Product Description

There are so many different subsets of Java across the Java Platform—Java SE, Java EE, Java ME, Java FX—that it’s hard to know where to start. The answer is right here! Getting StartED with Java™ is a complete beginner’s guide to the Java Platform that cuts through all of the confusion and guides you through creating applications in Java.

The beauty of Java is that once you’ve learned the basics of the language, you can write applications to run on anything from your desktop PC, to your mobile phone, to the Internet. You will come to grips with the Java Development Kit and follow step-by-step examples to learn how to write your first programs in Java.

• Absolute beginner’s guide to the Java language
• Clear, friendly, no-nonsense approach cuts through the jargon
• A wealth of step-by-step examples and sample programs to get you started with Java

What you’ll learn

Who is this book for?

This book is for anyone wanting to understand what Java is, whether they intend to program or not, and anyone intending to begin programming in the Java language.

Product Description
AN EXCITING NEW TALE IN A ONE-OF-A-KIND SERIES

Customer Reviews (1)

Best Action Book
Mask of the Wolf Boy by Dave Jackson is the book I am reading right now. I am almost finished.It is about a young Chinese boy named Fu-Lin that wears a mask all of the time. He has to eat alone, so no one will see what his face looks like . He lives with and helps a family of missionaries, but when he has a dream telling him that something is wrong, the Boxers scare them out of the town.Many things happen, but you'll have to read it to find out what happens to him. It is a great Christain book. ... Read more

Product Description
The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the oldest and sole-surviving member of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and has inspired more speculation than any other building on Earth. Using state-of-the-art computer graphics, Building the Great Pyramid brings the world of Fourth Dynasty Egypt to life and shows how and why this most extraordinary of all human monuments was built.

Equipped only with the most basic tools, how were ancient Egyptians able to achieve such an extraordinary degree of accuracy in its construction? How were stones, some weighing as much as 40 tons, hauled into position so precisely? What was life like for the conscripted laborers who built it, and how long did it take them to complete their task? Only now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, is it possible to provide answers.

The authors trace the history of the exploration of the Giza site, from the earliest Greek and Roman travelers, through to Jean-François Champollion's cracking of the hieroglyphic code; and the work of scholars such as Auguste Mariette and Sir William Flinders Petrie in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The final chapter covers less orthodox theories and looks at how the Great Pyramid has become a magnet for all manner of charlatans, heretics, and cranks. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Pure fiction
Presents the traditional mainstream theory that the GP was a tomb, a theory that fails to explain any of the interior features of the pyramid and a theory that has no evidentiary support. If thinking for yourself is difficult for you, you may enjoy this book. On the other hand, if you have the capacity for independent thought, this book will be a disappointment. Read Christopher Dunn's The Giza Power Plant if you're capable of thinking logically.

Building the Great Pyramid (of Giza) by Jackson et.
The book describes in great detail the likely approach to
building the Great Pyramid of Giza or one of the 8 wonders of
the world. The work describes building techniques of Sneferu
and provides numerous pictures of pyramidal structures.
It explains how priests or Thoth presided over formal
ceremonies. In addition, there is a picture showing how Khufu
utilized a pendulum to align the pyramid with the stars.
The work is a marvel which depicts life in Egypt over 4000
years ago. There are descriptions showing how Hemiunce
supervised the building of the pyramids utilizing dozens
of men to haul pieces of stone up to 2 tons in weight.
This book is a "must read" for Egyptologists, world history
enthusiasts, mathematicians/engineers, sociologists and a
host of other professions. This work could be utilized
in a large class project or school presentation.
It is highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate.Amazon.com Review
Visitors call seldom at Blackwood House. Taking tea at thescene of a multiple poisoning, with a suspected murderess as one'shost, is a perilous business. For a start, the talk tends to turn toarsenic. "It happened in this very room, and we still have our dinnerin here every night," explains Uncle Julian, continually rehearsingthe details of the fatal family meal. "My sister made these thismorning," says Merricat, politely proffering a plate of rum cakes,fresh from the poisoner's kitchen. We Have Always Lived in theCastle, Shirley Jackson's 1962 novel, is full of a macabre andsinister humor, and Merricat herself, its amiable narrator, is one ofthe great unhinged heroines of literature. "What place would be betterfor us than this?" she asks, of the neat, secluded realm she shareswith her uncle and with her beloved older sister, Constance. "Whowants us, outside? The world is full of terrible people." Merricat hasdeveloped an idiosyncratic system of rules and protective magic,burying talismanic objects beneath the family estate, nailing them totrees, ritually revisiting them. She has made "a powerful taut webwhich never loosened, but held fast to guard us" against the distrustand hostility of neighboring villagers.

Or so she believes. But at last the magic fails. A strangerarrives--cousin Charles, with his eye on the Blackwood fortune. Hedisturbs the sisters' careful habits, installing himself at the headof the family table, unearthing Merricat's treasures, talkingprivately to Constance about "normal lives" and "boy friends." Unableto drive him away by either polite or occult means, Merricat adoptsmore desperate methods. The result is crisis and tragedy, therevelation of a terrible secret, the convergence of the villagers uponthe house, and a spectacular unleashing of collective spite.

The sisters are propelled further into seclusion and solipsism,abandoning "time and the orderly pattern of our old days" in favor ofan ever-narrowing circuit of ritual and shadow. They have themselvesbecome talismans, to be alternately demonized and propitiated, darkly,with gifts. Jackson's novel emerges less as a study in eccentricityand more--like some of her other fictions--as a powerful critique ofthe anxious, ruthless processes involved in the maintenance ofnormality itself. "Poor strangers," says Merricat contentedly at last,studying trespassers from the darkness behind the barricaded Blackwoodwindows. "They have so much to be afraid of." --Sarah Waters ... Read more

Customer Reviews (103)

I read it until the bitter end!
I purchased a collection of Shirey Jackson's short stories a few years ago because it contained my favorite "The Lottery"."We Have Always Live in the Castle" was one of the stories included.I had not read it before, but it is now being done as a play and after reading a review of the play thought I should read the story.

It took several attempts and I still couldn't get that interested in the characters or story.However, I decided I had to finish it.I did on a damp and dreary Sunday afternoon which was the wrong time because I had trouble getting asleep last night!

I like most everything else this author has written, but not this story.

Brilliant!
I think I am just about the only person out there who had not read Shirley Jackson's, We Have Always Lived in a Castle. Well, now I have, and this 146 page book left me feeling a bit unsettled.Creepy, atmospheric and beyond clever, this is one book that will leave some of you scratching your head when you get to the end.
In brief, Merrikat, as she prefers to be called, begins narrating this story in this way:

"My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, and I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phallaides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead."

From the opening paragraph, I thought something is very strange about Merricat. She is eighteen and acts like a child. She is extremely superstitious, believing in signs and burying items in the ground to secure the property. She is also very protective of her sister.She lives with her sister and Uncle Julius, who on the surface appears to have some sort of dementia. The three of them live in a secluded mansion, and never leave the house, except for Merricat who ventures into town for necessities about twice a week. It is clear that the townspeople fear and dislike the remaining family members. The Blackwoods avoid the neighbors, preferring the security of seclusion. They even avoid the few who are friendly.

Cousin Charles arrives onthe scene, interested in money that may have been left behind, and although he is an unlikable character, he is the only one who seems to be somewhat normal. How the other family members died is revealed as you read on.

So where is this story going? Well, before long it is very clear that Merricat is emotionally disturbed and not a reliable narrator, and that everything is not as it may have appeared early on. For a 142 page book, this one took me several days to complete as it was creepy, really kept my brain engaged searching for clues, and in the end left me wondering about Shirley Jackson, and what her life was like. I know that I will be interested in reading more by this fascinating author. Don't Miss This One!

A Sweet Treat
What made me want to read this book initially was the title. This was my first time reading or hearing of the author Shirley Jackson. I really enjoyed this "quirky" book.

The story is about the two sisters, Constance and Mary Katherine Blackwood, who live together with there somewhat senile uncle, Julian Blackwood. You learn early on that the rest of the family died due to arsenic poisoning. The arsenic was in the sugar that was sprinkled over the blackberries that was for desert. Uncle Julian survived the poisoning, Constance did not eat blackberries, and Mary Katherine was sent to bed without desert that night. Constance was accused of the murder but was later freed. We get the details of that night in bits and pieces from Uncle Julian because he is writing a book about the subject. The books has never been produced because he is always reviewing his "papers."

The story's narrator is Mary Katherine known throughout the story as, Merricat. The sisters along with their uncle live a very reclusive life. Merricat hates the very idea of having to interact with the townspeople. The townspeople are not very fond of the Blackwood family either because of their wealth. I really feel in love with Merricat's character. She suffered from anxiety and a mild form of OCD but she had a "snob" side that I loved. Constance was so motherly and protective of Merricat. Uncle Julian was hilarious.

Towards the end we meet their estranged cousin Charles Blackwood who Merricat immediately deems a ghost and a demon. Charles's greed disrupted the family and his presence brought on an awful tragedy. My favorite part of the novel was how when Charles said something to Merricat she would respond with the latin name of a poisonous mushroom! Every great novel has a cat and this one was no exception he was Merricat's constant companion, Jonas. (less)

Audio Book Review - Interesting...but not creepy.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle / 978-1-4417-3428-0

My husband and I purchased this audio book to listen to during a long car drive. The audio book quality is good - the solo narrator has a solid voice and decent changes and inflections when she voices the multiple characters. For some reason, her voice reminds me a little of Maria Bamberg, whose voice talents I deeply enjoy. For the overall story, however, we were nonplussed - this isn't really a creepy story, or a character-propelled story, or indeed a story where much of anything happens at all.

For one thing, despite the tease on the box that there will be a "revelation of a terrible secret", this is not a suspense story. The "terrible secret" of the murderer's identity is completely obvious from the first few chapters - both my husband and I came to the same correct conclusion about 45 minutes into the reading. So if you're coming to this for any sense of suspense, you'll leave disappointed, because there is never any suspenseful buildup and never any kind of meaningful resolution of the events behind the murder. Annoyingly, the identity of the murderer is pretty much the ONLY thing the reader will learn about the murder mentioned on the blurb - outside of the initial who/what/where/when exposition dump in the early chapters, the backstory is never fully developed or explored. A few tantalizing hints are dropped of potentially interesting side elements - the family feuds, the suspicious age differences, and the abusive politics at play that have left all the surviving members of the family so broken and shattered - but none of these elements are developed and they all feel tragically wasted. Despite several situations seeming ripe for one, there's no real "twist" here to reward the reader - with the murderer known to everyone (including the reader) from the get-go, and with no ghosts (real or metaphorical) to appear and/or vanquish, all the reader is left with is the slow slog to the finish line. The only real character "development" to be had here is limited to an extremely tame and vanilla spiral into further agoraphobia - and it's just not enough to carry the reader to the finish line.

Listening to this novel, I realized that this is one of those stories that English majors often encounter - a story where the critical commentary (particularly the ones with Epileptic Tree theories) is far more interesting than the actual story itself, because the critical commentary can delve into those tantalizing potentialities that the actual story refused to develop. I can see how, if I'd been assigned this in my English major days, I'd appreciate this book more - it's short, sweet, and to the point - but as a read-for-pleasure novel, I feel that it failed us. I understand that a lot of people truly love this novel, and to each their own, so take this dissenting viewpoint with however many grains of salt.

~ Ana Mardoll

For eerie, small-town Gothic tales, Shirley Jackson is the win
The more I read of Shirley Jackson, the more she has proven herself again and again to be a master of creepy, emotionally unsettling situations. With that said, do not read this book if you don't want to be unsettled.

The novel follows two sisters, 18-year-old Mary Katherine (Merricat) Blackwood, and her agoraphobic older sister, Constance. Though the story centers around the poisoning of Merricat and Constance's family, the true horror is psychological, as we spend more time in Merricat's head and little bits of information about her world are revealed to us in small fragments. Though Merricat is 18, her voice reads like a young child, swinging back and forth from dreamy fantasies about living on the moon to dark, murderous thoughts toward the people of her village. Constance's portrayal is equally terrifying, a woman indulgent to Merricat's destructive behavior and freakishly obsessed with domestic duties. What is horrifying, to me, is the way these characters are depicted as being so resistant to change and self-reflection that they inevitably seal themselves up in their house like a tomb, sitting at the heart of a village that hates them. And yet still, somehow, you feel emotionally attached to the sisters and are totally caught up in the way the manipulative Merricat tells her story.

The Jonathan Lethem introduction is insightful in this edition, but I would suggest reading it after you read the novel so that you can garner your own interpretation, and then read Lethem's take on the two sisters afterward. "Castle" is a quick read (I wolfed it down in a day or so), but it is not a novel soon forgotten. Prepare yourself to let these characters stick in your mind. ... Read more

Product Description
The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World, and the only one left standing. With the help of computer-generated imagery, this book brings IVth Dynasty Egypt to life and shows how and why this most extraordinary monument was built. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more