The Trouble Begins: A Box of Unfortunate Events, Books 1-3 (The Bad Beginning; The Reptile Room; The Wide Window)

Amazon.com

Fans of Lemony Snicket and newcomers to his gleefully ghastly Series of Unfortunate Events will be elated to discover this boxed gift set of the first three books in hardcover: The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, and The Wide Window. While it's true that the events that unfold in Snicket's novels are bleak, and things never turn out as you'd hope, these delightful, funny, linguistically playful books are reminiscent of Roald Dahl, Charles Dickens, and Edward Gorey. After they get their paws on this boxed set, there is no question that young readers will want to read the continuing unlucky adventures of the three Baudelaire orphans. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson

Book Description

The first Series of Unfortunate Events gift/box-set of this New York Times best-selling series.

The set includes The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, and The Wide Window.

Customer Reviews:

A Warning.......2007-07-26

If you are thinking of reading this review, first be forewarned that it contains very little happiness in it at all. Inside the pages of the books that this review reviews, you will find such terrible things as orphaned children, a greedy villain out to steal a fortune, an incompetent banker (the word 'incompetent' here means, 'unable to protect or even remotely assist the Baudelaire orphans in their attempts to avoid the evil Count Olaf'), a murdered relative, a harmless Incredibly Deadly Viper, the reappearance of a villain, a widowed, phobia-ridden aunt (phobia-ridden here meaning, 'an aunt too afraid to touch the doorknob, use the oven, or be near realtors'), a library devoted entirely to grammar, a house that teeters on its foundations, and leeches. Clearly, if you had any sense at all, you would not wish to read about such things.

If you do, however, chance to pick a volume up, be sure to drop it as quick as you can, kick dirt over it so no one else can find it, and run in the opposite direction. Because if you do pick it up you will find, to your horror and misery, that the tales recorded within are most definitely unsuited to such a person as you. Tales of a fortune-stealing man named Count Olaf out to get a trio of clever and incredibly unlucky children are not, I am sure, the sort of thing you would enjoy. So I recommend that you purchase another book, perhaps a volume by Lenoy M. Setnick entitled THE PONY PARTY, the first of his series called THE LUCKIEST KIDS IN THE WORLD!, which can be found by purchasing Mr. Snicket's unauthorized autobiography in hardcover and turning the dust jacket inside out.

A very good day to you.

Rating: Very Good

great seller.......2007-01-23

thank you so much

excellent quality and good condition

thanks

The Trouble Begins, Books 1-3 by Lemony Snicket.......2007-01-19

Our grandkids really enjoy Lemony Snicket. Our granddaughter doesn't read yet, but our grandson loved the books.

Major let down........2007-01-07

I bought these books (actually the first three box sets) on the recommendation of a friend. But I messed up, this was not what she said. I muddled through each of the 9 books because I will not give up and feel it would be a waste of my money to throw them away. But truly, I would have rather spent my time getting a root canal, or being anally probed by aliens. These books are horrible! He warns you, but you figure it's in jest and there will be a point, or an upside to them. There's not. The movie however, is entertaining. Go figure. Check them out from the library if you're really that curious, but don't waste your money.

The Trouble Begins.......2006-09-11

The Trouble Begins contains the first 3 books in the Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events books.

#1 - The Bad Beginning
#2 - The Reptile Room
#3 - The Wide Window

In the Series of Unfortunate Events isn't a happily ever after kind of story. There are three regular children:

Violet, who loves to invent
Klaus, who loves to read
and Sunny who loves to bite

Violet is the oldest, Claus the middle child, Sunny is the youngest.

The book "The Bad Beginning" is the basis for the first part of the movie. The story begins when the Baudelaire children are informed by Mr. Poe, a banking accountant, that their parents have just been killed by a mysterious fire, and thus begins a series of search for a suitable guardian and a safe place to live. The siblings closest member to their parents is supposedly Count Olaf, only he's not nice. He's exactly the opposite and he plans to steal the immense fortune left by the Baudelaire parents.

In The Bad Beginning, things, well, begin badly for the three Baudelaire orphans. And sadly, events only worsen in The Reptile Room. As the siblings move in with their new guardian Professor Montgomery, they find he is a reptile scientist. In a room with many different reptiles, there's a newly discovered reptile that he called a deadly, dangerous snake. But it's not really dangerous at all. Later Montes get a new assistant and it is Count Olaf in disguise. Of course something terrible happens to Uncle Morty after that and Count Olaf again tries to kidnap the children.

In the Wide Window, Mr. Poe places the children with a distant relative, Aunt Josephine. Aunt Josephiine lives in a house on the edge of a hill, a house that is very literally above Lake Lachrymose, a lake infested with Lachrymose Leeches who would eat a human if they smelled food on them.

Aunt Josephine is as eccentric as other relatives have been. She's a total grammar freak and so scared of every thing that the children have to live in a cold house and eat cold food because their aunt is afraid of accidents with fire. When Aunt Josephine meets Captain Sham who (who is Count Olaf in disguise), good fortune turns bad. Aunt Josephine dies and the apparent cause of death is jumping through the wide window in the living room, leaving the three children to Captain Sham (who is Count Olaf in disguise).

As the orphans try to figure out a way to escape from Count Olaf, they discover their aunt is still alive and in hiding. So they set out to find her and convince her to come back. This eventually leads them out onto the dreadful Lake Lachrymose where Count Olaf and the dreaded leaches catch up with them.

Though overall being sparse on detail and description, the books are fun reads.

The Trouble Begins, Movie Tie-in Edition: A Box of Unfortunate Events, Books 1-3 (The Bad Beginning; The Reptile Room; The Wide Window)

Average customer rating:

They say that unfortunate events happen in threes
From Bad to Worse: The Story of the Baudelaire Orphans

The Trouble Begins, Movie Tie-in Edition: A Box of Unfortunate Events, Books 1-3 (The Bad Beginning; The Reptile Room; The Wide Window)
Lemony Snicket
Manufacturer: HarperKidsEntertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Humorous | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Popular Culture | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0060757736
Release Date: 2004-10-26

Customer Reviews:

They say that unfortunate events happen in threes .......2007-10-20

Looks as if they are correct. This is a great three-book starter set for the series. Lemony Snicket has made a great series of books for those people that can't stand everything being sweetness and light. In the process we learn many lessons in life from grammar to etiquette. Similar to Rocky and Bullwinkle there is something for everyone at any age.

It would be wise to buy this three book set as you will be hooked on the story from the beginning and have all three books finished before you have a chance to buy the forth.
Coming in a case allows you to set the books up on the shelf without needing any supporting books or book ends.

I will not go through the contents of the books, as you will get a better idea of what you are purchasing from the individual reviews. However the books included in this set are "The Bad Beginning," "The Reptile Room," and "The Wide Window." Be sure to look for my individual reviews of each book. In each you will se the pattern that makes this series popular and maybe learn a little something on the side.

From Bad to Worse: The Story of the Baudelaire Orphans.......2006-04-07

When I first started reading this series of books I was set back a little because these stories are not written in the style of typical children's books. These stories are dark, and the evil characters are truly evil. A number of reviewers have panned this series because they are dark, and because they often push the boundaries of what some of us may find acceptable for children to read. It is because of the dark imagery that I have typically recommended that age 9 be a minimum age. Some children may be unprepared for these books until later.

In the first three books in this series we learn that the three Baudelaire children, Sunny, the baby, Klaus, her brother, and Violet, a young teen, have lost their parents in a terrible fire. The children are sent to live with their evil uncle Olaf, who has ulterior motives yet to be revealed in later books. The children quickly learn how evil he is, and ultimately escape. They next go to live with their uncle Montgomery Montgomery in "The Reptile Room," only to be forced to move on again. In "The Wide Window" the children live with an aunt who is afraid of everything, only to ultimately be forced to move on again, continually chased by the evil Count Olaf in a variety of disguises.

Book 11 in this series is soon to come out, and the original plan was for there to be 12 books. These books are like potato chips. Once you start one and find it intriguing, you will want to keep reading. If you do not like the first book, plan to stop with the first.

This series is highly creative and many children 9 and older find them enjoyable. My children read them as teens and loved them. They did think they were different and unusual, and since they could not explain why I read them myself. They are different and unusual, but they also introduce children to situations that have occurred to children in the real world. These books provide a good way to introduce scary subjects.

Book Description

This book analyses situations in which individual agents, who might be different from each other, interact and produce behaviour on the aggregate level which does not correspond to that of the average actor. This leads to aggregate outcomes which would be impossible to explain in a more standard approach. Aggregation generates structure and, as a result, interaction and heterogeneity can be handled and we no longer have to rely on the over-simplified reduction of the behaviour of the economy to that of a "rational" individual.

Average customer rating:

Funniest true book on love in the known universe

If nothing else ...

A hilarious look at the eternal search for love

Merrill Markoe's Guide to Love
Merrill Markoe
Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Love, Sex & Marriage | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Love & Romance | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Marriage | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
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It's My F---ing Birthday: A Novel

What the Dogs Have Taught Me: And Other Amazing Things I've Learned

The Psycho Ex Game: A Novel

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ASIN: 0871137062

Amazon.com

Merrill Markoe did the world a favor when she wrote her Guide to Love, providing insight on important issues such as "How to Turn a Man Into Putty in Your Hands" and under what conditions one wears horse hairs clipped to one's pubic curls. Covering pheromones to flirting, and with the inside dirt on a men's seduction course and a women's seminar on blow-jobs, Markoe exposes, as it were, the market that's sprung up to help the lovelorn.

Book Description

When Merril Markoe looked back on her decidedly checkered romantic past, she decided, in the name of women everywhere, to set out on a quest for the holy grail of true love. The result is Merrill Markoe's Guide to Love, which goes boldly where no book has ever dared -- from a hands-on oral-sex class to a consultation with LaToya Jackson's psychic. Markoe discloses the "Secrets of Seduction" -- who knew that oven mitts can make intercourse more fun? -- and visits a "love channeler" who delivers advice from his alter-ego Shontee, who lives 250,000 years in the future. Having scaled a mountain of Hallmark poetry and "breast enhancers," Markoe has proven herself a guerrilla in the struggle for love. Coming in comic aid to women in distress everywhere, Merrill Markoe's Guide to Love is a brazen and brilliantly funny take on love and sex in the self-help world of the nineties.

Customer Reviews:

Funniest true book on love in the known universe.......2004-07-27

I always wondered what was going on in all those classes that claim teach love technique and ways to attract the opposite sex. In this book Merrill Markoe attends a bunch of them and draws a hilarious portrait of the people who attend, as well as the so called lesson plans. Merrill Markoe makes me laugh. SHe has such a great eye for detail and along the way there are some theoretically useful tips. Read this book and you don't have to buy the next ten new books on this subject.

If nothing else ..........2003-12-04

this book will definitely entertain you. Buy a used copy and read it when you have absolutely nothing to do and then sell it back on amazon.com market place realizing that you could have made a better use of your time reading some other book.

A hilarious look at the eternal search for love.......2002-02-20

The always-witty Merrill Markoe tells it like it is in her search through the quagmire of love in the modern world. She attends a seminar on giving the ultimate fellatio; she sees a psychic, joins a dating club...all in search of the answers..., but getting to that conclusion is one of the wittiest, most sarcastic journeys you will ever take.

Average customer rating:

Review posted originally on my web site by dub poet Michael St. George

Dub Fire Essay

Required Reading!

A true insider's perspective

reggae music

Dubwise: Reasoning from the Reggae Underground
Klive Walker
Manufacturer: Insomniac Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
History & Criticism | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Reggae | Musical Genres | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Dub: Soundscapes and Shattered Songs in Jamaican Reggae (Music Culture)

This Is Reggae Music: The Story of Jamaica's Music

The Rough Guide to Reggae 3 (Rough Guide Music Guides) (Rough Guide Music Guides)

Wake the Town and Tell the People: Dancehall Culture in Jamaica

People Funny Boy: The Genius of Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Revised Edition

ASIN: 1894663969

Book Description

Klive Walker looks at the global impact of the Caribbean diaspora and takes a new look at the careers of international icons like Bob Marley in the wider context of Caribbean culture.

Customer Reviews:

Review posted originally on my web site by dub poet Michael St. George.......2006-11-04

The first word in the title of Klive Walker's first book "Dubwise" would immediately grab the attention of hard-core roots reggae lovers across the globe. "Reasoning from the Reggae Underground", the second half of the title signifies dialogue from a place of the unknown, mystique and where the outlaws often dwell. Some of the individuals, incidences and accounts in this luminous piece of work speak to the above.

The book is a series of essays by Jamaican writer Klive Walker who currently makes Toronto, Canada his home. The preface written by Herbie Miller, who once managed the great Peter Tosh and the legendary Skatalites, sets the table for a diverse musical diasporic journey. Herbie's preface along with Walker's introduction serves up the first offering, referencing Jamaica's musical landscape prior to Jazz popularity on the island.

As the book progresses the writer describes his initial encounter with the music as a pre-teen at house parties in London, England.
As you read, one gets the feeling of a traveler, packed, boarded and seated in first class, geared for a musical expedition from the UK to JA, to the USA, the Caribbean, Canada and stirring the Euro vibes with an insider's perspective. By the second chapter you have landed on the tarmac of Dub, soon to hit those of Dance hall, Jazz, Dub poetry, Rock Steady, Hip Hop, Reggae and Diasporic Reggae on a variety of plains. Then you discover the pilot-writer is also a poet in flight with fantastic navigational skills.

In Dubwise, Walker puts forward a series of fresh perspectives on the culture. Unlike other writings on reggae, Klive did not merely deal with Robert Nesta Marley's significance in Reggae's history. He articulated Bob's influence in the streams of pop music culture but more importantly attends to those who influenced Bob and the field of competent Jamaica stars from which he ascended. He also locates many of Bob's phrases in the language of the people and the works of Louise Bennet Coverley, a champion of the people's language.

One could conclude from the essay Reggae Sistas' Stories: The Women of Roots Reggae, that the careers of female singers such as Marcia Griffith, Judy Mowatt, Phyllis Dillion, Hortense Ellis, Dawn Penn and Jamaica's first female producer Sonia Pottinger did not receive their deserved recognition and support.
The social construct underpinned by the patriarchal dominance of the day, contributed to women's absence form the lead microphone and other industry roles. This unfortunately bias dubbed into the culture and the dancehall, often determined whose work got placed on the wall, radio, record and the shelves.

Walker informs the majority of my generation, and those after, that Jamaica's first international superstar on Chris Blackwell's Island was a woman named Millie Small and that Marcia had international hits prior to Bob Marley. This happened at a time when the kitchen was still considered the only place for women to be. Much more could be said on this subject, I am sure many readers would love to examine the current stats on women in the business. One thing for sure, intentionally or by default there is much to explore on this subject.

My two favorite essays are on the most influential voices in reggae and the one on the legendary Skatalites. When it comes to influential voices in the music, many will have their picks. However, Walker narrows your selection with the facts in a ninety degree angle you can't get round.

The criteria capsulating this discussion separates the dubs from the instrumental. The question is which of the following artists' records the selector can play all night and rock the dance: Bob Marley, Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson or Dennis Brown. Leroy `Heptone' Sibbles can be included but you would be hard pressed to fine anyone else. Certainly no artist that came on the scene after 1980 except maybe Garnett Silk can be included in this category.

From that list, I think it is safe to say Dennis Emanuel Brown is the most influential voice in reggae. The details in "Dubwise" substantiates this and a number of ways - Trus mi pon dat (trust my words) and I encourage you to read the book to confirm for yourself. Throughout the 70s & 80s, Reggae Sun Splash was correctly dubbed "one of the world's greatest Reggae festivals". The event staged for several nights in Montego Bay, Jamaica, received attendance from all over the world. Patrons were treated to some unforgettable performances and more - it was truly a remarkable reggae experience like none other.

I recalled one of those many golden sunrises, just before the light conquers the dark, a treasure chest moment after the all night vigil. This was international or singer's night, the voice of the then popular MC Tommy McCowan against the back drop of roaring fans in the thousands. He introduces "Dennis Brown, the Crowned Price of Reggae, Dennis, Dennis, Dennis Brown in the morning" And the place jus mash up (the crowd erupts). Dennis' smooth silky voice was like a sweet pot of chocolate tea with ackee, saltfish and green banana the venders cooked. It was the musical breakfast steaming for royalties. The aroma from the various pots being cooked and the charm of his voice with the steam and sun worked in harmony and raising many to their feet. It was the pain killing formula to ease the tension of standing all night. After four nights of music and often two to go for many patrons, his on stage personality and vocal dexterity was just the right coco bread the patty sat in and rock for desired musical taste. Often his performance would lead conversation for days on end.

Even though many saw Dennis as a lovers-rock singer, he was also revolutionary in his writing. His versatility and repertoire speak for themselves. His signature intro in the song "Love & Hate" continue to lead greater excitement and fawud (replay request) in the dance hall, at parties and concerts event to this day. This essay speaks to the amazing vocal dexterity of Dennis Brown, his impact on the music as a child star, his reggae-r&b singing skills and influence on his contemporaries and those that followed. From Alton Ellis to Leroy Sibbles, to Freddie McGregor, George Nooks, Bushman, Luciano, Frankie Paul and the beat goes on..

As Walker states in Dubwise, Don Drummond as a member of the Skatalites "dominates the ska era as a prolific innovative composer, provoking dark menacing and rebellious rhythms" one could say Drummond was the Marcus Garvey of Jamaican music The Skatalites are without a doubt some of the greatest musician the world has seen. Don D. was the man who led with an instrument commonly thought of as a support for others, a man who was rated in the top ten best of the world and who the great belated Sarah Vaughan credited to defining the trombone because of how impressed she was with his artistry. Dubwise, also reveals that Don and Roland Alphonso were among the musicians that supported Vaughan when she performed in Jamaica in the 50s.

One of the sad tales for me in this book, besides some segments of the essay on women in the business, is that Jamaica in its infancy, ignorance and legacy of colonial rule, committed Don Drummond to a mental institution to disintegrate. We must ensure that such tragedies are not repeated. We must take microscopic looks at our excellence, value it, preserve it and continue to impact the world even in the midst of dissenting voices.

There are several other important and historical points made by Walker in Dubwise. The relationship between Hip-Hop and reggae; the Canadian contribution to the world of reggae inclusive of the genesis, psalm, proverbs and revelation of reggae up north; and diasporic reggae introduced and defined by Walker. Dubwise connects some important dots and underlines connections, influences and developments in the music that others writers have overlooked. The Writer challenges others to take up the task and write with fresh insight and with a language that reflect the rhythm of the drum and bass, the cadence of it's people, a language and rhythm that vibrates with the authenticity and authority of the insider.

Dub Fire Essay.......2006-04-02

I just finished reading another essay from "Dubwise", the chapter called "Dub Fire" that takes you through the whole history of diasporic reggae without boring you to death (like few other reggae history books on the market), infact the style of writing followed the "riddim" of a dub poet and kept me you hooked to the very end. The chapter pays homage to various diasporic reggae architects of the roots/crossover reggae era (as opposed to the dancehall era) and their forms of the reggae sound - Aswad, Steel Pulse, Dennis Brown, Shinehead, Sister Carrol, UB40... In this essay the author also highlights the variations of the transatlantic forms by looking at productions in the UK and USA.
I would be interested in hearing from anyone who is currently undertaking reggae studies to find out their own views

Required Reading!.......2006-03-15

As someone with little knowledge and insight into the background of Jamacian music, I was facinated by this book. Klive Walker does a wonderful job of putting the reader into the scene and allowing you to experience the progression and changes of the music. I especially enjoyed his chapter "Reggae Sistas' Stories: The Women of Roots Reggae". This chapter opened my eyes to the contribution that women have made to reggae. Dubwise is a challenging and engaging book and necessary reading for those interested in music. I look forward to Klive's next project.

A true insider's perspective.......2006-02-24

I found Dubwise to be a great read and highly informative.
For anyone interested in Reggae and Jazz or popular music in general, this is a must read. It illustrates the ties between Jamaican Jazz, Ska and Reggae. Ties that the casual observer may not have realized existed. The book also details the link between Reggae and the early British punk music scene, and gives a voice to the women of Reggae, a voice that had previously been ignored.

reggae music.......2006-02-14

this is a great book for someone who is intrested in the history of reggae music and how it had a hand in today's music.It's a challenging read and has something for everyone.Although I knew many things about reggae,rockstedy,and ska before reading this it was filled with new informative facts.You can tell the author is writing from an insider's percpective and the book includes some personal experience and opinions. All those who love hip-hop/reggaeton read this book and find out how it all started.

Book Description

In this major new book, Wolfgang Behringer surveys the phenomenon of witchcraft past and present. Drawing on the latest historical and anthropological findings, Behringer sheds new light on the history of European witchcraft, while demonstrating that witch-hunts are not simply part of the European past. Although witch-hunts have long since been outlawed in Europe, other societies have struggled with the idea that witchcraft does not exist. As Behringer shows, witch-hunts continue to pose a major problem in Africa and among tribal people in America, Asia and Australia. The belief that certain people are able to cause harm by supernatural powers endures throughout the world today. Wolfgang Behringer explores the idea of witchcraft as an anthropological phenomenon with a historical dimension, aiming to outline and to understand the meaning of large-scale witchcraft persecutions in early modern Europe and in present-day Africa. He deals systematically with the belief in witchcraft and the persecution of witches, as well as with the process of outlawing witch-hunts. He examines the impact of anti-witch-hunt legislation in Europe, and discusses the problems caused in societies where European law was imposed in colonial times. In conclusion, the relationship between witches old and new is assessed. This book will make essential reading for all those interested in the history and anthropology of witchcraft and magic.

Witches and Witch-Hunts: A Global History.(Book review): An article from: Church History

Average customer rating:

Witches and Witch-Hunts: A Global History.(Book review): An article from: Church History
Julian Goodare
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Church History, published by Thomson Gale on June 1, 2006. The length of the article is 868 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: Witches and Witch-Hunts: A Global History.(Book review)
Author: Julian Goodare
Publication: Church History (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 75 Issue: 2 Page: 476(2)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Customer Reviews:

Too many shows in one book........2000-07-19

While this book is entertaining, it does not cover in deep analisis of the shows listed. In other words, too many shows in one book. Good to have it if You can't find a book devoted to a particular show,and it have a nice packaging of photographs. The Tv shows included are: The Andy Griffit show,Mr Ed,The Beverly Hillbillies,My Favourite Martian,Bewitched,The Addams Family,The Man From UNCLE,The Munsters,Gilligan's Island,Lost In Space,Green Acres,The Wild wild West,I Dream Of Jeannie,Get Smart,The Avengers (Covering mostly the Emma Peel and Tara King era),and Dark Shadows. The book does not contain episode guides. On the other hand,film score fans will find an interesting chat with Vic Mizzi,the musical composer of The Addams Family TV show.

I really enjoyed this book.......1999-10-18

This book is packed with all sorts of interviews with cast members and tidbits I never heard before. It was very detailed, and was an excellent read!! I don't know how I missed this book over the years in bookstores as I am always looking for books on popular TV history. The Bewitched section is especially good. Highly recommended!

A Cursory Glance at a Dozen Famous TV Shows.......1998-10-15

Don't buy this book! I was deceived and bought it, thinking it would be a great companion to Sixties classics like Gilligan, Get Smart, Andy Griffith, and the Munsters. It's not. It mentions all of these shows and more but doesn't do any of them justice. Most of these shows deserve books devoted solely to each of them; they certainly do not deserve this Round-Robin type approach. Let me give you one concrete example: the Gilligan's Island chapter spends practically as much space on the two actresses who followed Tina Louise as Ginger Grant in the sequels as it does on Tina Louise herself! Does that make any sense? If you think so, go ahead and order this book. You'll learn all about guest stars and bit players on a dozen classic TV shows...MUCH more than you want to know, I'm sure! The author doesn't seem to have any real sense of why these shows still mean so much to so many! Very disappointed.

Book Description

Just Say No to Microsoft begins by tracing Microsoft's rise from tiny software startup to monopolistic juggernaut and explains how the company's practices over the years have discouraged innovation, stunted competition, and helped foster an environment ripe for viruses, bugs, and hackers. Readers learn how they can dump Microsoft products--even the Windows operating system--and continue to be productive. The book also shows how to work successfully and seamlessly with computers and people who are still hooked on Microsoft software. Includes full explanations of alternate operating systems, such as Linux and Mac, and outlines various software applications that can replace the familiar Microsoft products.

Customer Reviews:

No Microsoft != Macintosh.......2007-06-09

I felt this book was more pro-Macintosh that pro-non-MS-choice.

The book gives good tribute to Microsoft on the things that it has helped to establish and the main point on the book seems to be on the ways Microsoft it self has stagnated. In it self the book is good narrative on the way the computer industry made it's image of being the "next big thing" in the 90's and ending up as the "stale box used to access the internet" of the new millennium.

Some how the book just don't carry the title in it's contents

The Microsoft Alternative.......2006-03-18

Tony Bove's JUST SAY NO TO MICROSOFT: HOW TO DITCH MICROSOFT AND WHY IT'S NOT AS HARD AS YOU THINK is for any who have doubts about Microsoft's products and patches. Introductory chapters cover all its flaws and move on to explain how one's PC can be liberated from Microsoft products entirely. Chapters provide background history of Microsoft, detail its practices which have discouraged innovation and competition, and explains how competing operating systems work and how users can obtain and use these systems. Finally: a clear history and explanation of Microsoft's pitfalls and how to overcome them - by switching to an alternative that works.

There *are* alternatives to Microsoft..........2006-01-30

Contrary to what it may seem, there *are* viable alternatives to Microsoft. Tony Bove strongly suggests you adopt them in his book Just Say No To Microsoft - How To Ditch Microsoft And Why It's Not As Hard As You Think.

Contents:
Part 1 - You Say You Want A Revolution: Playing Monopoly Is No Longer Fun; All You Need Is A Mac; Linux - Land of the Free, Home of the Brave
Part 2 - Rehab For Your Microsoft Addiction: Slay the Word and You'll Be Free; De-Microsoft Your Office; Media Lib - Microsoft-Free Music and Video
Part 3 - The Whole Network Is Watching: The Message Is The Medium for Infections; This LAN Is Your LAN; Browsers and Your Own Private Identity
Part 4 - Getting On With Your Computer Life: Twelve Steps to Freedom from Microsoft; Where Do You Want to Go Tomorrow?; The Truth Is Out There; Citations; Index

If you're a Mac fan or a Linux fan, you'll most likely agree with everything Bove says. He is rabidly anti-Microsoft, and has little to say that's good about the company. Microsoft's cash cow software, the Windows operating system and Office, is drawn and quartered as being overpriced and buggy. The alternatives are to use either Mac's OS X or a Linux desktop distribution. As far as Office, he makes the strong case that the free OpenOffice.org suite will allow the vast majority of the users to do 100% of everything they're used to doing, with virtually no learning curve. Browsers? Protect your computer, dump IE, and go with Firefox. The net effect of all these suggestions is to have an environment that costs far less than comparable Microsoft offerings, as well as having a more secure computing experience.

By no means is the author even-handed in his comparisons. The writing is strongly opinionated, but that's what makes it fun to read (in my less strident opinion). Some of his statements caused me to mentally step back and wonder why I continue to live with some of the limitations that Microsoft has put on my computing experience. While I won't be removing all vestiges of Microsoft from my computing environment, I will be more willing to question the common wisdom going forward...

Errors.......2006-01-14

I agree with the other reviewers who spoke of errors. The book twice states that Linux was invented by a Norwegian student, presumably mixing up the separate countries of Norway and Finland. It is generally known that Linux Torvalds was in Helsinki, which is in... Finland.
The writer is a Mac advocate, and there is nothing wrong with that; though maybe this could have been made clearer in the publicity.

Good book, but too many anti-negative Microsoft stories.......2005-11-29

Load up a computer today with a basic set of applications software, and there will be a de facto Microsoft tax on that computer. Add roughly $100- for the Windows XP operating systems and $350- for Microsoft office, and you have a significant initial financial outlay. If one would use an open source operating system and set of office applications, the cost savings would be enormous. That is why the option of open source is so financially compelling to the both the consumer and organizations have thousands of computers. And open source is correspondingly such a threat to companies such as Microsoft. The idea of saving money and never having to worry about a blue screen of death is the proverbial win/win scenario.

With that, Just Say No to Microsoft: How to Ditch Microsoft and Why It's Not as Hard as You Think would seemingly be a most valuable book in helping consumers and corporations rid themselves of the Microsoft tax. Unfortunately, the book spends far too much time slurring Microsoft and Bill Gates.

The books main charges are that Microsoft has been far too predatory and that Bill Gates is not the technical genius that he is made out to be. Microsoft's questionable business tactics are not without ethical lapses, but it must noted that Microsoft is simply one in a long line of companies that have used their size and deep pockets to quash the competition. Microsoft is not alone and joins companies such as American Airlines, Ford and General Motors, Wal-Mart and more that have engaged in practices that while good for their stockholders, have not been good for the competition.

Bove is correct that Microsoft's practices over the years have discouraged innovation and stunted competition. But then again, that is true of Ford, GM and other such companies. The innovations of Ford and GM for example have been mostly superficial, without any significant improvement into crucial issues such as gas mileage and more.

Two of the companies that Microsoft has been accused of destroying are Novell and WordPerfect. Yet much of the blame for the demise of these two companies goes to their management that did not know how to properly market their products nor deal with a competitor such as Microsoft. This is not meant to imply that Microsoft is blameless; rather that Novell and WordPerfect had plenty of opportunities to fend off Microsoft, yet did not rise to the challenge.

Aside from the pervasive anti-Microsoft tone and style and the book, Just Say No to Microsoft: How to Ditch Microsoft and Why It's Not as Hard as You Think provides a good starting point for those that are looking for a cheaper and safer alternative to Microsoft products.

Chapter 1 start with an overview of the history of Microsoft and how it grew to be the largest software company in the world. In chapter 2, All You Need is a Mac; Bove feels that the quickest route to Microsoft freedom is by purchasing a Macintosh. While a Mac is not necessarily cheaper than a Wintel system, the Mac OS X is considerably more resilient against attacks. In addition, the concern of malware such as viruses and spyware are much less of an issue on a Mac.

Chapter 3 deals with what worries Microsoft the most - Linux. Bove notes that large companies that deal with thousands of end-user desktops are discovering the advantage of migrating to Linux in a big way.

Chapters 4 and 5 deal with Microsoft Word and Excel. Word documents have become the de facto standard for document exchange and are what has locked many people into staying with Microsoft Word. Excel has a similar power in being the de facto spreadsheet. Most people think that the only alternative to Word is WordPerfect and simply don't know about OpenOffice Writer and Calc or other open source alternatives. The two chapters show how it is possible to effectively collaborate on documents without having to use Word.

While the book does not get into every open source alternative to a Microsoft product, Bove's web site has a comprehensive list of open source alternatives to Windows products at [...]

Chapter 4 concludes with a look at the technical and practical problems with PowerPoint. Bove notes that the corrupting power of PowerPoint is so strong that otherwise normally articulate speakers turn into zombies mumbling the bullet points that appear on the slides behind them. It is not clear though how Impress, the open source alternative to PowerPoint is necessarily better from a presentation perspective.

The next few chapters deal with Outlook, the application that has launched countless viruses and worms, and also detail other network-based problems with Microsoft protocols and applications. Issues such as the never enduing cycle of Microsoft patches are also discussed.

Chapter 10 provides a 10 step program (fashioned after the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 step program) to free the reader from their Microsoft addition. While the steps are brief and effective, it would have been better had there been more technical details on how to migrate out of a Microsoft environment. For the person with thousands of documents and files in various Microsoft formats, it is not as effortless as to simply copy your old files onto a USB drive and move it to the new open source based host.

The book contains four parts, and there are four cartoons at the begging of each part that Bove wrote. The cartoons are quite funny in their own right and Bove should also consider a career as a cartoonist.

Ned Ludd said that the machine was the enemy, and Tony Bove feels the same way about Microsoft. For evidence, check out his campaign to stop the spread of Word documents at his web page.

The only negative to the book is that there are far too many anti-negative stories of Microsoft's predatory practices. A few stories would be adequate, but there is no point in belaboring the issue in a book that is meant to be more technical and practical, as opposed to political.

For many people who don't know better, they expect that a blue screen of death and monthly patching is part of a standard computing environment. Just Say No to Microsoft: How to Ditch Microsoft and Why It's Not as Hard as You Think is an interesting read that will open the eyes of those users to a cheaper, more secure and robust open source solution.

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