Get inside the photographer's mind...

... and what a photographer! Joe McNally has a well-deserved reputation as a photographer and is only slightly less well known as a teacher. But for those of us on this side of the pond, attending one of his workshops is, let's face it, financially daunting. No matter. You can buy this book instead!<br /><br />Here is much photographic wisdom in book form - and (unusually, given the subject matter) a book that can make you laugh out loud and yet teach you at the same time. OK, so some of the shots are ones you'd never get to take yourself as an amateur (hanging out of a helicopter over the Hollywood sign with Michelle Yeoh takes some beating, and as for getting to meet Kermit in the flesh...). But then for others you *can* try and emulate, even if you don't have all of the kit that Joe has available to him. And even if you can't, well, then, as the publisher's own blurb says, this book would look equally good on your coffee table.

Use it only for reference

This was a good book to start off your practice I would not recommend anyone to use it solely on its own, I would suggest that people use other psychometric testing practice books with it. It has a comprehensive guide to the test, but to be honest, just a little more than what is already on the website, and I did feel that the section the BMAT was not needed since the BMAT has it own official book- the section of the UCAT would have been covered better I feel if it had not been included. Also there is not a single full length practice paper in the book- which makes working out how much time you take on everything quite difficult. I think thus that my rating is justified

Well put together but not revolutionary!

As explained in the other reviews you get a two CD set and an A5 booklet with this pack.<br /><br />It's all been nicely put together for the beginner (this is definitely aimed at the phrase book/ tourist market) and the stand alone CD is a good idea.<br />However the main problem with this is the inclusion of Tony Buzan's mind maps - I just can't see that they are helpful in learning a language.<br /><br />It's also quite annoying that he lays claim to teaching techniques that really wouldn't surprise Plato or Socrates! If you can get past Buzan's self advertising this is a very well put together set and will put you well on the way to learning enough to get you by on a business trip or holiday.

Nice but not reliable

I agree with those who say that it is a pleasant book. It should learn us something and it does, but I can't accept the enormous mistakes the author wrote. When an author writes this kind of book he is supposed to know its subject thoroughly and assert only proven and reliable facts, not approximations. It is evident that the author doesn't master the French language; otherwise he would not pretend that only the English language makes the difference between house and home while the French has only one word: maison. What about the word foyer? It is one example amongst others I noted. My question is: if I noted mistakes about such simple, evident and basic subjects, what about the author's statements about subjects or facts I don't know of? <br />My conclusion would be: a nice book but not to rely on.<br />

Very useful, fills a niche

Whilst I didn't find this book as enjoyable as the Spanish verbs from the same series, I give it 5 stars because it is a very useful book. It fills a gap left by many other teaching materials.

Fluent, Thought-provoking but breathtakingly superficial

As a rule, I am very suspicious of the sharp left-right divide that beclouds any political or economic discussion; there must be truth on both sides. Therefore, I bought this book in order to understand the rage felt by the anti-globalisation movement. I finished the book with the feeling that the book spectacularly failed to deliver. Naomi Klein breezily argues that: <br /><br />- Multinational corporations have become more powerful than governments and somehow usurped the functions of the government without the accompanying accountability to the electorate <br /><br />- Multinationals have"stolen" our public spaces and branded them beyond recognition <br /><br />- These corporations have been responsible for the Post Cold War neoliberal agenda and have exploited the Third World in order to deliver ever cheaper goods to the First World. <br /><br />The author brilliantly captures the sense of listlessness many people feel in an increasingly interconnected world and how these feelings have coalesced into various anti-corporate movements since 1989. The cozy world in which a person worked for the same corporation for 35 years, vacationed at the company resort and retired at a grand old age of 65 is no more. This feeling has been compounded by the fact that the posterchildren for this New Economy, multinational corporations, do not want to manufacture"stuff" anymore. Instead the corporations have moved into the"image" game. Ms Klein argues that in making this shift that the corporations have demanded ever lower production costs, pushing them to the emerging economies of the Third World. On further examination, this makes sense. Doesn't it? If Western consumers wanted to pay 100% extra for the Made-in-USA tag on a T-shirt then surely they'll fork out the cash at the mall. Instead, consumers have opted for cheaper clothing, food, electronics etc. The multinationals are only responding to the market. <br /><br />As a Nigerian I was pleased that Shell's operations in my native country were scrutinised in view of the barbaric killing of Ken Saro-Wiwa. Ms Klein, however, paints an perversely unbalanced picture. While many in the West may instinctively blame Shell for dealing with despotic regimes such as Nigeria under Sani Abacha, Ms Klein provided precious little evidence that Shell actively colluded with the Abacha government in the killing of Mr Saro-Wiwa. Shell seemed to be a target because it has a visible and highly valuable brand name. The real culprit in the pillaging of Nigeria's mineral resource is not Shell but the faceless, amorphous Nigerian government. Hey, but since we cannot target General Abacha, why not crucify Shell instead? <br /><br />When discussing economics Ms Klein is clearly out of her depth. The concept of comparative advantage-that firms (or countries) should focus on doing what they do best-was completely lost on her. It stands to reason that Western multinationals should focus on what they do best like branding, which is high-skill, capital intensive and leave the low-skilled task of actually making , say shoes, to countries with abundant low-skilled workers in the Third World. Ms Klein rehashes misguided populist notions such as that globalisation erodes democracy in far off lands while stripping First World workers of their God-given jobs in multinational corporations. One problem with this arguement is that it fails to show how much wealth these globalising corporations have generated for their home nations. Have the US and the UK not become richer in the last 15 years? Moreover, several studies have shown that these off-shored jobs are a small percentage of the total number of jobs generated in the West. Furthermore, she depicts the export Processing Zones in the Philippines as the old Wild West, where militaristic, multinational corporations pay little tax and are a law unto themselves. Can this really be true? If locating factories in Export Processing Zones were so bad for The Philippines, why does the government allow them? <br /><br />The book ignores the successes of trade liberalisation in the Third World. There was no mention of the millions of people who have been lifted from back-breaking poverty by the relocation of factories such as Nike's in Indonesia, Vietnam and China. Instead, we are asked to feel sorry for narcissistic, middle-class, Western suburbanites who have lost their"space" to branding. Interesting argument, but I did not buy it. Fact is trade has been proven to be the best way to lift peoples out of poverty. Since, Ms Klein does not have the foggiest idea what pre-industrial rural poverty really feels like, I will excuse her oversight.<br /><br />In exposing the factory conditions in which Nike sneakers are made in Indonesia, Ms Klein describes these factories as some Oriental Hell, where no one would want to work. Yet, despite, the horrible conditions people still flock to these export processing zones. I suspect that one of the reasons why a 19-year old Indonesian woman would rather work in the factory than on the land is that factory work pays better. Was this not the case during the Industrial Revolution in Europe? Why did the mills of the English Midlands continue attracting peasants from the country side? I can tell, from personal experience, that working for a Western multinational corporation in my native Nigeria is so much more rewarding than working for a local company. <br /><br />The book romanticises some time in recent Western history when corporations were employers of choice, the Third World was some distant place where you went to on an exotic vacation or perhaps sent some aid dollars to and where we in the West could live sheltered, cocooned lives. Unfortunately, such an idyllic past (if it ever existed) is unlikely to return soon. The fact is that we are connected more than ever before. It is no surprise that the Third World wants in on the action also. Afterall, material wealth is not the exclusive preserve of the"North". <br /><br />In conclusion, the book is quite readable and made me stop to think about how powerful multinational corporations have become. However, it seethes with self-righteous anger and provides very little new ideas on how to help the individual losers in globalisation. If you want a balanced account of the impact of open markets (globalisation) then I would recommend you read No Logo in addition to Legrain's Open World and Nayan Chanda's Bound Together. Trashing G8 and WTO Summits make for catchy headlines but it does nothing to lift people out of poverty.

Definitely Worth Trying

Firstly, let me say that I have not completed the course. It isn't something you can do overnight. What I am extremely pleasantly surprised about though is that I have found this very easy to use and am actually learning something from the course.<br /><br />The book is very well presented and easy to follow and the CDs work well in conjunction with it. However, if you are to be successful, you need to set aside about an hour a day (with no distraction!) to practise what you have learned and to build on your momentum. Trying to do this on an ad hoc basis won't work; there will always be something else taking precedence. If you are a family, it will work very well as a family activity. There will be time to spend together as a unit with a common goal and something achieved at the end of it.<br /><br />I am definitely impressed by this course and would certainly recommend it. However, do bear in mind that if you are not prepared to make the time to use it on a regular basis, you will be wasting your money.

Comprehensive listings guide - but the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook is better

There are two books on the market which are widely touted as 'must-haves' for any writer looking to get into publication. One is this book,"The Writer's Handbook" (TWH), published by Macmillan. Its rival, the"Writers' and Artists' Yearbook" (W&AY), is published by A&C Black. Both contain roughly the same extensive listings of publishers, agents, print media, TV/radio producers, festivals, writing courses etc. You only really need one of them - but which one?<br /><br />In truth there's little to choose between them. Much will come down to personal preference regarding the layout of the two books, and so if you can get the chance to compare them before you buy, all the better. However, to me the W&AY appears the more polished product, with a clearer table of contents and a more easily navigable structure.<br /><br />What the TWH really lacks compared to the W&AY is the latter's many detailed and informative articles written by publishers, agents and successful writers (J.K. Rowling, Terry Pratchett, Bernard Cornwell, Joanna Trollope, to name a few). The W&AY has about 170 pages' worth of these in total (100 on books alone), discussing different genres and aspects of the writing process, as well as covering diverse issues such as self-publishing, marketing, writing for TV, radio and theatre, and e-publishing. TWH, by comparison, has only about 30 pages of such articles. This in my opinion sets the W&AY apart and makes it far more than simply a listings book - it is, in effect, an introduction to the entire world of writing.<br /><br />This is not to say that there is anything particularly wrong with TWH - it is perfectly adequate for what it is. To be certain, buyers interested mainly in the listings (perhaps those already looking for an agent or publisher) will not be disappointed. All in all, however, my recommendation has to go to the"Writer's & Artist's Yearbook", for the added value of the sheer wealth of information and advice it contains.

Easy route to passing the theory test

This is an excellent software with a lot of examples and lots of mock tests. Whilst I am very experienced car driver, I found this very useful for practicing for the exam. The real exam is much easier than the real life videos included in here. Highly recommended.

What can you say about a road atlas?

Only that it's good, has clear mapping and lots of detailed information. It has a ring binding, which I like as this enables you to keep the book open at the desired page without damaging it. It also has a complete index of towns and villages at the back, and each of the city centre maps has its own street index - very useful. Not to mention the small scale route planning map and the map of administrative departments. What more could you need? And it's just about small enough to fit in your glove compartment. So if it seems a little heavy, unwieldy and difficult to navigate at times, well, France is a lot bigger than England.

Imperative for survival!

A must for any Psychology BSc programmes. It give all the information in a light-hearted and easy to understand way. Wouldn't have got through without it!

Comprehensive and useful book

As a newcomer to bikes in general, I think this is a really good book. It covers all of the things I wanted to know in more detail than any of the other books I have bought. Those who thought it was poorly thought out must be mad.

Good book for a Beginning and Experienced Photographer

I am always weary of instruction manuals etc. I much rather go out with my new camera, take photo's and learn from my own mistakes with photograhy.<br /><br />I found this book extremely useful. He wrote the book extremely well. <br /><br />It is good for both beginners and experience photographers, that you were not 'idiots' nor being 'thick'.<br /><br />

The most used book in my surgery!

I love this book! I bought it when I was still training as a GP, and despite now being a bit thumbed and well used it remains my favourite way of explaining things to patients. <br />It has two separate sections - the first part is all about anatomy and physiology in normality, and a smaller section at the back gives basic explanations for a number of disease states. <br />If you are looking to use this as an only textbook for a degree course in anatomy or physiology you will be disappointed - it does not go into sufficient detail for that. BUT if you want a decent and correct introduction to the overall scope you'll find it a delightful book. The diagrams are absolutely correct, and without fail I can always find a drawing to explain whatever I am trying to explain to a patient. <br />I can absolutely guarantee that when my current copy finally bites the dust I'll be buying another copy straight away!! Best fiver I've ever spent!

I now know I'm not alone...

By my title, I mean that I know there are other people out there who care about punctuation as much as I do! Truss writes with passion, verve and clarity about the decline in punctuation and the repercussions of this often infuriating issue. I read it from cover to cover in a few days and enjoyed her witty (often self-deprecating) humour and the illustrative examples of awful punctuation peppered throughout the book. Great for those with an interest in language, or simply anybody who wishes to take pride in the English language and its delightful nuances that are granted by correctly applied punctuation!<br /><br />In relation to another reviewer's comments, this isn't a reference book and doesn't claim to be one; if you're after a desktop reference for punctuation then look elsewhere.

The sparky 'bible'

Well this is the fount of all knowledge relating to electrical installation to BS7671 and if you are doing an electrical course then this will allow you to revise so much easier than using the college books and not having the book to refer to whilst at home. You'll also need a copy to show the inspector for 'Part P' registration, that is if you can't borrow a mates copy.<br /><br />Just keep in mind 17th Edition is rumoured to be out the 3rd quarter of 2007 so if you can wait, it may save you to keep the cash and use it to pay for another update course you'll need.<br />