I own a massive library of books on every imaginable collecting subject and none has given me more joy than "Chasing Rainbows". Barry Friedman has intertwined his vast knowledge of Indian blankets, American history, the antiques business and garnished the result with a unique sense of humor and breathtaking photos to create a book that is an absolute gem. This is a great book from a very gifted man.

It's time a female voice chimed in on this amazing book. There is almost no point comparing previous works on Indian blankets with Barry Friedman's "Chasing Rainbows: Collecting American Indian Trade & Camp Blankets" because there is no comparison. This book trumps the competition on every level. If anything, it's almost too beautiful for its own good. The pictures of the blankets are so dazzling that I fear people will just see it as a colorful adornment for a coffee table and neglect to read the text.

That would be a tragedy, because I wholeheartedly agree with the Amazon reviewer from San Francisco who proclaimed this the best book he has ever read on any collectible subject. I have NEVER read a book on antiques or collectibles written by an author with Friedman's combination of knowledge, enthusiasm and remarkable comic sensibility.

This is not to say he doesn't take his subject seriously. It's doubtful anyone takes it more seriously. The previous books on the subject read like Cliff's Notes compared to Friedman's penetrating portrait. So while I repeat that there is no comparison with earlier stabs at this topic, the differences must be mentioned to understand why this book is the new gold standard.

Robert W. Kapoun's worthy "Language Of The Robe: American Indian Trade Blankets" came out in 1992 and has been the reference in the field until now, but in the wake of Friedman's effort it is offically dethroned. Virtually all of the blankets Kapoun listed as manufacturer unknown in his book are conclusively identified here and Friedman offers histories of blanket manufacturers Kapoun doesn't even know existed.

The Kapoun blanket collection obviously was acquired by the glass artist Dale Chihuly and the result was the book "Chihuly's Pendletons". Chihuly also acquired Charles Lohrman, the writer that co-authored Kapoun's book. Chihuly's unfortunate introduction reveals he knows less than nothing about Indian blankets and Lohrman takes over from there with a rehash of the Kapoun text that is so abbreviated you'd think it was commissioned by Reader's Digest. The book consists of photos of 60 or so blankets (some misidentified and most already seen in Kapoun, but photographed much more beautifully by Chihuly) along with some exceptional historic photos of Native Americans wearing trade blankets. This is followed, inevitably, by a section that is the real reason for this book: a cavalcade of Chihuly glass vessels called Blanket Cylinders which the glassmeister states were inspired by the blankets. Chihuly may well have a genuine passion for the blankets, but he is overreaching here. Assuredly, glass photos are no doubt lusted after by his legions of fans, but their presence here makes the blankets appear to be nothing more than colorful excuses for yet another Chihuly glass book. While Chihuly may clearly see the historic link between his glass and Indian blankets, blanket collectors will find his book a self-serving contrivance.

Neither Chihuly or Kapoun bother with cotton Indian style blankets, but the subject is handled amiably in Jerry and Kathy Brownstein's "Beacon Blankets Make Warm Friends", a study of the leading maker of cotton camp blankets. Many vintage Beacon blanket catalogs are reproduced in their entirety (although in pictures so small that magnification is definitely recommended). Some attractive Beacon blankets are shown, but picture quality is fair at best. The Brownsteins know their subject, but they also attempt to be a price guide and their prices are often ridiculously low.

So that's the competition and brings me full circle to our Mr. Friedman, who is the real deal as both as a blanket expert and a writer. One senses he would be compelling writing about any subject. His is a unique voice that can be completely serious one moment and then instantly launch into inspired silliness a la Bill Murray the next. He mentions in his Author's Note that he is a professional comedy writer by trade and obviously his humor even extends to his book jacket photo. He states he's been immersed in the Indian blanket hunt for more than thirty years, but he appears to be 25 in his photo. Vanity may well be an issue here. Whatever his age, I don't think he will outlast the shelf life of this book. Young or old, Barry Friedman has produced a classic.

The long-rumored book by the rather legendary authority on Indian blankets is finally a reality and the result is one of the great surprises of my reading life.I was expecting superb photos of spectacular blankets.I was expecting the hard data collectors love - label information and the like.These things the author serves up in spectacular helpings and blows the previous books on the subject completely out of the water.
What I was NOT expecting was masterful storytelling and towering wit. A relatively dry subject in ordinary hands becomes a riveting and often hilarious joyride here.Friedman's take on the antiques business and wickedly clever asides are worthy of Dave Barry on DB's very best day.Moreover, his grasp of history is sure and thought-provoking.It isn't necessary to be a blanket collector to love this book.It's the author you'll come to love and he will make you love and understand these beautiful blankets.THIS is the book I'll be buying for friends this year!!

The book I read is called Simon and the Witch. There are six chapters. They are called, Chapter one, The Backwards Spell. Chapter two, The lost magic wand. Chapter three, The Witch at the seaside. Chapter four, Witch has measles, Chapter five, Halloween, Chapter six, The Witch's visitor. I like chapter Three the best. The book is about a boy called Simon, and the Witch. I read it in one day. I like that book because it was great. I liked it because it was exciting.

The story is about a boy called Simon whose friend is a witch. I enjoy this story very much.The best part is when the witch makes the whole beach full of sand pies. It was cool when the witch had a trolley race in the hospital. Anyway the witch is silly. Simon enjoys being with the witch. In one chapter the witch loses her wand and finds it again. The witch teaches Simon a spell to turn the gardener into a frog. Simon felt horrible when he knew there is no back wards spell but the witch tricked him.

my older brother was alwas picking fights with me, and he'd win becaus ehe is 2 time bigger than me, well i secretly ordered this book and readed it and praticed the moves, when he started hitting me, the next thing he knows is he is on the ground and he has a black eye, and i have had him hit me again.

This book starts by giving you information on showing your confidence when out and about. It then has a very basic keep fit chapter. Next it tells you where you stand within the law if you have to defend yourself.

It then shows the weak areas of the body and explains how to attack those areas and how you should stand. The book has numerous illustrations to reinforce the self-defence techniques; there is also a section on defending yourself with everyday objects.

I love the simplicity of some of the moves they show you, these are things you would probably never think about in a confrontation. The undertone of the book is obviously to avoid confrontations when possible, but it will teach you the basics of how to defend yourself if you have no other option.

There are also chapters on protecting your home, protecting yourself whilst travelling around the world and protecting yourself against animals and insects. There is also a basic first aid section.

All in all I liked this book but bear in mind that a book this size only covers the basics, in many respects I think that could be enough for most of us.

Most people are unwilling or unable to devote three to five hours a week studying a classical martial art like karate or judo.

This book is aimed at the reader who has an interest in gaining information which would be useful in self-protection, who is willing to spend a spare hour or two thumbing through a tiny book (the book is only about 3 inches by 5 inches).

Notwithstanding its size, the book is well illustrated with drawings and photographs which are surprisingly easy to see (even with my middle-aged eyes), and the text is also large enough to be legible.

Rather than set out five hundred specialized techniques requiring substantial amounts of practice, the author elects to protect his reader by 1) discussing the circumstances which may give rise to a need to exercise self-defense, and how to avoid them, 2) discussing the law with an emphasis on English Law concerning self defense, 3) discussing general principles and examples of self defense techniques, with appropriate illustrations.

In a sort of bonus, the author also briefly discusses securing the home against entry, self defense against environmental hazards (dogs, snakes, scorpions, and other sometimes troublesome visitors), and dealing with the aftermath of violent crime.

While the book is emphatically not written with the experienced or trained martial artist in mind, it is exactly what it purports to be: a basic self defense book with practical advice on how to avoid confrontation and techniques to deal with it if it can't be avoided.

There are quite a few Survival oriented books out there, some are very good and some are only good to get the fire going in an emergency situation. Unfortunantly this book fits into the latter catagory. Collins Gem has another survival book called the SAS Survival Guide which in my opinion is 10 times better.I was really impressed with it and thought the Hillwalkers guide would be a different type of survival guide, but what I found out is that it is misnamed it should be called The British Hillwalkers Hiking Guide.If you want a small survival guide with alot of usefull information get the SAS survival guide instead.