Hollywood, the Pentagon and Washington: The Movies and National Security from World War ll to the Present Day (Anthem Politics and IR)

Book Description

This book offers a unique approach to the study of creativity by posing the title question to dozens of various creative professionals--actors, artists, musicians, filmmakers, writers and politicians--and then analyzing their ultimately revealing answers. Readers will discover fascinating insights into the nature of creativity and their favorite celebrities, including: Mel Gibson

Johnny Depp Stephen Spielberg

George Bush David Bowie

Salman Rushdie Juliette Binoche

and more Author Hermann Vaske has packed this extraordinary pop culture treasure with original sketches, scribblings and responses from and photos of each interviewee. Throughout, the hidden meanings and motivations of each subject reveal the wonder of individual creativity, and provide a foundation for the beginning of a fascinating dialogue about this aspect of being human.

Customer Reviews:

Pure drivel........2006-04-29

This book is pure drivel, don't be fooled. If it's possible to put together a volume that has more self-aggrandizing and outright preposterous chapters I can't imagine who could pull it off. Take the chapter on Stephen Hawking as an example. Hawking states, "You have to be creative to do science. Otherwise you're just repeating tired formulas. You aren't doing anything new." Fair enough. The book's pseudo-analisys of this statement is the following,"Hawking deconstructs the universe. It is not his job to be creative, nor does he mean to be creative. He wants to understand creation." Give me a break. The only use for this book, outside of an expensive and ugly drink coaster, is as an exercise in self-parody.

The spark of genius.......2004-05-13

This interesting work investigates the creative genius of some of the world's most prominent creatives in various fields. They are each asked the question Why Are You Creative; the answers are in some cases both verbal and graphic in the form of drawings. The answers are then analysed by a panel of psychologists. A photograph of the person concerned plus a short biography accompany each entry.

These creative people come from a vast spectrum of disciplines like art, design, architecture, advertising, photography, fashion, music, film, science and literature. The following are some of them: Laurie Anderson, Bono, David Bowie, Nick Cave, Johnny Depp, Peter Gabriel, Mel Gibson, Stephen Hawking, Damien Hirst, Quincy Jones, Milla Jovovich, Jeff Koons, Nelson Mandela, Yoko Ono, Leni Riefenstahl, Steven Spielberg, Oliviero Toscani, Wim Wenders and Vivienne Westwood.

The introductory section includes a foreword by the Dalai Lama, a chapter by Wim Wenders and an exploration of the categories of creative stimuli by Vaske. This fascinating study concludes with a bibliography and filmography.

Average customer rating:

Very encouraging

The Book is a Gem !

All about non-fiction, not about passion

This Book is a Treasure

As practical as it is inspirational

Damn! Why Didn't I Write That?: How Ordinary People Are Raking in $100,000.00 or More Writing Niche Books & How You Can Too!
Marc McCutcheon
Manufacturer: Quill Driver Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Authorship | Publishing & Books | Reference | Subjects | Books
Nonfiction | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books
Writing Skills | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books
General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
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Writing Nonfiction, 4th Edition: Turning Thoughts into Books (Writing Nonfiction)

Thinking Like Your Editor: How to Write Great Serious Nonfiction--and Get It Published

Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody can Write (Revised and Updated)

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Is There a Book Inside You?, 5th Edition: Writing Alone or with a Collaborator

ASIN: 1884956556

Customer Reviews:

Very encouraging.......2007-08-09

I bought this book at Barnes and Noble. I like the statistics in the beginning of the book. He tells how many copies other non-fiction books had sold. It's very encouraging to know this. I myself have written two non-fiction books.

Brandon Simpson, Author of Learning Foreign Languages: Everything You Need To Know and If You Ain't Got No Grammer...

The Book is a Gem !.......2007-07-17

This book is a real gem ! To anyone writing a book, wanting to write a book, or considering the possibility, buy this book !

Here's why. The author shows you how to find a niche and fill it by writing your book, as well as how to sell and promote your book. In addition, you are walked through the steps of negotiating a book deal, shown all the pitfalls, and given sample contracts to use or modify. Even though this book is not directed to those of us who choose to self-publish, don't be dissuaded. I almost didn't buy the book, since this book doesn't focus on self-publishing. Fortunately I bought it and found that there is a bonanza of information for self-publishing types as well as those who choose to be more traditionally published.

In addition,the book is filled with inspiring examples of people who weren't authorities, celebrities, or otherwise newsworthy, and who nonetheless wrote books that sold BIG !!! After reading this book, you are forced to release the mental limitation that only authorities write best selling books, which clearly isn't true. Subject matter, research, discipline, good editing and consistent promotion are apparently the keys to producing a best selling book, with finding a low-density niche within a popular category being most important.

And finally, this is a highly enjoyable book to read. The author's style is clean, concise, and frequently entertaining. The book reads quickly, and every chapter is chockful of meaty morsels of invaluable information. I have read quite a few books on the subject of writing and promoting books and I found this to be the one I pick up most often, to read through again.

The author has done exactly what he writes, CAN be done. He's turned writing into a profitable enjoyable home-based business, and he generously shares all the advantages and insider tips with his readers. Then he lays out how to get there in easy logical steps.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever considered writing a book. Whatever your current knowledge level on the subject, this book will add considerably to it.

All about non-fiction, not about passion.......2007-05-22

Although I was very excited to receive this book, I got disappointed shortly after starting to read it. I would love to write a book but this book here is not about the passion of writing: it's about the passion of selling. Where did the art of writing go? Of course, if you are in to make writing a living, this book will be helpful. The author tells you what subject to go into and how to put all odds on your side. I guess I was mostly disappointed by the fact that it's all about non-fiction (normal considering the title) while crushing fiction books such as children's books and novels. According to the authors...these don't sell. In a few words...not inspiring or supportive. Keywords: non-fiction. Money. Pretty sad...

This Book is a Treasure.......2007-04-11

For a beginning writer, this book is a treasure. It not only gives you ideas for writing a book, but tells you how to submit your book. It also lets you know about marketing your book and why it is necessary for you to do this. It is very important to let the publisher know ways that you will be able to market your book. Now, all I've got to do is start my research and start writing!

As practical as it is inspirational.......2007-04-02

There are few books I read more than once. Mark's "Damn! Why didn't I..." book is one of them. It's as practical as it is inspirational. What I love most about Mark's book is that it gets you excited about the book writing business, without resorting to hype or over promises. Mark tells it like it is alright; but in an adventurous, motivating way.

Damn! Why Didn't I Write That? How Ordinary People are Raking in $100,000.00...or more Writing Nonfiction Books & How You Can Too!

Average customer rating:

I liked this book
Effective ideas that leave a bitter taste
Ernest Hemingway Swore!
A Marginally Useful, If Somewhat Vulgar Book
If You Don't Like the First Word in this Title, Get Over It

Damn! Why Didn't I Write That? How Ordinary People are Raking in $100,000.00...or more Writing Nonfiction Books & How You Can Too!
Marc McCutcheon
Manufacturer: Quill Driver Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Authorship | Publishing & Books | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Publishing & Books | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

Nonfiction | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
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ASIN: 1884956173

Amazon.com

Forget everything you've heard about the travails of the freelance writer. In Damn! Why Didn't I Write That?, Marc McCutcheon contends that "you can learn the trade and begin making a respectable income much faster than most people think possible." To illustrate, McCutcheon lists 17 pages of bestselling titles, including Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance (150,000 copies sold) and Golfing, a humor book (525,000 copies sold). McCutcheon himself wrote a few well-chosen titles and claims to be "easily support[ing] a family of four, working part-time." How? Think niche, says McCutcheon. Think backlist. Think about perennially hot topics like dieting/weight loss, relationships, parenting, health, low-fat cooking, sex, spirituality, money/finances, cats, career and leadership, and computer and Internet. McCutcheon is quite helpful about things like contract negotiation, agents, proposals, and promotion. He also confers a real can-do attitude on his readers. "In the corporate world," he says, "tall, beautiful people rule. In the writing world, even Yoda can climb to the top of the success ladder." --Jane Steinberg

Book Description

An elderly woman's adventure in solitude, the gay man's guide to pleasuring women, a housewife's battle with obesity, an elementary school teacher's encyclopedia of all things disgusting...best-sellers all. And all written by ordinary people.

Examples of lightning striking? Not at all. Housewives, teenagers, gym teachers, even high school dropouts have cashed in with astonishingly simple best-sellers.According to Marc McCutcheon, author of the new Book-of-the-Month Club selection, Damn! Why Didn't I Write That?: How Ordinary People are Raking in $100,000.00...or More Writing Nonfiction Books & How You Can Too! (Quill Driver Books, $14.95), "The beauty of nonfiction book writing is that the field truly is wide open to anyone, regardless of race, sex, age, education, financial background or personal appearance."

And talent? McCutcheon says talent is overrated. According to McCutcheon, competency and perseverance are more important than talent.

Why nonfiction books instead of novels? Of the 50,000-plus new books published each year, only about 3,500 are fiction. That means publishers need at least 46,000 new nonfiction manuscripts every year. Manuscripts about every subject under the sun.

Thinking you might have a nonfiction book in you? Well, undoubtedly there's a subject in which you have sufficient expertise or one for which you have a passion and would be willing to research that would work to fill one of those 46,000 slots. So how do you learn how to join the ranks of ordinary people cashing in on this bonanza? That's where McCutcheon's new book Damn! Why Didn't I Write That? comes in. In it McCutcheon reveals all his own secrets from how to test your book idea to beating writer's block to negotiating a publishing contract.

And that high school dropout who writes the best-sellers? McCutcheon, with more than a dozen books in print four of them Book-of-the-Month Club selections books that have sold hundreds of thousands of copies, doesn't hide the fact that he is a high school dropout. "I almost invariably get unpublished authors' complete attention when I tell them I dropped out of high school. Something about it fascinates people. Maybe it gives them hope that if I can do it, they can too. And they can!"

Book of The Month CLub Selection. Quality Paperback Bookclub Selection. Writer's Digest Book Club Selection.

Customer Reviews:

I liked this book.......2007-01-12

I think it is wonderful that someone can make a living writing books on simple and everyday topics. I enjoyed reading which titles and quantities have been sold. It goes to show that ANYONE can make a living from home writing if they will just do it. I do not feel that the purchase of this book was a waste of money. I have gone through it several times since I purchased it and I am glad I added it to my collection.

Effective ideas that leave a bitter taste.......2006-12-22

In recent weeks I have searched Amazon.com for books on how to prepare a query letter and a book proposal. I have found numerous titles and purchased a couple. One of these was "Damn! Why Didn't I Write That?"

In reviewing Amazon.com and in reading the volumes I have purchased, I have noticed:
1) that for most of the titles I've seen on Amazon, the same group of (let's say) ten people are writing a majority of the reviews;
2) that all of these "majority reviewers" have books of their own about how to write a "non-fiction book" and get it published. (They use the vague term "non-fiction book" but what they really mean is "'how-to' book");
3) that none of these "majority author/reviewers" has ever written anything that might be deemed "popular" in the conventional sense;
4) that few of these "majority author/reviewers" have written anything other than "how-to" books.

It seems to me that there's a cadre of "how to get published" writers on Amazon who hype each others' works for the sole and specific purpose of encouraging sales of "how to get published" books. Like lawyers referring clients to each other, these guys know that "what goes around, comes around." They know that "how-to" book buyers usually buy more than one title, so that the author who hypes his colleague's book is indirectly selling his own.

Depending on your point of view, this scenario is called either a "network" or a "racket."

Marc McCutcheon's message in "Damn! Why Didn't I Write That?" boils down to "find a niche and milk it." Clearly, McCutcheon's niche is aspiring writers. I can testify to the effectiveness of McCutcheon's ideas not because I sold a book, but because I bought one - this one. So far, "Damn! Why Didn't I Write That?" has worked better on me than for me.

I do feel wiser about the publishing game than I did before I bought the book, if not for the reasons the author intended. And I'm sure McCutcheon is just a regular guy like me, trying to make a nice living doing something enjoyable and relatively easy. I can respect that. Perhaps jealousy is the only reason I felt a bit duped by this book. All I'm saying is that, if you buy this book, you may end up feeling duped, too.

Ernest Hemingway Swore!.......2006-11-01

A previous reviewer complains that the "cavalier sprinkling of profanity throughout the text distracts from the credibility of the message." As the author, I must point out that there are exactly TWO swear words in my book. One I take full responsibility for. The other is a direct quote from none other than Ernest Hemingway, on the quality of first drafts. Caveat emptor!

A Marginally Useful, If Somewhat Vulgar Book.......2006-10-28

There's useful information in this book - especially if you're a beginner. The author has "been there, done that" and liberally shares his years of knowledge and experience with the reader in this condensed, 260 page book. But when I read a nonfiction title I look for the "meat" of the subject. I don't like fluff, wordiness, or poor organization of the material. For me, in the nonfiction genre content is king. However, I'm afraid this book falls short of those expectations.

There seems to be "adequate" content but for the most part it lacks true substance. I got the impression that the author wrote this book in a hurry and without much passion or conviction. He throws information onto the page in a shotgun approach and leaves the reader to sort it out. That's too bad because if the author had put just a little more effort into his project, it could have been much better.

The author's caviler sprinkling of profanity throughout the text truly distracts from the credibility of his message. Does he think foul language adds to the artistic value of his work? No, vulgarity only demonstrates a lack of command of the English language. That's a sad thing to say about a book that supposedly instructs the reader in the craft of writing and publishing. Yes, I realize he wrote "Roget's Super Thesaurus" and that he got rave reviews from several sources. But what could he have possibly been thinking when he wrote THIS book??? I guess the first word in the title should have given me a clue. Lesson learned.

To be fair, there is a good list of resources in the appendix. The author offers up a section of rudimentary writing tips and a few good ideas on how writers can negotiate his or her own contract. But he airbrushes important topics such as the pros and cons of hiring an agent and how to develop writing discipline. Skills that are truly valuable to the aspiring writer who wants to earn a living at his or her craft. But not to worry, most of the information in this book can be found in many other books for writers that are better written, better organized, and presented with better taste.

If You Don't Like the First Word in this Title, Get Over It.......2006-06-08

Some readers will be put off from the title of this book. Get over it. Marc McCutcheon has written a well-done motivation book to encourage someone who knows very little about publishing. Step-by-step this book introduces you to the world of nonfiction writing.

As he says at the conclusion of the first chapter, "Okay. Ordinary people can write extraordinary books. We've just seen a few examples to prove it. Are you inspired? Is your adrenaline flowing? Is your heart beating paradiddle in your chest? If a little voice inside your head is shouting, "Good heavens, I could do this," run, don't walk, to the next chapter. The fact is, if you think you can, you can."

Every writer whether you are a beginner or a professional can gain something from this how-to title. I recommend it.

Average customer rating:

Being Thankful is as easy as Learning the ABC's w/this Book

Why ... THANK YOU!
Cat Wagman
Manufacturer: Working Words, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Etiquette | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0965267067

Book Description

Everyone who sends gifts deserves to receive personalized thank-you notes, and "Why ... THANK YOU!" shows how to get those notes done fast! Discover the secrets to writing original notes with this fun-filled, cartoon illustrated guide. Packed between its bright red cover are tips, tricks, and techniques that are transforming readers into confident creative writers, one thank-you note at a time! Appreciated by professionals, praised by teachers, loved by relatives (especially grandparents), and easily understood by kids ... a wonderful resource book for home, school, and office libraries. A great gift for anyone over the age of eleven who wants to improve their personal and professional writing skills throughout their lifetime.

Customer Reviews:

Being Thankful is as easy as Learning the ABC's w/this Book.......1998-09-17

THE BEST BOOK ON THE PLANET FOR EVERY MILLENNIUM

after The Bible, of kourse, is one penned by Florida-based Creative Writing Expert, Speaker & Creator of the Why ... THANK YOU! FUNshops, Cat Wagman. Entitled:

"Why ... THANK YOU! How To Have FUN Writing Fantastic Notes & More..."

This is a superb, stream-lined Collection of how to "Put Into Words" the Two most important Words in any Language that are tantamount for any Interaction whether it is a Business, Social or Economic Condition & Situation: THANK YOU! These Words set the Tone for any Conversation between Two Consenting Individuals (if NOT more), whether they are negotiating a Trans-National Peace Agreement or casually buying a Soda at an Outdoor Café. The Basics are what "We" (as a Society) must return to. Ms. Wagman does this superbly in her BOOK by showing her Readers how easy & how much FUN it is to be polite...thank-full!

This BOOK transforms Readers into confident Creative Writers, one Thank You Note at a time! At the same time, it spiritually strengthens Bonds between People. After all, People enjoy being acknowledged, appreciated & thanked. This little BOOK is a Gem in the raw & can only grow greater in the Years to come as People age, mellow & look for the nicer TIL: Things In Life.

At this particular Time of Our Lives...as a Millennium & a Century & a Decade are all rolling over simultaneously, there are many People We wish, want & need to thank. There are many People We should thank for helping us in various Ways. Writing a Note to let her/him or them know that she/he or they are appreciated is the best Way to DO it.

It means much, much more to the Recipient as it is an Expression of an Inner Thought, Feeling & Emotion that comes straight from the Heart.

Thank You for reading this. It is bound to put You & Yours into a new & more grateful Mode & Mind-Frame. I personally have used this Book as Stocking Stuffers, Bridal Presents, going off to College Gifts, Anniversary Presents & Birthday Surprises. There isn't a Traditional Holiday or Global Custom that does NXT require a basic THANK YOU Note.

And, "Why ... THANK YOU!" tells you how to approach & handle each particular case in a warm & meaningful Manner. It definitely is a Must-Have. I firmly believe all Elementary School Teachers should incorporate this BOOK into their Daily Curriculums. Saying THANK YOU via the Written Word definitely takes "The Edge" off any Situation & should be learned at a Tender Age & then carried on throughout one's LifeTime every wakeful moment.

Beyond any "BOOK-Of-The-Month Club," this is a BOOK that should grace every Library , Book Shelf & Cocktail Table.

Average customer rating:
Why Can't You Behave?: The Teacher's Guide to Creative Classroom Management, K-3
Paula Rogovin
Manufacturer: Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Assessment | Education Theory | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Decision Making & Problem Solving | Education Theory | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Pedagogy | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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Authentic Classroom Management: Creating a Learning Community and Building Reflective Practice (2nd Edition)

Understanding by Design, Expanded 2nd Edition

Classroom Discipline and Management (Wiley/Jossey-Bass Education)

Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community

Learning to Trust: Transforming Difficult Elementary Classrooms Through Developmental Discipline

ASIN: 0325006512

Book Description

Why is it that some classes are peaceful and industrious, filled with attentive, hard-working kids-while others are a primary teacher's nightmare?

Paula Rogovin has answers to these questions, and she's also got hard-won remedies for your worst classroom discipline problems. Ideal for preservice and new teachers as well as veterans, Why Can't You Behave? takes you inside Rogovin's classroom to see how she deals with challenging behavior and how to intertwine classroom management and curriculum to end nightmarish behavior.

You will learn how to reinforce positive behaviors and promote a safe, cooperative classroom community while solving perennial problems including maintaining fruitful whole-class discussions and mediating disputes between children. You'll see firsthand how simple, smart techniques like complimenting, role-playing, and using examples from children's literature encourage students to become fully absorbed by the curriculum and less intrigued by the allure of acting out. And if you are uneasy with parent participation, you'll find out how to successfully involve families in your classroom, forging strong home-school alliances that support your curricular activities.

If you're tired of shouting, weary of blinking the lights, and besieged by inappropriate behaviors, there is hope. Turn to Paula Rogovin for the answers you need and build an engaged, productive classroom community.

101 Reasons Why You Must Write A Book: How to Make A Six Figure Income by Writing and Publishing Your Own Book

Average customer rating:

101 Reasons Why You Must Write A Book: How to Make A Six Figure Income by Writing and Publishing Your Own Book
Bob Burnham , and Jeff McCallum
Manufacturer: Profits Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Nonfiction | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

Writing Skills | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1933817305

Book Description

Anyone who follows the simple, yet effective, 'BRWT Force Technology' method of writing found in "101 Reasons Why You Must Write A Book," will be able to create a book that they will be proud of. This method will allow you to write with ease in ANY style whether it's for articles, reports, white papers, or for blogs or the next NY Times best seller! If you ever wondered why the most prolific writers never have trouble writing...it's down to what this book will teach you about BRWT!" A must read for anyone looking to further their career, life, and financial situation. "101 Reasons Why You Must Write A Book" is jam packed with information not only on WHY you must write but all you need to know about HOW to write, publish, and actually profit from your book.

Are You What You Eat? (The How and Why of Organic Gardening, An Introduction to Creative Medicine)

Average customer rating:

Are You What You Eat? (The How and Why of Organic Gardening, An Introduction to Creative Medicine)

Manufacturer: H C White Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000FU3DFO

Average customer rating:

Why are you Creative?

Manufacturer: Verlag Hermann Schmidt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I8XIXA

Average customer rating:

An excellent guide to using music in elementary school.

Why Don't You Play Loud?
Marilyn Moevs Helminiak
Manufacturer: Badger Books LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1878569236

Customer Reviews:

An excellent guide to using music in elementary school........1999-05-20

This is a thoroughly engaging book, funny and touching and extremely useful. Based on years of personal experience, it is a guide for teachers who would like to use music in kindergarten and elementary school classes. It explains, based on anecdotes, how to keep the youngsters in order and riveted in attention, and it recounts some of the minor miracles that can occur when youngsters start to get involved in music. Children love music: it is their nature. The author spent years coming into classes cold, for an hour a day or a week, and transforming all resistance or rowdiness into enthusiastic participation. Many of the tips are useful for anyone who teaches young children.

Average customer rating:

Why Are You Creative?
Hermann Vaske
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MU7FII

Average customer rating:
CTHULHU LIVE - SECOND EDITION
by Tom McLaughlin Call of Cthulhu & Fantasy Flight Games
Manufacturer: Fantasy Flight Games
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000P0UG2W

Average customer rating:

Great Role-Playing in the Lovecraft Universe

A Great Experience!

Greatest game avaliable

Faithful to its source and unlimited in potential!

They've never actually played a live-action game...

Cthulhu Live: Second Edition
Robert MacLaughlin
Manufacturer: Chaosium
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Role Playing & Fantasy | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1887911715

Book Description

Cthulhu Live: Second Edition is a live-action horror role-playing game set in the universe created by Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937.) The game allows players to match their skills and wits against alien horrors that once ruled our universe. These ancient terrors now wait just beyond the perception of our senses and science... waiting to reclaim what was theirs. Cthulhu Live: Second Edition is updated, expanded and now published by Fantasy Flight Games under license from Chaosium, Inc.

Cthulhu Live adventures are a form of interactive literature, not unlike popular "murder mystery" games; interactive, improvisational theater in which players assume the role of characters created for the game. These character roles are defined by professions, skills, and background histories which help gamers role-play these alter-egos. Soon the gamers find themselves in a dark universe of eldritch nightmares and blackest madness, where all they formerly held to be true is shattered by the sinister revelations of the Great Old Ones and their minions.

Players use their own wits and the abilities and skills of their characters as they struggle to save their lives and sanity from unspeakable cosmic horrors. All characters have an array of ability scores defining their mental and physical capabilities. They also have a variety of skills representing their professional training and private studies.

The direction an evening's game may take is largely controlled by the players, their interaction with one another and with non-player characters performed by actors on the game staff. Each game session takes on a life of its own, as player actions, research and intrigue will modify and redirect the game script. Props, costumes, and visual clues play a key role in the adventure. Such props and special effects create a rich atmosphere and require players to interact fully with their game environment rather than relying solely on the narration of a game master.

Cthulhu Live does not limit itself solely to the Lovecraft Mythos. The game system includes rules for mediums and psychic powers, vampires, werewolves, living dead, demons, ghosts and other incorporeal entities. Cthulhu Live is designed to fully support traditional horror and supernatural adventures. Many groups may even prefer to run a series of action-based, monster-bashing adventures such as hunting vampires or battling an army of the living dead.

New in Cthulhu Live: Second Edition -- This new edition of Cthulhu Live reflects updates, rules expansions, and system changes gleaned from games played around the world since Cthulhu Live was first published in 1997. Many players and game groups have graciously lent their comments and support to the creation of this second edition, and we think the new and updated rules reflect some of the best lessons learned during the past years.

As part of our interest and dedication to furthering the development of the Cthulhu Live game system, we have established the official Cthulhu Live Website online. The site features game information, a list of player contacts around the world, online libraries, and links to other websites of interest for Cthulhu Live gamers. We are always interested in expanding our contact list, libraries, and links, and welcome you to e-mail us at our site.

Additionally, Fantasy Flight Games is committed to expanding the Cthulhu Live product line with a series of new sourcebooks and supplements. Our first supplement, Cthulhu Live: Shades of Gray, will be released in December, 1999, with more books to follow!

Customer Reviews:

Great Role-Playing in the Lovecraft Universe.......2003-07-28

Cthulhu Live is an excellent role-playing system for the Lovecraft Universe. The rules are explained very clearly, and are easy to remember and follow during live action play. I would highly recommend this to fans of the Cthulhu Mythos, or anyone who's tired of "The Same old LARP".

A Great Experience!.......2000-10-23

And they said it couldn't be done! The Great Old Ones themselves are stirring in their sepulchers over the first official live-action version of Chaosium's acclaimed Call of Cthulhu role-playing game. Based on the short stories of Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937) and the expansive group of writers known as the "Lovecraft Circle," Call of Cthulhu took the gaming world by storm when it first appeared in 1981. Over the years, several organizations have created their own systems to bring Cthulhu gaming to life. This has been a challenging proposition at best.

Cthulhu Live is the first officially licensed live-action role-playing system for Call of Cthulhu. The book contains a tremendous amount of information, ranging from the game mechanics of character creation, skill use, and combat, to the more challenging tasks of make-up, costuming, monster building, prop construction, and running a live-action game.

Although it took 16 years for an official live-action Cthulhu to appear, it seems to have been well worth the wait. The basic rules structure is top-notch, streamlining the Call of Cthulhu rules into a simple, fast-playing system that is quickly mastered. I would rate the combat system as fair. It is one of the better non-contact systems I've seen for live-action gaming, but it's certainly the hardest element of the game for a new player to learn. We tried running a couple "practice battles" with all the players before starting the actual game, which seemed to help everyone later in the adventure.

The greatest challenge gamers might face is assembling a large enough group to run many of the adventures proposed in the rules. Eight to 10 players seem to be about the absolute minimum for Cthulhu Live, and some scripts call for 12 to 20 players. Obviously, such games lend themselves well to a convention setting, but some gamers may find a challenge recruiting that many players outside of a larger city or a college environment. Some challenges may also arise finding a suitable area to play the game, but the book includes tips on finding game locations and preparing houses and apartments for game play. Quite a bit of preparation is required for the games, and the game master, or "Keeper," needs to have not only a good imagination and narrative skills, but some leadership and organizational abilities as well. This said, a well run session with a good Keeper and NPCs is a great experience.

Fantasy Flight Games has published a second edition of Cthulhu Live that has rules updates and additions, an optional new combat system, and several new adventures. Several other projects are also in the works, to include a game support website and players' network. A lot of gamers will be looking forward to the continuing development of the Cthulhu Live system. I know that I am one of them.

--Bob Apelt for Skirmisher Online Gaming Magazine

Greatest game avaliable.......2000-01-13

For all those who have said that the game is cheezy and doesn't lend itself to the Cthulhu atmosphere doesn't know how to play right. With the right amount of effort and this book, you can make a cardboard Byakee, yet surround it with such an spooky story, some good lighting and surprise, and you'll have your players screaming at the top of their lungs. Those that complain about the combat system seem to LIKE combat. The change from the first edition simplified the combat making the dice-like battles simpler. This is not a combat game, it is a game of learning and discovering the horrible truth of the universe around you. If anyone want's to run a LARP, yet is sick of seeing guys in trenchcoats chasing each other with stakes, then this is the perfect game for you.

Faithful to its source and unlimited in potential!.......2000-01-13

Cthulhu Live is so clearly a labor of love by those involved in its creation. There is a real sense of energy and enthusiasm throughout the entire book. The author obviously believes in the potential for the book and wants to pass that energy along to the readers. The creature creation and costuming tips inspire confidence that a truly memorable gaming experience is not only possible but easily achieved with this book's guidance. H.P. Lovecraft would be proud.

They've never actually played a live-action game..........1999-09-16

The folks who wrote these rules have never actually played a live-action game. There is little to no element of chance involved in anything (either you can do it or you can't), combat is incredibly boring (you might as well be rolling dice), and most skills have been abstracted to the point of being just plain silly. Their strong points are on roleplaying and costume/props, but that's about it. If you want to get some good ideas how to do a live CoC game then read this book. But a retarded monkey with two broken hands could write a better rules system.

Book Description

For people who create and modify text files, sed and awk are power tools for editing. sed, awk, and regular expressions allow programmers and system administrators to automate editing tasks that need to be performed on one or more files, to simplify the task of performing the same edits on multiple files, and to write conversion programs. The sed & awk Pocket Reference is a companion volume to sed & awk, Second Edition, Unix in a Nutshell, Third Edition, and Effective awk Programming, Third Edition. This new edition has expanded coverage of gawk (GNU awk), and includes sections on:

An overview of sed and awk?s command line syntax
Alphabetical summaries of commands, including nawk and gawk
Profiling with pgawk
Coprocesses and sockets with gawk
Internationalization with gawk
A listing of resources for sed and awk users

This small book is a handy reference guide to the information presented in the larger volumes. It presents a concise summary of regular expressions and pattern matching, and summaries of sed and awk. Arnold Robbins, an Atlanta native now happily living in Israel, is a professional programmer and technical author and coauthor of various O'Reilly Unix titles. He has been working with Unix systems since 1980, and currently maintains gawk and its documentation.

Customer Reviews:

Serves the purpose........2007-08-04

Handy for those who don't use sed and awk every day. I keep it in my cube.

a must have.......2004-03-19

This little book is great. I've only had it for about a week. I needed to match some text today with a pattern that was a little bit more involved than my usual simple needs. I flipped through a few pages and found some examples that quickly helped me derive the search pattern I needed in a few minutes.

I have the full "sed & awk" second edition book, but I went to the pocket reference instead. I would not have been able to find what I needed in the larger book as quickly.

Some have complained about some of the pocket references lacking indexes. This one doesn't have one, but it's so easy to use that it doesn't need one. Just flip and few pages and you'll find what you need. As far as I'm concerned time is money. This little book has paid for itself in one weeks use.

Key text searching programs.......2004-03-07

Sed and awk are the mainstay for those of you who write shell scripts on unix/linux machines that manipulate text files. It is difficult to overstate the usefulness of these two programs.

So O'Reilly and Robbins decided to help you by providing this pocketbook reference that encapsulates the online help for the programs. The book is aimed at someone who programs, but still prefers a traditional hardcopy reference as an aid to human memory. It assumes that you basically already know how to use the programs, but just need some reminder as to the exact syntax and all the possible options.

A super fast lightweight reference.......2000-12-20

I use this pocket reference more then any other reference for sed and awk. This is mostly a syntax guide for folks who already know sed and awk. If you don't know sed and awk, get the Ellen Quigleys 'Unix Shells'(for beginners) followed by O'Reillies 'Sed and Awk' reference. (Big book.) I tend to forget exactly how to do something, so I will just quickly look at my bookmarked pocket reference, and flip quickly to an example of syntax to get that bash code going correctly. If your desk has as many papers and books on it as mine, this is nice for freeing up some elbow room, while keeping the big books on the bookshelf most of the time.

All you need to use sed or awk well........2000-09-13

I bought this "book" because I am writing a program that deals extensively with strings and text (natural language parsing). I was having some difficulty mastering sed, and understanding how it works. For example, "s/[^A-Za-z]//" was not working (to remove non alpha chars). After five pages in this little gem, I knew what I needed. A trailing "g".

The book is rich with examples, explanations, and really just cuts straight to the chase.

This is not a book for the casual user. It is, after all, a reference, not a tutorial. Unix users (and administrators) who already have a basic grasp of regular expressions and just what sed and awk are (and grep/egrep too) will find this most rewarding.

While I have a hard time paying this much for what amounts to less than toaster oven instructions, it is absolutely invaluable to me, and it doesnt take up space on my desk or bookshelf.

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