Mike Ashley The Mammoth Book of Extreme Science Fiction is a new collection that features 25 hard sci-fi stories that really push the boundaries, from names like Charles Stross, Robert Reed, Peter Hamilton, and Neal Asher. Highlights feature a perpetual war fought within a cosmic string; a machine that detects alternate worlds and creates a choice of Christs; murder in virtual reality; and a spaceship so large that there's an entire planetary system within it.

National Commission on Terrorist Attacks The result of months of intensive investigations and inquiries by a specially appointed bipartisan panel, The 9/11 Commission Report is one of the most important historical documents of the modern era. And while that fact alone makes it worth owning, it is also a chilling and valuable piece of nonfiction: a comprehensive and alarming look at one of the biggest intelligence failures in history and the events that led up to it. The commission traces the roots of al-Qaeda's strategies along with the emergence of the 19 hijackers and how they entered the United States and boarded airplanes. It details the missed opportunities of law enforcement officials to avert disaster. Using transcripts of cockpit voice recordings, the report describes events on board the planes along with the chaotic reaction on the ground from nearly every level of government. Going forward, the commission calls for a comprehensive overhaul of what it sees as a deeply flawed and disjointed intelligence-gathering operation. The creation of a post for a single National Security Director is recommended, along with the creation of a National Counterterrorism Center. The report finds fault with the approaches of both the Clinton and Bush administrations but, because they were a bipartisan panel and the problems described are so systemic and far-reaching, they stop short of assigning blame to any particular person or group. Credit must be given to how readable the report is. At more than 500 pages, the writing is clear and forceful and the information is made more accessible since it is fre from election politics and rancor. While the commission notes that future attacks are probably inevitable, a coordinated preventive effort along with a clear plan to respond with efficiency can offer Americans some hope in a post-9/11 world. —John Moe

Antony Beevor Best-selling author of Stalingrad. A comprehensive history of one of the most fiercely fought ideological wars of modern times. Now in new, updated and corrected edition.

Chris Bentley From its launch 1965, TV Century 21 (later known simply as TV 21) was the smash-hit British comic of the 1960s. Its in-house tie-in with the science-fiction puppet series created by Gerry Anderson's Century 21 Productions guaranteed success with young fans excited to read more about their TV heroes, in an era before video technology enabled viewers to relive favorite TV shows at will. Thunderbirds, Lady Penelope, Fireball XL5, Stingray, Captain Scarlet, and Joe 90 all burst forth in full color from the magazine's packed pages, in stories illustrated by such giants of the comic industry as Frank Bellamy, Don Harley, Mike Noble, Ron and Gerry Embleton, and "Cervic," the pen-name used by the team of Carlos Pino and Vicente Alcazar. This superb showcase of Anderson's most popular characters will be an essential purchase for all Anderson fans and all enthusiasts for classic British comics.

Chris Bentley Meticulous research and painstaking attention to detail have gone into these multiangle views and cutaways. Skydiver, the futuristic gull-wing cars, the SHADO interceptors, the Space Intruder Detector, and installations such as SHADO's Moonbase complex have never looked so exciting or so realistic. Nick Foreman's CGI illustrations—the first time this technique has been used in an official Gerry Anderson book—are accompanied by detailed notes on design, specification, and performance. Following in the footsteps of The Complete Book of Gerry Anderson's UFO, this book will be a must-have purchase for all true Anderson fans.

Louis De Bernieres Dionisio Vivo, a young South American lecturer in philosophy, is puzzled by the hideously mutilated corpses that keep turning up outside his front door. To his friend, Ramon, one of the few honest policemen in town, the message is all too clear: Dionisio’s letters to the press, exposing the drug barons, must stop; and although Dionisio manages to escape the hit-men sent to get him, he soon realizes that others are more vulnerable, and his love for them leads him to take a colossal revenge.

Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord is the second novel in a trilogy set in South America. It won a Commonwealth Writers Prize in 1992.

Louis De Bernieres While the economy of his small South American country collapses, President Veracruz joins his improbable populace of ex-soldiers, former guerillas, unfrocked priests and reformed – though by no means inactive – whores, in a bizarre search for sexual fulfillment.

But for Cardinal Guzman, a man tormented by his own private demons, their stupendous, hedonistic fiestas represent the epicenter of all heresies. Heresies that must be challenged with a horrifying new inquisition destined to climax in a spectacular confrontation…

The second part of a trilogy, following The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts, which won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Fiction.

Louis de Bernieres When the spoilt and haughty Dona Constanza tries to divert a river to fill her swimming pool, she starts a running battle with the locals. The skirmishes are so severe that the Government dispatches a squadron of soldiers led by the fat, brutal and stupid Figueras to deal with them.

Despite visiting plagues of laughing fits and giant cats upon the troops, the villagers know that to escape the cruel and unusual tortures planned for them, they must run. Thus they plan to head for the mountains and start a new and convivial civilization.

The War of Don Emmanuel’s Nether Parts is the first novel in a trilogy set in South America. It won a Commonwealth Writers Prize in 1991.

Patrick Bishop

Ben Bova

Bill Bryson

Vernon Coleman

Paul Crickmore During his time at the London Air Traffic Control Centre, Paul Crickmore gained a unique introduction into SR-71 operations from RAF Mildenhall. Teaming up with Osprey he produced the first detailed book ever to be published on the subject, and when additional information became available, Crickmore produced a sequel, Lockheed SR-71 The Secret Missions. The work was acclaimed by Ben Rich (late president of the Skunk Works) and the crews that flew the SR-71. He is also the author of the first detailed book about the '117 written in partnership with his wife Alison; published by Motorbooks International in 1999.

John Dibbs As much a national hero as Wellington, Nelson or Montgomery, the Supermarine Spitfire has become the most recognisable icon of World War 2 for several generations of Britons. From the throaty growl of its Rolls-Royce Merlin or Griffon, to its beautifully tapered elliptical wings, the Spitfire is a true aeronautical thoroughbred. Regarded by many as the saviour of the Sceptred Isle 'in its darkest hour', the Spitfire is without a doubt the most famous combat aircraft the world has ever seen. The year 2000 celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire’s ‘finest hour’. This lavishly illustrated volume makes a stunning pictorial tribute to the airworthy survivors of today.

Jamie Doran On April 12, 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the first human in history to leave the Earth's atmosphere and venture into space. This biography is based on material from sensitive KGB files and restricted documents from the Russian space authorities. It includes a number of interviews.

Paul DuBois If you use UNIX, you probably use csh to type commands even if you've never heard of it. It's the standard shell (command line) on most UNIX systems. tcsh is an enhanced version that's freely available and highly recommended. Using csh & tcsh describes from the beginning how to use these shells interactively. More important, it shows how to get your work done faster with less typing. This book shows you how to make your prompt tell you where you are (no more pwd); use what you've typed before (history); type long command lines with very few keystrokes (command and filename completion); remind yourself of filenames when in the middle of typing a command; edit a botched command instead of retyping it; as well as how to let the computer correct command spelling for you. This book does not cover programming or script writing in csh or tcsh because the tasks are better done with a different shell, such as sh (the Bourne shell) or a language like Perl.

Melanie Fennell This is a guide which is full of real-life examples, intended for people who suffer from low self-esteeem and for those who help them: their friends, families, psychologists, counsellors and doctors. It aims to help you understand how you came to think badly of yourself and change your negative view for one that is more positive and self-accepting. It uses cognitive, behavioural therapy, a treatment of proven effectiveness, in a simple and logical programme for change.

Charles (Anthony Minghella screenplay) Frazier

Guy Gibson First published in 1944, Enemy Coast Ahead combines Gibson s RAF career, including the famous Dambuster raid which he himself led, with the inside story of life in Bomber Command and is still a riveting read for the immediacy and vibrancy of its writing. Now, for the first time in paperback, Crecy Publishing has published Gibson s original manuscript which was archived for almost 60 years. This uncut edition provides not only details of Gibson s career, but also reveals his true view of the course of the war, of the wartime population, of his pilots and crews and of Bomber Command tactics. Combined with photographs and diagrams Enemy Coast Ahead Uncensored remains one of the outstanding accounts of WWII seen through the eyes of one of its most respected and controversial personalities, but now allows the reader to know Gibson s own story in his own words.

H.R. Giger

Peter T. Gill

Ben Goldacre

Jennie Gray Now available in paperback.

When she was very young, the author was captivated by the story her father, Joe Mack, repeatedly told her about his astonishing rescue from a crashed and burning Lancaster one night in 1943. As an adult she decided to find out what happened to his aircraft and the countless others returning from operations that same dreadful night...She writes from the heart, honestly and at times lyrically and her thorough research uncovers the harsh realities of warfare, the failure of procedures and, worst of all, her father's shocking secret.

Roger Lancelyn Green

Mark Haddon The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a murder mystery novel like no other. The detective, and narrator, is Christopher Boone. Christopher is fifteen and has Asperger's, a form of autism. He knows a very great deal about maths and very little about human beings. He loves lists, patterns and the truth. He hates the colours yellow and brown and being touched. He has never gone further than the end of the road on his own, but when he finds a neighbour's dog murdered he sets out on a terrifying journey which will turn his whole world upside down.

Sir Stanley Hooker Stanley Hooker joined the Bristol Aeroplane Company in 1949 and tugged a rather reluctant company into the jet age, determined to give real competition to Rolls-Royce. So successful was he that in 1966 Rolls-Royce decided the best thing to do was to spend 63.6 million pounds and buy its rival. By this time there was scarcely a single modern British aero-engine for which Hooker had not been responsible.

Matthew Johnstone

Helen Kennerley

Jack Kerouac "On the Road" swings to the rhythms of 1950s underground America, jazz, sex, generosity, chill dawns and drugs, with Sal Paradise and his hero Dean Moriarty, traveller and mystic, the living epitome of Beat. Now recognized as a modern classic, its American Dream is nearer that of Walt Whitman than Scott Fitzgerald, and it goes racing towards the sunset with unforgettable exuberance, poignancy and autobiographical passion.

Tracy Kidder The computer revolution brought with it new methods of getting work done—just look at today's news for reports of hard-driven, highly-motivated young software and online commerce developers who sacrifice evenings and weekends to meet impossible deadlines. Tracy Kidder got a preview of this world in the late 1970s when he observed the engineers of Data General design and build a new 32-bit minicomputer in just one year. His thoughtful, prescient book, The Soul of a New Machine, tells stories of 35-year-old "veteran" engineers hiring recent college graduates and encouraging them to work harder and faster on complex and difficult projects, exploiting the youngsters' ignorance of normal scheduling processes while engendering a new kind of work ethic.

These days, we are used to the "total commitment" philosophy of managing technical creation, but Kidder was surprised and even a little alarmed at the obsessions and compulsions he found. From in-house political struggles to workers being permitted to tease management to marathon 24-hour work sessions, The Soul of a New Machine explores concepts that already seem familiar, even old-hat, less than 20 years later. Kidder plainly admires his subjects; while he admits to hopeless confusion about their work, he finds their dedication heroic. The reader wonders, though, what will become of it all, now and in the future. —Rob Lightner

John Laffin

Henning Mankell If you remember with pleasure those dark and gloomy Martin Beck mysteries by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo, you'll be glad to plunge into the first of Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallender mysteries to appear in English. Wallender's personal life can occasionally seem more depressing than even a provincial Swedish detective should be asked to bear, but his investigative skills are strictly first rate. And Mankell's story of the brutal murder of an elderly farm couple uncovers an unusual aspect of life in modern Sweden—a streak of fear and prejudice against the many newcomers from Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe who have sought asylum there.

Henning Mankell Not too long ago, Henning Mankell was a well-kept secret, but his latest book, Firewall, will be received by readers worldwide with much fanfare, which is as it should be; Mankell is something special. Some of the initial resistance to Mankell's work might be understandable; like one of the greatest of all filmmakers, Ingmar Bergman, Mankell is from a country noted for Nordic gloom and the lazy-minded are not always prepared to go beyond stereotypes. Their loss: like his cinematic compatriot (Mankell is in fact married to Bergman's daughter), this is an artist of rare achievement.

Firewall continues Mankell's unvarnished portraits of modern life, in which society and all its institutions (not least the family) are on the edge. Here, his long-term protagonist, Inspector Kurt Wallander, moves into new area of crime: cyberspace. Various deaths have occurred: the user of a cash machine, a taxi driver killed by two young girls. The country is plunged into blackout by an electricity failure, and a grim find is made at a power station. What's the connection? Wallander finds himself on the trail of cyber terrorists with shady anarchic aims. But can his own malfunctioning team of coppers pull together to help catch them—or is there a fifth columnist in the police? Plotting here is impeccable, although Firewall may not be a prime entry point for those new to Mankell. But Wallander (here worried about his diabetes and failure to lose weight) is one of the great literary coppers: enthusiasts need not hesitate. —Barry Forshaw

Henning Mankell "The Swedish summer-time is too beautiful and too brief for something like this to happen." A young girl commits self-immolation, a former government minister is killed with an axe and scalped; these are the two brutal facts that confront Inspector Kurt Wallander as he prepares for his holiday. As the Swedish midsummer approaches there is no escaping from the darkness of society.

Sidetracked, the fifth of Henning Mankell's acclaimed Kurt Wallander mysteries, and the second to be translated into English, is an engrossing police procedural. The hard-boiled Kurt Wallander has softened slightly since he was first introduced in Faceless Killers, the first title in the series. He drinks less, has more functional relationships and has developed a faith in his investigative team. Despite this, it is his other qualities as a character, his philosophical angst and his intuitive pursuit of hunches, which drive this novel as Wallander struggles to discover the leads that will trap the killer.

Mankell manages to squeeze in serious comments on the state of Swedish society. The over-stretched police force, child prostitution and the corruption of high politics, all come under the scrutiny of Wallander's wearied gaze as he struggles to come to terms with the new violence of his society. This is a dark novel peppered with genuinely nasty violence, but it is Wallander's struggle to uncover the truth and face his own demons that provide the real thrills. —Iain Robinson

Henning Mankell

Henning Mankell

Henning Mankell A series of men who seem to have nothing in common are brutally killed—one is impaled, another starved and then strangled. We know more than the police—we know that the killer is a woman and we gradually understand some of her motivation; her much wronged mother was murdered almost by chance in a North African country—but we don't know who she is, or, for a while at least, her motives and principles of selection of her victims. Inspector Wallender finds himself investigating the case—two missing person enquiries that turn into a murder hunt—and finds himself endlessly confused by red herrings and side issues; a set of leads concerning mercenaries in the Congo of the 1960s turn out to have little to do with the case and Wallender has to waste considerable time suppressing an attempt by the far Right to turn the murders into a reason to set up vigilante justice.The Fifth Woman is a stylish police procedural which lets us see not only the leg work of investigation but also the diligence which makes effective murder possible—the killer Wallender is trying to catch is at least as good at her job of murder as he is at his of prevention. —Roz Kaveney

Henning Mankell

Henning Mankell When you spend a lot of time enthusiastically recommending a favourite writer to people unfamiliar with him, it's easy to acquire that cosy feeling that you're one of the initiated, spreading the word to those who aren't. For many, that used to be the case with Henning Mankell; crime aficionados who had discovered the Swedish master could hardly wait to extol the virtues of his wonderfully written novels — and Mankell’s taciturn copper, Kurt Wallander. But the days when Mankell and his creation were known to just a privileged few are long over. There has already been an acclaimed television series made for the Scandinavian territories, and a major new English-speaking series beckons (starring Kenneth Branagh); even more fame is guaranteed for the writer and his detective.

So the time is probably right for The Pyramid, even though those of us who enjoyed putting out the word about Mankell will have to relinquish their proselytising role. Wallander first appeared in Faceless in 1991, when he was a senior police officer just out of his 30s and with his private life in chaos. The stories here describe his early years: the events, the people and the crimes that forged the man we first met in Faceless. We encounter Wallander as a beat cop attempting to crack a murder in his spare time; we follow him in his tentative first steps with Mona, the woman he has decided to marry (his wife, of course, had left him by the time of the events in that first book), and we are shown why his relationship with his father is quite so fractious. The elements that make the full length Wallander novels so successful are all here in microcosm: a cool, dispassionate treatment of crime, the understated evocation of the Scandinavian locales; and (best of all) the puzzling, fascinating character of the tenacious cop at the centre of the narrative.

Mankell fans may prefer the full-length novels (and not every piece here is vintage Mankell), but they will feel the need to catch up with the insights provided by these striking stories. —Barry Forshaw

Andy McNab Seven Troop is Andy McNab’s account of the time he served in the company of a remarkable group of men — from the day, freshly-badged as a member of the SAS Regiment, he joined them in the Malayan jungle, to the day, ten years later, that he handed in his sand-coloured beret and started a new life.

David Morgan David Morgan reveals what it is really like to be a jet fighter pilot in this vivid memoir from the Falklands War.

Cameron Newham O'Reilly's bestselling book on Linux's bash shell is at it again. Now that Linux is an established player both as a server and on the desktop "Learning the bash Shell" has been updated and refreshed to account for all the latest changes. Indeed, this third edition serves as the most valuable guide yet to the bash shell.

As any good programmer knows, the first thing users of the Linux operating system come face to face with is the shell the UNIX term for a user interface to the system. In other words, it's what lets you communicate with the computer via the keyboard and display. Mastering the bash shell might sound fairly simple but it isn't. In truth, there are many complexities that need careful explanation, which is just what "Learning the bash Shell" provides.

If you are new to shell programming, the book provides an excellent introduction, covering everything from the most basic to the most advanced features. And if you've been writing shell scripts for years, it offers a great way to find out what the new shell offers. "Learning the bash Shell" is also full of practical examples of shell commands and programs that will make everyday use of Linux that much easier. With this book, programmers will learn:

How to install bash as your login shell

The basics of interactive shell use, including UNIX file and directory structures, standard I/O, and background jobs

Command line editing, history substitution, and key bindings

How to customize your shell environment without programming

The nuts and bolts of basic shell programming, flow control structures, command-line options and typed variables

Process handling, from job control to processes, coroutines andsubshells

Debugging techniques, such as trace and verbose modes

Techniques for implementing system-wide shell customization and features related to system security

E.A. Parr

Jack W. Peters The official guide to the hot new sport that combines high tech with treasure hunting. Thanks to the Internet and the global positioning system (GPS), you can now join in the hunt. But what if you don't know a waypoint from a benchmark?

With The Complete Idiots Guide to Geocaching you won't get lost on the trail. With expert tips, over 302 pages, from the founders and operators of the most popular geocaching website you will learn how to participate in this gaming adventure.
,br>In this Complete Idiot's Guide, you get:
Information on how to create your own online geocaching profile;
Advise on purchasing and operating a GPS unit - or using a map and compass - to locate caches;
Tips on how to geocache in populated or remote areas without appearing suspicious to residents and authorities.

Written by the Editors and Staff of Geocaching.com and Jack Peters

Lindsay Porter Filled with everything restorers are looking for including Mini history, buying information, specs, bodywork, mechanics, interiors, electrics, mods, tools, color schemes, clubs and more. Clear, step-by-step photographs and instructions make this the book for renovating your bodywork and interiors, giving new life to mechanical and electrical components, plus improved performance and appearance. Covers all models including Mini Cooper. Strongly recommended. For those who love Minis, or are thinking about buying.

Peter Prinz, Ulla Kirch-Prinz Concise and easy to use, this handy guide to C is a must-have quick reference for any C programmer. It's the only C reference that fits in your pocket and is an excellent companion to O'Reilly's other C books. Ideal as an introduction for beginners and a quick reference for advanced programmers, the C Pocket Reference consists of two parts: a compact description of the C language and a thematically structured reference to the standard library. The representation of the language is based on the ANSI standard and includes extensions introduced in 1999. An index is included to help you quickly find the information you need. This small book covers the following:C language fundamentalsData typesExpressions and operatorsC statementsDeclarationsFunctionsPreprocessor directivesThe standard libraryWhen you've reached a sticking point in your work and need to get to a solution quickly, the new C Pocket Reference is the book you'll want to have.

Alastair Reynolds Alastair Reynolds's first novel is "hard" SF on an epic scale, crammed with technological marvels and immensities. Its events take place over a relatively short period, but have roots a billion years old—when the Dawn War ravaged our galaxy.

Sylveste is the only man ever to return alive and sane from a Shroud, an enclave in space protected by awesome gravity-warping defenses: "a folding a billion times less severe should have required more energy than was stored in the entire rest-mass of the galaxy." Now an intuition he doesn't understand makes him explore the dead world Resurgam, whose birdlike natives long ago tripped some booby trap that made their own sun erupt in a deadly flare.

Meanwhile, the vast, decaying lightship Nostalgia for Infinity is coming for Sylveste, whose dead father (in AI simulation) could perhaps help the Captain, frozen near absolute zero yet still suffering monstrous transformation by nanotech plague. Most of Infinity's tiny crew have hidden agendas—Khouri the reluctant contract assassin believes she must kill Sylveste to save humanity—and there are two bodiless stowaways, one no longer human and one never human. Shocking truths emerge from bluff, betrayal, and ingenious lies.

The trail leads to a neutron star where an orbiting alien construct has defenses to challenge the Infinity's planet-wrecking superweapons.

At the heart of this artifact, the final revelations detonate—most satisfyingly. Dense with information and incident, this longish novel has no surplus fat and seems almost too short. A sparkling SF debut. —David Langford, Amazon.co.uk

Alastair Reynolds Late in the twenty-sixth century, the human race accidentally triggers the Inhibitors. Fifty years later, these alien killing machines-designed to detect intelligent life and destroy it-are fast approaching.

The only hope for humanity lies in the recovery of a secret cache of doomsday weapons-and a renegade named Clavain is determined to find them. But other factions want the weapons for their own devices.

And the weapons themselves have another agenda altogether...

Alastair Reynolds Set in the Revelation Space universe-the first short story collection by "one of SF's best and most ambitious novelists." (SFX)

With eight short stories and novellas- including three original to this collection- Galactic North imparts the centuries-spanning events that have produced the dark and turbulent world of Revelation Space.

Centuries from now, the basic right to expand human intelligence-beyond its natural limits-has become a war-worthy cause for the Demarchists and Conjoiners. Only vast lighthugger starships bind these squabbling colonies together, manned by the panicky and paranoid Ultras. And the hyperpigs just try to keep their heads down.

The rich get richer. And everyone tries not to think about the worrying number of extinct alien civilizations turning up on the outer reaches of settled space...because who's to say that humanity won't be next?

Alastair Reynolds Tanner Mirabel was a security specialist who never made a mistake - until the day a woman in his care was blown away by Argent Reivich, a vengeful young postmortal. Tanner's pursuit of Reivich takes him across light-years of space to Chasm City, the domed human settlement on the otherwise inhospitable planet of Yellowstone. But Chasm City is not what it was. The one-time high-tech utopia has become a Gothic nightmare: a nanotechnological virus has corrupted the city's inhabitants as thoroughly as it has the buildings and machines. Before the chase is done, Tanner will have to confront truths which reach back centuries, towards deep space and an atrocity history barely remembers.

Neil C. Schofield In Commodity Derivatives: Markets and Applications, Neil Schofield provides a complete and accessible reference for anyone working in, or studying commodity markets and their associated derivatives. Dealing primarily with over the counter structures, the book provides extensive coverage of both hard and soft commodities, including gold, crude oil, electricity, plastics, emissions and agriculturals.

Using structures unique to the individual market, each chapter includes an explanation of the commodity and an analysis of its physical market, discussion on the typical patterns of demand and supply and the main factors that will influence the price of the commodity, and the main products.

Each chapter focuses on how the products could be used along the physical supply chain and seeks to identify the main market risks and how they can be hedged. The book then brings into perspective how the structuring banks hedge their own resultant exposure and examines the attraction of OTC investment structures for the wholesale market.

Commodity Derivatives: Markets and Applications is essential reading for those wishing to learn about the main features of the commodity markets, the mechanics of derivatives, and how they are applied.

Andrew Simms

David Simon This 1992 Edgar Award winner for best fact crime is nothing short of a classic. David Simon, a police reporter for the Baltimore Sun, spent the year 1988 with three homicide squads, accompanying them through all the grim and grisly moments of their work—from first telephone call to final piece of paperwork. The picture that emerges through a masterful accumulation of details is that homicide detectives are a rare breed who seem to thrive on coffee, cigarettes, and persistence, through an endlessly exhausting parade of murder scenes. As the Washington Post writes, "We seem to have an insatiable appetite for police stories.... David Simon's entry is far and away the best, the most readable, the most reliable and relentless of them all.... An eye for the scenes of slaughter and pursuit and an ear for the cadences of cop talk, both business and banter, lend Simon's account the fascination that truth often has."

Herb Sutter Aimed at the experienced C++ programmer, Herb Sutter's Exceptional C++ tests the reader's knowledge of advanced C++ language features and idioms with several dozen programming puzzles and explanations. This book can definitely help raise your C++ class design skills to the next level.

Based on the author's Guru of the Week Web column, this book poses a series of challenging questions on the inner workings of C++, centering around generic programming with the Standard Template Library (STL), exception handling, memory management, and class design. Even if you think you know C++ well, most of these problems will teach you something more about the language and how to write more robust classes that are "exception safe" (meaning they don't throw any handled exceptions or leak resources). Don't think this is just "language lawyering," though. The author's explanations stress sound programming principles (favoring simplicity) and idioms (such as the Pimpl idiom for class design that promotes faster compile times and better maintainability, or using "smart" auto_ptrs with STL.) Judging from the range and depth of these examples, Sutter's command of the inner workings of C++ is impressive, and he does an excellent job of conveying this expertise without jargon or a lot of theory.

After reading this book, C++ designers will learn several "best practices" of how to write robust, efficient classes that are "exception safe." Chances are you'll gain a better understanding of memory management techniques and working with STL too. For the experienced developer seeking leading-edge knowledge of some of the best ways to use C++, Exceptional C++ is both a challenging and truly worthwhile source of information. —Richard Dragan

Topics covered: Advanced C++ programming tutorial, generic programming, tips for string classes, containers and STL, temporary objects, exception-safe code tutorial, virtual functions, class inheritance, the Pimpl idiom, namespaces, memory management, C++ memory areas, overloading new and delete, using smart pointer with auto_ptr, using const, casts, and hints for better performance and code maintainability.

N. G. Taylor When Action Man first landed on our shores in 1966 he instantly captured the imaginations of British children. N.G. Taylor's startlingly lifelike photography recreates the authentic Action Man experience, with lifelike settings and those 'action poses' that we can all remember. Every detail is described fully in this authoritative text, making it invaluable for collectors and more than justifying Action Man's claim to be the best equipped, most realistic model fighting man the world's ever seen. N.G. Taylor is an avid collector of Action Man after seeing a Blue Peter preview of the first 'action soldier' in 1966. He has been perfecting his technique of photographing the figures since1990.

Collins UK The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet is the latest diet sensation from Australia. It is based around a controlled high protein diet. This Gem looks at this diet and other high protein diets and provides lots of guidance and information on how to make such diets work for you. High protein diets can be an extremely effective way of losing weight, as many dieters have found—a kilo a week can be shed without too much trouble. Now the theory has been modified so that you can eat fruit and wholegrains, and don't have to exist on bacon, eggs, steak, and full-fat cheese. The new high-protein diets incorporate low-fat protein in an all-round balanced diet, which suppresses hunger and keeps blood sugar levels steady. There's a checklist of tips to help you spot at a glance whether a diet is healthy or not. The introduction will include some general advice on following high-protein diets, providing guidance on the essential nutrients you need to make sure to include, especially B vitamins and fiber. Choose how much weight you want to lose and decide which type of high-protein diet will suit your lifestyle and commitments. Learn how to keep the weight off long-term. For each diet, there is an explanation of the basic principles, a list of foods you can eat and foods you should avoid, some sample menu choices, and an analysis of how healthy and how effective the diet would be for different types of dieter. The diets covered include: CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet, The South Beach Diet, Charles Clark's New High-Protein Diet, The Zone, and Rose Elliot's Low-Carb Vegetarian Diet. The listings form an important part of the book, providing nutritional information for around 2,000 fresh, non-packaged foods, and advice on shopping choices to make within each category. High-protein menu plans and recipes and advice on eating out on a high protein diet provide further practical guidance, while a selection of useful websites enable you to take the subject further.

Karim Yaghmour Building Embedded Linux Systems shows you how to design and build your own embedded systems using Linux® as the kernel and freely available open source tools as the framework. Written by an active member of the open source community, the book is structured to gradually introduce readers to the intricacies of embedded Linux, with detailed information and examples in each chapter that culminate in describing how Linux is actually put on an embedded device. It covers such topics as system components, an overview of the kernel architecture, debugging, device driver development and system initialization. Details are provided for various chips and other hardware, along with useful tools for monitoring and debugging. Sure to become the authoritative guide to the subject, Building Embedded Linux Systems is the only book that provides everything developers need for understand how and why embedded Linux systems are built they way they are.