I started listening to the audio tape some time ago in the car, and was initially somewhat ambivalent about the program. However, within fifteen minutes, I was thoroughly engaged, and fifteen minutes after that, wiping held-back tears from the corners of my eyes, wondering if "Nathaniel" (as in Hale) would be a good name for my future son.

Our forefathers, with courage and genius, created the most immitated society the world has ever known. How proud and fortunate this audio book makes one feel. I'm committed to listening to it with my teenage nieces and nephews on a "captive" drive sometime. It'll be a great topic for discussion.

This book was a gift from my uncle, and one that I was thrilled to receive. I have a passion for learning about the Founders and the War that defined the way we live today. The author brings out the best quotes, poems, and letters from the most influential men in American history. Their level of devotion is unparalleled throughout the world. I find it most admirable that these men relied on God for their wisdom and through prayer and faith they pledged their "sacred honor" to the cause. I am only a high school student, but I understand that these values apply to everyone in every class. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for God or guidance.

Our form of government has been the most lasting, widespread innovation in modern history. As wonderful as that is, in many ways it is even more wonderful to return to the frame of mind and the values that engendered this invention.

Although (as Bill Bennett rightly points out) our founding Fathers (and Mothers) often fell far short of their own ideals and were profoundly skeptical about the potential of people to do the right thing, they also aspired to a kind of virtue on Earth that combined true nobility of spirit and deed with good relations towards others.

Bennett has put these ideals into the following categories: patriotism and courage; love and courtship; civility and friendship; education of the head and heart; industry and frugality; justice; and piety. You can dip your inquisitive toe into any of these, whenever you want. .... I suggest that in addition to buying a copy for yourself, that you plan to give this book as a gift to your children and grandchildren as they reach the age when they will begin to make important moral choices for themselves. .... In most cases, I felt like the material here was stating timeless principles that do apply today ....

Bennett does a nice job as editor in explaining the context of each passage. His love of these people, these ideals, and these words is obvious. It will move you. And hopefully inspire you to follow the good advice in those words.

Nicely done, Bill Bennett! This is a good use of history . . . to help us learn not to repeat the mistakes of the past needlessly.

In Lazy Daisy, a young girl considers her messy room a masterpiece with its mountains of toys and piles of clothes, and a closet to match! Daisy considers herself with some pride as being the laziest girl in the world with a marvelous mess to prove it! Then Daisy's grandmother gets lost in all the mess and soon the entire town is buried in junk. Will Daisy learn her lesson and clean up the town before it's lost forever? Will Gramma get her dentures back? Enthusiastically recommended for young picturebook readers, Lazy Daisy is an original and entertaining story by David Olson that is showcased by Jenny Campbell's light and lively drawings.

It's always a bonus when adults actually enjoy the books they read to children and Lazy Daisy is definitely one of those books that entertains both groups. The rhyming verse is very funny - David Olson is a creative writer who concocts a hilarious combination of words to tell Daisy's story, and the comical illustrations add a perfect touch to the impending catastrophe. I can't wait to read his next book!

This is a TERRIFIC book for kids! ALL of us have gone through the "CLEAN UP YOUR ROOM" issue with our kids. This book puts a hilarious spin on the consequences of living in a big fat mess! Your kids will love it..you will love it! This is a FIRST BOOK for both the author and the illustrator...and it was selected as an AMERICAN BOOKSELLER PICK OF THE LISTS for 2000! Both author and illustrator need to be congratulated for a fine piece of work, and I look forward to seeing the next one!

A little boy had a set of tin soldiers that were made from a melted spoon. One soldier was missing a leg because there was not enough metal left over from the melted spoon.

Tossed aside by the boy, the one-legged soldier sees a paper cut out figure of a ballerina. She is poised on one leg and he feels an instant bond. He has found another one-legged toy and believes this to be love.

The steadfast tin soldier has a series of mishaps. He falls off the window sill into a stream. From there, he is transported to a rat infested sewer. He is swallowed by a fish and through an unlikely stroke of luck, winds up back in the boy's playroom with the other toys and the ballerina.

The ending is what gets to me every single time. A gust of wind lifts the paper ballerina up and she flutters into the fire place, winding up a charred heap of ashes. Devastated, the tin soldier joins her. The remaining metal that was once the tin soldier is a charred piece of heart shaped metal.

I still think this is a very sad story. The photographs really emphasize the feeling this story evokes.

I taught 1st grade for 4 years and all of the teachers in my grade passed this book around at Christmas to read to our class. I cried everytime I read it. It has a wonderful message and my kids in my classroom always loved it! I have now (finally) purchased my own copy of this book to read to my little girl. It is a classic and I know she will love it as much as I do. Every home should have this book to read at Christmastime.

This is a really good book. It has all the characteristic's that made the original a cherished and remembered fairy tale. It is a great gift for any young child, and can be enjoyed by adults too. It maintains the feel of the original tale, but is more like a poem. The art work on each page is beautiful, and the pictures are totally devine. I would recomend buying this for a different and fully enjoyable version of the original.

You can spend five minutes or five hours at a sitting with this gem. Even a casual browse through a few pages will teach you something you didn't know about Vikings. A must for anybody studying Norse culture, and a valuable addition to their collections.

-
A cultural atlas presents its readers with a tremendous amount of information. Even a casual browsing through this work reveals enough information to provide the seeker of knowledge with a firm grasp on the history, geography, and culture of the efficient, effective "Warriors of the North" known as Vikings or Northmen.

This atlas explains and defines the Viking Age, beginning in the 8th century and ending in the 11th century with the creation of the Scandinavian nations of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland. These tall, blonde, blue-eyed Vikings also left their mark on lands from North America, across Europe into Russia -- which was named for the Rus, a Swedish tribe -- and into the Byzantine Empire of Asia Minor and beyond. The Vikings endowed the Europeans who followed them with the Viking genes for bravery, impudence, physical beauty, and intelligence, genes which Viking warriors spread widely in the Northern Hemisphere.

The compilers of this work, edited by James Graham-Campbell, present the reader with a plethora of charts, maps, and captioned photographs illustrating and enriching cogent expository text.

Everyone on the planet, ... will recognize this book as a valuable tool in the study of a great European people.

I love this book. It has lots of maps and illustrations. Best of all it covers the entire gamut of the Viking universe. It is a wonderful resource for getting your head around the big picture of the Viking age. I have researched Viking Age history for years now and this is one of the BEST books I have ever found

Colorful, memorable characters, a story that moves fast and stays funny, and great dialogue. One of those books to remember, long after it's been passed on to friends.

"Dancing on the Cellar Door"

I finished the book, the same day I recieved it.
All I can say is WOW!!
It was a delightful, compelling, fun, rollicking, bawdy, prolific, pulse-pounding, sexual, read.

It did keep me guessing at times.
I recommend it to ALL adventurous, literary people.

Dear Sir !
Congratulations !Great books !But !
I.m missing the
explanation for the content of Foquet abbé:
"...so difficult to discover that nothing now on
this earth can prove of better fortune nor be their
equel.."
Nevertheless it is questionig to me,why Posussin
informed Foquet so easily-if this is so secret ?
Furthermore I doubt about the fact,how could Poussin
undertood all these really difficult mathematics in
this century-if it makes difficulties to me as well in
2001 ?

...and what is meaning:"nothing better fortune" ???
Just the mathematic rules and ????
I.m absolutely sure there should be more than this
and I think there should be any link,how rapidly
Sauniere became rich ?!
These are currently my doubts and questions to you.
With best regards:
Zoltan Szilagyi
Budapest/Hungary

This book is a really good read for anyone interested in Rennes-le-Chateau. For those who have read "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" by Baigent et. al., this is a totally new and different perspective on the mystery. The basic premise of "H.B., H.G." is that Jesus didn't die on the cross, but has a direct line of decendants to the present day, and relates this to the secret organization Prieur de Sion and Freemasonry. Wood and Campbell take the same information Baigent et. al. used to derive this hypothesis and, using a more mathematical approach, relate the secret of Rennes-le-Chateau not to Jesus Christ, but to a returning comet that will destroy the earth at a certain date. Worth reading!

I've heard the title of this book quoted for years. When I saw a copy at my inlaws house, I decided to read it.

Although it doesn't take lots of time to read, the return on time invested can be incredible. This is probably the best book I've read on goal setting--and I've read a ton.

I particularly like Campbell's realistic approach. He doesn't try to get you to squeeze your life into a predetermined, micromanaged mold. Instead, he offers lots of advice on how to increase your options as you go through life.

I'll be getting this book for my favorite high school grads for sure. But if you're a little past high school, as I am, don't count yourself out. This book could help just about anyone.

This book helps you to understand the things you should consider throughout your teenage years, or even later, that will influence your adult life. It particularly focuses on choosing a career. The primary point is how to ensure you get and keep lots of options open throughout your life. Although it's really written for highschool students, college students would find it useful also. Actually, it's valuable even for adults. Very easy reading; only takes about an hour to read, but is well worth the time.

This is a very sweet book that will make you laugh if you grew up with only a few of these memories. Not irreverent or blasphemous, it is a true but humorous look at how we grew up in religious families and communities. So many things that I had forgotten from my childhood were brought to mind again while reading this scrap book of growing up spiritual. It was surprising that the authors left out Davey and Goliath as proper TV fare though, maybe because it usually aired on Sunday morning before we left for Church. And it is funny to remember what we thought about those "other Churches". I thank the authors for putting this memory album together for us. So buy, enjoy, and share this book with others who will relate, before this gentle way of life is forgotten altogether in some parts of this country.

I have NEVER before laughed OUT LOUD in a bookstore until I picked up this book. I HAD to rush to the checkstand and buy it before they labelled me certifiable and carried me away. I honestly don't think I've ever read anything funnier in my life. I suppose the reason it so appeals to my sense of humor is that it is ALL true!

Who this book is for---anyone who remembers flannelgraphs of Jesus, Sunday School in the church basement and potlucks with lots of macaroni salad.

Who this book is NOT for---Anyone who had no emotional response whatsoever upon reading "Who this book is for." It's also not for those who fit the bill "who this book is for" BUT who take themselves way too seriously and have no sense of humor. The genius of this group of "born again" authors is that they manage to poke fun ad infinitum at the "if you're saved and you know it" generation with complete hysterical...I mean historical accuracy while maintaining a spirit of absolute fun and not an ounce of disrespect or guile. They're not poking fun at God. Their humor is aimed at us, the people who in our sincere attempts to love God, tend to say and do things that are quite frankly fertile ground for laughter.

Again a word of caution, do NOT buy this book if you are easily offended, especially by religious matters. On the other hand, BUY THIS BOOK NOW "if you're saved and you know it" and you want to grin about it until your mouth hurts.

Lisa from California

Alec Campbell's African Rock Art: Paintings And Engravings On Stone, superbly and profusely illustrated with more than two hundred examples of David Coulson's color photography, spectacularly and informatively showcases Africa's rock art with examples drawn from the entire continent. The text provides the reader with an authoritative and "reader friendly" historical and interpretative analysis. Alec Campbell draws upon his many years of experience as the founder and former director of the "National Museum of Botswana", and is a resident of the area. David Coulson is founder and chairman of the "Trust for African Rock Art" and combines his special expertise with skills as a photography to provide a visual record of outstanding works, many of which are now endangered by erosion, theft, and vandalism. African Rock Art is an impressive and much appreciated addition to personal, academic and community library African art history and cultural studies collections.

This is the long awaited 2nd part of Joseph Campbell's journals of his trip to the Orient in the Fifties. The first, Baksheesh and Brahman, told of India, and this book tells of other countries but mainly Japan. The book reads like a journal with varied entries about traveling, people and places of interest, etc. The post-war mood is obvious, and the political climate is interesting.
This book is less naive than the first where JC was disappointed by the spiritual/caste hypocrisy of India, and more insightful of modern Oriental life.

Sake & Santori is the fifth volume in a series of collected works of philosopher/spiritualist Joseph Campbell and focuses upon his cultural and spiritual interactions with Japan during his 1950s Asian journey. The changing social and political world of Japan come to life in a a set of entries relating Campbell's discourses with Japanese from all walks of life.

". . . passages convey his appetite for the sights and sounds of Japan. For Campbell, religion was a subset of mythology, and the exposure to Japanese Buddhism was important to the next leg of his journey as a scholar. "Sake & Satori" is a glimpse of a supple mind, mid-career."
- Shambala Sun Magazine