The Sand Pebbles is the story of a small ship, on a small river deep in the heart of China. Unknown by most of the rest of the world but home to the crew of the ship. McKenna, a former Asiatic Fleet Sailor, describes life in the river gunboats of the 1920s with an accuracy and authenticity that is amazing. I could almost feel the heat of the engines and the aromas from the galley.

The book is a study of men in the Navy. They are far from the public eye, doing a job deemed essential by someone in Washington. They are essentially feared by the Chinese and despised by the American missionaries they come into contact with. It must have been a brutal emotional duty to carry out. Yet many men loved it. They spent their careers on the rivers and retired there when their time was up in the Navy.

Jake Holman, the central figure, is not better or worse than most other Sailors of that time. His motivation for joining the Navy were "...Army, Navy or reform school..." and so into the Navy he went. He is a competent machinest mate but has few real people skills. He is a loner on the outskirts of the Navy world. He has bounced from ship to ship and has now reached the end of the line. But even Holman makes friends in the ship as he tries to adapt to his surroundings.

It is an interesting look at the gunboat navy. The crew did military duties and drills but the day to day ship's husbandry were done by Chinese men. Is it any wonder the crew loved China duty once they got there.

One might say that the conclusion of the book is confusing and leaves you feeling troubled. Well it fits with the mission of the gunboat sailors and I think is perfect. Antiimperialists may condem the book and the subject but it was a real part of the American Navy and deserves to be remembered and respected.

The Sand Pebbles is an immensely rich and readbable book. Set in the early early 20th century on the inland rivers and lakes of China, the book shows gunboat diplomacy on the eve of revolution in China. The lives of sailors, officers, missionaries, coolies, and revolutionaries intertwine in a complex drama filled with action towards what some may see as a tragic ending. But in the tragedy, a country is born. This is excellent reading material.

Some of the appeal for me comes in identifying with Jake Holman. Where Jake begins with a love of machinery and an empowering mastery of it, I suppose to some part I originally felt the same way about computers and software. Jake transcends this, albeit tragically, in the book. Will you?

I'm very glad to see this one back in print. From their name, I'm guessing the new publisher is one of those that caters to students of military and naval history. Certainly the other reviewers seem to focus on McKenna's depiction of the lives of men serving on a U.S. Navy river gunboat in the 1920s.

And indeed this aspect of The Sand Pebbles is very well done. The whole book is worth reading just for one finely-crafted scene where the other sailors bet a foul-mouthed messmate he can't tell a story without cursing. He wins the bet, but on his own terms.

But there's more to this book then the lives a few seamen. It's about their interaction with the strange, wonderful Chinese civilization around them. And with China itself, which is, in a sense, the most important character in the book.

McKenna motivates this action by centering the book around an intelligent but half-educated hero, a rebellious man who joined the Navy to stay out of jail, and who transferred to the river patrol to escape from the hierarchy and rituals of ocean-going ships. Lacking his shipmates' contempt for the Chinese, he becomes fascinated with their lives and culture. This fascinatation become the source of many complicated interactions between him, his shipmates, and the Chinese, leading to friendship, love, conflict, and tragedy.

Another fascinating character is the boat's skipper, an aging Lieutenant Junior Grade. On one level, he is off-balance martinet, overly fond of military ritual, striving to achieve a strange personal state of grace -- with disasterous results. But he's also a keen observer of the events and people around him, and his inner conversations about them make for compelling reading.

Most people know this story from the Steve McQueen movie, which reduced all the complexity of McKenna's story to Vietnam-era historical guilt tripping. A pity, because this book contains much insight about the interaction between China and the west, an interaction to often reduced to simple political cliches.

The frantic pace of our world is overwhelming. Technology is able to keep us connected 24/7 and many of us have allowed it to invade every minute of our lives. No wonder we experience personal systems overload! This book really delivers what is implied in its title Dot Calm. We are all seeking to balance our work, home, family, community....you name it. Dinnocenzo and Swegan have done their research and offer practical advice on how to discover and reconnect with what is important. We can choose a better way and this book guides us in that process. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to reclaim their life.

I can not count the number of products and services that have come my way heralded with much hype and false promises of their value to the user. That's been especially true of self-help guides. You know the ones that promise you'll be a changed person, if only you buy the book and implement its recommendations. Well, at long last one of those books delivered on the promise. The foreword states that "you'll find these pages to be filled with practical, how-to advice .... step-by-step formulas for finding ...and keeping balance in your life." As a poster child for the insanity of the wired world, I really did not know how to break out of the strangle hold it had on my life. It became easier and easier to rationalize absolutely crazy behaviors related to my out- of- balance existence. The authors of Dot Calm were surely writing about me or so it seemed. I expect many of its readers will feel the same identification with the analysis of being over-connected, over-worked,over-scheduled, over-informed and ultimately OVERWHELMED. It's a book you'll read in one sitting and then reread many times as you take back control over your life. Thanks to the authors for delivering on their promise.

It was the title that first caught my attention. The book lived up to my expectations. I found Dot Calm to be an easy, entertaining read with which I could identify. The real beauty of the book is it's action-orientation. You read about the issues (eg, overwired, overworked, information overload) and then learn how real people are successfully dealing with them. The authors outline practical ways to balance family/work time in this "information age". We may never return to the pace of life found in Mayberry, but Dot Calm puts you on the right road.

This gigantic book features stunning full page renders of key scenes from Riven, as well as various high resolution screencaptures. It also takes you through the entire process of making Riven, from the completion of Myst to the completion of Riven. It shows you how the story was developed (and additional bits to the story), how the stunning photo-realistic graphics were acheived, how the sound was done, how the design and visual look came about. In the background, it tracks Cyan's rise from a small company in a garage into one of the most profitable independent game designers in the world. Being a fan of the whole Myst universe and of computer technology in general, I absolutely love this book. I have it on my coffee table. While I have other things to attend to, my guests can flip through it until I have time to sit down. The process that went into making Riven was enormous and complex, and I salute Mr. Kadrey for getting down into words.

If you lost a loved-one for weeks at a time to Myst or Riven; watched them mesmerized by the puzzles and gorgeous landscapes on their computer monitor, then this book is the perfect gift.

In full-color, printed on heavy paper is the story behind the making of Myst and Riven with lots of fun vignettes about the creators and the development of the games from garages and living rooms to Cyan's success and their beautiful new headquarters.

Well worth it if you loved the games!

This book is a great book to own. I read it again and again. There are many pictures in this book that will knock your socks off. This book gives all the details, thoughts, and Ideas in making Myst and Riven. It's got so many pages that I always think I'm at the end, but I'm nowhere close! I love it! You would too.

I found this book, a lovely little story about courtship the old-fashioned way, quite delightful. It's a wonderful peek into a young girl's joy and anguish as she first experiences love-and the resulting hard decisions she must make about her future. You'll especially enjoy the emotion-filled letters from Miss Cornett's beau, Patton Caudill. This love struck young man's amorous letters would melt the heart of any young lady, even one being pushed by father to spurn this suitor's advances.

I enjoyed the book very much. The actual love letters from Patton to Dora are charming, and it's a beautiful story of hope and growth for the two main characters. Miss Cornett's Courtship is like a sweeter and better version of the Bridges of Maddison County.

This is a love story that is sweet and pure, and is an over-all wonderful story. The characters are real and the letters around which the story is woven are actual letters from a real family. Simply wonderful!

I love New Orleans and everything about it! My husband and I go there regularly, so when we bought a new house in December, I wanted to really decorate the interior of some of the rooms "New Orleans Style". When searching on Amazon, I found this book with pictures of some homes in NOLA interiors. I found this book to be very helpful as far as decorating and choosing Nawlins' colors for my house. Not to mention the fact that it gives me a "quick fix" for New Orleans when I can't be there in person!

This book has great interior pictures of some glorious New Orleans homes. Unfortunately when I've been there, I didn't have the opportunity to go inside to see the many interior styles. This book gives me the opportunity to see the beauty inside, that I've only been able to view from outside. Great book for those of us who love and appreciate the city!

I absolutely love this book. It really captures the feeling and style of New Orleans. I am inspired by every page, every time I open the book.

I was looking for a good overview book of the Vietnam War and this really fit the bill. The author put together a well thought out, easy to read and well-written book that does a good job of giving the reader the high points. The author was a solder in the combat and spent a number of years in the military so he has an authoritative position to speak from. He does a great job of keeping the book away from being overly laden with military jargon or the Rambo style of combat writing. The book is focused on the American effort and thus skims the pre U.S. troop entry into the war. If you are looking for a deeper history on the start of the war with the French or the overall American involvement in Asia then this book will disappoint.

The treatment he gave to the major battles was good. He presented an easy to follow account of the battle, what lead up to it and the outcome. He also touched on some of what was happening back home with the politics, but only briefly. I think the most interesting parts of the book for me was the details of the air war, more specifically how the bombing kept escalating and then the final bombing push by Nixon. My only complaint with the book is that it was an overview that was a bit too light on the facts for me. The book was only 270 pages long, and book size do not necessary determine quality, this book could have been a little bit more in-depth. It seemed to me that to get a better understanding a few more pages could have been added without the overview turning into a in depth study.

I don't read books hardly ever, but we read this for a military history class, and I finished it in 2 days. This book gave me new insight into a battle I knew nothing about..I had always heard we lost the war, which I took as a military loss. But, after reading this book, I believe we totally won militarily, but lost the war politically. It's hard to imagine how many people are without a brother, father, or husband because our government couldn't make one intelligent decision!!..Read this book and you will see it from someone who was there, not some historian who thinks he really knows what happened.

I highly enjoyed reading this book on the Vietnam War. So much in fact that I have read it more than once. It is easy to read and concentrates on military strategy. Those looking for a book relating to social and cultural upheaval in the States during the war will be disappointed since there is very little of that. This book is a purely political and military history. Not all of his comments may be welcome to some readers. He believes, for instance, that the U.S. could have won the war but politics and flawed strategy and tactics resulted in the U.S. withdrawing from South Vietnam.

If you want a multitude of pictures and a fair discussion of the tomb's discovery and the objects found in it, then this is an excellent book. We used this in a grad/undergrad level seminar I took back at Columbia University because it is so detailed on the tomb and its discovery. However, when it comes to information about Tutankhanum himself there are only 20 pages that look at his life and the historical context of his life, most of that is spent on his family and the dynasty he is part of. 20 pages out of 200+?! This is why I'm giving this book only 4 stars -- the cover and the summary offered by the book itself suggests the book has three parts and this first one is barely there.

Ever since King Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, the legacy of the boy-king has fascinated the world. This fascinating book provides much information about this boy, who reigned over Egypt for a short period of time. The author describes the search and the discovery of the tomb, the archaeology of the tomb and the treasures it contained. The book includes extracts from Carter's notes and diaries, as well as first-time publication of his drawings and reconstructions. Offering both color and black-and-white illustrations, this is a most excellent useful reference for everyone.

I had been interested for year in the tomb of Tutankamun, and sad at the lack of information on the tomb. In this book, there is both a general introduction to both who the king was, when he reigned, and what he probably did during his reign. This is the followed up with an introdction to the the discovery of the tome, the problems that Carter hads at the time, and then the cleaning of the tomb. The majority of the rest of the book is about the tomb contents itself, with many modern photo`s of the treasures. As Carter never got around to publishing the details of the dig, this is the closest thing to what he might have achieved. Highly recommended, well worth the price.

I read this book years ago but I can still remember it to be one of the best true crime books I have ever read, and I have read alot of them. I often wonder what became of the killers, Chuck and Marlene. One can only imagine. These two teenagers were definately evil and I can't imagine how they could live with themselves. The author should definately write another book on how these two wound up.

i first read this book a long time ago after lending it from my local library .
It took me a long time to find a copy of my own (i wasn't on the net then)
It is one of the best true crime stories ever
Marlene Olive was truly manipulating and would have chuck running in circles .
Once i pick up this book i'm unable to put it down until i've read it from cover to cover .
Ive read it many times and i think you will too ,and like me ,you'll probably be itching to know where Marlene and Chuck are now

This is a story that shocked me. Marlene Olive lived in a fantasy world which was her way of trying to fit in after living abroad for so long. Chuck Riley was fasinated by her, and became her slave. He acted out her kinky sex fantasies, gave her drugs, stole for and with her. It shows how easily we can let our feelings of lust, that appear to be love, get us into trouble untill we are so far under that there is no way of coming back up. The thought of hurting your parents is just too crazy and sick to imagine, yet these two did. Read this book to find out why they were called the "BBQ Murders". Then just as I am wondering now you too will wonder if now, twenty plus years since the murders, where Chuck and Marlene are now?

This is by far, the most inspiring NDE book ever written and I've read them all. Dr Eby's description of heaven and hell and his encounter with Christ will have you reading this book in awe, over and over. Every Christian should read this book.

Imagine if you were given the chance to ask God all the questions you ever had and that He would answer you directly and plainly - This is the truth. Alot of people are groping in the dark - what is the truth / what is the correct doctrine / is the Bible true? Well here's a person who had that chance of conversing with Jesus, and wouldn't you be interested in what Jesus has to say? This book will settle alot your mental and spiritual debates as it did for me. Most authors of NDEs only talk about their experience plus their opinions.This book will tie the NDE where it belongs - back to the Bible. To all Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, atheists, etc., Jesus has a message for all of us, do not harden your heart and mind, but be open to God's voice. He wants all of you to hear what He has to say by reading this wonderful book.

Thank you Dr. Eby for sharing this amazing experience to us. I thank God for using you.I pray that many more people around the world will be able to read this book.God bless you all.

I AM READING THIS BOOK FOR THE 4TH TIME! I FEEL EMPTY WHEN I DON'T READ SOME PASSAGES FROM IT WEEKLY. I'VE HEARD AND READ MANY AFTER DEATH STORIES. I FEEL DR. EBY'S IS THE MOST CREDIBLE BECAUSE MOST DOCTORS THINK THEY ARE GOD. HE WAS HUMBLED BY HIS EXPERIENCE AND REMAINS SO TODAY. I WAS EVEN COMPELLED TO WRITE HIM BECAUSE HIS MESSAGE FROM GOD CHANGED MY LIFE. IT'S STRANGE THAT MOST OF THE PEOPLE I SHARED THIS BOOK WITH, DO NOT SEEM TO BE AS AFFECTED BY IT AS I AM! THE HOLY SPIRIT LET ME KNOW SOME BELIEVERS ARE MORE MATURE IN THE LORD THAN OTHERS!

This book is clearly a labor of love, but it really helped me understand why Dr Bach insisted "Keep it simple". Sure, every emotion is catalogued here, and every essence described, but the fact that there are hundreds of essences that are not clearly differentiated makes choosing more, not less difficult. After spending 3 fevered days on this book, do you know what I did? Went back with relief and renewed appreciation to my little Bach pamphlet and colored wheel, and selected a few essences, trusting that they would heal me. Less is more, when it comes to flower essences.

I read this book front to cover. It's a great reference book on Flower Essences, both English and North American, but the discriptions on the actions of each flower are new information on how spirit issues can effect the emotions and the body. I had never read any psychological work that took this perspective and I found it very useful and tremendously insightful. Even if you don't choose to buy the flower remedies, the analysis of the problems and possible causes are often enough to motivate the spirit toward change. Additionally, I'm greatful to the Company who produces these remedies, as they include local flowers to the U.S.A. Dr. Bach said "the cure to your disease lies in your own back yard", yet all that the Bach Flowers offers is from Europe. FES has all the North Amercian Flowers discribed in the book and in flower remedies. I particularly enjoyed looking up my Grandmothers favorot flowers and reading about the issues they assist in. I found that often they spoke to a long term family dynamics that existed for 3 generations, the flower preferrences were the intuitive attempt at my grandmothers cure. It's fun to look up your favorot flowers, and see what issues you may be working on. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in flower remedies, spiritual/emotional issues or thier connection to plant energies. The book is extremely well written and organized. Thanks :-)

I bought this book and I was not disapointed. I own serveral flower essence books, but this one is the best and the one I cannot do without. It cross references every emotion from feeling disconnected to Mother Earth to Anger to Problems connecting with your father. You name it, it's cross referenced here. The book is timeless and modern at the same time. It has a great introduction on flower essences, the whys and wheretofores, and explains each English (bach) & North American essence in detail and with care and insight. It is a privilage to own this book.