Buying-the

I never knew there was so much to know, or how many choices were available to me. Now I do, and I can't thank the authors enough for the great service this book provides for people like me who love it all--diamonds, gemstones, and jewelry of all kinds.

And if you've got tens of thousands of dollars to spend and don't much care where it goes, don't buy this book (but feel free to send me some of that money).

On the other hand, if you're like most of us, you want to get the best value for your money, and this book will definitely help by giving great tips when buying diamonds and other gems.

Not only that, this book can give you some creative ideas. Looking for something beyond the cheap "frozen spit" diamonds that are being sold all over these days? For the same money, you can buy a colored stone or cultured pearl that will look better and be a better value. Want a nice, bright green stone but haven't got $10k for an emerald? This book can give some affordable alternatives, like maybe a tsavorite.

This is a tremendous resource, written in an easy-to-understand style, and organized in a way that makes referring to it inviting.

If you are just beginning and have not yet purchased a telescope (or binoculars), or are fairly new to astronomy and looking for additional equipment or accessories, PLEASE READ THIS BOOK FIRST! It will help you to become a very informed consumer, teach you to evaluate your observing site(s), and help determine your overall situation with respect to astronomy. For the price of $19.95, the book could save you hundreds (or thousands) of dollars in the long-run. Moreover, you will have a great reference to use throughout your observing career.

Whether the reader is interested in planetary work or deep-sky viewing, Star Ware gives great techniques and tips for viewing everything from our own star to the extra-galactic domain. This book helps the beginner to select the proper equipment for starting out, and also guides the more advanced observer in choosing accessories for enhancing equipment performance for specific areas of astronomy. In addition, the book delves into the complex science and art of astrophotography, with helpful suggestions from the author about getting started and basic methods.

A very nice part of this book is the appendix section, detailing out equipment, accessories, manufacturers, etc. It also contains the entire Messier Catalog in table form, complete with R.A. and Dec. coordinates. In short, Star Ware is a superb text that belongs on the shelf of every amateur astronomer.

A third member of this short list has recently been republished in a new edition: Star Ware, Second Edition (The Amateur Astronomer's Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Buying, and Using Telescopes and Accessories) by Philip S. Harrington, 1998 John Wiley & Sons. Star Ware is aimed mostly at beginners, teaching in a lively and informal style the basics of how telescopes work and how to use them, but there is a fair amount of information of interest to advanced amateurs as well.

The book begins with two chapters about telescope optics and different types of telescopes, with something of the history of telescopes along the way. Chapter 3 covers the pros and cons of each type in some detail, ending with a quiz where you add the point values of your answers to show what type you should buy - fun, as long as you don't take it too seriously. Chapter 4 is a still more detailed look at the offerings of different manufacturers, again sorted by type. Phil goes easy on the major manufacturers, judging from some of the tales of woe I've heard; but the treatment is fair and useful. Chapter 5 compares the myriad eyepieces available to go with these scopes. Both these chapters have appendices where the information is laid out in convenient tables.

Chapter 6 covers finders and filters, other books and software, cameras and CCD's. One thing I would have appreciated would be a similar appendix covering all the competing software packages, what they do well and which was the best for each purpose. As I wrote two months ago, I have purchased a number of these packages and started to evaluate them; maybe I need to write this comparison myself.

Chapter 7 was the most interesting to me - a description of projects you can make, from a collimation tool to a video camera bracket to a binocular chair - the latter I want to get started on Real Soon Now. 'Till Death Do You Part' is on care of your scope, and repeats sage advice against unnecessary cleaning, as well as how to collimate your optics.

The last and longest chapter, 'It's Time to Solo!', covers the targets to point your scope at (moon, planets, comets, sun, deep-sky), a description of a few dozen of the best deep-sky objects, and a brief introduction to astrophotography. This will be of less interest to advanced amateurs, who probably have more detailed sources of this type of information. One might question why to include this in a book about equipment, but it probably does make it more useful for the beginner who may buy only this book.

Parts of the book overlap with the Dickinson & Dyer book mentioned above, but the treatment of telescopes and eyepieces is much more detailed. Overall, a fine book, highly recommended for a beginning amateur, and recommended for an advanced amateur looking to buy a new scope or eyepiece.

It's hard to say enough about this book. Highly, highly recommended.

For car buyers willing to do their homework, there is no reason to get ripped off. Sutton shows you how to arm yourself with some common-sense tactics that almost anyone can use.

An amusing sidebar for me was, after reading Sutton's book, was having several salespeople AND managers ask me if I was a former car lot manager. I just smiled inscrutibly and answered that I had 'contacts' in the business.

Maurice Greaver brings real value in the discussions of outsourcing as it relates to the organization's vision, strategies, core competencies, and other transformaton tools. As the president, I now better understand how the outsourcing tool fits into the bigger picture.

Finally, the step by step guidance is especially helpful to the project team as they move through the initiative. He offers many tips that only a wealth of experience could have generated. You can significantly cut your outsourcing learning curve with this book.

Newman's book is loaded with color pictures and info that you won't find on the Internet. For example:
1. Lots of close-up photos of diamonds with different clarity grades to help you learn to judge clarity yourself
2. Microscope photos of diamond inclusions.
3. Close-up photos of diamonds with a variety of cutting defects as well as examples of well-cut round and non-round diamonds. These pictures are far more helpful than diagrams I've seen on the Internet.
4. Diamonds of different colors and color-grades
5. Pictures showing how to detect diamond imitations along with tests for spotting fakes
6. Close-up photos of fracture-filled and laser-drilled diamonds and good info about diamond treatments
7. A wide variety of settings and ring styles from basic solitaire rings to unusual designer styles
Thanks to Newman's book, I was able to understand what I was looking at when jewelers showed me diamonds through their microscopes. And contrary to what one reader wrote, Newman doesn't make it sound like every jeweler is out to cheat you. She just helps you know when you've found a good jeweler and a good diamond. This book is worth far more than it costs. Don't go diamond shopping without it.

However, I might add as a person who has lived in houses with vinyl flooring and houses with tile flooring, tile does have disadvantages. 1) Tile is colder on bare feet, a disadvantage in cool climates. 2) It is harder. If you drop something on a tile floor, often either it will break or the tile will crack. Vinyl flooring doesn't crack when you drop your iron skillet on it.

Having built 2 homes previously and having read 4 books on this topic in the past 2 months, I can tell you without reservation that this is the most-comprehensive, organized, and easy-to-read book I have found available on this topic thus far. I would highly recommend the material for anyone who is either building a new home or planning to undergo a renovation of their existing house. For first-time home builders, you will find this book invaluable.

If you're interested in learning more about trading options, this is the place to start. Get the right info. from someone who has 'been there, done that' and take advantage of what he's learned along the way.

It really helped solidify and ingrain the concepts/strategies into my brain.

Thank you to the authors.

How much training does it take to become a librarian, teacher, lawyer, physician, or rocket scientist? How well would the world work for us if such training were skimped on?

When it comes to buying a first home (whether condo, co-op, or fixer-upper), most people act as though you can do brain surgery without the training. Not!

Even if you view this emotionally and financially important investment as one to be approached carefully, most first-time buyers will make important errors. Here are a few of my favorites:

(1) Not thinking about how hard it may be to resell the home.

(2) Vastly underestimating how much money will be needed to fix it up.

(3) Overpaying for the home because of not realizing how to negotiate.

(4) Waiting until finding one's soul mate before purchasing.

(5) Spending more than you can afford, and using boxes for furniture.

(6) Purchasing a home that doesn't fit your needs (where will you put 4 children and you in 2 bedrooms?).

(7) Taking on a horrible commute.

Interest rates are down in light of the terrible terrorist tragedy and weak economy. Unemployment is rising. Based on historical patterns, this is a good time to buy. Are you ready? Probably not, even if you think you are.

But I have good news for you. If you read and apply the lessons of this book, you will be more ready than many people who have already bought homes.

The subjects covered include deciding what you needs are, versus your likes; how to look; determining what you can afford; deciding what broker to use; how to work with the broker (especially what not to tell the broker, since most work for the seller); how to decide what to offer; how to negotiate; getting the best financing; checking out the house; handling the closing; and even dealing with problems after the closing. You also get help with which professionals (such as buying agents, lawyers, and home inspectors) to use, how to select them, what they will cost, and how to work with them.

I have bought or helped buy three houses, am an attorney, and am a licensed real estate agent. I found several areas where this excellent book extended my knowledge. I know it will save you thousands of dollars . . . and probably even more in avoided emotional trauma!

The book does this by posing questions, providing worksheets, steering you to Internet resources, and describing case histories.

No book from the buyer's perspective can however hope to dispel the incredible naiveté that we all have when we first purchase a home (all 2 million a year who are like lambs being led to the slaughter). For that purpose, I suggest that you also read another book, How to Sell Your Home Fast, which is an excellent description of what intelligent, prepared sellers will be doing to get you to buy their home and pay too much. Beneath all the friendly chit-chat with the sellers, realize that your are usually being carefully maneuvered to act against your own interest.

By the way, this book does not do enough to warn you about hidden house faults. Home inspectors are not the entire answer. They usually get their referrals from brokers, and will usually not tell you the worst of what can happen lest brokers stop recommending them. Spend some extra money and have people you know well and trust who are expert in electrical, heating, air conditioning, structural, roofing, plumbing, soil, and environmental hazards take a look also. They will find things that you can use to get the price lowered to cover the cost of repairs. My experience is that you will save about [amt.] for every [amt.] you spend in this way.

I also recommend that you find 10 people who are a lot like you who purchased a home similar to what interests you about five years ago. Ask them what they did right and what didn't work out so well.

After you explore all of these choices, you may want to consider what I did once . . . rent with an option to purchase. All of my rent went towards the down payment. I found I loved the house, saved money, and had few problems with repairs. I later sold it for a nice profit.

Also, spend time in the yard of your potential new home at all hours of the day and night. You may be surprised by some of the positive and negative features. In one home, I discovered that a dozen deer came by across a creek at 7:30 a.m. Seeing them every morning became my favorite part of every day.

After preparing by knowing what the right questions are, look for all of the potential problems and opportunities in making large decisions. Then sleep on your decision for three nights. You'll know what to do then!

This book is geared toward buyers of new homes, especially construction homes, but has information that can help any home buyer. I myself am looking to buy a condo and I especially enjoyed the chapters on "curb appeal" (exterior) and floor plans. The latter topic is covered in a lot of details with examples of good layouts and bad layouts. You may not totally agree with what the author says should be a good floor plan -- and I don't -- but it's great to know what the latest trend in floor planning is and what angles (no pun intended) you should see a home from.

The book covers from why you should buy a home to what to do if you are unhappy with your newly bought home. Again, the target audience is really potential buyers of new homes, so there's a lot of information on that, like seeking out a builder's reputation, working with salespeople (as opposed to real estate agents), etc.

I recommend this book as a second book for getting home-buying advice. For more in-depth coverage of mundane home-buying topics such as mortgages and dealing with agents and closing, check the Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying and Selling a Home.

I did end up buying a Weekley Home and love it, and appreciate the fact that this book along with the Weekley people helped make the whole process easier. I buy this book to give to my family and friends who are thinking of or are currently searching for a home. It worked for me so it should work for them, and I want to keep my own copy!