EG Books

I found the information contained in the front section of the book to be disturbing in that what I believed to be personality traits are instead bundles of pathology. This is probably because I have bipolar and I thought that the positive features of my life were things that I chose to happen. Not so....

I was disappointed in the paucity of citations, creating difficulty in determining what statements were the opinion of the authors' or statements that were supported by other authors or research. The bibliography was disappointing. I found the Jamison book on creativity to be much more thourough.

All that aside, I like reading it.

By far, this is one of the best books I've read on manic depression. I should know -I'm a PhD-MD cannidate at the university that is the brother school to the college (sister school) I attended- (Ivy L, 7 Sisters, CT, MA -figure it out...;)- in psychiatric medicine, focusing on mood disorders and substance abuse. I'm also a person living with Bipolar I and who is sick and tired of everyone yapping about Bipolar Illness and not doing much research on it (which is pointed out at the very end of the book.) However, this book is a refreshing surprise in a sea of far too many "I have BP disorder, read MY book b/c I'll tell YOU how to survive!!!" narratives.
First, it begins with an overview of what manic-depression is; all of it's various components , thus pointing out how 2 different people can be classified as being Bipolar I or II and present entirely different symptoms of the illness, yet these symptoms are what classfies them as a persons who suffer from the same classification of the disease (BP I or II.)

As a side note, BP III, for me & many others I know, is a newly- created classification (it's not even noted in the DSM-IV) and b/c BP III is brought on by the use of drugs; most notabley steroids, it also goes away when the use of the drug stops. Most feel as if the notion of the classification of BP III is paradoxical, but more so, silly. A TV personality came out and told the world about BP III and her horrible struggles with it (mostly on the depressive side) brought on by her use of a steroid for another ailment. It is a disease that is simply awful -no question. However, using a prominent position in the media and the support of a small group of psychologists and other therapists to proport that BP III is as devastating and comparable to the other 2 classifications is absurd. While the disease has been present for thousands of years and just as many cases documented, even in 2005, the psychiatric world does not have a handle on either BP I or BP II. We're just beginning to learn what treatments work, which drugs are more effective, and so on. Thankfully, all of this is not discussed in this text -nor are the diagnoses of BP I vs. BP II -technically. The book refers to manic-depression as an illness and does not call BP into play. This is one possibly confusing part. That is, if the reader were to compare the text to other current texts in which manic depression is referred to as Bipolar Illness with 2 distinct classifications, and of course, occassionally a 3rd, this book may offset or confuse the information provided by another text due to its vagueness and non-technical approach to the focal discussion of what the illness is.

Nonetheless, the authors do an incredible job of tearing apart every bit of the disease so most every reader is able to understand what manic-depression consists of. The 4 overviews of the historical genius' they use to demonstrate how the illness can manifest itself in various ways is wonderful. It also proves the point that hey, you get the bad with the good. And the follow-up, which reinforces the distinct attributes of the illness in a more medical way, is great. The authors further interwine bits and pieces of the lives of other manic-depressives, both past and present, into the text. This aids in helping the reader discern one type of depression from another or one type of mania from another - especially for those who are not familiar with classical and historical persons. For example, the reader will learn about the tragic life of Van Gogh and also read a bit about Marilyn Monroe so if one is not quite familiar with one personality, they probably will be with the other. Again, this helps in coming to an overall understanding of the disease for those who are not familiar with it.

So few books on Bipolar Illness are well written to the degree that this book is, simply because not enough is known about the disease even now. Once again, the authors discuss this issue and how essential it is that BP truly needs so much more attention and research applied to its many tenticles. The authors are able to construct a very well-rounded, very real picture of what this illness is and how devastating it is. If you do not suffer from the illness, are not a doctor who studies it, or have been involved VERY closely with someone who suffers from the disease, but are curious about it, this is a great read. My fiancee read it and now understands how and why my moods oscillate the way they do. Other books from my "BP Library" have been of no help to him or my family at all. This one was. I believe that the combination of the narratives and medical chapters make the book enjoyable and not tedious. Furthermore, you're not reading about how to solve a problem -which so many books on BP illness attempt to do. Currently, there is no cure for BP I or II but there are ways to treat the illness so the effects of the disease are less crippling. This text tells you like it is and recognizes that real people suffer from it; probably many more than are accounted for.

If nothing else, you can read it in a few hours, at the beach, what have you. Personally, I -and many of my colleagues-agree this is one of the better books on the market at the present time to help people truly understand what Bipolar people go through on both a grand and minute scale.

This book is an essential building block in understanding artistic temperment and the fomentation of (recognized) genius. The authors have eschewed egalitarian premises and psychoanalytical posturing to bring the reader as unbiased a viewpoint as possible while still offering correlations between typical mood affectivity and the amusing/confusing personalities of these four luminaries.

After reading this book, my interest in the subjects, both of these specific historical characters and of the psychiatric relationship of genius to mood disorder, was most assuredly heightened. I'd qualify this book as appropriate for any level of scholarship. It's entertaining, informative and contains some profoundly original thoughts, which is always a pleasure to encounter.

My one great criticism of the book is based on the Dr.'s wholesale endorsement of psychotropic drug therapy which I find to be a little professionally self-serving coming from a profession mired in misdiagnoses that labors under gross inaccuracies at the academic research publish-or-perish journal level and, in their compounded professional ignorance, they rely on patently dangerous drug-based therapies as all-encompassing Panaceas, which they are not.

As a person with manic depression, I found this book lacking tact. Why refer to the person in question as a "maniac"? Why always refer to the person in question as "he" -- except for the one time the authors pointed out that female "maniacs" often erroneously believe that men are in love with them. (Well! I never! I'll have you know that men ARE in love with me.) It was as if the authors assumed that no person with the illness would actually pick up the book and read it. I felt the whole time as if I were eavesdropping on a conversation about people like me but from which people like me were excluded. (I also found it striking that although the authors chose 4 great men to write about, the cover of the book has on it a sad and scary-looking crazy woman.)

I might have excused all that if the information had been valuable (it was quite old hat) or if the prose had been particularly eloquent (it wasn't) or if there had been anything really interesting about the book. I ordered it hoping to add to my own understanding of my creativity. I was disappointed.

There are much better books on this subject. Check out Kay Redfield Jamison's Touched With Fire.

This book is an essential building block in understanding artistic temperment and the fomentation of (recognized) genius. The authors have eschewed egalitarian premises and psychoanalytical posturing to bring the reader as unbiased a viewpoint as possible while still offering correlations between typical mood affectivity and the amusing/confusing personalities of these four luminaries.

After reading this book, my interest in the subjects -- of these specific historical characters and of the psychiatric relationship of genius to mood disorder -- was most assuredly heightened. I'd qualify this book as appropriate for any level of scholarship. It's entertaining, informative and contains some profoundly original thoughts, which are always a pleasure to encounter.

My one great criticism of the book is based on the Dr.'s wholesale endorsement of psychotropic drug therapy which I find to be a little professionally self-serving and irresponsible coming from a profession mired in misdiagnoses that labors under gross inaccuracies proliferated at the academic publish-or-perish research journal level and, in their compounded professional ignorance, they rely on patently dangerous drug-based therapies as all-encompassing Panaceas, which they are not.

I used this book as my primary study/refresher resource to prepare for (and pass) the 70-447 upgrade exam. If you are an MCDBA on SQL 2000, and looking for a resource to for the MCDBA upgrade exam, this is the perfect resource! Very clear, concise coverage of all the exam topics. Each chapter has a bullet list listing the topics covered in each exam. Although the 70-447 exam isn't specifically targeted, you can approximate it by combining the 70-443 and 70-444 topics.

This book was well organized and helped me pass the 431 exam within a month of receiving this book.

PREMISE: I am not yet over the obstacles (certification), I am just studying on this book, so I cannot say whether the book has helped me pass the exams or not.

HOWEVER, judging from other certifications I achieved and the relative study books, this one will work, because it seems pretty comprehensive and detailed.

It is a well-organized book, the pace is just right (and makes me think why one would want to read other books totaling 2000 pages or more to reach the same goal) and it gives tips and hints that I am sure will be valuable.

The plus is that you can read it to learn about SQL Server 2005. It gives you a very good overview, and you feel that you are spending your time learning something.

As a reference book it is quite superficial, i.e. it does not really expand much in any topic. This is fine though, if you are thinking of buying this book as a reference think again. That is not what is advertised.

Four out of five stars in my opinion is be the best rating for a certification study guide: you cannot really make a certification guide something "special", so this type of books hardly ever gets five stars.

However, there are two drawbacks that made me throttle back to three stars:

Firstly, some of the answers to the end-of-chapter questions are wrong. They are easy to spot though, typically they start with "Correct Answer: C" (wrong) then they go on explaining why B is the correct answer.

Secondly, the writing style is not exceedingly good. At the beginning it was just a little awkward to see the way some sentences are put together. Now that I am past the first half it is becoming somewhat annoying, and in some instances a little confusing.

I do not blame the author: I think he did a very good job (nobody expects a SQL Server expert to write beautiful English prose, and lots of it). However, another pass at editing could have made this book much more enjoyable.

This is a great book! It is very well written and the material presented in a consitent and logical manner.

Some of the material I knew before picking up this book. Since this would be my first MS cert, I read every section of the book. For the topics I already knew, I was impressed by how well Darril boiled the material down to the essence, the central point that you needed to learn. I was hoping that he'd do the same for the areas I did not know. I passed all three tests and this book was the reason.

Read every page. Do every hands-on example. Review the exam tips and you'll not only pass the test but actually be able to do the work.

This is the book I've been waiting for. Not only does the book have good explanations about many of the testable concepts, but the exercises have been great in showing me exactly how things work. As an example, I didn't really understand database mirroring, but the high availability strategies chapter included exercises where I was able to implement and configure a database mirror. After completing these exercises, I really understood database mirroring.

The first edition of this book has some errors that are not yet covered by the errata from August.

The book helps a person prepare for the certificate exam, but the practice tests on the included CD are not aligned with the Chapters.

There are good exam tips included, but the flow of the text needs to be reviewed and edited for the perspective of someone learning MS Project in-depth by verifying that the steps for the user to follow are correct.

This book is excelent as an orientation for the test. And the CD brings to you several tools to help you to prepare for the certification.

This book is really great if want to get prepared for to the exam. I used it and passed the exam on my first try. The only problem that I exeperienced was that the real exam questions were different than in this book and in the training simulator that comes with the book. First of all there are 55 questions on the exam not 45. Secondly the questions are (or were for me) tougher than these in the book. It is better while preparing for the exam to combine this book with the other set of exam questions (i.e. IT Exams King - which Microsoft recommends on its web site).

This is a well-organized, step-by-step guide to preparing for the exam, but the practice Q&A and the exam simulator need some work. On many questions, the book neglects to tell you how many answers it is looking for, while the actual MCP exams are always very specific (Select one, Select #, Select all that apply). Some of the questions are also poorly worded: "You want to use Project's standard working times for tasks with defined start and finish dates but not defined times. Which two options offer a place where can you [sic] make all the changes?" The word "its" or "the" being omitted prior to "defined times" makes this question confusing if not unintelligible. (Frankly, I didn't notice the "can you" until typing this just now).

The exam simulator, for concentrating on specific objectives, doesn't work well either. The provided objectives don't map directly to the book, so if you want to review the material from a specific chapter, you're out of luck.

A plus is where the book specifically highlights differences between MSP 2007 and 2003, which, as an expert MSP user, is the main reason I selected this book.

I used this book to prepare for the MCTS: 70-632 and passed it on my first try using this book and years of experience with Microsoft Project 2003 and recently Microsoft Project 2007. The practice exam on the CD was pretty good - there were about 5 questions out of 200 where I and even the other Microsoft Project 2007 did not agree with the author. If you are studying for the certification, go through every page, chapter test and the CD. Also, you will need to understand a lot Task Type and Effort Driven Scheduling (predict durations, work calculations and overall impact to your WBS), Resourcing Project Plans (forecasting time-phase generic skills, using resource pools.

I estimated about 50 percent was technical (using Project 2007) and 50 percent knowledge on Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).

I discovered this book by accident many years ago, and have since purchased several more copies to share with friends (some fellow quilters and some not). I started quilting as part of my treatment for depression so it was deeply satisfying and encouraging to read of Janet's ongoing journey through fabrics. SO much to consider and feel. I've returned to this volume time and again and portions of it have even inspired some of my own quilting (notably Thirty Years Later, a quilt created along the lines of one essay titled "Smashing Those Dresden Plates").

This book didn't quite grab me the way it seems to have grabbed other reviewers. I can appreciate it, reading about her life and historical aspects of quilting were interesting, but it just wasn't my style. For me, having a visual reference would have helped. I would have loved for her to have added photos of the quilts she was making and writing about and/or photos of the historical figures and quilts she wrote about.

Although this is not a long book, I found myself spacing out my reading to enjoy each and every tidbit that Ms. Berlo had to offer. I didn't want it to end and savored each scrap. She is a wonderful writer that captures what it is to be a woman entreanched in family issues, life in general and how crafting can lift you up and out of a "funk". My only regret is that I can't see her beautiful quilts that she describes so poetically. That would complete the circle.

I am PASSIONATE about this book! It's written as a mix between a journal and an autobiography and lays bare a lot of the feelings that I thought only I had about the importance of quilting. I love the way that the passion for quilting is woven into Janet's love for her sisters and her sometimes difficult relationship with her mother. As you read, you begin to see her working her way out of the depression that imobilised her, and it shows how she re-chanelled her creativity after her writing "avenue" of expression was blocked. This is a book for anyone interested in the stresses of 21st century woman, and even if you don't quilt yourself, you will still enjoy the sharing of emotions. I defy anyone not to say at some point "I have felt exactly like that!", whatever your interests or background!

Berlo describes the way a sudden depression turned her from a highly esteemed, publishing professor to an almost obsessive quilter overnight.
She talks movingly about finding balance, and the way that "playing" with colors, patterns and fabric helped her find that, both in her work, and with friends and family.
In a society that undervalues "women's art" (especially textile arts), Berlo makes an interesting case that it is both therapeutic and historically significant.

My friend said: If you have insomnia, just read a harmony book or textbook and you would fall asleep in 10-15 minutes. I did not fall asleep with this book because it gave me helpful explanation about chords and chord progression than other books. May be it is too simple for an advanced student but it is enough for me. With a piano/keyboard in front of you, you would learn Simple, Elementary concepts in harmony with not too much diificulty. I think Arnie Berle wrote a lot of good books.

This book covers most aspects of modern harmony. I think it's great for self-training usicians who has some gasps out there.

I was familiar with a lot of the stuff at the beginning of the book, but there is definitely mucho here even for the advanced player toward the end. The holy grail of what scales sound good (great) over which chords in different situations is addressed here, and if you play you know that those ideas are as good as gold. For example he suggests C Lydian scale (C scale with an F sharp over a CMaj7; and a C Lydian flat 7 over a C Dom7; and many other useful ideas. Further the book was written in a very readable way. This book was perfect for my stage of development.

This book is a very well written overview of music theory for any kind of instrument. The answers to the "homework" assignments should have been added to the back of the book, but overall it is concise and thorough presentation.

No answers to "Worksheet" pages. Answers would clarify the accuracy of the learning explained in the preceding chapter.

I have to admit, I was pretty excited to read this. However, after finishing it, I am fairly neutral to the application of Fritz' theories. I was expecting a book on methods of relieving creative block and getting into the creative mindset. While the book does accomplish this to some extent, most of it takes you through many of Fritz' anti-philosophical/self-help theories. This is fine for a book about that sort of thing, and I agree with what he says (for the most part) but I fail to make the connections he is trying so hard to show the reader. Maybe I just need time to absorb, and test his theories in real life. Oh, and if he plugged his "Technologies for Creating" workshops (registered trademark) one more time, I was going to throw the book out of my car window. Anyway, I will re-review this book after I have some time to put into practice some of his theories. Who knows, maybe there is a connection between painting a picture and the Holocaust. (see section on identity)

This book sets out to demystify creating, to pragmatically assist the reader in learning ideas and processes that can be applied to creating works of art, craft, business, et cetera. It's well worth reading for that pragmatic purpose. The first chapter sample, available on "look inside" on this web site, gives a good sample of Fritz' approach, uncluttered by the flaws noted in later sections of the book. He emphasized some steps and aspects of process that I wasn't so starkly aware of. I've created effective cartoons, articles, essays, songs, clothing designs, gardens, et cetera, but this book could help in becoming much more productive.

Some sections of the book launch into an attack on cultural assumptions. Bravo. Most of it was valid in supporting his approach to creating. However, I was uncomfortable with some of his extreme statements about certain disciplines and cultural traditions. He seemed to dismiss all of psychotherapy, and take some cheap shots, for instance, rather than limiting his comments to self-indulgent and deluded approaches. He overgeneralized and thus misrepresented other cultural traditions, ideas, and disciplines. For example:

"While meditation and psychotherapy may have replaced tranquilizing and recreational drugs, all of them presume you are entitled to feel good, even if you need to dull your senses and color reality to find happiness, self-love and fulfillment." p122 Fawcett edition, 1991

On the contrary, I would argue, going through a course of therapy based on Alice Miller's (sample title: Thou Shalt Not be Aware) views might allow and traumatized individual to function in life without enduring constant shaming, flashbacks, and emotional paralysis. It can be important to examine emotions, and feel good at times. Also the meditation I have personal experience of, mindfulness and insight meditation, as described by Chogyam Trungpa (sample title: Meditation in Action) and others are not about brainwashing oneself or dulling the senses. In fact, mindfulness meditation is likely to lead to some of the same insights and awareness Fritz describes in his discussion of the mind, separation, and so on. Fritz would do better if he didn't dismiss everyone else's work. Yes, it's true that people can get too focused on transient emotions and fixing the self. However, meditation and psychotherapy do still have something to offer, keeping in mind the 80/20 rule -- most of everything is crap, so buyer beware.

Ironically, right after Fritz' section on the lack of necessity to choose a right worldview, he launches into what is obviously his worldview. Oh, he has a disclaimer, and he's not dogmatic at that particular moment, but still, throughout the book, he does argue for his views of how things work, what will be if you follow his process. My suggestion: just ignore his adamant, paternalistic ranting, see through it, and go for his basic ideas, which are useful even though he has an obnoxious personality and a bit of a ham-fisted way of throwing around generalizations.

If you want to create something, this book can challenge you in a useful way.

While some reviewers may have hoped for help on overcoming creative blocks, it seems they miss the point.

Robert Fritz makes a big distinction between creating and creativity. To create, you have to care about bringing something into reality that doesn't exist. As Fritz says, "Creating is in the realm of the noninevitable."

Creativity, in contrast, refers to the unusual and inventive, and Fritz argues that:

"Creating sometimes includes creativity, but most often it does not. As you master the creative process, the unusual becomes usual, and so it will seem less creative. You may be creating, then, and not have creativity. Likewise, you can have creativity but not be creating."

I had this discussion with a software engineer working on a major user interface introduction. Fritz would have him first determine what he loves enough to create, what are its qualities, and what is the "result" he wants to create. It's not about being infinitely creative, his engineers are already doing too much of that. It's about creating around a single design point versus maintaining too many open possibilities.

Another part of the book I really liked was "First Person/Third Person." Fritz makes the distinction between people who see their creations as part of their identity (meaning they are apt to "advocate a specific position") and those who remain separate from, while still passionate about, their creations (people "more apt to seek accuracy") as they encounter reality.

In "The Worldview," Fritz carries this theme further, quoting Robert Frost in saying: "The artist must not select a universal and then find particulars to fit it."

In the end, Fritz argues for pure emotion ("you want what you want") along with a rigorous process ("the creative process is made up of many steps in a particular sequence"). He believes that if you're frustrated in creating something, it's nothing more than not knowing what you want and/or inexperience in the creation process!

I bought this book because creating always felt like a white-hot, hit or miss, lightning flash, that also felt dangerous and fearful, like having to step off a cliff into thin air. Author of The Path of Least Resistance, Robert Fritz, in Creating, says thin air is good. And -- gulp -- he's right. For Fritz, creating is an ordinary and understandable skill we can learn -- and we can, he says, learn to do it better and more often. He's right about that, too. He says creating is getting the results we want in any area of our lives -- work projects, art work, career, relationships, community. It is a process with form and shape. It's not problem-solving, or reaching for the unusual, or about inventiveness or "creative ability." Anyone can do it. And he outlines nine stages of the process, from conception to living with what you create. Creating ranges far, around and through the subject, offering practical approaches and even a warm-up guide, and he deals with hindrances like the discrepancies between "Ideal-Belief-Reality" that get in the way. If this book helps you surface what he calls "invisible beliefs" that get in the way of what you want in life, it's worth three times the price. Fritz argues creating is not discovery. Some people take his seminar to discover what really matters to them, but as he says, that idea "presumes that what matters somehow already exists (p. 118)." Creating brings into existence something that did not exist before, makes something from nothing. This book is broader and deeper than the typical how-to-create book -- it doesn't talk about brainstorming or problem-solving or creativity. It describes how to become aware of the process and some of its pitfalls, and how to do it in a way that helps you get the results you want. I have no problem with a point of view that our ideas can help or hinder us in getting what we want. For those who do, this book may open their eyes.

I had to give it five stars because it did such a job stimulating me with its new ideas about creating. At times it's slow to pore over. You're excited at the stuff you're learning, but the prose feels a bit tedious, so it's like being chin-deep in water and wanting to race ashore for something great. But this book's concepts, about the structure of creating, are so mind-blowing to us "creatives" that it's a must to sit and take it a swallow at a time. Fritz's challenging ideas allowed me to expand my thinking about myself, to see myself not as a writer but as a creating person (one of whose creating modes is writing). My promotion of my written materials is an act of creating. So is the plan I'm putting together for my life. Wow!

This is a great book for study conducting. A lot of examples and tips. And all the diagrams for all the rythtym music patterns.

This is the standard conducting text for major music schools in America (for example, I use it at the music school I attend). It's a fantastic book, with many elaborate and descriptive drawings to help the student along. There are hundreds of examples and exercises to help learn all the techniques and there are several additional sections on rehearsal, conducting opera, choir, and band, score preperation suggestions, notes on styles of certain composers and conductors, and sections about bowed string parts.

If you ever wanted to know anything (repeated for emphasis: anything) about conducting, this is truly your book. Related somewhat to Leinsdorf's Composer's Advocate, this book contains every topic on conducting I was able to conceive of. Beat patterns, as well as orchestral exerpts, are given to the reader to illustrate many important tips that (I'm sure) the aspiring conductor will find quite useful. If you, in your wildest dreams, have ever even once contemplated conducting, you will want to sincerely consider this book.

My conducting teacher said that this was the best book there is for learning how to conduct. I agree with him. The chapters are well organized and the language is simple.

When I was a conducting student in the USA I was largely taught from this book. I found it simplistic then and still feel the same. It is not in the same league as something like Gunther Schuller's The Complete Conductor, Prausnitz' Score and Podium, or the more recent Morgenstern No Vivaldi in the Garage.

Always use 1-3 items like this when studying for any Microsoft test, never rely upon one but let one build upon the other and definitely DO the practice tests, the more prepared you are the more you'll be at ease taking the test.

I took the test and failed it. I don't feel that this book went into enough depth on several issues. I have since purchased materials put out by Microsoft and hope to have better luck.

As many of us IT pros tend to be, we're hands on learners. I bought this in conjunction with the MS press book. By all means, this product by far exceeds the knowledge one is capable to gain from a book. It was filled with hands on exercises. In addtion it also showed screen shots in conjunction with the statement referring to it whereas the MS press book would often times have me refer to a page 3 pages back/forward. I don't find it very inviting to continually have to flip pages to see screen shots. The MS press book didn't trully provide hands on practice as well. As many might agree, to truly understand IT products, a solid foundation of hands on experience is required; this is suggested within the requirements for taking the MS certificate exams. I also found this book to be very useful as a resource within the work environment and keep it on the shelf for quick access. I would encourage all who want to pass the MS cert exam or simply to gain a further understanding of W2K3 Server to read this book and follow the exercises. I have already purchased other books from the Exam Prep line to complete the MCSE course and will continue to do so for other tests I intend to take.

I have over 10 years of professional IT experience, and I finally started working on getting MCSE certified a couple months ago. If you're looking for a good study guide for the 70-290, I highly recommend this book. I had originally began studying with the official MS Press book for 70-290, but I felt there were a lot of areas that were glazed over and not explained adequately. The Exam Prep book is much better - everything you need to know is clearly outlined and broken down very well. I've used several of their books for other certification tests, and quite frankly, theirs are easily the best in the industry in my opinion.

As the title clearly states, this book is on preparing to take the 70-290 exam as part of the certification for MCSE or MCSA. As such, this is not a book on the operating system itself. Indeed it presumes you already have a pretty good idea about Windows Server 2003 before you start this book. In fact, in the opening of the book the author gives you several recommendations for books that cover the OS and how to use it. This book is on making sure that you pass the test.

This book covers the test itself, what you should expect to afind on it, and gives you a very good understanding of those parts of Server 2003 that you should know before going into the testing room. It also includes practice questions and an access key for an online practice test from MeasureUp.

This is the second edition of this book. It is up to date to include Service Pack 2 and Release 2.

I have taught counterpoint on and off at the college level for the past ten years using a variety of textbooks. My students were often frustrated with the dryness of rule-based approaches to contrapuntal styles. I finally came upon the Owen text and tried it with my sophomore counterpoint class. It was a great relief and a joy to use. Beginning with score observations to gain ideas of style is very effective with my students. When we finally get to the "rules," the students have no problem digesting them; by that point they have a solid musical reference behind them and understand the relevance for the rules more clearly. Kudos for a great textbook.

This book claims to take a "discovery approach," which mainly focuses on posing numerous questions for the reader to consider while going through the musical examples. This approach, together with an inadequate index, make this book less usable than it could be. It can be difficult to find specific pieces of information, or to cross reference terms which are casually used in passing in one section of the book, but are only explained in other sections. This book shouldn't be considered a reference book; However, teachers might find it a useful as a lesson book.

"Modal and Tonal Counterpoint" by Harold Owen is a book that all teachers of counterpoint, theory, and composition, should have at their disposal. The book is unique in covering counterpoint from the 16th to the 20th century. I teach at a four-year college, and I often pull the book out during composition lessons to demonstrate a variety of things: species counterpoint, 18th century counterpoint, serial technique and stylistic traits of Stravinsky, Bartók, and Hindemith. I particularly enjoy the way each chapter begins with (often complete) musical examples followed by a discussion of the examples and their relevancy to the chapter topic. I do have to admit a bias -- I studied composition and counterpoint with Hal at the University of Oregon, so I have a personal connection to the material. Hal is a fantastic teacher, a consummate musician versed in many styles, and a very practical and down to earth person. This book reflects all of those traits, especially his practical approach to teaching counterpoint. I highly recommend this book!

MODAL AND TONAL COUNTERPOINT from Josquin to Stravinsky, by Harold Owen, is an absolutely terrific publication that creates a wonderful "hands-on" approach to this seemingly mysterious art form which, from this composer's perspective, remains an essential part of any musicians development. It is a beautifully arranged study, compact, but amply supplied with intriguing assignments and wonderful examples from the masters, including a number of the author's own.

A superb overview for undergraduate and graduate students alike, it effectively connects the "modern" musician to the very roots of our art. Serious composers, theorists, and performers, should not miss this one!

I teach at a small liberal arts college, and I used this book for the first time last year. I had more success with it than with any other counterpoint text I've ever used. The basic plan, which is to show real music, disucss the salient features, and then to draw from them the issues one needs to proceed to writing, is an old and simple one, but sadly, seldom executed well. In this case, though, the examples are wonderful, the discussions clear and insightful, and the exercises well conceived, both for beginners and advanced students. A real plus is that it is the only book I have ever encountered or heard about that discusses counterpoint in the 16th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. I used it as a one-semester text, and was forced to leave some things out. I was pleased, though, for my students to have this material in their libraries for future reference. It would make a fabulous full-year text as well.

excellent resource. used excerpts & art examples during a staff meeting. very interesting for teachers, aides, and other non-therapists.

Very good for a general overview of understanding the use of art as yet another tool when working with children. I had the impression after reading the book that there is no hard fast rule and everything should be taken with the consideration of the larger picture. Very helpful.

I found this book to be very helpful in understanding the symbolism of children's drawings. I am working on a PhD, with a focus on place attachment and children, and found loads of very useful information in this book for interpreting children's drawings about their homes, communities, etc. I am in the process of reading several books about children's drawings and how to interpret, but have found this one to be one of the most useful to date.

Bravo to this author for bringing together a wealth of material on children's drawings in a clear and readable way. Professionals as well as lay people will enjoy this book; I recommend it to parents also. Pictures are marvelous!

I have recently completed the book in question and found it extremely helpful. It provided the basics that I can build on to understand children's drawings and perhaps children in general. I,at least have a fundamental idea of what to look for and how to interpret what is presented to me by a child. This book will not make one an over night expert on children's drawing (that takes time) but it does provide simple and understandable direction.