Originally purchased this wonderful book for my son when he was four years old. It taught him basic information about our solar system that I mistakenly thought he was too young to understand. The data was presented in an informative and entertaining way. The book that I purchased came with a cassette tape and he was able to read along. He read and re-read the book so many times that he wore out the binding. The story is of a young boy who is befriended by "Planetron." As I remember, Planetron, a robot, takes him on a tour of the solar system. The book is colorfully illustrated with pictures of the planets and sun. Information about each celestial body is displayed with the picture. My son is 19 years old now and recently mentioned that it is the one book he really remembers and would like to keep as a momento of his childhood.

Connoisseurs of C-SPAN's Booknotes are familiar with one of the great, and unusual, questions that host Brian Lamb uses : How did so-and-so come to write this cover blurb for the dust jacket of your book ? The genius of this question is that it calls attention to--though, typical of Brian Lamb, he doesn't dwell on it--one of the real scams of the book industry, the fact that the folks who are blurbed frequently have some previous relationship with the author. Someone, it may have been The New Republic, actually used to have a terrific feature where they untangled these relationships. My favorite recurring motif is where the Author's Acknowledgment thanks a person who, we suddenly realize, has not so coincidentally provided an encomium for the cover. Harder to track down, but equally amusing, are the mutual blurbs, where authors' words of praise appear on each other's books.

Now, I'd read Geoffrey Norman's Morgan Hunt series several years ago in paperback, and thoroughly enjoyed it. But had I not, what right-thinking man could resist the blandishments on the back of this hardcover that I found; the authors quoted are : James Hall and Loren D. Estleman, an outstanding thriller writer and the best private eye novelist of his generation respectively; P.J. O'Rourke, one of the funniest political writers going; and not just one but both Buckleys, Christopher and William F., Jr.. I mean, c'mon, even once you realize that Geoffrey Norman is a contributor to National Review (founded by WFB) and Forbes FYI (edited by Christopher) and has written for The American Spectator (once home to PJ), you just aren't likely to ignore that collection of famous fans.

As I said, the books are outstanding irrespective of who endorses them. Morgan Hunt is a former Green Beret and an ex-convict, having killed the man who was physically abusing his sister. He lives in the Florida Panhandle, and the natural world is an integral part of the stories. He's tough but likable, and though he's got a streak of machismo and a fearsome moral code, it's not as if Norman is trying to brainwash unsuspecting readers with conservative dogma.

Blue Chipper might even surprise some folks, who tend to pigeon hole conservatives. The story centers around the exploitation of poor black athletes, in this case a basketball phenom, by scholastic athletic programs and coaches. Norman lives on the Florida Gulf Coast for part of the year, his column for National Review is on sports, and he writes about hunting and the outdoors for Sports Afield. This entry in the series gives him the chance to flex all his muscles, which he does to good effect.

Of course, the other half of the year he spends in the People's Republic of Vermont and you should really be sure to track down his columns on the increasingly frightening politics of the Green Mountain State. They are a hoot.

GRADE : A

If you like the type of main character found in James Lee Burke novels (ex-Viet Nam, military, tough guy sort), I recommend this book. Good plot, pretty good character development and lots of mood found in the north coast of Florida environs. These guys that live in old mossy big mansions on the canals and waterways of Florida have got it made! They seem to have the money to spend plenty of time fishing and watching great flaming sunsets over the gulf... and they always have the time to help out a friend who is in trouble. It's what I would call a good "airport read"... You will probably have to search the used book stores for this one. His books are hard to find.