"Here lies our sovereign lord the king, whose word no man relies on, he never said a foolish thing, and never did a wise one"

That apt limerick (by one of King Charles' courtiers) provides the beginning to this third instalment of Jean Plaidy's Restoration and Charles II trilogy. In this book, Plaidy goes on to interweave the story of Nell Gwyn (one of Charles' favourite mistresses), and the King himself. The plot covers much of the (later) dramatic events that shaped Restoration England, from the bawdy houses to the playhouses, revealing King Charles II as a man dominated entirely by his love of peace (on the home front and abroad) and his fears for the succession after his death. Plaidy also shines the spotlight on Nell Gwyn, one of the most popular actresses of the Restoration era, and one of the king's favoured sleeping partners. She was beautiful, witty and a great actress, managing to learn her parts, despite not knowing how to read. This book gets into the heart of its characters, recreating events with a great deal of verve and imagination, and is certainly recommended for all lovers of historical fiction. And the Merry Monarch's response to the above riposte?. "The matter is easily resolved, my words are my own, the action's my ministry's."

Great book LOADED with information not found in any other book/article in English. Thanks, Charlie Powell!!!! There are no photos or illustrations, but there is a great Spanish Royalty family tree.

I had to do a research paper and this helped tons! I couldn't beleive the stuff I found in the book ___JB

Wood has put the "war" back into the Wars of Religion. This volume contains a magnificent analysis of the French royal army and its operations. The nature of the military conflict, particularly in the early wars of religion, had serious consequences for the crown, the state, and French society as a whole. His thesis is that the crown failed to deliver a knock-out blow to the Huguenot rebellion in the early wars due to an incomplete "military revolution" (the problems of logistics, supply, personnel, financing, social organization, etc. that all needed to be solved by early modern states in order to field effective standing armies). This led to a state of endemic civil war that lasted for over a generation. This book is an essential contribution to the fields of military history, warfare and society, the Wars of Religion, and early modern France. Now, we need someone to write the equivalent analysis of the other side...

The animals around the misty Isles of Scotland get to tell this tale of adventure as escape of Bonnie Prince Charley through the Highlands in 1746. He's now a Scottish deerhound, beholding to Skye terrier Fora MacDonald. Robert Hutchinson and Rob Brown join forces to tell and illustrate the story beautifully. I especially liked the way Flora communicates with "free" animals who bravely come to her aid. Such a talented lady--she speaks otter, owl, porpoise, marten, and deer! A lovely, lyrical journey sure to delight parents and children alike.

I enjoyed this book. It's full of good stuff - as you would expect proverbs and what may be more accurately termed aphorisms - which relate universal truths. You don't have to be a Christian or even religious to get something out of "Proverbs".

I found it best to dip in and out of "Proverbs" rather than attempt it in one go. Many of the individual proverbs deserve some time for considered thought. Also, at times the proverbs are very repetitive (for example "spare the rod and spoil the child" crops up in multiple versions) - this could be a distraction if you're trying to get through them all at one sitting.

Several things struck me about this book. Firstly "Proverbs" felt very conservative in tone - one is told repeatedly to follow your father's advice without question (...).

Know thy place, in other words. They are also very masculine, which no doubt will irritate some female readers (Proverb 31 in particular lays down the duties of a good wife). Yet perhaps one should take an understanding view of this given the age of the book.

Modern readers may have problems reconciling the injunction that the search for knowledge and understanding is good. (...) This seemed to me to reflect the problem (addressed more directly in "The Book of Job") that knowledge and understanding can only operate within the limits imposed by God. Beyond that, do not stray. So, what appears unjust and inexplicable is best left as such, as it will make sense to God. This is the "leap of faith" which sceptics (like myself) cannot manage.

"Proverbs" also assures us that the wicked get their comeuppance - yet is this really the case? Or does it mean in the next world - again faith is needed? (...)

This book provides great insight into the life of Richard Petty. I grew up a fan of the King, but this compilation of his own words let me know that not only is Petty the guy with the big hat and the big smile -- he is the guy with the big heart, great sense of humor, and tremendous courage. This is a fun book to read, and you'll learn a lot about perhaps the greatest NASCAR racer of all time.

The footnotes in this standard King James Bible are plentiful and lucid. Many people will also find the extensive thematic index very useful. I am disappointed that Ryrie didn't include a major Topical Concordance, but I'm about to purchase Strong's, which I believe will perfectly compliment Ryrie's exceptional study Bible.

An illuminating look into the mascot controversy, "Team Spirits" covers many of the issues surrounding the debate, including historical, fiscal, and racial. This book belongs on the shelves of anthropologists, sportswriters, sports fans, and concerned individuals. "Team Spirits" is especially useful for countering the tired and ignorant accusation that removing mascots is merely a PC move by liberals with nothing better to do.

Many people don't realize the Catholic Church produced some of the most powerful "psychics" in history. Many of these "psychics" were among the Church's greatest saints. In addition to their other gifts, God and Christ's Holy Mother gave them in-depth perceptions of coming events. However, these mighty prophecies have often been ignored because they are confusing and hard to follow. God often condenses centuries of time into a few lines of prophecy. In these modern times, many people prefer to dwell on God's love and ignore the fact of his justice. The authors have researched this prophecy, and have learned the language of prophecy so they could present coming events in a readable, easy-to-understand, logical format. These private revelations from centuries of holy seers serve to support, enhance, and illucidate public revelation--the Holy Bible. The book contains most of the best prophecies of the Catholic Church and her saints, and spans over 14 centuries. It clearly lays out the coming Two-Fold Chastisement, the Period of Peace, the AntiChrist yet to come, and what happens during this time and after. It also tells you in-depth what's coming, how to survive it, and more importantly, how to survive the Three Days' Darkness. This book says it all. You don't have to search anywhere else to get this information. Y2K, the coming "Total Collapse," the coming earth changes, and fire that will fall from heaven and mingle with fire from earth are all explained in this book. Reading it is like reading tomorrow's newspaper.