So you say you found this old Adam computer and printer in the basement and you wonder what it will do?

Well,that turns out to be quite a good question, because Coleco produced two different Adams, without really telling much of anyone. The BASIC in the original Adams was really a version of Applesoft, although the manual sent with the machine was based on Radio Shack's BASIC. While this may not seem like much to us today, it was a big deal back then. If you follow the manual, the computer will not work.

Get this book. It tells you how the Adam really works. Searle knows what he is writing about. I suspect he was an Applesoft programmer, who found out that the Adam really was based upon Applesoft, not Radio Shack's system. His writing is clear, to the point, and demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the software.

He also happens to have a sense of humor, and the programming demonstrated is quite structured - something quite unique back then. Yes, it has problems when compared to the way we organize programs today, but if you knew how totally unstructured the language was back then, you'd be amazed that Searle presents it in a structured manner. An added bonus for programmers new to the old BASIC is that instruction is presented in careful bites, with a logical sequence that flows. I checked, and Searle also wrote a few BASIC books on the Apple; the experience and tips in here show that. Some tips in here will be hard to find anywhere else.

The book is easy to follow, easy to find information in, and well organized. It is a good companion to the original Adam.

Now, a caveat. If you have a later Adam, Coleco changed the BASIC. If your manual is one that follows Applesoft (how can you tell? A quick way is to go to the graphics section and follow the instructions. If the graphics refer to VLIN 0, 39 and you type that in and nothing happens, you have a later Adam.), don't buy this book. Your computer was changed and is based on the Radio Shack BASIC.

Yes, how weird! Remember, the personal computer industry was still in its infancy, and companies did all sorts of strange things. The Adam was a great idea for its time, but the implementation was botched. I liked the book, but where is the co-author?

This book without a doubt got me through my childhood crafting years. Random weirdness was no stranger to me, and having grown up outdoors it was natural for me to put my love of random nature and of books to hard work. I'm 18 now and looking for the books of my childhood, the books which I routinely borrowed from the local free library, and this one was the first to come to mind. I remember best making a cockroach out of my dukes of hazzard matchbox car, because it was orange and so was my crayon. Kids deserve a chance to make their own toys. Sometimes all you need is some straws and string to keep them amused.

If you've not read any of David Adams Richards' books, you're missing a wonderful experience. Richards is master of the sublime, even when covering gritty topics and plotlines. Such as it is in this title; the characters are imperfect, flawed, some of them disturbed, outcast. This story is a tangled web woven, entrapping the souls it skirts, unravelling their lives as the situation(s) gain momentum. There are truly haunting moments experienced as one absorbs the tale. Although the reader will have affinity with the characters' very human flaws, Richards never allows us to get too close and I believe he does that deliberately; this fiction takes an in-depth look at the shallowness of living on the edge and the waste that it is.

The story will pull you in gently and carry you along with ease - the writing is so good you don't notice it... you simply absorb the story and its characters.

I've been keeping my eyes open for more of this writer's works (I started with his latest "Mercy Among the Children") as he has quickly become one of my fave writers. This is an excellent starter into the rich and dense world of David Adams Richards. Enjoy.

My womens bible group read this book and found it extremely helpful in finding lost time. We are all busy people and we tend to put things aside that should have priority; for example, prayer time. I found many time wasting practices in my way of life that ate away at my time with the Lord. This study shows you: where you spend your time, how to focus better on priorities and much more. This book gives bible verses to turn to regarding time issues and reminds us that God never has a time constraint, He is always there for us and we need to let Him have some of the time that He has given us. This is a great bible study for Christians and non-Christians. Time is our greatest enemy and if we can get a handle on it, we can have a less stressful life.

I gave this book to my brother when he moved to London, and he later said it was addictive to have around and use to visit where the Beatles did what they did. I visited him since then, and used the book myself to visit scenes from the movie HELP and A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, go to Chiswick House to see where The Beatles filmed the "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" videos, and go to many other Beatles London sites. This is a must-have book for anyone who is a Beatles fan and is going to visit London. Or for anyone who wants to be an armchair explorer of their old haunts. It's entertaining reading even if you'll never go to London.

This is an important collection of essays for the serious photographer and for anyone interested in the art of photography. This book is destined to become a classic and will be read a hundred years from now. Adams' many excellent books of his own photography are testimony to the validity of what he writes about. I have read these essays over and over again and continue to learn. Robert Adams is one of the few photographers whose writing matches his photography.

i don't have a copy of the book. how do i get it?

The Best War Ever was written to combat the images which surfaced in the 70's about the war. Adams argued the media and servicemen glorified the war in the minds of Americans. Our troops were kind and generous, well ordered and glad to fight. No one avoided the draft. Men mingled in the trenches and found friends among other races. Men thought the war had meaning and purpose. Adams goes through systematically and bebunks these myths. Most soldiers were not kind, but became hardened to death. When soldiers took Japanese prisoners, they killed them brutally out of hatred and revenge. Men raped women, killed little children and looted houses. Men lived in filthy conditions, lived among dead bodies for weeks and despaired of ever coming home. Many resorted to homosexual or erotic activity. They could not find meaning in the war. Many in the United States got married or had children to avoid the draft. Of those were were drafted only 20 percent ever served in battle, and only half of those who served ever fired a gun or saw the enemy. This meant 80 percent were behind desks or in communications. It was them who told the wonderful stories of glory and courage. Men in the trenches seldom told their stories due to trauma. Races were segregated and black units often never saw battle. All these realities argue against the John Wayne Hollywood WWII hero. Adams is a masterful story teller; the book is well written and entertaining. The newer generation has always been exposed to these attrocities and realitites due to the change in how the War was taught. This book is written to inform those who still think it was the best war ever.

Matthew Henry outdoes himself with this book. One of the worlds famous authors of various commentaries, Mr. Henry brings to life the true meaning of the scriptures. His articulation puts the verses of the New Testament into everyday household words that makes it easy for anyone between the ages of 8-80 to understand. This powerful adaptation will send chills down your spine as he brings the text to life!

What more could we ask to make a rip-roaring good story: dedicated scientists rushing pell-mell to contain the "Zambian strain" of the HIV virus; religious fanatics determined to steal that virus; clandestine drug sales to support "the cause"; a remote headquarters in southeastern Ohio where militia who intend to reign with Christ are training in warfare and ready to murder in His holy name. The story revolves around two married scientists, Drs. Vic and Kate Waldran, who are working in a New York institute to identify and develop an antidote for a particularly virulent form of the HIV virus. Their lives are happy and fulfilling but are forever changed when Vic and his daughter Pat are captured by religious fanatics, led by the prophet Jeremiah. He intends to use Vic to spread the Zambian virus as a way to kill off the polluters of American culture, spread international chaos, and thus provoke the final battles of Armageddon and the triumphal return of Christ. Kate, a fanatic herself who loves her family above all else, refuses to call in the police to assist in the detective work--a very selfish decision if one considers that the life and death of millions is at stake. She will rescue her daughter and husband herself, together with one or two friends. Unlikely? Yes, but would things be as interesting without the Father Dowlings and Ben Matlocks of this life, determined to do the work of the police and thus provide us with many a good story? Kate takes on a new name as the story unfolds, the "Devil's Bitch," given her by her enemies. And she richly earns the title. Talk about a one person wrecking crew! Adams' fanatics are described as ignorant Christians motivated to action by their profound sense that they have lost their place in society. They are not your average inert losers, but are fired with hatred and a determination to take back their lost position. Such persons as failed farmers and malajusted Viet Nam veterans comprise their numbers. Their rich and wicked prophet, a successful, respected construction entrepreneur in New York, shares their enormous hated of Jews, African-Americans, homosexuals, newer immigrants, and others seen as the curse of American life, with a focus on urban areas as the centers of sin and corruption. The madcap Prophet Jeremiah, who receives God's word to destroy the infidels, sets out with purpose and the comforting belief that the Almighty will not allow him to fail. And thus the tale unfolds, the plot full of action and mayhem, cold hatreds, and the willingness to kill without hesitation. Author Adams, a distinguished historian of Russia and Eastern Europe, must have been developing other skills during the years he was churning out his sober, beautifully researched histories. This, his third novel written since he retired from Ohio State University, is racy and intriguing, a real page-turner. Is Hollywood paying any attention? This story is a natural for the silver screen.