely from Ted's works. Perhaps I'm wrong, but in any case I was very disappointed at the lack of in-depth discussion of Hughes' work. There are repeated references to Hughes' interest in astrology, hermeticism and neoplatonism, but not much discussion of these influences overall. Basically, I came away from reading this bio no more informed about Ted Hughes than I had been before I read it. For me, Hughes remains a creative, talented, engimatic presence in 20th century literature. I look forward to subsequent biographies that may offer a more psychologically in-depth portrait of the man with a more detailed analysis of his work. Feinstein's book is a general primer for those that want an overview of Hughes' life but not much substance.

It's a pity my review comes late in the queue, because this book is not as bad as other reviewers make out.

Essentially, this book is a history of Ted Hughes' life. It makes no great claims to interpret his ideas inside the covers. What I liked about this book was its attempt to make a balanced description of what happened with Sylvia Plath and the other significant people in his life. The author avoids the rancor and emotionalism that must certainly have engulfed Ted in the years subsequent to Sylvia's suicide.

It's the first account of Ted I have read which suggests that although he had a weakness for beautiful women, he was very patient and kind with Sylvia and tried to help her even after their separation. He continued to support her growing fame after her death. In this book he comes over as a likeable, thoughtful man ' a gentle giant amidst circumstances fraught with extremity.

This biography is wonderfully written and compulsively readable. But most importantly, it finally sheds light on the full, real, complex people that Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath were. It also dispells and negates much of the awful Anne Stevenson/Olywn Hughes biography, "Bitter Fame".

This book captures the man that captured Plath. It's a much for all fans of both.

I've read almost all of Jude Deveraux's books, but this is one book not worth putting up in the shelf.
It started out as a promising book. Bailey, the widow of a billionare, was willed a runned down farm house and a mere 50 grand. Their lawyer satrted to help her. Then a guy named Matt was introduced in the plot. Less than a year of her beloved husband James' death, she's falling in love again. And in the midst of it all she has to solve a mystery about her fromer husband's life. Something to do about the golden six. She also has to avoid getting killed, when Ms. Deveraux killed characters from left to right. The ending was also not as good, it was kinda abrupt and rushed.
I'm really very disappointed. I believe she should just stick to writing romance novaels. What's up with authors now a days? Most romance authors are trying to write romance-mystery books. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE HER BOOKS and will definetly recommend, except this isn't one of the good ones. Hope her other books would be more promising someday.

This was very untypical of Jude Devereaux work. I have been a major fan of hers for years and always anxiously await the new books..which are always fun, romantic and interesting in several different ways. However, while interesting and a bit mind boggling as it kept changing directions was almost totally different from her usual work.

Her main character was her type of different female, but no one else in the book really fit her previous profiles, and neither did the plot. It was almost as if she had outlined the story and someone, or several someones filled in the missing pieces. Lots of things made absolutely no sense and happened completely out of context. It was difficult to follow without a scorecard and the resolution came too fast and without a "saving grace".

I do hope that she has not sunk to phoning in her stories, she is too good for that. I did read the preview of the next book and it has a man as the storyteller....also a different avenue for her. Maybe she is just trying some new and different ideas.

If you have never read Jude Devereaux, do not count this one as typical.....go back to her older works and enjoy!!

I think Jude Deveraux should add a supliment to this book---all the little tidbit recipes she threw in; even if she does scorn the idea of one more cookbook on the market! I enjoyed this book--it was a departure from her old romancey stuff---I have been reading her books since I was a teen---I thought she was so old! :)
And I hadn't picked up anything of hers for a long time--unlike the rest of the world, I didn't care for "A Knight in Shining Armor." Anyways, the story is about a fat and ugly rich woman, who, like in previous novels of hers, is made beautiful by her circumstances. In this one, a diet and a nose job. Ahem. She gets left a "charming" farmhouse and a perfect ten acres by her billionaire husband, who dies under mysterious circumstances. This book reads like somebodies dream come true. Like a fantasy played out in printed pages. So fat lady billionaire is welcomed to the small town and on and on (in VA) and gets to solve a mystery of her husbands past. Its pretty interesting. Everything held together well, even if it is....well, its good to me. The ending seemed a little rushed, and some parts aren't pieced together well, but all in all, a good story. Don't expect any romantic stuff to be the focus of the story---its all about the Golden Six and starting your own jelly business. Oh yeah and I thought it was very...interesting how our main character grabbed her "canning" past when she grew up in suburbia but then later Kentucky----all in the middle of the book. Nice editing job.
But truly, an entertaining weekend read. C'mon, don't expect anything more!

I was hoping for a manual that provided more of a quick reference to both the basic wokings and commands of Linux than an intro to the various apps found within that OS, such as emacs, vi and pico. Knowing how to network, send email and FTP is all good, but those are topics that should be explained in greater detail in a regular IDG book, not skimmed over in a quick-guide.

I recently bought this for the IS manager that will replace me in weeks to come. I bought it for what it was intended to be. A "Quick Referance". This is not a book that will describe exact procedures, or how to negotiate your way through extedned server calls. It's great for someone with a working knowledge of Linux that finds themself asking "What was that command again?".

It's not that bad, very usefull

I too loved the other three books, and snapped this one off the shelf as soon as I found it. I had to push myself to keep going and barely made it to the end. Main weaknesses: the all-too-familiar narrative pattern of starting in early childhood (six-year-old Mary doesn't sound too different from 25, 35, 75 or 90 year old Mary), inconsistencies in many characters (especially Mary's family and Jesus's mother--a big one there), startlingly few references to the misogyny the historical Mary Magdalene must have faced from the other apostles, especially Paul. VERY simplistic--no twists (straight out of the gospels), and even the miracles are dulled and blurred so we can't really see them happening. Worst of all, commits the cardinal sin of any novel: it's boring. Oh, and by the way, the author treats demonic possession as absolutely 100% totally, literally real, both in the novel itself and the afterword. If you are expecting the sumptuous glitter of George's previous books, the passionate emotions, the vivd breathing to life of the past, you'll be disappointed. Even reading the Bible yourself would be a more literary experience.

I first saw "Mary, Called Magdalene" on the shelves of a local bookstore and was immediately intrigued. I was not familiar with Margaret George's previous biographies, but I was immediately impressed with her ease of storytelling and the depth of her research. Although not groundbreaking, "Mary, Called Magdalene" is an enjoyable read.

George sticks to safe ground, not really radically reinventing much of the familiar story of Jesus and his disciples, but some episodes raise red flags: Mary travels with and sleeps next to men (including Jesus), something that no respectable Jewish woman of her time would have done. Also, during her possession, Mary conceives by a pagan goddess after turning her back on God, then wavering between the pull of the pagan goddess and God, yet later she becomes a pillar of the Church? The characters and dialogue are memorable and generally well developed, and George manages to make familiar material (the Gospels and the story of Mary Magdalene) fresh and raise some interesting questions.

This is a wonderful book!
It is was well written and hard to put down. I just wanted to keep reading. A real tribute to Mary Magdalene..... Thank you Margaret, for getting the word out that Mary was a true aspostle of Jesus.