I LOVE THIS BOOK! I thought i couldnt read anything knew from a weightloss book again, untill Jeans book. I have struggled with my weight all my life, but not anymore. Thanks to Jean her advice and book im down 40 lbs. Her book taught me skills for eating well for weightless,weight control,health,and contentment with food. Jean taught me I can still eat what i want but within reason,get my 10,000 steps in everyday,lots of water,and we eat everyday so we need to exercise everyday! Not only is this book awsome and helpful but its allmost like Jean is reading it to you,right next to you. Jean is sincere and has lived through so much in her life and has come so far. She was fat and understands how it is, she is skinny now and telling us how to be also,if she can do it,WE all can do it,so read on...
Love Ya Jean,THANK YOU.

This is a wonderful and inspiring book for someone trying to lose a few pounds or many pounds. Jean Krueger's story is inspirational and encouraging and has helped me focus on the goals I have set to lose weight and get fit. She gives practical advice that is easy to apply to your daily life and actually works. Her book will make you laugh, think and maybe cry a little but I know that whenever I feel myself slipping or getting careless with my eating choices, I just pick up her book to get inspired all over again. You will love it!!

I have read Ms. Krueger's book for the second time and each time I find more and more helpful information. I believe that the best gift we can give ourselves and others is to work toward perfect health. Why the Weight? Dare to Be Great! is definitely the answer to achieving that goal. I have been eating lots of vegetables and fruits, staying away from white rice, avoiding white bread, and exercising along with eating these healthy foods. I have the honor of knowing Jean Krueger and she walks her talk by her example and her life experiences. She is a great lady who has the tenacity and the determination to achieve her goals. Jean's book is representative of who she is-a woman who wants to share her success with food and life with everyone. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn effective ways to eat and still be able to eat and not starve yourself to try to keep the weight off. If you are ready to take the steps to being healthier and happier, read the words of Why the Weight? Dare to Be Great! and put them into action. This book is the answer that you have been looking for in your quest for a better life.

Flipping the pages of this cookbook sparked memories of the way we used to eat. Each page overflows with historical lore, delicious recipes, trends, new/old products, info on famous foodies and lots more. I'd suggest taking a culinary trip down memory lane with the latest book from Jean Anderson, an award-winning food writer, whose books I bet most all of us already have on our shelves and what's more important -- use! Not only will you learn about American culinary history by reading THE AMERICAN CENTURY COOKBOOK, you'll also be tempted into the kitchen to create the tastes of the past. It's a scrumptious, thoroughly enjoyable journey. Keep this book within reach to cook from, to learn from and to just relish.

I recently received a copy of The American Century Cookbook. My wife and I have several dust covered recipe books that are largely ignored when it is time to cook up something new. After one quick shuffle through this book however, we found ourself sitting together and going through the book as if it were, well what it is, an intriguing history book that accents its "flavor" with numerous recipes, pictures and facts. Several of my friends, including my parents and my in-laws will be receiving their own copy of this wonderful historical treasure. I may even have to buy myself another copy because my wife likes to dogear pages that she wants to come back to. In this case it would have been easier to dogear those that she did not want to return to.

I use this book as a reference guide for my high school American History and African American Studies classes. Everything in the world seems to be here including an old favorite from the 1960s, 'Puree Mongole.' This cookbook is easy to read and most recipes are simple to follow. The best part for me, as a Social Studies teacher, is the gem of the history lessons and time lines associated with all the food preparations. A real pleasure and a book that is priceless if you like the history of American cuisine.

This is really dating me because this is the first romance novel I ever read. I read it when it was published about 35 years ago--but then I was rather young at the time--so to speak.

I thought it was one of the most wonderful books I had ever read, but then I was a young teenager. The world of romance was opened to me by this book, and I shall never forget it even though I have moved on to other types of books and away from romances per se.

Besides being a romance, it is a mystery with a surprise ending, which lends itself to being compared to Jane Eyre and Rebecca. This novel, though not a classic, is refreshing still in the 21st century.

Martha Leigh has come to Mellyn to care for Connan Tremellyn's difficult daughter, Alvean. In the process of caring for her, Martha falls under the spell of the home, Mellyn and its many secrets--the main secret being was the former Mrs. Tremellyn murdered, and if so by whom. As she searches for answers, she falls under Connan's spell while still frightened he may have murdered his wife.

This books is still as delightful today as it was many years ago.

Although this romance novel was written well over 30 years ago, it still stands the test of time. It has all the essential elements of a true romance suspense novel: Sprited heroine, dark/handsome/mysterious hero and a good mystery to follow and to decipher throughout the book. For those seeking a "romance" novel, don't let the "suspense" part hold you back. The sexual tension between the 2 main character sizzles! I think this is still Victoria Holt's best novel. Very absorbing book with great atmosphere. The 1st person voice (not much used these days)adds that extra dimension that you are right there with Martha as she ponders the mysteries surrounding her and her feelings for Connan TreMellyn. You will be totally satisfied with the ending!

Set during the 1800s in Cornwall, England, "Mistress of Mellyn" follows a 24-year-old woman's (Martha Leigh) adventure as a governess in a haunted mansion owned by the widowered Connan TreMellyn and his young daughter, Alvean. While struggling with her emotions over Connan and his just-as-difficult daughter, Martha must also try and uncover the mysterious death of his wife before she, too, faces the same fate Alice did.

"Mistress of Mellyn" was the first book I ever read by Victoria Holt, and it also happens to be the first book Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert wrote under this pseudonym over 40 years ago. It was given to me by one of my aunts when I was about 11 and is still one of my favorites, even though I'm not necessarily a romance fan. But if you are--or even if you're just a reluctant gothic romance reader like I am--, then you'll more than likely enjoy this one. There's nothing offensive or racy in it, so it's appropriate for all ages, yet it's still very suspenseful. Highly recommended.

I saw this amazing exhibit, "La Terre Vue Du Ciel", of Yann Arthus-Bertrand's in the Jardin du Luxembourg Senat when I was in Paris a few weeks ago. The exhibit included much larger-than poster-sized photos that are some of the same photos contained in the book. They were spectacular and breath-taking. Stunning really. But if you can't afford to go to Paris, or if you can't get a hold of a poster of his work, this book is a fantastic collection of awesome, thoughtful, inspiring, thought-provoking, and humanistic usually unseen images taken from above Earth, that have an incredible aesthetic beauty. I can't recommend this book more highly. I was going to purchase 3-4 of them myself for me and my family and friends. However, I waited to get back to the US before doing so since they are large and very heavy due to the high-quality paper the photos are printed on. I was sorry they would not fit in my luggage as I had wished to stare at the photos for many hours on the plane trip home. Many kudos to Yann Arthus-Bertrand for an outstanding artistic work! Bravo! I hope to see another exhibit by this talented photographer in Paris or the U.S. in the near future.

This is a book that I would have loved as a child. Don't get me wrong, I love it today but a child would bask in the wonders of the Earth for hours with these images. It's hard to believe that some of the locations in this book are on this planet. There is such beauty and awe in these pictures. At almost every turn of the page there is a "wow" coming out of my mouth. Well worth the money. The only gripe I have is the reference of the locations. You have to flip around all over the place to find out the location of the photographs. There does not seem to be any order connecting the photos to the descriptions. Don't worry though! Still get the book.

This book is a jewel. In my opinion, everyone should have a copy of this book at home.
I first saw Yann Arthus Bertrand work during an outdoor exhibit in Paris. I was fascinated with the photos, and the next day I ran to buy the book (although some people to whom I have recommended it find it rather expensive).
Certainly, the photos are sensational, but that is hardly the point. Yann is a true citizen of the world, and represents globalisation in its 'kindest' -and most 'useful' form, if I'm allowed the expression.
In this book, Yann Arthus shows us that earth is sick. Whether it is the Amazon rainforests, Alaska, Africa or Australia, clear signs of decomposition appear in the photos. This book is a waking call for many of us, however, at the same time it reminds us how beautiful is everything around us, and how rich is this planet we live in.

This wonderful children's novel tells the story of eight year old Princess Irene. Cared for by her nurse Lootie, she lives in a mountain farmhouse while her father rules over the region from a mountain top castle. The local folk work as miners but are beset by the Goblins who inhabit the underground. Irene is saved from the Goblins by Curdie, a thirteen year old miner, and she in turn saves him. The whole thing is told in a pleasant conversational style and is filled with humor, word games, magic, derring-do, and pure wonderment.

George MacDonald, a Congregational minister turned novelist, who seems nearly forgotten now, was one of the seminal figures in the development of Fantasy. His influence on other Fantasy authors is obvious, he was a childhood favorite of JRR Tolkein, who especially liked this book, and C.S. Lewis named him one of his favorite authors. His own stories draw on many of the themes and characters of classical European fairy tales. But where they were often merely horrific and meaningless, MacDonald adds a layer of Christian allegory. Thus, Irene and Curdie are eventually saved by a thread so slender that you can't even see it, but which leads them back to safety, teaching Curdie that you sometimes have to believe in things that you can't see.

The book would be interesting simply as a touchstone of modern fiction, but it stands up well on its own and will delight adults and children alike.

GRADE: A

whenever I find a used copy of this or MacDonald's "The Princess and Curdie" I buy it and give it away. Both books are full of religious symbolism if you think about it, and old other-worldness if you don't. "The Princess and the Goblin" can be enjoyed by early elementary school children, while the language of "The Princess and Curdie" is more challenging and suited for 5th grade and up, though anything is possible with a bit of extra effort. Worth trying. George MacDonald (deceased) has a loyal following as do, of course, Tolkien and C.S.Lewis who were his friends. These are lovely books to read aloud.

I cant believe I haven't read this untill now, its such a great book! A princess lives in a castle all her life, never knowing of the great dangers that go on in the mountain. One day(being about 7 years old) she finds a stairway in her house that she has never seen and it leads her to her great, great grandmother. After she meets her grandmother she is shown the dangers of the goblins and meets a boy named Curdie who mines in the mountain with his father. Throughout the book Curdie and the princess have many encounters with the goblins. This is a great book I highly recommend it for readers of all ages.

Fresh For '01...You Suckas! is a collection of cartoon strips featuring the political charged but always interesting world of Huey, an African-American city kid displaced into the unfamiliar world of white suburbia. A richly multilayered comic strip of great humor and keen insights, Fresh For '01...You Suckas! will provoke thought and improve racial discourse while provoking a laugh-out-loud response from the reader. Aaron McGruder has quite evidently tapped into his own experiences as a long black facing growing up in Columbia, Maryland to give his characters and their observations a true to life dimension that is wonderfully facilitated by his compelling sense of satire.

"Fresh for '01, You Suckas" makes a great gift. Forget about the people that complain, "The characters always look so angry," or "This is a racist comic strip...". Aaron McGruder has created the best daily comic since Calvin and Hobbes. Perhaps the most socially aware comic since Doonsbury. Find out what all the fuss is over. See if these characters are causing strains in race relations and "inciting angry black children to riot". Huey and Riley are much more real and amusing than other "steppin' and fetchin'" comic characters. The Grandfather still wonders what's wrong with his boys, Cindy is still obsessed with mainstream black entertainment, and Ceasar is just a rockin' Emcee. Whatever opinion you draw from the Boondocks, it's unlikely that you will ever forget it. FREE JOLLY JENKINS!

If you aren't afraid to hear, see or read the truth, then Fresh For '01...You Suckas, is definitely for you. Mr. McGruder is a powerfully fresh voice for today's enlightened African-American of any age. Put simply, brothah's spittin' some tight knowledge in dis piece! Ya'll better recognize! :o)

I found that I would read, then re-read each strip. Once for the pure laughter, and the second time for clarity of the points. You don't have to be Black to enjoy this strip. Just have a conscious. Huey, Riley, and Cesar will make you think while having you roll on the floor. And particularly funny in this book, is the series when Grandpa takes a job as a Census Taker (a sell-out instrument of The Man's Government!). :o)

This is a book you MUST have! For added fun, read it with your kids and allow the material to open doors for discussion on varied topics in a humorous way. Highly Recommended!!

In this classic work, John Bunyan paints a detailed picture of the Christian life/walk, giving true-to-life insights and experiences. The despair, sorrows, trials and temptations that a believer may face are depicted in an allegorical manner, as well as the hope, joy, and salvation found in Jesus Christ. The main character Christian (once named Graceless) sets out on a lifelong journey from the City of Destruction, where his family disowned him, and encounters many persons and difficulties along the way to the Celestial City (heaven). The characters he meets are given names that reflect their mindset or what temptation they bring. At times he stumbles and at times he perseveres, but all by the grace of God. The second portion of the book tells of the conversion and subsequent sojourn of the wife (Christiana) and children of Christian. The discussions of Christian in the first part and Christiana and her companions in the second part are very interesting, as they defend their faith and explain their purpose to those they meet along the way. The book is quite different from your ordinary novel, and has many interesting words of wisdom for the Christian life. Readers should be aware that some of the language is antiquated and has unfamiliar usages, so its a little bit of an adjustment to read.

"The Pilgrim's Progress" is a classic Christian text written by John Bunyan. Written in an allegorical format, the two-part story focuses first on "Christian", then on his wife "Christiana" and sons. Convicted of their own sinfulness, the characters set out on the journey to salvation at the Heavenly Gate. Characters such as "Honesty", "Great-Heart", and "Faithful" aid the pilgrims on their journey, whereas they face trials from the Slough of Despond, Vanity Fair, and the Valley of the Shadow of Death.

Getting through the book takes some work, less because of the story and more because of the depth of the allegory. Also, the dialogues between characters regarding salvation and righteousness often require a careful read. However, the story is exceptionally creative and thought-provoking, and the lessons that can be gleaned from it are timeless and worth the effort that needs to be expended. I recommend reading this one at least twice.

A letter to Marvin Minsky about this book:

I urge you tolook at a remarkable book by the English Puritain John Bunyan(1628-1688), "The Pilgrim's Progress", which is one of the great evangelical Christian classics, though clearly that is not why it interests me and should interest you (although I AM interested in the puzzle that is the religious sense, which even the irreligious feel, and this book can give remarkable insight into that as well).

Rather its fascination lies in the pilgrimage it depicts, or in the fact that human traits, vices, virtues, &c are PERSONIFIED as particular individuals who are their living and speaking epitome, and who are encountered along the way in revealing situations.

Bunyan's hero is appropriately named Christian. Someone once wrote that "Christian's journey is timeless as he travels from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City, meeting such characters as Pliable, Talkative, Giant Despair, Evangelist, Worldly-Wiseman, Faithful, Ignorance and Hopeful."

At first this personification is merely amusing, even a bit annoying (as caricatures or truly stereotypical people can be); but after a while I found myself enthralled because I realized that the effect of this odd literary device was to give unmatched insight into the nature of such traits. The force of the whole thing comes from the fact that one journeys about in - literally INSIDE of - what is both a comprehensive and finite moral and psychological landscape (a "psycho-topography"), very much as though one were INSIDE the human mind and your "Society of the Mind" was embodied in the set of actors. This is more or less the opposite or an inversion of the 'real world' of real people, who merely SHARE those attributes or of whom the attributes are merely PIECES; in "Pilgrim's Progress", by contrast, the attributes are confined in their occurrence to the actors who are their entire, unique, pure, and active embodiment, and humanness, to be recognized at all, has to be rederived or mentally reconstructed from the essential types.

The effect, for me, was something like experiencing a multidimensional scaling map that depicts the space of the set of human personality types, by being injected directly - mentally and bodily - into it by means of virtual reality technology.

So Bunyan's book has something of the interest to a psychologist, neuroscientist, or philosopher that Edwin Abbot's "Flatland" has to a mathematician.

I don't mean to overpraise "Pilgrim's Progress", of course; it was written for theological rather than scientific purposes, and has conspicuous limitations for that reason. But its interest to a student of the mind who looks at it at from the right point of view can be profound.

- Patrick Gunkel

This book is simply perfect. Each chapter corresponds to a specific technique and concludes with complete "tricks" that employ that technique. The chapters generally build on each other, but you can jump around to some extent. The book's many illustrations make the difficult aspects of the tricks transparent.

This book, plus the willingness to practice card conjuring in private and then actually perform the tricks for friends and families will get you there! I ran one trick 4 or 5 times for one of my colleagues the other day; her only response: "Oh, I get it, it's a trick deck right? They're all the same card, right?" Nope. When I turned over all the cards (revealing a genuine deck) her jaw simply dropped.....

If you're overwhelmed with magic book titles, and don't know which book to buy to start your experience with magic, BUY THIS BOOK.

Keep in mind it was written before TV, so you must be a enthusiastic reader and a magic lover. It requiers a lot careful and minucious reading and re-reading, but only because of its very precise explanations.

The next step after studying from this book, is watching a good magician perform the sleights so you can have an idea of speed and timing.

Buy it only if you are truly commited to learning non self working card tricks and sleights.

If I had to throw away all my magic books except one, this would be it.

This is the book that got me seriously started with card magic, and I still learn something every time I pick it up.
It teaches the basics of card magic: shuffles, palming, the pass, glimpses, etc. But more importantly, it covers the real secret of magic: how to entertain and amaze. There is more to a card trick than meets the eye, and this book covers those things.
Each chapter teaches a sleight (or sleights) or a principle of magic, and then a trick (or tricks) utilizing that sleight.
I still use some of the tricks from this book in my performances. The tricks taught are all excellent and absolute stunners in the right hands.
Besides the general chapters, there are two chapters on flourishes, one on routining an act, and one on platform tricks.
I highly recommend this book to all students of magic. It is a classic, and an excellent choice for the beginner. Even if you are an expert, you should own this book, as it will enrich you as a magician.
The Royal Road to Card Magic is one of my favorite books in my magic library.

Being a Civil War buff, I just received a copy of the old 2-volume edition of this book as a birthday present. It turned out to be one of the better presents I have received. Grant begins by stating that he will NOT present all the details of each campaign and battle. He keeps this promise. Rather, the book is a general overview of his background, youth, and military career from Mexico through the Civil War. I expected some self-aggrandizement, but was (pleasantly)surprised by Grant's frankness and obvious sincerity. He tells things as he experienced them, with no flourishes. When he was wrong, he says so. When credit belongs to someone else, he also says so. It is a straight-forward story by an obviously straight-forward man. Knowing that he was soon to die, Grant wrote a remarkably honest piece - especially compared to the works of some of his contemporaries. When I finished reading the book, I don't believe that I knew that much more about the war itself. Rather, my strongest impression was of Grant's character; that I had, in a sense, met the man. It is a book NOT be to missed.

That U.S. Grant is telling one of history's great tragic and glorious stories as the key actor would make this book a fine piece in its own right. He has a gift for story telling that renders his Personal Memoirs compelling and engrossing. One of the best books I have read. It is remarkable from several levels. First, it is undeniably great history. The story of our Civil War is moving enough to leave a tremendous impression upon the reader in Grant's hands. Second, this book is a great study in management. Grant succeeded where scores failed at similar command levels throughout the Civil War. He did due to his: knowledge and focus on his mission; his ability to conceive plans that served his mission; his ability to have alternatives that stayed the course; his ability to learn from mistakes and experience; his calm in the face of stress and chaos; his decisiveness and his willingness to take reasonable risks.

This book surprised me by being an excellent management study. The lessons which are easy to take away from the book are aplicable to anyone who is faced with mission definition and achievement. It should be must reading in MBA programs.

Grant's lack of ego is surprising when compared to other Civil War figures and high achievers who have reflected on their lives and actions. By not only focusing on things that went right for Grant, the book has a tremendous credibility borne of real life trial and error, frustration, lessons learned and later employed.

A great book.

Grant's memoirs are a must-read for any serious student of the Civil War. While praise is heaped upon Confederate generals such as Lee and Jackson, Grant's legacy has always been a little more uncertain. His reputation has been associated with allegations of drunkenness, and with an apparent unflinching ability to send men to their slaughter which this book helps to dispel.

Lincoln loved Grant, as he was the first Union commander who seemed willing to fight it out with Lee's army, and who enjoyed any consistent success. When one considers Grant's predecessors at the helm of the Union army, one can understand Lincoln's enthusiasm. You had McClellan, who never read an exaggerated report of the enemy size he didn't believe; "Fighting Joe Hooker", flanked and embarrassed at Chancellorsville; Burnside, who foolishly sent wave after wave of Union soldiers across the Rappahanock to attack an impregnable stone wall at Fredericksburg; and Pope, who was soundly beaten at Manassas. Meanwhile, Grant caught Abe's attention with his successful siege of Vicksburg in the summer of 1863, as Meade was beating Lee at Gettysburg.

Reading Grant's Memoirs is a fascinating experience, as the war, at least that part of it involving Grant, comes to life in the hands of a thoughtful commentator. Grant was obviously there, and he shares informative communications with his inferior officers (such as Sherman) and with the President. Grant sent many men to their doom to be sure, (the Wilderness campaign comes to mind as being especially bloody and ineffective), but overall you get the sense that Grant was respected by his men, who were happy to be marching forward and not backwards after a battle. He restored a sense of pride and accomplishment that was sorely lacking in the Union rank and file. He gave cogent reasons in his memoirs for the actions undertaken, sometimes admitting mistakes in humble fashion, and sometimes explaining why a siege would accomplish the same overall goal without unnecessary bloodshed.

My only regret is that Grant didn't live long enough to write a companion memoir about his presidency, which was clearly outside the scope of this book. Readers who have gotten this far in the Amazon review process are no doubt aware that a broke Grant, stricken with painful throat cancer, wrote out his Memoirs of the Civil War right up until the end of his life to provide financially for his family, finishing the book days before he died. We should all be grateful that he was able to preserve these pages for prosperity, they are truly a model of military memoirs that I consider an extremely rewarding reading experience. When one considers the circumstances in which Grant composed this work, the end result is nothing short of miraculous.

This is a great book. But I liked the last one the best. I think Jean Craighead George, and Wendell Minor, are truly fantastic! If you haven't read this, and the other two books, you haven't experienced a true, good book. Jean captures the true wolf, the wolf society, and other very interesting facts of a wolf's life. Like, I never knew that wolves have leaders, or Alpha's. I never knew that if a "baby-sitter" wolf, narrowed their eyes, showed their teeth, and lifted their ears straight, a wolf pup would sit down. I never knew that if a hungry pup nudged a adult wolf that has just eaten on the muzzle, the adult wolf will regurgatate the food, or, throw up the half digested meat. I never knew wolves tell each other who's the boss by mouthing a wolf's nose. I never knew if a wolf is larger or taller than other wolf, than it has a good chance for being an alpha or beta. Untill I read Jean Craighead George's book, "Julie of the Wolves", "Julie", and "Julie's Wolf Pack".

"Julie" is a book about a young woman called Julie, who returns home from her life on the Tundra, with a pack of wolves as her family. Her father Kapugen has married an American woman named Ellen, who is pregnant. Julie arrives home to normal family life. She feels that she could accept the family life, if she hadn't known that her father had killed her wolf father. Julie can speak beautiful English, but she will not talk to Ellen, until she is sure she can accept Ellen into her life. Julie starts talking to Ellen, when they are in an ice shelter helping a Musk Oxen, give birth to her calf. Julie realises that Ellen is no longer an intruder in her family, and welcomes her.

Julie goes through many difficult situations in this story, like when she comes face to face with a wild bear. I enjoyed this book very much because, you have the feeling you were part of this book, and also the story. I thought Jean Craighead George made things very descriptive, like the ice on the Tundra, the soft fuzzy fur of the wolf pup, and the scurrying ground squirrels. This book shows the power between a father and his daughter, they love each other so much that they can read each others minds'.

This novel is for people who like a book with happiness, a bit of sadness, and the smallest bit of romance. It is also a book that has a lot of adventure.

Hi! I've read Julie of the Wolves and Julie and I think they are the best books EVER! I've only read three of George's books: My Side of the Mountain(HIGHLY recomended), Julie of the Wolves(Excellent!), and Julie(Probably the best of all three!), but they are all cool, exciting and suberb. Now about Julie: A great book, very descriptive, and extremly captivartion. I'm ten years old. I took me three days to read, and I absolutley ADORED it! Miyax Kapugen Julie Edwards, a young eskimo girl(14) who has lived on the arctic tundra with her adoptive wolf pack for almost a year, must now return to her father. Her father has changed very mush from when she knew him: He had adopted the ways of the 49 southern states, had started using technology, and had married a gussak(American) wife. Julie also meets Peter, and Siberian eskimo who loves her. She thinks of school before him, but decides to marry him when she gets grown up. Julies wolf pack starts killing her fathr's oxen(there are no caribou to hunt) and her father attemps to kill them. CCan Julie save her wolf pack? Will her father ever re-accept the wolves? Read this AWSOME booi to find out!