With the plethora of books currently available on cigars in general and on Habanos in particular, this is (still) the one item no cigar aficionado dare be without.

The only thing that will make this book better is an updated version with the new vitolas now in production. A great referance and a must for serious havana smokers and collectors

I have an extensive collection of cigar books but this is the only one I cannot part with . The author has successfully catalouged Cuban cigars and provided extensive and interesting information not available in other contemporary publications . A must for any serious aficionado.

A treasure trove of all things Myth II. This is one of the best buys for any serious Myth fan because of the vast wealth of knowledge it contains and displays with our beloved Myrth humor. The Handbook explains the details of basic unit editing and map editing, has walkthroughs for the Solo levels, plus comes with a CD that is absolutely packed with tons of Myth files and utils of every kind.
Please do not hesitate, if you are a newer Myth II fan, or one of the older vets, to order this book. It just has so much to offer, you can't possibly be let down.

Amateur publisher J. Charles Holt has created a gem of a book here, one that's sure to please any Myth II fan from newbie to hardcore cartographic wizard. No other electronic gaming book I've read has come close to the breadth and depth of topical coverage contained in this beautifully designed and written handbook. All topics are given due attention, from clear explainations of game concepts and controls, to advanced strategies for network play, and on into in-depth map making. Like a literary juggler, Holt manages to keep all these balls in the air with wit and elegance, keeping the reader entranced and amused at the same time.

Personally, I found the map-making section most helpful--within a day after receiving my copy I found the information I needed to solve a particularly mystifying mapping problem. That solution alone justified the price of the book in terms of number of hours saved futzing around with a problem that had been nagging at me for weeks. Also, after reading the map scripting section, I can't wait to dig into scripting my own map actions. Thanks for such a great book!

The Myth 2 Handbook is chock full of goodies, and insightful information written by one of the most involved members of the Myth community. His clear and witty style takes you through the annals of MythII. From 3rd party editing to strategy and more, this handbook is the best resource a Myther could want.

This three-volume set is considered a classic text of Catholic apologetics. The writing is clear, concise, and relentlessly logical. The arguments put forth are a remarkable combination of common sense, logic, and Scriptural reference. Not only does the book give Protestants, agnostics, humanists, and atheists a lot to think about, it is a fantastic resource for Catholics who desire a full understanding of our religious beliefs and practices, top to bottom. The big difference between Volumes 1 and 2 is that the latter responds to far more challenging questions, delving deeper into the same general topics covered in Volume 1.

I am often asked what book I would recommend to people considering conversion from Protestantism to Catholicism or to people trying to evangelize Protestants who have questions, even tough ones, about Catholicism. If it can be just one book, more often than not, this is the trilogy I recommend. Granted, it's 3 books, but all three of them together form one whole that answers over 4,000 questions posed by Protestants, Atheists, Agonstics, skeptics, etc.

Because of the wide range of questions, this book is very recommendable -- it doesn't only specialize on one single topic. And because the questions are REAL questions that other people have asked, many folks will find asked and answered precisely the same questions they've wondered about, in this work.

It is thoroughly indexed and covers almost any question that might come up in a debate with a Protestant or other unbeliever. It is extremely useful, as my experience in apologetics testifies. This is the work to turn to first when stumped on a particular issue. The wealth of information in this trilogy is unimaginable. Written by two priests. Imprimatur.

If you can only buy one source of Catholic answers--make it this one!

The Radio Replies volumes are a written compilation of the replies that two priests gave to a call in show more than a few decades ago.

The questions they answered are as relevant today as they were then. What is purgatory? Is there a hell? Why do we need a church? Why do you think the Catholic Church is the true Church? What is papal infallibility? Why the objection to artificial birth control?

The questions go on and on, but I doubt there are many that these two gentlemen haven't answered. Furthermore, I enjoy the brevity of the answers. If you want a quick answer on something the Catholic Church holds true, you need not spend hours finding an answer. Radio Replies will give you the answer.

The rest is up to you. I recommend this three volume set to anyone who wants to learn his or her Catholic faith in a "nutshell." These volumes would be of enormous assistance in answering the questions of the curious as well. If you are going down either of these paths, this set (even one of the three volumes) should be the first thing you get aside from the Catechism.

Most every question is asked and answered. You won't regret picking up this set.

As a mystery writer with my first novel in its initial release, I am going to resist the temptation to categorize this mystery into any sub-genre. It is simply a fine read. Mathes is working at his best. There is a fabulous plot involving Nell and Molly's family. Nell is the mute who hasn't spoken in seventeen years since her mother's murder, and in this book, the sisters discover their grandmother too died under suspicious circumstances. The sisters launch their investigation, and that investigation takes them to both sides of the pond. THE GIRL AT THE END OF THE LINE is a terrific mystery and an enjoyable read.

Charles Mathes' new book The Girl At The End Of The Line is equal to his last two mysteries. He has once again masterfully created characters in such a way that they become unforgettable, lifelong friends and you find yourself thinking of them days, weeks, and months later wondering how they are getting on.

He brings Molly and her sister Nell to us in this latest adventure. Their mystery begins when they find an old theater program with their Grandmother's name as the featured player billed in a Broadway Show. They are amazed and puzzled as she has always been just "Grandma" to them in their tiny town. Their lives begin to unravel at a fast and furious pace with a wonderful blend of warmth and drama that you never have need of a bookmark.

Mathes obviously is a gifted intellect who knows how to make both the profound and the trivial entertaining. His books are saucy and witty, quite charming throughout and The Girl At The End Of The Line is no exception. Even Mathes' minor characters are endearing and woven into the plot beautifully and believably. Who can forget New York City and the sister's maze throughout the theater district and Dim Sum in China town and their European jaunt? The way it is woven into our hearts we feel as though we are there with Nell and Molly experiencing their anguish, suspense, frustrations and joys as they tumble through mystery after unfolding mystery.

The author knows his way about life in such an authentic manner that adventure, danger, or romance from tiny towns to the largest cities of the world touch us. It doesn't matter which chapter or place you're at in his books you're always left wanting more.

Molly and Nell O'Hara own an antique store in North Carolina. Nell doesn't talk after seeing her mother murdered when she was a little girl, so Molly has to interact with the world for both of them. Molly is stunned to find a program that shows that her grandmother, a poor seamstress who recently suffered a stroke, was once a famous Broadway actress. After the grandmother dies, Molly, determined to learn more about her mysterious past, drags Nell off to New York City and a serious of adventures that lead them through the world of Broadway theatre, Chinatown, England and eventually to a family they never knew they had -- one of whom seems to want to kill them. Molly and Nell are truly touching characters, very real, very believable and the story is a whirlwind read -- I couldn't put it down. Highly recommend. Mathes's other books are good, too -- the kind of books it's fun to curl up with on a rainy day.

This is a wonderful book. I have read it through at least three times, each was an exciting journey. One of the very best works to be presented about a tattered, crimson stained, page of history...the Vietnam War. It is filled with every facet of emotion. It is a book that I will keep on my shelf and revisit often...Excellent work Charles.

John E. Delezen,Author of.... "Eye of the Tiger"

Five Stars isn't enough to express the powerful impact of this book. Charles Patterson has performed a tremendous service to all, particularly to all of America; war veterans in general, Vietnam Veterans in particular, the friends we lost, our families, and those who vilified us. In baring his heart and soul as he has, Mr. Patterson has managed to convey the breadth and depth of emotions--and lack thereof--that a warrior faces. I served two tours in Vietnam, during The Gulf War, in Haiti and again during Bosnia. I'm constantly asked why I continued to volunteer to go to war after being wounded in 1968 during my first tour in Vietnam. I could never adequately explain it. In the future, when asked I'll just hand over a copy of "The Petrified Heart: The Vietnam War Poetry of Charles E. Patterson." Someone has FINALLY told the world what Vietnam was really like for those of us who fought it. Thank you Mr. Paterson.

I felt like I had stumbled upon a pirate's chest of fine jewels and priceless treasures when I read THE PETRIFIED HEART. Each word, phrase and passage is delicate, beautiful, powerful and crafted into strings of enchanting art. I was both mystified and in awe of Patterson's command and use of the English language. Mark my word, this work will endure as fine literature, long after we are all gone.

Ernest Spencer author: WELCOME TO VIETNAM MACHO MAN, editor: The Khe Sanh Veterans Magazine, RED CLAY

A new italian Futurist Manifesto, but this time a good one.

It was a an Italian virtuoso contrabassist who told me to read these Lectures. Stefano plays all the arduously difficult new music literature for the contrabass. He travels with a violoncello,so he can play all that repertoire as well. When he plays this music he often ponders Calvino, five primary conceptual corridors toward what he thought of as literature,but music as well can be contemplated with these ideas. "Lightness", well music has a density, Mozart played games with it, and interpreting Mozart can be a treatise in the dialectic,the transformations and timbral modulations of lightness to heaviness.,ask any violinist.Calvino of course expounds on Kundera's popular book, on the weight of the lifeworld of living in the East,the coal-dusted passageways,or of a fallen love,begun transgressivly there as well. Dante is a frequent pilgrim(example) here the lightness of snow falling imperceptibly on the mountainside. "Quickness", but not how fast things move,(our Silicon Valley) odious airjets that may puncture the ozone layer,or violins, but the quickness of an image to transform our consciousness,to lighten it up from the cruel oppression of citylife.That's poetry. I think.Robert Musil is here as well, the complexity,the numbering imagination of his transitory work to modernity the opening two decades of this century,his "Man Without Qualities" a seemingly endless work.And Gedda's "Awfull Mess. . . " on the street a probing detective novel of complexity of a murder in Rome,on the way to the Labor Bureau of the Roman Government. In music I frequently think of Visibility when I have nothing to transport me into the bowels of a Bruckner or an Antheil Symphony,what do I see in the music,like the weight of this century in the "Largo" from the "Fifth Symphony" of Shostakovich.Multiplicity as well another Calvino chapter is here,sprouting its wings like a peacock, all around us if we only have the patience for it. To phanthom and explore all images of a work as looked at through a plexiglass. We seldom do that. How exact is art, "Exactitude" is what Leonardo di Vinci lived his life with, rewrote almost everything,Calvino tells us, as Leopardi,the Essays.

My interest in reading this collection of essays stems from a curiousity about narrative structure. I found that, while Calvino writes candid insertions about his own works, and while he writes with great fluency of ancient, medieval, contemporary world writers, the power of this short book lies in his erudite observations and keen, bits of wisdom. Here's a sample: "Saving time is a good thing because the more time we save, the more we can afford to lose" (p. 46), and this one, "Were I to choose an auspicious image for the new millennium, I would choose this one: The sudden agile leap of the poet-philosopher who raises himself above the weight of the world, showing that with all his gravity he has the secret of lightness, and that what many consider to be the vitality of the times--noisy, aggressive, revving and roaring--belongs to the realm of death, like a cemetary for rusty, old cars" (p. 12).

Calvino writes about five different qualities of literature: Lightness, Quickness, Exactitude, Visibility, and Multiplicity (he had intended to write a sixth chapter on Consistency, before his untimely death). He examines these qualities closely, using his own facile language as the medium.

Read it, by all means.

This is one of the finest collections of pin-up art from the talented artists that brought these beautiful women to life. These were very risque for their time but they were a true celebration of women. This is the kind of open mindedness and genuine appreciation missing from today's society. Women are wonderful, intelligent, beautiful people and life would be a tragedy without them. There...I said it!

This is an excellent overview of the genre, on an artist-by-artist basis, from the classic era of the mid-twentieth century. All of the artists here are deserving of recognition, though only a handful of them are truly well-known and adequately documented in print elsewhere. All of the many artists here are well-represented; the reproduction is flawless, and the commentary is intelligent and well-researched. The original edition is my point of reference here, so I can't vouch for this one fully, but it appears to have maintained the integrity of the earlier printing and is a very handsome production as well.

I simply want to echo all of the positive reviews of this book. It is a visual feast; highly informative; and a wonderful value. As one reviewer previously noted, the book's only major shortcoming is the lack of picture titles.

By virtue of being so comprehensive, this book provides an excellent starting point for assessing the importance of pinup art in our country's recent history. No matter what you might think about the moral implications of its racier subject matter or its value as "serious" art, you cannot deny the stunning achievement of the artists represented in this volume. Almost without exception, the women depicted in this volume are endearing, sexy and spunky. The author and the publisher are to be commended for bringing this unprecedented volume to print.

This second collection of urban fantasy stories from de Lint's fictional city of Newford is almost as pleasurable as the first. As before, each story can be read and enjoyed on its own, but taken as a whole, they build subtly upon each other, and on stories from Dreams Underfoot, to create a whole portrait of a city that is greater than the sum of its parts. De Lint's lyrical, beautiful prose subtly underplays the magic, making it completely believable that there truly is this greater world beyond the one we ordinarily perceive.

The only reason I give this book four stars rather than five is the apparent influence that author/attorney Andrew Vachss has on this collection. Vachss's work crusading against crimes against children is indeed an admirable goal. However, several stories in a row in The Ivory and the Horn pick up on those themes--one even mentioning Vachss as someone one of the characters has had contact with--and it lends that particular section a samey sort of feeling, as opposed to the variety I prefer to find in short story collections. Individually, the stories are just fine. I simply would have prefered to see them presented in a different order, to keep the recurring themes from feeling so obvious.

I taught "The Pochade Box" and a student picked out "Dead Men's Shoes" from this collection to be taught by both of us. I read this collection originally some years ago and was delighted how much I loved re-reading it this spring. There are many wonderful stories in here.

This is always the book I recommend for those who have never read De Lint's work before. These stories show the magic of everyday life and provide inspiration for surmounting difficulties. De Lint is amazing for his ability to write from a woman's perspective...like one of the previous reviewers, "Bird Bones and Wood Ash" is definitely my favorite story in the collection. Anyone interested in the human condition, whether or not they are fans of fantasy writing, will be drawn in by this collection of stories.

Within the first 30 pages I was on the edge of my seat with no plans of putting this book down. As the main characters of the plot come forward and reveal themselves, so does a memory of another book with a scene around a psychopathic mass murderer. The plot continues with as much intensity as it began rushing me to a great twist turner of an ending. This is my favorite Charles Wilson book so far, but I was constantly reminded of the similarity with another psychopathic mass murderer who has become famous in the media recently. Definitley worth reading but a copycat of a story line.

This was the first book I've read by Charles Wilson and I loved it! I normally don't read an author that hasn't been reviewed by a friend so I took a chance with this one. I was pleasantly surprised. The suspense made it difficult to put the book down. I couldn't wait to get to the end to find out who committed the crime. I will definitely read more books by this author.

I actually stumbled on to this novel quite by accident while looking for a book by another Wilson, F. Paul Wilson. When I picked up "Nightwatcher" and read the back cover, I was hooked. I normally read a little bit of a book and then put it down for a while, but with this novel that just wasn't going to be the case. "Nightwatcher" is one of those types of books that you almost scorch burn your fingers getting the pages turned.

Built on great characterization and a well-crafted plot, "Nightwatcher" will be a hit with readers who enjoy serial-killer -type thrillers. The setting of the book, a Mississippi state mental hospital, is a suitably creeping location and gives the book a "Silence of the Lambs"-type feel. As a matter of fact, in this writer's humble opinion, "Nightwatcher" is very comparable to "Silence..." without copying it.

If you like Thomas Harris, James Patterson, or Rex Miller, you'll really enjoy "Nightwatchers". In my case, I know that from now on I'll be looking for books from two Wilsons instead of one!

"Stardust" won the Mythpoeic Award for best adult fairy tale. After all, fairy tales are not just for kids. And they're not for wimpy adults, either. Just read "The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales" by Maria Tatar if you don't believe me. "Stardust" has some pretty Grimm stuff in it too, however the only people who might not enjoy it are those who take Unicorns very very seriously. Or are extremely fond of billy goats.

Gaiman's story begins and ends with a fair that will remind you of Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market":

"Backwards up the mossy glen/ Turned and trooped the goblin men,/ With their shrill repeated cry,/ "Come buy, come buy.".../

As Laura of "Goblin Market"-fame learned, it is better not to sample the merchandise at such Unseelie gatherings. Dunstan Thorn, who "was not romantic" learns this lesson too, when nine months after the "Stardust" fair, a baby is abandoned at the boundary between Faerie and the English village of Wall with his name pinned to its blanket. Thus begins the story of Tristan Thorn who is raised as a proper Victorian lad until age seventeen. Unlike his father, Tristan is romantic and at the bequest of the most beautiful girl in Wall, he sets out on a quest through the Land of Faerie to fetch her a fallen star. Not just any fallen star, but the one Tristan and Victoria both saw on the night she refused to kiss him.

"Stardust" is stuffed with stock fairy tale creatures who have been blown loose from their moorings and brought to life in the most wildly imaginative way. Some of them make only token appearances, but all are memorable. Two of the most poignant are the boy who is turned into a billy goat, and a billy goat, turned into a boy. There are three truly evil witches, and one who is only so-so wicked. There are...well, read the book. Even if you aren't drinking while you read it, you'll feel drunk by the time you finish.

If ever there was a book that could be labeled, 'Drink me!', "Stardust" is that book.

Get the illustrated edition of Stardust; I mean it. You'll regret not glimpsing the soft, feathery (noveau-esque) style of Charles Vess. I recently re-read this and was reminded of how superb it really is. It's his art that enhances the bittersweet charm of Gaiman's enigmatic fairy tale, breathes full life into and solidifies the oddness of the Faerie Realm.

The story is typical Neil, full of characters you're enthusiastic about and entry into a strange nether-world. It's his specialty. Readers of the Sandman series (or any of his other DC Vertigo stuff), novels and short stories/poetry, will get a basic understanding of Gaiman's preferred story structure. While Stardust may not be his most definitive book, it certainly is collection worthy.

Oh, and I really recommend the illustrated Hardcover version of Stardust; it has an attractive inlaid cover and beautiful concept art printed on the inner flaps. If you can find it, it's assuredly worth the cost!

It's an adult faerie tale, by one of the best writers of this (in my opinion, this or any!) generation. The imagery, as always, is astonishingly good, the characterizations are realistic without bogging you down... Gaiman is just the best there is, my friends. Have at you, you won't be disappointed.