This dictionary is a wonderful resource for the composition of Latin prose. Dr. Smith has, indeed, been very full in his definitions, and shades of meaning are distinguished very well, easily steering the user away from careless mistakes that might occur with smaller dictionaries. I have no criticism for Dr. Smith's dictionary.

Wimbledon Publishers have not given Smith his due in this edition, though, and I must recommend against their edition. I have neither seen nor used the Bolchazy edition, but it should be preferred to this one, because Wimbledon has been careless in the preparation of theirs. In using the book only briefly, I have come across two duplicated pages, i.e., page 202 is a duplicate of page 203 (and so the real page 202 is omitted entirely), likewise with pages 182 and 183. I have not yet combed the book for similar repetitions, but one word omitted on page 202 was DESTROY, a loss which any student of Latin composition (or literature) will recognize as a significant hole in the Latin language. Moreover, in several attempts to find redress, I have not yet received any response from the press.

I would suggest this dictionary to any scrupulous student of Latin composition who wishes to avoid the pitfalls and oversimplifications of a Cassell's (or the like), but likewise the unavoidably mannered vocabulary of Bradley's Arnold.

Nice pictures of cool aircraft -that what I wanted when I bought it, and that's what I got, so I'm pleased. Haven't read it from cover to cover.

The book interested me enough to seek out other Tim Simpson mysteries. Unfortunately they are out of print and hard to come by. If one wants a fun introduction into the art world Malcolm's mysteries are an agreeable vehicle.

John Hall has now published seven Holmes-Watson pastiches, counting this one, and all have been entirely enjoyable, with the possible exception of the very first, THE TRAVELS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, about which I "ha' me doots." He has also been "guilty of several monographs" of Holmesian scholarship, again seven. And he has written mysteries set in modern times.

He gets Watson's style and personality down quite well, and is enough of a Holmes scholar to have some real fun with byways of the Canon. In this novel it is 1903, Holmes and Watson don't see much of one another, and there are nasty doings at the little-known but ultra-prestigious Abbey School, where the most powerful men of the British Empire send their sons. A wealthy student has been expelled for a petty theft he obviously did not commit, and his expulsion is immediately followed by the mysterious death of a schoolmaster who has been previously overheard, by students, muttering about a "shocking situation." When Holmes is asked to take the case, the faculty stonewall him totally, so he is forced to send Watson in disguise to fill in temporarily for the dead teacher of english, and to cast about for clues and information.

There are some deliberate echoes of "The Priory School," a case said to have taken place just a few years earlier. The goals of the three revealed villains sound plausible to me, as deduced by Holmes, but they conveniently come to nasty ends before any confession, leaving certain plot points unresolved.

As usual in Breese books, misprints are very few. In fact, I noticed only one. On p. 19 the character named Watson Minor is called Watson Major. [There is a Major, but he is not in that scene.]

Here are 160 pages of Holmes and Watson that won't insult your intelligence, your literary standards, or your love of the characters. [Take particular note of the new career Watson is contemplating on pages 25!] Recommended.

Holmesians are well aware that the ending of "A Scandal in Bohemia" is highly unsatisfactory for both Holmes and the King of Bohemia, whom Irene Adler, his former lover, is in an excellent position to blackmail. In his latest Holmes pastiche, John Hall takes this situation up again about a year after the events of "Scandal." Irene Norton says she needs to consult Holmes, but vanishes on the way to 221B Baker Street. Apparently kidnapped and left to die, Norton is rescued by Holmes and Watson... but her account of the new situation that threatens the King and herself is highly unsatisfactory and probably pretty close to an outright lie. Instead of refusing to take the case, as Conan Doyle's consulting detective always did when faced with a client who refused to explain the real situation, Holmes and Watson wind up in Bohemia in what is pretty certain to be a wild-goose chase, and both Holmes and Watson bumble in some pretty inexplicable ways, with Watson coming perilously close to being a comical sidekick more than once. The quest to recover the famous letters and photo supposedly stolen from Irene Norton succeeds with ridiculous ease, considering the planless, gormless, painfully unintelligent approaches adopted by Holmes. And then the fact that Mrs. Norton lied suddenly assumes deadly importance.

With the situation treated rather lightly by the author throughout, it was a jarring and unwelcome twist for this elderly and jaded reader when the adventure ended with the very abrupt deaths of five characters (two offstage), over only two pages, with one of the deceased certainly an innocent bystander!

Not one of Hall's better efforts, this goes on the bottom of the stack with TRAVELS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES. It gets three stars only because of the fine period writing style in which the improbable adventure is recounted.

Following an outrageous crime in Paris, where a criminal claiming to be Sherlock Holmes plays an pivotal role, the real Great Detective and his trusty biographer head off to the continent where things are far more complex than they first appear...

John Hall writes a reasonable Holmes book, relying upon the known plans of Professor Moriarty and featuring the French thief, Arsene Jupin, in a strong supporting role.

His writing plays to a desirable strength: Holmes and Watson are truly portrayed as detectives, accumulating clues and investigating leads, as they try to uncover exactly who is behind the plot and where to find him. In this quest they utilise both the services of the French Surete and the contacts they develop in the underworld. However, the relative ease with which they move through the organisation of the French master criminal makes him seem a little less formidable than would be desirable.

There is nothing wrong with the portrayal of Holmes and Watson, but be the same token they are not very exciting or notable.

Arsene Jupin (as Arsene Lupin is called here) is a bit bland. Lupin, as originally portrayed, had a bit of a hard edge that reduced as his stories went along. The portrayal here is Lupin at his most boring.

A reasonable read for Holmes fans, not so interesting for those who want to read Lupin.

It's been so long since I read the previous Holmes pastiches by John Hall that about all I can remember is that they were a notch above the usual. Here we backslide a bit, firmly into the middle rank.

The eccentric Lord Hammerford has left a strange will which basically requires his two prospective heirs to engage in a kind of scavenger hunt, the end goal being a hidden box containing Lord Hammerford's wealth, converted into gems. But Hammerford dies about 15 years prematurely for the actions required by the will to favor both heirs equally, and Holmes is called in on behalf of the one of the heirs Hammerford's early death severely handicaps. Meanwhile at least two(?) gangs of criminals are after the hidden gems as well.

Various pastiche authors handle stretching Holmes out to novel length by having the criminals act in incredibly stupid fashion, and others handle the stretch by having Holmes himself behave in incredibly stupid fashion. The present work tends to the latter, rather than the former, solution. Even Watson out-thinks Holmes here, more than a couple of times.

In any case, the plot calls for action more than ratiocination, with several wild carriage chases through crowded London byways, and a royal battle with a gang of kidnappers, in which even Billy the pageboy gets to take a hand. You may or may not enjoy it all. I have mixed feelings about it myself. But at 137 pages, you are not going to waste a lot of your time, whatever your final judgement.

I loved Paradise Postponed. Even the name Leslie Titmuss makes me smile. Leslie reappears here, but the attention focuses on a wimpy candidate whom it's hard to root for. All seemed a bit tired, even the humor.

A person who pays $60 for a paperback volume on natural history might naturally expect to receive a fairly hefty tome. This book, however, is a mere 200 quarto pages cobbled together mainly from a series of technical papers. The language and style are classically dull, dry sciencespeak. Although said by its editors to be designed to appeal to a broad audience, it's strictly for bear bionerds. The clothbound version is even more outrageouly overpriced at $120! This thing is obviously aimed at people who have government grant money to throw around. And disregard the star at the head of this review; the software won't allow less than a one-star rating.

The authors did a wonderful job of compiling years of scientific research into a natural history book. This is definately a book for the more scientifically-oriented community. It is nice to see the technical aspects included, rather than oversimplifying the material into a "storybook." The missing star is for the price...but this is probably a matter related to the publisher rather than the authors.

That anyone could take this bit of literary garbage seriously is incredible. It consists wholy of speculation, lies, and propaganda promulgated by small-minded people. Don't waste your time on this rubbish.

It is amazing how some will prostitute the truth to sell a book. Books such as Born in Blood are more accurate speculations of the nature and roots of the Masonic fraternity, which is all that the organization is. What is truely sad is that these falsehoods take on a life of their own. The book was written from ingnorance and has only perpetuated ignorance.

The book should be boot, it is a sinister evilness that try's to hurt and offend a socieity of brotherhood thru the all seeing eye of God.

I wasted my time reading about lies.