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So, as with a fwe other books that I have read recently, this one is a little dated. But, that only applies to the walk-through examples provided (the book uses an older version of Microsoft Excel when providing examples of checking and cleaning up some data).

The overall subject matter of the book: obtaining data, checking it's correct-ness, cleaning up problems, and overall handling of data is excellent. The processes described are excellent, they just need to be adapted to current application suites.

This book surprised me. It's over 10 years old, and I was afraid that a lot of informatIon and sources (especially the internet resources) would be out of date. However, checking some of them along the way, many of them still appear to be available. And of the few that were, there were easily located alternatives.

But, more than just being a directory of resources, the book actually teaches some more interesting things. Like finding "deep linked" resources that aren't easily found.

There were a few items that the author recommends that I am inclined to say are questionable. However, I can write that off to the author having written this book over ten years ago, where some information and sources have proven themselves to be less reliable now.

Overall a worthwhile book, even if a little dated in a few areas. Just be critical when it comes to some things, and experiment with a lot of others. And, don't forget to look for altenratives when necessary.

I get the feeling from reading this book that it used to be a top-notch refernce that was indispensible to many reporters. However, these days, I get the feeling that it is not nearly as useful as it could be.

The originl author was a legendary editor amongst the press. When he passed the book was passed to one of his disciples to revise. But since thn it is apparently being edited by some un-credited writer. And calling the work that has been done on it editing is really stretching the term.

The thing is, many of the samples of good writing are quite embarassing. They were good back in the 1970's or 1980's, but they are way out of keeping with the 202X's. And, the section on the internet is just plain embarassing... It reads like it was penned in the early 2000's and doesn't reflect the current state of resources available online.

There is still some very useful information in the book -- but I have the feeling that many potential journalists and writers will be put off by the staleness of the overall work.

Very concise introduction to the subject of journalism. There are some revelations about journalism and it's pactice throughout history. Hargreaves also does an excellent job covering the struggles of the industry over the past two decades. Basically the boot does exactly what is described by the title.

Somewhat tricky redon for an American reader. Covers a lot of detils about the English education system, its history, and the impact it has had on the English populare music industry.

It's a fascinating read if you can work your way through a lot of the politiics surrounding the English higher education system.

Fun look at life in Japan for CHris Broad, first as an ESL English teacher, and later as a personality and travel videographer. Many of the stories in the book Chris has spoken about on his podcast, and in has many videos on YouTube. However, collecting them together has brought a more cohesive timeline to some of the vents that watching the literally hundreds of hours of his YouTube videos don't give you.

While the book is mostly positive and funny, there are some serious topics... For instance some of the issues that Chris found while working as an ESL instructor. But, thos criticisms are levelled with the love and desire he has for trying to make Japan better. Don't expect a "dark side of Japan" type of tell-all book.

Shibuya Kaho is one of those peoplem that could write just about anything and you'd want to read it. Having gone to school for journalism, and then deciding to tke a turn in the Japanese Adult Video industry was something she never dreadmed of as a kid.

This book tells everyhing -- from how she had an initial curiosity about the industry and wanted to learn a bit more about how people got into it, to deciding to become a model herself, to hiring of other people... SHe lays out everything, including how the contracts work, how taxes work, how irghts for performances work... Even to the relationships with other parts of the adult industry.

It's fascinating look, made all the more fascinating by Kaho's unique writing and personality.