A.J. Downing set the style for country suburban Victorian Cottages and gardens along the Hudson River in the 1830's and 1840's. All of his "cottages" featured fireplaces and architecturally important chimneys, usually with decorative chimney tops. Borrowing from painting and fine arts, Downing had definite opinions about color and appropriate use of materials. Provocative and interesting reading this book of cottage and garden plans and sketches is well worth reading. He set a standard for early Victorian architecture. - Jim Buckley

"Victorian Cottage Residences" is a comprehensive book of twenty-something floor plans, mostly of Victorian houses (obviously) both large and small. For those into landscaping as well, this book is doubly wonderful; otherwise the advice on the apple trees is probably better skipped. However, for anyone who's even remotely interested in old homes or houses in general, this is a fantastic book to check out.

If you are serious about understanding the JFK assassination then you need to get all ten volumes of Bruce Adamson's works on the Dallas assassination. The deep and wide research in Mr. Adamson's volumes allows one to see the inportant people surrounding the mysterious Lee Harvey Oswald. You can learn about someone by knowing a persons friends . These volumes contain valuable info on George DeMohrenschildt== self proclaimed == best friend of Lee Harvey Oswald. Knowing who DeMohrenschildt was helps to understand the important question --Who was Lee Harvey Oswald ? Words to the wise ....get these volumes !

...Reid Andrews tells it like it is in this well-detailed and articulate account as to what really happened (and is happening) to portenos de color in Buenos Aires.

Not only has Argentina whitened its population through immigration, they have also whitened and whitewashed their history, denying ANY black presence in Argentina even today. Reid Andrews sets the record straight. The story of the Afro-Argentines is told in meticulous detail and a straightforward writing style that gets to the point. From the time the first African slave set foot on Argentine soil; their contributions to Argentine society, especially in writing and the arts, right up until the turn of the century when they first started to "disappear" under the onslaught of massive, relentless European immigration, along with the indigenous population(and if you read the book, you find out that they didn't disappear, they ARE still here), Reid Andrews' account of black Argentine history takes on a poignant note as we move into multiculturalism and global "Brazilination". I am SO glad I was able to find this book; it may become a collector's item once the rest of Argentina's black population vanishes...

Linda and Raymond (her husband?) explore the beauty and history of the historic Carnegie library in Rural, Central Illinois. This book is the definitive source of its kind. Linda is to be commended! Bravo! A must read for the library enthusiast.

Christmas in the Midwest! the very best of all! From Chicago's Miracle Mile with its myriad of gaily colored lights and its blazing store windows - to the small midwest cities with their downtown lampposts festooned with evergreen and silvery tinsel - to the small towns with their Season's Greetings bannered across the intersection of Main and Elm Streets - to the farm scenes with strings of red and green bulbs entwined round the spindly legs of long-unused windmills and the picture window curtains drawn back to let the tree lights gleam out over the new fallen snow.

And Christmas Eve in little frame and brick churches with "readings" and songs by the children - a decorated tree and some rosy-faced neighbor in a Santa Claus costume - Christmas mornings with families round the tree and the gaily wrapped gifts with their promises waiting to be unwrapped.

And then go over the hill to Grandma's house where all the aunts, uncles and cousins gathered for a gala Christmas feast!

These are images and recollections that M idwesterners and exiled Midwesterners share. You will find these memories and more in the pages of Christmas in the Midwest. Here is a rich assortment in poem, picture, and story, all done by the best of midwest writers and artists such as, Hamlin Garland, Bess Streeter Aldrich, James Whitcomb Riley, John Muir, Marjorie Holmes, Paul Engle, Hartzell Spence, Phil Stong and Susan Allen Toth. They share stories about the Midwest's very first Christmases, Christmases of the pioneers, and Christmases in this changing twenty-first century. Wether the stories and poems are real or imagined, or mixtures of memory and "might-have-been," this collection is guaranteed to stir heartwarming memories of Christmas in the Midwest, and the spirit of the season everywhere.

A HANDBOOK FOR CLERGY COUNSELING FAMILIES
Counseling Families Across the Lifespan: A Handbook for Pastors and Other Religious Professionals is designed to be a text for those in training for pastoral ministry, as well as a practical resource for women and men engaged in ministry with families. The volume addresses family transition issues (e.g., becoming a parent, divorce, sudden job loss, chronic illness, retirement, untimely death) and related mental health problems that may be experienced over the lifespan. In this time of widespread concern about the demise of the family,it is especially important that pastors and others in ministry understand how to help guide persons through life passages. Part 1 offers information about the important role that clergy and the faith community serve in the mental health care of families. This section spells out the need for special expertise by pastors and other religious professionals about how to recognize and address important transitional lifespan issues and related family problems. The scientific evidence that non-punitive, nurturing religious beliefs and practices serve both preventive and healing functions is summarized. Finally, there is a review of the factors that cultivate strong and resilient families in spite of adversity. The heart of the book is found in Part 2, which is presented in a format that uses real life situations while highlighting practical implications for pastoral care. They reflect recent research on relevant issues and recognize that the demands on a family change over time in the lifecycle. The case studies are multidisciplinary in approach, integrating clinical knowledge in pastoral care, psychology, family medicine, psychiatry, nursing, gerontology, sociology, social work, and marriage and family therapy, along with current scientific findings on the role of religion in mental health care. The volume recognizes that the difficulties that families face do not stand in isolation from one another but are interrelated. For example, the chapters involving chronic illness also address caregiver stress and depression. The book is designed so that a reader can easily locate information on specific issues and related mental health problems for which families seek pastoral counsel. It is a practical, easy-to-use guide on how to assess problems and how to respond to them. The table of contents provides the subject of 20 situations that illustrate common issues experienced by families. Each case provides an example of a family member with a specific problem who is in need of help. Included in each chapter is information about how a pastor or colleague in ministry would assess the problem, what aspects of the case are most important, how to identify the major issues, specific directions about what the pastor and congregation can do, when to refer for professional assistance, and information about resources that can provide help. National organizations (often with toll-free numbers and internet addresses) that supply information and support for families facing these issues are identified for each concern addressed. Cross-cultural aspects are noted and discussed, as well. Technical terms are defined in the glossary at the end of the book. The text is written for people of all faiths, with an appreciation for the richness of the intergenerational and multicultural diversity found in religious communities. The authors are people of faith with specialties in mental health. Dr. Weaver is a clinical psychologist, licensed marriage and family therapist, and ordained United Methodist minister who has served rural and urban parishes. He has written over 80 scientific articles and book chapters and has co-authored 7 books. Dr. Revilla is a United Methodist laywoman and developmental psychologist who specializes in working with ethnic families. She also teaches at the University of Hawaii in the Ethnic Studies Department. Dr. Koenig is associate professor of psychiatry and internal medicine, as well as director of the Center for the Study Religion/Spirituality and Health at Duke University Medical Center. He has written over 170 scientific articles and book chapters and has authored or co-authored 10 books.

Very practical book with useful references at the end of each chapter. I especially enjoyed the case histories which were similar to many of the members that have come to me for counseling in my church.

This book is unique in that it provides essays on the numerous facets of Custer's life not only by the participants that knew him but from Custer himself including notable historians that know Custer best. It also covers fascinating facts such as Custer's First Stand at Trevillian Station, a Civil War Battle where Custer was surrounded by Confederate Calavary. Hutton, himself a notable Western Historian, is one of a number of well written essays on the Custer Myth including a critical look at how movies and art portrayed Custer over the years representing the pathos of the nation at that time. The change of view from Erol Flynn's "They Died with Their Boots On" to Richard Mulligan's portrayal in "Little Bighorn" takes a well versed explanation. One of my favorite parts of the book is an essay by Hutton where he explains why in movie director John Ford's "Fort Apache" version of Custer's last stand, John Wayne's character Captain York praises the gallant loss of Colonel Thursday (Custer,) who he actually hated, because York "realized that society understands little of the true motivation of heroes but still needs to idealize them as figures to emulate". This is just not an interesting read but a reflection of how changes in society change perceptions of men and history. By the way, its a fun read!

The book is of two parts--an interesting biography of Geo. Mallory (including some nude photos!), Bloomsbury darling and Everest pioneer--and a detailed examination of his 3rd attempt on Everest. The authors come very close to proving that, because he was using oxygen, Mallory must have made it to the top, given where he was last sighted, and his carefully established climb rates. Holzel startled the climbing world by predicting the location of Mallory's body--for which he was blasted by the British climbing stablishmen --only to have the prediction come true ten years later! A great feat of historical detective work, if sometimes a bit complicated (oxygen flow rates, etc.) He and Salkeld went to Everest looking for Mallory's camera which Kodak says could still hold developable film (frozen all this time). So final proof awaits the next generation

First let me say that I am not a religious zealot by any stretch of the imagination. I am a spiritual eclectic by nature (notwithstanding a childhood of Protestant teachings), who has always thought that Jesus was a remarkable man and gifted teacher during a unique time in the history of the planet.

George Hammond's book captures that persona of Jesus and that time in our planet's religous history in a way that is "fresh" and very "real". Hammond dispenses with all the hoopla that typically permeates most writings about Jesus. There is no "circus" element here.

Instead this is one man's perspective on what happened during those special times with Jesus of Nazareth -- the disciple Andrew's perspective. The reader really gets a good sense of what it was like living with Jesus on a day-to-day basis, what it was like "working in the trenches" with him, what he was like as a person, how profound his beliefs were, why he did what he did.

And, to his credit, Hammond points out to the reader that it is just that -- one man's perspective. Hammond does not claim that his accounting is necessarily "THE way it was". Refreshingly, unlike so many other less flexible writers, Hammond does not try to foist his view on us. He merely presents it as his view. And from a stylistic standpoint, Hammond presents it as Andrew's recollection, his memory of what happened, which makes for interesting reading of what otherwise might be dry and tedious.

Hammond's Epilogue recounts the detail to which he researched this accounting. It is impressive. Moreover, one is left to wonder if this book is just another interestingly packaged in-depth research project, or if it is more than that.

That is, perhaps it really did happen this way. Perhaps Jesus really was the way Hammond, or "Andrew", describes him.

It's definitely worth reading. It'll give you a fresh perspective on a "major player in world history" from one of his closest disciples. Whether you are a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, agnostic or atheist, I'd strongly recommend you check this book out.