As I could relate with the age, time and place of the main character's life, I took a ride on the depth given to her by Jones. What a trip! I'm still sitting at the table with them over cioppino wishing everyone would come home again. Well, things surely change as California's Over reveals. I'll have to accept this and jump into another ferment of this writer's cast of characters.

A gifted, stylish writer with something new and original to say. Even though the time (1973) and place (Marin County California) and subject (family of a deceased late Beat/early hippie writer) are far removed from my own experience, Jones has the gift of taking you there, spinning you around, getting you interested in the characters and leaving you delighted and enlightened.

I read this in hardcover, and it's amazing. Jones is the only fiction writer I know of now who is truly driven to poetry, that is necessary poetry, not vague lyricism. Every line matters. I live in Saint Louis, MO, and Jones is here at a university to be a visiting writer and just gave a reading of his newest work, about Alaska in 1970, and it heads off in a totally different direction. There's no one writng today with his sincerity and poetry.

T.S. Elliot wrote, "At the still point of the turning world . . . there the dance is." This book takes us to such a place, for it describes direct experience of the divine infused into everyday life, where body, mind and spirit merge into a cosmic dance, as Ganja lives Joseph Campbell's essential teaching-follow your bliss.
Yet, as we learn from this book, the "high" experience is not the same as living life to the highest anymore than the spiritual experience is the same as the spiritual life. Living in marijuana consciousness is the challenge, so that marijuana states become marijuana traits. Ganja informs us that such a transition is not easy, but the journey is worth the effort, for what awaits us is a rapturous and fulfilled life.

What a find! A superb collection of true life tales of the sensual and spiritual. Journeys into the light from places of both joy and sadness. Makes you realize why gods yearn to be human--to partake of the challenges and pleasureas of human existence. Ganja's words serve as a testament to the truth that heaven is not a place but a path, and that it takes both rain and sunshine to make a rainbow.

This is a very cool book. Teaches us the importance of living fully in the present moment and the fulfillment to be found in the realization that integrating the earthly and the spiritual is the path to soul liberation. I was propelled by the beautiful imagery and luscious settings to feel that passion as prayer is telling the truth.

I depended on Dr. Flancbaum before and after my weight loss surgery in the same way that I depended upon Dr. Spock when my children were small. His book became a dog earred companion on my nightstand--well read and well loved. I would recommend it to anyone considering this surgery!

If you are considering WLS and need to compare operations and get a basic overview, then this is the book for you. It covers pre-surgery questions as well as post-op concerns. I would recommend giving this book to your surgeon or primary care physician to inform them of the surgery. I work as a library assistant and recommend this book to my patrons. It has been the only book I have found that gives good basic coverage of the subject.

Dr. Flancbaum writes in a style that is easily understood by the layman. When the topic necessitates using medical language, he takes the time to explain exactly what it means in terms that anyone can understand. I have been researching WLS for about a year and have found this book to be the most helpful. I read the list of reasons to lose the weight and found that I can agree with just about all of them and some I had never even thought of in terms of myself. Thank you Dr. Flancbaum for this wonderful book.

The world is poised on the brink of nuclear war. Any small incident could set off a disaster.

U.S. President Ryan "Mac" MacDuff consistently states to the public that "there are no nuclear missiles pointed at our people"; that reducing the nuclear threat is one of his highest priorities. Actually, he has been informed by the CIA that China and Russia have tested warheads within the range of the U.S.

General Chet "Bulldog" Fuller, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, admonishes MacDuff to grant more assistance to Taiwan, to stop the security leaks, and to deploy a missile defense system. MacDuff refuses, stating there is no danger and that we must continue our mutual trade policy.

There is a virus in the missile control units supplied to Russia, China and some Middle East nations which could set off the missles at any time. The virus is caused by MacDuff's silent partner, Bill Redding, who hopes to profit from the sale of replacement units.

When China accidentally launches a missile at the U.S., MacDuff swiftly retaliates with an attack on Chinese bases. All out war hangs in the balance.

There is enough excitement and suspense to satisfy even the most demanding reader: political intrigue and scandals, espionage, blackmail, double dealing politicians, assassinations, industrial espionage and sexual misbehavior.

The characters are well-developed. The story is well-constructed and moves along at a fast pace, ending with a few surprises.

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The world is poised on the brink of nuclear war. Any small incident could set off a disaster.

U.S. President Ryan "Mac" MacDuff consistently states to the public that "there are no nuclear missiles pointed at our people"; that reducing the nuclear threat is one of his highest priorities. Actually, he has been informed by the CIA that China and Russia have tested warheads within the range of the

U.S.General Chet "Bulldog" Fuller, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, admonishes MacDuff to grant more assistance to Taiwan, to stop the security leaks, and to deploy a missile defense system. MacDuff refuses, stating there is no danger and that we must continue our mutual trade policy.

There is a virus in the missile control units supplied to Russia, China and some Middle East nations which could set off the missles at any time. The virus is caused by MacDuff's silent partner, Bill Redding, who hopes to profit from the sale of replacement units.

When China accidentally launches a missile at the U.S., MacDuff swiftly retaliates with an attack on Chinese bases. All out war hangs in the balance.

There is enough excitement and suspense to satisfy even the most demanding reader: political intrigue and scandals, espionage, blackmail, double dealing politicians, assassinations, industrial espionage and sexual misbehavior.The characters are well-developed. The story is well-constructed and moves along at a fast pace, ending with a few surprises.

The U.S. is too complacent, in a false sense of security. But we have more than the terrorists to worry about. The balance of power and world economies can easily spark a nuclear war.

U.S. President Ryan "Mac" MacDuff is more focused on the global economy, and less on a missile defense system. He's involved with Bill Redding, a computer magnate, in the sales of super computer technologies particularly to China. The CIA reports that along with the Middle East crisis, China and Russia present a threat of nuclear attack.

MacDuff ignores the advice of Marine General Chet "Bulldog" Fuller, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to deploy a worldwide defense system. Fuller uses his sources in Beijing to spy on China's nuclear missile programs.

A virus infects missile control units supplied to Russia, China and Middle East nations; it was intentionally implanted in CPU units by MacDuff's partner, Bill Redding, a computer magnate who's plan was sell replacement units for a windfall profit.

The virus accidentally launches missile from China, and the U.S. is the target. A nuclear war hangs in the balance.

The story is an eye-opener, frightening, fast-paced with ample antagonists and richly developed protagonists-a captivating, thrilling read.

Literary (unlike scientific) translations always lose a good deal in the task. It's like travellng to an alien civilization in outerspace, then coming back to describe what you saw without the help of any photographs. Imagine translating Tolkien into a language as different from English as Chinese, and you see the problem here. (How does one even attempt to translate Tolkien's Elvish verses?) One may as well read Shakespeare in Egyptian Hieroglyphs! Too many concepts have no exact counterparts, and a detailed translation would require extensive endnotes and glossaries and appendices. Still, better to have a translation than none at all for those unfortunate foreigners who don't know Chinese. For Louis Cha is the best-known and best-loved living writer of fantasy novels in the Chinese-speaking world. Those who know little Chinese history and culture will get much less out of reading Cha's novels, but that would be asking too much from foreigners interested in reading only the translations.

It's indeed interesting to compare Tolkien with Cha. Tolkien was an Oxford don - a highly respected one in fact, though his scholarship is totally eclipsed by his literary fame. Cha never held a real academic post, but his literary achievement is recognized by universities all over the world - including Oxford and Cambridge. Tolkien's one single book ("The Lord of the Rings" is not actually a trilogy, but one long book divided into three parts) has been turned into global blockbusters in the box office. Cha's many more books (he wrote more than a dozen full-length historical romances) have been turned into television series which have been shown all over Asia. Tolkien's fans tend to be hardcore fanatics - so too are Cha's. Tolkien's honors included a CBE from the Queen. Cha's honors included an OBE from the same lady and a similar one from the French President. Tolkien was relatively poor for a highly successful writer (but rich for a professor). He didn't even make real money from the movie rights. Cha is a very wealthy man, his considerable income being the huge newspaper company he founds and owns (the Ming Pao is the most respected Chinese-language newspaper in the world.)

It would be tempting to argue who is more famous, Tolkien or Cha. Tolkien's fame in the English-speaking world is beyond doubt. The movies are going to spread this fame into the rest of the world. Cha's fame is also past dispute, but it's confined in the Chinese-speaking world only. Although there are more Chinese native speakers than English native speakers in the world, there are far more English learners everywhere, and English is certainly the more important language. However, non-native speakers of English are not likely to delve into difficult books such as Tolkien's, except perhaps in translation.

Which is the reason why translations, despite their limitations, are always and everywhere so necessary!

Ironically, although Tolkien and Cha are between them well known to BILLIONS of people, there are likely not many people who are fans of both, English and Chinese being so different from each other.

THis book was amazing. Some of it was unbelievable but it was hard to put down. I was blown away by the author's imagination. Even people that don't like kung-Fu will like this. It is a Harry Potter set in China. I can't wait till they release the third book because I am really giddy. Trust me on this, this is a great book to buy and will keep you occupied!!!

Let me first state that I had no particular "reason" to read this book: no personal connection to Chinese culture, nor history, nor a love of martial arts movies. In fact, I cannot remember why I purchased it. Yet I'm sitting here having read books 1 and 2, and wondering why the third volume's release has been delayed from October 2002 to early 2003? Doesn't anybody know that I'm in suspense?

This book feels like something pulled out of the past. Cross an Errol Flynn swashbuckler movie with Cervantes, set it in China, and maybe you'll get something close to this: great writing, comedy, and an irresistible antihero. You'll constantly wonder at the silliness of the story, but I bet you'll soon be waiting for volume 3, too, if you get started with this book.

I am delighted to see this wonderful title in print again. Unlike many playwriting books on the market today, Catron's guide deals in specifics rather than in mumbo jumbo or vague generalities. (And, from an aesthetic point of view, this reprint edition boasts a far more attractive cover than did the original first edition (hardcover) or the previous paperback edition.)

Dr. Catron deals with being a playwright, the characteristics of plays, turning ideas into plays, creating characters, building plot, constructing dialogue, evaluation and revision, script format, and resources for playwrights. Seven of the ten chapters conclude with excellent exercises designed to get the reader WRITING.

A note of constructive criticism: While the chapter on formatting the script is better than most, I would have liked to have seen it go into even greater detail. Even so, I can recommend this book without reservation and have given copies of it to friends who have become as enthusiastic about it as I.

Don't let the title deceive you - this is a masterly guide for all fiction writers. Catron's insights into creating characters, building plots, constructing dialogue, overcoming writer's block, finding inspiration, and turning ideas into plays apply to all forms of dramatic writing.
Catron is both a playwright and a professor, and this is reflected in his conversational, yet erudite, writing style. He covers the practical aspects of shaping stories from the artisan's point of view, and the intellectual concerns of literature from the scholar's.
The book begins with perhaps the most useful chapter on 'becoming a writer' of any 'how to' book on the market. If you've ever abandoned a work halfway through, despairing over where to go to next, or if you've ever questioned why you even bother to write fiction, then this chapter offers the solution. Catron asks that you begin with the statement 'These things I believe' - what you subsequently write will form your 'Personal Credo'. This will help you define your attitudes, beliefs and passions, and help you find enough thematic material to drive your future work. The 'Credo' is the first step to finding your individual voice, and a treasure-trove that you will plunder endlessly for the rest of your writing days. This first chapter alone makes the book worth owning.
Another great chapter is 'Turning Your Ideas into Plays', again, applicable to all fiction writing. Catron analyses ideas as one of three basic types: character, situation or thematic. From there, he takes you through a series of exercises to help nourish your 'seed' into a full-grown fictional work. Along the way, he provides relevant examples from the masters to help you visualise your own work. In fact, the book is peppered throughout with entertaining and relevant quotes from writers to inspire the beginner and to provoke thought on pertinent subjects.
The remaining chapters deal with character, dialogue and plot building, revising and re-evaluating your work, resources for playwrights, and proper script format. I recommend this book, not only for playwrights, but also for those interested in putting some direction in their work.

Catron's latest shares excellent information concerning the basics of playwriting. The finest well-known playwriting instructor of our time, this book is second only to Catron's first (also available here), and one that can only be gotten via private distribution. Uh oh. I just realized I wrote a review for this a year ago.

In reading the book I found the first half some what hard to get through. I was looking towards getting the info he was to give on investing. The second half of the book was what I was looking for. If you use his discipline in trading you could make alot of money in the market. I would recommended it just to have a base to use in your stock trading methods.

I know the author personally,he gave me my "shot" on Wall St.when I was 18 years old.There are a lot of "empty suits" that have written books on investing,I promise you Morty is not one of them. If you love facts as I do regarding investments...buy this book it will be of value to you.

Larry King's review (on the back cover) said it best, "this is the best book I've ever read on making it big. You're in the hands of a master. Enjoy!"

Portraying Marie Antoinette as an "average woman," as the title of Zweig's work provocatively suggests, is a debatable proposition. On the one hand, as Zweig shows throughout this study, Marie Antoinette was no prodigy: she was flawed, egotistic, intellectually limited and ... indiscreet. Her greatest passions were for clothes, vast flowery gardens, [fancy] jewelry and good looking Swedish men; she was a compulsive spendthrift; her political self-awareness was zero and her policy meddling was uniformly disastrous. Her indiscipline at court was flagrantly exploited by her political enemies - notably her jealous and ambitious brothers-in-law Louis and Charles (the later Bourbon Restoration kings) - who portrayed her as a modern day Jezebel. In all of these respects, her life was far from "average". But the "ordinariness" within, argues Zweig, left her ill-equipped to deal with the challenges of an extraordinary life.

Once the Revolution happens, however, Zweig's "averageness" argument makes a dog-leg turn. Under the extreme pressures of her imprisonment, her husband's guillotining, her separation from her beloved children and her state trial for treason, she rose above the "average," drawing on her Habsburg dignity and treating her Committee inquisitors with the contempt they deserved. In death, if not in life, she proved herself to be a true daughter of Maria Theresa. Even ordinary people can be martyrs, Zweig seems to be saying.

Zweig is a natural storyteller, and the fact that he, like Marie Antoinette, was Viennese gives him insights into her sensibilities and predilections. Another Viennese voice can be heard in this narrative: the psychological narrative owes much to Dr. Freud - particularly when we come to her early womanhood. Can it be, as Zweig dares to suggest, that Louis XVI's early impotence, and young Marie Antoinette's consequent frustration, fueled her shallow materialism? Was her scandalously profligate lifestyle an outlet for ... frustration? Did one man's "shortcomings" thus cause the revolution? And what of the bizarre Strasbourg ceremony whereby the newlywed Marie Antoinette was forced to [unclothe] at the frontier, lest the new Dauphine of France cross the border wearing foreign clothes? Surely an emotionally scarring experience? Her tale is a gift for the Freudian, and Zweig milks it for all it's worth.

Marie Antoinette... many things go through one's mind when thinking of that name. Many say she was cruel, pampered, and spoiled, and that she was the main couse of the French Revolution, yet, she was just a woman, a woman born a princess in the Austrian court, married to a French boy whom she had never met by the age of 15, crowned by 19, and beheaded by 35.

Life went by so fast by Marie Antoinette!!, and never gave her a chance to choose what she wanted out of it.

Stefan Zweig is a marvelous writer, and manages to gives us an intimate portrait of at times very hated, at others very loved and admired woman, an ordinary person who only wished for a normal life with her family, a little place of her own, where she didn't have to adjust and adapt to the many different rules impossed on her.

He describes the life of the French court as only he could, and you feel like you are part of the story, hearing about Versailles, Louvre, the revolution and the people involved, which makes this an excellent book to learn about history, about life in the French court, and about France's last great queen.

So, was she cruel, spoiled, and ignorant? read and decide for yourself....

Zweig's biography is so fascinating, I can't believe it's been allowed to go out of print. He does a remarkable job of delineating a light-headed, pleasureseeking woman who was thrust into circumstances she couldn't have anticipated or coped with. Marie Antoinette becomes a real woman, not a figurehead or a scapegoat. No one could ask for anything less.

Move over, Paul Bunyan, there's a new tall-tale hero in town.

Well, not exactly a new hero.

In the New York City of the 1840s lived a legendary firefighter named Mose Humphreys. Standing eight feet tall, with "hands as big as Virginia hams," he fought fires all around the great city, striding towards danger with his flaming red hair under his stovepipe hat. Whether rescuing babies from flaming tenements or bankers from burning hotels, Mose was beloved by all New Yorkers for his bravery and selflessness.

Mary Pope Osborne's story, in true American folktale tradition, renders a loving portrait of a man who symbolizes all that we respect and admire in firefighters: courage, willing sacrifice, tireless service to others. These traits were never so dramatically demonstrated as they were on the morning of September 11, 2001, and the story is a fitting tribute to the 343 New York City firefighters lost on that tragic day.

Though dedicated to the memory of modern firefighters, the gritty tones of Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher's illustrations remind us that this is also a tale about firefighting in a city overcrowded with wood-framed buildings and illuminated by oil lamps, when water had to be physically pumped out of tank trucks with enough force to reach the upper floors of very modest buildings, and when firemen needed the strength to carry grown adults rung by rung down wooden ladders. The nineteenth century was a time when fire was a very real possibility, not an unfortunate occurrence that happens to others and played out on our TV screens.

Together, the text and illustrations bring Mose Humphreys to life brilliantly, and make him a potent symbol of the strength, valor, and sacrifice of all firefighters--in New York City and around the world...

I found this book at my 9 year old daughter's school bookfare. While she no longer reads picture books, I am enthralled by them and this one caught my eye. Like another reviewer, I had trouble choking back tears as I read the tale of Mose Humphrey's firefighting in the late 1800's of NYC. I bought the book and passed it on to a gentleman who is a volunteer firefighter, ems worker and full time police officer for his two young sons. A work of art, both with its sparse, yet moving prose, and beautiful paintings. Recommended highly for ages 4-7.

"New York's Bravest" combines text by Mary Pope Osborne with paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. The book begins with a historical note in which Osborne describes the background of her tale. In 1848, a heroic firefighter character first began appearing in stage productions. This character was based on a real-life New York City firefighter named Mose Humphreys. In 1915, historian Herbert Asbury included some Mose stories in two collections of stories about old New York. As Osborne observes, firefighter Mose is "America's first urban folk hero."

Osborne's story takes place in a past era where newsboys sold papers for a penny each. The story's hero is Mose, an eight foot tall firefighter with superhuman strength. Sample text: "'Come on boys!' said Mose. Mose was the most famous firefighter in New York City."

The story is well enhanced by colorful illustrations that are full of great details. There are some exciting firefighting scenes, as well as some nice pictures of Mose engaged in less dangerous pursuits (such as eating a hearty meal).

The book has the following dedication: "To the memory of the 343 New York City firefighters who gave their lives to save others on September 11, 2001." It's a beautiful tribute that I recommend to readers of all ages.

This is one of the finest collections of pin-up art from the talented artists that brought these beautiful women to life. These were very risque for their time but they were a true celebration of women. This is the kind of open mindedness and genuine appreciation missing from today's society. Women are wonderful, intelligent, beautiful people and life would be a tragedy without them. There...I said it!

This is an excellent overview of the genre, on an artist-by-artist basis, from the classic era of the mid-twentieth century. All of the artists here are deserving of recognition, though only a handful of them are truly well-known and adequately documented in print elsewhere. All of the many artists here are well-represented; the reproduction is flawless, and the commentary is intelligent and well-researched. The original edition is my point of reference here, so I can't vouch for this one fully, but it appears to have maintained the integrity of the earlier printing and is a very handsome production as well.

I simply want to echo all of the positive reviews of this book. It is a visual feast; highly informative; and a wonderful value. As one reviewer previously noted, the book's only major shortcoming is the lack of picture titles.

By virtue of being so comprehensive, this book provides an excellent starting point for assessing the importance of pinup art in our country's recent history. No matter what you might think about the moral implications of its racier subject matter or its value as "serious" art, you cannot deny the stunning achievement of the artists represented in this volume. Almost without exception, the women depicted in this volume are endearing, sexy and spunky. The author and the publisher are to be commended for bringing this unprecedented volume to print.