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Book reviews for "Hodder-Williams,_John_Christopher_Glazebrook" sorted by average review score:

Morgoth's Ring: The Later Silmarillion, Part One (The History of Middle-Earth - Volume 10)
Published in Hardcover by Ticknor & Fields (1993)
Authors: Christopher Tolkien and J.R.R. Tolkien
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Late developments in the story of the Silmarillion. . .
. . .plus cultural information!

This book, the first of two in the "History of Middle-Earth" series dealing with later textual developments in "The Silmarillion" provides a great deal of information on how Tolkien's philosophical and theological development influenced the later aspects of this work. (As the reader should remember, Tolkien worked on these legends for more than 50 years.)

However, one of my greatest delights in "Morgoth's Ring" was a lengthy essay detailing aspects of Elven culture, including information on courting, betrothal, marriage, and child-rearing. Also included is a discussion of the judgement of the Valar concerning the remarriage of Finwe of the Noldor.

Throughout, the volume demonstrates that Tolkien wished to truly create a complete culture, not merely a history.

A worthy addition to this series.

MorgotH's ring
This is the tenth volume of a detailed study about the "Silmarillion" era (Pre-"Lord of the rings" epoch). No question from the silmarillion, is left unanswered after you've read this hyper-detailed book about the fallen ainur, Melkor, most known under the name Morgoth meaning "the enemy of the world". Here is described the rise of Arda, the assignments given by Eru, the lord of all, to the ainur, making them become the Valar, AND how Melkor (who was Eru's favorite and most skilled of all) fell from grace and lusted to control the earth and everything in it. In this book , you will find how immensely great was Morgoth's power and how he could even distort Eru's very designs in the birth of the universe. It also includes lots and lots of informations about particular elven kings, half elven and men, who had a particularly important role in the historyand shaping of Beleriand and Middle-earth. All fans of middle-earth and fantasy are advised to get this superb annal of the history of middle-earth and dive once more into the realm of the tree-light gems...

At last, we are given insight into The Silmarillion itself
The most important part of this book is the section titled "Laws and Customs of the Eldar". For the only time in his long career of writing essays and opinions essentially intended only for himself the author of The Lord of the Rings set aside story and drama to explore the social and cultural heritage of the Noldor and the Eldar in general.

All the other works in this book fall into place only if the reader understands the peculiar outlook that Tolkien envisioned for the Elves. They were not truly deathless, but recognized many forms of death. And for the Elves the union of spirit and body was as intrinsic as breathing and life. All their griefs therefore proceeded from the disruption of these fundamental precepts in Aman, where such disruption should never have occurred.

Though people speak highly of "Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth" it really has no meaning without the context provided by "Laws and Customs". A great many questions are answered in very matter-of-fact fashion by the author, often as asides.

The last section, "Myths Transformed", actually leaps ahead to a period late in Tolkien's life when he began to unravel all the tales and mysteries and design a completely different cosmology. Had he finished this later work, Tolkien would have rewritten his Silmarillion completely and in doing so would have destroyed some of the most beautiful myths of our time.


School of Natural Healing
Published in Hardcover by Christopher Publications (1996)
Author: John R. Christopher
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Every herbalist should have this book on their bookshelves!!
All of my teachers and mentors, from Rosemary Gladstar to Michael Tierra have all touted Dr. Christopher and this book! We even have it at the natural products cooperative where I work in our library. It really brings home herbal medicine and formulation. If you have ever used the Dr. John R. Christopher formulas that are available in health food stores, you know how good they are. All of the formulas are contained within this book and many more that are certain to find use in every home interested in empowering themselves through herbal healing.

Agreed, agreed, agreed!!
Yes, this book is such a gift! Full of actual stories which help in learning/remembering which herbs and formulas work in which circumstances. I can't say enough about it's thoroughness and approach to learning. It includes lists of which groups of herbs go well with other groups and what each group does. It also gives many different ways to use each herb.
Thanks so much Dr. Christopher!

This will be the only book about herbs that you need
No stone left unturned in this book! This man has a thorough and accurate understanding of herbs and their uses. He was a Master Herbalist and I have many books on this subject...this one, however, is the 20th anniversary, expanded version issue and is the Bible of them all. I promise you, even if you're traveling, you will want to keep it with you. His personal life story is a miracle to me, he was an abandoned child found by some loving people in an orphanage when he was a young boy. And what a contribution to humanity this man has made! It's the best book that exist about the use of herbs. Also, helps you to identify plants and tells you what parts to use. I love his work, it's written for all the right reasons, he had been critically ill in his youth and his work sprung from those hardships. It is inspired!


Tripods Trilogy
Published in Paperback by Simon Pulse (1900)
Author: John Christopher
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Great story for introducing young readers to books.
I think I have this weird tendency to read certain books at the wrong time. When I was around ten or twelve, one of the first books I ever read (not forced by school) was The War of the Worlds. I saw all of my friends reading The Tripods Trilogy, and I was afraid to read them because I thought they would be different from Welles' book. Back then I had this annoying tendency to read the same book over and over again. It always bothered me, because as I got older friends would still mention that book, and even though it was an idea taken from Welles, it still bugged me that I never read them. I finally read them in my twenty-sixth year, and I was not at all disappointed. I got exactly what I expected, an interesting yet simple science fiction story designed to entertain children. I cannot say it was anything astounding, but I can say that I probably would have liked it a lot. I think reading makes you smarter no matter what, and getting children to start reading today seems even more difficult with the computer influence. I think that this series of books is wonderful for a child to begin reading

A Great Collection Of Wonderfully Written Books!
I'm a seventh grade student that has read plenty of books using a program called the Acclerated Reader that the whole seventh grade uses. The progam origionally had the "White Mountains" in it and when I read it I was automatically hooked! Now that our collection has been upgraded we now have the full set of The Tripod Trilogy books and i'm planing to read them all. It is somthing that keeps you from doing any other thing. I finished "When The Tripods Came" in one day because I was so into it. At this time I'm reading "The City Of Gold And Lead" and hope to start reading "The Pool Of Fire" shortly. Now I consider John Christopher one of my favorite authors.

John Christopher is an excellent writer!
I first read the Tripod series in seventh grade. Some of you in the Boy Scouts may remember the comic book adaptation of The Pool of Fire from the Boy's Life Magazine. I'm now a 24 year old adult (Ahem!) and I still love these books. Ever since my book collection was destroyed by a flood three years ago I have been hunting for both this, and the Prince in Waiting series by Mr. Christopher. As usual, Amazon.Com comes through for me. I heartily recommend this series, and the Prince in Waiting to all readers of Sci-Fi and Fantasy.


Death of Grass
Published in Paperback by Oxford University Press (1992)
Authors: John Christopher and David Flicking
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The Death Of Grass
This is one of the few books that having read at school I have returned to read numerous times. It is a fiction about a world surving, or not, against a virus which attacks all grasses. The determination by the party of people we follow while reading the book is ruthless, yet understandable.The book really draws you in and is difficult to put down. There have been times when I have been able to liken this novel to real life, for example when the United Kingdom faced Foot and Mouth recently, and when we had the Petrol Crisis. At times like this I think back to the book and wonder, could it turn out like that? Anyone who has read the book will agree, lets hope not.

Death of Grass, a good read :)
Well, This book is one of a few books that you can't put down, it moves well, never stalls and should be put on to a reading list for schools.

Biodomination - HARVESTED EVIL
Vast modernisation is already underway, aided by mans increasing desire for new technology. A biotechnology company is about to proceed with something of unspeakable horror.

Cross-contaimination and the swift death of ALL forms of vegetation on an international scale lead to global starvation.

Love for nature and love alone hold no place in society now. These ruthless biotech companies exploit the general public and fade away when the smoke hits the fan.

The scorched skies are a grim reminder of the naplam dropped before them in a bid to save mankind from the death of grass.


Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained
Published in Paperback by New American Library (1989)
Authors: John Milton and Christopher B. Ricks
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Milton is simply a genius!
I must admit that this has been probably one of the hardest texts that I have ever read ( well in league with Thomas Paine's Common sense). However, it, i.e., Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained by John Milton, Christopher B. Ricks(Editor) also is one of the most beautifully written and well written pieces of literature ever produced. Milton, has a sense for language that can only be compared with the great writers of the literary tradition, e.g., Dante, Shakespeare, and Thoreau. Writers of today lack these skills and cannot write with the same complexity as the great authors of the past. A good example of this when one reads Dante's Inferno or Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.; these stories are both good examples of a lost art that Milton was a master at. The art of writing a story in the form of a poem without the story in question sounding phony or having lines that do not make sense. The story itself, i.e., Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained by John Milton, Christopher B. Ricks(Editor) is very hard to follow if one is not a biblical scholar and most of the angels are new to me ( which does not disturb me a bit, since most people nowadays, do not study the Bible as they did during the life time of Milton and his contemporaries). Overall, I would have to say that this story, Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained by John Milton, Christopher B. Ricks (Editor) is easily one of the most thought provoking stories that I have ever read and I will definitely recommend it to anyone remotely interested in well written literature.

Absolutely Amazing!
Mr. Milton is without a doubt, a liteary genius! I got intrested in the book from a quote, which I read in John London's The Sea Wolf. Even though, I am only 17, the views presented in Paradise Lost, as well as Paradise Regained could still be used today. I highly reccomend this book to ones who want to know where it all started.

Stunning verse, unintended complications
While Paradise Lost features some of the most wonderful passages ever written in the English language, the poem also provides an unwitting expose to the absurdity of Christian mythology. There is a palpable tension evident in every aspect of the work, as Milton endows Satan with nobility, Adam and Eve with compassion, and God and the angels with preening vanity and megalomania, only to pull back after every passage and try to negate his own words with addendums or disclaimers. The verse isn't consistent in its brilliance, but much of it is first rate, particularly in the first hundred pages or so as the rebellious angels recover from their disaster and map out their defiance.


Building Scientific Apparatus: A Practical Guide to Design and Construction
Published in Hardcover by Addison-Wesley Publishing (1983)
Authors: John H. Moore, Christopher C. Davis, and Michael A. Coplan
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A Sometimes Handy Book
I would like to cast a somewhat dissenting view of this book. It is certainly a good place to start for information on various projects but comes up short on construction techniques. Perhaps an older source, Procedures in Experimental Physics (Lindsay Pubs), is better. Of course, it was written in 1938, so materials cited might be out of date, but the construction techniques aren't bad. I recently decided to build a good sized water tank (40" by 6" by 3") of acrylic and found nothing about construction tips. I was thinking of building something that probably required casting, and found a paltry two pages on the subject.

It would be good to see it updated every 5 years or so. I see the pub date is 1991. Things have changed a bit. It has a very good list of references, but with the advent of the web, it would be good to see some the reference material cite the web.

You cannot work in my lab unless you've read this!
This is a _great_ book! I buy a copy of this for every student who starts work for me--which I consider to be a fine investment. Practical, hands-on information is given on a huge variety of skills needed by those working in Physics labs. From glass blowing to vacuum systems, to instruction on attaching BNC connectors, it's all in here.

Awesome
Have never seen a book which was able to pack so much practical information into so few pages, and able to explain complex concepts so simply.

If you have to work with any type of laboratory equipment you would be insane to NOT have this book on your shelf.


Empty world
Published in Unknown Binding by Hamilton ()
Author: John Christopher
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Scary, but possible
Young Neil Miller is orphaned following a car accident of which he is the sole survivour. He goes to live with his grandparents and whilst there, civilisation is almost entirely wiped out by a plaguee of pregoria. This is a disease which causes premature ageing in younger people. Neil must learn to survive alone and meets two girls in London and the fact that 'three is a crowd' makes for an interesting conclusion...

If you can find this book READ IT!!!
It is sad that John Chrisopher isn't more well known.
Unlike his other books that deal with sci-fi themes like space ships and aliens, Empty World deals strictly with reality and in many ways is all the more chilling because of it.
I have only ever found it in Children's libraries, which is a shame because even though this book is short (easily read in an evening) it is a very thought provoking examination of the nature of being human.
I first read it in 7th grade and now that I am 27, I am happy to report that the book is still as powerful as ever and has the same effect as a really good Twilight Zone episode.

You'll read it over and over again!
I had read many of Christophers books before and found Empty World after looking through the library under Christphers name. It is the best book that I have ever read. In amost ten years of further reading I have not found a book so deep, moving and realistic that has captured my imagination and sent my mind reeling. I have read Empty World about 15 times now and it is still as gripping as the first time.


The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Published in Paperback by Houghton Mifflin Co (2000)
Authors: J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, and Humphrey Carpenter
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Man or myth?
Being a long a fan of Tolkien and Middle-earth, I certainly enjoy reading all of his works. At least those that don't require a degree in Anglo-Saxon to read!

Having such a high opinion of the man tends to raise him to an almost larger-than-life position. He's unapproachable. He's brilliant.

Reading this book has helped to bring Tolkien from near-mythological status into a man. That is a good thing. One can enter the man's mind and begin to understand the thought process that occurs.

I find this better to read than a biography, because a biography tends to be "formal", and these letters are simply the un-edited and unpolished person at their best or at their worst.

I dearly love the man, and his work. These letters help me to pretend that I knew him when he was alive, which would have been a pleasure indeed.

No hobbit can fail to be impressed. . .
. . .with this collection of correspondence from the pen of the Master of Middle-Earth, Professor JRR Tolkien. Although, unfortunately, not all hobbits are lettered, those of us that are, write letters constantly to our friends and to a selection of our relations. The Professor's habits in this area definitely suggest that he is, as has long been suspected, himself a hobbit. (And, in fact, probably a Baggins!)

From his wartime correspondence, to his letters of love (and sound advice) to members of his family, to the vast amount of commentary on his literary masterpieces, this volume sheds a great deal of light into the life and thought of the Professor.

This book is a worthy companion to Mr. Carpenter's earlier biography. Both volumes should find a place on the shelf of every hobbit in the Shire.

This is a must-own book for any Tolkien researcher
Ever wonder where those Tolkien know-it-alls get their information from? This is one of the secret treasures we harbor. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien reveals his inner thoughts concerning his own life, the world as he saw it, and the characters and events in his marvelous stories.

Time and time again I've turned to the Letters for inspiration and information on what Tolkien had to say about everything concerning Middle-earth, from the family secrets and scandals of the Tooks to how Aragorn would have ruled Arnor and Gondor in the Fourth Age. Tolkien shared his private thoughts with a select group of fans who wrote to him in his lifetime, and with his friends and close relatives. These letters are a rare glimpse into his candor, wit, and values.

Many of the questions that Tolkien readers form today when they first pick up his books were shared by their predecessors in the 1930s and 1950s when The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were first published. His answers to fan questions are as fresh and informative to the 100th-time reader as to the 1st time reader.


How to Make Ice Cream: An Illustrated Step-By-Step Guide to Perfect Ice Cream
Published in Hardcover by Boston Common Press (1997)
Authors: Editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine, John Burgoyne, Christopher P. Kimball, and Editors of Cook's Illustrated
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Great book for theory of Ice Cream
This is a small book (95 pages) that hits all the important points. It starts with the theory of Ice Cream, why do most recipes for home have eggs, why is it important to chill the mixture before putting it in an ice cream maker.

Most important: how hot must you heat the mixture (as measured with a thermometer, no ambiguous 'until done' instructions here), and how hot is TOO hot.

There aren't a lot of recipes here. A few examples and variations so you can understand the theory and techniques. So if you are looking for a collection of vast numbers of recipes (and you already know the theory and how to make ice cream) then this isn't for you. But if you are new to making ice cream and have yet to learn WHY the things the recipes call for are in there then this is for you.

A book to learn the theory from and apply it to all the recipes you find elsewhere.

The bible
As Cook's Illustrated readers would expect, this book deconstructs ice cream making with every detail you could want. I'd get this book first, then get a book with a zillion recipes. You can use the techniques in this book to adapt and perfect recipes from any other source.

The PERFECT ice cream book!
I've never been moved to write a review before, but after my first successful batch of ice-cream (following many miserable failures) - I decided that I must share my joy.

First of all, this is a lovely little hard bound book. It will take up a tiny space on your shelves - and, most importantly, it is easy to hold with one hand while you are fastidiously stirring custard with the other.

Texture had been a problem for me since I recieved my Cuisinart ice-cream maker for Christmas. I've had some batches that just wouldn't freeze - some with so much cream that they left a buttery film of fat on the spoon and one unfortunate creation that went directly from machine to garbage disposal. Believe it or not I was following recipes. But some are very general in describing how to know when something is done, like how thick a custard should be. It was actually very liberating to have the very specific and exact temperatures given by this book.

The introduction and Master Vanilla Recipe are priceless. As are the explanations of correct temperatures and proportions.

I have to admit that I've been egg phobic in my recipe hunting. So many recipes call for an obscene amount of eggs and the thought of six to eight eggs in a pint of ice cream gives me the heeby geebies. The authors have tested many milk/cream/egg/sugar proportions to come up with the best flavor and best texture. Early in the book they explain the purpose of egg yolks in ice cream to emulsify the dairy fat. This is especially important to home made ice cream since we won't be using chemical emulsifiers like commercial brands. What was helpful for me was the section on them trying different amounts of eggs to get the right texture - without that eggy taste.

There are also some very nice illlustrations of what the egg yolk and sugar mix should look like after beating them, and some handy tips like how to peel hazelnuts.

I highly recommend this book AND a digital candy/oil thermometer (I got mine from Williams Sonoma - but Amazon.com may have one too). I was literally stunned by the silky texture of my Hazelnut Gellato and how quickly it froze to 'soft-serve' texture - and the flavor! It was all I could do not to eat the entire batch right from the machine!


Under the Eye of the Clock: A Memoir
Published in Paperback by Arcade Publishing (2000)
Authors: Christopher Nolan and John Carey
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