You can read about all the best-loved bears, from the original "teddy" to "Winnie-the-Pooh. The latest collectibles such as Beanie Bear and the Millennium Bears are also included. Pauline Cockril is the internationally recognized expert on the history of the teddy bear. She is also a regular contributor to Teddy Bear Times.

If you see a teddy bear and instantly want to buy it...this book IS for you. Also look for The Ultimate Teddy Bear Book which is considered to be the bible of arctophily (bear collecting) and is used by collectors, dealers and toy shops around the world.

The first bear listed was made in 1902 and was an experimental Steiff bear. The bears are listed all the way up to the year 2000. If you think you have seen it all...wait until you see the Pink Dino, a Swiss bear with characteristic elongated designs that I think looks more like a monkey. I much prefer the 1991 Pam Howells bear that has a lace collar, shaggy golden mohair plush "fur" and a cute hat trimmed with fabric roses. The Australian Teddy bear on pg. 137 looks somewhat like a koala bear for some reason. :)

I know a place where a lady has bears sitting everywhere in her Bed & Breakfast. You just want to take one of the bears home with you. In each room, she also has a "resident" bear that sits on the fluffy down-comforter covered bed. The whole place is like one big teddy bear picnic. I bet she knows about this book!

It is just unbearable not to own more bears. I must go shopping since I gave away most of my teddies when they had a teddy bear drive for kids. It was sad to say goodbye to some of them, but I know they are now happily living with a child who loves them. I do think it is time to start collecting again!

This book teaches you to pay attention to whether the nose is stitched up and down or from side to side. Are the feet big or are they little stumps? Are the eyes glass or plastic? Are the ears close together or far apart? Are the arms long and pointed or short and stumpy? These all are clues as to the date and manufacturer of the bear!!

Includes a section on repairing an antique bear (less is better!) as well as a section on newer bears!

A great learning tool! Written so it is easily understood........you don't have to already BE an EXPERT to BECOME one with the help of this well written book!!

However, for those who have learned the thought processes that come of Spolin-style improvisation, "Theater Games for the Lone Actor" has multiple applications. When working in a solo position, such as a one-man show, a screen test, or an audition, using these activities in preparation can make the difference between doing well and doing exquisitely. These activities also are useful for memorization and other scene work within a directed play, and for compensating for a lackluster director or weak co-star.

Many of these activities are adapted from "Improvisation for the Theater." Some activities that were originally presented for group work, such as Space Walk and Feeling Self With Self, recur between the covers of this slim pamphlet. The difference lies in doing them individually, refreshing the benefit of prior group work, and also in coaching yourself, becoming aware in a more objective manner of what you're doing as an actor and how you're doing it.

Repetition of the concept of "present time" reinforces the almost Buddhist nature of theatrical improvisation, requiring participants to be entirely in the moment. This is good advice for all forms of actors, since, if you're in another time and place, you're not giving the character you play the commitment it deserves. Through long-term exposure to the activities in this book, and effort consummate to commitment, an actor can develop the ability to be in the moment on command, or even on a permanent basis.

This book is tiny, small enough to slip unobtrusively in a shirt pocket and have on hand to do solo warm-ups or skills exercises. This helps allow the actor to develop while waiting for an audition, while riding on a bus, while lying in bed at night, or in any situation where time and solitude permit even a moment's concentration.

Highly recommended for all working and aspiring actors, "Theater Games for the Lone Actor" is the kind of book that can make all the difference between doing a good job and doing a merely good enough job.

Not only that, it is a great method to enrich your everyday life. The same games and suggestions are great ways to bring yourself more fully to your relations with others.
The Sills, Paul and Carol have done a great job of editing this book. It's really easy to read.
I especially like the poems included in the book. "Crystal Ball" is my favorite of Spolin's poems celebrating the mystery of present time.
Her whole theory of play and present time is a great way to live life.

This book has helped me along considerably. For a collaboration between three philosophers, the taut, cogent writing in this book is particularly impressive. The present all the key debates in modern epistemology, their roots, and then give you suggested readings at the end, so if something catches your fancy,you'll know where to look. And that sums it up: this is a fantastic introduction to epistemology.

The first two chapters of the book lay the framework for subsequent discussions by explaining why the study of knowledge is important. This is followed in chapters 3, 4 and 5 by an explanation of the ideas of what the authors call the "traditional analysis of knowledge", namely, belief, truth and justification. As they describe it, belief is a necessary condition for knowledge; asking about truth boils down to discovering what conditions a sentence, statement, belief or proposition must satisfy to be true; and justification for our beliefs implies an "adequate indication" of truth.

Subsequent chapters discuss our sources of knowledge, rationality and skeptical theories to our ability to really have true knowledge of the world. The final chapter, "Epistemology and Explanation" fleshes out a position the authors raise at earlier points in the book; i.e., that of "inference to the best explanation" (also referred to as "abductive inference"). Inference to the best explanation involves justifying our beliefs based upon the explanatory power of various claims about the world. One of the values of this approach, in my view, is that it moves away from the attempts of earlier philosophers to devise a universal theory of knowledge (which skepticsm has been able to easily shoot holes through). In keeping with their undogmatic and fair-minded style of presentation of the subject, the authors also discuss the limitations of abductive inference in answering skepticism.

The book provides a useful glossary of terms, references and a section for further reading based upon each of the book's chapters. The major benefit of this book is that its clear and no-frills presentation armed me with a basic and solid understanding of the field of epistemology whereby I can pursue a more advanced understanding of the field with confidence.

My major complaint with this book is that I wish it had been much longer -- for example, there are numerous quotes attributed to Winston Churchill (like the one about being a liberal when you're 25) that could stand to be debunked alongside the two included in this volume.

Still, though, it's very helpful to be able to demonstrate to folks that Lenin never said anything about "useful idiots" (p. 76), that Lincoln never made the long statement beginning, "You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift..." (p. 82), or that Voltaire never "defend[ed] to the death your right to say it" (p. 124). For those reasons alone, I would recommend this book be kept and studied by anyone who cares about truth, accuracy, and stomping urban legends to the death they deserve.

This work is just an extenstion of his personality -- exacting, intelligent, and focused on what's really true rather than just what people say.

If you're at all interested in accuracy, or if you're a big fan of quotations (like I am), than this is a wonderful book for you!