Rating: 
Summary: Necessary but not sufficient for the PMP exam
Review: This PMBOK book is really a document of the PMBOK standard. As a standards document, it is fairly well done. If you plan to join the Project Management Institute, keep in mind that this book is free with PMI membership but only in CD-ROM format. Like the other reviewers of this book pointed out, this book should not be the only preparation for the PMP exam and does not cover all the subjects on the exam. Nevertheless, I found reading through it once (even though it has a definite tendency to put me to sleep) an important preparation for the PMP exam. It is true that not all subjects in the exam are covered by this book, e.g. professional responsibilities, communication, leadership approaches, etc. To prepare for the exam, it is best to also use an exam prep book. In this regard, I found the book by Kim Heldman (and the CD-ROM that came with it) very helpful for passing the exam. I passed the exam after preparing with this book and Heldman's book, and it was not a marginal sort of pass. If you plan to get an exam prep book, make sure that it is recently published (2002 or later), preferrably with lot of sample questions to practise with. The PMP exam underwent major changes in 2002 and started placing a lot of emphasis on testing understanding based on specific scenarios. Probably because of this, I did not find passing the exam requires much brute-force memorization.
Rating: 
Summary: Good reference, but you will fail PMP if you rely only on it
Review: This reference is good for a base of terminology for Project Management. Unfortunately, because the difference between an IT project and a Construction project is so great, the BOK can only address high-level concepts. The golden nugget is that what the BOK does address are time-tested standards that help all project managers. Why do you make a Charter? What goes in it? What do you get out of it? The BOK answers all these questions. By following the framework, your projects will have a fighting chance and not get caught up in a tangle of disorganization. As for the PMP-applicability of this reference, it does not address contracts, team-building, or ethics, which are all required for passing the test. When I studied for the test, I spent about 5% of my time studying the PMBOK and 95% on other reference materials. I earned my PMP after 5 weeks of studying, without memorizing anything from the BOK.
Rating:
Summary: Very useful for any one who is associated with projects
Review: This text gives a very good overview of the concepts and related to project management. This book provides you with a project management framework, describes project management knowledge areas; integration, risk, scope, time, cost, quality, HR, communications, and procurement. This text is not indepth it serves rather to show you what is involved when working on projects, from high to low end construction, pharmaceuticals, and software development projects. The text is very useful for any one who is associated in projects, and is a neccessity for managers in all industries.
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