I found this book at my local library and am somewhat disappointed to discover that it is out of print. Durant and Harwood seem like good people, if a tad too serious about matching Audubon step for step on his collecting trips around the country more than 150 years ago. I was consistently amazed at their earnestness in seeking out a particular view or clearing or ditch that the artist might have stopped at.

Clearly this was a labor of love for them, and their dedication, not to mention their scholarship, is commendable. It has been said, however, that an author should resist the urge to tell the reader EVERYTHING he or she knows. I know that rule gets thrown out the window when what is being written is more academic than artistic, but this book was apparently intended as both, and I can't tell you how boring it was to read paragraphs that consisted of nothing more than the names of all the plants the author saw around her. The bird lists made for only slightly less dull reading, but only because I'm a birder.

The book is really a combination travelogue/biography/history. It succeeds best at the last two, and some passages and descriptions are quite poetic. But less minutia, no matter how fascinating to the author, would have been most welcome. The urge to record and relate everything (including a photograph of the authors' makeshift drying rack, moist socks included) kills some of the joy of this book.

But I learned a lot about Audubon and grew to respect the authors' experience and knowledge of natural history - Harwood seems to be a highly expert birder and ditto for Durant as botanist.

I will also be seeking out a permanent Audubon exhibit and the artist's grave, which I learned are nearby in New York.

Though the book often came across as a little too indulgent, the zeal and genuine love the Harwoods bring to their work (and they work very hard) is truly inspiring.

I couldn't disagree more with the last reviewer. I read this book more than ten years ago and it is still the best source of information on the life of Audubon, as well as the most enjoyable read in the large Audubon literature. It fired my interest in Audubon more than any other book. The fact that the authors contemplate the people, places, plants, and birds that they found in Audubon's path -- and the changes that have taken place over nearly 200 years -- only adds to the book's value. This is history (natural and biographical) in 3D, and brings Audubon to life like no other book about him.

Crime wave is the book that made me the James Ellroy fan I am today. From the first sentence, I was hooked.

Crime wave is a book of short stories, actual true crime cases, and a few essays written by Ellroy for GQ Magazine.

Reading Ellroy is almost like singing along with a tune on the radio, it's all about rythm. Included are a story about Ellroy's Mother's unsolved murder and another fictitious story involving Dick Contino. The stories that I loved most of all though, were the stories told by Danny Getchell, the dirt digger for HUSH-HUSH magazine.

All in all, I loved Crime Wave because it is a look at 1950s crime in L.A. I think Ellroy fans and non-Ellroy fans alike, should do themselves a favor and pick up a copy of CRIME WAVE.

My son recieved this book as a gift, and it's a good choice for the child aged 3-5. It's a cumulative story, with plenty of repetition as a new animal discovers the hat on each page. It has a really cute surprise ending. The illustrations are really imaginitive, with many odd and tiny details to discover for the inquisitive tot. Actually I'd say the oddness and sophistication of the illustrations may appeal more to adults, but they are beautiful and fun for kids too.

this book was comprehensive and easy to read and understand

...there was a book on how to do network setup, in plain talk...useful tips on getting Windows and Linux on speaking terms for a change.

The Italian philosopher Marsilio Ficino, who was renowned for his Latin translations of all Plato's dialogues, set out to prove that the tenets of Platonism, instead of Aristotelianism, were fundamentally compatible with Christianity. He attempted this not only by acting as the primary mover of the Florentine academy, but also through his magnanimous patron Cosimo de' Medici who apportioned Ficino the leisure to commence his monumental work, "The Platonic Theology," which is offered here for the first time in a long-awaited English translation. Marsilio Ficino's work--from what may be seen from the first of five anticipated volumes--is an artful, straightforward representation of the divine philosophy of Plato, magnificently garbed under a brilliant and definitive medieval synthesis. Of the work itself Ficino says, "the Platonic mysteries are set forth as clearly as possible...so that...we may reveal the Platonic teaching, which is in complete accord with the divine law." Like all Christian-Platonists, Ficino used Augustine as a model for his orthodox amalgamation of the teachings of Plato and Christ, and believed so strongly in it that he said, "the Platonic teaching...is related to the divine law of both Moses and Christ as the moon is to the sun." With this in mind, it may be said that the vision of Marsilio Ficino, so clearly manifested in this work, will come as a relief to anyone ardently devoted to the school of Plato and the religion of Christ. The translated works of Ficino are certainly a great benefit to those confined to the English speaking world, and the other up-and-coming volumes in new I Tatti Renaissance Library (Harvard) are likely to produce the same effects. The value of these newly translated masterpieces of western culture cannot be described.

If you are a Bond fan, you will love this book. Have hours of fun with your friends as you try and recall the little details of the big world of James Bond. The book features stills, questions, and answers, as well as a summary on each of the movies in the series. The book also features the two unofficial films Casino Royale (1967) and Never Say Never Again (1983). As a note of trivia, look for my name, Jason M. Allentoff in the acknowledgements.

Probably best for 5-9yrs. It's a somewhat somber story, but with a character (Uncle James) that's as real as they get.

This story is told through the eyes of Jimmy, a young boy who is forced to grow up at a very young age, because his father has died, and has left the family to run their Indiana farm without him. They are hungry, the baby is sick, and they're all tired from trying to keep the farm going.

But Jimmy's Uncle James is their savior. He will be coming to help out, and make things great. He has been logging out west, and writes the family of his many, incredible adventures. Only when Uncle James shows up, things aren't so great. He is not the success story he has made himself out to be. He's not perfect. He has problems. But Uncle James, and everybody rises above this, and works to make things better.

What to do if you're trying to make something as stupid and boring as the bible into something that a poor gullible child will accept? This is the problem faced by the authors, and they do a half-way decent job of presenting bible idiocy as something partly entertaining as a comic book. Should be useful for gullible, brainwashed parents attempting to produce gullible, brainwashed children. Start them with Santa, and if they believe that, move on to the bible in comic book form.

Great idea with uneven results. Some superb art in places, but not always as an appropriate counterpoint to the accompanying Scriptures. The parts that do succeed are worth the cover price alone.

This book was well received by me and my teenagers. There needs to be more artistic interpretations like this that tackle scripture. Not every translation done in this book is accurate to the Word of God but every piece is brilliant in its own right. Bravo! Encore!

Imagine James Patterson's surprise when he finished "Four Blind Mice" and discovered that he had only around 200 pages. Not good! No one is going to pay 27 bucks for 200 pages. Not to panic! First thing is to break the book into 115 chapters without regard to break in subject matter, thought or scene. That'll add a lot of pages with all that white at the end of the chapter and the beginning of the next. For example: "Why don't we take a walk on the beach, " she suggested. End of chapter 49. Beginning of chapter 50. The sand felt warm and good against his bare feet...."

Oops, that didn't do it, added lot of pages, but not enough. Add several non-related chapters of Alex Cross' girl friend flying from the West Coast to the East Coast for some gratuitous sexual encounters. Then add a few chapters of his buddy Sampson bedding a witness in the investigations.

If one can put up with a lot of extra page turning and chapter breaks that generally ruin the flow of the novel and speed read through the rather ridiculous sex scenes, Patterson is good enough to keep one somewhat entertained on a plane ride from say, Boston to St. Louis. If you're going all the way to LA, better bring another book.

Oh, the story is about Vietnam vets who are killing for hire and setting up other vets to take the fall...for no apparent reason. In Alex Cross' world, people are tried, convicted and executed with alacrity not even seen in Texas. Of course, quick executions are key to the story line.

I am a definite fan of the Alex Cross series and have been a Patterson fan for some time. I read THE JESTER and FOUR BLIND MICE over the same weekend and hands down, THE JESTER is the better storyline (actually, JESTER was a wonderful read). Perhaps the creative juices for the Cross novels has waned after so many but regardless, something is just not clicking like it used to. "ROSES" and "VIOLETS" were marginal books while 1ST TO DIE and 2ND TO DIE were just a notch above. It is my hope that Patterson will find the juices again...and soon.

FOUR BLIND MICE opens with Cross' long-time partner and friend, John Sampson, requesting Alex's help to investigate the murder conviction of one of Sampson's Army buddies. Ellis Cooper, Sampson's buddy, has been accused, tried and convicted of the murder of three women along with the bizarre arrangement and paintng of the bodies. Cooper has been sentenced to die by lethal injection; the execution is set to be administered in three short weeks and Sampson believes only his friend and supersleuth Cross can unravel the injustice befalling Cooper. As Cross begins his investigation, he runs into one stone wall after another but hasn't quite determined if those are Army walls (i.e. "we take care of our own") or something quite different. Although doggedly determined, Alex cannot crack the case and Ellis Cooper is executed. The one and only piece of evidence Cross has is the eyewitness account of a teenage boy who indicated he saw three men outside the home of the murder victims that night. However, Alex was never able to corroborate this statement.

As the story continues, Patterson introduces the reader to three very skillful and very sick assassins. Even before Cooper's execution, the reader knows these "THREE BLIND MICE" are responsible for the triple homicide. As time passes, the Mice continue their spree but it is definitely not for kicks. It appears there is a puppetmaster; one who has given the Mice their marching orders albeit mercenary orders at that. This portion of the story winds throughout the book until the end where it fizzles without much surprise or intrigue. The climax is satisfying but certainly not surprising.

Two very poignant subplots revolve around the love lives of Cross and Sampson, nothing really new for Alex but quite unconventional for Sampson. True to VIOLETS, Jamilla Hughes returns as Alex's love interest. And, as always and timeless, Alex still has Nana Mama to care for his three children including his infant son, Alex.

All-in-all, a decent book but I find myself waiting for the next great Cross book. Something in the spirit of KISS THE GIRLS. I haven't given up on Patterson and I certainly will continue to check out his newer "off-Cross" books. As I mentioned, I found the JESTER to be a fabulous read, a storyline and subject matter totally different to Patterson's norm. It's proof that Patterson has the skill yet it seems he has turned his efforts more into a Stephen King-like machine, pumping out one book after another. While this satisfies the volume requirement for fans, it is obvious that quality has taken a fairly staunch hit.

Worth the read but not his best.

This is a perfect James Patterson murder mystery book with my favorite Detective Alex Cross. It's a quick, easy read, with lots of action. The murders are more brutal than some of Patterson's books. At least they catch the bad guys at the end so the conclustion was more satisfying than some of Patterson's latest books which continue. The background was set in the Vietnam war and the military setting. Cross sets out to save a man on death row accused of murders. There are some repeat characters so I would not recommend starting with this book if you are not familiar with the Cross series. If you love the Alex Cross series, Four Blind Mice will not disappoint you - there are several unpredictable twists!