As an open-water swimmer myself, I was attracted to this book about the famous first crossing by Capt. Webb I've heard about for years. The author clearly shows that she did her research on failed swims of the past and on how present-day Channel swimmers conquered the Channel between England and France.

To Watson's credit, the actual channel crossing is only a minor part of the entire book. The author looks at Capt. Webb as something more than the first man to swim across the English Channel; she examines him as the Victorian age's first mega-celebrity...think Mickey Mantle meets Michael Jordan at the turn of the century.

She meticulously pieces together newspaper reports of the day regarding Webb's exploits after the famous Channel swim, actually building sympathy for Capt. Webb and the hucksters who set him up for swim after swim (and even more ridiculous feats of endurance).

I only wish that this book had a biography so I could explore more stories about Capt. Webb and open-water swimming. However, you don't have to be a swimmer to enjoy this book - Watson clearly markets it to the casual reader, and it's small size makes it perfect for summertime reading.

Time was when every schoolboy in Britain knew about Capt.Webb; matchboxes carried his name and image; he figured high on the list of heroes and tales of derring-do - I'm not sure if the same holds true nowadays, so this book is an attempt to set the record straight (even so, we are surprised to discover that someone had beaten Webb to it ... but not by swimming),

Written in an accessible, flowing conversational style, it goes beyond 'the Crossing' to trace the life and exploits of this remarkable man. Incidentally, Ms.Watson (no relation) aspires to be a channel swimmer - this lends a certain authority and credence to the rest of the book; not that it needs it, the research into Webb's life is meticulous.

At the time, swimming the channel was as daunting as climbing Everest; many authorities stating categorically that it was an impossible feat. However, Webb seems to have suffered from no such fears - totally confident, he persuades backers with his no-nonsense charm, incidentally laying the basis of the British love-affair with swimming.

After the success of the crossing, we see more of Webb's bravado and determination ... but directed into increasingly desperate money-making schemes, culminating in the one that would end his life.
One feels for the man, driven as he was by some inner need, but reduced to exhibitionism instead of taking an easier option on life.

A very enjoyable read. *****

Kathy Watson has crafted a jewel of a book, an exotic Victoria portrait that goes far beyond the simple description of Captain Webb and his extraordinary swimming of the English Channel - the first person ever to do so in recorded history.

For in this miniature we certainly see bits and pieces and touches of ouselves in ways that force us to immediately recognize the subject of the book: the having done a daring, or honorable, or brave, or even brilliant act in our past, one that defined us as eminently worthwhile members of the human family. Perhaps only we knew about what we had done, perhaps we did it only in silence, perhaps there was never outside recognition; but most of us have one or more of those moments, just as Capt. Webb had when he did his extraordinary feat, only less so. He was certainly recognized and feted and admired; he received cash and other rewards for demonstrating British pluck in his accomplishment. And then...glory was taken away from him. Not in one fell swoop, but gradually and ignominiously over a period of 8 years, when he ended his life as a boastful freak who attempted to swim the Whirlpool Rapids at Niagara Falls and failed.

The story of this brilliant meteor and its crash is splendidly narrated; the prose is redolent with Victorian language without being Victorian prose. Meticulous research has obviously been used to underpin the narrative, and the author's joy and enthusiasm is everywhere: "Niagara," she explains "had become the primary port of call in North America for daredevils, con men, suicides, sensation-seekers, and nutcases" in 1883 when Capt. Webb arrived.

Ms. Watson gives statistics, but does not burden us with them; since Capt Webb there have been 500 or so people who have swum the Channel, but today it is much easier (but not easy) because of the expert knowledge that has built over the years on how to prepare for, and execute, a crossing. Not so when Jabez Wolffe made his first attempt in 1906, nor in the ensuing years, when he tried 22 times and never succeeded in his quest.

Whether one swims or not, this is an exciting and delightful book. Yes, it ends in the defeat of Capt. Webb, but somehow this failure totally pales when compared to his success; and because of that, this is an upbeat book of optimism and hope, brilliantly written.

Sally does a perfect job giving you an idea of what the veterinary business is really about. I agree with the other review in that she does indeed make you feel as if you're there through the trying and triumphant times with her. I'm going to be applying to vet schools, and it's given me a better idea of just how it may go... With a style and voice all her own, I appreciate Sally's honest and humorous recollections of her vet school experiences. Bravo-

Sally Haddock inspired me with her true life account of becoming a vet. The way she writes makes you feel as if you are struggling with her every step of the way. I have always wanted to be a vet and her true life account has given me that extra push too achieve me dream. Even if you don't know the first thing about animals, she writes in such a way that anyone can feel her pain and triumph. Her reliving of many different times in her life let you feel as if you were living right there beside her. It is a beautiful mixture of humor and reality that has truly inspired me.

While I have one reservation about this book, it is good fun. THe illustrations are charming and full of detail, and Matthew really saves the day from the cattle rustlers. He is a smart young hero, and the story helps you learn the names of cowboy gear such as chaps, bridle, spurs, etc. I also enjoyed the little desert creatures that seemed to follow Matthew around.

The only reservation I had was in the originality of the plot itself. The story of cows being rebranded has been done before. The best example of a rustler overlaying a portion of a brand over an existing brand to change it completely, is in the Donald Duck story from October 1948 "Sheriff of Bullet Valley". That is one of the most famous stories ever written and illustrated by the great Carl Barks, and it has been reprinted a few times over the years.
It is still a fun book, and well worth the very affordable price here at Amazon.com. []

There seem to be very few books for toddlers on cowboys. This is the best, and will continue to be even if others are written. Matthew gets a cowboy outfit for his birthday, and then "becomes" (in his imagination) a real cowboy, solving a mystery and capturing the bad guys in a non-violent way (the only "weapon" is a lasso, and the only visible pistol remains in the sherrif's holster). The book is PC: the storekeeper is oriental, and cowhands Slim, Tex, and Pete seem (from the wonderful illustrations) to be a senior citizen, woman, and Afro-American, respectively. My two-and-a-half-year-old son, who believes himself to be a real cowboy, has me read this to him at least twice each night, asking questions about the pictures, and generally being thrilled with it. If you have a toddler who's a cowboy, this is definitely the book for you. (Amazon.com's suggested age range of 4-8 may be about right, but, as I noted, my son is quite a bit younger and ! loves it.)

Like most people, I own a stack of Stephen King books, and for some reason I've never gotten around to review the ones I liked best, which makes me sort of ashamed of myself, since I keep saying that the quality of King's writing is often underrated. This is not the usual Stephen King book, this one is actually pretty mellow, compared to Carrie, for example, (that was the first of his books I read, and I hadn't read anything that gory before), but it still has its share of scary stuff, like The Ten O' Clock people, and The Moving Finger (after I read that one I really felt kind of nervous about the bathroom sink for a few days). I only could't get through the essay at the end, Head Down, because I don't understand absolutely anything about baseball. My favorites were Dedication, The End of the Whole Mess, The Ten O'Clock people, The House on Maple Street, and Popsy (oddly funny if you think about it). I suppose hardcore fans of King's horror will be sort of confused by this book, but I think any lover of short stories, like me, is bound to enjoy it.

i like SK particularly as a short story writer. if he has a good story he never fails then. considering his other collections, this was not as inventive as the two previous. not as matheson-like as the first. this was a great collection. a bit mixed. the end of the whole mess and umney's last case seemed to be the most inventive ones. but his other horror stories were good too. there are even some crime stories here, they are actually pretty good. although SK delivers, his collection is all in all very readworthy, his writing style good, this collection marks the sad decline of SK. some of the stories are great, true. some of the stories, however, are only good in the hands of a master. and some of the stories are completely uninteresting. it's very enjoyable, but don't expect too much.

As an enormous fan of King, this book was warmly welcolmed in my arms. I wasn't dissapointed. As always, when it comes to King, I was sold. There's also a particular reason why I welcomed this book so much: In various books about King, I learned about many of those early and hard to find King stories, all the uncollected ones, and the rare ones. I was a bit sad about realizing that maybe I would never ever own these oddities. Then, finally, a new collection of King-stories showed up, mostly containing some of those old and hard to find stories. I was happy! And the book also featured a few new ones. Again, with Night Shift and Skeleton Crew, I liked all the stories, even the teleplay Sorry, Right Number (I haven't seen the adaptation yet), the Brooklyn August-poem and the Head Down-essay. I loved The Night Flier, The Moving Finger, Chattery Teeth, You Know They Got a Hell of a Band, Home Delivery, Crouch End, Rainy Season. My Pretty Pony really touched me. I don't know a hang about baseball (I am Danish, sorry!), but King makes it interesting. All I can say is that any true King fans must read this book. There's also a Sherlock Holmes-mystery involved. I only wished that King had included stories like The Cat from Hell, Man With a Belly, Pinfall, and some others of those hard to find. What about this story "The King Family and the Farting Cookie" that he wrote for his children some years ago? That could have been major fun to own that gem!