Author John Cowell demonstrates his remarkable versatility by introducing the reader to the more 'poetic' side of his writing talent in "A Compilation of Poems" - being a second edition, retitled, from his earlier work "My life in Verse". In this edition we are invited to experience the humour and sometimes the tragedy of his life from the perspective of carefully crafted poems, uncomplicated at first reading, but with a hidden depth which only gradually becomes clear to the careful reader. A delightful read that will raise a smile and a tear in equal measure. John also generously introduces us to other poets including members of his family whose original poems provide a valuable contribution and a fitting end to this charming anthology.

At war with a 'Gentleman's Son'
This is another Leonaur published source work which will provide one more vital piece in the historical record of the war in Portugal and Spain against Napoleon's French Army. Cowell-Stepney was a Coldstreamer-an officer of one of Wellington's elite regiments. We join him in 1810 as he journeys to the Peninsula and follow his experiences through 1811 and the entry into Spain. This volume includes a well documented account of Albuera and much essential material of life on campaign. It concludes with the storming of Badajos. This rare account is available in soft cover and hard back with dust jacket. Leonaur hard backs are cloth bound and feature head and tail bands and gold foil embossed spines-a credit to your bookshelf. This volume is one of over a hundred books concerning the history of the Napoleonic Wars published by Leonaur.

Molecular Genetics of Cancer, Second Edition provides an authoritative and up to date review of the key genes known to be critical in the development or progression of cancer. Throughout the book, scientific advances and their clinical relevance are covered in detail, particularly in the light of findings concerning the inheritance of genes predisposing to tumorigenesis. The book is therefore a valuable source of reference for clinicians and genetic counsellors as well as researchers.

Visual Basic .NET is part of the Visual Studio .NET family of products. While the syntax and style are similar to earlier versions of Visual Basic, this version has many radical new features to ensure that Microsoft's best selling language remains one of the most sophisticated Integrated Development Environments available. Whether you want to develop applications for Windows or for the World Wide Web, Visual Basic .NET is an excellent tool for producing reliable, professional applications fast. Essential VB .NET fast covers the development environment, the key controls and the VB programming language including the new additions which allow serious object-oriented programming. Using plenty of examples, John Cowell shows:- How to develop both Windows and ASP .NET applications in a Windows XP environment- An introduction to developing Windows database applications- How to use the essential Windows and Web controls- How to create object orientated applications to get you up and running fast, using VB .NET. The source code for the examples in this book is available at the Essential series web site http://www.essential-series.com

XHTML is a flexible XML-based markup language for designing Web sites. In January 2000, the W3C announced that it was supporting the development of XHTML as a replacement to HTML. HTML will continue to be around for a while, but if you want to develop Web sites for the future you need to switch to XHTML. Designers who make the change find that they can develop faster, better sites using XHTML. Most Web sites are interactive, responding to the viewer. To do this you need to use a scripting language - JavaScript is the most popular scripting language and interfaces easily with XHTML. To develop powerful interactive Web sites you need to understand these technologies and how they work together. Essential XHTML fast gives you everything you need to develop great Web sites in XHTML, including an introduction to scripting with JavaScript so that you can create dynamic interactive Web pages. There are many step-by-step examples, which you can download from the series Web site. It covers key aspects such as: - The relationship between XML and XHTML - Cascading Style sheets for formatting layout - Using text, images and image maps as links- Creating and using tables - The new standard for frames - Interactive XHTML forms - The JavaScript language- Incorporating JavaScript into XHTML pages- Handling events in JavaScript The source code for the examples in this book is available at the Essential series web site http://www.essential-series.com

Visual Basic is a mature and powerful, integrated development environment which allows you to create professional Windows applications. It has an intuitive user interface, an extensive set of controls and excellent debugging facilities, so, whether you are a professional programmer or a student, this book tells you everything you need to know to write professional applications for Windows using Visual Basic 6.0 - fast. Version 6.0 is the latest version of Visual Basic and includes all of the facilities of earlier versions combined with an extensive set of new controls. These greatly extend the capabilities, especially for writing database and web-based applications. Once you've read this book, you'll know all about: - The Visual Basic language - The standard Visual Basic controls - Handling control events - Using data aware controls - ActiveX controls - Writing web-based applications. Essential Visual Basic 6.0 - fast is designed for professional developers or students who need to learn the maximum in the minimum time and to develop applications fast.

If you are a new programmer or a Java programmer moving to Java 2 then this is the book for you! It offers: a complete introduction to Java 2; describes the language and many of its class libraries; shows how they are used; describes the key concepts of object orientation with lots of examples of how to apply the theory. This book will show you how to take advantage of Java 2's new features (such as the abstract windowing toolkit and the Swing classes) for creating graphical user interfaces. John Cowell explains how to use Swing components to change the look and feel of your Java applications so that they look like Windows, Mac or Motif applications. Sun Microsystems Java 2 (formerly called the Java Development Kit 1.2 - JDK 1.2) is a major step forward in the growth of Java into a powerful mature language for writing both applications and applets. Topics covered in this book include: the Java language; the abstract windowing toolkit; the new Java Swing components; handling component, keyboard and mouse events; polymorphism and inheritance; animation and multithreading; handling exceptions; using files. Essential Java 2 - fast is designed for professional developers or students who need to learn the maximum in the minimum time. You'll develop applications and applets fast, learning everything you need to write Java applications and applets quickly with Java.

Java is an object oriented language which allows you to create interactive Web pages, or to write applications which will run on any computer. Visual J++ gives you access to the power of Java with all the benefits of a modern visual development environment, for fast programming, and debugging. If you are new to Java or are an existing Java programmer who wants to switch to Visual J++, this book gives you all the essential information you need using lots of examples. Topics covered in this book include: the Java language, polymorphism, inheritance and encapsulation, graphics and animation, handling events, using files, exception handling, abstract windowing toolkit, the Java applet wizard and the resource wizards, debugging, and project management. Essential Visual J++ 6.0 fast is designed for professional developers or students who need to learn the maximum in the minimum time and to develop applications fast.

Anyone developing software today is likely to be doing so in a Windows environment and is likely to be using Visual Basic as the development language. This Essential guide focuses on the basics of the language instead of burdening the eager user with small details contained in the manuals. Providing a clear and precise explanation of the most important features of VB5, the book allows readers to develop programs with the same heavyweight feel as the best programs from Microsoft and others.

Delphi 3 is a true object oriented, visual programming environment. If you need to write complex applications for Windows 95, Delphi is an excellent choice. Many professional developers considered that the user interface and the facilities that Delphi 2.0 offers were superior to any other programming environment. Delphi 3 has an improved user interface and offers many additional features. One of the most exciting recent developments has been ActiveX. Delphi 3.0 has all the tools that you need to develop ActiveX components. Essential Delphi 3.0 presents all of the key features of Delphi including database and ActiveX applications with many examples. The key events and methods, graphics programming, using Object Pascal, designing menus and debugging are some of the features covered. Essential Delphi 3.0 is designed for professional developers or students who need to learn the maximum in the minimum time and to develop applications fast.

Java is a new and exciting object-oriented programming language which is set to transform the world wide web. Java allows users to write applications which can be accessed across different platforms and provides an effective means of building small but powerful programs that enable a huge range of new applications - such as animation, live updating, two-way interactions etc. - to be quickly and easily implemented. As with all the 'Essential Series' books Essential Java Fast provides a highly readable and accessible introduction to the Java programming language allowing the reader to get up and running fast when developing their own programs. Software developers producing software for the Internet, those writing substantial commercial applications in a Windows environment, as well as individuals wanting to produce single versions of an application to run on any platform, should read this book from cover to cover.

Delphi is a new Windows software development environment from Borland. Released in 1995, it has quickly built up an excellent reputation as one of the best Windows software development tools.
John Cowell shows how to program in Delphi using various tools. He provides lots of examples and illustrations and describes various database specific tools included with the Delphi package. The book shows how to use the Borland database engine along with other database formats (including Microsoft's Access). There are a number of chapters which cover the object-oriented aspects of Pascal, and advanced programming techniques such as drag-and-drop, DDE, OLE, and the creation of on-line help systems are also looked at. New users, as well as current Visual Basic users wanting to get up to speed on Delphi, will find this clear and informative book provides all the information they need to develop Windows applications quickly, competently, and easily.

More poems from the prolific pen of Burnley author John Cowell taking up where he left off from his second book of poetry "A Compilation of Poems" and expanding on the two themes closest to his heart - Nature and the Burnley of his childhood and youth in the 1940s and 1950s. His affinity with the natural world and the great outdoors provides a refreshing counterpoint to today's demanding hi-tech world which allows little time to stand and stare and appreciate the beauty and wonder that surrounds us. His painfully honest recollections of a past now long gone will evoke poignant memories for those who lived through those times, and inform a younger generation curious to know what it was all about. There are also many other poems, some in Lancashire dialect, touching on all aspects of his rich experience in the Burnley he loves and the wider world beyond. The author's wry humour and enduring empathy with his fellow creatures is implicit throughout.

The Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James) is one of the most gruelling pilgrimages in the world. There are many starting points throughout Europe for the Way but all roads lead the dedicated pilgrims to the shrine of the apostle St. James in Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain. John describes his first tentative steps as a novice pilgrim many years ago, progressing, after many 'Caminos', and not a few blisters, to a guide in his 74th year! He has no doubt that the Camino, although physically demanding is, first and foremost, a spiritual journey which induces in the pilgrims a feeling of other-worldliness...an eerie blurring of time and space accompanied by an 'unexplainable' sense of inner peace. John's lucid descriptions of the Camino conjure up an uncanny sense of the mediaeval. The characters who accompany him on the road bring to mind the motley pilgrims in Chaucer's Middle Ages epic Canterbury Tales.

Author John Cowell demonstrates his remarkable versatility by introducing the reader to the more 'poetic' side of his writing talent in "Poems of Life". As the title suggests we are invited to experience the humour and sometimes the tragedy of his life from the perspective of carefully crafted poems, uncomplicated at first reading, but with a hidden depth which only gradually becomes clear to the careful reader. A delightful read that will raise a smile and a tear in equal measure. John also generously introduces us to other poets including members of his family whose original poems provide a valuable contribution and a fitting end to this charming anthology.