I just adore this book. It is so wonderfully obsessive, a sort of subtle comedy leaks out and consumes you. Beard was obviously part genius and part madman -- how else could you explain such tremendously narrow focus? -- and that is where a lot of his charm lies. He is a fantasic character, and this serves as an interesting study of one of the most important gastronomical figures in history. For any fan of Beard, this essential work gives more weight and background to his already substantial body of work.

My professor suggested this book and deemed it the "Bible on Evidence". I bought it and it is. A great book that will clear up many of your questions. If you don't understand what your law professor is saying, this book will make it clearer.

Flambeau, Father Brown's great friend and sometime sidekick, appears in only one of the stories herein.

"The Scandal of Father Brown" - A beautiful (and married) rich woman has taken up with a distinguished poet - and Father Brown, rather than reacting as expected, appears to be providing active assistance.

"The Quick One" - Old John Raggley is a law unto himself - spending his life writing to newspapers in protest, drinking only cherry brandy because of the poor quality of all other drinks sold - but he died of poisoned brandy, all the same. Early in the story, Raggley insults a Moslem's religion to his face, when the man's teetotaler companion makes a nuisance of himself - and is overjoyed when the stranger takes him seriously, and throws a dagger at him. This closeness between enemies, when they respect each other for having principles even though they're opposites, is fleshed out more fully in Chesterton's novel _The Ball and the Cross_.

"The Blast of the Book" - Professor Openshaw, who devotes his time to investigating psychic phenomena, and thoroughly enjoys exposing fraudsters, is confronted with a singular incident resulting in the disappearance of his own clerk.

"The Green Man" - The Admiral, tricked out in his most elaborate formal uniform, is found drowned in a pond near his home.

"The Pursuit of Mr. Blue" - A private detective fails to prevent the murder of a millionaire, who's been pursued to a seaside resort. A police inspector recommends that he visit the renowned amateur, Father Brown, who sifts some interesting information from the detective's story of the pursuit. A racist epithet, thrown in casually while setting the opening scene, mars the story; the actual dismantling of the puzzle is handled cleverly.

"The Crime of the Communist" - Two philanthropists, invited to dinner at the university since they're about to endow a new chair of Applied Economics, are found poisoned in the garden after dinner - and the chief suspect is the chair of Political Economy.

"The Point of a Pin" - Father Brown, currently being awakened every morning by the start of work on a nearby construction site, is interested professionally because of a labour dispute brewing therein.

"The Insoluble Problem" - A case wherein Flambeau, in his respectable retirement from his first profession, is in pursuit of a team of jewel thieves, and brings in his old friend Father Brown.

This book was very enlightening and insightful on the practice of law in the 40's, 50's and 60's. It brought to life an era of controversy and injustice within an evolving America. It helps to explain these disruptive years of anti-communism and racial injustice amid the political struggles of a partisan society.

A very good illustrated book, plenty of informations about all the signs you could find in a wood, a beach, a street.. Just open the book and you'll be able to find out which species of bird flown on your garden, which one eat your loved flowers... Very nice and veru useful!

The third installment of TRMGS is a welcome addition to the canon of literature for the role-playing game Space:1889. Although some of the material is re-printed from the old GDW magazine Challenge, the bulk of this title is new, fresh information. The quality of this volume stands up well with the previous two volumes, and it is clear that the publisher (Heliograph, Inc.) is starting to better understand DTP layout and the limitations and/or strengths of their printer, Lightning Print, Inc.

The only quibble that keeps me from rating this volume with 5 stars, is the interior artwork. Bob Brown's drawings are a welcome addition but do not (in this reviewer's opinion) stand up well against the vintage victorian artwork (clipart) in this volume or against the art originally produced for Space: 1889 and associated articles in GDW's Challenge magazine.

That quibble coupled with an over-abundance of advertising for other Heliograph projects, serve as annoying distractions to an otherwise excellent volume. That all said, I am looking forward to volume #4.

This is an interesting book, in which the author provides an fresh perspective on what happened in Dealey Plaza, in 1963. Some of the extrapolations fail to recognize the distinction between conspiracy and forensic competence. It is interesting to note that the annual report (not mentioned by the author) of the Dallas Police Department for 1963 makes no mention of one of the most momentous occurrences in history. As a law enforcement officer, I can readily identify short comings, in the way Dallas PD handled the enquiry. It is not every day that officers have to deal with an incident of world interest and prominence. The fact that not everything went according to plan is hardly surprising. Whilst I do not judge the way in which the enquiry was handled, it is not the case that lack of forensic certainty and conspiracy are the same thing. I would have preferred the author to provide more forensic detail about the rifle found in the TSBD and the weapon allegedly used to shoot the President: where they the same; what, forensically, can be shown about the magic bullet and its relationship to the'TSBD' weapon? Similarly, the book would have benefitted from more detail about the weapon with which Tippit was shot. In both cases, a link to Oswald or otherwise would have enhanced the forensic examination provided by the author, which, generally, is of a good standard. Finally, do we ever bottom the Hidell/Oswald dilemma? I am unsure that we do truly unearth the actual relevance. Over all, this is one of the best books that I have read, dealing with the assassination of the President

At the center of all questions about the Valley lies the matter of innovation-for the Valley occasionally appears like a perpetual innovation machine. I say "innovation" rather than simply "invention," because innovation, to me, means invention implemented. And I have grudgingly come to realize that invention is often the easy part of innovation. The hard part is usually the implementation. Here I was particularly interested in Stuart Leslie's well-chosen quotation from a letter of Frederick Terman. Terman was the Stanford University dean who played godfather to Hewlett Packard and so many other early start-ups in the Valley. When he left the university to work on radar during World War II, he wrote back to a colleague at Stanford, "I had never before realized the amount of work required to make a device ready for manufacture after one had a good working model." It was a lesson he clearly learned well as he guided young Stanford graduates to innovative success.

I truly enjoyed this read. It may help to listen to the audio cassette beforehand. I find Thoreau inspirational. Many times you step back and realize how beautiful all of life's intricacies are, how wonderful life truly is & how lucky we are. Thoreau has embraced every minute detail of natural life, as it was meant to be & has successfully captured it in print. I love the fact that each line is a "novel" in itself. I loved the book and listen to the audio cassette often. Buy it, buy it, buy it.

They can't appreciate this book due to the fact that they live in a world of pop trash. Im only 19 and I like it, it's one of the best books I've ever read (besides Waterland). No author describes images and scenery as well as Thoreau, at least that I've read, and his dislike for society is well argued. So, if you're one of those MTV-watching, mall loving, stylish-car- driving, conforming, TV junkies, or an educated uppity know-it-all than this book isn't for you.

I read this book about every five years or so in
order to take inventory of my personal life. Soon
I find myself forgetting about DVD players and software
applications and begin to focus upon bringing
my life much more in tune with the harmonics of
nature. Thoreau has the ability to cut through the
messages of nonstop consummerism and force the reader to
evaluate the cutural norms of greed and individualism.
Why is it so hard to accept that man is of this planet
and we must learn how to balance our species goals and
desires with those of the other species of life which
inhabit this biosphere?

John Casey's modern novel of the sea is a good read with some interesting characters and situations (including what could have been an exciting tale about survival in the midst of a strong hurricane). The primary character of focus is Dick Pierce, a struggling fisherman, husband, father of two, and a man attempting to build his dream boat (and hence a means to a better future). "Spartina" is the story of Dick Pierce, his boat, and the moral dilemmas he finds himself facing while trying to make a better life for himself and his family.

Whether he succeeds or not is left for the reader to decide. Pierce wants his own boat to captain and has been working on a 54-footer in his back yard for several seasons. He's about $10,000 short of funds to finish his boat and must make some difficult decisions as to how to come up with these funds. His wife is running out of patience (you can't blame her) and Pierce is struggling just to make a living as a commercial fisherman along the coast of Rhode Island. As a result, he makes some dubious decisions including poaching crabs and running drugs. These decisions seem thrust upon Pierce as if he had little say in the matters. And that's one of the failings in this book--the moral dilemmas are glossed over with an aura of inevitability. You get the impression Dick Pierce is a good man in bad circumstances, and these circumstances continue to present themselves.

Along the way, Dick has an affair with a much younger woman, the scheming and patently unredeeming Elsie. This affair fills the center of the novel and reveals more about Elsie than Pierce or his relationship with his family. Naturally, Pierce continues to make misstep after misstep, but ultimately is able to finish his boat after borrowing the necessary cash. As luck would have it, a strong hurricane approaches the Rhode Island coast just as his boat (the Spartina of the novels title) is christened (and still not yet insured). In yet another curious decision, Pierce (again seemingly with little control over the decisions he makes) takes the boat out to sea in an effort to get out the hurricane's path. This scene could have been one of great action, interest, and soul searching (he is, afterall, torn between two women and potentially about to lose his boat/life's savings), but is rather short-lived. Casey really lost an opportunity to bring some excitement and meaning to this somewhat predictable story by shortchanging the storm at sea portion of the story. It's a minor quibble, but one that left this reader dissatisfied.

Pierce faces several unresolved problems back on shore and the book concludes fairly rapidly once the Spartina is cast to the sea leaving the reader a little unsure what to make of Pierce's choices or the results of those choices. Overall, a book with a lot of promise and missed opportunities. Worth reading, but don't expect to be enthralled or enlightened.

Spartina is one of the most gripping reads I've enjoyed in years! Casey has a unique style which kept me turning the pages while asking, "What next?!" I even found myself reading while stuck in traffic--not so difficult in Boston. My suggestion: read "The Perfect Storm" by Sebastian Junger first--the two compliment each other very well!

John Casey, author of "American Romance" as well as this National Book Award winner, has here crafted a masterpiece. His characters are true, in the way of great fiction, and his story is as well. Notable for the accuracy of how he catches the tiny, verifying details as well as the generally more memorable "big" scenes, such as the harrowing encounter of his protagonist, Dick, with a hurricane, this is a book that belongs on the shelf of every great reader, student of fiction, and writer, aspiring or lauded. The committee giving out the National Book Award has often led me to wonder about the sanity of any committee deciding on the best literature, but here is an example of how their selection process can, on occasion, find real gold. If you've never read "Spartina", read it now. If you have but find it's been a while, repeat the task. You'll be better off for the doing