I own every edition of Writer's Market (WM) from 1997 on (which was the year I first discovered these jewels), and I'm dying to get my hands on the new Writer's Market 2001 "Internet Edition" (Sep 2000).

The power these guides offer depends on how thorough of a market search you are forced into conducting when you first start out as a freelance writer. If you run into a market that does not provide enough guideline information -- in a current edition -- if you have older WM edition(s), you can look back to see what the deal is. This can be especially important if you run into a magazine that you believe might be one of the few you are going to be able to break in to.

For example, I discovered a number of incredibly good ideas for children's stories that would fit perfectly within the pages of "Ranger Rick" magazine (National Wildlife Federation).

The WM 2000 CD-ROM listed an editor, but very limited contact info and guidelines (as in NO guidelines):

(Ranger Rick is) "40% freelance written. Monthly magazine for children from ages 7-12, with the greatest concentration in the 7-10 age bracket. *Because of a backup in submissions, the editorial staff at Ranger Rick is not accepting queries or unsolicited manuscripts until further notice."

Ouch! What to do? I looked in in older WMs to see how long Ranger Rick had been having a "backup in submissions." WM 99 listed full writers guidelines and pay-info and well, I'm waiting to see whether Ranger Rick editors like my ideas or if they're going to toss them because of a "backup in submissions." :-)

Writer's Market is to a writer as a hammer is to a carpenter--an absolutely essential tool.

AND, the '99 edition has added, valuble, useful goodies. Just checked one catagory of magazines, found 6 new ones, 2 dropped from the previous edition. Point: truly up-to-date.

I'd been using the paper version for decades, then told by a writer-friend of the advantages of the CD ROM version. Have it now, and it IS indeed superior!

This book is wonderful is you wish to disparage and ridicule marian apparitions; indeed, Mr. Garvey takes you on a tour of all the bogus, sad, uninspired and demented "appartion" sites in America. What he fails to do is show Church-approved, or even Church-approvable apparition sites, such as Medjugorje in the former Yugoslavia. True, he is working in the American apparition milieu where Church-approved apparition sites are few and far between; but reading this book, one might come away with the impression that Marian Apparitions are laughable, at best. For a more counterbalanced look at the phenomena, I recommend "The Day Will Come" by Michael H. Brown. For the truly skeptical, I recommend "Encountering Mary" by Sandra L. Zimdars-Swartz, a remarkable book which both believers and skeptics can appreciate. However, the book in question delivers nothing but snide commentary at a phenomena which has brought countless millions to a life of greater holiness.

Garvey's book was very enjoyable and provided a vivid glimpse of a very interesting religious subculture. For the most part, I got a kick out of Garvey's humorous observations regarding his interactions with the individuals who flock to these apparition sites; however, sometimes his comments were inappropriately demeaning in my opinion. Nonetheless, I gained much from reading this book and would recommend it to others.

I recommend this book to everyone interested in Marian apparitions (not only apparitions in the US but Marian apparitions in general). The end of the book is dark but powerful. This book is one of a kind. No one has ever attempted a book of this sort. The author tries to be humorous throughout the book (some of his jokes might slightly offence people that believe in those alleged apparitions). He attempts to be impartial but by the end of the book, Garvey clearly becomes skeptical. This book illustrates what might have happened in previous Marian apparitions (Lourdes, Fatima, Garabandal, etc), i.e., the general setting of those events, as well as the mental approach of the people that came to witness those alleged apparitions. It should also be noted that this is book is not as skeptical as, say, "Looking for a miracle", by Joe Nickell, so believers should also be able to enjoy reading this book. But for people looking for a truly scholarly book on Marian apparitions, "Encountering Mary" by Sandra L. Zimdars-Swartz is the book I would read.

Nice, complete summary. Balance between culture and accomodations/ dining info. Most accomodations are in the budget category. A good help in planning my vacation.