Bentley Reviews

Although this 92-page book was written before PRINCE version 2 was released in 1996 the material applies to the current version without modification.

Mr. Bentley, who has written extensively about PRINCE, starts this book with a quick overview of PRINCE. If you are familiar with PRINCE 2 you can safely skip this chapter. However, if your interest is project management configuration management processes and procedures and you are not familiar with PRINCE then I strongly recommend that you go through this chapter to see how CM fits within a mature and well-defined project management methodology. The PRINCE project management components described in this chapter are also necessary to understanding the larger context.

Chapter 2 is a brief overview of configuration management, benefits and costs. The next ten chapters systematically cover roles and activities associated with PRINCE in particular and project management CM in general. The sequence is: configuration librarian's role, configuration management plan, identification conventions, configuration item attributes, product issue and submission procedures, baselines, change control, building a release package, project documentation and status accounting and auditing. In short, all of the key elements of a configuration management program.

The final chapter stands out because it provides two configuration management methods that can be directly applied to the PRINCE 2 methodology (or any project management approach for that matter). For the PRINCE 2 practitioner this chapter is particularly valuable because it can be easily mapped to the PRINCE 2 processes. For other practitioners, such as Project Management Professionals (the U.S. certified counterpart to PRINCE 2 certified practitioners), this chapter provides a clear roadmap to incorporating configuration and change management into a project.

Another valuable part of this book is the appendix, which provides a comprehensive set of example forms that can be used. The forms provided are: product submission request, status change request, filing log index, issue log, issue report, off-specification log, off-specification report, request for change form and request for change log.

This book is the most comprehensive treatment of project configuration and change management available. Although it's out of print I strongly recommend that any serious project manager, especially one who works within the PRINCE 2 framework, make the effort to obtain a copy. The information directly applies to PRINCE, through version 2, and will also fill some of the gaps on project configuration and change management in the Project Management Institute's Project Management Body of Knowledge.

If you have ever seen a ballet by George Balanchine, then you are familiar with the name Karinska. In the foreward to this magnificently produced book, the great Balanchine is quoted as saying to the Ford Foundation that what he needed most for his work was "Karinska." Truth or overstatement, it is an obvious tribute to the woman who designed the costumes for more than 75 ballets by one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century.

The author, Toni Bentley was not only a dancer with Balanchine's New York City Ballet, she also wrote the best book on ballet I've ever read: WINTER SEASON, A DANCER'S JOURNAL.

In COSTUMES BY KARINSKA Bentley traces Barbara Karinska's life and work in Russia and then, after becoming one of the numerous emigrees to the West, in Paris, Monte Carlo, London, Hollywood and, finally, Manhattan in 1949. Karinska worked with many other famous creative people in her long and varied career including Agnes De Mille, Jerome Robbins, Franco Zeffirelli and George Cukor to name just a few.

This oversized book contains scores of wonderful photographs and sketches in color and in black and white including, to me, the most interesting part of the book: descriptions of how Karinska took "raw" sketches by artists such as Noguchi, Dali, Chagall, etc. and, literally, turned them into costumes.

Bentley writes gracefully and wittily and, most importantly, she doesn't only write for dance professionals.

Treat yourself to this relatively expensive but very much worthwhile history of costume in the last century and the personal and professional life of the woman who "dressed" so many major stars from Gypsy Rose Lee to Laurence Olivier. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I found this little gem quite by accident at one of those remainders book sales and on a whim I turned to a page. And then I turned to another and then another...I was at a loss for words, what had I found? Something wonderful. The haunting imagery and her ability to sculpt tone and feeling will resonate with you for a long time. Seek this out and find it. You will not be disappointed. This little book is bigger than it looks.

I could not put this book down. I live just outside of Houston and the history of the city included along with the history of this crime was just incredible. This is one of those bizzare stories that pretty much defies description, but amazingly enough, it's all true! I have actually met Leslie Perez in passing, and the author has really captured her (and her mother) here. Entertaining (and scary) for everyone but those from Houston will especially appreciate it!

Now in an updated and expanded fourth edition, Directory Of Family Associations is a complete and reliable research resource for amateur and professional genealogists alike. Contact, website, and other basic information on approximately 6,000 family associations across the United States (ranging from the Archibald Clan Clearinghouse to the Zwigart Association of America), make the Directory Of Family Associations an excellent first step for consultation references when searching for the history behind a family name.

Genetic Design / Optimization is an exciting field. The increasing power of desktop computers are opening up applications in design optimization that heretofore were difficult to solve or optimize.

As a registered professional engineer, I feel comfortable stamping designs derived via evolutionary computation since they must satisfy the physics of the problem in order to be feasible.

I found this book prepares both the practitioner and researcher for this field. The book comes with a CD that contains many web addresses and source code to various application programs which is very valuable resource and time saver.

This is an excellent resource in Genetic Algorithms and Design. I recommend this book highly.

Vicci Bentley has written a thorough, informative book on the effects of aging and the many ways to ease the aging process. She begins by decribing the basic changes that your body undergoes at ages thirty, forty, and fifty. She continues by illustating tequniques in make-up, excercise, massage, and over all physical matinance that will serve to help the reader maintain a youthful, healthy apperance. In addition, she offers tips to smooth celulite and calm stress (avoiding wrinkles). The pictures she utilizes are very helpful in illustrating the techniques for facials, massages, manicures, etc. For anyone considering surgical proceedures such as facelifts, tucks, dermabrasion, injections, or lasering, I highly recomend this book. Vicci Bentley weighs the pros and cons in a way that makes it easy to make an informed decision.

This book has EVERYTHING!! There are addresses for places I hadn't even thought of!!!! It gave me great ideas!!! I highly recommend this book!!!! Get it now for future references!!!! Jennifer Johnso

If you're interested in theatre in the 1920s and '30s, this book is a must-read. It brings the era to life. Hallie Flanagan was a pivotal figure -- as a director and above all as an experimenter with theatrical forms -- and knew many of the most important people of her age. The book is readable, lively and accurate.

This is a set of books (3 parts). The writing is clear, logical and easy to understand but brings your knowledge level to a much higher level. The author writes not to impress the reader with his background or research but to teach the reader about the subject. Concepts, which I have read about in other books but did not really understand yet, are now clear. I altered my experimental setup and I now have a better system. I purchased vol 3 (basically thermocouples), read it, then purchased and read parts 1 and 2.