This is an excellent series that teaches history to the 8-12year old child. The book is excellently written, 96 pages with blackand white sketches along the way.

...we are very impressed at thecontent and reading style of this series. Highly recommended.

This book is absolutely indispensable to anyone who is doing scholarly work on new York city politics and government. It is written in a very accessible style, lively yet informative. The book is nearly encyclopedic in its scope. The best chapters have to do with campaign financing and municipal elections.

I have two general chemistry classes that I assigned an essay about a scientist. They liked this book over many others. It has the scientists indexed for the teacher to do a quick check as well.

(This review refers to Volume One only.) Asimov has collected eight stories in this anthology that were influential in his own writing. Asimov read most of these stories when he was about 12 years old, being fortunate enough to devour most of them from pulp magazines that were sold in his father's candy store. As might be expected with any anthology, some stories are better than others, and some have held up better through the years than others. Yet these pieces are not included for comparison to current stories, but to show what Asimov read as a young person and how the works influenced him. Asimov's mini-autobiography alone is worth the price of the book. After each story, Asimov tells how an idea or a concept from a story led to the formation of one of his own works. A very interesting idea. "The Jameson Satellite" is a forerunner of "I, Robot," and "Submicroscopic" is a small step from "Fantastic Voyage." As mentioned by another reviewer, the reader will have to deal with several prejudices from the time these stories were written (especially racial), but overall this book is a great insight into what makes Asimov Asimov.

This collection of early, pulp-style scifi works is a great joy. Asimov's introduction to the stories is exceedingly interesting and helpful. The stories sometimes show flaws or problems in their writing and in their attitudes (while several stories are forward-looking, most show the racism and misogyny common to that time), most of the stories are entertaining and all of them are interesting from a historical perspective. Check it out if you can get your hands on it, it's a great find. I really got a kick out of several pieces, which run the gamut from more reasonable 'conquered man, driven underground, strikes back at his evil alien oppressors' to the completely ludicrous story about the planets of our solar system hatching into giant space chickens. (That last story is meant to be taken seriously, by the way.) A veritable laundry-list of great, long out-of-print authors and some wonderful writing from the early days of popular science fiction.

This book contains the good old stories from the 1930's. There is nothing great here, but it is till worth reading. You can see the evolution of the Science Fiction field by reading the stories in this book.

There are certainly not enough autobiographies of Native Americans, and few that can compare with Eastman's story and journey to find civilization. As Eastman follows Christianity and the White Man's Civilization, he finds himself realizing the paradox of the two worlds. Upon returning to a more civilized world, he gives a captivating look at how Jesus was an Indian and how different the White world and Native American world was during his life. A perfect self-enlightenment book.

If you have read the writings of Ohiyesa (Charles Alexander Eastman); I HIGHLY recommend this book to you.

It helped me understand the forces that shaped this man.

My favorite areas are

The assorted photos of his father "Many Lightnings", his wife, his son Ohiyesa at the age of 5.

Events that occured while he was attending school in the East, and the bigotry he encountered from "SOME" white people.

Events where he served as a medical doctor on the Pine Ridge reservation, and caring for the survivors of the Wounded Knee masacre in 1890.

Events where he traveled among various indian nations to get items used by indians for museums.

Events where he worked with the Boy Scouts and Campfire Girls.

And much more.

If this book is your introduction to the writings of Ohiyesa; I would recommend that your next purchase would be "The Soul Of The Indian".

Wah doh Ogedoda (We give thanks Great Spirit)

I instruct a first year composition class at a northeastern university. I have tried several other readers--including Outlook and Insights, Models for Writers, and Ten on Ten. While I think those books are full of good content, none is as carefully structured and presented as Reading Critically, Writing Well.

From the very first page, it presents important information clearly and concisely. Beginning with examples of autobiographical writing and ending, predictably, with information on research strategies and documentation, it is perfect for a first year composition student whose primary goals is to learn the most effective and evocative techniques for expository writing.

I love the way each segment ends with ideas and strategies to drive home the main topic of that section. Each chapter concludes with an emphasis on the necessary skills of editing and proofreading. While this might seem gratuitous, this repetition is very effective in raising the students' awareness of these issues.

Overall, I found the selected essays engaging, evocative, and thought-provoking. My class is fascinated by the discussion of topics as wide-ranging as early 20th century courtship rituals and reincarnation. I highly recommend this to composition instructors looking for a clear concise text.

This is the best writing textbook I've ever used. I bought it for my college writing class, but had a hard time giving it up after my class was over. Not something you hear a lot about a textbook.

I have just tried searching for this book (which I bought and read in 1990) on the UK Amazon site, with no success. What does that tell us about us Brits I wonder? Perhaps we don't value our creative talents enough? In my view, this is a book whose time has come, but do not be deceived by it. It reads amazingly easily and I came away with a feeling of empowerment. However, the key to producing results is still hard work, albeit on a pychological and psychic level. I have always dreamt of being a £ millionaire, but I have not yet achieved it. In fact, my reason for re-reading the book now is that I need to boost my income and achieve financial independence. I still believe I will succeed, and I believe that the Dyna/Psyc techniques described by Joe in this book are the key. The book is a tough training course in itself. It demands self-analysis, self-discipline and honesty, particularly in the section concerning self-image. I believe we owe Joe a great deal of gratitude, and if others are interested in joining me on my journey to wealth and financial independence through the applicaiton of these principles, I would love to hear from you. Christopher Simon-Evans, England.

7 weeks ago I aquired a hard cover copy of the original version of Joe Karbo's The Lazy Mans Way To Riches,it took me 2 days to read,and put his ideas into action and i have to admit by the 3rd week i have earned,a very high 5 figure sum of lovely cash,more than i earn in a single year's salary.

I firmly beleive within the next 12 months i can and will earn over Million.I have been astounded,if you need money, buy this book and make it work for you,like i have for me. GOOD LUCK

I've read about 75 of the best known self-help books, and The Lazy Man's Way to Riches is the most unusual one, and it actually works! If you want to actually accomplish things, get it - but get the ORIGINAL, 1973 edition, which AMAZON.COM has in paperback and hardcover. Avoid this re-issue or the "Roadmap" workbook, both written 13 years after Joe Karbo's death. They are loaded with extraneous writing that sometimes contradicts the original text within.

If you love Dickens, you'll like this book. If you're not committed to the work and style of Boz, you may have a hard time getting through it. It gets off to a very slow start; it wears its didactic aims more prominently on its sleeve than most of Dickens' novels do (the preceding novel, Martin Chuzzlewit, having been a study of the perils of greed, this one is likewise a study on self-destroying pride.) Its heroine is so self-sacrificing, uncomplaining, sweet and forgiving that a modern reader is likely to feel the impulse to throttle her more than once. I found it the least satisfying of the dozen Dickens novels I've read, and have rounded its three and a half stars up rather than down, in honor of all the other good stuff he's produced.

All that being said, the book contains plenty of rewards for the persevering. Dombie's daughter, the over-gentle Florence, is more than made up for by a string of sharply drawn women who are nobody's wallflowers: the peppery Susan Nipper, the fearsome landlady Mac Stinger, and the magnificent second Mrs. Dombey, whose inflexible, bent pride puts steel to her husband's flint as the story gains headway halfway through. The plotting is intricate and tight, the peeks into Victorian hypocrisies (never far removed from our own) are trenchant, and we are treated to what is possibly the most riveting death scene in the whole oeuvre, which Dickens chose to present from the decedent's point of view in a stream of consciousness passage as remarkable for its technical daring as its sentimentality.

Throw in the superbly menacing, dentally impeccable villain, Mr Carker, and a rogue's gallery of lesser despicables from the streetwise dunce Chicken, to the blustering toady Joe Bagstock, to the second Mrs. Dombey's outrageous tin magnolia of a mother, and it's a book you'd be happy to stumble across in the cabin some snowbound weekend.

The Oxford World Classics edition has an extremely useful set of notes, which includes in full Dickens' initial outline of the work.

A previously posted review asks: "How can readers accept that a woman's happiness can be achieved either through living to make men happy OR through living according to one's conscience? Surely one of these characters deserves the author's condemnation yet neither clearly receives it." It is sad when a reader is so intent on pigeonholing complex, richly drawn characters into narrow politically correct categories that he or she misses out on joys of a wonderful novel like this. Florence is denied her father's love, blames herself, and strives harder for it. This is a psychologically accurate portrait of what such a child would do, not an example of "living to make men happy" that Dickens should have condemned or praised. Likewise as to Edith's "living according to her conscience," although in fact she fails to live according to her conscience, and hates herself for it. And another previously posted review says that "the ending is wonderful, and Dickens ties up the numerous subplots with the most delightful precision." I found the final 100 pages the only bad part of the book, as Dickens artificially ties up matters that he had no need to tie up; he should have ended the book sooner. But this is my favorite Dickens novel so far.

this novel, sitting as it does between dickens' early and late novels, captures the best of both dickens. it has the humor, grotesque characters, and melodrama that characterized the early novels, but it isn't without the unified structure, mature style, and psychological depth that were the hallmarks of his later books. it's one of my favorite dickens books (i've read 11 of them), and if it weren't for the length i'd recommend dombey as the place to start for someone looking to read chas. if 900 pages doesn't faze you then by all means dive in. if it does, then start with 'great expecations' instead. but be sure to come back to dombey. you won't be disappointed.

The book shed some light on the murders for me. I have read about them before and have seen a movie, but this book included details not discussed elsewhere. I thought it was very informative and the author seemed to try to get "all sides" of the story...after all...we will never know exactly what happened. The only thing the author could have added were additional photos.

This book explained how evil a person can become. It tells how a young man can ruin his life and the lives of others by emulating those on the screen. The Monkey see, Monkey do syndrome is alive and well in this monsters life. Death was too easy for this person. Good book; well written; could have been more pictures

Some wonderful and successful writers gather their thoughts in this book to bear light on the magic of Tolkien's writing. Being a fan myself, I enjoyed the individual tales of discovering "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" for the first time. I related to the same sense of awe and dread, of wonder and inspiration. Surely, Tolkien has inspired many.

Unfortunately, the praise gets to be redundant and--may I say it?--almost hollow, without the balance of some thoughtful criticism. Personally, I wouldn't have much negative to say regarding Tolkien's work, but I found very little that was genuinely fresh or enlightening in this collection of "meditations." I did discover an interest in some of the authors included (not a bad reason for their involvement in the project) and in earlier 20th century writers that I have never familiarized myself with. Lord Dunsany, E.R. Eddison, Fritz Leiber, and Mervyn Peake are only a few of the old standbys mentioned repeatedly.

Although interesting, a quick read, and well-written, this collection might best serve those curious in unearthing the inspiration beneath some of their favorite authors. I was hoping for something with more vitality, but overall I'd recommend the book.

This is a collection of 17 short essays about J.R.R. Tolkien penned by contemporary fantasy & sci-fi authors. (Actually, 15 essays are by authors-- one is by bibliographer/editor Douglas Andersson and another is an interview with the Hildebrant Brothers, who are reknowned fantasy artists).

As others have noted, the essays are something of a mixed bag. Of them, only three try to take a critical, scholarly, analytical look at Tolkien. This is probably for the best, as authors usually make terrible critics. Of these three, the strongest is Ursula LeGuin's discussion of the poetic rhythms in Tolkien's prose. While thoughtful, it is nonetheless a bit dull-- and frankly, a much better essay on this same subject can be found in _J.R.R. Tolkien and his Literary Resonances_. The weakest of these three, Orson Scott Card's essay on "How Tolkien Means", is also the worst in the whole book. Although his basic contention-- that the essence of Tolkien's fiction lies in "Story" rather than "Meaning"-- is reasonable enough, his point is overwhelmed by an arrogant tone and intermittent rantings against feminists, multiculturalists, literary critics, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Sigmund Freud, James Joyce, people who like James Joyce, modernists, postmodernists, and pretty much anyone and everyone who doesn't share (or whom he suspects might not share) the exact same approach to literature as he does.

Most authors here, however, have (wisely) avoided criticism, analysis, and polemic-- and have instead penned more autobiographical essays, reflecting upon how/when/why they first read Tolkien, how it impacted them both immediately and later on, how it changed their reading habits, how it influenced their own writing, and the like. Although these essays all have their own unique character and specific content depending on each author's own experiences and style (unsurprisingly, the essays by Terry Pratchett and Esther Freisner are quite funny), one can't help but note a common pattern of experience. With one or two exceptions, most of the writers here encountered Tolkien for the first time as an adolescent during the 1960s. Most describe reading the _Hobbit_ and the _Lord of the Rings_ as a life-changing event-- as a kind of epiphany or even as a magical experience. Many say that reading Tolkien inspired them to become writers themselves-- and several describe how many of their own early works were specifically modeled on Tolkien. Virtually all observe note that they probably could never have made a living writing the kind of fantasy fiction that they do if Tolkien hadn't proven to publishers that there was a huge market for this sort of thing.

Of all the essays in the book, the hands-down best is Michael Swanwick's "A Changeling Returns", an introspective piece that contrasts his childhood memories of reading Tolkien (where he saw mostly magic, adventure, and freedom), with his adulthood re-readings of it (he now sees that the powerful sense of loss and mortality that permeates Tolkien's fiction), and with the experience of reading Tolkien aloud to his children (who are encountering it as he first did as a child... but who can still sense that there is something deeper, sadder, that lies beneath). Whereas most of the other essays in this book were merely 'interesting', I found this one to be profoundly moving. (Then again, maybe that's just because I found Swanwick's experiences to be closest to my own).

All in all, I can't say that this is a must-have book for either Tolkien fans or scholars, but it does give an intriguing and suggestive first-hand account of how many of today's great fantasy & sci-fi writers have been influenced by Tolkien... although many of the most suggestive elements come not from what individual writers themselves say, but from seeing the commonalities of experience among them. My only real criticism of the book as whole is that it would have been nice to include as a contrast some essays by authors who *aren't* fantasy writers, by authors whose primary language wasn't English, and/or by authors who were of a different generation that those featured here.

Imagine if you could gather some of the world's best Science Fiction and Fantasy authors into a room for an informal chat about Tolkein's influence on their personal and professional lives. Unfortunately, the authors are not all IN the same room, so each conversation is quite a bit different from the last. The authors were clearly given quite a bit of lattitude and therein lie the strengths and weaknesses of this collection.
The tone of the essays are personal, even familiar. For fans of Tolkein or of the contributing authors, the book is worth reading, if for no other reason than to spend some time with distant friends. Another perk is the reading list inadvertently provided by each author as they comment on their other influences. Apparently there are a few seminal works in the genre that I have completely missed.
The quality is admittedly a bit spotty, even within the same essay. Some of the best essays came from authors I knew nothing about. However, like any good conversation, there are snippets of great wisdom throughout. (It is the rare friend who offers up nothing but gems.) I can assure you that every essay will leave you smiling, or nodding and a few might even have you reaching for a pen. In short, you will find much to enjoy in this collection.
I should note that there is something here for everyone: hobbyist, devotee, english major, or bibliophile. Rarely does one get to listen in on the personal conversations of authors as they discuss their lives, their work and the influences that have made their careers possible.