I first encountered Cordwainer Smith when I was in grade school, checking every book out of the library that I could find under Science Fiction. Some of my favorite stories were the often-anthologized "Game of Rat and Dragon" and "Scanners Live in Vain." I began seeking out his stories anywhere I could find them, but aside from the wonderful novel Norstrilia, I could find few more.

How exciting that the NESFA Press has brought all of these stories together in one book. It was such a joy rediscovering old favorites, and also finding real gems (such as "The Dead Lady of Clown Town") I had never seen anywhere before.

This volume is a must-have for anyone who cares about classic science fiction short stories. In it are some of the best examples of the genre. A short list of the stories in this volume that you MUST read would include: "Alpha Ralpha Boulevard", "The Game of Rat and Dragon", "A Planet Called Shayol", "Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons", and the aforementioned "Dead Lady of Clown Town."

The title of one of Smith's collections that originally contained many of these stories was You Will Never Be the Same. What a great title, and how accurate. You won't be.

A few years ago I encountered, in an undistinguished anthology of Year's Best Something-Or-Other, a short science fiction story called "The Ballad of Lost C'mell." Love at first sight. I ransacked used book stores, the crowded shelves and dusty boxes of my house, and even libraries to find more short stories written by this miraculous Cordwainer Smith. I managed to assemble eight or nine, all from various anthologies, before my parents took pity on me and gave me "The Rediscovery of Man" for my birthday. Smith's writing is so good, it's intoxicating: you put down his writing with your head full of fantastic images, from underpeople toiling away in the mysterious corridors of Downdeep-downdeep, to star sailors riding the interstellar winds, the indescribable poetry of Space-3 and the strange futile lives of the Scanners. In my eyes Cordwainer Smith has only one fault-he died too soon! How dare he leave such a colorful, complicated, weird and wild future universe unfinished? Fortunately he left these stories, and if you have not already read them, I suggest you waste no further time in discovering the Instrumentality of Mankind and the universe around it. And even if you've read the stories before, read them again. They're just as good the second time around . . . or the fifth . . .or the fortieth . . .

At the age of thirteen, I fell on a beat up copy of Norstrilia, and fell in love with Smith's works. I soon got a copy of "The Best of Cordwainer Smith" and it vanished on a summer camp trip. It took me years to replace it. Imagine my delight to have all those loved stories in one (heavy) volume, unlikely to go astray!

As you probably know, Smith was actually Dr. Paul M.A. Linebarger, a Johns Hopkins professor and specialist in Asian affairs. He was a master of psychological warfare.

His stories fit no easy category. They are not fantasy, they are not hard science fiction, they are not alternative history. They incorporate bits and pieces of Asian culture and myth. They are often troubling, haunting. "The Dead Lady of Clown Town" ends with most of its characters dead or with their minds wiped, yet it is a happy ending for all that, with Joan's views obviously spreading through the underpeople. "Under Old Earth" is a fascinating tale, filled with allusions that must be beyond the scope of this note. Even "War No. 81-Q", the original version of which was written by Smith as a teenager, is an excellent story. "Alpha Ralpha Boulevard" is simply one of the great SF short stories of all time. I could go on, but . . .

The volume also includes the Casher O'Neill trilogy, that I had read of, but not seen before.

If you haven't read Smith before, this is how to buy his stories, so that you have them all. If you have--well, again, you'll have them all.

It's worth it. Buy it.

Dinotopia will appeal to different age groups for different reasons. Very young children (especially those interested in dinosaurs) will understand little of the story, but will appreciate the multitude of dinosaur pictures. You can 'read' this book to a very young child by simply commenting on each page's pictures.

Slightly older children will begin to be engaged by the story...an adventure tale, presented as if the book were a lost journal that has been recovered.

Youth and adults can appreciate the story's deeper messages about peace and simplicity of living, and the beautiful artwork...far beyond the typical illustrations in a children's book, both in quantity and quality.

This book is one of the most incredible books ever written. I thoroughly recommend it to everyone. Of all the books which deserve cult status, this book is the most breathtaking.

The artwork is amazing! The paintings simply take your breath away. Whenever I want to escape, I read this book. Whenever I want to immerse myself again in the land of Dinotopia, I just look at one of the fabulous paintings and i'm there.

The book is accessible to everyone - there are characters which connect with every person on this earth. The story is magical and deserves greater praise than I could ever give it.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! PLEASE BUY IT!!!!!

PLEASE!

I found this book in on my brother's bookshelf thinking it would be a nice bedtime story. The cover looked interesting enough, but from the first page I was hooked. As an 18 year old, I was surprised at how this book captured my attention with its detailed illustrations and maps. It was an easy read, but I took longer than usual to finish it, because I lingered on each page, simply marveling at the pictures! In a fictional world of dinosaurs and humans, this book will touch your creative side like few others. I highly recommend Dinotopia, especially for reading aloud to a younger audience. I could just imagine myself in such a world and I'm certain you will too!

I just saw this book here and HAD to review it. Just so you know, it has been probably 15 years since I have even SEEN this book. But I remember having read it over and over and over when I was in grade school. I think I read it because I had to the first time. Then I just picked it up and read it a few more times. It's that good.

This is a book about a kid named Jimmy Carter, who loses his vision when his friend lights a firecracker and it explodes in his face.

The book chronicles Jimmy's schooling at a school for the blind, and his relationship with Leader, his seeing eye dog. The book will also teach your children the value of forgiveness. It will also teach them that, while some things come easy to them, others have to struggle. What this book WON'T teach people is to pity blind poeple. Jimmy is by NO means a weak kid. When you finish reading "Follow My Leader" you will have a new respect for him.

Buy it. It is one memorable book.

I first read this book when I was in third grade (that was about 33 years ago). At the time I lived about a block from a Guide Dogs for the Blind training school. Over the years I had the privilege of meeting numerous "students" training at the school. I was able to see firsthand the courage that was portrayed by Jimmy in this book. My children will be reading the same copy of "Follow My Leader" as I did; I still have the same book on my shelf. It has been read many times over the years; I trust my children will be inspired, as I have been, by this special book.

As a child in elementary school, WAY BACK in the 1960's, one of my teachers READ this book to our class over several days.
I never knew who WROTE the book, but from time to time, remembered the story of the blind boy, Jimmy, and his faithful guide dog, whom I now know was named "Leader"...This is the kind of story which can capture a child's imagination, and stay with them for a long time to come. I highly recommend James B. Garfield's "Follow My Leader" (with illustrations by Robert Greiner) to any parent who desires that their child read a book that will inspire a young person to overcome whatever obstacles or challenges which life may deal unto them.
This book touched my life over 33 years ago, and it's lessons of courage, inspiration, faith, and determination to succeed can and will leave a lasting impression in a child or young adult, even in our world of today.

Fleming adds the detail and the smashing debonaire of oo7 together and comes up with the incredible novel: On Her Majestey's Secret Service. The high adventure, the beautiful Bond girls, and James Bond's "save the day" attitude make On Her Majestey's Secret Service a must read! I've written several books myself but none compare to this. I stayed up late until one in the morning reading the wonderful descriptions of the exploits of Bond, James Bond. It, along with Casino Royale, The man with the Golden Gun, Goldfinger, and You Only live Twice, are ranked high on my favorite novels list and should be yours. The head of SPECTRE and his Number Two man torment the spy but as always, Bond defeats the evil plans of Ernst Stravo Blofeld but for him to only fight another day!This book is so good it should come with popcorn!

One of the last of the original Bond Books, On Her Majesty's Secret Service is also one of the best. Picking up a year after the end of Thunderball, this book finds James Bond again battling the nefarious schemes of Ernest Stavro Blofeld and SPECTRE and, most importantly, falling in love with the beautiful, resourceful, and ultimately tragic Tracy. Though the usual intrigue is well-presented by Fleming, he also makes it clear that Blofeld's plan is hardly meant to be taken all that seriously. (Without ruining it for those who might never have read the book or seen the surprisingly faithful film adaption, it all comes down to Blofeld hidden away in Switzerland, pretending to be an allergist, and brainwashing English farm girls. No, it doesn't make a lot of sense but Fleming obviously had so much fun presenting it that most readers won't take offense.) The heart of this book -- and this Fleming treats with an admirable seriousness that should take his critics by surprise -- is the love story between Bond and Tracy. In Tracy, Fleming has created perhaps his most fully realized "Bond girl." Vulnerable yet resourseful and more than capable of taking care of herself (and, at times, perhaps even more so than Bond himself), its hard not to fall in love with this character and when Bond finally does decide to reject all others for her, its impossible to disagree with his logic. Its a compelling, rather touching love story and, even though most Bond films know how its going to end, the ending still packs a heavy impact.

As for Bond himself, after being a rather predictable presence in Thunderball, he's back in full form as a full realized, interesting character in this novel. On Her Majesty's Secret Service was written after the release of Dr. No (Ursula Andress even makes a cameo appearance at the time) and one can sense that, with this book, Fleming is reestablishing his claim on the character. From the intentionally ludicrous evil scheme to the frequent excursions into Bond's head (revealing him hardly to be the ruthless, unflappable killer that filmgoers though him to be), Fleming comes across as a reenergized writer in this book -- determind to let all the new Bond fans out there know who is really in charge of their favorite secret agent's destiny. The result is one of the best of the original Bond books and one of the best spy thrillers I've read in a long time.

I've read every Ian Fleming James Bond novel, and I must say, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is an undisputed #1. This is James Bond at his finest. He is at his most resourceful and clever, not relying at all on gadgets. It is a more serious book as well, with the best ending of them all. I would highly reccommend reading many of the other novels first, because before you can really appreciate James Bond doing what he does in this book (I'm not going to say what it is), you should understand his past experiences. It is the most personal and thrilling of all the novels, and it is a very close match to the movie. In conclusion, people may say that "From Russia With Love" is the best, but trust me, nothing can compare to this book.

Hacking Linux Exposed by Brian Hatch, James Lee and George Kurtz, is a nice follow-up to their bestselling Hacking Exposed . While not as groundshaking as its predecessor, the new book does provide a good reference for people just starting with Linux. Anyone who is setting up or planning to set up a Linux network should consider owning it, together with the appropriate Linux administration manuals.

Hacking Linux Exposed covers security administration issues such as FTP, sendmail (but for some reason, not POP3/IMAP servers) and web server setup; it also discusses local user security issues and touches lightly on Linux firewalling and other network access controls (TCP wrappers).

The book includes a big section on keeping your system updated, which outlines methods used by several popular Linux distributions (rpm from RedHat, apt-get from Debian and pkgtool from Slackware). This information is essential to the security of any Linux machine, whether a home workstation or company server.

The focus is Linux, but the book also covers some other important security areas. It attempts to offer a total solution for Linux security, starting with general infosec philosophy (such as proactive security), and moving on to physical security, social engineering, Trojan programs, access control, user security and server setup. Each security problem is rated for global risk on a 1 to 10 scale, factoring in frequency, simplicity and impact. In general, the book is more encyclopedia than detailed guide, as it strives toward breadth over depth.

I am a senior engineer for network security operations. I read "Hacking Linux Exposed" (HLE) to learn how adversaries compromise Linux hosts. HLE impressed me at every level. I highly recommend system administrators and security personnel read and heed this book's recommendations.

The "Hacking Exposed" series is known for its unique example-driven style. Rather than telling the reader about a technique or problem, the authors demonstrate the issue using command-line examples. I find myself reading with book and laptop at hand, ready to duplicate the authors' sample commands. This process reinforces the authors' message, while the reader learns if a specific problem applies to his situation. Furthermore, by showing exactly how to execute certain commands, the authors impart bits of wisdom and trickery not found elsewhere.

For example, chapter 11 describes attacks and defenses for FTP servers. To explain active and passive FTP sessions, the authors demonstrate running an FTP client with the -d switch to illustrate raw instructions sent by the client over the FTP command channel. I had never seen this switch in use, but as an intrusion detector I constantly see raw FTP instructions like those revealed by the -d switch. These and other tidbits, like using the chattr -i command or setting the "sticky bit", make HLE exceptional.

Beyond these benefits, readers will enjoy clear, thorough explanations of Linux security issues. HLE gives first-rate descriptions of ssh and web man-in-the-middle attacks, race conditions, and FTP data hijacking. HLE also provides great illustrated examples of FTP bounce attacks, giving intrusion detectors the minutiae we need to recognize these techniques. I had heard of most of the compromise methods offered by HLE, but never seen them discussed in such practical detail.

If the material in chapters 1-13 of HLE don't prompt you to verify your Linux host's integrity, then the case studies in appendix D will. The security community needs more of these narratives. These stories, based on true events, show the lengths to which some attacks will go to penetrate target machines.

"Hacking Linux Exposed" is another strong addition to the "Hacking Exposed" series, and the security community will benefit as a result.

(Disclaimer: I received a free review copy from the publisher.)

I'm a big fan of the Hacking Exposed style of writing. All offensive theory is backed up by command line examples, followed by defensive countermeasures. Hacking Exposed: Linux, 2nd Ed (HE:L2E) follows this tradition, updating the content of the first edition and adding 200 pages of new content. Although I reviewed the first edition in Sep 01, reading the second edition reminded me of the challenges posed by securely configuring and deploying Linux systems.

The best way to learn while reading HE:L2E is to try the sample commands. I also recommend visiting the links mentioned and installing many of the tools described by the authors. I found programs like raccess, nsat (ch. 3), sslsniff (ch. 7), nstx, and httptunnel (ch. 15) particularly interesting from an attacker's point of view. From a system administration standpoint, coverage of passlogd (ch. 2), lilo and grub (ch. 5), and X (ch. 6) were very helpful.

The authors share many novel ways to abuse Linux systems, but counter those exploits with little-known features or third-party tools. I never knew I could use bash's HISTCONTROL feature to selectively remove entries from shell history files. HE:L2E goes the extra mile to help secure your system, such as including sample C code in ch. 13 to allow one to compile TCP Wrappers support into one's own programs. Other clear, concise defensive measures were introduced in excellent chapters on keeping the kernel and packages current (appendix B) and pro-active security measures (ch. 2). The last appendix gives a short yet powerful description of the damage an intruder can perform, showing how he hid unauthorized programs and how those programs were discovered.

If you use Linux, you'll find HE:L2E indispensable. I even applied many of the tools and techniques to my FreeBSD system, showing that that good security advice can be a cross-platform endeavor.

An incredibly well-written and well-paced account of one of the most dramatic moments in the history of the U.S. Space Program. As opposed to the dry (although factually accurate) "13: The Flight that Failed" by Henry S.F. Cooper, it lets us peer into the very human side of the people who flew and guided this mission. But in addition it gives startling and often humorous insights into the very early days of the space program, when Mercury was still underway and Lovell was recruited into the fledgling Gemini program.

I found two other books enhanced my appreciation of everything that went into the Apollo 13 mission. One is "Apollo: The Race for the Moon", another behind-the-scenes history told from the point of view of the engineers who worked on the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs. The authors are Charles Murray and Catherine Bly Cox. Another book is "Chariots for Apollo: The Making of the Lunar Module," by Charles R. Pellegrino and Joshua Stoff. When you read about everything Grumman did to create the lunar module, you understand just why it fit so well its role of life boat during the Apollo 13 mission.

With the launch of the initial International Space Station components next year, the world will enter a new phase of space exploration -- a time where cooperation, not competition, is the by-word. At such a time, looking back on how we got to where we are now -- our space program roots, as it were -- is vitally important. "Lost Moon" does the job with grace and flair.

Sure, you have seen movies, read books, and heard about Apollo 13, the lunar landing flight that was aborted and placed the lives of three men in severe danger. But you have never read anything like this, the true story. This story was written by the commander of, "the succesful faliure", Jim Lovell(who is a veteran of four flights:Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8, and Apollo 13) and his wonderful helper, Jeffrey Klugger. This story doesn't just tell you about what happened, it brings you inside Apollo 13. It doesn't just tell you what everyone on the ground was hoping for, it tells you what really happened out there, in the lunar module AQUARIUS and the command module ODDYSEY. It doesn't just tell you what everyone on earth was wishing for during reentry, it takes you inside reentry. There were fuel cell explosions, oxygen tank explosions, power and carbon dioxide problems, and all of this gave astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert(command module pilot), and Fred Haise(lunar module pilot)extreme danger.Read this book and find out what really happened out there, on,"the succesful failure", on Apollo 13.

Lovell writes a gripping account of the space mission that almost made him a permanent fixture in the heavens.

Apollo 13 grabbed the attention of the world and brought back to a confident nation the danger and great risk associated with exploration. On its way to the moon, a tank blew out, causing a partial systems failure and raising the possibility that the three man crew might not be able to return safely to earth -- or even intercept our planet to try a reentry. (they faced the very real possibility of skipping off of the earth's atmosphere and traveling forever through the cosmos).

Although filled with technical talk, this book is very much a human story. It is filled with heros: the astornauts, the men at Mission Control who guided them safely back and the wives who very publicly waited to see if their husbands might be martyred to our scientific ambitions. Lovell puts this all very much into perspective. He gives excellent background of his preparation as well as the planning for the mission. The critical days aboard the spacecraft and at Mission Control as all of the problems associated with bringing him back alive are solved are as fascinating and as absorbing as any Tom Clancy novel.

Lovell tells a great story in a superb manner

Tozer speaks as one who has been in the presence of the King and the aroma of heaven clings to the pages of his book. The Pursuit of God was one of the first really great books I read. One of my mentors loaned it to me when I was nineteen years old and facing a period of decisive surrender in important areas of my life. The second chapter, called "The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing," was especially meaningful to me. Everything Tozer wrote was good and I could give a blanket recommendation to his other works. His books are brief, but not shallow. I highly recommend The Pursuit of God. Follow it up with Man: The Dwelling Place of God, another of Tozer's great books.

The power of this book is its promise that all one could hope for in Christ is true and within reach. Those whose hearts have heard the call to "seek My face" are encouraged with the hope that they will find what they seek, and will know by personal experience the depth of the riches of the glory of God of which the apostles spoke. Prayer is the door to these spiritual riches. Nothing but prayer can bring God and man into this happy communion, E. M. Bounds said, and to this end Mr. Tozer closes each of the ten chapters with a prayer. It is one thing to read the book, something else to pray the prayers, and another still to keep on praying them until they are answered. For those who would press on to know the Lord the book is written. The preface ends with an invitation to kindred souls: "if my fire is not large it is yet real, and there may be those who can light their candle at its flame." By book's end Mr. Tozer has shown his fire is real, and the persevering reader may join with him in this closing plea: "And all this I confidently believe Thou wilt grant me through the merits of Jesus Christ Thy Son." Amen.

I can only concur with several of the other readers comments in that I'm drawn into the presence of God while reading this book. Tozer not only writes about the experiential nature of a relationship with the Lord, he (or rather the Spirit through him) actually leads the reader into God's presence. In this sense the book is utterly unique for me for any extra biblical writings that I've ever read, and I've read a LOT of them (e.g., Practicing the Presence, The Imitation of Christ, The Cloud of Unknowing, Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ, etc.). And after all, it's about fellowship with the Lord, not reading about Him.

Good to take down from the shelf and read again if you're ever feeling "dry".

Completely God-centered.

As a Bible teacher, missionary and chaplain, Oswald Chambers' love for God is shared in this book in a way that is both inspirational and challenging. Avoiding "formula" Christianity of the "pie-in-the-sky-by-and-by" genre, Chambers calls his readers to a determined and purposeful abandonment of the things of this world, and to a habitual and concentrated identification with the suffering of Christ for the sake of the world, with a view toward the joy that is set before us.

Having been originally written from about 1910 to 1917, the style of these short talks may necessitate more meditation on the part of the reader than more contemporary books would, but the gems of thought contained therein will more than reward those who will make the effort.

If you want to be called to the next level of discipleship and commitment to the cause of Christ, this book of daily devotionals will certainly be a great source of motivation and encouragement.

If it wasn't for Oswald Chamber's wife, MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST would never have been published. After Chamber's death, his wife collected some of his writings together into this devotional book. Praise God for such a woman of noble character.MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST is one of the best daily devotions around. Chambers doesn't mess around with wishy-washy, look-at-the-Jesus-in-my-pocket Christianity. Instead, he delves deep into the essence of what it means to be a Christian. Chambers knew the importance of a moment and this book is full of wisdom in living a life pressed out to the best, giving one's utmost for His highest. There isn't another daily devotion to compare.

This little book has impacted my personal Christian walk more than any other book besides the Bible.

Mr Chambers has managed so well to sublimate his life to the control of the Almighty that I continuously sense God's Holy Spirit speaking through the pages Mr Chambers wrote.

It's as if God reaches through the mere two paragraphs per day and grabs me by the lapels saying "I want YOU! I want ALL of you! Just trust ME to take care of your every need..."

I deeply appreciate this call to a whole hearted Christianity in today's pluralistic society. Oswald Chambers is an author whose work I will read and re-read into the foreseable future.

This book has helped me understand my green iguana! It has great information, both scientific and from everyday owners. This book would be good to either do a report on iguanas from or to teach the new or old "ig" owner how to care for their lizard. It gets a little tough to understand for laymen in the anatomy and scientific parts but is suitable for everyone. Has the correct information also, which is rare in iguana care books. If you need to know feeding, lighting and heating requirements, this is a must have book. Don't let your lizard die! Get this book before buying your reptile (if possible) or if not, buy it afterwards and create a happy and healthy iguana in your family. Also this book explains WHY NOT to feed protein to your iguana. I highly recommend it, and would be pretty lost without it. Another good source of information is Melissa Kaplan's .... Between these two sources, anyone can create an environment and diet that will keep their iguana alive for the 20 or so years possible.

This book is great! It covers all aspects of iguana care, including socializing and domesticating iguanas. I love that it includes quotes and stories from actual iguana owners, as well as information from vets and researchers. I refer to it as my "iguana bible". You will too!

I found an iguana roaming around my apartment building and I had no idea how to care for him, so I decided to head to ... buy a book on iguanas. I found Mr. Hatfield's book and read its reviews that other customers had written. I decided to buy the book. I recieved it and I was hooked. I never imagined that it would be such an amazingly informative book. Every question that I had about iguanas it answered, and then some. It was straight forward and reads more like a novel than a reference book. I fully recommend this book to anyone interested in iguanas, whether they already own one, or are looking to acquire one. They are an amazing animal, and this book captures what makes them so special. Thank you Mr. Hatfield.

For many years, I searched for the "ultimate" Bible. Being an avid New King James Version reader, we don't always have as many resources available as the King James or NIV people. My most useful Bible study tool is many, many cross-references, which I always looked for in NKJV Bibles that had the most. The Thompson Chain has much more than the standard cross-references. The chain references are just that: you go to the alphabetical index to find your subject, (which there are listed around 4,400 different topics) and you go to the first reference, and simply chain through the scripture references. In other words, they are cross-referenced in sequence order! The topics are as detailed as "blue" and as extensive as "God"; these more extensive subjects are then broken down into various sub- topics. Also, in the back of the Bible, the subjects are listed by title, then all the references are given, and the more main ones are chained throughout the scriptures, and some topics' scriptures are written out in the back also! There are also absolutely no commentaries, nor any conclusions drawn in this Bible! I would 100% recommend this Bible (in any version you use) for those of us who love many, many cross references, and believe first and foremost to compare scripture with scripture (1Cor. 2:13) in Bible studies. For those who like this, this Bible has everything!

I have owned one version or another of the Chain Reference Bible since I was a teenager in the seventies. My 'standard' Bible has been the large print KJV for many, many years and it remains the first Bible I pick up. I purchased the NIV Chain Reference, but just didn't like the translation, it just didn't 'read' right for me. I've enjoyed the NAS translation, but it is awfully dry reading when the heart desires poetry. So, I ended up purchasing the NKJV. It has been a real pleasure to read, combining the elegance of the KJV with a modern and accurate adaptation.

As for the chain reference system used by Thompson, it's such a part of my Bible reading and study that I'd have a really hard time switching to another system. Some of the illustrations and charts have been revised from my older KJV, but not to an extreme. The Thompson system remains, for me, the quickest and easiest way to study a topic through the Bible, or just through either the New or Old Testament. The Bible also includes an excellent concordance; for someone new to chain reference study they can start with the traditional concordance and work their way into the Thompson system. Also included are excellent maps, revised from the earlier versions, and a historical dictionary with photos of significant Biblical locations, with explanations.

I agree with another reviewer that Nelson Bibles are, in general, not made for people with serious intentions on daily Bible use. They are constructed down to a price, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, as these can provide a very inexpensive introduction to the Bible. However, when one is ready to use a Bible in a serious, daily way, a better Bible will easily pay for its higher price.

Though this Bible is well-made, it is NOT as well made as my older, large print KJV. My older Bible has whipstitching clearly seen in front and back, with pages secured as well today as when I bought it. This newer Bible appears to have pages that are glued in like cheaper ones. Additionally, the paper is comletely different than my older edition, and thinner. The older paper had almost an eggshell texture, whereas the newer paper is much slicker and thinner. In first use it's really quite difficult to get the pages apart. However, it's still a very well-made Bible, just not up to the standard of the older ones. That should in no way deter someone from buying it, though.

As a one-volume Biblical library, I haven't seen anything to beat the Thompson's. As another reviewer noted, it's also refreshingly free of editorial bias, which certainly can't be said of all its competitors. Most of all, each of us needs to find a Bible they can live with daily, and any Bible available is better than none at all! Thompson Bibles aren't inexpensive but they will last twice as long as cheaper Bibles, particularly if kept in a cover. Also, the supplemental atlases and historical additions might well save purchase of other books to accompany Biblical study. Highly recommended!

My old, marked-up Thompson Bible is the "Olde Reliable" that I keep coming back to. I have been using it for over thirty years and find it invaluable to "quick find" verses on nearly evey imaginable topic.

On the plus side, are the MANY chain referrences with marginal "PILOT" numbers and brief word discriptions which also serve as mini-commentary on the verses. While the chains may not contain all the referrences a particular denomination may wish to emphasize, it more than make up for it with an ABUNDANCE of referrences most scholars whould never even think to look up! The handy exhaustive indexes, concordance, cross-references and helps enable the user to find nearly every subject in the Bible.

On the minus side, 1.) the text is rather small and 2.) it would be benificial if the bold-face marginal headings were included in the OT as well as the New.

Overall rating:FIVE-STAR EXCELLENT!!! It is a lifetime of research and study marvelously condensed into a handy-sized volume for both home study and portibility. I heartily recommend it for new Christians as well as those who "think they know it all". As advertised, it is a Bible that will SURPRISE you. Get it!