2 comments about Haynes Honda Shadow VT600 & 750 Owners Workshop Manual: 1988 thru 2003 (Owners Workshop Manual).

1. This book is packed with many photo's and instructions on how to perform many basic and advanced tasks for working on your Honda shadow motorcycle and has proven useful for me in my general maintenance, which also include checking on the breaks, fluids, anti-freeze replacement, fuel filter and so forth. Including helpful hints on removing / getting to some of he more difficult to reach areas.
   
   I feel this was definatly a worthwhile purchase and has saved me money at the shop by better qualifying me to do some more of my own basic work / maintenance on the motorcycle.



2. Exceptionally clear pictures and caption makes the backbone of this book. I was positively surprised, compared with many Haynes manuals for cars that I've seen.
   Clear and consistent division of each chapter into paragraphs (check - removal- replacement - installation etc.) helps the reader to make things in good order and not forgetting anything.
   Sections of general interest like maintenance techniques & tooling, troubleshooting, tire changing makes part of this book valuable even after you have sold your bike - take copies!

5 comments about Honda Accord Repair Manual 2003-2005 (Haynes Automotive Repair Manual).

1. Purchased this for my Wife's car. It covers the basics adequately, though the print quality is poor making the photos difficult to make out. It doesn't cover much beyond the basics, and is a poor comparison to the manufacturer's manuals I've picked up for other Honda vehicles.



2. Like other reviewers have mentioned, this manual doesn't have the highest quality pictures (similar to black and white newspaper), but it's not terrible, either. The pictures aren't razor sharp, but you can still see what's going on.
   
   While the manual gives some good step-by-step instructions, it helps to know a few things about car maintenance and have some confidence in your own ability to begin with.
   
   I've used this as a reference for some basic maintenance tasks, and all-in-all, it's good to have around. If you're going to do car maintenance, for $15, just get it. It pays for itself after one use, even if it serves as a secondary source of information.
   
   Personally, my method is to use a combination of online research (some sites have good pictures) as well as this manual.
   
   When I approach a particular task I've never done before, I first read what the manual says a few days in advance. I think it over carefully, look up some websites with pictures and variations of the instructions, visualize what needs to be done in my head, and then I get the parts I need and perform the actual work.



3. Like the other reviewers I found the photos in this manual unacceptable. First the paper it's printed on is some horrible recycled junk that is only fit for text. Second the black and white photos (all are B&W) almost all have poor lighting and contrast. They may have looked good on the computer when they were editing it but by the time they were printed cheaply on cheap paper they are completely unacceptable. There also aren't enough photos in some cases. They show you a close up of something but you have no idea what general region the item is located.



4. I purchased this manual to gain insite into issues I have with my car's navigation system. The topic is not mentioned in this book. As a matter of fact, the identification or location of the elements that make up the system is not covered by the book at all. As I suspect the problem is a matter of interconnections, this most easy and trivial presentation of this information is lacking, making the book useless for my immediate needs.



5. This book is not for the novice. You will need some background in fixing cars to use this book. I agree with some of the other reviews that the pictures are of poor quality which is why you will need some experience in doing some of the repairs but compared to what Honda charges for their book, I'm happy with this. Consider the savings though, one screw and about $20 in transmission oil and I don't have to pay the $80-$100 every one else charges to change it for me. I bought 4 plugs for $48 and the dealer wanted to charge me $150 total and the plugs were at $25 each with them. Bottom line, if you have some experience working on cars and are good at asking questions when necessary, this book can still save you hundreds to thousands of dollars in general maintenance at a shop
   
   6/15/08 UPDATE!!! The book is a little more accurate than the dealer's computer. The dealer and my local Kragen both swore that my car used Iridium #6994 but make sure you know which model of Accord that you have. I had kept telling them that mine is the 2003 Accord LX SULEV model and it uses the #6774 type for NGK. The guy at Kragen kept telling me that I could use either and the dealer service said to use the one that is required and they are not interchangeable. The dealer's parts dept. had to look it up by vin to confirm the correct plugs. I finally returned the one's that I got from my local Kragen and lucky enough, Amazon had the right parts for my car. A word of caution; the specifications for cars of today are more precise. Any time someone tells you that you can put any part or switch parts on a car, research everything. If they do not sign something that they will be held fully responsible for what they are saying, do not trust them. We are no longer talking about something as simple as different oils, these cars are monitored by computers now and if you put the wrong part on the car, you could really do some damage to either the motor or its computer systems. do you really want to be pay for the damage because of some ignorant car parts dealer says either will work?

5 comments about Honda Civic 2001-2004 & CR-V 2002-2004 (Hayne's Automotive Repair Manual).

1. I always buy the repair manual for my cars, I like to know my car.



2. I purchased this book for information on changing brake pads for a 2001 Honda Civic DX. It has the information I was looking for. (NOTE: I haven't actually done the work yet so I can't comment on the quality of the information) At the same time I ordered the Chilton's Manual for my model thinking it would be good to have two different sources of information. Revieweing both books I found that the text and photos are exactly the same in both books. They must be published by the same company. So don't bother purchasing both. (NOTE: As a tribute, I am posting the exact same review for the Chilton's manual.)



3. The Repair book tells you all you need to know about the car in an understandable way. Made replacing my head lights a lot easier.



4. 1. The price of this manual is reasonable.
   2. Some out-of-date information about procedures and parts.
   3. Too technical which is not suitable for car owner (who has little knowledge about car) to do maintenance trouble-free.
   4. Car owner could do approximately 25% out of 100% procedures of the whole manual. Please remember it depends on your car knowledge.
   5. Haynes publisher do not care to respond their customer's e-mail and phone call for asking more information in the book as they promised to do so.



5. I was interested more in CR-V manual then Civic. This wasn't extremely helpful in my case. Hopefully book serves better for Civic owners.

5 comments about How to Rebuild and Modify Your Manual Transmission (Motorbooks Workshop).

1. This book is well written and easy to understand with many pictures. It is a good starting point for anyone considering rebuilding a manual transmission.
   
   The book covers material that is common knowledge for professionals, but that is hard to learn as an amatuer trying to learn on his/her own. Specifically in the areas of dianosis of problems, and explicit function of components.
   
   I recommend this book.



2. This book really presents the work and theory in a straightforward manner. It explains what you are doing and why, and what happens when something goes wrong. It's easy enough to follow lightly as you work, or to read in depth to really learn something. You can easily pull from it what information you need. I would recommend this book to anyone with a technical background, whether already you know what you are doing or just starting your first project, there is definitely something to gain here.



3. Excellent organization and structure. Lots of information on how manual transmissions work, and how to check and rebuild them. Many excellent color photos to go along with the text.



4. I just got this book and Have to say that it is one of the best automotive books I have ever read. Most automotive Books are either to Dry and Technical or have very little info. This Book is both easy to read and has a ton of information. I'll be referring to this book any time I have a problem with a manual transmission.



5. Manual transmissions aren't as sexy as some other engine parts that I could think of (like cams, or turbos), but that doesn't make them boring!
   
   This book covers the little-known and little-described topic of manual transmissions. The writer attacks the subject from the angle of a "weekend warrior" mechanic or car builder, which means it's neither dry and academic nor lowbrow.
   
   Manual transmissions, clutches and even differentials are covered in enough detail to be useful without drowning in theory. Unlike many automotive books it's full of meaty details and tips - the chapter on manual transmission diagnosis alone is worth the cost.
   
   Even if you're not a die-hard stick shifter, it's a fun read and an interesting look at the technology behind a manual transmission. If nothing else, you could read it and impress the guys at your local hot-rod spot with your knowledge of gear oil additives.
   
   Besides, where else can you get all the current thinking on manual transmission modifications in one place?

2 comments about Motorcycling For Dummies (For Dummies (Sports & Hobbies)).

1. This book is chock full of insider tips that will make motorcycling safer, and more fun, for both the veteran and the novice rider. I've spent years riding all types of motorcycles and interviewing all types of motorcyclists. The knowledge I've gained is spelled out in this book in a fun and easy-to-read way so that you don't have to interview hundreds of riders yourself! Want to know how to plan a motorcycle trip they way the motojournalists do? I show you how. Want to know what to do if you ride into a corner waaay too fast? I let you know. Want to fit in with the biker crowd? I reveal how. Don't know what to pick for your first motorcycle? I steer you the right way. Are you a woman looking into getting into motorcycling? I help you discover how to fit in, and provide resources specifically for women. It's a fun book full of great info. I hope you enjoy it. -- Bill Kresnak



2. By the third mention of Angelina Jolie riding a motorcycle in Chapter 1 to justify the "coolness"of motorcycling the book has already started to go downhill. With the exception of a few chapters (buying a first bike: what you should know & keeping your bike in tiptop shape) I have found most of the other chapters read so far (which in fairness is only about half) to be total fluff and of little value. Worst off, some of the valuable chapters seem to have little added value when compared to the FREE DMV material. Unless you really have to know the "Ten Must-See Motorcycling Movies" save some money, use the internet when you have questions and take an intro level rider training course.

5 comments about Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters: Defending the Earth with Ultraman and Godzilla.

1. I been reading books on japanese monsters for many years. But I have to say this is the far by best book ever. Just seeing the never before pictues is worth the price alone. The only thing I could realy say is, if your into kaiju films. Don't be without this book.



2. Phenomenal book. Great quality, design, and content. If you have any remote appreciation for this kind of film making and monster design, this book is an absolute love letter... A must have!



3. This is a wonderful coffee-table size book that contains beautiful photos and interesting commentary. If you are a fan of Godzilla and/or Eiji Tsuburaya this is the book to get!



4. Tsuburaya Eiji was the Japanese special effects director who was behind so many monster movies that came out from Japan during the 1950s and 1960s. This is a pictorial biography of Tsuburaya Eiji that proves to be very well written and informative. I found the book to be rather insightful as the author included inserts written by men who worked with or worked under Tsuburaya Eiji during his career. The book also comes well illustrated with photographs and movie posters on almost every page as it traces the life and time of Tsuburaya Eiji's career. It was interesting to note that during World War II, he made a movie made from miniatures that showed the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was so realistic that during the initial post war period, Americans thought it was the real thing. Tsuburaya Eiji was also the man who made Godzilla what he was and creator of the Ultraman series that is still going on to this day.
   
   Overall, this book is definitely worth your time and money to read over and treasure. Tsuburaya Eiji is one of the great pioneers of motion picture industry regarding special effects and his influence help shape this industry to this day. His influence in the science fiction genre will remains pretty strong as monster movies like Cloverfield still hit our theaters and on DVD to this day. The book strongly reflects the heydays of Japanese monster movie era history and it will remind many of us, the fun and wonder these movies brought us during our younger days. And it will inform otherwise misinformed that there is more to these movies then just a "guy in the monster suit" concept.
   
   (And yes, I am writing the subject's name in Japanese style...sur name first always...Tsuburaya Eiji is the way you would address him if he was still alive today...as you would with any Japanese national.)



5. If you like giant monster movies, and want to know more about how they were made, this book is for you. Not many photos of the monsters (there are other books out there for that) but there are behind the scenes photos. Learn the biographies of the men who made films you still love after all these years. Not much has been published in the West about them, but here it is! Well written and laid out. 2 page essays about certain film makers by noted Western Kaiju lovers. Worth the price, and thankful that it was printed.

3 comments about Honda Accord 1998 thru 2002: All Models (Haynes Repair Manual).

1. I wish the book cover 2003 Honda Accord. Otherwise the book is good.



2. Very good manual which explains honda accord repair from all sides



3. Nothing fun or exciting, just a service manual for my kid's car. It is just what it is. I've also gotten factory manuals and Bentley manuals for various cars over the years. They all seem to serve their intended purposes equally well. A good book at a great Amazon price.

5 comments about Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean Boyhood.

1. A beautifully written book that places you in Korea during the second world war. Fast reading, and well paced told from the POV of a very (maybe too!) wise young boy. Only thing that got me down was knowing that it ended just before the next war again wreaked such damage and havoc, and there was no post script. Definitely worth reading.



2. This was probably my favorite of the books we read in the Japanese History course I took my senior year of college. Young Richard Kim spent the majority of his childhood in his native Korea while it was under occupation by the Japanese, who were not very nice to or tolerant of his people, no matter they were the majority and the occupying Japanese were the minority. There are many hardships and much prejudice he faces growing up, from neighbors, the government, teachers, and schoolmates, but he never loses his sense of pride and Korean nationalism, constantly being reminded by his parents (who are ministers) and his grandmother to remain aware of where he comes from, his identity, the sustained hope that the Japanese won't always be in Korea, and to do well in school and set a fine example to the Japanese, since he mustn't let those Japanese boys at school think they're better than he is. When WWII comes along, everyone suffers the normal wartime deprivations, such as food shortages and bombing raids, but it is especially hard for the Koreans in the midst. Young Richard is forced, along with his classmates, to bow in the direction of the Emperor each morning, recite an ode of allegiance to the Emperor and Japanese government, and, worst of all, to even change his family name. All Koreans are forced to change their surnames to Japanese surnames, although Richard's father is clever and changes their family's name to one with the root meaning "rock," which of course is a reference to Saint Peter and the family's religious faith, a reference the Japanese won't get. It's enough to take away and try to usurp one's culture, traditions, customs, language, and way of life, but when you take away someone's name, that is in a way the ultimate erasure of their identity. Even when forced to, at least on the surface, speak a foreign language, submit to foreign leaders, and follow alien customs, there's still the comfort of knowing your base identity, your name, is still the same, but taking it away makes this prejudice and attempted usurpation of Korean culture incredibly personal and insulting.
   
   It didn't really bother me that some of these memories and thoughts are very complex and detailed for a child as young as Richard is in the beginning. Many times memories of traumatic defining events are stronger and more vivid and real precisely because they were so awful and traumatic, leaving more impact than something as mundane as, say, eating breakfast or walking the dog. And even if some gaps in Richard's memory may have been filled in by what he imagines happened or what his family have told him happened, it doesn't lessen the emotional impact of these events in the slightest. And I like how it was told in the present tense; since discovering quite some time ago that books can be written in the present tense and there's no rule written in stone saying you must only and always write in the past tense, I've much preferred books written in the present tense. It makes the events seem more real and gripping, full of suspense and tension, like constantly wondering what's going to happen next, living right in the moment.



3. Imperialism is something that is often associated exclusively with the West. The histories of the British colonization of India and the Spanish colonies of Latin America abound, but many fail to notice the history of the Empire of Japan, which held Eastern Asia prior to and during the Second World War. Richard Kim writes about his childhood experience in Korea from 1932 to 1945 in his book Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean Boyhood and focuses on the situation of Japanese imperialism on the Korean peninsula, and the effects of the colonization.
   Richard sees first hand how Japan influence on Korea is affecting his family life, school, and friendships. The book begins with an image of Kim's family leaving Korea for a job and being stopped by the Japanese Imperial Army. This was the first of the scenes that were told through the eyes of Richard Kim. The book goes on to depict six more stories, separated by chapters.
   Japan is painted as an outside influence, which is taking over Korea in a more passive way. The narrator describes the Japanese as not bad people, but people who are distinct from the native Koreans, and collectively more powerful and all-surrendering when it comes to their Emperor. This is shown when the narrator talks about how the books gets it's name, in which the Koreans are made to give up their Korean names in exchange for a Japanese name. Showing the strong nature of his family the name chosen by his father means "Foundation of Rock."
   Throughout the book, Koreans are portrayed as being in control in Korea behind the thick wall of Japanese occupation. This is largely personified in the character of Kim's college-educated father, whose firm anti-Japanese standpoints are looked-up-to by much of the local community. In spite of this, many Koreans are portrayed to be people who are indebted to the Japanese - shown by the character of Kim's teacher.
   Aside from the educated people, Koreans are portrayed as being unaware of the events around the world at the time, shown by the narrator's mother's obliviousness to the unfolding of German invasions in Europe and Japanese occupations in China. These chapters's focus on day-to-day event, which make it very important to the overall understanding the reader, gets of the depth of the effects of the Japanese colonization.
   Overall this book was very informative, one is able to see the true impact of the Japanese during World War II. However, not every event depicted in the story is completely true is still shows a first hand perspective in a new way, through a child eye. I would recommend the book to anyone interested in history or the impact of war. Just keep in mind this is not completely factual, but it will give you a better understanding of Korean history.



4. The "scenes from a Korean boyhood" in this book, which are evidently based on actual events, are very compelling and convey powerfully what life was like under the Japanese occupation of Korea. So that's the reason to read this book. Unfortunately, these scenes are set in a kind of fiction jello that connects one episode with another by means of impressionistic accounts of the Korean landscape and so on. This sort of writing is much less successful, and you'll find your eyes sliding past some of it. Kim is not as skillful at blending fiction and nonfiction as, say, Dave Eggers, and one wishes the author had related more about the father, who had been imprisoned by the Japanese, or the grandparents, or even the village, which was located in what is now North Korea. However, that would be a different book. Lost Names is not difficult reading and is certainly a good place to begin learning about what Koreans endured during World War II.



5. While reading this book I got the impression that it was a memoir. It is actally not so please be aware of this when reading. Considering that it is fiction the author was surprisingly "tame" in telling the story. I was expecting another depressing memoir of a family destroyed by the Japanese occupation. In Kim's book, however, the family's suffering is more subtle and their eventual triump refreshing. It's nice to not read a book where everyone and their mothers die a painful death. This book gave a lot of insight into the lives of Koreans during the occupation. It was also nice to know that not all of the imperial Japanese soldiers were as gruesome as they were in the Rape of Nanjing.

4 comments about Clymer Honda Twinstar, Rebel 250 & Nighthawk 250: 1978-2003 (Clymer Motorcycle Repair) (Clymer Motorcycle Repair).

1. Having a slightly flakey Honda Rebel it became very important to me to be able to find my way around the bike. This manual is extremely informative and extremely accurate. It does detail just about everything you need to know.

   However for a relative neophyte such as myself it has some significant deficiencies:
   1) The photographs are black and white and quite low contrast, you cannot always quite see what they are pointing at and thus finding it on the bike is tough
   2) I think these manuals are designed for a motorcycle repair shop, they often assume too much. 'Quickly check the compression before reseting the timing' is not detailed enough for someone that is proud he found the ignition switch ...
   3) They were only half updated for the newer model. The 199x model rebels are different to the older ones but all the differences are contained in a seperate chapter

   As I say, I don't think there is anything any better ... but this manual will be a little intimidating for a newbie ...




2. Top quality routine maintenance and repair manual. The pictures with the text and the step by step format is a home mechanic's "right hand" tech manual.
   
   This is just one of many Clymer manuals I've had over many years. Always top shelf material.



3. I ordered this book to help trouble shoot starting problems I was having with the bike. It gave me very precise instructions, and easy to follow illustrations.
   
   I was able to find and fix the problem in no time. I recommend it if you have this bike.
   
   Shima.



4. Great packaging, fast shipping, and really was brand new with the correct item sent! Would buy from again!

5 comments about War Without Mercy: Race and Power in the Pacific War.

1. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian John Dower begins "War Without Mercy" with an amusing account of his inspiration for the book: While working on a history of postwar Japan, Dower wrote a sentence noting how quickly and easily the virulent race hatred of the war years dissipated during the American occupation. Of course, he then had to include another sentence explaining the racial aspects of the war itself, which quickly became a paragraph, then a section, then a chapter, and finally this book, "War Without Mercy". The original history of postwar Japan, meanwhile, sat unfinished on a shelf.
   
   The main criticism of "War Without Mercy" given by other reviewers is that it is too narrow to serve as a comprehensive history of the war -- in particular that it tries to explain the entire conflict only through race and does not devote enough attention to Japanese atrocities and war crimes. This criticism unfortunately misses the point of Dower's book: he is studying racism itself, but for some reason many of his critics seem to think he is trying to use it to explain all and sundry. "War Without Mercy" is not and makes no pretense of being a book about the Pacific War in general or even about atrocities and war crimes themselves. Instead it started as a mere tangent in a larger work and focuses on racial aspects of the war between Japan and the United States, especially the images each side used to describe the other and the war itself, along with some study of how they evolved after the fighting stopped.
   
   As a history of race and power in the Pacific War, "War Without Mercy" is superb: well-organized, clearly written and offering interesting insights. It is divided into four sections, the first of which establishes the importance of the subject by showing how it contributed to the unique ferocity of the war in the Pacific: "Race hate fed atrocities, and atrocities in turn fanned the fires of race hate" (11). The second section studies American images of their Asian enemy, as apes, primitives, children, and 'little yellow savages', and of the war itself as a racial war between white and colored, while the third does the same for the Japanese side. Although the Japanese portrayed Europeans and Americans as decadent, impure, and downright demonic, they viewed their Asian neighbors in much the same contemptuous way as did Western imperialists. The final section explores the transition from war to peace, and the ways in which images and symbols were transformed: the apes became pets and the children became students, while on the other side the western demons shared their secret knowledge. At the same time, the negative images used during the war were transferred to the Soviet Union and (especially) Maoist China.
   
   Meticulously documented, "War Without Mercy" reveals many fascinating aspects of the Pacific War commonly overlooked in more comprehensive studies. I was especially interested to read about contemporary concerns that American rhetoric of racial war would drive Chiang Kai-shek into an alliance with the Japanese (166-169), and that such language caused fully 18% of African-Americans to express "pro-Japanese inclinations" in a confidential poll conducted by black interviewers (174). "War Without Mercy" isn't a comprehensive history of the Pacific War, nor is it for everybody. It is, however, the best explanation I have seen of the merciless nature of the war itself and the psychology of the societies involved. If you have even the slightest interest in that subject, "War Without Mercy" will not disappoint.



2. War Without Mercy is not a comprehensive history of the Pacific War; if that's what you want, look elsewhere. Neither is it an "apologist's" account of the American conduct of the war, as some reviewers have suggested. If your mindset is "the Japanese deserved to suffer," don't read this book. If, however, you are interested in how racial stereotypes--views of the enemy as subhuman, primitive, childlike, animalistic, and so on--play a role in wartime, then read Dower's scholarly, engaging account of how the Americans thought about the Japanese and how the Japanese thought about the Americans. Dower never minimizes the atrocities perpetrated by the Japanese as they set about conquering other Asian countries and building their Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, but he provides a brand new perspective on why the Allies despised the Japanese as a people far more than they did the Germans. Not only will this book help you to understand how the dehumanization of the enemy makes possible the devastation of civilian populations, it will also make you think about the stereotypes of the enemy we encounter every day as the U.S. continues to fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.



3. This is a thought-provoking treatise about the hate and racism found in all peoples of the world. It causes one to take stock of what is, and what was in a very violent and trying time. Both the Japanese and the Americans, among others, propagandized their populations to get them to hate "the enemy." This book looks at the techniques and substance used by both sides in the Pacific War of 1931 to 1945 and how it affected the attitudes of each toward the other.
   
   I recommend this as a good read for anyone who is interested in the Pacific conflict and what was used to fan the antagonists into the fury that brough about, fought, and ended the bloody Pacific War.



4. Among the many flaws which significantly discredit his thesis, Dower fails to provide a serious look at how the war in the Pacific was fought as compared to the war in Europe, or really any other wars for that matter. Worth the read if only to discover errors in his analysis, and should not be taken as a definitive account of how the US fought the Japanese in WWII.



5. There are many other excellent reviews, so I'll keep this brief. I'm a grad student in Japanese Lit, and I focus heavily on history and historical works - Kobayashi Takiji, for instance, or Kurihara Sadako. I've been blessed with a great history professor and the opportunity to read a number of books and articles, particularly on this period in time. Dower's War Without Mercy is one of the best I've ever read, in any time period for any country. It is amazing. I also recommend that readers buy Embracing Defeat, which is Dower's post-war book. Both are fantastic.