Move over Disney, Douglas Fir is takin' over! This is a wonderful book, complete with its very own music of top quality. Congratualtions to the authors - I think they started a saga here.

I am an assistant in a kindergarten class. As I shared the book with my kindergarten students, they were in awe. They have never sat so attentive while listening to a story. The songs and music throughout the story made it even more enjoyable. Once the story was completed there were many questions about the story that I was able to answer from the information given in the story. The story will be wonderful to share during earth day in all schools. Mr. Reitz had a book signing at our school. Do your childrens' school a favor and request that he visit their school!

It was a great show while it lasted, the subject of fervent newspaper reports, television specials and an exposé by Geraldo Rivera in the 1980s. Satanism was rampant across America, nay, the world, with protean manifestations, if people would just pay attention. Twenty years before, there had been Satanism, but it was not very well publicized and not very interesting. But somehow it became the fashionable scare. How did this happen, and what should we do about it?

Bill Ellis is a folklorist, and an academic specializing in English and American studies. His book, Raising the Devil: Satanism, New Religions, and the Media (University Press of Kentucky) attempts a sympathetic understanding of how the Devil made one of his cyclic emergences and how folklore can affect society and politics. Scares about Satan and witchcraft have been present for centuries, and seem to give a safety valve for social aggression, scapegoating deviant individuals. At the individual level of, say, someone who thinks he is possessed by a demon and someone who thinks he can cast that demon out, there is a social agreement on a folkloric belief that may be beneficial for both concerned (if not for the demon). But Ellis's theme is that social groups can take over a folkloric belief to push a religious or governmental agenda, with disastrous consequences. He shows how demon possession and speaking in tongues are two sides of the same coin, and how belief in demons was ballooned into the belief that there was a huge underground satanic network ruining our country. Those who promulgated such conspiracy beliefs also bought into conspiracies involving Jews, vampires, the Illuminati, and cattle mutilations.

Raising the Devil is an academic work, well documented and organized. Ellis tries to illuminate the role of the folklorist in examining these sorts of belief, and realizes that he and his fellows have the difficult road to follow of accepting folklore (even if it is patently untrue) as a force between small numbers of individuals, while they also have to confront institutions that would harness folklore for political or religious change. His academic prose is leavened by the strange subject matter. For instance, the Governor of Colorado is quoted as saying that cattle mutilations were "one of the greatest outrages in the history of the western cattle industry," and a leader of a coven in England warned about bogus cult groups, as he had heard about one in which members "started getting in prostitutes dressed in rubber gear and there was wife swapping, too. It gives Satanism a bad name."

This is a book that I could not put down! It explains how the media reacts so viciously to Satanism and new religions, which they know very little about. I myself am a Satanist and think that the media makes it sound much more evil than it really is. I think this was a good book because I can relate to the media and Satanists.

The Elixir Of Life Manuscripts include Septimius Felton; or The Elixir Of Life, The Dolliver Romance, Dr. Grimshawe's Secret, and The Ancestral Footstep. The first three very directly characterize an archetype for scientists that show up throughout other works by Hawthorne. The theme of the Ancestral Footstep, which is also interwoven as a plot in the other three works, surrounds a family secret which either leads the scientist figure to the discovery of the Elixir of Life, or entitles him to an inheritance. It is significant that none of these works were ever completed -- however, all are complete and distinct stories. Hawthorne usually planned out a plot so well that he did not need more than one draft to complete a romance. He clearly struggled with the themes of these works, since he never satisfied himself with either of his four drafts. I highly recommend these works as reading material for those who enjoy Hawthorne, or those who are interested in the study of the scientist or seeker in Hawthorne's works.

It's hard enough going to the hospital. When the bill comes, it's overwhelming. I spent 3 weeks in the hospital and received a 20-page bill when my insurance tried to deny my claim. Using Pat's advice, I scrutinized my bills and medical records. I found billing errors (totalling almost $11,000) a huge medication error (we're filing a lawsuit about that one) and other "fun" surprises. It's amazing that they can run a business like this!

Some of the writing is pretty sensationalistic, which is annoying, and sometimes he takes 3 pages to say what he could have said in two paragraphs. But the information is valid and useful to someone like me who knew nothing about hospitals and billing. It only takes a few hours to read this book. It will open your eyes, help you take control and may even save you some money.

Everyone who pays medical bills will benefit from the easily-understood information contained in this book. This is a giant step toward the Patient's Financial Bill of Rights. THANK YOU, PAT!!

If your or any of your friends or relatives have been into a hospital lately, you have noticed that as a patient you were probably treated well, but as a customer you were treated horribly. You would be hard pressed to find any other business that could survive the sort of gross arrogance and incompetence in the way it bills and collects from its customers.

If you assume that everyone--hospital administrators, doctors, and insurance companies alike--would genuinely want their bills to be correct and accurate, you are very very wrong.

This little book shows you through the experience of others, how you too can get your pocket picked, but even more important, it shows you how to protect yourself.

The author shows you how to: how to get a detailed itemized bill, how you can learn their language, how to recognize and reduce excessive charges, how to recognize and remove duplicate charges, how to recognize and reveal hidden charges, how to recognize and reject undocumented charges, how health insurance works today, how to fix some problems before they arise, how to recognize and reverse insurance denials,

Also included, are very helpful chapters on: helpful websites, and a directory of people who can help you get your money back.

The author is a leading consumer advocate for patients, and she gives you the knowledge that you need to fight back. The MEDICAL BILL SURVIVAL GUIDE will help you get back what's yours--and make sure you'll never have to spend an extra, unnecessary dime on the care you deserve, ever again.

Bill Ellis' book focuses upon a genre fascinating both to the scholar and to the layperson--the contemporary (or more commonly "urban") legend. Ellis' extensive discussion of legends and their ostention (in a sense, when narrative becomes action) is particularly pertinent given the current political climate and surge of legends since 9/11/01. He points out "traditional narratives exist not simply as verbal texts . . . they are also maps for action, often drastic action" (235) and calls strongly for the timely collection, documentation, and interpretation of legends for through inaction "we risk condoning by our silence actions that perpetuate intolerance and even age-old bigotry ( 243). Ellis' volume not only examines our cultural history through narrative, it gives insight into how to continue to examine the role of legend in society. While it is possible a non-academic reader might at first be deterred by the scholarly analyses, there is no need to be; the data itself is fascinating enough to engage any reader, and the analyses of the texts are direct and thoughtful. The volume is excellent for use as a classroom text (as I have) or as simply intriguing everyday reading. The topics range from legends of "Aids Mary" to UFO abductions, ghosts, and supposed Satanic murders.

From rumors of a ghost in a Pizza Hut to a writer who claims abduction by aliens, Aliens, Ghosts And Cults gathers the relationships between myths and legends and everyday life, considering how these legends become a part of common culture. Often revolving around spiritual and social issues are tales which have become imbedded in our culture, Bill Ellis' Aliens, Ghosts And Cults provides an excellent, highly readable cultural analysis.

I would agree, this edition is pretty lackluster. Not only that, the stories are inconsistent. Some are extremely well done, especially the better-known stories;and the writing is great, but the symbolic devices, such as paintings and mirrors, are way over-used.

This lends a repetitiveness to most of the stories. The gloomy tone, revealing the hidden darkness of man, pervades throughout. For someone of his talent, Hawthorne repeats himself. I think his novels are far better than his short stories. I would recommend Scarlet Letter and House Of Seven Gables instead.

Hawthorne is one of the greatest short story writers of the English language--of any language. I won't go into too much detail of the stories that make up Twice-Told Tales (I'm saving that for the Library of America edition), but I want to take a minute to talk about this Reader's Digest Edition. It only contains the 'Twice-Told Tales', but those are some of Hawthorne's best known stories: 'The Minister's Black Veil' and 'Dr. Heidegger's Experiment'. It's a well made volume with nine illustrations that aren't very well done. Really, you are better off getting the Library of America edition of Hawthorne's Tales and Sketches. It's more complete, better crafted, and doesn't have those horrid illustrations. What is interesting about this edition are two reviews contained. One by Poe and the other by Longfellow. Unfortunately they are here 'in an adapted form' which is a problem Reader's Digest seems to have. It's nice to have them here, but it would be nicer if they were in the original form. I give a five for the stories, but a 2 for the Reader's Digest edition. So I've settled on a three for this review.

This Modern Library edition of Hawthorne's Twice Told Tales is one of the better I've seen in a long while. (A reveiewer below has mistakenly reviewed a Reader's Digest edition of the stories in this space. There are no illustrations in this book, and contrary to that reveiwer's estimation, the selection of stories here is very wise indeed.) Any good collection of Hawhtorne's stories should include the classics such as "Wakefield, "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment, "The Maypole of Merrymount," and "The Haunted Mind," as well as a few of the lesser known stories, of which there are many. This collection holds an excellent mix of both, with an amusing and insightful introduction by Rosemary Mahoney, and very informative notes by Gretchen Short. Hawthorne was, and remains, the American master of the dark, psychologically driven tale. I would challenge anyone to read, "Wakefield," "The Gentle Boy," or "The Hollow of the Three Hills" without feeling at least a little frightened and thrilled. These are among Hawthorne's best stories in a handsome new collection. I highly recommend the book.

Many complain that Hawthorne's style is too turgid, too stilted and dense to be enjoyable. Admittedly, I was not that fond of The Scarlet Letter, though its merits probably rest beyond the attention spans of most people committed to reading it in lit class. As anyone will tell you, it takes supreme effort and time to wend through any Hawthorne book.

I found The House of the Seven Gables much more enjoyable, a novel more accessible to the casual reader than the Scarlet Letter, but still imposing and impressive and just a bit pompous, as anyone can say of the little Hawthorne they have read. The characterization is marvelous. The adumbration of Hepzibah's insular misery and Clifford's simple minded pariah-hood, and the reforming agent of Phoebe's love and rustic vivacity, as well as multiple other character sketches and glorious descriptive passages, are what carried me through this novel. Unlike in the Scarlet Letter, it seems as though the tedium (what little there is here) is always at some point made up for, as though Hawthorne was attempting to counterbalance certain dry passages with heavenly description and character revelations.

Those who detested the Scarlet Letter will likely find little but soporific tedium here; for those whose initiation into Hawthorne's craft was not overly harrowing, keep this one in mind for a rainy day.

A slow, leisurely, and deep read. Hawthorne has a wonderful prose style that is uniquely him. He has a poetic way of taking things that seem small or insignificant and making them large and thoughtful. The plot does not move along quickly, but I found that the reading did. The characters seem to move in slow motion for a great majority of the book, and every movement has volumes of meaning. I feel this book is very representative of the emergence of american values of equality, of a disdain for the importance previously placed on pedigree or heritage and of course, of the emphasis on things like virtue, humility, etc. A delicious read.

The story of "The House of Seven Gables" begins in the midst of Puritan New England (which Hawthorne paints characteristically, and forgiveably, quite bleak) with the fantastic tale of a severe dispute between stern Colonel Pyncheon and alleged wizard Matthew Maule over a piece of land. Maule is conveniently executed (while cursing Pyncheon) for his "crimes", and Pyncheon builds Seven Gables on the aforesaid land. Several years later, the colonel dies suddenly, supposedly the mark of Maule's curse, which is to forever haunt the Pyncheon mansion.

Several generations of Pyncheons come and go, and the family decays and whithers until it can boast only four remaining members, two of which are old and frail. But one, a Judge Pyncheon, rotten under his trim exterior, is up to unsurfaced mischief.

The story tends to move slowly (much of the meat of the plot is not encountered until nearly half-way through!), but every word bears weight. Hawthorne weaves his story in such a way that every moment spent getting to know the characters is crucial. Neither is the slow development boring: far from it! Relax, enjoy the pace, and allow yourself to feast on Hawthorne's brilliant prose. As Henry James once stated, "The House of Seven Gables" is "the closest approach we are likely to have to the Great American Novel."

The Scarlet Letter was quite an adventure through a troubled outcast's mind. The characterization, descriptions, and the story its self made this book one of the best I have read. If it were not for the very advanced vocabulary and the lengthy descriptions, I might have considered this book the best I have read. Hawthorne really allowed the reader to understand every thought of an outcast in a Puritan town. The book takes the reader through interactions with very cruel, sympathetic, and forgiving people. Each encounter brought with it one surprise after another. The book not only examined society and its changing views, but it also gave a rather historically correct account of Puritan life. Before taking this book on, I recommend doing a bit of research on the eccentric Puritan culture. Hawthorne's descriptions of Hester Prynne's thoughts and feelings gave the reader a personal relationship with her. He drops little pieces of information about Hester that make the respect the reader may have for her grow. As the book progressed, Hester's character began to bloom right in front of the reader's eyes. These factors allowed the true cleverness and boldness of Hawthorne's story to shine through. There were only a few aspects that got in the way of true enjoyment of the book. The vocabulary was a bit hard to comprehend when paired up with Hawthorne's inclination to extend his descriptions of a situation for pages. Overall, the book held my attention well and made me think about society in a different way. I would recommend this book to anyone who was willing to take some time interpreting extremely advanced vocabulary in lengthy descriptions.

This story is a moving representation of the dissonance that can be found between the human soul and society. Hester Prynne's suffering is painful because the reader understands that though she feels the sin of her actions, it is society that has condemned her. She must forfeit her freedom to walk as an equal citizen of Boston, never allowed to forget the silent agony haunting her every moment.
It is not only Hester who is affected by social expectations and custom; it is eventually revealed to the reader that Hester's crime affects those who surround her, which tells us how much of an impact a individual's actions can have on another.
Hawthorne's novel displays this fallen, detached member of Puritan society, but counters it with the revolutionist, the demon, the wild rose of Puritan lifestyle--perhaps hinting at the author's dislike for Puritan attitudes. Hawthorne reiterates these two devices: depicting his personal opinion through the actions of the characters and creating characters that refract each other.
This is an amazing part of American literature, reflecting on human behavior and commenting on aspects of American history. How do people today act and react to each other, dominated by our culture's expectations? How are we self-serving or self-deprecating? A tip to readers: "The Custom House" (the book's preface) is dense stuff, quite possible of cultivating a strong dislike for Hawthorne as a writer, so I recommend saving it for last or skipping it completely.
"It is remarkable that persons who speculate the most boldly often conform with the most perfect quietude to the external regulations of society. The thought suffices them without investing itself in the flesh and blood of action."

I imagine that people who read this book in the days it was first published had mixed views pertaining to the story of a woman who is scorned for committing adultery. There were those who likely condemned the book (priests, conservative high-class citizens), while others heralded its many themes and praised its originality (women, other authors, and open-minded beings). I give this book five stars for Hawthorne's ability to move people to so many feelings, including myself, with his diction, his syntax, and his endless use of literary devices to convey Hester Prynne's suffering, the downfall of a minister loved by his parishioners, and a man whose lust for revenge feeds on itself time and again. Speaking from experience, in reading this, one must look over each sentence very carefully and shred it to pieces in order to gain the fully intended information which Hawthorne wished for readers to digest. While not the easiest read of one's life, it is certainly one of the most enlightening, with its naturistic and societal themes that set it apart from other works of any time period. This tapestry of Puritan life stands as a brilliant example of a novel that will touch many more in years that follow.

Hawthorne's Marble Faun is not a book I would recommend to the casual reader, unless you are enthralled by highly exaggerated, unrealistic melodramas involving grossly stereotyped, one-dimensional characters (Miriam and Donatello are more intriguing and less one-dimensional, although this is simply my opinion). One must take into account that this is a gothic novel and is written in a period where "political correctness" is not yet a term, and where puritanical ideals and mores are the central focus of the story-teller.Therefore, one cannot hold against Hawthorne the fact that Italians are depicted as uncivilized imbeciles (for lack of a better word), nor that sin and religion are central themes - he simply wrote in accordance with the time in which he lived. Surely the fact that he is a masterful writer excuses his weaknesses in other areas. The story itself, though overly melodramatic and at times frustratingly so, is interesting in the way soap operas or shows like Melrose Place often are; as nauseatingly emotional as the characters are, and as disgusting as their actions or predicaments may be, there is a depth of raw emotion that draws us in, and something akin to the curiosity one may have in looking at a freak show. We are repelled yet drawn in at the same time, unable to resist wondering what lies ahead, yet partially aware of what will happen, of what must happen, for the story to play through the way it was intended. I myself was drawn into the innocent one-sided romance between Donatello and Miriam that gradually grows into a torrid affair - I truly could not put the book down until I found out how it all turned out between them. However, once that part of the novel was resolved, I found little incentive to continue. Hilda was stiff, did not draw sympathy, and her religious piety mixed with a severity usually associated with bitter spinsters I personally found repellent. Kenyon, the sculpture who seeks a romance with her, was equally boring with his wimpy, "I-agree-with-anything-you-say" romantic tactics. Needless to say, I was as intrigued by their romance as by two limp noodles stuck to the bottom of a pot. My suggestion: Read up till the chapter entitled "The Bronze Pontiff's Benediction" (I won't tell if you skip through the endless descriptions of art & architecture and go straight to the good parts). Then skim for plot ("A Frolic of the Carnival" has some interesting parts) and head straight to the last chapter and the postscript that follows - a must-read, as here we get a few last words on Donatello and Miriam, as well as a summation of the question that forms the novel - here you finally discover what thought process drove Hawthorne to write this story in the first place!

A must for romantics and anyone who enjoys a bit of a philosophical challenge!

Thinking about traveling to Italy? Wait! Do not leave behind your most useful travel companion. Disregard Rick Steve's and Let's Go. The Marble Faun was the premiere 19th Century travel guide to Rome and should be for the 21st century traveler. This book will lead you around the ancient city without skipping any of the awe-inspiring sights. For travelers after The Marble Faun's publication in 1860, the novel was a necessary item for their European escapades. Masterfully constructing his story around four distinct characters, Miriam, Hilda, Kenyon, and Donatello, Hawthorne takes the reader on an adventure which holds as much intrigue as the splendid landmarks these travelers encounter in their own journeys. For one who enjoys art and the discussion of art, this book will provide everlasting enjoyment. Indeed, Hawthorne captures the ex-patriot community of artists who settled in Rome during the 19th century in an attempt to associate themselves and their work with the Old Masters. Through Hawthorne's exceptional narrative, the reader gains further understanding of the mindset of copyists who wish to discover the true essence of such famous works as the faun of Praxiteles. This work experiments in its narrative form and one must be willing to flow with it. The chapters at times jump from different characters and events with out much warning to the reader. In addition, Hawthorne interjects his own point of view from time to time. If the reader is sensitive to this un-structure then they will have little trouble enjoying the mystery as well as the valuable description. Hawthorne changed the standards for American travel writing with this novel. Without it, Henry James, among others, may not have followed his lead. It is time The Marble Faun won the recognition it deserves!

I'm not a big fan of The Scarlet Letter, but The Marble Faun is, in my opinion, the best American novel ever written. Although it can move slowly when Hawthorne describes various architectural sites throughout Rome, the rest of the story is a theodicy of great power and imagination. Hawthorne uses a brilliant combination of mythology, history, and humanity in this piece. A must for anybody who loves Italy. This book has been overlooked for more than three generations now...it's time it was uncovered!

I haven't read this calculus text, but based on the quality of the last review (and in consideration of who the reviewer claims to be), I've got two words for ya: "STAY AWAY!"

We are currently using this text in a graduate course in Mathematics & Modeling. We are completing the first chapter in Modeling Change. Some of the definitions are vague. The examples are good; although, I would like to have seen more. Exercises are good--prehaps add more "warm-up" exercises. The sidebar items relating to the corresponding use of the TI-89 is good, but the cooresponding variables between this and the text is confusing to some degree.

This is a new calculus text that incorporates: - computer algebra (TI-89/92/92+), - cooperative learning, - group work, - reading mathematics, (I'm one of the author's so I'm biased.)