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Book reviews for "Marks,_Elaine" sorted by average review score:

Newsletter Sourcebook
Published in Paperback by F&W Publications (1998)
Authors: Mark Beach, Elaine Floyd, and York
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A must have for a newsletter specialist!
In all the books I have on newsletter design, this has been the most beneficial! It offers many great examples in full color stating what each design has to offer. It has lots of tips and addresses each part that goes into newsletters from nameplates to the mailing panel. I wish they would come out with a new one!

Great for Designing Newsletter Style Websites!
     Good design and layout is important for the success of any Website. Websites are created to share information of one sort or another and do not follow any one design pattern. One popular design format for sharing information online that we should be familiar with is the newsletter style that is intended to communicate information in similar fashion as the common newsletters we get in the mail. Most news reporting Websites use this same format. Mark Beach and Elaine Floyd have written Newsletter Sourcebook to offer readers plenty of sample layouts and creative newsletter design assistance.

     The book measures 8 1/2" by 11" and contains many full-colored examples of newsletter layouts and design tips. Many of the samples can be easily adapted for Website design purposes. Although this book is not intended to deal entirely with Website design principles, the placement of graphic images, the effective use of colors, the creative use of columns, the struc! ture of text, and font selection can assist Website designers to produce top-notch newsletter Websites. A number of Website screen shots are provided to display the impact made by online newsletters.

     With a little re-working this book could easily pass for a Website design handbook. The advantages of using this book are crystal clear. The authors have been in the newsletter business for many years. This book is proof of it. Their experience is demonstrated by the detailed work exhibited throughout. Anyone can achieve similar results. Additionally, when time is short the Website designer can quickly thumb through this book for easy ideas to put to use. All that is necessary is basic knowledge of HTML programming and/or the use of good Website design software programs.

     Begin creating newsworthy Websites, newsletters, and other forms of promotional literature for yourself and for others with this great resource book today. This is a must-have book!


Peterson's Ssat/Isee Success 2001 (Peterson's Ssat/Isee Success, 2001)
Published in Paperback by Petersons Guides (1900)
Authors: Elaine Bender, Jeffrey E. Levitsky, Christi Heuer, Mark Weinfeld, Dominic Marullo, Patricia Burgess, Jo Norris Palmore, Peterson's Guides, and Peterson's
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The best of several available
We bought several review resources. Peterson's was the best. It offers extensive guidance about preparing for the test and had lots of hints for success in taking it.

Its practice questions were right on in level of difficulty. Questions in other resources were too easy or too hard. Several only provided limited practice questions.

Our daughter scored in the 99th percentile. While we think she would have done well anyway, the Peterson materials boosted her score a good deal, we are convinced.

A GREAT BOOK TO HELP YOU ACE THE TESTS!!
I think this book is a great way to prepare for the SSAT and ISEE. It provides lots of great information on the test and it gives you tips on how you can do better on the test. I had to take the SSAT and I don't know how I would've done so good if I hadn't read this book. You should check it out!! It's really worth it!!


Euripides, 3 : Alcestis, Daughters of Troy, the Phoenician Women, Iphigenia at Aulis, Rhesus (Penn Greek Drama Series)
Published in Paperback by University of Pennsylvania Press (1998)
Authors: Euripides, Fred Chappell, Mark Rudman, Euripides, Richard Elman, Elaine Terranova, and George Economou
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a return to classics
I went to Columbia, with the most prominent 'great books' curriculum still in existence. 25 years later, I'm finding myself re-reading and discussing many of the titles. The Penn Greek Drama series is a handsome library of new translations that give fresh takes on the classics. It's useful to have Euripides on the shelf when you return home from the recent bravura performance by Fiona Shaw as Medea--it settled an argument too on how it 'originally' ended.


Mysteries of the Rain Forest: 20th Century Medicine Man (The New Explorers)
Published in School & Library Binding by Blackbirch Marketing (1998)
Authors: Elaine Pascoe and Bill Kurtis
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Medicine Man
This book really makes you think about what we are doing to our tropical rainforests and why we need to do more to protect them. This book makes you feel like you are actually in the forest with the medicine man when you are reading it.


New French Feminisms: An Anthology
Published in Paperback by Random House (1987)
Authors: Elaine Marks and Isabelle De Courtivron
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last night a book changed my life
This is a very important book, that much I cannot stress enough. I found a copy in the Complutense library in Madrid in 1998, and spent my days consumed by kristeva, cixous and iriguray, turning page after page in mark's and de courtivron's incredibly well-organised and informative work. if you've read toril moi's sexual/textual politics and got to grips with the generalities of the scene, then this is the next step. if you haven't this is as good a starter as any for 'feminist' food for thought.


The View from Three Windows
Published in Paperback by Dreamer's Press (1994)
Authors: Elaine J. Shaw and Elaine Jagier Mark Shaw
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Good until the end
This book was well-written, interesting, and a good story until the ending. I felt that the ending was a little hokey.

A heartwarming book that transcends generations.
The author draws you in from the beginning, making you believe you are really experiencing the Chicago of the early 1900's.

The story gives wonderful insight into the "American Experience" of the early immigrants and their continuous struggle to make a new life in a new country - regardless of continued barriers imposed upon them.

The lessons can be applied to anyone who has had to overcome the struggles of diversity and come out feeling stronger because of the experience.

A Heartwarming Chicago Story
This story centers around a young girl who finds out she has TB . It takes place during the first world war. It is a story of her struggle and her family's strong faith. It is also a love story and has a very interesting plot. The characters live in a Polish neighborhood and are themselves Polish. The Mother is similar to a "I Remember Mama " mother. An old fashioned story with some unusual twists.


Children With Disabilities
Published in Paperback by Paul H Brookes Pub Co (1992)
Authors: Mark L. Batshaw, Yvonne M. Perret, and Elaine Kasmer
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Solid Introductory Book
Batshaw's Children with Disabilities is a "must have" book for anyone who works with children with disabilities...almost. Written by doctors for those in the medical professional most of the recommended interventions come from a decidedly medical model. It is, on the other hand, fairly comprehensive with sections dealing with genetics, development, developmental disabilities, and interventions with the bulk of the book dealing with specific disabilities from the obscure (Fragile X Syndrome) to the more common (AD/HD). I have not found Appendix A or B particularly useful (Glossary and Syndromes of Inborn Errors of Metabolism) but turn to Appendix C and D frequently (Commonly Used Medication and Resources for Children with Disabilities) Finally, while the book offers a nice mix of theory and application, I would like to see (maybe in a 5th Edition?) the incorporation of some of the so-called "new brain research." Nevertheless, I still turn to this book several times each month.

Excellent resource
This reference book covers developmental, clinical, educational, family, and intervention issues of concern to teachers working with children with disabilities. Written by doctors, it thoroughly explores issues than impact child development starting from conception through adulthood. Factors that can cause disabilities, current methods of treatment, commonly used medications, and guidelines for intervention are addressed.

This comprehensive reference book will be invaluable tool to access when teaching children with disabilities and parents. Appendixes provide a through list of resources, and glossary of terms so non-experts, like myself, can avoid getting lost in a morass of acronyms. Brookes Publishing provides a companion website which I expect to consult for the most current information and up-to-the-minute research.


The Owner-Builder Book : How You Can Save More than $100,000 in the Construction of Your Custom Home
Published in Paperback by Consensus Group Inc (01 January, 2000)
Authors: Mark A. Smith and Elaine M. Smith
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Great overview of a complicated process
Owning your own home has long been considered the American Dream. For many, that includes designing and building the homes themselves. But building a home is a complex project filled with pitfalls and traps, and unwary budding homeowners can find their dreams turning into nightmares.

Enter Mark Smith, who has built several houses of his own. Written by a man who acted as his own general contractor, "The Owner-Builder Book" is crammed with useful advice on how to oversee your own project, from planning to construction. But be warned: it's unflinchingly honest about the amount of work and stress involved. While Mark Smith writes that it's possible to build a house in six months, first will come at least a year of planning and organizing. Once construction begins, you'll have to deal with ensuring that subcontractors appear on time and finish their work on time before the next group of workers appears. You may also have to deal with problems such as late deliveries of materials, subcontractors who don't show up, or who demand advances before working, threatened lawsuits,

Reading this book will give you a better appreciation of what the general contractor goes through. It will either fire your desire to run the show yourself and pocket the savings, or gratefully turn over the work to someone who does it for a living. But what it will also do is give you the information needed to make informed decisions that, even if you work with a contractor, will save you money.

Very helpful book!
I was fortunate to come across this book as I was making my decision to owner build my custom home. This book was an excellent resource and it allowed me to go in to my construction effort well informed and ready to tackle the project. From tax insights, to planning and organizing techniques this book covers everything that I needed to know. It's step by step plan of attack, and it's insightful and fun to read reminders truly helped me get into the drivers seat. In the end, I was able to save a substantial amount of money in the construction of my home, as well as avoiding several headaches, and mistakes along the way. The owner builder book chronicled owner builders like myself who had a story to tell, and insider tips. I also learned strategies that enabled me to take advantage of tax benefits. In owner building, knowledge isn't only power, it's tremendous savings.

Exactly what I was looking for!
When it came down to owner-building my house, I purchased a whole slew of books hoping that all of them together would help. I found the Owner-builder Book to be the only book that did. I carried it with me everywhere and it came through for me time and time again. I learned many valuable lessons that I've carried on into my everyday life as well- one of which is "Plan, Plan, Plan". I've found that what he says is true, that for "every hour you spend planning, saves 4 hours in execution". This book is everything I was looking for and more!


A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court
Published in Paperback by Prentice Hall College Div (1987)
Authors: Mark Twain and Elaine Kirn
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A Connecticut Yankee . . . An Excellent Book
This is an excellent book. It is by far the best Twain I have read yet, and I give it four stars. In this novel, Mark Twain holds the glory and romance associated with Arthurian Legend up to the standards of 19th century society, and reveals defects in both the romantic ideal of King Arthur and the faith that Twain's generation holds in scientific and social "progress." Both funny and thought-provoking, this book provides the reader with a new set of eyes with which to view the barbarism and injustice that Arthur and his knights so valiantly fought to preserve. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is the tale of Hank Morgan, a typical 19th century man who is transported back in time to the days of Merlin, Guinevere, and King Arthur. After becoming aware of his surroundings, and deciding to ignore his uncertainty about whether King Arthur actually existed, this man uses the common knowledge of his time period, his practicality, and some perfectly timed arrogance to acquire a position of great power in this land that he finds repulsive and in need of an enlightened leader. The ensuing story is the tale of what happens when the two utopias collide and this man abuses his power in an attempt to bring the "great and beneficent" miracles of the 19th century to the Age of Chivalry. I would recommend this book to any reader in 8th grade or above, but I would discourage people with passionate faith in the purity and glory of King Arthur from reading this book if they do not want to be forcefully presented with demonstrations of chivalry's inhumanities. A fairly well developed sense of humor will help the reader to enjoy Mark Twain's subtle ironies and satirical situations, and some basic knowledge of science helps in understanding some of the scenes, however this isn't vital to the book. The vocabulary is moderately advanced, the subject matter is somewhat mature at times, and the philosophical reasoning is probably beyond the reach of most Junior High students, yet I would encourage anyone who is interested to give this book a try. This novel is also great for the general public because A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court provides the reader with a main character with whom they may identify. The main character, Hank Morgan is presented with situations in which he must deal with being a stranger in a new atmosphere, being a social outcast due to his uncommon beliefs, he must avoid physical confrontation, and he is forced to use his intellectual abilities rather than brute strength to solve difficult situations. Many readers will have faced similar difficulties in their lives, and this ability to identify with the characters will definitely add to the overall enjoyment of the story. With this piece of work, Mark Twain displays his true talent for excellent writing and story telling. He incorporates enough adventurous and action filled scenarios to make the reader want to continue reading vigorously, yet he also manages to discuss very philosophical and thought-provoking topics during the lulls in the action. This book reads very quickly near the beginning and end. The action tapers off during the middle of the story, but not for long, and once it starts to pick up again, Twain demonstrates his true potential for greatly entertaining writing in the very climactic and cleverly ironic ending that brings this all-around great book to an even better close. This is definitely a book worth reading.

A recommendation of a very intriguing book
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is an intriguing novel written by Mark Twain. This is a fantastic book for the high school level reader, but would be entertaining to adults as well. I am a freshman in high school, and I enjoyed many attributes of the plot and writing style. In this novel the main character, Hank Morgan, is mysteriously transported from the nineteenth century in Connecticut back to the fifth century in England. During his time in medieval Britain, he keeps a journal which is what most of this book is. The preface and afterwards are both the narration of Mark Twain who writes as if he has found Hank's journal, and is merely writing it down in a book. As the journal starts out, Hank is introduced to King Arthur and after narrowly escaping death and becomes the country's most powerful advisor. Hank introduces many modern wonders to this feudal society. He is hailed a magician, being able to perform wonderful "miracles" and "magic", when it really is only modern science. It is very entertaining to read about how the feeble-minded people of that time react to these feats. In the end, there is a tremendous battle with many exciting episodes leading up to it. If a reader is partial to battle scenes of high caliber, this is a book for him! Of course, Hank has many other battles as well. Once of his biggest enemies is the Church of England. The big question the reader asks themselves during this book is "Will Hank return to his time and if so, how?". It was exciting for me to ponder this question throughout the novel. During Hank's travels through medieval Britain, he meets many people. The people he meets who think a government ruled by the people in Britain (his ultimate goal) would be a good idea, he sends to Camelot where he has schools set up which teach people about modern governmental ideas. Schools were also set up to teach people how to produce his wonders of modern science. These few enlightened people remain loyal to Hank until the very end. I thought it an entertaining notion that people who were trained from birth to believe in one thing, could realize it's faults and begin to believe another things. I really enjoy this book because it brings a lot about human nature into question. It discusses the vast differences of beliefs, manners, and life styles between one hundred years ago and fourteen hundred years ago. I also thought the differences between classic Arthurian legend and Mark Twain's perspective of the time were very interesting. Hanks training of these idealistic people he runs across plays into the large political aspect of this book. Since Hank's ultimate goal is to transform Britain into a country ruled by the people, he starts factories producing modern goods which greatly changes the lives of the Britons. I enjoyed the descriptions of the people's reaction to these modern products of science thirteen centuries before they would be invented. Throughout the entire book commentary and philosophizing concerning the comparison of the fifth century feudal system of Britain and the nineteenth century democracy of the U.S. by Hank Morgan is common. This political aspect is typical of Twain's works. It gave me great pleasure to read this aspect of the book and to comprehend it's meaning. Through Hank Morgan, Mark Twain is able to depict vivid images in the readers mind. Whether it be a person, scene, or sensation felt by Hank Twain describes it in a way which puts a solid picture in the imagination of the reader. I have not seen the movie of this novel, but I have heard it isn't very well done and it is nothing compared to the book. I believe this is because Mark Twain paints such a realistic picture in the mind of the reader, it is nothing compared to what some director can film. From Mark Twain's great descriptions and writing style to the unique ideas presented, the novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is a fantastic novel. There are so many aspects of it to enjoy, and it is just an all around entertaining book. I give this book four out of five stars and I recommend it to any one interested in fantasy, especially if they want a different perspective on King Arthur.

"The good ol' days that weren't any good, anyway"
Well, the perfect companion to La Morte d'Arthur...

Twain completely dissects the "good ol' days" of Arthurian Britain by exposing the vicious social practices of the time: white slavery, le droit de seigneur, confiscation of property in event of suicide, the complete lack of impartial justice, the degrading influence of the Church on the mass, etcetera etcetera etcetera...

The Arthurian legends are wonderful tales, but they are a mythic literary production; Twain deals with the brutal reality of daily living in the Dark Ages, and points out that the good ol' days were not so good, anyway.

As for its applicability to modern America, I am not fit to judge. Perhaps it's there. But "The Connecticut Yankee" is a wonderful tonic for those prone to romanticizing the past. Twain seems to agree with Tom Paine that the English nobility were "no-ability", and simply the latest in a series of robbers.

And, of course, the book is stuffed with wonderful Twainisms... My favorite is his observation that a conscience is a very inconvenient thing, and the significant difference between a conscience and an anvil is that, if you had an anvil inside you, it would be alot less uncomfortable than having a conscience.

Twain also mentions the beautiful mispronunciations of childhood, and how the bereaved parental ear listens in vain for them once children have grown.

You'll never look at castles the same again...


Prince and the Pauper
Published in Paperback by Prentice Hall College Div (1987)
Authors: Mark Twain and Elaine Kirn
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Critical Review on The Prince and Pauper
The Prince and the Pauper , first published in 1882, by Mark Twain is a literature classic and has been read by many generations. This book is hard to criticize because it is written by one of the greatest authors, has around for so long, and it is considered a classic. The story is about one prince (Edward Tudor) and one pauper (Tom Canty) who meet each other and end up trading places. At the time they don't realize the resemblance between them, so once they switch places and go off, no one will believe their true identity. This book shows the adventures of these two boys with the roles they end up in, one it the gutters and one in the palace. The main message and theme behind this book is about the natural human fault of judging people merely based on their outward appearance. My overall opinion was that this was a good book and it was fun to read. Yet there were some aspects that I think needed more improvement

One of the aspects that I think needed more developing was the characters At first I was a bit disappointed because, unlike all of the other Mark Twain books I have read, this one had very little character description. There is not much that you know about the two characters and you don't feel connected to them. There was nothing that you could relate to with Canty and Tudor and while reading the book the only image that you had of them was a very vague image. This was why it is pretty hard to get caught up in this book. I believed Mark Twain left a lot about the characters so that he could focus and develop more on the plot and adventure of the story than who they characters actually were.

In the book, Tudor is constantly being kidnapped by the pauper's father (John Canty) , who believes that Tudor is his son , and in return Tudor is always running away. After a while of this wild goose chase between Canty and Tudor it gets repetitive and tiresome to the reader. In this book Mark Twain focuses more on the situations of Tudor then those of Canty. He also wrote more about Tudor then Canty. I found the situations with Canty in the princes place were much more interesting and humorous then the situation of Tudor. I would have enjoyed this book more I think if there had been more scenarios and stories about Canty

This book is recommended for all ages yet I found parts of it hard and difficult to understand. The language that all the people in the book speak is old English. There are chapters in the book that is just conversation. I found this incredibly hard to understand by reading it through just once. The only reason that I understood the conversations is because I am familiar with the old English writing style (Shakespearean style) and have had past experience reading books in this style. To someone who would read this type of book for the first time, I think that they would hardly understand any of the conversations between people. Yet the author Mark Twain wrote this book in a great way. This is why it appealed to lots of audiences. For example, Mark Twain's description of the palace are not like usual boring ones, his descriptions are fun to read and you can almost exactly picture things that he is describing. Also his wording makes it easy to keep reading and reading as if each sentence flows perfectly to the next.

The book also had many strengths, in contrast to what I thought would happen, this book did not become predictable. Every chapter has a new twist or turn. The story was also very humorous. It was very amusing and hilarious what Canty did in the prince's position. For example at his first dinner he begins drinking the rose water, which is intended for washing his hands. He also says that all the ways of royalty are strange and annoying referring to when the official "food taster", tastes his food before he eats it and the long, grueling task of putting on clothes which involves a long chain of people who pass an article of clothing down one by one.

I would recommend this book mainly to people in high school or older. In my opinion it is too childish for an adult reader, and I think many adults would get bored. The adults that would enjoy this I think would be those who are "young at heart", and enjoy fictional fairytale like stories. The humor, marvel, and intrigue that this book contains is for a younger audience. Also the difficulty of the language in the book is too hard for children to understand (below 7th grade). I believe that if this book were to be rewritten in modern English it would be a perfect story for a child at any age.

The Switch
The Prince and the Pauper written by Mark Twain is an adventurous, exciting book. The book takes place in London around the 1500's. Two boys were born on the same day, Tom Canty and Edward Tudor. Tom Canty was born unto a poor life, and as a boy growing up, "Tom's reading and dreaming about princely life wrought such a strong effect upon him that he began to act the prince." And just his luck, did he happen to some across the Prince of Wales, after suffering the hard blow of the soldier knocking him into the crowd. The Prince of Wales is Edward Tudor, the other boy born on the same day but born into a rich and wealthy family. As a result from the encounter, the two boys decide to switch places, as the Prince of Wales says to Tom Canty, "Doff thy rags and don these splendors."
The book describes the boys' adventures throughout the experience of living each other's lives. As the Prince of Wales lives as the pauper, he is introduced to and learns about many different people such as the Canty family, Miles Hendon, a troop of Vagabonds, Hugo, the peasants, the hermit, and others. And as Tom Canty acts as the Prince of Wales, he experiences living the higher life of royalty, being treated with respect and given so many opportunities and choices.
Through having the plot be that the characters switch places, the book is more exciting because the reader could act in the character's place and experience the lifestyles and adventures involved with each person's life. Other than being able to understand better each person's lifestyle with the type of writing, using dialogue in Old English adds a stronger effect to bringing everything back in time to understand the setting. Although at times, the Old English could get confusing.
Overall, I thought that this book was interesting because it explains the lifestyles of different people in London around the 1500's in a way that is fun and easy to understand. Although at times, I did feel as if it carried on too much about things that were insignificant. Other than that, the book was good and I would recommend that it be read, if you are interested in adventure.
Other adventure books written by Mark Twain, such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, were also interesting, but I enjoyed reading The Prince and the Pauper more because it contained more excitement for me.

Enchanting Book, but Lacks the Entertainment Quality
Mark Twain's, The Prince and the Pauper is a classic look back into sixteenth-century English society. Tom Canty is a young boy who is born into poverty and is forced to beg in the streets of London by his father. Edward Tudor is the Prince of Wales, heir to the throne. Both of these boys were born on the same day but grew up in opposite ways of life. One day Tom is dreaming about being a prince and starts walking towards the royal palace. When he reaches the palace the guards try to stop him but Prince Edward sees Tom's condition and invites him to his quarters to hear what Tom has to say. While they sit there they begin to realize what strong resemblance there is between them and decide to switch clothes to fulfill Tom's dream of looking Princely. All of a sudden Edward storms out of the room to denounce the guards who did harm to Tom, only to be mistaken as the poor pauper and locked out of the royal palace. From here on out the two boys experience what life is like in the other's shoes. Mark Twain does an outstanding job of developing each character and showing how each must learn new ideas to deal with their latest way of life. Unfortunately I did find myself losing my concentration while reading this book. This easily could have been due to the fact that the way Twain wrote The Prince and the Pauper was actually on a very easy reading level, which would lead me to recommend this book to readers of middle school age who enjoy adventurous tales like The Boxcar Children or The Hardy Boys.


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