Dictionary Reviews

Very few people are comfortable admiting that they don't understand something. As a teacher, I deal with this all the time. As a former Engineering Manager, I know first-hand that an engineer is usually very reluctant to admit that they don't understand what you are talking about.

As with most engineering disciplines, embedded systems designers have their own language. What we didn't have, until now, was a dictionary for the language. "Embedded Systems Dictionary" is the book that every Embedded Systems Engineer should have at their desk, even if they cover it in a plain brown wrapper.

As with any dictionary, you will not get an extensive discourse on a word or term that is puzzling you. However, you will get a really good starting point so that you can do some extensive research later. In fact, I noticed that a number of the entries also included references as well.

As I read through the book I was really impressed by the completeness of it. I was able to come up with only one term, "n-wire", that wasn't included included.

Finally, two very minor quibbles. I found a few explanations that were as arcane as the concept that they were trying to define ( see "H-infinity filter" ) and a few that were so basic ( "average" ) you have to wonder.

In summary, this is a much-needed text for a technical subject area that has more than its share of jargon. I highly recommend it.

A handy source for definitions of the words used by embedded systems designers on the job. Having served my time as an EE/hardware designer, I can confirm the technical depth is accurate. And now that I'm the manager of a team that develops firmware for real-time systems, I'm finding this dictionary helps me communicate better with my engineers.

It's helpful that this one book spans the areas of hardware and software, real-time and embedded, and project management. Since buying it I've been keeping it handy, right on my desk. I'm back on Amazon today ordering copies for the engineers on my team. The book's figures, code listings, equations, etc. should hopefully make their work easier. And we'll finally be able to communicate better about what needs to be done.

A complete set of "Encyclopaedia Britannica" provides a near perfect answer to every reference need. Its age-long tradition is synonymous with class and accuracy: a sound testimony that reflects its over two centuries in circulation.
This set of tools is something any versatile researcher would hardly do without. There is no imaginable topic that is not taken care of.
The price of this collection may be above that of a laptop, but with it, you are done: no need for extra (general) reference tool. It remains a precious resource for anyone who can afford it.

The breadth, depth, and quality of this encyclopedia are amazing. Nearly everything I want to know is somewhere in this set, and it's easy to find too. Sometimes I try to test it by looking up something I am sure that is too recent for it to cover, and usually it wins -- which makes me wonder how many things we humans reinvent because we can't collectively remember that we've done it already. The writers they get for the articles are top-notch, and make things understandable while still packing in more factual information than seems possible.

I normally use the computer for everything, but for an encyclopedia I really can't live without the printed word experience. For whatever reason, it's much harder for me to focus well enough to understand complex topics when reading them on the computer screen, and I also am less inclined to try. Having the books' physical presence makes it much more likely for me to actually use them.

Takes a look at not only common drugs, plants, and animals, yes animals, used for psychoactive experiences, but more importantly, it gives a very impressive view of obscure substances that most other 'drug encyclopedias', that cost about the same price or more, don't even mention.

This is the book to get if you want to learn more about the substances that you don't see in the news everyday, but in many cases have been used for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

It looks at the more common drugs used in society today (LSD, Ecstasy, Marijuana, etc.) but its real value is that of a gap filler in most peoples drug knowledge.

This is a good overview of most drugs used in society today as well as plants and methods that have been used in times past. From the common to the obscure, most psychoactive substances and their histories are included. It makes a welcome addition to any library.

Being a book in encyclopedia form, it only devotes a few pages to each substance. If you are looking for a detailed book about a specific drug don't get this, get a book strictly devoted to the drug you are interested in.

The Encyclopedia of American Crime is the BEST true crime book ever written. PERIOD.

This is the most comprehensive volume on American criminal history to date and, considering its scope, the most accurate. If you're looking for both accuracy and intelligence in this genre, forget the histrionic silliness of Bloodletters and Badmen and head straight for The Encyclopedia of American Crime. Also highly recommended for organized crime buffs is Sifakis' other classic, The Mafia Encyclopedia.

I have yet to be disappointed by a historical reference book from Penguin, this one is no exception. Ancient history is a subject that often requires the use of many books in concert, but the Penguin Encyclopedia provides an amazing breadth of consolidated, concise information.
I don't know what I would do without mine!

Excellent book covering all major ancient civilizations. Covers the social, political,economical and technological aspects of theses civilizations with greta richness and simplicity. Very unbiased account. Excellent for the person who wants to have a good introduction to ancient history.

Have the urge to fill your brain with tidbits and knowledge concerning the science of astrology; then one should read this book, i.e., Encyclopedia of Astrology by Nicholas De Vore. The preface written by Mr. De Vore is well written and a pleasure to read. However, there are some problems with this book that are to glaring to ignore; first there is no table of contents ( which makes the search a bit ardous) and secondly Mr. De Vore forgot to include and index ( which leaves the user feeling quite lost and at times even bewildered). On the wholde this book , i.e., Encyclopedia of Astrology by Nicholas De Vore is very usefull and I would definetely recommend it to anyone remotely interested in the art and science of astrology.

Mr. De Vore has made a science of astrology with his work. I ran across this book at a garage sale a few years ago and I was just beginning to delve into astrology at that time. Though it is out of print, I cannot urge those who are interested in astrology enough to find it somehow. Written before the 1950's and well before the term new-age was a term, this book provides facts about astrology and terms. You will not find anything biased or generalized in this book. I could not have found a better book for any price, much less a dime.

I bought the book a few years ago not knowing much about these instruments, and I must say it would be a pleasure just to read even if I should never find one, however, the above review from Helena,AR put me on a search for the instrument in the review and even though I never found the lady I can't believe the instrument I did find. Now all I need is a book that tells how to restore it. thank you helena

Just imagine having something around for years and not knowing what it is! My sister, Sadie, and I have had this "thing" in the back room of our late father's ice cream parlor for years. We knew that it was musical but not much else. With its pretty stained glass windows and mechanical bird on top, it was just too nice to junk! In 1952 we converted the ice cream parlor to living quarters. I guess we just kept everything for memory sake. As retired seniors with not much to do, we recently got "on-line" and Sadie thought it would be a good idea to see if we could find a book which would tell us what our music "thing" was. We bought the Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments. We now know we have a Style 12 Wurlitzer PianOrchestra! Thank you Amazon!

This book is an excellent reference book, providing a number of quick and easy ways to find out about a given battle. It has rarely failed me, and then in inconsequential battles which I could not find elsewhere. It has generally provided me with the information I needed in a precise and comprehensive form.
But the problem is that at the bottom of each article is a reference to the battle preceding and the battle following. I just naturally have to look them up and then the ones before and after those. Then I get distracted and read the article preceding or following the one I had sought and go off following those battles and wars. Thus I spend half and hour to two hours when I just wanted to find one bit of information. It is delightful to do so, but the book is a very effective time eater.

I ran across the first edition of this book over 25 years ago while in high school and still consider it one of my most valued references. The current edition covers the history of warfare up to 1985, and a new edition would be great, but it is still an incredible resource. Every battle of any significance from the dawn of recorded history is represented by an entry, 99 of which are accompanied by a small map. The battles are listed in alphabetical order, but the author helpfully lists the chronologically preceding and following battle of a campaign or war at the end of each entry, so that you can easily place each battle in its historical context. There are also separate entries for each war which lists all the battles for which there is an entry in the book. The individual battle descriptions are sometimes terse and lacking detail, but for the most part, the key strategic, political, and tactical issues are addressed. Summaries of losses in personnel and equipment are usually included. But don't get the impression that this is a dry, boring tome of dates and statistics! This book is a great pleasure to read. Each vignette is well-written and often includes the fascinating little tibits of humanity that make the history of man's terrible penchant for conflict such a compelling subject of study.

This book evaluates the work of a great many film artists (actors, directors, editors, etc.) and lists their every movie chronologically. I refer to my 1991 edition constantly, but we need a new edition. What are chances we'll see one?

This is the best movie guide we've found (and we're on our 3rd).You can look up information by actor. It puts Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide to shame (which is weak on information by actor). I wish the author would come out with an updated version. We'd be first in line to buy it.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LEGENDARY CREATURES REVIEW
This was a great book. It tells about monsters and the people who were afraid of them. My favorite monster was Bay-kok, a Native American story. This is a good book to read for school or just for fun. If you see a copy at a bookstore, buy it. You will love it. This is one of my favorite books. Everyone that I have shown it to has loved it too! I have liked this book since I was seven years old and have checked it out from the library five or six times in the last three years. It is a good book to read.

A great book It has iformation on both mythilogical creatures and more modern creatures such as The Loch Ness Monster. One year I checked it out from my schools libary for almost the whole year. When my time expired I checked it out again and again. My sister also liked it to. One time I was going to check it out but I couldn't someone else had it. I asked if I could be put on a waiting list for but as it turned out my sister had checked it out.