Having been a collector, affectionate reader, and on-the-field user of Lonely Planet guidebooks during my numberless and continuous travels, I can indeed witness that this one is one of the best. Some guidebooks try to cover too much, e.g. all of West Africa or all of Central Asia, and don't do the job so well (inevitable and still better than carrying one book for each country, but to the detriment of the quality). Another common problem, is the author's favourable bias towards the country she or he is covering, as if it were the most marvelous place on Earth - I think here of the LP guidebook to Libya. In other books still, some regions are covered more in-depth than others: the Indonesia guidebook only has seven pages on East Timor, which would in fact deserve a whole chapter if not a whole book on its own ! Instead, in covering the fascinating land of Papua New Guinea, this author has done an excellent job, and not much else really needs to be added: this is indeed the Lonely Planet standard, that is to say, an excellent standard. For those who may not be familiar with it, this means excellent, up-to-date, accurate coverage of all areas of the country, with information (primary basic facts as well as further data for perfectionists) about accommodation, getting around, eating, entertainment, etc. Despite the vastity of this land and the difficulty of getting to the most remote areas, the author has managed it. The chapters on history and culture, especially in this guidebook, I find to be extremely well-written and researched. This one is indeed an excellent tool not only for the traveller but also for the armchair traveller who may wish to know more about PNG without necessarily going. It is extremely enjoyable and pleasant to read, thus combining the unrivalled qualities of a guidebook from Lonely Planet, with great information and facts about the mysterious land of Papua New Guinea.

Even though this edition is already some years old it is still THE guide for independent traveling in this awesome country.

I was traveling in 2000 for about 8 weeks in PNG and found the book a real help for getting around in a country that is far away from being touristy. Whether you are looking for a bus stop, the next spots for hiking or diving, hotel information or information on culture and religion this book has it all in detail.

Especially in this kind of less developed country every bit and piece of information in this book is worth every cent you spent for it.

We traveled to Mt. Hagen and Port Moresby last March for the first time. What a great and beautiful country, and what a perfect travel guide to orient you. While this book is nice enough to have on the shelf, ours is worn from use... and usefulness. As a bonus, it's also well-written and a great book to read!

Lonely Planet has again done a superb job combining art, graphics, maps and information in exactly the right proportions. There are a collection of excellent color and black & white photos and graphics. The history and cultural background is extensive owing to the three experienced traveler-writers. They make great use of side-bars to highlight special features and information (a trade mark of most Lonely Planet materials).

All the regions are treated pretty equally and include useful maps that otherwise would be tough to find anywhere.

If you could only buy one book in preparation for your trip, you would not have any problem making this your "Bible". It is also a great size at 5 x 7.25 x 5/8's inches and printed on high quality paper.

I will always look to Lonely Planet as my first choice in travel books.

The thing I liked most about this book is that everything that Dr. Seabourne demonstrates can be done in the comfort of your own home. There is no fancy equipment that you need nor do you have to go to a gym and find a particular machine to use. Dr. Seabourne also demonstrates a wide array of exercises. I cannot stress the diversity of exercises he offers in this book. The tips that Dr. Seabourne provides are invaluable. He offers imagery tips, relaxation methods, plyometric drills, weight training drills, the whole 9 yards. I am indebted to Dr. Seabourne for the information he has provided through this book. If I had one complaint it would be in the ordering of the photographs, they can be hard to follow from time to time.

Hit harder, kick faster and use martial arts fitness routines to maximum advantage with the use of Martial Arts Athlete, a guide which offers training and conditioning techniques to enhance a martial arts routine. These exercises are especially tailored for the martial arts and black and white photos throughout provide clear instruction on the steps.

The Martial Arts Athlete was one of the best all around fitness books I have ever read. It provides information about how to tighten your abs, stretch correctly, heal low back pain, and improve any sports skill, especially martial arts.

Look out Mitch.....you and Tuesdays with Maury are about to be replaced. Dr. Murray delivers his book even better than he did in the classroom. As a former student of his....this book made me laugh....brought a tear to my ear and a lump to my throat. First he taught me to write. Now he teaches me about life as we all face growing older. Thank you for a great read!!

I got to know Donald Murray's writing while living in Massachusetts in the mid-90s. Ever since, I've read his Boston Globe column online, and almost always forward it to people I know, from my teenage son to my father in his 80s. I keep hoping the columns will be collected in a book. In the meantime, there's this wonderful memoir. There is more wisdom in a Donald Murray column than in most of the rest of the paper put together, but it's not WISDOM, delivered from on high and meant to make you feel inadequate. He's had a mixed life - a ghastly childhood, wartime service, professional failure and success, profound grief, enduring friendships, a satisfying marriage - but the book is not just a collection of "and then I" passages. Murray conveys so well how the past is always present, how it can be seen more clearly from the distance that decades provide, and how old age is enriched by that clarity, even as one deals with the inevitable losses and physical decline. His style is conversational-seeming, but without the extraneous matter true conversation always has. The passages about being bullied in boyhood are heartbreaking because there is no anger in his account. He doesn't need to express it; the reader will be furious on his behalf. Murray is a teacher of writing, and as a writer, I find his books on the subject are well worth reading (wish I could have studied with him). Readers will learn a great deal about good writing from "My Twice-Lived Life," as well as a great deal about living.

My Twice-Lived Life has long been in the making. Murray's first idea was to publish a collection of his Boston Globe columns that dealt with aging, the Depression, and World War II. His editor convinced him to look at the subject matter as a memoir, whole and of itself. Good idea.

I've read most of Murray's Boston Globe columns. It is often amazing what he does with these 800 word personal essays. But the memoir gives him more room to explore and develop his subject matter.

We're used to Murray writing about writing. There is a little of that woven throughout the chapters in My Twice-Lived Life. But writing isn't his primary topic here. He writes about the stuff of his life---his childhood, his parents, and World War II, in which he was a paratrooper.

One chapter is titled "The Not-So-Good-Old School Days." I'll use this chapter with my students at Miami University who are studying to be English teachers. In direct opposition to those who deify some past golden time of schooling, Don recounts his own school days and deromantizes that myth. He speaks of teachers today, how they seek further learning in summer programs and professional development, and he writes about how he came to teaching writing.

All those chapters were good reading, but the really courageous chapters are about aging. His wife, Minnie Mae, has had serious medical problems with Parkinson's, diabetes, and breast cancer. Don writes about these times of increasing care-taking clearly, compassionately, and unsentimentally.

In "Fatherhood" he ends the chapter by focusing on the death of his 20 year old daughter of Reyes' Syndrome in the late 1970s. Many of us know bits of this story, because those bits have worked themselves into Don's textbooks and columns, but here we get the most complete rendering and sense-making of that story, including one poem he wrote of Lee's passing.

In the last two chapters Don writes about the extended dying of a neighbor, what he learned as nurses and one doctor tended to her and touched her and helped her to let go. I wished I'd had this book to read two years ago during the time my mother slipped away gradually and inexorably.

A friend of mine in Utah used to say of such writing, "That's it. Write about the tough stuff."

Don Murray does that in My Twice-Lived Life. Reading it made me want to live life well, fully attuned to my senses, aware of the compassionate stories around me, learning how I might approach the coming years with courage and caring and humor.

Joan Murray deconstructs the boundary between poetry and science, biography, tourism, history, womens' studies. I am a college instructor and plan on using Murray's book of poems in an essay-writing course next year. She has written a stunning, subtle, believable book and has created a new genre.

i read murray's poetic and lively journey of annie taylor in one sitting. it was breathtaking, honest and all too real. Taylor was centuries ahead of her time. Her major flaw was that she believed that her feat would transcend gender. Murray's book should be taught in every grammar school so that children of all genders can exerience the world of realizing one's imaginative and so daringly creative forces. RUN OUT AND GET THIS BOOK! I GUARANTEE YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN UNTIL THE LAST GASPING PAGE!

With passion and compassion, Joan Murray gives Annie Taylor a voice and makes her a heroine, a woman of courage, who did what she had to do to survive. My colleague Jack and I both read this book about the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel, and we each read it in a single sitting--very unusual for a book of poetry. But this is an unusually compelling book. Highly recommended.

I found this book very moving. It changed how I think about the story of the Prodigal Son, and how I think about my own spiritual journey. Highly recommended. If you read the Genessee Diary and related to Nouwen's personal reflections there, you will get even more out of The Return of the Prodigal Son.

Having "The Genesee Diary" many years ago, and upon learning of Nouwen's untimely death, I was surprised to learn that he had written over 30 books. I was, and continue to be, overwhelmed by hearing his talk on "The Prodidgal Son." This represents a magnificent synthesis of his lifetime of searching. The fact that his cascade of insights is triggered by the painting of a fellow Dutchman, Rembrandt, and a searching soul as well, is remarkable. Because Nouwen is both priest and psychologist, I found his insights to be even more pointed and thought-provoking. When listening to this tape while driving, I have often pulled off the road because I was stunned by his cutting right to the core of so many issues. This could only come from a lifetime of struggling.

Native Americans believe in the healing power of stories. Jesus was, among other things, a story teller. Nouwen tells his own story of going out and returning, using the prodigal son parable as a framework, in these talks. This is truly a warm, wonderful, and deeply human volume. I highly recommend it.

The lives of Rembrandt and the author take vivid shape before the mind's eye of the reader as Henri Nouwen tells the history of Rembrandt's painting. Rembrandt's famous canvas is inextricably intertwined with the story of the painter's own life and, as the author movingly shares, Rembrandt's experience was so powerfully human that it transcends generations and centuries and resonates clearly with contemporary women and men. The Return of the Prodigal Son may be said to be much more than the story of a painting; it is a beautiful story of love conveyed by Rembrandt through his painting.

In as much as love may be considered both human and spiritual, the reader is invited in to the intimacy of two men's deeply human and profoundly spiritual journeys though life. Despite life's suffering and bitterness, the author and the painter share their reasons for maintaining a firm grip on hope and inner peace. This is wonderful jewel of a book that has yet to be discovered and appreciated for it full worth - at least judging by its sales rank.

It's amazing that the following mistakes appear in this book:

1) A reference to Cecil B. DeMille's "Sunset Boulevard".
It's Billy Wilder's and Leigh Brackett's picture. DeMille had
a cameo in it.

2) Donna Douglas (of "Beverly Hillbillies" fame) is referred to
in a caption as "Donna Dixon" and in the accompanying text as
"Joey Heatherton".

3) Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, in English riding clothes,
are described as wearing "Western gear".

4) Sammy Davis Jr's ex-wife, Mai Britt, is twice referred to as
"May Britt".

Did anybody edit this book, or were Garrett's reminiscences taken
on faith because he, of all people, should know?

This is a wonderful compilation of photographs and text taken throughout the years by Murray Garrett. All of the Hollywood golden age stars are featured: Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Jean Simmons, Natalie Wood, Ava Gardner. The photos catch the personal side of the stars, such as the photo of Richard Burton strapped into an airline seat along with his daughter's doll, as well as their entrances into glamourous events. He also adds his personal recollections such as Ava Gardner's love of jokes, off color or not, Eve Arden's love of her daughter, the secrecy of Natalie Wood's 21st birthday party. The stories are fascinating. The pictures are beautiful and unique. I am glad Murray decided to share them with us.

I have had the priveledge of knowing Murray Garrett for over 25 years as a business associate and friend. I was completely blown away by his incredible talent as a photographer and writer. This book captures a Hollywood that I remember as my home town and really was the entertainment capitol of the world. The pictures are unique, and definitely candid. Murray's comments about the stars shed new insights into the personalities and quirks of some of the most loved and famous celebrities of the era. A beautiful collection of memorys from a man who approaches Hollywood from an honest, compasionate and humorous point of view. Highly recommended.

Power and Market is Murray Rothbard's seminal critique of government intervention in the economy. Originally meant to be part of his magisterial Man, Economy, and State, it was published separately some years later. (For a discussion of this, see Justin Raimondo's An Enemy of the State: The Life of Murray N. Rothbard at 189-194.)

Unlike most Austrian school economists, Rothbard was an anarchist. In fact, he was the twentieth century's seminal figure in anarcho-capitalist thought. This means that Rothbard thought that not only roads and the like, but also national defense and courts could be provided without a state. (See his Society Without a State in the Libertarian Reader, ed. Machan, for a succinct presentation of his views.)

Rothbard starts out this work with a discussion of various types of government intervention in the economy. He divides them into three types: autistic (violent crime), triangular (tariffs, wage and price controls, licensing, etc.)and binary intervention (taxation and government spending). Following this is a discussion of antimarket ethics. There isn't an aspect of government intervention in the economy that escapes Rothbard's scalpel. As a whole, this is certainly an outstanding book. Take Rothbard's discussion of taxation. Many "right wing" economists support the sales tax on the ground that it doesn't discourage savings and investment. But it reduces people's income and thereby reduces savings and investment. It is a tax on income. [pp. 92-93.]

My main problem with this work is the sometimes simplistic discussion of complex problems and the leaps in logic. (I've discussed this is my review of The Ethics of Liberty.) Take for example the issue of immigration laws. "The advocate of immigration laws . . . really fears, therefore, is not so much immigration as any population growth. To be consistent, therefore, he would have to advocate compulsory birth control, to slow down the rate of population growth desired by individual parents." [p. 55.] Even in light of the entire 2 page discussion of immigration laws, I don't see how this follows. In this (and some other areas) the discussion is narrowly economic. Aren't there good reasons to restrict the type of immigrants? For example, if you have a society that is devoted to individual freedom and responsibility, isn't it wise to prevent immigration from those countries that don't support freedom?

If you want to know the essence of Rothbard, purchase this work; Man, Economy, and State; The Ethics of Liberty; and the Logic of Action.

if you feel a serious need to understand what is being done to you, and your business, by those in charge of the government, look no further! when you are done reading power and market, not only will you be able to criticize, you will understand the situation. by the way, this book reads fresh and new. it could have been written yesterday; and it is that relevance that makes it so special!

I have no quarrel with Will Murphy's review of the book Power & Market, I would merely like to reiterate what Ludwig von Mises said of Carl Menger's Principles of Economics that "this book made an economist of me."

If you are not already in a calculus class and are well versed in the terminology, you may find yourself a little lost with this one. This book assumes that you understand integrals and other mathematical theories. I would not use this to teach myself about Laplace transforms.

As a supplement, this is a fairly good book. As with most books in the series, there are various step-by-step instructions to show you how these work and to explain the various functions and theories. There are supplementary exercises at the end of each chapter with the answer right there for you to test yourself.

I used this book (among others) for an undergraduate course on 'Fourier and Laplace Analysis' in my sophomore year in engineering. The author had presented the concepts of Fourier series and transforms before progressing to Laplace transforms. Many important topics like Convolution, Initial & Final Value Theorems as well as the applications of Laplace transforms in solving differential equations were presented in a clear-cut, understandable way.

Using this book was a rewarding experience.

This book is excellent! It contains a lot of exercises in several levels, from basic to advanced ones. The great advantage took ver the other books on this matter is that it's not necessary any previous knowledge about Complex Variables. The book is specialy useful for students not so used to the Math tricks. I used this book in a course on Applied Mathematics at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. I've found this book useful not only for learning Laplace Transforms but also can be used as a reference guide and introduction to Complex Variables, Partial Differential Equations, Integral Equations and a little taste about Circuit Analysis. Be sure of having one of this at your professional library.

This is a great helpful tool for students to use! I was struggling in my stats class and this book helped a great deal. It is set up with many helpful hints and practice problems! Bravo Schaum's

As per all Schaum's thjis is also excellent. Like many of the others I have, especially the Concrete Book, this one too, worn out. Since it was required for a course that I took for an elective, would you beleive Economic Statistics. An easy A for math majors and Engineers; no real hard core economics covered.

Had this course over thirty years ago; upon recomendation of a friend. Professor did ask one question regarding economics; "which one of these bell curves represents percent of total income". Most wrongly (as I did) the symettric one as opposed to the correctly skewed to the left one.

Nom more economics, then. Pure probability, Stats, and Fun. Since the prof was a sports and gaming fan, as am I, this is my favorite math.

The downside, was the prof was veiwed as biassed against women, because his one-point (out of 500) bonus question was always sports trivia. I actually usually hit them, although I remember, the one test before Memorial day 1970, that if were after I would have known that the Late Tony Hulman alwasys said "Gentlemaen, start your engines".

But I digress. Get this book, agree -- cheap thorough and worth it. My favorite and most practical branch of math; so buy, learn and beat the lotto, cards, horses, and slots.

I have used this book to teach myself statistics and probability theory in a relatively short period of time. The essentials are well laid out and reinforced with plenty of examples and exercises. I would recommend using a Schaum outline authored by Murray Spiegel for becoming proficient in problem solving in that particular area. I got started this way after reading the book, Indiscrete Thoughts by Gian Carlo Rota.

Wow! What a book. Although I know very little about Linux as an OS, even less about security and can barely dress myself, I successfully used this book to set-up a secure, linux-based environment for my top-notch anime collection... All in all, I highly recommend this product...

Why does every book on Linux try to tackle too many issues? Let's face it, 700-800 or even a 1000 pages is just TOO much information. If you are looking for a complete and concise guide to securing your Red Hat Linux installation then I HIGHLY recommend picking up this book.

I would rank this as a book that is perfect for intermediate Unix admins but a colleague of mine without ANY Linux experience said she found this book to be a valuable resource in her steep learning curve. The book provides many examples of different configurations and provides great pointers to other resources if you want more information about a particular topic.

All in all, I was VERY impressed with this book and I would consider it a "must have" for anyone interested in securing their Red Hat Linux installations.

The excellent SANS "Securing Linux Step by Step"guide suffers from a
major problem: you can't cut-and-paste the commands from it into your
Linux system! The desire to do so constantly appear while reading the
manual, and I was very eager to try some of the things described
thereof.

The guide presents ultimate hands-on, indeed as step-by-step as they
do. A little of text and a lot of commands to accomplish it! All
configuration "recipes" are supposed to be tested by many of the guide
contributors and reviewers. I have found no inaccuracies of any kind.

Its a pity that there is no way to cut and paste from the book and
click on links too. The guide begs to have a CD, floppy or a companion
site since commands need to be typed on the server.

The book starts from a nice security policy primer and a summary of
security principles, which even touch upon physical security, backups
and other useful operational issues.

The range of advice is wide and covers everything from very basic
passwords security to complicated methods of chrooting various network
daemons for extra security. The complete step-by-step instructions for
chrooting bind and ssh are provided together with several sample
configuration files. Tips on securing many Linux applications such as
Apache, Sendmail, Bind, Samba are also detailed in separate
chapters. Securing Wu-FTPD, however pointless it might be in light of
a flood of attacks, is also described. Its a pity that common
replacements such as qmail, proftpd and djbdns are not covered.

While other books offer more breadth (such as coverage of many
different tools etc), this is ideal for those seeking depth. This
guide would likely not win any literature prizes, but can save a life
of a Linux admin.

Moreover, even if you think you know _everything_ about Linux security
- read it anyway, since you find some new stuff, just like I did. On
the other hand, complete novices will also benefit from it greatly,
since even just typing the command blindly and then reading up on them
and gaining in-depth understanding is no the worst way to jump start
your Linux security expertise. Overall, if you own or administer a
Linux system - get the guide.

Anton Chuvakin, Ph.D., GCIA, GCIH is a Senior Security Analyst with a
major information security company. His areas of infosec expertise
include intrusion detection, UNIX security, forensics, honeypots,
etc. In his spare time he maintains his security portal
info-secure.org