I thought this book had some interesting information in it, but I also thought it lacked some authority on the subject of healing foods. I happen to like garlic, so I have no problem incorporating it into my diet but I highly doubt it has all the medicinal purposes the author presents in his book. I found some value in the book though, if you can glean the valuable information from it. Garlic isn't the only healing food in the book but it permeates the pages pretty well.

This book gives wonderful simple cures for many health problems. They are especially good because they may be purchased inexpensively, mostly from the grocery store, not the costly drugs. They are natural cures, with no side effects as the drugs have. I will use it often for reference, and will give many books for gifts.

There is a truism in Ars Magica: the only thing about the game that doesn't feel medieval is the magic itself. This supplement goes a long way towards changing that and, I think, for the better.

There are a lot of "crunchy bits" in this supplement. New Virtues, new Flaws, new types of magic, construction rules, the not-quite-familiars pahedros, etc. Many players and storyguides will love it just for this, but do not stop there, please! There are dozens of mystical organizations in this book, groups that can add wonder and, well, mysteries to your saga.

For all this praise, why not 5 stars? Well, because this is not a supplement for beginners. For the most part I recommend this supplement for those who have been playing Ars Magica for quite some time and feel they want a change, a rather serious change. Equally there is NO WAY you can add all this material to a single saga. Not only would it become confusing from a bookkeeping/logistical point of view, but also it would ultimately lead to the question of just how many magi can be in each of these lineages? just how many breakdowns are there in the Order of Hermes? These are serious considerations in what is a very serious game.

Bearing these points in mind, I think anyone truly interested in Ars Magica will find a lot of useable bits in The Mysteries.

This book was very difficult to get into, but once I did I really enjoyed it. It presents more of how the Order of Hermes *should* be, with the flavor of the middle ages steeped in its rituals and areas of study. It presents rules that magi may use to develop or join secret societies that teach special magic ("mystae magic"), and in doing so introduces a balanced method for magical characters to "develop" magical Virtues and Flaws long after the character creation process. The powers are very strong, definitely intended for experienced players. The book is very wordy and cerebral, but inspiring nonetheless. Like all Ars Magica books, the layout is concise and simple, and easy to read, but the topic is a bit esoteric and so requires multiple sessions to really "get" it. I would recommend it for any saga that has lasted more than eleven sessions, or for long-time players.

I bought this book as I collect the metal farm playsets made by the Ohio Art Co. I was quite disappointed as they had very little information on them. They made many more sets that what is covered in this book. However, if you are interested in their children's watering cans or dish sets, you'll be in heaven as they must show just about everything they ever made. Quite impressive!

Since my mother was Fern Bisel Peat, I was most interested in finding out about this publication, but, unfortunately, I only saw a couple of pages of it. I'd like to know if there are many of her designs included in this publication.

Pearl Harbor 1941 is graphically very appealing. If one ignores the first 35 pages and the final few pages, one might even call this an excellent summary. For readers with only a general interest in the Pearl Harbor attack, this volume will suffice, but historians will probably only appreciate the excellent maps and order of battle information. Particularly troubling, given the immense primary and secondary sources available on this subject, is the author's tendency toward misleading and erroneous facts.

The opening introduction and background section is totally inadequate. While the author takes time to mention Hawaii's historical background, he makes less effort to paint the immediate causes of the attack. There is no mention of either the Chinese invasion of China in 1937 that led to the deterioration of US-Japanese relations or the Russo-Japanese border fighting in 1939-40 that shaped Japanese strategic conceptions away from further Eurasian entanglements. The statement that the "US Pacific Fleet was a deterrent" is misleading; that was how FDR viewed it, not the Japanese, who saw it as a threat to their expansionist ambitions in the Pacific. Even Admiral Kimmel, who commanded the Pacific Fleet, felt wholesale transfers of men and vessels to the Atlantic undermined its deterrence value.

The section on opposing commanders is more than a bit rambling and has odd choices of individuals, some of whom were not military commanders involved directly in the campaign. The US section has Kimmel, Short, Stark, Marshall, Hull and FDR. The Japanese section has Yamamoto, Fuchida, Genda, Nagumo and Nomura. Certainly politicians and diplomats such as FDR, Hull and Nomura do not belong here. Noticeably absent are the US air commanders in Hawaii, Bloch and Martin, who certainly bore some responsibility for the defeat. The entry for Nagumo is misleading, implying that he committed suicide at Saigon in 1944 "when the inevitable result of the war became clear." Instead, Nagumo was commander of the naval base on Saipan and committed suicide when US troops overran the island. The entry for Yamamoto that claims he was, "a man who fought but wanted peace" is nauseating. Just what did he ever do for peace? The chronology section, although detailed, is also marked with misleading or erroneous entries, further complicated by the fact that the author does not specify what time zone he is using. For example, he states that the Japanese fleet sailed on 25 November, but local time was actually 26 November. The crucial 27 November "war warning" is falsely delivered as advising Kimmel and Short that negotiations had failed and to "be prepared for any eventuality." It said no such thing.

Although there is a section on the Japanese attack plan, there is no section on US defensive plans or the Rainbow War Plan. The author should have mentioned the Martin-Bellinger studied which addressed the vulnerability of Oahu to air attack. In the Japanese section, there is no mention of the vociferous opposition to the raid and how Yamamoto had to threaten resigning in order to get the operation approved. The whole approach to Japan's strategy is euphemistic: "Japan expanded into Asia..."and the US "thwarted every Japanese attempt to extend Asian influence," instead of, the US sought to contain Japanese aggression. There are many other errors in this section, some so mundane, like claiming that the Japanese task force sailed from "Tankan Bay" instead of Hittokappu bay, that it is a wonder that the author even bothered to peruse secondary sources.

Amazingly, the sections on the actual attack are quite good. To be fair, they are better than Gordon Prange provides in his long-winded At Dawn We Slept. Smith provides excellent maps and graphics for the attacks on each air base and the naval facilities, as well as a decent textual summary. Three-D maps are provided for the first and second wave attacks, as well as the attack on Hickam Field. There is even a map depicting US naval movements in Pearl during the attack, which is most unusual. Several excellent illustrations and many photos complement the text. Overall, these 36 pages that cover the attack (one more page than Prange) are excellent.

Unfortunately, in the aftermath section the author reverts to his misleading tendencies. He claims "all eight [US] battleships [were] sunk or heavily damaged," which is totally wrong. The USS Maryland and Pennsylvania were only slightly damaged and soon available for service, USS Tennessee was moderately damaged. His follow-up conclusions are overly generalized and ignore the immediate affects of the raid.

Overall, this a handy, colorful summary volume, but it should not be used as a substitute for serious history. Unfortunately, the author has taken far too many liberties with the historical record for this to be considered a reliable summary.

An excellent review for the novice as well as the reader well read about the Pearl Harbor attack. Maps and diagrams reveal the placement of each aircraft and ship. This book also does a good job about detailing how severe this battle hurt the US military. Shocking to realize how little strength the US had in the Pacific on Dec. 8, 1941. Highly recommended.

Entertaining a move to Boston, I bought this book on a whim. It's a nice guide and will give you a general overview, but I wanted more meat. I suppose I'd be in a better position to judge had I actually moved at this point. It does give some nice information by neighborhood, so you could theoretically find a dry cleaner/coffee shop/hardware store your first week in town if you needed to. A little too much of the book (for my taste) was devoted to moving basics...like a packing timeline, etc. I already know this stuff or would consult UHaul if I didn't...I would rather have had more Boston info in the book. The writer clearly loves the city and is proud to share it, and isn't afraid to discuss the city's foibles (traffic, parking and high -- really high -- cost of living). If you're looking to move to Boston, I'd buy this in tandem with another book or two -- just to make sure you're getting everything you need.

An excellent book. In the tradition of Mr. Gaffin's reknown website Bostone Online, the book is enlightening for those of us from far off lands on the true culture and language of Boston. A true guide to bean town. Well recommended.

Overall, this is a great book. Anyone with a daughter should certainly consider purchasing a copy. However, there is one caveat...remove the sections pertaining to tireless self promoters such as Madonna and Roseanne, and teach your children about the greatness and humanitarian efforts of women such as Mother Terease, Hillary Clinton and Sunsan B. Anthony; whom I think the author mistakingly left out. Had she included them I would have givin this book 5 stars.

I and the women of my Branch of the American Association of University Women found this book so impressive that we selected it to award a graduating senior girl from each of our six local high schools. The authors are clear that they have not selected THE most remarkable women of the 20th Century but rather those who represent a broad crossection of the women who shaped an incredible 100 years. The choices must have been agonizing considering all the achievements of women from 1900 through 1999!

Although I may not agree with the philosophy of all the women included (Margaret Thatcher for example), for good or not they made a difference, changed lives and influenced the world around them.

The authors have spanned socio-economic, ethnic, geographic and chronological distances giving a flavor of the whole 20th Century. The photographs are wonderful and unique. When is the last time you saw a truly elegant, young Eleanor Roosevelt?

From those who experienced the early years of the 20th Century to those who will always identify themselves as 21st Century women, this book offers a reason and the means to reflect upon the the 20th Century and many of the women who made it remarkable.

As with all of the Cicero's works, I am very pleased with it. Although I am not a member of any Golden Dawn lodge, I do incorporate their ritual and beliefs into my magickal workings. Within this book, you will find several rituals, from pathworking the Kabbalistic Tree of Life to an Invocation of Thooth/Thoth. All of these rituals do incorporate the tools created within thier complement to the book, The Magician's Craft, but it is not absolutely necessary. Although I do recommend their complement book, it stands alone as a useful book for both reference and magickal use.

If your a Golden Dawn student how many times have you wondered how to make some of the tools and implements featured in other books. This book is down to earth with an anyone can do attitude. Im pleased with the ciceros work. I would recommend this highly.

What a relief...a recent trip to the library netted this title, along with a mystery by a writer who shall remain nameless, but who is very fond of the alphabet. It was my first encounter with each writer. The other author was certainly more well-known, so I read her book first. YAWN!!

Then came She Walks in Beauty. I haven't even finished reading it yet, and am still confident enough to give it a big thumbs up. The pacing is wonderful. The characters are sharply drawn. Situations are rendered with humor. The settings are authentic. A mystery writer who knows what she's doing.

I will continue reading and sincerely hope that Ms. Shankman continues writing.

I just finshed reading She Walks in Beauty and I liked it so much that I've tried to find other books by Sarah Shankman.

She Walks in Beauty is funny and quirky. The characters are well developed and reminded me of Elmore Leonard's funny but loveable bad guys. Who 'dunnit' is not much of a surprise, but the story telling and wierd characters are so much fun, that you don't really care about the plot development.

I'll continue my search for more books by Shankman and hope that her older books are re-released.

Agreed with the previous one in general. I think the beginning, the idea that they wanna sack him & the way they coax him into this new mission are actually more interesting than the execution of the mission itself. And it's indeed a pity the reference to the other mission that led to the murder he committed for the girl in Prague isn't among the other stories: for awhile I kept looking for it. Especially a pity, because many references are indeed linked. However, later in Quiller Salamander there'll be a reference to the episode when Quiller killed "for his own reasons".

Not the greatest of the Quiller series but certainly something different. Quiller, facing the sack as a result of exposing the Bureau to hazard finds himself in a Russian MIG, exposed to a Bureau double-agent and facing the wrath of Ferris as the price for his re-admission to the Bureau. My only real criticism of the book is that some of the 'threads' into other (unwritten) stories are not explored and look like they never will be. Quiller saves the day but as usual winds up smelling like something from the local garbage dump. Really enjoyed the opening of this one!

This is a nice little tale about a bunch of superpowered teenagers arriving in Metropolis. One of them gets knocked uncouncious during Superman's battle with a giant cybernetic gorilla, and wakes up thinking she's Supergirl. Which doesn't go down well with the real Supergirl....this is more about characterisation that action, and it's a well-paced and very readable book. Gen 13 especially are very amusingly written - at first they believe Superman is a square, but by the end of the story, they've seen just how cool he can be.

Enough of that - Lee Bermejo's artwork is what makes this book so impressive. I would call it Lenil Francis Yu done properly. It's like single frames from a movie, rather than the stylised cartoon figures of most modern comics. The expressions and details and body language is so accurate and realistic, it's a pleasure to look at, and the colours and inks suit the pencils just perfectly. Best of all is the way Superman is drawn. Most artists need to draw Superman as a characature these days to get across how mighty he is, a ridiculously over-built cartoon. Berjemo makes the Man of Steel far more impressive by showing him as just a big, strong, yet realistic-loooking guy, and thus makes him look truly awesome. Hands down, some of the best Superman artwork I've ever seen.

Overall, a nice, small-scale story with sensational artwork.

There have been thousands of crossovers in comics and Superman has participated in many of them however if this is not the best Superman crossover it has to be at least in the Top 5...great story great art great Gen 13 characters and a legendary Superman make for a great read.