Let's just say I'm glad I got a free review copy of this book from the publishers. While SAMS other Flash 5 book (Flash 5 in 24 Hours) is very well-written, this one is not only completely and utterly useless, but intelligence-insulting.
Yes, I honestly read the book cover to cover, and have compared it to over a dozen other Flash books I've read. There's no indication anywhere on this book's covers that the minimum reading age is around six, and there's no way the other "reviewers" took as long as 2 weeks to read it. I sincerely feel sorry for anyone who bought this book.

Wow! I never knew it was so easy to learn flash! Or maybe it's just because it's your book. It's very easy and understandable ... ! And it's especially for the beginner. But people who are advanced will also find this useful because it's got some advanced stuff... JUST BUY IT!!!

This book was so simple and easy, even incredible! I finished reading within 2 weeks, and now I can use "Flash 5" to design my homepages.

Written by two pharmacognosists at Perdue University, this book is an update to the original volume in 1994, describing the safe use of the most widely available medicinal herbs. They address recent developments in the use of herbal medicines in a manner that is easy to read and without unnecessary jargon. They include some updated references for most plants, encompassing the clinical literature, known chemical constituents, and the history of their use. Introductory essays describe the basic principles of herbal medicine and problems that the regulatory authorities have had in attempting to deal with these products, especially since the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). The chapters are arranged by general therapeutic indication and discuss the herbs used to treat various ailments and their reported efficacy based on clinical or preclinical results.

One obvious distinction of the book is the clear message that classical pharmacognosy is the only valid scientific viewpoint. There is still in this updated edition, the strong notion that there is a magic bullet within each plant that we only need identify and standardize. But this is seldom as straightforward as it may appear. For example, in the basic principles section there is praise of standardized preparations of hypericum, yet no acknowledgment that standardization based on hypericin is probably not useful, since it is no longer believed to be essential for the antidepressant activity of St. John's Wort. Standardization and pharmacology of the currently favored constituent, hyperforin, was not mentioned. Publication in a scientific journal does not make a particular finding (e.g. hypericin inhibition of MAO) a "fact." Subsequent studies showed no MAO inhibition with pure hypericin. Conclusions and extrapolations drawn from results of in vitro studies are based on the conventional wisdom, which is often incorrect. While proposing a mechanism of action is a worthy goal, it must be remembered that true drug mechanisms (even the synthetic ones) are still beyond our medical understanding in most cases, particularly for psychotherapeutic medications. For example, while SSRI's are known to act by blocking reuptake of serotonin, the connection between serotonin uptake and antidepressant action still remote.

Also mentioned as "pseudoscience" is the notion that whole herbs are more effective than their isolated active constituents. The basic principles section states that for every example in support of this statement that there is at least one denying it. While a 50:50 ratio hardly seems in itself a reasonable criterion for pseudoscience, I think one would be hard pressed to give one example of constituents being more effective than the whole herb for every example of the inverse. While I completely agree that hyperbole and sometimes outright fabrication are seen in the marketing of herbals, we shouldn't be too quick to categorically discount what herbal practitioners have been saying for so long, but rather to weight them with the same standards as ideas that the "scientists" have generated.

I have been waiting for an update of this classic book. However, for most health care professionals or herb users, I don't feel the $40 price tag makes this book worth it. Wait for the paperback of this updated version or get the paperback 1994 version.

Tyler's Herbs of Choice provides an important treatise on the therapeutic use of phytomedicinals (herbal remedies) and provide important information on the most effective herbs, what they do, how they work. This is not for the casual reader: technical medical descriptions of common conditions and treatments cover details doctors will need to know and provide explanations of how the herbs interact with the body, and what constitutes acceptable levels of dosage.

This book will appeal only to people who have vested interest in playing down the effectiveness of herbal products - such as pharmaceutical companies, physicians and others who wouldn't make any money if people didn't need their services any more and were able to heal themselves or maintain good health naturally through the use of herbs.

The title of the book is a misnomer. Tyler doesn't offer any information on how to use the herbs - as a matter of fact, from the way he describes them, you'd be sure he never ever touched, or tasted any herb. Tyler does his best to downplay or completely disparage the effectiveness of every single herb mentioned, and when he is unable to prove that the particular herb is ineffective, then he states that even though the herb was empirically effective, there is no sufficient research to back it up.

The book is basically loaded with information on why you should not bother using any of the herbs listed in this book - either because in Tyler's opinion they are ineffective or they could be dangerous. And for the herbs that have been proved effective and were in use for centuries, Tyler states how "pharmaceutical industry" lost interest in these herbs. Of course they lost interest - how wouldn't they if they cannot patent herbs that are available everywhere? If they can not make money, why would they still be interested? And to state that this book is free of commercialism, just "honest" herbal - what a joke!

Pollen is put in the same category as "peacock's excrement" and to "moss grown on the skull of a man who had died by violence". After listing some nutrients, Tyler states, "None of the identified constituents of pollen has been linked to any significant therapeutic activity as advocated by its enthusiasts."

For burdock, which is a blood purifier, Tyler further states "in spite of its long use as a folkloric remedy, no solid evidence existst that burdock exhibits any useful therapeutic activity."

About Chickweed, Tyler writes: "Despite the fact that it is prominently listed in almost every catalog of herbs currently available and also that many writers describe it as a valuable herb, I can think of no good reason to allow space to this worthless weed. ... Let's not waste any more time and space on the imagined medicinal value of this ineffective herb." (On a personal note, chickweed is a popular herbal supplement for weight loss...)

And, well, I can only suggest that you invest your money in some other, decent and honest, herbal that actually offers some useful information regarding the use of herbs.

I enjoy Mr. Tyler's monthly column in Prevention magazine and expected this book to be similar in scope and format. I was disappointed to find that it wasn't; much of it is written in medical terms but I can't imagine it being detailed enough for use by a physician or phamacist. I found the book I was looking for in "The American Pharmaceutical Assocation's Practical Guide to Herbal Health" (don't let the title scare you, it's straight-forward) by Andrea Piece. I do appreciate Mr Tyler honest assessments concerning the use of herbs; however, for me at least, this could also have been a much better book than it turned out to be. I will continuous to enjoy his magazine articles though.

Varro Tyler is not the kind of herbalist who recommends apanoply of plant materials to cure every ill. On the contrary -- hewill warn you away from a number of dangerous herbs you'll find trumpeted on the Internet or sitting temptingly on the health food store shelves, and explain why others, while not unsafe, will not do what they ads claim.

Tyler's monographs are interesting as well as informative. In a few concise paragraphs he gives the history of each herb, from its earliest uses right up to what is claimed for it now. He explains the pharmacology of each one in detailed but clearly understandable terms. He tells you what to be careful of -- if you have a certain condition, or take certain pharmaceutical drugs, for example. And, most important, he tells you whether or not it's safe and whether or not he thinks it will work.

Tyler is quite conservative. He cites scientific studies (all meticulously referenced) as evidence for everything he says. He tells you whether the studies were well-crafted or poorly done. He explains why "if it's natural, it must be safe" is not true. But if Tyler says it's safe and probably does what you need, it's worth trying.

With all of the claims for herbs we're bombarded with these days, this is a book I wouldn't be without. Check it before you buy anything, and you'll avoid both putting yourself in harms way, and wasting your money.

It was the worst $ I ever spent. This book is hard to use, It has terrible content, and not to mention it reads like it was written by a six year old. don't buy this book!

I was quite dissapointed with the ambiguity and writing style in this book. I was hoping to use this as a guide to my vw repair and restoration but now it has taken the place amongst the "last resort" resource manuals for vw repair. The book seemed to magically jump from stage to stage of repair with no clear transition. After reading the section four times I'm still not sure how they got the car off the pan! The book was written using British colloqualisms and terminology, which was very hard for me to understand. On a positive note he does give a good introduction to welding and welding tools as well as other specialty tools used in classic car restoration. All in all I would say that given the chance I would return the book for a full refund and if I saw it for sale used somewhere I might pick it up if it did not cost too much.

I found this to be a very interesting and useful book. The refreshing British tendency to really rip a car down to its guts is evident here, with nice photos of the rusted pan being restored, for example. I especially liked the photo of the restorer bandaging his hand after cutting it on some sharp piece of the car; really shows the nitty-gritty of the restoration.

The author's enthusiasm and passion for VW's, and his intelligence and wit, come through clearly. A charming and helpful addition to my VW library.

It was not so easy to say wether this book deserved a 2 or a 3 rating. The main reason to end up with 2 is based mainly on my personal taste.

I expected the book to explore more of the D/s side of the life with the head mistresses at the Blue rose. Instead we follow the girls in very soft and tender (and well written) lesbian love fantasies which they share in a diary they keep hidden among themselves.

If that kind of erotica is your turn-on, The Blue Rose could score high, but there are tons of lesbian litterature dealing with that theme, especially with a victorian boarding scool setting. For me, fancying concensual dominant/submissive lesbian relationships wihth a lot of sex and a little punishment, this was a disappointment, because that was what i expexted from the book description.

The author of the review above appears to be reviewing a different book by Alison Tyler which is called "The Silver Key." The Blue Rose is Alison Tyler's first Masquerade book. It's awfully good, in my opinion, filled with interesting erotic twists, spanking, seduction, and hot girl-girl sex. Although set in a girls' dormitory, it is actually a modern take on the Victorian theme.

So far, the biggest kick I got out of this book was seeing the trademark for National Airlines. I remember when the only air service we got here in little Sarasota was from Eastern, National, and Florida Airlines, none of which are in existence any more. This book shows you how a symbol can be ubiquitous and then vanish.

A terrific overview of trademarks, this remarkable book break symbols down into sections - corporate america, typography, etc - that make the book easily digestable. Great as inspiration for graphic designers, as source material, or as one of my friends recently did, ideas for tattoos. Good stuff.

When Patrick Kelsey learns that it is a woman who will replace the retired coach instead of him he is not too pleased. But when he sees that Pam Casals has the right stuff for the job the man changes his tune and quick. But Pam does have some troubles, the least of which is her attraction to Patrick. Pat Warren's sophomore entry in the tapestry that is the Tyler Saga is a sweet and easy read. The only real shortcoming of the book is the clumsy murder sub-plot which feels out of place, the events having no real connection with the Casals/Kelsey romance. Recommended.

This is a really good book. Definatly for older teens or young adults. It has a lot of romance, and some heart ache too.

It is about a man named Patrick Kelsey and a women named Pam Cassels. Patrick has wanted to be the football coach for the high school for sometime, then the principal tells him she has hired a women. Patrick gets really mad, thinking a women can't do the job of a football coach. The women, Pam Cassals is really an achiever, who has already won an Olympic gold metal.

At first sight, Patrick likes Pam Cassals, before he even knows who she is. When he finds out, he sets out not to like her, but he can't help it.

Pam Cassals doesn't want to like Patrick either, because dispite her achievements, she has had a heartache, and because of that she feels like she can't tell Patrick something that almost ruined her.

this book was a big dissapointment,with very few recipes,none of them too exciting & even if its discounted,which it is not at this time,it offers very little for your money,there are much better choices on this subject out there.

I love to cook, it's an ongoing process. In our fat crazed days I sort of ignored good ol' meat & potatoes. Well these recipes are very creative and delicious. The preparation is straight forward and leaves room for your own family taste buds. This lady has helped me find an alternative to Chili and Sloppy Joes for my two sons.

Great Job.

Loved this book--loads of informative facts and tips--clear, concise and interesting recipes for meats, potatoes, and the combination of the two. I've tried 12 of the 50+ recipes and all of them worked and all of them were delicious (the Smoky Spiced Brisket & Apples is outstanding!) If you love to cook and want some interesting ideas, this one's for you.

I play UO almost since the game is out and I have the two previous Prima's UO books. The last one was for The Secong Age which was the first expansion for UO.

When I bought the previous book I was disappointd to see that the content was the same except for some fiction which was lost and some more monsters.

Now with three more "updates" (Renaissance, Third Dawn and Lord Blackthorn's Revenge) which brought in two more worlds (Trammel/Fellucca and Illshenar), a faction system and many new other things the book would have seen a major overhaul.

Nope. Nothing. Nada.

The book has been "updated" and is still handy to have some good info on creatures, monsters or weapons and printed maps (which are few and too small)... The only section I found interesting was the chapter on previous background events and characters of Britannia and the other factes, but it is still too short for my taste. Another "bonus" is an interview with Todd "Spawn" McFarlan. A last and disappointing point is that no fold out map is included this edition of the book.

In the end I recommend this book to newcommers who don't own one of the previous books or to customers who like to have some printed references. If you surf often on the previous mentionned site and use the third party program UO Automap then this book is a luxury.

I'm a veteran player of UO, but it's nice to have reference materials around. This guide is pretty good. But I keep finding places where I wish it went just a bit further.

It gives information about tradeskills, but doesn't give you the practical walkthrough on how to actually use them. It has spell lists, but not the details on how exactly they work and how best to use them. It's not "hands on" enough for a complete beginning, but it's not detailed enough for a veteran.

It does have a pretty complete set of maps, but these are all available online through the UO Automap (which is included in the game CD thesedays). It does have the usual reference materials--what ingredients you need for what.

I guess I'd recommend buying it, at least if you have enough disposable income to not be concerned about it. But if you have one thing you can get with your [money] this week, this wouldn't be my choice.

This book has just about every detail you need to successfully play this game to its full potential. The maps and pictures are great and the information is well organized. This is a must for all UO players, Young or Veteran

Another Carl Steadman classic... sorry Carl... are you STILL whining that no one notices you?

A general how-to-do-it book with a good treatment of the creation of an infostructure encompassing the organization of documents and document collections (including the issue of currency), server organization, and content and style. The author walks the reader through the usual series of requirements questions: Why make the site? Who is it for? How will it be organized (the infostructure)? How do you create it? How will it be maintained and by whom?

(Everyone needs more Carl).

I believe that this book is very nice for the reading. Many times do I strike my face in keen astonishment from the finely crafted turnings of word. Such words! Also, the reader will learn every Web Essential, including the "HTML" and, also, "HTTP" and so forth. Too, it is interesting for Carl Steadman who authors this book, he also is authoring as well at "Suck.com" - famous "I-ZINE" from the HOTWIRED I-ZINE from the Wired Magazine Company. Suck is very famous for all of the person who surf the Web! So - Masato says for he who would Weave the Web - THIS is the MUST!