Good quality, very useful

A very helpful book when used for studying for the theory exam, helps a lot, especially with the road signs.

Excellent overview

John Lanchester pulls together a number of threads to explain the Crunch.<br />Interesting, well researched and had me laugh out loud on a number of occasions with great turn of phrase.<br />Doesn't preach but looks for links, behaviours and systemic failures that led to the financial crisis.<br />Highly recommended.

Basic

As an experienced driver I bought this for my daughter to learn. The programme is clunky and looks like it was derived from the Windows 95 era. It is only viewed in a small screen box and the menu & choices are annoyingly simplistic. There is so much more that could be done with this subject using modern techniques, movie shots, accident statistics, etc, to make better young drivers. That said it includes the theory test (which is as basic as the programme) and the Highway code - in pdf.

Not For Beginners

There are some different and interesting receipes. Many of the recipes need specialist ingredients and will not be known to the majority of readers. My first recipe did not work out very well (biscotti) it was far too runny. Beautifully produced book but I would prefer to have recipes that do not fail than a good looking book.

Pretty colours and the curse of tiny type

Page 128 of this book is devoted to the different types of graphics used in diagrams, forty are named with a little graphic of each (pie chart, bar chart; word cloud etc and one called `Dunno what to call it' chart) and I thought it would have been useful to run this page at the front of the book so that readers could try and identify what type of graphic was used on each page.<br /><br />The editorial is an interesting one and gets away from the Tufte format of reproducing existing material by creating all the graphics for this book and maybe this is one of its weaknesses. I found so many of these graphic pages just too unwieldy and confusing, sort of the opposite of what this type of material is supposed to do: visually present information with clarity and simplicity. Plenty of pages have data that has been crowbarred into something visual that really should have remained just as copy.<br /><br />Shame about the missing text that everyone has mentioned. More importantly to me (and a real editorial weakness) is the large amount of unreadable type, either white out of a black page, light colored panels or just too tiny. Heavy use of Batteries Not Included Bold Condensed and Prices Subject To Change Without Notice Roman do not encourage clarity. It means I just turn over the page to the next diagram.<br /><br />There are some fascinating visual ideas here but because they were not created for anything other than this book they lack the creative rigor that would normally be required if they were to be used in print elsewhere.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

Excellent, can't be faulted

Got this software in the hope that it would save me having to read the highway code book and other relavant books, easy to install, doesn't take a powerful computer to run. The software uses actual questions from the tests and using the internet can keep up to date with the most current questions. Used for 4 weeks and did a mock test once a day and got 49/50 in the theory test and 58/75 in hazard perception, so passed it by quite a margin, the software makes it very simple and easy to learn. Definately 5*.

Basic

As an experienced driver I bought this for my daughter to learn. The programme is clunky and looks like it was derived from the Windows 95 era. It is only viewed in a small screen box and the menu & choices are annoyingly simplistic. There is so much more that could be done with this subject using modern techniques, movie shots, accident statistics, etc, to make better young drivers. That said it includes the theory test (which is as basic as the programme) and the Highway code - in pdf.

Five star research, one star presentation

Before reading this, I'd heard it was going to be THE book against which all others on the 2008 US presidential campaign would be measured. If so, I'm afraid the bar has been set rather low. <br /><br />The problem is not content. The hype surrounding Race of a Lifetime included a claim that Heilemann and Halperin had amassed a vast and varied body of research, based on interviews with people who saw the inside of all the candidacies that really mattered in 2008. It does deliver that. There are juicy quotes by the bucket throughout the book, and plenty of glimpses at what the candidates really looked and talked like when the cameras were turned off. No, the problem is in the presentation. Most high school students probably could have produced more articulate prose. A book that uses words like"freakin'" and devices such as calling a candidate's health care plan"weak beer" simply doesn't deserve to be treated like a serious study of anything. <br /><br />Perhaps not surprisingly, Heilemann and Halperin also tend to assume prior knowledge where they shouldn't, noting ominously at one point that Obama's campaign was in danger of"ending up like McGovern or Dukakis" without explaining who they were or why that would be a bad thing. True, most readers who are likely to be attracted to this book will already know exactly what that means, but a brief explanation is warranted (and would have been extremely easy to add). Their vaunted research also has a few gaping holes in it: in discussing the vice presidential debate, they depict it as a draw with no disastrous missteps on Sarah Palin's part, even as they address and explain Palin's notorious"Can I call ya Joe?" moment. Besides failing to acknowledge that as the disrespectful swipe it was, they also do not mention at all her numerous other garbled, empty responses during the debate. <br /><br />The cynic in me wonders if this is just a book-length parody of Palin's irreverent style. That, I would give five stars.

Writers' and Artists' Yearbook 2010

I looked for and found the book I wanted without any trouble and ordered it,it came within a few days in perfect condition (it was new but well packed). I am well satisfied, as I have always been.

Really disappointing

I can only echo what Chris Watson has said in earlier review. This is a real let down, full of inconsequential fluff, clearly dumbed down for some imaginary audience of half-wits. It was bought for my eldest son, aged 8, and he was thoroughly disappointed in it- he's a football fanatic, and the records he wanted to see just weren't in there. Very, very poor; I'll have to dig out my old ones from the late 70's and show him how good it used to be.

Considerable value for money.

When it comes to publishing a book, any book!, colour and paper quality cost money. This particular product has 272 pages of top quality paper with colour images on almost every single page. To enable the potential buyer to visualise the work, it is almost A4 size and about one inch thick. In short, this is an awful lot of book for £20 - even more so when one studies the content.<br /><br />Produced to accompany a forthcoming BBC TV series presented by Dan Snow, this work is written by Brian Lavery whose reputation and list of credits are as outstanding as they come. As Curator Emeritus of no less an institution than the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, this author brings the highest possible standing to the subject. Having said that, I did pause when I came across those areas which I happened to know in sufficient detail in order to check the facts presented. Not only did I find no errors, but on two occasions my own knowledge was corrected! Such is the quality of the research, the detail and the presentation it all unites into a result on which you can rely. <br /><br />Having said all that, there is so much more to this book than just a collection of Naval facts supported by excellent images. In addition, it must be said that the book also stands well on its own - in that you do not have to watch that forthcoming TV series in order to obtain maximum benefit from this product.<br /><br />Dan Snow is the son of long-time British TV presenter Peter Snow and previously joined forces with his father to co-present such programmes as the excellent series"Battlefield Tour." My own personal view is that Dan is now ready for his own series and this opportunity will provide him with his own defining moment as he comes of age as a presenter in his own right. Just some private thoughts as I wish him well.<br /><br />As far as the actual content is concerned; The reader is taken from the defeat of the Spanish Armada right through to WW1 - as seen through British naval ships, men, development and tactics and all, as I say, lavishly illustrated with images of the best possible quality. It is the components of this book which were the very ingredients that shaped a nation and an Empire on which the sun never set. <br /><br />Finally, I am delighted the BBC have allowed Conway to reproduce this book. These publishers have an equally high reputation in the field of maritime books and, all things considered, everything here combines to produce the best possible product of the highest achievable standards on all fronts -"and" at a most reasonable price. <br /><br />NM<br /><br />

The Miracles on the Hudson

After reading"Fly By Wire" on a recent trip, I find it interesting to visit Amazon.com and see a recapitulation of the passionate debate that Langewiesche describes in his book. On the one hand, there are those who feel that"fly by wire" technology is overrated and perhaps even dangerous--these reviewers tend to give the book low marks and hard reviews, some of which strike me as a bit unfair. Other reviewers--admirers of Langewiesche's journalistic style or the cogent explanations that he offers--give him high grades. On balance, I enjoyed"Fly by Wire," but I can understand how it will hit some raw nerves.<br /><br />For the record, Langewiesche has nothing but high praise for Captain Sullenberger and his crew. He agrees that they did a superb job under incredibly difficult conditions, and the fact that they did it in an Airbus A320 takes nothing away from their accomplishment. As near as I can tell, the crew of US Airways Flight 1549 are real heroes and deserve the praise they have received.<br /><br />"Fly by wire" technology combines electrical control circuits and digital computers to replace traditional hydraulic and mechanical flight control systems. Langewiesche really"pokes the bear" and elicits a strong emotional response from many of his readers when he suggests that"fly by wire" was a major contributor to the Miracle on the Hudson. Readers who want their heroes to be like Beowulf, brave and omnisciently skilled, dislike the suggestion that Captain Sullenberger and his team may have been helped by the revolutionary design of the A320. Pilots who are concerned about losing control over their aircraft to computers are also bound to take issue with Langewiesche's core theme, which is that the revolution in"fly by wire" technology pioneered by Airbus has saved lives and will continue to save them. It's not unreasonable for people to argue with Langewiesche's thesis, but I'm glad that he and others are having this debate--I suspect that in the long run many air travellers will be safer for it.<br /><br />Regardless of your views on this hot topic, the book is worth a read. The author is an experienced pilot, so he is able to offer more insights than most journalists who covered this story. He does a good job of discussing bird strikes (especially the somewhat unusual one that crippled Flight 1549), the development of the A320, several crashes where"fly by wire" technology might have saved hundreds of people, and other examples where highly skilled pilots"pushing the envelope" in passenger aircraft have confidently done things that are amazingly dangerous, with disastrous results. <br /><br />At the end of the day, I'm sympathetic to Langewiesche's argument that even great pilots can make mistakes, and that computers can help them accomplish things at the edge of their skills and experience that they would have a hard time doing on their own. Whether the computer or the crew was the decisive factor in The Miracle on the Hudson is at some level beside the point--not every pilot will be as skilled or capable of concentration as Captain Sullenberger, and computers can help prevent mistakes by crew who are pushing the outer edge of their experience and abilities. <br /><br />For those who are convinced that"fly by wire" can never outperform a great pilot, consider two things. First, the question is not really whether fly by wire can outperform Captain Sullenberger, but whether it can outperform the average pilot with the average level of experience and savoire faire. Put another way, the next time you board an airplane, ask yourself whether the pilot flying your aircraft is one of the greats who will act like Captain Sullenberger, or one who has less skill or experience (the law of probability suggests that on any given flight, you are more likely to have the latter at the controls). Second, if you believe that"great" pilots are superhumans who never make mistakes, read Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior, which describes how KLM's famous and accomplished chief pilot made a series of errors that resulted in the worst air disaster in aviation history. Everyone, no matter how skilled, makes mistakes--"Fly By Wire" helps us to understand how we can harness our technology to avoid errors at the edge of the envelope where the skills or experience of most people gets spottier.

Scrumptious stuff. Stephen Fry on good form.

Perfect if you appreciate Stephen Fry's sense of humour and share his love of the English language. Fascinating and funny. Highly recommended.

CSCS Questions and Answers

All the Questions and Answers from the CITB Skills Health and Safety Test<br /><br />Does what it says. Significant changes in Questions asked over the last few years so its vital to use this new edition to ensure you pass first time.

Highly Helpful

Very helpful book, with many questions and answers to help you prepare for the actual test. Best used when accompanied with the official guide book as the answers refer back to the book.

Essential

I was suggested this book by my driving instructor as one of the best out there. He said it has everything you will need to know in it and is also by the same company that you take your driving test with (DSA). <br />Good illustrations and in simple language.<br />Also is much cheaper to buy on amazon than any other book shop.

Highly recommended

Stella Cottrell provides a clear and comprehensive guide to critical analysis in an easily accessible format. Points are explained clearly and logically and examples and follow up activities will help consolidate skills. This book will be invaluable to university students in particular.

Cooking made easy

In no way would I describe myself as a knowledgeable cook, I am a person who who just likes to dabble in the kitchen when the mood takes me. Delia's book meets my needs perfectly. The book is well laid out so selection of food types is easy to identify. The recipes are clear, accurate and simple to follow. To date I have had no failures. There is additional supplementary information about makeup of food and suggested cooking utensils which adds to the completeness of the volume. A"must have" book for any aspiring cook.

revival please

This an excellent witty account of the foolish neglect of our essential service.The Labour government Transport Minister should have his nose rubbed in this book.

Dated advice

Originally published in 1934, and it shows. The writing style is a touch archaic, and ever so middle class. The tone of the book is also over-influenced by Freud and psychoanalysis. A modern book would take a somewhat different approach.<br /><br />Brande looks at what stops writers writing and offers advice and motivation to get started again. I don't have any problem with the motivation and the obvious enthusiasm with which she writes, but I wouldn't regard this as the most stimulating or appropriate advice available.<br /><br />There is useful encouragement which makes the book worth reading, but I do find the writing style a bit stultified and laboured in places. Worth a read, but there are better options.