This book is unbelievable. The paper is glossy and heavyweight. There are photographs throughout. The text is interspersed with sidebars, tidbits, and photographs.

Mikula dispels myths such as the one about butterflies will die if you touch their wings. Easy to understand information is given about the life cycle of the butterfly with photographs of every stage. How to raise butterflies in various ways, even how to catch butterflies in the wild and help them mate are given in such easy to follow methods that Mikula has me believing I can do this! Project instructions for making a homemade butterfly net and a hanging butterfly cage are included. We even learn how to properly hold a butterfly and how to hand feed them! I thought only butterfly specialist-scientists could do this stuff! You will be surprised to learn that not only does Mikula recommend raising butterflies to release into the wild, but also raising them indoors and letting them fly around your house (and never go outdoors)!

Information about the plants, shrubs and trees that the caterpillars and butterflies need is provided, which plant material for which species of butterfly is all outlined. Mikula explains that the use of herbicides and pesticides as being poisonous to butterflies and encourages organic gardening. Some garden designs for butterfly gardens are provided.

Mikula's passion for butterflies is apparent throughout the book as the text just cries out his enthusiasm. There are so many detailed hints and tips such as what color clothing to wear when approaching butterflies in the wild, to not use fabric softener when approaching butterflies, and that the wooden butterfly boxes don't work as their sellers would have you believe. And did you know that butterflies would benefit from a water source in your yard? Of course full instructions for the best water feature for butterflies is given.

Full color illustrations of different species of butterflies are provided with illustrations of not only the butterfly, but the caterpillar, larvae, eggs, and chrysalis. This is along with listing of the host plants, nectar plants, size and the regions they live in. This section comprises about 50 pages of the book and is very helpful.

This book is a great reference to learn about butterflies and a great source of butterfly projects.. Of course you can take the plunge and go full tilt and raise your own butterflies! If you choose to do so, all the information is right here.

If you have a child in your family that loves butterflies, this is a book you must own. Rick Mikula covers every aspect of butterflies in the colorful pages. You'll learn ways to raise butterflies at home with your family, best ways to watch them, plants they like and so much more!

I am a nature center director. We use this book all the time. We give copies to our volunteers, show it to families that come in to see our butterfly displays, recommend it to teachers, and use the ideas included on a regular basis.

If you ever have the opportunity to see Rick Mikula speak, don't miss it! Once you meet the "grandfather of butterflies," you'll be hooked on butterflies forever!

I didn't know there was a grandfather of butterfly farming, but I found this book and what a gem it is! This detailed book is a beautiful guide to learning about butterflies. The author provides information about butterflies and then shows how to attract and study them. The experience is quite extensive and provides projects to enhance creative study. Fantastic for home and classroom!

It is very unusual for antebellum New York to get any sort of treatment in popular culture, which is a shame, because the whole space between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War features dramatic changes in the city's popular landscape. Institutions for maintaining public order and safety that we take for granted today were less organized and often appropriated by the underworld for its own purposes.

Scorsese's upcoming movie, GANGS OF NEW YORK, looks like it will offer an interesting look into this time. Readers looking for a little less bombast can take in Rick Geary's tight little graphic exploration of THE MYSTERY OF MARY ROGERS. Geary tells the true tale of a corpse that captured the public imagination in a manner similar to any of today's celebrity victims. He renders useful maps and recreates the known facts of the case with haunting sillhouettes and faces that are remarkably expressive in their cartoonishness. Geary also tosses in a tidy little chunk of social history -- so that we understand the context -- and chronicles the sensationalism that followed this case. As a final service, he puts forth the prominent theories about the case, noting its inspiration of Poe's mystery.

Graphic (as in illustrated) non-fiction is somewhat of an oddity, often represented by simpering auto-bio. True crime stories tend to show up in the BIG BOOK OF ... series. This, however, is a neat and stylistic volume that would put Anne Rule to shame.

With The Mystery of Mary Rogers, Writer/Illustrator Rick Geary continues his "Treasury of Victorian Murder" Graphic Novel series, this time exploring the facts in the death of Mary Rogers, a well-known "Segar (Cigar) Girl" (She worked in a large Manhattan Tobacco Shop).

Geary's books are laid out incredibly well; most "Mainstream" non-fiction writers could learn a thing or two from him. He presents THE FACTS in the case, and since the murder was nevr really solved (At least officially...), he avoids any supposition; At the end of the book, he gives the reader a few scenarios that MAY have happened, never presenting any one of them as the actual solution. Geary's writing style is very informative, and his illustrations have a depth and resonance that belie their "Cartoony" look.

Overall, this book is a pleasure to read! The hardcover is a very attractive package at a low price, the text is informative and illuminating, and the artwork is superb. In a perfect world, Geary would be a fixture on the best-seller lists.

In 1841, Mary Rogers, a well-known resident of the city of New York, was found floating in the Hudson River, dead. The investigation was hampered by jurisdictional disputes and the primitive forensic science of the time, and is officially still unsolved. It was a great stir in its day, and everybody had opinions about it; Edgar Allen Poe based his "Mystery of Marie Roget" on it. Geary gives us the known facts, and proposes a solution in line with the modern thinking on the subject. His evocative artwork makes this book a visual treat. I'd love to see him tackle the alleged murder of Sarah M. Cornell by the Reverend Ephraim K. Avery; it occured at nearly the same time this case did, and is still officially unsolved.

I was hooked on Richard Maybury's series after reading "Are you Liberal or Conservative? Or Confused?" I immediately ordered the entire series and have not regretted it for an instant.

I began with number one and moved through them all in the correct order, or at least the recommended order by the author.

"Let's talk about Personal, Career and Financial Security" was the first and just wet the curiosity. It left you wanting to know more.

This book began the meat and potatoes of a series that is easy to read, written on an understandable level for everyone and enlightening to all concerning the many mysteries of historical, economic and governmental issues and interminglings that have to do with social, moral, political and so many other issues.

I would recommend this series as a Middle School Required reading text with in depth discussions and working groups for the youth of America to be better informed than they now are about the world and how it all works and fits together.

Mr. Maybury's elaboration of the various "Models" that people create for the world they try to live in was a very thought provoking exercise and explained a great deal about the great divide that currently separates the American consciousness.

Two down and still batting a thousand. Great job Mr. Maybury.

This is an awesome book on economics. It is a fun and easy way to learn about WHY and HOW our economy works..I learned so much......my father gave me this book and I have not stopped raving about it...FIVE STARS!

I'm embarrassed to say that I learned more about our economy in this half-inch book than I ever did attending college (which included several econ and management science courses, some of which were pretty high level).

Maybury is to economics, what Luther was to the papacy, and Paine was to the political elite.

Bravo.

Maybury for President!

If you want to understand money and the economy, this is a great place to start. Enjoyable reading as well.

I plan to read the entire Uncle Eric series.

Buy it, you won't regret it.

I'm a seasonal rhinitis sufferer so I only feel really bad for about 6-8 weeks a year. But that is enough to make me want to find a real solution, not one that costs hundreds of dollars and numerous trips to the doctor. I've done all that with no real success. I liked the authors approach to allergy prevention and treatment. I have been following their advise in regard to diet changes and the addition of some supplements and I feel better.
I've read the book, in sections, several times, and still refer back to it. I found it to be an excellent resource.

Of course, I bought this book because I am an allergy victim. I still remember when they broke out. It was like having the rug pulled out from underneath my feet. One day you are carefree, the next you are sneezing your brains out. Work was out of the question. Everything was out of the question. My life was a living hell, and I wondered what I could do to regain some semblance of health and sanity. With this book, I found out that I am not the only one, and that my immune system is not evolutionary backwater. Something else is happening here.

38 percent of Americans have at least one kind of allergy. That is over 100 million people. Make no mistake, allergies have reached epidemic proportions. However, it wasn't always this way. Allergies, along with asthma and various other strange immune system diseases, have been one the rise ever since industrialism went overdrive circa 1950. The link is undeniable: Allergies are correlated with the Western Lifestyle. People from the so-called Third World have fever allergies, and when they immigrate to America or other industrialized countries their allergy rate quickly blends in with the population. In other words, we are not talking about genetics. Environmental factors are clearly at play.

The authors of this book have done a wonderful job tracing both allergies and asthma. Anything you might possibly want to know about the two is in this book. Their approach is broad. Instead of focusing merely on conventional methods, they take a "blended" or "integrated" approach, embracing traditional, environmental and alternative practices. As they say, this gives patients more options, thereby providing more potential remedies to stem the burgeoning epidemic of sneezing and wheezing. Why limit yourself to pills, which often have absurd side-effects?

From Chinese herbalism and acupuncture to medical prescription drugs, this book has it all. They have integrated thousands of university studies, and quote MDs across the board. Does drinking wheatgrass help? How does it measure up to the gold standard conventional methodology of double-blind, placebo controlled studies? Do carotenoids, flavonoids, and essential fatty acids affect our immunofunctioning? Do allergy shots work? From mind-body techniques to sinus irrigation and detoxification, you will be exposed to all; and the authors always detail everything in terms of science, making sure to note risks, side-effects, and other potential concerns.

With this book, I learned so much. Without it, I would not have been able to integrate an approach that includes lifestyle, environmental, and conventional medicine options. Do not attempt to craft an allergy prevention plan without this book. ...

With over a third of the population having an allergy to something or other, this book will definitely be beneficial to those who are searching for relief from means other than prescription medication. Often doctor prescribed medication can cause more side effects than the original problem itself, especially used on a long-term basis.

As one who has a number of allergies ranging from feather pillows to a variety of antibiotics and pain medications, I understand the frustration a person can have in dealing with various allergies. Herbal supplements, adjusting one's diet, and eliminating pollens in the home (I use a filtered air exchanger)can help certain allergies. As the book points out, there are a number of tests which can pin-point allergies, some are helpful and others are outright nasty to endure. The book provides information on allergy testing as well as ways to relieve symptoms.

Each person is different and responds differently to medications. What works for one may or may not work for another, but for allergy sufferers searching for alternative methods for dealing with their symptoms, they may find a helpful solution here.

Collaboratively written by A. Flane Walker and Richard C. Bauer, The Ancient Art Of Life And Death: The Book Of Dim-Mak is an intense, thorough, authoritative, and holistic study/presentation of all aspects of the martial art of Dim-Mak, which was originally created as a blend of medical and martial arts with the goal of being used to heal. Cycles of rebirth and destruction permeate the teachings and philosophy of the art; The Ancient Art Of Life And Death presents both basic information and higher-level overviews by combining modern-day interpretations with reproductions of classical texts. Analysis of acupoints, the fabled 36-chamber training sequence, herbal pharmacology and much more fill this seminal reference for dedicated martial arts practitioners who are interested in learning more about this ancient practice.

First off, let me preface this review and recuse myself to a degree. I am the co-author of this particular book. After much consideration, I decided to post something to Amazon.com, to help give the reader a general idea of the scope and content of this book, since none is currently included with this listing. The Ancient Art of Life and Death: The Book of Dim-Mak, took a considerable amount of time to write. Conservatively, Mr. Walker and I spent almost four years writing the text; roughly equating to 15,000 man-hours of highly specialized research, review, and work. As part of the review process, we submitted large portions of the text to a number of Doctors in the medical community. The intent of this project was to provide the advanced martial arts reader with a host of important facts and information, concerning the effects of martial applications to the acupoint centers of the human body. The major chapter areas of the book include:

1. Historical Overview of Traditional Chinese Medicine
2. The development of Dim-Mak, Dim Hsueh and Dim Ching
3. The Mechanism of Acupoint Strikes
4. The Medical Risks Associated with Acupoint Strikes
5. The Three Ways of Dim-Mak
6. Introduction to the 36-Chamber Training Sequence
7. Overview of the Classical Acupoint System
8. An Introduction to Herbalism
9. Herbal Formula Preparation and Pharmacology

The section covering the classical acupoint system covers all the points on the 12 major meridians, including both medical and martial information, and health and restoration information. This information is derived from Mr. Walker's extensive martial arts training and professional background, under the direct study of Matsuetsu Kushubi. The coverage of the points will hopefully serve to augment / complement the high quality information previously published on this subject: most notably, the extensive catalog of material of Mr. Erle Montaigue, as well as Dr. Michael Kelly. The book also includes general anatomical drawings and TCM charts of the main meridian acupoints.

As a notation: the two midline collaterals are NOT covered in this book. There are some specific reasons for this. Most importantly, the physiological processes of striking the midline channels (the Governing Vessel and the Conception Vessel) are different than the triggering mechanisms of the main meridian points. The centerline points will be covered in the follow-up book, which Mr. Walker and I are currently in the process of writing.

I've read many books on karate and pressure point fighting. This is the best book on dim mak ever!

When I ordered this book, I thought it was a short textual history of the assasination of President James Garfield. It turns out that this book is in comic book format with the story being told by dialogue and cartoon illustrations. However, I really enjoyed the book and learned a lot about Garfield, his assasin, Charles Guiteau, and Garfield's slow death.

Guiteau was basically a loser in life and had even served time in jail. He was constantly skipping out on creditors and and he showed signs of mental illness. He was dillusional and thought that Garfield would apppoint him to an ambassadorship. He literally stalked both Garfield and Secretary of State Blaine in an attempt to secure the appointment. When it was not forthcoming, he stalked Garfield (this was in the days before the secret service) until he had the opportunity to shoot the President.

The wound caused a rupture in an artery but an aneurism sealed off the opening so he did not bleed to death. Garfield lingered for many weeks until the aneurism ultimately ruptured and Garfield died. The location of the bullet had not been located and the aneurism had gone untreated. Today, Garfield's condition would have almost certainly been diagnosed through an MRI and he may have survived delicate surgery which would have saved his life.

In reading history, we generally get a line or two about Garfield being assasinated by a "disappointed office seeker." It was enjoyable to learn more about this event, particularly in such an unusual literary format.

As a history buff, and a fan of Rick Geary's, I knew I'd enjoy this book, but I had no idea how much! The book tells the paralell stories of President James A. Garfield and his stalker (and eventual assassin) Charles Giteau, an abysmal failure in every aspect of life; indeed, his ONLY success in life was the murder of President Garfield, and he almost botched that up, too. Garfield lingered for months after the attack, dying perhaps more as a result of medical incompetence than Giteau's efforts.
Geary's wonderfully cartoony art is reminiscent of claymation; it gives a true illusion of depth and form. He is truly one of the underrated geniuses of the Comic art form. His meticulous research gives us many interesting facts, such as The President being allowed to walk around Washington D.C. unescorted (No Secret Service yet), Abraham Lincoln's son's association with Garfield, and too many others to count. Do yourself a favor- read the book!!

This entry in Rick Geary's series on Victorian murders examines the assassination of President James Garfield by Charles J. Guiteau, a megalomaniacal failure at preaching, the law, and almost everything else he had tried. The drawings are evocative of the time and place, and give a clear idea of the events. The lives of Garfield and Guiteau are traced, and Guiteau's mental illness is made quite clear; today, he would almost certainly be sharing a room with John Hinckley. I'd like to see this whole series reprinted: one of them is out of print and apparently unavailable.

If you enjoyed The Final Quest or any of Joyner's other prophetic books, or if you've never read any of his material, The Harvest will not disappoint. It's much more than "the prophetic word for the 90s." The 90s are over and most of this book still applies to the future. If you want to be prepared for what God is about to do in our world, this book is the place to start. The Harvest will challenge you in your daily walk and motivate you to go deeper in order to be a ready vessel to be used by Him.

I first read the Harvest about five years ago. It quickly pushed me out of my spiritual lethargy and into a new realm of Christianity. This book will reshape your thinking. Beware, religious Christians! God may use this book to inflict damage on your traditional mindset. If you don't want to progress in your relationship with God, then don't read this book! Nonchristians, watch out! This may be the very book to convince you of the reality of a living God, and His benefits to you!

SUBTITLE: "The Prophetic word of the nineties" -- very appropriate. Very insightful about the moves of the Spirit among the Christians. Warnings about dangerous trends.

Make sure you also read Rick Joyner's "Final Quest." It should be included in the contemporary cannon of the saints.

Grandma bought this for my daughter when she was about 6 months old. It was an instant favorite then and has continued to be one of our "top 5" most read books. As a baby, my daughter loved the rhyming text. When she began talking, she had fun first pointing to familiar objects and later naming what the bunnies were doing in the playground. Now, at 2, she loves counting the bunnies on each page as "one more" enters the playground. A fun game is to ask her to find the new bunny that was added. This has been a fun book and a really versatile teaching tool.

This is a wonderful and highly underrated children's book and should be a classic in any parent's library. The writing and illustrations are incredibly detailed and every time I read the book I discover something new. It is a shame that the author / illustrator have not create many more books together.

This book has become a standard gift that my wife and I give to all new parents, and I highly recommend it.

My daughter loves this wonderful counting book! She almost sings through the pages. The illustrations are lovely and the story is fun.

Never thought I would find a book for the special accomplishments our babies made. I hope ever preemie parent is given this book as soon as their baby is born. I was so excited when I got this book. It adds happiness to a very difficult time. I have it completely filled out for my baby. I can't wait to show them the heroics they survived. What a wonderful gift!!

I am the parent of a baby born at 25 weeks gestation. Most baby books aren't really appropriate for premature babies, but I found this book to be excellent. This book had places to put information about hospitalization that other baby books don't....If you are considering buying this book, I highly recommend it

Great Book. Records the milestones of the premature infant while in the hospital until six years of age. It is a keepsake album which contains precious memories for the parent of the newborn to record. Better than a regular baby book. Every preemie should have one!!

This is a decent Wrox book. Not the jumble of pages stacked together that you get most of the time, but a well rounded compendium of nice to know things for the casual VB Developer. I say "casual", because when it comes to professional programming, you really shouldn't have to read (again) about doing some basic ADO stuff or creating an install package. Three stars for this book because it's good, but not written for a professional developer...

I saw the title of this book and picked it up - we are trying to build web services via SOAP at my company and we are not migrating to .NET for a while yet. The book proved worthy of it's title. This book covers modern implementations with legacy technology. Thank you to the authors. I suspect that there are quite a few companies out there that, like us, need to see VB6 references for a while yet (Microsoft has seemed to replace their VB6 documentation with VB.NET documentation on their site).

I recommend this one!

Finally! A resource I can rely on! This book rocked my bookshelf! Jerry Ablan is a genious, and his team did an excellent job bringing forth a well thought, well written book for us Visual Basic users.

Kick butt book!