Cotton Mather was the son of one great Puritan preacher, Increase Mather, and the grandson of two others, John Cotten and Richard Mather. This juvenile biography by Norman Jean Lutz for the Colonial Leaders series focuses on how Cotton Mather tried to live up to the responsibilities of his family heritage, graduating from Harvard at the age of 15. Although probably best known for being a clergyman, young readers will get a better sense of Cotton Mather as an author of more than 400 books ranging from sermons and poetry to books teaching about science. His two most famous and popular works were an 800-page volume "Magnalia Christi Americana" ("The Might Deeds of Christ in America"), which told the story of the first 80 years of the Puritans in New England, and "Bonifacius" ("Doer of Good," known popularly as "Essays to Do Good," which had a profoun impact on Benjamin Franklin. Lutz also covers Cotton Mather's involvement in the Salem Witch Trials, for which, she argues, he has been unjustly criticized, and the Great Awakening. Actually, there is relatively little about him as a Puritan or as a preacher and, ironically, more about him as a man of science, who supported the new idea of innoculating people against small pox. A lot of time is also devoted to his family and the tragic deaths of his first two wives and most of his young children. I suspect that in most contemporary American History textbooks Cotton Mather is probably mentioned only in passing, so young readers and teachers will certainly find much more about him here and get a sense for how he was something of a proto-revolutionary. Other books in the Colonial Leaders series look at Benjamin Banneker, Anne Hutchinson, William Penn, and Peter Stuyvesant.

This book explains enough detail to satisfy the curiosity and document facts. The simple formula on how to adjust your diet is the best I've seen. I have recommended it to loads of my own patients to read. It is now 11 years old but it still is a must for anyone trying to lower their cholesterol.

Easy to follow cook book. Recipies are very good, even our 10 year old likes the food. Offers a variety of foods, including muffins and brownies. Focus is on moderation not depravation.

Alchemy has always been of interest to me. The idea that you can take ordinary metal and turn it into gold has naturally got to be appealing - especially in our very materialistic society. St Germain is said to have been a master alchemist who was a favorite of the court of kings and queens, as well as the powerful of the time. In addition to his seemingly magical abilities he never seem to age. In fact, this book makes a good case that it would appear and than vanish throughout the course of over 400 years. There are those who say he was there when they signed the Constitution as well on TV in France in the last decade. This book held my interest -- it makes for both fascinating reading, but is also practical for those wishing to further their occult studies in rejuvenation and youthfulness. There is also a large selection of messages beamed from St Germain who is said to be living beneath Mt Shasta in the underground city of Telos, where he is working with the great while brotherhood of light.

This book covers classical Euclidian geometry. It has been around a long time. (The 1982 copyright date is just the last time the text was revised for printing. The pictures etc. date back to the 1940's.) The exercises are delightfully challenging.

Amazon listed the book's reading level as "young adult". I have been teaching advanced HS geometry classes with this book for 6 years, and I can report that most bright students find the language challenging without someone to help them along. If you are homeschooling etc, you may want to investigate whether you can get the solution text from the publisher.

I give the exercises in the book 5 stars. Again and again I find myself saying: wow I never would have thought of that. The text that accompanies the exercises gets only three stars.

FOOL'S GOLD by Julie Skerven is a good romance with a bit of suspense thrown in. Typical of the Harlequin style romances, this one is based in a mythical town in western Wyoming. The suspense is good, the romance tasty, and the setting of a modern day ranch on the verge of becoming a dude ranch is good. A nice read!

Although called a "Critical Dictionary", this book does a remarkable job of describing the intellectual attributes of the French Revolution and comparing it with the ideals of the American Revolution. The author adroitly traces the origins of the French Revolution to the Enlightenment legacy and the age of reason. The well-organized chapters elucidate the principle participants, including Robes Pierre, who helped stabilize the Revolution. In fact, this book explains that the Revolution attacked inequality. Consequently, the peasants revolted and the bourgeoisie seized political control. Additionally, the philosophical anecdotes of Hegel and Marx enriched my reading enjoyment. Moreover, the chapter about the American Revolution clarified the uniqueness of the French Revolution in its own conceptual framework. Overall, A Critical Dictionary of the French Revolution represents essential reading for a student or general reader interested in the French Revolution.

My Mother has been working crossword puzzles for as long as I've known her. Since my Father passed away, she has no one to "help" her finish the New York Times puzzles and gets very frustrated. This book was just perfect for her (and me too)! They are the perfect challange for those of us who don't know every state motto or river throughout the world. She just loves this book and asks for more!

George Krambles and Art Peterson take you deep into the innerworkings of The Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago's urban mass transit system. This book is chock full of rare photos of the agency's infancy in 1947, when it was a merger of two bankrupt systems, Chicago Surface Lines and Chicago Rapid Transit Company until its glory days of the late '70's early '80's...then its decline in the early '90's.

George Krambles was not just an observer, but the well respected, hands-on General Manager that respected all who worked for him and with him at the CTA. It was not unususal to see Mr.Krambles at the controls of an L-train in the Chicago Loop, or behind the wheel of the latest model bus. This is not just a collection of memoirs, but a factual journey into the day to day operations of a transit system no one knew the way he did.

The text is complimented nicely by color photographs by Art Peterson, one of the nation's top transit proffessionals and a prolific urban photo! grapher. To further add to this volume are rare photos from the CTA's own historic files, many rarely seen. Other graphics are reproduced as well.

Wheather you are a urbanoligist, transit proffessional, or rail or bus fan, this book is worth a prized spot in your library.

I had read a review in Newsweek of Crab Walk (the story of the Geman Titanic) by Gunter Grass. Crab Walk is not yet available in English and I didn't want to wait until his book came out in English to learn more about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff.
I read Sellwood's book in a few hours. It was a good appetizer, primarily focusing on 4 of the passengers.

I will definitely be looking for other books that further detail this fascinating story.