Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Cartooning but Were Afraid to Draw (Christopher Hart Titles)

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2007-05-20

Far more detailed than the How to Draw Cartoons book by this author. There are examples of heads, eyes, noses, mouth, hands, and many other elements in good detail.

high quality.......2006-11-10

This a useful book for the artist (or developing artist) moving into cartoon drawing. The material is high quality, drawn and written by a professional with many years' work under his belt. You'll wish it were longer.

Drawing on Inspiration.......2006-06-01

I bought this book so I can learn to draw cartoons with my 2.5-year-old daughter. Right around this time I had finished reading the book Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, and I was wondering how I might be able to start teaching my child about different emotions. Then on pages 18 and 19 of Hart's book I found a list of cartoon faces depicting emotions. We started drawing some of them. Currently we're concentrating on two: Happy and Laughing.

Chris Hart Does It Again!.......2004-02-27

Without a doubt, Christopher Hart is one of the most prolific and talented cartoonist around. Having worked with companies such as Disney, his cartoon style is entertaining and stylic as well. It's got personality and it will make you want to engross yourself in the book. If you've not read any book by Chris Hart, this is one of his best. However, it is a wonderful book with lots of helpful ideas on becoming a cartoonist yourself.

It covers everything from how to place the features to costumes to animals. It would definitely be a useful starting (and ending) ground for anyone interested in this art.

Excellent find!.......2003-08-23

This book is great! There are a ton of helpful tips and techniques that range from how to draw facial expressions and body types to how to draw ice cubes and water... and even how to convey wind or rain. The author, Christopher Hart, even explains why cartoon characters have only three fingers.

This book is very clear, very informative and very funny! I highly recommend this book!

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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Cartooning But Were Afraid to Draw

Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 1417676248

Book Description

The Mississippi River flows through American history and culture as a mythic waterway brimming with tragedy and hope, and awash in passionate ambitions and harsh realities. In 1953, a young Charles Dee Sharp traveled twice down the Mississippi (first by towboat and then by car along the renowned river road Highway 61) to make a documentary film of it, taking black-and-white photographs of the river, its communities, and its people.

While Sharp’s documentary never came to fruition, the striking images he captured survived as moving and evocative historical testaments to a lost era, now collected in his new book The Mississippi in 1953. These images create a vivid portrait of America’s heartland a half century ago, and they are enriched with excerpts from Sharp’s original trip journal, intriguing anecdotes from the people he encountered along his journey, and an engaging environmental history of the river by historian John O. Anfinson. The Mississippi in 1953 offers an original and poignant look at the living artery of the American landscape and how it molded the United States into the nation it is today.

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Dale's I'm O.K., You're Y2K: A Survival Guide for the New Millennium and for the One After That (King of the Hill)

Manufacturer: HarperEntertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0006531709

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Dale's I'm O.K., You're Y2K: A Survival Guide for the New Millennium and for the One After That
John Altschuler
Manufacturer: HarperEntertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O8VNRC

Customer Reviews:

This book changed my life.......2005-10-05

Words can't express how amazing this novel is. On the surface it seems like a lighthearted exploration about the trials and tribulations of life at sea - but have you really READ it? Have you? Because I haven't, but this man is the father of a friend of mine and I assume it must be amazing. He is also a prophet, which leads me to believe this book alludes to certain sections of Revelations from the New Testament that may or may not predict the apocalypse. Pick it up today at your local library for a fun read!
Review sponsored by READING RAINBOW.

Rambling but with good cartoons.......2004-06-11

The book has its moments but it tends to ramble. There are sometimes to many quotes. They disrupt the flow of the text. The cartoons have to be the best part of the book. My husband got a few chuckles out of it too.

As hilarious as it is informative. A great gift book........1998-09-26

This book is a "must read" for anyone who loves boating, hates boating, has ever been seasick, or has never been seasick. Want to know what Sophocles, Homer, and Dickens said about seasickness? Sample the many preventives and cures that have been proposed? Learn the latest scientific theory of the cause of seasickness? Find out how to say "seasickness" in over 50 languages? Read this before a boat trip to learn what [not] to do aboard; or give it to the boater whose invitation you turned down, to explain why. Limericks, cartoons, quotations, etiquette, practical advice -- it's all in this unique book.

Customer Reviews:

Long Tall Dexter.......2007-09-05

Tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon was a seminal figure in modern jazz; his huge, magisterial tone was awe-inspiring, especially when heard on slow ballads. Influenced by the stylings of Lester Young, combined with the musical vocabulary of bebop, Gordon produced some of the most memorable jazz performances during the bop/hard bop era. Stan Britt does a good job of relating the Gordon story. The first half of the book is a fairly straight-forward account of Dexter's life, from the Central Avenue scene in LA, where he grew up; to his first professional gigs with Lionel Hampton, Louis Armstrong, and Billy Eckstine; to his association with Wardell Gray and Charlie Parker; to his drug problems in the early '50s; to his expatriate days in Europe; and finally to his re-emergence on the American jazz scene with his return to NYC in 1976 and the making of the movie ROUND MIDNIGHT. Discussion of Gordon's recordings are removed from the chronology and gathered in a final chapter; I'm not sure I agree with this decision and think perhaps more constructive commentary would have been made of the recordings if Britt had placed them within the biographical text - a la Jack Chambers's approach in his superb biography of Miles Davis (MILESTONES). There is a fairly comprehensive discography, however, of studio dates on which Dexter plays. Britt is a good writer, and though obviously a devotee of Gordon's playing, he casts a critical eye where appropriate and refuses to write as an idolater. Recommended.

Britt does a fine job...........2000-01-26

This book was a great biography on the man, Dexter Gordon. Gordon is one of the most underated musicians in jazz history, and it is good that the truth about this man's greatness is finally being told. I recomend this book to anyone who loves Dexter as much as I do.

This book relates Dexter Gordon's entire life........1999-05-28

This book explains how Dexter Gordon was born in Los Angeles. His father was one of the few black dentists in the 1920's. Dexter said he wanted to learn how to play the clarinet like his father. His father agreed as long as he took music theory lessons as well. As a teenager he switched to tenor saxophone and the rest as they say is history. He got his big break with the Lionel Hampton big band on tour. During that tour he learned a lot from Illinois Jaquette who was playing 1st tenor. Eventually he made as many recordings as Stan Getz. He moved to Europe and settled in Copehagen, Denmark. He finally came back to the "States" and acted in some movies. For example: "'Round Midnight" and "Awakenings." Dexter is in a video called "Jazz in Exile" which you can buy through The Saxophone Journal. If you have any experiences with Dexter Gordon, please e-mail me.

Dexter Gordon : A Musical Biography (Quality Paperbacks Ser.)

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Dexter Gordon : A Musical Biography (Quality Paperbacks Ser.)
Stan Britt
Manufacturer: Da Capo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSP1IE

Average customer rating:

Dexter Gordon : A Musical Biography (Quality Paperbacks Ser.)
Stan Britt
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OENI4C

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Dexter Gordon, a Musical Biography
Stan Britt
Manufacturer: Da Capo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OLVJR8

Book Description

Contents include: Mystical journey through Tangiers in footsteps of Rolling Stone Brian Jones, plus an interview with Paul Bowles; Investigation into the Charles Manson 'franchise', courtesy of pulp novels, records and movies.; Obscure magazine fiction of Ed Wood Jr; Gershon Legman, author of 'Rationale of the Dirty Joke'; A Tribute to Edward Gorey; Interviews with Greil Marcus, Frederick Wiseman, Mary Woronov, and pornographer Jim Powers. Plus book, film and music reviews, and more.

Book Description

From one of today's most eminent thinkers--a piercing examination of poverty in the modern age

If "being poor" once derived its meaning from the condition of being unemployed, today it draws its meaning primarily from the plight of a flawed consumer. This distinction truly makes a difference in the way poverty is experienced and in the chances to redeem its misery.

This absorbing book traces this change, and makes an inventory of its social consequences. It also considers ways of fighting back advancing poverty and mitigating its hardships, and tackles the problems of poverty in its present form.

The new edition features:

Up-to-date coverage of the progress made by key thinkers in the field
A discussion of recent work on redundancy, disposability, and exclusion
Explorations of new theories of workable solutions to poverty

Students of sociology, politics, and social policy will find this to be an invaluable text on the changing significance and implications of an enduring social problem.

Customer Reviews:

"No such thing as society".......2006-03-24

Zygmunt Bauman's argument, put very simply, boils down to the fact that in the present consumerist society, the plight of the dispossessed is to be helpless spectators of other people's party, and to be made to experience the humiliating gap between themselves and the successful: the big spenders.

Not so long ago the Protestant "work ethic" was the basis of capitalist societies. It's within the living memory of many older people in the UK.

In the 1950s real unemployment in the UK was below the half million mark, and it was an accepted objective of government to keep it that way. As UK Prime Minister Harold Macmillan famously put it: "You've never had it so good." He was right. Before 1939 unemployment, along with the weather, was regarded as beyond the reach of governments.

The post-war consensus changed all that, and full employment lasted into the early 1970s.

The unemployed were a small minority. The long-term unemployed were an even smaller minority.

Then came Margaret Thatcher, globalisation, and massive unemployment. Previously safe employment in industry was destroyed. The idea of "jobs for life" was finished.

Welcome to the new insecurity. The power of unions to protect employees was broken, and it was `open season' on the welfare state and the public sector.

In parallel, changes from broadly redistributive taxes on income to regressive taxes like VAT - and a growing range of stealth taxes - fuelled the widening gap between rich and poor.

The rich now come from the money markets and banking, and they are joined by a new elite from the media, entertainment and sport.

Globalisation - you could call it `Murdochisation' - injected huge sums into the once-upon-a-time "working man's" sport of soccer, and it did not stop there. Overnight the new mega-rich flaunted their affluence, and became objects of both veneration and envy.

Work appears to be but a small part of the lives of the new elite: conspicuous consumption appears to be all. The "work ethic" suddenly looks dowdy and old fashioned, rather like the sad pit villages left by Thatcher's defeat of the miners, or those Stalinist tower blocks from the sixties. They are archeological remnants from only yesterday.

Bauman describes the tensions at the heart of the consumer paradise:

"Boredom is one complaint the consumer world has no room for and the consumer culture has set out to eradicate it ... To alleviate boredom one needs money - a great deal of money - if one wishes to stave off the spectre of boredom once and for all, to reach the state of happiness."

But, as Bauman perceptively tells us, happiness is not a state of mind, it is a fleeting experience. But globalisation has taken care of that. Planned obsolescence ensures that just as last month's object of desire fails to bring about a state of happiness, this month's upgrade - with life-changing new features - is there waiting to bought online, or at the new cathedral: your local shopping mall.

The new connoisseurs, says Bauman, attain " their right to universal admiration."

And where is this new society at its most successful? You've guessed it: post-Thatcher Britain.

" ... the country widely acclaimed as the most astonishing `economic success' of the western world, has been found also to be the site of poverty most abject among the affluent countries of the globe. ... Nearly a quarter of old people in Britain live in poverty, which is five times more than `economically troubled' Italy and three times more than in `falling behind' Ireland. A fifth of British children live poverty - twice as many as in Taiwan or Italy and six times as many as Finland. ... The wealthiest fifth are among the richest in Europe ... And so the `subjective sense of insufficiency' (of the dispossessed) ... is aggravated by a double pressure of decreasing living standards ... reinforced rather than mitigated by economic growth in it present, deregulated, laissez-faire form."

The problem, now, as Bauman makes clear, is that this society no longer needs a "reserve army of labour" - that has been exported - now, when there is a "downturn" in the economy, politicians call for a `consumer-led' recovery.

In this, the poor can play no part.

"And so, for the first time in recorded history the poor are now purely and simply a worry and a nuisance. ... In a world populated by consumers there is no room for a welfare state ... what used to be a sensible investment now looks like ... an unjustifiable waste of taxpayers' money."

So we reach the point where, as the author rightly points out, " poverty is, first and foremost, perhaps solely, the question of law and order."

We are (in the UK), as he implies, only a few steps away from the Germany of the 1930s. It is a sobering realisation.

The hedonist party effectively stops us from asking more fundamental questions, such as: why does society no longer put itself in question at all? If, as the author suggests, our arrangements are arbitrary, why can we no longer even consider changing them?

History shows that winners release their grip on power only with the greatest reluctance. As would be the case with a solution he offers for consideration: Claus Offe's idea of decoupling income from work.

In what sounds something like Milton Friedman's Negative Income Tax, the idea's main problem is that it would come up against huge opposition from those funding it: the people who might have to cut down on their consumption.

As Margaret Thatcher put it: "There's no such thing as society".

Book Description

The Anglo-American invasion of Iraq, masterminded by U.S. President George W. Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, is the single most important event since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Just as that break-up ushered in a new era in international relations following the end of a bipolar world system, this war has given a new twist to the present global order. Secrets and Lies tells in detail how Operation Iraqi Freedom came about, what it means and where it is likely to lead the Middle East and the world at large. It reveals the scope of the “dirty tricks” used by the Anglo-American alliance to sell the war through the phony intelligence reports and the exaggeration of Saddam’s possession of weapons of mass destruction. It examines the media campaign to win hearts and minds—including the stage management and spin surrounding the rescue of Private Jessica Lynch. Picking up from the author's recently celebrated essay in the New York Times, “Why the Mullahs Love a Revolution,” this leading authority on the Middle East provides us with his skeptical view of “Operation Iraqi Freedom” and his examination of the future in Middle East.

Customer Reviews:

Commandments for common man.......2006-06-01

Dilip Hiro has revealed a set of commandments for common man, pitted against those of God's gift to Bush.Those few of of us, who advised all of us on why we should side with the Superpower and join the coalition militarily must be eating their words, with their so called shallow pride too. An unjust war by Iraq on Kuwait was as unjustified as this Anglo-American invasion on Iraq. The poster boy of the coalition war, Gen Tommy Franks, CENTCOM has labored enough on Iraq operation in his memoirs (American Soldier) and has lauded his President and the triumvirate of Cheney, Rumsfeld and Powell against uncooperative Pentagon and CIA with its hard nosed chief, George Tenet. However the background to decision on Iraq war eluded him too as he was already outstretched in Afghan war and wanted a desperate time period for build up to take on Iraq as well. That he carried out the conventional operation splendidly goes to his credit but the failure to hold on to early gains in a long drawn out war of terror by Iraqi resistance, buttresses the thesis of Dilip Hiro as he quotes Bush in his dyslexic stupor, "God told me to strike at Al Qaeda and I struck them, and then He instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did". God beware lest he tells Bush to look ominously at Iran (as he already is staring!). Who's next?? Ask God or wait for Bush to reveal new Commandments. So much, for World peace, by an "Inspired Leader". Thank you Hiro for enlightening us, you are the Hero of common man. And your book is our Commandment.

A "monumental confidence trick".......2005-08-03

Middle East expert Dilip Hiro chronicles the runup and impact of the Bush crusade to "liberate" Iraq. He typifies the link the Bush adminstration made between the events of 2001-09-11 as a "phantom". There was no association between the Saddam Hussein government and the lawless attackers known as Al Qaida. Nor were there indications that Iraq clandestinely developed nuclear or chemical weapons that could be brought to bear on neighbouring countries, let alone Britain or the US. In sum, Hiro's depiction of the formation of the "coalition of the willing" is shown as a tissue of misleading information based on a strategy of fear - a "monumental confidence trick" with endless ramifications.

Hiro assembles a cast of flawed characters, giving a biographical sketch of such people as George Walker Bush, Karl Rove, Dick Cheney and Anthony Blair. From this background, he then describes the various utterances each has produced to justify the crusade. From the beginning, he makes clear that the Iraq invasion would take place. All that was needed was justification. This was provided by various forms of "evidence", all of which was either false or flawed. Tubing for "nuclear centrifuges" turned out to be engine cases. A quest for uranium proved false. And nuclear and chemical weapons claimed by the Bush administration proved elusive - they have yet to be found. With such faulty information at his disposal, even after some of the lies were exposed, Bush gained authority to launch the crusade from a supine US Congress. The US media, once considered a bastion of investigative journalism, remained silent or compliant as the fallacies were revealed.

From the preparations for invasion, which included a eight-month illegal air assault on a sovereign nation, code-named "Southern Focus", Hiro moves on to the actual conflict. The lies and deceptions didn't end with the launching of Tomahawk missiles. In battles where the invaders were to have destroyed only military resistance, the "coalition" dropped updated napalm and used "cluster" weapons. The impact of these devices on the civilian population remains to be assessed, but by the fall of the Hussein government, more than three times the number of civilians killed by the attack on the World Trade Centre had been inflicted. And that's the conservative estimate. Hiro tracks the journal of one young Baghdad woman as the barrage of bombs and missiles rains down on the city. The Bush administration's contention that the Iraqi population would welcome the Yanks with "flowers and cheers" proved as flawed as his reasons for the invasion.

Bush didn't launch a pre-emptive war, but a preventive one. A pre-emptive war is an action to curtail a visible threat. No such threat, especially against the US, existed in Iraq. Bush's imperialist declaration of 2002, which stipulated the US had abrogated unto itself the sole privilege of determining what threatened that nation, obliterated the distinction between pre-emptive and preventive, writes Hiro. This action overturned a precedent set in 1648 in the Treaty of Westphalia, a model for all international relations ever since. Bush also sought to overturn any cooperative mechanisms in his unilateral actions. His method to garner small nations into joining the "coalition of the willing" was by browbeating them with threats of withholding future aid. The populations of even those nations joining the crusade were overwhelmingly opposed to involvement and said so in massive demonstrations, Hiro notes.

In his Summary and Conclusion, Hiro notes the resentment evidenced by Iraqis to the invasion. Even those gleeful at the toppling of Saddam Hussein have no desire for retention of foreign occupiers. The vaunted technology that guided missiles to government facilities has yet to ensure water or electrical supplies to the population of Baghdad and other cities. The mantra of "remnants of the old regime" leading the resistance to the invaders has been repeatedly refuted, Hiro demonstrates. Bremer's "Interim Governing Council" even lacked a ministry for religious affairs - in a nation rent by sectarian differences. The occupying forces, especially those of the US, lacked fundamental understanding of the Arab culture present in Iraq. With much of that culture evident in the Middle East and transported to other Muslim nations, is there any mystery in why resentment against Bush's unilateral adventurism remains in force?

The core of Bush's policies toward Iraq were false and/or misleading, according to Hiro. After reading his summation of declarations and events, it's impossible to refute his thesis. His deceptive administration has demonstrated a mastery of "spin", perhaps only exceeded by that of his flunky, Tony Blair. Rumsfeld's "Office of Special Projects", set well apart from the established departments for intelligence, provided the grounds for invasion. Their information is shown to be either unreliable or long outdated. Yet this was the basis for conning the US Congress into accepting Bush's request for war. Hiro goes on to note how the Bush government edited reports on environmental and health questions in order to sustain his policies. Real information has been shelved, ignored or rebutted to quell dissenters. In sum, it's clear that this book is a mandatory read for all in the USA. Read it for its wealth of information and clarity of presentation. It's a rewarding and insightful summary of adminstration with a tenuous hold on truth. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Good account of an unnecessary, diversionary war.......2004-12-02

Historian and journalist Dilip Hiro has written a detailed account of the continuing Bush/Blair attack on Iraq. He examines the preparations for the invasion, the attack itself and the continuing war since Bush declared victory in May 2003. Hiro shows how the attack on Iraq has diverted us from defeating Al Qa'ida, and how it has increased the terrorist threat.

He details the Bush and Blair governments' systematic lies to the UN, to Parliament and Congress, to the British and American peoples, and to the Hutton and other inquiries. Almost everything that we are told about the war comes from `embedded' reporters, who are required by contract to agree to obey Bush's instructions.

The occupation is causing chaos - 60% unemployment, worsening health and education, an estimated 100,000 killed, shortages of water, fuel and electricity, and minimal rebuilding. The occupying forces are not seeking, and will never achieve, a friendly, stable or democratic Iraq.

The US and British forces are using cluster bombs, heavy artillery and napalm, real weapons of mass destruction, just like in Vietnam. So, as in Vietnam, they are losing hearts and minds, and losing the war.

The January election will not improve security or `change the atmosphere', as Blair claims. Their aim is not election but dereliction. In years to come, if we let it happen, they will sigh, `to save Iraq we had to destroy it'.

Not surprisingly, the occupation is generating popular hatred of the occupier, fuelling the national resistance. The vast majority of the Iraqi people want the occupying forces out as soon as possible, as do the majority of the British and American peoples.

But Blair says that the troops will stay to oversee the 30 January election, then that they will stay till December 2005. The US commanders say that they will leave in 2006, if the security situation allows. Chief of the General Staff Sir Michael Walker says that British troops will stay indefinitely, `depending on the security threat to the Iraqi authorities'. But we can all see that the occupation itself causes the insecurity and chaos.

Bloody Brilliant!.......2004-06-19

The Administration revealed for its deceitful ways. It is a delightful read, informative as well as sheerly entertaining for the power of its revelations. Read only if you are willing to look at the truth and consider its validity, not if you plan to regain your composure by looking at your Bush-draped-in-an-American-flag poster.

The best book on the topic.......2004-05-01

This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to know why the US military invaded Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein from power. Dilip Hiro has compiled a very detailed history of the lead-up to the invasion, the first four weeks, and the aftermath.

He starts with the post-9/11 White House, where the neoconservative Bush administration shifted their focus from fighting terrorism (and fundamentalism in south central Asia and the Middle East) to Iraq. The neocons were dedicated to removing Saddam Hussein, but no one else was. They had to convince Colin Powell, the US population, and the rest of the world. Dilip Hiro shows how the upcoming invasion was marketed using carefully-selected intelligence reports, creating a false crisis. From the yellowcake from Africa to the lies about ongoing inspections by the UN, Dilip Hiro documents it all.

But the invasion takes place anyway. He shifts his focus to the war, using detailed maps and newspaper sources to describe the battles, the setbacks, and the strategies the US military used. He covers the first month of the invasion, ending with the occupation and Bush claiming 'mission accomplished.'

This is a devastating critique of a US foreign policy completely divorced from democracy and world opinion. Every fact in this book, stacked up in page after page, creates a chilling picture of the wrong war for the wrong reasons. If you are only going to read one book on the invasion (and occupation) of Iraq, make it this one. You'll end up referring to it over and over in the next few years, reminding yourself of how we got into this mess.

Book Description

For decades, a new type of terrorism has been quietly gathering ranks in the world. America's ability to remain oblivious to these new movements ended on September 11, 2001. The Islamist fanatics in the global Salafi jihad (the violent, revivalist social movement of which al Qaeda is a part) target the West, but their operations mercilessly slaughter thousands of people of all races and religions throughout the world. Marc Sageman challenges conventional wisdom about terrorism, observing that the key to mounting an effective defense against future attacks is a thorough understanding of the networks that allow these new terrorists to proliferate. Based on intensive study of biographical data on participants in the jihad, Understanding Terror Networks gives us the first social explanation of the global wave of activity. Sageman traces its roots in Egypt, gestation in Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan war, exile in the Sudan, and growth of branches worldwide, including detailed accounts of life within the Hamburg and Montreal cells that planned attacks on the United States.

Customer Reviews:

Good analysis of terrorist networks.......2007-09-15

A most useful work on terrorism, with a focus on the origins of the Salafi jihad. His method? He examines the biographical data on 172 terrorists to study this "network." He, in essence, debunks a number of theories of terrorists, e.g., psychological theories. His thesis is clearly and simply stated thus (page vii): "[The data] suggest. . .that this form of terrorism is an emergent quality of the social networks formed by alienated young men who become transformed into fanatics yearning for martyrdom and eager to kill."

His study of the linkages among four networks, the Maghreb Arabs, Core Arabs, Southeast Asians, and Central Staff (Osama bin Laden and his core supporters), leads him to describe the actual linkages in a nice diagram on page 138.

He begins the volume with an historical analysis, tracing the roots of what has evolved into, as he puts it, the Salafi jihad. He looks at early figures, such Mohamed ibn Abd al-Wahhab. He describes the emergence of a particular view of jihad. He notes the emergence of groups across a number of countries and how some of these, over time, developed into his putative Salafi jihad network.

Then, to the heart of the matter. Why do some people become jihadists within this movement and others not? He ends up dismissing many standard theories and asserts, instead, that social networks are the key. The basis for this conclusion, again, is the perusal of the biographical data set that he developed (see the appendix listing those about whom he has gathered data on pages 185-189.

In the final chapter, he speaks of how his analysis might assist in attacking the movement and reducing the odds of future terrorist actions from them. Whether or not readers will be convinced will be a matter for each person to judge. Nonetheless, he does make an effort to use his analysis to address strategy and tactics in the campaign against terrorism.

This is a useful book to read, in juxtaposition with others by Bloom, Pape, and so on. As a package, these works help to illuminate the reality of terrorism--not the often simplistic views depicted in the media.

Understanding Terror Networks?.......2007-08-12

Understanding Salafist Sunni Muslims Extremists Would be a better title. The author concentrated mainly in Sunni "the enemies of the US" no Shia. While Hizballah is shia. He make some interesting points saing that In - group love is a better way to see terrorism than Out - group Hate. Why not a combination of both?
We know every individual have his psychological make - up and his own reasons to join a movement. A lot of them goes because indoctrination and they don't know anything beside the cultural doctrine and probably less about Islam, Sayyid Qutb or Hassan Banna, others might go to fill his self vaccum, looking for afilliation with somethng that it's respected - "Inasmuch as I'm not being respected and will be"..., so filing personal security necesities joining. Leftist, racist right movements, and so forth need to be see in difference perspectives. With so many arm groups in the middle east shia and sunni it will be very unwisely name all the same thing. Each one need to be observe in their community inmediate historical context than simply base on Egypts muslim brothehood (HAMAS, Qaeda, Palestinan Islamic Jihad, Egiptian Islamic Jihad and many other inspiration) fascits roots. Almost half of the book is centered in the brotherhood.
The author relies in a interesting personal statistical analysis. The problem is that statistics don't give psychological explanations neither sociological.

Excellent examination of the structure and growth of global jihadist networks.......2007-03-02

Sageman brings a great deal of insight to his examination of the behavior of individuals and groups within terror networks. The book is very strong as advertised: an empirical examination of how terrorists relate to each other, and a series of logical conclusions given the available data as to how such networks originate and act.

Small weaknesses: some of the more tangential discussions within this book are relatively bereft of citation, and those parts tend to be correspondingly weak arguments (such as the straw man about ISI funding). Additionally (and in conjunction with that), Sageman's analysis of JI's situation is dated and has been proven inaccurate - instead of disappearing, it has tended to adapt in much the same way as the rest of the global jihadists (International Crisis Group has a great report on Noordin Mohamed Top's networks throughout Indonesia, as of Jan 07). Sageman might be able to argue that the jihad has changed to a more local form, despite the bombings of the J.W. Marriott in Jakarta in 03, the Australian Embassy in 04, and the second Bali bombing in 05, all related to Top's network... but the ICG report argues it is merely a more autonomous cell than previously known in Indonesia, and the danger is that more low-level cells will take up the fight (additionally, Ba'asyir was never sentenced for more than a few years, and thus never 'out of play' as Sageman treated him). Several of the ICG reports also list Southeast Asians and their ties. Many of them are not connected heirarchically through Pondok Ngruki or the Malaysian school, as Sageman states, but rather through training in Afghanistan or actions (jihads) in Maluku or Poso.

I wouldn't say that this book is any sort of substitute for a thorough history of global jihadist terrorism (recommend Jason Burke's 'Al Qaeda', though it pays little attention to Southeast Asia, for which you could suppliment with Maria Ressa's more sensational but still illuminating book 'Seeds of Terror'). I would say that it is essential reading for ANY law enforcement, community members, or mosque-goers who might be on the alert for terror suspects.

Overall, it is VERY strong for, as advertised: "Understanding Terror Networks."
(Just ignore the parts about JI).

Excellent resource.......2007-01-11

I heard Marc speak at a JIEDDO conference last Fall and decided to get his book. I was impressed that he was the only outside expert invited to speak at this conference. His book is very informative. It is probably one of the best books out there in terms of understanding terrorist networks, and how new members are recruited. This is a must read if you need to know or are just curious about what drives someone to become a part of such an organization. Be prepared to put aside your preconceived notions as he dispels many myths about what motivates such individuals. You will be surprised to find that the common terrorist is not some mentally disturbed religious fanatic but a fairly ordinary family man. Marc makes plenty of disclaimers regarding how general his conclusions are due to the limited sample size of his study, but I think that one can safely draw several general conclusions from his excellent research and insight.

Great Detail on Muslim Terror Networks: For the Adanced Reader.......2006-12-03

This is a very detailed book on the rise and make up of Muslim terrorism that covers the subject very well and challenges the stereotype of what type of person makes up a terrorist. Through detailed analysis of known terrorists utilizing charts and graphs, the author clearly indicates that the assumed sterotype of a terrorist is not valid. However, they are virtually clannish making it very hard to penetrate. The author also covers how the various movements particularly from Egypt and Al Qaeda merged and expanded globally. The book is compact but is relatively technical and the detail and complexity of the organizations may require one with less familiarity to take notes to refer to as you go along in regards to names and organizations. This book is for an advanced reader who is very familar with the topic.

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Can the bible really contain a code that modern computer progams have detected

September 11 Is in the Bible Code
Dr. Larry Mitcham with DrsCliffard and Barbara Wilson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000SV7YV4

Product Description

Drs. Clifford and Barbara Wilson shows that unfortunately there have been serious misrepresentations in relation to the Bible Code, with false propositions put forward that those Books of Moses could virtually be regarded as a manual of fortunetelling, and that simply is not the case. Dr. Larry Mitcham shows that there is indeed a true Bible code, and that in this computer age there is a break-through that should not be ignored. Larry answers criticisms-and there have been many of those. He tackles the argument about the code being just as effective in books such as WAR AND PEACE and MOBY DICK. In charts that are professionally produced he shows that there simply is no legitimate comparison. Rather there is a dramatic contrast." This book has 144 pages and is illustrated throughout. Pacific International University for Dr. Larry Mitcham and Dr. Clifford Wilson, Springfield, Missouri [published date: 2001

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Can the bible really contain a code that modern computer progams have detected.......2007-07-01

The author makes a compelling case for finding a code in the bible with compter software. He discusses the often presumptios claims of others who he feels have not documented the accuracy of thier claims. Very well written and compelling.

Coming Star Shift and Many Prophesies of the Bible and Pyramid Fulfilled

Understanding Terror Networks.(Book Review) : An article from: Middle East Policy

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Understanding Terror Networks.(Book Review) : An article from: Middle East Policy
Charles D. Smith
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000BOSCLO
Release Date: 2005-10-11

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Middle East Policy, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2005. The length of the article is 1859 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Understanding Terror Networks.(Book Review)
Author: Charles D. Smith
Publication: Middle East Policy (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 12 Issue: 3 Page: 155(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Understanding Terror Networks.(Book Review) : An article from: Military Review

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Understanding Terror Networks.(Book Review) : An article from: Military Review
Matthew Herbert
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Science & Technology | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B000BBRW9A
Release Date: 2005-09-07

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Military Review, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2005. The length of the article is 464 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Understanding Terror Networks.(Book Review)
Author: Matthew Herbert
Publication: Military Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 85 Issue: 4 Page: 101(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Understanding Terror Networks.(Book Review)(Book Review): An article from: Security Management

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Understanding Terror Networks.(Book Review)(Book Review): An article from: Security Management
Mayer Nudell
Manufacturer: American Society for Industrial Security
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Network Security | Networking | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00081YB7O
Release Date: 2005-08-01

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Security Management, published by American Society for Industrial Security on January 1, 2005. The length of the article is 462 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Understanding Terror Networks.(Book Review)(Book Review)
Author: Mayer Nudell
Publication: Security Management (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2005
Publisher: American Society for Industrial Security
Volume: 49 Issue: 1 Page: 99(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Where have all the bluebirds gone? That was the big question only a few years ago. Now, with the help of people just like you, bluebirds are starting to come back to America. Once one of the most common birds in the land--and certainly the most popular--these beautiful little red, white and blue birds are thriving once more, flashing across the summer skies, symbolizing springtime, love, hope and happiness.

In this book, you will learn about the three species of bluebirds, their lives and their habits. You will also find out how to help bluebirds survive. They can't do it on their own. Without assistance from us, they would vanish from the earth.

This book tells us how to build special bird houses for them, how to put them up in just the right places, what to feed them, and how to protect them from their many enemies, such as house sparrows, starlings, raccoons, cats and snakes.

Through these efforts, we all can take part in rescuing bluebirds.

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Bluebird Rescue: Unit Guide for Grade 5

Manufacturer: Kendall Hunt Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0840396384

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