This ecological masterpiece is essential to our research here at Bucknell University. Their work with the ball-gall fly and goldenrod is methodical and illustrates the details of the plant/animal interaction. This is a must read for anyone interested in plant-insect interactions! M.B and L.Y.

Excalibur is a wonderful book, a real treat for the eyes. The story is a straight-forward, easily understood retelling of the story of how King Arthur came to possess the sword Excalibur. What makes this book unique are the illustrations. Rich, deep, vibrant colors draw the viewer into a world where fantasy and reality are intertwined. This is the world of Arthur as I have always imagined it to be: mysterious places, beautiful people, uniquely detailed settings and creatures. A wonderful book to share with a child.

For anyone interested in keeping pets that are bit different, Arthur Rosenfeld's Exotic Pets is a definitely great choice. This book contains detailed (yet practical) advice on all aspects of keeping these pets. Birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish are all included with sections about each species, as well. But the main thing that sets this book apart from the average pet book is the way that Rosenfeld presents these animals. As an obviously avid pet owner, he writes from experience regarding most of these animals. He includes very entertaining anecdotes about his experiences with these pets, including training a monitor lizard to act like a dog and dealing with parrots that talk a little too well. If you want a truly exceptional book regarding these great pets, buy this book!

It is an interesting experience to read short stories from an author like Clarke. The stories in this book are as grande and impressive as the novels he writes. This collection also shows the remarkable breadth in imagination and talent that he also possesses. A good read that I recommend to anyone who takes interest in science fiction that is scaringly close to reality, and in philosophy.

Library Journal's review of this guide: "Combining encyclopedic coverage of destinations with loads of practical information and atlas-type maps, the series illuminates the wonders of nature but emphasizes the peculiarity of a place's people and their folklore."

On Febraury 16, 1600, this former monk was burned at the stake on charges of heresy. He died in the name of free thought. Yes, at first he offered to retract all of his heretical statements, but in the end, he decided that there was more honour in the penal fires than in a life like Galilei's. This book begins with an Explanatory Epistle. This letter alone is worth reading. The dialogues that comprise the body of the work were a trifle trying for me, as i have very little knowledge of the constellations, but please don't let this deter any possible readers from this work. As with any philosophical text, every reader should bring with him or her a willingness to concentrate on the book and the understanding that numerous re-readings will be necessary to appreciate the full depth of it. The bit where the messenger of the gods is telling Sophia all of the events Zeus has ordered to take place on Earth that day is very funny, so don't think this is all esoteric gobble-dee-gook that only some Ph.d. could enjoy. Shoot, I am only a high school graduate and I was glued to this thing the first time I read it.

The arguments Nathanson uses in this book against the death penalty are supurb. His opinion is not overbearing and is backed up by lots of facts. Recommended.

Bertrand Russell often gathered essays he thought would have lasting value, and published them as collections. This book not only has essays, but the text of talks he gave on the BBC. The topics are wide and disparate. He begins with books (and their authors) that made a deep impression on him while he was in his formative years. Then follow essays on politics, starting off with "What is Freedom?" and "What is Democracy?" -- two basic questions that many people don't even think about. The "Divertissement" section contains pieces of fiction. Russell stated that he found fiction a useful medium to express ideas he half-believed in, but had no firm grounds for belief. The last section is on "Peace and War," and includes the famous Vienna and Manchester addresses on nuclear bombs. His style is incisive and pithy as usual. If you like Russell, you should not miss reading this book.

A superb collection of nine favorite H.C.A. stories (see below), wonderously illustrated with something like a hundred hig-quality reproductions, at least half of which are full-page, drawn from the work of twenty of the greatest artists from the "Golden Age" of children's book illustration (around the turn of the century). The art is simply mind-blowingly beautiful.

The tellings themselves are very fine. The language used is both delightful and sophisticated, making this a fine volume to entertain good readers amongst older children, and to expand their language skills. Of course, less able readers and younger children might like the stories just as well if they were read to them. There is no information in the book or on the publishers website regarding the origins of these particular tellings.

A sample paragraph, from "Thumbelina":

"Then they came to the warm lands. The sun was shining much more brightly, the sky was twice as high, and the most wonderful green and black grapes were growing by the roadside and on fences. Lemons and oranges hung in the forests, and there was a scent of myrtle and curled mint, and pretty children were running by the roadside playing with big colorful butterflies. But the swallow flew still further, and everything became even more beautiful. There, beneath magnificent green trees by a blue lake, stood a shining white palace, with vines climbing up it's lofty pillars. At the top were lots of swallows' nests, and the swallow carrying Thumbelina lived in one of them."

This collection contains the following stories:

The Emperor's New Clothes The Little Mermaid The Little Match Girl The Nightingale The Princess and the Pea The Steadfast Tin Soldier Thumbelina The Tinderbox The Ugly Duckling

The compilers, Russell Ash and Bernard Higton, must be very proud of the beautiful object they have produced. The publisher, Cronicle Books, deserves praise and support.

This book is a must, either for the child's library or the collectors shelf.

WOW! Looking for a good murder, action, adventure novel with a twist of the paranormal? Then, look no further than FATE.

This book had me hooked from the first page and I read it in a matter of hours. A writer begins having nightmares about a horrible car crash and then discovers they aren't really nightmares. She's experiencing another woman's death through her eyes. The events leading up to, during, and afterward, are knock-your-socks-off suspense and intrigue.

Mr. Smith is a phenomenal writer and I look forward to trying some his other titles including THE PREY, available at Amazon.com. Whew!