My grandmother was one of the authors of this book, but that isn't the reason I like this book. The book has a lot on my ancestors, and it is so cool to learn where I cam from. I definatly think that if you live in the low country, it is worth reading.

This is a forgotten Cold War gem!... Anyone with an interest in Cold War history, spies, and the law will find this book great reading. It tells the story of James Donovan (in his own words), a prominent New York attorney in the late 1950s, who was asked by the government to defend Rudolf Abel, an extremely successful Soviet spy who operated in the New York city area. The book is part diary, part biography and part spy narrative. You get to see the conflict that he goes through as a former Naval officer and the whirlwind he gets caught up in. What makes this different from other books is that it was written very soon after the events occurred. His trip to Berlin is one of the most interesting features of the book because you get an eyewitness account of the city at the height of the tensions between the Soviets and the U.S.

This biography of the late U.S. Senator Styles Bridges of New Hampshire, with a foreword by Robert Novak, the syndicated columnist and political commentator, profiles the life of one of those long forgotten, but once eminently powerful Washington figures whose career offers a valuable snapshot into the politics of another era. Bridges, who generally kept a low national profile during his quarter century in the senate, but who rose to become one of that body's most skillful wheeler-dealers, entered the senate as one of only two Republicans in the Democratic/New Deal landslide of 1936. Prior to that he served one term as New Hampshire governor (the youngest governor in the nation at the time). Finding early on that money is the path to power in Washington, Bridges won a seat on the powerful Appropriations committee in his first term, rising to chairman when the Republicans won the senate in 1952. From his perch on Appropriations (and with a similar position on Armed Services), Bridges became one of a handful of go-to guys - including the more flamboyant Lyndon Johnson - who virtually ran the senate during World War II and the Cold War. The book opens with a spooky scene of Bridges being called to the White House one night to be secretly briefed by President Franklin Roosevelt on the Manhattan Project. It turns out Bridges was one of but four members of congress privy to the nation's top secret development of the atomic bomb (Vice President Truman wasn't even informed), and helped hide its funding from fellow lawmakers in other appropriations throughout the war). As president pro tempore of the senate (third in line for the presidency) and senate minority leader, Bridges was a vigorous partisan who believed in playing hardball politics (the author suggests he helped precipitate a colleague's suicide), and was also not above trafficking in (and often pocketing) large amounts of political money - common practice prior to Watergate era reforms. Although a tough anti-communist and conservative on fiscal issues, Bridges' politics nonetheless were more practical than ideological (his most controversial vote was against the censure of Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy). In his fifth term at the time of his death (November 26, 1961), Bridges - as chairman of the Republican Policy Committee - was preparing an optimistic and progressive strategy for his party's future (which included cultivating the Rockefeller moderates) to combat the newly inaugurated and charismatic young Democrat in the White House, John F. Kennedy. A legend in New Hampshire politics (he attempted a run for president in 1940), Bridges controlled local party affairs in nearly every precinct for decades through a powerful network of loyalists and local officials. Styles Bridges/Yankee Senator, by retired University at Albany (N.Y.) Professor James J. Kiepper (270 pages, illustrated, indexed with bibliography) is an excellent treatment of a once important national figure. This book joins similar biographies of such Bridges contemporaries as the late Senators Margaret Chase Smith (R-Maine) and George Aiken (R-Vermont) - whose names are also fading from the public mind, but who nonetheless deserve to have their stories easily available for students of history and government, and popular readership alike.

This book is a great way to avoid your child feeling as though they have fallen behind or forgotten everything at the beginning of a new school year. My son has attention deficit disorder, and needed something over the summer to keep his skills and knowledge fresh. Other workbooks we have tried over summer breaks have been too overwhelming for him, but this seems to be a perfect fit. He is actually excited about working on this book over this summer. The only negative thing I would say is in comparison to "Summer Bridge" books for younger children, which to me are organized a little more logically. In those books, the child works through each page sequentially (Day 1 has a couple pages on each of the topics of math, spelling, etc.), while this book has you skip around a little more between each subject area. I really feel my son will be better equipped when the new school year starts, and not have so much catching up to do.

I thought Axis Mundi would be a valuable aquisition to my werewolf stories, but wasn't. The mage storytellers will not understand why, whitewolf told that book would be useful for Mage campaigns. I wasted my money... Don't do the same mistake

This is a pretty good book. If you are looking for information on some of the spirits who support the totems of the werewolf tribes, then this book is for you. You won't be disappointed.

However, I was disappointed with this book. The main reason for this is that I thought this book wasn't far reacing enough. According to the Werewolf universe, the Umbra is populated with thousands, if not millions, of different kinds of spirits, each with their own personality archetypes, wants, desires, interests, etc. But this book focuses mainly on the small number who serve the major tribe totems. This small slice of the spirit world is hardly fulfilling.

Another problem is that the book makes no attempt to describe how the spirits interact with each other, how any of the hierarchies of the totems work, or how any other spirits really behave or act out in the day-to-day life of the Umbra. Spirits are described as if their only purpose is to interact with the werewolves and not as if they are each self-sufficient entities.

So this book is good for what it is, but like many other White-Wolf supplements it fails to be all it could be. A much better book would have given more over-arching spirit information on a macro level so us creative-types could use the information they provided to populate our games with interesting individual spirits on a micro level.

This is a must-have for any Storyteller that deals with the Umbra and spirits, for Mage or Werewolf. It is a very information-rich sourcebook, full of guidelines and expanded rules on spirits, and packed with information on the spirits themselves. There is a spiritual history of the Garou that is very informative

Read A THOUSAND COUNTRY ROADS by Robert
James Waller, an epilogue to THE BRIDGES OF MADISON
COUNTY . . . I was sooooo looking forward to this to see
what happened to Robert Kinkaid and Francesca Johnson,
the memorable characters introduced in the earlier book.

But this short tale did very little for me, and I must admit
that I was disappointed . . . very much so, in fact. Francesca
plays far too small a part . . . instead, I got to meet other
characters who frankly had little interest to me.

Waller certainly does have a way with words . . . as such,
several passages did nevertheless catch my attention . . . among them:

Still, Richard had a sense of it all. His deathbed words, a muted, scratchy sound deep in his throat only a few hours before he became unconscious. "Francesca, I know you had your own dreams, too. I'm sorry I couldn't give them to you."

"Hell, yes," the old man said. "Ain't met him yet, but like dogs, overall. Hardly ever met a dog without all the elements of good character--trust, loyalty, honor, all that. Can't say the same for most people l've met."

Carlisle started to protest, but Kincaid held up one hand, indicating he had more to say. "This has to do with a view of life and death that's almost impossible to explain in words. It's more of a gut-level feeling that time and I are old partners, that I'm just another rider on the big arrow. My life is worth no more than what I have done with it, and I've always seen the search for immortality as not only futile but ludicrous, just as elaborate coffins are a pathetic attempt
to evade the carbon cycle."

Robert James Waller's "A Thousand Country Roads" is NOT a continuation of "Bridges of Madison County" as some readers thought but actually deals with the in-between, after Kincaid left Iowa and before he died. During this time, he met up with a son he thought didn't exist and it shows how close both Kincaid and Francesca at meeting each other. Also, I am amazed that some readers wanted to know if they were going to meet even though it said clearly in "Bridges of Madision County" that they would not meet.

The author's writing skills is great and very personal. The book is short but especially intense and deep. Waller has the ability to bring and draw his readers into the story and just mesmerize his readers. Some might not like this book or feel dissatisfied because the ending is not what they want even though the ending was already determined in the previous book. I do agree that Waller should not dwell on the Kincaid past quite that much. However, I still think this is still a great story. I also highly recommend that the readers should read "Bridges of Madison County" first in order to understand better the story.

It has been a long time since we've heard these all-too familiar names: Francesca Johnson and Robert Kincaid. A decade ago, it was impossible to enter a movie theatre or abookstore without being bombarded with images of the world's all-time bestselling hardcover novel: The Bridges of Madison County. Now, we hear those names again...

A Thousand Country Roads is aptly described on the book jacket as an epilogue to Bridges. It is exactly that. This new book shows us some of the inbetween spaces in the lives of Robert and Francesca. A Thousand Country Roads aims to answer some questions about what happened to the two lovers after their affair at Roseman Bridge. What it does, and does well, is give us more insight into how the events in Bridges affected both Francesca and Robert and how they deal with it. Interestingly, for both people, a nostalgic journey is in the works.

Adding some excellent new characters and a few very clever twists, Robert Waller has recreated a lot of the magic of Bridges in this new tale. Readers who loved Bridges will anxiously follow the paths of Robert and Francesca as they explore what happened over those stolen four days, and examine what their lives have become Because of its nature though (it is an epilogue), it is certainly not going to be enjoyed by anyone who hasn't already read Bridges of Maisdon County.

The magic of Bridges is sustained in A Thousand Country Roads, and, a decade later, Robert Waller is back on the map. An execllent way to complete the picture for anyone who read and loved The Bridges of Madison County.

Dark Ages Mage, or DAMage, is not a game for everyone. And before I get started, I want to make sure everyone knows: you need to have the Dark Ages Vampire core book to play it.

DAMage is not for me. Why? I'm a fan of the Mage: The Ascension game line, and my thoughts start from there. Your mileage may vary.

The game defines magic separately for each group. It defines four "pillars" for each group, each with five ranks. These serve (supposedly) to measure what a Mage can and cannot do. Like any good game mechanic?

A lot of people didn't like the ambiguity inherent in M:tA's description of spheres. If that's you, avoid DAMage like the plague-- DAMage mechanics for Magic are described totally from the in-character point-of-view of the individual paradigm. As a way to understand what each kind of magic can really do, or settle disputes about whether a given Mage has the right knowledge to attempt a casting, they're completely unplayable.

They are, however, creative, even sometimes inspiring. If they were presented as magical theory, rather than a game mechanic, they'd be alright.

They'll also be good for selling supplements. The pillars demand exhaustive lists of "rotes," concrete definitions of individual powers, to be playable, and STs and players will find themselves obliged to go buy the "tradition book" for all the groups they intend to portray.

Another thing that bugged people about Mage: The Ascension, was that the sphere system seems "homogenous." That is, the progression in various abilities is pretty arbitrary, and if it's seen as universal among all kinds of will-workers, it intrudes on the in-character integrity of that paradigm.

I think that's a reasonable objection-- the Mage line's approach to Magic is it's own scenario, and though people claim you can do "any kind" of magic with it, that's not entirely true.

And, I think this helps us see why DAMage was developed along these lines. People wanted each paradigm to make sense "unto itself." Unfortunately, they chose to carry baggage from M:tA over. (Why? In an attempt to sell copy to Mage players.)

Wary of alienating Mage players, they retained an analog to a "sphere system," and gave lip-service to the "dynamic" quality of magic as found in Mage. And the result is something that is a glorified freestyle role-playing of magic, based on flavor text, or, with the eventual publication of massive rote lists, will really boil down to spell lists.

What people don't realize is that M:tA's sphere system was *born* out of a desire for a playable compromise between the reliable klunkiness of spell-lists, and the flexibility, but potential twinkery, of free-form role-play. It's imperfect, but, taken as what it is, it's also superb.

DAMage could have used M:tA's finely-tuned compromise. Instead it tried to reinvent the wheel, moving in both directions, failing to do either justice. DAMage could have been Mage: the Ascension with really cool, useful material on RPing in the Dark Ages setting.

And by the way. The presentation of the setting is rather lackluster, in DAMage. Possibly this is because they expect you go out and pay more money for Dark Ages Vampire. But if you're an Order of Hermes fan, for example, prepare to be disappointed. (Moreover, personally, my mind boggles at the authors' encouragement to send Muslim sorcerers off with their Christian cabalmates to kill Muslims in the Crusades.)

Alternatives better than DAMage include Mage: the Sorcerer's Crusade, Mage: the Ascension, or Sorcerer, each already in White Wolf mechanics, and adaptable to the Dark Ages setting (DAMage expects you to have other books too!) If you're a vampire player, particularly, I would think Sorcerer would be the way to go. There're also Ars Magica and D&D. And GURPS puts out great supplements, including on the Middle Ages. Which, if you want setting and flavor, are far superior.

As a fan of mage the ascension, i bought this book hoping to get some more insight into the DA magical societies. This, of course, was in the book, but it also flips everything on its head. while the magic system is similar, the 9 spheres have been done away with in favor of a 4 pillar system which is more taylored to each society. THis, i actually like for the setting. On the othe hand they trampled all over one of the most interesting groups off the age, The Order of Hermes. While they are still depicted as powerful, and organized, their house system is nearly ignored. (check out Ars magica for more Order of Hermes data) ALso, the book tries to promote interfellowship cabals, which is absolutely absurd in an era where most mages would sooner kill a rival mage than work with him for the most part. Mage: The Sorcerer's Crusade makes it very clear that such cabals almost NEVER happened until the uniting of the Traditions, and the writers expect us to believe they already worked together happy and together 2-300 years previous? Please...

Not to say the book is bad, because for the most part it is rather good. For Storytelling material it is bad, but as setting information and rules it is excellent.

Oh, on a final note, i only gave it 3 stars because White wolf decided not to put any rules in it outside of magic rules simply to sell more copies of Dark Ages: Vampire. It desserves 4 in its own right.

I must admit, I was waiting impatiently for this book more than even the new Dark Ages: Vampire that preceded it (and is necessary in order to make full use of Dark Ages: Mage). I love Mage: The Ascension, especially it's new incarnation in the Revised Edition of that game. This game however is not Mage: The Ascension.

The similarities are obvious and yes, it is the World of Darkness set back into the Dark Medieval, but the truth of the matter is that this is not the same game as it's predecessors, Mage: The Ascension or Mage: The Sorcerer's Crusade. There is no War for Reality, there is no competition. There is only magic. The opening chapter on medieval superstition gives a blanket feel of ambiguity to everything in the age and I think this is where the real strength of this game shines.

This book is not intended for first-time roleplayers. This book is advanced in every respect of the word. As a Storyteller for Dark Ages, having the rules to create and use Mage NPC's in my chronicles is outstanding and the rules for their creation, advancement, societies, everything... is right here. However, I was disappointed by the fact that although this game (and although it requires the use of Dark Ages: Vampire to use it, it -is- a separate and dinstinct game unto itself if allowed) has rules to actually play Mages, I can't say it's that easy. But then again, it obviously isn't supposed to be simple, after all these are willworkers, people whose expectations charge reality and force it to change. It's just not cut and dry.

The character creation is easy. The rules for advancement, simple enough. Unfortunately, it's the ambiguity of each of the pillars that catches me off guard, because, although we are playing these mages and their mindset is critical to their play, having the levels of power measured by interpretation is asking for complications. However, I believe now, after having re-read this book two times + since purchasing it, that it is SUPPOSED to be ambiguous and inexact, facilitating the person to person interpretation that was the rule of the day. After all, if someone easily adhere to exacting rules in the Dark Medieval, they were not Mages. Mages break the rules in every way, shape, and fashion and don't apologize for it; rather they take their success to mean that are due even more power. Enter hubris.

All in all, this is a great book and more visually stunning that I first imagined it would be. The spine, once again, is not attached to the book itself, but I'm beginning to suspect it's not supposed to. I gave this game 4 stars (instead of 3) because of the innate potential of such a game and the Dark Ages line. However, if you're are die hard fan of the Sphere system, I heartily recommend The Sorcerer's Crusade instead. This game is darker, more brutal, and more ambigious. These can be good things in the hands of the right people, but not for everyone.

I had read Bridges before I'd ever seen the movie, but after doing a Tearjerker marathon DVD night with the girlfriends, I was struck by how much better the movie was than the book. I think Waller really did make an effort to reflect how these two people feel and what they meant to each other, even years later, but failed miserably to do so. Maybe it was the challenge of trying to put it all in words versus watching the romance being play out on screen. I have not read his other books, but I certainly am looking for them now (that's why I was on amazon.com today). I'm not giving up on him, but I would recommend the movie over the book any time!

The story involves a woman who is married and comfortable - her husband is a very good provider and truly loves his wife as much as he is capable. Their is no romance between the couple, but they do care deeply for each other and do a fine job of raising their children and provide a loving home for them. A stranger rolls into town one day and stops to ask directions. A mutual attraction quickly develops between the wife and this interesting stranger. They are unable to stop the powerful romance that comes upon them like a strong force. Ultimately, she is left with the decision of leaving her life as she knows it and running away with a man that has evoking feelings inside her that made her feel so alive, or doing the right thing for her family - faced with the decision, she is with her husband in their old farm truck on main street, she sees Robert leaving town in his pick up and she knows it's now or never.

This book left me in tears. I saw the movie, and it doesn't do the story justice. This is one of the best books I have ever read.

If you want to read about real undying love, this book is a must read.

"The Bridge of Madison County" by Robert James Waller.

To a casual reader, the book appears to be just another juicy love story between a divorced man, Robert Kincaid, a writer-photographer from Bellingham, Washington and Francesca Johnson, a farmer's wife in Madison County, Iowa. In August 1965, he was 52 and she was 45. To a serious sensible reader, the book is much more than that. It is a powerful book.

Kincaid was on an assignment to photograph covered bridges in Madison County for 'National Geographic' when he dropped in on a farmhouse on a country road. A woman was sitting on the front porch. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for a covered bridge out this way, and I can't find it. I think I'm temporarily lost," he said. "You're pretty close. The bridge is about two miles from here," she said. "I'll be glad to show it to you, if you want."

They spent next four days together in the farmhouse. Francesca's husband Richard and her son Michael, 17, and her daughter Carolyn, 16, were at Illinois State Fair. They fell hard for each other in these four incredible days. They danced in the kitchen to candlelight, and they made love in the kitchen, in the bedroom, and in the pasture.

Then he was inside her again, whispering soft words into her ear as he loved her, kissing her between phrases, between words, his arm around her waist, pulling her into him and him into her. And she murmured, softly, breathlessly, "Oh, Robert . . . Robert . . . I am losing myself." He was an animal. A graceful, hard, male animal who did nothing overtly to dominate her yet dominated her completely, in the exact way she wanted that to happen at this moment.

"What are we going to do? he asked at the end of four days. "There is this damn sense of responsibility I have. To Richard, to the children. Just my leaving, taking away my physical presence, would be hard enough for Richard. That alone might destroy him," she said. "On top of that, and this is even worse, he would have to live the rest of his life with the whispers of the people here. And children would hear snickering of Winterset for as long as they live here. As much as I want you and want to be with you and part of you, I can't tear myself away from the realness of my responsibilities."

"Oh, Michael, Michael, think of them all those years, wanting each other so desperately. She gave him up for us and for Dad. And Robert Kincaid stayed away out of respect for her feelings about us. We treat our marriages so casually, and we were part of the reason that an incredible love affair ended the way it did," said Carolyn after reading the letter her mother left. "They had four days together, just four. Out of a lifetime."

Yes, Francesca and Robert spent only four days together out of a lifetime. They wanted each other so desperately. And yet, they endured the rest of their lives away from each other. Why? For what? To do the right thing. The right thing for Francesca was to think of Richard and their children. The right thing for Robert was to respect the feelings of Francesca. Herein lie the strength and power and moral of the story "The Bridges of Madison County."

what did god say not man?? do i have my answers? no. sorry.

So much caution needs to be exercised if this book is used as a resource, because of the subtle distortions of truth. After studying the issue of different bible versions for many years, I am now understanding how important it is to meditate upon the precise words God would have His children to remember. If this dictionary is not studied with discernment, it will have the effect of causing a person to have doubts about the integrity of the King James Bible. To give a balanced viewpoint of understanding the language used in the King James Version, I HIGHLY recommend a better dictionary with MANY more "archaic" words in it. It is written by Laurence M. Vance and is titled, "Archaic Words and the King James Bible." Amazon.com sells this book. ....

This is a reprint of The Bible Word Book originally written in 1960. It gives interesting background on many Old English words and points out the many bloopers in the King James translation. Most famous of these is the "unicorn" which occurs 9 times and which is properly corrected to "wild ox" in modern versions. If you would like to compare the KJV to 5 contemporary versions, read THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE BOOK OF PROVERBS by Cody Jones. Besides an in-depth commentary, it features 6 translations of Proverbs side-by-side: New King James (1982), New Revised Standard (1990), New Century (1991), New International Version (1983), King James (1611) and New Living Translation (1996).