Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties

Book Description

As dazzling as the decade they dominated, The Beatles almost single-handedly created pop music as we know it. Today, their songs are cited as seminal influences by stars like Oasis, Blur and Kula Shaker. Eloquently giving voice to their time, the Beatles quite simply changed the world.

Updated with material from The Beatles Live at the BBC and the Anthology series, this acclaimed book gets to the heart of The Beatles — their records. It draws on the author’s unique knowledge and experience to “read” their 241 tracks chronologically — from their first amateur efforts in 1957 to Real Love, their final “reunion” recording in 1995. With this engrossing classic of popular criticism, Ian MacDonald shows exactly why the extraordinary songs of the Beatles remain a central and continually surprising presence.

Customer Reviews:

Is there a revised edition of this book ANYWHERE?.......2007-08-27

More a question than a book review here. This edition is described as being updated; comparing it to the original hardcover, however, I found only one update -- a footnote in which MacDonald briefly comments on the 'Live at the BBC' album. Otherwise it is identical to the first edition. There is nothing on the Anthology material. So the question is this: Is that one little footnote the extent of MacDonald's "revisions"? If there is a fatter, better edition out there, I'd love to have it.

Anyway, now that I'm here I might as well say that this is not only the best critical analysis of the Beatles' work ever written; it's almost the only such book I can even take seriously. MacDonald does come up with the occasional strange opinion here and there (his dismissals of "Day Tripper" and "Helter Skelter" come to mind), but critics are not machines, folks, and even the best of them are not infallible. For the most part MacDonald is serious in the best sense of the word; he is intensely attentive, and his mastery of the catalogue escapes pedantry -- it's just plain jaw-dropping.

A harsh, negative piece of nonsense.......2007-07-09

I can't begin to articulate how sick I am of seeing my favorite songs get bashed by critics with bad taste.

Nor can I, for the life of me, understand the positive prior reviews for this book-length diatribe. The prose further illuminates the uselessness of the so-called "music critic" -- a job requiring no credentials but apparently necessitating snide, negative opinions whenever possible, even when the writer has gone to all the trouble of coming up with an entire book about one band in which to house his disapproval of the music.

MacDonald, as with most critics, is incapable of allowing any of the songs to remain free from his insults and subjective judgments. If you want to read an entire volume consisting of a snob putting down Beatles songs, this is the book for you.

Typical examples involve his section devoted to "Nowhere Man," in which he uses quite a few synonyms for "boring" and leaves it at that; "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds," which he calls "poorly thought-out"; and a constant suggestion of where the Beatles "might have" gotten song ideas in many cases, relying on pure speculation to give the impression that Lennon and McCartney were incapable of coming up with any material of their own.

He lets the occasional positive comment slip through, but his typical critic's desire to enhance his own reputation for cynical wordplay, rather than to actually inform the reader of anything, forces him to state something he personally doesn't like about most every piece of music, in order to balance out any positive things that might have popped out of his pomposity. In this process, he leaves out hundreds of details and thrilling moments that make Beatles songs moving to many.

He often falls back on musical terminology that even the Beatles didn't know. One doesn't want to read about which weird scale or mode a song has incidentally been written in, in a book that tries to boast sociological insight.

There are also several inaccuracies regarding who plays what in which song, etc., and even the title is misleading. The book isn't so much about how the Beatles songs affected people in the sixties, as about the sixties and the Beatles separately. The former is wrapped up tidily in the introduction, which provides a pocket version of the decade's events. MacDonald can write fluently about the sixties, provided he can limitlessly use terms that end with "-ist" and "-ism."

Then, the era is barely returned to, the prose degenerating into song-by-song blurbs that always find some way to be negative, even about some of the Beatles' most beloved tunes.

The only truly good Beatles books are the Beatles' own Anthology, the fascinating Recording the Beatles, anything by Mark Lewisohn and, if you're truly interested in a critic's opinions (why, exactly?), Tim Riley's Tell Me Why -- guilty of a few of the same things, but at least more thorough, well written and positive.

I see that this is coming out in revised form this year. I'm not sure how, as the author decided to take his own life; maybe they plundered his hard drive for documents. Either way, save your money. It's simply not a well written book, and will leave you with a bad taste.

You Say You Want a Revolution..........2007-06-18

This extraordinary book critiques most of the Beatles' songs. It dissects, analyzes and explains the lyrics of the Beatles' songs; it compliments the intelligence of all readers. Music professionals and novices alike will come away with added information; this is a book that will appeal to all readers regardless of place/proficiency on the musical scale.

This book serves as a time line; the Beatles' achievements and the times they were living in are chronicled neatly alongside Macdonald's analyses of the music. It's general tone is light and upbeat, yet a tone of bittersweet nostalgia underscores much of the passages. "There are places I remember..." John Lennon, 1965 could be the sound track of this book. So could John Lennon's 1968 Anthem of the Sixties, "you say you want a revolution, well you know we all want to change the world..."

Beatle fans and those who love and/or lived through the Dodge Dart Era of the 1960s will love this book. It is so worth reading.

This book's publication concludes on a sad footnote. Ian Macdonald ended his life on August 20, 2003. He had been clinically depressed.

GREAT BOOK.......2007-03-11

I love this book and have read it several times. When I listen to Beatles recordings, I sometimes take it out and read up on the song, and its fun to see the work that was put into it (music flubs, line flubs, edit flubs). I just wish he hadn't beat up on George so much! Highly recommended

A brilliant work of analysis.......2007-02-23

I wish that I could give this book more than five stars. It is an absolutely brilliant and supremely entertaining analysis of every song recorded by The Beatles. For those with musical knowledge it provides detailed analysis of things such as chord structure and sequences. For those, such as myself, who are merely fans of this great music, the book provides endless insight and anecdotes about the recording process and events surrounding each song. After reading this book you will never listen to The Beatles' songs in the same way again. This is eye-opening work that puts all other rock/pop music analysis to shame. Get this one!!!

Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties

Average customer rating:

Superbly Written and Intuitive
Admit it, folks, this is the best!
Beatles fans should rejoice , but with reservations
Has it's moments, but too bitter overall.
Unreasonably harsh and ultimately maddening...

Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties
Ian MacDonald
Manufacturer: Owl Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0805042458

Customer Reviews:

Superbly Written and Intuitive.......2007-06-06

Contrary to what a reviewer says, Ian MacDonald does not think that George Harrison was the most talented Beatle. What he does say is, 'If NOT the most talented, then (George was) certainly the most thoughtful of the songwriting Beatles.' Ian doesn't give much praise for many of George's songs, so why would he suddenly say that he was the most talented? Ian clearly feels that John and Paul are the two gifted Beatles, praising their compositions for sophisticated musical structure, imagination, melody, and artistic expression. It's hard to say which one (Lennon or McCartney) he likes better because he really seems to like them both equally, and he intuitively knows who wrote which melody just by analysizing the structure ie.(John horizontal)(Paul vertical with octave leaps that indicate his optimism)So he puts to rest the argument over whether John or Paul wrote the melody to In My Life. He says it couldn't have been anyone but Paul because of the vertical structure. Wow. He likewise says this about other melodies saying,it couldn't be anyone but John because the horizontal structure has his signature all over it etc. He could even tell which side they were sitting on the piano bench, just by certain melodic passages. Jeez.

I noticed after reading the more negative reviews that some people think MacDonald doesn't like the Beatles' music. At first I disagreed but after thinking about it, I can see what they mean, so I am revising my review. He is way too critical of a lot of their songs. As one reviewer puts it, The Beatles' music was meant to be enjoyed. If you start dissecting these songs, you lose the whole meaning of what the Beatles were about. So in over critisising their music, MacDonald is treading in deep water, and is dangerously close to missing the point. There are only a few songs in their catlogue that I dislike and they may or may not be the same ones that Ian dislikes, but he seems to dislike a lot more, and further more, the entire world, including other music experts disagrees with him. He seems to be a curmudgeon, and his oppinions are just that,...his oppinions. This however, is an extremely high brow book. The author has a command of the English language on the level of someone with an advanced degree in English. You must read it carefully because it is not light reading. Ian writes a deep analysis of each song, going over the chord structures and over all melodic developement, but before you get too turned off, he also does this in an entertaining, interesting way. He tells stories, gives oppinions (very thoughtful ones),and generally does this in a way that anyone with reasonable intelligence and education, will understand... And in spite of his negative oppinions of some songs, I still think he loves the Beatles' music.

His knowledge of the Beatles from a musical standpoint, is unparallelled so you will come away with a better than average understanding as well. I was most impressed by his thoughtfulness,and intuition when describing the boys' developement not only as musicians but as people. I have not read any book that does a better job of this and I've read hundreds. Ian seems to know the Beatles better than most. He instinctively understands Paul's reasoning behind trying to keep the group together during the last three years, even if his efforts weren't always appreciated by his bandmates. I disagree though, when he says that for Paul, 'the group was a make believe world in which he could be forever young.' He was only in his 20's, so why would he be worried about being forever young? If anything, he wanted to grow up like the others, and have a wife and family. I think that the Beatles were more important to him than the others, because more than the others, he had forged his entire identity and sense of self esteem around them, since the age of 17. If he wasn't a Beatle anymore then what was he? Invisable? Useless? What would he do? I don't think he was as confident as some of these writers (and the public) seem to think he was, which is why he insisted on Linda going on stage with him for moral support. Why did he need so much moral support anyway? He admits to having a nervous breakdown after the group broke up so need I say more? He also depended on John's approval and when he was no longer getting that, it destroyed him.

Ian also has some very penetrating observations about John, ie. his relationship with Ono and his oedipal complex. Facinating, accurate, and very thoughful, as are his observations about John's personality,his self centeredness, and especially his vacillating oppinions about politics etc. He also gives Paul back the credit that John took from him in the 70's, when he tried to make it seem like Paul was the worst excuse for a human being and contributed nothing to the Beatles.

I found myself agreeing out loud with almost all of Ian's observations about the group.
As other reviewers have said, he gives praise where praise is due ( and that is most of the time, really) and he critisizes when he thinks something doesn't quite work.(but I think this is where he gets into trouble) Ok, he doesn't love everything they did, but does anyone? Even the most dedicated fan doesn't love 'Mr.Moonlight', or that inferior version of 'Matchbox' do they?(they do 'Matchbox' so much better on 'Live at the BBC') What about 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer'? Did anyone expect Ian to give the same high praise to these that he gives to 'I Want to Hold Your Hand', 'Strawberry Fields', or 'Penny Lane'? Likewise George doesn't get the same acclaim for 'It's Only a Northern Song' as he does for a song like 'Something'.

If you are a music major, studying pop music and the Beatles, or a sociology major, studying the 60's, especially the Beatles musical and cultural impact, than this book is invaluable. If you are facinated by their music and their cultural impact, and you have an open mind, than you will welcome this book. There is an excellent chronology which charts their's as well as other people's music, and the events evolving around them, at the back of the book. This gives it another interesting dimension. In spite of his snippy attitude, Ian MacDanald should be applauded for this excellent, peerless, book, and if you are a Lennon /McCartney fan you will be referring to it constantly for it's wealth of accurate knowledge. Oh, and Amazon, please don't lose this revised review like you lost other revisions that I did.

Admit it, folks, this is the best!.......2006-02-18

Will everyone stop saying Ian Macdonald mistreats George Harrison? He gives plentiful praise to 'The Inner Light' and 'Something,' after all. Calling George 'most thoughtful if not the most talented Beatle' is right on, as are his takes on Lennon's narcissism, McCartney's nonsense, and Ringo's...er,excellent drumming on 'Rain,' but he gives them the praise they're due as well. This is an exciting, dramatic, intellectual, unputdownable book, and will inspire your own writing in the process! If only poor Ian hadn't killed himself, he might have written something as equally perceptive about the Stones. Oh, well. Give tribute to the late, great Ian Maconald, and order 'Revolution In The Head'this very minute!

Beatles fans should rejoice , but with reservations.......2005-08-27

The book is both a pleasure and also difficult to read for the reasons the other reviewers have mentioned . I personally felt the book was something of a labour of love , but I suppose some personal feelings cannot help but come through in the author's style . It is a little unfortunate , but I would encourage people to perhaps buy the book used , as Beatles fans should not miss out on it .

I hope I'm not being snobbish to say that the book should only be read by people with a very good understanding of written English . I thought I had that , but there were a few words I have never seen before and probably will never see again . They were not technical music terms , merely obscure words .

I am a musician , but not a schooled one . I wasn't looking for musical dissection , but that can be interesting in small doses . The book has a small amount of that .
It also mentions other records that may have influenced some of their songs , which makes them seem more human to me .

This writer obviously had a great way of describing something that is so intangible ( music and the feelings it evokes ) and making it look easy . I say "had" , because sadly he died by his own hand , so we unfortunately there will be no other works from him .
As a Beatles fan , I am very glad he took the time to write the book , but obviously it is a flawed work in some respects . The Beatles' music touched many people , but the written style of this book will put off as many people as it attracts , I fear .
The end result will be that it does not reach as many people as it could .

Has it's moments, but too bitter overall........2005-02-21

First let me point out that I was fortunate enough to have live in England in 1962 & 1963 (dad in the military). And to be a teenager then and aware before adults (as only teens can) of this new rising musical force called the Beatles was almost joy beyond belief. And that joy has never left me. Having said that: This is a bi-polar book. There is so much to love about it and so much to dislike. It's obvious that the author put a lot of time and effort into it, and tens of thousands of us are grateful that he did. There are many great observations, i.e., She Loves You, Sgt. Pepper (especially the Reprise version), but so much of it is drowned out by his bitterness, especially towards George Harrison. I don't understand why it was necessary to put George down so hard. It just detracts so much from his otherwise excellent observations. The great thing about Beatle music is that it made you feel good. Lot's of love and enjoyment in their music. But when you pick it apart, note for note, word for word, and compare it to your own "personal" standard of perfection, it is easy to lose sight of that love and enjoyment. As much as I enjoyed most of this book, I enjoy Alan Pollack's on-line reviews better as he retains the love and enjoyment of what the "boys" did. But, overall, yes, I'd recommend buying this book and reading it several times so you can make your own judgement abut it.

Unreasonably harsh and ultimately maddening..........2005-01-15

When I first began reading "Revolution in the Head", I felt that I was in for a treat. I have read many, many Beatles books so I already know all of the stories behind the songs and who contributed what. I was more interested in reading Ian MacDonald's opinions on the songs. However, I was very putoff as I continued to read through the book. I don't really understand why MacDonald wrote this book because he doesn't seem to like much of anything the Beatles released. He divides the songs into three categories- "Going Up", "The Top" and "Coming Down". However, he only includes two albums in the section he sees as the top, these being "Revolver" and "Sgt. Pepper". His ratings are generally fair throughout this section but almost all reviews before and after are harsh and dismissive.

MacDonald seems to base his opinions of songs on the chord sequences and other technical jargon I found boring. That's great for music critics who want to read pages and pages of "...and A Minor switches uncharacteristically into B7" or whatever. But MacDonald seems to not care in the slightest for the emotions involved in the makings of the songs or the fact that the Beatles were four people with distinct personalities, traits and passions.

But the thing I found most annoying (and which led me to give it such a low review) was MacDonald's apparent hatred of anything related to George Harrison. George is and always will be my personal favorite Beatle, and I hold his musical genius at the same level as John Lennon and Paul McCartney. MacDonald treats George as if he is a random hobo pulled off the street and handed a guitar. He goes out of his way to insult George's voice, guitar solos and contributions to the band. He even attributes some of George's most important contributions to other members of the band. Here is a short list of quotations from the book to illustrate my point:

On "Norwegian Wood": "...provided by Harrison's doubling of the main descending line on sitar, a sound probably envisaged by Lennon from the outset."

On "While My Guitar Gently Weeps": "...Unhappy with his first attempt at recording the song--probably because he felt it overexposed his voice."

On "While My Guitar Gently Weeps": "...the track exudes a browbeating self-importance which quickly becomes tiresome."

On "Here Comes the Sun": "...the result is too faux-naif to appeal to those lacking the requistite sweet tooth."

On "Taxman": "While Harrison was rightly praised for this track, it should be heard as an ensemble effort, with McCartney's contribution bulking largest."

And many, many more. When MacDonald isn't insulting George or suggesting that his ideas were those of John or Paul, he is questioning whether George really did play guitar on a number of tracks. He implies that this is because the playing is too technical for George.

P.S.- Despite being able to tell which side Paul was sitting on when Lennon and McCartney composed "I Want to Hold Your Hand", MacDonald cannot seem to tell the difference between the Beatles' voices. For instance, he says that George and John sand background vocals on "Eleanor Rigby", when it is clearly Paul double-tracked. This book is riddled with such untruths.

Average customer rating:

Terrific Book, But Nothing New in the 3rd Ed

Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties
Ian MacDonald
Manufacturer: Chicago Review Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1556527330

Book Description

This “Bible of the Beatles” captures the iconic band’s magical and mysterious journey from adorable teenagers to revered cultural emissaries. In this fully updated version, each of their 241 tracks is assessed chronologically from their first amateur recordings in 1957 to their final “reunion” recording in 1995. It also incorporates new information from the Anthology series and recent interviews with Paul McCartney. This comprehensive guide offers fascinating details about the Beatles’ lives, music, and era, never losing sight of what made the band so important, unique, and enjoyable.

Customer Reviews:

Terrific Book, But Nothing New in the 3rd Ed.......2007-08-08

This is an indispensable book about Beatles music appreciation. MacDonald was one of the most idiosyncratic critics of music that ever lived. This book must be owned by anyone, especially musicians and songwriters, who wants to truly get to the heart of the music of the Beatles.

The only disappointment for me (and for anyone who's been faithfully buying and reading the updates of this book since its release in the mid-1990s) is that the 3rd edition is NOT REVISED. If you own the second edition, you do not need to buy this book. There is not one difference in the text.

Oddly enough, this edition has slightly better quality paper, for some reason, whereas the previous edition uses sort of newspaper/telephone book quality sheets that tear easily. Two other subtle changes are: a different pic on the front cover, and the omission of one of the members of Oasis' profanely worded endorsement of the book.

Happy reading if you've never been inside the book before, but if you have the 2nd revised edition, you can sit this one out.

Average customer rating:

Revolution In The Head The Beatles' Records and the Sixties
MacDonald Ian
Manufacturer: Fourth Estate
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UDL7XG

Book Description

An engaging exploration of one of the enduring relics of America's popular culture--the rodeo cowboy.

Customer Reviews:

Let 'er buck!!.......2003-08-01

Michael Allen is a folklorist and a rodeo fan. He's a Westerner, born and raised in Ellensburg in central Washington. When this book was published, he was on the faculty of the University of Washington -- probably still is. I say all this because his book is first of all an academic discussion of his subject. It's based on extensive reading and field research, and the analysis tackles a broad range of topics that comprise the discourse among a couple generations of folklorists who've focused on the culture of western Americana. In other words, while Allen clearly enjoys his subject, he's making arguments directed at fellow professionals who represent different points of view. Because of this, there's a steady flow of documentation, with plenty of footnotes. For the casual reader, all this may get a little heavy-going at times.

Allen covers many facets of his subject -- starting with the history of rodeo and looking at the rodeo cowboy as portrayed in movies and TV, folklore, literature, art, and country music. He also has a chapter on what he calls "rainbow rodeo riders" -- that is, minorities, such as Native Americans, African-Americans, women, gays and lesbians. There's also a glossary of rodeo cowboy lingo and a long annotated bibliography in the form of an essay.

Allen's argument rests on a couple of ideas that he acknowledges are debatable. The first is that "real cowboys" (as they existed over 100 years ago out on the unfenced Plains) are for the most part a thing of the past. Today, the role of the "real cowboy" is left to the rodeo cowboy, and (this is where I'd take exception) Allen pretty much ignores the host of working cowboys who still make a living on ranches in a dozen or more western states. But I'm not a folklorist, so that's just my nonprofessional opinion.

The other idea is that the rodeo cowboy represents a "contemporary ancestor" for modern-day Americans. He harks back to the American frontier of our imagination. In his risk-defiant, untamed, wandering, individualistic behavior, he represents what fans regard as essentially American in themselves. In other words, he's mythic -- he represents our deepest values and connects us with our past. These values are embraced by the Cowboy Code, which is an unwritten set of behavioral guidelines all men must aspire to if they are to be accepted into the elite fraternity of "real cowboys." Dating from cowboy culture as it took form in the 19th century, the Code survives today, apparently stronger than ever among the men who rodeo.

The irony is that Allen also reveals the dark side of the myth and the Code, for both thrive on a kind of extreme libertarianism that can be anti-social, intolerant, and misogynistic. While the cowboy with his six-gun "tamed" the West (in popular fiction and movies, at least), the archetypal cowboy is untamable himself. While that's part of his appeal (and there are popular outlaw cowboys aplenty, e.g., Billy the Kid), it also exposes the rodeo cowboy's unsavory side. Allen may not intend this, but this casts a shadow over his argument.

For all my reservations, I recommend this book. It's so full of ideas and ranges across more rodeo cowboy literature than I ever imagined existed. He's added several titles to my reading list. As companion volumes, I'd recommend Baxter Black's hilarious rodeo novel, "Hey, Cowboy, Wanna Get Lucky?" A great book of essays and rodeo photography can be found in Bob St. John's "On Down the Road," full of interviews with rodeo stars circa 1975. For a good recent rodeo movie, there's "Cowboy Up!" about bullriders. Let 'er buck!

Amazon.com

Is your garden reminiscent of a classic grande dame in need of some extra TLC? For the yard version of cosmetic surgery, turn to The Landscape Makeover Book, a helpful manual full of step-by-step photos, planning guides, and practical suggestions. Covering projects both big and small, this guide shows you how to add a pool or patio, prune generations-old shrubs for increased health and vigor, and top off that pesky tree that makes your gutters overflow every October. Have an unknown vine taking over the backyard? Useful charts will help you to identify those pesky plants and learn to use their low-maintenance talents to your advantage--or get rid of them entirely. Plenty of glossy photographs add a designer's touch to the down-and-dirty detail in these pages, but in general, those looking specifically for design inspiration will need to look elsewhere. There are only two types of classic garden design mentioned, Colonial and Victorian, but the authors do provide extensive help in priority setting and planning. While it may seem obvious to not reseed the lawn before adding a walkway, haven't we all found ourselves in similar situations with home-improvement projects? The section on reshaping beds is particularly useful, with plenty of attention given to individual plant rejuvenation and precise edge trimming. For those with an empty lot of dirt and grass, you'll need information other than what this book dishes out. But if you're facing an overgrown garden that looks like it really may have been a showstopper at one point, this is the guide that will help you in staging a glorious comeback. --Jill Lightner

Book Description

The median age of the American home is 30 years. Consequently, many homeowners do not enjoy a perfect yard: the landscape may be overgrown or in need of a facelift. Professional landscaper Sara Jane von Trapp comes to the rescue with an illustrated guide to revamping an old yard without spending a fortune. She covers both overall design possibilities and areas of concern - entries, walkways, decks, lighting, plantings, and lawns - with specific instructions, and also helps readers determine when professional help is needed.

Customer Reviews:

Lots of Inspiration, But Not Much How-To Detail.......2002-03-18

I would say this is a worthwhile book if you are looking for pictures of made-over yards and decks. There are very few "before" pictures and not a lot of detail on how to achieve the results. The process is explained, from planning on paper to renovating walks, concrete stoops, garden beds and plantings.

Examples of various projects are shown in photographs and described in some detail. Pruning and moving shrubs and trees are shown. There is not a lot of specific information about plants. There is a very brief discussion of water features.

This book is a good place to start the process, but unless you already have construction and horticultural skills, you will need additional information to actually complete a project.

for the first time do it yourselfer in the garden.......2001-07-23

This book will serve well for the FIRST TIME DO-IT-YOURSELFER to take on a major remodeling job in the garden.

It goes over everething from the planning to the finishing touches. Tools required are discussed in simple easy to understand language and photographs are also included!

Problems are also discussed- with photographs to help you understand. A good book to have if you are planning to revamp your lanscape!

If You need a whole new renovation read this book.......2000-05-24

If your yard looks like a mess this book tells you how to fix it. It is really not bad and works well.

what else can you say

Sadly Disappointed.......2000-04-21

The book's write up sounds exactly what I was looking for, ideas on updating existing landscapes. Needless to say I was disappointed. There was nothing new that a gardener would not have already have read in Southern Living or Country Home Gardens magazines. Its fine for a glance at Barnes and Noble with a cup of coffee, but don't waste your money taking it home.

Average customer rating:

Landscape Makeovers
HGTV , Dave Haupert , and Jan Riggenbach
Manufacturer: HGTV
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0696217643
Release Date: 2004-01-06

Book Description

40 inventive projects and dozens of ideas for yards, asmall corners, and everything in between.

Before-and-after photos showcase the results—along with how-to and techniques.

Features a variety of home styles, yard sizes, and project costs.

Builds homeowners' confidence to choose and accomplish landscape makeovers.

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A gardening cornucopia of landscaping ideas to transform any yard or small garden corner from the ordinary to the extraordinary

Before & After Garden Makeovers
Vicki Webster
Manufacturer: Sunset Publishing Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Reinvent Your Garden (Sunset)

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The Big Book of Backyard Projects: Walls, Fences, Paths, Patios, Benches, Chairs & More

ASIN: 0376031883

Book Description

Sunsets new Before After Garden Makeovers proves that even the most uninspiring yard can be transformed into a veritable garden of earthly delights. With 44 real-life before-and-after examples showcasing a variety of styles for every environment imaginable, youre sure to find beautiful inspirations for your dream garden. Features nBrilliant photo essays highlight 44 before-and-after gardens nHow-to info includes garden designs, plans, and hands-on tips and techniques nSpecial features on adding lawns, installing flagstone paths, and building raised beds nIdeal for total redesigns or for specific areas, including decks, courtyards, and entryways nGives the boost you need to tackle that all-important first step toward creating the garden youve always wanted

Customer Reviews:

A gardening cornucopia of landscaping ideas to transform any yard or small garden corner from the ordinary to the extraordinary.......2006-07-10

Profusely illustrated with accompanying and succinct descriptive captions, Before & After Garden Makeovers showcases 40 diverse gardens as examples to other homeowners what can happen when transforming bare patches of lawn and tired plantings into beautifully crafted "garden rooms" for the pleasure of family outdoor entertainment and relaxation. Offering a gardening cornucopia of landscaping ideas to transform any yard or small garden corner from the ordinary to the extraordinary, Before & After Garden Makeovers is as inspiring as it is informative, and a thorough delight to simply browse through for applicable ideas adapted to the reader's own landscaping or gardening situation and resources. No personal or community library gardening or landscaping reference collection can be considered complete or up-to-date without the inclusion of Sunset's Before & After Garden Makeovers!

Instant Gardens: High-Impact Makeovers that Look Great Right Now

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Instant Gardens: High-Impact Makeovers that Look Great Right Now
Miracle-Gro
Manufacturer: Miracle-Gro
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0696222205
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Book Description

Packed with hundreds of ideas and techniques from the Miracle-Gro gardening experts for instantly beautifying home landscapes.

Illustrated, step-by-step guide delivers eye-catching results with a minimum investment of time and money.

Focuses on easy, high-impact, low-cost projects that homeowners ask for the most:

Adding color with plant beds and borders
Quick privacy screening
On-the-spot shade
Outside entryway makeovers
And much more!

Garden Makeovers: The Complete Guide to Reviving and Replenishing Your Garden

Average customer rating:

Garden Makeovers: The Complete Guide to Reviving and Replenishing Your Garden
Liz Dobbs , and Sarah Wood
Manufacturer: Time-Life Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Landscape | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Landscape | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0737006099

Amazon.com

Whether you're purchasing a new home with a large yard or you're living in an apartment with a tiny patch of weeds, Garden Makeovers can help you turn your outdoor space into a beautiful, workable plot of personal paradise. Presuming you already have something to work with, this book takes you step by step through the outdoor renovation process.

The authors note that "a garden is probably one of the few areas of your life where you can express yourself." Read the first chapter and take a good look around. Even if your thumb is more brown than green, you can learn to recognize, work with, and even conquer your yard's limitations.

The second section helps you determine whether your garden needs a quick fix or a complete overhaul. Potted plants and herbs, nearly mature trees, rustic panels or arches, and a coat of paint on that old shed can turn your so-so garden into a lovely bower in little time. The third chapter tackles problem-solving (what kind of plants are best for sandy soil?) and the fourth more elaborate projects. If you're feeling like Martha Stewart, you can even design a formal English garden or a medieval maze.

The full-color photos are inspiring and the language clear and helpful. With a go-to attitude and the proper tools (there's a whole section on what you may need), you can create a garden that reflects your unique style while complementing your home and your yard's natural resources. --Dana Van Nest

Average customer rating:
Hgtv Landscape Makeovers - 50 Projects For A Picture-perfect Yard
Marilyn, Editor Rogers
Manufacturer: Meridith Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NPAIT0

Average customer rating:
Makeovers from the Budget Gardener: Transforming Your Garden in Just One Season
Maureen Gilmer
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Landscape | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Landscape | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 014026003X

Average customer rating:
Landscaspe Makeovers 50 Projects for a Picture-Perfect Yard
Home & Garden Television
Manufacturer: Meredith Bopoks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000LLJJN2

Average customer rating:
Backyard Living - May/June 2006 - Water Gardens, Budget Backyard Makeovers, Weekend Projects (Vol . 3 No. 3)

Manufacturer: Reiman Medica Group, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000I85RIO

Amazon.com

There are open-source firewalls, and there are commercial firewalls that are easier to configure. No software firewall, however, has the reputation for impermeability that Check Point FireWall-1 NG has. Essential Check Point FireWall-1 NG exists to serve the network administrator as a manual and ready reference for the defensive utility. It's a sensitive role, because a poorly administered firewall can be worse than no firewall at all. Dameon Welch-Abernathy provides his readers with the knowledge they need--in the form of both instructions and raw information--to install, set up, and administer FireWall-1 NG properly in a variety of configurations.

A word of warning: This book provides detailed installation instructions for Microsoft Windows 2000 only. Though other supported operating systems get some coverage, only for Windows does the author walk you through the complete set of installation screens. This may or may not be a problem for you. With installation out of the way, the book treats configuration in an approximately platform-neutral fashion (though all screen shots are from Windows 2000). Typically, Welch-Abernathy opens a section with some theoretical information (about authentication, say, or firewalling in VPNs), then provides a relevant stepped procedure for a typical scenario, then goes through a very useful series of questions and answers (which are indexed separately--a helpful feature). It's a good approach that helps guarantee the reader gets the required information. --David Wall

Topics covered: How to knowledgeably and effectively support Check Point FireWall-1 NG. In addition to basic firewall functionality and rule-setting, the author covers Virtual Private Network (VPN) setups, alternative forms of user authentication, Network Address Translation (NAT), and reliability issues. Special chapters cover the INSPECT and SecuRemote/SecureClient utilities.

Customer Reviews:

CheckPoint Firewall Bible for Network Administrators.......2007-09-18

Now there's a definitive insider's guide to planning, installing, configuring, and maintaining the newest version of the world's #1 firewall: Check Point(tm) FireWall-1 ® Next Generation(tm).

Leading Check Point support authority Dameon Welch-Abernathy (a.k.a. PhoneBoy) offers exclusive hands-on tips, techniques, checklists, and detailed sample configurations you can use right now to improve reliability, efficiency, and manageability in your Check Point environment. The author's previous Check Point FireWall-1 guide became an instant bestseller, earning the praise of security professionals worldwide.

This new book has been thoroughly revamped to reflect Check Point FireWall-1 NG's powerful new features, and it includes even more expert solutions from PhoneBoy's FireWall-1 FAQ, the Web's #1 independent Check Point support site. Whether you're a security/network architect, administrator, or manager, you'll find it indispensable.

Whether you're running FireWall-1 NG on UNIX or Windows platforms, this book brings together expert guidance for virtually every challenge you'll face: building your rulebase, logging and alerting, remote management, user authentication, inbound/outbound content restriction, managing NAT environments, building site-to-site VPNs with SecuRemote, even INSPECT programming.

Welch-Abernathy also covers high availability in detail, identifying proven solutions for the challenges of implementing multiple firewalls in parallel.

The Best Check Point Book.......2005-08-14

If you must install or work with Check Point FW-1 NG, this book is a must have. I am a consultant working with a customer who was upgrading from 4.1 to NG. We had numerous small issues, many of which were not effectively addressed by CP support. The new Firewall was up and running flawlessly within a day of buying this book. Dameon ("Phoneboy") is the ultimate expert on all things Check Point, and he is an excellent communicator who has written a very easy to read book. This book will also stay close at hand as a reference anytime a FW-1 question comes up. I have to buy another copy, since the customer above refused to give it back after seeing how useful it was.

Excellent Resource For Checkpoint Firewall-1 NG Admins.......2004-11-08

Each chapter of the book starts off with describing what the reader will learn or accomplish by reading that chapter. This sort of information is helpful for allowing readers to skip information that may not be useful to them and find the answers they seek. Many of the chapters also contain FAQ's and sample configurations and illustrations to help reinforce the information.

The book tries to cover a very broad scope and apply to a wide audience. It contains information all the way from holding the readers hand if they are new to Checkpoint Firewall-1 NG to providing detailed troubleshooting and configuration steps for experienced Checkpoint administrators.

I have never administered a Checkpoint firewall personally, but I found the information mostly straight forward and understandable. Again, this is not a book one would typically read casually, but for anyone who administers a Checkpoint firewall or is looking at installing a Checkpoint Firewall-1 NG system this is an excellent source of information.

(...)

Excellent!!!!!.......2004-07-30

There is a book called `the Best Damn Firewall Book Period'. But it is the wrong title, this is the Best Damn Firewall Book.

The author bleeds info about fw-1.

If you need one fw-1 book, this is it!

The Perfect Way to Prepare for FW 1........2004-03-23

This is a how-to book clearly intended primarily for those who have already decided to install firewall 1 software on their systems. There are several things I like about this book, not the least of which is the author's honest, straightforward approach to his subject matter.

I also really like the extensive use of FAQ's to resolve many of the challenges likely to be encountered in implementing your firewall protection. But what makes that especially helpful is the comprehensive table of contents listing just the FAQ's.

My favorite chapter is the one devoted to planning your firewall system. It's thorough, including all of the items that should be considered in the planning process. For my money, this chapter alone is probably worth the cost of the book.

My advice is to read this book before you start spending money on the software. Follow all of the advice about planning. Then use the book to help you make the most of what you buy.

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