As a parent preparing for a first time college search, I have found The Winning Way to be extremely helpful. It is quite user-friendly and I particularly like the time line feature of what to do at each high school grade level. It has helped to make a sometimes confusing venture much easier.

You know this book is great if you want to learn about hash and where it comes from and how it is smuggled around the world. It is very scientific with lots of information on the ingredients of hash, different types of hash and it's effects on the body. You get nearly 400 pages on that. This is the best Hash book on the market but...... Clarke only shows us what the hash makers want the tourists to see and the book fails to explain how we can successfully make hash for ourselves using modern techniques.

Clarke gives us the "3rd world" look at how hash is made. In reality, yes these "traditional" methods do still go on and are nice to know about, but they have been replaced by newer methods at this stage in the game. So as a historical read this book is prime stuff, but in reality we need to look elsewhere for what really goes on.

Most people would buy this book because they would like to get their teeth into hash making using modern techniques. There is a chapter on this, but it is not modern nor is it useful. That chapter is called "Hi-Tech hashish making" but should really be called "80's Hi-Tech but low grade hash making." The chapter will only explain how to make inferior quality hash the hard way. More up-to-date methods are not even treated. This is totally surprising, as most of these new methods are simple! And a lot cheaper to do than what his sections explain. I mean in 400 pages and you get nothing really substantial about how you should go about making hash for yourself. All he would have to do is sit down and write 10 - 20 pages on the subject of home hash making and how it is REALLY done. Then the book would deserve 5 stars.

i bought this book of a bum on the street in berkeley, ca. its awsome. its got great history and knowledge about the traditions of hash making and hash smoking around the world. its pretty neat. nice middle section of color pictures too ! very cool. the methods for making hash could be a little bit better explained and maybe some better pictures. but overall, its a winner.

While certainly not infallible, this is as likely as close as any author will ever come to writing the "bible" of hashish. Dense with information and enlivened with wonderful photos and illustrations, Clarke's masterwork is both exceptionally entertainng and an invaluable reference work. I have to rate this as one of the best gifts I've ever received. First Rate!

In this classic, Baum describes the tale of poor Dorothy, who is hurled by a cyclone away from her uncle and aunt in Kansas into a strange and magical world of wizards and witches. Fortunately Dorothy has the help of several companions that she meets in this new world - a stuffed scarecrow who wants brains, a tin woodsman who wants a heart, and a cowardly lion who wants courage. Together with Dorothy - who wants a return trip to Kansas - they travel to the emerald city where Oz is wizard, to ask him to make their wishes come true. Their journey is fraught with adventures, and when they finally meet Oz they discover a terrible truth, that leads them into even more challenges and adventures. The magical fantasy of this tale has pleased readers of all ages for a century, and it's not hard to see why. Baum spins a wonderfully enchanting tale that includes wicked witches, flying monkeys, talking mice, and other fantastic creatures.

Is this book more than just a fantasy thrill? Some literary critics have proposed that Baum - a strong believer in individualism and self-confidence - is working with themes about self-esteem and self-reliance. This is quite plausible, especially considering that the brains, heart and courage sought by the scarecrow, woodsman and lion are abilities that they clearly already possess - they just need to recognize them and use them. And Dorothy herself discovers that when the wizard can't help her, she must and can rely on herself. Other literary critics have claimed that "The Wizard of Oz" needs to be read as an elaborate political allegory where the various characters represent various social classes and financial structures - a not impossible suggestion, but one that's somewhat difficult to defend. Ultimately, however, "The Wizard of Oz" is best enjoyed as a wonderful story. That doesn't mean it is any less of a contribution to English literature, because when appreciated as a brilliant story, you're sure to come back to it again and again, as are your children and grandchildren. It's precisely this universal appeal that makes "The Wizard of Oz" a true classic.

The Wizard of Oz written by L. Frank Baum is a wonderful book about a young girl who goes on an adventure full of excitement and fun. Dorothy the main character lives on a small country farm in Kansas with her Aunt, Uncle, and small dog, Toto. One day a twister comes over their country farm and whisks Dorothy along with her little dog away to a make believe land called Oz. There she is greeted by the people who live there. She asks them how she can get home to Kansas. They tell her that the Great Oz will help get her home. But before she heads on her way to Oz the Good Witch of the North kisses her on the forehead and says that with that kiss no one can harm her. So she and Toto head on their way to Oz. On her way she meets The Scarecrow who wants a brain, a Woodman made of tin who wants a heart and a Cowardly Lion who wants courage. These four new friends eimbark on an adventure to the great city of Oz. Will they all get their wishes? Find out when you read the Wizard of Oz. I loved this book because not only did it have fantasy but it is a great book for all ages. I recomend it to anyone who loved being a child.

The Wizard of Oz is about a girl named Dorothy who is a farm girl from Kansas. One day Dorothy is carried away by a cyclone to a magical land called Oz. While she is there she meets a tlaking scarecrow, a man made of tin, and a cowardly lion afraid of his own shadow. Dorothy and her friends follow a yellow brick road to the Emerald City where they hope to find the famous wizard that can grant each of their wishes. But the wicked witch keeps trying to ruin their trip to the Emerald City.
The setting of the book is in a magicla land full of little people called Munchkins, flying monkeys, and a wicked witch that will melt if touched with water. The characters have their separate reasons for wanting to see the wizard. As the story goes on, the reader can not help but fall in love with them.
The text gives great detail as to what everything looks like and with those details the whole world of Oz can come to life in the readers imagination.

Dante's Inferno grips the reader throughout the journey to Inferno, or hell. With Virgil as his guide, Dante the author stars himself as the main character: a timid, curious man traveling among spirits through the nine levels of hell. On his journey he comes across every imaginable type of sinner, from the unbaptized to barrators to betrayers. He makes it through beasts, monsters, rivers, fires, and taunting spirits with the help of his master. Dante, as author, combines ancient mythological references with Christian beliefs to form a background and adventures for his Inferno; which reflect the lifestyle in Italy during a time of political and secular corruption. Pinsky translated this superb piece of literature with grace, transforming the Italian rhyme into a pleasing English translation with a terza rima scheme. A marvelous job indeed.

Dante's Inferno, by far the most interesting volume of Dante's Divine Comedy, is a must for any reader who wishes to cultivate their knowledge of the classics. Reading it would aid a reader in understanding later, highly allusive works, such as those of Joyce, or Eliot, since both writers allude to Dante in abundance.

Pinsky's translation is erudite and a credit to his own poetic ability. Steering away from pure rhyme and instead using blank verse, he has avoided limiting himself, and the freedom he has gained has created a far more convincing and authoritative translation than others have achieved.

An essential read, and a timeless work.

It says a lot that of all the books we read during the year in a rigorous English curriculum, many of my best readers picked the Pinksy Inferno as their favorite book of the year. I'm a Mandelbaum fan too (I still like his Aeneid since it's by far the closest to Virgil's Latin and was even helpful when I worked on translating books 4 and 6), but I prefer Pinsky's rendition of Dante's poem. It makes the text alive for generations of new readers. My class appreciated Nicole Pinsky's notes at the end of the book which add greatly to students' comprehension of historical background and context. Hats off to Pinsky for a great work of art that has made Dante more accessible to a new generation of potential fans.

I don't normally read celebrity biographies but as a die-hard I Love Lucy fan, I wanted to find out more about the woman known by the world primarily as Ethel Mertz. Vance's talent deserved more regognition than she's gotten and this book helps to shine the light on her a bit more. It's a well-written, entertaining book which explores Vance's life fromchildhood to her death a few yearsago. It tends to drag a bit after Vance's exit from show business but overall, it's definitely worth reading and a nice tribute to a fine actress

As is observed in this book, I LOVE LUCY without the Mertzes would probably not have been an immortal show, and more properly it was Vivian Vance who was key to the chemistry that made this show such an icon. It was high time there was a book about her, and what we get is a solid narration of an interesting story. Vance was a working third banana on the New York stage of the Golden Era, respected and dependable but never quite hitting the top, just missing getting Mary Martin's spot in LEAVE IT TO ME, just missing a key role in CAROUSEL, etc. One can read quite a bit about musicals and straight plays of this era without realizing that the future Ethel Mertz was one of the people regularlly filling key character roles on the Great White Way. The "slice of life" of one of the "state-of-the-art" performers in this world is great reading.

After this we get to Vance's work with Lucille Ball, and at this point, if one has already read the growing number of books on Lucy and her television work, there is really only so much more to be said that hasn't been said before. This is not the authors' fault, however, and they more than compensate with fascinating information about Vance's two main marriages and her bout with depression.

If there is one flaw in this book, it is that the authors appear to lose interest in their subject after Vance leaves THE LUCY SHOW. Vance was quite distraught that she was forever associated with the Ethel character, and yet for the last fifteen years of her life, the authors -- belying that what they are at heart is Lucy fans who came to wonder what was up with Vivian Vance -- seem mainly interested in her life to the extent that it occasionally reconnected with Lucy's. Yet during this period Vance did several theatre tours and stock appearances and television productions. Things like this can make interesting reading as well -- witness William Henry III's book on Jackie Gleason, THE GREAT ONE -- but the authors seem to consider all of this mere "postscripts", not having gone to the trouble to view the TV appearances, dig up info on most of the plays. I now feel like I more or less knew the Vance of her New York days, but the post-LUCY Vance remains a kind of footnote.

However, overall, hats off to the authors for bringing this wonderful performer to light. Now it's time for someone to give Eve Arden similar treatment...

Castelluccio and Walker do an excellent job chronicalling the life of Vivian Vance. It was easy to follow, sometimes sad, but at a few points I found myself laughing out loud! It was an amazing journey through a life of a person that most of us know from I Love Lucy but do not know anything about her private life. From the quotes in the beginning to the triumphant end the book did not have one boring moment. Packed with little-known facts it is a must read for any I Love Lucy fan. You'll never look at Ethel Mertz the same again!

I was never one to enjoy history much until my college history class used this book for the main text. I found this book great reading (interesting and kept my attention most of the time). I must say that after that class and this book, I have become much more interested in aspects of history. This book is wonderful and I would recommend it to any college professor of history or high school student with even a slight interest in history!

I used this book for self-study after many years away from any formal courses, and I was very pleasantly surprised to find myself engrossed in the lucid and engaging descriptions, the beautiful illustrations and photographs, and helpful index. It covers, at just the right level of detail, American History from the colonization of the Americas to Clinton's presidency. It gives a big picture without being condescending and simplistic, but also without assailing you with inessential jargon and names.

I looked at many different American History surveys and this is my favorite by far. On the other hand, if you already know the main outlines of American History, and want detailed analyses of particular periods, then this book will not be as helpful, as it is merely an overview and the bibliography is not very detailed or well annotated.

This book has been a great aid in writing my research papers! I really liked the way the book was broken down between chapters and sections, it made choosing a research topic much easier. The book was also very well written and to the point, it was not at boring at all!

The Handbook attempts to be all things to all people, and thus tries to cover many too many topics with uneven results. The Handbook provides good institutional knowledge about fixed income markets and the basics of pricing and portfolio management (including some international portfolio management issues). This is sufficient to learn basic fixed income intuition, which may be enough for people not heavily involved in fixed income markets (i.e. MBA students, consultants, CFA candidates, etc.). The greatest fault (to me) is the book does not address the biggest assumption of basic fixed income pricing theory (i.e. interest rates are assumed to be constant or at least know functions of time). This is obviously unrealistic. The Handbook does not help practitioners interested in advanced pricing theory and requires consultation with more advanced texts.

However, I must admit the Handbook does look impressive sitting on your desk. In a pinch, it also makes for a good, albeit expensive, paperweight or doorstop. :-)

This is a gigantic book, it covers every possible topic on the subject. It's for the profesional as a guide and reference. For the beginner its useful for those who need to understand a particular subject in depth and make informed decisions,or question their broker. It's not a dummies book !!!

This book contains everything a beginner could care to know and everything a professional needs to know. This book is a study in fixed income securities from the basic to the complex and should be a source of information and reference for anyone studying or practicing.

This book made our vacation to St. Augustine great. Our boxers had a great time, especially at the beach! Thanks Sally, Robert and Maggie!

This book is right on the money. We stayed in the Clearwater Beach area while vacationing in Florida, and used this book to find a place to stay at Clearwater Beach that is dog friendly. Also, the book listed dog beaches and dog friendly cafes. The dog beaches were so much fun for both us and the dog. The book also gave some great tips about taking dogs in Florida, like alligators and salt water, which us Northerners didn't really think about. A great book, would reccommend it to anyone traveling to Florida.

The best book for dog owners living or traveling in Florida. The reviews of places to visit, eat, and stay are accurate and straight foward. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something to do in Florida with their dog.

I can honestly say that this book changed my life. I first read a page of it during a boring sermon at church, at a time when my marriage was going downhill. It sucked me in so fast I couldn't put it down. It was a shocking experience to read my entire life story written by complete strangers . It has a very straightforward style, but I think it's also easy enough reading that a teenager could understand it. The mix of psychology and scripture was exactly what I needed, and I don't know if I could have accomplished effective healing without it. The book is effective alone or in a group setting. My church even used it in place of a Sabbath School class: While everyone else was in groups studying Daniel and Revelation, I was in a group studying codependancy from a biblical perspective. I would also recommend this book to pastors looking to meet the emotional needs of their congregation.

This stellar book has helped me discover the cause of most of my problems. Now, I'm on the road to recovery. At first I read it for a thesis paper dealing with compulsive behaviors (which it is extremely helpful for), then I read it for myself! It changed me; it's the best!

After finally realizing that I was this thing called "codependent," I began to read all the well known titles so that I could be "codependent no more." They were helpful in that they oriented me to this new concept and defined it...gave me something to think about. Then one day five years ago I happened on "Love is a Choice." I read it voraciously! I put it inside other books as I sat through classes in nursing school. I underlined, I highlighted, I read passages over and over that set fire alarms off in my head! I came to Amazon to see if I could still buy it because I have physically worn mine out. This book was life changing, and gave me a foundation to make profound progress in my recovery. Now I go back and read my journal from years ago and can't believe I was ever that person.

This audiobook is truly absorbing and captivating. The first time I listened to it, I was doing some household chores and put it on as background "noise". But I soon realized that I had to stop what I was doing and replay the entire story from its very beginning. It really makes you feel like you are there, especially at the moment of Thomas Andrews' death and the sinking of the ship. I highly recommend the book to any Titanic enthusiast as well as anyone interested in a well-narrated story.

This was one of the most amazing stories I have heard about from the Titanic. It answers many of the questions that have been asked in the past.For example many people have often wondered what happen to Thomas Andrews the ships builder.I will not not give away the answer but instead I will tell you that the situation was unlike anything you have seen in a movie. I would greatly recommend this book as well as A Night to Remember. Both books give vital information on the sinking of the Titanic.If you have any interest in the Titanic, than this book a must read book.

I don't believe in reincarnation, but this wonderful book leaves me wondering, maybe... Mr. Barnes' account fills in many of the details that history seems to have left out. I realize now how hard Thomas Andrews worked to build Titanic and Olympic with proper safeguards and enough lifeboats. Knowing that the Mersey Commission blamed him pothumously for poor design, despite the fact that he was overruled on every safeguard issue by White Star, makes me empathize with a soul so troubled, that it must come back to tell the real truth. The emotion in Mr. Barnes/Thomas Andrews' voice in the regression clips is sincere and poignant. I don't think an actor could do that. This is why I believe Mr. Barnes. This is why I'm left wondering about reincarnation. But whether he was reincarnated or not, Mr. Barnes' courageous retelling of this story,should help the spirit of Thomas Andrews find rest.