When introducing friends and family to the greatest detective alive (Freddy) you will not want to dabble around with just "Freddy the Detective" or you will have to turn around ad go back for "Freddy Goes to Florida" and Freddy Goes to the North Pole." This is not her order that were written in but it is better to see how Freddy thinks.
Freddy must use some of his best disguises in the investigation. As with Freddy stories there are many adult concepts that are brought up in the story and one must know where loyalty lies and be ware of deceit.
Again the best book to start with is "Freddy the Detective"; it explains how Freddy became a detective, which he uses, in subsequent adventures. After reading a book on Sherlock Holmes he decides he can be a pretty good detective and recruits friends in the process.
The stories are intriguing in them selves. However underlying the story are several real life concepts for one to work out as what's the matter with going to jail if you get fed and do not have to work? What do you do when the judge has already made up his mind before the trial? I especially like the way he browbeats the pore little rabbit during his interrogation. One forgets how intimidating it could be.
Well you will enjoy this story as Freddy must figure out what happened to a child's toy train and what diabolical plot it is used in.
Then you will want to follow up with the other two books. As with many anniversary collection books there are additions to the book its self such as color plats of the original jacket and 84 black and white drawings.

When I was young, I found this series at my local library. I read it many times. For children who love animals, humor and even a little mystery, this series doesn't disappoint. I can still remember passages in my head now. Though I haven't read any of the books in this series for about 10 years (and I'm remembering as I was at that age) I believe these stories are good for young readers. So, pick up a copy today.

Walter Brooks begins this sixteenth tale of our indomitable porcine poet with a great stir on the Bean Farm. Mrs. Bean's long lost brother has been discovered, and is coming to the farm for a reunion. When Aaron Doty makes his appearance, it is with mixed reviews. He is generally nice enough, although he has a marked affection for telling tall tales, but he has a suspicious mean streak. In the final analysis, the animals come to suspect that he is a fraud, taking advantage of the fact that Mrs. Bean's brother left when she was quite young. When they find out that Doty is conspiring with sneaky Mr. Garble from Centerboro, they are convinced.

But what should they do? The Beans owe Doty half of Mrs. Bean's inheritance. $5,000 dollars that long ago was put into the farm. They will have to borrow the money from the bank, and that means the Bean's will be near destitute. Even when the animals trap Doty in one lie after another, Mrs. Bean is adamant. No matter how rotten the man is, as long as he is her brother he is entitled to the money. Freddy will have to go to unheard of extremes to make this problem come out right.

One the lighter side, Freddy manages to be drafted into the Centerboro High School football team. It seems that pigs make superb tackles, and the Centerboro team is in sad shape. To make matters worse, their archrivals from Tushville have several players on their roster who are old enough to be teachers. Whenever Freddy can make time, he is either in classes of at football practice. Hopefully he will be able to help the Centerboro team improve their hapless record.

As usual, Brooks and illustrator Kurt Wiese manage to recreate one of the strangest fantasy worlds ever put into children's books. Animals talk, often making more sense than do their human counterparts. Freddy is part poet, part banker, part newspaperman, and now, part left tackle. Spiders go for trips to California, and the Centerboro jail is better than most four star resorts. Through it all come positive lessons about friendship and support, honesty (well, sometimes), and an abiding belief that a determined effort will turn things around. Hard as it may be to believe, you can do a lot worse than learning your values from a pig!

As usual, Freddy gets into trouble and into the adventure by trying to help his friends. In this case, Mrs. Bean's long-lost brother turns up and wants his share of the inheritance, something that will bankrupt Mr. Bean and possibly ruin the farm. At the same time, he is needed to help the Centerboro high school football team beat its rival, Tushville, who has ringers playing on their team. The action is fast and furious, and a delight to read. Brooks and his Freddy books are a godsend to parents who read to their children.

Translated from German, this is an enormous book, with two oversized volumes in a slipcase. Not only is it gorgeously illustrated throughout with unusual photographs, the text is great too, starting with an excellent (but sophisticated) short history of hunting from prehistory to the present. The emphasis is on hunting around the world, which makes this book stand out from most, which are usually focused on the United States. It is fascinating to see how hunting traditions vary across cultures, but share the common themes of respect for the game hunted and calling upon the hunter to face up to the challenges of the pursuit in that spirit of respect. I am both a hunter and book publisher, and I can vouch for this as one of the best-written and most beautiful books you can find on this subject, at any price.

Excellent pictorial history of game and the hunt. Buy it for the photo's alone. Excellent text as well a must for any serious hunter or gamesman.

In volume 2 page no. 1678 chapter 295 on Acute Viral Hepatitis, The figure 295-2 we think has an error. IgM anti HAV is described to increase first & IgG is to increase later. In diagram, both have been labeled IgG.

This is an excellent comprehensive medical text covering practically every aspect of Internal Medicine.
A must for the Primary Care Physician.
Personally, I would get the two volume set as the single thick back has a tendancy to break away from the binding.

All of us ponder the meaning of life at some point or another. We are the only species which does so. (Well, at least we think we are the only species.) Sometimes not only are the questions unanswerable, even the questions seem questionable. We have to know where we are to decide where we are going. That's where this book comes in. Dr. Guindon is a psychiatrist who has listened to thousands of people throughout his professional career. He knows where mankind stands (and it's not always in a field of daisies). His goal in the book is to help us reach beyond our selves, to within ourselves. He's not one of those spiritual gurus who will help you channel your outer space spirit, or help you re-experience your past life as Cleopatra or Caesar. He won't even help you find your inner child. (Hint: She's sprawled on the couch, dunking chocolate donuts in a glass of cold milk, talking on the phone, and catching up on Bewitched reruns.) But Dr. Guindon will help you connect to the part of you that shares the world with a loving God. The book will help you focus your energy to refine your soul and prepare you for whatever comes next along your life path. He will help you get to know not only yourself better, but those around you, too. His vision will take you past the stars, through the Milky Way, and beyond the universe. You will wind up back in your own warm bed, enriched and calmed by the experience.

I read this book just as I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. The book helped me focus my energy not on "Why me?" but on "What can I learn from this experience?" It has enabled me to focus on the relationships in my life (my family, my friends, God), rather than the fact that the illness I have could mean my death in a few years. Dr. Guindon's book made me much less afraid of death, if indeed that is my near-term fate. I recommend this book to everyone, but especially to those facing a terminal or long-term illness, and their friends and family.

I agree with the author that Mahavira is the eldest son of not only India but of the Universe. Ahimsa - Dyanamic Non-Violence is the only answer for universal brotherhood. the Ahimsa the anekantwad & the aparigrah - the Jain trinity will save the planet & protect it from pollution.

Written by Kurt Titze, a German, this book includes a large number of dramatic photographs taken by the author. He has visited quite of few of the remote Jain pilgrimage sites that most Jains will not have a chance to visit. It contains very well researched description of all the sites covered.

This is quite an unusual book. Strongly recommended for personal Jain libraries, although it is a fairly expensive book.

Interwoven with the articles on Jain pilgrimage centers, the basic principles of Jainism, specially non-violence, are highlighted.

The author's awesome attainments in mountaineering: the only living man with two first ascents of 8,000-meter mountains, are matched by his boundless curiosity and his enthusiasm for every new experience. He is a man of high good humor, tenacity, and independence with remarkable communication skills.

The autobiography is three books "Summits and Secrets" written as a young man, "The Endless Knot" takes up his ascent and harrowing descent of K2 in 1986 and the loss of his beloved partner, Julie Tullis who died there; and "Spirits of the Air" written in middle age.

Though "Summits and Secrets" covers interesting material about Diemberger's childhood and early manhood, I found the translation to be stiff. I fault the translator because the other two books are so free flowing and at times lyrical. In these autobiographies, you get a sense of the complete man, not just his genius on the mountains. He loves to sing (he claims it helps him breathe better on the mountain), can and does swear thunderously in German when thwarted, has small vanities, and a never failing appreciation of the charms of the ladies. Unlike many of the climbing fraternity, he doesn't appear to have a double standard where women climbers are involved. He judges everyone on his or her merits. I became so attuned to his storytelling, I felt as if it was all directed to me personally, that he wanted me to be entertained and share his wonder and delight at all he had seen. I am glad to report that as of this date, Kurt is still going strong lecturing, climbing and doing camera work. The story ends at 1991, and I had to follow up to see how he has fared this last decade.

The much-traveled Mr. Diemberger for some reason had never been in the United States until his 40th year. (Maybe because we cannot boast of any 8,000 meter peaks!) He was an enthusiastic tourist as is shown in the following excerpt from "Spirits of the Air." His awe and amazement during his helicopter flight through Grand Canyon is infectious:

"I am staggered! Overwhelmed is no word for it! And anyway, there's no time to be overwhelmed when new sensations are continually bombarding you, shaking you, grabbing your attention, whetting your appetite for even more unexpected thrills. You are looking ahead, back, down, as gigantic buttresses sweep past, pillars and palaces of red rock, side valleys opening and closing, the terrific gorge agape below you--- You are flying through the biggest trough on earth. All the pictures I have ever seen of the Grand Canyon are forgotten. They are tiny facets, mosaic pieces, nothing more - I see that now. No human brain can comprehend this intricate labyrinth that is the Grand Canyon. It is a world!"

Let Kurt take you on his journey. You will never regret it.

Of this omnibus I have read only The Endless Knot but am so impressed with it that I wanted to lodge a review. This account of climbing K2 during one of its hungriest years is rendered luminous by the simple, unaffected, honest and straightforward affection between Kurt and his working partner Julie. Kurt's "married to the mountain" prose and his personal honesty make this a genuine monument in the literature.

There's nothing like listening to an author read from his work. This audio collection - Vonnegut reading from Slaughterhouse Five, Welcome to the Monkey House, Breakfast of Champions, and Cat's Cradle - is an absolute must for any fans of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

This audio-cassette version of Slaughterhouse-Five is a great way to enjoy Vonnegut at his best. Follow Billy Pilgrim through a hillarious and moving journey through life that has more relevence to real life than any other character in modern American fiction. Vonnegut's influence is wide and well respected mostly due to Slaughterhouse-Five. A must buy

This book covers the Kid from Caroline from childhood to before the '92 O's - and an amazing story it is. Kurt is the best skater there has ever been and perhaps ever will be, although Yagudin is gaining on him. Natural talent, personality, and flying feet make this man. After you read this book, go to videos and buy "Jump." You won't regret it.

Kurt Browning is one of the (if not THE) greatest figure skaters to ever grace the ice. If you love him, then you MUST get this book! Too bad it's out of print, though. You can probably get it through auctions. Believe me, it'll be worth it!

I've never read a book like this before. It teaches you very complex
algorithms *and* how to prove their correctness *and* their concrete
implementation in C++ *and* how to prove the correctness of the given
implementation *and* how to speed up the implementation *and* the
proper use of the fantastic LEDA-library *and* the underlying object
oriented design *and* how to do fine software engineering.

I've really read every single line of this book, even every single
line of code and I'm filled with enthusiasm. It is definitely a
must-read for every scientific programmer who wishes to improve his
style of programming, the correctness and speed of his code, his time
spent for coding, or who just wants to learn about the most important data
structures and their implementation and how to borrow them from the
award winning LEDA library instead of inventing the wheel twice.

This book finishes the time of boring pseudocode lyricists who teach
you how and why an algorithm and his data structures work, but not how
you can *get* them to work.

LEDA library is one of the best library ever built to combine efficient data structures with extensive algorithms, ( ). Particularly the readability of the code is one of the best. This book is essential for those who want to know more about LEDA and the theory behind it. From the point of view of a computational geometer, the book shows a nice and detailed presentation of the theory and its implementation in practice. Especially I like the pseudo code part in the book.