I read somewhere else that this error could be caused by using reserved words in your query. Try adding square brackets around your table and field names: e.g. SELECT DISTINCT [Position] FROM [applicant] ORDER BY [position]

well the error message tells you where the eror is: on line 2. And line 2 is where the DreamweaverCtrls library (dll) is referenced - so I can only assume that you haven't referenced and/or copied it into your application's bin/ folder. I further assume that this dll has either been built earlier in the book, or came with it on a CD, or is downloadable off the book's website.