True life exploits of Charles Roy Siringo in the old west bringing many fugitives to justive while enduring hard ships!

Frank Luke: Balloon Buster is the greatest book I've ever read in the category of young boys' books. It isn't a baby-child book as Amazon.com has rated it. In fact, the book is for 4th grade through 8th grade level. It was written by the master, Charles Coombs, also the author of Sabre Jet Ace and other great war/peace-time adventures for young boys. He considered his target audience to be young adventuresome Americans and said so often. When I was a boy in Indiana, I was inspired by this book and it's way of placing you there in the trences, and over the landscape in Verdun, France where 6 million young men gave their lives for their countries. Frank Luke was an all-American young man with determination and fighting spirit.

The book tells the story of a young Arizona farm boy who enlist in the Army-Air Force and finds his calling in shooting down the Hydrogen-filled balloons ("sausages") that the Germans suspend near the front lines in order for an observer to call in accurate artillery onto the allied troops. This is the most dangerous job an allied pilot. So much so, that shooting down one balloon counted for two planes. In so doing, Frank Luke became the Americans' leading ace for a short while, and would have kept the title, had he not been shot down in September of 1918, just before the end of the war.

I highly recommend this book to you if you value ambition, courage, patriotism and masculinity in your son's life. I've been trying to get a copy of this book for years to no avail. I own the Balloon Buster: Frank Luke of Arizona book, but don't confuse it with Charles Coombs' book that was written to inspire.

If you would like to sell me a copy, I'd love to have one personally for my son to read when he gets a little older!

P.S. - And, oh yes, I've personally read it over 100 times thanks to the Fairhaven Baptist Academy library, there in Chesterton, Indiana.

The great Swiss composer Frank Martin (1890-1974) left a durable legacy of fine compositions, among which the best known include orchestral works like the "Petite Symphonie Concertante" and the "Concerto for 7 Wind Instruments," chamber works like the "Trio on Irish Folk Tunes," the "4 Short Pieces for Guitar" and the "Ballade for Flute," the song-cycle "6 Monologe aus Jedermann" and above all his religious works, including the oratorios "In Terra Pax" and "Golgotha" and the frequently recorded early "Mass for Double Choir." He also wrote with great insight and clarity about music and composing, although unfortunately much of this legacy remains untranslated into English.
This Bio-Bibliography, compiled by Charles W. King, is an indispensible resource for information on Martin's music. It begins with a brief (4 1/2 page) biography, which manages to synthesize an impressive amount of information, and contains both a chronological list of compositions and a work-by-work discography, up to 1990 (the latter now happily outdated, as many new recordings, including ones of previously unavailable works, continue to appear). Most valuable of all are the list of writings by Martin and the bibliography, which between them provide summaries of over 400 texts in various languages. Even if you're not planning to use this book as a springboard for further research, you'll find plenty to stimulate you here - who know (for instance) that 2 American composers, Henry Cowell and Virgil Thomson, both wrote enthusiastic reviews of "Golgotha"?
There are inevitably a few errors and mis-translations here and there, but these are insignificant in the light of this volume's immense value. For those who already love and admire Martin's music, a must.

This book inables the reader to creates, in their mind, an interesting and different look at the world around them. I would encourage younger people to reader this book, espialally none Native Americans. I believe it is a very important piece of Native American culture.

Not only did I enjoy this book, but so did my daughter, and the residents at the assisted living facility I work in. I have now read the book three times; Once to myself, outloud to my daughter, and to an entranced audience of a dozen senior citizens. We all give it five stars.

The author paints a picture of heavenly delight without being critical or using any scare tactics. For being a religious subject, it is handled with such delicacy that even nonbelievers will enjoy the stories.

It answers many questions children have about heaven with such simple answers. From now until eternity I know this will be how I will picture heaven in my mind's-eye, and a delightful picture that is.

Some of the words are large and gave me an opportunity to increase my 9 year old's vocabulary. However the line of the story is very easy to follow. The elders I read to appreciated the fact that it was easy to follow but did not belittle their intelligence.

All of us hope that a multitude of more stories will follow these. It leaves you wanting to know more.

The world would be a better place if everyone would read this and truly believe that good deeds are rewarded with pennies in heaven.

Malinda Terry Camille Terry Seniors at Freedom Plaza

"Meet John Doe" is the third and most ambitious film in the celebrated trilogy of socio-political dramas directed by Frank Capra following "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town." Once again Capra uses Gary Cooper as his lead character, placing him at the center of a most interesting political crisis: the threat of a fascist coup by a media tycoon. Unlike the simplicity of the first two films in the trilogy, both Long John Willoughby/John Doe and Ann Mitchell are decidedly more complex figures, so much so that it made a comic ending to the film impossible.

In is introductory essay, Charles Wolfe reconstructs the history of the film, looking particularly at its problematic ending. We then have complete transcript of the finished film, which includes extensive annotations concerning original script material. This book also provides the various endings scripted for the film, which were published here for the first time. The rest of this volume consists of reports and recollections by Capra, five contemporary newspaper and magazine reviews of "Meet John Doe," and three commentaries: Richard Glatzer's "'Meet John Doe': An End to Social Mythmaking"; Dudley Andrew's "Productive Discord in the System: Hollywood 'Meets John Doe'"; and Nick Browne's "System of Production/System of Representation: Industry Context and Ideological Form in Capra's 'Meet John Doe.'"

"It's a Wonderful Life" remains the quintessential Capracorn film, but "Meet John Doe" certainly holds up well in comparison. The darkness of the final sections anticipates George Bailey's descent into the hell of a world in which he has never been born and goes far beyond the symbolic crucifixions of Jeb Smith's impeachment and Longfellow Deed's insanity hearing. When "John" reads the speech Ann has written for him, it is not only a transforming moment for both of their characters, it is arguably the clearest articulation of Capra's beliefs about America. The Rutgers Film in Print series not only gives students a transcript of the film, it gives them a variety of critical perspectives without overwhelming them (as opposed to a Norton Reader edition of a classic book like "Madame Bovary"). Yes, it is necessary to screen the film, but there is something to be said for working with the script and focusing on the dialogue and plot rather than the actors and editing. In the end, this book makes a good case for "Meet John Doe" being THE Capra movie worthy of critical study by film students.

From the Tally Shooter Writers' Group:

The sixth edition of this perennial best-seller has finally hit the streets! (OK,it finally hit the "river" since it's only available at Amazon.com right now.)

Very much up-to-date, the revisions to the 1999 edition of the NCO's bible provide Army noncoms with a made-to-order reference for just about any situation they may come across in today's modern army. The author, CSM (Retired) Robert S. Rush, has taken this guide to new heights. There are revised sections in the guide on caring leadership, training, NCO career development and promotions, awards and decorations, and "customs and courtesies." Army policy concerning the new fraternization rules-of-engagement is included and the latest military Web site info pertinent to NCOs is included as appendix.

The benefits of owning this book are enormous. Tuck it in your BDU trouser pocket before you deploy and you will have a modern day reference containing individual treatises on one of the broadest compilations of NCO subject matter ever made available in print.

A must-have guide.

This book is absolutely an A+. Of all of the required texts I have purchased this year, this one is by far the best. It is very well written. The information is detailed enough without overwhelming a third year student. The book provided short and manageable chapters that could be read and digested quickly. The questions at the end were a life-saver come test time.

This book is the bible for vintage rayguns.

It was great to see the toys of my wonder years in full color. Inspires me to become a collector!

Lots of fun!

Just as Clement Moore gave us the definitive Santa Claus in "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (a.k.a. "The Night Before Christmas"), Charles Dickens gave us the definitive Christmas spirit in his simple but charming novella "A Christmas Carol". First published in 1843, this supernatural story of an elderly man's redemption from his mean-spirited, miserly ways takes place in Victorian London, but its universal theme of charity towards our fellow man has endeared this classic to many a generation around the globe. In addition to its priceless role as a morality tale, the book colorfully describes the Yuletide customs practiced in England during the early nineteenth century. This Washington Square Press edition of "A Christmas Carol" is unabridged, yet you can understand why so short a book is yet published in abridged versions, especially for schoolchildren. Not infrequently, Dickens veers from the main story line and goes into tangents of a philosophical or descriptive nature, much like the converser who abruptly changes the subject only to return to it with the familiar "Anyway, ... ". I assume children (and some adults) may find these tangents cumbersome and distracting, but they are still useful in that they reflect Dickens' thoughts while writing the book. It may still be difficult for some of us to think that cold-hearted Christmas-bashers like Ebenezer Scrooge exist, but look at human nature around you, and it will be difficult no more. At a time when "Merry Christmas" is being supplanted by a more vague "Happy Holidays", and the season gives way to coarse behavior and unchecked materialism, "A Christmas Carol" is the perfect guidebook to put things into perspective.

Well, I finally read it (instead of just watching it on the TV screen).

This is what you can call a simple idea, well told. A lonely, bitter old gaffer needs redemption, and thus is visited by three spirits who wish to give him a push in the right direction. You have then a ghost story, a timeslip adventure, and the slow defrosting of old Scrooge's soul. There are certain additions in the more famous filmed versions that help tweak the bare essentials as laid down by Dickens, but really, all the emotional impact and plot development necessary to make it believable that Scrooge is redeemable--and worth redeeming--is brilliantly cozied into place by the great novelist.

The scenes that choke me up the most are in the book; they may not be your favourites. I react very strongly to our very first look at the young Scrooge, sitting alone at school, emotionally abandoned by his father, waiting for his sister to come tell him there may be a happy Christmas. Then there are the various Cratchit scenes, but it is not so much Tiny Tim's appearances or absence that get to me--it's Bob Cratchit's dedication to his ailing son, and his various bits of small talk that either reveal how much he really listens to Tim, or else hide the pain Cratchit is feeling after we witness the family coming to grips with an empty place at the table. Scrooge as Tim's saviour is grandly set up, if only Scrooge can remember the little boy he once was, and start empathizing with the world once again. I especially like all Scrooge's minor epiphanies along his mystical journey; he stops a few times and realizes when he has said the wrong thing to Cratchit, having belittled Bob's low wages and position in life, and only later realizing that he is the miser with his bootheel on Cratchit's back. Plus, he must confront his opposite in business, Fezziwig, who treated his workers so wonderfully, and he watches as true love slips through his fingers again.

It all makes up the perfect Christmas tale, and if anyone can find happiness after having true love slip through his fingers many years ago, surprisingly, it's Scrooge. With the help of several supporting players borrowed from the horror arena, and put to splendid use here.

Master storyteller and social critic, Charles Dickens, turns this social treatise on shortcomings of Victorian society into an entertaining and heartwarming Christmas ghost story which has charmed generations and become an icon of Christmas traditions. Who, in the Western world has not heard, "Bah, Humbug!" And who can forget the now almost hackneyed line of Tiny Tim, "God bless us, every one!" or his cheerfully poignant observation, that he did not mind the stares of strangers in church, for he might thus serve as a reminder of He who made the lame, walk and the blind, see. Several movie versions: musical, animated, updated, or standard; as well as stage productions (I recall the Cleveland Playhouse and McCarter Theatre`s with fondess.) have brought the wonderful characterizations to the screen, as well as to life. This story of the redemption of the bitter and spiritually poor miser, and the book itself; however, is a timeless treasure whose richness, like Mrs Cratchit`s Christmas pudding, is one that no production can hope to fully capture.