Michael Oliver's "Benjamin Britten" is both informative and insightful. As one in a series of 20th Century Composers, I found this edition most interesting. I have read six other editions from the series, and Michael Oliver's is the best written thus far.

There are several well written biographies of Britten on the market. All that I have read thus far spend entirely too much time discussing the personal life of the composer, rather than focusing on his ground- breaking operas, or orchestral works. Oliver chooses to focus more on the music that is Britten, rather than getting wrapped up in his personal life. True, elements of Britten's childhood and adult struggles with the morality of the day may have caused him to compose the haunting tunes and melodies, but they are not the basis for understanding his music.

Oliver highlights the reason Britten is one of the 20th century's greatest composers- pure genious.

This is an excellent book. It is a breif, easy to read book that includes all the info you would ever want about the opera, and Britten himself. there is a whole series, which I suspect is just as good.

I am surprised to see that I'm doing the first review on this book! I checked this book out from the library to read to my children, and it is one of the most memorable biographies we have read together. This beautiful book is the story of Benjamin Franklin's interesting and inspiring life, with many full page illustrations. It includes many of his sayings throughout the book. I can't wait to own it!

Benjamin Franklin helped the woman's movement of the 18th century. Through the use of a hoax, Franklin helped to spread the word of woman's treatment by the justice system. By creating a person, Polly Baker, a person that exsisted only on paper; he was able to give the people a champion for women's rights. This book is fascinating as well as an important historical record.

This is an extraordinary literary work of history and biography. Middlekauff stikes the right balance here between erudition and urbanity. Seeing Benjamin Franklin through the eyes of his enemies reveals not just the complicated character of the man but also the complicated moment in history that he occupied. I highly recommend this book!

I am a 3. grade teacher and when I was reading this book to my class, they all were fascinated by it. Benjamin Franklin was no longer a "stranger", he became alive with this book - he became somebody you know and understand a little bit better with every page. The illustrations are great and brought up many questions from my students.

Benjamin Graham's ideas formed a framework of thinking about the stock market that has inspired the investment community for nearly a century." Graham's method of investing is as relevant today as it was when he first espoused it during the Roaring Twenties. For the first time investors have the opportunity to collect together Graham's seminal works on value investing, supply and demand, production and consumption, and cyclical inflation and deflation, as well as global economic structures. Ben Graham's autobiography and rarely seen personal photos allow readers to get a complete picture of the personal and professional life of Graham. Graham ranks as this century's (and perhaps history's) most important thinker on applied portfolio investment. Graham's theories are fully explained and illustrated in these three seminal works.

You would think that Benjamin Harrison would be a little more in vogue right now than he is at the present time, given the current occupant of the White House. Like George W. Bush and John Quincy Adams, Benjamin Harrison was the descendant of a President (albeit grandson instead of son) and like the other two was elected to the Presidency despite losing the popular vote. Both Adams and Harrison lost rematches with their opponents, Andrew Jackson and Grover Cleveland respectively, and it will certainly be interesting to see what happens with a Bush-Gore rematch, if such a thing actually comes to pass.

Susan Clinton begins this juvenile biography of Benjamin Harrison the way most volumes in the Encyclopedia of Presidents series begins, with a pivotal moment from the subject's life. For Harrison is it the Civil War battle of Peachtree Creek, where the then Colonel commanded the First Brigade of the Third Division in the Army of the Cumberland. For his efforts in the battle, Harrison was promoted to general and in 1888 he would become the last Civil War general to be elected president (because McKinley was never a general). Clinton traces Harrison's career after the war from lawyer to Senator and then to President. Actually, for a one-term president, who saw most of his policies overturned by Grover Cleveland, the once and future president, Clinton does an excellent job of covering his administration.

One of the benefits of going through these biographies of the presidents (in alphabetical order for those of you following along) is that the rule of thumb is that the value of these books is the inverse of the president's success and popularity. Before reading this book I had pretty much dismissed Benjamin Harrison as a historical footnote; after all, his Secretary of State James G. Blaine usually gets more ink in your standard American History textbook than Harrison. However, anyone will find it hard to forget about an incumbent president whose wife dies during his re-election campaign. This book is illustrated with historic photographs and illustrations, including a few fascinating political cartoons from that time. After reading this informative biography I have added Benjamin Harrison to the short list of presidents who could have done better if only the politicians had not gotten in his way.

This book teaches your child the dangers of trusting strangers. It is easy to understand for the child, and keeps their interest. I have searched for this book again and again, and have not found it in the library since 1993. I am going to find it and share it with my 3 other young children.

I recently read this book and was inspired by its message. Not only does the book convey to young children the value and importance of the printed word, but it also imparts some very empowering messages about the good that can happen when people decide to change their thinking.
After realizing what a world without words would be like, children are taken on a wonderful journey through an enchanted world filled with words, letters, pictures and ideas. Children receive a palpable appreciation of the value of the printed word in their own life, and the importance of literacy in contemporary society.
I would highly recommend this book to all parents of young children.