2005 Miller GAAS Guide: A Comprehensive Restatement of Standards for Auditing, Attestation, Compilation and Review (Miller Gaas Guide)
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    2005 Miller GAAS Guide: A Comprehensive Restatement of Standards for Auditing, Attestation, Compilation and Review (Miller Gaas Guide)
    Joseph Carcello , and Mark Beasley
    Manufacturer: Aspen
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    GeneralGeneral | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 073554798X

    Book Description

    Delivers the latest pronouncements to help accountants perform flawless engagements. The reader friendly format equips you with checklists, application procedures and practice aids. The book is modelled on the AICPA's codification structure so you can easily follow the latest SASs, SAS Interpretations, SSAEs, SSAE Interpretations, SSARs, SSAR Interpretations, Auditing SOPs. Technical jargon is minimised. The enclosed CD ROM contains all the timesaving checklists, forms and reports needed to perform a thorough audit.

    · Best-selling, widely respected guides provide credibility and established authority
    · Fully updated for 2005 and available now
    · Logically structured and clearly indexed for ease of use

    NLP at Work: The Difference That Makes a Difference in Business (People Skills for Professionals Series) (People Skills for Professionals Series)
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Good introduction to NLP
    • Not a good book on NLP, nor a good book on work/business
    • Not enough deapth
    • A Good Read!
    • Clear and informative
    NLP at Work: The Difference That Makes a Difference in Business (People Skills for Professionals Series) (People Skills for Professionals Series)
    Sue Knight
    Manufacturer: Nicholas Brealey
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    Similar Items:
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    ASIN: 1857880706

    Book Description

    sympathetic and clear...the whole book makes NLP reasonable, achievable and commonsense. If a good visual presentation, jargon-reduced descriptions and lots of fine examples of NLP at work in the workplace are your desire, this is a great place to start.--Mark McKergow, NLP World

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Good introduction to NLP.......2007-03-02

    I find this book an excellent introduction to the field of Neuro-Linguistic Programming. While there are a few other good introductory level books, this one is specific to the work context and for many people this is the best place to start improving your communication skills. Most challenges in the work place arise as a result of ineffective communication. Improvements in this area can lead to greater job satisfaction and more opportunities for advancement. Sue Knight writes in an easy to read style that will be accessible to all readers. I had purchased the first edition, but this newest edition has so much additional information that I purchased a second copy.

    1 out of 5 stars Not a good book on NLP, nor a good book on work/business.......2005-12-16

    Oh dear. I thought long and hard about whether I should write a review on this book.

    Clearly work has gone into writing it and I did pay quite a few dollars for it, so I really wish it had been good.

    But no, I have to be honest, I think it has done more to turn me off the subject of NLP than even the most skeptical write-ups on the subject.

    I was looking for a book that would give me a proper guide to NLP skills I could use in the workplace or business.

    This neither explained properly or simply the NLP skills, nor their application in business.

    It did make an attempt, but it did the worst possible thing it could - it bored the hell out of me.

    To say that NLP is meant to be software for your brain, the science and practice of human excellence and is said to be as potentially limitless as the imagination itself, this book bored my socks off.

    Sorry, but I found it so dry and dull.

    None of the techniques, theories, etc, seemed to be very practical or hang together, it just seems to go from one subject to another with no accumulation of value or learning, which is ironic because that is what NLP is meant to be about.

    I'm no expert, but I can tell you that one of the first books I ever read on NLP doesn't go into all the dull as dishwater complexities that this book does, but it has 100 times the value. That book is Change Your Life in Seven Days by Paul McKenna (see my review). It doesn't actually even mention NLP but contains all the useful techniques without the dullness of this work, and it's much cheaper, too, with a free recorded guided mind reprogramming session which is the true power of NLP in action.

    Back to this book - it seems to have little application in business and is pushing a bright and frothy agenda. Well business isn't all like that. Alot of the time it's tough stuff and I can't see anything here helping even remotely.

    Yes, I know all that stuff about mirroring and matching the language and gestures of the other person, but really, unless you are extremely quick, the transactions between people are so subtle that you are not exactly likely to get some negotiation breakthrough of massive proportions by the means described here.

    I have since discovered a number of books that are much more effective in outlining persuasion/negotation and communication techniques in business and blow this book out of the water.

    As I say, it put me off NLP for some time. However, from other books I have seen some merit in the subject and I still have some interest in it.

    I have checked out a book on Amazon called Introducing NLP and have only read the searchable pages online.

    However, those few pages seemed to give more clear and compact info than the first 250 pages of NLP at work.

    Even the subject matter in NLP at Work is just poorly applied to business. Modelling is apparently just copying what someone else does to get the same effect. Well I learnt how to do that at school, and it's not that revolutionary a concept.

    And meta-messages. What is the overall message a business is trying to give? This is not a meta-message. This is known as corporate image/identity and again is not a revolutionary concept.

    If you need tips from this book on it, in the very brief way it is mentioned, then you are probably sunk already.

    The only slightly redeeming part is that the section on anchoring is reasonably well described.

    However, I think this book needs to decide what it is trying to be.

    If you want to give a business person, who is fresh to the subject, the tools of NLP to use in a business setting, you have to come from a business perspective.

    That perspective is a practical one. One that doesn't have time to trawl through all the hokey-pokey that is dragged through here.

    After all, NLP is meant to be about what works. And this book sure doesn't work for me!

    1 out of 5 stars Not enough deapth.......2002-09-20

    The author has touch on many a NLP techniques and has not talked enough about them to enable the reader to learn those techniques.

    4 out of 5 stars A Good Read!.......2002-09-18

    Neuro linguistic programming, which sounds like a diabolical technique straight out of A Clockwork Orange, is actually a relatively straightforward method of paying attention to the verbal and non-verbal messages that people constantly emit. By noting the inflection, body language and eye movements of others, you can glean a better understanding of what they are really thinking. Conversely, by controlling the signals that you send, you can make sure that people are getting the right message. With the caveat that many elements of NLP are straight out of Communications 101, we from getAbstract recommend this book to anyone in business whose communications skills could use an upgrade.

    5 out of 5 stars Clear and informative.......2002-09-07

    This is a well-written book on NLP in the workplace. The author's style is clear and easy to follow. There is little jargon and an emphasis on getting ideas across in plain English. A very good overview of NLP and its applications. Highly recommended.
    NLP at Work : Neuro Linguistic Programming: The Difference That Makes a Difference in Business (People Skills for Professionals Ser.)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      NLP at Work : Neuro Linguistic Programming: The Difference That Makes a Difference in Business (People Skills for Professionals Ser.)
      Sue Knight
      Manufacturer: Nicholas Brealey Publishing Limited
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback
      ASIN: B000KP8KPC
      NLP at Work: The Difference That Makes a Difference in Business
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        NLP at Work: The Difference That Makes a Difference in Business
        KnightfSue
        Manufacturer: Nicholas Brealey Publishing
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback
        ASIN: B000QYD4VM

        Investitionen Ohne Grenzen/investment Without Borders: Niederlassungsfreiheit Und Kapitalverkehr In Der Gesamteuropaischen Rechtspraxis : Freedom Of Establishment ... And Movement Of Capital Within Pan-europea
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          Investitionen Ohne Grenzen/investment Without Borders: Niederlassungsfreiheit Und Kapitalverkehr In Der Gesamteuropaischen Rechtspraxis : Freedom Of Establishment ... And Movement Of Capital Within Pan-europea

          Manufacturer: Peter Lang Pub Inc
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

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          ASIN: 3631378815

          Astrophysical Jets: Open Problems
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            Astrophysical Jets: Open Problems
            S. Massaglia
            Manufacturer: Taylor & Francis
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover

            AstronomyAstronomy | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books
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            ASIN: 9056996371

            Book Description

            While astrophysical jets have begun to reveal their mysteries, many basic aspects of jets have not yet been fully explained. This volume offers contributions by distinguished researchers who present the latest results of their inquiries into these open problems in the study of jets. Featuring discussions relating to stellar and galactic jets, their origin, propagation and termination, this volume provides a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in this fascinating area of study. It is an essential reference for researchers and graduate students in such fields as magnetohydrodynamics, active galactic nuclei, quasars and star formation.

            3D QSAR in Drug Design: Volume 2: Ligand-Protein Interactions and Molecular Similarity (Three-Dimensional Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships)
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              3D QSAR in Drug Design: Volume 2: Ligand-Protein Interactions and Molecular Similarity (Three-Dimensional Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships)

              Manufacturer: Springer
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Hardcover

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              ASIN: 0792347900

              Book Description

              Volumes 2 and 3 of the 3D QSAR in Drug Design series aim to review the progress being made in CoMFA and other 3D QSAR approaches since the publication of the highly successful first volume about four years ago.
              Volume 2 ( Ligand-Protein Interactions and Molecular Similarity) divides into three sections dealing with Ligand-Protein Interactions, Quantum Chemical Models and Molecular Dynamics Simulations, and Pharmacophore Modelling and Molecular Similarity, respectively.
              Volume 3 ( Recent Advances) is also divided into three sections, namely 3D QSAR Methodology: CoMFA and Related Approaches, Receptor Models and Other 3D QSAR Approaches, and 3D QSAR Applications.
              More than seventy distinguished scientists have contributed nearly forty reviews of their work and related research to these two volumes which are of outstanding quality and timeliness. These works present an up-to-date coverage of the latest developments in all fields of 3D QSAR.

              Giam VI, Global Impacts of Applied Microbiology: Sixth International Conference
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                Giam VI, Global Impacts of Applied Microbiology: Sixth International Conference
                International Conference Giam
                Manufacturer: Academic Press
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Hardcover

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                ASIN: 0122382803
                GIAM VI, Global Impacts of Applied Microbiology: Sixth International Conference
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                  GIAM VI, Global Impacts of Applied Microbiology: Sixth International Conference
                  S. O.; Ogunbi, O.; Sanni, S. O.; ICRO/Unesco Panel on Microbiology Emejuaiwe
                  Manufacturer: Academic Press
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Paperback
                  ASIN: B000OHBMGA

                  Catalogue of an Extensive Collection of Books on Travel, Exploration, Natural History and Literature Relating Mainly to Australia, Parts 1 & 2, Oct. 11-12, 1971 & Jan. 31, Feb. 1, 1972
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                    Catalogue of an Extensive Collection of Books on Travel, Exploration, Natural History and Literature Relating Mainly to Australia, Parts 1 & 2, Oct. 11-12, 1971 & Jan. 31, Feb. 1, 1972
                    Sotheby & Co
                    Manufacturer: Sotheby & Co.
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Paperback
                    ASIN: B000M1F7FK

                    The Club Dumas
                    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
                    • Not Great, but OK
                    • Good Read
                    • Not the Ninth Gate... better
                    • Interesting, but not nearly as good as it could have been
                    • The Tenth Gate
                    The Club Dumas
                    Arturo Perez-Reverte
                    Manufacturer: Harvest Books
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Paperback

                    ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                    GeneralGeneral | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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                    Perez-Reverte, ArturoPerez-Reverte, Arturo | ( P ) | Authors, A-Z | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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                    ASIN: 015603283X

                    Book Description

                    #1 International Bestseller
                    Lucas Corso is a book detective, a mercenary hired to hunt down rare editions for wealthy and unscrupulous clients. When a well-known bibliophile is found hanged, leaving behind part of the original manuscript of Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeers, Corso is brought in to authenticate the fragment. He is soon drawn into a swirling plot involving devil worship, occult practices, and swashbuckling derring-do among a cast of characters bearing a suspicious resemblance to those of Dumas's masterpiece. Aided by a mysterious beauty named after a Conan Doyle heroine, Corso travels from Madrid to Toledo to Paris in pursuit of a sinister and seemingly omniscient killer.

                    Part mystery, part puzzle, part witty intertextual game, The Club Dumas is a wholly original intellectual thriller by the author of The Flanders Panel and The Seville Communion.

                    Customer Reviews:

                    3 out of 5 stars Not Great, but OK.......2007-10-06

                    In my opinion, this is a rare instance where the movie is better than the book (I'm referring to "The Ninth Gate"). I found the constant literary minutia irritating; the author should have just concentrated on the "Nine Doors" book. Having said that, it was mildly entertaining.

                    4 out of 5 stars Good Read.......2007-09-30

                    The Club Dumas is a good read for anyone who has read The Flemish Panel by the same author. Both books are dark in mood but they will keep you engrossed. They are definitely not your typical mystery stories, but who wants a typical mystery story anyway.

                    4 out of 5 stars Not the Ninth Gate... better.......2007-08-08

                    I picked up this book because I enjoyed the movie. As usual, it was much better than the movie. The book had another plot that the movie never touches, one which I found even more entertaining. Unfortunately, I found that the book left me asking just as many questions as the movie did. I only give it four stars because I found that the author was a little long-winded at times. Enjoy!

                    3 out of 5 stars Interesting, but not nearly as good as it could have been.......2007-06-20

                    I was mostly annoyed by this book. I was drawn in by the characters, which are certainly interesting characters, and I very much enjoyed some parts of the story arc. Overall however, I found the writing pretentious (quite possibly because it was written in Spanish and things are always lost in translation), and in the end I just never really saw the connections. I have lots of unanswered questions. A fairly quick read, and worth checking out if you're a book nerd, but I didn't think it was as great as some others believe it to be.

                    Found it interesting however that it was the basis for The Ninth Gate with Johnny Depp that came out 8 years ago.

                    4 out of 5 stars The Tenth Gate.......2007-06-10

                    This is one book I would never have ordinarily picked up myself because I'm not really a fan of fictional writing. Even so, I liked the Ninth Gate movie so much I just had to read the book it was based on. I'm quite fortunate I saw the movie first, though. Otherwise, it would probably have been even more difficult to appreciate. Firstly, let me say that the movie follows the book quite closely but does a fine job of leaving out many unnecessary details and references to literature and history that permeate the novel. However, the movie also sacrifices some rather good conversation that takes place between certain characters. The book is definitely more descriptive than the movie and I would imagine doing it justice would take 4 hours of film.

                    Still, there are times when the narrative gets too lengthy and confusing, as if the author is writing for his own enjoyment at the expense of his readers'. He also seems to have a thing for "impossibly young" tomboyish girls with green eyes. That description of one of the main characters was perhaps mentioned too often. Unfortunately, the book never quite explains who she really is anyway.

                    Corso's character is rather well adapted and in the movie, Johnny Depp plays him well. If you've seen the movie, you'll have no trouble picturing his character in the book. Some of the other characters look different and have meatier roles than portrayed in the movie. This is sometimes a good thing and sometimes not. There is enough humour in the book to keep the story interesting but the ending to me was somewhat anticlimactic. I always wondered what really happened at the end of the film and the book does not answer that question. In fact, I think the movie does it better.

                    There is some sex in the book but nothing very steamy. Arturo spends a lot of time describing the fabulous bodies of some of the female characters to make up for that, though. A little too much, perhaps. I did not see the necessity. It's kind of like when an old man makes jokes about 'young people' and talks dirty in a seemingly harmless way. It's easy to dismiss it as harmless banter but it still sounds fishy. Anyway, the book does hold one big surprise that is not in the movie but I won't spoil it for you. Suffice to say the movie deals with that 'problem' accordingly.

                    In summary, I would not vehemently recommend this book to anyone but might suggest those who really liked the movie to read it. On the other hand, those who have an above-average inclination to history and fictional literature (plenty of such references in the book) might get more out of it than I did. Having watched the movie and read the book, I'd like to think of myself as having reached the "tenth gate". There's nowhere left to go with this story.
                    The Club Dumas
                    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
                    • Perez-Reverte, In Spanish or English, a great author.
                    • Anticlimactic
                    • Too much information
                    • Interesting, but oddly disappointing
                    • Great Reading, Intriguing
                    The Club Dumas
                    Arturo Perez-Reverte
                    Manufacturer: Harcourt
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Hardcover

                    ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                    SpanishSpanish | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                    GeneralGeneral | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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                    All TitlesAll Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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                    ASIN: 0151001820

                    Amazon.com

                    Fallen angels, satanic manuals, and a passion for the works of Raphael Sabatini and Alexandre Dumas among others--this is the stuff of Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte's engrossing novel The Club Dumas. Set in a world of antiquarian booksellers where dealers would gladly betray their own mothers to get their hands on a rare volume, The Club Dumas is a thinking person's thriller: in addition to a riveting plot, the book is full of intriguing details that range from the working habits of Alexandre Dumas to how one might go about forging a 17th-century text. Woven through these meditations is enough murder, sex, and the occult to keep both the hero, Lucas Corso, and the reader hopping.

                    As in his previous novel, The Flanders Panel, set in the world of art restoration, Mr. Pérez-Reverte has written a literary thriller to tease both the intellect and adrenaline gland. Lucas Corso makes a complex, ultimately sympathetic hero, and there's plenty to delight in the intricate twists and turns the story takes before the mystery of The Club Dumas is finally solved.

                    Book Description

                    "A cross between Umberto Eco and Anne Rice. . . .Think of The Club Dumas as a beach book for intellectuals." --New York Daily News

                    Lucas Corso, middle-aged, tired, and cynical, is a book detective, a mercenary hired to hunt down rare editions for wealthy and unscrupulous clients. When a well-known bibliophile is found hanged, leaving behind part of the original manuscript of Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeers, Corso is brought in to authenticate the fragment.

                    The task seems straightforward, but the unsuspecting Corso is soon drawn into a swirling plot involving devil worship, occult practices, and swashbuckling derring-do among a cast of characters bearing a suspicious resemblance to those of Dumas's masterpiece. Aided by a mysterious beauty named for a Conan Doyle heroine, Corso travels from Madrid to Toledo to Paris in pursuit of a sinister and seemingly omniscient killer. Part mystery, part puzzle, part witty intertextual game, The Club Dumas is a wholly original intellectual thriller by the internationally bestselling author of The Flanders Panel and The Seville Communion.

                    Customer Reviews:

                    5 out of 5 stars Perez-Reverte, In Spanish or English, a great author........2007-07-16

                    Much better than the movie. Great info on forgeries, book making,engraving and of course the history of books dealing with the "devil."

                    I read this in English first and was so impressed I had to read the original. I found the original as easy to read as any English novel.

                    3 out of 5 stars Anticlimactic.......2007-03-16

                    An interesting framework that combines elements of Dumas, Sherlock Holmes, Phillip Marlowe, and The Da Vinci Code that, at least for me, didn't quite work.

                    I actually thought The Club Dumas started out quite well - I flew through the first 100 pages thoroughly engrossed in the story as the mystery was established, but unfortunately it fell flat as it unfolded, in my opinion. Quite simply, I found the resolution of the various questions/mysteries raised anticlimactic.

                    I will admit I did appreciate finding as many references to Dumas, Conan Doyle, and other works as I could (I'm sure there are a lot I missed, I'm not all that well-read), but for me that didn't make up for a relatively flat story. I did not, on the other hand, appreciate the frequently awkward attempts at Chandlerian similes.

                    At the risk of stating the obvious, if you're thinking of reading this I would, at the very least, be sure to read The Three Musketeers first.

                    4 out of 5 stars Too much information.......2006-08-17

                    After reading all of the above reviews, you may not need to read THE CLUB DUMAS after all since so much of the book's plot has been revealed by those who still feel that a book review is just an assignment to be turned in to teacher in English IV just to prove that you read the book. It's as if someone tells you what the movie was all about before you've seen it. Just you don't hate it when that happens?

                    That said, I would like to say that if you enjoyed reading John Durnning's BOOKED TO DIE or THE BOOKMAN'S WAKE (the Cliff Janeaway novels) I would highly recommend The Club Dumas. A bizarre labyrinth of mystery, murder and the book arts. Mr. Perez-Reverte must be praised for his research and if you are not well versed in Alexandere Dumas' literary career (the author of 257 novels, histories and memoirs), take heart, you will become very enlightened.

                    If you are interested in a limited history of the book and its role in the mystery genre... and the occult, this book will keep your fingers flipping pages. It's just an added layer in the creative complexity of a novel with many layers.... Although, to be honest, I did think the ending was a bit over the top.

                    Hope you will enjoy it as well. I've just finished the FLANDERS PANEL and have started THE FENCING MASTER. I had to place a hold on THE SEVILLE COMMUNION. I think you get the idea.

                    3 out of 5 stars Interesting, but oddly disappointing.......2006-07-26

                    This book came to my attention only after I saw the movie The Ninth Gate, and I was immediately interested. The movie seemed to leave several questions unanswered, and I believed that a book would be a better medium for a mystery about books than film. Well, it was, but I was still left with unanswered questions.

                    The book follows the expolits of Lucas Corso, an alcoholic anti-hero, as he tracks down the source of exceedingly rare occult literature as a mercenary book trader. The best parts of the book center around his relationship with a strange girl with green eyes, who joins him for unexplained reasons on his quest. However, loosely connected to this intriguing investigation is a manuscript chapter from The Three Musketeers, which takes on strange dimensions as character parallels from the Musketeers oppose him on his journey. The background is peopled with unique characters, and various asides are devoted to describing the murky world of the rare book black market, the biography of Alexandre Dumas, or the nature of the devil and medieval occult practices.

                    These excerpts answered many of the questions posed by the film, fleshing out my understanding of plenty of side-issues. Several illustrations in the book also made these chapters more enjoyable. It was only at the end that I despaired of an explanation that united the two detective stories of Dumas and the devil. Instead of everything "coming together" as in a Sherlock Holmes story, the motivation for the entire quest comes unravelled into two distinct threads which are only coincidentally united. I admit that the movie had spoiled the final twist for me, which is perhaps the reason I found it unsatisfying. However, the author seems to have made some effort to assert the unity of the two strands of plot via Corso himself, who reflects to himself that he is caught in a literary twilight zone and refuses to be surprised by events which refer to literature. During the pursuit, I was pleased by all of this, but only on the condition of an eventual rationale. The rationale, once revealed, left me unimpressed.

                    Not that the book is without its charm; in fact, much in the style of Umberto Eco, the answer to the mystery is not the fanciful one the main character supposes- or rather, not the whole answer. The Club Dumas reminded me of Eco's book Foucault's Pendulum in particular, although this one is much more digestable to a leisurely fan. I will continue to suspect that the movie for The Ninth Gate spoiled the book for me; therefore, I would recommend anyone interested in this subject to read the book prior to the movie. The aftertaste may be more palatable.

                    4 out of 5 stars Great Reading, Intriguing.......2006-07-07

                    The Club Dumas is a what many call a high-brow mystery book, where the pages turn fast but the subject matter is a few steps above the standard smoking gun "whodunit?". The book cover claims it as a "beach book for intellectuals." While this might be a bit overwrought, it's also fairly accurate, as The Club Dumas doesn't pander to a low-brow audience. Instead, it maintains a high level of sophistication while remaining a standard thrilling mystery. In the end, it may try to mix 2 moods that don't necessarily blend well together. But it does such a good job that you can't help but be entertained.

                    Having prefaced with that, there's more to the story than a vapid tale such as The DaVinci Code. The story has layers which make it more intricate than any run of the mill American thriller, translating into a mystery almost impossible to figure out. I don't read books trying to figure out what might happen, so take that for what it's worth. I suppose seasoned mystery might not be so stumped. Or maybe they will. I digress.

                    The Club Dumas is about one chapter from Dumas' original manuscript of The Three Musketeers, and the search to find out if the chapter is authentic or not. On top of this, the main character Luca Corso is saddled with the burden of finding out if another, apparently unrelated, book is also authentic. This second book is an ancient text purported to be able to instruct the reader how to summon the devil. Much of the narrative centers around the hobby - passion perhaps is a better word - of collecting original manuscripts of books through the centuries. The working knowledge Perez-Reverte exhibits about book collecting is what really sets this apart from your standard thriller. Corso finds himself taken through the ringer as he tries to figure out how these 2 mysteries are interwoven. Through several near misses he finds himself playing a role in a real life version of Dumas' grand work.

                    How it all plays out is left as an exercise to the reader. Despite claims that Perez-Reverte tied up the book brilliantly, I can't agree with that. There are parts of the wrap-up that go outside the believable bounds of the narrative. Because of this I can't say the book does well in bringing the story to a proper close. To elucidate that thought, imagine having read a story only to find a talking dog at the end of a book where dogs never talked. It would be problematic, to suggest such an ending.

                    Perhaps Perez-Reverte uses the talking dog widget, perhaps he doesn't. I have to admit parts of the ending are left extremely vague. In my online searches I have not found anyone who has taken a stab at summarizing what exactly happens to all involved. Instead, we are left with an amorphous ooze of uncertainty. Perhaps this is the literary hangover the beach intellectual feels when they've drank more intellectual words than they can handle?

                    Regardless, the bulk of the book is nearly brilliant. I have already bought 2 more works by the same author, as I found this book nearly impossible to put down for the 3-4 days it took me to read. Even if the end wasn't as well done as the rest of the book, it still stands as an excellent work and I fully understand how this ranks as an international best seller. This isn't 5 star material for the reasons cited above. But this is a solid 4 star book that will keep you riveted, at least until the end, where you might find yourself blown away, or a little confused. Either way it's worth the trip getting there.
                    El Club Dumas
                    Average customer rating: Not rated
                      El Club Dumas
                      Arturo Perez-Reverte
                      Manufacturer: Punto de Lectura
                      ProductGroup: Book
                      Binding: Paperback

                      ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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                      Perez-Reverte, ArturoPerez-Reverte, Arturo | ( P ) | Authors, A-Z | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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                      2. El Sol de Breda (Aventuras del Capitan Alatriste) El Sol de Breda (Aventuras del Capitan Alatriste)
                      3. The Club Dumas The Club Dumas
                      4. El Maestro de Esgrima El Maestro de Esgrima
                      5. El Capitan Alatriste (Las Aventuras Del Capitan Alatriste) El Capitan Alatriste (Las Aventuras Del Capitan Alatriste)

                      ASIN: 8466318313

                      Product Description

                      Lucas Corso is a bibliophile mercenary in the middle of two searches. He needs to prove if a manuscript of The Three Musketeers is genuine. He must also find the solution to the enigma of a diabolic book, burned at the printers in 1667 by the Holy office and condemned by the Vatican; only two other copies are known. The stories intermingle and result in a page-turning thriller distinctive of Perez Reverte s writing. The book was taken to the big screen in a movie titled The Ninth Gate by renowned director Roman Polanski.

                      Description in Spanish

                      Descifrar el misterio de un libro que invoca al demonio, del que sólo quedan tres ejemplares en el mundo, se convirtió para Lucas Corso, comprador de libros antiguos por encargo, en peligrosa aventura. Pero por si esto fuera poco, un capítulo manuscrito de los tres mosqueteros de Alejandro Dumas entra en escena y se entremezclan historias para dar origen a un apasionante thriller al mejor estilo de Arturo Pérez-Reverte. "El club Dumas" (1993), una de las novelas más emblemáticas del autor, constituye un modelo ejemplar de utilización de los más genuinos ingredientes de la novela de intriga, de investigación criminal, ambientación histórica y ficción culturalista, además de ser un homenaje al maestro del folletín decimonónico, Alejandro Dumas. Esta novela ha sido llevada a la gran pantalla por Roman Polanski con el título "La novena puerta".
                      Club Dumas
                      Average customer rating: Not rated
                        Club Dumas
                        Arturo Perez-Reverte
                        Manufacturer: Vintage
                        ProductGroup: Book
                        Binding: Paperback

                        ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                        Action & AdventureAction & Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                        ASIN: 1860460712
                        El Club Dumas
                        Average customer rating: Not rated
                          El Club Dumas
                          Mario Vargas Llosa
                          Manufacturer: Aguilar, Altea, Taurus, Alfaguara, S.A. de C.
                          ProductGroup: Book
                          Binding: Paperback

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                          Vargas Llosa, MarioVargas Llosa, Mario | ( V ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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                          ASIN: 9681904966

                          Book Description

                          Includes the author's most significant short novels. From his first work ever published, "Los jefes", to the perverse and erotic "Elogio de la madrastra", which was continued as "Los cuadernos de Don Rigoberto". It also includes "Los cachorros", "Quien mat a Palomino Molero?" and "El hablador".
                          The Club Dumas
                          Average customer rating: Not rated
                            The Club Dumas
                            Arturo Perez-Reverte , and David Warner
                            Manufacturer: Phoenix Audio
                            ProductGroup: Book
                            Binding: Audio CD

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                            Perez-Reverte, ArturoPerez-Reverte, Arturo | ( P ) | Authors, A-Z | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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                            Similar Items:
                            1. The Seville Communion The Seville Communion
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                            ASIN: 1597774987

                            Book Description

                            When a well-known bibliophile is found hanged, Lucas Corso is brought in to authenticate a fragment of a manuscript purported to be "The Three Musketeers." He is soon drawn into a swirling plot involving devil worship, occult practices, and a swashbuckling cast that bears a suspicious resemblance to those in the famous work.
                            The Club Dumas
                            Average customer rating: Not rated
                              The Club Dumas

                              Manufacturer: Harcourt Brace
                              ProductGroup: Book
                              Binding: Hardcover
                              ASIN: B000GQSOLU
                              The Club Dumas (International Ser.)
                              Average customer rating: Not rated
                                The Club Dumas (International Ser.)
                                Arturo; Soto, Sonia (translator) Perez-Reverte
                                Manufacturer: Vintage International
                                ProductGroup: Book
                                Binding: Paperback
                                ASIN: B000OLNTYY
                                Club Dumas, El
                                Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
                                • Incedibly Amazing
                                Club Dumas, El
                                Arturo Perez-Reverte
                                Manufacturer: Alfaguara Ediciones, S.A. (Spain)
                                ProductGroup: Book
                                Binding: Paperback

                                ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                                SpanishSpanish | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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                                ASIN: 950511611X

                                Customer Reviews:

                                4 out of 5 stars Incedibly Amazing.......2004-01-30

                                This is one of the finest books I think ever written.It can make you question yourself and any others around you. It creates that pit in your stomach from beginning to end that makes it impossible to put down.
                                Club Dumas. La Neuvième Porte
                                Average customer rating: Not rated
                                  Club Dumas. La Neuvième Porte
                                  Arturo Pérez-Reverte
                                  Manufacturer: J.-C. Lattès
                                  ProductGroup: Book
                                  Binding: Paperback

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                                  ASIN: 2709613980

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