My children (now 5 and 1) love this book. I purchased it when my son was about 2 and a half and the tabs and flaps are still working after lots of use. (A major plus as well loved books with movable parts often don't hold up to toddler adoration.) Now my daughter is taking her turns too and the "wheels on the bus" still go round as well as the wipers swishing and moms shushing. The illustrations capture attention and really bring to life this popular children's song. With this book they can make the doors on the bus open and shut, etc. with great pleasure. I highly recommend this book for its creativity and durability.

The Wheels on the Bus is my one-year-old's favorite song. It has been our companion on long car trips, and it has forced me into greater and greater physical contortions in trying to act it out. When I saw this fabulous book, it seemed to be the answer to my prayers. Let the book do the work! Look! The doors actually open and close, and the people on the bus can go bumpety-bump without me jumping up and down. My son seemed to agree. He adores the book. The only thing is that if he gets it into his hands by himself, he tends to rip it apart. The wheels on the bus have been glued back on several times. So, we put it on a high shelf away from the other books, only to be read with an adult. But my son can't pass the shelf withoug pointing and going "Ungf, ungf." Now, I'm a slave to the Wheels on the Bus. I'm forced to read it day and night. Thank goodness it's such a wittily illustrated book. Now, if they'd only make it in a board book version..

If you worry that toddler CD-ROMs and Barney videos have made it impossible for your child to concentrate on a simple story book, this book is an excellent introduction to the world of books. Not only is the song familiar and true to the original, this book with its amazingly engineered parts allow the wheels to really go round and round, for people to go bumpety bump and for all the babies to go 'waah-waah-waah' at the same time. You just have got to see it for yourself to believe such a book is possible. In addition to the main story, the beautiful illustrations tell yet another story which unfolds itself with new details everytime you open the book, so it is guaranteed to keep not only your child but you entertained for a very very long time.

You can read all kinds of self help and advice books without ever getting as much as you will from this one book. Written by a man and a woman who seem to have great understanding about people and their feelings, From Me To You is a joy to read.

It is filled with easy to understand suggestions that I've followed with amazing results. I shy away from saying affectionate things sometimes, but I think them to myself. Then along comes the book, From Me To You, and it helped me to write and send messages to the people who mean so much to me.

And look at me now , I'm even writing this review from my heart to you, someone I don't even know.

From Me To You is a book that made a wonderful difference in my life and I hope you'll get it and allow it to change your life too.

Most people are reticent about sharing their deepest feelings, regrets, secrets, and concerns with those they love and care about. For men, this is often tied to a sense of stoicism. For women, it is often related to being uncomfortable with the emotional burdens they carry. For both women and men, there are only so many minutes in the day . . . and many people see themselves as poor speakers and writers.

Yet we all love to receive thoughtful, personal messages that go beyond what Hallmark puts in its greeting cards. But we doubt our ability to create these wonderful messages.

From Me to You should help you overcome your reticence to create a meaningful, lasting mark with your shared feelings and thoughts. Whether you decide to write, call on the telephone, visit in person, or create an audio or video tape, this book will make you eloquent and appreciated . . . regardless of your communications skills.

A key ingredient is a suggestion that you always include five elements in each message:

1. "What go me thinking about you?"

2. "What are my positive feelings for you?"

3. "What makes you special to me?"

4. "What do I remember and treasure about our time together?"

5. "What do I want you to get from my message?"

The book is filled with varieties of examples of each element (thoughtfully numbered so you can spot them.

You are encouraged to sound like yourself, the way you talk, "your true voice" . . . rather than like a professional writer or a greeting card.

The book also has techniques to help you get started. One that I liked was to plan to write several drafts, and write down your feelings as you write certain things. This will make you more comfortable and confident.

Examples build around a number of themes: friends; siblings; children; parents; grandparents; romantic relationships; passing along favorite memories; sharing unasked-for advice; repairing bad relationships; dealing with tricky family issues after divorce, remarriage, and adoption; sharing hidden secrets; comforting after loss or sadness; sharing traditions and life lessons; building a legacy of communication; and creative ways to share.

For the more awkward communications, like hidden secrets, other elements may be required -- such as why you are now deciding to share the secret . . . and why it was kept before.

Although your own messages will be different from the examples, I think that the examples will inspire you to be more open as you see what others have said and learn how the recipients responded.

I have a good friend who has a very tense relationship with his two sisters. I recommended this book to him, to help him write about his desire to reconcile. He has written before, to no effect, but I think this book can help him to keep trying and pack more caring into his message.

I suspect that anyone can have better personal relationships if you follow this book's helpful and caring concepts.

The two authors speak painfully about how they feel about not knowing much about their fathers. Who are all the people who would be greatly hurt if they did not know you well, even from beyond the grave? How can you connect to those people in a positive, loving way?

Since my child has learning disabilities, I was hooked from the very first chapter where a father tells how he wrote to his learning disabled son in such a loving, simple way that it blew my mind! What an uplifting read. I liked the simple steps in this book and I loved all the stories about real life love and anger and the big disappointments that happen to everybody. This book shows how to work through the tough times all of us face and to do that in as few as five sentences. This book is a Godsend for me. I used to be afraid to write about my feelings because I was worried that my words would come out wrong.Not any more though. From Me to You should be a big hit with everyone who has loving thoughts like I did but feels uneasy about the right way to put them in letters for other people.

A sensitive and perceptive young college freshman from south Alabama, Eugene B. Sledge volunteered for Marine Corps officer training school during the middle of W.W. II. However, such was Sledge's desire to join the fighting before the war ended, he purposefully flunked out of school and promptly joined the ranks of the enlisted Marines.

Upon reporting to boot camp in San Diego, Sledge was introduced to his Drill Instructor with this eye-opening greeting: "If any of you idiots think you don't need to follow my orders, just step right out here and I'll beat your @ss right now. Your soul may belong to Jesus, but your @ss belongs to the Marines. You people are recruits. You're not Marines. You may not have what it takes to be Marines."

Fortunately, Sledge did indeed have what it took to be a Marine, and he has written WITH THE OLD BREED: AT PELELIU AND OKINAWA, an engaging personal chronicle of the horror of war as seen through the eyes of a young Marine grunt. Though this book is a personal account of historical events, it reads like a novel. Sledge is able to transform the course language of a salty Marine and the brutality of war into unembellished passages whose honesty have a lyrical beauty all their own:

"The situation was bad enough, but when the enemy artillery shells exploded in the area, the eruptions of soil and mud uncovered previously buried Japanese dead and scattered chunks of corpses. Like the area around our gun pits, the ridge was a stinking compost pile.

If a Marine slipped and slid down the back slope of the muddy ridge, he was apt to reach the bottom vomiting. I saw more than one man lose his footing and slip and slide all the way to the bottom only to stand up horror-stricken as he watched in disbelief while fat maggots tumbled out of his muddy dungaree pockets, cartridge belt, legging lacings, and the like. Then he and a buddy would shake or scrape them away with a piece of ammo box or a knife blade.

We didn't talk about such things. They were too horrible and obscene for even hardened veterans. The conditions taxed the toughest I knew almost to the point of screaming. Nor do authors normally write about such vileness; unless they have seen it with their own eyes, it is too preposterous to think that men could actually live and fight for days and nights under such terrible conditions and not be driven insane. But I saw much of it there on Okinawa and to the me the war was insanity."

WITH THE OLD BREED does not concern itself with a the strategic and tactical campaign of the Pacific Island hopping campaign. Rather, it is a a fascinating portrait of an sensitive young man's baptism under fire -- a first hand narrative of an ordinary young man's extraordinary bravery on a few remote Islands in the Pacific Ocean. No W.W.II library is complete without this book. Highly recommended.

Three veterans of the First Marine Division have written accounts of WWII in the Pacific. E.B. Sledge in this book, William Manchester in "Goodbye Darkness," and Robert Leckey in "Strong Men Armed." Sledge's book gives an honest, plain spoken, first hand account of two horrific campaigns. He pulls no punches in describing the brutality and the horror, but he doesn't dwell on it. He merely describes it in a matter of fact fashion.

Leckey's book ("Strong Men Armed") doesn't dwell on personal experiences, but gives the vast panorama of the Navy/Marine Corps island hopping campaign, and helps to put Sledge's personal memoir into the context of the whole war in the Pacific.

Manchester's book ("Goodbye Darkness") reads something like the out-loud ruminations of a mental patient working through unresolved issues on the psychiatrist's couch.

Leckey is a noted military historian who has written a number of very good books on the subject. Manchester is a noted author, and of the three has the most recognizable name. Sledge, however, although not a professional writer, is the First Division alumnus who has written the best book on the Pacific War. (Leckey runs a close second and Manchester a distant third).

Very few authors of books on the war in the South Pacific bring the vivid first hand experiences to light the way Dr. Sledge is able to do. He paints a picture that your mind and spirit is able to see as you read his words. He tells of the funny side of war, if there is one, the emense amount of hard work involved, and the brutality of war as he experienced it. The contrast of fighting on a barren coral rock, as was Peleliu, to the muck and mud of Okinawa is compelling.

As I have been a close personal friend of Dr. Sledge for over 30 years, I have heard many times in his own words the accounts of the battles fought on Peleliu and Okinawa. However, Dr. Sledge, in the words he writes is able to bring the battles to life, and involve the reader as if they were there. His story is so much like the man he is, strong, well prepared, confident, a believer in God, and willing to go to war for his country and "kill japs".

Anyone who wishes to gain insight into the nature of the war with the Japanese, and of war in general, needs to read this book.

I recognized Richard Paul Evans name from Timepiece. Actually I was not very impressed much by that one (possibly because I haven't read the Christmas Box).

But the Locket did change my view of him. Richard is a very, very good writer. I finished it in a couple days with the last 4 straight hours reading it through the end. I really like the way the story goes and how each character is woven into each other. It's a love story, but not the type that made you sick in the stomach. Instead it touches my heart. A few times it brought tears to my eyes. Very touching. I particularly like the Forgiveness chapter. Several excellent thoughts on life surface throughout the book.

My daughter volunters at a Public Library. She has given me some beautiful books. The "Locket" was a l998 Christmas Present. Prior to this she had given me The Christmas Box, The Letter, and Time Piece. It's difficult to say which I liked the best; they are all beautiful. I like the "size" easy to hold when you read lying down! Have given them for Christmas and birthday presents. I have enjoyed his writings so much would love to be able to meet him and his family. Lost my husband just a year ago; I thank the Lord that I have good eye sight there are so many wonderful books; computeers, TV, or movies can never take their place.

Since I have read his other books: The Christmas Box, The Timepiece, The Letter, and The Carousel, I knew what to expect from Richard Paul Evans. He is a truly remarkable mastermind and The Locket won't let you down. It is such a wonderful story filled with romanticism and immense substance. His primary characters are spontaneous and so distinct, it's fun to read how they correspond. You feel remorseful at one moment, then condemn them the next. The theme of this book is allegiance, passion, and sympathy that touches your sensitivity and consciousness to the median. In conclusion, I just have to say that I think this is the type of book that readers can devour as well as learn from. I'm looking forward to next book by Richard Paul Evans.

When I was in elementary school I found this book at the library. I loved it so much that I did not want to return it. Finally, after several months of renewals, my parents bought it for me. It was one of my most treasured--and worn out--books that I owned.

What made me fall in love the book was the beautiful, large colorful pictures; the easy introduction of the many Gods (to a child with no background in the stories); and, of course, the myths themselves. They were wonderful stories and will pull in readers of all ages.

The book inspired me to read more books on Greek mythology--Edith Hamilton, for instance--and Norse myths (the D'Aularies wrote a book on Norse gods that is unfortunately still out of print) and Asian folktakes when I was still in grade school. In college, however, I learned that these myths in this book had gone through a bit of sanitization, but it is still terrific. I haven't found another chilren's book that treats Greek mythology so well.

This book is one that will keep giving even when the child becomes an adult. When I went to college and was assigned other Greek and Roman poems, plays, and essays, I would be reminded the pictures and the myths found in this book. It would bring back wonderful memories, and at the same time made reading ancient literature enjoyable and easy rather than onerous. To this day, I still remember all of the myths and gods that are in this book, and it gives me a nice referemce to my academic reading.

My parents recently bought the hardcopy edition of the book for me for Christmas. It was the best gift I have received in years!

It is simply a wonderful book!

I don't know about all of you, but Greek Mythology is something I just can't live without! I pondered long and hard over many other volumes that were of the same material, but VERY longwinded. I don't have a lot of time on my hands, but I was just dying to learn of the famous Zues, Hera, Aphrodite, Ares, Athena, and all of the other gods and goddesses who governed the world high atop Mount Olympus. Also of Cronus, Rhea, Gaea, Uranus, and other gods and goddesses I never knew about. Then I found this book, this treasure amongst literature. The artwork alone is enthralling and the detail in which the stories are told is absolutly mesmerizing. The book is one of the best and one would certainly advise a friend to read it if one is streched for time yet has an incredible lust for Greek Mythology. The stories are easy to understand and yet so graphical that even the simplest child could lose themselves in the stories of Eos, Hercules, or Heracles as he is called in the book, Persephone, Demeter, and Phaethon. If you love Greek Myths, this book is an absolute must

I first read this book when I was twelve years old and it affected me so much that ten years later I still have a deep and abiding love of Greek mythology. A ratty, paperback copy I found at Salvation Army still holds *the* place of honor in my Greco-Roman collection, usurping The Odyssey, The Iliad, Edith Hamilton, and Robert Graves.

What originally struck me as so fantastic (and still does) is that the D'aulaires don't write down to their audience or edit out details important to the original myth that some parents might not approve of. The end result? An all ages storybook and mythological primer that no one should be ashamed to own.

The drawings are an acquired taste, falling somewhere between Classical pottery paintings and Art Deco, but they do grow on you. My only quibble is that there's no pronunciation guide, which can really hamper you if this is your first exposure to these stories.

Buy this for for your children or even for yourself, you will never regret it.

Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet is a book that has touched many people very deeply since it's publishing in 1923. It has been translated into more than twenty languages, and the American edition alone has sold more than four million copies. It is considered both by Gibran himself, and by the general public to be his literary masterpiece. The Story is about a prophet leaving a town, and as he leaves he imparts some of his knowledge to the towns people. Gibran himself was born in Lebanon in 1883. He was a poet, artist, and philosopher. His fame and influence has spread through the world, superceding linguistic and cultural barriers. His poetry has been translated into more than twenty languages, and his drawings and paintings have been distributed and showcased all around the world. In the last twenty years of his life he lived in the United States, and began to write in English. The book The Prophet was written during this time period. His words and pictures change the way that people look at life, and people find them to be an expression of the deepest impulses of man's heart and mind. The Prophet is about a man who is leaving a small town called Orphalese where he has made his home for the past twelve years. He has, for that time period, been waiting for a boat to take him back to the land of his youth. We are not told where that land is, only that he has been waiting to return there for twelve years. The entire book occurs on the date of his departure. As he is about to leave, the townsfolk stop him in the town and request that he tell them about certain things. He talks to them about life's lessons and imparts his wisdom to them. He is asked about giving, and he tells the people to give without recognition, because their reward is their own joy. He also talks about things like marriage, work, friendship and also love. He speaks about each, and more, describing the way that people should deal with each issue. This book is an interesting book. It is ninety-three pages of life's lessons set down in writing. These are words to live by, and tell others to live by. This book is certainly a book that everyone should read. Even if people don't agree with some of the beliefs, they should still read the book, if only to get their mind thinking about life, and it's many quandaries from a different perspective. This book is not unlike the musings of an aging man imparting his life's lessons to an audience of just about anyone whom he can gather to listen to him. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's lessons and stories are wise beyond the ages, and still hold up to be as true today as they were when Gibran wrote them in 1923. The lessons enumerated within this pages are lessons that one would hope were followed by the general population, and I know that if more people read this book, then the world as a whole might become a more easily survivable place.

Khalil Gibran's The Prophet is a truly awe inspiring work of prosaic poetry. Despite being a native-born Arabic speaker, Gibran wrote The Prophet in English, ensuring that his powerful words lost nothing in translation.

The work's 28 short chapters recount the words of a prophet as he leaves his home to depart on a new journey. The words that flow from the prophet's mouth and onto the pages are philosophical and spiritual treatises on all aspects of life. Chapters discuss the range of human experiences and include discussions such as "On Friendship", "On Pain" and "On Death." What unites the 28 chapters is Gibran's thought provoking and probing literary style as Gibran's prophet invokes his listeners to live life to the fullest. The book is not overtly religious but every word and sentence is filled with a spiritual clarity.

The book is eminently quotable with every chapter providing a nugget of truth worthy of repeating. Amazingly, Gibran packs his masterpiece into less than 100 pages, making it a very quick and easy read. Readers will find themselves returning to The Prophet again and again to recapture the beauty of Gibran's words.

The Prophet, which Gibran himself recognized as his greatest masterpiece, is a timeless literary classic. Its truth has touched generations of readers and will undoubtedly continue to do so.

My late father gave me a pocket sized hardcover edition of this book when I was a teenager. I've had it ever since and still read it from time to time.

Gibran's words are refreshingly nonsectarian yet feel none the less profound, timeless, universal and relevant to all cultures, peoples and times. Some have attributed an alternative spirituality to this work either as praise or as criticism.

I personally don't view the Prophet as a book that advocates any particular spiritual or religious path whatsoever. Regardless of whatever else this book may be may be, I've found the Prophet to be restful and quite enjoyable from time to time. I don't worry about the potential hermeneutic interpretations (that I seriously doubt exist) that might exist therein.

Thus, if it's a spiritual and/or religious text you seek I wouldn't recommend the Prophet. But I don't mean that as a criticism of the Prophet.

I simply view the Prophet as a text on the nonreligious, nonsectarian and universal ideas, ideals, feelings and qualities of what it is and means to be and feel human as viewed from the perspective of another fellow human being who had the same limited perspectives that we all share by virtue of being human beings. Gibran never claimed any differently.

If you only buy one book of prose then this is the one I'd recommend.

I was the first one to write a review on this book over two years ago. I am still in the process of getting well using guai but I am having many more good days than bad. My bad days never interfere with my life anymore. I am still working and have greatly increased the amount of time that I can work. I have started a small business outside of my "real" job. I have started an FMS support group and begun teaching aquatics for FMS. I am traveling and leading a full and happy life.

Dr. St. Amand has 40 years experience treating people with FMS. He guai protocol has been proven clinically for well over a decade. Medical science is almost always a generation behind proven clinical practice. Dr. St. Amand is a physician pioneer working on the frontier of fibromyalgia. He is pointing the direction for those brave and patient enough to follow him. His clinical research and success will be the groundwork for future improved treatment of FMS. For now his treatment is the best we have and it works 85% of the time. Those odds are better than any other I have seen anywhere else on the subject of this debilitating condition and good enough for me!

After having tried for ten years to regain my vigorous health, this book, recommended to me by my hairdresser who learned of it from clients, has truly changed my life. I had been to countless doctors, naturopaths, accupuncturists, and chiropractors, but my prayers were answered when I read this book. I consider myslf well-read on Fibromyalgia. Dr St Armand's explanation of the condition and his theory for reversing the disease struck me as honest and workable. I called my Naturopath, and we both dove into the cure. Four months later, I feel I have reversed the disease to the stage it was seven years ago. I no longer am fatigued, 75% of my pain is gone, and many other minor symptoms have disappeared. I have gone back to school to study to be a landscape designer, and aced all my classes the first term. (yes, the fibro-fog is gone!). The best part of reading this book is the courage it gives you to finally rejoin the world of active human beings by taking control of your own health care.

Dr. St. Amand's use of analogies and ability to explain complex concepts using clear, straightforward language make this book a joy to read! Its readers will understand the "mysteries" of fibromyalgia (and the hypoglycemia that often accompanies it) as never before. Best of all, they will be handed the tools for re-creating optimum health, vibrancy, and a sense of well being. A victim of fibromyalgia for many years, I've been on Dr. St. Amand's protocol for only five months and have already experienced amazing results! Patients, doctors, and medical students need to become intimately acquainted with this treatment plan, which is the result of over 40 years of careful research. Finally we have a solution that actually reverses the disease and allows fibromyalgia patients to lead normal, active lives.

This past weekend, my copy of The Beatles Anthology came from Amazon.com. The deliverer was glad she didn't have to go to the front office with it since it's so heavy!

This book is special because the Beatles themselves are the authors! There are also contributing quotes from Pete Best, Stuart Sutcliffe, George Martin, Mal Evans, Neil Aspinall and others.

The stories are great, from their childhood (John being an avid reader in grade school, Paul's father supporting his music skills, George mastering the guitar at a young age, and Ringo being shuffled in and out of hospitals) to their days in Hamburg (John claims that's where he truly grew up!).

In Hamburg, John, Paul, George, Pete, and Stu play various taverns (and meet Ringo) until Stu falls in love and abandons the Beatles. It seems like Ringo fits in better so they eventually sack Best for Ringo.

Funny stories include Mal breaking a windshield on a cold day while driving the Fab Four to their next gig and the Beatles hiding like school kids from an angry George Martin after missing a recording session!

They meet celebrities like Fats Domino, Little Richard, the Queen, and the King (Elvis).

John discusses "Help", "Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds", and "Revolution 9", Paul discusses "Yesterday", "Eleanor Rigby", "Yellow Submarine" and the Abbey Road Medley (particularly its highlight "The End"), George discusses "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Taxman", and Ringo discusses "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus' Garden".

There are the sore subjects, too, like Manilla (Paul claims they were the 1st to snub Marcos), John's comments about Jesus, the death of Brian Epstein, the breakup coming close on the White Album and later on Let It Be.

Although some of the photos and interviews here can be seen and heard in the Anthology video series and some perhaps read in other books, this brings most everything you need to know about the Beatles in full circle.

And of course, the Beatles experiment with drugs (and later both John and George get
busted by Sgt. Pilcher for possession of them), seek spiritual guidance from the Maharishi (is he as "cosmic" as they think?), fall in love (John with Yoko, Paul with Linda). Unlike in the video series, there is mention of Paul being "dead" and the final nail in the coffin for the Beatles in late 1969 and 1970.

You can't tell it all even in this one (no mention of the Christmas singles, save for a poem by John called "Wonsapon a Pool Table"), but since the Beatles themselves (and their closest comrades) speak for the Beatles, a lot of myths and legends are put to rest. If you're a Beatles fan, you won't want to pass this by!

As a first generation Beatlesfan,I have read many books over the years on the Beatles.Some excellent,some good but most just plain exploitive.Because of the principals involved namely John,Paul,George,Ringo et.al,this tome(no exaggeration)offers as close to a definitive look into their history as we are likely to receive.As such it is a beautiful and awesome undertaking. The text is revealing with some insightful and perceptible comments, though I suspect some of it is revisionist.The photographs and artwork are exceptional,if a tad familiar.Fortunately there are many I've never seen. The coffee table design is a bit cumbersome but I imagine that would be the only practical layout.One thought,however, intrigues me while reading this anthology. I can't help but wonder what John Lennon's contemporary views on his Beatle past and this book would be.At any rate, the Beatles appeal is timeless and in my life I've loved them all.

Imagine having lived through the most intense decade in recent history, being witness to the major cultural and political changes of that time. The Beatles have published their scrapbook of these times, the 1960's.

This book is big. Literally. Almost 400 pages long, thick, my first impresssion was how well the text (mostly transcripts from the Anthology series and from Lennon's interviews) and the photos flow together to create a true journal of the Fab Four. The book's design captures the dyamicism of The Beatles. Don't expect a stuffy, art gallery volume of tastfully placed photos; this book gives you the feel of the events and phases of The Beatle's career .

This is not a book for fact freaks. Don't expect lists, charts, trivia questions or day to day events. This is a personal tale. Unlike most other Beatles books, it does not list every city they toured, how many times they recorded a song, or even what percentage of what song John or Paul wrote. That's not needed nor missed in this book.

There are the juicy parts, especially when they talk about Hamburg's red light district, but its treater more matter of fact than anything else. I've read most of the Beatles bios but Anthology, unblemished by a writer's interpretation, makes a lot of the history seem fresh.

Most of the photographs, it seems, have never been published; and there are some striking image collages. One to is the Shea Stadium concert images, some of which seemed to have been pulled from the concert's movie film frames.

When you tell the story of the greatest band ever, your job is not easy, but clear: let them tell it in their own words and pictures. This book is The Beatles. Their charm and freshness were as much a reason they took over the world as was their music. Beatles fan? Yes, get this book. Get it anyway. Like many of what the Beatles touched, it's already the gold standard for its field. Highly recommended.

As long as you go into this book knowing that it is kind of an introductory book dealing with sex you'll be very happy. This book injects some fun and humor and sensuality into its discussions of sex, a welcome relief from the neurotic images of sex we're all bombarded with by the media. The illustrations manage to be far more erotic and sensual than photography could ever be, and the dialogue in the book is peppered with humor. If you're consider yourself a sexual 'veteran' you would probably be better off getting a good book on Tantra to further explore your sexuality. But if you're looking for a fun sensual book that breaks through our society's hangups about sex and gives a lot of helpful advice this book is excellent.

This book is a wealth of knowledge. No matter if you are a neophyte or a Latin-lover. Read this book. Highly recommended for all. Life in the sack a little tame? Read this book. Looking for tips? Read this book. Want to know a little more about what makes her tick? Read this book. The best thing is it's not just about sex, it's about all the extra's, like how to treat her after a hard day at work, how to make the other person unwind and WANT to do something. They spend enough time on how a relationship should work, but without being condesending. Then there is a lot of info about things you might not of thought of. Want to know how to size a butt-plug? Read this book. Want to know how to get him off with your hand or mouth? Read this book.

It's not smutty or low-brow, lots of informative info with high-class (yet tasty) drawings for, um, illustration of key concepts shall we say. I take my hat off to the writers for this one.

Sure helped me :oD

Ride Free - Mk.

The above is my response to this book. When I first started looking though it and reading some of what Paul Joannides has to say, I thought, "Right on!" And the more I read, the more I felt this way. Mr. Joannides deserves some kind of "Medal of Honor" for writing a comprehensive, non-judgmental and at times hip and irreverent look at the world of sexuality. He leaves virtually no topic uncovered. Dang, why wasn't a book like this around twenty years ago? I could have really used it back then! He also obviously put a great deal of effort and love into this book which spans almost 700 pages. Not only is it informative and humorous, but it gets its subject matter across in a down-to-earth and common-sense style. I also loved all the illustrations in the book....

This book in my humble opinion should be mandatory reading for every Human Sexuality class taught, it truly is that good. I lost count of all the various chapters in the book, but among them are [chapters on various types of sex] sex and aging, and a chapter about sex laws (and some of them are truly shocking). Most chapters also feature comments from readers of earlier editions of this book or those who filled out surveys on the publisher's web site; all of which are also highly informative and interesting.

I give this book five stars, only because I can't give it six. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to learn more about sex, relationships, what makes the "opposite gender" act the way they do, in other words virtually everyone!

Over the years, there have been many attempts to establish a
"Deep Inner Meaning" for "Lucky Jim," but I wouldn't pay them
much attention if I were you. "Lucky Jim" is simply a hilarious
book. For me, it was a revelation -- I had no idea that a book
might leave me with my sides aching, weak from laughter, yet
ready to laugh again, as I recalled the phrase or the incident
which had initially tickled my funny-bone.

One reason the book is so funny is that it gores some very
Sacred Cows. In its time, those sacred bovines very definitely
included provincial academics who were seriously into
Elizabethan madrigals and recorder concerts; Amis had the
genius to see these daffy eccentrics for the incredibly comic
figures they really were. Even more outrageously, the novel's
hero gets the girl of his dreams and escapes the dreary provinces
for a happy career in London, by abandoning the academic life
and going into (are you sitting down?) BUSINESS. Into... TRADE.
It is hard to imagine anything more non-U.

In short, a masterpiece of comic English prose!

Highest possible recommendation!!!

In the interests of full disclosure I must admit that I am something of an Amis fan. I do understand, however, that Amis is a bit of an acquired taste. There are some of his works that just aren't written to appeal to a mass market. This is not one of those.

Far and away Amis' most accessible novel, Lucky Jim deals in comic catastrophe. The hapless Jim Dixon a newly employed assistant lecturer in history at a small British university, attempts to settle in and make a good impression. He encounters one disaster after another. As events unfold, it's clear that Jim is anything but "lucky".

Not the least of his problems is his eccentric boss Professor Welch, but also contributing are a madrigal gathering at Welch's house, Jim's infatuation with Welch's obnoxious son's girlfriend, not to mention the obnoxious son himself, little wars with the other tenants at his boarding house, and the necessity to deliver a showcase lecture on "Merrie England." This latter requirement provides the setting for one of the funniest academic spoof sequences in all of English literature.

The book was first published in 1954 and some of the language--presented as colloquial in the book, is a bit dated. This doesn't really detract from the story--it really just add a level of quaintness. This is the only real criticism on can put forward, however.

This is satire of a high order as rendered by a master. Recognized as one of the 100 best books of the 20th century by whatever group of highbrows it was that put that out in late 1999. This is one that actually deserved to be on it.

Lucky Jim proves great literature need not be dull or depressing. This is a truly great read.

No wonder this book is deemed a "Classic." James Dixon is a 20th Century everyman. Poor beleaguered James Dixon. With his academic career hanging on a thread, not-so-lucky Jim has to kowtow to his witless superior and his witless superior's hugely annoying wife and equally obnoxious son during a weekend get together. From there, everything goes downhill fast for Dixon. But out of Dixon's dilemma comes wonderfully comic moments as he attempts to extracate himself from a bad situation. Amis creates wonderful, quirky but believeable central characters (and secondary) and Dixon's hilarious internal dialogue kept me laughing out loud -- I should think we can all relate to Dixon's thoughts (rude, catty, cynical, nasty, incisive, mocking, witty and insecure by turns) as we routinely censor what we will say aloud. There are so many terrific moments in this book that I immediately re-read it so as to savor them all over again.