This a a wonderful presentation of Don Troiani's art. The added bonus here is text written by Brian Pohanka. As a Civil War and an art enthusiast, I have seen no finer book. The research Mr. Troiani goes through to ensure the accuracy of his paintings is impressive. I find that this an invaluable source for "what it was really like" during the depicted events in the Civil War.

This Book is not only regiments history and a lott of beautiful accurate illustrated uniforms, is history alive. The only thing this book lack off is sound but thanks to the hands of Don Troiani the paintings are so full of live you can hear it in the back of your mind. Art by Don Troiani, text by Brian C. Pohanka. This book presents in a beautiful landscape format his unique view of the war and the men who fought it. Each painting is accompanied by an extensive background text by noted historian Brian Pohanka The good thing about this book is that if you consider yourself a Civil War historian or reenactorss a just a fan beginning to study the civil war, you won't find the typical error of other authors, this would help you enjoy the painting one by one so you can understand better who and how was this War fought. One last thing DO NOT PUT THIS BOOK ON YOUR COFFEE TABLE people fall in love with this book so fast that they can even stole from you, believe me this is the third time I buy this book. If you enjoy this book you would love Don Troiani's Soldiers In America, 1754 - 1865.

If there is one art book that should be in every Civil War buff's library, this is the one! It's a beautifully done and wonderfully written chronology of the war, as seen through the eyes of artist Don Troiani. These impeccably researched and incredibly detailed paintings make one feel they are witnessing the actual events! The text by noted Civil War historian Brian Pohanka is a perfect compliment to Troiani's artwork; it is both informative and moving at the same time. Highly recommended!

This book is an excellent guide to upper body wrestling. Very useful pictures and text by great athletes. While no book can replace actual training a good one (like this) can provide the theory and correct technique descriptions to guide you and serve as a source of reference. This book is well worth investing into!

Exellent book which seems to present you with one or two simple yet olympic quality attacks and defenses for each grappling situation one may encounter . Which allow the author to delve into every possible body position applicable to an upper body attack . The subtleties of this style of grappling cannot be explained in words , the sensitivity one gains in this method of wrestling . You need to know this and this is the best book by far to do so with . The throws are quite painful and turn your whole body into an explosive weapon . Note of caution , this is physically demanding , sissy men and ladies need not apply ...

This is simply the best book on Greco roman. It will help any grappler from a freestyle or folkstyle wrestler, to a sambo or jujitsu man. His descriptions are VERY detailed about upper-body wrestling. There are all types of throws, slams, and suplexes taught. Plus there are some good drills for developing your throws in there too.

I discovered The Gregg Reference Manual as a student in an Executive Secretarial curriculum at a local community college. It was a required textbook at that time. Not only did I come to depend on the book for everything, it has become a permanent fixture in my library of books, and I continue to use it daily. It truly sharpened my grammar and punctuation skills, and I now have excellent verbal and written skills as a result. It has been ten years since I purchased the book, and because the world has advanced in such a short period of time, I decided I needed a more recent edition. I began searching for the Gregg Reference Manual, but I had no success. I had just about given up when I discovered the Amazon.com website. I was really excited to find the book via website, so I quickly ordered it.

I'm buying my second copy of The Gregg Reference Manual today since my old one has apparently disappeared. I purchased my first copy of this book as a secretarial student in the early 1980's and have used it regularly for both professional and personal writing and editing ever since. I feel lost without my Gregg Reference Manual. My kids will get lots of use out of the new copy as they write reports and business letters in junior high and high school. I can't wait to receive my new book. It's too bad it won't come with the dog-eared pages I used to mark the most frequently used subjects in my old copy.

I used this book for years while working at a university bookstore. No matter what rule of punctuation or grammar I needed -- and no matter how unusual the application -- I could always find the answer in the Gregg Reference Manual. It's the most complete writing reference I've ever found.

I have just reluctantly finished Mrs. Peterkin's book,"HEAVEN IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE." I found myself putting it down because I didn't want it to end and then being drawn back because I had to know what new inspiration I would find in the next chapter. Mrs. Peterkin has revealed her soul and I feel so privileged that she has allowed me to vicariously live her life and wish I had been living mine with as much love. Her love and acceptance of all people no matter how worthy or unworthy we may be, gives me renewed hope in my fellow man. I thank her for letting me share this part of her life.

This book is a must read for all ages! I had a feeling of sadness come over me as I finished because I realized my adventure with Mrs. Peterkin was over.

I have just finished "Heaven Is A Beautiful Place", by Genevieve Chandler Peterkin...it is a wonderful, wonderful story of South Carolina history at its best...you are 'right there' with tales Mrs Peterkin tells of Lillie Knox, Zacky Knox, her mother-in-law Julia and Mama...cringe at the ghost tales of Alice Flagg and others...the romance and marriage to Bill, then the birth of their only son, Jim...grieve at the lost of that young son...her faith in God that grew stronger and stronger as troubles came.

It was hard at times to lay the book down, while at other times you could not wait to see what happened.

I am now going to pass my copy of "Heaven Is A Beautiful Place" on to my 89 year old mother, who likes to read, as she says, 'something real'...

This book was given to me as an achievment award. That was almost 20 years ago. I could not tell you how many time I have read and re-read the pages of this book. Mr. Danforth's message is just as valuable today as it was 20 years ago, actually more because I appricate the things he says so much more today. I have taken his dare to live my life with the ballance he suggest and I am a better person because of it. In my opinnion this book is a classic in motivation and success that ranks right up there among such titles as "Think and Grow Rich", by N. Hill, "How to Win Friends and Influence People", by D. Carnegie, "The Power of Positive Thinking", by N. V. Peal, and "The Geatest Salesman in the World" by O. Mandino. These books will build a foundation that you can build a trmendous life upon if you will read them and take their lessons to heart. Of these books, "I Dare You" is my favorite because of it's simple but effective message. This is truly a message that is just as valuable today as it was the day it was writen. If I could only own one book other than the Bible this would be the one book I would own. This is not a book that should be read once an put on a shelf it should be read over and over and passed around to friends and loved ones.

I am sure that Mr. Danforth was a brilliant man. This inspiring book is definately one-of-a-kind, as far as its ability to provoke thought, and make you consider the way in which you face the world each day. I wish I had my own copy of "I Dare You," so I could read it perhaps once a month, jsut to check the progress of my personal growth. One cautionary word of advice, however: Don't start reading this book late at night, especially just before a busy day. While the text is relatively short, the reader finds on one of the opening pages this challenge: "I dare you to finish this book before you go to sleep tonight." Now who could resist

Received it as a prize at H.S. graduation 25 years ago. Mr. Danforth DARED us to pass the book along. I couldn't bear to part with mine. I read it again whenever life gets out of "square". Recommend it as a gift book for those "special occasions" for young people. I have misplaced by bible but I can find this book in seconds! Delighted to know it's still available. READ IT. Even if you are a grownup. I DARE YOU.

The Last Hookers provides us with a compelling inside look into the historical facts that shaped the Vietnam War (going all the way back to the earliest events in Europe and WW II). Colonel Dunn has truly authored a comprehensive, well written and definitive war story. The story details not only the politics involved behind the scenes, but how families from all sides were affected and coped with the strain and tragedy of the war.

While this is a work of fiction the historical facts woven throughout the story really bring the characters to life. This realistic book was a thoroughly enjoyable read that gave me insights into the events leading up to and including the war itself that I had not even considered before.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is even remotely interested in the Vietnam War! You will come away with a much deeper understanding of the conflict and respect for those individuals and their families who were directly involved. Great stuff!

Carle E. Dunn has done the hookers and anyone who is interested in what really happened in Vietnam a great service in pointing out the good and the bad, the brave and not so brave, the strife and the glory. Having "been there, done that", the book brings out the history, the fights, the family of yesteryear long buried. It should not, for our brave who have given their all should not be forgotten. This book brings it well into the fore-front.

Carle clearly separates a bad war from the good warriors who faught it. The Last Hookers suggest a much more positive view of not just the outcome of the war, but also of American morale, competence, and performance. A must read.

Ex Hooker, (Recovery)

As a Flight Engineer with the 362Avn.Co. and having served under Col. Dunn I could not be more proud. After reading The Last Hookers I can honestly say I felt pride for the job we did in Vietnam. If anyone wants to know what Vietnam was like this is the book to read.

If you've ever had an excuse for not getting into the Word, this book is for you. Howard Hendricks who chairs the Center for Christian Leadership (affectionately know as "Prof." to his students at Dallas Theological Seminary) with the aid of his son Bill, has written this phenomenal book on the "why" and "how" of Bible study.

In the first few chapters, Hendricks challenges all the excuses we have for not studying our Bibles and posits clearly superior reasons in favor of doing so. He then uses Scripture itself to show us what we will gain from regular study of God's Word. In typical Hendricks fashion he begins by humoring "I wish we had a better term than 'Bible study,' because for most of us, 'study' is a bad news item. It has all the appeal of flossing our teeth" (13). He tells the story of a man he met at a Bible conference who drove twelve hundred miles to "get under the Word" and Hendricks muses "was he just as willing to walk across his living room floor, pick up a Bible, and get into it for himself?" (9).

There are three steps, which will transform that sometimes-dry text into the spiritual growth that we desire in our lives. They are Observation, Interpretation and Application. These three steps are the heart of the book.

The ability of Howard Hendricks to communicate clearly and effectively is unmatched in this introductory work on Bible study. The pages of this book come alive as he swiftly and painlessly removes the obstacles to personal study while at the same time equipping the reader with the proper tools to understand God's Word. Virtually every chapter contains exercises for the student of Scripture to get hands-on experience instead of just theoretical book knowledge. Much of this book is essentially the application of Mortimer Adler's book, How to Read a Book, (which Hendricks highly acclaims) to the Bible. The anecdotes, illustrations and "quotables" are alone worth the price of the book, not to mention the enlightening elaboration of the three-step approach to Bible study. This book should be the absolute first book a new Christian reads apart from the Bible itself.

Howard Hendricks has been teaching students at Dallas Seminary how to get deeper into the Bible for 50 years, so his book is a rich source of wisdom. This book will benefit the baby Christian and the seasoned pastor alike. Every reader will benefit from the practical wisdom and easily applied principles presented in this book - not to mention the extra ounce of motivation. This would be a super book for group study and accountability - particularly in a discipleship situation.

Living by the Book, by Howard Hendrix is a guide to using and understanding life's instruction manual, the Bible. This particular book is not just your average Bible study guide. It is a very in depth, detailed guide for digging deep into God's Word. Hendrix writes powerfully and uses layman's language to explain his brilliant methods for studying the Bible.

I reviewed this book once some time back but amazon apparently cleared it off so the original text is now lost. Still, Hope Muntz' tale of Harold and William and their epic tug-of-war for the throne of England which ended in the bloody Battle of Hastings in 1066 is worth writing about again.

I'm a lover of historical fiction and have never found any book in that vein better than this one is. Written in a terse saga-style which evokes the original time and place of the events recounted, THE GOLDEN WARRIOR offers a time-warp experience which puts us directly in the medieval world on the eve of the final fall of the last of the English kings. Some have found the style of the text a bit off-putting and distant in its early stage but I have never found anyone who, once reading beyond the cool, objective saga like beginning, has failed to admire the book at the end. If there are failings, and there are, they revolve around Muntz' portrayal of Harold, Earl of Wessex and later King of the English, as a man who is almost too good, too perfect to be believed. And yet he is vividly brought to life here along with an entire cast of brilliantly rendered folk including his beloved common-law wife, Edith Swan Neck, and his relentless rival and, finally, foe, William of Normandy. In fact it is William who seems more fully shaped, though Harold, in the end, is the one we cry for. And we do, or at least I did, finding tears on my cheeks when I came to the final battle . . . and this more than once. There are not many books, I think, which can do this but here is one which does it over and over again.

For those who love historical fiction, especially set in medieval England, and for those who admire the old sagas or tales of vikings and such, this book is to be sought and treasured. But it is less an adventure than a tale of real people in serious times. The tale of the fall of Harold has never been better told in my opinion than in this veritable English Illiad and I cannot urge it strongly enough. But if you've already read it or if you have no luck in finding it, you might try another which, while not quite as good (I regret to admit) may also be of interest to readers of this one. It's THE KING OF VINLAND'S SAGA by Stuart W. Mirsky, also available on-line and currently in print. Since I wrote it, I wouldn't mind if readers of this "page" wanted to take a look at it as well! -- Stuart W. Mirsky

This story emcompasses the life of Harold who starts out as an earl and eventually becomes King of England. His genius and his shortcomings are intricately portrayed by Ms. Muntz. The novel has an old world flavor to that at times is enchanting, and at others tedious.

It also showcases Duke William of Normandy as a shrewd, calculating future ruler of England. He uses Harold's faults as well as his virtues against him whenever possible.

Although the writing is somewhat archaic, it is a genuine retelling of this famous man, who would be King and for a brief time was just that. This book is out-of-print, however, if you can locate it it is well worth reading!

Hope Muntz's book is one of the best fictional accounts of Harold II's life. Muntz brings to life the very hazy period of history directly before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

William "Not Bill" Nealy should be known to virtually every paddler through his Whitewater Home Companion series, Whitewater Tales of Terror, Kayaks to Hell, assorted river maps, and other cartoons. He has been seriously paddling kayaks for at least 12 years. On the positive side, he has an apparently serious addiction to steep creeks and flood-stage whitewater, is one hell of a cartoonist, and I seem to recall reading that he has made the move up to C-boats. Nealy produced this revolutionary book on river safety for intermediate and advanced paddlers. KAYAK The Animated Manual of Intermediate and Advanced Whitewater Technique takes up where the average text leaves off and uses a unique "time-lapse" drawing style to put everything into a unique perspective.

KAYAK The Animated Manual of Intermediate and Advanced Whitewater Technique begins a bit slowly for my taste. Except for a nice discussion of Fear and Introduction to Rapid Anatomy, you could jump directly to page 19, Hydrotopography, where the meat of the book begins. I've been boating for a while and am beginning to figure out what's happening to water above and below the surface in a rapid (in paticular what it's going to do to my boat). Nealy's illustrations of kick, holes, reefs, ledges, Big Drops, and hydraulics was tremendous. He first explaines what forces are involved, then he goes on to discuss tactics for running these mothers.

We've all been taught the AWA universal river signals and they're repeated in most paddling texts and guide books. Nealy goes one step farther and presents some more specialized hand signals that the probe may use to modify what y'all learned during scouting. Are these really useful? Do some creeks with people like Will and you'll find out.

Swimming Self Rescue (or "swimming lessons for those who NEVER go swimming."), pages 63 through 73, presented some good illustrated advise: on using your partially swamped boat to pull through the backwash in mega-holes, to cross strong eddylines or eddy fences; on swimming complex rapids and big drops; and, on orientation in big holes. His final piece of wisedom, "Above all, don't give up!"

Pages 83 through 109 deal with River Rescue and were intended as a practical supplement to Bechdel & Ray's authoratitative River Rescue. This section is great! It is more than a practical supplement, it illustrates things in a way standard text books cannot. I have never encountered a more profound description of Chase Boating than that presented in Kayak. Chase Boating is an excitying sub-sport of creeking which involves running dangerous rapids while in pursuit of or actually towing fear-crazed victims. Born in the southeast Chase Boating began as a way to atone for leaving your rescue rope in the car. Since those early days Chase Boating has evolved into a complex and beautiful ballet of catastrophe. Nealy explains the choreography of this artform and provides seldom discussed insider information such as the taxonomy of good and bad victims.

Finally, The Joy of Flood (or "big water technique if you subtract the trees and debris.") is the last section on river safety. I've never read about flood stage tactics in any previous whitewater book. Should those of you reading the Eddy Line paddle flooded rivers? Nealy recommends recalling, the tired but true, "if you can't do the time, don't do the crime." He then discusses the time (trees, strainers, mega-holes, whirlpools, funny water, exploding waves, etc. etc.).

So, go out and buy the book. William (not Bill) can use the money. If you don't have time to read the book you'll enjoy just looking at the cartoons. You're paddling buddies can read it on the way to the put in. It fits nicely into a drybag so you can take it for amusement during multiday trips. More than likely it'll get lost because someone borrowed it.

If you buy one book on whitewater kayaking, this is it. Very informative, lots of tips and extremely funny. All presented in a cartoon format with a unique 'time-lapse' approach.

Particularily good are the sections of whitewater river reading & scouting; various rescue techiques both for yourself & others; and big water technique.

An essential buy for any aspiring whitewater kayaker.

The first book gets you interested in kayaks, in a whitewater boat, and on the river. Nealy's portrayals of whitewater adventure and mishaps will either hook you permanently or scare you away entirely. Especially useful for visual learners, the animated Kayak! may be the first how-to book I've ever read cover-to-cover in one sitting. Many of the techniques and situations described will be irrelevant for average paddlers, but at least by reading about them, you'll know they exist. For example, a good friend said to me last week, "So there I was, pinned under the stern of my boat, unable to reach my grab loop, running out of air, and I'm thinking of that roll in Kayak! and how nice it would have been to know it right then." So... she lived through it, went home, flipped to the section on self-rescue and resolved to be more prepared next time. While ostensibly a book on technique, Kayak! is also a cultural primer for paddlers. As an introduction to stereotypes, river jargon, and river manners, Kayak! will help you stay likeable on the water -- thereby affording you a chance to learn from other paddlers instead of chasing them away. Nealy prepares you to approach river mishaps with caution and humor. Seeing Nealy's characters pummeled in hydrolics, assulted by "bad" victims, and swept toward undercut rocks reminds you that the dangers of whitewater are also half the fun and that those things which do not kill us will make great stories at the campfire.

Mr. Ulrich understands how businesses have a tremendous reliance on legacy systems. Pressure is always on the IT staff to meet the demands of the business cusomter. The IT community is asked to bring products and services to the consumer through the internet while managing the internal demands to keep expenses under control. Bill's book lays out a framework in which the business community can build company-specific plans to leverage their prior investments while striving to meet today's business drivers in a manner that is cost effective.

IT trends come and go, but each new technology adds more legacy systems to application portfolios. Legacy systems account for a disproportionate share of IT spending, yet few authors tackle the subject, and even fewer offer actionable advice for capturing and extending the value of those systems. William Ulrich's Legacy Systems Transformation Strategies is a long overdue reference guide for IT professionals seeking to modernize the legacy war horses in their corporate portfolios. Relying on many years of experience in the trenches, Ulrich offers many approaches and options for supporting today's business requirements from data mining to application modularization and EAI (enterprise application integration). He provides concise and practical techniques for all aspects of legacy transformations including planning, data rationalization and business rule capture and reuse. If you own, manage, or support legacy systems, invest in this book! You won't regret it.

Corporations have been trying to retire legacy systems for the past couple of decades. Each new technology (be it client/server, ERP packaged apps, etc) were supposed to put the nail in the coffin for legacy systems. Yet, legacy systems continue to thrive despite attempts to retire them. One reason why they continue to exist is that in many instances, they support business processes in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible. Bill's book views this area more as a transformation effort (evolution) rather than wholesale legacy replacement (revolution). This book is a must read for IT departments as they struggle to remain relavent in an era of outsourcing.

The strategies outlined in this book will help the IT department become a partner with functional business units in delivering solutions that address burning business problems. The focus shifts to providinig measurable value to the business as opposed to implementing unified and elegant technologies.