Exuberance: The Passion for Life

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Passion is for LIfe

Get on with it!

The Tragedy of Exuberance.

Far from exuberant

An Interesting, Anecdotal Exploration of Exuberance

Exuberance: The Passion for Life
Kay Redfield Jamison
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Happiness | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Emotions | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Emotions | By Topic | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0375701486
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Book Description

With the same grace and breadth of learning she brought to her studies of the mind’s pathologies, Kay Redfield Jamison examines one of its most exalted states: exuberance. This “abounding, ebullient, effervescent emotion” manifests itself everywhere from child’s play to scientific breakthrough and is crucially important to learning, risk-taking, social cohesiveness, and survival itself.

Exuberance: The Passion for Life introduces us to such notably irrepressible types as Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir, and Richard Feynman, as well as Peter Pan, dancing porcupines, and Charles Schulz’s Snoopy. It explores whether exuberance can be inherited, parses its neurochemical grammar, and documents the methods people have used to stimulate it. The resulting book is an irresistible fusion of science and soul.

Customer Reviews:

Passion is for LIfe.......2007-04-23

This refreshing book about passion is welcome as it characterizes some behavior what others might think was excessive as exuberance. A nice shift in perspective with a positive spin. Sees bi polar activity as many faceted and differing in each person

Get on with it!.......2006-11-24

I have yet to finish the book but within pages I was both crying and laughing from the EXUBERANCES of the folks highlighted. This is a great reminder to get on with it and stop taking yourself so seriously. I am giving it to many in my family for Christmas.

The Tragedy of Exuberance........2006-09-25

_Exuberance: The Passion for Life_ by psychiatrist Kay Redfield Jamison is a fairly interesting account of individuals who have exhibited a distinctive zest for living as revealed in their activities and work. Those who are prone to excessive enthusiasm, gregariousness, and creative insight are discussed by the author, who attempts to show what it is that uniquely determines this trait. While much of the writing in this book is beautiful, it must be pointed out that exuberance is not without its pitfalls. At times enthusiasm may overcome reason leading to unusual, eccentric, or even dangerous behavior, perhaps best illustrated in literature by the case of Toad from the book _The Wind in the Willows_ by Kenneth Grahame. And, often behind the personalities of exuberant individuals there lurks a darker side of irritability, depression, and despondency. Cases of collective exuberance include stock market booms and the battle lust exhibited by some soldiers during combat. However, as anyone quickly realizes both of these have their downside and can be highly destructive. In addition, exuberance often makes it difficult to interact with others. As the author explains, exuberance tends to be a trait that an individual either has or they don't. Those who lack this trait may become jealous of or annoyed with those who possess it in abundance. In the life of great scientists, the case of the physicist Richard Feynman provides an illustration of this. While he exhibited great exuberance in his teaching style, he often left students who could not keep up or who possessed a more placid personality completely alienated. Feynman himself seems to have understood this at times, and the author quotes one of his remarks to the effect that perhaps his style served only the purpose of amusing himself.

This book for me in many ways was a great temptation.

For many years I felt like much of what is described in this book. I was intensely enthuasiastic, curious, fascinated by detail, completely immersed in thoughts and ideas, and at times experiencing an almost mystical sort of communion with the world and nature. Then one day something happened. I began to realize that not everyone had these feelings and this zest for life, and that what was worse is that many resented me because I did. Things started to bother me more, I began to feel profoundly alienated, and feelings of distress and anxiety welled up inside of me. Little by little I was exhausting myself. As it turned out I became severely depressed, and it took a long while before I felt close to normal again.

I still sometimes have these feelings again, but I have learned now to keep them to myself. And this is the tragedy of exuberance. For every up side there is a down side.

The author Kay Jamison is perhaps best known for her research on and theories of manic depression. She herself is a sufferer from a rather severe form of this illness. And in this book, she attempts to link the more extreme forms of exuberance to mania. Exuberance may be seen on a continuum, in its milder forms it may involve an excess of enthusiasm, gregariousness, creativity, and perhaps even religious and mystical feelings. However, in excess exuberance may overcome reason and commonsense. It is in the form of hypomania and mania where excesses of exuberance prove most severe. And often lurking behind this great excess of feeling lies irritability, paranoia, and eventually depression. Perhaps most interesting in this regard is Jamison's discussion of the writer Robert Louis Stevenson, himself plagued by wild changes in mood, who wrote on the dual nature of man, perhaps most famously in his account of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In this story, Stevenson revealed the conflict within man between his better nature and his shadow, darker self. This conflict may be observed in those individuals who exhibit exuberance at its most extreme. My one fault with Jamison's analysis is that she seems to restrict exuberance to extraverted individuals, and this restriction to me seems unwarranted. While extraverts may seem the natural sort to experience feelings of exuberance, I certainly believe that it is possible to have an introverted sort of exuberance (one allied perhaps with mysticism or scientific creativity and discovery). In addition, while the author mostly focuses on scientists and a few "eccentrics" and observers of nature, many scientists look down upon those who are exuberant, finding them lacking in the proper degree of objectivity, skepticism, and rigor necessary for the scientific endeavor. Indeed, an entire movement exists in the sciences that seeks to move away from any sort of cosmic, pantheistic, or mystical feelings of awe associated with nature towards a more brute materialism. Within the field of religion a similar thing exists, with many religious looking down on mystics.

Finally, I must add that my major problem with this book as with all Kay Jamison's books is her tendency to romanticize suffering and mental illness. She seems to associate certain personality traits with high social status, something I find particularly noxious. What is worse, she seems to associate mental illness, particularly manic depression, with high social status, creativity, and genius. Not only does this re-inforce stereotypes, but also it entirely overlooks the fact of the many individuals who suffer from this illness in silence and alone, never to achieve any social status whatsoever. Jamison never really seems to face fully on the darker more destructive side of things. And this leaves her almost oblivious to the social issues raised by mental illness. As with all her books, this one is really written for the high IQ, highly socially connected manic; however, Jamison never really seems to consider the fact that there are many who suffer in silence who are not so blessed.

Far from exuberant.......2006-07-18

Having read the five-star reviews I expected a joyful book. Unfortunately I got well and truly bogged down - not because of its intellectual weight (I've read far more erudite books than this) but because it seemed to analyse a human quality to death. What next: a mathematical formula for love - with warnings on overdose?

If other readers argue that any other approach to the subject would be frivolous, I would strongly disagree. Rather than being encouraged to experience joi do vie ourselves, we are constantly cautioned by the author to beware of the fine line between exuberance and psychopathology. Oh, we are assured - more as an afterthought - that we can reclaim joy in the end. But this is only after a long hard struggle.

Emphasising as it does the "duality of moods" the book is more a thesis on the unhealthy extremes - something that no doubt is germane for psychology students. But do we have to become so self-conscious about aliveness that we worry about going over the edge when we celebrate life?

It is interesting to note that the author does not mention playfulness, surely a 'calmer' form of exuberance, but which the majority of adults seem to have lost. No academic thesis, even if it is impressively articulate(as I concede this one is) will help us retrieve that lost quality. I note too that the author does not give personal examples. Does this mean that she is theorist only - an observer at best? If so, I'd like to hear from someone who speaks from experience. A child maybe. After all, children are reported to laugh every day five times more than adults. Perhaps this is because they are not so self-conscious and self-limiting in their approach to life as we are.

An Interesting, Anecdotal Exploration of Exuberance.......2006-07-03

As a scientific work, this book is well-written and presented in an interesting fashion. It consists mostly of brief anecdotes about people who were unusually exuberant, including Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir and Richard Feynman. There isn't a great deal of technical or clinical data, just well-written observations. The author's exploration of the dark side of exuberance was brief, but intriguing. If you are looking for a book about how to bring exuberance to your daily life, this isn't it. The author takes the position that exuberance isn't something that can be developed, but rather occurs naturally.

Average customer rating:

Exuberance: The Passion for Life
Kay R. Jamison
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OXM8NU

Customer Reviews:

Impassioned, intelligent voices.......2003-01-27

Finding it ironic that Westerners are most familiar with the veiled, hidden Muslim woman, Haeri, (Iranian-born director of the Women's Studies Program at BU) introduces six unveiled, professional Pakistani women who talk about their families, childhood, marriages, struggles, politics, religion and work. These in-depth interviews reveal cross-cultural commonalities among women in family and work relationships as well as deep divides between Western and Pakistani attitudes toward women. Several make a distinction between Islam and tradition, saying men interpret religion to reinforce patriarchal culture, a point which is best articulated by Sufi feminist, Nilofar Ahmed. She explains that a lot of accepted knowledge is a matter of interpretation, "and we did not find any female scholars in this line. ...Even the most sincere male scholar with the best of intentions could not look at the law from a woman's point of view."

They are all university-educated English speakers and several have done advanced studies abroad. Each describes herself as "different" from other women, by which she means determined, rebellious and independent and, usually, as a child, interested in "boy" activities. Most were encouraged in their education, at least until they got married. Divorce or separation and child custody are discussed at length as well as difficulties (and advantages) of extended family living. Though women worldwide still marry to escape the parental yoke, Western women get to make their own mistakes. These Pakistani women made arranged marriages and three were unhappy. Another, a widow, describes her husband in the same breath and repeatedly as "wonderful" and "difficult," "special" and "bad-tempered." Several found it easier to work and continue education with the support gained from an extended family, several found the demands of in-laws suffocating and demoralizing. Marital separation, leaving aside financial considerations, is difficult for a woman who loses her children (considered to belong to the father), is condemned by family and society, and, if she tries to pursue any kind of independent life, is assumed to be of loose morals.

One intriguing woman lives two lives - a government official in Lahore, and a feudal lord in her rural village. In Lahore some men refuse to work for her because of her sex, but in the village feudal position trumps gender. Men and women rely on her for advice, financial aid, arbitration, even spiritual counseling and healing. Born to a second marriage, Ayesha was treated like a boy by a man with no sons. Though proud of this and of her ability to "act like a man," several years after her interview with Haeri, after studying (War Studies) abroad and marrying, she writes Haeri that this posture destroyed "my sensuality, my appreciation of the other sex." Ayesha also has complex dealings with family - legal wrangling over property coupled with a desire for closeness; severe parental restrictions coupled with demanding expectations.

Parental restrictions are a common complaint, followed in due course by marital restrictions - brought about by precepts of "izzat" or honor. Woman must be pure and her behavior reflects on her family or husband. "Hence, the threat of women's mobility and autonomy," Haeri explains in her succinct, illuminating introduction. All of these women are politically active (one builds sanitary facilities for the poor, several are involved in education and human rights) and one, Rahila Tiwana, suffered torture in police custody, though she denies reports of sexual assault, saying her family was too well-respected. Rape, Haeri explains, is used to dishonor men, by besmirching the purity of their women.

Haeri lets each woman speak in her own voice and speak they do. The interviews come alive with passion, intimacy and intellectual power. Independence comes at the price of loneliness and conflict, even separation from children and family. The author follows each interview with her own comments and conclusions and while her structure is academic, her prose is clear and her opinions insightful. This is a text designed for college use, with copious footnotes, bibliography and index, but it's also a fascinating view into Pakistani culture, history and religious thought for the general reader.

Recommended for college-level collections.......2003-01-06

Shahla Haeri's No Shame For The Sun: Lives Of Professional Pakistani Women is recommended for college-level collections specializing in both women's studies and Middle East history. This surveys the lives of professional Pakistani women in chapters which document both political and social thought in Pakistani society.

Book Description

Practical Professional Catering Management is essential reference reading for anyone wanting to understand exactly how to set up and run a catering business or service. It has stood the test of time because of its solid, reliable factual data developed around the chronological sequence of catering operations. Its practical approach is in contrast to many of its newer competitors who offer more generalised theories. The largely rewritten new edition prepares the practitioner and the student for the challenge of delivering service of the highest quality to the increasingly discerning international customer. Its focus remains on the catering cycle, the backbone of catering operations. It is updated to include changes in legislation and best practice. Practical Professional Catering Management is aimed at students in further education and universities studying for NVQ, GNVQ, HND, HCIMA, BA and BSc courses in catering and hospitality and practitioners already working in the hospitality and catering industry.

Customer Reviews:

Practical professional cookery.......2007-08-03

One of the best book for the professional with a lot of practical experience and preparation of the dishes. Good for me and a lot of cooks with fundamental principles and techniques and knowledge .

Customer Reviews:

What is it about a big ol' sweaty man??.......1999-09-02

I bought this on a whim at the Dollar Store and never looked back. With phrases such as the above, Belle and Calamity give voice to a ton of very feminine and very valid concerns - in fact, I've 'bitch-sessioned' some of those very same comments myself with gal pals. Fun. Thought-provoking. Some things made me laugh. Others made me cry. The illustrations fit the tone of the book - tough, wildly feminine, yet curiously private. A wonderful book.

What a find!.......1999-02-25

I don't know if finding this at the dollar store is good or bad overall... definitely added to its charm. Either way, this is a great book: just enough pop-culture refs (Thelma & Louise, Elvis,..) and southwestern kitsch without overdoing it, while still having something genuine to say undermeath. The Warhol-esque illustrations are great. Great for all ages (read : not just acceptable, GREAT)

CALAMITY & BELLE: COWGIRL CORRESPONDENCE

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CALAMITY & BELLE: COWGIRL CORRESPONDENCE
Calamity and Belle Bendall Wronsky
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MJ9BYK

Average customer rating:

Calamity Jane and the lady wildcats,
Duncan Aikman
Manufacturer: H. Holt and Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Dear Calamity . . . Love, Belle
Gail Wronsky
Manufacturer: Harmony
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Satire, General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Dear Calamity...Love, Belle: Life Wisdom for the Cowgirl in Every Woman

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Dear Calamity...Love, Belle: Life Wisdom for the Cowgirl in Every Woman
Belle and Wronsky, Calamity Bendall
Manufacturer: Harmony
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PU7L52

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Calamity & Belle
Calamity Wronsky
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SIAOBE

Book Description

Few artists in the music world have achieved the awesome success of Elton John. From his self-titled debut album in 1970 to his Academy Award for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” to his music for the hit Broadway musical Aida, he has been lauded both for his recordings and his extravagant live performances.

His Song is destined to become the definitive critical volume about this remarkable artist. More comprehensive and in-depth than other biographies, this authoritative reference reveals the full story behind all Elton's recordings; offers a complete chronicle of the artist's concert tours, including his 1979 tour of the Soviet Union and his 1994-1995 tour with fellow piano superstar Billy Joel; divulges how he grew from a meek, unassuming man into a personality powerhouse and major superstar; and uncovers the untold story behind his flamboyant costumes and why he wore them.

This enlightening biography also examines the ebb and flow of this outstanding artist's career. It discloses the real reason for Elton's commercial downturn and his difficult business relationship with David Geffen; his “coming out,” first as a bisexual and finally as a gay man; his problems with drugs, alcohol, bulimia, and sexual addictions; his relationship with AIDS sufferer Ryan White; and much more. It also tells the true story regarding his performance at Princess Diana's funeral and his rewriting of “Candle in the Wind,” which went on to become the biggest-selling single in music history. Plus, over 40 photographs and a complete discography chronicle the breadth of this legend's celebrated career.

Customer Reviews:

THE Elton resource for fans..........2006-09-19

Elizabeth Rosenthal has done the near-impossible. Not only has she given an accurate account of Elton John's life and career (which spans nearly six decades), but she did it in a way that focuses on the vast amount of music this guy has put out.

And not just the Greatest Hits, either! No, no, no...she comments on almost all of his album and non-LP-B-side tracks - leaving one to wonder where she finds the time to do her grocery shopping.

As someone who has done a fair bit of writing and research on Elton John as well, I can recommend this book as an invaluable read for casual fan and fanatic alike. Even Elton himself may have learned a thing or two.

John F. Higgins

Album by album, song by song...overly effusive writing........2005-12-07

"His Song" is an impressive attempt at a biography of Elton John, using his album and single releases as a guide.
It appears to be exhaustively researched and is clearly a labor of love for the author.

I feel it does a good job of describing those dizzying, heady days of the early 70's. The author is meticulous about recording the various band members, release dates, important concerts...all thoroughly footnoted.

It's just not written very well, and is so effusive in praise that by the end of the book, you as the reader have become numb to it.

It's fairly repetitious. An example: She refers to the single, "I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That" as "thrilling."
Whether or not you happen to agree (of ALL his singles, THAT'S the "thrilling" one? Uh, no.), it does reveal a laziness in vocabulary when she uses that adjective for that single more than once.

It got to the point where I started to blow off every mention of Elton's "pianism."

What's a "chewy" melody? Is that good or bad? She uses even THAT adjective more than once, specifically to describe a melody.

Listen, I'm not asking for objectivity. Anyone who writes a biography always has an agenda. The author must find the subject fascinating, interesting...they either love or hate the subject...whatever. Bias doesn't bother me.

Blind faith does, though. There's no perspective. When she describes how unpredictably great he was in the 70's, I totally believed her. I listened to every album right before I read about it...which is a pretty cool experience, by the way.

Anyways, when she equates some of his lesser, later work with those early albums, it denigrates those older ones. It doesn't brighten his star, it dims it.

Then, when by all accounts he does release some classy, "old-fashioned" Elton John albums later in his career...they get the same adulation as the weak ones. Again, it diminishes his achievement...

Perhaps I'm being a bit harsh because I love Elton John; for many of us, he was the first rock superstar we came to love. I love the idea and concept of this book: a biographical review of a rock star's career, album by album, song by song. I wish this was available for dozens of other rock acts...

My problem is that the execution left a little to be desired.

A Collection of Reviews.......2005-09-22

The excitement of sitting down and reading about your favorite performer is wonderful. When I heard about Roshenthal's book I went straight to the public library to check it out. I came home with a copy of the book and just finished about three days ago. I will tell you of my experience.

Rosenthal is a very good writer indeed. The language she uses is very strong and very entertaining. I believe her skill in authorhsip really saves this novel. I have been an Elton John fan for twelve years or more, and indeed, I found this book interesting. The research must have taken forever so that Ms. Rosenthal could include all of the information she includes.

Although the writing is well done, the information is overdone. The reader doesn't want to hear a detailed description of the album, because the reader has already heard the albums, maybe ever multiple times. Yet, the descriptions are well written, but there is too much description. The reader can only take so much, and at times I felt like I would just abort the book and move on. But, I kept my faith in Ms. Rosenthal and have to say that she did a fair job.
Much of the novel is just a collection of reviews about Elton John. It is not usually interesting, but it pulls through.

The information that is given, that does not pertain to the description of the albums, is very interesting. It draws the reader in to see Elton John commiting suicide or going on a drunken binges. The facts presented in the book are many that even the most advanced fans couldn't possibly know.

The part that really drew me in, was the prologue. It was written very well, and the information at the end sets the reader on fire. They want to read more.

I believe any Elton John fan should read this book, then consider purchasing it.

Altoghether, the book is well written and contains some very good facts about the musical legend.

For more information visit: [...]
Good reading!

Simply THE best book about Elton yet.......2004-01-15

This book focuses on the music of Elton, unlike any other bio. It goes through an album song by song, and offers interesting interpretation and insight into each, unlike Norman's or other bio's that mention the two or three well known songs from each album. It was amazing the amount of info I learned in this book even though I've been a lifelong fan.

Terrific "musical biography"!.......2004-01-10

This is a marvelous book, especially noteworthy because the author pays as much attention to the music as to the musician. Although her writing style at times can get a bit florid, that's understandable given the fact that she has to describe literally hundreds of songs and performances, so she's always searching for new and creative descriptions. Sometimes it doesn't work, but usually it does. At any rate, this is a highly detailed, engrossing account of Elton John's life and music, and I always found that I had trouble putting it down. Better yet, I was always eager to get back to it! The author clearly loves her subject, "warts and all," which she doesn't shy away from. A very enjoyable and extremely informative book--a must for dedicated Elton John fans, and highly recommended even for more casual fans who simply want to learn more (a lot more) about one of the most successful artists in the history of popular music.

Book Description

Pop Fiction's unique essays individually consider one song within a cinematic context. Unlike previous collected volumes about pop music in film, where a generalised approach has been adopted, this offers instead a close examination of two pervasive and significant mediums in combination.

The collection introspects, assembling the pop song into various guises and documenting how individuals dissemble the multiple roles that the pop song plays in cinematic moments. The song as: role-play, memory trigger, narrator, ghost, marketing device, translator, alienator, membership rite etc.

Within this tight structure, an international range of authorities from film, musicology, audio-visual design, contemporary art, cultural studies, sociology, and marketing.

All provide fresh insight towards the inter-textual fusion of film and song. Additionally the books form reduces the area of analysis to expose differences and similarities between these contrasting fields of study.

Innovative yet accessible, this exciting document would appeal to students, lecturers and researchers offering a diverse set of models with which to investigate the 'ideogram' of image/text/sound—a relationship which sits at the heart of most cultural production. For beginners, the book provides comforting areas of familiarity (pop song and film) while exploring areas of respective discipline and inter-disciplinary practice in an original manner.

Download Description

Pop Fiction's unique essays individually consider one song within a cinematic context. Unlike previous collected volumes about pop music in film where a generalised approach has been adopted, it offers instead a close examination of these two most pervasive and significant mediums in contemporary culture. The collection introspects, assembling the pop song into various guises and documenting how individuals dissemble the multiple roles that the pop song plays in all and one audiovisual moment. The song as: ghost, role-play, memory trigger, narrator, marketing device, translator, alienator, membership rite, etc.

Book Description

The Low Budget Video Bible is the essential do-it-yourself guide to creating top-notch video on a shoestring budget. Explore the fascinating world of camcorder video -- learn how to shoot and edit your own original video movies on a low budget. This book answers all the questions they don't cover in the instruction manuals... Which videocassete format should you use? How do the best consumer formats -- MiniDV, Hi8, and Super-VHS -- stack up against professional formats? What are the differences between camcorders? Editing VCRs? How can you achieve accurate editing? How are RC, SMPTE, and VITC time code used? What about MiniDV time code? When does non-linear editing help save money? Understand video terminology and jargon. Hi-tech comeds down to earht in this practical guide to using camcorders and editing equipment. Get maximum performance at minimum cost. Ideal for students, hobbyists, artists, and semi-pro producers.

Customer Reviews:

You will probably also like Video Activist Hanbook.......2001-08-29

This is a great book! For a fantastic guide on to how to make videos to bring about change in your community check out Video Activist Handbook, also available on Amazon. Here are a couple of reviews:'This book is about media that doesn't just cover activism, it is activism, a crucial part of the process of reclaiming public space and communities.' -Naomi Klein, author "No Logo", 'The Video Activist Handbook' does exactly what it says on the label. Buy it. Read it. Act on it. Your world will never be the same again." - Charles Secrett, Director, Friends of the Earth. For a full copy of this review click here "Cover-to-cover with the kind of advice that budding video vigilantes should heed: everything from basic kit to broadcast....Thomas Harding has laid out his information in such an accessible, linear way that his book could almost function as a blueprint for any form of activism." -Extract from foreword by Anita Roddick (Body Shop). For a full copy of extract click here "You must read this book if you are in any way involved in campaigning" Robby Kellman Greenpeace "A masterpiece of empowerment. Accessible, friendly, and well-informed. No environmental or social justice campaign group should be without this book... Buy this book. It's inspiring" - Peace News.

Great Book for me.............2001-08-22

This book listed all the budget plans and how to spend your precious money. It contains stradegys on how to get grants, loans and even studio space. I wrote this review in 2001 so the book is alittle outdated but trust me It helped me alot. It goes through the basics of what you need in a camcorder, the production and all the equitment you need! I thought this book was great!!!BUY IT!!!

the best how-to book on any topic I have ever read.......1999-09-25

Roth's complete expertise in video is matched by his outstanding writing. If you want to shoot a video like Stephen Spielberg, but spend money like you were using a Kodak Brownie, this is the book for you. I recently saw a short movie directed by Roth, and I know that sometimes those who can do it also teach. Thank God he is willing to share his expertise.

Average customer rating:

Sofar, O'Reilly books never disappointed me.

Beware: Sample Source Code Obsolete

lalin

It's a good book, but Eclipse is a better open-source IDE

A complete and worthwhile reference

NetBeans: The Definitive Guide
Tim Boudreau , Jesse Glick , Simeon Greene , Jack Woehr , and Vaughn Spurlin
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Java | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
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As the Java programming language has increased in both functionality and complexity, developers have demanded more of their program editors. Gone are the days when a simple visual editor is sufficient for even small programming projects. While there are numerous IDEs available today for use by Java developers, one stands above the rest, not only for its functionality, but for its extensibility: NetBeans. In NetBeans: The Definitive Guide, you'll find out how to use this IDE to its fullest, making your Java programming more efficient and productive than ever before. You'll understand the basics of the IDE, and quickly be utilizing the various editor and explorer windows. You'll also master many of NetBeans advanced features, and be working with XML documents, CVS repositories, Javadoc trees, and web applications, all within the NetBeans framework. In addition to teaching you how to use the existing features of NetBeans, this work goes on to cover developing additional modules for NetBeans. Through this instructional portion of the book, you will master the NetBeans APIs, and learn how to enhance NetBeans for your own specific needs. Whether you need to add customized behavior to handle your proprietary file formats, or want to redistribute NetBeans as a proprietary product, NetBeans: The Definitive Guide will allow you to master this open source IDE and all of its advanced features. Whether you are an enterprise developer looking for an IDE that can handle your complex program tasks, an open source developer looking to integrate NetBeans into your own visual projects, or a manager trying to maximize your team's development potential,NetBeans: The Definitive Guide is the book for you.

Customer Reviews:

Sofar, O'Reilly books never disappointed me........2006-03-18

Sometimes I wish, I had all of the O'Reilly books on my shelf. "NetBeans The Definitive Guide" is a real asset to your bookshelf. IDE's are not that simple anymore. If you learn them by "hacking" you certainly do not learn the "hidden" features. Although I know Java well, this book helps to accomplish a development task faster. I like particular the chapters on Java Beans, Javadoc, XML, Extending NetBeans, Tuning Models. These are topics that require a book to help you.

Beware: Sample Source Code Obsolete.......2005-11-17

Overall, this book is a very good reference but there are currently only two books written dedicated to the use of the NetBeans IDE and platform.

I am currently working with the 5.0 Beta release of NetBeans and it has some very nice new features and excellent forums and tutorials at netbeans.org. However, having progressed through the O'Reilly book tutorials one thing is very clear - the API's are continually changing.

The majority of code samples in this book cannot be compiled and run in the current and beta releases of NetBeans. This makes this book less useful than need be. It would be wise of O'Reilly to make an effort to release an second edition or at least to provide updates to the sample code which overcome the deprecation of classes used in the examples.

Perhaps even NetBeans.org could update and post retooled examples as the ones presented appear to be very useful indeed.

Bottom Line: Very disappointed with examples being outdated and unusable.

Otherwise, the book is informative and well written as I have found all of my references from O'Reilly.

lalin.......2005-04-20

Excellent book, even though there is only one :| Unfortunately, since it's release in 2002 netbeans have grown so much. This book was a life saver, too bad it's hard to link what it contains to what netbeans can do nowadays.

It's a good book, but Eclipse is a better open-source IDE.......2004-08-04

At first, I thought that this book was a good book. It covered a free open-source IDE for Java and I wanted to learn to program in Java. I met a professional Java who was going to the Sun One Conference in San Francisco and he recommended Eclipse. I tried Eclipse and I think that it's much better than NetBeans. I first started to dislike NetBeans when it used tilde characters in my pathnames, which made them unreadable. I tried Eclipse and so far I love it. I'm selling my NetBeans book.

A complete and worthwhile reference.......2004-05-22

This is mostly a well-written, dense, book about a very complex subject. I learn something new each time I pick up the book meaning this is a book that you will want to keep nearby.

Many of the reviewers lamented the second half of the book about creating your own plug-in. Since that was the sole purpose for me to obtain the book, I welcomed the wealth of information. I was also impressed that it covered branding, which is precisely the information I was looking for. In a the short time it took for me to read a few chapters, I had written, branded, and packaged the initial skeleton of the application I'm building on top of the NetBeans platform.

The organization of the opening Concepts and Paradigms chapter baffled me. It's also a tutorial and user guide and overview. The section didn't flow together very well unlike the more focused chapters that came later.

The only major complaint I would have is that many of the examples and code didn't work in my version (3.6). But that can't be blamed on the book which was based upon version 3.3. The solution was usually easily found. The O'Reilly errata pages also provided some fixes. I expect everything else will be cleared up by the NetBeans community on their fairly active mailing lists.

I also found the chapter on creating beans to be a bit light on motivation. Why would I want to create a bean? What is a bean and how do the steps presented create a bean? How would the bean be used?

I would have also liked to have seen how to make the editor use Emacs keybindings. While that capability does not exist in the product at present, I'm sure there are enough people who want that capability that it would have been useful to describe a workaround in the book.

I caught nearly a half dozen typographical and grammatical errors and one error in an example. More than I'd expect from O'Reilly. Since NetBeans is evolving so quickly, I'd encourage O'Reilly to come out with editions that cover 3.6 and the upcoming 4.0.

No matter, if you're going to use NetBeans, you have to read this book.

Average customer rating:
Netbeans the Definitive Guide
Tim Boudreau
Manufacturer: OREILLY & ASSOC @ INC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N5ZSZE

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