Radio has become such a background part of our lives, we forget just how astounding an impact it has had on our culture and psyche. Susan Douglas brings it all back to the foreground in her book "Listening In." This is not just a chronicle of the development of the media, this book takes us deep into the social impacts of radio, and how it changed how we react and interact with each other. Douglas has perfectly captured the feel and "tone" of different periods of radio listening, and explores a lot of the psychological aspects of how radio let us sample and explore different parts of our American cultue in a safe and nonthreatening way.

As a present-day radio fanatic, the book gave me hope: hope that the medium hasn't been corporatized into complete blandness. Radio will continue to evolve, just like our American culture.

Whether your're a radio technology type, an old time radio fan, or just a student of American history, you'll find something to love in this book.

Please take note that Susan J. Douglas' (Times Books, 1999) is no mere history of radio. It was triggered by a request from the Sloan Foundation that was preparing a series of books on technology and American culture; and the emphasis is not on the details but on the general effect radio has on us from its beginnings. And take another note. This is too enjoyable a read to be considered a textbook.

My favorite chapter was the one called "Radio Comedy and Linguistic Slapstick." Here only a few comics are used as examples to support her several theses, one of which is the emasculation of the American male by the use of such high-pitched speakers as Jack Benny and Joe Penner. Of course there is lots of room for argument, but she does let the facts speak for themselves (pun intended).

The other chapters are "The Zen of Listening," "The Ethereal World," "Exploratory Listening in the 1920s," "Tuning In to Jazz" "The Invention of the Audience," "World War II and the Invention of Broadcast Journalism," "Playing Fields of the Mind," "The Kids Take Over: Transistors, DJs, and Rock 'n' Roll," "The FM Revolution," "Talk Talk," "Why Ham Radio Matters," and "Conclusion: Is Listening Dead?"

Which of us has not been affected in many of the ways Ms. Douglas points out in this book? Therefore, which of us can afford to miss being shown how radio has helped make us what we are? And I do hope she produces a similar book about television.

I've got Douglas' book today for her take on ham radio (I'm part of the Amateur Radio community) and I was very impressed with the rest of the book. Though I wrinkled my nose at the over-emphasis on the gender conflict in radio, Listening In reminded me of a time when people participate in a common culture instead of idly sitting by listening to the umpteenth Top 40 hit made by over-commercialized "plastic" bands.

The ham radio chapter was simply great and I give Dr. Douglas her due for mentioning the American Radio Relay League as the national association for hams. From this chapter, I can see why hams have a nurturing touch in their approach to life! The section on radio comedy is well done (the comedy bits are good for a chuckle or two). I recommend it to those who have a deep affinity for radio and communications.

Blackbeard, Terror of the Seas is a very well-written book

Full of facts and legends, this book is very enjoyable to read. Ms Day makes you feel as if you're on-board with the fierce pirate! This is also a very good book for children. My 12 year old has read it twice!

Having the opportunity to pre-review this book prior to release, and being married with two children in a non-blended family I wondered how the book could benefit me and my household.

I found it easy to read with personal testimonies that any family can relate to and learn from. I walked away from the book being more thankful for the things I have, and I acquired a stronger commitment to keep my household intact.

I would like to thank the authors of this book for making my husband and I "Renew our marriage vows"

Salvation/Christ focused messages, encourages married couples to stay together/grow stronger, your personal testimonies, written from a realistic and christ centered perspective, targeted specific issues such as finances, discipline, names, visitation, respect, etc., information helpful, applicable and true, not too long, gets the message across clearly, and husband and wife perspectives and input. This book can give anyone married, single, remarried, or engaged a biblical view and understanding of what Christ wants to do in our homes. The authors do an exceptional job at directing the reader to God's plan and provision for marriage and family. Their personal experiences are a testimony to what God can do if we let Him. THE BLENDED FAMILY encourages trust in Christ and the word of God as the blueprint for building a strong family. A must read for anyone in or about to become a blended family.

An excellent book for teaching house-staff. However, it is now out-dated; a new edition is needed.

I read it cover to cover. It is an excellent guide to imaging studies - I really hope they come up with a 2nd edition.

Direct Instruction Reading, gives away ALL the secrets of the designers of Reading Mastery, one of the most effective reading programs available today. The text gives ALL the details necessary to teach reading successfully. The text explains how to teach explicit, systematic phonics for beginning readers and why it is necessary. The text leads the reader through a comprehensive description of methods for every step in learning to read. From teaching how to sound out words, through learning irregular words, to fluent decoding and passage reading, the authors provide techniques of instruction all the way up to teaching children how to get the most from content-area textbooks. The text includes exactly the kind of information teachers need to be able to teach phonics, such as the most common sounds of letters, blends and sound combinations as well as how to teach students to blend, how to deal with irregular words, how to teach the magic "e" rule and countless other specifics. A comprehensive set of field-tested teaching scripts provide efficient and effective wording for teaching more than 36 common reading objectives - ranging the gamut from phonemic awareness skills to advanced story reading comprehension. Informed by years of teaching and supervising reading instruction this text has concrete suggestions for dealing with just about every problem a teacher might have in reading instruction- examples include how-to-tips for students who are not: blending sounds, paying attention, reading correctly, understanding vocabulary, reading with fluency, comprehending their reading, making adequate inferences, and so on. This book has been used as the text for the reading class in three universities in which I have taught. I have taught from it, and previous editions, for several years. I believe it is one of the most useful textbooks I have ever read. It truly teaches everything one needs to know about teaching reading. I give it my highest recommendation. Don Crawford, Ph.D. Western Washington University Department of Special Education I am responsible for the content of this message, which does not in any way reflect the position or policy of Western Washington University.

Direct Instruction Reading is a "must read" for any regular education or special education teacher of reading K-12. Newer teachers, frustrated because they are untrained in phonics instruction in a time when school districts are increasingly requiring them to effectively teach these skills will find this book a helpful source of reading instruction. Seasoned veteran teachers of reading who want to fine tune their instruction of both phonics and comprehension strategies will also come away with ideas and assessment that can be implemented in their classroom. Parents and school board members who have been closely following the reading debate will find this book answers many of their questions about what they should look for in effective reading instruction. Practical, research-based advice is jam-packed throughout the chapters which include sequenced sound and word lists and examples of how to incorporate content maps and other strategy guides into reading lessons. Not only do the authors specifically discuss and demonstrate how to teach phonics, how to teach vocabulary and language skills, and how to develop students' comprehension skills, but they also provide interesting and easily read chapters which discuss past and current research support for their recommendations. Direct Instruction Reading will also be valuable for middle school or high school teachers who are now expected to teach reading in addition to their subject area of science or social studies. Whenever I supervise student teachers who are expected to develop lesson plans in a content area, I have them base their lesson plans on the authors' suggestions for content area reading. The lesson plans provide such an excellent framework that that students in their classroom enthusiastically learn new vocabulary and key concepts, and the cooperating teachers are delighted with the end product. Besides presenting valuable guidance about the teaching of reading, Direct Instruction Reading also is a helpful source of information for those who have questions about Direct Instruction and what it involves. As the authors repeatedly stress throughout their book: "Reading failure can be prevented . . . by efficiently organizing instruction, carefully selecting and modifying reading material, and effectively presenting the material. Students will not only learn the reading competencies needed for success later in life, but they will also feel positive about their ability to function in society."

I am not a huge fan of old "nursery rhyme" type poetry, but this book caught my eye and my 3 yr old boys and I love it! The illustrations are simply amazing as each page unfolds from 2 children visiting an eccentric, storytelling neighbor to the children becoming the owl and pussycat. My boys immediately noticed the firepole in the man's house among other curiosities. As the children enjoy a snack and the man reads the poem, the floor turns to water and the window seat to a pea green boat. The bespeckled little boy becomes an owl and girl becomes a cat. The poem is read a second time with them as the main characters and the illustrations cleary 'telling' the story. Just as fluidly, the children return to human form and their mothers call them for dinner as the poem winds down. This book would certainly be a wonderful addition to a classic nursery rhymes collection.

If you're a fan of Hilary Knight's artwork (and if you're not, you ought to be), you will definitely want this book. Those who are only familiar with Knight's wonderful pen and ink drawings for Eloise and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle will be amazed at the beauty of his full color illustrations. This book is good enough for either your child's/nephew's/niece's bookshelf, or (in my case) your own. The illustrations of a young boy and girl slowly becoming part of the tale are beautifully rendered. I am glad to see so many Knight books on the market again, and hope that i will get to see some more.

This is a beautifully-illustrated book and one my husband will treasure as one of his favorites. He recently started collecting old coffee mills so I bought this one for him as a surprise gift to get him started. He immediately started looking through it and FOUND the "two" grinders he has at this point. Boy, was he excited! I think I have created a "millaholic" as a result of buying him this book. The pictures and accompanying text are extremely helpful in the identifcation of many mills. We highly recommend it for the beginning collector. There's something in it for everyone from the pricey floor grinders to mills for the modestly pocketed collector, plus it also has an accompanying array of pictures of coffee makers and coffee memorabilia. Great book -- wish they would come out with a follow-up.

If anyone knows of any other coffee mill/grinder antique books that are out there and available would you let me know. I am on another quest.

Thanks ...

If you read only one book, follow only one trainers advice, this is the one. He taught Tom Hopkins!! Whether beginner or pro, his advice will be worth thousand. I didn't come online to write a review, I got on line to find a copy of his cassette tapes. I had a set back in 1982, he was my first trainer/mentor. I had loaned the tapes and never got them back. I need a refresher. If you know where I can get a set of any J. Douglas Edwards sale training tapes, please let me know. Thanks

I read this book cover to cover in about three days. I have used the knowledge I've gained to grow my own business. I also share the information with my accounting and consulting clients to help them grow their businesses. The book is very readable and the methods are definitely "real world". One of the many useful topics is finding a marketing strategy that works for you. Many people find cold calling an excruciating way to get new business. This book provides a wide range of marketing activities that are much less painful and more effective. If you want to grow your business, this book is a great investment. For me, it more than paid for itself within a week.

I not only purchased this book for myself, but a copy for my business partner; mine was too furry with Post-Its, notes, and dog ears to let it out of my sight! I have lived with this book close at hand for the last month, and feel it has brought tremendous focus to my business development activity. It is very readable, well organized, and packed with specific tasks to speed you on your way to success. Unlike marketing and business books that are long on theory, but fall short of actions and tasks, I translated this book, chapter by chapter into a project plan to carry my company, Big Head Interactive, through the first year. A Must Have, with spare copies for gift giving!

This is a fabulous, information and action packed book with all the information you need to market and grow your business. You'll find the authors do not focus on theory but on action and give you a step-by-step marketing plan. Although this book was written a while ago it is still timely and relevant. Not to be missed!

The Monkey Wrench Gang is something that readers of Ed Abbey have come to expect: crude behavior combined with a social message. This book is often criticized for being "too different" from Desert Solitaire because of the destructive message that it sends. I think Abbey's intention was to create a unique, adventurous book that would draw SOME kind of reaction, positive or negative. As a nature writer, his position is obviously going to that of contempt and loathing for government. But I think that his message was to get readers thinking about what could or should be done about the preservation of the environment. I will definitely read this book again sometime down the road. Ultimately, if you like adventure and colorful characters, buy this book. You won't be disappointed!

Edward Abbey (1927-1989) is a touchstone for anyone involved in the radical environmental movement. Abbey, who looks like the product of a union between William James and John Muir, churned out numerous books and essays concerning the American Southwest and its wondrous natural beauty. His best known work is this novel, "The Monkey Wrench Gang," a fictional tale about four nature lovers who decide to wage relentless war against America's manic desire to spread the industrial system into every corner of the country. Abbey apparently based some of the characters in the book on real people he knew during his life in the boonies. It is important to remember this while you read the book because it will scare the heck out of you that people like this actually exist.

Abbey does not waste much time introducing the reader to his main characters. There is Seldom Seen Smith, a jack Mormon and river rafter who rambles around the countryside when he's not visiting his three wives. Seldom Seen quickly hooks up with Bonnie Abbzug, a Brooklyn born beauty with a predilection for older men and geodesic domes. Abbzug's flame of the moment is Doc Sarvis, an aging surgeon with a propensity for spouting off about nature and history when he's not operating on a patient. Finally, there is the hero of the story, George Washington Hayduke, a Vietnam vet who returns to his home only to discover bulldozers raping his beloved country. When the four meet up on a river-rafting excursion, Doc throws his checkbook into the ring so the four can go on an environmental rampage of astonishing proportions. No bulldozer, bridge, or member of the area's Search and Rescue team (run by the nefarious Bishop Love) is safe from the monkeywrenching activities of these four ecoterrorists.

Abbey describes the destruction of industrial equipment in loving detail. The first excursion is at a construction site, in which the gang cuts wires, pours karo syrup in gas tanks, and pours sand in the engines. Subsequent missions involve driving equipment into lakes, pulling up survey stakes, destroying an oil drilling station, and rolling boulders over pick-up trucks. Whenever trouble shows up, the four melt into the rugged terrain of the Southwest, a land of desolate wastes interspersed with stunning plateaus, mountains, and rivers. Abbey's eye for beauty rarely fails in his descriptions of these haunting images. Even the most hardened soul will feel a real kinship with our vanishing wilderness after reading this novel.

This novel is a masterwork of complexity, as Abbey juggles several themes simultaneously without missing a beat. One of these themes is, of course, the ferocity of nature. I interpreted Hayduke to be nature personified. His gruff and grungy appearance, his ability to become one with his environment, and his unbridled fury at the evil unfolding around him seem to represent the forces of nature itself. Hayduke is unrelenting in his quest to stop the destruction, even willing to resort to violence against the perpetrators whenever he sees fit. The other three characters act as a restraint on Hayduke, at least to some extent, but they also represent the various stages of humanity removed from nature. Seldom Seen Smith takes part in some of George's wilder escapades because he is closer to the environment. Bonnie and Sarvis, since they live in the city, tend to oppose many of George's plans and methods. Abbey is saying, and I may be wrong, that the farther some of us get away from the wilderness the less we are willing to do whatever is necessary to prevent the rampant destruction of the environment.

There is no doubt that Abbey was an extremely intelligent man. His writing ability is amazingly brilliant, with numerous jokes, word plays, and multi-layered dialogue thrown in at breakneck speed. For those familiar with Ambrose Bierce or Mark Twain, Abbey will seem like an old friend. Like those two august figures of American letters, Abbey is an iconoclast, always willing to take painful swipes at any institution, accepted belief, or know-it-all jerks with absolutist values. Even environmentalists take a few shots on the chin in this book (For example, George never misses a chance to throw his beer cans out the window). Abbey's tendency to make politically incorrect comments and jokes is sure to anger many people who, in their quest to lecture us about their idea of a perfect world, accidentally left their sense of humor in the trunk of their brand new SUV. In short, when Abbey comes out swinging, be sure to duck.

"The Monkey Wrench Gang" is truly an American classic, embodying just the right amount of rugged individualism, distrust of authority figures, and old-fashioned violence Americans love so well. About the only problem with the book is some of the environmentalists go nuts and try to pull a Hayduke in their own backyards. Abbey was careful to make the violence a bit cartoonish at times, perhaps to cover his own back in case someone gets a little carried away. Still, this is an entertaining that also gives an inside view of the environmentalist mindset. If you like great scenery and great writing, you will enjoy this novel.

This is definitely a different book. For a fifteen year old like me, it makes damn sure that we realize that the crap the media fills the world with aint true at all.

I read Desert Solitaire over the summer, and enjoyed it thourougly, leading me to check out MWG from teh school library.

Too many people try to peg Abbey as a naturalist. He's not. He says so in the forward to "Journey Home" (which I started last night). They then try to peg him as a "social terrorist," though I don't see what their reasoning is behind that. This book proves that though he was motivated to do so, he also had the common decency to not blow up bridges or other such nonsense. He stopped at burning billboards.

Really, the greatest purpose of this book seems to be that it reminds people that there are some of us left-wingers out here. If that's the most it does, I think that Abbey would still be satisfied.

Austin