EH Books

I agree with the previous reviewers on their accessment of the book--with the exception of the very last part of it. In fact, the chapter on modern physics has so many mistakes that it is almost rendered unusable, which is odd because the quality of the rest of the book is so high.

I wouldn't expect that two authors would be able to pull off what they have tried to do here (with such a breadth of material), but I believe that if they invite a guest author (or editor) to help with the chapter on the history of modern physics they will be fully successful in a subsequent edition.

This is a great introduction for an undergraduate level class on the history of sci/tech/med. However, as other reviewers have pointed out, there are some rough patches as the work nears the 20th century. Even though some glossing is necessary in a massive overview, I was particularly disturbed by the boilerplate explanation of mid-19th c. Darwinism without much reflection on the German, French, and English precursors (Lamarck is the exception, of course) and oversimplifying the impact on the religious community (who generally accepted "evolution" while rejecting "natural selection"). For an undergraduate course, I recommend supplementing these segments of the book with R. Richards Romantic Conception of Life or The Meaning of Evolution and/or P. Bowler's The Non-Darwinian Revolution. For upper level courses or tutorials, I would relegate this work to "recommended overview."

All that being said, I was impressed with the broad geographic scope and McClellan's ability to account for the vast majority of the ancient, medieval, and early modern material in an interesting and nuanced fashion.

This is an awesome book. It portrays a very well organized anrrative of science in history. I do not even major in history yet I kept the book. Awesome.

This is an ambitious study of human history through its scientific and technological development. It begins with prehistoric times and ends with the many accomplishments of the late twentieth century. No area of the world is neglected, with much attention paid to the great civilizations of Asia in particular. There are also many mini-biographies of such worthies as Copernicus, Newton, Galileo, Edison, etc. which place them in the context of their time and the overall theme of technological development. The book is scholarly but not dry. Attempts have been made to appeal to the laymen through notes on "Cool Websites" and the like, and this is successful. Its a good overview of world history from a less than usual angle.

The main thesis of this book is to show how technology and science developed largely independently of each other throughout almost all of history. Science and Technology in World Literally is quite literally an undergraduate course book. In view of the complexity of the subject matter, I found this to be a boon rather then hindrance. The authors do an amazing job summarizing complex material.

SciTechinWorHis (my abbreviation for the lengthy title) begins with a survey of the "pristine" civiliastions of earth: the middle east, india, china, south america, central america.. and... uh that's it. These are alll the original civilisations who started raising crops. The authors point out at that all of these civilisations were empires that built large hydraulic projects to help raise more food. Most of them also built large monuments (the pyramids in egypt). In these "prisitine" civilisations, the central government used "scientists" for calendar purposes. "Technology" was made these civilisation's possible in the first place- farming improvements and the maniuplation of water to supply large urban populations. In these pristine civilisations science was sponosored by the emperor to achieve practical ends. Technology enabled these civilisations in the first place. And so, technology precedes science. Indeed, technology is one of the things that makes us "human" whereas "science" only comes into play AFTER civilisation and "history" begin.

In that way, the authors make the point- right at the beginning- that technology is quite central to being human, whereas science requires some form of organization.

After running through Egypt, Mesopatamia, India, China, The Aztecs and the Inca, he moves into the "greek miracle" and we are off to the races. After the multi cultural preamble, the book gets locked on europe and chapter by chapter we move through greece, to rome, to the middle ages, to the scientific revolution. Two hundred pages and nine chapters in, this book settles into chapters consisting of mini bios: Copernicus, Galileo, Newton. Then with the advent of the industrial revolution, they march through the "modern" period. Throughout the writing is crisp, and as a non-science type, I found this book quite useful as a survey and introduction to the subject.

This book is an OK introduction to networking, but has enough typos and contextual ambiguities to warrant a new edition. It walks a tightrope between giving a general overview and avoiding distracting details, a task rendered difficult by use of a protocol analyzer software which by definition exposes the reader to protocol details... this is sometimes not a bad thing as it makes you think and reflect (as do the typos and other mistakes :-) both within and beyond the scope of what the writer is saying about a particular topic.

The choice of top-down exposition of the Internet Protocol Stack layers has its problems, as this results in 'forward references' to lower-level material not yet explained, esp. due again to the use of the protocol analyzer which tantalizes us with details of the current and lower-level layers. A bottom-up approach might have been better.

The price is too high for the content given.

I bought this book because it received high customer reviews. However, this book is quite disappointing as it lacks details and gives very little explanation. Its price is also pretty high especially when considering the amount of content (which is very little). The examples in the book are few and rudimentary. Where is the beef??

Studying computer networks without this book would be like studying to be a motor mechanic without any practical experience in taking an engine to pieces.The CD accompanying this book contains a large number of actual traces captured during a variety of tcp/ip processes and the ethereal program included allows you to closely examine the headers and data in each packet.This is a very practically oriented book and one which I can thoroughly recommend.

[...]

I came into Information Security from a physical security background. I have done SANS GSEC which gave me the basics but I am really starting to get the hang of packet analysis thanks to this book. Jeanna Matthews is a wonderful teacher. I recommend you google for her website and see what her students are up to.

The Ethereal packet analysis tool on the CD is a bit out of date. These days you need to install Wireshark for your operating system which is an open source fork. Wikipedia or google Wireshark to find out how.

Have a look at the teacher site too.

Otherwise the book is brilliant.

Like Richard Bejtlich I agree this book is excellent. I got this book based on his review.

I bought also "Practical Packet Analysis: Using Wireshark to Solve Real-World Network Problems". Both as reference books. The book "Network Analysis and Troubleshooting" by J. Scott Haugdahl is one on my wishlist.

Indeed this book is thorough and yet easy to read. It can be used as an intro but also for reference. The explanation of ethereal (wireshark) is very welcome in this perspective and lacks the errors we can find in the other book "practical packet analysis", I mentioned before (see also my review on that). Maybe in the next version we can find information on AirPcap, excellent in sniffing and supporting WiFi network t-shooting. Network Monitor 3.1 from Microsoft is a freely available solution in this perspective that also can be used and supports native WiFi cards and sniffing packets. So far a great book and certainly worth buying!


Rob Faber [CISSP, CEH, MCSE]
The Netherlands

Well, I agree case studies are always good. However, numbers are also good, -they allow a company to be looked at in a different way, to determine the veracity of what the people may be saying about their company's profitability, etc...Bonjour Colinne! Ca va? tienclee@aol.com

The book has a good structure and has good chances to become a standard textbook in MBA classes or for industry newcomers. However, to make it a real classic it badly needs a second edition. First, there are too few (good) case examples. Second, the online tools are far from complete (something like this should never be published!). Third, the exercises need revising and are partly inconsistent or reptitive. (Comments based on online tools and materials as of June '01)

The first edition of this text has a tendency to get too theoretical with betas and CAPM as they apply to private companies, make too many distinctions between individual and personal required rates of return without a discussion of any empirical data to back up the opinions, not explain the implications of the SML theory to private investments that well, not fully explain the theory and computations behind the models they use or why they use escalating discount rates in the models. To try to understand the models, you have to go to the web site and dissect the Excel spreadsheet. I have the impression the authors bring no practical experience to the text, only the attempt to force complicated corporate financial theory into the realm of privately held business.

As a business appraiser, I found most of the quantitative theoretical information useless and its application to privately held businesses tenuous, at best. Alternative theories and approaches were not really discussed. The concepts of expected value and simulation have some real good application possibilities, but not much time was spent on how to do it in a way usable for small entities with limited budgets and a staff with basically no statistical background. I feel that the authors' agenda was to impress the readers with what they know (or think they know), without regard to conveying their ideas in an easily understood, supportable and workable format. I found chapters 8-11 to be especially frustrating. To top it all off, there are also errors in the answers to the end of chapter questions.

On the positive side, the book was well organized and there were references to studies, papers and other texts that make further reading and investigation into the topics easier.

In this book the authors have blended business finance and economics in a unique way to help entrepreneurs understand the relationship between venture finance and evaluation of business risk. This book covers some important issues like financial projections, risk evaluation, financial valuation, investor diversification and contract negotiation. This book provides a framework for financial management using complex economic theories (ex. portfolio theory, capital asset pricing model) through simple and user friendly spreadsheet templates. The valuation framework with spreadsheet templates is one of the highlighting factors of this book. The valuation templates with their underlying assumptions help reduce the ambiguity that palgues venture financing today. This book comes with an access to Entrepreneurial Finance website where authors walk the readers through spreadsheet templates and sample business cases evaluated by them in the book. This book is a must buy for entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and academics.

This might be a great advanced finance textbook in the academic world, but it definitely is NOT a good book for the person doing a technology startup who needs to know how to build the case for financing the new company. The word 'entrepreneurial' is in the title, but the audience is the MBA or graduate student. This needs to be noted so that starting entrepreneurs don't go out and buy this book hoping that it will help them build the financial section of their business plan. My sense is that it won't.

I picked this book up because I'm going to Alaska and wanted to get myself excited for the trip; unfortunately, this book really didn't help much. Although it did get into the Iditarod, dog sledding, and blizzards, it really did not cover the culture of living in Alaska like I thought it would--and let's not even talk about the characters. As a Christian woman, some parts of the book (such as Rita Eriksson's fight to be independent of God) were definitely realistic; however, in the end it seemed as if every single character, even the less important ones, were model Christian citizens, and because of that these stories lost much of their [realistic] appeal.

I do not read alot but I could not put this book down. I live in Alaska and have been in the same place as the charcter in the book. I liked the spiritual content too. Differently better than the trashy love novels you can buy.

This book seems to have all the love that the author has known in her heart. ..I really liked it and it made me think of my own life and loves. If you want to read a book that goes straight to your heart, read Stolen Moments by Barbara Jeanne Fisher. . .It is a beautiful story of unrequited love. . .for certain the love story of the nineties. I intended to give the book a quick read, but I got so caught up in the story that I couldn't put the book down. From the very beginning, I was fully caught up in the heart-wrenching account of Julie Hunter's battle with lupus and her growing love for Don Lipton. This love, in the face of Julie's impending death, makes for a story that covers the range of human emotions. The touches of humor are great, too, they add some nice contrast and lighten things a bit when emotions are running high. I've never read a book more deserving of being published. It has rare depth. Julie's story will remind your readers that life and love are precious and not to be taken for granted. It has had an impact on me, and for that I'm grateful. Stolen Moments is written with so much sensitivity that it made me want to cry. It is a spellbinder. What terrific writing. Barbara does have an exceptional gift! This book was edited by Lupus specialist Dr. Matt Morrow too, and has the latest information on that disease. ..A perfect gift for someone who started college late in life, fell in love too late in life, is living with any illness, or trying to understand a loved one who is. . .A gift to be cherished forever.

I found this collection of novelas to be magnificent. I didn't want to put it down. At one point I acutally cried. The characters become so real to you that you are moved with their pain and elated in their victories. I also found them spiritually uplifting. Now I just wish I could go see the places that were so wonderfully discribed.

I liked the second story the best, because it really made me ask myself "What would I have done if I were in her situation? Would I have put God first? Would I have denied myself a strong opportunity like that because God said NO?" But I liked all four of them. They were realistic romance but not mushy or improper. A MUST-READ...YOU WON'T FORGET THIS BOOK AND (HOPEFULLY) THE LESSONS YOU LEARNED THROUGH PRACTICAL EXAMPLES OF SUBMISSION TO GOD.

the book came in excellent packing and well before time. with regards to the book i think it is really awesome. the stuff is very well explained and supported with good examples

The best book in engineering economics that I have seen so far. Easy reading, easy to digest the material. My only "complaints" is that the "answer to questions" (in the back of the book) should include cash flow diagrams, and the templates on the CD should be formatted to look professional.

Minor glitches to a great book!

Just as engineers must accurately model technical solutions to a problem, they must also model the economic impact of those technical solutions. This is a very good book for both the engineering student and the practicing engineer. Unlike many texts on straight economics, it is not just filled with narrative. It has many well-explained formulas and examples using those formulas throughout. The numerous exercises included throughout the book involve open-ended problem statements and iterative problem-solving skills, which are the real-world skills you'll need on the job. Various engineering disciplines are presented. FE exam-style questions have been added to help prepare engineering students for that milestone examination. Passing the FE exam is a first step in getting licensed as a "Professional Engineer" or PE. A good companion to this book is the Schaum's Outline on Engineering Economics. This is one of those textbooks where having the latest edition is really better, since the laws of finance are man-made and do change over time. The following is the table of contents for the latest edition:

FUNDAMENTALS OF ENGINEERING ECONOMY.
1. Introduction to Engineering Economy.
2. Cost Concepts and Design Economics.
3. Money-Time Relationships and Equivalence.
4. Applications of Money-Time Relationships.
II. ENGINEERING ECONOMY IN ACTION.
5. Applications of Money-Time Relationships.
6. Comparing Alternatives.
7. Depreciation and Income Taxes.
8. Price Changes and Exchange Rates.
9. Replacement Analysis.
10. Dealing with Uncertainty.
III. ADDITIONAL TOPICS IN ENGINEERING ECONOMY.
11. Evaluating Projects with the Benefit/Cost Ratio Method.
12. Engineering Economy Studies in Investor-Owned Utilities.
13. Probabilistic Risk Analysis.
14. Capital Financing and Allocation.
15. Dealing with Multiattributed Decisions.
Appendixes.

I was pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed this book during my engineering coursework. It gave good insight and practical examples to understanding engineering costs.

I am a college student and for some reason, all colleges and schools seem to think that we love to take out loans and just pay them money for tution or books, but this was a really good alternative than my college bookstore. I got a brand new book for the price of a used book which is awesome. I highly recommmend it!

Are you a record producer? A musician? A promoter? Or maybe you're just looking for a job related to music. This book is a must for those trying to land a job in the world of the fame and fortune, it has useful information with details ranging from the way you walk, act and talk at an interview up to detailed explanations of contracts and legal documents that you need to sign. Keith Hatschek's title has an airy structure and is a light read for people on the run to the next job interview. Recommended for the jobless producer, song writer, musician...and so on.

How To Get a Job in the Music and Recording Industry gives you a insightful and sincere scenario of the music industry. Its surprising honesty leads to build a solid music career. It is not of those books that promise happiness and success forever for musicians. Your creativity will not be compromised when you follow its advice. The book helps you combine the artist and the business man. Don't expect for miracles though. It's hard work and objectivity the book's main answer.

How To Get a Job in the Music and Recording Industry gives you a insightful and sincere scenario of the music industry. Its surprising honesty leads to build a solid music career. It is not of those books that promise happiness and success forever for musicians. Your creativity will not be compromised when you follow its advice. The book helps you combine the artist and the business man. Don't expect for miracles though. It's hard work and objectivity the book's main answer.

Are you a record producer? A musician? A promoter? Or maybe you're just looking for a job related to music. This book is a must for those trying to land a job in the world of the fame and fortune, it has useful information with details ranging from the way you walk, act and talk at an interview up to detailed explanations of contracts and legal documents that you need to sign. Keith Hatschek's title has an airy structure and is a light read for people on the run to the next job interview. Recommended for the jobless producer, song writer, musician...and so on.

"How to Get a Job in the Music and Recording Industry" is a no-nonsense guide to how the industry really works in an easy to follow format. Mr. Hatschek has included valuable viewpoints from several music business professionals and a realistic course of action for organizing one's career goals. The resume writing and networking information is particularly helpful, and can be used by anyone seeking employment in any field in or outside the music industry.

A woman of faith and conviction, with a stubborn determination to adhere to her principles of justice and fairness, Shirin Ebadi sets forth a boldly narrated memoir. Bold in blatantly ignoring likely repercussions by her enemies and their threats of assassination.

Beginning with her childhood years during the reign and fall of Mohammad Mossadegh - Prime Minister of Iran, 1951 to 1953 - Ebadi recounts her life primarily in relation to the various changes in the Iranian political scene, from the once powerful, then deposed, Shahs of Iran, to the suppressing reign of the Ayatollah Khomeini and the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and finally to the democratic leader, Mohammad Khatami, who was elected president in 1957 and again in 2001.

Ebadi, brilliant, and a self described intellectual, studied law and practiced as a judge during a more politically lenient period of Iran's history. Under the Ayatollah Khomeini, a female judge was relegated to menial clerk positions, power removed. Ebadi never faltered in her fight to attain and maintain justice for all who were oppressed or unjustly accused, male or female, not even during her brief period of imprisonment.

Although Ebadi notes in her epilogue that "it is not a political memoir," one can hardly separate her life, after reading the memoir, from politics - politics not only in Iran but politics world wide as it affects Iran and its people. She has not, as she said, "attempted to offer a political analysis of how and why certain events came to pass," but through mere "factual" statements, one can detect a political intent or meaning. And what does one make of these, her words: "Now you are watching faded video footage of Donald Rumsfeld shaking Saddam Hussein's hand, smiling at the butcher who made our capital's cemetery a city. Now you are listening to President George W. Bush promise he wants to bring democracy to the Middle East. You are hearing him address the Iranian people in his State of Union address, telling them that if they stand for their own liberty, America will stand with them. Do you believe him?" Such questions, by their provocative nature, may be as overtly political as any blanket assessment. But at least it provokes thought.

The ending chapter of the memoir is devoted to the highest honor achieved by Ebadi - the touted Nobel Peace Prize. Many Nobel Peace Prize choices are steeped in controversy and dissenting opinions. Ebadi's case is no different. Regardless, there is no doubt about the positive elements of Ebadi's moral convictions, and of the sincerity and strength of her aggressive actions in her pursuit of justice for all. If those are the prerequisites for a Nobel Peace Laureate, then justice is served here, too.

This was a very honest and insightful view into the hope and horrors of the people of Iran, as they transitioned from a dictatorial Shah to a dictatoral Cleric form of government. In the end, it's the people who suffer. Shirin Ebadi's story is very compelling. The book is a quick read (219 pages) that leaves a lasting imprint.

I am disappointed by this book. Yes, the author as a woman has suffered a lot as a result of the Islamic revolt of 1979 but she is not fit to speak for a nation. Shirin Ebadi, aka Ayatollah Ebadi among many people for her deep sympathies with the current regime, is unfortunately a narcissist and self centered person and this book is fully supporting that sense of narcissism. She reminds me of Al Sharpton the grievance leader of African-American community. Her bogus claim that Islam and Democracy can co-exist is a farce and should be laughed at. She fails to mention one truly democratic free Islamic country. How pathetic! Also, she has helped the Iranian regime buy more time in acquiring nuclear weapons through her sham human rights campaign. She's constantly giving legitimacy to the Iranian regime and opposing those who oppose the regime. Unfortunately this book is another sham trying to mask her sympathy with the current regime of Iran.

An excellent and honest if horrifying picture of today's Iran. I found Ms. Ebadi's book as fascinating as Hillary Clinton's. An extremely smart and brave woman, Ms. Ebadi clearly loves her country and is ready to sacrifice her life for Iran. I was happy to read about the few improvements in the lives of ordinary citizens as well as changes in women's education in the Islamic republic, but it pained me to read about the human rights violations, the killings, and the tortures used by the mullahs on their own people. I spent 7 years in Iran before, during and after the revolution and left when Iraq threatened to bobmb Tehran. I loved Iran, its ancient history, beautiful poetry, and lovely countryside. But most of all I loved its friendly, hospitable, and talented people and to read that the nation's suffering wasn't over was very hard for me. However, it made me happy and proud to know that Iran, once more, produced a gem, and this time it was a woman, who despite the terror of the Islamic republic was
able to make her voice heard in the world and received a Nobel price!

This is the best and the most honest version of the modern history of my country from the eyes of a brave educated woman who is not afraid to fight for what every one else is afraid to whisper. In her memoir, she does not leave out any detail of the atmosphere governing Iran. Living in the circumstances she describes in the book, I genuinely respect her for who she is. She is an icon every woman can look up to and That is why she is a Nobel prize winner. She has a story telling gift, making the book absolutely attractive and easy to follow. This book is a must read; she risked her life writing it and it needs audience: Iranian women and children need Shirin Ebadi and people who think like her. This is an outstanding book, unforgettable.

I felt this book did a very nice job in preparing me for both my shelf exam and my boards

This book was not only excellent preparation for the shelf exam, I found its explanations useful for learning the main clinical points for various diseases. I used it in conjunction with Blueprints Pediatrics and read both cover-to-cover over the course of the clerkship.

While there is no perfect way to study for the NBME at the end of your third year clerkships, there are ways that are more effective. I recommend reading this book in the days just before your peds test. I do not recommend relying on it alone to study, read it after doing a review book and a cases book.

If there's only one book you can master in preparation for the pediatrics shelf exam, this is definitely the one. I used this book in conjunction with case files and got my best shelf grade ever. Here are some things I noticed:

1. The material covered in this book is relevant, with the appropriate level of detail, and almost all inclusive of the shelf exam. Many of the questions I encountered in this book were almost the same as the ones I saw on the exam.

2. You can do these questions to test your knowledge after studying or simply as a learning tool (without any studying). Because the answer explanations are so well written, you'll learn the info either way.

3. The question style resembles the shelf, although the shelf ones are a bit longer.

4. This book is not as expensive compared to other resources.

So in conclusion ... get this book and go through it twice if you can.

I used PreTest Pediatrics as my sole study aid for the Pediatrics recertification board exam, which I took yesterday. In all my years of taking medical exams (med school, residency, fellowship, and now recertification) I have never seen so many questions on the actual exam that so closely mirror the questions I studied. Without counting, it seemed that a quarter of the exam questions were nearly identical in vignette and answers to questions from the PreTest book, and several of the questions even had the multiple choices in the same order.

McGraw Hill advertises that "All questions are reviewed by students who have recently passed the exams." I believe it. Kudos on a low-cost book that is relevant to USMLE Steps 2, 3, and beyond.

Dry...but what else is new for such a textbook. Not as if anyone buys this unless they have to.

Hi I am 11 and I want to make props for my film!Is This the right book?It looks exspensive but is it worth it?I need a book and fast!

I'm a lighting design major in college, and no matter what I take a class in, Gillette's book is the standard must have for all tech (and acting) majors. It's a requirement for stage tech 1, and then is used again through out the college carreer, and I have heard people even refrence it after they graduate. The best places to start for new techies are this book, and the 'backstage handbook'

I think its an amazing book! very complete, it tells you about the roles of every one involved, the make up, scene design, construction, sound, costume and lighting, so if you are serious about becoming an excelent theatrical designer and producer, then this is the best place to start!! from here you can buy other books, but this is a must have!

This book is an excellent starting point for students interested in theater. It covers all of the major topics: scene design, construction, lighting, sound, costumes, and makeup. I would recommend it to all students and teachers.

This book is amazing. I got by in high school without studying, but that doesn't work in college. This book really helped learn how to use my time productively so that I still had time to hang out with my friends. Highly recommend this book to anyone needing to study. I would even recommend this book to high school students.

i'm very happy with the fast customer service that i receive from cliff, he was amazing at sending my book right away, and it was in great condition, THANK YOU CLIFF!

This book was for a required class for me but the book is so helpful and awakening. Anyone going to school or wants more focus in life should read it.

This was an easy to read and encouraging book. I high believe this book should be required for all returning or just going to college student. It gives you tips on note taking and doing your very best in school.

I had to purchase this book for a basic college study course. This book teaches you a lot about yourself and how you study, learn, etc. Lots of good tips for studying better, time management, job skills, etc. A LOT of busy work though. I think the skills could be better learned through practical applications.