Farley's Jewel was a helter skelter ride of phenomenology. I did enjoy the reference to the Oakland Oaks but did he(Fergunson) forget about Rick Barry. The heartfelt relationship between Farley and his mother was very moving and led this reader to themes of reconcillation.

I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to consider his existence. The author, through Farley's lectures, takes the reader on a journey where one begins to ask the questions which have no known answers. For the scholarly, this may be philosopy light, but for the novice it will fill your mind with questions, forcing you to "think" about the answers. But does man actually think? Farley's view on this age old question is offered up in this easy to read and sublimely mellow story. Besides the questions, there is also a nice story intertwinded within the passage.

Don't let the playful, hilarious, and often brilliant language of Jon Ferguson's debut distract you. This is a heavy and serious read that only appears to be a fun and carefree ride. Ferguson's use of poetic language indicates that he has an ear that musicians with perfect pitch will be jealous of. Like his hero, Larry Farley, Ferguson is a deep and complex thinker that mulls over the meaning of existence with humor, arrogance, and compassion. I predict that this book will be used one day in the same way that "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenence" is to introduce folks to philosophy in easy to digest segments. The sections dealing with Alzheimer's Disease are brilliant, and in a strange way redeeming. Ferguson is a major talent. A philisophical page turner that is fun to read.

I didn't like this book . I disliked it because it was not a good book for a fifth grader. It's a good book for a first or second grader. The illustrations were my favorite part. They almost looked like cartoons, though they were a lot better looking. The illustrations were very suitable for the story. As you read it, you can tell it's fantasy.

Im nine and this book is the best A-Z mystery ever. If you want to read a good book read A-Z mystery and the Jaguars Jewel. I loved it because I love mysterys and I licked the name Dr pitts [...].

Once again Ron Roy managed to keep my 7 year old in suspense. The plot was a little more predictable than usual, but this did not detract at all from the fun and mystery! WE highly recommend this book for all young readers. We can't wait for "The Kidnapped King"!

This is an attempt to make basic the from of worship in a tightly scripted method of worship ... far from the origianl concept that the early christians had.

When I began to read this book, some of the issues from the start began to sound a little dated and sure enough I found that this was written 20 years ago. However, something occurred to me, that a lot of congregations still deal with some of the issues that are covered in this excellent book.

"Worship - Rediscovering the Missing Jewel" is EXCELLENT; well presented material covering the subject of worship. Though worship can be defined as many different ways as there are people, both Allen and Borror do an commendable job covering the Biblical aspects of worship. The aspects can go as deep as they are varied.

There is the temptation of scoffing at some of the practical matters covered in the material because they may not be percieved as "spiritual" and may seem out of place. I beg to differ! If that's true, then the utility companies that provide a comfortable climate to worship in, have no influence in our ability to focus our worship either. There is a section dealing with the technical matters that influence worship that many just take for granted. Acoustics, sound reinforcement among other areas deal, are necessities that assuming are working correctly are doing their job when you don't have to think about them.

Another interesting topic is liturgy. Whether your style of worship is liturgical or a free style, the challenge is to do it with a sincere heart and mind. Form without the right motive is ultimately just a platitude (my opinion). The section on liturgy may come across as unfairly slanted (and to some degree it is but keep in mind this is written to free evangelicals and their worship). The authors do point out the problems of free worship if not following the Biblical model, so the challenge to the evangelical community is clear of checking ones reasoning. Though the books' analysis on liturgical worship is a bird's eye view, I personally have learned to respect what the liturgical style of worship is suppose to accomplish, based on what little is covered.

"Worship" is a challenge to everyone person in the area of heart and act of worshipping. Allen and Borror (even if you may not agree with portions of what they write) really make it incumbent on the person to examine the motives behind ones "worship" and lifestyle. I believe many in Christiandom everywhere do what "they do" and don't really understand why or just have believed one way there whole life. I confident that the Biblical wisdom in this book will positively effect your worship life.

As a pastor, I am always receptive to learn more about leading God's people in worship. This book is an excellent resource that would be an asset to every pastor's bookshelf. Allen and Borror do an outstanding job of presenting key components of Christian worship.

The authors define worship, then proceed to speak of the necessity of balance in worship services. Worship services should be characterized by upreach, inreach and outreach. In other words, worship services should consist of loving God, loving one another, and loving the world in a desire for their salvation. In the latter portion of this work, the authors focus on various components of worship services, such as the use of "amen," physical participation, public Scripture reading, music ministry, and an appropriate environment.

I recommend this book highly to all pastors, worship leaders, and other persons who will be leading the body of Christ in adoration and praise.

I had so much looked forward to reading this book that when it arrived I was disappointed. The text was rather disorganised in places and so it was hard to follow the points the author was making about the early life and various influences upon Miriam Haskell. Most of the book was focused on one designer and most of the pictures, although they are very nice pictures, came from the same few sources. I was hoping for a carefully researched piece which told me a lot more about Haskell and gave a much wider assortment of the pieces she designed. The book left you asking more questions than it answered and wanting more variety then it presented.

Miriam Haskell is recognized as an important American costume jewelry designer in this wonderful coffee table book. She had a penchant for the unusual with her ostentatious accessories. She was born in 1899 in Tell City, Indiana to immigrant parents (a Russian father and a Prussian mother).

At the dawn of the Roaring Twenties, she moved to New York City with $500 in her pocket, opening a small boutique. Named Le Bijou de L'Heure, there she sold costume jewelry that she designed. In the early 1920's, Haskell advertised that "colored glass necklaces, one for each outfit, are considered a necessity this year."

Not only was Haskell riding the wave of the Roaring Twenties, she was creating a wave of her own. The Twenties were the years that all of the fashion rules were broken. Haskell's unbounded creativity met with enormous popularity. The prices for her costume jewelry were much lower than the cost of precious metals and stones, so anyone could afford to look fashionable.

The popularity of her costume jewelry continued, even after the stock market crash. Her sales did not drop significantly until 1931. Another difficulty Haskell encountered was the lack of material available for jewelry during WWII when glass from Bohemia and white metal was scarce.

Haskell never registered her designs, although she began to sign her pieces in 1950. The Miriam Haskell trademark was not received until 1988, 64 years after she began designing. Because there were no marks to identify her work prior to 1950, it took a great deal of research on author Cera's part to verify pieces of costume jewelry as Haskell's. Cera relied upon advertisements in magazines and newspapers, and photographs of movie stars shown wearing jewelry attributed to Haskell.

Haskell drew inspiration for her designs from many cultures - South America, China, Greece and the US southwest Indian designs. Her designs mimicked or consisted of any and all materials, including flotsam, stones, seeds, berries and beans.

For the collector of costume jewelry, this book is a keeper.

She is definately a QUEEN when it comes to costume jewelry. If you are a fan of her Jewels, you won't be sorry buying this book. (Amazon is the best place too!)

"The real purpose of this book, then, is to reveal the insidiousness of language used by men to speak of manhood and heterosexuality, and in this way to begin to undermine the discourse of male bonding," Peter F. Murphy in the introduction. As the author admits in the introduction the purpose is to undermine heterosexual men and the bonding of men. The author continually uses loaded male-bashing language to describe men and male bodies. Straight men talk about "men," not "heterosexual men." He quotes feminist women as experts on how men feel about being soldiers, as if a woman who has never been a man or a soldier or in a war has any clue what she's talking about. He cites all the usual radical feminist male bashers as authorities on men's behavior, feelings, and language. It's openly an attempt to undermine straight men and, the author hopes, to begin to prevent male bonding. Its a negative bash of men from cover to cover. His purpose is to undermine men. The book ought to be burned as a prejudicial hate piece.

Peter F. Murphy's Studs, Tools, and the Family Jewels: Metaphors Men Live By, is a readable, provocative, and courageous book assessing one critical aspect of male discourse, the metaphors of masculinity which shape the way many men live their lives. What makes Murphy's book exceptional is that he goes beyond mere documentation of the widely-recognized fact that men's discourse involves many sexist and homophobic metaphors and commendably probes the influence these metaphors have in shaping the prevailing, albeit limited, view of manhood. In doing so, he addresses the usual suspects and includes discussions of metaphors such as "hard-on," "pecker," "family jewels," "jock," "blue balls," "faggot," and "pussy." This engaging book also features chapters on the use of these metaphors in most aspects of men's lives, including work, play, war, sports, humor and even in some males' revealing defensive defense of exclusive heterosexuality.
Murphy maintains these metaphors are often employed politically to distinguish privileged masculinity from its alleged inferiors, femininity and non-heterosexuality. He provocatively concludes that these metaphors while revealing much about men's relationships with women and non-heterosexual men, tell, ever so sadly, still more about the detachment, fear, distrust, and anxiety reflected in the desperate lives of many men. Murphy admirably seeks to mitigate the negative consequences of this phenomenon by offering an alternative version of the meaning of manhood, an alternative boldly calling, in part, for new metaphors by which men can be encouraged and influenced, by the language they use, to lead more humane, sensitive, fulfilled and fulfilling lives.
Not all readers will agree that dramatic changes in gender and male-to-male relationships will be fostered by Murphy's proffered revision of the many metaphors in male discourse. As Murphy is aware (see p. 5), he is likely dealing with a symptom of dysfunctional masculinity and not its primary or major cause. And yet, his response to that criticism is well- reasoned as he maintains that while language does not "determine" men's objectification of women (and homophobia, for that matter) "it describes it in a way that gives it legitimacy. How we talk about ourselves as men can alter the way we live as men."
Finally, some readers might find this book disturbing. Murphy throws down a dual challenge to males to both question their privileged status sustained by the continued use of traditional metaphors and to adopt a more "non-hard," tender and embracing discourse. Meeting the latter challenge must involve men willing to champion the use of new metaphors which might, in turn, make these non-traditional males easy preys, vulnerable and open to ridicule by those traditional males still trapped by the old metaphors underlying male dominance. Murphy boldly asks us to join him in meeting this challenge, noting:

"[I]n proposing alternative metaphors that are "unhard,' I open myself up to mockery. Men need to take these kinds of risks, however, risks that women in the feminist movement have been taking for decades (even centuries) as a way to confront what is touted as natural and normal. If men are to participate authentically in the struggle to change the way we think about masculinity and femininity, to move the discourse beyond the oppressive and the demeaning, we too must take some risks."

In the quest for saner and richer relationships between and among men and women, heterosexuals and homosexuals, all challenges calling us to that noble end are to be commended and that is decisively so regarding Murphy's challenge.

John Massaro
Professor of Politics, SUNY Postdam
SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, 1996

Studs, Tools and the Family Jewels is a fascinating read. It is accessible to a wide audience, though it is deep and thoughtful as well. A book which talks about how men use language to bond with each other tells us a great deal about the construction of male heterosexuality, and is long overdue. Peter Murphy does not shrink from some of the difficult aspects of being a man, he wants to better understand the conditioning in order to imagine a world where masculinity might be different, a less sexist and heterosexist world, and a more tolerant one. Men can learn from this book, about themselves and their options to use language differently. Women will read this book with interest as well for its insights into how heterosexual men define themselves against their perceived "others": gay men and women.

I was disapointed because it did not include "who will save your soul" and the one the goes "Dreams last for so long"

the book was good, i am a learning guitarist and found the book easy to follow. i give it 4 stars.

Having been a big, big Russ Manning fan as a kid I was delighted to find that there were high quality paperbacks of his work available. I ordered Tarzan In The Land That Time Forgot and Tarzan And The Jewels Of Opar at the same time. I got a real shock when they arrived because the printing in Jewels Of Opar was very dark. Every page looked like the scene was supposed to be set at night. The Land That Time Forgot was normal, realistic colour. I wrote to Dark Horse and asked them to replace it with a proper copy, but they wrote back and said they didn't have a proper one to supply because the whole print run got screwed up. I am a big dark Horse fan and I think they do exceptional work (Jim Silke's art is priceless) and I have since bought Tarzan of the Apes - Russ Manning's treatment of the first ERB novel - and Tarzan The Untamed - Manning's treatment of the seventh ERB novel. They are all absolutely fantastic (except the flaw in the print job on Jewels Of Opar). Russ Manning's sleek lines, eye for detail, and vibrant dynamism combined with ERB's colourful and exotic imagination are a delight. Queen La of Opar is pretty sexy dressed in a two piece leopard skin outfit and she is very hot for our poor amnesiac hero. She probably would have looked even cuter if her skin had been pink instead of ashen grey.

The Jewels of Opar is a very well written book, and is a definate must for any Tarzan fan. Tarzan is at peak performance in this book, in which he must revisit Opar. Any Fantasy reader will not be disappointed. Although having read the previous Tarzan novel is helpful, you need not have to enjoy this wonderful book.

I read this book when it was given to me as a present and i thought it was pretty good except for the feeling of the time it was set in the things these girls get up to would've ruined their reputation forever not mention preventing them making a conquest at all all in all it was a good story

As a sequel to Ms. Pianka's COVENTRY COURTSHIP this novel continues the stories of the Thackery sisters, Amethyst, Emerald, and Topaz. Each sister has her own novel and by far the last about Topaz is the best. Each sister fits a certain stereotype: meek, bluestocking, and rebel. Yet each one has her own unique voice and their interaction together and with their guardian, Udora is well developed. I did find the heroes lacking in depth and wished they had been more diverse. However, the sisters by themselves are enough to make this collection well worth the read.

The paper used to print this book is of better quality thant the text. The "research" Mr. Meylan has made, at least in the case of Spain, is simply inaccurate. On the other hand the book doesn't make any reference to such important treasures as those of the Dutch and Portuguese Queens. Finally, the quality of the photos is poor in many cases.

This Vincent Meylan's "Queens' Jewels" makes an interesting read. It did a good job on the English aristocracy/monarchy. The same applied to the French, the Scandinavian, and the Russian overlords. Its chapters were well-grouped and well-sectioned: thus making it easy for readers to select whatever interests them with great ease.
Sadly, little effort was made as to improve the quality of the included photographs. Also, some of the information which Mr. Meylan presented were flawed. And, the details of some royal treasures, (particularly those of Italy, Austro-Hungary, Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal) were scanty.
Overall, this is a good book (if one ignores its pardonable errors and omissions).

The Queens Jewels is an excellent overview of some of the most beautiful pieces of craftsmanship ever published. I bought the book in French before it was translated into English and enjoyed it very much. Since it is grouped by countries and or dynasties you can pick it up any where and enjoy whatever chaper you are reading. The section on the Italian, Spanish and Balkan jewels is very interesting since they are relatively unknown in this country which has a predelction for the British royal family and consequently only sees what Elizabeth II wears.
My only objection to the book is that some of the photos are not sufficiently crisp but since many of these are old photographs, it can be excused.

This book was one of the best books I've read. I liked all the characters and the scenes in the book. Who ever likes superstition or adventure books, this is the one you got to read. This book is about Juggernaunt and the emerald. This emerald gives Juggernaunt strong powers. Since there is another emerald in the same dimension, who ever wears it will make Juggernaunt weak. It is up to the X-Men to stop Steve Service who has the emerald. I liked the characters in the book. Gambit was good at sneaking in the office of the big boss. This book gives lots of suspense. This book also teaches teamwork. If the X-Men did not have team work in this book, they would have been defeated. I would rate this book an 8 between 1 to 10. It has lots of adventure and action. I loved this book and I hope you enjoy or enjoyed this book too.

This was the first X-men book that I read, and since I know them from books and have never read a comic, that's something. It's still one of my favourite. It doesn't have as much action as others I have read, but it is still an excellent read and a good, solid book. I do reccomend it.

An interesting piece of novel done by Dean Wesley Smith. Very imaginative and powerfully addictive. In just less than one day i spent a serene afternoon reading this wonderful novel amazed at the beautifully written comic literature. A joy to read, a story to be unforgettable, this book is a best by for me!

aka: Proteus