Just wanted to let some consumers know that this book is a programming book written for programmers. Unless you have had previous experience with programming (and a strong programmer at that) this book will be somewhat difficult to understand and follow.

One of the worst qualities of computer books is their length. For some reason most books decide to talk about functions for 189 pages and what an integer is for 35. This book offers a clear introduction to the java language and manages to be less than an inch thick. The book is very well formatted and ordered and is pretty pleasant to read. And thankfully it is content to give one good sized example rather than 6 long cryptic ones.
However it is not an effective advanced reference. It fails to talk about RMI, JNI and reflection which are very useful advanced concepts that I would like to hear about from these authors.

This is a superb book for novice with some programming knowledge. It's not for those that picked up a programming book for the very first time - in another word, a virgin.

The book stands out in term of example explaination. Greatly recommended by a computer science student! UCSC RULES!!

I bought this book from a different web retailer because of the online description; I did not see it in the store first. If I had, I wouldn't have bought it, because it is a philosophy book about gardening. I tend to buy gardening books that have lots of photos or diagrams of examples. This book has no photos and only a few drawings. It is all text. If you are a "show me" kind of person like I am, then don't buy this book.

I LOVE this book. It's about so MUCH more than just digging in the dirt! I especially love the watercolor illustrations. We have always called our own backyard a sanctuary. Now, we are incorporating some of the bountiful ideas found in this cornucopia of garden delights.

This is a wonderful book! It is very inspiring, and the ideas are easy to follow, understand, and adapt to your own space and needs. I loved the descriptions of their garden/sanctuary at their home, and am inspired to try to create some sacred space in my own life. Thank you for a truly fantastic book!

I found this book difficult to follow and understand. I bought it as a supplement to my children's history program and found that it just wasn't "readable". I found the material disjointed and incomplete. It's Christian text, and I am a Christian, but the book is on the shelf collecting dust.

Although I haven't read this book cover to cover, it is an excellent resource. I think the best way to use this book is to turn to it as you study different eras. For example, if you are studing the Pilgrims, read the pages of America's Providential History concerning the Pilgrims. It is not a complete history text, and it's not meant to be. It shows the overriding hand of God in our history as He moves us forward for His purpose.

This book has been incredibly helpful, easy to read and fascinating for our family. It's written from a Christian, Providential perspective, and shows how clearly the Christian roots in our nation are founded. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a more traditional view of American history, as opposed to the newer, 'watered down and dumbed down' textbooks on the market today.

Second books of trilogies are notoriously weak--maybe because you don't get the thrill of discovering a fictional world for the first time *or* the satisfaction of (hopefully) seeing the plot threads wrapped up. _Enigma_, the second book in Kube-McDowell's "Trigon Disunity" trilogy, is no exception. It takes forever to get moving, bogging down for nearly half its length following its bland, seemingly unlikable hero--Meritt Thackery through early adulthood and into the business of surveying the galaxy.

Character has never been Kube-McDowell's greatest strength, and this book is no exception. Thackery doesn't grab your attention or, for most of the book, engage your emotions. I found myself wanting *someone* to solve the huge, multi-faceted mystery at the center of the story . . . but not caring a bit whether it was him or someone else.

Then, about the halfway point in the plot, _Enigma_ begins to pick up speed. The Mystery (and the solving of it) takes center stage, and Kube-McDowell ratchets the pace up to the headlong rush that he sustained throughout _Emprise_. By the end of the book, the Mystery has been satisfyingly solved (revealing a very clear but even bigger Problem to be worked out in _Empery_), and (glory be!) Merrit Thackery has become an interesting character.

My overall judgement of _Emprise_ goes for this one, too: It's similar in flavor and tone to the works of Arthur C. Clarke, and well worth a look for those who like Clarke's cool, austere, galaxy-spanning style of storytelling.

Brooding flavor, some times pessimistic. I would almost call this high adventure, but for the somber tones and mystery. I just happened to pick this book up on vacation and still have not read Emprise (1st book) or Empery (3rd book).

McDowell's latest collection shows his skill as a story teller. There are both lyric verse and narratives in this collection, but the narratives are the true gems here.

Robert McDowell, whose Quiet Money and The Diviners showed him to be a master of narrative poetry, reveals his lyric gift in this new, long-awaited collection.

I would have found it helpful to know that this book is meant as a companion to the author's previous book "Piecing: Expanding the Basics," and assumes that you're already familiar with all the piecing techniques. The Appendix in "Pieced Flowers" has a brief overview on how to piece curved seams, inset seams, "Z" seams, "Y" seams, puzzle seams and flaps, but it's a very small part of the book. Most of the flowers have 20 pieces or more per block, while the more detailed ones (like Rose) have over 50 sections. Also, you have to enlarge the patterns on a copier before you can get started.

What I found most inspiring about the book is the way the author presents a number of blocks featuring the same flower, but with quite different results. The variations use straight seams, curved seams, or inset seams depending on the look you want and your piecing skill level. The fabric choices and block settings are creative and unusual too.

Ruth McDowell provides samples and directions for making multiple variations of 10 beautifully pieced flowers. Each has options in multiple techniques and skill levels. These are some of the most beautiful and realistic pieced flowers I have ever seen. Each flower has options for making it with straight seams or curved seams. Some have options with inset seams. Some have options with 3-dimensional, two-sided "flaps" that are sewn into the seams to create more realism.

The straight seamed (template) versions of the flowers could all be pieced (or paper-pieced) by an adventurous beginner (like myself) although paper-piecing instructions are NOT provided, suggested, or recommended. The author gives her reasons for discouraging paper-piecing with these patterns. The patterns with curved or inset seams are more intricate and a goal for beginners to work toward. Each pattern has a description of the level of difficulty. For example on the asymmetrical version of the straight seamed Campanula the author says, "These blocks have been designed to be easy to piece on the sewing machine. There are no matching seams in either the block or along the edges where the blocks join." For the curved-seam version of the Campanula she says "Its gentle curves are time-consuming, but produce a graceful design."

One potential detraction is that most of the patterns require enlargement. While the recommended percentage of enlargement is specified, if you don't have access to a copier able to enlarge by percentages, this could be a frustrating delay in putting needle to fabric.

In addition to the patterns, Ruth McDowell uses fabric prints and colors in unique ways, both in the flowers themselves, and also in her background fabrics. Just studying her use of fabric is inspiring and educational as well.

My goal is the curved seam, 3-dimensional full-bloom Rose. It is magnificent. There are also patterns for Campanula, Columbine, Cosmos, Daisy, Day Lily (to die for) Hollyhock, Iris, Morning Glory, and Sweet Pea.

This book does not give detailed piecing instructions that might be required by brand-new quilters or beginners with little confidence. But there are tips, hints, and instructions enough to guide intermediate quilters or adventurous beginners.

I have been quilting less than a year and the straight seamed patterns don't daunt me, the curved and inset seamed patterns are tempting rather than intimidating.

This is a beautiful addition to your quilting library.

I found the book to be quite helpful and applicable to my life. I would reccomend this book to any young individual seeking guidance from the Bible.

Crisis and Decline is an engrossing and much-needed study of the Unionist(largely Protestant) community in the south of Ireland from the 1880s through Irish independence and the civil war to the 1930s. The author, a fellow at Trinity College Dublin, draws heavily from first-person sources as well as government and economic statistical abstracts to paint a thorough, if not quite complete picture of a once-powerful minority. Beginning with the Unionist convention in Dublin in 1885, it follows the political and economic trajectory of the Southern Unionists from the birth of the Unionist Party through the Home Rule bill debates, their abandonment by the Ulster Unionists in 1918 and the British withdrawl from the 26 counties in 1922. More interesting, however, are dozens of first hand accounts and testimonies of the southern minority's experiences during the Irish War of Independence and Civil War. Collected from all walks of life and all regions of the 26 counties,the book paints a vivid picture of a once-vibrant community in disarray. The author has also included an autobiographical sketch of his days at Trinity in the 1930s and 40s, an interesting account of the Trinity and Dublin of the Emergency period, of special interest to those familiar with or seeking historical/social background to the Dublin and Trinity College of Donleavy's The Ginger Man. This book may be a disappointment to those seeking a deeper analysis of the effects of the decline of the Protestant community in the 26 counties on the economic, political, and cultural life of the Irish Republic and its implications for current developments in Ireland as a whole. While good use is made of empirical/statistical evidence, it is nevertheless intended to be a largely anecdotal history, at which it succeeds. Crisis and Decline is a worthwhile read for all those interested in the history, politics,culture and society of Ireland in the decades immediately preceding and following independence.

The Diviners is McDowell's book length poem about a family as it falls apart through five decades. It's a poignant story told in iambic pentameter, and is a prime example of the comeback the narrative poem has been making (as is Dave Mason's "The Country I Remember"). The first chapter, "The Fifties", is truly a great piece of work, and appeared in a slightly different form in the Best American Poetry 1989.

I enjoyed this book very much. It is about a boy named Chad who is faced with challenges in his life, the death of his brother and his friend and mother getting hurt. Chad must figure out how to survive in the world on his own, without his loved ones.