This book would be very useful for those implementing QA groups in their companies. The book displays a deep understanding of the issues involved in that. The sample QA plan, manual, and its forms and charts can be very useful. Unfortunately, some of the material, such as the checklists, is pretty dated. The book takes a fairly scientific approach to QA, and that may appeal to some, but not others. The book doesn't follow the IS0 9000-3 model, per se. Finally, the book assumes the reader works in an internal corporate IT department rather than one which serves outside clients. The book is still very useful, nonetheless.

This book represents a pivot point in Perry's prolific published works that date from 1981. What makes it pivotal is the fact that this book synthesizes his approach to IS quality assurance from a production support viewpoint and his future work which focuses on software testing.

Although over 11 years old the QA approach contained in this book is still valid. To get at the gems, though, you have to overlook a few things. For example, terminology common in the mainframe data center of past decades sounds quaint even to those of us who came from that environment. Also, the code examples used to illustrate quality problems are sure to confuse the younger generation of C++ and Java developers and test professionals who probably never heard of PL/I and only vaguely know about FORTRAN.

What I like about this book and the reason why I think it's still an important reference is the fact that application quality from an enterprise perspective is addressed. This goes beyond testing and release processes, as well as beyond project issues surrounding applications delivery and SQA. The focus is on production and maintenance, although testing, SQA and project metrics are addressed.

In addition to the focus, the book contains checklists, questionnaires and sample forms that can be updated to reflect modern computing environments - and you may be surprised to find that much of this 'ancient' material requires very little modification. Another aspect of this book that I like is the material on software maintenance, which seems to be a lost art, although it's as important now as it ever was.

Don't let the age of this book deter you if you're interested in quality assurance from a production support point of view. If you are seeking a book on software testing this will not be useful (I recommend Systematic Software Testing by Rick D. Craig and Stefan P. Jaskiel for that) or SQA metrics (any of Robert B. Grady's books are great starting places). The best recommendation I can give is that this book has served me well in over a decade of consulting, and it probably will for years to come. However, it shouldn't be your only reference either.

This is a really interesting book, if quilt history is your thing. It's the first quilt book ever published in America, in 1915. The language is elegant and quaint, and the section of color photos of the author's own designs is superb. It's not a how-to book for hobbyists, nor is its history highly accurate if you want the "real" scoop on quilting. But for serious students, specialists, and layreaders interested not only in quilting, but also in women's history, this book is invaluable.

This book is a must for the serious quilter. Marie Webster set the standard for 20th century quilt design. "Quilts: Their Story and How to Make Them" is the book in which Rose Good Kretsinger found her quilt design inspirations. This book would probably be of little interest to the weekend quilter or the "fast & easy" quilter. This book is a source for quilter's seeking that beautiful heirloom quilt style.

This novel is obviously a first work, but what it lacks in polish it makes up for with fresh, smart narrative. This is a story of what happens to teen angst when the teen gets older. Realizing that he's stuck in a rut, the main character picks up and moves to California without a plan, not knowing if he is walking away from his old life or putting it on hold.

The author twists the plot a little here and there, leading the antagonist through several tough life decisions. The manic anticipation of certain events, and the dread at others are really brought to life by the inner monologue and pacing of the narrative.

Overall, this is a good novel, definitely better than most of the tripe that is published for mass consumption... I look forward to the next effort by Ms. Pirsch!

Very entertaining and a quick read. The book was easy to get wrapped up and involved in because the story was easy to relate to. Not enough pictures though.

This book is a great 'starter' work for the new or novice Office 97 user. It's well written and well illustrated. After finishing this work you will want to add a 'bible' type book for reference such as Paul McFedries' "Office 97 Unleashed".

I started this book to learn VB and didn't expect to gain a lot having had bad experiences in the past with "Self help" books. I completed chapter after chapter in one sitting and just wanted to keep going. I was able to understand every step and build simple applications within hours Warren Jenkins

Sams teach yourself Visual studio is a great way to start into visual studio which includes Visual C, Visual Basic, Visual InterDev, VIsual FoxPro and many other microsoft programming tools. IF you are looking to strengthen what you know already in the microsoft world or you are a newcommer and want to get your feet wet and don't know a particular language but know the basics of programming, this set is definately for you. This is the best deal I've found on this set.

Another reviewer states (or seems to through confusing language) that this bundle also includes information about Visual FoxPro. It does NOT. The bundle is still very good, but if you want to learn Visual FoxPro - go elsewhere.

This is a wonderful book that introduces through color photography and historical references many of the national parks in the pacific northwest and Alaska. While a little outdated to be considered a true travel guide - it is great for reference and a wonderful guide for those who only can travel to these majestic and mystical places through pictures.

There are no more beautifully written or pictured guides to the national parks than this series put out by the Sierra Club. For a historical, geological, and biological snapshot of a park, no book does it better. If you need very specific information, contacting the park is your best bet. There is some information about trails, camping, contact info, etc. The main purpose of the book, however, is to give you an understanding about all aspects of the park. These books are truly treasured in our home.

An enormous variety of plants and flowers to learn about. Beautiful photos and helpful information of the orginality. A wonderful start to earning a green thumb!

I have been a semi-professional gardener for 25 years and this is one of the best plant and flower guides you can buy. This book has all the features a beginner or accomplished gardener can ask for -- concise information, a photo of every listed plant, compact size, well organized, very reasonable price, and a large, varied selection. I own many gardening books but this is the first I turn to when I'm looking for plant information.

This book deals with 2nd generation members of the Manson Family and how their lives have been affected (distorted?) by Charles Manson and his brood. It's an interesting look at "what if..." Manson's followers rose again and somehow freed him to roam and terrorize the countryside once more. The main characters are believeable, but not sympathetic enough to really root for in this novel. I give Perry credit for some imaginative research and development with his book, however. A somewhat predictable ending help to keep this from being a really top-notch thriller.

This book is so chillng because it could happen at any time. What IF Manson escapes? How do we know that there ISN'T an entire legion of Mansonmaniacs out there, waiting for his release?

Besides the role of today's media would spur on the action!

Couldn't put it down!!!!!!!!!!

I recomend the book. Written well. Nice and factual. Fun. Good at putting the reader in the place and time.

An excellent document of a time long-gone, "Sniffin' Glue: The Essential Punk Accessory" takes you back to the days of attitude, spit and projectile pint glasses. In existence for a mere 12 months, the UK fanzine "Sniffin' Glue" rose from humble beginnings (an initial print run numbering just a meager 50 copies) to a circulation into the thousands, just by the third issue. Of course, Mark Perry, S.G.'s creator, urged readers to tear their copies to shreds in reaction to this sudden success. I assume they didn't, and now we've got this handsome and distinguished volume, which is a welcome addition to any self-loathing punk's bookshelf. They're all here, from well-knowns like the Clash, the Ramones and the Sex Pistols, to more obscure but equally excellent bands like Eater and the Adverts. Even the layout and design of the book is spot on: the front half is chock-full of glossy pix of the bands and informative texts to go with them, and the back half is every single issue of the zine, printed authentically on smelly newsprint-ish paper. All in all, this is a gloriously raw and authentic trip back to punk's heyday, and one of the better punk books to come along in a while.

Perry Miller, The Transcendentalists. . .

The Unitarian reliance on miracles can be expressed through an Aristotelian syllogism: a. miracles occur b. nature cannot produce miracles *c. a supernatural force must exist. To Unitarians, that supernatural force must be God. George Ripley does not doubt that miracles occur, he simply says that whether miracles occur or are "new development[s] of nature" (p. 132) mistaken for the supernatural is irrelevant to whether God exists. After all, to the 19th century observer, magnetism and electricity seemed supernatural. To Ripley, it was better not to preface one's argument for the existence of God on an unprovable premise. He therefore calls for a "better mode of examining the evidence of Christianity" (p. 132) than is employed by the Rationalist Unitarians. Instead of premising a rational argument for the existences of God on miracles, Ripley states that the "better mode" is "the study of the human consciousness" (p. 132). He suggests that a more appropriate discussion is one which discusses the meaning of the "expression, often used, but little pondered,- the Image of God in the Soul of Man" (p. 132). From a multitude of other writings, one can surmise that the existence of God need not be proven logically or externally. We carry the answer with us everyday. By immersing oneself in nature, the eternal will be discovered. Miller sees this controversy as a "crisis in modern liberalism" (p. 129). To Miller, the question was one of sincerity and true meaning of Christian doctrine. The Unitarians had rejected Original Sin; man was no longer burdened by guilt, and he was free to have dignity. But, the Unitarians said man was free to hold onto his dignity only through supernatural intervention (p. 130). Miller sees this as intellectual duplicity. While protesting a belief in its dignity, ultimately Unitarians did not trust humanity. Ripley issued a doctrinal challenge to the Unitarians to follow their own philosophy to its necessary conclusion. The Unitarian Martin Luther Hurlbut expresses the larger implications of these competing philosophies. Without ruling miracles unreal, by simply challenging their historicity, Transcendentalism challenged faith itself, and it raised a host of questions that skirted, and in the hands of the mischievous Emerson, leapt over, the line of heresy. If miracles are mere "'natural facts'" (p. 173), then what purpose is there in faith? If physical science and reason banish Christ's miracles to the dustbin of mythology, then was Jesus indeed the Messiah; was He the Saviour? Was He the Son of God? Without the miracles, Jesus becomes a wise man, even a prophet according to Emerson (p. 192), but not the Messiah, not the Son of God any more than the rest of us. More importantly, and absolutely essential to understanding the revolution in New England, is the logical conclusion of such a line of investigation: do the words of Jesus Christ, without the miracles giving them the weight of the supernatural, carry the authority of God? Miracles affirm God's role in Christ's Passion. Without the miracles, the authority of the New Testament itself is called into question. To its opponents, Transcendentalism ceased to be Christianity. The dean of Harvard Divinity School said of Emerson's Commencement Address (p. 192) "that the part if it that was not folly was downright atheism" (p. 198). Andrews Norton, perennial opponent of Ripley, et al., said, "Nothing is left that can be called Christianity, if its miraculous character be denied" (p. 211). Thus Emerson took what was a breach in the Unitarian ministry and turned it into a new, perhaps secular philosophy. And this philosophy took liberalism to its high water mark. As Brownson says:

They claim for man the power, not of discovering but of knowing the spiritual world. . . . We may know that God exists as positively, as certainly, as we may know that we feel hunger or thirst, joy or grief. . . . The unlettered ploughman is placed, so far as evidences of his religious faith are concerned, on a level with the most erudite scholar or the profoundest philosopher. Christianity by this is adapted to the masses . . . (p. 244-246).

Each person should be able to explore for him or herself (truly in Transcendentalism) "the whole field of truth, in morals, in politics, in science, in theology, in philosophy" (p. 199). In this sense, Transcendentalism, by "recognizing in man the capacity of knowing truth intuitively" (p. 246), represents the ultimate democratization of faith and ideology. Not only does each individual have the right to choose in which God to believe, but the existence of that God can only be ascertained by the intuition of the believer.

Like its model, Miller's classic "The American Puritans," "The Transcendentalists" takes all the major texts of the Transcendentalist movement, excerpts out the most important parts, and frames them with Miller's brilliant comments to the subjects. As in his books on the Puritans, Perry Miller rides the subject like nobody before or since. Still the basic introduction to the writings, "The Transcendentalists" will serve anybody wanting to move beyond Emerson or Thoreau to the lesser-known members of the movement. While the ellipses can come to annoy those who want the complete texts, Miller's anthology is still worth reading, if only because this man was the century's greatest American intellectual historian. If you haven't read Miller, you're in for a long, difficult, rewarding journey, especially in his books on the Puritans. Without a doubt, an indispensable historian.