No matter how hard I search, I've yet to find the "perfect" book on herb use and herb growing. This book isn't perfect, but it does have some real strengths.

Rodale's ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HERBS is organized in a strange way--everything, and I mean everything--falls into alphabetical order. For example, "Gardening with Herbs falls between "Foxgloves" and "Garlic" and "Growing Herbs" falls between "Grindellia" and "Hawthorn."

The book is printed on semi-gloss paper so it will stand up to use and not crumble in a few years. Each entry contains line drawing illustrations and a few sections of the book are highlighted with color photos.

The plant profiles are succinct, covering topics such as 'history', 'cultivation' and 'uses.' Many entries contain material from other sources such as Maud Grieves' A MODERN HERBAL Vols. 1-2. Some information is repeated without attribution or verification. I always find "They say" and "It is thought" offputting, while I appreciate direct citations of which there are many in this book.

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA covers some topics not readily found in other books. The most useful of these is a compendium discussing the "Dangers of Herbs" (located between "Dandelion" and "Deadly Nightshade." The editors have compiled the FDA listing of "tricky" herbs (could kill or cure depending on use) from PREVENTION magazine, as well as similar ratings from James Duke's CRC HANDBOOK OF MEDICINAL HERBS, Jean Rose's HERBS AND THINGS, and Varro Tyler's THE HONEST HERBAL. You realize on reading this section that everything is relative.

The biggest problem with the misuse of herbal remedies is the misclassification of plants by the practicioner. To be an herbal healer one simply must understand botany. The second biggest problem is conflicting information about what a plant will or will not do based on singular accounts (which could be the result of a misclassification of plants or a misapplication of the plant extract). The third problem is idiosyncratic plant and human interaction. One man's poison can be another man's elixer. As with synthetic drugs, each individual has a unique chemical compostion and the herb in question may or may not be effective, or in some cases may provoke an allergy. Of course, there are some herbs that are downright deadly as every mystery reader knows.

This wouldn't be a Rodale book with out a section on "Pests" and "Pest Control" or the synergistic and conflicting effects of various plant combinations in the garden. This information and the sections on poisonous attributes make the book worth it's cost. All I can say about plant combinations can be summed up to this...plant catnip. You'll have to read the book to find out which kind.

This book has *fabulous* illustrations of the plants it details - something usually lacking from herbal books by way of plant identification. The plant descriptions and suggestions for use, as well as the old lore associated with each one are all very useful, and well formatted for easy lookup.

The only thing it doesn't have is the same thing most herbal books lack: complete and comprehensive information on the dangers of certain herbs - although I understand that the reason is that since this isn't a licensed medical text, they're not allowed to present thier information as actual medical advice, and so some of the precautions fall under that umbrella. As with any book on herbs, the reader must remember that the information, especially the warnings, are not necessarily complete.

That said - this is a really useful book with lots of great information, that you'll be glad to add to your herbal library at home.

This would have to be the most complete, easy to read book on the subject of herbs that I have come across. From propagation to cultivation through to harvesting and using, this book covers the lot in great detail. The big asset of the book is that everything is described in such a way that the beginner gardener (me) will have no trouble following. As well as the individual listing of each herb, the lists of uses for the herbs have been very helpful. Culinary gardens, formal gardens, theme gardens, medicinal gardens, herbs for fragrance, dyes, essential oils, you name it and it’s mentioned in this book.

This book is about William Tyndale getting Bibles to England in the sixteenth century. William Tyndale is a preacher who wants to bring Bibles over to England that everyone can buy. He accomplishes this by smuggling the Bibles he has translated and printed over in a ship called the Black Pearl. This story mainly focuses on the captain of the ship and his nephew who smuggle the Bibles for Tyndale. This story was slow to get going but was okay by the end. I would recommend it to people who like historical fiction.

This book is the Story/History of William Tyndale and his journey to get everyone to read the Bible so that even the plowboy will know some versus. The main characters Uncle jack and Tom Barton , smugglers, make a deal to William Tyndale promising to sell these books in England while fulfiling all of their wants. Tyndale wants the Bible to reach everyone and TOm adn Jack want to become rich, but trouble seems to head their way around every corner. This book is enjoyable full of details you might not find in other books. I suggest this book to anyone who likes old english history or enjoys a story that keeps you till the end.

Bob Jones University publishes this edition of Scott Odell's classic. By bying this book you are supporting bigotry and racism as well as the subjugation of women. This book is published by many other Publishers buy it somewhere else. Everything that is being said about this book is very true, it is very educational and I have read it many times. I ordered it again because I wanted to read it in Germany where I am studying now and the book takes place. However, ... had many options of publishers for this book and they should be ashamed of themselves for choosing Bob Jones University Press. Especially after out own President was ridiculed for speaking there. They just recently started allowing their students to have inter-racial marriages and they were forced by the IRS for tax-exempt status to allow black students at all! I feel horrible that I bought this book from this publisher accidentally. Don't make the same mistake!!!!

I used this book to write a discussion of Organisational management - I felt the authors were very clear in their objectives and that it was a great book for understanding exactly what went on - an interesting and detailed account.

This was a great read, and a wonderful insight into Asia's greed. A gritty account.

Steve Coates, Hong Kong.

"The Hunt", or "27" as it is on my bookshelf, is a story of a fanatical Nazi, sent on an extraordinary quest to commit mass assassination in the U.S.A., and is chased by another fanatic (this one on our side), who is determined to stop him.

It's a chase story - and, like all Diehl books (with the exception of "Reign In Hell") it's well plotted, well written, and populated with over-the-top characters who conduct themselves with, well, fanaticism.

Yep, these two guys are way over the top, and they're fun. Dastardly Dan being chased by Dudley Do-Good. The blood flows faster than the Colorado River, and in quantities which make even that roaring river seem like a dry creek bed. The body count's right up there with the national road toll, and the detective work's compelling.

There are a number of books Robert Ludlum will have read and thought to himself "I would love to write a book like this one day". However, Ludlum and James Patterson both write as though they attended the same School of Shonky Writing, so he never will.

"The Hunt" or "27" is fun. You'll like it.

With his use of historical figures interconnecting with fictional characters, William Diehl keeps you engrossed with the story page after page. It was tough to put the book down once I started. This is a book I would definitely put on you must read list.

I would like to personally thank my friend for recommending to me this book. "The Hunt" was an awsome book worthy of Ian Fleming. I can't wait to one day re-read this compelling story again. As for the author, I will read any books that he writes. Do yourself a favor and give "The Hunt" a try. You won't regret it.

This biography of Bernarr Macfadden (the "Father of Physical Culture") focuses mainly upon his activities as a maverick publisher during the early decades of the 20th century. There is an excellent account of Macfadden's confrontation with censorship (Anthony Comstock, in particular) which resulted in a Supreme Court case.

A well-researched and highly readable book.

Our family was given this book as an early Christmas gift this year and we all love the simple yet heart-warming story. It tells the tale of how snowflakes were named. God creates the snow as a gift for a young angel named Kalen to name. It's a book for adults as well as childern. Our 2 year old enjoys it!

As a native of North Carolina, I can still vividly recall the bitter and dramatic 1984 Senate campaign between two of the greatest - and most controversial - political leaders this state has ever produced. On one side was Senator Jesse Helms, then running for his third term. Even in North Carolina Helms has always been an extremely divisive figure, and his victory margins have always been narrow. To Democrats in North Carolina and around the nation, Helms is the political version of JR Ewing on the old "Dallas" TV show - he's the "man you love to hate". An old-fashioned right-wing Republican, Helms refuses to compromise with his opponents, and he is a master of the politics of "divide and conquer". However you feel about him, Helms has never been afraid to be as outspoken as possible about his beliefs (adamantly anti-gay rights, anti-abortion, and pro-school prayer and pro-fundamentalist Christian), and he's also one of the few major politicians in America who doesn't care what his poll numbers are, or what his critics think of him. He is also a master of fundraising - his 1984 campaign was the most expensive up to that time in American history, as he raised an astonishing $14 million, much of it from out-of-state admirers. Helms is also a living symbol of the transformation of the white South from mostly conservative Democrat to hard-right Republican, a process which began in the 1960's with the Civil Rights movement. However, in 1984 Helms appeared to have met his match in James Hunt, the state's first two-term governor. Although not as well known nationally as Helms, Hunt is also a political legend in North Carolina - he has been elected governor four times, each time by a landslide - and, were it not for his narrow loss to Helms in 1984, he might well have become President in 1992 instead of Bill Clinton. Like Helms, Hunt grew up in a small, rural North Carolina town and was raised as a Baptist. But the similarities end there - Hunt went to North Carolina State University and became a leader in student government, became a leader in the Grange (a once-powerful national organization of farmers), spent some time in the Himalayas of Nepal as an agricultural advisor for the Henry Ford Foundation, and finally returned home in the late sixties and became the state leader of the "Young Democrats". In 1972 he was elected lieutenant governor, and in 1976 - at the tender age of 39 - he was elected governor by a record margin. He cleaned up and modernized the state's government, easily won reelection in 1980, and formed a powerful political machine with "contacts" in each of the state's 100 counties. In early 1984 he led Helms by double digits in the polls, and many experts predicted that he would be an easy winner in what was already a much-anticipated showdown with Helms. The race received more media attention than any other campaign in 1984, with the sole exception of the presidential race, and even international reporters came to cover the event. But Helms, relying upon a series of clever yet negative TV commercials, portrayed Hunt not as an honest and effective governor, but as a "wishy-washy" political opportunist who only wanted a Senate seat so he could run for President in a few years. Helms also successfully portrayed Hunt as being "in bed" with liberal national Democrats who were too "far-left" for North Carolina voters. As the election approached Hunt's big early lead vanished and Helms, who tied himself to President Reagan's reelection bid (Reagan carried NC with 62% of the vote), gradually pulled ahead for a narrow victory. As this book by William Snider, the retired editor of the Greensboro "News and Record" newspaper, attests, the 1984 Helms-Hunt matchup had everything - mudslinging and personal attacks, vast sums of money raised by both camps, personal feuds and grudges (especially within the state Democratic Party, which hurt Hunt badly), and a series of combative debates which were televised statewide. Although detailed, this book could have used a better editor - there are numerous spelling errors and run-on sentences. However, Snider nonetheless gives what is still the best in-depth account of a classic "Southern-fried" Senate race. Recommended!

Published in 1996, this 160 page volume centers on sharpening your attacking instincts, offers practical tips on how to conduct King-Hunts, surveys on how attacking technique has developed and offers some great games from Morphy, Fischer, Tal and Kasparov to name a few. This book is an updated version of a 1970 release with 12 of the 55 games offered coming after 1970. The games range from the years 1844 to 1995. It's bascially a 3 star book (solid) but i give it an extra star for the historical games it includes.

This play can be read as anti-semitic. In fact, it's pretty hard to defend it from such charges. Shylock is a pretty rotten character and the fact that he is jewish is difficult to overlook (particularly since the other characters mention it on pretty much EVERY page). However, I think it is important to mention that the "heroes" of this play do not necessarily have to be interpreted as heroes. They are by no means perfect and there are many subtle (and some not-so-subtle) instances within the text in which their biases against ANYONE unlike them is illustrated. If one reads the play this way, then Shylock becomes more of a tragic figure rather than an absolutely heartless villain. I don't know. My feelings about this are mixed. There are a few funny parts of this play and the language is, as always, beautiful. The theme of putting a price on human beings is one which has been explored numerous times since. Overall, it is enjoyable, but perhaps not so much so as some of the other comedies. Do not read this play without having read a few others by Shakespeare first. It is an excellent play, but not his best and not his most enjoyable either.

This is a wonderful play - and unless you have seen it or read it you don't know it at all. That's because everything the popular culture tells us about this play is false (for example; how many of you think this play is about a merchant named Shylock? ;-)

The Merchant of Venice is a lively and happy morality tale. Good triumphs over bad - charity over greed - love over hate.
There is fine comedy. Portia is one of Shakespeare's greatest women (and he ennobled women more than any playwright in history). There are moments of empathy and pain with all the major characters. There is great humanity and earthiness in this play. These things are what elevate Shakespeare over any other playwright in English history.

Plays should be seen - not read. I recommend you see this play (if you can find a theater with the courage and skill to do it). But if it is not playing in your area this season - buy the book and read it.

After reading most of the other reviews here, I am fully aware that most of the reviewers didn't read carefully enough (or watch carefully enough if they saw the play.) Now, I'm not saying its not open for different interpretations, but there is one thing I would really like to get straight.

I read MoV for a Bar Mitzvah project on Anti-Semitism. Naturally, my sympathies went to Shylock. However, even if i were Christian, i still would've favored Shylock. What many people believe is that Shylock is a cold hearted ruthless person and only wanted to get back at Antonio because Antonio was a Christian.

Not true. Shylock specifically says something along the lines off, "Why should I lend money to you? You spit on me, and call me a Jewish dog!" I'm not saying that Shylock was a good guy, but I am saying that he is not the villain.

In fact, the "Merchant of Venice," in this story is actually Shylock, not Antonio, contrary to popular belief. My thoughts on the story was that Shylock requested a pound of Antonio's flesh because he did not trust Antonio. Who would trust someone that spat on him? The fact is, Antonio doesn't pay him back in the end.

Now, there's always something else we have to put into consideration. Would the judge had given the "spill one ounce of Christian blood" verdict at the end if Shylock were not a Jew?

This is the mark of a great play. A play that really gets you thinking. But I encourage you, I beg of you, that when you read it or see it, please do not hold Shylock up to being a cold hearted villain. Hold Antonio up to that image. (joking, of course, Antonio's not a bad guy, he's just not a good guy.)

No, I haven't read the book. I saw the play put on by The Shakespeare Theater in Washington. Tessa Auberjonois was an absolute darling in the title role; you couldn't help but feel glad for Margery's odd-but-happy ending.

If Wycherley was no Shakespeare, he did this sort of play better than the Bard. Nothing is quotable, the characters are one dimensional and only the "China" scene got real laughs. But Wycherley did a neat and nasty take on Restoration mores and made it enjoyable, too.

Far from being a silly comedy, The Country Wife is a work aimed at lashing Seventeenth Century loose morals. We laugh, of course, but through the alluring yet disturbing character of Horner, we perceive that something must be done if Restoration society wants to survive.

Wicherley presents us with unhappy wives and brutal or indifferent husbands who are utlimately fooled by Horner, the man who knows how to exploit the misery produced by mercenary unions. Poor Margery Pinchwife, the heroine of the piece, eventually brings tears in our eyes when we realize that she shall never be free from a violent man that considers marriage a cheaper substitute for keeping a mistress. Margery is the victim of both her husband and her careless lover. She is looking for love, but she keeps on coming across men who are interested in sex only. They can see her body; they can't see her delicate, naif soul.

However, Whycherley (who, we must remember, was the spiritual son of the great moralists Graciàn, Larochefoucault and so on, whose maxims are easily detected in the whole bulk of Wycherley's works) is able to see a way out in the honest, disintrested love between Alithea, Margery's brilliant sister-in-law, and Harcourt, Horner's dashing best friend. (these characters' names symbolize the perfection of their union: her name means "truth", while his name is significantly "Frank".)

This comedy is at its best when performed; however, it is well worth reading, especially if you have a lively imagination. don't miss the notorious "china scene": fifteen minutes of laughter that will make your sides ache.

Be careful: The Country Wife merely "looks" like a stupid, shallow comedy, but it is in fact a deep reflection on society, marriage and, why not?, even the situation of Seventeenth-Century English women.

I recently reread this play for the third time and taught it in a British Literature survey at the University of Texas. Not only do I find it more entertaining and more brilliant with every reading, but I was shocked to find that the vast majority of my students really enjoyed it and preferred Wycherley to Shakespeare. If you want a smart, hilarious, and dark comedy that plumbs the depths of jealousy and sexual possession, this is a must-read play. If you're easily offended or have a hard time following complicated plots and catching bawdy puns, you'll certainly want to avoid it.