This is worthwhile for first time coaches and parents. Keep it
all in perspective as fun has to be intertwined with skill building.

This book encouraged me to continue coaching my sons softball team. For once I was treated with respect when I taught. The children also enjoyed playingmthe gsme. I recommend the book for any young, inexperienced cosaches.

An excellent resource with useful illustrations to help the little league coach prepare for practices, games and parents. Strong points: good baseball drill and practice suggestions that are easily implementable on the field, good communications suggestions to ensure your team and their parents know what's up and minimize problems. If you're not worried about winning too much then about 1/3 of the material is not going to be very useful to you. If winning is everything (at this level I don't think it should be for lower level teams, for all stars and above the story changes) then this has excellent ideas to help you achieve your goal. I strongly recommend it to anyone who is a first time coach.

I am glad to read this book, which is produced very aesthetically with stunning color and black and white photographs. The book forms a suitable companion to Kenoyer's "Cities of the Indus Civilization". It contains neatly divided sections and chapters on various topics (e.g. Pottery, textiles, metallurgy, town planning). It does not confine itself to just a dry description of artifacts and excavated towns - the discusion is skilfully supplemented by insights from cultural and social anthropology and other tools of theoritical archaeology. The author does a commendable job in showing the survival of the vital traits of the civilization down to our present times in India and Pakistan - whether it is houseplanning, village carts, ladles and coonches for pouring oblations in sacred ritual fire and so on. With the current acedemic climate being vitiated by virtiolic disputes over the nature of this civilization,the author manages to steer clear of the controversies, and manages to give a very consistent, accurate, insightful account that is quite understandable to the lay reader.

The author is a practicing archaeologist, with excavation experience in India and Pakistan. It is hoped that she will continue writing on the Indus Civilization in the years to come.

A ver concise and well-illustrated look at the ancient Indus Valley.

A Peaceful Dream: The Rise And Fall Of The Indus Civilization by archaeologist and prehistory expert Jane McIntosh is an amazing account of the second oldest known civilization next to the Mesopotamian Civilization. Little is known for absolute certain, yet much has been unearthed of the Indus Civilization. This informative account is gloriously illustrated with maps and black-and-white photographs, as well as a section of color plates, showing the lost treasures and artifacts of an ancient world. Chapters recount and hypothesize about religion, trade, the enigmatic script and the eternal legacy of the Indus Civilization. A Peaceful Dream is a fascinating and "reader friendly" historical study which is very highly recommended for personal, school, and community library antiquities collections and reading lists.

As with the other "Eyewitness" books on various subjects, this book is also endowded with outstanding photography. The information is still minimal and based on the more popular material most folks are familiar with with the Native American. A good starter book for the yonger reader looking for some information on our American Natives............

North American Indian, a part of the Eyewitness Books series, is an excellent book. On each page, there are four or five stunning pictures with captions that explain the different elements of the pictures perfectly. The book includes descriptons of all sorts of different aspects of a North American Indian's life. It shows artwork done by several different tribes. The book also gives a history of all the different North American Indian tribes. It is a great book for an artist interested in the intricate art of the North American Indians, or a student looking for facts about the people. North American Indian is a wonderful all-around book; it is truly a great read!

For those of us who were born a couple of generations after Robert Ruark hunted the African veldt and who cut our teeth on Peter Capstick's prose, this book is a must read. Ruark's tales harken to a halcyon age when hunters were still expected to follow up their own game, cut their own roads through the bush and build their own bridges. Anyone who has ever been bitten by the Africa bug, who has ever longed to seek out and kill something that could kill him in return and who has ached to feel his soul sweat in the glorious exertion of the hunt will appreciate Ruark's tales. Any collection on hunting or Africana is incomplete without this volume. Any collection on man searching for himself is incomplete without this book.

Between June of 1951, and his death on July 1,1965, Robert Ruark spent some time each year in Africa, both hunting and reporting on the changing scene on a continent he fell in love with at first sight, and this book covers those years using magazine articles Ruark wrote. It is more, far more, than a report on "today I shot this and yesterday I shot that" type of writing one so often sees in books of this nature. Some of Ruark's articles on the Mau-Mau uprising in Kenya are included, as fine a piece of straight reporting as was ever done on the terror of that period, along with a short story with (of course) an African/ Mau-Mau theme included as well. Some may complain about Ruark's apparent racism, but the best answer to that is to remind those critcs that both the English colonial government of Kenya AND its first "native" (black African) government both wound up banning Ruark from entering the country. When a reporter gets both sides mad at him its usually a sign that he is doing a fairly rounded job. Robert Ruark loved Africa as he loved no place (and few people), and the articles in this book show that. Those who disapprove of the sport of hunting will want to skip this book, since safaris make up the biggest part of it, but anyone interested in a view of Africa during the turbulent times of the '50's and early '60's would not want to miss it, and anyone interested the fine writing of the driven, self destructive genius that was Robert Ruark MUST have this book.....

The writing was lucid and what would otherwise have been a pretty bare and boring subject was made very readable. However the fictional account of 2 pastors (one new one, and a veteran pastor called 'Bob') grated on me after the first few pages. It comes over as somewhat self congratulatory in much the same way the scripted TV advertizements singing praises of a particular product do.

McIntosh has tackled a tough topic and injected guidelines and a few thoroughly useful rules of thumb that have definitely improved my approach to "doing church". I just wish that he'd gone for a more savoury dish rather than the rich syrupy sugar glaze that this one has.

McIntosh divides churches into three sizes--small (15 to 200 worshipers), medium (201-400), and large (401+)--then describes how what makes each size congregation tick is different. Obviously, any such generalizations are oversimplifications, but they are nonetheless useful.

In my work as a church consultant, I have used quotes and insights from this book to help churches understand what changes are needed to allow them to go to the next step of growth (for example, transitioning from decision-making by committees to decision-making by staff as part of the transition from medium to large) as well as to understand aspects of why the church has quit growing (for example, a medium-size church is clinging to ways of operating that are appropriate for a small church).

McIntosh makes this three-way comparison in 11 areas, including structure, leadership, primary role of the pastor, decision-making, etc. One of the simplest comparisons is that the small congregation needs their pastor to be a Lover, the medium congregation needs an Administrator, and the large congregation needs a Leader. This helps to explain, for example, how a Lover pastor who can grow a congregation from 50 to 200 may not be able to take the church further if he or she is not a strong administrator and continues to relate to members primarily one on one.

My one qualification about this material is that it seems to me that a number of the changes that McIntosh has described as taking place in the medium-to-large transition would serve the church better if they take place before the church reaches 400. (Perhaps the author is describing what is more than what should be.) For example, it seems to me a church that transitions from being committee-led in decision-making to being staff-led earlier than 400 is more likely to experience effective visionary leadership.

I use this material to help churches see why they are stuck, how their church culture will have to change to remove growth barriers, and to show some churches that certain changes in their culture/structure are overdue. This sometimes sheds light on why a church is feeling frustrated with structures and processes that used to work well when they were smaller.

If your church is up against any of these issues, this book is well worth your time.

This book is about the issues of church size and its effects on parish dynamics. The discussions of budget, finances, and church management are very useful as one considers stewardship issues and diagnosing the parish. It is written in the style of an experienced pastor giving advice to a new pastor, but the material is useful to laity, also.

Unfortunately, this book suffers from the same affliction that most programming books suffer from. There are absolutely no useful code examples in the book. Yes, as an experienced engineer, I can substitute my own code where the book prints to the screen or searches for monkeys, but hey, I paid for my ticket, sometimes I'd like to be told exactly what to do. If I wanted to figure out everything on my own, I wouldn't have purchased a book in the first place.

I read the first review of this book, and I think it's great. In addition, however, I feel compelled to let people know what they are missing.

Specifically, for those of us that do not have a connection to the internet and/or cannot readily download software onto their pc's, this book is only a primer for what resources you will need with XML. I have yet to find a resource that will provide me with a summary of all of the perl modules and library files that are needed by the individual modules mentioned within this book.

For instance, the book provides an example on how to use XML::LibXML and XML::LibXSLT. Unfortunately, the book does not let you know that XML::LibXSLT can only be used if you have XML::LibXML. And the requirements for XML::LibXML include downloading and installing a Gnome library - which may give you trouble on a windows platform. I realize this gripe may be a bit environment specific, but with so many Windows users out there along with an inability to just download anything off CPAN and/or Gnome, I know that I will still have quite a bit of trouble getting the book's examples to 'work'.

Although this book does provide examples for every module covered, it typically only provides a single example. So those of you who are hacker/leaners may be disappointed to find that not many examples are presented for cannabalization.

I am a professional developer, working mostly with Perl. I work in the field of biology and bioinformatics, but have spent the last 8 years working as a web and database Internet developer. And, I own practically every O'Reilly Perl book ever published (not that I necessarily think they're all worth buying). So, now that you know where I'm coming from...

If you are preparing to do a serious amount of XML development, and you're in the process of determining a) which Perl XML modules on CPAN you want to use, and b) how to use them; and, you don't have a whole lot of time to spend tracking down the sometimes-hard-to-find documentation on these modules; then buying this book is a no-brainer. It covers all the major XML modules, how to use then and really helps you figure out when to use the different modules.

Even if you're not new to XML and Perl, this book would serve as an excellent refresher course on what XML tools are available out there for you... Maybe you haven't looked at your code in awhile, or want to update it to use a newer module from CPAN? Or, maybe you're looking for a better way to do it? Then, this book would definitely help you out.

While a fan of O'Reilly books in general, I'll be the first to admit some of them are more useful than others. I have to give this book a very solid rating, as it's actually useful, comprehensive and very well presented. I find myself cracking it open all the time, especially as my utilization of XML has grown more complicated. It has definitely earned its place in my Aqua Perl book collection.

THE PRACTICAL ARCHAEOLGIST is a sound overview of the profession, from the tools used to dating methods to underwater techniques. Interpersed with the main text are intriguing sidebars about important finds - for me, the highlight of this book. Told in simple, easy to understand language, this book is geared for those with a casual interest in archaeology, or for high school students. Besides the simplicity (which may be a selling point for many), the main drawback of this book is the lack of discussion on recent finds, despite a copyright date of 1999.

If you are considering studying archaeology, or if you have a passing interest in it, you'll find this book both useful and enjoyable; however, if you crave an in-depth study of the field, look elsewhere. Without doubt, this is an excellent starting point for budding archaeologists.

My 14 year-old daughter and her friend attended a local archeology camp and this book was the "required text" for the sessions. They raved about the chapters and illustrations. I got a chance to read through it casually and decided it was worth buying to keep! It is a good overview of archeology around the world, covering many civilizations and is a pleasure to read. Lots of good pictures and photos.

Jane McIntosh's "The Practical Archaeologist" is a superb overview of archaeology for the lay reader. Although I don't have much of a scientific bent, I have always been fascinated by archaeology (probably too many Agatha Christie novels), and I treated myself to this many years ago to see if the real thing was as interesting as I imagined it to be. While nothing can completely convey the hard and tedious work that makes up the bulk of an archaeologist's days, McIntosh's book goes a long way towards clarifying the astonishing things all of us can learn from archaeology.

The book is arranged chronologically, beginning with a chapter providing a broad idea of what archaeology can mean and its function in modern times. From there McIntosh moves deftly to excavation, processing "finds," and analyzing them. She covers both above-ground excavations and those below-ground, and even gets into oceanic archaeology. We learn about how excavation and preservation techniques have improved, while many of the archaeologist's most treasured tools--hands, sieves, and fine brushes--have remained much the same for centuries.

This is a beautifully designed book. Color photographs, black-and-white photos, engravings, and sketches are skillfully combined with an easy-to-read text. This is an excellent introduction to archaeology for anyone who has even a remote interest in the subject--it's difficult to put down once you begin reading it. Highly recommended!

This book is terrible.The "real life situations" used to convey points are so contrived they are obviously made up.This book is written on a sixth grade level and would only apply to your situation if you live in a sitcom.Very poor and possibly financially dangerous advice.Seek information elsewhere.

Jodie-Beth Galos and Sandy McIntosh have written an extremely useful book for those who have been unjustly fired or "downsized." The authors provide a comprehensive plan for deciding what the terminated (or soon to be terminated) employee wishes to accomplish, what s/he can, in fact, accomplish, how, precisely, to enter into negotiations and pursue and monitor each phase of the process, how to reach a satisfactory settlement, and, finally, how to manage money while out of work. This clearly and elegantly written book features a balance of realistic stories about firing and negotiation processes and appropriately technical and involved legal and financial information.

This book takes the reader from a position of helplessness in the firing process to that of equals negotiating the best transition out of a work situation. While nothing will ever make the process of losing your job pleasant, this book covers all of the ins and outs of making sure that you get the best exit deal that you can, and that you don't fall apart in the time between jobs. Covering the time from before you lose your job (Yes, Virginia, there may be signs that it is coming) through the process of negotiating your exit, and what to do after it's all over, this book gives a solid, sensible approach to handling yourself in the one crisis few of us anticipate. This book tells you what to do, and more importantly, what not to do when you are being fired. Most people don't think about being fired until it's all over. Get the book and be prepared. It can happen to you.

THIS VERSION IS DISAPPOINTING. TEDIOUSLY DULL. LUDWIG II WAS ONE OTHE THE MOST COMPLEX AND INTERESTING KINGS OF HIS DAY. THIS BOOK TELLS VERY LITTLE OF THE PERSONAL OR PUBLIC LIFE OF THE KING. YES, HE WAS MAD AS A HATTER, OR SHOULD IT BE CRAZY LIKE A FOX. HE WAS A HARMLESS HOMOSEXUAL THAT LOVED BEAUTY. HE WAS AN ADEQUATE, IF UNINSPIRED KING TO HIS PEOPLE UNTIL THE LAST. IN EARLIER HISTORY, HE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN TREATED SO BADLY. THIS RENDITION IS MISSING SO MUCH OF THE MAN. IT ISN'T EVEN HALF THE STORY.

The problem with this book is it focuses on trying to explain rumors by twisting facts into ficton-a problem I found when reading many Evita bios. I feel there definitely needs to be a better bio written for the market. The book on the whole was interesting for me as a first time reader of LudwigII.

However, the author tends to overlook important issues ie.I was really disappointed when we are told Ludwig toured the western region of Bavaria, but instead of finding out about what he did on the tour(in reflecting his FACTUAL actions),we are drawn back to what Wagner was doing and his importance in Lud's life.

Good for first time read but take with a grain of salt.

In March of this year (2000), I was in Bavaria and visited the castles of Ludwig II. Upon my return I purchased this book to learn more about the King. I found this book fascinating. I only wish I had read it before my trip to his castles so I could have appreciated my visit more.