As I read this book, I was reminded a bit of Steinbeck's old book, "Travels with Charley." In both books, the reader is treated to a commentary of "life on the road." However, in this case it's following the author as he travels across country in his RV to watch numerous minor league baseball games. How many of us as baseball fans secretly wish we could do just that? How many of us however actually have the time and more importantly the finances to do this?

While the book is dated, it still is well worth a read. The author describes the dreams of numerous minor league ballplayers to make it to "the Show," but points out only one out of every fourteen actually makes it to the big leagues. And not only is this book about their stories, but the stories of numerous minor league towns, and the people the author encounters. He also gets to meet and talk with several of his boyhood idols, players from the 1957 Milwaukee Braves. Some of the stories of these people are sad, some hilarious, but all of them are quite entertaining. I've recommended this book to a friend with a son who aspires to be a "big leaguer" someday, because it entails some of the hardships involved in getting there. This book is a travelogue of places where time has seemingly stood still and the players are gods, even if they are only minor leaguers pursuiing a dream.

David Lamb's summer through the minor leagues is one of the most outstanding baseball books I've ever read. He writes like a storyteller and really makes the reader care about every team and player he writes about. These players, particularly in the low minors, really play baseball for the love of the game and the chance they might make it big one day. Lamb also takes the time to make the local color of the towns he visited come alive. With all the problems of Major League Baseball now, this book will remind you why you care about baseball.

Stolen Season is a very enjoyable read that chronicles a Summer of writer David Lamb's life. Badly needing a break from his job as a foreign journalist, Lamb decides to fulfill a life long dream of driving accross the country visiting as many minor league baseball parks as he can. Although baseball games are the intended stops, his encounters with the people around the country are just as important, making this an enjoyable read whether you are a baseball fan or not. This book has inspired me to make an effort to visit more minor league parks where the game is still just a game. Make it a point to check this book out.

As a person who never studied much science, I have always been interested in the origins our world and how it came into being. The theories of earth science were explained thoroughly even to a layman like myself. This book has convinced me to delve even deeper into geology and seek the answers to the creation of my local surroundings. I now wish had chosen my university courses differently when I was younger. Bravo!!

This book is great if you are looking to explore the origins of the earth, and what makes the earth work. It explains all the steps that made life on earth possible. Each chapter contains thorough information on different subjects from the ice-age to the actuall formation of the solar-system itself. I think this is an awsome book. I understood all of it and I am 15!!! Buy this book!! Its great!!

This is a must-have! I'm a geologist myself and although Ihaven't seen the television series on which the book is based (I haveno tv), most of my colleagues were watching and raving about it with great admiration. The book was immediately ordered for the library of our institution.

But don't take my word for it!

On June 2, 1999 David Sington, who is the producer and writer of the series and co-writer of the book, received the Sullivan Award at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. The Sullivan Award is presented annually by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) for reporting that makes earth science accessible and interesting to the general public. It is named for its first winner, the late Walter Sullivan of The New York Times. Sington was the first broadcaster and first non-American to win the award in its 11 year history.

His name is associated with other great works related to geology and other sciences as well. Both authors know what they're talking about and had co-operated with many scientists on this production. A wide range of geological issues is tackled and they're all tackled admirably.

And I'm not in any way associated with the authors either. I'm just very happy to see earth science treated this way. END

I am not writing this review because I have read this book. I am
writing it because this book is so hard to find. If this book was so important to John F. Kennedy, why is it not available so those interested in the late President can read it to? Should this book not be reissued for other generations to read? It is just a thought from someone who wants to know more about JFK.

I loved this book. Of the many books on the period which I have read, this is probably my favorite. Melbourne is a fascinating character, and the author gives a masterful account of his life. For a period which can be dry if not properly set forth, I found this book to be a real page turner. Lord Cecil gives a thoroughly interesting account of Melbourne's early life, and in particular his stormy relationship with his wife Lady Caroline. She emerges, as is well documented, as bordering upon lunacy. Her antics are well documented and amusing, although I couldn't help feel a sense of frustration that Melbourne was entirely too tolerant of her behaviour. While Melbourne appears to be somewhat wishy-washy, his amiable nature is precisely the key ingedient for his rise to Prime Minister: everyone liked him. Lord Cecil's insight into the evolution of Melbourne's character is fascinating, and reveals something of a tragic figure. Indeed, the later part of Melbourne's life, is sad. Much of the later part of the work is devoted to Melbourne's close relationship with the young Queen Victoria, and upon her marriage, Melbourne's life become tragically empty. The end of the book gives an account of the loneliness of Melbourne's later years, and it reveals Melbourne as more susceptible to bouts of melancholy. But that is the truth of the matter, and it does not detract from the enjoyment of Lord Cecil's work. Finally, it is interesting to note that this book was cited by President John F. Kennedy as his favorite book. Some have attributed this to the accounts of the behavior of the ruling aristocracy in Britain during the whig era, wherein they ruled during the week and ran to the country for parties and relations. I found these desciptions of the book by some of JFK's contemporaries to be inaccurate. While such events are described generally, as they should be to properly account for the period, the focus of Lord Cecil's work is upon the character and evolution of Melbourne himself. This results i! n a comprehensive and altogether enjoyable account of the period. I highly recommend this book.

David Grossman, a very gifted Israeli author, portrays the fragile line that separates the Israeli from the Palestinians in the occupied territories. But this is far more than a political story. Here, an old Arab, while demanding withdrawal from the land held by the Israelis, loves the Jewish soldier he has captured and threatened to kill. And the soldier returns this love with a delicate sense of respect. Fraught with diverse emotions, humor and insights, this book examines the moral ambiguities and human dilemmas that confront the Israelis on a daily basis,never shaking their lengthy history with the land.

David Grossman, a very gifted Israeli author, portrays the fragile line that separates the Israelis from the Palestinians in the occupied territories. But this is far more than a political story. Here, an old Arab, while demanding withdrawal from the land held by the Iaraelis,comes to love the Jewish soldier he has captured and threatened to kill. And the soldier returns this love with a delicate sense of respect. Fraught with diverse emotions, humor and insights, this book examines the moral ambiguities and human dilemmas that confront the Israelis on a daily basis and never shaking their lengthy history with the land.

Excellent novel by an excellent writer! I would recommend this to anyone, as well as his other titles.

The first read of God's Precious Gift in a Manger is a sweet experience. Rebecca Lamb's text is serene and gentle, yet it successfully covers the complex subject of man's need for a Savior from Adam and Eve in the garden until Christ comes as a baby in the manger. It is powerful, yet simple. The book gives the reader an understanding of God's watchful care from the beginning of time through the history of man and finally, God's provision of a Savior. Erickson's wonderful illustrations offer a superb visual for adults and children alike. They are colorful - yet have a slight overtone of sepia - reminiscent of historical photos of scenes from a past century. One is transported back in time by the feel of antiquity in the pictures. The combination of Lamb's fluid text and Erickson's charming illustrations make a delightful book that will be enjoyed time and again. While one might expect this to be exclusively a seasonal, Christmas book...it is much more than a Christmas book. I would expect this to be a terrific tool for Sunday school, homeschool, or in the home. I bought a copy for a gift, and one for myself! It is such a sweet and sincere book, I expect I haven't bought my last copy yet. Consider God's Precious Gift in a Manger if you are looking for a good book to read together as a family, with your children, or as a gift. What a great first effort from Rebecca Lamb. Look for more good things to come from this new author.

It's a very good book, but the poetry is especially good. Some of it is as pretty as anything I've ever read. If you're looking for a good inspirational book - this is really good!

David Lamb has a true gift for capturing the sentiments of young people in the city. In The Trumpet Is Blown we meet Chris and Shaun, best friends growing up in a Brooklyn housing project. As they grow older, one chooses the path of jazz music (and later Islam), while the other becomes a crack dealer. Within this dichotomy is a riveting story of friendship and loss. Lamb's storytelling talent also lies in his use of themes; through the young characters we get tidbits of jazz history, hip-hop music, different sects of Islam, and an all-too accurate look at the crack game. The Trumpet Is Blown is another brilliant piece of work from an author who informs as well as entertains...

I didn't think Carrie Brown's second novel could possibly be better than Rose's Garden, her first, but it is. The story of Norris Lamb and Vida Stephen is the most unlikely of love stories -- he's an aging postmaster, and she's the nanny to a mute and retarded boy -- and the novel that presents their strange and miraculous courtship will make you long to go back and read the novel again. It is beautifully written and marvelously detailed. It is often very funny, and the novel's conclusion is one of the most moving and convincing I've ever encountered. Carrie Brown is a literary author who deserves a wide audience. I can't wait for whatever she writes next.

This is my first encounter with author Carrie Brown, but I doubt it will be my last. I do most of my "reading" on audio cassettes because I have a long commute each day. Not only did I love this poignant love story, and the author's superb way with words, but the reader, David Rintoul, gave one of the best readings I have ever heard. He captured the ache, the passion, the delight, the stuffiness, the ordinariness of Norris. And each of the other characters, with their

wonderfully distinctive accents, came very much alive for me. I felt as though I knew each one of them by mid-book.

I have "re-visited" the village and its folk twice now, and probably will again. I will be very much disappointed if there is not another Norris/Vida/ Manford novel. And if there is one, I do hope Rintoul will be the reader. There can be no better one!

We Norris Lamb's of the earth appreciate the ordinary heroism told in this simple, but profound story. Even those of us who are handsomer than Norris have many of his foibles, although we acknowledge that his human traits are delightfully unique in their arresting hues and combination. We Norris Lamb's of the world are the very men who weep while reading this sweet tale with the loveliest of prose. We number many more than the Vida's of the world could imagine. And we appreciate and love the Vida's of the world. That is why this book must be read. In this story, from the simple and ordinary blossoms a powerful romance that, with rare exception, heretofore only has been portrayed as occurring between men and women with the build of Jeremy Martin (read the novel to understand). "Lamb in Love" reveals the miracle of selfless love transcending selfish, unromantic infatuation and obsession. I truly loved this book. It will be made into a fine movie, I am sure, perhaps starring Colin Firth as Mr. Lamb (that's just my recommendation). Now, I have said and revealed too much, so I must retreat to my post to sort the mail and admire my stamps. And I will await the movie with all the anticipation of a man waiting behind the horse chestnut tree for Vida to appear.

Journalism is sometimes called "the first draft of history", and in David Lamb's "The Africans" we see that to be true. This is a very fine introduction to and overview of Sub-Saharan Africa. Lamb mixes first-hand reporting with an effective presentation of Africa's colonial and independence-era past. The entire book is well written, packed with information, and well worth the time it takes to read its 300-some pages. The original edition was published in 1983, before the AIDS crisis and Nelson Mandela's transformation from prisoner to president, and this is one small problem: what is written in the present tense in the book is nearly as historical as what is presented as prior history; its a bit difficult to keep straight when the various notes and epilogue were written. A quick look at a few websites (like the CIA World Factbook) should provide the most recent information. This sort of thing is sure to be a problem with any book that covers recent history. Nevertheless, this book's strengths far outweigh this small weakness. This is an outstanding and very fair look at Africa's cultures, history, politics, societies, and traditions.

Lamb's book starts with an overview of African politics circa the early 1980's and a chapter about the difference between traditional and modern Africa. The next chapter covers some of Africa's "big men" bad and good: Mobutu, Bokassa, Moi, Nyerere, et al. Uganda's Idi Amin gets an entire chapter, as does the OAU. In the next chapter, African coups are discussed. Then the end of the colonial era, Portugal's African colonies, and African relations with the U.S. and U.S.S.R. The contrasts between the Ivory Coast (led by President Houphouet-Boigny) and Guinea (led President Sekou Toure) make an interesting chapter. Westerners' African Culture Shock is the next chapter's subject, followed by a chapter about journalism in Africa. Health and sickness is treated next, then some sense about African money and economies. Finally Nigeria and South Africa each get a chapter.

Anyone looking for a relatively short and easy to read book about Africa would do well to read David Lamb's "The Africans".

I read a lot of history books and too many of them are extremely dry. This book is what a history book SHOULD be like. It covers the history of many African countries but reads like a novel and avoids the usual slant that other history books have: the blame for all the problems in Africa is shared among several camps, not just the colonialists OR the Africans.

A social, cultural and historical view of the issues facing our most diverse continent. This is not a dry history book - Lamb delivers even statistics with relevant stories and profiles of Africans - from the poorest to the most powerful.

I read this book in preparation for a safari in Kenya. I had no background on "black Africa" from school - history classes seem to ignore any African country south of Egypt. Lamb's book provided me with insight and understanding of why things are the way the are in Africa - and helped temper my Western way of looking at the world.

The book is organized into chapters which are easily read in one sitting. Lamb draws on lessons from history, personal observations (he lived there for four years) and the observences of Africans to weave a story of a continent on the verge of major change. The book emphasizes the beauty of the land while honeslty speaking of the tragedies of the past (and future).

My only wish is that The Africans had been updated for the 90's.

I am looking forward to reading The Arabs, also by Lamb