I, too fell in love with Secretariat and the sport of horse racing as a young, horse crazy girl. I am proud to own this one and William Nack's "The making of a Champion". The photos are beautiful, also. It gives you an up close look at the process of developing a world class athlete. This book is a great tribute. Secretariat will live on in our memories forever. I miss him.

Mr. Woolfe's book is just what the horse-lover and racing fan needs to remember the astounding racing career of Secretariat. To think that his records still stand to this day --it gives the reader an idea of his true greatness. The only fact that wasn't mentioned in the final chapter was that Secretariat won three Eclipse Awards in 1973, and I'm sure that was just an inadvertent oversight. To those who saw Real Quiet race in the Kentucky Derby--Secretariat would have been many, many lengths ahead of him. It will be a long time before there is another like him.

I own a granddaughter of Secretariat and since I wasn't alive when the big red horse was racing, I wanted to read about my horse's famous grandfather. This book told the details of all his races, especially his Triple Crown races. It was also very detailed about other times in his life, like his training, when he was young, and when he retired to stud. There was a whole chapter devoted to the offspring he sired during his time at stud. It was a great book that told all about one of the greatest racehorses that ever lived. There are also many pictures, color and black and white. They show the master at work on the track and they show what a beautiful horse he was. A great book for any Secretariat fans and for horse lovers.

"You got a new book? What is it?" my roommate asked.

"It's called 'The Periodic Table,' by Primo Levi. He was an Italian Jew who went through Auschwitz." I had just gotten the book in the mail; that was all I knew about it.

Later, she interrupted my reading. "You keep laughing. That book is supposed to be funny?"

I knew why she was surprised. Levi led a serious, sometimes troubled life, but "The Periodic Table" isn't limited to seriousness. It's fascinating and often funny to read his stories about his early obsession with matter (and the trouble it caused), his fiction inspired by alchemists and elements, and his anecdotes from a professional double life as a chemist and writer.

Nobel Laureate Saul Bellow said, regarding this book, "There is nothing superfluous here; everything this book contains is essential. It is wonderfully pure and beautifully translated."

Since I read this book in the original Italian, I cannot attest to the beauty of the translation. However, I would agree with Bellow that the book is wonderfully pure and lacking in the superfluous.

The Periodic Table, Primo Levi's fantasy regarding chemical elements and written in his elegant, spare style, is filled with images that animate the chemist's world. To a trained chemist, as Levi was, the molecular world is very real, and the its underlying events do not go unnoticed. This is the world that exists beneath the one we usually see; the world that gives matter its colors, tastes, smells, shapes and capacities. Levi's desire for a more complete understanding of the chemical world parallels his desire for a more complete understanding of the spiritual world of mankind.

In this book, Levi tells us, in part, of his years as a teenager and of his experiences with another young man named Enrico. Both boys wanted to become chemists, but for very different reasons. Enrico thought that chemistry would be the key to a more secure life. Levi, however, looked at chemistry as a way to understand and make sense of the universe. He says, "Chemistry represented an indefinite cloud of future potentialities which enveloped my life to come in black evolutes torn by fiery flashes." He goes on to describe his burning desire to find the truths hidden in chemistry by telling us that he would have grabbed Proteus, himself, by the throat and forced him to speak, so great was his hunger.

Levi's burning desire for a deeper understanding of the universe and all it contains is not new. The ancients, such as Aristotle, and later, Newton, also searched for the key to the mysteries of life. But Levi's desire was perhaps more pure, more essential. He writes, "Conquering matter is to understand it, and understanding matter is necessary to understanding the universe and ourselves."

Although chiefly a Holocaust memoir, the book is not without its lighter moments. In school, Levi had decided that chemistry alone could no longer fulfill his needs and he resolved to pursue physics. As an assistant, he was called upon to prepare pure dry benzene for an experiment by distilling the solvent over sodium. However, using potassium instead of sodium, Levi caused a laboratory fire.

The quest for knowledge of the universe is ongoing. Levi, however, sadly found himself spurred on by the prejudices that only man can inflict on man.

Frankly, the problem with most great writers is this: outside of their craft, they don't have a life. They look down their noses at us and treat us like pathetic ants, often with no insight into our lives and our work. Here then is Primo Levi, on one hand, an accomplished chemist, on the other, someone who lived to speak of the Death Camps. This experience allows him to write the twenty one gems in "Periodic Table". Each one of these stories crystallizes around a seed element. The seeds form the basis for a detective story into the chemical mystery of a failed paint, an ancient plumber's life ruined by lead, and work in a chemistry lab inside Auschewitz. Levi has a dramatic literary style built for the short story. His writing is pithy and to the point. He builds the stories to encapsulate and expose a single core idea. Each one is about something, entering into the experience of one of the millions of people who lead lives worthy of examination.

Hey look, I'll help Amazon sell a book here, how much does it say you'll pay for it, $9.00 maybe? If you have a scientific bent, you'll surely find the stories here entertaining and interesting. Primo Levi was a unique person and that, coupled to his excellent style, makes this book a very good read.

Along with Ben Hogan's 5 Lessons and Dave Pelz' Short Game Bible, this is probably the best instructional book on golf I have ever read. And while those other two concentrate on the swing mechanics of different parts of the game (the full swing and the short game), this one is all about strategy and what you should be thinking about on the golf course. Very thought provoking, I will keep it by my bedside stand for repeated reading for the forseeable future. I will give away several copies to golfing buddies this Christmas...

Ray Floyd is one of the finest golfers of the past 30 years, and is regarded as one of the best short game players of his generation. This book does not disappoint-- it is a valuable addition to any avid golfer's reference library. Rather than merely focus on swing mechanics, Mr. Floyd provides valuable insights regarding the golfer's mental approach to the game, course management and the scoring shots which comprise the short game. Especially helpful is his analysis of the ten mistakes amateurs make that pros never do. While Ray Floyd has an impressive professional resume, he does not dwell unnecessarily on his many personal accomplishments (unlike, for example, Hale Irwin's Smart Golf), but focuses on the task at hand. Clearly written and well-edited, this book is a keeper-- a future classic.

I have always found the game of golf fascinating and I have always wanted to master it. This book helps me a lot in my attempt to do so. It is difficult for us, weekend golfers, to know everything there is in golf, every golf course you play and to perfect every swing we make by devoting time to practise. And it is when this book comes in. It tells you how to manage the course, when to take risk and when not to and it is very true that most of us are not always playing in our best physical condition. I will probably re-read it before every round of golf I am going to play.

This is one of the most moving books I've ever read on the subject of nuclear warfare, and the story is told in comic book format. Simply but beautifully illustrated, the story is touching, funny, and horrifying at the same time. It humanizes a very inhuman concept.

This book makes a strong political statement that everyone needs to hear. This is what will happen if we continue to believe everything the government tells us and we stop thinking for ourselves. Who wants to survive the nuclear holocaust if we are doomed to die slowly on a poisoned planet earth? If you love this book like I do, you may want to find a copy of the video/movie to rent. It is just as compelling to watch as it is to read. Any Pink Floyd fan will want to hear the music by Roger Waters which never made it to an album.

If you want to read another story about post-nuclear war, try On the Beach by Nevil Shute.

Raymond Briggs here presents us with a disarmingly gentle, warm, humorous graphic novel, about a regular blue collar couple trying to understand, and to prepare for, the ultimate catastrophe.

This touching little book came out in the early 80s, when there was a sharp spike in international public awareness of the dangers of nuclear warfare. Due largely to Ronald Reagan's hawkish presidency, people were much more fearful of this looming prospect -- and, of course, rightly so. Reading this reminds me of 1981, when I was in eighth grade, and tensions over Poland were so severe that I recall becoming a regular fixture at our local library, reading and reading, trying helplessly to understand all the forces which, it seemed, were conspiring to destroy us all.

The really touching thing, about the couple portrayed in this book, is that they are normal people. Almost completely uninformed about the world, their mental picture of the world is shaped by a haze of half-remembered patriotic propaganda that is decades out of date, and was heavily distorted to begin with. Their efforts to prepare for a nuclear attack are so pathetic that you would laugh, if you weren't already busy crying.

Those weapons are still out there. This book is important. Everyone should read it. If you half-suspect that you yourself might be slightly un-informed about nuclear war issues, I would like to recommend that you seek out "The New Nuclear Danger," by Dr. Helen Caldicott. It just came out in 2002, and includes a fantastic bibliography which could help you understand nuclear winter, medical effects of fallout, and current weapon stockpiles. There is also a great collection of relevant websites, which we should all be a lot more familiar with.... if you'd like to communicate you concern to your kids with another illustrated book, aimed at a younger audience, I would like to recommend "Hiroshima No Pika," by Toshi Maruki.

You may also like to seek out "Threads," a tremendous docudrama on nuclear war done in consultation with Carl Sagan, in 1984. "Threads" is out of print, except in the UK, but you can find it on the largest online auction houses if you put the terms "threads" and "nuclear" in the search field.

So, if you know anyone who actually went out and bought duct tape in February, 2003, I would like to recommend that you sit down with them, and spend an hour leafing through this horrifying book. Two miserable thumbs way, way, way up.

This is an excellent book by Raymond T. McNally and Radu Florescu on their search to discover the real Vlad Dracula, the 15th century Romanian ruler who was the dark and bloody basis for Bram Stoker's classic character. It chronicles the life of Dracula from his beginnings as a young prisoner of the Turkish Sultan, to his exploits against the Turkish invasion of Eastern Europe, and finally his death in battle in 1476. It investigates the myth that grew up around Dracula due to his legendary cruelty and murderous bloodlust, including his penchant for impalement. The book also analyzes the growing body of vampire lore and literature, including their modern film and TV incarnations. It provides a thorough history of vampirism from ancient to modern times and tries to explain our ever-growing obsession with vampires and their ilk. The authors' travels took them across Eastern Europe in their quest to find the haunts of the real-life Vlad, including the ruins of Castle Dracula and his reputed grave at Snagov. It delves into the complex history of a man who would largely be remembered as the most famous vampire of all time, as well as our equally curious fascination with the Undead.

As a former student of both McNally and Florescu in history and in folklore I may be a bit biased. But suffice it to say that whether you want to know about the Dracula of contemporary media, mythical vampires (as well as a few pseudo-authentic blood-thirsters in history) in general or the historical and all too human Vlad, these are the guys you ask. This book is a terrific starting point for anyone who really wants to dig into the subject, and also a very well rounded study for those who want a (detailed) glance at the history and the myths. Enter freely and of your own will. :)

I really love this book,I keep it by my bed at night.This book has more information on Vlad & vampires than most I have read. More than half the vampire books I have just barely graze Vlad (Dracula)& his history.This book contains a real detailed look into Vlad's life & Stoker's monster.

After struggling with my own writing endeavours for two years now, I've found a refreshing guide to the world of fiction. The sections in the book are clearly listed, which enables me to find examples quickly for the problems that I'm experiencing in the moment. The examples are clearly articlulated and address almost all of my writing porblems and short-comings (and I hear there are a lot!) This book's largest contribution to my writing is it's motivational quality. Along with all of the examples and introductions to new techniques, I've found the student references a source for insparation, and in a world where insparation doesn't fall through the ceiling, I'll take it where ever I can get it. And for me, these pages are plentiful. This is a soid buy, the kind that will keep you up late scratching yourself in front of a blank screen until it's fills.

In lucid, easy-reading language, Obstfeld tells you everything you ever needed to know about writing scenes but couldn't find anywhere else. Just his chapter on openings alone, is well worth the price of the book. But there's so much more. His explanations of promise and pay-off are more instructive than anything else I've read, and Obstfeld has better guidelines for writing action/suspense scenes than other books I've read devoted to the genre. Obstfeld writes both genre and literary fiction, and is patronizing about neither one. The examples he uses are outstanding. I can't imagine anyone reading this book and not emerging a better writer because of it. It's that good.

It is difficult to imagine a more helpful and concise book for writers than Obstfeld's "The Novelist's Essential Guide to Crafting Scenes". As part of a series from Writers's Digest, this book covers the critical component of any novel: writing encounters, chapters, and scenes that have the ability to grip the reader and keep them turning pages.

Though the book is trade paper sized and only 211 pages, it is simply jammed with helpful ideas. Each chapter covers an essential aspect of writing scenes expertly. There is information on:

* Beginning a Scene
* Length
* Point of View
* Setting
* Ending a Scene
* Character, Plot, & Theme Development
* Writing the Payoff
* Character Meetings
* Finales
* Structure
* Revising

Plus there are chapters that discuss how to write genre-specific scenes (sci-fi, romance, etc.) that are also compelling.

A typical chapter within the book starts with quotes from others on the art of writing. Obstfeld then lays out general concepts and cites examples from novels and movies that support his chapter topic. Excerpts from several award-winning novels raises the quality of the book as it lets beginning writers see how the "pros" do it. Some chapters include workbook-like assignments to help readers flesh out their scenes.

While all the chapters are developed well, the one covering character, plot, and theme development is particularly enlightening. The author elects to write an encounter scene with an emphasis on each aspect. It is amazing to see how a scene can change as it is written to the characters rather than plot and vice versa.

Obstfeld has taught writing professionally in addition to having published more than two dozen novels and it shows in his style. He can quickly and directly address a topic and elucidate it easily. As a result, writers of all varieties and levels of talent can benefit from "Crafting Scenes".

Highly recommended to all writers and truly worthy of a five star rating.

This is an excellent book about a family struggle. It looks lengthy however; I am waiting for a sequel. One of the things I like to do is to read books that become movies and movies that are novelized. You are right this would have to be a mini-series. Ha, I will bet you did not notice that in the book William Manchester mentions that the movie "Major Barbara"; the only play actually written by George Bernard Shaw was modeled on the Krupp family.

As business histories go, "Arms of Krupp," an 800 page indictment of the Krupp steelworks dynasty (and the regimes that supported it), is a bizarre saga. After a brisk prologue that takes us from 1587 through to the beginning of the nineteenth century, we first meet Alfried Krupp, "Cannon King" and warmonger, a man who believed fresh horse manure was good for the lungs and whose radical cannon designs laid the basis for Prussia's victories in the Austrian and French wars. Next we meet Gustav Krupp, suspected pederast, whose likely suicide only barely saved him from tabloid disgrace. Then to Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach, an "adoptive" Krupp, chosen by the Kaiser to marry the surviving female heir, Bertha (who gave her name to the "Big Bertha" 410 mm cannon of World War One).

Finally -- and this is the book's real focus -- we turn to Alfried Krupp, the last Krupp to run the Essen steelworks. Manchester gives over about 1/3 of the book to detailing Alfried's involvement in the Nazi slavery racket and his subsequent conviction for war crimes. As Manchester shows, the Krupp crimes were at least as serious, if not worse, than those of I.G. Farben, and it is nothing short of extraordinary that Alfried von Krupp was pardoned by the American military governor. Krupp went on to refloat the Krupp works, only to see it collapse under a mountain of debt in 1968.

This is a book that takes us from the giddy heights of nineteenth century robber baron-ism to the full unmitigated horrors of the Nazi war complex, and manages to mix humour (for much of the early Krupp saga is frankly hilarious) with deep compassion and sensitivity to the victims of the war. A tour de force.

This book is a wonderful piece of historical analysis into one of the most fascinating industrial dynasties ever to exist - the Krupp family. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in German history. Das Buch is sehr gut.

This book is a wonderful gift for our recently bereaved friends, or those who have not yet accepted the loss of a loved one. It is compatible with most religious outlooks and doctrines. This very original work is a joy to read, and is a great solace and comfort to anyone who has ever had to deal with death of friend or family. Insights are given as to the true nature of death as a sequel to life, and the reality of a glorious afterlife. Largely due to improvements in medical technologies, many people are now brought back from near-death, often with reports of their experiences upon entering and glimpsing another world just over the threshhold between life and death...Their first hand reports are thrilling. The manner in which Dr. Moody presents these experiences, shared with him over the years by his patients, is sensitive and meaningful, never morbid or frightening. Upon completion, the reader may well exclaim, "Death, where is thy sting?". This is a "must read"!

In 1974 after experiencing a very powerful marriage encounter weekend, I had a spiritual encounter with my deceased step dad who had passed away in October of 1973. I also experienced a great love from my step dad, Marcel , followed by the same great love from my father Alfred (died in 1944) and than a tremendous overwhelming love from God, our Father. Arms enveloping me all three together as one being. Having been terribly afraid of death and not believing that I was good enough to receive eternal life, this experience gave me the answer to the question of life after life. At that same moment I was lifted above the couch, saw my non-moving body on the couch, saw my funeral procession with my children, husband and tried to get up from the couch and could not until I truly believed that if I let go of my self-centeredness I would be free. I immediately remembered that my 2 year old daughter, Lisa was napping and told myself that I needed to come back to take care of her. I came across Raymond Moody's book and was relieved to realize that others had had the same experience as I and it gave me great comfort. Other books to lightened up the journey are Death: The Final Stage of Growth by Dr. Kubler-Ross and Carl Jung's Memories, Dreams, Reflections.

Whether you are a(n) Christian, Jew, Hindu, Buddist, Muslim, Deist, Atheist, Agnostic (etc..), or if you have ever lost a loved one, this is a must read! The author Moody is unbiased and straightforward in his style, and it is an eminently readable book. This book contains a compliation of factual after death experiences of a number of totally unrelated case studies, and the similarities are absolutely striking in many cases. This book deals with topics (as experienced in the case studies) such as: the phenomenon of death, the experience of dying, after death experiences, a being of "light" (Wow!), the various explanations that have been postulated, and the most prominent questions regarding Dr. Moody's research (and much more!). This book is absolutely FASCINATING! This is not just some new age bunch of theoretical garbage, but a published version of an extensive study that seems to have been very scientific and professional. Whether you are into Plato, Aurelius, Jesus, Nietchze, Hume, Aquinas, Dembski, or just Homer Simpson and King of the Hill, PLEASE READ THIS BOOK, and then encourage others to do so as well! ... You will not regret reading this book!... In addition, the version that I have contains both "Life after Life" and "Reflections on Life After Life," which is basically a more recent and updated version of the same subject (but with new info and research, including the documentation of the experiences of those who, after temporarily "dying" clinically, learned about: what happens to those who commit suicide, a "city of light", "judgment", "bewildered spirits"; as well as reactions from the ministry). I strongly exhort you to read both books; the follow-up book is not at all superfluous. It is just as interesting as the first book, and they need to be read together for the complete effect. You don't have to be some detached philosophical thinker or a theologian to appreciate this awe-inspiring study; you only have to be a person who is curious about what happens when (and after) you die! Read, enjoy, and LEARN from it! ...

As a therapist, I found this book to offer useful information and practical support to men and their partners on how to maintain a healthy & satisfying sex life. It is filled with up to date information from the medical side. But it also treats the emotional issues as well. Women will find new ways to understand why & how men experience sexual response. Read it to great benefit. It's an excellent resource.

I found Milsten and Slowinski's THE SEXUAL MALE very complete, scientifically grounded, and yet wonderfully readable. As a psychologist and sexual therapist, I myself have professionally worked with men and couples with sexual problems for more than 20 yeaars, and find this book to be currently the most useful in addressing erection concerns. I especially value that it is realistic, honest, and positive -- avoiding the "hype" that often accompanies books on sexuality. Excellent book!

As a young single male, I found this book to be very informative and educational. This book focuses not only on the treatment, but also on the prevention of sexual problems. Drs. Milsten and Slowinski have truly written a guide to maintaining sexual health. I found that the emphasis placed on the maintenance of a healthy relationship with one's partner as a means to enjoying life-long sexual potency as being particularly helpful. This book is a must read for men of all ages!

After having suffered with migraines since the age of 14, they have finally ceased. I read the book at the suggestion of a fried and decided after everything else I had gone through to get rid of these headaches this diet couldn't be any worse. It was like a miracle. The book presents a number of interesting theories as to why it works the way it does, but to me it was the results that mattered. I would recommend it to anyone who has ever been concerned about the chemicals we put into our body because they have been labeled as food.

Neander-thin makes sense. Most other books and theories on nutrition take a more high-tech approach and get really bogged down with "scientific" details, making them extremely tedious and boring. This book is a pleasure to read. I especially like the excellant narrative at the beginning about the history of dieting and how we have come to wrongly believe that complex carbohydrates are healthy. Since first reading this book over a year ago, I have never been sick. Not once. I've had no colds, no flu, virtually no allergy symptoms and no more arthritis. I believe that if everyone read this book, there would be a lot of doctors out of work.

This is a great book. Sure, the diet makes sense, is easy to follow and the recipes are good, but the best part of the book is the _science_. I've spent a lot of time researching how to best go on a natural diet, yet I've faced a lot of arguments from "friends". Neanderthin gave me all of the research to support this way of life, plus a bunch of other information that I couldn't find on the net or anywhere else. If you're interested in a returning to a natural way of life, this book is a must have.