Recently I did a detailed comparison of the 5 or 6 major offerings in this area, which includes such traditional notables as the big Hammond atlas and the one from Oxford University Press, as well as the Dorling-Kindersley one, but this atlas is the best combination of features and price out there. It's only a fraction of the cost of the big Hammond one, for example, and is cheaper than the other two by at least 50%.

So I agree with several of the other reviewers here, that this atlas really rocks, and that in many ways it's better than any of the more famous other offerings in this field on the market, including the massive Hammond one and DK ones, which, as I mentioned, are a lot more expensive.

I've read my share of ancient history books, and this atlas is just the best way to get a good overview quickly of a particular time frame and period. I've used it to clarify many aspects of ancient history, for example, when I got lost in the details in reading more standard histories on the subject. In reading your typical ponderous history, it's so easy to lose the forest for the trees, and there is no better solution for the problem than this book.

Another nice feature of the book is that periodically throughout the text there will be essays at key years or junctures in history, such as "The World in 1914," or "The World in 800 BC," or whatever, in addition to the more topically oriented essays, such as "Old Kingdom Egypt," or "The Persian Empire," or "The Warring States (referring to 5th A.D. century China) which give you further historical perspectives on the events of the time.

The book is organized into two-page spreads with the essays and their corresponding maps and illustrations. According to the jacket text, the book was also prepared with the aid of graphics experts and geographers skilled at combining the written word with visual illustrations and graphics. I would say they and John Haywood succeeded admirably, making this a great book just to browse casually, or read more seriously. Haywood also writes very well and has a nice, deft touch with the material that avoids the dry, technical-sounding quality of some atlases.

Another nice feature of the book is the detailed, color-coded timelines that accompany each two-page spread, which some atlases don't always include or set aside in a separate section of the book. This makes it easier to use and more informative since it can be referred to along with the maps and the text.

My only fault with the book is that the coverage is typically Eurocentric, but this really only applies to the DK atlas, which is suprisingly strong in terms of its coverage of Asian, African, and non-European history in general. All the others are more Eurocentric, like this one.

Keep in mind that this book (like all atlases) aims at breadth rather than depth, since it covers the entire history of the world from man's earliest origins up to modern times. Overall a great altas and a fine book to keep you oriented in whatever period of history you are reading on.

This is an excellent book, with detailed maps covering history from the dawn of civilization all the way upto the date of the book's publishing (only real change between the most recent map in this book and the present is the independence of East Timor.) Keep in mind that this book focuses on breadth, not depth; that isn't really a flaw, it's by design. It's not meant to be and all-in-one historical text, but a reference companion to any more in-depth historical text for a given region or period.

The best part of the book in my opinion is the several world maps that let you see the entire world at a glance during certain years. There are 27 of those, if I counted right, showing the world at a glance during key moments in history from 2000 BC all the way up to 1999 AD. Another thing the makes this book unique among historical references is the fact it isn't so Eurocentric as most history books are; it covers the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australia with the same detail as Europe.

If you're a map-freak like me, who likes to see maps to help you picture historical periods, this is a great book to have.

I wanted to buy the best atlas of world history so I went to the library and looked through the top 3 atlases, namely Times/Hammond, Oxford, and DK. DK was clearly the nicest and most elegant of them, but contained little text and had lots of world maps in places where it should have had detailed close up maps of the regions. I eventually chose Hammond 5th edition, the most expensive of them all, and ordered it. Then in a local bookstore I found this book and because of its low cost I said "what the heck" and bought it. I am glad I did because in my opinion it is better than all the rest including Hammond. Whenever I want to look something up I go to this book first. When comparing the same events in this book and Hammond, I find that in many cases (but not all) this book provides a better and more detailed explanation.

This book is amazingly well organized. Each chapter starts with about 5 world maps spanning hundreads of years. (hammond doesn't have this). Followed by nice and detailed maps of each region. Color is used very well. The maps are mostly the same size so you can easily compare them and visually assimilate the information better. Each map has a timeline and a list of about 7 key events/battles that happened during that time.

The quality of this book matches or exceeds the quality of the major atlases. You do not need a better general world history atlas book than this. And the fact that the price is so low, gives you no reason not to buy this book. Goto the library/bookstore and compare the atlases, and you'll see this one is good enough for all your needs.

I have been searching for the Betsy books ever since my oldest daughter was born 9 years ago. Reading about the birth of Betsy's little sister, Star, turned me on to reading for the rest of my life. I couldn't wait to read every book in the series. This book is one of my fondest memories as a girl in elementary school. I only hope to share these with my two little girls. I also hope that someday they will be republished for new generations to enjoy.

This is a wonderful book about little Star, Betsy's younger sister from the Carolyn Haywood series. My daughter and I loved reading about this little girl and how she can't wait for kindergarten and the wonderful way her parents make her dreams come true. A truly wonderful book for little girls.

I have been searching for this book for 20 years now. As a child, I was an underachiever in school due to a poor home environment. However, in fourth grade, I found these "Betsy" books and would read one in an afternoon! I couldn't wait to finish one book to get to the next.

I remember mostly Betsy's little Star because how the writer wrote about the birth of her baby sister was truly incredible.

I have not seen these books in decades, but now have a little girl of my own and really want to purchase this series for her.

You can't go wrong with these books. They instilled in me a love for reading that helped me to go on to graduate from High School with High Honors and from University in three years, Magna Cum Laude. My love for reading remains to this day.

When you read The Honor of the Ken, you will be enthralled by the powerful and soaring writing! The plot is a fantasy, and occasionally gets a little too-far-fetched, but it will hold your interest and you will enjoy it!

When colonizers from Earth impose their Manifest Destiny upon a distant planet and enslave the inhabitants to exploit a rare mineral, we are reminded again of how almost every country in our world has experienced this horror and that the fight for freedom never ends. Laura Haywood's "The Honor of the Ken" is a powerful story of the slaves' struggle to regain their freedom from their captors who regard them as "animals" and break their promises as often as promises made to Native Americans were broken. This is a book worth owning and reading, again and again, for its absorbing, thought-provoking tale, and its poetically written prose, comparable to that of Nicholas Sparks.

You need not be a sci-fi enthusiast to relish Laura Haywood's new novel. It does not depend on space travel and space wars for its appeal but rather it is a sharp look at freedom, of freedom lost and freedom regained, and the indomitable young womanof mixed Earth and alien parentage who endures and triumphs.

Designed by experts, and with care; "Current Pediatric Diagnosis & Treatment" is one book that both paediatricians and GPs know too well. It covered every aspect of child's health-care in a way that would arouse envy in other texts. Its superior methodology is one factor that has kept its name above others. The authors of this book deserve tons of commendations. They did a fantastic job. Every chapter of the book speaks for them!
Its illustrations are utterly comprehensive; and the frequency with which its information is updated ensure that only the most current advances in paediatrics are included.
Very welcomed! Books of this quality would ensure that doctors (and medics) will always live upto their respective billings.

Everyone recommended big fat books of pediatrics, with lots of words and little answers. But this book is all you want and need to know about in your pediatrics rotations. With diagnostic essentials, getting through diseases just gets a lot easier, and with therapeutical answers, it just builds good doctors. I specially liked the chapter on antimicrobials and vaccines, so essential in pediatric care. Definitely a must have for a good medical student with lot to learn and too little time (at the end, that's what medicine is all about). All my medschool classmates just wanted to have my book.

This book is a great combination of up to date, accurate information in a clear and concise form. It gives you all of the details you need to make a sound diagnosis and is still easily readible. A great value and a solid buy for both in the office and the hospital.

Talk about a brooding hero-he is wonderful, dark and mysterious, complicated. Falling in love as he does with the heroine, it makes his duty to his family all that much harder to bear. The twists and turns to get to the end for the happy ever after made me breathless with anticipation. More like this one, please!

This book has not been given the praise it deserves. This is an EXCELLENT historical fiction in the style of Julie Garwood (high praise, indeed, as Julie is my TOP favourite romance writer.) Nara is a wonderful, innocent, warm-hearted heroine who is always looking to find the good in people and the situation. Tynan is a magnificent man who is tortured by a horrific childhood and now by his vow of revenge. Secondary characters like Tim are skilfully interwoven to create a deep, rich, satisfying story. Run right out and read this - you'll LOVE it!

I just finished Haywood Smith's latest, Damask Rose, and it is simply superb. The writing is historically correct, and the characters will touch you with intense empathy for their plight. I love her writing; I think she will continue to give us wonderful books. I'm looking forward to the next Haywood Smith book!

To follow Walker Avery through The Rest of the Earth is to take a spritual voyage through a dreamy American landscape. Henderson's etherial prose evokes deep longing, but does it honestly, without manipulation or trickery. Henderson suprised with new spiritual possibilities, and forgotten emotions from deep within. With this book, Henderson has honed his craft to a level uncommon in modern American literature. Experience its magic. I have never read anthing like it and cannot wait for his next.

I was fortunate enough to have taken The Rest of the Earth with me on a trip to Montana. Having the time to read the novel alone and uninterrupted was one of those literary pleasures that will be remembered forever. I entered the dreamscape of young Walker Avary and flowed with the beautifully written tale of a sensuous drifter. I marvelled at Mr. Henderson's ability to craft a story with a plot that moves mysteriously from the subtleties of deeply buried emotions interwined with the inevitability of landscape and weather.

Henderson's writing has improved since his first novel "Native," which was no slouch in the prose department itself. Despite the adventurous and even sexy plot, this is not a book to zip through in one sitting. Henderson's unique groove needs to steep in the sun or laze in the shade to come into its full splendor. Take your time with this one, savor its tastes and hum its melody, and it will change the way you look at landscape forever

An indispensable guide to online gambling. Haywood does a good job of explaining the pitfalls online gamers take. He reviews the distinction between "dairy" and "beef" casinos, the various brands of software, gaming portals, ways to win money, and equally important, methods of wagering to avoid. He explains how you can make bonuses last for you and make money. My only complaint with the bookis that some of the casinos he lists at the end of the book as "dairy" casinos offer small or no bonuses. Nevertheless, I would highly recommend this to any prospective online gambler. Good job, Bill!

Given how quickly the online world changes, I was at first reluctant to buy on book on online gambling. However, Haywood's book more than met my expectations...very well researched (with FOOTNOTES no less!!) and up-to-date. Also, has very level-headed discussion on US laws as regards to online gaming as well as recent restrictions by banking/monetary industries.
He reviews the basics of the games, and basic winning strategies. The overall strategy however is winning by taking advantage on online casino's currently generous bonus offers. However, as I found out myself, there are some caveats to this, which the book goes into as well.
I highly recommend this to even the casual gambler who wants to waste a bit of time gambling 100$ online or someone who wants to put the time and effort into making money consistenly. Also, Haywood does not overstate his case...right from first chapter gives estimates of how much time and treasure you will need to have to make consistent money.

Although the information in this book is now a bit dated because technology and new internet things keep going so fast, it's still worth getting. The only really outdated thing is parts where he says to play two or three times what you buy in for. These days the rules for online casinos state a minimum wagering requirement and it's all done by computers so there's no need for cover betting like that. Anyways, back to my review... GREAT BOOK!!!! BUY IT!!!!! I am a college kid and I made a nice easy two thousand dollars in a couple months from online casinos thanks largely to teh helpful info in this book. I averaged a little over 30 bucks an hour with all teh extra play and time spent researching-- but still-- it sure beats other forms or working! I got to refresh my basic strategy and play blackjack and make money! It was great! You aren't gonna get rich quick or quit your job, but for some easy extra cash, this book more than pays for itself!!!

Found this lovely little book in the "discard" pile at the library, so I grabbed it for my two daughters (ages 6 & 8). The book is about 150 pages with 10 chapters and pictures throughout for personal enjoyment. I immediately enjoyed the book from chapter 1, and each night I read a chapter with my girls, asking them questions about what's happening, what's happened, and what they think is going to happen. They are really relating to the adventures. Simple, yet entertaining. Love how little educational tidbits are placed in the story. It's a wonderful learning tool. Honestly, my daughters are begging for the next chapter each night! That's why I'm online now trying to order another book by this lovely author. Never a dull moment. Recommend this little gem highly! - Happy Mom. :)

I start every school year reading this book, a chapter a day, to my class. I've taught first grade and kindergarten, and the students never fail to connect with Betsy. They can't wait to hear what will happen next!

A classic from my childhood that I never forgot--a book that's just plain fun.

Of course, it helps that my name is Betsy! This was my first chapter book that I read in Kindergarten or First Grade...learning all about school with the other Betsy. My 4 1/2 year old is just about to start Kindergarten, and is a great little reader. I have been looking for a chapter book for her reading level. We tried my old paperback of Stuart Little...which is a great story, but too many words she doesn't know. I picked up my red fabric bound copy of "B is for Betsy" tonight to see if she could read it. I sat down and read it in about an hour...brought back so many memories. It is in great shape (unlike Stuart, which has pages falling out), and I think I will start her on it tomorrow!

Better Software Faster provides an excellent, clear and pragmatic approach to developing complex systems. Not only is the book the most useful tool companion that I have ever read, it also identifies and explores the key issues that face software development teams today without overloading the reader with academic process.

BSF challenges each unit of process to prove it's value before it is accepted into the team's software development environment - following the school of "build it up" with the essentials, rather than "strip down" that many process users are accustomed to.

Along with a truly in-depth guide to using Together, and a pragmatic development process, BSF explores issues of domain modeling, requirements modeling (functional and non-functional), cost estimation, and quality from a base of practical experience.

A true informational heavyweight, each chapter is littered with experiential pop-ups where the authors share some great insight. Clearly a lot of thought has gone into this - a sit-down read.

I had great pleasure and interest reading "Better Software Faster". The great value and uniqueness of this book is that it presents in a comprehensive way a development process, the tool that supports it and the main techniques to accomplish each step. The presentation is made easy to read through an example which is clear, complete and which works.

The book also addresses some key technical points that I have never seen addressed elsewhere.

It should be the reference book of each system development team.

This book felt like a fresh breeze on a subject that has been dragged ad infinitum through a morass of books on this methodology or that process. It is not another methodology, nor is it merely a process (though there are solid roots in proven methodologies and processes).

The book impresses most with its down-to-earth practicality. Developers should quickly recognize the authors as two of their own who have spent a lot of time out there in the trenches. I helped review the manuscript for the publisher, and I found myself constantly distracted from the task of looking for problems in the text because I kept on highlighting interesting stuff that I wanted to go back to. I learned much then, and I am still learning.

The work is jam-packed with highly pragmatic advice, based on long experience, on how to tackle object-based, distributed development projects using a readily available development environment. (TogetherSoft's Together ControlCenter is the authors' weapon of choice... as far as I know it's the first third-party book to focus on this killer development platform. For TCC users, the book is probably worth it's price for the expert tips and tricks alone.)

Example abounds. The authors have built a reasonably robust distributed application (for an auto servicing shop), with both local and internet-based clients, around which the text revolves. (You can download the source code free from the book's website.) The language is Java, and the focus is on building distributed applications in a team setting.

Anyone relatively new to distributed apps (as I am), especially corporate developers and project managers, will probably benefit most from this book, though I think even the most seasoned veterans could find some interesting tidbits (artifact management and ControlCenter tips, for example).

The book makes me happy in the sense that a mutt can make himself a part of a family, actually an indispensable part so naturally. The phrases used in the book are best chosen so that it is easy to read and feel the real emotion in it.

Rusty just had so many things to make you love him. It paints a true picture of some of the bad times along with all the antics he took part in. I'd recommend it to readers of all ages.

More Than a Mutt hits the spot for anyone who loves dogs. Roger did a great job of humanizing a very special dog's personality. Our whole family enjoyed the book and we highly recommend it.