Unique, valuable, objective; a fantastically GOOD book

I read this wonderful book in one very long sitting; I really could not stop once I started. Having grown up surrounded, in my immediate family, by the 1950's acute nature-awareness of the early Soil Association days of Bob Waller and Harold Horne et al, it was like deja vu to me. <br />The authors have been very disciplined in producing a really worthwhile book; it is almost perfectly objective, and therefore above cheap criticism. They have worked immensely hard to source a huge amount of sound material, and they have taken the trouble to understand it thoroughly before using it in their book. And the mystery at issue is no less than how terrifyingly detached from truth we are becoming, and how little we now understand our own misery and poverty of life in the midst of all our illusion of ease; how deprived of reality we have already become. <br />Read it! In the morning, the evening, on the train, in the bath, but read it. It is more real than most other stuff you will find on printed paper or glowing on a monitor any day of the year.

The bees knees...

Having just started with a vagetable patch in the garden, I was looking for, in effect an"idiot's guide" to vegetable growing (believe me, I needed it !) - this book is marvellous - helpful illustrations,easy to follow layout & packed with information on cultivation, preperation, eating, protecting from pests & diseases, the whole lot.<br />The herb section is by no means as comprehensive as the veg part of the book, but it has inspired me to grow my own selection of herbs (in one of those very attractive"ornamental" wooden wheelbarrows,my wife's aunty got us for Christmas - bless) & hopefully add something a bit different, interesting & above all, tasty to the garden.<br />I bought this at the same time as a far glossier, bigger (& more expensive !) book I got from the garden centre - this book beats the more expensive competition hands down. A really great investment, made me burst with horticultural enthusiasm & feel like Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's cousin.<br />

A good book for the Basic/Intermediate Level Technician/Engineer

My first impressions of the book is that it is clear and concise on the information it provides to a reader. I do like the early chapter explaining how the BS7671 reads and develops with current regulations.<br /><br />Despite the book demonstrates many changes in the 17th edition; it doesn't reference to the latest lightning protection BS EN 62305:2006 which is currently running in parallel with the BS 6651:1999 and will supersede this standard on 31/08/08. The book mentions that SPDs are not required in the UK this should be established once the relevant risk assessment has been tasked.<br /><br />On the whole, I do believe it is a worthwhile book to invest in.

Power is nothing without Control

I bought this bike off a motorcycle cop. I had just completed a day's Bikesafe training organised by my local force. As I handed over the cash the officer looked me in the eye and said" All you will ever need to know about road riding craft is in here". He was right. It has all the easy dialogue and feel of a tax return, but its concise and clear presentation help ram the message home: Power is nothing without control. This is especially true as road bikes are replicating the performance and handling of their racing counterparts more and more.
A good way of staving off boredom and keeping yourself sharp is described in the book. Using observation to anticipate upcoming hazards keeps you sharp and makes sure you're looking in the right direction when someone pulls out unexpectedly in front of you .
This book has really made me aware that however good a rider I think I am, I could be much better. It has encouraged me to look at riding as an ongoing training experience. Every motorcyclist should own a copy. Buy it.

Best ever

If you are like me and started in the trade with the 13th Edition IEE Regs<br />You will rate this Guide.<br />Ihave used John Whitfield's Guides for 20 years, its the only one for me.<br />I always keep one in the tool box and one in the office, As it say's on the back cover I don't leave home without it.<br />

Excellent book

I have fought against depression for the past 10 years and read many books on the subject. In my opinion, this is by far the best. It is very clearly set out and easy to follow. I have reread it myself several times and recommended it to friends suffering from depression. Well worth the money.

Worrying.. .Very Convincingly Worrying

Yes, it's a book that forecasts apocalypse if we don't change our profligate ways, and we will all be consigned to an environmental hell for not taking our responsibilities as stewards of this planet seriously- and don't 'say that Mark Lynas did not warn you!!<br />Yeh, and if you would like to hide in the security blanket that this is just another 'green rant' then sorry folks - the issue itself will not go away, so give this book a read.<br />Why? <br />For start he bases his arguments by devoting a separate chapter to various scenarios, i.e. One Degree Warmer, Two Degrees and up to Six. <br />I would suggest to even the most casual of readers that by the time you get to 'Two Degrees' you will at least be thinking 'Oh dear' (and either become very worried or so annoyed that you start thinking up arguments as to why he is wrong- you hope).<br />That aside, it is a very gripping read as one travels from very worrying One Degree warmer to the Fearful Six Degrees.<br />And a very clear and concise account for the ordinary reader.<br />OK Mr Lynas is not 'qualified' but he has produced a very detailed work with a good amount of commentary based on the Earth's history. Yes, some might be hyperbole because the writer wants to get his point across. But that is not the issue...<br />This is....<br />Even if just one-quarter of what Mr Lynas asserts is true then we had better pay attention to how each of us is treating this planet and its resources. He has convinced me!! <br />One niggle I must agree with - the cover. A scorched desert bone strewn desert might have been more accurate.<br />

alphabet

This is the book to buy on teaching this subject. It is clearly written, beautifully laid out and provides self assessment exercises to work through in order to clarify what has just been read. There are more provided on the cd rom at the back of the book too. If you are teaching this subject for the first time, moving up or down years or simply want to refresh your knowledge and rekindle your enthusiasm then this is the book for you.

Excellant Illustrations!

I personally used most of the exercises to great affect. The illustrations really assist to get the exercises to pinpoint precision. It also assists in avoiding injury with the highlighted warnings. I was not after a huge book, its portable enough to fit in any sports bag to have a browse before starting a workout. The instructions are very easy to follow, a great read for all seeking to improve their workout regime.

This is the book you are looking for

I purchased this book along with the RSPB one .<br />however the Collins book was more descriptive with full coulour photo's and not drawings as the rspb's it also shows the birds in flight which helps you if you are a beginner less you might not be so quick with the binocc's<br />So well worth the pounds and five stars

Remove any Donald Rumsfeld from your life

The ex-Secretary of Defense is now most famous for his quote about knowledge. "...as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the ones we don't know we don't know."<br />.<br /><br />When I started thinking about renovating my house and building an extension I had very few known knowns. After using the Housebuilder's Bible as a guide I now have no unknown unknowns and very few known unknowns. I and know how to know those.<br /><br />So, if you're building or thinking of building and you feel an outbreak of Donald Rumsfeld is imminent; buy this book !

A very good purchase!

I have been very keen to teach my son the letters of the alphabet but wanted to do it the right way. Having visited his school he will be attending next year, they do follow the Jolly phonics scheme and therefore these books have been great along with the work books. It's given me the confidence to teach and he has enjoyed the colourful pictures and tracing with his finger the letters. We are now moving on to book three after he has managed to read and write the letters in books one and two. Being a working parent and mum to a one year old aswell we are only able to do learning for an hour on a friday so these short to the point books are great. My husband also helps by going over a book for 5 mins at bedtime before reading a short story. It certainly has been a fun way to learn.

Breath of fresh air

I found the book to be a breath of fresh air from all those other tecnically loaded , anorak wearing , train spotting text books .<br />The author certainly has a well grounded knowledge of the practical applications of testing and inspecting.

Good in Parts

This book offers perhaps the best description of what anxiety is and how it effects us that I have ever read. It is extrememly good for gathering information on anxiety then. However, it is much less good when it comes to the techniques for actually overcoming the anxiety. For example the section on Challenging Worrying Thoughts does not list enough 'cognitive distortions'. It alludes to 'Jumping to Conclusions' without explaining it properly. The section on Distraction is not completely clear either. I am glad i read it for information, but will look elsewhere for techniques for overcoming anxiety. The worksheets are also not as convenient as those in other cognitive therapy books.