Rating: 
Summary: Good Basic Info Overwhelmed by Complex Calculations
Review: While this book does a good job of explaining basic concepts (yin/yang, the cycle of the elements, etc.), its approach has the reader consulting table upon table and performing endless calculations. It's very much a product of the compass school of Feng Shui -- a valid approach, certainly, but hardly one for anyone interested in quick, practical applications. Those who are already familiar with feng shui basics may find this a good bridge to the more complex practices of the compass school ... but beginners will likely be bewildered and put off by the detailed astrological computations, ardent rules and regulations, and complex nature of this book's content.
Rating: 
Summary: Hard to use
Review: I made a mistake in buying two complete idiots guide -- one on feng shui and the other on handwriting analysis. What I thought I would get was simple, quick-to-read-, easy-to-APPLY information. What I ended up with in both books is a mishmash of more background information than I ever wanted to know and very, very, very little in the way of helpful ideas to USE. The titles are misleading. More than that, the books seem badly organized. A mess. A waste of money.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best feng shui titles!
Review: Many are confused about feng shui. With more than 300 mass market books to choose from, it is almost impossible to distinguish between those titles written by true masters and scholars and titles written by those looking for an easy buck. Unfortunately, the latter and most prominent group of books are based on superstition and myth. Fortunately, the March 2000 issue of the London-based monthly magazine, Feng Shui For Modern Living, has compiled a list of the 'top ten feng shui titles.' They are as follows:1. Chinese Whispers by Rosalyn Dexter 2. Feng Shui by Ernest Eitel 3. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui by Elizabeth Moran and Val Biktashev 4. Feng Shui by Stephen Skinner 5. The Living Earth Manual of Feng Shui by Stephen Skinner 6. The Complete Illustrated Guide to Feng Shui by Lillian Too 7. The Illustrated Encyclopedia by Lillian Too 8. Feng Shui Handbook: A Practical Guide by Derek Walters 9. Feng Shui: Perfect Placing For Your Happiness and Prosperity by Derek Walters 10. Feng Shui by Eva Wong If you want to learn about feng shui, begin your study here. Skinner's books deal mostly with terrestrial or Form School feng shui and are truly worthwhile. Derek Walters is a renowned astrologer. His books are accurate and thorough. Although I believe Lillian Too is too commercial and superficial, her books are good for those not wanting to spend the time to understand more sophisticated methods of feng shui. By far my most favorite book is The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui by Moran and Biktashev. This book has it all: feng shui's origins; feng shui's scientific value; two classical methods of determining your home's auspiciousness; Chinese zodiac astrology, and the Four Pillars of Destiny (written by the world-respected Master Joseph Yu), a method of determining your luck. What's great about this book is that it is a no-nonsense, humorous guide to understanding exactly what feng shui is and isn't and how this 6,000 year old Chinese art and science can help you increase your health, wealth, and relationship. You won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: Useless!
Review: I didn't heed the reviewer who said this book was like a band-aid for a bullet wound, but I should have. Seldom have I seen a book so packed with useless information. What little useful information there is is bungled by editor carelessness. A crucial illustration of how to determine facing and sitting directions is just plain wrong, and typos in other places make you wonder whether you've grasped any of the fundamentals. Oh, and if you're married to someone not in your "group", if you're not willing to trade up instead of just making do with the dwelling you have, too bad. There's nothing this book can do for you. However, one of the authors is a private consultant. On the whole, this book is sloppy, full of hot air, disempowering, discouraging, and impractical.
Rating:
Summary: bullet wounds
Review: Bottom line seems to be if you're living in a house that isn't situated just right trying to fix it is like putting a "bandaid on a bullet wound"! If I wasn't discouraged before I am now! Too cute!
Rating:
Summary: Two Thumbs Up!
Review: As the moderator of mailings lists on Chinese Feng Shui and Chinese Astrology, it is very seldom that I am able to recommend a decent book on either of these subjects. This one fills the bill. In my opinion as a professional Feng Shui consultant/practitioner, about 95% of the Feng Shui books on the market do not deliver value for those searching for the "real stuff". This one does. Get it Today! Keep in mind that this book is not intended to serve as a complete manual for becoming a professional practitioner, but it is an excellent guide and introduction to the beginner or aspiring professional. It will teach you that there is a whole lot more to Feng Shui than arranging furniture and hanging crystal balls. If you have been thinking about "getting into feng shui", this may the best place to start.
Rating:
Summary: A treasure trove of traditional knowledge!
Review: Few books on the subject of Feng Shui speak equally to the beginner and advanced student of this ancient art. This book by Moran and Biktashev is noteworthy for making a complex suject exceedingly accessible without sacrificing any of the detailed information the Feng Shui practitioner would desire. Making extensive use of well-explained charts, diagrams, and drawings, the authors ensure that every reader is enriched and informed by this book. The casual reader will find an extraordinary amount of wonderful ideas to ponder and experiment with; advanced students of Feng Shui will find this such an indispensable resource for hard-to-get information that it will immediately become a mainstay of their reference material. Because Feng Shui is so closely related to several other traditional Chinese sciences, the authors have wisely chosen to provide very strong sections on the I Ching, the Five Elements, and Chinese Astrology. The information in these sections is worthwhile in its own right; taken in context of the rest of the book, it leads the reader to a fuller understanding of the philosophy and practice of Feng Shui. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui is a comprehensive and entertaining book to which I will turn often over the coming years. I cannot recommend its good-natured approach to traditional wisdom enough.
Rating:
Summary: I'm a believer, now!
Review: I laughed at the idea of Feng Shui, but my girlfriend teased me into rearranging my home and office. In the past year, my business has almost doubled and my homelife is more satisfying and peaceful than ever before. I don't know how it works, but take the word of a "doubting Thomas" that, somehow, it does. In fact, after about 8 months, I hired Val to feng shui my home, and he added a few "special" touches I had overlooked. The success continues...
Rating:
Summary: A Feng Shui "Bible"
Review: Concise, easy to read, well presented. it summarises all the many other books I have read into one, and more. Fantastic. My once sceptical friends now want to borrow this book to work out their Four Pillars and Horoscopes for this year and next. Interesting !! A big "thank you" to Elizabeth Moran and Val Biktashev and the others associated with its production. Glyn
Rating:
Summary: At last, a fengshui manual that dispenses with hocus-pocus!
Review: The CIG to Feng Shui is the most comprehensive introduction to compass school fengshui currently available in English. Moran and Biktashev have been meticulous in their efforts to explain known concepts of fengshui in language that both novice and professional will appreciate. On the other hand, they refuse to explain away the unknown by recourse to myth and legend, a fault shared by most other books on the market. Theirs is the closest thing to a scholarly, scientific treatment available, which explains much of the mystery of fengshui while dispelling common superstitions. They have consulted the two most knowledgeable Chinese teaching masters in North America, as well as the only American scholar conducting full-time research into fengshui. But these are not the only reasons that the book is unique. It also explains the system of floating stars in a language that anyone can understand, and appends chapters on Chinese astrology that are the best I've seen in any language. The CIG to Feng Shui is the only book on the subject you will ever need.
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