Builder

The Atlas is an excellent resource for those who wish to research a particular organ, or to acquaint themselves with the various manufacturers of Reed Organs. The book is arranged like a dictionary, and includes the names of the individuals involved in manufacture, as well as company names, and related suppliers. The volume lists US and International manufacturers. The book is very helpful for basic information, but does not give great detail on any one manufacturer, or provide information on the price or rarity of specific instruments. It does supply some serial numbers and the corresponding dates of manufacture. There are pictures (black and white) of organs, advertisements, and related items throughout the volume, but they are not extensive, and seem to be more for 'decoration' than reference. If you are looking for information on that dusty old parlor organ you found in Grandpa's barn, this is a great reference to get you started. The author has also published several other books that deal with the restoration of these instruments you might find helpful. Another excellent book (which is in Gellerman's bibliography) is Michel's Reed Organ Atlas, (1969) . It has more extensive photo plates, but is harder to find. (I found it in my local library) Good luck if you are researching a particular instrument. Chances are you will find SOME information about it in Gellerman's International Reed Organ Atlas.

While Joe Pettitt has a deep understanding of automobile tuning and performance, it appears as though he has no actual first hand wrench time on a Honda. He mentions different types of fuel injection but not which type Hondas are typically equipped with. This is a common theme throughout the book.

That being said, the background information on engine development and tuning is very useful. The information is broad and detailed and, for a tuner looking for general information and bolt on performance, the book may be useful. In the blurb about the book, a specific engine buildup is mentioned (the reason I bought the book). This engine buildup was described in two pages which did not even begin to cover the detail I was looking for. The author mentions in the beginning that the book is not just a series of ads for bolt ons but he does plug certain vendors pretty thoroughly.

This is one of many books I bought to learn more about self-sufficient living. The book has a few good points, but the language is hard to understand. The author describes in words how to build log cabins. He doesn't draw diagrams or give diminsions. He makes a few good points about things like where to place fireplaces and bedrooms in order to keep a home as warm as possible. If your looking for a book with hints on building a self-sufficient home, you could get some tips with the book. If your looking for a book on how to build the log cabin, keep looking.

I was glad I found this book because it has much information about the Precolumbian American Southeast, an area whose history is often ignored. It provided a good description of both the archaeology and iconography of the ancient cultures. If you plan to visit any sites in the Southeast, I would recommend this book. However, the first chapter was not worthy of the rest of the book. It showed an appalling lack of knowledge of other civilizations. It was both overromanticized and made unjustified comparisons. Luckily, I decided to continue reading.

This is a tiny book but it, surprisingly ,holds some wide content.
Subjects include anabolic steroids , supplements , training programs and much more. Very clear and well written chapter on
steroids which cuts through the jargon. More helpful information on creatine and other products. Like most academic works on steroids, it is naive about side effects, listing some extreme and little known consequences.
On the whole, it is very good value for money and a good reference book for anyone wanting to consider a broad range of
body building supplements

I learn a great deal of history of the late 19th century China and the Philippines. The turmoil and struggle of the Chinese during the transitional period from the Ching dynasty to the Republic. Vivid description of the hardship of Chinese immigrant in the Philippines.

The book is fairly informative for people who want an introductory guide to the Singapore Real estate markets. This is a good book to get you started on choosing a good investment. However, the fast pace of change in Singapore, with a lot of new properties coming into the market makes this book a bit outdated by the time it comes out. Also, additional details on the laws related to real estate dealing and financing options available would have been invaluable.

Overall a good buy.

Lots of [bad] pictures.

A stuffy comment about "I have never had to personally use stealers"

This guy may really be that good but the rest of us don't need to hear about it.

Final comment: I kept the book but have been thinking about throuwing it in the recycling bin. It is NOT GOOD for beginners...or much of anybody else.

Mr. Dressel is obviously a very experienced builder, and there is a great deal of information in the book, but it the way it is presented makes it very difficult to absorb.

The organization of the material made for very frustrating reading. The planking techniques indicated in the title are scattered throughout the book in various sections, and are often separated by unrelated (but interesting) material.

Nautical component terminology (like "wing transom" and "fashion pieces") should be clarified (preferrably by illustration) before or at least at the same time they are used in the text.

The "how to" explanations would be much improved by diagrams, photos or drawings with step by step procedures, rather than the often vague descriptions provided.

Overall, the reader must expend a great deal of effort to glean the information from the book.

I own several other great books on ship modelling:

Ship Modeling Simplified by Frank Mastini,
The Built-Up Ship Model by Charles G. Davis,
Ship Modeling from Stem to Stern by Milton Roth,
and Historic Ship Models by Wolfram Zu Mondfeld, as well as other less comprehensive books.

I have studied all of these books at length and found Dressel's text to be the most informative on not only planking but also framing techniques.

While others who have reviewed this book seem to have gripes about it, I would challenge anyone to find a more detailed book on this discipline. The fact is that no one text exists that will provide all of the best tips and techniques, but this book gives the most detail that I have come across. I consider it a must-have for any model shipbuilder's library.

I STRONGLY RECOMMEND NOT TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK IF YOUR LOOKING TO INSTALL A WELL OR SEPTIC, THERE ARE NO REAL INSTRUCTIONS ON DEPTH FOR THE SEPTIC LINES, INFORMATION ON THE DISTRUBUTION BOX ON AND ON. BUT IT WOULD PROBABLY BE GREAT FOR A ENGINEER THAT INSTALLS SYSTEMS. ED HARRIGAN VERMONT

The author is obviously very experienced and skilled in the subjects of wells and septic systems. I found it helpful in my becoming educated about things to look for and avoid when building or contracting either system. On the other side of the coin, the flow of the material is choppy, and bounces around from subject to subject. This makes it difficult for a novice to gain any knowledge about designing and installing any of the systems. As a 3 Star rating, it is a book that alerts the reader to things to look out for. R. Dodge Woodson seems to have put a great deal of himself into this book, and he touches expertly on everything...but it could be better organized. I would hire him as my contractor in a heartbeat...but not as a writer of my How-To book; however,I still keep his book handy and refer to it when the going gets tough! I'd purchase it again.

I am looking for a reference book to help me design a septic system and well for a new home project. I thought from the title that this book was appropriate (there was no table of contents available). It is not. Much of the book is geared towards helping general contractors avoid getting ripped off by well or septic subcontractors. If that is what you need, this is probably a reasonable choice. If you actually want to design and build your own well and septic systems, then pass on this title.

I'm still looking for a good design/reference text for septic and well systems...

After waiting nearly 4 months to receive this book,it was a big disapointment.I expected to read all the best kept secrect to Honda engine building.I have learned more reading magazine articles than this book.A lot of theory and formulas.I want to know what parts work best like all the v8 books out there.This book just did not deliver .I would save the money spent on this book and get a subscription to Turbo magazine.

I thought this book was loaded with useless information. Its mostly General engineering formulas and not necessarily and directly honda related. Lots of suspension, aerodynamics and brakes formulas which in street /strip car is pretty useless. There were no turbo or supercharged engine build up coverage (just nitrous). No parts were tested or dynoed like in volume 1. no drivetrain or transmissin issues were issued (considering one of honda's weak links are drivetrain). No stand-alone engine management solutions either. I learned some new stuff but not about honda's.

This book has interesting information on the theory of car suspension, tyres, aerodynamics, etc. There are also certain sections which are Honda-specific. Useful tables for fuel and other important information are included. Good for reference.