Maybe it's because it's the first non-Oregon Trail book in the series, but Texas just does not have the "oomph" of most of the other books. The major characters of the series so far take a backseat to lesser characters in this book, breaking away much of the familiarity with the series. It is still a good book, especially if you want a novel set during the Mexican-American war. However, don't lose any sleep if you are trying to read the entire series and can't find this one in your library.

I am the proud owner of the entire Wagons West Series (all 24 novels). I began reading them in high school some 19 years ago. I have just recently begun re-reading the series and it's like visiting old friends. Texas, picks up two years after the settling of Oregon and we find the United States in the process of annexing Texas into the Union. Soon old characters like Whip Holt and Lee Blake are back in the saddle doing what they do best, helping our country expand, with selfless dedication. We are introduced to new friends who display the same attributes of the earlier settlers in the Oregon series. Overall, the book is quite enjoyable, and it is almost imposssible to put down. The reader is transported to the old West, and can develop a sense of pride and understanding for those brave men and women who were the trailblazers of our American history.

Collections are difficult to review, especially one as wide-ranging as this. The thread that (supposedly) holds this collection together is that it is inspired by Yi-Fu Tuan, a "humanist geographer" (who, judging from his essay, and the many bouquets thrown his way in the other essays), is the very picture of a modernist major geographer.

What is a geographer these days you might ask? If you were to read this book, you would have to believe that everyone who has ever read any postmodern thinkers on the subject of boundaries and/or space is a geographer. That means just about everybody, of course, as postmodernists are all about space and, dare I say it, spatiality. How soon will place be converted into platiality?

Despite my snarky comments above, I like this book. Some of it postmodern ideas are only rearticulations of stuff hardcore guys like Derrida are known for, except here is is told from the perspective of geographers. I'm not sure what makes these folks geographers exactly -- in fact a couple of them are teachers of medieval literature -- but, I am sure that the majority of these essays are thoughtful and thought-provoking. Particulary fine is Wilbur Zelinsky's "The World and Its Identity Crisis" which sketches out a (very) shematic history of the world and our place in it. Here's a quote:

"We find ourselves caged in a curious world of contradictions, of unprecedented personal and group anxieties. The freedom to comparison-shop among lifestyles, to rotate among multiple identities, this culmination of millennia of human struggle and progress, such power and flexibility, all this has failed to generate the bliss one might have anticipated or hoped for. Instead an increasingly large segment of First World populations, and incipiently others as well, has begun to wonder who or what they are, or should be."

Here he is quoting Zygmunt Bauman:

"Postmodernity is the point at which modern untying (dis-embedding, dis-encumbering) of tied (embedded, situated) identities reaches its completion: it is now all too easy to choose identity, but no longer possible to hold it. At the moment of ultimate triumph, the liberation succeeds in annihilating its object...Freedom...has given the postmodern seekers of identity all the powers of Sisyphus."

So, this collection offers the general reader a chance to check out what's going on in the new world of humanist geography. Essentially it's re-thinking the ways the world, space and place have been thought about, and are thought about, which is what most post-modern stuff does. Good illustrations, mostly good writing which in some cases opens up new territory, and in others, treads over old, but still interesting, ground.

I would like to append my comment's to panopticonman's below (which I much appreciate). To contextualize myself, I am a graduate student in geography at UCLA. This quarter I am enrolled in a seminar which is reading this book, alongside Claudio Minca's volume "Postmodern Geography: Theory and Praxis." The seminar is run by Denis Cosgrove, a contributor to both volumes, and is attended by Karen Till (one of the editors of "Textures of Place") and Michael Curry, another contributor and former student of Yi-Fu Tuan. Furthermore, I have taken to identifying myself as a "humanistic geographer." Thus I have a particular insider's perspective on the work.

Some minor corrections of panopticonman's comments, to contextualize the work itself. First off, humanistic geography is nothing new. Prior to this book, the most definitive statements on humanistic geography were produced in the mid-1970s, in a series of papers by Nick Entrikin, Yi-Fu Tuan, Ed Relph and Anne Buttimer (all of whom contribute to this volume), and a book titled "Humanistic Geography: Prospects and Problems." What makes "Textures" so interesting is that it is the first book in nearly 25 years to actually have the phrase "humanistic geography" in the title. In our (post)modern times, the very idea of 'humanism' has become less than fashionable, with some avowed postmodernists (see the Minca volume or "Place and the Politics of Identity") actually taking an "antihumanist" stance. Most of the contributors to "Textures" have wrestled with postmodernism before, and many would perhaps take issue with being labeled "humanists," but all have benefited from the work of Tuan and other humanistic geographers. So what you see in this volume is not so much work on postmodernism particularly, but rather on the viability and value of humanistic modes of inquiry in our postmodern context.

Secondly, this book offers a very particular representation of academic geography. As panopticonman noted, what binds all the essays together is the presence (explicit or implicit) of Yi-Fu Tuan. (In fact, the book has its roots in a set of paper sessions held at a national meeting of the American Association of Geographers in Tuan's honor.) The three editors are all former students of Tuan (Till was his last formal student) and several of the contributors are former students. As well, quite a few of the contributors are colleagues of Tuan. The contributing geographers include several emeriti professors, several who have been active in the field since "humanistic geography" first emerged (and, indeed, helped to shape that perspective), and several who have begun their professorial careers in only the last 5 or 6 years. In other words, you have presented here close to 30 years or more of academic geography's history. This volume, then, is a good indicator not only of contemporary work in geography, but the historical trajectory which geography has taken. Furthermore, beyond the discipline of geography, you have represented the fields of English and American literature, art history, philosophy and anthropolgy, marking the influence of Tuan beyond his formal disciplinary boundaries.

Finally, I would just like to offer something moving (slowly but inexorably) towards panopticonman's question: what is a geographer, anyway? Certainly for many of the contributors to this volume (and including myself, though I am merely a reader of the book, and lack an authorial presence), Tuan does offer a model of the ideal geographer. His intellectual project begins with a simple supposition: that geography is the study (and, following Sack's analysis, the practice) of how humans transform the world into 'home.' Tuan has been concerned throughout his career to analyze how people have actively shaped their world -- nature, relations with other people, even 'raw' space itself -- in order to transform it into meaningful places. This project involves active (materialist), normative, and aesthetic dimensions; these various dimensions are explored, singly and in combination, by the contributors to "Textures." As well, Tuan has exerted a significant pedagogical influence on geography, exemplified in Entrikin's closing essay of the volume. Entrikin identifies Tuan as "the perfect humanistic geographer," focusing on Tuan's understanding of liberal education and humanism as a philosophical outlook on the world (as expressed most particularly in "The Good Life"). The purpose of humanistic inquiry, for Tuan, "is to develop the whole person, to create a good person, and in this way to cultivate humanity" (Entrikin here connects Tuan's project up conceptually with Martha Nussbaum). This volume, drawing on the force of Tuan's personality and perspective, contributes to the cultivation of humanity through its engagement with the material, moral, and educational directives and achievements of contemporary geography.

If you've enjoyed Stephen Birmingham's books you'll love this slice-of-life novel. Buttenweiser could be called the Louis Auchincloss of "Our Crowd."

Peggy and Alan Gutheim have it all -- a loving if somewhat eccentric family, a comfortable life, good health. Daughter Joan, in her senior year at Bennington, suddenly falls victim to fainting spells. She is brought home for testing and some R&R. Peggy, who's accustomed to running the lives of her children and everyone else in sight, decides that Joan must have a project. So Joan becomes involved in working with handicapped children and has an affair with another worker (Kevin). She gets engaged to a childhood friend (Johnny). But Joan's illness is more serious than anyone has thought.

This is not one of my favorite books, but it is entertaining. Characters are well-developed and the story moves along quite nicely. As I read, I was reminded of MARJORIE MORNINGSTAR --without the dramatic background of the theater and the immense talent of Herman Wouk.

This is a novel I have read over and over; each time finding a unique turn of phrase or an original thought I had missed earlier. The characters are so keenly described you know them very well as the book draws to its sad conclusion. The subtle wit and broader humor contained in almost every chapter keeps you turning the pages hour after hour.

The story centers around a troubled young college girl who is the product of a controlling mother and easy going Dad whose love for his children outweighs his ability to stand up to his wife. Also in this highly succesful upper class Jewish family are two sons the youngest of whom is an aspiring concert pianist to everyone's pleasure and his dismay, a philanthropic Grandmother and other characters both lovable and eccentric. Taking place from November to New Years Eve, there is a great deal of action in this short period of time.

Here is an author who really knows and loves New York City and is able to recreate the atmosphere of New York in the 60s with perfectly chosen words and exquisite phrases.

Want understand what Stephen Hawking and his colleagues are talking about, but have no idea about the history of cosmology? Then this is the book you're looking for.

This collection of texts taken from writings by Plato, Copernicus, Galilei, Ptolomy, Einstein, Hubble and other theorists discus what the universe is made of, how it works and (ultimately) what our place is in the Grand Scheme of Things, offering good insight into how our knowledge of the universe has developed over the last 40 centuries from Babylonian times to the 20th Century.

As this book was originally published in 1957 and reprinted in 1965, the latest theories are not included. It is therefore not a book for mathematicians or physicists interested in learning the latest theories, but rather a book for those interested in a well-written, general introduction to the field of cosmology.

July 7, 1999 I would like to take a minute to thank Audio Scholar for putting together this audio novel which consists of 4 essays on the theories of the Universe. I thoroughly enjoyed it as did my 17 month old son who gets to listen to them to as his bedtime stories. One night he kept me up until 2am until I turned the tape back on! Normally he just gets to listen from 8 - 10pm. I would like to encourage Audio Scholar to produce more of these types of edutainment audio programs on tape or CD. In many instances I wouldn't mind seeing the programs extend to 4 tapes or CD's. I love listening to scientific books on my way to work and also love to share them with my 17 month old son as his bedtime stories. My budget for this type of audio edutainment is $1,000 a year and the more science and physics books abridged the better. I would love to see the following subjects abrigded to audio for distribution through Amazon.com. Maths, sciences, physics, astrophysics, geology, any and all space related topics, gravity, unified field theory, electromagnetics, electronics, microproccessor design, optics, micro-optics, electro-optics, light and the theory there of, satellites, satellite orbital mechanics and related theory. I do not have time in my busy daily schedule to read very much, but do I have five hours a day to listen and learn. If you make it I will support it. Arnold D Veness

I liked this book because there is a "cliff hanger" in every chapter. And you are always excited because you never know what is going to happen next.

I picked this book because when I read the Chapter Title Names they caught my attention and they sounded interesting. I had fun reading the book! It kept me guessing to the end who the trickster was, and finally I found out. Now, I would like to read the other books written by Susan Clymer.

Chenel

I ask my students to use this book in an anthropological course on globalism. It is a gold mine of information--historical, economic, social. It is a must-have reference book for the historically and geographically challenged. However, the information is aging. I fervently hope that there is an update in the wings.

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In Hoffman's Three Babies and a Bargain, Professor Jillian Marshall convinces her sister, Roxane, that she can take care of her triplet toddlers while Roxane and her husband are on their second honeymoon. She is completely convinced that she could do better than Roxane because she understands that organization is the key to giving the children a structured existence. Nick Callahan is building shelves for Roxane and her husband as a favor for lending him their guest house for the summer. He comes to Jillian's rescue and basically spends the rest of the story bailing her out of disasters created by her own misguided devotion to organization.

Hoffman does a great job setting up a rapport between Nick and the triplets but she might have been better served developing a stronger one between him and Jillian. Nick's quick wit and generous sense of humor save the day as well as this story. The reader is never given the chance to warm up to Jillian because of her inflexibility as well as her calculated models on what disaster would strike next because of her ineptitude. Rather than truly learning from Nick how to care for the children, much of the story is spent witnessing her relying on him instead. Hoffman spends so much time focusing on Nick and Jillian creating a temporary family with the triplets that the story weakens when it comes to their own relationship.

In the story by Sandra Paul, Jessica Kendall is the operations officer of a Los Angeles bank who has been frequently targeted as being easy to rob due to the fact that five of their tellers are pregnant. Security adviser, Mitch Flaherty, takes action to prevent another robbery by implementing a number of new procedures and policies which irritates Jessica because she has to be the one to soothe and comfort the tellers who are trying to acclimate to the new rules. Though Jessica feels Mitch has usurped her authority, she tries to help for the sake of the bank and its tellers. Her innate tendency to nurture eventually extends to Mitch who wants to act on the attraction they feel for each other.

Paul's story is clearly the stronger of the two in terms of characterization. Both Mitch and Jessica are clearly defined by their actions as well as the secondary characters who rely on her and get to know him. Their relationship is clearly the focus of this story and though babies do play a role in this story, they only enhance their relationship rather than playing an integral role in the story.

If you're looking for a fun time, look no further than Duets #31. Sandra Paul is always a fabulous read and while Kate Hoffman was new to this reviewer I was not disappointed in her work either. Fast-paced, rib-tickling, you'll love this book if you love romantic comedies. Highly recommended.

This short work introduces the reader to another approach to the book of Revelation. It is refreshing because it is based upon a symbolic interpretation. Symbols from the Old Testatment appear in Revelation. Spilsbury uses them to present an interpretaion which views Revelation as not a book of detailed prophecy but one in which the symbols stand for the Church age and the struggle all Christians face. This short work does not fully cover all the questions it raises but opens up a new way of thinking. It is a fast read that left me wanting more.

This is a good, fairly short summary of scholarly analysis of the book of Revelation, solidly grounded in what it meant to those who originally wrote and recopied it.

Colonel (RET) Jeff Cooper is a controversial figure within the shooting community. His opinions both politically and in technical areas focusing on the deployment of personal weapons, in particular firearms, are subjects for argument among 'experts' as well as laymen. This is, in my opinion, his best work to date. Subjects range from practical pistol and rifle craft to current (1988) perceived political and cultural problems with some proposed controversial solutions. Colonel Cooper relies heavily on his personal experiences in combat and as a weapons instructor. His descriptions of hunting world-wide with emphasis on his African adventures are well worth the price of this book. His experiences during World War Two and more recently as a guest of the U.S. Army provide insight into the historical 'Warrior' mentality of which Colonel Cooper is a living example. If you like books about Teddy (Theodore Roosevelt), or such titles as 'Death In The Long Grass' by Peter Hathaway Capstic you will enjoy this work

Jeff Cooper is known worldwide among shooters as the "Father of the Modern Technique of the Handgun". His contributions to the science of the defensive use of the handgun are legend. Founder of the original GunSite - American Pistol Institute. Trainer of Law enforcement trainers. A director of the NRA. This classic work includes the musings and philosophy of a man many call the "Guru". - Tom Scot

This book is a collection of episodes, usually not connected, from six previous Theroux books published in the 70's and 80's. His travels in five different continents are highlighted here with varying degrees of detail. Since his other books describe distinct journeys from beginning to end, Theroux explains in the intro here that this book is meant more as a celebration of the art of traveling itself. He also has some snide insights into the art of travel writing, especially annoying authors who give only a tourist's eye view of the destination but don't bother to say how they got there. Getting there is Theroux's passion and the fragments in this volume usually show him encountering all kinds of intriguing characters and situations around the world, all while on his way somewhere else. That includes the good, the bad, and the ugly - and describing all of these with equal insight is Theroux's greatest strength as a globetrotting non-tourist.

In his Introduction Paul Theroux writes, "When something human is recorded, good travel writing happens." Theroux always records the human aspects of countries and people he meets along the way. He records the scene outside the train window or porthole like no one else. Close to poetic in some sections.

I have read almost all of Theroux's books and when I picked up this one I was afraid it would just be excerpts from his travels and might be less than satisfying, the tales taken out of conntext. I was wrong. These stories are gems in their own right, timeless, and may inspire you to read more of his books, fiction and nonfiction.