I'm flyfisher in Korea. I think there is no necessity for talking about this book. Because this is so famous book to fishermans, as you know. Specially, this paperback edition is good for your wallet, with no omission. In a word, Full content, Good price!

If you don't know about this famous book by the inimitable Walton, you have a lot to look forward to. Purporting to be an account of a 5-day gentlemen's fishing idyll (when gentlemen were gentlemen, and the English countryside was at once bountiful and near to hand), it is in fact a deeply engaging nostalgia trip into a never-never land of pastoral bliss which has no exact parallel in world literature.

To say "evocative of simpler, happier times" is to barely hint at the near-mystical fragrance of this enchanting volume. Three high-spirited protagonists ("Piscator", "Venator", and "Auceps"), devoted to three rival outdoor avocations (fishing, hunting, and falconing, respectively), meet on a "fine, fresh May morning"; ramble across the countryside in search of fine fishing and hearty times; sing, banter, and versify; recount ancient wisdom (of often dubious validity) regarding the habits and temper of over a dozen local fish species; and encounter a sampling of innkeepers, milkmaids, gypsies, and various other idealized rural types. This is a refuge book for quiet evenings, one of those unaccountably transporting narratives which no charmed reader has ever wanted to reach the end.

Some history: stolen in parts from precedents written as far back as 1450, Walton's work is nearly as early as it could be and still be readable without a line-by-line explanatory gloss ("compleat" is about as arcane as it gets). First published in 1653, there have been well over 100 editions in print. Some of the earlier ones contain Lang's 28-page introduction to the author's life, the structure of the work, and its publishing history, all of which is superbly sensitive and informative. Noteworthy are the 80+ illustrations produced by Sullivan (again, available in some of the older editions and their reprints), which are unselfconsciously exquisite -- naively rendered country scenes and character sketches; finely wrought studies of dry flies and of the various species of fish mentioned in the book; and ornately framed images of famous fishermen "taken" from the evidently superb engraved portraits of Major's 1824 edition.

The author was a minor legend in his own time. Held in the highest regard by all who knew him, this "excellent old man" suffered many tragedies throughout his long life (from the public murder of his beloved king to various family deaths and personal debilities), but he never lost his rare sweetness of temper. He wrote numerous other treatises, but "The Compleat Angler" early on rendered him a literary immortal.

I have had this book beside me for more than 20 years, not for its guidance about fishing (though this is pleasant), but for the simple, unaffected but eloquent beauty of its 17th century prose. A lovely, idealized, Arcadian sort of England comes to life, and it is a very nice place in which to dip your mind a while.

This book touches on many themes, but most forcefully delivers a story about forgiveness that brought tears to my eyes.
The Nazi who loved a Jew, and did everything imaginable to save her from a concentration camp; the abandoned and emotionally abused boy who did everything imaginable to discover the hidden truth of his mother's death; and that same boy's own heroism in forgiving his father's responsibility for the mother's death. The same theme resonates in the resolution of revelations that come from the discovery of the truth of his lover's family's past and their involvement with the Nazi Reich.
The tension I felt between abhoring the Nazi in hiding, and then being moved by discovering his heroism was what really made this book for me. It is so hard, as a Jew, to look beyond the general pure hatred that word Nazi brings forth. It is hard to forgive any of them, despite what we know about their situation. My own grandfather was murdered in a Camp and yet, I found it satisfying to find a character that I could sympathize with despite his allegiances. And the main character in this book was very appealing too.

This book, although it brought tears to my eyes, made me feel good as well, because it gave me hope that there is the possibility of acceptance and closure from even the most atrocious circumstances.

This is the first review I have written but this is one of the best books I have ever read. It combines history with fiction beautifully. Anyone interested in learning more about the horrible Nazi death camps will find this book fascinating

In 1942, ten men wearing SS uniforms attend a dinner party at the Thereslenstadt Camp in Czechoslovakia. Inmate Gerta Wahljek is ordered to take a picture of the event and make a copy for each man to keep as a memento of the evening. Gerta retains one picture for herself and when the war ends she takes the photograph with her to America.

Over the next five decades, Gerta tracks down nine of the participants with only Friedrich Schillinghaussen remaining unaccounted for during the entire time until now. She thinks she has located Friedrich in the cardiac gerontology unit of a Boston hospital. She tells her son of her discovery and he uses his political clout to launch an investigation into the life of Freddy Schiller, a person with no documented past and currently married to a Jewish rights activist. Will the inquiries prove Gerta correct and substantiate the activities of a man in love during wartime or will it turn into a witch-hunt of an elderly man?

THE LAST MAN is a fascinating story that demonstrates that morality is often jello-like and difficult to grasp, making it impossible to serve as judge and jury when choices are done under horrific circumstances. No one is evil, but everyone is flawed and doing what they can to survive as human beings during wartime. The climax is a believable shocker as Charles Kearney makes what seemingly is impossible possible.

Harriet Klausner

Pico, described by Machiavelli as a man of 'almost supernatural genius', made this breathtaking speech at the tender age of 24. It can be divided into four parts: in the first, he celebrates the dignity of man and human ability to make choices which lead to enlightenment and salvation. Secondly, he introduces the means by which one reaches enlightenment: a combination of moral philosophy, dialectic, natural philosophy, and theology, which ultimately leads man to God. He then goes on to defend his own grand project, a set of 900 theses formulated as a synthesis of Greek, Latin (Christian), Arab, Hebrew and Zoroastrian philosophy (among other things, Pico was trying to reconcile the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle). As a true Renaissance figure, he emphasizes the importance of classical dispute and rational argument. It is therefore somewhat surprising that he towards the end offers an exceedingly long rant on mysticism and the secret books of the Cabalists. The young Pico at this point gives the impression of being a little too much of a Renaissance man, trying to pursue all arts and chasing down all avenues of learning at the same time. Yet it is still a great work, one that has stood the test of time and could well inspire and guide young people who seek learning today.

In the great humanist Pico Della Mirandola's work, "Oration on the Dignity of Man," Plato and Cicero converge. Pico mixes Platonic theology with Ciceronian eloquence and presents a piece of work that challenges the medieval view of human nature, while championing and embodying the "spirit of the Renaissance." With rhetorical genius, execution of style, and philosophical sublimity, this renaissance scholar, at the age of twenty-four, prepared this work as a preface to the startling number of nine-hundred theses, covering metaphysics, logic, ethics, theology, mathematics, magic, and physics. The young Pico delivered this oration in the presence of well-educated men twice his age in order to convince them into a philosophical tournament, in which he would defend the principles of his nine hundred theses. Sadly enough, his expectations were sapped since no one wished to accept his challenge; some of his theses brought forth papal condemnation; and a brief period of imprisonment followed. His death at a young age certainly did not mean that his fame died with him. Men like Erasmus and Politian admired him; and his influence on the modern world has been profound to say the least. In a word, "De Hominis Dignitate," is an epitome of the Renaissance wrapped up in a short and easy-to-read handbook. This is the first single volume edition available of Pico's masterwork, and it is a must have for all philosophy lovers.

This book represents the preface to the nine-hundred theses on the meaning of man in the world from the perspective of a 15th century prince, mystic, philosopher, alchemist. In this salubrious text we see Pico della Mirandola attempting to fuse the varied religious and philosophical traditions of Zoroaster, ancient Judaism, Plato, and Aristotle into a laudation of the creation of man by the Divine. This text is the founding statement of the "humanist" doctorine which argues that God gave Man "free will" which (if used virtuously) allows man to strive for dignity in the eyes of a beneficent God. This translation aptly conveys the passion and erudition of this great philosopher.

It is neat to have the original script to this knockout musical. It is set up like the "Peanuts" comic books. Nostalgic to say the least!

This is NOT the score, it is the vocal selections!!

"You're a good man Charlie Brown...is one of the worlds best musicals! I love the theater and this is by far one of the best musicals I've ever seen. If you like musicals like I do get the CD or see the cartoon of the musical. For more information E-Mail me at SMF Broadway@aol.com.

Left for dead the USS. Indianapolis story. The book I read was called ?Left for Dead?. Pete Nelson wrote it with a preface by hunter Scott. This book is a true story about one of the biggest mistakes made in the NAVY. Lets start from the beginning; this story is about the boat the USS. Indianapolis called the indi for short. The indi was a proud flagship for the U.S. pacific fleet it had been through many important battles and won many medals for her crew. The indis next mission was so secret that even the captain of the vessel did not know what it was only what he was supposed to do the captains name was captain Macvay. What the indi was caring was the A-bomb it was to take it to the U.S. airstrip were it would be flown to drop on Japan. On the way pack to pearl harbor the India was hit by an I-58 sub torpedo well the indi sank after that and out of her 800 crew only 350 made it off the ship. The surviving crew survived in the shark-infested waters for 7 days with out food and water. When they were finally rescued there were only 50 people left. The captain was wrongly curt marceled because the NAVY wanted to hide the mistake it made even though the crow tried to clear his name they couldn?t Intel a boy named Hunter Scout did the India story for a history project did he find something to clear the captains name. You will have to read to find out what. I didn?t like the book because it was to slow for me.
NICK LAKE

This book is a very exciting journey. It kept me wanting to read on. I really felt as if I were a part of the adventure of the combat. It was a great thriller and at the same time a great lesson in history. It is a war time classic. Any one who enjoys an action war thriller or a good non-fiction book would absolutely love to read this. I have a hard time reading but found this kept my interest. I do have to say that the book starts out a bit slow, but towards the middle it speeds up into a fast pace adventure of the Japenese sending a torpedo into the front of a ship. Amercian soldiers were stranded in the middle of nowhere. I would say that my favorite part of this book is how they get themselves into more danger as they try to work their way back home. The days they are stranded are full of death, mysteries, murders and cannibalism. ...
This book was just over 200 pages with large font. Easy reading and a great book for adults and teens. I would not recommend this book to a younger child for it's graphic contents. I think that because of the war that is going on in Iraq right now that it made this book more interesting and more real to me. It also made me think about how horrible war is.
I think of how aweful it probably is out there for all those people fighting. So do yourself a favor and order this book online today. You won't be sorry.

I enjoyed this book and intend to recommend for purchase in my local high school library where I work. We need more high interest, lower reading level books to interest our young men. This will do it! Also, here's a true hero; someone who saw a "wrong" and worked to "right" it.

I read this book as a freshmen in high school. The painful memory is still with me. The characters are somewhat colorful and eccentric, but Pip, the main character appears to be a weak individual. It seems to fit the ideal English novel, not a fast moving plot, but revalations still happen none the less.

I thought it was a great book. I'm only in 4th grade but, I thought it was pretty easy. My favorite characters are Estella, Pip, and Miss Havisham. The other characters are fine too. I reccomend this book to grades 4th and up

I may be only a 6th grader, but you wouldn't believe how much I enjoyed this book. Charles Dickens having a poor childhood because of the little money his family earned, has written a miraculous book having to do with money. Charles Dickens makes his case for there being a potential for good and evil in everyone. I really enjoyed reading this book and if you are looking for a fabulous book to enjoy, I strongly reccomend you read this.

By no means was I disappointed, but frankly a lot of the plot was weak enough to allow the fact that is was merely there to display the concepts show thru.

However, the concepts themselves were very well detailed and quite plausible, even if I /would/ prefer to think you could record someone NONdestructively.

Overall, it was worth the money and definitely worth reading. But if you're not obsessed with the idea of digital immortality, I don't know how much you'll like it.

Can you live forever by electronically replicating your brain in the form of a computer program? "Uploading," as the concept is sometimes referred to, has been around in science fiction for a long time: variations of it were kicked around in episodes of the old Star Trek ("What Are Little Girls Made Of?", "I, Mudd" and "Return to Tomorrow", among others), The X-Files ("Kill Switch"), and so on.

In "The Silicon Man," Charles Platt aims at providing a technically plausible approach to uploading. The plot, such as it is, involves an FBI agent who, while investigating illegal trafficking in a special kind of gun, stumbles upon a group of scientists working on a publicly-funded project thought to have been a money sink, but which has actually succeeded beyond the wildest dreams. The scientists have to get rid of the FBI agent, but they can't quite bring themselves to kill him, so they copy his mind and put him in their electronic universe -- which is kind of like the Matrix (from the movie), though without any of the bells and whistles. Instead of Agents (the computer programs in "The Matrix") to torment our hero, however, there's the main computer scientists, who is a megalomaniac with the power to alter the computer environment as he sees fit. Yikes!

Platt pushes the science and technology reasonably far, but the concept still seems a little unbelievable. Happily, that doesn't detract from the novel, which I finished in basically one sitting.

and they will be hooked. I devoured Platt's volume on a recent vacation and enjoyed it greatly. Two non-sci-fi readers have read my copy and they loved it. This is a gripping tale that begs to be made into a first-rate movie.

I have been a fan of Charles Gaines since reading both "Pumping Iron" (which he did in colloboration with famed photographer George Butler) and his novel "Stay Hungry", which was turned into a movie in which Arnold Schwarzenegger had one of his first serious roles. Yet this book is so far afield from anything like his previous work that it stands alone. It is at once a confessional and a tribute, for in this book Gaines articulates what it means to finally recognize how superficial and fruitless his endeavours over a several year period had been, and ho whe and his wife decided to make a last stab at saving their faltering marriage by retreating, en famille, with the rest of their extended family of kids and selected friends, to spend a summer building a summer cottage on the rugged coast of Nova Scotia.

The trek proves worthwhile, as does the reading experience, for we find ourselves paging through this day-by day account of how they made it happen, and how they all grew together in a renewed bonding of individuals through the common experience. Of course, not all of us have the resources or time to engage in such a quixotic adventure, yet reading the book made me yearn for the opportunity to engage my loved one and friends in some common enterprise not so much for the acomplishment of the task, but for the opportunity to grow and experence each other and the mutual growth that would occur in such an engagement. That is perhaps a solipsistic method of decribing and endorsing a book for one's fellow readers, but there it is. Like Jack Nicholson's famous line in "As Good As It Gets", it makes me want to be a better man. Enjoy!

I stumbled onto this book as my wife and I were expecting our first child. I now return to it as the pressures of career, family and life in general build up and tear away at me. It is in a package the story of the descent and reestablishment of a marraige, the pressures of the passage of time on a family, and the value of time together and a focusing project. This book has a permaneant home on my bookshelf.

Well basically I had a great deal of fun writing this book which I believe will probably be the defining work of my career. It's funny, it's got action, it's got romance, all the good stuff I took inspiration from my favorite works (Oz, Last Unicorn, Princess Bride, etc) for. The work sadly lacks illustrations I originally wanted to put in as well as a removed dedication. However I think the story is still worth the money times ten. I hope you enjoy

It reminded me a great deal of the L. Frank Baum series that I enjoyed so much as a child, and still do. The characters in this book however, are somewhat aged and a bit more mature then their childish version.

It was nice to see a hint of the adult Dorothy and the adult Ozma. Though Dorothy maintained her child appearance, a hundred years of life was bound to give her a more adult outlook on things.

Ozma chose to allow herself to age, just a touch. Now she is the age of a girl first looking for love, though she doesn't admit it even to herself. That is, until the hero comes along...

A hint of romance, and a lot of adventure makes this an excellent read. I look forward to more of the Umbrella Man trilogy!