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This book, at first glance, is no different from any other toddler/preschool book about the daily routine of a family.

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When you read it, though, the little differences in daily routine between mom, dad, granpa, daughter and baby, are described in a way that is witty and wacky. They will vary between tickling your funny bone to laugh out loud humor. This tounge in cheek humor at the different perspectives of normal daily routines done by grandma , dad or baby, is very insightful, and the kids loved it.

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As the family gets dressed, we observe the differences in underwear, from baby's diapers, to grampa's long Johns. We see how the family members differ in going to work or school for the day, eating dinner, etc. The wonderful illustrations support the tongue in cheek wit. Toddlers and preschoolers may be old enough to find it amusing, or they may be young enough still to appreciate the fact that this book doesnt ignore the little details of reality that are fascinating to kids: like the fact that dad stands up at the toilet, while baby still wets his diapers. I don't know who enjoyed reading this book more, me or the kids!

I greatly enjoyed this book. The half-Caucasian, half-aborigine Detective Inspector Napolean Bonaparte (Bony to his friends) becomes involved in this case hoping he's found the perfect murder. A man named Marks visits Windee Station then vanishes. The local police assume he was lost in the bush but Bony has reason to think differently. This mystery is populated with a host of interesting outback characters, aborigines, blackmailers, secondary mysteries, and an awe-inspiring fire. The vision of 1930's Australia is exotic to us in this day and age, yet presented with complete understanding. It is worth noting that Bony and his contemporaries are well aware of his biracial status and some of the language used may bother some. The original copyright of this story is over 60 years ago though, and Mr. Upfield's heart and intentions are in the right place.

Was a good book to start the learning of FORTRAN ... way back in the late '70s.

Once again, Paul Strathern has produced a succinct, entertaining, highly readable overview of a philosophical figure. The "in 90 Minutes" will not tell you everything you need to know about an individual, but you will pick up a great introduction. I have read about ten of the books in the series, and I enjoyed them all. Some of Strathern's conclusions strike me as logically suspect, but an intelligent reader will not rely solely on his opinions anyway. "Schopenhauer in 90 Minutes" will give you a sense of who the man was, what he thought, and how he fits into the overall scope of Western philosophy. Reading the book is the equivalent of attending a great lecture: it offers some information, throws out some ideas for consideration, and leaves you thinking after you have stumbled out of class into the blare of yellow sun.

NB this review refers to the 1988 reprint of the 1974 edition. So you thought Jack and Jill were just a couple of clumsy kids trying to get some water from the well? Think again - the familiar nursey rhyme is a piece of political satire from the time of Charles 1. Klein's book is full of similar snippets that will serve you in good stead at a dinner party! "Science of Measurement" is an excellent coverage of the SI units - although even this reprint is missing the major redefinition of the metre in 1983. Use this book as a history, and as a guide to the physics behind measurements, but for the most up-to-date definitions of the units you'll want to check a more recent publication.

This book should be read by everyone. It describes, in a lucid, clear, and level-headed style, the discoveries made by inventors and engineers over the years, in their quests to find a free and non-polluting source of energy, and why their inventions are still not out on the market. It makes for very sobering, not to say chilling and even frightening, reading. Infuriating is another word that comes to mind. In his foreword to the book, none other than Sir Arthur C. Clarke describes this as, "almost certainly the biggest scandal in the history of science."
This is not a "conspiracy theory" book. It does not describe grand conspiracies and cover-ups (although it does touch on those subjects). Tutt simply lays out the facts as they are, gathered from news stories, interviews, and the personal writings of the people involved (from both the pro and con camps). It is clear that with adequate funding and support, a source of limitless energy would be within our grasp in a matter of years. Yet very little funding is forthcoming, continued ridicule abounds, and our tortured world is still subjected to a year-by-year massive increase in pollution caused by the burning of primitive stone age fossil fuels. Not to mention the continued dependence of the Western world on the oil supplied by the fundamentalist Arab world.
There is no organized conspiracy, I certainly hope, but there is a "momentum" against change, and what is desperately needed is a paradigm shift. People with vested interests, and people whose livelihood and careers depend on the continued use of our primitive and backward energy technologies, are, independently of each other, actively working against the new technologies, and collectively they form a massive resistance that does indeed look like a great conspiracy. And in the scientific establishment we have all the "experts," whose careers and reputations depend on the continued discrediting of cold fusion and all other alternative free energy sources. The result is the world as we see it today, with its massive pollution and energy problems.
For those with no technical background, this book is heavy going at times. There is a lot of technical detail, and Tutt relies heavily, at times, on extracts from other sources, which interrupts the flow of the narrative. But the stories told are, nevertheless, interesting ones. Here is the original "mad scientist," Nikola Tesla, and his several free energy devices. Here is also the Radiant Energy Device of T. Henry Moray, and the tragic story of his futile struggle to find acceptance for his technology. Here is the mysterious N-Machine, and the Thesta-Distatica, developed by a sect of Christian fanatics somewhere up in the Swiss Alps. Here is the very tragic story of how the promise of cold fusion was destroyed, as Tutt delves into all the popular misconceptions about this important technology. And here is the story of Randell Mills and his BlackLight technology, currently in development. Tutt also describes some of the free energy scams that are continually being pulled by various con artists who usually claim that God has given them the technology, with the predictable result that long lines of evangelical Christians immediately form up to give the "inventor" their money.
I give this book the rating 4 out of 5 only because, as I said, it is not an easy read for those who are technically challenged. But the book is more than well worth reading. People with closed minds will no doubt scorn and deride, as such people always do, but for intelligent and open-minded individuals, this book gives an important insight into what is really going on in the field of free energy development. Highly recommended.

"The Second Coming" is an interesting and fairly accurate description of Satanism as it was at the time the book was written. The author avoids moral condemnation of the topic, and usually avoids the sensationalization that Satanism is often subjected to.

The Second Mrs. Tanqueray was first performed on May 27, 1893, at the St. James Theatre, London, with Mrs. Patrick Campbell as Paula. It was a success in its own time, and was recognised as Pinero's greatest work. It is an absolute must-read for all students of Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan, as an alternative and contemporary example of a play about a fallen woman.

More developed than Victorian Melodrama, Pinero's best known play is a tragedy of a "a woman with a past". However, unlike Wilde, Pinero does not treat at the issue of adultery as a social discussion, but as a crime that must be punished. His female protagonist, Paula, cannot be forgiven, nor understood, until she takes her own life. It is only with this death that the other characters understand their own fallability.

Aubrey Tanqueray, on the eve of his second marriage, entertains his three closest male friends at dinner. The dinner is designed as a farewell, as he believes that married friends' wives often do not get on. However, this is a masque for the real problem: his wife has "a past".

His bachelor friend, Cayley Drummle, remains after the others leave and to him Aubrey confesses the truth about "Mrs." Jarman, his future wife. Shortly after Drummle, too, has gone, Paula Jarman arrives bringing Aubrey a letter confessing certain details of her past, a letter which he chivalrously burns unopened.

We see the marriage a few months later, as Aubrey and Paula are struggling for happiness in his country house, "willowmere", in the company of Ellean, Aubrey's convent-reared daughter. She has returned to live with him, having faltered as she was about to take her vows. It becomes clear that the second Mrs Tanqueray has complex feelings for this step-daughter, and that Ellean cannot love her new step-mother. Paula is jealous of Aubrey's and Ellean's love for one another, and is anxious to win her confidence. However, this repels Ellean, who remains aloof.

To add to Paula's unhappiness, the neighbours, although old friends of Aubrey's, have conspicuously refrained from calling.

Finally Paula insists that if the neighbours will not visit, then she is going to invite Lord George Orreyed and his wife, also a notorious woman and a chorus girl, to be their guests. Horrified, Aubrey insists that she should not deliver the invitation.

To compound Paula's sense of being snubbed, their nearest neighbour finally calls, but to gain permission to take Ellean to Paris and London for the season. This inflames Paula's jealousy and sense of their precarious position in society's eyes. When Aubrey gives his permission, admitting that they themselves cannot give Ellean the social background to which she is entitled, Paula defiantly delivers her letter to the Orreyeds.

Paula finds herself utterly bored with her guests, but refuses to make up with her husband. Into this atmosphere, Ellean returns to ask her father's permission for her marriage to a Captain Ardale. Paula feels impelled to confess to Aubrey that the man who now wants to marry his daughter has been her lover and former "husband".

Ellean comprehends the situation and taunts Paula with the sort of "past" that she has already condoned in Ardale. In a final realisation that for a woman with a "past" there can be no future, Paula kills herself.

As the cutain falls, Ellean understands that her own lack of friendship contributed to the tragedy, and wails "But I know--I helped kill her. If I'd only been merciful!"

Another fantastic work by the author of the Unknown Arthur! Very highly reccomended for Arthurian story fans. Not mainly intended for children, these stories unearth gleaming gems in the Arthurian tradition known mostly to scholars, and otherwise languishing in obscure manuscripts. Thoughtfull commentary preceeds each story, which is retold/arranged to be clear and readable, but retain the authentic components of the story and the original flavor. Nothing bad to say about it, except that there aren't more in this series!

This is a book about reading - not just casual reading, but a considered form of reading employing techniques not unlike those of Sherlock Holmes himself.

The author takes a sample of the Holmesian Canon and subjects them to careful analysis to come up with sometimes surprising results. Atkinson describes his readings as "eccentric", a view which I must support. By drawing parallels between the stories and a variety of literary, pop cultural and religious matters, some far better known than others, Atkinson reveals sidelights on well-known stories which should delight many readers.

The book would be of interest to students of literary criticism or ardent Holmesians, and especially to those who are both.

My view: a good and stimulating read that encouraged me to re-read old favouites.