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Book reviews for "Llewellyn-Thomas,_Edward" sorted by average review score:

The Ants
Published in Hardcover by Belknap Pr (1990)
Authors: Bert Holldobler and Edward Osborne Wilson
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Excelent book!
This is an excellent book. If you love ants, or you are starting to study them, or simply like to read excellent science books, this one's for you. It is very well written, and, although it is technical in many aspects, it is a delight to read it. It is full of pictures, diagrams and graphs of almost any aspect you can imagine. Almost any subject that the book addresses is explained at length in a clear and understandable way. However, there are some parts of it where you need some background in biology and mathematics to understand the book.

Both Holldobler and Wilson, who have a strong background in ant studies, have outdone themselves. In this book you can learn about virtually any aspects concerning ants, from their anatomy to their classification and more. And besides this, the book also teaches a lot of things not only related to ants but more general, like evolution and kin selection (applied not only to ants but also to eusocial insects). Learning so much about the ants makes you change your viewpoint about this little animal and makes you think about how incredible nature (or God) is to create such beautiful, incredible animals.

Not for the amateur
Of course this is a great book. But it's also very big...and very technical. I know more about insects than the normal person and I was lost after the first couple pages. If you want a neat ant book read Journey to the Ants. It's more down to earth and easier to read and written by the same people. I wouldn't try to tackle this until you got a few entomology courses under your belt....

The definitive ant book
I received a copy of this book back in the early 1990s and have gone back to read it on several occasions. The book is massive consisting of over 730 pages in a large 12 x 10 format. It contains hundreds of illustrations including several color plates and some really amazing paintings of various types of ants and hive culture.

The information is exhaustive ranging from the extremely technical to the conversational. Parts of the book will be mainly of interest to the hardcore entomologist but the majority of the book is easily understood by the layman, well maybe not always easily but it's not too difficult and it's worth the effort.

I can't imagine a better or more complete text on the subject of ants. Anyone with any real interest in the subject should not be without this book.


Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers
Published in Paperback by Univ of Nebraska Pr (2002)
Authors: Ralph Moody and Edward Shenton
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Heartwarming, Enjoyable, readable for any age level
I first read a book from this series, "the fields of home" when I was 8 or 9, on my fathers recomendation, he said it reminded him of his father and himself. after reading the story, I found that rather than seeing my father and grandfather, I saw my dad and myself. I didnt know any other books from this author existed until a couple of years ago, when I ran accross the entire box set. my whole family has enjoyed them; both as read aloud books for the younger kids but as quiet reading for the older ones as well as my wife and I. I read the entire series at least once a year, and they never fail to bring a warm feeling to my heart, as well as a close feeling of family ties and kinship to the rural way of life. If the kids of today cared half as much for the well being of the family as Ralph Moody did for his, this would be a much better world to live in

A Wonderful Book For Families To Read Together
I read this book after my 9-year old finished it for school. The lessons and values that Ralph Moody learned growing up are so good and true-even if sometimes they were learned the hard way. Mr. Moody's book teaches wonderful values like responsibility, respect, honesty, hard work, and committment and support of the family. The part I liked best was the relationship that Ralph had with his father. This world would be a much brighter place to live in if every son had a father like Ralph's. I think a dad reading this to his kids would teach lessons they all would remember.

A wonderful book of life's most important lessons.
Little Britches is the sort of book that you wish could be made available to every man, woman and child in today's mixed up world. It is wonderfully inspirational and would go a long way toward making you think about what is really important in life and how you ought to go about being the best kind of human being that you could be. I have re-read the entire Little Britches series for the last 20-plus years and just recently ordered the entire set from Amazon.com. I am thrilled to think that they are still in print and I look forward to many years of enjoyable re-reading of them again. Do yourself a favor and buy Ralph Moody's books. He had tremendous insight about life and living. He would undoubtedly be the kind of man we'd all like to know, be friends with, have as a dad, husband, brother etc. You'll love his books. You'll laugh and cry and be transported back into a wonderful time of life. You'll be left with some great new thoughts and feelings about what really matters after all.


Spoon River Anthology (Audio Editions)
Published in Audio CD by The Audio Partners Publishing Corporation (2002)
Authors: Edgar Lee Masters, Patrick Fraley, and Edward Asner
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We Are Spoon River
There is no Spoon River, IL. Check your map. Several towns argue that they stake their claim in being what Masters asserted to be this mythical town. Petersburg and Lewistown, two towns of otherwise minor repute seem closest... but it is so much better we haven't an actual town... Spoon River's residents are our next door neighbors, whether we live in Central Illinois or Central Florida, or southern Alaska.

Masters has written not fables, but the essence of American life. He hasn't captured the life and times of 1915, but has instead recorded in 1915 the life and times of our present day America.

The same reason the paintings of Norman Rockwell makes sense is why Edgar Lee Masters poetry makes sense. To read the quick messages on the gravestone of one man, learning a little bit him, and something about a neighbor or two, we can learn a little about how we live in communities today.

Our lives, like Jimmy Stewart's character in "It's a Wonderful Life" found out, interact and impact everyone we meet. Who we love, who we should love and who we reject. And when we die, others feel the loss. Masters has aptly put this in a humorous, yet insightful way into short verses.

The poems don't rhyme. The meter is not solid, and the poetics aren't intricate. They aren't poems like Poe's or Dickinson, not in the way they wrote American poems. Don't expect iambic pentameter-based sonnets or villanelles. Expect a conversation, and listen in.

The poetry here is in the subtle use of social nuance. In the nuances are his insight and wit. Two readings will bring to light what you miss in the first.

Buy this book, read it slow. It reads faster than most poetry book, but don't get caught in the temptation to zoom through each poem just because you can.

After you read it, see the play if it happens to be performed in your town.

I fully recommend it.

Anthony Trendl

Important to another century ...
Edgar Lee Masters was a Chicago attorney who, long before Lake Woebegone, wrote of the mythical village of Spoon River, IL. Specifically, of the real stories of the people in it's graveyard. Now that they're dead the truth can finally be told. And almost all of them lived lives of terrible lies. I was introduced to it in Jr. High, was blown away at the realization that people all around me probably had these same kinds of secrets, living with them hidden, or hoped they were hidden. Paraphrasing, "I was of the party of Prohibition (anti-alcohol), villagers thought I died from eating watermelon. It was my liver. Every day at noon I slipped behind the partition at the drug store and had a generous drink from the bottle labeled Spiritum Fermenti!" The several poems that introduce Hamilton Greene are as powerful as anything I've ever read. Do yourself a huge favor, read this book! And then imagine yourself in the Spoon River graveyard, finally able to tell the truth about your life.

Voices of Humanity
I was turned on to this book after hearing the latest Richard Buckner release "The Hill", in which the musician uses the Spoon River Anthology as the basis for his conceptual music. After listening to this wonderful disc, I was compelled to read the actual work by Edgar Lee Masters. What I found was a book that was written in 1915, but that brings to life the voices of humanity louder than anything I've read in recent years. This book is more poetry than literature, but the stories of the residents of Spoon River that are collected within the pages are stories that are not soon forgotten.

This book has moved me more than anything else I've read in recent years, and I highly recommend that othes read this outstanding work of art.


Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets (NBC TV Series)
Published in Audio Cassette by Bantam Books-Audio (1997)
Authors: David Simon and Reed Edward Diamond
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Contains Much Realism
This is a very realistic account of a year in the lives of one shift of homicide detectives written by a newspaper reporter that reads as well as fiction. You are right there at the crime scenes with the primary detectives when they roll the body over looking for clues, when they interview the witnesses, fill out the paperwork and go out for drinks after work when the board is changed from red to black, signifying the case has been closed. You can get a real appreciation as to what it is like to be an underpaid, underappreciated and overworked homicide investigator in a major city. Interrrogation techniques are revealed in this unique book. Some trial action. Definitely worth the read. Contains real life violence. A good companion to the TV show.

The finest non-fiction book I have ever read
Simon's Homicide reads not as a murder mystery, not as a documentary, and not as a dramatic novel, but as a life lived in the Baltimore homicide unit. The reader does not feel passive, as though he were watching the goings-on through a filter like a television or even a bystander. The reader is there, with the detectives, sharing their experiences, sharing their very thoughts. This book is a masterpiece, a book that completely enthralls you to the point where during the time you are reading, nothing means more to you than the resolution of each case, each obstacle, each crisis. Please, do yourself a favor and read this remarkable book.

The kind of book you don't put down...
... until you are finished. Incredibly well-written, fascinating, and a page-turner. I've reacted this way to very few books, and _Homicide_ is one of them. Simon makes you laugh at the warped sense of humor of the Baltimore Homicide Squad, and cry at the tragedy of a little girl's body found in the projects.

This is just flat-out an amazing book. Read it.


On Human Nature
Published in Paperback by Harvard Univ Pr (1988)
Author: Edward Osborne Wilson
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Best book ever written on human nature
Edward Wilson is probably the best writer on scientific subjects since Thomas Henry Huxley. He writes in a style that combines trenchant lucidity with mastery of exposition. Even the subtlest and most confusing intricacies of human nature are rendered easily accessible by Wilson's deft and engaging pen. He is especially good at providing apt metaphors to illustrate what might otherwise be difficult scientific conceptions. Behavioral tendencies in human nature are described, for example, as various channels, some of which are shallow (and can therefore more easily be overcome), while others are much deeper (and therefore much more resistant to efforts to counteract them). As befitting a man of science, Wilson supports his views, not with abstruse argumentation, but with facts collected and verified by practicing scientists.

Yet despite the solidity of Wilson's research, when "On Human Nature" first came out, it was viciously attacked by left-wing ideologues who violently disagreed with Wilson's conclusions regarding the limitations of man's nature. The Left, of course, wants to believe that human nature is largely fluid and malleable. Man, leftists argue, is the product, not of genetics or biology, but of social conditions, which can be changed. Under a "just" society, human nature would become transformed and evil would virtually disappear from the world. Wilson's "On Human Nature" thoroughly demolishes all these sterile hopes for man's secular salvation. Using scientific evidence, he demonstrates that most human behavior is genetic (or related to or influenced by genetics) and therefore unalterable. The sociologist Vilfredo Pareto has probably described this view of man most trenchantly when he wrote: "The centuries roll by, and human nature remains the same!" In "On Human Nature," Wilson shows us why Pareto is right.

Without euphemism
On reading this again after a couple of decades, I am struck with how brilliantly it is written. The subtlety and incisiveness of Wilson's prose is startling at times, and the sheer depth of his insight into human nature something close to breath-taking. I am also surprised at how well this holds up after twenty-three years. There is very little in Wilson's many acute observations that would need changing. Also, it is interesting to see, in retrospect, that it is this book and not his monumental, Sociobiology: The New Synthesis (1975), that continues to serve as an exemplar for later texts. For example, Paul Ehrlich's recent book on evolution was entitled On Human Natures (2000), the plural in the title demonstrating that it was written at least in part as a reaction to Wilson. I also note that some other works including Matt Ridley's The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature.(1993), Robert Wright's The Moral Animal: Evolutionary Psychology and Everyday Life (1994), and most recently, Bobbi S. Low's Why Sex Matters: A Darwinian Look at Human Behavior (2000), are organized intellectually in such a manner as to directly update chapters in Wilson's book.

On Human Nature was written as a continuation of Sociobiology, greatly expanding the final chapter, "Man: From Sociobiology to Sociology." In doing so, Wilson has met with reaction from some quarters similar to the reaction the Victorians gave Darwin. Wilson's sociobiology was seen as a new rationale for the evils of eugenics and he was ostracized in the social science and humanities departments of colleges and universities throughout the United States and elsewhere. Rereading this book, I can see why. Wilson's primary "sin" is the unmitigated directness of his expression and his refusal to use the shield and obfuscation of politically correct language. Thus he writes on page 203, "In the pages of The New York Review of Books, Commentary, The New Republic, Daedalus, National Review, Saturday Review, and other literary journals[,] articles dominate that read as if most of basic science had halted during the nineteenth century." On page 207, he avers, "Luddites and anti-intellectuals do not master the differential equations of thermodynamics or the biochemical cures of illness. They stay in thatched huts and die young."

In the first instance, he has offended the intellectual establishment by pointing out their lack of education, and in the second his incisive expression sounds a bit elitist. But Wilson is not an elitist, nor is he the evil eugenic bad boy that some would have us believe. He is in fact a humanist and one of the world's most renowned scientists, a man who knows more about biology and evolution than most of his critics put together.

I want to quote a little from the book to demonstrate the incisive style and the penetrating nature of Wilson's ideas, and in so doing, perhaps hint at just what it is that his critics find objectionable. In the chapter on altruism, he writes, "The genius of human sociality is in fact the ease with which alliances are formed, broken, and reconstituted, always with strong emotional appeals to rules believed to be absolute" (p. 163). Or similarly on the next page, "It is exquisitely human to make spiritual commitments that are absolute to the very moment they are broken." Or, "The genes hold culture on a leash. The leash is very long, but inevitably values will be constrained in accordance with their effects on the human gene pool" (p. 167). He ends the chapter with the stark, Dawkinsian conclusion that "Morality has no other demonstrable ultimate function" than to keep intact the genetic material.

In the chapter on aggression, he posits, "The evolution of warfare was an autocatalytic reaction that could not be halted by any people, because to attempt to reverse the process unilaterally was to fall victim" (p. 116). On the next page, he quotes Abba Eban on the occasion of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, "men use reason as a last resort."

In the chapter on religion, he argues that the ability of the individual to conform to the group dynamics of religion is in itself adaptive. As he avers on page 184, "When the gods are served, the Darwinian fitness of the members of the tribe is the ultimate if unrecognized beneficiary."

It is easy to see why some people might be offended at such a frank and penetrating expression. But one of the amazing things about Wilson is that he can be bluntly objective about humanity without being cynical. I have always found his works to be surprisingly optimistic. He has the ability to see human beings as animals, but as animals with their eyes on the stars. In the final chapter entitled, "Hope," Wilson presents his belief that our world will be improved as scientific materialism becomes the dominate mythology. Note well this point: Wilson considers scientific materialism, like religion and the macabre dance of Marxist-Leninism, to be a mythology. His point is that there is no final or transcending truth that we humans may discover; there is no body of knowledge or suite of disciplines that will lead us to absolute knowledge. There are only better ways of ordering the environment and of understanding our predicament. He believes that toward that end scientific materialism will be a clear improvement over the religious and political mythologies that now dominate our cultures.

No one interested in evolutionary psychology can afford to miss this book, even though it is twenty-three years old. It is a classic. Anyone interested in human nature (yes, one may profitably generalize about human nature, as long as one understands what a generalization is, and appreciates its limitations) should read this book, one of the most significant ever written on a subject of unparalleled importance.

Building an authentic future
This book is destined to remain a classic. The quest to understand the role of humanity in Nature will be ongoing for some time to come. Edward Wilson's synthesis tells us why the study of human evolution should be pursued to its fullest extent. Discussing the roots of human behaviour and why we need to study them in greater depth, Wilson's book is an appeal for extensive research and comparative analysis.

Wilson's literary and scientific skills are brought fully to light as he takes us through the universals of human behaviour. He addresses the topics of heredity, aggression, religion, altruism and other aspects of what we are in nature. He isn't constricted to simply delineating where we came from, he sees the entire exercise as providing guideposts for our future existence. As he argues, "The only way forward is to study human nature as part of the natural sciences, in an attempt to integrate the natural sciences with the social sciences and humanities."

At the outset, he acknowledges how formidable his proposed task is for those who will likely be effected by it. Sociology, anthropology, psychology are all well-established disciplines that will be discomforted by what he's proposing. As the concluding book in his trilogy to build a definition of the science of sociobiology, he's already suffered reaction to his ideas. Wilson, however, is seeking construction, not dissolution. A new field of study on human behaviour can only be achieved by a merger of the established research areas. He knows that the study of humans is almost a divine mandate in the eyes of its practitioners. They have already contended that there isn't enough data to build a new science. He acknowledges that existing evidence is scanty, but suggests that our ignorance is the fullest reason to pursue the work. We mustn't be constrained by those who argue against the existence of our natural roots. With admirable foresight he anticipates his later critics. As he puts it, ". . . no intellectual vice is more crippling than defiantly self-indulgent anthropocentrism."

His final chapter, Hope, is his message about the future. Having examined religion as a human universal, he notes its failures through splintering and conflicts. Objects of worship have shifted from the divine to the philosophic. "Visionaries and revolutionaries set out to change the system" which has proven too arbitrary and absolutist. "Human nature," he stresses, is the "potential array" that can be applied by knowledgeable societies to consciously design a better future than appears likely now. The principal task is to measure biological constraints on decision making, to understand them and apply cultural evolution to biological evolution to create a "biology of ethics." The result, Wilson argues, will be a "more deeply understood and enduring code of moral values."

These are challenging concepts, requiring serious, dedicated effort. Wilson recognizes that old mythologies, particularly "self-indulgent anthropocentrism," must be swept away. A new and better mythology, the evolutionary epic, will emerge. It will be forged from the biological and social sciences, thereby forcing honesty and reject dogma. He paints an appealing image for scholars and researchers to consider. Many have done so, but die-hards remain entrenched. Those who will benefit the most from his ideas are those who avoid heeding the "small number of [those] who are committed to the view that human behaviour arises from a very few unstructured drives." In other words, avoid the false spectre of "genetic determinism" raised by Wilson's critics and read him directly. There are many rewards in this book and it deserves careful attention. It deserves a place on your shelf to help you along your path to a valid future, untrammeled by false mythologies or barran reasoning.


Iron Coffins: A Personal Account of the German U-Boat Battles of World War II
Published in Paperback by DaCapo Press (2002)
Authors: Herbert A. Werner and Edward L., Jr. Beach
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Absolutely the Best!
I am an ex-submariner in the U.S Navy with eight strategic deterrent submarine patrols in the North Atlantic and I can only imagine the absolute courage and patriotism shown by the men described in this book! Captain Werner describes what is truly a life of adventure bordering on madness as he and his crew dodge British and US aircraft and destroyers in the most dramatic cat and mouse game of all time.

The book follows Werner's career as a U-Boat officer that starts at the beginning of WWII. He talks about the initial glory and successes of the German U-Boat campaign against the British and he follows the war as the tide changes against Germany. Werner describes reports of boat after boat being sunk and most of his fellow commanders being killed at sea and he shares his thoughts as he continues to bring his boat to sea in spite of almost a guarantee of being killed.

I can't recommend this book strongly enough. It is the BEST submarine saga that I have read to date and it is also a tribute to men who have gone to sea in defense of their country.

EXCELLENT 'INSIDE-THE-U-BOAT" WARTIME COVERAGE
This is the very best book I have read actually describing the conditions inside a German u-boat during World War II Atlantic Ocean war patrols. It is well written with both action and information in mind. The action standpoint is superb and makes the reader wonder how Capt Werner and his crew ever survived the punishment they took in their little fragile "egg" as aircraft and ships constantly dropped bombs and depth charges on them. From the information standpoint, Werner gives us a very comprehensive and interesting description of what it is like inside the early u-boats. It is hard to imagine how the crew lived like they did in their constantly rocking boat: without bathing for months, eating moldy food, suffering from constant humidity, freezing or roasting as the season might be (no airconditioning or heaters), and not having proper sanitary conditions (using a bucket in rough seas, etc.) Very good detail on u-boat life both aboard ship and in port. From another information standpoint, Werner gives us a good description of what average Germans were thinking as the war progressed, what sort of damage ordinary citizens were taking as the war proceeded in depth over Germany both from the heavy air bombardment plus the advancement of Allied armies from the south, east, and north. Werner is also a "ladies man" so we do hear a lot about the girlfriends in every port, so to speak, plus German submariners' night life in different occupied locations. (They seemed to like France a lot.) It is good that Werner provides you this gamut of information: living inside the boat, dealing with the difficult navy bureaucracy, joys of in-port liberty, his nice but unfortunte family, the Nazi party bother, and so on since it furnishes the reader with a rounded out picture of life during these unusual times. Werner is lucky to have come back alive, and we are fortunate he wrote this book. His family and many of his friends were not so fortunate as the reader will see.

A magnificent story that leaves you in awe that he survived!
Reading World War II epics is a hobby of mine, and I can easily say that Iron Coffins is my all-time favorite book. I first read it in 1984 and couldn't put it down. I have read it about 15 times, and each time, it never ceases to captivate me at how Werner survived time and time again while the majority of his comrades met their fate at the bottom of the Atlantic. It is as if it was his destiny to preserve in writing this critical campaign of World War II. It tells you in vivid detail, the other side of the story-all Nazis were Germans, but not all Germans were Nazis. They had men, just like us, who would rather be somewhere else than in the heat of combat, wondering when they were going to get theirs. The vivid descriptions, going from Years of Glory to Disaster and Defeat made me feel like I was right there next to Werner, riding out the brutal storms in the North Atlantic, the ceaseless depth chargings, gasping for air, limping back into port, mauled and beaten, yet still alive. They went to war for their country. Nearly all of them perished. Now, read this tragic true story of one of the few U-boat commanders who lived to tell the tale. The Iron Coffin would not claim Herbert Werner's life. His book preserves the saga of Germany's undersea struggle. A masterpiece!


The Poetry of Robert Frost: The Collected Poems
Published in Library Binding by Bt Bound (2002)
Authors: Robert Frost and Edward Connery Lathem
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Poems for the People
It was upon having a conversation at school five years ago, that a friend suggested Robert Frost to help (form the basis) of one of my assignments. When I asked how he knew of him, my friend replied; "oh.., he's often quoted on TV" and I believed him (to this day I've never heard him mentioned). So I've come to guess that my old friend uses Frost as I occasionally do. To relax.

For it was upon going through a rough time that I again borrowed the complete works of Frost and a few other poets to get me through. And so inspired I was that I began trying to write some of my own. But as Frost had initially drawn me in with his simple, eaasily understood verses, he just as quickly lost me out the other side. But why I write this review is because I admired Frost's ability to start writing so descriptively so late in life, about man, life, decisions, the enviroment and even a wall! (ha! ha!).

So if you have never read poetry before, or you just wan't some new material. Buy Frost's complete collection. Oh and buy it from Amazon.com!

Incredible poetry..
I just recently purchased this collection of poems by Robert Frost and I must say it's incredible. This is the complete collection of his poems and for the price it can't be beat. How can you put a price on the joy and the wonderful feeling of reading Frost anyway? It's impossible.

Contained are the poems in a chronological order from Frost's first book of poetry "A Boy's Will" to his last, "In the Clearing". A total of eleven books and more than three hundred and fifty poems.

Also at the end of the book are sixty pages of bibliographical and textual notes as well as an index of first lines and titles. A quick way to find exactly the poem you're looking for.

Pick this collection up and be moved, it's that simple really. Enjoy

...
It is a true delight to have the full body of Frost's poetry in one volume! Those who have read and liked poems by Frost should seriously consider investing in this little treasurehouse. For those with a deeper interest in Frost's work and techniques, I highly recommend Mark Richardson's "The Ordeal of Robert Frost."


Anne of the Island
Published in Hardcover by Library Reproduction Service (01 Januar, 1998)
Author: Lucy Maud Montgomery
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Absolutely wonderful!!
I love alll of the Anne of Green Gables series. They are so vividly written you find yourself wishing that you were born as Anne a hundered years ago on PE Island. I would have happily endured all her hardships for all the wonderful moments in her life, and the fact she married Gilbert Blythe! It's so well written that you actually feel that you know Gilbert and I actually found my self falling in love with him! I've read the series 2 times. The first time I couldn't stop thinking about Anne. I read Anne, I tried to live like Anne and I dreamt Anne. Anyway, although I love all 8 books almost equally Anne of the Island is just a little better. And although it's romantic it's definitely not just a romance. Anne of the island includes wit and humour that makes it an all-round perfect book. If you're an Anne fan you havvvvvve to read this. I could not describe how wonderful it is in 1000 words. Anne of the Island is truly a book you CANNOT put down. After reading this I recommend you read all the rest of the Anne of Green Gables series (there are 5 more book,) although you'll probably be rushing to buy them anyway.

Anne Of The Island
Anne Of The Island is a great book. It is about a girl with dark strawberry-blonde hair. She goes off to college with her friends: Charlie, Gilbert, and Diana. She makes some new friends and one of them, Priscila which is Pris for short, they meet in the graveyard across from the college. She meets many men she thinks she is in love with, including Gilbert, but when the propose to her she finds out she really doesn't love them that much. She even turns down the man of her dreams. So, it is partially a love story. She was adopted when she was young by Marilla. Now they have taken in twins when their mother died and their only relative can't take care of them. The younger one is Davy, who is always asking questions and getting in to mischief. He especially likes to bother his twin sister, Dora. She is always quiet and quite lady-like. They all live on Prince Edward Island in Canada. If you want to know the rest, you can read the book for yourself. Happy reading!

The Best there is!
If you like the Anne of Green Gables series this is the best one in the whole thing! Anne of the Island has something for everyone! Anne Shirley leaves the small town of Avonlea to attend Redmond collage.. There the novel introduces you to a character who is extremely funny named Pricella! (Hope I spelled her name right). In this novel Anne falls in love with a fellow school mate, while her long time friend Gilbert Blythe finds a love interest as well! Do they end up together at last? Read the book and find out! This book is definatly for people who liked the movie "Anne of Avonlea". They are without a doubt slightly similar, but the book is definatly better!


The Tassajara Bread Book
Published in Hardcover by Peter Smith Pub (1987)
Author: Edward Brown
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Like Having a Trusted Friend By Your Side...
I have for years relied on a bread machine to indulge my desire for home-baked bread. No more. This book is a revelation, a gem.

If you scrupulously follow the introductory instructions for the basic Tassajara bread, you will be able to make any kind of bread from scratch, by hand, guaranteed. Just now I have two gorgeous loaves of millet bread in the oven, and this is just my second time making bread by hand. Thea author, Edward Brown, tells you precisely how the dough should look, how it should feel, and how to know when you are finished kneading. You simply cannot go wrong.

I have the other "bible" of bread making, James Beard's book, and, much as I adore James Beard, I prefer the Tassajara method of bread-making. There is less guesswork, and less seems to go wrong.

And I love the spiritual side, the bliss-out and enjoy-the-moment side to the book, as well. I will never, ever part with this book.

"The Bible for Bread Baking"
The Washington Post calls this book the bible for bread baking, and they are right on. This book is the best bread baking book I've come across. It gives techniques on actually making and baking a wide variety of breads. If you're looking for a way to make bread that comes out crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside, this book will help you. It's even beyond a bread baking book because it includes 118 recipes-everything from breads and rolls to pastries, muffins, and desserts. The recipes are easy to follow and ingredients are available at grocery stores-perfect for the at-home cook. The whole wheat pancake recipe is one of the many stand outs- absolutely mouth watering. If you're interested in baking breads among many, many other bread related recipes, I highly recommend this book.

More of a "cooking book" than a "cook book".
My ex-husband has "my" copy of the original 1970 version of *The Tassajara Bread Book*, so a few years ago I just had to run out and get the "Revised & Updated Edition" published in 1986. More than merely a book of recipes, it is a truly bonny bread book with marvelously detailed instructions and diagrams as was the original, but I must say Edward Brown's recipe for Tibetan Barley Bread alone is worth the price of this book.

*The Tassajara Bread Book* is more of a "cooking book" than a "cook book". Janet@netcom.com says *The Tassajara Bread Book* is "a great introduction to baking bread" because "this is a great basic how-to book". As with bread itself, "basic" is simply some flour mixed with enough water to form a dough; anything else we do to it merely makes it "civilized". I do not know how "civilized" Janet's baking is, nor do I know how much time she has just for bre! ad making, but for those of us who lead hectic lives always on the go but still want to minimize the amount of preprocessed and junk foods we eat *The Tassajara Bread Book* is top drawer.

My only dissatisfaction is that Edward Brown's *The Tassajara Cooking Book*, an excellent companion to this one, seems to be out-of-print at this time. Of course, my ex-husband has "my" copy of the original 1970 version.


World Without Cancer: The Story of Vitamin B17
Published in Paperback by American Media (1997)
Author: G. Edward Griffin
Amazon base price: $17.50
Used price: $14.00
Collectible price: $17.99
Average review score:

Very Informative
I have cancer and I believe that had I read this book before my surgery, I probably would not be paralyzed. This book goes into great detail on the big cover up for the cure for cancer. I am in the process of getting what I need to fight this thing that is inside of me. I am also refusing radiation and chemotherapy. The only reason that I did not give this book 5 stars is because I believe that the author is a bit too detail. He really does get his point across because he mentions names and places where things took place and was discovered. If you have cancer or someone you know has cancer, then you need to read this book. It is a shame that people are dying because of other hungry people for the almighty dollar.

Great book on health and medicine through proper nutrition.
I whipped thorugh this book in two days. It provides an excellent exposé of an alternative natural way to prevent and cure cancer throug nutrition, and the forces in government and in large pharmaceutical firms that are fighting to keep the secret from us. This book serves as an eye opener to anybody who has ever wondered why there has been so little progress in the fight against cancer, despite the vasts sums of money being invested.

The only book you'll ever need to read about Cancer.
This book is only for those who have the guts to face the TRUTH and there is no better researcher that I have found anywhere than G. Edward Griffin. He has dug into a very, very ugly situation and exposed why Cancer is killing all our loved ones, and also the profiteers who have created and are perpetuating the problem. THANK YOU, Mr. Griffin, for all you have done in trying to save humanity from this monstrous suffering perpetrated by our real enemies. God bless all those who listen.
"My people perish for lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6
j. mueller, CA


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