I, too, have had the pleasure of studying with Dr. Horrox; however, I have had the added pleasure of having read this book. Dr. Horrox's choice of essays, her deft handling of the material, and the overall significance of the material is, not unexpectedly, superb.

i must confess that i haven't read this book just YET-- but i have looked for it forever, it seems. the reason i feel that i am justified in reviewing a book i haven't read is that i have had the extraordinary pleasure of getting it, as they say, straight from the horse's mouth. she was one of my professors at summer school in cambridge. her class was entitled life, literature and art 1000-1500 and was probably the most enjoyable class i've ever taken. she would never look at the class (we were warned that she wouldn't) but she would roam back and forth across the front of the room, looking up, looking down, and speaking almost as if to herself of the most fascinating bits of information. while other teachers were dry or commanding or chummy, she was just genuinely informative. she spoke of history as if it were the juiciest gossip that you held your breath to hear more of. if ms. horrox can write half as well as she teaches this book should be one of the greatest reads imaginable for anyone with even the slightest hint of interest on the subject. cheers, ms. horrox.

This book has what it takes to help anyone, from beginner level to advanced, to improve their run time.

Excellent resource for those trying to improve their running time for the Army Physical Fitness Test. A must for military personnel and anyone who really wants to run faster and better.

When I first started my life as an entrepreneur my brother gave me a copy of the Incredible Secret Money Machine. I read it many times and whenever I followed it's advice, I prospered, and whenever I tried to "make it" doing the conventional things it advised against, I failed.

This book is for the average person who want's to have a little independence and security making money with their own technical or craft talents. It's a must-read!

I was turned onto this book by my friend Charlie in the 80's, who had successfully and happily run his own technical and craft money machines for many years. Since the book was out of print at the time, I had to search very hard to find a copy.

Don, through this book, has helped me to understand that I didn't need to be an employee, nor employ others in order to do my own technical venture and make a comfortable living. The advice is timeless (i.e. avoid taking on "granfaloons" (the government or large corporations), spend less than what you make, get by on less, invest in yourself, etc.) and continues to translate well into the internet economy.

I have taken to re-reading the book every year or so, to help adjust what I'm doing to increase my happiness and control over the direction of my career/life.

I have found it helpful to interact with others who are into this same "money-machine" lifestyle, and continue to enjoy many of the philisophical and other bits of advice provided.

The book is easy to read, humorous, and captivating. I had previously read Don's TTL and CMOS books, and also found those to be invaluable. This book is so genuine and unique, that nothing that I've found (and I've looked) has inspired me so much in my quest to do my own thing and run a small business.

Thanks Don!

-Jonathan

jpletzke@TheTechCorp.com

This is a great book which describes in fine detail theJapanese home in the late 1800s. This book captures a period of timewhen the Japanese house still had its unique cultural style and hadn't been excessively influenced by american or european style architecture. The book is clearly written and there are many detailed drawings which illustrate the text's descriptions. It is an interesting book both for its architectural detail as well as for its historical perspective.

In this excellent primer to the aesthetic of Japanese building design, Edward Morse casts a sympathetic and discerning eye on the constituent principles, parts, and details of traditional Japanese architecture and design. As we are led room by room through Japanese buildings of his time, we acquire an appreciation for the highly imaginitive individual expressions made by artisans of many crafts working within the standardization that gave the style longevity through many generations.

His study ranges from the historical origins of Japanese architecture to covering room floorplans, as has become a staple in introducing Japanese tatami mat rooms since he first wrote this book in the 1886, to lavishing minute attention to the details of various crafts that made the Japanese interior design accessories touchstones of excellence throughout the world. He also provides intimate vignettes of individual design principles, items, materials, and construction utilized throughout Japanese houses, rooms, and tea rooms.

His ability to translate the often fleeting impression of a space into precise identifiable elements makes him a valuable guide to this deceptively simple-looking style of interior design whose rigorous structure and aesthetic guidelines make it one of the great design styles of history. The extensive etchings included in the book provide concise, delightful, and sometimes humorous examples of the principles applied.

Because he covers the essential architectural and design elements thoroughly without becoming bogged down in mundane enumeration of tiny variances, the lively text gives the reader a very good sense of how spaces within a Japanese home are a sum of more than their constituent parts and how principles are applicable across the many disciplines that comprise the Japanese style. That he did it so sympathetically in a timeframe in which nationalistic chauvinism so predominated the world landscape makes it all the more impressive.

As an introductory volume to what makes traditional Japanese architectural design so delightful, this book is hard to beat. It's depth of understanding and comprehensive coverage of the style also make it an excellent reference volume for the more advanced student of Japanese design. That it is a standard item in bibliographies to Japanese design and on "must read" lists for Japanese design is no surprise.

What's useful about this book is that it addresses many common siting problems for outdoor and indoor gardeners, alike: light (or lack of it) and moisture (or dryness), and various combinations of these; pollution issues; plants suitable for particular garden "jobs" such as screening, ground cover, or containers; perennials with a long flowering season or low allergens. There are also sections that address specific "shopping lists": shrubs with fragrant leaves or ornamental fruit; climbers with fragrant flowers; various kinds of bamboos -- and so much more. Although about three-fourths of the book addresses outdoor plants, a hundred pages or more are devoted to houseplants in categories such as: houseplants for beginners; plants tolerant of neglect; herbs for growing indoors; unusual foliage; orchids; and much, much more.

The photographs are numerous, colorful, and large enough to display useful detail. Annotations about each plant (and cross references for other suitable plants, which may be listed in other categories) provide enough information to get started: zone, size, light requirements.

Although one might quibble a little about whether information might have a bit more depth in places, this book is an indispensable guide simply because no other reference approaches its scope. In addition, as a DK book, it is put together in a way that can accept the inevitable flipping through (you will not be able to avoid simply browsing, believe me) as well as the harder work to which reference books are always put. It's a book to use and enjoy.

Perfect Plant Perfect Place by horticultural expert Roy Lancaster is a simply magnificent, detailed, and user friendly "how to" guide to gardening that positively overflows with more than 1800 vibrant color photographs. Packed from cover to cover with descriptions of and basic care instructions for recommended plants for indoor or outdoor gardening, Perfect Plant Perfect Place is the ideal book for beginning to intermediate gardeners seeking to select just the right species of beauty to best decorate a home, lawn, or greenhouse. A most thorough, practical and enjoyable presentation, Perfect Plant Perfect Place covers a diversity of subjects from acidic soil, raised beds, plants for paved areas, and herbs in the kitchen, to rock garden bulbs, aquatic plants, containers in the sun, and urban back yards. If you can have access to only one gardening guide, make it Roy Lancaster's Perfect Plant Perfect Place.

This book is fast-paced, realistic, and superbly written. I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about the Wars of the Roses, or who wants the story to be told in a more personal matter. It's another two thumbs up!

The author writes a very interesting book of a very complex time. Although I am no medevilist, Seward's presentation allowed me to follow the events and charactors through the story.

This book would interest anyone who exists in an environment devoid of rules or strong central aughority figures where the actors have strong interests they must advance or defend. Anyone in a large corporation or the political world will recognize this Machevellian climate where getting things done requires alliances with those who may abandon you around the next bend in pursuit of their objectives. I serve in a legislative body and this book at times bore strong resemblance to the tussles and battles waged on the inside of the assembly.

Seward's book is very readable and fascinating for the historical era it evokes and the inteplay of interests displayed in the ruthless struggle to come out on top.

I really enjoyed this book, it is about a down
home country girl...abused by her step-father and
on the run from him. She has many adventures but,
never loses her country charm. A very good book.

Francis Jennings, long associated with the Newbury Library American Indian collections has brought his vast knowledge to bear on the subject of the Iriquois as the fearsome 5 or 6 nations who independently cowed both their fellow tribes and the English and French colonists. He proves it wasn't so with so many documents of which we have never heard in our schoolbook history texts that I wonder how such material escaped notice previously. In the process he slays some American Sacred Cows such as Francis Parkman. One learns that the Indian frontier was no such thing and didn't exist but was a commonly inhabited piece of terrain, peopled by various tribes and the European invaders who traded with them. Relations were, for the most part, reasonably amicable, which accounts for the fact that during later wars the Eastern Indians frequently exhibited what we call civilized treatment of enemies and prisoners. (Of course there were the exceptions, usually well justified.) But in the beginning, the Dutch, Swedes, English and French, all found it necessary to deal with the various tribes quite diplomatically in order to survive, and use them in their wars of empire with one another. Furs in return for trade goods were king. The undoubted reality is such a vast contrast with the accepted picture of our frontier that this book, as well as Jennings others in this series, should be required reading to repair the damage done in our schools by claptrap such as Parkman and other revered historians who followed his lead, writing off the Indians as barabarians and the frontier as a clearly delineated line across which whites stepped only if they were willing to take their lives into their hands. Instead we find two cultures living amicably in common communities up until the first half of the 1700's when the balance was upset by driving out the Indians such as the Delewares and Shawnees so that they located in the Ohio country and became relatively independent. The Iriquois had a large hand in this and it was their undoing. Read the book. It is a complicated subject but well worth digesting. I recommend reading it in small doses and having an atlas nearby.

This is the greatest book I have read. If you are interested in the wonderful daily life of the amish people, this is the book for you! I have visited amish country many times and love to see their daily life first hand. If you need furniture, buy AMISH!

This book is not quite as easy to read nor as interesting as Hanawault's book The Ties That Bound, but this book still gives insight into the culture of fifteenth century England. As a history and political science major, I greatly enjoyed reading a book that looks at history and literature to help create a broader perspective about what this time period was like. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in English history.