Ref: "I suppose you could have the 2005 edition, but still..."

I do have the "2nd edition", which, during a quick scan, I find to be a complete mis-naming. It should be "Volume 2". Since the author is different; and there appears to be little overlap in the subject matter.So, it is volume 2, focusing on topic in vogue 10 years later.

I will be looking into the suggested solutions. I failed to mention that the eventual run-time environment is MS XP, using ActiveState. That means I prefer any solution that does not depend upon packages that may not be available in both environments.
And thanks to all the quick responses!!