Beyond the Mine: A Steelworker's Story

Book Description

Advance Praise for Behind the Burqa

"Whenever and wherever adults make war, children die and women are subjected to fear and humiliation. This is true of Afghanistan too. Read this harrowing book. The tragic yet heroic tale of two women is told with great simplicity. They will haunt you."
-Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

"The stories of Sulima and Hala achingly articulate the twin and enduring legacies of misogyny and violence. A critical historical document, Behind the Burqa ultimately reveals the unbreakable strength of Afghan women."
-Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues
Founder and Artistic Director, V-Day

"Behind the Burqa provides important information about conditions in Afghanistan, as well as the plight of asylum-seekers in the United States. I highly recommend this book to all people who are concerned about human rights, both at home and abroad."
-Senator Sam Brownback, (R. Kansas)
ranking member, Immigration Subcommittee, Committee on the Judiciary

"This book is a gripping reading experience, and it also offers important suggestions for those who would like to participate in making our asylum politics more humane."
-Eleanor Acer, Director, Asylum Program, Lawyers Committee for Human Rights

"This book shows the injustices suffered by innocent women seeking asylum in the U. S. and the power of religious faith to provide hope and courage even in prison."
-Fauziya Kassindja, author of Do They Hear You When You Cry

"Sulima and Hala epitomize the worldwide struggle of women for equality and justice. Their story is gripping and illuminating."
-Jessica Neuwirth, President of Equality Now

Customer Reviews:

Enlightening and educational.......2007-07-30

Two sisters with two related stories - the book is not difficult to read, and the stories are eye-opening. Reminds me how thankful I am to have been born and raised in a free society, able to go where I want whenever I want, get an education, have a career (or not ... but I at least have the opportunity).

I can't believe someone considered Sulima to be "pampered" ... I did not get that impression. Yes, abuse of women also happens here in the US, so some of her experiences are not unique in that sense - but the pressure from her family to stay with her abusive husband was reflective of the culture and was clearly not good for Sulima. I just think of her technical talent and skill that was not allowed to grow to full potential - society's loss in the long run... how many other women are also derailed like that.

Hala's story shows how truly oppressive to women life under the Taliban was, something I did not realize at the time.

I am glad that both women were able to leave Afganistan, and I hope they are thriving in the US. I only hope the situation for women in Afganistan and in other similar cultures improves instead of worsening in the future.

A glimpse into two horrific lives.......2005-10-04

I read a negative review on here, that I was unhappy to see. This book focuses on "Salima" and "Hala" two Afghani sisters, both opressed by different wars and regimes at different times in Afghanistan. They are 16 years apart. Reading that Salima had a "pampered life" in one of the reviews was quite disturbing to me. Considering that she fought for women's rights underground in a country that supressed them, that she was house bound and beat by an abusive father, Locked into her room and then threatened with guns by her brother, I would hardly call this a "pampered life". She continued to risk for the women she served. Later the book focuses on her horribly physical abusive relationship with her husband. This is also part of the culture, where it is considered "okay" to beat a woman. Her heroism and story was amazing.
Hala, 16 years younger suffered a completely different type of abuse, under the mujaheedin and then the rule of the Taliban. After being beat and her life threatened she had to flee and claim political assylum in the United States. This book was so heart felt and thought provoking, that for two nights I have stayed up until 4 in the morning reading. I say it is a "must read".

psychologically astute and culturally enlightening.......2005-07-20

I disagree with the last reviewer. I feel that when I read BEHIND THE BURQA, I got an amazing glimpse into Afghan culture. The story went well beyond the individual circumstances of the two sisters but encompassed an entire timeline of Afghan history since the 1950s and also a great deal about Afghan society, practices, customs and beliefs. Hala's story was even more shocking because she was oppressed in our own country! I am sad that the last reviewer didn't understand the true meaning of the book, and its real message. I highly recommend this book as both a great read (lots of others have said this and I totally agree) and as an important educational experience.

I can't understand how this book got such excellent ratings.......2005-07-17

I can't understand how this book got such excellent ratings as presented under the guise of Taliban oppression. The older sister, Sulima, was extremely pampered and spoiled by her bizarre father. She seems to have lacked for anything she wanted. Her story is really one about becoming an abused wife. Her unhappy story doesn't relate to her culture as much as her particular circumstances. Abuse of this sort is present within every culture. It is a story about misery, just as all abuse stories are. Her sister, Hala, younger by 20 years has relayed a bit more interesting story, but it takes up less than one third of the book. She touches on the upheavals that led to the ultimate Taliban rule as seen from her exceedingly narrow point of view. Neither of the sisters seems very politically astute. Apparently they lack the erudition to give them a real worldview. Needless to say I was disappointed since I was looking for a book on Afghani culture from a more objective viewpoint. The only thing I gave it stars for is Hala's story of her experiences in detention centers after coming into the US under asylum. After 9/11 we need to be careful about who we let into our country, but I was surprised that detainees were treated like prisoners. After reading "Mayada, Daughter of Iraq", I am sorry to say that Hala's experiences as a prisoner in the US are almost laughable

sulima and hala will amaze you with their stories!!!.......2005-01-01

this is an absolute must read for anyone who is interested in human rights, womens rights, humanity, suppression, faith, courage, and biographies. this book applies to anyone and everyone as we are all human beings and many of us do not know the oppression and suffering of many people outside our own little world. the book is divided in two. the first half is sulimas story, the second half is halas story and both will have you reading straight through without pause. through all the horrific experiences they have been through, in the end they find some peace after long lives of suffering and oppression, whether at the hands of family, society, or culture. a wonderful example of how to keep pushing and not give up. i abolutely recommend this to all who will be appalled at what these two ladies have gone through. this book will make you want to take action, and has recommmendations at the back for ways of doing so.

Papa Bear : The Life and Legacy of George Halas

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Pretty good book...
Papa Bear's Legacy, Then & Now
Is it accurate?
Just a marvelous biography
King of the Grizzlies

Papa Bear : The Life and Legacy of George Halas
Jeff Davis
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0071422064

Book Description

The first truly comprehensive biography on George Halas, the father of professional football

The founder of the National Football League and father of the Chicago Bears, George Halas single-handedly changed the way Americans spend their Sundays. Papa Bear tells the incredible story of how one man grabbed an outlaw game by the throat, shook it up, and made it into the richest and most popular spectator sport on the planet.

Nearly 20 years after his death, Halas remains one of the towering figures of professional sports--rivaling the legendary Vince Lombardi--yet there has never been an authoritative biography published about this great American success story. At last, Papa Bear fills that gap. Written with unprecedented access to Halas's family, his closest friends, and associates, this thoroughly researched account includes exclusive interviews and a treasure trove of never-published archival materials on the Hall of Famer and his enduring legacy.

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The first truly comprehensive biography on George Halas, the father of professional football, tells the incredible story of how one man grabbed an outlaw game by the throat, shook it up, and made it into the richest and most popular spectator sport on the planet. This thoroughly researched account includes exclusive interviews and a treasure trove of never-published archival materials on the Hall of Famer and his enduring legacy.

Customer Reviews:

Pretty good book..........2007-02-21

...though it's a bit long at 512 pages (excluding notes, index, etc).

The book does read pretty quickly. Not any particular chapter that I enjoyed the most. Sid Luckman was George's favorite. Interesting insights on the way the author describes George Allen, Mugs (George, Jr.), the rest of the Halas clan, and many of his ex-players including Geo Blanda, Bobby Layne, Rich Casares, et al. Definitely worth your time to read the book. When I visited Chicago, I passed by the old Soldier Field several times, but never took the time to visit it which is uncharacteristic of me. Wished not I had taken the time, as the place was reportedly to be very antiquated.

Papa Bear's Legacy, Then & Now.......2007-01-02

George S. Halas was, depending on who wrote the piece that you're reading, either the cheapest, back-stabbingest skinflint who ever threw nickels around like manhole covers, or a visionary who had the foresight to see what the NFL could become and ran his family business and associations (read: NFL) to the top of the sporting world heap. You can find both sides in this book, which is a reason that it ranks as high as it does.

To understand the man, the book starts out with his parents, from the old country, Bohemia. As new immigrants, they worked in ways that we don't seem to do any more, like thrift, saving for something better, hard work at odd jobs to get that extra change. This is how George Halas operatered because he was "programmed" to do this at a young age. Subsequently, when he owned the Bears, that was how he operated his business. He saw the possibilities of growth of his team and the NFL through the media. He saw the wealth could be generated, mainly in terms of the league as a whole. He was determined to make his franchise the best, and that meant applying those principles that he learned when young (i.e., thrift). But he could also be extremely generous with his money, especially in family/business tragedies like Brian Piccolo, Willie Galimore and others. His line of succession, to take over the Bears, was also something learned from The Old Country, and thrown into pandimonium when his only son died and his son was estranged from Halas. Therefore, it fell to the McCaskeys to carry on the Halas-nurtured Bears into the 21st century, something G.S. Halas would conceivably be turning over in his grave about.

The book does no favors at all concerning the McCaskeys; they are depicted as rather ignorant of most things concerning football and especially about the Bears, and greedy, controlling the Bears only for the money and prestige. The accuracy of this, since it was laid on so thickly by the author, makes you wonder if it is really true, but the record and gaffes committed by the Bears over the last 20 years tend to bear the author's characterization out. "Papa Bear" is a good, absorbing book for the history of the Chicago Bears and how the league got to where it is today, and hits much closer to the heart, mind and soul of George Halas and how he lived that many other biographies and autobiographies that one may find.

Is it accurate?.......2005-02-05

As a Bears season ticket holder and lifelong fan who attended the same grade school (St. Emily's in Mt. Prospect, IL) as the McCaskey children and grew up their neighborhood, I was really looking forward to reading this book. Then, right on page 3 it says the McCaskeys lived in Arlington Heights when they actually lived in Des Plaines, and I am left wondering how many other inaccuracies this book contains. It seems very anti McCaskey.

Just a marvelous biography.......2005-01-31

Pros: Everything you should know about Papa Bear (including everything the McCaskeys have spent years trying to hide from you)
Cons: None

I think it's safe to say we've finally seen the
definitive literary work on George Halas. It did take
more than two decades after his death for it to be
published, but that's fitting. To truly grasp
everything about the man and his legacy, you need to
have lived through it and it's aftermath. Finally,
one of us who has experienced it all first hand has put
it out in the open for all to see. It's the most
captivating sports book I've read in years, easily.

King of the Grizzlies.......2005-01-06

This is one of two books which I have read recently, the other being Let Me Tell You a Story: A Lifetime in the Game, John Feinstein's account of his close association with Arnold ("Red") Auerbach. Both Halas and Auerbach were obviously great coaches but also outstanding CEOs, each building a successful and profitable franchise while playing a key role in a multi-billion dollar professional organization. In this instance, the National Football League. Born and raised in Chicago, I was especially interested in what seems to be the definitive biography of Halas, the longtime owner and coach of that city's NFL team, Duh Bears. It must have taken someone with both his most attractive qualities (e.g. vision, generosity, perseverance, self-confidence) and his most unattractive qualities (e.g. duplicity, arrogance, stubbornness, and -- at times -- paranoia) to accomplish what he did...which was indeed a great deal.

For example, Halas played as a right fielder with the New York Yankees until replaced...by Babe Ruth. He then concentrated on a career in football, playing for as well as coaching the Decatur (IL) Staleys which he organized in 1920. It was one of the 11 original teams in the American Professional Football Association, of which Halas was a co-founder and its driving force. The APFA became the National Football League in 1922. Thirty-five (35) franchises folded during its first ten seasons. It was also in 1922 that Halas relocated his team to Chicago and re-named it the Bears. From 1920 until 1929, he was a coach/player and then concentrated entirely on coaching during three periods (1933-42, 1946-55, and 1958-68), during which the Bears won seven NFL championships and Halas was credited with a then league-record of 325 wins. Only Don Shula has won more.

With all due respect to his achievements as a coach, Halas deserves much (if not most) of the credit for keeping professional football alive. At least until the emergence of television, baseball really was the national pastime and college football was much more popular (and credible) than was the NFL and the All-American Football Conference which challenged it after World War Two. It is debatable when all this changed. Many cite the the Baltimore Colts victory in overtime against the New York Giants in the NFL championship game (December 28, 1958), others Pete Rozelle's leadership as commissioner (1960-1989 and especially during his first years in that office), and still others a program which CBS televised in 1960 as part of its Twentieth Century series, "The Violent World of Sam Huff." Having personally observed the NFL's exceptional growth throughout the 1950s and 1960s, my own opinion is that there were many factors which certainly include these three. Point is, there would have been no NFL as we now know it without the contributions which George Halas made.

That said, there are many (including several who played for Halas) who would agree with then Chicago Daily News columnist Mike Royko that Halas was "a tight-fisted, stubborn, willful, mean old man...[adding that] there isn't a famous Chicagoan in or out of jail who generates such intense dislike." Unlike Arnold ("Red") Auerbach who frequently claimed that he could forgive but never forget a perceived grievance, Halas often seems incapable of either. Davis examines this in several of Halas' relationships with various assistant coaches and players as well as with several owners. However, it is most evident in his relationship with son-in-law Michael McCaskey who married daughter Virginia. Near death, as Halas considered who would next head the franchise, he sighed "Anybody but Michael." That deathbed wish would be denied.

Davis cites numerous examples of Halas' generosity, notably the fact that he paid for nearly all of the immense medical expenses during Brian Piccolo's losing battle with cancer. In the Foreword, Gale Sayers observes, "I love George Halas. When I talk about George Halas on speaking tours, I always say that. I thought that way about him. He made me a better person. He made a young man a better man just by talking to him, offering his advice. I always listened to him. I will always remember him. I appreciate him." Many others share their own fond memories as well appreciation of Halas' often concealed kindnesses.

Davis's research seems exhaustive. He conducted hundreds of in-depth interviews with those who were most closely associated with Halas, including many with whom Halas had serious, at times rancorous disagreements (e.g. Dick Butkus) This is probably the definitive biography of the Old Man but it also offers a wealth of information about the process by which professional football evolved to its current place in American society. As Davis asserts and I agree, no one played a more prominent role during that process than did Papa Bear.

Halas by Halas: The Autobiography of George Halas

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Halas by Halas: The Autobiography of George Halas
George Stanley Halas
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Papa Bear : The Life and Legacy of George Halas

ASIN: 0070255490

Average customer rating:

Halas By Halas, the Autobiography of George Halas
George Halas
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0000EDY4E

Average customer rating:

A Must Read for Pro Football Fans
PAPA BEAR AT HIS FINEST
Halas, A football Classic

Halas: An Autobiography
George Halas
Manufacturer: Bonus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Papa Bear : The Life and Legacy of George Halas

ASIN: 0933893221

Customer Reviews:

A Must Read for Pro Football Fans.......2003-10-05

This is kind of an update of the 1979 autobiography Halas by Halas. This is undoubtedly a MUST READ for any professional football fan. It is an absolutely fascinating look at the founding of professional football and its history up to 1986.

We get to hear first hand what it is like to play against Jim Thorpe by somebody who was actually there! We also get a first hand account of how the game was played, how the NFL was formed, and how it progressed.

Highly recommended.

PAPA BEAR AT HIS FINEST.......2002-10-13

I THINK THIS IS A REALLY GOOD BOOK. MR. HALAS DISCUSSES THE EARLY DAYS OF PRO FOOTBALL. HIS HAND IN HELPING FORM THE LEAGUE IS EXTREMELY INTERESTING. HIS RETELLING OF RED GRANGE AND JIM THORPE IS EXCELLENT. HE TOUCHES ON MANY DIFFERENT ERAS AND FACETS OF PRO FOOTBALL. THE HISTORY OF THE CHICAGO BEARS IS WELL TOLD BY PAPA BEAR. ONE OF THE FINER POINTS IS THE INTRODUCTION OF TELEVISION AND IT'S EFFECT ON THE GAME MAKE THIS BOOK A WINNER.
VERY RECOMMENDED.

Halas, A football Classic.......2001-12-09

Have you ever wondered how professional football and the NFL got started? Turn to this book for your answers. Find out how the oldest team in professional football got started and where the Chicago Bear traditions got started. Find out what that "G.S.H." stands for on the side of those Navy and Orange jerseys. Even find out how those jerseys became Navy and Orange. This book is something everybody who is a fan of football or more especially, the Bears should definitely read. Only drawback is that Halas carries on a little too far about explaining his favorite games. A must read for any NFL fan though.

Average customer rating:

Hala and Me
Susan Bitensky Lerner
Manufacturer: Sands Point Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0975285319

Average customer rating:

Halas By Halas: The Autobiography of George Halas
George w/ Gwen Morgan & Arthur Veysey Halas
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NQIM3S

Book Description

Today, the achievements of the great Victorian explorer and linguist Sir Richard Burton (1821-1890) may be more widely acknowledged than they were in his own time. The centennial of his death was marked in England and America with exhibits, conferences, and book-length studies of his life and work.
In this volume, eight leading scholars and book collectors present a remarkable composite picture of Burton's legacy: his adventures as an explorer of unknown lands and little-known cultures; his achievements as a geographer and translator; the mysteries of his relations with other explorers and of his personal life. The illustrations represent rare items in Burton's own library and the collections of Edwards H. Metcalf and Quentin Keynes.

Book Description

This book examines how groups of young male fans come to be defined and identified as football hooligans' and challenges the assumption that violence is wholly central to the match-day experience for these supporters. Rather, the creation of identity is at the root of hooliganism, with all the cultural values and rituals, codes of honour and shame, and communal patterns of behaviour and consumption that accompany it. The author locates hooliganism historically within the milieu of an industrial working class culture and examines ideas of performance and ritual encompassed in idealized masculinity.The book is based on a decade's in-depth study of the Blades', a group of football fans supporting Sheffield United, who are notorious for their hooliganism. It contributes to the debate on football hooliganism by challenging many traditionally-held notions of hooliganism and by providing the first anthropological study of football violence.The book also debunks the myth that violence between football fans is organized by generals' operating within hierarchically structured groups. Falsehoods such as this, it is argued, are advanced to augment the powers of the police and media in redefining and controlling particular groups of individuals whose behaviour does not fit easily within increasingly constrictive codes of social conduct.This book represents essential reading not only for undergraduates of social anthropology, sociology and criminology but also for the general reader with an interest in football culture.

Customer Reviews:

Blades Vs. Pigs Sheffeild's Inter-City rivalries revealed.......2003-06-10

I cannot beleive the amount of literature thats been written about Football hoolies these days. The thing that makes this one stand out the most is that it is written from a sociological perspective, rather than from the horse's mouth. it really is a good read nevertheless!
Of course there are better works!
If you can't find any hoolie books on the US site, try amazon.co.uk-if you don't mind the cost of shipping...

Outstanding Popular Anthropology.......1999-04-29

This outstanding ethnographic study of one particular group of football hooligans--the "Blades" who follow Sheffield United--challenges and dismisses many of the popular conceptions about hooliganism. Based on the author's 15 or so years of following Sheffield United and hanging out with those he is examining, the book is a fairly academic one, brimming with sociology jargon and theory (none of it too distracting or demanding for the lay reader). A few key themes emerge: (1) The Blades are not organized in any way, they are a self-selected amorphous group with members coming and going of their own accord, and being involved at a self-decided level (ranging from "core" to "peripheral." (2) There are no leaders who organize Blade hooligan activity. Buses to away games may be organized, and some "Top Lads" may yell suggestions in the heat of a situation, but no one bears--or wants--a leadership mantle. (3) There is no element of racism, about 10% of the Blades are black. Blades involved with the National Front or British National Party are peripherals who are derided for their views. (4) The media generally get the facts all wrong (either from laziness or police misinformation) or intentionally distort the facts about hooligan incidents, oftentimes mislabeling non-football related episodes as hooligan events. Also, the police are generally effective in limiting hooligan on hooligan violence, but often wrongfully arrest Blades and manufacture charges. This is hardly surprising, but the frequency outlined in the study is somewhat disconcerting. (5) The level of violence as measured by actual punches, injuries (minor and major) is exceedingly minimal and is self-restrained by various unspoken "rules" and "norms" within the ritual of behavior. Most all violence occurs away from the match, either before or after or en route, and is never targeted at non-hooligans. This is a key theme, and an important one, considering the popular perception of what hooligan violence involves. The overall impression that emerges is that the effects of hooliganism are totally overhyped by media, police, and public for their own aims. The caveat is that this study was limited to one group in one city. One suspects that a similarly rigorous and long-running study of, say, Chelsea, or West Ham, would find a much more disturbing set of lads and incidents. For participant accounts, see "Capital Punishment: London's Violent Football Following" by Dougie and Eddy Brimson and for an excellent work of fiction see "The Football Factory" by John King.

the best in the world of hooliganism.......1999-03-26

It explain the birth of the infamous hooligans. It a good book, bacause it has a good description of what the hooligans are doing to the sport.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Entry Into Serious Poker.......2004-08-18

Silberstang is a great writer. He's written novels and other gambling books. All are cogent, well crafted texts that smoothly transport the reader through interesting subjects. Winning Poker for the Serious Player is no exception, as the author presents the four standard casino games of Texas Hold Em, 7-Card Stud, Omaha8 and Stud8.

Silberstang's strength is in taking the home game player into the world of casino poker with a careful, clear and powerful writing style. The ideas he presents are surely presented in other texts -- often with more detail -- but never with the simplicity and clarity of this text. His is a common sense approach to winning, that couples powerful winning concepts with an accessible text.

On a personal note, this was my first poker manual. It, more than any of the many other poker books I've read since, helped turn me from a losing casino player into a winning casino player. In that regard it tranformed me from bad to good. That jump was surely more significant than the subsequent jump from good to great. For that journey, other texts may be more useful

not very good.......2003-05-05

This book takes a lot of pages to say very little. Also, he assumes that you are familiar with a lot of poker lingo that he doesn't define (some of them I still don't know). There is a small glossary in the back, but most of the terms he uses are not in there. The book also lacks an index.

Probably the biggest drawback is that mostly he gives specific examples than general guidelines. For instance, if you have Ace-Ace-ten, here's what you do. These examples will rarely occur, and he needs to give general principles instead.

How about "Basic Poker for the Complete Novice".......2003-01-21

This book has very limited utility. Much of the 220 pages of information could probably be summarized in about 5 pages. I could only recommend this book to a complete novice who is too cheap to spring for one of the $2X books.

Much of the book describes what to do when a particular set of cards are on the board in a heads up situation. While Silberstang's advice in these situations may be correct the book is terrible at explaining why a particular situation is good, bad, or middle of the road. It would seem that stictly following the advice would make you prone to be dupped by more sophisticated players. Without any indepth discussion of position, pot odds, varing your play, etc. you will only be someone performing the 'correct' moves, not knowing if the situation really calls for that play. Therefore, this book should be called 'Basic Poker for the Complete Novice". It is hardly for 'serious' poker players, and most likely not 'The ultimate money-making guide' as espoused on it's cover.

If you buy this book, be ready to quickly move up to one of the more indepth books, such as Sklansky or Brunson. Good luck, unless I'm at your table ;).

Worst poker book I've ever read........2002-01-15

Title says most of this. I learned VERY little from Silberstang. I'm on my third read.

Silberstang has a habit of showing examples without showing IDEAS. He says "If I had this hand, and that fell, I'd do this." Well, that settles that. But I'd like to learn a few concepts, to go with my facts.

I mostly play low-limit games, where the tables are loose. YMMV, but I found Silberstang useless and poorly written.

Fantastic book........2001-05-23

I have been playing poker for a long time, or so I thought until I read this book. In his very clear writing style, Edwin Silberstang has opened my eyes to the way I SHOULD be playing. I recently returned from a trip to Las Vegas, and I put the practices Silberstang explains in this book into practice, and I took third place in a Hold-em tourney at the Orleans, and won around 300 bucks at the Flamingo (in a 1-5 stud game). This book is wonderful, and I recommend it to anyone who is ready to get serious about poker.

Amazon.com

Web designers loved Eric Meyer on CSS, which proved that a book could be both technically competent (it explained Cascading Style Sheets clearly) and aesthetically astute (printed in color, the book showed off Meyer's work brilliantly). More Eric Meyer on CSS picks up where the original book ended, going into detail on a score of important Web-design tasks. As he did with his first book, Meyer has had this one laid out in a broad-page format, with many illustrations, and printed in full color. The net effect is that readers see the design effects of the CSS tweaks under discussion, and there's no need to imagine (or load code) to see how colors and shadings look when rendered in a browser. Appealingly, this book is oriented around typical design projects (such as annual financial reports, weblogs, and personal homepages) and widely used design features (including menus and index tabs). This structure ensures the utility of Meyer's book--you can just turn to the chapter that deals with whatever you're trying to build, and see what the author did in a similar situation. Each section involves far more prose than code; Meyer is very careful to spend more time explaining what he's doing than he spends actually doing it, and the reader is never overwhelmed by giant CSS listings. Numerous screen shots intersperse the code and commentary, allowing you to see the intermediate results of style sheets in progress and adapt Meyer's beginnings in order to achieve different ends.--David Wall

Book Description

Ready to commit to using more CSS on your sites? If you are a hands-on
learner who has been toying with CSS and want to experiment with real-world
projects that will enable you to see how CSS can help resolve design issues,
this book is written just for you! CSS master Eric A. Meyer has picked up
where Eric Meyer on CSS: Mastering the Language of Web Design left off. He
has compiled 10 new, highly useful projects designed to encourage you to
incorporate CSS into your sites and take advantage of the design
flexibility, increased accessibility, decreased page weight, and cool visual
effects CSS offers.

Each project is laid out in an easy-to-follow, full color format complete
with notes, warnings, and sidebars to help you learn through example rather
than theory. Some of the concepts covered include:

• Converting an HTML-based design to a pure positioning layout
• Styling a photo gallery
• Using background images to achieve cross-browser translucency effects
• Using lists of links to create tabs and drop down menus without the use of
JavaScript
• Styling weblog entries, and placing them in a full-page design
• Creating a design for the CSS Zen Garden

Customer Reviews:

Another great one by Eric Meyer.......2006-03-12

The CSS guru himself Eric Meyer has another book that continues this CSS projects (Eric Meyer on CSS). This book is there same basic format where he goes through step-by-step with 10 web projects and shows the reader how to use CSS to improve a non-CSS page.

From the first project which converts a non-CSS site to use CSS in improving its design, accessibility, search-engine optimization, readability and efficiency. Eric really explains in detail exactly why and how CSS can improve an existing site.

There are so many possibilities to use CSS; Eric has created some great projects to show you how. From creating a photo-album, to displaying spreadsheet like data, to background positioning and creating some cool CSS menus.

This is a great book for anyone who wants to learn more about CSS and apply to "real-world" cases that you can use right away. Out of these 10 projects, I found at least half of them useful right out of the box to apply to my site. The rest I will use as a reference for when I add more content.

This way to teaching the reader I find allot more valuable because it includes things that are used in everyday web design, not just theory and what-ifs like other books.

It is easy to find exactly what you are looking for within each chapter and can be used by any skill level because that first project starts from the ground up in teaching the user how to use CSS efficiently and correctly.

You can purchase this first book or this book; it doesn't matter because they both contain great CSS projects that can teach you CSS for any situation.

A great addition to your CSS library...

Very Good CSS-By-Example Book.......2005-10-25

There are a couple of ways to learn something new. One is to follow the traditional pedagogical formula of systematic unfolding of a discipline. The other main way is to watch someone perform the task and learn the lessons along the way. This second approach is the one Mr. Myer uses in this CSS book.

For me, the "sliding windows" technique (based on a pre-existing trick which Eric Myer properly credits and improves upon) in which you learn how to make list-based, auto-sizing buttons using a single image was worth the price of the book alone. I'm using those buttons in my latest web project, and they're fast and nice looking. The great thing is that once you get the CSS set up and the image wherever you want it, simply adding a list element will generate the new button.

The other conversion projects were very good. I really enjoyed the photo gallery chapter. I've used a variant of that theme in my own gallery project with very positive results.

Eric Myer hates tables. Some of the efforts he goes to to avoid tables seem more work (pulling tricks out of hats to ensure cross-browser compatibility) than just surrendering and using the damned table once in awhile. That's where he and I part company. I'm not such a CSS purist that I can avoid, for practical purposes, the ease of the occasional, shameful table.

Worst book ever!.......2005-09-15

I can't believe I am actually using the title "Worst book ever." It sounds juvenille, but I can't think of any other thing to say.

I am an experienced HTML designer. I do it for a living. I have been using HTML for many years, and I even taught HTML at a local 4-yr college. I use some CSS in all my projects in a separate file. I have also read hundreds of technical books from design to programming languages to networking to...you name it, so learning from books is nothing new to me.

Ok...now about this book.

Perhaps the author's intention was not to provide a reference manual or an in-depth tome of CSS terminology. I get that. However, if he intends for people to learn by following his examples, the book could not be worse.

I could hardly get through the first chapter. There were several errors (the very first project...he tells you to open the wrong file), and he just does things with very little description. I followed along typing everything exactly, and the pages still didn't look like the ones he was referencing. Absolutely no time is given to explaining the values and properties he is using (although he says the book is for experienced HTML users with SOME exposure to CSS). You are just supposed to take an HTML page and rebuild it in CSS. When you're done, you're supposed to magically understand what you did.

The book was incredibly difficult to follow along with. It is disjointed. It references figures that don't seem to correlate with what the author is doing. I found it easier just to take the completed project and go through the code myself and compare it to how the page looked. I also brought the finished files into Dreamweaver for a visual look, and I changed the CSS values to see what it did to the page. As a result, I came to the conclusion that it is easier to learn CSS by just getting some pages and playing around with them.

This book is NOT a learning tool. I checked it out of the library, and the 50 cent fine I was charged for returning it late was too much to pay for this book. There HAS to be better books out there to learn CSS, and if you want an in-depth and/or technical understanding of CSS...this book is not for you.

Maybe his other books were better...I don't know. I would love for anyone who gave this book a high rating to help me understand why?

Brilliant author? Hardly... too full of himself.......2005-08-17

This guy is not a good writer of how to books. Why isn't he? Because you cannot LEARN from him. I teach people how to build websites as a sideline volunteer project. Furthermore I teach people all over the world... different cultures, different languages, different time zones. How can I do that? The same way that Eric COULD have written his book... by explaining things in easy to understand verbiage, with 'try it' lessons (like w3schools does). If you want people thinking you are 'brilliant', fine, but if you want people to LEARN from you, better step off that spotlighted pedestal and provide what is needed. Brilliance burns out. Common sense, step by step guidance and mentoring, ah!, now THAT lasts, but Eric doesn't have that to give his audience, but obviously he doesn't have anyone guiding and mentoring him either... and that's what he needs.... a good content editor. tsk tsk to his publisher for not providing one. (Also, a good indexer is required for any how to book, and that is also missing here.) Perhaps Eric will mature into a good writer of how to books, but somehow I think he won't... unless his publisher helps him with what he needs. Any good publishing house would, and they would layout the books better too. What IS the world coming too! Alas, I have reached the 'tsk tsk' age. But then, there is so much to tsk tsk about. sigh.

Pushing the envelope.......2005-07-29

Eric Meyer is pushing the envelope again. This book is interesting for those who wish to look ahead, and standards continue to develop because people like Eric Meyer do these kinds of things. However, if you are looking for a practical guide to making your own site, this is not the book for you.

Quite a few of the tricks and techniques expounded here do not work on the majority of browsers, and very little account of backward compatibility is evident. That is not a criticism of the book, which does what it set out to do in quite an extraordinary and admirable way. Be aware, though, that this book is not for the budding web author wanting to learn something about making pages that work today for the majority of visitors. Better is Eric Meyer's first book in this series, and better still is Eric Meyer's "Cascading Styling Sheets: The Definitive Guide" from O'Reilly.

More Eric Meyer on CSS.: An article from: Technical Communication

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More Eric Meyer on CSS.: An article from: Technical Communication
Scott DeLoach
Manufacturer: Society for Technical Communication
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Technical Communication, published by Society for Technical Communication on May 1, 2005. The length of the article is 935 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: More Eric Meyer on CSS.
Author: Scott DeLoach
Publication: Technical Communication (Refereed)
Date: May 1, 2005
Publisher: Society for Technical Communication
Volume: 52 Issue: 2 Page: 244(2)

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