Diary of a Worm

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Doreen Cronin (Click, Clack Moo: Cows That Type) and cartoonist Harry Bliss (illustrator of A Fine, Fine School) shed a whole new light on a creature that spends most of its time underground: the earthworm. Written in diary form, this truly hilarious picture book tracks the ins and outs of a worm's life from the perspective of the worm family's young son. Take June 15's entry: "My older sister thinks she's so pretty. I told her that no matter how much time she spends looking in the mirror, her face will always look just like her rear end. Spider thought that was really funny. Mom did not." Except for the fact that he can't chew gum or have a dog, the boy likes being a worm. He never has to go to the dentist ("No cavities--no teeth, either"), he never gets in trouble for tracking mud through the house, and he never has to take a bath. As long as he can remember Mom's rule "Never bother Daddy when he's eating the newspaper," all is well. Bliss's endearing cartoonish illustrations of anthropomorphized worms are clever visual punchlines for Cronin's delightfully deadpan humor. For example, "June 5: Today we made macaroni necklaces in art class" sounds normal enough until you see the worms wearing one piece of macaroni around their necks, taking up a good part of each worm's body. Children and adults alike will adore this worm's eye perspective on the world. (Ages 6 and older) --Karin Snelson

Book Description

One small worm . one big world!

This is the diary . of a worm. This worm lives with his parents, plays with his friends, and even goes to school. But unlike you or me, he never has to take a bath, he gets to eat his homework, and because he doesn't have legs, he just can't do the hokey pokey – no matter how hard he tries.

This hysterical picture book by New York Times bestselling author Doreen Cronin and New York Times bestselling illustrator Harry Bliss tells the daily doings of a small worm in a gigantic worm world.

Ages 4–8

Customer Reviews:

So funny!.......2007-09-23

My kids (age 5 and 2) love this book. (I think it is really funny, too). The illustration and the text go along so well. We especially love the pictures on the front and back cover. The "sequels" as great well...Diary of a Spider, and Diary of a Fly. What friends!

A Funny, Clever Book!.......2007-09-19

There are some famous diarists out there, of course. But a diary of a worm? Turns out to be a great idea in this author's deft hands. A young worm - we know he's male by the baseball cap; his sister's is identified by her pink bow - offers young readers a hugely entertaining worm's-eye view of the world. We learn that the three best things about being a worm are never having to go to the dentist, never getting in trouble for tracking mud through the house, and never having to take a bath - traits that young children can appreciate. What "Diary" encompasses is a nifty mix of facts about earthworms and an entertaining anthropomorphized account of a worm family. (The young worm is no fonder of homework than his human counterparts.) Important points are gently reinforced - good manners, Truly hilarious illustrations (the Secret Service worms sport regulation dark glasses and earpieces) enhance the charm. This is an outstanding writer-illustrator team (Harry Bliss is an award-winning cartoonists for The New Yorker) that has, not surprisingly, been on the New York Times best-seller list more than once.

Enjoyable for All Ages.......2007-09-08

I am an Early Childhood Educator and have read this book to several different classes: 1st grade, 2nd grade, and PreSchool. I have yet to meet a child who does not enjoy this book. It relates to them, and puts a spin on the world they may have not even considered-- what would it be like to be a worm? While 1st grade and up get the jokes without much explanation, preschoolers require you to explain things a bit more. I highly recommend this book to anyone, as well as the other "Diary Of" books!

I truly dig this book!.......2007-08-10

If you want a book that will make both you and the kids laugh out loud, this is it. Told in the form of diary entries (hilarious ones that is), a young worm chronicles his life at home, school and play. I don't know what makes me laugh harder - the clever illustrations or the amusing musings of a new hero - a red-capped worm.

A worm has a diary!.......2007-05-24

Worm's diary is hilarious fun to read. Doreen Cronin has a winner here. Bug fans may also like The Bugville Critters Visit Dad and Mom at Work (Buster Bee's Adventures Series #1, The Bugville Critters).

Diary of a Worm & Friends Finger Puppet Playset

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Good Addition to the Books

Diary of a Worm & Friends Finger Puppet Playset
Doreen Cronin
Manufacturer: Merrymakers Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Misc. Supplies
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ASIN: 1579821979

Customer Reviews:

Good Addition to the Books.......2007-09-08

I'm a teacher and my students love these puppets! They love the books, and this is a great way to get them involved with the book. They also enjoy acting out the book and making up new pages for the book with them.

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Diary of a Worm

Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0439692342

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Diary of a Worm

Manufacturer: Scholastic Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0439677742

Scholastic 2-DVD Story Time Collection! Goose, Amazing Bone +

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Scholastic 2-DVD Story Time Collection! Goose, Amazing Bone +

Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: 0439837936

Product Description

Stories include: Giggle Giggle Quack (narrated Randy Travis), The Amazing Bone (narrated John Lithgow), Goose (narrated Laura Dern), & Diary of a Worm (narrated Alexander Gould)! Features read-along subtitles. Animated

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Diary of a Worm
Doreen Cronin
Manufacturer: Scholastic Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 0439697409

Diary of a Worm (Book and Audiocassette Tape) (Paperback)

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Diary of a Worm (Book and Audiocassette Tape) (Paperback)
Doreen Cronin
Manufacturer: Scholastic Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: B000BSI01C

Product Description

A baseball-capped crawler gives readers an episodic glimpse into the vicissitudes of his life in these hilarious diary entries. Difficulties such as having no arms, having a head that looks a lot like your rear end, and facing the dangers imposed by people digging for bait are balanced by a loving family and good friends. The young protagonist describes playing with his friend Spider, engaging in a variety of activities at school, and interacting with his parents and sister. Packed into these droll slice-of-worm-life vignettes are a few facts about earthworms and their behavior, all rendered with a dry sense of humor. The full-color watercolor-and-ink illustrations sprawl across the pages in lush earth tones. Bliss's cartoons give the worms lots of personality without overly anthropomorphizing them. The use of multiple perspectives will have children eagerly looking at the pictures to identify objects and locales. Primary-grade youngsters will especially appreciate the classroom scenes. This quirky worm's-eye view of the world makes these ubiquitous invertebrates a little more understandable and a lot more fun.

Doreen Cronin Diary of a Worm.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review): An article from: The Horn Book Magazine

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Doreen Cronin Diary of a Worm.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review): An article from: The Horn Book Magazine
Peter D. Sieruta
Manufacturer: Horn Book, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Horn Book Magazine, published by Horn Book, Inc. on November 1, 2003. The length of the article is 320 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: Doreen Cronin Diary of a Worm.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
Author: Peter D. Sieruta
Publication: The Horn Book Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2003
Publisher: Horn Book, Inc.
Volume: 79 Issue: 6 Page: 728(1)

Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article, Children's Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Expect a Worm in Every Apple: An American Country Diary

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Expect a Worm in Every Apple: An American Country Diary
Irma Wallem
Manufacturer: Mercury House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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The worm farm: A diary
Charlie Morgan
Manufacturer: C. Morgan?]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Book Description

The companion volume to "Capitalism and Equality in America: Modern Capitalism, Volume I" Contributors include: Peter L. Berger, Boston University; James O'Leary, Catholic University; Nicholas Eberstadt, Harvard University's Center for Population Studies; Grace Goodell, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies; Laura L. Nash, Harvard University's School for Business and Government; Alan M. Kantrow, "Harvard Business Review"; Jason Brown, United States Agency for International Development; Myron Weiner, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Gustav Ranis, Yale University's Economic Growth Center; John Fei, Yale University's Economic Growth Center; Gustav F. Papenek, Boston University; Brian Griffiths, Policy Unit of the Office of the Prime Minister, England; Rachel Griffiths; John O'Sullivan, "London Times". Co-published with the Institute for Educational Affairs.

Book Description

Wellknown economists analyze and discuss the latest developments in inequality economics, predominantly income inequality. The papers are theoretical, empirical and experimental and have not been published beforehand. They give answers to the problem of measurement of inequality and related topics such as equivalence scales or the influence especially of the public authorities in the way of different kinds of taxation. This volume is of special interest for all those working in the field of distributional economics.

Book Description

A short anthology of 25 great jokes which are guaranteed to make you laugh, and easy enough to remember.

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This book does not live up to its title
JOKES?

How to Remember Jokes
Philip Van Munching
Manufacturer: Workman Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Jokes & Riddles | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Parodies | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0761107347

Book Description

NEVER BE JOKE-DEPRIVED AGAIN

Are you the only golfer at the tee who never has a new joke? Do you try to break the ice at sales calls, but come up empty-handed? Do you try to enliven the dinner party by uncorking a zinger—only to fumble the setup, confuse the action, then blow the punchline? Welcome to Philip Van Munching's quick and accurate method for remembering jokes. Beginning with the importance of using cues, the author shows how you can remember every joke worth retelling—and presents 101 of his favorites to help you master the system.

Customer Reviews:

This book does not live up to its title.......2005-06-14

This book does not live up to its title. It starts off by basically suggesting the reason jokes are hard to remember is because people do not work hard enough to remember them. He then starts off by telling a joke that is not worth remembering. Certainly it is not one I can imagine using any place. So if my problem is I do not work hard enough to remember it - by repeating it soon enough, this is clearly one I wish I could forget. It took until the fourth joke to find one worth remembering - that I could tell in polite company at any rate! (The Missing Music). Finally another good one shows up: "The Farmer's House of Sod." But boy I had to weed through a lot of poor jokes to get to that one! OK, "The Hunchback's Replacement" is not too bad. "The Tate Compass" is alright. The rest are pretty bad. Now to remember these.... If you want a joke book with most of the classic bad jokes, this is it.

One point of agreement: people remember stories. But then how to use this in the context of telling jokes? A better way to remember jokes is to think of them as arguments that are fallacious. There are different kinds of fallacies and we can easily remember those. Now you are ready to make your own jokes. Take a fallacious argument and use the form of that argument to make an argument that is clearly meant to be fallacious. For example, a pun is equivocation. Use a word in two different senses in either two premises or a premise and the conclusion of an argument and you have a fallacious equivocal argument. Have the conclusion of an argument have nothing to do with the premises of the argument and you have a non sequitur. Dave Barry uses this fallacy all the time.

JOKES?.......2000-02-14

I have just finished this book and it made me so upset. Because as you see on the cover of this book Something about JOKES but when I started reading it. I asked myself WHAT!. It didn't funny AT ALL.

How To Remember Jokes: And A Whole Lot of Drop-Dead Jokes To Get You Started

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How To Remember Jokes: And A Whole Lot of Drop-Dead Jokes To

How To Remember Jokes: And A Whole Lot of Drop-Dead Jokes To Get You Started
Philip Van Munching
Manufacturer: Media Bay Audio Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

Humor | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books

General | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Jokes & Riddles | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Parodies | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0966856732

Book Description

Never be joke-deprived again! An idiot-proof system for the tongue-tied, the forgetful, the bashful and the humor impaired.

Are you the only golfer at the tee who never has a new joke? Do you try to break the ice at sales calls, but come up empty-handed? Do you try to enliven the dinner party by uncorking a zinger-only to fumble the setup, confuse the action, then blow the punchline? Welcome to Philip Van Munching's quick and accurate method for remembering jokes. Beginning with the importance of using cues, the author shows how you can remember every joke worth retelling-and presents alot of his favorites to help you master the system. Philip Van Munching is a freelance writer, who has perfected the art of joke-telling to win customers and influence clients.

Customer Reviews:

How To Remember Jokes: And A Whole Lot of Drop-Dead Jokes To.......2000-10-06

It was worth the money for the jokes alone! After listening to the advice, in this recorded book, for the first time, I can actually remember jokes! Well done!

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How to Remember & Tell Jokes
Jim Pietsch
Manufacturer: Avon Books (Mm)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0380764946

Book Description

What Inspires Creativity?

Between the years 1890 and 1917 Arthur M. Abell engaged in lengthy, candid conversations with the greatest composers of his day-- Johannes Brahms, Giacomo Puccini, Richard Strauss, Engelbert Humperdinck, Max Bruch, and Edvard Grieg-- about the intellectual, psychic, and spiritual tensions of their great creative endeavors. The result of their probing and insightful discussions is quite simply a masterpiece-- a document that reveals the agony, triumphs, and the religiosity inherent in the creative mind.

The six composers readily agreed to explore with their friend their innermost thoughts regarding the psychology of the creative process. Brahms insisted, however, that his disclosures not be published until fifty years after his death, because, he said, "I will not find my true place in musical history until at least half a century after I am gone."

A tribute to creative inspiration, "Talks with Great Composers" sparkles with wit, candor, humor, and the genius of the most cherished composers of all time.

Customer Reviews:

Content excellent/forget hardcover edition.......2007-05-19

This is an excellent book, which I love to give to my personal and musical friends.The interviews are true and facinating with a unique insight to the composers creative inspiration. Stick with the soft cover the hard cover production is inferior. Not easy to find.

A must read for composers and all musicians.......2004-11-20

I can think of no other book I would give as a gift to an aspiring musician. A very dear friend of the family gave me a copy of this book (a very special gift indeed). Although the other composers in the book are considered "minor", like Grieg, the insights they offer are indispensable for those seeking to understand the workings of the creative process in music.

I have to admit, some of what is said in these interviews is a bit over dramatic, but who, if not romantic composers, was not dramatic? Brahms words speak to the art of composition, not just of his own art, but that of Beethoven and others. This oral history falls into the realm of importance for sociologist, musicologist, composer and performer.

Imagine, as a reporter, Abel interviews one of the greatest talents in the history of music, and is forced to keep the interview unpublished for fifty years, only to be thwarted by World War II, amazing! This book had to come a long way before it got to fruition. Read this book, you atheists, agnostics and all others. The religious beliefs expressed will speak to you of the spark of inspiration you must feel inside to compose works of merit (and to understand them).

Brahms blows me away.......2000-09-27

I have to give this little book very high marks. It taught me a lot. The prose can be stilted, it can be repetitive, and it was astonishing for me. I recommend it to anyone interested in the workings of great minds. I have no works with which to compare it, but one needs to start somewhere.

I want to honest about this. I was astonished when I read the Brahms interview. The prospect of a creative man, however great, consciously and deliberately asking God to speak through him to the man's audience floors me. Basically all of the composers whom Abell treats carried out the same or similar invocation, so perhaps I shouldn't be surprised. I was though.

I've given the book to others, and I've asked for their reactions to it. Remarkably, for me at least, no one else admitted to surprise on finding that Brahms speaks with the authority of the almighty Himself. That was a really cool revelation too,in it's own way. We must live in a world with a lot more mystic connections than a reprobate such as me appreciates. Many people in this second audience I created wished to dispute Brahms on his theology, but no one seemed surprised by his activities or reacted to them as a first response. I had to drag responses out of these individuals, and they gave them up with reluctance. Something really personal is going on here, and if you read this little book, you can get in on it.

I'm currently in a position to lead a discussion group at a university. For fun I'm going to speak on spirituality in teaching and in the classroom, and I'm going to try to do an end run around the syllabus and introduce the Brahms conversation from this little book. I'm sure it's going to be interesting, and I may come away from the event not only surprised but also a little better informed. Wish me luck.

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Talks with Great Composers

Manufacturer: Philosophical Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IDAQ5I

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Talks with Great Composers
Abell Arthur M.
Manufacturer: Spiritualist Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NSV4EU

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Talks with Great Composers
Arthur M. Abell
Manufacturer: G.E. SCHROEDER VERLAG
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OK7YDW

Book Description

This book will alert you to the deadly effect the media is having on your family.

Customer Reviews:

Does this guy know what he's talking about?.......2006-09-12

Obviously not! And to the reviewer below me, we pagans hate this book, and don't "tolerate" it because it's lesson is one of total intolerance! Duh!

Hail, Great Pumpkin! .......2005-08-01

Long live the Great Pumpkin and the Sumerian god of the underword, ZAX, the entity behind the image of the skeleton's face lit by fire and displayed on dark Autumn nights! Hooray for Zax ( or in more modern terms, Jack...Jack, the giant killer; Jack be nibble/Jack be quick; Bone Man Jack the king of the pumpkin patch; Skeleton Jack ) And a BIG HOORAY for the venerable Jack O'Lantern, which welcomes the Dark Lord and all of his demonic hoards of things that go 'bump' in the long, cool, dark nights when the frost forms and the leaves fall!

Of course, the person who is responsible for this book has no idea of what he's writing about, but hey, who cares! The Christians to the lions, right?! Let'em dive under their beds faster than frightened cats over modern society's only celebration of the dark side of creation. They enjoy the paranoia! Just look at how some of them who have written reviews here rant over this nonsensical perspective on such a wonderful and happy time of year. Oh well, when it comes to the Bible Thumpers, pathos is pathos is pathos.

Absolutely unbelievable that this was published..........2005-03-18

I have nothing against Christianity, except when something like this makes us look bad for the sake of a few bucks. It's sad that they did no actual research whatsoever. It appears that "witchcraft" young adult horror fiction was used as fact (I recognize at least one section as coming pretty much verbatim from a kids' horror book I read a long time ago). Paganism was around long before the creation of "Satan". Paganism and Satanism could not possibly be more different. You have to be desperate for answers, slightly unhinged or both to take this book as "gospel".

Complete and utter nonsense.......2005-03-03

Poorly researched, badly organized and written, illustrated with movie stills and lifted illustrations, there isn't a single page in this absurdity that's not full of factual errors. At least it's good for laughs. And check out the back cover author photos - are you trying to tell me those are two different people?

Amazing........2004-09-18

Sorry guys, I'm still not convinced that Satanism and paganism are in any way related, seeing as how paganism and the traditional (I emphasize the word "traditional") celebrations of this holiday were around long before the advent of Satan. I don't have anything against Christians - I do, how ever, have an opposition to bias, poorly researched, dare I say "fabricated" lies and nonsense, no matter who peddles them to the masses...
Two thumbs way up!

Customer Reviews:

A look at the show that changed sports broadcasting.......2003-08-05

I recently picked up this 1988 book because I had seen the TNT movie of the same title, which was based on this book and which I thought was quite good. The book itself provides a large amount of detail about the interplay between all the main people involved in putting Monday Night Football on the air between 1970 and 1987.

The person who dreamed up the entire concept of prime-time football (helped by some prodding from NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle) was the executive producer of ABC sports, Roone Arledge. His vision of the future and his love of innovation was the primary reason that MNF made such an impact when it debuted in September 1970. It succeeded because it was hugely entertaining and because nothing like it had ever been seen before on television.

The popularity of pro football had grown tremendously during the 1960s. But Arledge felt that in order to successfully broadcast NFL football games in prime time, and to compete against the other networks' established Monday evening shows, the emphasis needed to focus on the personalities in the broadcast booth as much as the action on the field. He wanted the show to be an event, not just a televised football game. He put together a brilliant group of three people - a 'straight man' for the play-by-play descriptions, a charming 'regular guy' ex-player for game analysis, and a 'host' with a strong journalistic background who could tied it all together by adding some depth to the show while also playing the role of provocateur.

The original broadcast team (or "cast" if you will) consisted of Keith Jackson (replaced after one year by Frank Gifford), Don Meredith and Howard Cosell. These men all had very different personalities, especially Cosell whose background was as a journalist rather than an ex player, and that was the main reason the show had such an edge. Cosell had a delicious combination of a brilliant mind, a huge ego, and at the same time a desperate need to be liked by his audience. The interplay between Cosell and the other two men could be caustic, but very often it was wonderful.

Arledge's concept, after a brief rough start, worked amazingly well for the most part. In fact it could be argued that it worked too well. As the show soared in popularity, the egos of the men involved (including those of the behind the scenes personnel) soon clashed and made MNF a high-wire act where the audience and even the broadcasters themselves were never quite sure what would happen each week. Behind the scenes there were temper tantrums, drunkenness, pettiness, pouting, profanity and debauchery. Although the viewing public had little clue of all this infighting, the tension it caused added a raw edge to the broadcast each week. It all made for great television, and the public ate it up.

But all too soon the tensions built up beyond the toleration point. Meredith got fed up and left the show after the fourth season (1973), and although Arledge did his best to replace him (eventually adding ex-player Alex Karras), it never quite was the same as it was in those first four years (or three if you discount the first year before Gifford replaced Jackson).

Even when Meredith returned to the show in 1977, the bud was off the flower, as O.J. Simpson later put it. The popularity of MNF remained strong, but it was never quite the national sensation as during those first few years. By the early eighties, Cosell had become so disenchanted (not to mention obnoxious to work with), that he left the show, soon to be followed by Meredith. The ratings dropped, and Arledge began to scramble each year to put together another team with the same magic as Gifford, Cosell and Meredith. He never could.

Eventually, after Cap Cities took over ABC in the mid-eighties, the team of Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf and Gifford was formed, which I remember as quite good, but the primary emphasis was now shifted to the game itself, rather than the interplay of personalities in the booth. One of the best and most poignant lines in the book was on the very last page. In those early years, it was "Monday Night Football". After the breakup of the original cast, it became merely football on Monday night.

I gave this book four stars rather than five because it is based almost completely on the more than one hundred interviews conducted by the authors. As expected, facts get twisted around plenty as different people "remember" with their own slants as they try to protect their egos and reputations. From comments at the end of the book, it appears the authors did very little, if any, review of the actual network tapes of shows to which they referred with specific incidents. I have several early MNF games on videotape (don't ask me how) that are referred to in the book. I went back to my tapes, and in each instance what was presented as actually going out over the air was very different from what I saw on the broadcast tapes. Unfortunately for me this puts the authors' credibility somewhat in question.

Still, overall this book is very good. I recommend Monday Night Mayhem for readers interested in either the history of pro football's golden age or in the history of sports broadcasting. Those early years of MNF were historic and were fun and fascinating to watch. I consider myself lucky to have grown up in the decade of the '70s and to have watched those magical broadcasts with such boyish wonder. When it was in its heydey, there was nothing bigger than the phenomenon of ABC's Monday Night Football.

The title says it all - but the book's even better........1997-03-16

The authors provide a humorous and in-depth look at ABC's "Monday Night Football." The book starts with the history of the then-radical concept of pro football played on a weeknight and the men who made it a reality, including Roone Arledge, Chet Forte, Pete Rozelle, and of course, Howard Cosell. The book, fortunately, looks past the schtick and examines the background of the broadcasters and producers and how they came together to create what is now an American institution.

Monday Night Mayhem: The Inside Story of ABC's Monday Night Football

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Monday Night Mayhem: The Inside Story of ABC's Monday Night Football
Marc and Bill Carter Gunther
Manufacturer: Morrow & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LC8TVE

Amazon.com

Python Programming on Win32 zeroes in on the strengths of the Python programming language for the Windows platform. If you would like to use Python on Windows with Office 2000, this book is a perfect choice for getting started. While it's not an introduction to Python programming itself, the book does present some basic Python examples. (The authors do provide an impressive list of real-world projects that have used Python successfully, including an application at NASA and a major Web search engine.)

In lieu of a general language tour, this book centers on practical tips and examples for using Python on Windows, beginning with downloading and installing the free Python package. The most useful examples here present a Python library for general accounting objects. You'll learn how to write COM servers in Python and then how to script them in Visual Basic (used here to build user interfaces) and how to control Word and Excel with OLE Automation in Python. One standout example looks at building and printing accounting reports in Office 2000 using Python as the script language.

Later sections look at other possibilities, including how to use Python's support for MFC to build user interfaces. A notable section here looks at Windows NT system administration in Python. Because of its built-in support for dictionaries, Python is a natural fit for working with users, groups, permissions, and the like.

While Python's initial habitat may be Unix, Python Programming on Win32 shows that this powerful and increasingly popular object-oriented language may find its next home on Windows. Provided you have some previous exposure to the language, this book is an excellent resource for using Python in a Windows setting. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered: Python programming quick-start, Windows Python basics, Python support for COM/DCOM, the Pythonwin editor, Office 2000 scripting, Windows NT administration and system programming, Python MFC programming, and Active Scripting.

Book Description

Python is growing in popularity; based on download statistics, there are now over 450,000 people using Python, and more than 150,000 people using Python on Windows. Use of the language has been growing at about 40% per year since 1995, and there is every reason to believe that growth will continue. Despite Python's increasing popularity on Windows, Python Programming on Win32 is the first book to demonstrate how to use it as a serious Windows development and administration tool. Unlike scripting on Unix, Windows scripting involves integrating a number of components, such as COM or the various mail and database APIs, with the Win32 programming interface. While experienced Windows C++ programmers can find their way through the various objects, most people need some guidance, and this book is it. It addresses all the basic technologies for common integration tasks on Windows, explaining both the Windows issues and the Python code you need to glue things together. Topics include:

The Python language and the PythonWin extensions
Building a GUI with COM
Adding a Macro language
Distributing the application
Client-side COM for output and data access
Integration with mail and other internet protocols
Managing users and drives

This is a vital and unique book. Python Programming on Win32 is an excellent presentation of Windows application development and a solid illustration of how to use Python in the Windows environment.

Customer Reviews:

COM basics for Python.......2007-03-21

Who is interested in using Python to script within COM, thus fully merging Python into a win32 environment, will surely find this book useful.

Python and Win32 for Pinheads.......2000-11-13

If you know nothing about Python, Visual Basic, scripting languages, Win32 API, MFC, COM, active scripting, Windows Networking and NT administration, then after you've read this book you'll get some very general idea of what these all are about: this book covers them all, as well as many other things. But whenever it comes to tell you something really interesting, authors just say: "well, it's out of the scope of this book, so let's stop here..."

However, there are things this book does not cover. For instance, I thought scripting languages are a handy tool for text processing, but throughout this book I encountered only one mention of regular expressions - in the context of filtering file names, and you won't find regular expressions in the Index. From 10-page Chapter "Working with Email" you'll learn what SMTP and POP3 stand for, and from 15-page Appendix(!) "Threads" you'll learn that Python has something to do with threads, and fairly much about COM threading model.

Information in this 650-page book can fit a dozen-page article. Most of all this book looks like a slide show for marketing, trying to convince them that Python is the answer to all questions. And most of the time it sounds like: "It's easy, we won't tell you exactly what and how, but for smart guys like us who can read man pages, it's very easy."

Not for learning Python or programmin on Win32.......2000-07-14

This books is neither a Python tutorial book nor a Windows programming book. The title of this book greatly mis-represents the contents.

If you are not a Windows COM programmer who's trying to learn Python or are trying develop Python applications on other platforms, please look for other Python books.

Very good, misses a few spots.......2000-05-12

Python is the best choice for people who want to implement COM in the software they develop - mostly due to its clear structure and object - oriented nature. This is where this book mostly comes.

This book is well-written, practical-oriented and ideal for the newbie programmer who has already some idea over Python (O'Reilly's 'Learning Python' is the best place to start).

However, even experienced programmers need it because it provides a set of useful examples for rapid prototyping and reuse components.

It misses a few spots - First, you can't find much help on working on GUIs - and second (and most important) SWIG does not get the attention it deserves - it is just mentioned.

Finally, if you use Python in Win32 - or if you cannot decide what kind of COM solution you wish to develop - DO NOT CONSIDER TAKING A STEP WITHOUT THIS BOOK !

Very good, misses a few spots.......2000-05-12

Python is the best choice for people who want to implement COM in the software they develop - mostly due to its clear structure and object - oriented nature. This is where this book mostly comes.

This book is well-written, practical-oriented and ideal for the newbie programmer who has already some idea over Python (O'Reilly's 'Learning Python' is the best place to start).

However, even experienced programmers need it because it provides a set of useful examples for rapid prototyping and reuse components.

It misses a few spots - First, you can't find much help on working on GUIs - and second (and most important) SWIG does not get the attention it deserves - it is just mentioned.

Finally, if you use Python in Win32 - or if you cannot decide what kind of COM solution you wish to develop - DO NOT CONSIDER TAKING A STEP WITHOUT THIS BOOK !

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