Back in 1973, my teacher would read this book to my first-grade class during "reading time." I liked the story soooooo much I asked my mom to order the book. She finally got it from Lazarus of all places and it was sent to our home in Danville, IN in hardback. The story and imagery are great (and sometimes scarrrrrryyyyyy!) I have lost that copy, but am now ordering a copy for my sons (ages 10 and 6) so that I can read to them the wonderful story of Balser and the ferocious bears of Blue River. What a treat for them! john marysville, oh

If you're looking for a great book to read to 7-12 year old kids, this is a winner. My third grade teacher read this to our class. Now, 25 years later, I'm reading it to my boys. They are loving it!

My mother "made" me read this book when I was in 5th grade -- I really had no interest in it, but once I got started, I couldn't put it down!! It's appealing to boys and girls, well written, and really exciting. A great read for kids of all ages.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once remarked of English that it is 'the sea which receives tributaries from every region under heaven.'

The English language is certainly a sea of words and constructs which has been fed into by almost every major language and ethnic tradition in the world. English began as a hodge-podge of languages, never pretending to the 'purity' of more continental or extra-European languages (which, by the by, were never quite as pure as they like to assume).

The book 'The Story of English', as a companion piece to accompany the PBS-produced series of the same name, hosted by Robert MacNeil, late of the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, is an articulate, engaging, wide-ranging and fair exposition of an ordinarily difficult and dry subject.

The study of English is difficult on several levels. 'Until the invention of the gramophone and the tape-recorder there was no reliable way of examining everyday speech.' What did English sound like 200 years ago, or 400 years ago? 'English is--and has always been--in a state of ungovernable change, and the limits of scholarship are demonstrated by phrases like the famous 'Great Vowel Shift', hardly more informative than the 'unknown land' of early cartography.'

Of course, written language has until modern times been the limited and limiting commodity of a very small minority of people. The balance between the written and spoken language has a variable history, which can still be seen today (compare the writing of the New York Times against the speech patterns and vocabulary choices of any dozen persons you will find on the street in New York City, and this divergence will be readily apparent).

English has many varieties, and this book explores many of them, explaining that the writings and speech-patterns we see and hear as being foreign are actually English variants with a pedigree as strong as any Oxford University Press book would carry. From the Scots language which migrated to the Appalachian mountains to the Aussie languages adapted to Pacific Islands, to the ever-changing barrow speech of inner London, English speakers have a wide variety of possibilities that no one is truly master of all the language.

'If our approach seems more journalistic than scholastic, we felt this was appropriate for a subject that, unlike many academic studies, is both popular and newsworthy. Hardly a week goes by without a news story, often on the front page, devoted to some aspect of English: the 'decline' of standards; the perils and hilarities of Franglais or Japlish; the adoption of English as a 'national' language by another Third World county.'

English is, for international trade and commerce, for travel, for science and most areas of major scholarship, and many other groupings, the language not only of preference, but of required discourse.

In trying to find the length and breadth of English infusion into the world, past and present, MacNeil and primary authors Robert McCrum and William Cran have produced an engaging history, literary survey, sociology, and etymological joyride. By no means, however, are the major streams of English overlooked in favour of the minor tributaries--Shakespeare warrants most of his own chapter, as is perhaps fitting for the most linguistically-influential of all English speakers in history.

Of course, about this same time, the Authorised Version of the Holy Bible (better known as the King James Version) was also produced, with its own particular genius of language. 'It's an interesting reflection on the state of the language that the poetry of the Authorised Version came not from a single writer but a committee.'

There is a substantial difference in aspect of these two works -- whereas Shakespeare had a huge vocabulary, with no fear of coining new words and terms to suit his need, the King James Bible uses a mere 8000 words, making it generally acceptable to the everyman of the day. 'From that day to this, the Shakespearian cornucopia and the biblical iron rations represent, as it were, the North and South Poles of the language, reference points for writers and speakers throughout the world, from the Shakespearian splendour of a Joyce or Dickens to the biblical rigour of a Bunyan, or a Hemingway.'

From Scots to Anglesey, from the Bayou to the Barrier Reef, English is destined to be a, if not the, dominant linguistic force in the world for some time to come, particularly as the internet, the vast global communication network, is top-heavy with English, albeit an ever changing variety.

Revel in the glories of the English language, and seek out this fun book. Everyone will find something new.

After watching the series it is fun to see the information in print.

Just about everything you ever wanted to know about the English Language is in this book. There are newer and older references but none so complete and at the same time readable. This book covers history, usage, almost usage and possible futures of the language.

One of my favorite antidotes was the one about how the Advisory Committee on Spoken English (ACSE) discussed the word "canine":

"Shaw brought up the word 'canine', and he wanted the recommendation to be 'cay-nine'... And somebody said 'Mr. Shaw, Mr. Chairman, I don't know why you bring this up, of course it's 'ca-nine'. Shaw said, 'I always pronounce things the way they are pronounced by people who use the word professionally every day.' And he said, 'My dentist always says (cay-nine)'. And somebody said, 'Well, in that case, Mr. Chairman, you must have an American dentist.' And he said, 'Of course, why do you think at 76 I have all my teeth!'"

After reading about how English came about, the next book to read would be "Divided by a Common Language" by Christopher Davies, Jason Murphy

I read this book back in my 'English Conversation Teacher' days in Japan. Having been embrassed one to many times by students having to lecture me, their teacher, on the history of English, I figured I should do some 'catch-up reading.' I asked around for suggestions and was recommended 'The Story of English'.

It is free of the linguistic jargon most general readers would find pedantic, and although it is aimed at the general reader it is never condescending. The first half of the book explains the historical development of English while the second half focues on modern English.

Most refreshing though, is that it is free of the triumphalism found in many books of this kind. Reflecting the demographic reality of English today, it gives even-handed attention to the many contemporary varieties of English spoken around the world in places such as North America, Singapore, India, the Anglophone West Indies, and so on.

'The Story of English' is best suited to those who are curious about the origins as well as the future of English, and who want an easy-to-understand introduction to the subject.

I was an avid reader as a boy growing up in central-Ohio and this was one of my favorite books. I would rank it right up there with Treasure Island. I believe the copy I had belonged to my great grandfater and it was old and falling apart when I read it the first of many many times. I don't know what happened to that old book; I suspect it was trashed at some point when I was out traipsing through the woods and I can't count the times since that I have wished that I had that book to read. Due at least in part to the reading of that book I am fascinated by caverns, the outdoors, and the early frontier days when Ohio and Indiana were the wild west.

This book was one of my favorite books as a young boy growing up in Indiana. A great adventure story taking place during pioneer days in southern Indiana.

The book is very deep and interesting. It is very well written as well as expressed. It encouraged me to become active in the field of reading. It has helped to change the way that I view literature, and provided me with a safe and fun way of occupation.

This is the story of a young Polish boy who escapes death at the hands of the Nazis, is rescued by the US Army and decides then and there that he will become an American soldier. And what a soldier he becomes. After finding his way to America with his family, Tadeusz Gaweda joins the Army, becomes a paratrooper and works his way up the ranks to the top enlisted grade as Command Sergeant Major of the elite XVIII Airborne Corps. It is a story of personal sacrifice, unrelenting high standards, perseverance, a determination to excel and a high order of devotion to duty and to his adopted country. By his side through it all is his lovely wife, Edith, who had endured the Nazi occupation of her Czechoslovakian homeland and who exhibited personal bravery as well in escaping from behind the Iron Curtain. In the end, Command Sergeant Major Gaweda's story is a love story-the love of a man for his wife and family, his comrades in arms and his love of America. I found his story to be both moving and inspiring. Those of us who are native-born Americans may take our good fortune somewhat lightly at times. Edith and Tadeusz Gaweda -Americans by choice-make us native born Americans grateful for what we have had from birth.

Supergun-obsessed engineer Gerald Bull co-wrote this book before being assassinated by Isreali Intelligence for his Iraqi involvement. Two thirds of the book is a study of the huge guns constructed in France during WWI. The remainder is a discussion of Bull's own HARP program in the early 1960s. The first part is accompanied by B+W photos, while the latter has color photos of the modern equipment & testing. There are also lots of graphs and technical formulae. Probably an important reference for anyone studying this technology.

This book was one of romance, drama, humor, and adventure all mixed together. It was mostly romance. Mary Tudor, sister to King Henry VIII, meets and falls in love with Charles Brandon, captain of the king's guard. He loves her too, but they try to keep apart because they think their love will just cause pain for both of them. (Royalty did not normally wed commoners back then.) But through a twist of events - an attempted escape on a ship, a marriage between Mary and King Louis of France, and finally Louis's death, Mary and Brandon have the king's consent to marry. It was an exciting book, and best of all, it was true! I couldn't put it down. I read it in 3 hours!

Most biographers like their subjects, and that is likely the case with Charles Martin and his subject, Tom McGuire. Still, Martin presents a generally well balanced view of our second leading ace of all time, and one comes away with a sense of a very complex young man with lots of "background" going on in his mind as he goes off to war. Martin tends to downplay McGuire's prickly personality, but does acknowledge that many felt that Mac could be difficult. More importantly, we come to understand more WHY Mac was sometimes difficult -- as noted previously, there was lots of baggage there. I highly recommend this book for aviation fans and those who are interested in what made one of our lesser known, but of first magnitude, heroes tick. If the definition of a well written book includes a)wanting to meet the subject, b) wanting to meet the author, and c) wanting the author to turn to another subject you are interested in, then The Last Great Ace qualifies on all counts.

Prior to reading this book I had some knowledge of Major Tom McGuire, but this book allowed me to "peel" back the layers of what made up the Man, the husband and the Pilot. The book methodically took me through his early life, flight school and into the Pacific Theater where we find this skilled pilot in the cockpit of his P-38 Lightning "Puddgy." Unlike some books written about famous fighter pilots of the WWII era you will be treated to a look at his friendship with flying legend Charles Lindburg, letters to his wife, recollections from his crew chief and his relationship with Americas Ace of Aces "Dick" Bong.

The author also takes into account the day to day life on the airbase(s), meetings with Generals and of course his aerial battles with the Japanese. Well balanced, insightful, this is a great book about a Medal of Honor recipient, I hope you enjoy it.

There is only one word to describe this book; TREMENDOUS! Author Charles A. Martin has written a masterpiece of aviation history. In this book, the reader is given insight into the life of Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr. who would end up as America's number two all-time ace with thirty eight confirmed (and many more unconfirmed) victories. This book does a superior job of giving the reader insight into McGuire's life. The first half of the book deals with McGuire from a young age until he entered flight training. Some of the other reviewers of this book thought that the first half was a waste; I highly disagree. Mr. Martin gives us insight into Tommy's youth and his upbringing, which in the end ultimately resulted in the kind of pilot and leader of men he turned out to be. His upbringing had a major impact on the type of commander he was, and I applaud Mr. Martin for including the early years of McGuire's life. Too often, biographers just concentrate on a specific area of a person's life. I'm glad that I found out what type of person Tommy McGuire was when he was younger. It's easy to see from his childhood how he grew to become such an effective leader.

The second half of the book deals with the actual combat life of Tommy. From August 1943 until his untimely death on January 7, 1945, Major McGuire compiled a record which most fighter pilots only dream about. He shot down thirty eight enemy aircraft; second only to his rival and friend Dick Bong's forty. He also grew to be a highly respected leader, tactician, teacher, and friend. Tommy was a fiery individual in combat, but he was a true friend to his comrades in every sense of the word and he always looked out for the well-being of everyone in his squadron.

I've read dozens of books about the Pacific war, but this book rates as one of my all-time favorites. This is a true classic of aviation history. Read it and discover the life of a true American hero.

I am just starting to delve into and research the Peninsular War, but this book is fascinating, especially because the majority of the text comes first hand. Edward Charles Cocks kept an extensive journal, and wrote many letters, so it's relatively easy to follow his movements throughout his campaign. He even goes into detail when advising the "kit" his brother should bring when coming to visit... I would recommend this book to anyone interested in an eye-witness account.

This book seems to be a commissioned marketing book for network marketing. It reads like a sales brochure and contained very little information that was of value to me. It seems likely that it was funded by a bunch of MLM companies, including Prepaid legal, Excel and Herbalife, among others.

Don't believe the other customer reviews, and don't waste your money on this book. There must be better books out there than this one.

I am also shocked at the number of people who endorse this book on the back cover. I wonder how many of them actually read it.

One of the worst books I have ever read.

The New Professional makes clear the evolution of multilevel and direct marketing. Like many folks, I had a pretty dim view of the overly aggressive sales tactics and misleading meeting agendas that I ran into with many of the earlier direct marketing efforts. Now I see that things have changed for the better - much better! Inventory is not in your home, it's not in someone else's garage, it is at the distributor and easily obtained through the internet. Supply chain management is superb in these new companies.

For example, King and Robinson provide statistics to show why direct marketing is a robust and very efficient model for introducing some products into the market place. And, they show why the type of person involved in network marketing today is truly a professional: "Of key interest, the research found 'successful (direct and network marketing) sales people have a communication style or social style that encourages the building of relationships with their customers . . . The most successful sales leaders have a combination of relationship and task orientation' (in their communication styles)."

Network Marketing and multilevel marketing are synonymous terms. They are defined by a business model which pays commissions on multiple levels of the sales organization. Network Marketing/Selling differs from Direct Selling in that Network Marketing:

1. Focuses on relationships rather than on closing the sale or booking an order
2. Focuses on information sharing
3. Independent business owner (IBO)
4. Commissions on multiple levels of sales (not just retail of the IBO)

The role of the network marketing channel is to accelerate the movement of products using the most efficient distribution technique: word-of-mouth communication.

This is an excellent book to bring you up to date on the network marketing phenominon and to understand the new business models (yes, there are many).

If your considering Network Marketing as a career move then this should be your first text book for learning what you need to know first about the business. I have also attended Dr. Charles King's Networking Marketing Certification course at the University of Illinois @ Chicago with equal enthusiasm. If you take anything from this review, understand that this book was written by a Harvard Grad and tenured Professor at UIC who spent much time researching the business. It is a great book that is required reading especially if you're new to the business of Network Marketing.
Last of all, don't listen to fools who scoff at this book or the Industry, unless of course you wish to remain a slave to your employer and retire a slave to the Governments program.