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Book reviews for "Gablehouse,_Charles" sorted by average review score:

Powers of Ten
Published in Paperback by W H Freeman & Co (1994)
Authors: Philip Morrison, Phylis Morrison, and Office of Charles & Ray Eames
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A picture is worth a 10³ words! Amazing!
I've seen this book for the first time in 1985, when I was kid. It is still my all-time favorite.

Although the book does have lots of textual info pages, the core of the book is a series of 42 full-page pictures which depict the an ordinary picnic photo in different scales.

Starting from an ordinary dude resting on the grass, each page turn shows the scene from 10 times farther away. First we see the park he is picnicing on, then the entire city, and before you know it we are in deep space racing towards the outskirts of the Universe.

On the other side of the journey, each page turn magnifies the last picture tenfold. First by viewing a close-up view of the picnicing guy's hand, you quickly find yourself probing deeper and deeper through the realms of biology and chemistry right into the core of a single atom.

The really cool thing about the whole deal, is that all the images are centered at the same object: a single atom on the picnicing dude's hand.

In short, the idea is absolutely brilliant. The images chosen for the presentation is not perfect, but they are still amazing. Of-course, the film is much more impressive then the book, but you can't take a film with you to a camping trip...

No doubt deserves 5 stars; SURPRIZE it can be a child's book
This is a great book. Believe it or not, I walk my 5 year old son through the pictures. I am sure it is not meant for youngsters but it can be used like I am am doing.

The idea behind the book is on its smallest scale it is inside a qark inside an atomic nucleus, inside an atom, attached to a DNA molecule, inside a nucleus of a white blood cell, slightly below the skin on a hand of a man asleep at a picnic on some grass in Chicago....all the way to the scale of the universe. My son and I will transverse the middle 1/3 or 1/2 of the journey. He gets to pick his own bedtime books and he chooses this one out of hundreds once or twice a week.

The pictures make a great way to explain the concept of scale and various aspects of science. On the facing page of the main picture underconsideration are objects of the same scale. You can really see that the tail of a dinosaur is 10 times longer than a man.

For the adult, it is an easy introduction to various aspects of science all at different scales. It is not a super serious book - no math - simple explanations. But as a practicing scientist, I view it as vary factual.

Influential and awe-inspiring
"Powers of Ten" is one of the most influential science books ever printed. It taught me, and tens of thousands of other children, that a "sense of wonder" is something you can get from science, as well as from science fiction. I found it in a bookstore seven or eight years ago, and was immediately transported back to when I first read it, in my school library, at the age of ten. I was swept off my feet at ten years old, and the book can still sweep me off my feet today.

The original film was potent too; more so in the directness with which it expresses the scale of the world. But the book, with its annotations and additional pictures, has its own power. You can flip back and forth, and take as much time as you want absorbing the incredible range of scale in the universe.

The book's first picture is scaled at about a billion light years across--ten to the twenty-fifth metres. On this scale even super-clusters of galaxies are just clots of dust on a black background. The right hand side of each page, as you go through the book, zooms in by a factor of ten, and we dive into galaxy clusters, into our galaxy, our spiral arm, our solar system, through the moon's orbit and into the earth's atmosphere, down into North America, and then Chicago, and a picnicker asleep in a park. After twenty five pages we're at a human scale; the pictured scene is a metre across. But the camera continues to zoom in; to the picnicker's hand, through his skin to a lymphocyte, and on down through the cell nucleus to coils of DNA, to a carbon atom and through its electron cloud, and down to the nucleus and beyond. Sixteen pages from the picnicker have brought us to the quarks.

The left hand side of each page provides companion pictures and comments, some drawn from the history of science. For the nanometre picture there's a copy of John Dalton's two-hundred-year-old models of simple molecules; at the millimetre and tenth-millimetre scale there are pictures of radiolaria, seeds, and other microscopic beauties. All are interesting and informative.

I can't recommend this book too strongly--it's a fundamental work of scientific culture, and should be in every house. However, I particularly recommend that you buy this for any nine-to-fourteen-year-old child in your life; it's the best way I know to introduce a child to a love of science.


The Wake (Sandman, Book 10)
Published in Paperback by DC Comics (1997)
Authors: Neil Gaiman, Mikal Gilmore, Michael Zulli, Jon J. Muth, and Charles Vess
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Closure.
This was the only way to wrap up the Sandman series - a wake. Morpheus is dead, driven by a complex set of events ending with the Furies decending apon the Dreaming.

Characters from the series collect in the Dreaming to share memories of Morpheus. The first few books of this collection are exactly what the title implies - a wake. The stories of the Sandman collection receive their final detailing and a new Dream (yet, oddly the same Dream) assumes the throne.

The final two books are my favorites, though. Hob, Dream's human friend of the past few hundred years, tries to deal with the loss of his friend while attending a Renissance Fair with his girlfriend. Combined with the sorrow of the loss, Hob is also starting to feel his age and is wracked with guilt about his past. At the height of this, he gets drunk and has a conversation with Dream's older sister.

The last story stands on its own: a wise man's journey through a Shifting Zone, done in a style unique to the story.

This collection gives a sense of closure, and is probably the best installment since "Doll's House" or even "24 Hours". A must-own.

The king is dead...long live the king.
First off, I'll just say that I think the wake has the finest art of all the SANDMAN collections, save for maybe Season of Mists.

The Wake is a story about death and endings and farewells, and it is an end to the series, but only in the sense of the Death tarot card: representing transformation, rebirth, the closing of a door and the opening of a window. As Dream told Orpheus: "You attend the funeral. You bid the dead farewell. You grieve. Then you go on with your life." That's what the characters are doing in this book. It also contains the story of another wanderer in the shifting zones, (a parallel to "Soft Places"), and the writing of Shakespeare's last play (a parallel to "Midsummer Night's Dream.") All told, The Wake is a graceful coda to the bittersweet symphony (so shoot me for the reference) that is SANDMAN.

The king is dead. Long live the king.

"Somewhere to rest, to stop reading, and to be content."
That quote comes from the end of an earlier Sandman book, but it applies to "The Wake" as well.

"The Sandman" has always been about change, about those who can and those who cannot. This, the last in the Sandman series, ties together the ending threads of the story, and in the process reaffirms how wonderful a writer Neil Gaiman is. Never the showman, his prose quietly and powerfully speaks for him and his characters.

The artwork is, as always, brilliant. Michael Zulli's work on the main "Wake" storyline is amazing, and Charles Vess outdoes himself again for the very last story, "The Tempest." But most remarkable in this writer's opinion is Jon Muth's work for "Exiles", a quietly powerful piece that manages to express best what "The Sandman" was about; his art is a perfect match for it.

There are precious few proper endings, and ones that bring a tear to your eye are even rarer. This is one of the few books that accomplishes both.


Immunobiology: The Immune System in Health and Disease
Published in Paperback by Blackwell Science Inc (1994)
Author: Charles Jr. Janeway
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Comprehensive, Up-to-date and beautifully written
Janeway's immunobiology is beautifully written for both medical and basic biological studies. With the update of a new edition every two years, this textbook is moving closely with this rapid scientific field. The big improvement seen in this edition is its organization and writing style. Compared to the previous edition, the authors explain concept much more concisely and less verbosely. The pictures drawn ( in a simple, friendly cartoon formats)throughout the text are nice and helpful to understand. The references given at the end of each chapter are carefully chosen. Overall, this immunology textbook covers all we need to understand all major concepts in immunology.

Undergrad, or grad wanting the basics--this is the book !!
I cannot say enough good things about this book. I'm a graduate student in Microbiology and Immunology, but my undergraduate major was in biochemistry. Having had NO immunology classes before, I felt myself beginning to drown in my first graduate immunology class... I knew I needed help (there was no textbook for this lecture-only class), and went searching. This is the book I eventually bought.

It saved me, big time! In plain language, and with easy-to-follow pictures throughout, this book literally taught me all about immunology--it is the reason I passed my classes; NOT sitting stunned in some lecture hall listening to some guy drone. It took some work, and I had to read the book almost front-to-back, but it is a WONDERFUL text.

This book is not really a graduate caliber text, however. For specific and more technical aspects, books like the one by Paul are going to be the ticket. But even now, when looking to brush up on my basics, design pictures for a lecture, etc. I refer back to this book first. Only 3 years old, my copy is dog-eared, worn, and well-used. I often end up with classmates and professors asking to use it, too.

If you find yourself desperate and failing in an immunology class, BUY THIS BOOK AND READ IT. If you are taking any immunology text, and your prof has chosen a really cruddy book you are having difficulty understanding, do the same. If you're a professor trying to teach an immunology class, USE THIS BOOK. Make life a whole lot easier on your students--and you, when grading and evaluations time comes around!

This book rocks!
This is by far the most well written immunology text I have encountered. Even the most difficult concepts are presented in the most understandable manner. This book is very extensive in the material it covers and is highly recommended for an advanced undergraduate student or as an introductory graduate text. By far the feature most appealing to me are the extensive images and cartoons used in this text, used quite effectively to elucidate even the most difficult of topics. This visual presentation style combined with the extensive and highly readble coverage of relevant material make this a must have for any serious student. The book is also updated frequently I believe a new edition is on the way slated to be publsihed in April 2004.


Peanuts Treasury
Published in Hardcover by Metro Books (2000)
Author: Charles M. Schulz
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Possibly the best "Peanuts" collection on the market
Many of Schulz's detractors are quick to point out how much Peanuts seemed to decline over the years; by the end, things were rarely funny and became so repetitive that more than a few columnists accused Schulz of "running on fumes."

Regardless of your opinion, there's no arguing with the strips presented in Peanuts Treasury, originally published in 1968 during what was arguably Schulz's prime. Schulz had spent most of the 50's gradually developing the cast as well as his technique, and by the dawn of the 60's, he was running full steam; it's no wonder that the strip was also at the height of its popularity.

This hardcover collection presents the cream of the crop between 1959 and 1964, and at just $9.98, it's a steal. A rather bare-bones book (the cover is very sparse and the only addition is a brief introduction written back in August of 1968), I was surprised at how funny and sharp Peanuts could be. If you're a big fan of Calvin & Hobbes, you'll definitely see the huge inspiration Schulz served on Watterson. Calvin isn't anything like the Peanuts characters, but a lot of his world views, sarcasm, and humor feel like they evolved from these strips.

The presentation isn't perfect: some of the stories running through a few strips feel like they aren't in correct chronological order, and the Sunday strips aren't in color (a small complaint, though, since the artwork, particularly the use of color, was never that elaborate). Nevertheless, if you're looking for just one Peanuts collection to own, or if you just couldn't understand what the fuss was over this strip, check this collection out.

Vintage Peanuts; Poor Printing; Weird Editing; and Low Price
This is a series of black and white reproductions of daily and Sunday newspaper strips of Peanuts from the late 1950s through 1968 when this collection was first published. The strips are not put into any sort of chronological sequence, except within some story segments. I did denote an attempt to assemble them in chronological order across a year, as the collection begins with New Year's resolutions and ends with perspectives on the old year.

This collection missed the chance to have a detailed introduction about Charles Schulz and the Peanuts characters. Such an introduction would have added value far beyond its cost.

The printing is so poorly done in places that it is hard to identify Charlie Brown as himself. It felt like reading a comic strip on a light colored paper bag in places.

But, the price is amazingly low. While a quality version of this book would have undoubtedly retailed for ... or more, this one is priced as though it has only 40 pages in it.

So if you want lots of Peanuts for very little money, this is your edition.

You'll find Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Schroeder, Sally, Peppermint Patty, and Violet in these strips. Some of the strips are classics that you have not seen in many years. There are some good ones of Lucy and her lemonade stand/psychiatric clinic, Charlie Brown trying to kick the football while Lucy holds, Snoopy dreaming of being the Red Baron, Halloween and the Great Pumpkin, and Charlie Brown playing on and managing the kids' baseball team.

One of the benefits of this book is that you can read through extended sequences of strips to see their connections in ways that you could not do when you only saw them daily. It helps you appreciate Charles Schulz's narrative ability more. For example, the book starts with Lucy burying Linus' blanket. Separate story lines develop as Linus searches for it, tries to get along without it, Snoopy finds it for him, and Linus deals with the after effects. I remembered the sequence, but not all the ins and outs of the story. That probably means that I had missed some of the strips at the time. Perhaps you did, too.

You will definitely relive your younger days with these strips. If you only know the later Peanuts strips, I think you will like these better. They are fresher and more direct in their stories.

After you have finished reading all about Peanuts, I encourage you to think about all of the ways that we can make life easier or more difficult for each other. If we are like Lucy, we will add more complications than benefits. If we are too trusting and hard on ourselves like Charlie Brown, less will happen than the best also. I suggest that you reframe Lucy and Charlie Brown into one character who is both more aware and more caring than the average of the two. Then imagine how these stories would change.

Next, compare what you did today to what that new character would have done. What opportunities for improvement does that comparison present to you, for your life? Act on them!

Laugh at Peanuts, then at yourself, and then improve!

A must-have for any Peanuts fan
This book first came out a few decades ago and its republication will be welcomed by all Peanuts fans. Unless you are a fanatical collector, it is unthinkable to try to collect *all* Peanuts books ever published, and so some selection is necessary. _Peanuts_Treasury_ collects a large number of strips from the heyday of Peanuts (the late 1950's to the early 1970's) into one 250-page volume. Along with some of the "anniversary" books (e.g., Around the World in 45 Years, Peanuts Jubilee), this is the book to buy if you want a lot of bang for your buck.

Warning: do not confuse this book with the "Peanuts Treasury" *series* of books that reprint strips from the early 1990's.


Super Self: Doubling Your Personal Effectiveness
Published in Hardcover by Poseidon Pr (1993)
Author: Charles J. Givens
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Boy ! it's a must read!
This book is gauranteed to change you forever.Become the person you've always wanted to be, enjoy the ride while your Dreams come true, your Goals are achieved and your Personal Effectiveness is doubled!! Charles J. Givens,world famous for his unique, practical and powerful strategies that have led millions along the path to financial freedom, shows in this book how you can achieve your fullest personal and business potential. He provides a set of proven strategies that are an actual "operations manual" for one's life. Super Self strategies will enable you to accomplish twice as much in the same time...and it is possible for anyone to learn and implement the personal habits, attitude of mind and time saving strategies that create success! The pith of the book lies in the "Giveniser"- the planner for your future. Your Giveniser will consists of five separate sections : Dreams List-what you would do with your life if you had unlimited time,talent,money and family support. Goals List-specific results you want to achieve in the next year in one sentence statements. Values List-the beliefs and things you value most as they relate to your dreams and goals. Action Plan-specific objectives that must be completed for the accomplishment of your goal. Daily Activities List-one calendar month of daily activities. Maintaining focus is of prime importance and you should be disciplined "by choice".Givens rightly points out that you will thus increase your level of effectiveness and will earn the respect of others by keeping to your commitments. Out of the 168 hours in a week, you are left with only 42 hours (including weekends) after accounting for routine activities like sleep, meals and work. So, take control of your time, lest time should take control of you! Avoid the "no slack principle"-Murphy's well known law that what can go wrong will go wrong and at just the wrong time! Don't let phone calls and door-bells distract you from doing what you are doing, afterall, what you chose to do with your time has to be of more importance than what somebody else wants you to. Powered with these effectiveness strategies, you are surely going to feel more satisfied as you attain happiness and satisfaction in all that you do. This book is a "must read" for all those who while wanting to achieve success find at the end of the day that they haven't utilised their time well. The strategies are put forth in a simple language aided powerfully by real life examples,the most striking of which is ...now hold your breath...the author himself! A disturbed childhood with alcoholic quarrelling parents who eventually separated did not give Givens the kind of start a billionaire would have liked to have. But Givens did not carry the "emotional baggage" of the past - he "Givenised" his schedule to become rich, famous and happy! I've made my "lists" and believe me , doing that itself gave me immense satisfaction and a profound sense of direction. This book has made me my "Super Self"!

Givens best book
I have read all of Mr. Givens books (with the exception of Wealth without Risk for Canadians--I'm not a Canadian) and many other personal development books. I really like this book. Givens shows how to generate goals, move past stalls, eliminate dumpers and make the most of your time while living a life of joy, happiness and abundance.As with his financial books, Givens offers actual strategies to maximize effectiveness and reach your goals.I highly recommend Super Self to anyone interested in Maximum Effectiveness.

SuperSelf brings greater success
I became aware of the late Mr. Givens with his great book More Wealth without Risk. I successfully applied one strategy after another. More Wealth without Risk became my financial path through life.

About a year ago, I added SuperSelf to my success library and started to implement the strategies. I thought that the fincnail success principles I had learned from Givens were unparalleled, I was wrong. SuperSelf is even better. I literally felt 10 feet tall and bullet proof! After following the advice and enjoying a SuperSelf experience, I raised the limits of what I am really capable of achieving in life.

A week after finishing the book, I got news that my company was a victim of a hostile takeover and I among hundreds of others in higher managerment positions would be let go. WOW! Talk about challenges to my new attitude.

I decided to follow Mr. Givens advice that this was just an event and I could get past it easily. Prior to SuperSelf, I would have been flattened by this challenge. Instead, I went out and started my own business which has been doing extraordinarily well.

What impresses me is that I didn't get upset at all. Instead I used this as an opportunity to create my own business and invest in residential properties which pays me more than my former employer and is a lot more fun.

I used to and actually still do keep More Wealth without risk at my fingertips as a reminder to always use "Givens" strategies when making financial decisions. It is now underneath my copy of SuperSelf.

After reading More Wealth Without Risk, I used to tell people that I ran with it because every strategy worked. Compared to what I learned in SuperSelf, I was just walking or trotting. Now I'm not running, but sprinting.


Overcoming Jet Lag
Published in Paperback by Berkley Pub Group (1993)
Authors: Charles F. Ehret, Lynne Waller Scanlon, and Lynne Waller
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Jet Lag Prevention Personified
This scientifically proven "recipe" for smooth and successful adjustment when traveling between Time Zones may not work-- completely-- for all destinations, but it surely will work for 98 percent of the rest of your prospective travel plans.

I've had this little book in my hands since its first publishing and have given countless copies to others along the way. Professionals have been using it for years. From White House summits overseas to professional athletes competing abroad-- this little book has been their answer for enhancing the quality of their trips with optimum mental and physical performance.

For some years this little gem was "Hard to Find," but I never gave up trying to locate a copy. Now it's reprint can once again benefit everyone to be side effects free. It worked for me so well that I still follow the diet to maintain a healthy even weight. This little book is GREAT and one of my most very favorite. Go for it.

It really works!
I've followed the advice in this book for numerous trips to Japan and Korea. It really works - I rarely have trouble with jet lag. The advice they give is not gimmicky or based on folklore. It's a matter of changing your behavior and diet a few days before you leave, and during the initial adjustment. Especially important is start acting like you're on destination time as soon as you get on the plane - just the opposite of what the airlines do. The authors explain about what is actually going on it your body as it tries to adjust. I've found their method is simple, easy and understandable.

It works!
Over the past year, business trips have taken me around the world, with jet lag as my constant travel companion. Not anymore! I tried the program on a recent trip to Europe and experienced virtually no jet lag. After an all night flight and 7 hour time zone change, I was able to work immediately upon landing at my destination and felt great. The book will go with me now whenever I travel abroad.


NASB In Touch Ministries Wide Margin; Hardcover (Charles Stanley In Touch Ministries)
Published in Hardcover by Foundation Publications (01 October, 1999)
Authors: Foundation Publication Inc and The Lockman Foundation
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IN TOUCH MINISTRIES NASB WIDE MARGIN BIBLE
The In-Touch Ministries version of the NASB is a welcome addition to the NASB Update family of Bibles. I have the Top Grain leather edition, and I have not found a Bible on the market that can match the leather quality of this Bible. The top grain leather is extremely soft and thick. Even the inside of the covers are made of the leather resulting in a Bible that literally "fits your hands like a glove." The paper is of high quality- easy to turn and it does not allow bleed through of ball point pens and some markers. There are extra pages in the front and back for extended note taking. The concordance and maps are standard NASB/Foundation additions. The print is a good size for reading and clear on the page. The Bible should receive a five star rating except for two things: 1) the lack of cross-references is limiting to Bible study; and 2) there have been some quality problems in the printing process that results in page-fold errors throughout the Bible. Lockman and Foundation Press are aware of these problems and they are working to correct these shortfalls. In summary, if you're shopping for a Wide Margin NASB Update, and cross-references are not important to your method of Bible study, this is the Bible for you. The investment in the Top-Grain Leather is worth it just to hold it in your hands as you "taste" the word of God.

Beautifully aesthetic and Highly Accurate
I just received my NASB Wide Margin Edition. To me, the aesthetic qualties of a Bible are important. And in terms of the aesthetic qualities of this Bible--well, the leather is a delight to the eyes and feels wonderful as it just lays in your hand like a well-worn baseball glove. The paper is wonderful. [One of the things that bugs me about so many Bibles on the market today is the flimsiness of the paper--with all the attendant problems--bleed through, etc.] The text itself is nice and clean. A comfortable size font that is easy on the eyes and uncluttered in appearance. In short, IN TOUCH MINISTRIES and LOCKMAN FOUNDATION have produced a product that is an absolute delight to the senses.

I have used many translations over the years. But I find myself always going back to the NASB. I just know that when all is said and done, I "trust" it. I use the NIV also, but there are just too many passages in the NIV that, upon closer examination, add or subtract from the text of the original Greek. For example, in Luke 9:62 the NIV translators add two words to the text that are not in the Greek "...no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for SERVICE IN the kingdom of God." The NASB simply translates what the actual Greek text says--"...look back IS FIT FOR the kingdom of God." If I did not know Greek, I would not have known that the NIV adds words that are not in the Greek text. In short, the NAS does not supply so much "interpretation" to the actual Greek text. It sticks to "translation." I just find over and over again, that when I read my NIV I either have to pull out my Nestle Greek text or my NAS to see if that is what the verse REALLY says.

The NIV is a great translation in many ways, but for serious Bible study, the NASB is, I believe, the most trustworthy translation on the market. And so, if you are going to go with the NASB text, why not get one with the best aesthetic qualities as well? This Bible has it all!!!

Only 3 drawbacks: I wish this Bible had included:
1. the cross-references found in most editions of the NASB
2. ALL of the footnotes that appear in most editions of the NASB (this one is pretty bare-bones), and
3. a little more margin space on the inside margins (not a whole lot of room to write on the inside margins).

But on the whole, I love it and am glad I purchased it. It's my favorite Bible (and I have many Bibles).

Great Cover---One of it's kind!
The In-Touch Ministries edition of the NASBU is a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind Bible, with buttery-soft calfskin leather in your choice of navy blue, burgundy, or black. It even excels the Cambridge editions. It is smyth-sewn, and has quality paper.
Unfortunately, all the Bible has is text and concordance with coloured maps in the back, and wide margins. No helps whatsoever.
I would even hesitate before I marked up the Bible, that's how beautiful it is. However, if all you want is a pretty cover, buy it. Otherwise, forget it. Other NASBU reference or study Bibles in genuine or top-grain leather are available at lesser cost. So, save yourself a few bucks and get yourself something that has more information.


Blue Fairways: A Route 1 Golf Odyssey
Published in Paperback by Henry Holt (Paper) (2000)
Author: Charles Slack
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This book's a birdy
What Charles Slack lacks in skill as a golfer he makes up for in his ability to describe the essential attraction of the world's most aggravating game: the hope that lies at the beginning of every backswing. More than just about golf, this is a quirky tour of back-roads America. Slack has a fine, gentle sense of humor and the best kind of intelligence - sharp but unpretentious. He may not have broken par on his tour, but he sure has with this book.

Slack scores an ace
If you've ever topped a drive off the first tee or missed a three-footer on 18 while trying record your career low round, you'll be able to identify with Charles Slack's golf game. When it comes to writing, though, he's scratch. One brief example will suffice. Describing the contrast between the front and back nines at the Ponce De Leon course in St. Augustine Florida, he says, "The back nine plunges into the jungle with the suddenness of a Disney ride, into a lush, dark, secretive world of mangrove swamps and ponds curving tantalizingly like lost lagoons. Moving from the ninght to the tenth holes is like putting down a volume of P.G. Wodehouse and picking up Heart of Darkness, all in one morning."

The book is filled with wonderful insights like that one and reminds us on nearly every page of the real reasons why golfers love this sometimes maddening, often magical, game. For those of us who never will have the pleasure of sharing a round with Charles Slack, this book is a delightful substitute.

Slack scores high at writing as well as golf
We should all be grateful to Barbara Slack for permitting her husband to take an extended leave from family to indulge in a golfing odyssey that starts at the top of Route 1 in northern Maine and finishes in the Florida keys. His gift for describing the pleasures and perils afforded by public courses and their denizens fills the pages with rich humor, colorful stories, and canny insights. Slack is the Everyman golfer, scattering too many 8's and an occasional birdie on scorecards wherever he goes, but never giving up on his hopeless quest to get one round below 80. His blackest throes and most transcendent exultations are so well expressed that they capture thoughtscapes that you will swear you have experienced after selected shots. His descriptions of the courses and the scenery that line Route 1 are vivid and engaging. In its modest way, this book is an apotheosis to the democratization of golf that marks the end of our century. Even as John Updike strides the luxurious fairways of his Myopia Hunt Club in relative seclusion, Slack introduces us to boisterous companions wandering among the dry divots of Dyker Beach, Cobb's Creek and Pohick Bay. A great holiday gift for the public golfer, and one that will make the country club member reconsider the humanity he may have forsaken when he entered Shangri-La.


Story of the Titanic As Told by Its Survivors
Published in Paperback by Dover Pubns (1960)
Authors: Lawrence Beesley, Jack Winocour, Harold Bride, and Charles Lightoller
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Shows the Value of Eyewitness Accounts
This Titanic book is different from most others in being told entirely from the perspective of survivors. Two of the surviving passengers and crew tell of the ship's last hours. The first story is told by passenger Lawrence Beesley, a science prof. on his way to America. His account details the trip from Southhampton to New York. Beesley was a level headed individual who tells the story in an almost detached fashion, without fear or hysteria. His detail and objectivity make this my favorite eyewitness account. The writings of Lightoller and Bride are excellent as well. They do a good job of conveying the approaching terror people must have felt as the ship went down. One realizes that they knew what would happen, while many passengers did not. Archibald Gracie's chapter was less good. It begins alright, but he ends up giving us a detailed review of the lowering of each lifeboat, something any later researcher could have done. And unless Gracie was taking notes at the time, I find it hard to believe this was his experience! But all in all, this book is a must for Titanic buffs. It gives us a look into the tragedy that few other books can.

An unforgettable voyage with acutal Titanic passengers
The Story of the Titanic as told by its survivors is a beautifully written and accurate account of the foundering of the Titanic. The book is a compilation of four previously pubished books by actual survivors. The four authors will transport the reader to a different time and place. Lawrence Beesley's 'The Loss of the SS. Titanic' provides terrific insight into the life and attititudes aboard the Titanic. Archibald Garcies's 'The Truth About the Titanic' offers an incredible story of survival since he actually went down with the ship and was able to swim to safety, only to die a few months later. Finally, Commander Lightoller, one of the only surviving officers, provides a more technical assessment of this epic disaster. Though the story is repeated in each volume I never got bored because each perspective gives the reader greater insights into the people, the ship, and the ensuing disaster. The details in each volume are fascinating. I'm convinced that James Cameron read this book prior to filming the movie since so many of the details in the movie are found in these pages. The writing, reflecting the earlier part of this century, is formal, but beautifully clear. Overall, this is one of the best shipwreck books that I've read. A Must Read.

After seeing 'Titanic' read it!! From those who survived
"Story of the Titanic as told by its Survivors" recreates that fateful night of april 14/15, 1912 with chilling detail. It is one of the most accurate accounts of the Titanic's collision with an iceberg in the North Atlantic and its subsequent foundering. The book is a collection of stories told from the perspective of second class passenger Lawrence Beesly, first class passenger Col. Archibold Gracie, Second Officer Charles Lightoller, and Junior Marconi Operator Harold Bride respectively. Each telling the tale of the foundering of the great ship from his own experience during the hours of 11:20pm April 14 to 8:30am April 15, 1912. After seeing the James Cameron film 'Titanic' I read this book and found that Cameron had recreated the tragedy to the tee. Although Lightoller and Gracie adamently claim the ship went down intact!


Peter Pan
Published in Audio Cassette by Monterey Soundworks (1999)
Authors: James Matthew Barrie and Charles Players
Amazon base price: $16.95
Buy one from zShops for: $7.66
Average review score:

Review for Peter Pan
You will laugh, cry and be confused when you read this book. This book can teach you that what you think is good is not always good.

There is a boy named Peter Pan. He sprinkles fairy dust in Wendy and her two brothers. Then he shows them how to fly. He takes them to Neverland and shows them to the Lost Boys who live there. Wendy becomes their mother. She makes up rules, like any other mother would do. The boys have to follow these rules. Everything was fine until Captain Hook came with his crew to where the boys and Wendy were. While Wendy and the boys were at the lagoon, where they go every day after dinner, they see a girl named Tiger Lily, princess of her tribe. She was captured by Smee, one of Captain Hook's men. Then Peter saved her. A few days later Wendy and the boys were on their way to Wendy's house when they too were all captured by Captain Hook. Then Peter saves them. Then the lost boys, Wendy and her brothers go home. All except for Peter.

It is mostly about what the people in the book think is right with childhood. The kids in the book think that if you grow up it is bad, but in our case it is actually good.

Peter Pan is a violent book not really made for children under the age of 10 but people 10 and up can read it. It is violent because of the language that is spoken and the idea that killing could be fun. Also, the vocabulary is very difficult for children under 10 to understand. Even if you're older it is difficult to understand.

Overall, it is a good book but watch out for the violent ideas if you are reading it to little children.

A classic
This is an utterly charming work. It has been retold myriad times, but nobody else has done it as well as the original teller, J. M. Barrie.

It's difficult to know what to say about a book like this... everybody knows the story. But I guess that unless you've read this book (not just seen a movie or read a retelling), you don't really know the character Peter Pan, and without knowing the character, you don't really know the story. So read it.

By the way, if you enjoy this, you probably would also like "Sentimental Tommy" and its sequel "Tommy and Grizel", both by Barrie. There are differences (for one thing they're not fantasy), but there are also compelling similarities. Anybody who found Peter Pan a deep and slightly bittersweet book would be sure to enjoy them.

-Stephen

Best Audio Book in my ten year search
Driving with young children in the car quickly convinced me that it was unsafe to not give them something to listen to. After ten years I have collected a large (30+) bag of books-on-tape. I have also loaned them to others and asked for opinions. Peter Pan (read by Wendy Craig) is not only my favorite, but also the favorite of my wife and most of my friends. It is excellent for all ages (4 to 80) and even most hardened teenagers. Humour, presentation, ... a prefect 10.


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