The author also devotes the last chapter to discussing forgeries, fakes, and reproductions which is also a must for a novice or anyone who hasn't had years of hands on collecting in the field.

If you had only one guide for the field, although I would never recommend only using one reference source, this could be it.

The only weakness with the book is that the text and background surrounding the various pieces is seriously lacking. But taking into consideration the price and the superb pictures, it is money well spent.

At the same time I would also recommend "Collecting Antique Metalware" copyright 1974 by Evan Perry. It has a mixture of both color and b/w photos in a hardback, but it much superior in explanatory text. I would whole heartedly give each book 5 stars.

Personally, I feel that a book that deals with a clinical psychological issue, such as burnout, should rely on academic research and reasoning. That is missing here. Time and again the bible is taken as the source of all truth and the author's interpretation as our guiding line for doing things in life. Especially the latter makes it very difficult reading for people with academic training who are used to take a critical view of unsubstantiated statements.

Don't get me wrong, I am a great fan of William F. Buckley, and have read most of his published books. In addition, I have read his columns and subscribed to his magazine, National Review.

Nevertheless, this is not what I expected.

This book is a compilation of several characters, drawn from his Blackford Oakes series of stories. The characterizations are good, of course, and the writing is up to Buckley's standard, which is high. But, there is nothing original in the book. It is simply a collection of characters.

The book was scanned from originally published material. Some of the scanning was faulty, resulting in mistakes like 'War College' being translated into 'Wan College'. Every 'r' is not changed to an 'n'; just often enough to irritate the reader.

For Buckley, who is a perfectionist, it must be cause for great annoyance.

William Buckley is a good, if not a great writer, who has spent his lifetime worshipping the English language. Buy the original stories, wherein you will get all of these characterizations, and the rest of the story to boot. This book is only an appetizer.

Joseph Pierre,
Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity

Falls short of being a good coffee table book due to size (small) and limited amount of photos. And, it falls short of being a good reference book due to limited technical information, organization, and completeness.

This book is acceptable overall, but I'd like to find a large format book with color photos of every model, and thorough technical and historical information.

In the rural back roads outside Castlemere, Detective Sergeant Cal Donovan rides his motorcycle before stopping for gas. However, Cal steps into the middle of an armed robbery at the gas station. The culprit slams a gun into Cal's face before driving away from the scene of the crime. Cal pursues only to watch the culprit crash into another vehicle. The crash shakes up the other car's occupant, but she turns out all right. Cal rescues the robbery suspect from the burning wreck.

The armed robber turns out to be Mikey Dickens, the youngest son of the local crime family. The sure shot case unravels because of Mikey's clever solicitor and the sudden loss of substantial evidence. When Mikey turns up nearly dead, all the physical evidence points towards an avenging Cal as the suspect. This leaves it up to other members of the police force to prove his innocence before Cal's reputation and that of the department is destroyed forever.

Many fans of police procedurals hold Jo Bannister in high esteem for her charming Castlemere series. Books like A TASTE FOR BURNING and CHARISMA are some of the sub-genre's top novels. Her current Castlemere tale, BROKEN LINES, may be her best novel to date. The author cleverly employs an elaborate who-done-it filled with suspense. She then fills that story line with an in-depth look at the various connections between the characters, leaving readers to ponder the meaning of relationships. Ms. Bannister provides the audience with a unique story that will cause a mass desire for the next book in this series to appear quickly.

Harriet Klausner