I just got my first PBGV in Augest of 2001 and before I got my wonderful little pbgv I bought this book and it helped me alot understand more about the breed and it also helped me in learning about the differnt begining kennels of the first PBGV's. It also help me understand how this wonderful breed came to be. If you are intrested in getting a PBGV or are getting one I would seriously recommend this book because of all the information it will help you with in the future.

From The English Dog World magazine: Breeders and exhibitors of the Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen round the world have been waiting for a definitive book on their breed, and here it is.

The authors have taken immense pains with the history, development and spread of the breed round the world, Many hundreds of hours of research and much traveling must have been undertaken to produce a volume of this scope.

The detailed discussion on the points of the breed will be of great use to those in PBGV, to those considering buying into the breed. and to any who essay to judge.

I have just finished reading the Petit Basset book by Valerie Link and Linda Skerritt and found it full of new information and facinating to read. The authors have done themselves proud

When hearing about the plot for this book, one gets the impression of a cold, dark, long, and tragic story from the North Atlantic - at least, that's how I thought before I started out on this book. Very quickly it appeared to me that although the story arch is tragic, the book itself is a very warm and human tale of love and deceit.

Barbara is a very lovable character, and she really comes alive in the text - she's one of the most beautiful women in 20th century literature, and the male reader will be hard pressed not to fall a little in love with her. That's what makes this book so fabulous: Although Barbara is not a very moral person, and she causes a lot of misery, much of the moral condemnation implied in the book bounces, in my eyes, off her and lands somewhere else, simply because of the extreme vividness with which she's portrayed.

There is also much suspense in the book - even though the reader is never really in doubt about whether the book ends badly or not, the story manages to hold one captive to the end.

Barbara is a classic tragedy set in 17th Century Faroe Islands. The main character, Barbara, is both amoral and loving. These may seem to be opposites, but they work in this character.

When the new priest arrives in the Islands, Barbara(twice widowed) chases after him. After conquering him & marrying, she finds another lover. He is a student returning from Denmark.

After seducing her, her new lover, Andreas, is convinced by his uncle to leave her and return to Denmark. Obviously she is "rewarded" for her infidelity.

The tragedy is in the main character's complete lack of understanding the consequences of her actions.

I found the story to be beliveable and would not hesitate to recommend it to all those who enjoy good 20th Century literature

George Johnston published a number of novels, many of them "pulpy" in nature to earn a living, before he turned the subject of his writing to something closer to home: his own life. And in doing so, he not only gained incredible fame and adoration, but also reserved himself a place in Australia's Literature canon. The strength of George's writing lies partly in the attention to detail and his beautiful evocation of parts local and foreign (local: Melbourne, foreign: Hydra, Greece) but it is marked also by the honestly which pervades all his work. "Clean Straw for Nothing", I believe, is his masterpiece - an intensely personal exploration of ex-patriation, poverty, the nature of success, illness and sexual jealousy. All these conflicting emotions are heartbreakingly rendered such as few Australian writers have ever dared to do, let alone so well. His alter-ego, David Meredith, speaks volumes in the way he conducts his life, about the journey of life and career, and the extent we can push ourselves in one direction which may not necessarily be the best for us. David, like Johnston himself, is driven, passionate and yearning, but also flawed in his insecurity, stubborness and self-centredness. Nevertheless, Meredith is indelible and moving because of this.
I read "Clean Straw for Nothing" when I was twenty-one, and credit it with changing so much about life and my attitude towards it. This is a neglected classic, deserving to be better recognised. In my eyes, Johnston was leagues ahead of his contemporaries.

It's easy to see why Middlemarch is a classic. The theme of reality not living up to one's ideals is a thread that runs through the lives of most of the major characters, and is instantly recognizable and relevant nearly a century and a half after the book was written.

Idealism is most evident in Dorothea Brooke. She wants to lead a learned life of service to others, but Casaubon is not interested in teaching her much, and the great work she initially believes he is writing is an irrelevant, disorganized bunch of notes. Tertius Lydate is also an idealist whose ambition is to make contributions to the medical field. Before he marries Rosamund Vincy, he sees her as the feminine ideal, a woman who will provide unquestioning support and an emotional haven. Instead, she turns out to be a self-centered spendthrift who ennervates him. He ends up with no money or energy for his research, and must concentrate on making enough money to support his wife's extravagance. Interestingly, the characters who end up the happiest, Mary Garth and Fred Vincy, lack such lofty ideals.

One of Eliot's strengths is her sympathy and compassion for her characters, despite their faults. However, she is no stylist, and I found her prose to be awkward and stilted. The reader needs to be patient with this book, because Eliot's style makes it somewhat difficult to get through.

Middlemarch has been described as the one Victorian novel written for grownups. Here, Eliot combines the multiple and interlocking plot lines so beloved by the Victorians with adult characters facing real problems. Particularly engaging is Dorothea Brooke's efforts to find a way to serve, if not achieve, greatness. Rather than undertake some great work herself -- something that Victorian women were not encouraged to do -- she chooses to dedicate herself to supporting a man that she mistakenly believes to be creating a major work. Similarly, Lydgate's slow downfall is realistically portrayed. Unlike many of the works of Dickens, Middlemarch's multiple plots work well together. If you have not read anything by George Eliot, this is the book to begin with.

This is a beautiful and romantic novel not to be missed by any fan of classic literature. The thick volume (795 pages) may be an instant put-off for some readers and the story does take a little while to develop, but TRUST ME, once you get past the first 50 pages, you'll be HOOKED and finding it difficult to put down the book.

I love George Eliot's style of writing - beautifully and distinctively eloquent and expressive, and with such observance and skills in depicting the depths and complexities of human relations and the demands and passions of the heart. The book also explores the issues of "class" (e.g. in the courtship between gentleman Fred Vincy and working class Mary Garth), "money" (e.g. questions raised over Featherstone's will after the old miser's death), "politics" (on elections and the cause promoted by the 'liberal' Middlemarchers), "scandals" (especially concerning the dark secrets of the respected banker, Mr Bulstrode) and even "murder" - all portrayed brilliantly in high drama and with engrossing suspense.

My favourite character is the heroine, the virtuous Dorothea Brooke whose life is made miserable by her marriage to the old, dull, selfish academician, Casaubon. Her later acquaintance with young Will Ladislaw who is Casaubon's cousin ("cousin, not nephew", as the vain Casaubon always makes a point to clarify, due to the apparent age gap between them) provides Dorothea with the companionship of someone who listens to and respects her views and who brings a ray of sunshine and cheer into her otherwise lonely life. Love soon blossoms between Dorothea and Will but they're forbidden to court/marry even after Casaubon's death due to a nasty clause put in by Casaubon in his will. It was pure heartache to read of the feelings that these two have for each other but aren't able to express due to societal constraints. Will knows rather early on that he loves her; it takes Dorothea longer to realize her true feelings. I got all teary-eyed when I read the part where Dorothea, alone in her room and in a state of inescapable anguish, moans out "Oh, I did love him!" [And to quote]: "... But she lost energy at last even for her loud-whispered cries and moans: she subsided into helpless sobs, and on the cold floor she sobbed herself to sleep".

The other main characters are no less interesting and will easily capture the reader's heart and compassion. There's Dr Lydgate, an ambitious man whose marriage to the vain, beautiful but spoilt Rosamund Vincy turns out to be a most exasperating and expensive affair (you have to read the book to find out just how SO). There's also a love triangle involving Fred Vincy, Mary Garth and Farebrother (the vicar). The other smaller characters such as Bulstrode, his wife, Mr Garth (Mary's father), a blackmailer (Raffles) and others are all well-painted and believable, each with their own story to tell.

Unlike some classics, this one provides a most satisfying ending because it discloses in the 'Finale' what happens later to the main characters after the "main story" has ended - e.g. up to what age they live to, if the (new) marriages are successful, how many children each couple has, etc.

"Middlemarch" is a truly remarkable classic and a wonderful, wonderful read.

this book is colorful and all, but it will be helpful if there is a sol'n manual 'cuz the sample problems are very easy and the hw are outrageously hard

One of the best, if not the best text book on fundemental structural analysis.

A beginners best bet.

I found Beer and Johnston's version of Statics very easy to follow. All problems are presented in an easy-to-understand format with multiple-color graphics. I highly recommend this over any other statics book I have tried.

I read this book 10 years ago while I was an exchange student in Australia. I might not have been able to take in all the subtle details referring to WW2 Melbourne that are surely available to the informed reader. The story, however, caught me and I could not put it down until I finished it. To me it is a story about growing up and discovering how the world just isn't what you thought it was.

Unfortunately I left Australia before I had a chance to read the sequel, Clean Straw for Nothing, but I have been keeping an eye open for it ever since then.

I'm sure that the critics and reviewers are correct in stating that this is a fine piece of literature and that it deserves all the accolades that it has won over the years,but it induced in me a terrible sense of claustrophobia and a feeling of melancholy.I was born in Melbourne and was a child during the years of W.W.2 so am very conscious of all the aspects of living in the closed,careful society that was Melbourne and its suburbs in the 40's. Not having had to think about that time for years,reading this book is,(to me)remembering the feeling of suffocation and also the feeling of being out of step with my family,even at that young age.My father believed that we all would be happier by "keeping your head down and fitting in".Perhaps My Brother Jack should be read by someone who grew up in a totally different environment and who would be fascinated by its culture.

A wonderful Australian friend of mine sent this book to me. He's from Melbourne and thought I might get a kick out of reading about some of the places he has so often told me about. This book captivated me from the very first page! So rich in Australian culture, the character studies are incredible. I think we all have a "Jack" in our lives no matter which continent we find ourselves on. I understand there are two sequels to this work and I am very anxious to read them as well. I highly recommned this book to anyone who wants to get a clear picture of what it is like to grow up in Melbourne.

When NPR's audio adaptation of the first Star Wars film hit the airwaves two decades ago, it was as big a landmark in the history of the Star Wars "universe" as any of the subsequent movies. By stripping the story down to the essentials of character, it proved that the appeal of Star Wars is not merely visual flash, but something more enduring, characters you care about, villains you love to hate and (that oldest of rivalries) good against evil. The writing was excellent and the cast equally good, including as it did Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels as Luke and C3P0 respectively. When NPR produced a radio version of The Empire Strikes Back a few years later, Billy Dee Williams came on board to recreate the role of Lando Calrissian and the producers' winning streak continued.

It would be over a decade before the production team got the chance to complete the trilogy with Return of the Jedi. Sadly, just as Return of the Jedi was the weakest of the original movie trilogy, it is also the weakest of the three radio versions. That is not to say it isn't enjoyable, because it is. Rather it can't quite match the exceptional standards set by the previous two series.

Part of the problem is the casting. Although Anthony Daniels returned to play C3PO, Mark Hamill does not reprise the role of Luke Skywalker. Unfortunately the actor who took the role, Joshua Fardon, does not convey the increased maturity of the character in this part of the story. Fardon's performance has a quality of over-eagerness that seems more suited to the naive farmboy that Luke was when we first encountered him rather than the fully trained Jedi-to-be he is here. Good as the other performances are, especially Brock Peters as Darth Vader and Ann Sachs as Leia, this misguided interpretation of Luke leaves a large hole in the story.

Part of that hole can also be attributed to the writing. Like the previous adapatations, Return of the Jedi was scripted by the late Brian Daley. Daley did a good job of translating what was perhaps the most visual of the three original Star Wars films into the audio medium, but he doesn't open up the story the way the previous two series did. Whereas the radio versions of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back took the time to show us more about the characters, Return of the Jedi is, for the most part, just what we saw on the movie screen with a handful of extra scenes thrown into the mix.

Those criticisms aside, anyone who is a fan of radio drama in general or Star Wars specifically will enjoy these programs. In the final analysis the producers understood the ways in which sound alone can fire the imagination. Using that knowledge, they have crafted yet another fine way to enjoy the magical world that George Lucas has given us.

Thanks to the many requests of Star Wars fans and radio enthusiasts alike, the team that brought us the radio adaptations of A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, reunited to conclude the original saga. Made exclusively by Highbridge, Return Of The Jedi, once again uses the film's score by John Williams and sound effects by Ben Burtt, to make for a top notch production. By using the actual soundtrack from the film, it gives the audio production crediability, as opposed to being made without it.

Once again, directed by John Madden, Jedi reunites most of the actors from the previous adaptions, with a couple of notable exceptions. Mark Hamill, who reprised his role as Luke Skywalker, for the first 2 productions, is replaced by Joshua Fardon. While, Billy Dee Williams, as rogue Lando Calrissian, is replaced by Arye Gross. As hard as these gentlemen try, because of the original actors previous involvment with the other two radio dramas, its difficult to imagine anyone else in those parts. Fardon's portrayal lacks the maturity of Hamill's character in the film version, Gross comes off, not quite as smooth, in playing Lando. The rest of the main radio cast, from the other two adaptations is thankfully intact. Actors Anthony Daniels, once again as C-3PO, (who has appeard in all 3 radio dramas as well as all of the films in the series) Brock Peters as Vader, Perry King, as Han Solo, Anne Sachs as Princess Leia, all complete their character arcs in the seies with style. Actor Edward Asner as the gangster Jabba The Hutt and John Lithgow as Master Yoda, (as he did in the Empire radio drama) use vocal talent, like no others, to bring these 2 unique characters to life.

Sci-fi author, Brian Daley, once again. wrote the radioplay for Jedi. As before, there are a few additional "scenes" presented, not in the film version. The end result is very good, but thanks to its shorter length, and the casting changes, I mentioned, Jedi doesn't seem quite as epic, as the other radio dramas in the series. Sadly, Daley passed away soon after the dialogue was recorded, and the production is dedicated to his memory. His script is very faithful to the film and the added scenes remain true to the characters and story.

If you own the other two radio dramas in the series, Jedi is a must have, minor problems and all. The story has six episodes, presented on three compact discs with a total running time of nearly 3 hours. Recommended

Return of the Jedi has always been my favorite Star Wars movie, both because I like how all the characters matured, (especially Luke) and because it finally delt face to face with the dark side, possibly the best force of evil ever thought of in the realms of fiction. This book exheeded not only my expectations for the book itself (which were very high) but even surpassed the movie in some ways. The author has a deep, highly emotional writing syle which apealed to me greatly, and was so profound that all through the book I truly felt as if was there, a part of the story. Every Star Wars fan should read this at some point, especially those who didn't like Return of the Jedi because they thought it was weaker than the others. I could almost garantee this book would change their minds. Also, the author did a tremendous job on the characters. Just they way they were presented made me truly feel for them, even characters who were previously not my favorites. At times this book had me sitting on the edge of my seat actually wondering if maybe this time it would turn out differently, and the part where Anakin Skywalker dies almost had me in tears. Anyway, I don't think think this book belongs in any particular age range, though probably some of it (in fact a lot of it) would most likely go over the heads of people younger then twelve or so.

This book should be read along with a few others so as to validate the authors beliefs. I would read James Perloff's "The Case Against Darwin" and a short pro-Darwin book just to see what the author in this book is focusing on. This book is definately a good source for the individual who is exploring the anti-Christian (especially Catholic) sentiment which exists in laboratory's and classrooms throughout our country.

I found out about Johnston from one of his pieces in the Wall St. Journal. I was looking for a good, readable critique of current evolutionary theory. Despite the Catholic subtitle, I found this little gem to be almost entirely free of any religious dogma. It was exactly what I was looking for. Johnston is obviously very smart, well-read, and writes marvelously. He first defines and then lays bare the weak scientific evidence for natural selection. All of our modern conception of human beings is based on Darwin's flawed premise. This book demonstates that you can question evolutionary theory without being a Bible-thumping fundamentalist.

I read this book because someone I respect more or less foisted it on me. I am not a religious person, and I presumed this was some sort of creationist dogma. Were my eyes ever opened. This book does not say, "Darwin bad, Creationism good." (In fact, it points out that Creationism was primarily a construct of the American Southern Protestant movement of the nineteenth century. The Catholic Church does not promote it.) This book simply points out that Darinism is deeply flawed, and that it is open season to explain how we actually got here.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect for me was to see that those who cling hardest to Darwinsm are, in fact, guilty of the same thing that they accuse their opponents of; that is, blind faith in an idea with no supporting evidence.

Those hoping for an attack on mob rule and Andrew Jackson will be sorely disappointed; this 'treatise on Jacksonian democracy' is hardly a commentary on the current events of Cooper's age, and does not even mention Jackson. Rather, Cooper, spends more time discussing the merits of proper pronounciation than slavery! Further, for a polemic that greatly hurt its writer's reputation, the book is pretty weak and tame.

First published in 1838, The American Democrat is a wide-ranging series of essays, many of them couched in theoretical terms, about the historical and cultural bases of American democracy, and an informed critique of many aspects of American politics, society, and culture in the 1830s.. Cooper wrote the book shortly after returning to Jacksonian America after a seven-year sojourn in Europe, and it reflects much of his discontent with what he found. As a cogent and informed commentary on 19th Century America it belongs with a book with which it has often been compared -- Toqueville's Democracy in America.

Whereas, Alexis de Tocqueville offers his perspective on America as an outside observer, the literary genius James Fenimore Cooper offers his assessment of culture, politics and society in 19th century America. He doesn't hold democracy to be sacrosanct like we do today, but rather like any other system of government with its advantages and disadvantages. His look at the nature of liberty and its relation with equality is particularly intriguing.

He is cognizant of the dangers posed to American self-government, which values legal equality. Equality, is a virtue, only insofar as it pertains to equal rights and equality before the law. Any effort at establishing equality of outcome is tantamount to tyranny and opposed to liberty. Cooper illustrates the precarious relationship between liberty and equality. Unless, tradition, custom, the rule of law and the Constitution are revered and upheld- the American Polity could easily collapse into majoritarian tyranny under a demagogue.

One gains an appreciation of the system of government established by the American founding fathers after reading this book... They established a constitutionally-limited federal republic, with limits not only on the power of government, but with limits placed on the power of majority rule, so as to limit the fundamental role of government to protecting the rights of its citizens. This constitutional republic sought to balance out monarchial, democratic, and aristocratic elements...

Written by CSA' General Joe Johnston's daughter, this first volume is an entertaining novel. Written at the turn of the century by one of the bestselling novelists of the day, this book is full of surprises for the modern, well-read reader. The first two chapters were difficult for this reader to adjust to the early 1900's style; but, became thoroughly enjoyable for the next 600 pages. Set primarily in Virginia, several characters are fully developed from 1860 through 1863. Several women attended to Confederate soldiers in hospitals around Richmond and they view the Battle of Seven Pines from the rooftops; this segment is very interesting due to the fact that the civilians view the battle through a variety of telescopes and interviews with stragglers from the battlefield. The Valley Campaign is viewed at times through the eyes of a CSA private who avoids fighting but nevertheless ends up between battlelines and charges a battery. Like other products of the times, their is a romantic interest that is conventional and suspensful. There is a military injustice which results from love denied and there are vignettes of bitter feuds in the relationships of Lee' lieutenants. Among the best battlefield scences, are the fates of three nameless CSA soldiers caught between the lines somewhere on the Emmitsburg Road. A long, well paced novel that not only gives a good story but also takes you back to the mindset of those who read for pleasure before TV and radio shortened attention spans