When I was a missionary, I ran into Mark Ludy, who wrote this book in Longmont, CO. As an artist myself, I found the illustrations to be quite breathtaking. Not only did I see his books in print, but I also saw the original artwork in very large frames and was quite impressed, so much that I'm buying "The Farmer" AND "The Grump" for my nephew this Christmas. In addition, you'll be glad to know your money is going to a good guy. He couldn't quite see our version of the gospel message as true; nonetheless, I was much impressed by his character.

I can't say much for the plot, as I didn't quite have the time to read it, but my review is unique enough to be helpful, eh?

Buy It! You won't be let down.

This book is wonderful for people of all ages, it is not limited to only children. The illustrations are beautiful, paying attention to every detail! The story is very inspiring for the children to read. In today's society, it has become difficult to find books that you can feel good about your children reading; this is one of those books. Everyone should own this book! I love all of the characters and the pictures. I cannot say enough about this book! BUY IT! You will be so happy when you do!

Children's literature needs books that are quality not only in illustrations but in content... Something that will lead the child to identify with the hero in the book, to want to be like him. This book, The Farmer is inspiring and warms the heart. One can really feel with the Farmer as he goes through his difficulties and one can share his joy in his triumph. I highly recommend it for all ages.

Flight Of The Forgotten: A True Story Of Heroism And Betrayal spans fifty years and two generations. The triggering event is the loss of an American Eighth Air Force bomber crew in 1945 while enroute home after the end of World War II. The incident was buried within a top secret O.S.S. file and suppressed by the United States Government. Mark Vance's exhausting research reveals a tragedy that involved murder, conspiracy and sabotage by the O.S.S. and exposes in detail the incident and aftermath of a conspiracy to shield the public and the transgressors from a murdered airforce crew. One especially fascinating aspect is that of a supernatural element and spiritual involvement of the murdered crewmen and its role in exposing a forgotten post-war crime.

Having some time ago read "The Airmen who would not Die" (John g. Fuller) I found the experience of the psychic side of the story very moving. I am a long time Aviation person (36 years with major Airline and approx 15000 hrs. FE time) so the stories of "ghosts" did not surprise me. What did was the total reluctance (and hindrance) from the US Government. I hope that at least someone will now declassify the case.

Couldn't put it down. Highly recommended

This is really neat little book, well-printed and with top quality color pictures. The pictures are supported by brief and informative texts. The book gives a good overview of trees that blossom profusely with showy flowers and that are suitable for planting in the tropics. Beyond an emphasis on (C-& S-) American species and the use of Florida common names there is nothing in the book that ties it to Florida in particular.

Planning on a move to Florida from Michigan, I was lost as to what kind of trees to landscape my large yard with. This book is wonderful! Especially helpful are the clear, color photos of both the flowers close-up, and then the entire tree in its flowered state. These pictures show the trees "shape" when full grown also. I'm so glad I got this, it will definitely help with my decisions on what trees to buy!!

This is a great reference book for flowering trees. The photos are outstanding. Includes a view of the whole tree and then a close-up of the flowers. Also good info about each tree.

I live in Southern California and most (if not all) can also be grown here. I want them all!

I highly recommend this book!

Worth every penny. Mark's photos are one of the few ways to appreciate the underwater and terrestrial landscape as close to real life as possible, without the hassles of separate glasses.

I felt I was back underwater with Mark's book. If these images moved, it would be more thrilling!

GALAPAGOS IN 3-D

Fabulous book with stereo 3-D photos!

I highly recommended this book for school children and adults alike.

I was introduced to the book by a friend and liked it so much that I sought out and bought all of the 3D books by Mark Blum. I find the price so reasonable that I've since bought more to give as gifts.

I enjoy looking at the 3-D photos even more than my seven year old boy so I already know several adults and children who will be getting this book as a gift.

The technical quality of the photos and printing of the books is very good. A magnifying, stereo viewer is built into a unique bi-fold cover of the book A little research showed that this idea is well over a hundred years old (like stereo photography) but I still find it very innovative because it is so rare and unusual.

The photographer has an inspired eye and top technical skill. Not to mention an amazingly adventurous job. The 3D photos make it easy to imagine yourself scuba diving under a school of hammer head sharks!

The writing accompanying each image adds to the photos with just the right amount of scientific and general information to serve both young and old reader. I like this book very much and I hope you find this review helpful. I recommend looking for the other 3-D books by Blum. They are all great!

This series is plainly one of my all time favorites! All ages will love this book.

Explore the wildlife and landscape of the famous Galapagos islands, above and below the ocean's surface. Galapagos in 3-D is filled with beautiful photography with informative captions. But, if you have normal binocular depth perception, you will be absolutely blown away by the amazing 3-D stereo effect.

Mark Blum is certainly a leading practioner of the difficult art of stereo photography. He has designed and even built his own specialized cameras. He uses cameras capable of seeing the world from the perspective of a tiny shrimp, or giving the viewer a crystaline sense of depth in a vast scene of cactii spreading out to the horizon.

I am especially intrigued by the underwater stereo photographs. The book ends with a magnifacent shot of 2 hammerhead sharks surrounded by a huge shoal of creolefish. The depth effect is incredible!

I simply can't recommend Galapagos in 3-D highly enough! All of Mark Blum's books are superb!

I grew up near Gettysburg & have been there numerous times. I just spent 2 days there with this book on the battlefield--this book made the battle crystal clear! I ran out of time exploring the battlefield (it takes more than the 6 hours described in the book--my only criticism). This book brings the battle to life and explains the terrain like never before. I learned a lot about the battle that I never knew and many components of the battle came into focus in new and exciting ways. In particular, this book does a good job on overviews of each day and with it's clear directions, leads the reader through each stop--I really felt as if I had an expert by my side explaining all the facets of each aspect of the battle. Along the way, everything was just as the book described. The maps were excellent & it's nicely complimented with various portraits of leaders, common soldiers, etc. The guide brings the 3 days together as a cohesive whole. This is the book to get if you're going to visit Gettysburg; forget all the others.

I now live near Chickamauga and I plan on getting their book on that battle!

I recently took a trip to Gettysburg (my 3rd) and carried this tour guide for the 1st time. It is far and away the best experience I've had seeing the battlefield. It follows the battle chronologically and offers several sites and insights not offered on the audio tours available at the local shops. Many of the stops are multifaceted. At several points the stops feature 7 to 10 asides which often involve only a minor shift in position to point out various phases of the battle. It includes a side trip to the cavalry field which I've never run into on the audio tours. The driving directions are easy to follow but do veer from the order of the Military Park brochure and the audio tours to give greater detail to the battle. The book says to allow for 6 hours-it's more like 10 hours to give time for exploring beyond some of the "stand here and turn left" instructions. 11 hours total if you include a break for lunch. We started at nine on one morning, toured until about 4 with a break for lunch and finished the following day. Sites included on the audio and Park tours tend to start getting crowded from 11 to 3, so this will add to the tour time depending on time of year and crowd. To sum it all up and paraphrase a popular commercial-when going on a tour of Gettysburg-"Don't leave home without it!"

An excellent, well-written guidebook and the best I've seen on the subject. I carried this book on my first visit to Gettysburg in Spring 2001, and it greatly enhanced the experience. The directions are clear and up to date, and the text is precise and detailed enough to be compelling without trying to be an exhaustive treatment of every minute detail. If used as a companion to an actual visit, I would strongly recommend reading the book in advance of your visit, then bringing it with you for reference. There are only a few very minor faults I might find with this guidebook. On the maps, it would be helpful to have present-day landmarks indicated in some way to help with orientation. Also, the book suggests the full tour can be completed in six hours, but in my experience to make all the stops and fully enjoy it you'd need at least a full day, or preferably two. You'll want to leave some time for reflection at such places as McPherson's Ridge, Little Round Top, the High Water Mark, and others to think about the enormity of what occurred on that ground.

Read this book and you'll come away with a good working knowledge of the three-day battle. Highly recommended!

THE GREENWOOD TAROT IS A REMARKABLE DECK THAT DEPLICS THE FOUR SEASONS AND THE EVER TURNING WHEEL. YOU HAVE TO DO THE WHEEL CHART EXERCISE INORDER FOR THE REST TO FALL INTO PLACE. I PAID 75 FOR MY DECK THEY ARE NOW OUT OF PRINT.

I have owned this deck for quite some time. I am very satisfied with the symbolic content of this deck, which is a mix of world culture without being so complicated that one has to understand in depth every culture it draws upon. This deck is not in the traditional configuration of the average tarot deck, some of the cards have been combined to create new cards such as the "Blasted Oak" which is actually a combination of the Hanged Man and the Tower. Whereas in a traditional deck one has the Moon card, in this deck you have "The Moon" card and another major arcana, lunar card, "Reflection." This removes some of the ambiguity of the singular Moon card, where the querent asks, "Does is represent the actual moon, or does is represent illusion or deception?" The Devil has been replaced with "The Guardian," which is a propped up bear skeleton at a cave entrance. It is a powerful statement about the relationship between fear and imagination and self limitation. The whole deck communicates in this manner of mystery, harmony and contradiction.
The illustrations are eye catching without being so complicated that the querent or reader gets lost in the picture. The only reason I would not recommend this to a beginner is that if you learn this deck, you will not be able to use all that you learned in order to read other decks based on the traditional Rider-Waite configuration. The books that one buys that can be applicable to any deck, may not work with the Greenwood Tarot, simply because the cards are produced in a truly unique fashion in terms of symbolism, configuration and value.
The deck promotes an egalitarian mindset. It is also steeped in ecological themes. It is an excellent deck for NeoPagans because it does away with the Abrahamic symbolism found in more traditional decks, such as the Heirophant, and Judgement and The Devil and replaces those figures with NeoPagan principles that often deal with the same issues from a vastly different mindset. This is the best deck and competes artistically and philosophically with the Crowley Deck, which is quite a feat when one looks at the multitude of cheap tarot knock-off decks that are vapid, cheesy and useless.

I am also a big fan of Chesca Potter and am fortunate enough to have several prints from this deck. I have both this deck and the Celtic Shaman's Pack. Chesca Potter is uniquely able to express the shamanic experience of ecstacy powerfully and with wonderful artistic technique in a Celtic context. She is able to express the contradictory feelings of movement and serenity, ecstacy and immanence, nature and spirit. She has a wonderful sense of color.

Ah, corporate vision statements. Before reading Guiding Growth I did not put great faith in them. I, as the author, Mark Lipton, was not convinced of the power of corporate visions at the beginning of his research. Visioning to some extent has been a management fad that has come and gone. However Lipton's research finds that for companies who truly have a vision that helps their companies stretch and grow, and is deeply embedded in their organizations; the market returns are demonstrably better.

Vision, in Lipton's model is composed of three elements: raison d'être, strategy and values. In Guiding Growth Whole Foods Market is quoted as saying 'our vision statement reflects the hope and intentions of many people. We do not believe it always accurately portrays the way things currently are at Whole Foods market so much as the way would like things to be. It is our dissatisfaction with the current reality, when compared with what is possible, that spurs us toward excellence and toward creating a better, company and world.' Strong stuff indeed. And in ManyWorlds' experience, for many companies the articulation of a vision is often based on their heritage, not to where they want to grow, and not what differentiates them.

Lipton also examines the role of executive groups (not teams) and the alignment of people processes with vision, to bring the vision alive, real and accountable. The book is as much about leadership and organizational culture as it is about growth and vision, which are of course the fruits and seeds of each other, within the organizational greenhouse. He writes, 'Organizations rocketing through extended periods of growth. To succeed, they need a combination of all the right ingredients and they must be in near-perfect alignment. If one element is missing, or out of alignment, then the potential for failure rockets as well...all organization share the same need to have the right ingredients in place and to ensure they are aligned and that is what the executive group accomplishes through the vision framework.'

Peppered with examples from a range of companies and with deeper analysis of high-growth organizations such as Oakley, Lipton has done an excellent job of presenting both a visioning framework and insights into culture and leadership into a practical and usable work. Helpful lists of questions, checklists and exercises bring this already enthusiastic text to a more approachable and actionable level. Highly recommended for executives and managers from a variety of functional areas including business unit heads and 'service lines' such as HR.

Reading "Guiding Growth" has been a joy - finally a practical book about vision. Like Lipton, I was suspicious about the whole vision industry, but his book has helped to look at the concept in a different light.
The distinction between the 3 principles - raison d'etre, strategy and values is most insightful (especially since raison d'etre and strategy are often mixed up).
Despite all good intentions, the reality is that the vision process often ends with the communication of a vision statement. Lipton shows how the real impact can go far beyond just an energising event: it is pivotal in guiding and sustaining growth.

In my own experience vision is often treated with more suspicion in Europe than in the US. Lipton's book, however, is as valuable for those who are in charge of building or changing an organisation in the US as in Europe (or any other part of the world) - Guiding Growth goes beyond the hype. It asks some tough questions and invites you to think about how you can unlock the wholehearted commitment of your workforce by providing meaning to the existence of the organization. A must.

Yippee! No academic psycho-babble, overly complex diagrams, or overly simplistic management fables in this one. "Guiding Growth" is smart, witty, and engaging - a must-read for business leaders concerned about sustainable competitive advantage.

Lipton begins by admitting something few other professor/consultant/authors would ever dare: he was wrong. Convinced that the link between vision and growth was over-rated, that vision statements were just a passing fad, Lipton was surprised when his research proved exactly the opposite. Now, readers can reap the benefits of Lipton's change of heart. In "Guiding Growth," he leads us through the journey of understanding how valuable a clear vision can be when articulated and acted upon in a powerful way.

Mark Lipton's writing voice is passionate and profoundly personal. While this book is well-grounded in research and experience, it is Lipton's use of stories and metaphors that will have a long-lasting effect on you. Yes, he makes you think; more important, he makes you feel something in your heart and in your gut. It is this quality that sets this book apart from other business books.

Be forewarned: the feelings "Guiding Growth" provokes can be very uncomfortable at times. Throughout the early chapters, I stopped often to think and jot down notes about my own vision, my own raison d'etre, as Lipton raised "Why?" questions over and over again. By the end of Chapter 4, I was saying "Yes! Yes! Yes!" as the vision for my work became clearer. Reading Chapter 5 brought tears to my eyes as he described the strong connection between vision and deeply held values based on life experiences.

The second half of the book holds valuable advice for all business leaders: how to put that vision into action, overcome obstacles, and avoid pitfalls. Lipton's Vision Framework has been tried and tested - he proves his points with examples drawn from well-known companies.

Kudos to Mark Lipton for having the guts to publicly concede that he was wrong and for taking the time to share his lessons learned with us in this book. -- Cynthia C. Froggatt, author of "Work Naked: Eight Essential Principles for Peak Performance in the Virtual Workplace" (Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 2001), ...

One reason old DC fans love Mark Waid so much is because of his real attention and devoted care for the company's old Silver Age icons, like the Hal Jordan Green lantern and the Barry Allen Flash. Both characters were killed off by the company years ago in favor of hipper new versions, but Waid shows what a mistake this was by showing enormous depths behind this old pair of Justice Leaguers. The cocky, skirtchasing Hal Jordan and the staid, reliable Barry Allen always seemed like the most unlikeliest of pairings, but Waid gives a plausible account for how two such dissimilar men could actually become the best of friends. The best story, by far, is the last, which analyzes the differences between Barry's utter devotion to his dead wife Iris and Hal's neurotic ongoing longtime relationship with his troubled boss Carol Ferris; it builds beautifully off of years of characterization and plotting by former FLASH and GREEN LANTERN scripters (in particular Cary bates and Steve Engelhart), and offers the return of one of most greatly missed Silver Age DC villains, Star Sapphire.

This book is a collection of six stories involving the Barry Allen Flash and the Hal Jordan Green Lantern, telling of the great friendship that existed between these two super-heroes.

The first story is Those Who Worship Evil's Might, in which our heroes battle an alien who wishes to steal mankind's evil, destroying us in the effort. In the second story, Lightspeed, Flash and Green Lantern team up with Kid Flash (Wally West) to defeat the machinations of the Mirror Master and Black Hand. The third story, A World of Hurt, is quite unique, when our Flash and Green Lantern go on a camping trip with the Jay Garrick Flash and Alan Scott Green Lantern (!), and find themselves in an adventure (I guarantee you'll never guess who's behind it all). The fourth story, How Many Times Can a Man Turn His Head, teams up our heroes with Green Arrow to stop Central City's new mayor from imposing a police state. The Man Without Fearlessness is the fifth story, and it pits Flash and Green Lantern against a powerful force that has already destroyed nine other Green Lanterns. The final story, Running on Empty, pits a bereaved, widower Flash and Green Lantern against an old enemy...a very old enemy indeed!

I have been introducing my son to my old passion of comic books, and he and I both love this book. The book is made to a high quality, so you don't sweat the price; it's worth every penny and more! A World of Hurt was great, and all of the other stories were very good, except for the fourth story. The story with Green Arrow was very weak, seeming to be more of a political polemic than a good adventure. That said, though, this is a great book, and my son and I highly recommend it to you!

Yeah i love this book and Flash is my favorite hero of the DC heroes (better then supes even). This book tells the story of two very different heroes Hal "Green lantern" Jordan and Barry "The Flash" Allen and how even though they don;t seem to have anything in common other then being heroes are the best friends in the DC Universe. This reprints all six issues of the Brave and the bold mini series that made new "old stories", Since both are dead now this is the only new stories we will see. If you are a fan of either or just love a good story then get this book because it is one of the best only i wish it was longer then six issues in fact i could read an ongoing series like it!

(Also this has guests like Green Arrow, Kid Flash, The Original GL and Flash and others.)

a story of two buddies.

As a novice i found this book very helpful, it was very clear and the case studies gave realistic examples that i could apply to my experiences. The language isnt too technical. The content is in depth without being over whelming.

This book is a MUST for those wanting to learn the first steps in how to truly use Dreamweaver to create a quality basic site. From layout and images, to CSS tutorials, right up to PHP and MySQL lessons. It's right on.

Experienced developers or programmers may want to pass on this book since it really is a beginner title... hence the Foundation premise. ;-)

This book is an excellent starting point for anyone who has only just got to grips with other dreamweaver versions. It gives clear but creative information in a way that is easy to follow. It's very well written and gives some good examples

Dr. Gold takes a medical approach to curing depression. He eliminates the false causes, through medical tests, to find the true source of affliction. He lists the possible biological disorders that can mimic depression, the key indicators, and the methods used to detect them. Then he lists the mood disorders and the means of discovering their severity and proceeds to explain what therapies he would recommend. A very well written book, critical of doctors that misdiagnose patients, encouraging in his belief that all depressions can be managed and cured. A good guidebook to approaching your doctor, fair in its balance of psychotherapy and psychopharmacology as treatments, and very sincere in its positive message to all patients that have depressive symptoms.

The work of Mark Gold and his associates was an eye-opener for me when I was researching (author's book plug alert) the first edition of my book, Dealing with Depression Naturally. It was they who discovered, over 20 years ago, that there is a substantial subgroup of depressives - mostly middle-aged women - who are resistant to therapy because they have a relatively mild or subclinical degree of hypothyroidism that eludes diagnosis unless sensitive, seldom employed tests are used. Thankfully, "the thyroid solution" is finally being recognized by the mainstream. But Gold et al. (and other "biopsychiatrists") are hip to a much, much broader array of established medical/physical illnesses and conditions (literally 100 or so) that also can cause or promote the symptoms of depression, without attracting the attention of the average doctor bent on whipping out the old prescription pad after a cursory physical examination and history, at best.

This book - written with the help of a popular writer to make it an easy read for the average Jane and Joe - will educate you (and your doctor, if s/he is willing) about the range of hidden (if you don't look, they're still "hidden") medical/physical causes that could be causing or contributing to your depression (but not including some of the fringier ones, like brain allergies and Candida) and how to rule them in or out and, in many cases, treat THEM instead of the secondary depresion. With authoritative estimates that up to 50% of depressions are accompanied by physical illnesses that could be playing a causative role - and preventing depressives from recovering fully or at all, even when treated with the latest, greatest drugs (which Gold also discusses in depth, but circa 1995, along with a few natural alternatives and adjuncts) - this kind of knowledge is real power.

I recieved the tests described in the book. These tests pinpointed the type of depression and the proper anti-depressant.I had relief after taking the first two capsules and have been fine since. (1986-Fair Oaks Hospital,Summit N.J.) Thank you Dr.Gold.