This is a book of very morbid hilarity. It also exudes an amount of contrarianism. Do it. Buy it. Let yourself laugh.

In my earlier review (below) I stated that Adam Green's book "What were you in a previous life?" was no longer available...apparently it IS available now. I bow before the publishing gods...THANK YOU for bringing this book back! Now that it IS available, I suggest that everyone buy one or two copies. If you already have it, they make great gifts! If you have any doubts about just HOW funny this book is, read the reviews. You won't be disappointed...unless you're completely humorless and dead inside.

We should all weep, because most people are too stupid to appreciate Adam Green's fine sense of humor. Due to these fine individuals not buying this brilliant book, it is now out of print. I am sad. Fortunately Adam's other book, the Book of Hollow Days is still available, and every bit as funny. If you don't own any Adam Green yet, you owe it to yourself to find some of his work. You will laugh until you are in severe pain.

Don't even think of writing a book proposal without reading this book. Jeff Herman gives you everything you need to know. Buy this book and Michael Larsen's "How to Write a Book Proposal" and you will not get turned down...

This book gives excellent examples, with quick and concise advice on getting a proposal written. I sold my first nonfiction book, "In the Saddle: Exploits of the 5th Georgia Cavalry During the Civil War" in 1999 using "Write The Perfect Book Proposal." And last month I used it to prepare a proposal for my second book "Rebels, Saints & Sinners: Savannah Personalities of the Past." Yet, as useful as "How To Write A Perfect Book Proposal" is, I would also recommend reading one or two others to help flesh out more detail where Herman and Adams are somewhat vague. In this game the more knowledge you have, the better your chances of success.

I bought this book on writing proposals at the suggestion of my literary agent who told me my proposal for my first book *really* needed help. I studied the examples in the book and the suggestions in the text and re-wrote my proposal, using what I had learned. Six weeks later, my agent called to tell me she had four offers on my book. The information here is excellent, clear, and easy to translate to suit your own book. It will stimulate your thinking about your proposal in new ways. I frequently recommend it to people in my classes and workshops who ask for advice about how to get published. ~~Joan Mazza, author of DREAM BACK YOUR LIFE; DREAMING YOUR REAL SELF; WHO'S CRAZY ANYWAY?; and 3 books in The Guided Journal Series with Writer's Digest Books.

I am the one who wrote the review...three long years ago! I am still reading, enjoying, and gaining new insights from this book! I have doubled my income many, many times as a result, and I look forward to a future of even more prosperity! The principles are deceptively simple, but try them out and you will be pleased with the results! You have nothing to lose...but your unhappiness.

If you suffer any financial problems and you feel that there is no way of pulling yourself out of these problems, then i will recommend this book highly to be read. If reading it did not change your situation, then at lease it will give a hope and an inspiratin and defenitely you will look at the things from a very optimistic angle. The theory of the book is very logical and convincing and makes you think how life is simple. This book for sure gives you the courage, confident, inspiration and the well to change things on you or around you to something you have always dreamed of.

This book is truly a wonderful book. Such a easy read and anyone who has read it will tell you that they wish they would have read it sooner. People will say that the book worked for them over and over again. It has for me. My salary has gone up by forty percent by reading this book. I own my own business and since reading it our sales have gone from $275K-$325 to $450K. When my business took a turn for the worst this book (stonecutter) picked me up and put me back on the right track.

This book will not tell you how to get rich QUICK. It will tell you simply how to obtain wealth. Pick it up, read it and you will never be sorry you did.

This is worth keeping! The beautiful pictures inside make it a joy to enter addresses or just to page through.

There is space for 35 addresses per alphabet with plenty of room to enter name, address, phone, fax, and e-mail. The paper is of very good quality and so is the binding (so far). I look forward to using mine which was a present and I would most likely give this to someone as a birthday or anniversary present as well.

After extensive searching I came to find this Address Book and was entirely relieved. Most others that I found were either very feminine or entirely low quality. This book is professionally done and very refined. The pictures are beautiful and abundant - 2 for each letter of the alphabet, and then some. Name and address blanks are large, with areas for nearly any personal data you might need to record. Each letter has ample spaces for entries. The paper is nearly photo quality and the book is well bound. When purchasing an address book, this is the one to buy.

Without hesitation, I would recommend this address book to anyone who is looking for a classy book. The photograghs are some of Adams' best. There is plenty of room to add your numbers, addresses, and other personal information.

Reprinted in a new Millennium Edition, Michael Minns' The Underground Lawyer is comprehensive, highly detailed introduction to the American legal system, written specifically to be understood by lay people. The next best thing to a law school education, The Underground Lawyer covers everything from criminal law to bankruptcy. A must for anyone with immediate need to quickly learn more about criminal or civil law, the judicial system, the role of the attorney, constitutional rights, bankruptcy, wills, or any other aspect of American jurisprudence.

Twenty years ago, I lost my husband in a crash. I was a widow at 25 and I wish I had had the underground lawyer then. This book is a real lifesaver when there's legal trouble around.

As a litigator myself, I understand the overall complexities of "the law". However, I can't know everything about every aspect of law, so I refer lots of friends and clients to the Underground Lawyer to answer the questions I can't

The author draws on her own experience with 2 poodles ... as well, as the training & trouble solving methods of other trainers ... this approach alone makes the book rather unusual and refreshing ... too many writers believe that theirs is the best or only way ...

Contains sound sensible advice, adopts gentle training methods ... with interesting chapters on dog nutrition and medication/inoculations that take an alternative (holistic?) approach ... worth considering ...

Oh ... and don't let the number '25' fool you ... the author covers almost all the issues commonly faced by dog owners everywhere ...

This book is very clearly written, well organinsed and makes for easy reading ... useful for all dog owners ... very good for first time dog owners ...

This book is great. It told me everything that I was doing wrong when I was training my min pin. It did'nt even hhousebreak yet because of this book. I got it trained in a day!

This is a profound, one-and-done reference for a new dog person, whether he or she is rescuing an adult, adopting a puppy or dogsitting for a friend. Without qualification, I think it should replace a book with monks as a primary reference tool. Experienced dog guardians will also enjoy this as a refresher or for a new way of looking at conventional training methods.

When I first read this book (silently to myself), I thought it was okay. The very first time I shared it with a class (4th grade), the book came to life. What a powerful story of learning and living. A student reported to me today that she repeated "KEMP-CHIN-SKI" on the soccer field and her team scored soon after. Oh, the great, far-reaching power of a wonderful, affecting book.

I revelled in the charming illustrations. Gustavson has managed to create a clever, believable, and thoroughly entertaining world that could only be accomplished with a deft hand and and a sharp, thoughtful mind.

Mrs. K encapsules what we envision our favorite teacher to have been like. She motivates learning by incorporating amusing tactics, such as dancing, to teach subjects on a different level. Her courage through her illness leaves her students always remembering the stronger side of Mrs. K and everything she taught them in Room 3, even making them teachers to one another. Children & adults alike will love Good Luck, Mrs. K!!

Her Daughter's Father was a thoroughly satisfying read. Jack is a delight!

I really enjoyed reading 'Her Daughter's Father' You get caught up in the book and can't wait to find out the ending (don't look). I even have a signed copy of the book (thanks Anna). I can't wait for more of her books, though she knows it is very hard to keep up with my reading.

A wonderfully emotional and satisfying read. I loved it!

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of Keep What You Own, by Adam Starchild (or whatever his real name is).

Although the publishers of this book (Paladin Press) are perhaps best known for their more radical, esoteric titles, Keep What You Own is actually a fairly conservative book when it comes to asset protection advice. It shows you the pros as well as the cons of most methods it covers, which the majority of books on this subject completely fail to do.

From Nevada Corporations to Offshore Trusts, most of the well-known methods of asset protection are covered in this book, and usually in fairly good depth. Despite having already read several books on asset protection in the past, Starchild actually brings up some extremely good points that many other books fail to mention. Some of his insights on Nevada Corporations were especially eye opening.

Although not an attorney, Starchild has obviously done his homework. There are a few asset protection methods you can tell that he is obviously biased towards (Swiss Annuties for example), but for the most part he provides a very unbiased look at each method of asset protection, and clearly explains why (or why not) it might be the right vehicle for you.

On the downside, the book is obviously in need of an update (it was originally published in 1995), although the vast majority of the methods he describes have changed little since the original publication. Also, he seems to pepper the book with references to companies that you have the distinct impression he is financially linked to. Unfortunately, writing under an assumed pen name does not add to his credibility.

On the whole though, Keep What You Own is one of the better asset protection books I have read. It would be great to see an updated version of this title, but 95% of it is still applicable to today's laws. Before you buy in to any of the more questionable asset protection schemes that you see advertised, you would do well to get a copy of this book. It reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly, when it comes to asset protection strategies.

The fundamentals haven't changed, and news events just make this book more relevant each year. Until the insane lawsuit trend stops, it is ordinary honest people who are at risk of losing their assets. Starchild's book addresses a number of safe, conservative techniques to gain some degree of protection - protection that is not always available through insurance

An offshore haven is simply a country other than your own. To an American, it's anywhere you bank outside of the U.S. Why invest in offshore havens? Because when you invest outside your own country, you are no longer tied to its restrictive financial laws, and can protect your assets, save taxes and build your wealth easier.

Most of us have been hoodwinked into thinking that offshore havens are illegal, too risky, or otherwise unworthy of consideration. Don't believe it. Financial expert Adam Starchild will dispel myths and misconceptions about offshore banking and reveal how you can:

Achieve total secrecy and and financial privacy
Transfer your money offshore, and keep it safe from lawsuits, creditors, the IRS, etc.
Use offshore havens to legally avoid, defer or minimize taxes
Invest globally and build your wealth
Pick the offshore haven that best meets your objectives
Choose the right offshore bank and maintain an account -- easily and safely
Do business offshore -- and reap extraordinary benefits
And more!

I checked this book out of the library on the recommendation of a friend who was taking a knot theory class. While I am comfortable with calculus and differential equations, I have not had much experience with topology or group theory so I was hesitant. She assured me that I would understand the concepts presented there and that it would give a good introduction to the subject.

Wow! Was she ever right! First of all, the book is written in a clear and pleasant conversational style. The author does not hesitate to bring in examples or to show diagrams to clarify an idea. Indeed, with a subject such as knot theory, diagrams are essential! His use of exercises is well justified however, I would say that many laypersons are unfamiliar with proof techniques and thus might have some difficulties with several of those. Algebra is used sparingly at best as Adams prefers to let his words and images convey the ideas.

All in all, I would say that this book does a wonderful job of relating a subject which is at the forefront of mathematics, to the mathematically uninitiated. Hopefully, it will stimulate even further interest.

Owen

Having first been exposed to interesting knots while in undergraduate courses in biology and chemistry and occasionally encountering knots in my mathematical life, I have long maintained a passing interest in the field. However, until now, no single event evoked a reaction strong enough to pique a desire to explore. All it took to change that was the reading of this book by Adams.
Surprisingly complete for an introductory text, it is also amazingly understandable. Requiring only knowledge of polynomials and a mind capable of understanding twists, I found it addictive. This is one area where it pays not to think straight. After reading it twice, I still pick it up and scan it in odd moments. Problems are scattered throughout the book, and many can be solved using only a piece of string. Those that are still unsolved are clearly marked, with is good, since the statements are often very simple.
There are many applications and the number is growing all the time. One of the most profound images and statements of discovery was the pictures of the knotting of the rings of Saturn and commentator Carl Sagan saying, "We don't understand that at all. We will have to invent a whole new branch of physics to understand it." The most esoteric recent explanation of the structure of the universe is the theory of superstrings, where all objects are multi-dimensional knots. A fascinating problem in molecular biology of the gene is the process whereby DNA coils when quiescent and uncoils to be copied. One chapter is devoted to applications, although more would have been helpful.
A non-convoluted introduction to the theory of convolutions, this book belongs in every mathematical library.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.

Knot theory has been a branch of mathematics that has been around for over a century, and now is finding applications in mnay areas, some of these being electrical circuit analysis, genetics, dynamical systems, and cryptography. This book, written for the layman or the beginning student of mathematics, is an excellent overview of what is known (and not known) in knot theory. Because of the pictorial nature of the subject, knot theory is an excellent way to get people interested in mathematics. Knot theory now is an established branch of mathematics, and it involves the use of tools from topology, analysis, and algebra. The problem of distinguishing one knot from another is one of the major questions in knot theory, and its partial resolution has been assisted by concepts from physics, namely statistical mechanics and quantum field theory. The author discusses the knot recognition problem, and other unsolved problems in the book, and he points out that in knot theory the unsolved problems can be approached by someone with very little background in advanced mathematical techniques. The author does an excellent job of introducing these problems and letting the reader experience, in his words, the joy of doing mathematics.

Chapter 1 is an introduction to the basic terminology of knot theory, and the author gives examples of the most popular elementary knots. He points out the historical origins of the theory, one of these being the attempt by Lord Kelvin to explain the origins of the elements, interestingly. The basic operations on knots are defined, such as composition and factoring, and the famous Reidemeister moves. The proof that planar isotopies and Reidemeister moves suffices to map one projection of a knot to another is omitted. After defining links and linking numbers, the author then discusses tricolorability, and uses this to prove that there are nontrivial knots.

Chapter 2 then overviews the strategies used in the tabulation of knots.The Dowker notation, used to describe a projection of a knot, is discussed as a tool for listing knots with 13 or less crossings. The author also discusses the Conway notation, and how it is used to study tangles and mutants. Graph theory is also introduced as a technique to study knot projections. The author discusses the unsolved problem of finding an elementary integer function that gives the prime knots with given crossing number, a problem that has important ramifications for cryptography (but the author does not discuss this application).

Since knots are complicated objects, then like many other areas in topology, the strategy is to assign a quantity to a knot that will distinguish it from all other knots. Such a quantity is called an invariant, and as one might guess, no one has yet found an invariant to distinguish all nontrivial knots from each other. In the last two decades though, new powerful knot invariants have been discovered, many of these being based on concepts from theoretical physics. In chapter 3, the author discusses the unknotting number, the bridge number, and the crossing number as elementary examples of knot invariants.

Chapter 4 is more complicated, in that the author shows how to use surfaces to assist in the understanding of knots. After discussing how to triangulate an surface and the concept of a homoeomorphism between surfaces, he introduces the Euler characteristic as an invariant of surfaces. Surfaces appear in knot theory as the space in the knot's complement, and the author introduces the concept of the compressibility of a surface, also very important in three-dimensional topology. Particular attention is paid to Seifert surfaces, which, given a particular knot, are orientable surfaces with one boundary component such that the boundary component is the knot in question.

Several different types of knots are considered in chapter 5, such as torus, satellite and hyperbolic knots. The latter are particularly interesting, since their study is part of the field of hyperbolic geometry, a subject that is now undergoing intense study. The author also introduces the theory of braids and the braid group. Not only are braids very important in the study of knots, but they have taken on major importance in cryptography and dynamical systems.

Chapter 6 is very interesting, and introduces some of the more contemporary topics in knot theory. The assignment of polynomials to knots goes back to the early 20th century, but it took the work of Vaughan Jones and his use of ideas from operator theory and statistical mechanics to provide polynomial invariants of knots that were much finer than the Alexander polynomial of the 1930s. The Jones polynomial however is not introduced the way Jones did, but instead via the Kaufmann bracket polynomial. The HOMFLY polynomial is introduced as a polynomial that generalizes the Jones and Alexander polynomials.

A few applications of knot theory are discussed in Chapter 7, such as the DNA molecule and topological stereoisomers. The author also discusses the applications of knot theory to the theory of exactly solvable models in statistical mechanics, a topic that has mushroomed in the past decade. This is followed by a brief overview of applications of knot theory to graph theory in chapter 8.

Chapters 9 and 10 are an introduction to knot theory as it relates to research in the topology of 3-dimensional manifolds and the existence of knots in dimensions higher than 3. The concepts introduced, particulary the idea of a Heegaard diagram, are used extensively in the study of 3-manifolds. In addition, the author mentions the famous Poincare conjecture, albeit in non-rigorous terms. The Kirby calculus, which is a kind of generalization of the Reidemeister moves, but instead models the sequence of operations that allow one to change from one Dehn surgery description of a 3-manifold to another is briefly discussed. The author also gives a few elementary, intuitive hints about how to visualize knotted objects in high dimensions.