Customer Reviews (96)

The Practical Benefits of Belief..
are what you will find in the pages of this book. One afternoon when I was cleaning out my storeroom, I came across a copy of "The Power Of Positive Thinking" in paperback. The edition was from 1956 and had been my father's. I opened the old, yellowed, dog-eared copy and began reading and found that Peale had taken the concepts of an earlier work by Dale Carnegie and elaborated on them with a spiritual twist.

This book can be life-changing, period. If you read it with an open mind and heart and follow the simple and very practical exercises in its pages, you will be changed forever in a very special way. It has stood the test of time and critics, both from the "anything goes, new age" people who say it is too conservative to the "Bible-pounding fundamentalists" who decry its message as heretical. Peale shows us a God who loves us, who is more than ready to give us "every good thing." Yet, if you are not religious in the conventional sense, you will find a new way of thought that will bring peace and harmony to your life through your greatest gift: the power of your mind.

More than just a book, it is a guide to living your life with a maximum of joy. I thank Dr. Peale for his wonderful gift to all of us, "The Power Of Positive Thinking." (P.S. If you find this book a little too heavy in religious emphasis, try reading Dale Carnegie's "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" which does a great job in a more expanded fashion and is full of examples and practical steps).

VERY motivating FANTASTIC book!
This book will change your life! You will never go through any situation the same way again! Your thinking will change, your actions will change and all for the better! This book contains the solution to every problem there is and ever will be. If you are seeking to build your faith to overcome obstacles in your life this book will do it. This book reminds me of the fact that anything is possible with God! I almost didn't buy this book because of some comments I'd read on certain Christian websites about the author. But I had the condensed version at home and loved it, so after reading all 45 reviews on this book with 99.9% of them being in favor of the book I went ahead and bought it and I'm VERY glad I did! I am over halfway through with this book and I count it 2nd in importance only to the Bible! Do yourself a favor that will last a lifetime and buy this book NOW!

"Nothing on earth is greater..."
"than the human mind in potential power." NVP

A Peale classic!!! Another spring cleaning survivor! My copy has been rained on etc. but not ruined! I'm not throwing this one out.

I first read this many, many moons ago in college. My father had passed away during that time and I was unsure I would be able to complete my studies. My mind was flooded with so many worries. My sister gave me this book to read and whenever I would regress to my woe is me mode of thinking, she would snap, "Go read your positive thinking book."!

I've since read other Norman Vincent Peale books and they're all written on the same lines. I would classify them as self-help books but upon a christian foundation; Norman Vincent Peale was a protestant pastor of Marble Collegiate Church in New York City. The power of positive thinking was published in 1952.

My only criticism, and the reason NVP fell from a 5 star grace to 4 is that his ideas fit too much into the traditional American idea of working your way to success and not into the biblical one. The goal of the christian is to become more christ-like in character, not to become a financial success in the American marketplace. But surely there are some people who are genuine christians and are successful that way. But the main thing is the inner character which should reflect Christ's.

The sixth chapter on "fuming and fretting" contains my personal favorite verse to meditate on when my mental balance is being tipped: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee"-Isaiah 26:3. Obviously, I accepted and applied Norman Vincent Peale's practical advice to meditate on and repeat that verse as an antidote to such a mental state. It works for me but might not work for others, if you do not fully comprehend what that 'Thee' (God) is all about. If you don't know who the biblical God is, grab a Bible and read! It's the only book I've read ten times from cover to cover. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity   2. Inspirational   3. Inspirational - Protestant Self Help   4. Motivational & Inspirational   5. Peace of mind   6. Personal Growth - General   7. Religious aspects   8. Self-Help   9. Success   10. Self-Help / Motivational   

Customer Reviews (9)

Thought Provoking
Being an English major I've had my share of anthologies. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism stands out to me because it offers direct access to the writers and their essays rather than filtered, explained, and dissected discussions of them. It allows for the opportunity to explore what the author had to say in their own voice. Unfortunately that means some selections are more difficult to read than others. The trade-off is knowing that what you are reading is the source of the idea rather than a reflection of it. While I bought this book as a class requirement, reading it (and I am nowhere near done) has offered me new perspectives to not only view literature, but the world in general. That is probably the best thing I can say about this book. The worst? It's not a light read -- literally! Having to tote this brick around campus for a semester was not a pleasant experience regardless of how interesting the essays are.

Excellent but Incomplete
This criticism anthology is well put together but is lacking in certain authors. While many of the selections are used give a wide range of a particular author's work, some of the authors used in the work are not fully represented.

Sir Philip Sidney, Giambattista Vico, Alexander Pope, William Wordsworth, Gyorgy Lukacs, Langston Hughes, Laura Mulvey and several others only have one work each in the book. Granted, you can't put all the works these authors have to offer, but some of them are heavy hitters in the criticism world and I find it hard to believe that they are poorly represented in a work such as this. Hopefully, in future editions these authors will better represented.

A darn good anthology
As I set out to perform the presumptuous task of reviewing what I consider the bible of criticism, I want to make something quite clear: I am reviewing the book not as a literary critic, which I am not, but as a consumer, which I am, since I did pay the hefty price for this massive tome. I am no expert on this subject of Literature, but I would like to become one some day and I thought this a good place to start. I have not quite completed Leviathan (that is the name I gave my Norton Anthology in question here) but I have been reading this in between novels for coming on two years now and I feel I am able to give it the old thumbs up or thumbs down (note: there is no essay in the book covering the critical theory behind thumb pointing). My verdict is thumbs UP, with 5 stars (they don't get into star ratings either). Let it be stated that many of the worlds all-time great minds are represented here and the essays selected are historic and far beyond my reproach. The physical quality of the book is marvelous and the type is flawless; I have found no typos in the 1800 (out of 2500) finely printed pages I have read. The selection headings are invaluable, in-depth analyses of the essays that follow, and they all seem as if written by the same anonymous, deft hand.

The first order of business in the way of criticism for me is the nature of some of the selections, which are undeniably political with little or no relevance to literary theory. I can understand including Marx for laying the foundation for further essays about Marxist literary theory, but do I really learn about literature from Franz Fanon's essay on how a country can best recover from the end of colonialism? Or what about the irrelevant social criticisms of Theodore Adorno? Perhaps the most pessimistic, depressing, and idiotic things I have ever read. This is the only essayist whom I wish did not make the cut. In one essay he goes so far to offend as to outright assert that human laughter is a sign of moral and intellectual decay, among many other absurdities. Aside from Adorno, the non-relevant essays are very good and worth reading anyway, so I was not too bothered by it, but be forewarned there is a big chunk of political, social and linguistic theory here, much of which has only a tenuous (at best) relationship to what most people consider to be Literature.

My second criticism may perhaps have to do more with my own mistaken expectations and therefore unfair, but I would not be surprised if there are other like-minded consumers out there. I was expecting to learn more about literary history, style, modes, technique, devices, genres, and the like. I was also hoping to read classic criticism of classic works. There is none of that here except obliquely. You will not, for examples, learn anywhere in this book what the Romantic period of literature was all about, or how writers use plot and dialogue to convey meaning. You will not find a lot on the why verse and meter were once dominant modes of literary focus whereas prose is now. And lastly, you will not read a great exposition on Hamlet or Job. I think it would be more appropriate to call this an "Anthology of Theories OF Criticism", or better yet just "Anthology of Literary Theory", not "...Theory AND Criticism." The essays are mostly about the philosophical nature of literature and how to study, interpret, and teach it. My silly notion was that an anthology of both theory and criticism would have examples of the great critical writings, not just the theory behind them. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Criticism   2. History and criticism   3. Literary Criticism   4. Literature   5. Literature - Classics / Criticism   6. Regional, Ethnic, Genre, Specific Subject   7. Semiotics & Theory   8. Literary studies: general   9. Literary theory   

Subjects:  1. 1947-   2. Biography / Autobiography   3. Dark tower   4. Fantasy fiction, American   5. General   6. History and criticism   7. King, Stephen,   8. Literary   9. Reference   10. Roland (Fictitious character)   

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent introductory text!
Parrillo's text is a helpful overview of the sociology of race and ethnicity in the United States taken from a group-to-group approach. Major sociological contributions on these matters are covered through the lens of particular groups that are most affected (e.g. LA riots are covered under black Americans but not under Korean Americans). The most recent edition is especially helpful as comments are made in conjunction with post-September 11th consequences on race and ethnic issues. The role of religion in racial dynamics and the continuing changes in immigration is a helpful addition as well as it is a rising area of study with race and ethnicity.

The book if it suffers in any direction is the judgment call of organizing the text by ethnic group. As suggested earlier, some issues like the LA riots deal with multiple groups and yet this text places such a topic under only one group.

As an undergraduate text, it also has an added bonus of photographs which may make the material seem less abstract and more accessible. Additionally its use of the basic "functionalist" "conflict" and "interactionist" perspectives allows students who have taken an introductory class in sociology to have a language from which to bridge between a general study of sociology and a more specific look at one area within sociology.

Overall this is an excellent textbook and I highly recommend it for classroom use and for use in scholarly research to gain access to the complex field of race and ethnicity.

From the Foreword author:
Strangers to These Shores is a comprehensive examination of the sharpest edges and more nuanced qualities of American pluralism. In its 14 chapters, Professor Parrillo provides students/readers--and those for whom it is not assigned--with a well conceived, carefully constructed, and highly readable introduction to a very complex subject. -- Peter I. Rose, Smith College ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural   2. Ethnic relations   3. Race relations   4. Sociology   5. Sociology - General   6. United States   

Everyone knows that a good canon debate doesn't get interesting until you reach the realm of the top 100. But by listing the top 1,000 movies, as the editors of The New York Times have done with this fat, readable collection of reviews, you get to skip all that huffing and puffing about quality and head straight for the fun. With a little elbow room, there's space for ineffable stuff like Mr. Hulot's Holiday and The Match Factory Girl. Room, too, for the nuance-free Mrs. Doubtfire and the free-falling Die Hard (which makes it, yep, right next to Diner). Pillow Talk squeezes in just one down from The Piano. What's really new about this book, though, is that the reviews have been culled from the Times's archive--reaching back to 1931. So you can read Vincent Canby reacting to Taxi Driver in 1976, just days after first seeing it: "The steam billowing up around the manhole cover in the street is a dead giveaway. Manhattan is a thin cement lid over the entrance to hell, and the lid is full of cracks." Not bad for a guy on deadline. Bosley Crowther, who preceded Canby, fares less well, waving off Rear Window as Hitchcock's "new melodrama, " and Psycho with, "It does seem slowly paced." By contrast, Janet Maslin's more recent reviews hum and gush, unraveling the merits of Pulp Fiction and Lone Star. At collected-Shakespeare size (999 pages), the title is probably too vast for schlepping around, but go ahead, try reading just one. With plenty of international selections, including usual suspects from France (Truffaut), Italy (Fellini), and Japan (Itami), as well as some unusual ones from Brazil, Mexico, India, and Czechoslovakia, there's enough canon fodder here for at least five "Top 100" books. --Lyall Bush ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

well worth owning
Give the Times credit for having the guts to reprint the original reviews. Several films that are regarded as classic today, such as "Psycho", received lukewarm responses in their original release. Most other music and movie review guides (The Rolling Stone guide for one) overlook their past 'mistakes'. Because the reviews were written at the movies' release, they rarely suffer from the stale air of reverence given to classic films.

The length of the reviews is perfect. Longer than the 3 or 4 sentence plot summaries of most guides, they give the reader a better sense of the character of the film, while still remaining short enough to peruse the book before going to the video store.

I recommend a Maltin guide to begin with, since it covers more films. I think this would be a fine second film guide.

Essential for the Film Enthusiast
The New York Times has always been a fairly reliable source for film criticism, but like all of us, their reviewers sometimes make mistakes. The great thing about this collection is that great movies that got bad reviews are still in the book. For example, "Night of the Living Dead" and "Psycho" were panned by The New York Times in their original reviews, but they are included in the book because the films are revered now. The reviews are well written and concise, and the list includes foreign and silent films--something the AFI top 100 list ignored. If nothing else, the book is a great place to go when you are at a loss for a rental in the new release section. Check out the "Citizen Kane" review to see just how good The New York Times is at film criticism. My only gripe is that some excellent films are missing from the book, but nobody's perfect.

Accurate, yet curiously biased...
The The New York Times Guide to the Best 1000 Movies Ever Made, is not only a lengthy book to go through, but also seems like a list of good movies from a college student who thinks he will be heir to criticism fame, once Ebert dies...

The first mistake of the book is by only including films that were reviewed by the New York Times, which leaves out excellent films such as "Pandora's Box", "Metropolis", various Chaplin classics, "Intolerance", "Birth of a Nation", and on a subtler note, "Nanook of the North"... Now, I understand that the primary reason for exlcuding these films is the fact that the Times did not have reviews to go along with them, since the book's secondary purpose seems to be learning what it was like to see these films at the time of release... Yet, they could have easily listed these pre-Times films in the back of the book (they seemed to have no trouble at all putting films like "Closely Watched Trains" over there with no review)...

Next are the curious picks for the "best" 1000 films of all time... Does anyone REALLY think that films such as "10", "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song", and "Heavy Traffic" belong in this book with no mention of "Terminator 2", "Dances with Wolves", or the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy? Surely the Times has some critics that can say that the first two LOTR films were better than "A.I." or "About Schmidt"... Now, I thought the latter two films were excellent, but a book that is clearly saying that the 1000 best films of all time are in this book, they would have to save themselves from a mass disagreement from the public (all 3 LOTR films are in the top 10 on the IMDb, where mostly ordinary people rate films)...

However, this book does bring to light classics and foreign films that are otherwise never published in books like this... I would have never been granted to joy of seeing "L' Atalante", "Close-Up" or "Heimat", had they not been included in this book...

Another reviewer complained about the fact that some films are not in print on VHS or DVD, but this is a stupid thing to whine about... The Criterion Collection does a good job of releasing films that are in this situation... And some films are in fact, available on VHS, but many believe they do not exist if amazon.com does not list them... One of the films in this book, "L' Age d'Or" is available on VHS through the New York Film Annex (NYFA), and can be ordered through the movies unlimited website at www.moviesunlimited.com... You can probably find more films in this book at that site as well...

Overall, this book is helpful in finding films that are excellent, but are usually kept as low-profile, and hidden away from film buffs, but film buffs will all the same, be scratching their heads at the listing of "Beetlejuice" in this book... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Capsule Movie Reviews   2. Cinema/Film: Book   3. Film & Video - Guides & Reviews   4. Film & Video - History & Criticism   5. Film - Guides & Reviews   6. Film - History & Criticism   7. Motion pictures   8. Performing Arts   9. Pop Arts / Pop Culture   10. Reviews   11. Performing Arts / Film / Guides & Reviews   

Customer Reviews (11)

A Good Beginning Course with a few flaws
I highly recommend "Teach Yourself Korean" to any beginners at the language. It has entertaining dialogues (not dry like most other textbooks) and teaches things in a systematic format focusing on the practical application of grammar principles supplemented by useful vocabulary. After learning a principle from this book, you always seem to be able to find a way to use it in a real conversation, and my Korean friends have complimented me when I use the expressions on how natural they sound. I have also purchased the more traditional "College Korean" paperback by Rogers, You, and Richards, and would say if one had to go with one or the other, most would be better off with "Teach Yourself Korean." The books weaknesses include using only romanized Korean in the vocabulary sections and grammar explanations (though dialogues are printed in Hangul), and its lack of any kind of index. Using romanized Korean as opposed to Korean script makes verb forms and pronounciation rules needlessly confusing; a good text should include both. This book is an excellent beginners course that won't bore you, but you should get another book to accompany it, such as "Active Korean" by Song-Chol Kim.

The romanization was helpful.
I would recommend this book to most beginners. It helps you learn how to speak Korean, but this book alone is not enough. It would still be difficult to understand native Korean speakers. There are not enough excercises to really master the language. I am able to order at a restaurant, and tell Koreans that I can speak a little, but I can't understand everything. In most cases, the Korean conversation ends right there, and we go back to speaking English.

Great Book! but it could have used some work
Teach Yourself Korean is a great book if you want to learn more than just "tourist phrases." The introduction with Han-Geul was clear and easy to understand. If your first language is English, the grammar and pronunciation rules will seem strange and hard to remember at first, but this is true for most Asian languages. Since Korean is not a tonal language, such as Chinese or Vietnamese, your learning will not be hindered by worries about "singing" the words. Each section includes an introduction listing the aspects of the Korean language you will learn. The dialogues in each section aren't dry either. They contain many colloquial Korean phrases and expressions that are explained later in the chapter. The dialogues are shown in Han-Geul and are followed by McCune-Reischauer romanisations. The romanisations were one of the aspects of the book that could have been improved. Sometimes they were inconsistent with the Han-Geul and left me wondering which pronunciations were correct. The vocabulary boxes were extremely helpful, but since the words were not translated directly under the Han-Geul dialogues, I had to keep flipping pages to understand what I was reading. This ruined the flow of the conversations a little bit. The commentary was the core of the book. It explained aspects of Korean culture and taught me how to construct Korean sentences. Although the authors attempt to keep the explanations simple, some of the grammar commentary sections needed to be read and re-read in order to absorb the information. The upside of this is that repitition reinforces memory. The exercises are varied and cover a wide range of problems. The book recommends that one completes the exercises using Han-Geul, but beginners can use romanistation as well. Some of the answer keys in the back of the book provided answers that seemed strange, and this was a major hindrance for me. I would re-read the grammar commentary to see if I had missed anything, only to find out that we would learn a certain verb-construction or colloquialism in later sections. All in all, this was a great book, but it needs some polishing. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio - Language   2. Audio Adult: Language   3. Dictionaries - General   4. Foreign Language Study   5. Korean   6. Korean Language   7. Foreign Language Study / Korean   

This lavish but manageable book is the catalog for one of the most successful van Gogh exhibitions ever (at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., through January 3, 1999, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from January 17, 1999, to April 4, 1999). Judging from the haunting, beautifully reproduced paintings and drawings in the book--which range from the iconic to the rarely seen--it is easy to see why hordes of people keep pressing through overcrowded galleries to get a glimpse of the originals. The ones here are all from the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, where most of Vincent's work resides.

Author Richard Kendall does a heroic job of writing van Gogh's tortured story one more time. Few artists have analyzed their own work with the clarity and insight Vincent brought to his. And Kendall relies heavily on Vincent's letters to his brother Theo, giving the reader broad access to the ultimate expert, the painter himself. The wealth of color plates is intoxicating--70 paintings, including The Potato Eaters and other early, gloomy works, a dozen self-portraits, Almond Blossom, Wheatfield with Crows, Butterflies and Poppies, The Bedroom, The Zouave, and The Courtesan (van Gogh's take on a Japanese geisha in full regalia).

It seems trivial to further praise the book's designers for holding it to only 150 pages, but the length makes an important difference. This is a volume that fits comfortably on the lap, to be perused and enjoyed at close range, for hours if you want, and not just displayed in unwieldy glory on a coffee table. --Peggy Moorman ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

the most original artist of his time
Vincent van Gogh is the artist who I feel I relate to most on a personal level. His demons are my demons. His yearning to some day find "the right girl" is my yearning. His spiritual faith in God is my spiritual faith. His weaknesses are my weaknesses. His strengths are my strengths. I'm very fond of van Gogh. He made many mistakes, including getting involved in a doomed love affair with a prostitute, or how he cut off his earlobe in a fit of anguish. Well, okay, I identify with him but that's something I've never been tempted to do haha. Vincent was a troubled and tormented and deeply under-appreciated artist in his day, only managing to sell one or two paintings in his life. Now he is among the very most popular. His works sell for many millions, even minor works.

David Rehak
author of "Love and Madness"

A GREAT JOURNEY WITH VAN GOGH
One of the best pieces that I ever read explaining paintings along the different periods which were passed by Van Gogh. Also, it gives a complete ride through his life and personality.

A Quality Work!!
I have this book and I am so glad ,I discovered it. I am, a painter,and have always been influenced by Van Goghs work. However most of the books I own do not have very good quality , printing .This book however is excellent! It is very close to , standing in front of the original painting. I would recomend this book to anyone that loves Van Gogh. I am so proud to make this book a part of my art library. Get it while you can!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1853-1890   2. Amsterdam   3. Art   4. Art & Art Instruction   5. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - General   6. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - Museum   7. European   8. Exhibitions   9. Gogh, Vincent van,   10. Individual Artist   11. National Gallery Of Art - Exhibition Catalogs   12. Netherlands   13. Painting   14. Gogh, Vincent van   

Features

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Customer Reviews (8)

Comment for the "reader from San Francisco"
Lighten up dude! It's Edgar Allen Poe not Andrew Dice Clay! What did you expect?

Just turned me off...
I know that this is supposed to be a great and highly-regarded recording, but all I could hear was a dry old man's voice and a boring British accent. I felt like I was listening to a textbook, and was better off reading the text.

fantastic readings of phantasmagoric tales
this is a really wonderful collection of readings from e. a. poe's oeuvre. all of them are clear and clean recordings, and the articulation in the readers' voices is superb -- it makes me wish i could have experienced radio plays as a child (unfortunately i had to make do with atari and nintendo). oh well. NOTE: this is a very generous package as well. i thought i was going to get one cd for [$]: i got FIVE. there are HOURS of readings on these discs, and everything i've heard is wonderful. i recently used this collection for a show i produced for my students: if you are a sound engineer it will be very easy for you to sample these recordings, because there aren't any soundeffects or music in the background (which i prefer, because then the acting really shines through -- there's no production getting in the way of what you hear). i ripped "the mask of the red death" for a dance concert, applied different filters to the portions of the track i needed, added my own effects and music, and presto i have exactly what i need: a soundscore based entirely on the spoken word (but you'd never know it to hear it!). highly recommended ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio - Literature / Classics   2. Classics   3. Fiction   4. Horror - General   5. Literature: Classics   6. Short Stories (single author)   7. Fiction / Classics   

Customer Reviews (2)

Great pics /cool rhymes
My little son loves this book...the authors have successfully chosen pictures and written wonderful poems for each picture that tell a story throughout the book. I find the poems great because they aren't the usual baby drivel and the meter of them is soft and lilting...perfect for bedtime! We also bought the matisse story (the van gogh is a little bit better) but both are great...looking for more!

Great Kid's Book
The author's have taken Van Gough's best and put together a rhyming book about the garden. The rhyme isn't easy but the cardboard backing and the bright photos are perfect for a toddler/new-born. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1853-1890   2. Art (paintingsculptureartistsarchitectureetc.)   3. Art - General   4. Artists   5. Children's Baby - Boardbooks   6. Children: Kindergarten   7. Fiction   8. Gogh, Vincent van,   9. Juvenile Nonfiction   10. Juvenile fiction   11. Stories in rhyme   12. Gogh, Vincent van   

Customer Reviews (6)

Reminder of what's important
The questions in this book allow the reader to muse on their own relationships with their parents and others close to them, and hopefully to realise how important it is to make time to communicate within families. Buy it to read, think and keep it visible on your bookshelf as a reminder of what is important and that there is always time to talk to those close to you, however busy you think you are.

A dark ride
At first glance I thought this was just another "quick-fix" book offering [bad] platitudes about the quest to reveal the mythical father-figure.

I started to leaf through it and three days later I'm still excited and troubled by what "Questions" has revealed to me.

The questions are, quite simply, stunning in their originality and form. There's stuff here I wouldn't have thought of asking in a million years.

And then there's the narrative that is sprinkled throughout the text; a dark and troubled trans-America motorcycle trip during which the author has an eerie insight into the importance that his father has played in his life. Too late, of course. Staniforth returns to England just in time to watch his Dad die, and so begins the internal intellectual voyage of discovery about his father.

Read it, use it, buy it for a father or a child. This book can save families.

Questions for My father: finding the man behind your dad
A wonderful book to learn more about your father and yourself.
It's also a fantastic conversation maker. Don't miss out on
this jewel of a book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Family & Relationships   2. Family / Parenting / Childbirth   3. Family Relationships   4. Fatherhood   5. Fathers and sons   6. General   7. Men's Studies - General   8. Parent & Adult Child   9. Self-Help   

Customer Reviews (4)

Shocking
Very informative about the destructive power a bullet can have. As wrong as this may sound, if you own guns and have children, this is a good book to buy. It is difficult to explain to a child what a bullet can do to a human being. With this, you can show them.

An excellent textbook on the subject of firearm injuries
This text should be in the library of any reader who has an interest in the topic of guns and the injuries they produce. While written with the practising forensic pathologist in mind, the book is appropriate for investigators, attorneys and other healthcare providers. The discussions of firearms and their features are very good and should help those with limited knowledge about guns understand what they do, how they do it and the terminology used in the field.

The only book you will ever need on the topic.
As a criminal defense attorney, my clients freedom often rests on my ability to understand the technical aspects of a case. While I will seldom, if ever, know more than the "expert" opposing me, understanding the topic in a straight forward and simple manner makes my interaction with that expert a benefit to my client. This to the point of knowing when not to say anything. This book provides a one-stop resource for all aspects of firearms, gunshot wounds, and the related forensic techniques and methods. A must for anyone who needs to understand, in plain language, the issues that come into play in gunshot injury and firearm cases. The photographs, x-rays, and diagrams provide an excellent point of reference for the text. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ballistics   2. Criminal Evidence And Analysis   3. Firearms   4. Forensic Medicine   5. Forensic Science   6. Forensic ballistics   7. Forensic pathology   8. Gunshot wounds   9. Medical   10. Medical / Nursing   11. Pathology   

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent sourcebook for readers
This book, originally loaned to me by a police professional, is an excellent resource for a variety of readers who are involved with criminal investigations but don't really have all the tools and training of a full-time medical examiner. In my case, as a crime author, the text was an invaluable reference, putting some highly technical material into easily digested context. The collection of photographs, while occasionally grisly, provides an excellent visual reference. Recommended for laymen of all kinds who need a good reference work on forensic pathology.

Wonderful Textbook Style Book
This book didn't beat around the bush at all. It took you right into the morbid details of death. Every subject I can think of regarding death was explained in this book. The pictures were mostly black and white but the detail in them was still enough to stir my stomach.

This book went from babies to burns, from rapes to stabbings, from gunshots to suffocation. It told you how things were done and why evidence was placed the way that it was.

This book was in textbook form and I believe that it is actually used for students to learn with. In saying that, you can not only learn with this book but you can also keep yourself interested with having some death questions answered.

Overall, a wonderful book for someone looking to get into the forensic field, or for someone just interested in death and how some things happen.

Excellent Reference Book
One cannot help comparing this book with "Spitz and Fisher's Medicolegal Investigation of Death", which is in the same price range.

This book is smaller and thinner, but it covers more exotic cases in the field, such as crucifixion and an asphyxiation by python. It also contains more data from academic research.

While "Spitz and Fisher" is generally considered the required textbook for students and the ultimate authority in courtrooms, this one by Messrs. Di Maio (father and son) should be the required reference book for students in the field. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Criminal Evidence And Analysis   2. Forensic Medicine   3. Forensic Science   4. Forensic pathology   5. Law   6. Medical / Nursing   7. Pathology   

Subjects:  1. Fiction   2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective   3. Florida   4. McNally, Archy (Fictitious cha   5. McNally, Archy (Fictitious character)   6. Mystery & Detective - General   7. Mystery/Suspense   8. Palm Beach   9. Private investigators   10. Sanders, Lawrence E. - Prose & Criticism   

Customer Reviews (8)

No more questions.
This is the work of an expert on the subject. Made as simple as possible, but no simpler. It covers what to test and how to test. More than just using the JUnit tool, it explains how you can safely and repetitively test difficult classes that perform updates deletes or handle volitile data. Covers testing with Cactus, Servlets, JSP's, EJB's and stand-alone console programs. Everything you need to get the job done with style and quality.

A rarity: a deep overview
I finally had the opportunity to read Vince's finished product and I am impressed at how he and Ted managed to find the balance between an easy-to-follow overview and the necessary technical depth to understand JUnit more fully. Most books only do one or the other (if that).

Whether you are brand new to JUnit or have some experience and are looking for good practices, JUnit in Action is for you. On a first reading you can concentrate on the first few chapters and all the diagrams; then after some practice, you can return to the remaining chapters and learn JUnit in increasing depth.

This book describes a number of different ways to use JUnit to tackle specific problems in testing both plain Java code and J2EE code, a theme which I have taken further in JUnit Recipes (I couldn't resist the plug -- sorry about that), making "in Action" an excellent prelude to "Recipes". Of course, we hope you'll buy and enjoy both. Vince's early drafts even motivated me to learn more about Cactus and now it is an important part of my J2EE testing arsenal.

I will use Vince's book as a primary reference whenever I teach a course on Java, J2EE programming or Test-Driven Development.

Thorough and concise work on JUnit
This is a strong book on a worthy topic. It's short but that doesn't stop it from covering the topic well. The authors just stay on track and cover the required material in a brief and balanced manner.

On the down side there could have been more context about JUnit and it's alternatives. The first chapter covers this somewhat but after that it is JUnit all the way.

On the upside, the book is well written and edited. It is concise and sometimes witty but not to the level of going off track.

The interesting chapters:

Chapter one introduces JUnit and shows some alternatives, mainly doing tests by hand.

Chapter two covers JUnit completely in detail. Which is almost a bit too much too fast and I found myself a little lost in the detail. It could stand to be broken up a little.

Chapter four is an excellent introduction to test driven development. This section alone is almost worth the price of the book.

Chapter five covers integrating JUnit into existing tools like Ant and Eclipse.

The second part then applies JUnit to each of a number of different types of code, including web pages, tag libraries, data access, etc. This is the heart of the matter and it's done very well. This connects the code you have to the JUnit test framework step by step. It's very well done.

If you are using JUnit or are interested in test driven development in Java this is a fantastic book and is well worth the money.

(Full disclosure: I am a Manning author but I in no way allow that to effect my reviews.) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming   2. Computer Books: General   3. Computer Programs Testing   4. Computer software   5. Computers   6. Java (Computer program language)   7. Programming - Systems Analysis & Design   8. Programming Languages - Java   9. Testing   

Subjects:  1. Calendar   2. Non-Classifiable   

Customer Reviews (12)

Vincent R. Capodanno: Courage of a Lion, Faith of a Martyr
This is a "can't put it down" biographical story about a Catholic priest known as Father Vincent Robert Capodanno who served in the Viet Nam War. From a war that many would like to forget emerges an identifyable hero and quite probably a great saint. Fr. Daniel Mode does an excellent job in researching the life and career of this courageous officer who was described by one of the grunts who knew Capodanno as "a man who had the courage of a lion and the faith of a martyr." He died serving the "grunts" on the battlefield, minstering to them at the hour of their death. It is a well-documented account of Capodanno's childhood, manhood and priesthood and a tribute to the men who served with him. A great book for everyone, a missing piece of history that finally has come to light. Enjoy!

A Saintly Priest
The spiritually inspirational story of Father Vincent R. Capodanno has deeply touched myself, my family and my friends. Both of my parents served in the Navy during the Vietnam Era; my mother as a nurse and my father as an aviator. I passed the book on to them and it brought tears to my mother's eyes each time she picked it up. The autor, Fr. Daniel Mode simply portays a vivid picture of Father Capodanno's childhood, minissonary work, and especially his deep understanding of the spiritual and physical needs of his fellow "grunts". The troops leaned on him so that they could go forward in the daily struggles of war. It was obvious that Fr. Mode had a deep connection with his subject. The countless personal interviews with the men who served with Fr. Capodanno as a missionary and later as a chaplin, as well as the troops who were in country with him bring the book to life. It was obvious how the title of Father Mode's book came to be. He writes of Father Capodanno's committment to God through his selfless sacrafice in ministering to the people he encountered in his missionary work and in Vietnam. Thank you Father Mode for writing this beautiful story!

A story of a true hero
This is an interesting story which has been well researched by the author. We need more true stories of everyday people who have done great things to find their way in to the many media outlets that are over-enamored with the personal lives of actors, professional athletes, and pop singers.

Thanks to Fr. Mode, I and others have learned about this Priest who served his God and his country well in the ugly war that was Vietnam. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography   2. Biography/Autobiography   3. Military   4. Religious   5. Capodanno, Vincent   6. United States   7. Marine Corps   8. Chaplains   9. Biography   10. Biography & Autobiography   

Subjects:  1. Entomology   2. Life Sciences - Zoology - Entomology   3. Life Sciences - Zoology - General   4. Reference   5. Science   6. Science/Mathematics   7. Science / Entomology   

Customer Reviews (1)

Power of Positive Thinking
I remember reading one of the three books many years ago called "The power of positive thinking." It was such an easy pleasant read. It made alot of sense in a simple uncomplicated way. I developed a real respect for the author who recently passed away and even suscribed to "Guideposts" his magazine and loved it. Since he passed away though they bombard you with advertisements for new ways to spend money, so I didn't renew. I miss that magazine though since it was excellent. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bargain Books   2. Christianity   3. Christianity - Christian Life - General   4. Inspirational - Protestant Self Help   5. Peace of mind   6. Religious aspects   7. Sale Adult - Inspirational   8. Self-esteem   9. Success   10. Religion / Inspirational   11. Sale Books   

Subjects:  1. Allied Health Services - Emergency Medical Services   2. Emergency Medical Services   3. Emergency Medicine   4. Health Care Delivery   5. Medical   6. Medical / Nursing   7. Miscellanea   8. Reference   9. examination questions   

Customer Reviews (1)

Not for the faint at heart
This book reveals the secrets and lifestyles of the notorious Hells Angels that for so long have been shrouded in scandal, mystery and fear. Written by an ex Hells Angel himself, Wethern recounts his lifestyle with the Angels from the first beginnings of the gangs operation in California, his friendship with well known gang president Sonny, orgies, criminal activity and the rapid decline of the gang and Wethern himself as drugs became the way of life and huge source of power and income. Wethern, now hidden somewhere in the states with new identity for him and his family in fear of his life as a result of co-operating with police and officials and giving informatiuon and indeed writing this book that blows the lid on the activities of a gang that is unmerciless in it's punishment of offenders, it's disregard for police, women and just about anything, but that is fiercely loyal to the brotherhood of gang members and loyalty to the president at all costs. In what would seem an act of clearing his conscience Wethern tells his tale in a way that exposes the reader to not only the innner workings of this secret gang, but also the brokenness, regret and fear that comes from living the life of a wayward angel. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. California   2. General   3. Hell's Angels   4. Motorcycle gangs   5. Nonfiction - True Crime / Espionage   6. Other Miscellaneous Crimes   7. True Crime   8. Wethern, George   9. True Crime / General