is the only way I can describe how I felt looking at the images in this beautiful book. God bless the men who made the ultimate sacrifice for others. This book is a breathtaking memoir on their heroism. Hopefully we will never forget

"The Brotherhood" is a spectacular and moving tribute to all of New Yorks Bravest. It is tearfully moving yet not in the least bit over done or surupy. The Photography is absolutely first rate and truely captures the heart and soul of the FDNY and the sense of loss that all NY feels for the men and women of the New York City Fire Dept.I have not read Frank McCourt's books, but after reading his moving salute to the firemen of New York City I can easly understand why many consider him to be among the greatest living and active writers today. His two pages of writting alone are worth the price of this book. Wether you wish to buy this book simply because you wish to help the families of those killed or because of it's potential historical value or perhaps because you are a fire fighter or fire buff you won't be disappoited by this wonderful tribute/book. A definite buy.

This large and attractive book is a highly moving, pictorial tribute to the firefighters who lost their lives in the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center. The pictures, often as large as the pages, are in color and black-and-white, and were taken by more than sixty photographers. The pictures themselves are highly poignant, showing firefighters, fire stations and trucks, and the touching shrines that spontaneously sprouted up in front of fire stations across New York City.

The text is small, and scattered throughout the book in the form of poems and messages. But, most moving of all is the list of firefighters, whose names run along the bottom of each page, from the front cover all the way to the back cover.

This book is a wonderful and fitting tribute to the New York City firefighters, and moving book to read. A portion of the profits from the sales of this book goes to the FDNY charities, which makes this book an even better buy.

This charming little book is a collection of letters between New York author Helene Hanff and London bookseller Frank Doel. In the course of 20 years from Hanff's first book order from Marks & Co,, till Doel's death in 1969 they connected through the mail they exchanged and built a wonderful relationship. While Hanff became friends with Doel's family and his co-workers at the bookstore, what the two had was something special, revolving around their love of literature. Despite plans to do so, the two never met as Hanff didn't make it to London until after Doel's death and the publication of the letters. This book beautifully demonstrates the power of correspondence and how two people can connect, solely by the written word.

Heartwarming, funny, sad, all rolled in one. I went on to read other books by Hanff where she describes her trips to London. After reading her books, I too went on a pilgrimage to 84, Charing Cross Road.

March 8, 1999

This is a true story--that's always a plus for me--about correspondence between a New York booklover/writer and the staff of a used and antiquarian book shop in London. These business correspondents evolve over the years into members of a kind of extended family.

The book is rather amazing because it is a quick read yet packs a powerful emotional wallop. To enjoy this book, you have to be open to books that explore compassion, emotions, and human relationships in a non-glossy, realistic manner.

Normally, I'm a one-read guy. I read a book and pass it on. Yet, I've read 84 Charing Cross Road three times -- so far -- in spite of seeing the movie version three times as well.

I'd place 84 Charing Cross Road among my top five favorite books.

Rodney

This is the story of an American writer (the author of the book) who strikes up a friendship by mail with a bookseller in England. The entire book is a series of unedited and un-commented-on letters exchanged between Hanff and the Marks & Co. booksellers at 84 Charing Cross Road. Her primary pen pal is a man named Frank Doel, with whom she shares a love of old books. [Perhaps this is the point where I should say that I flatly disagree, without reservation, with the previous reviewers who believe there was a potential romantic attachment between the two of them.]

The correspondence runs from 1949 until 1969, during which time Helene and the people at 84 Charing Cross Road exchange Christmas gifts and news of their families, but never meet. At least in the early years of the correspondence, almost every year Ms. Hanff states her intention to come over to visit England, but something always comes up to prevent the trip.

In 1969, one of Hanff's letters to Frank Doel is answered by another member of the firm, informing her that Frank Doel has died.

This is a beautiful book, which can be read in 45 minutes. I suppose every reader will take his or her own lessons from the book, but here is mine: If there is something you really want to do in your life, then DO IT when the opportunity arises. Time is finite. If you keep saying, "Maybe next year," there will eventually come a time when there IS no next year. It is a painful tragedy that Helene Hanff never got to England to meet Frank Doer and the other people at Marks & Company, and that poignant sadness is what stayed with me after I had closed the book.

I am a complete beginner to lifting weights--just started a month or two ago to look more attractive to women. I was looking for a basic introduction to weight training that was easily understood, down-to-earth, no BS, and no gimmicks, just hard work and discipline. I found exactly that in this book! Mr. Melfa writes with clarity and precision describing different exercises, about how to achieve different goals, nutrition and eating habits, stretching, posing, contests and more. Aside from the clear description of different exercises, I think what I have found most helpful in this book is Mr. Melfa's knowledge and experience regarding which specific exercises one should perform to meet one's goals (such as muscle size), how often, how many sets and how many reps. I also appreciate his comments about which exercises are most effective for different muscle groups. I think this book is ideal for a novice like myself but it also seems like it would be helpful to an experienced body builder who wanted more guidance and advice about nutrition, food, posing and contests. One more thing: I had an important personal question about my own wieght training which my lifting-buddy wasn't sure about. I e-mailed Frank Melfa on his AOL address listed here and got a VERY helpful and warm reply THE NEXT DAY! His personal advice was very worthwhile and exactly what I needed to know. THANKS FRANK!

Supplements, gym memberships and exercise equipment are expensive. Before you spend any more money on these things, buy this book!

I've lifted weights off and on throughout the years, but never got the results I was wanting. After I read Frank Melfa's book, I realized that a lot of my sets, technique, diet and exercises were wrong. Now I've been able to gain 9 pounds of muscle, for the first time. Even people at work have noticed the difference.

There is so much info packed into this book, there's no way you can learn it all in one reading. I find myself referring to it often, even after owning it for 5 months. I even copied the exercise regiments on posterboard and hung it up in my basement-gym so they're easier to refer to.

I've completely changed the way I eat. I was shocked to learn that I wasn't consuming nearly enough calories to gain muscle. Frank recommends logging food intake as well as exercises. This is hard at first, but well worth the effort. I also enter my weight, calorie intake, and carbs-protien-fat intake into a graph to see what trends are developing. Of course, the real measure of sucess is the mirror!

Frank Melfa is a real guy, and this shines through in his writing. He has to squeeze his workouts and healthy meals into a normal busy life, just like all of us. But if you have a question about something in the book, Frank will even respond personally to your e-mail!

The book includes pictures of Frank during his various competitions, as well as his appearance today. I think that pictures of the author should be a requirement for any exercise book. I bought this book for my sister, also. She's always had trouble gaining muscle mass, and this book has helped her as well.

As Frank points out, changing the shape of your body is a difficult thing to do. For many of us, our body is the result of our habits and lifestyle. If you truly want to change the way you look, you will need to change your habits. For me, this has been a very fulfilling and worthwhile change...and it only gets better from here!

I've been working out now for about a year and a half. There has been a lot of books written about bodybuilding and training. But these books depict unrealistic training methods and physiques.Often times, these people use steroids and Growth hormone drugs.Frank Melfa's book takes you through in a realistic way whether you are just starting out or are planning on competing in a bodybuilding contest. He explains about understanding your body type and how this will determine what your goals may be. Whether you want to lose weight and tone up or if you want to gain muscle and lose fat, it will all be explained to you in a simple way. Some folks simply are'nt sure how much weight they should use, how many reps, sets, and how many days in week they should train. Again, it will all be explained to you in simple terms. Frank wants the reader to know that building muscle is not easy and that it will take hard work and good eating habits and working out consistently to see good results. This is one of only a handful of bodybuilding books out there that tells it like it is.If I were just starting out, this is the book I would buy. You will keep referring back to the book many times as I have. I have made my gains by working hard and eating right, so can anyone with the samedetermination and patience. Good luck and God bless America.

On the basis of Amazon reviewers, I got a copy of this book from my university's library. After reading it, I've ordered a personal copy. Lansing's a marvelous writer. His prose is elegant, powerfully and wonderfully descriptive, and he knows how to hold the reader as captive as Shackleton's crew on the ice flow. The Amazon reviewers who mildly complained about the book becoming somewhat bogged down about two-thirds through are right--but in no way does that compromise the essence and thrill of this adventure story. I read it wanting to know more about Shackleton's leadship philosophy and strategies, but what I came away with was an unbridled appreciation of the composition and virtues of his crew: how they managed to get along, their infinite patience, and their quiet courage in what must have been--despite all the description--an utterly unimagineable ordeal. It is exceedingly odd and wonderfully paradoxical that Shackleton totally failed in his objective to cross the South Pole--he never got close. But he had this extraordinary adventure. I don't see how a person can be unaffected after reading this book.

Readers who really get into this book should also get a copy of Shackleton's own account, which I think is entitled "South." The reason is that that book is full of black and white photographs of the adventure which add immensely (and that's putting it mildly) to Lansing's prose. The photos show a world of startling beauty and grandeur, and they provide new meaning to being "up against the elements."

Last, one has to be grateful to Amazon.com for enabling readers to review books. I would have never stumbled upon Endurance without the readers' reviews section.

After turning over the last leaf of Lansing's riveting account, I was compelled to drop everything I was doing and get on a ship headed to South Georgia, where I humbly paid my respects at Sir Ernest Shackleton's idyllic resting place right on the shores of Grytviken Harbor. This remote island figures prominently in a story that gives revitalized meaning to words like "adventure", "hardship", "soul", and of course "endurance". From the book's very first proclamation ("The story you are about to read is true") to its final implication ("These were men!"), Lansing engages the reader with successively awe-inspiring and head-shaking tales, anecdotes and journal quotes. Lansing's narrative is also more engaging than personal accounts written by the protagonists themselves (Shackleton's "South" and Worsley's "Shackleton's Boat Journey") because their very acts of heroism are modestly downplayed in the first person. Lansing holds nothing back in his respectful tribute. The only drawback is a lack of illustrations and maps on the original hardcover version.

Alfred Lansing subtitled his book, Endurance, as "The Greatest Adventure Story Ever Told." That's a tall claim, and he may be right. In terms of the limits of hardship the human body can endure, only one book rivals this incredible true story: Slavomir Rawicz's "The Long Walk" (which I enthusiastically recommend).

In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton, a veteran of two previous Antarctic expeditions, and his crew of 26 men and an eighteen-year-old stowaway-who later has his frostbitten and gangrenous foot amputated-set sail for Antarctica aboard the worthy ship, Endurance, determined to be the first men to sledge across the full breadth of the continent. They never get there. Beset in ice floes just off the coast of Antarctica, ship and crew begin a two-year ordeal of cold, hunger, monotony, loneliness, and despair as they are dragged helplessly around the vicious Weddell Sea by pack ice. The ship is crushed by the ice before the first year is out, forcing the crew onto the ice. This begins an excruciating existence of basic survival against all odds as the pack drifts slowly north, forcing them onto ever diminishing floes, and eventually to the ship's life boats.

Near death, the crew finally reaches hellish and uninhabited Elephant Island after nearly two years. This is before functional radio. There are no satellites, no phones. No one in the world knows where they are. They have been given up for dead by the civilized world thousands of miles away and preoccupied by World War I. Their only hope for salvation is for Shackleton and five others to take the best of the three boats, an open, 22-foot life boat, and sail it 870 miles across the worst seas on earth to the whaling station on South Georgia Island and return to rescue the others before they freeze or starve to death. After landing on South Georgia, they're forced to trek on foot across the frozen island to reach the whaling station, a feat never before attempted and rarely since accomplished.

The scene Lansing paints as Shackleton and two others trudge into this camp as gaunt and grimy, bearded and long-haired living ghosts in rags, is so moving I had to get up and walk around for a while after reading it. I got seasick on a cruise ship in the Caribbean once, and wanted to die. What these heroes stoically endured is simply beyond comprehension. And hurray to Lansing for his research and writing effort. As a writer myself, I see one of the major challenges in writing this book as how to keep the text fresh and the excitement going, when in reality each day of the expedition was a boring repetition of cold, hunger, worry, ice, and more ice. But this is the epitome of a page-turner. Why isn't it a major movie? -Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.

CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN

Format: Paperback,1st ed., 180 pages ISBN: 0553272500 Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Younger Readers Pub. Date: February 1981 Other Formats: Hardback Recommended Age:Third grade and up

Wonderful...Once you start to read the first page you wont be able to put the book down. This perfect way to spend a rainy day. You will be very amused when you read about the hilarious events of the Gilbreth family. The family of twelve children have many adventures you will enjoy reading. The father is almost crazy and a very successful business man. He is very strict and overprotective. He won't let his daughters wear make up or dress the way they like to. They slowly change his mind and begin to dress their way. He thinks his children can do anything and is also believed he could do anything. He loved jokes and laughing and you will love the practical jokes they play on each other. The rich family loves to go to movies then out for ice cream. They also spend their summers at the beach, where their Dad forces them to learn to swim. He wants them to learn as much as possible about everything so he always finds a way to teach them new things. As an efficiency expert he made sure that everything was done in a time efficient way. It was a sin to waste time in the Gilbreth house and he was constantly coming up with new ways to save time. The Dad in the story liked to parade around and show off his kids. Although this was embarassing to some of the kids as they got older Dad found it hilarious. The mother also was sometimes embarrassed or insulted by the attention they got or the comments other people made. This book will keep you laughing right up to the last chapter when Dad dies. The book is a mixture of humor and then sadness at the ending. This is an excellent book that everybody should read. I recommend this book for anyone that knows how to read no matter how old or young!

Dina Bastianini, Pine-Richland High School

This book is the best book I have ever read. I own it and have read it many times. It kept me interested from the first page and you will not want to put it down. It is about a family of 12 children. Their dad is always thinking of new ways to save time and he thinks that he can teach him and his children anything. The family likes to play practical jokes on eachother and are always having a good time. This book is very interesting and never gets boring.

CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN

Format: Paperback,1st ed., 180 pages ISBN: 0553272500 Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Younger Readers Pub. Date: February 1981 Other Formats: Hardback Recommended Age:Third grade and up

Wonderful...Once you start to read the first page you wont be able to put the book down. This perfect way to spend a rainy day. You will be very amused when you read about the hilarious events of the Gilbreth family. The family of twelve children have many adventures you will enjoy reading. The father is almost crazy and a very successful business man. He is very strict and overprotective. He won't let his daughters wear make up or dress the way they like to. They slowly change his mind and begin to dress their way. He thinks his children can do anything and is also believed he could do anything. He loved jokes and laughing and you will love the practical jokes they play on each other. The rich family loves to go to movies then out for ice cream. They also spend their summers at the beach, where their Dad forces them to learn to swim. He wants them to learn as much as possible about everything so he always finds a way to teach them new things. As an efficiency expert he made sure that everything was done in a time efficient way. It was a sin to waste time in the Gilbreth house and he was constantly coming up with new ways to save time. The Dad in the story liked to parade around and show off his kids. Although this was embarassing to some of the kids as they got older Dad found it hilarious. The mother also was sometimes embarrassed or insulted by the attention they got or the comments other people made. This book will keep you laughing right up to the last chapter when Dad dies. The book is a mixture of humor and then sadness at the ending. This is an excellent book that everybody should read. I recommend this book for anyone that knows how to read no matter how old or young!

Dina Bastianini, Pine-Richland High School

Best Blackjack, as Howard Schwartz of the Gambler's Book Club in Las Vegas says, is really five books in one. First Best Blackjack explains the basics of the game in clear and precise language so that a novice is not confused. Then it gives the basic strategies for single and multiple-deck games and gives recommendations in how to memorize what you need to know to cut the house edge down to about a half percent. It also gives some variations in basic strategy based on rule changes. Scoblete also analyzes the benefits of certain rules and the downside of other rules and explains which games are worth playing and which are not.

But Scoblete doesn't stop at the elementary aspects of the game. He gives a detailed and easily assimilated analysis of various card counting systems that have been developed by many authors and then he explains why the one he uses is preferred. He gives examples from his own long experience in the casinos to bolster many of his points, and his insights and anecdotes are smart, funny and right on the money. His tales of "ploppys" and "the million dollar bum" and his own "blackjack diary" at the end of the book are howls!

Scoblete also goes into areas of blackjack play that you usually don't find in most blackjack books; areas that only an expert blackjack player can employ, such as glim play, front-loading, tells, and team play. Again, he offers his own personal experience in the casinos to bolster his points and make clear his opinions.

This book is a fun and informative read. Scoblete is a gifted writer and one who knows his way around the casino. Best Blackjack has something for everyone, whether you're a novice or an experienced player. I recommend it to anyone looking to improve their game and have some fun while doing so.

I already knew basic strategy and I use the KO count system developed by Fuchs and Vancura. However, Scoblete has written so many good books on gambling that I thought I'd give his "Best Blackjack" a try. It was excellent. The man can write. I particularly enjoyed his chapters on team play, ploppies, the million dollar bum. The most wonderful part of the book was his Las Vegas diary section. As a player I can tell you that he has captured the madness!

The book contains excellent information for beginners and intermediat players as well. It is well researched and Scoblete recommends further reading that will also be helpful. This is one of the six best blackjack books ever written in my estimation, although I have only read thirty three blackjack books to date!

Frank Scoblete has written a complete and comprehensive book that will appeal to all levels of blackjack players from beginner to skilled. He has the basic strategy, the card counting advice that you would expect to find, but he also has great sections that compare the various counting sustems being sold in other books. He explains how to read a dealer in those games where the dealers peek at their hole card. What also sets this book apart are the sections that deal with his own personal experiences in the casinos. These are funny, insightful and smack of the truth. I think if you want to enjoy and learn simultaneously then BEST BLACKJACK is a must read. I intend to give it as a gift to my friends who like blackjack.

John Carter, Dejah Thoris, Tars Tarkas, they are all here! This is the totally unbelievable story of a man who got transported to Mars basically, because he thought it would be cool to go, so he wished it, and POOF, he's there. Then, there's the fact that the planet itself and the life on it are also completely ridiculous. FORGET ALL THAT! Read it to be swept up in one of the greatest adventure series of all time. John Carter goes to Barsoom (Mars, to the Martians) rescues the most beautiful woman in the universe and (later in the series) conquers an entire world through the power of his will and the strength of his right arm. Handsome, powerful heroes, beautiful half naked captive princesses just panting to be rescued, Villians, so evil you want to go back in time to strangle their parents, Big ugly friends, (What are you laughing at, remember Chewbacca?) strange beasts, stranger aliens, wierd science, epic battles, betrayals, great reunions. This one's got it all. The best of Burroughs' body of work, the most action packed series from the true master of the action story. Edgar Rice Burroughs is the creator of Tarzan. Don't ever pick up his work expecting an intellectual workout. Just get in and hang on for the ride

Princess of Mars is a fantastic, wild ride. I think everyone makes a mistake though of saying it's just a guys book. I'm a woman, and it was my mother who recommended Princess to me! I think any girl who's interested in science fiction or fantasy would really enjoy this book. Yeah, it was obviously written with adolescent boys in mind but I think anyone can enjoy this wildly imaginative page turner.

The characters are all extremely likable. John Carter is the perfect southern gentleman. Honorable, loyal, incredibly brave, respectful to women, extremely handsome; a perfect hero who is never boorish or conceited. Then there's Sola, one of the few green Martians to show compassion and kindness, and Tars Tarkas(aren't these names so cool?)a ferocious green martian warrior with a tragic past who is also able to feel compassion and love. And I dare anybody to tell me that they wouldn't want a Woola of their very own! Dejah Thoris though is mainly for the guys. Carter's love and devotion for her was really sweet. I didn't even know that this was part of a book series until I read it on amazon and now I am really eager to read the other books of the series. And wasn't the end cool? I don't think I've ever read an ending quite like that before. What Carter found in the cave at the end was very creepy and intriguing. (I won't give out a spoiler)

Although this is pulp fiction and sort of like a comic book in a way,(I can see mothers in 1912 scolding their kids, "That Edgar Rice Burroughs is going to rot your mind if you keep reading it!") it's still light science fiction at it's best! (I'll warn you right off though, please don't expect something deep and complex like Dune or Darkover and post a review whining about it. Princess is purely for fun.) And am I the only one that thinks Princess would make a really awesome movie?

You want imagination?..adventure?..a few dabs of science(remember it was written in 1912)?..an ageless hero?..an absolutely beautiful damsel in distress?..a whole new world?..with a language all it's own?..inhabited with strange new creatures?.. friends and foes?..battles royal?..This book, and all 10 or 11 sequels, have it all! ER Burroughs was the early master of science fiction, adventure, and imagination; a man ahead of his time, and he gives the reader a roller-coaster ride of incredible adventures. Join with us now as John Carter meets, rescues,and captures the heart of the INCOMPARABLE Dejah Thoris, Princess of Mars!, and eventually, along with his friend Tars Tarkas, follows suit with the entire red planet, Barsoom to its wild and whacky inhabitants.

Is this intellectual literature?..of course not. Is it non-stop fun and enjoyment, the original page-turner novel?...You bet it is! Pick this book up, start reading, and I guarantee: you won't put it down until you're finished!..and then you'll run out the door and be hunting for the 2nd book in the series, The Gods of Mars, and then # 3, The Warlord of Mars, and on through the series. Be warned: make sure you have access to #'s 2 and 3 before you start The Princess...you'll be sorry if you don't!

I first read the Burroughs Martian novels(there were 10 known to me then) as a graduate student studying Physics, some 40 years ago. They provided the perfect escape from the rigors of courses like Quantum Mechanics and E & M. Now I reread them,and I continue to enjoy. You will too.

I am the mother of a first year medical student. My daughter was at a loss in her first month at school - struggling with her Gross Anatomy Course. Our family doctor (he is actually a Neuro-Surgeon) suggested that I purchase Netter's "Atlas of Human Anatomy" swearing that he could never have gone through Anatomy it. I live in Malaysia and my daughter is studying in the Philippines. In both countries, we could not find this book! I found it right here at Amazon! The book was shipped by DHL and it has since been my daughter's bedside companion. She is still struggling with her Anatomy Course...but definitely this book of Netter has helped her SO MUCH. I have read through it myself and realized how difficult it is really to be a doctor. Atlas of Human Anatomy is a genius's work of art. Netter clearly defines the anatomical parts of the human body. Other reference/text books that are of great help to Anatomy students are: Grant's Atlas of Human Anatomy (which also has a Dissector) and Rohen & Yokochi's "Color Atlas of Anatomy" which is a photographic atlas of cadavers - a very good guide for practicals. Both books (Grant's and Rohen's) are found right here at AMAZON

I have used the second edition of this beautiful atlas for several years. Now I have acquired a copy of the new, revised, and improved third edition published in 2003. It has not disappointed me. I highly recommend it.

The third edition is longer by at least 60 pages, and the pages devoted to each body region are now color-coded for quick access.

Each section devoted to a body region now begins with a surface anatomy plate. In addition, a significant number of normal radiographic images are included.

In the foreword, Consulting Editor John T. Hansen states the following:

"We balanced the addition of new surface and radiographic plates largely by eliminating several plates that contributed little to the quality of the [Second Edition]. Several plates from The Netter (formerly CIBA) Collection of Medical Illustrations were added and several plates were altered slightly to correct anatomical errors consistent with our current knowledge.... Finally, the References and the Index have been updated.

"The anatomical terminology is consistent throughout the Atlas and conforms to the International Anatomical Terminology (Terminologia Anatomica) approved in 1998 by the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists. Common eponyms are retained parenthetically, and the leader lines and labels have been checked, and where necessary, corrected to ensure their accuracy."

You will hear Netter is God and although that statement is blasphemous in my book, it is fairly close to the truth. I have netter (the second edition) as most every med student on the planet has, really.

I plan to get the third edition for my reference library because my 2nd edition got gooked and dripped on in the lab as I'm sure yours will.

Netter is excellent in book form. However, whatever you do don't get the cd. It is poor in terms of clarity...

Nobody comes close to Francis!!!
Just beautiful art, you'll appreciate him once you start dissecting.

I love the New King James Version, put out by Thomas Nelson, but I loath Thomas Nelson Bibles. This is how I happened upon the Thompson a few years ago as I was relieved to find a NKJV not made by T.N. I first bought an NKJV in bonded leather. After 2 years of very heavy use, I bought an NKJV in genuine leather, and later a handy size KJV in genuine. All three of these Bibles are wonderful in every way.

The Thompson Study system is very helpful and they've graciously spared us from a myriad of religious cliche and personal opinion. The page layout is smart. The Bible text actually fills the page and all study helps and references are relegated to the side margins. There are so many ways to use the studies and references, I am unable to number them here. The concordance is as extensive as any I've seen. The 14 maps are colorful and very well done. Simply put, it's a complete, Jesus-exalting study Bible designed with excellence.

The construction of these Bibles is equally impressive. The paper is just right--not too thick, not too thin. The print is dark and sharp. Their font is subtil and very appropriate for the Bible, if you ask me. The red words of Jesus are RED. They're not muddy brown; they're not pink; they're bright, deep, beautiful red. They are printed consistantly page to page, not some pages lighter or misprinted, as the Thomas Nelson folks are plagued by.

Now that I own three Thompsons, I feel about them the way a good ol' boy down in the South feels about shotguns. "I have more than I need, but not as many as I want!"

I use the Thompson NASB and it is great. I will just echo other sentiments that the layout of this Bible is great. This Bibles greatest strength is that it uses Scripture to teach Scripture. There are no notes on the page. If one wants to dig into a specific passage or specific book the references will take the student into the Bible as deep and as far as they want to go. This is my main Bible, along with the Dickson New Analytical KJV, to read and study God's words. There are too many specialty and study Bibles on the market. All the major publishers bring them out each year like boxed cereal. I too own and use some specialty study Bibles for specific purposes. These are great if you want to study from a specific point of view, like Dispensational or Charismatic, or understand what an interesting teacher of the Word may have to say like Tim LaHaye, John MacArthur, RC Sproul, or Henry Blackaby. But on a daily basis the Thompson Chain Reference is the one that can bring the best out of the student of the Word.

In either the King James or New American Standard version, the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible is an excellent study tool composed of a wide variety of references and cross-references constructed in such a manner as to facilitate and enhance the experience of those who seek a deeper and richer understanding of God's Word. As Christians, it is our duty to ever search the Scriptures in order that we may know and fully understand His truths.

It is reported that Dr. Thompson and his wife spent 40 years developing this exceptional work. I can but state that their efforts have born fruit in the realization of a virtual Biblical library housed in a single volume.

"Linked together by the unique Thompson numerical reference system are 7,000 names,places, and topics in more than 100,000 references-each carefully analyzed and classified by subject, topic, or theme."

Melissa Mueller states at the beginning of this book that she does not intend for this volume to be a replacement for the diary, but rather an adjunct to it. This goal has been acheived admirably through extensive interviews and research, giving insights in not only Anne's life before and after her experiences in hiding, but also shedding light on the various family members and people involved.

One thing Mueller accomplishes, which may well be worth the price of the book alone, is to paint a more accurate picture of two of the most maligned figures in Anne's diary: Edith Frank and Fritz Pfeffer (Albert Dussel in Anne's pseudonym). Especially moving are descriptions of Edith's tenacity in keeping her daughters with her at Auschwitz-Birkenau, and a letter written by Pfeffer to his fiancee, Charlotte. One would wish Mueller had been able to do the same for the van Pels family (the van Daans in the diary), but perhaps the information available was simply too scant.

For anyone who cherishes the diary and legacy of Anne Frank, this book will be a welcome addition to the body of work this remarkable child has inspired.

Everyone is familiar with the name Anne Frank, and everyone is aware of the struggles she and her family went through in the secret annex, but what do we know about the parts of her life that aren't contained in her diary? This book reveals portions of the lives of Anne Frank and her family that you never knew existed. It will take you from a time when the Franks were accepted as part of a community, to a time when they were no longer allowed to belong to that community. This book will help you gain a better understanding of the era in which Anne Frank lived. Muller does a great job at providing small details which really make the legend come to life. She has obtained information from multiple sources, which give different information and viewpoints. There is even a letter written by Miep Gies, who is responsible for hiding the Frank family. In this note, she expresses many emotions and a unique viewpoint which will make you question your own feelings on the Holocaust. This biography is very emotional and insightful. It contains answers to many questions you may have, and makes it easier than ever to understand what happened to the Franks and other families during the holocaust.

I read about Anne Frank when I was around 8 years old. I was very touched by her story, and begged my aunt - who lives in Amsterdam - to take me to the Anne Frank House to visit the Secret Annex. Ever since, Anne's tragic story has been with me. I read her diary, as well as other books written with her. Now I read this book - Anne's biography. I just finished it - and I sit here with a pale face and tears in my eyes. It's a very touching story with happy times and dark times, and a very tragic end. The author describes this end in every detail you could possibly think of... the arrestation of the eight people in the Annex, Mieps attempts to free the family by offering money to Gestapo police offers, the family's deportation to the camps... how Anne lived in happiness in Westerbork after having been locked in the Annex for two years. How she was deported to Auschwitz - where she was separated from her father and, later on, from her mother. How she and Margot were deported to Bergen-Belsen, where she died so tragically. If this part of the book doesn't move you to burst out in tears, the part when Otto finds out his daughters won't come back, will. This book is a journey through Anne's life and after the last page the terrible truth gets you by the throat: this young girl, who described this terrible period in her life so lively, will never ever come back. Anne's spirit is with us forever. Whenever I'm in Amsterdam, I always stop by Prinsengracht 263 to visit the Annex. And when I'm standing in Anne's room I still feel the same as when I was 8 years old, and visited her room for the first time.