This was my favorite book (along with the sequel) of my childhood in the sixties. It captures the excitement of space travel and the childhood fantasies that existed at the time. Please bring this back so I can share it with my kids...and read it again myself!

Slodbodkin's Marty and Eddie books were pretty much the only reason that kept me in the town's small library as a kid...I couldn't get enough of these books that I happened to find one day on the library shelves. During college, I failed to find any copies as I couldn't remember the author or the book title...the only name I remembered was "Marty" - a name too common for children's science fiction. I'd given up the search after failing to find them, even at the library of my childhood. Just recently, I remembered to look online (WWW is a wonderful thing) and finally found Marty and Slodbkin! I treasure these stories still (I'm 29), and remember small details that make me smile still during the day...the no-liquid showers and gadgets...only if I could have a supply of those little mini-pill meals! Dieting would be a breeze!

Remembering my first book is like remembering my first love. I don't remember the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th book I read? Space Ship might not have the been the first one I read, but it was the first one I remember with fondness. It made reading come alive. I'm considering illustrating children's books and I'd love to read that "old favorite of mine" to recapture the spell it gave an 8 year old girl. It's time for a reprint for the younger generation to enjoy (with a message too).

Wow! I really enjoyed this book. The character of Jubal Sackett was very well developed and set in a historically correct period. I found myself walking in his footsteps as he went further and further west. The story arouses the explorer instinct in all of us. I intend to read more of the Sackett sagas.

I have yet to read many of his books, but I must say that all of Lamour's books are great. Jubal Sackett is a special character. I appreciate that Lamour spent more time on this book (or at least made it longer than usual) in order to give us a full scope of Jubal's transcending years in his migration to the west. The Sacketts are successful because they are well learned in many a trade and they don't take things for granted. They nurture their friendships when they can and comfront their enemies just as readily. You feel this story, you root for the characters and you feel as though you are among them. I guess this is more of a mountain man book than a western, but it still sets the setting for the Sackett's pushing west. A great book.

This by far is the best audio book Ive listened to.

The guy reading the story has an accent that fits the story perfectly. While this is a lengthy book it is never boring
The pacing is perfect and the story itself is riviting.
Do yourself a favor and get this on audio. You will not be dissappionted

If you are looking for a discography of Louis Armstrong, don't look to this book. However, if what you want is the life and times of the man - then this is the book for you. Personally, this is what I want in a jazz biography - I'll listen to the CD's or radio for a discography. Mr Bergreen describes in telling detail the early stages of Louis's life in New Orleans - and believe me, it was no paradise! He (Bergreen)is also adept at giving the reader the overall feel of New Orleans at the turn of the century. So at the beginning we get a view of Louis hauling coal to make money for his mother amidst abject poverty and racial discrimination. It is really beyond belief that Louis - at the very bottom of the heap - was able to struggle through this and become an American icon. We are also introduced to a cast of characters that entered or played significantly in Louis's life. None of these people were angels - so in effect they all make for interesting reading. And although Louis is "King of Jazz" he is no saint himself (his 4 wives could attest to that!). This book is a great read - not only if you are interested in the rise to fame of a great African American, but it truly captures the spirit and tough times of that era from New Orleans to Chicago to New York.

Kim C.

An Extravagant Life is much more than a biography of Louis Armstrong. Having been born at the turn of the century, in New Orleans, this book is a travelogue of that city from a unique perspective (the underside), a history of jazz, a snapshot of race relations and segregation in America for this entire century, AND a rich tapestry of the life of a man who started out with no advantages except his musical gift and a positive attitude. Armstrong was a man of very strong tolerances: alcohol, marijuana, food, women, gansters, laxatives, and music, to name just a few. The essence of Louis is captured in Bergreen's book: We like him, we care for him, we pity him, and we almost understand him. We are definitely fascinated by him.

This biography does an excellent job of painting a portrait of a man who changed 20th Century music, not only in America, but across the globe. Learning the details of Louis' life and struggles only enhances my appreciation of his music.

The impact of Louis Armstrong is still felt on several levels in our society. While Armstrong did not have a hand in inventing jazz, he was instrumental in pushing it artistically. With a minimum of formal instruction, he revolutionized the trumpet as well as singing in Jazz and popular music. He was also instrumental as one of the early African-American celebrities, in breaking down racial barriers.
Laurence Begreen does a fine job of illustrating the joys and struggles that Armstrong encountered. The devatating poverty and harsh socail environment of Louis youth are keenly detailed. He shows how these obstacles are overcome by Armstong's love of music and of life. He also shows the prejudice and mob intimidation that Louis had to endure on his road to stardom.

All in all, this book is an inspiring work and testimonial to the life and music of one of the greatest trumpet players and entertainers to grace this planet. I would seriously recommend this to anyone with an interest in music, especially jazz.

Victoria Holt was one of my favorite authors when I was younger. A master storyteller, she would consistently weave a story that would have the reader turning the pages. This work of historical fiction is one of her best. Riveting from beginning to end, this fictional autobiographical account of the life of Marie Antoinette is superb. Written in the first person, with little dialogue, it is the rumination of a life that was to end tragically. Pampered, spoiled, and fun loving, the beautiful Maria Antonia of Austria metamorphosed into Marie Antoinette of France upon her marriage to the Dauphin, who would eventually become King of France, the ineffectual, but benign, Louis XVI.

This is her story, grounded in historical fact and set within the framework of history. This work of fiction about the life of Marie Antoinette, as seen through her own eyes, is fascinating, as it captures the flavor of those uncertain times and the events that led to the French Revolution and the end of the monarchy in France. It is a reflection on how Marie Antoinette's own behavior influenced the fate of France. Indulging in the excesses of the day, she initially gave little thought as to how her actions might affect the people of France or the monarchy. By the time she realized that her actions and excesses had wide spread political ramifications, it was too late, and the fate of her and her husband was sealed. No amount of personal regret could change it.

This book will be enjoyed by those who enjoy good, well written historical fiction. It is little wonder that this book spent two months on the New York Times Best Seller List. It is simply historical fiction at its best.

If you are intersted in the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette, or just want a good read, this book is the one to read. If you like this book and become interested in royalty, or you already are, Victoria holt wrote tons of other books on British and some Spanish, French, and Italian royalty under the pseudonym Jean Plaidy, so try those.
This book is a fictional memoir written by Marie Antoinette between 1789 and her death in 1793. It covers her whole life (sympathetically) and dispells the rumor that she said "Let them eat cake". Read this!

I read this book in 1973!? It was so wonderful that I planned my trip to Paris around Marie Antoinette's homes - the Grand and Petit Trianon at Versailles for one stop. The author writes historical fiction so beautifully that you can't help wishing to run to Europe and experience the lives of the queens you've read about!! I'll never orget this book - and others by Victoria Holt!

I found this book to provide a level-set for my staff, who is working on the definition of our websites, and what we could reasonably expect with the resources onhand. This book gave us hands-on guidelines and advice from experience we could use for getting our site completed in the minimum amount of time with the least disconnects between what we wanted and what we ended up creating. E-Commerce is constantly changing, and this book brings all the change into perspective. Good teaching tool.

Focusing on the e-commerce, I found this book covered areas like security models and how to plan for secure transactions in a strong manner. Also the framework for creating an e-commerce strategy was useful. There is alot of info on Site Server, which is interesting becuase my company is evaluating all server platforms. Overall a good primer for e-commerce. Our company uses this book in courses on e-commerce for new salespeople.

I bought this from you earlier this month, and found it to be easily read and full of great ideas of managing my e-comemrce projects. I am using this book for our future classes on e-commerce our firm is sponsoring for local businesses.

I looked long and hard (and asked many a scholar) for the "perfect" Shakespeare publication that I might purchase to study "King Henry V" (for a experiential education requirement, I had undertaken the translation of Henry V into American Sign Language). The Arden Shakespeare came highly recommended by everyone, and has lived up entirely to all its rave reviews.

I will never buy Shakespeare from another publisher. While these books may be slightly more expensive than a "mass market" edition, I believe that if you are going to take the time to read and understand Shakespeare, it is well worth the extra dollar or two. The Introduction, the images, and plethora of footnotes are irreplaceable and nearly neccessary for a full understanding of the play (for those of us who are not scholars already). The photocopy of the original Quatro text in the appendix is also very interesting.

All in all, well worth it! I recommend that you buy ALL of Shakespeare's work from Arden's critical editions.

On D-Day British officers read Henry's famous words to their men as they approached the beach. When Churchill needed material for his famous "Few" speech, his thoughts turned to the pages of Henry V. From "once more into the breach" to "we happy few, we band of brothers" this play resonates with Shakespeare's paen to England's warrior king. Oh, you'll be a bit confused at the start if you haven't read Henry IV parts 1 and 2, but this is primarily the story of Henry V's victory at Agincourt. Whether the play glorifies war or just Henry you will have to decide. There is much food for thought here for the perceptive reader. But then Shakespeare is always provocative.

Required to read Henry for my AP English Language class, I came into the play with a bias. I honestly felt that it would be a boring political play. I was utterly wrong! A huge fan of Shakespeare, I found Henry V to be a formidable match for the Bard's more critically acclaimed plays, such as Hamlet and Macbeth. Henry has it all! Shakespeare's attitude toward Henry the King is certainly one of admiration. By communicating the fact that an effective monarch must have a complete understanding of the common subjects (Pistol and Bardolph and Quickly), Shakespeare sets up Henry to be the ideal Christian king. The controlled language of Henry's speeches, particularly his response to the Dauphin's idiotic insult, also glorifies Henry. I certainly recommend this play to anyone, fan of Shakespeare or not.

I've nothing to add to the others reviews, because you've said all. I can only add that I've read this book for the first time when I was fourteen and today, that I'm 46 years old, I've read it again experiencing the same emotions! Now I want publish all that I found on the web: all the books and articles and the links to buy them and have more informations too!
You can find informations on the author and his masterpiece "The rivers ran east" on... and here an abstract follows "Leonard Clark [1907(1905?) - 1957)] was perhaps one of the greatest of all twentieth-century explorers. He did not believe in big expeditions and elaborate paraphernalia - he was a man who carried his own belongings and charged ahead. This same trait enabled him to perform extraordinary feats of military intelligence and reconnaissance in difficult and dangerous areas during World War II. Clark attended the University of California, then joined the army, attaining the rank of colonel. During the war, he spent many months in China behind Japanese lines organizing guerrilla activity. His post-war expeditions began in Borneo, and over the years he made trips to Mexico, the Celebes, Sumatra, China, India, Japan, Central America, South America, and Burma." He passed away in 1957 at the age of 49, while on a diamond-mining expedition in Venezuela"
He wrote:
A wanderer till I die [1937] very rare
An article on National Geographic magazine - September 1938
Among the big knot lois of Hainan: wild tribesmen with topknots roam the little-known interior of this big and strategically important island in the china sea [1938]
The Rivers ran east [1953]... - translated in italian by Garzanti...
The marching wind [c1955]...
Yucatan adventure [1959]...
Alle sorgenti del fiume giallo [1996 ] italian edition...
I hope I've found something interesting for all!

A fantastic adventure story from an Author who apparently fears nothing. Very detailed and factual with photographs to back up his story. I would also like to learn more about this author and have only found that he wrote an article for National Geographic in 1938 about Hainan Island and it's inhabitants. That story was written in the same style. Mr. Clark was(?) indeed an aventurous soul.

Simply one of the best and most exciting books I've ever read. This book definitely tops my favorites list. If adventure travel and/or reading is your thing, this book is for you. I was fortunate enough to find and read an original copy some years back and was surprised to see it reprinted and for sale here. I will definitely be getting a few copies as presents for people as the years go by. Enjoy!

This book is definitely an instant classic. Anyone seeking information on the APBT breed, and early SBT breed, will find it here. Colby's own archive of oldtime pictures is used freely throughout the book and therein lies much of it's value. The reader is sure to feel a closeness to the APBT breed as well as the Colby family of dogs. Some readers will probably complain about the lack of information on present-day greats, but this isn't the subject of the book. However, I'm sure most readers will appreciate the old photographs and stories to the point where they want a Colby APBT just to feel that they own a part of history.
Definitely a "must read" for any serious student of the APBT and SBT breeds!

This book it truly great. It goes into detail on the history of the breed and how it developed. Nice pictures and informative pedigrees on some of the best dogs of all time. It showed me something I never knew or even guessed about my dog with Ch Art blood. An honest book on a truly great and honest dog. Highly reccomended. It might be hard for some to read due to the names of so many famous dogs. Some people might not know who or what thew are talking about. It is not a beginner book. Many many years of knowledge has gone into this book, and it shows.

Ever since I have been involved with the bulldog(apbt), I have always heard of the famous "Colby Line". What I wasn't aware is it's deep history with the bulldog. After reading this book I can honestly say that Mr. Colby(JP) and his family who are still carrying on this excellent strain of bulldog has and in my opinion will always be a part of our history. I highly recommend this book to all that are interested or who own this excellent breed and it will truely make you appreciate the true history of this fine breed. A must read for all bulldog fanciers........

I found this book easy to read, very clear and understandable. It is not a book for a novice. You have to know some basic astrology before you study horary. But when you are ready to learn horary, this this the place to start. The author reviews the history of horary and gives clear examples of all the concepts. There are lots of real life examples that make fascinating reading. This is astrology at its best.

Dear Mr. Louis: I bought your book Horary Astrology: Plain and Simple via Amazon.com two monthes ago. Well, it's very, very good. A special, complete and clear book. I've already finished my first reading and now I'm studying and reading it again and again with gratitude and happiness. It will help me a lot in my Astrology work. If a person really enjoys Astrology, she would have this book as a precious gift.

Anthony Louis makes the obscure world of horary astrology clear and easy to understand. This is a truly scholarly work by a master teacher. No astrologer can afford to be without it.

If you are looking for a wonderful combination of Basquiat's work and biography, this is the book to own. This book is full of many beautiful color plates of his work, as well as the story of his short, successful, but tragic life as an artist who had his brief moment in the sun before succumbing to the drugs.

THE best book on Basquiat out there! A very talented New York artist that started out doing graffiti on the New York Subways as SAMO and instantly became famous after one day meeting Andy Warhol and giving him a postcard of his artwork. They became quick friends and Warhol had a great influence on his very short career even though Jean-Michel's work is totally different. Jean Michel died tragically from a drug overdose. Cool little known fact - He dated Madonna! Great photos of the Jean-Michel and an incredible extended chronology in the back of the book. Best yet info on the artist existing anywhere in the the book. Color plates of his art work are superb, large, and mostly one per page, incredible color. I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of Jean-Michel or his friends Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, or Andy Warhol.

This is a great book with many of Basquiat's paintings and drawings. It also has various essays by art critics and people who knew him. I suppose the reviewers who slammed Basquiat also think anybody could knock over a couple of paint buckets and be Jackson Pollock. The genius of Basquit in my mind is his ability to create truly beautiful paintings while painting in a seemingly uncontrolled, primitive (I hate that word) fashion. The way he layered colors, and added details is incredible. My favorite is "Untitled (Skull)" 1981. Here is a brilliant example of how Basquiat combines dissarray, ugliness, harmony, and beauty all into the same striking painting. I know Basquiat idolized Hendrix and ultimately went out much like he did, unable to cope with his talent and the attention it brought. To me Basquiat's painting very much mirrors Hendrix's musical talents. They both created wild, noisy, seemingly unharnessed, unpolished art. But to the careful, sensitive observer the true beauty and magic is revealed.