As the title states, the objective of the Then and Now series is to bring history alive for the reader and traveler. In addition to the historical text, scenes depicted in actual combat movie film or still footage from both American and German forces are studied. The place where the film was taken is identified and another photo showing what the scene looks like today is juxtaposed along side the original. If one considers the effort behind such a task, one becomes immediately appreciative of the task undertaken by Jean-Paul Pallud in this nicely produced book. As the author states on several occasions, the notes and captions accompanying the film are often in error and the actual scene could be several kilometers away from what is noted. Indeed, Mr. Pallud must know the Ardennes like the back of his hand. The patience and effort that Pallud put into this publication is immense, and in that effort we can "relive" history through these photographs. Imagine being able to stand in the same spot that a tank was destroyed or where German troops stripped dead American soldiers of their clothing and possessions! I believe the high point of this book centers around Pallud's reconstruction of the destruction of the American armored column (a unit of the ill fated 14th Cavalry Group) on the Recht-Poteau road. Pallud proves that the Germans staged various scenes for the newsreels. He lays out the placement of the various vehicles on the road, based upon only the photographic evidence. Truly a fine piece of work. This book is a must for any serious student of the "Bulge".

The After the Battle magazine tells history by verifying the actual locations and circumstances of past incidents. The publishers have also issued a series of Then and Now volumes covering major battles of WWII. Of these, Battle of the Bulge Then and Now is generally considered the best, and nothing short of a monumental work on the Ardennes Offensive. Readers will be amazed with the amount of on-the-spot research done, as well as the general enthusiasm shown by the author. The book not only recounts historical events, but also takes the reader to the place of happening and identifies what really took place at the time. Anyone interested in military histroy must grab this one.

I picked this book up in Belgium prior to my self guided tours of the Ardennes. It turned out to not only be useful in reading about the history of the battle but to be critical in locating out of the way points of interest. There are many pictures in this book that were taken during the battle that the author identified the locations of. By following this virtual guide to the battle I was able to see and appreciate various unmarked spots that I might otherwise just have driven by. It is amazing how many places in the Ardennes havn't changed in over 50 years since the battle raged there. The description and histories of specific tanks that were engaged in the battle and are still resting there as memorials is also very interesting. The information the author gathered from soldiers that fought in the battle is in many cases unique and exclusive. This is a must read for a true student of WW2 history!

Who am I to give this less than a 5* review. This was an absolutely wonderful book with such a different heroine at the center of romance. Radiantly beautiful but flawed, due to the act of a demented servant that tried to kill her when she was a child.

Lillian wanted a London season, and her brother Earl of Cardemore would do anything in his power to provide her that season in London, even if it meant blackmailing the handsomest bachelor in London. The Earl of Cardemore wanted Lily to be happy, and would do whatever he needed to make that happen. Her brother could make the gallant earl of Graydon, dance attendance on his sister, and he could even engineer the means to have them wed. What he couldn't prevent would be the devasted heartbreak if the truth be known.

This was a wonderful story of love against all odds. It showed that love has no boundaries and handicaps be dammed against the snobbish and uneducated feelings at the turn of the 18th century.

Definitely a superb book. I heartily recommend it!

An injury during her childhood stripped Lady Lillian Walford's vocal cords until the only sounds she could make were harsh and painful. Her reclusive, loving brother blackmails Anthony Harbreas, Earl of Graydon, into escorting Lily about London during her Season. Although nearly engaged to another woman, Graydon falls in love with Lily and uses a kidnapping setup organized by her brother to convince her to marry him. In an effort to shield Lily from malicious gossip, Graydon doesn't bring her back with him to London after the Christmas holiday, convincing Lily that he is ashamed of her. Secondary romances between Lily's brother and her aunt, forbidden by British law, and a fiery courtship between Lily's cousin and Graydon's best friend are threaded throughout the book.

Magnificent story with well-developed characters and views on how mutes and deaf-mutes were treated by Society. Highly recommended to historical and regency romance fans, particularly those who like a little depth to their romances.

I couldn't put this one down.This was a very different from most romance novels because the characters weren't perfect.I liked that because it shows that anybody can have true love.Don't pass this one up!!

I am a home-school tutor and have read this book to some of my students. Besides thoroughly enjoying the storyline, they were able to grasp what life was like during this terrible time and understand that the Civil War was not just about slavery as so many people believe. They were also able to learn about forgiveness and that there are always two sides to every story. My students begged me to read it each day and were wanting more books by this author when it was over.

Jennifer Johnson Garrity has captured the hearts of my children with her true-to-life Civil War story, "The Bushwhacker." American history, to them, used to be filled the drudgery of memorizing dates and names, but through reading "The Bushwhacker," the Civil War has come alive through the story of two families and their struggles.

The story is of Jacob and Eliza Knight, two children severed from their parents by masked gunmen with torches, as they fled their home being engulfed by flames. Finding themselves alone, they struggle to survive in the war-torn state of Missouri, where a bushwhacker's mask at night hides the smile of a lifelong neighbor by day. They're forced to take refuge in a home of an enemy sympathizer where Jacob learns through the bitterness of revenge the freedom of forgiveness.

Through Eliza and Jacob's trials, my children gained an understanding of both sides of the war along with a message of forgiveness and unity that is powerful and engaging.

My ten-year-old is studying the Civil War this year at school, and shared her copy of "The Bushwhacker" with her teacher. Her teacher not only enjoyed reading it herself, but has also added it to her class curriculum.

I found THE BUSHWHACKER to be readable, interesting and informative. Although the setting is the Civil War, the book opens many opportunities for discussions as the situation is similar to events in many parts of our world today (such as Kosovo, N. Ireland). The theme of forgiveness and peacemaking can never be emphasized too often. Though I am an adult, I found the book held my interest to the very end.

This book faithfully recreates the world of Frazier Robinson and the Negro Leagues. Outstanding and fascinating. It would make a perfect gift for any baseball fan. Paul Bauer inserts nothing between you and his subject. It is a must have book for any serious fan of the game.

This is a wonderful book that needed to be written. I had the opportunity to meet Frazier while living and I am so glad that his stories live on in this book. It brings back the memory of the time when players played the game for the love of the game and not for what they were being paid. And worrying about what deal they could acquire in the off season. Also in a time when color mattered over talent it should remind us that never again should we engage in human exclusion

Being a baseball history buff (addict) for the past 42 years, I've read just about everything I could get my hands on. I cannot now think of an autobiographical book to which I could attach a higher recommendation that "Catching Dreams" by Frazier "Slow" Robinson. This true gentleman travelled the dusty roads that connected the sites of Negro League baseball during the 30's, 40,s and even the 50's. Although produced by the University of Syracuse press, there is no attempt to make the book erudite or complicate it with an assortment of exotic literary techniques and obscure words. Instead, the publisher and co-author, Paul Bauer have presented the story of Slow Robinson in language truly spoken by the man himself. When you read this book, you will feel that you are seated beside Mr. Robinson as he speaks with words, terms and expressions uniquely those of a man with little formal education, who gained his lessons in life on the fly and had to learn his own language. His ability to recall a voluminous list of names and anecdotal material from his experiences, and to relate them descriptively, suggest a man who would have had little trouble dealing with a formal post-secondary school education. His relationships with such Negro League stalwarts as Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Leon Day and Satchel Paige are detailed with humour, insight and compassion. He is forthright without offending his old friends, as in Ball Four by Jim Bouton. In his own words, his goal in life was to be remembered as a nice guy; he passed with flying colors. If you choose only one book to read on this subject, you simply cannot go wrong with Catching Dreams.

Octavio Paz has since passed through this world leaving behind a beautiful web of words with the tapestry of things seen and unseen. Paz does an ambidextrous job of mixing in elements of surrealism with the bone of natural objects and that which is very real. His, and the translator Eliot Weinberger ... along with the help of other poet translators to include Bishop, Levertov, Tomlinson--all of their words come alive with beautiful language. The translation seems true to the intent.

What is essential about this book is that each poem comes with the bilingual translation in English and accompanied by the original works in Spanish. Two years of high school Spanish, as well as two years in college, has rendered me with a woefully inadequate ineptitude of all words and understanding of that language. But I don't think that the translation can ever capture the sound, the alliteration, the true tongue/la lingua and fluid language that Paz meant in his original Spanish. Even if I don't understand a lick of what's on the left side of the page in Spanish at least it can be read for it's beautiful sound. Listen to this, "Through the conduits of bone I night I water I forest that moves forward I tongue I body I sun-bone Through the conduits of night" and then on the even-numbered page, "Por el arcaduz de hueso yo noche yo agua yo bosque que avanza yo lengua yo cuerpo yo hueso de sol Por el arcaduz de noche."

What are you doing still sitting here reading my crappy writing when you could be reading Ocatavio Paz? Go get the book...you'll see.

Example 1: "Un cuerpo, un cuerpo solo, sólo un cuerpo,/un cuerpo como día derramado/y noche devorada". Example 2: "Lates entre la sombra/blanca y desnuda: río." Octavio Paz is one of the first voices of the xxth century mexican poetry. He is the most important blend between clasicism and the modern trends in poetical expresion. He lived in France and thus, he experienced surrealism and mingled with the likes of Breton, Éluard, et al. In México he estimulated the literary critic and reviews to new standars of excelence. Read O. Paz.

Paz' poetry is sublime, and elegant. The words and ideas simply slip off the page. Its like taking a bath in chocolate.

Paz consistently suprises the reader with new ideas, form, language. Paz creates an atmosphere that is soothing, and enchanting. I would highly recommend this work.

If one wants to explore and record the beauty of close up objects, this is one anyone should have. Interesting, educational, inspirational and beautiful, this book deserves the praise it is receiving. From the author of Nature's Palette: There's More to See, Michael Impellizzeri.

One of the very few books I bought just by looking at the cover (don't you agree the cover is very appealing?) and I'm glad I'm not disappointed (and in hard cover too!), the images are bright and colorful, less focus on flora but it's okay, the techniques are fairly the same.

Much of the technical info can be found in basic photography books but Paul has emphasized certain points for macro work so it can actually double up as one to a certain extent. In fact the chapters are laid out much like a basic photography book.

Simple to understand and yet detailed enough to keep advanced amateurs reading but to really duplicate the efforts one really needs to have the luck and patience. In fact some of the images are micro techniques already.

Unfortunately it did not really enhanced my knowledge on macro (I give 5 stars for the superb presentation and usefulness to a beginner). If you want more technical info on macro like mixing accessories, then read up John Shaw's Closeups in Nature instead. This book is more focused on flora and is also excellent in its own right.

If many hold that John Shaw's Closeups in Nature is the Bible, then this is an excellent compendium to it!

I found that this book is pegged at the intermmediate to advanced amateur level. The pictorials are lush and the explanation simple, yet giving reference to the more complicated concepts which was what I was looking for.

The pictures are an inspiration - making me want to go out and put in practice what I have learnt. This is the ultimate test of success in any book. Some excellent examples of this come from Art Wolfe, John Fielding, George Lepp ...

If I were asked to name 2 books that top my list (and I have bought or looked through almost all there is - since this is my passion!) which speak of macro, I would name John Shaw's and this one!

I read this book many years ago, it was passed around between family members. To this day, I have not read a book that has so powerfully depicted the tumultuous events involving Americans and Japanese during World War II. In fact, I was so dismayed that the book was out of print! This beautifully written historical epic is riveting, the kind that makes you cry and gets you all choked up, and the characters are admirable and true to life. F. Paul Wilson brilliantly weaves in historical details, native superstition and cultural differences around an unforgettable love triangle, and gives some very lasting (not to mention haunting) images of the war. Steven Spielberg should have made a movie out of it!

This is the best book I have ever read. Lately I've been into WWII fiction novels, and this is the best one yet. I love it. It's superbly written and the plot and story itself is extremely creative and fun. I love it. My favorite book. Definitely well worth your purchase.

Fantastic! I want to give it 5++ stars! F. Paul Wilson has truly created a novel to capture the intricate dynamics of loyalty between friends, between lovers, between brothers, between family and child, between love and hate...inter-twined without gaps, fast moving...a tightly woven tale that held me spell-bound, anxious to keep on reading well late into the night. Excellent work, sir...

This book was very good but also had some negatives. The positive side was a fine, detailed history of wrestling when it was wrestling. Sammartino takes the reader down the now-familiar stories of every wrestler's rough start in the business. In this book you will see wrestling when it was still viewed as being a legitamate competition, so much that sports sections in newspapers carried the results alongside of the NFL and Boxing match results. This brought back pleasant memories for wrestling fans like myself who detest what wrestling has evolved into. The negative side of the book are conspicuous misspellings, typos and other grammatical errors starting with page one and continuing onward. Also, and this may or may not be a "negative," but Bruno NEVER breaks kayfabe in the book. He actually goes to great lengths to support the legitamacy of wrestling--so much as to even deny that razor blades were ever used to draw blood. His exact quote (regarding the use of "blading" in the ring) is "Again, if such a thing has happened, I don't know about it." He then defends his answer saying there is no way a wrestler could smuggle a blade into the ring and cut himself during a match without anybody seeing it. He makes the point that he never even wore tape on his wrists to hide a razor blade. This, of course, is irrelevant as some men (Bruiser Brody, et. al.) hid them in their inner lips. Others (Hogan, et. al.) hid them in their tights. He also makes painful efforts to deny that matches are ever predetermined. This book was written in the early 90s--when wrestling was still somewhat protected. Also, before people like Superstar Billy Graham (who took the title from Sammartino) as well as Ventura, DiBiase, Hogan, etc. openly admitted that razor blades were always used to draw blood and that the outcomes of matches were always predetermined. I find it hard to believe that everybody was in on the angle except the World Champ at the time! (Can you imagine Graham pulling Bruno aside and saying, "Bruno, I gotta let you in on something--I was just playing the whole time. We all were. We were going to tell you, but it was like spilling the beans about Santa Clause to a 3 year old!") To Sammartino's credit, wreslters were and are wonderful atheletes and no matter how much "kayfabe" Bruce puts into the book, I would still strongly recommend it to any fan. It gives a glimmer of hope into the mind of a genuine old-school wrestler. I just wish wrestling was like it used to be in the early 80s and before. I will always be a fan of Bruno Sammartino!

The other reviewers are absolutely correct. This is the best book of its kind; Bruno and his co-authors are to be thanked for putting into print not only a great life-story but perhaps the best overview of 20 or so of wrestling's greatest years. Brono's story contains informative, interesting glimpses at mat legends like Killer Kowalski, Primo Carrera, and Gorilla Monsoon, and thrilling blow-by-blow recaps of some of his legendary matches. Add to that the very enlightening and often touching scenes of life-on-the-road, away from family, and the blood-boiling indictment of today's wrestling and promoters' throat-cutting (guess who?) of their stars, makes this THE book on wrestling.

Brunos' book is the most realistic autobiography you could ever read. I should know because I'm a close personal friend of the family. The book not only deals with wrestling but it also tells of his personal life. He is a great role model for people of all ages. The book tells of the sacrifices that his family had to make for him to become the Legend that he is. It will inspire both young and old to overcome all obstacles to achieve thier dreams. There are few role models left of his stature, this is a must read for all who wish for genuine people.

Willem Elsschot was the pseudonym of Alfons De Ridder, who is widely considered a giant in Flemish literature. All of his works are very concise and "Cheese" is no different.

Within a mere 126 pages, Elsschot humorously recounts the tale of Frans Laarmans, an ordinary clerk, who tries his hand vainly at the cheese business. Laarmans is a clerk with General Marine and Shipbuilding Company and is quite content to plod along until a friend prods him to delve into the cheese business. What follows is a wonderfully wry and funny look at business. Larmaans is quite unsure about what to do when ten thousand wheels of the red-rinded Edam cheeses arrive at his doorstep. He knows he has to sell them all, but would rather first set up his office with a proper desk and typewriter. In the end, his business collapses predictably, but Laarman's failure saddens the reader. One feels for the shy clerk right from the beginning to the end.

Elsschot had a wonderful gift for telling a story in just a few pages and "Cheese" is a wonderful example of it. I was tempted to read more by the author but sadly found out that most of the rest of his work is out of print. Special thanks then to Granta Books for republishing this one.

Other pluses for the book are the bright red jacket, the price, and the crisp writing style. I finished the book in one sitting at the beach.

"Cheese" is just as delectable as the full-cream Edams featured in it. Dig in!

Great book, a fast read and it will make you laugh!
It might be a good idea to send some copies to the Enron executives.

I cannot remember the last time a book made me laugh out loud. In public. The self-deprecating flavor of the humor in this chronicle of an inept businessman is somewhere between Jerome K. Jerome and Jacques Tati. Highly recommended escapist, absurdist fun. Also for lovers of all things Belgian: Harry Pearson's comic travelogue "A Tall Man in a Low Land," which brings the 1933 Belgium of "Cheese" into the present.

I truly hope that someone with Devlin's fortitude and willingness to do what needs to be done would be able to complete the job without becoming a murderer and a thief. I would think that someone with an FBI agent's integrity would not depict a fellow agent in such poor light. I certainly hope that in real life we can expect better.

Now and again - if you are lucky - you stumble across an author who is really good. Author Lindsay is a terrific writer of the action/mystery/detective genre. His books about Devlin of the FBI are all very special. You can't go wrong reading them and I can't praise them enough. See for yourself!

Paul Lindsay's 3 books are some of the best mysteries that I have ever read. I put him up there with James Patterson, Mary Willis Walker and Patricia Cornwell. I couldn't put his books down!