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Book reviews for "Ognibene,_Peter_John" sorted by average review score:

The Complete Dog Book: A Comprehensive, Practical Care and Training Manual and a Definitive Encyclopedia of World Breeds
Published in Hardcover by Lorenz Books (1997)
Authors: Peter Larkin, Mike Stockman, John Daniels, and Peter Larking
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nice pictures and entertaining descriptions
This book is large and describes a wide range of breeds. Its descriptions of the temperments and history of the breeds is entertaining and helpful. The book however is written in British English and its focus is on breeds that the British enjoy and are familiar with.

One of the nicest dog books I read
I don't own this book, it's just in the library, but I instantly became addicted to it. The pictures are beautiful and colorful, and the info is accurate. I love the book that I can't hold it if somebody else gets the book! I make it a habit to get the book first. Too bad the book was sort of ruined by kids and the librarians won't let anybody read it because they are fixing it. I am still waiting for the book to be fixed!

A Joyous Romp with your Favorite Fido
Larkin's book will bring out the dog lover in even the hardest of hearts: the lovable snub-nosed Pug, the jolly grinning Samoyed, and the gentle brown-eyed German Shepherd are among the many friendly faces you'll encounter in this full-color guide to dogs. A section is devoted to each breed recognized by the British and American Kennel Clubs, and all the dogs are wonderfully photographed. Dr. Larkin's summaries of the various breeds are simple and truthful, if a bit brief. Though one should not consult this book alone when choosing to participate in complicated doggy matters such as breeding, grooming, or canine health, it makes a wonderful general reference for those with a love of canines.


Hard Courts
Published in Hardcover by Villard Books (1991)
Authors: John Feinstein and Peter Gethers
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Great!
Read the book in 2 sittings, even though I've never picked up a racquet in my life! Feinstein brings characters to life and provides great insight into the Pro Tennis circuit. Good read for any sports fan.

Tennis Debauchery
John Feinstein is such a fascinating writer and sports critic that someone should recognize his work in some way, shape or form. "Hard Courts" is a microscopic scrutiny of the men's and women's tennis tour throughout the entire 1990 calendar year. Though a bit outdated, it is a book for all ages and all sports fans. Feinstein's writing message is as effective as his many inteview appearances on National Public Radio. He is blunt, obsessed and even subjective, but also well-informed, uncontradictory and fair, and most definitely, never arrogant. Enjoyable reading!

Great Book...exceptional journalism.
I have copies of two books by John Feinstein...Hard Courts and A Season Inside. Both are fantastic. A fascinating look at a year (1990) on the professional tennis circuit. A must read for any follower of the game.


Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure (Oxford World's Classics)
Published in Paperback by Oxford University Press (1999)
Authors: John Cleland and Peter Sabor
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Suprisingly graphic
I had to read this book for class. When the teacher said that it could be offensive, I shrugged it off. How offensive could an 18th cent. piece of literature be, right. This book is porn. Not the soft stuff, but hard core. There is a story and the novel is presented well. I think it paints a good depiction of the hardships of a woman at the time, yet is completely inaccurate on the life of a prostitute. ...

Lascivious! Unbelievable! An Erotic Literary Classic
I once reviewed Matthew Lewis' 1796 novel "The Monk" and said that it should be rated "R". Well, having just had the experience (and it is an experience) of reading John Cleland's 1748-9 novel, "Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure," everything else just seems like children's literature. Cleland's "Memoirs" was simultaneously reviled and a best seller, declared obscene and yet continued to be published illegally througout the 18th century. In the aftermath of the public frenzy for and against Samuel Richardson's ultra-famous novels "Pamela" and "Clarissa" and Henry Fielding's equally famous responses, "Shamela," "Joseph Andrews," and "Tom Jones," Cleland's novel strikes out into wholly uncharted moral and aesthetic territory.

Similarly to Defoe's "Moll Flanders," Cleland's novel begins with its heroine, Fanny Hill, an innocent, uneducated country girl, thrown at a very early age into the cruel world of London and forced into a life of prostitution. As an innocent virgin, the madam whose house she live in is saving Fanny for a noble customer whom they expect daily, but learns about sexual commerce by watching other prostitutes in the house. Eloping with a beautiful, wealthy young man named Charles before she engages in any sexual activity, the novel concerns Fanny's sexual awakenings and her life with and without her first love, Charles. The way that the novel refigures fidelity in the relationship between Fanny and Charles is astounding.

Cleland's master-stroke, if you will, linguistically, is to write a whole-heartedly pornographic novel and couch everything in such a rich variety of metaphors. Graphic scenarios can be found on almost every page, but there is a marked and remarkable absence of graphic language. Structurally, Cleland's plotting of Fanny Hill's escapades is exquisitely balanced and even-handed. Morally and aesthetically, "Memoirs" comes straight out of the strain of 18th century moral philosophy associated by turns, with Shaftesbury and David Hume. From Shaftesbury, Cleland takes the idea that aesthetics and morality should be judged on an equal form in works of art. From Hume, he takes the radical stance that vices and luxuries are not inherently evil, and even acceptable when not carried to extremes. Cleland makes judicious use of these structural and philosophical elements in creating one of the strongest and most liberated heroines in English literature.

Among other points of interest in the novel, there is the prevalence and even propriety of expressions of feminine desire, agency, power, and control over self and circumstances. Aside from her first entrance into London and her various periods as a kept-mistress, Fanny Hill is educated by the prostitute Phoebe, and the procuress Mrs. Cole to be an independent, self-regulating subject. Related to this is the rather revolutionary notion inferred that sexual education predicates all other sources of knowledge, and is at heart, the basis and foundation of human interaction, at least in the semi-utopic world of the novel.

There are so many fascinating things about Cleland's "Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure," it would take forever to puzzle through them all. All the same, I've only been able myself to think critically about the novel at some distance of remove from reading it. Reading this novel was an interesting, but frustrating, and at times impossible task. It's not a difficult novel to read in terms of prose, but for a 188 page novel, it tends to overwhelm everything else while you're reading it. Like I said, reading "Memoirs" is an experience - I often had to look at the cover to recall that this is no simple work of pornography, but an acknowledged work of classic literature. By all accounts, a captivating novel. It gets five stars just because it is so amazing and outlandish. Aside from the Marquis de Sade, who belongs properly to the excesses of the Romantic Era, I had no idea that there was anything even remotely like this in the 18th century. To quote that immortal philospher, Stephon Marbury, Cleland's novel is "all nude...but tastefully done."

a classic
this is one of the classics of victorian erotica and definitelyworth reading. it depicts a womans path to prostitution with none ofthe attached moral lectures and is a good buy.


Microsoft® Office 2000 9 in 1 For Dummies® Desk Reference
Published in Paperback by For Dummies (10 May, 1999)
Authors: Greg Harvey, Peter Weverka, John Walkenbach, Alison Barrows, Bill Dyszel, Camille McCue, Damon Dean, Jim McCarter, Lee Musick, and Jim Walkenbach
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Just what the "Dummie" needed
I am taking a course, through our community college, on Microsoft Office 2000. Our instructor made a general recommendation for simply written books like this. I had seen the "Dummies" books before, but had never looked at one. This book is awesome! It is so general and easy to understand. I can actually read and absorb the information easily. Thanks to the authors for bringing things down to the average person's level of understanding. Now I feel like I could tackle almost anything using Office 2000.

Extremely Satisfied!
I was extremely satisfied with my purchase. The book was received in excellent condition, and quicker than I expected! I will definitely be making more purchases from this seller. Thank You!

An Amazing Surprise!
A friend dropped this book off for me to look at, and I almost never opened it because I am generally not impressed the "Dummies" series. However, this book is wonderfully refreshing exception and every office should have it. It has a brief Overview/Reference of W98, and every aspect of Office. It is worded well, and shows you step-by-step how to do a great many common tasks with office. It does not cover any of the subjects in depth, and did not cover FrontPage very well, but I still have to give it a 5. It is a well organized, well written overview of Office and I feel It is a must have. By the way, I bought his copy and about four more since to cut down on technical support calls from my clients.


Original Porsche 911: The Guide to All Production Models 1963-98
Published in Hardcover by Motorbooks International (1998)
Authors: Peter Morgan, John Colley, and Mark Hughes
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Beautiful color pictures with good summary of model changes
I really enjoy this book and come back to it for an enjoyable evening read. The book is organized by engine size (and separate chapter for Turbos of all years). The color photos are great. Published in England (printed in Hong Kong) with many photos of rh drive as well as lh drive cars. Does not include as many cosmetic details/differences as Mark Haab's book, but the well-written text covers the major functional changes and then a summary at the end of each chapters lists options, colors, chassis number ids, and the production data for each year and model.

If you are interested in original 911s, this is a must-have!
This is one of the best books about classic Porsche 911s available. It provides detailed information and pictures of the specs (incl. interior & exterior trim, engine, available colors, option-lists and many more) of all 911 series. You want to know, which model exactly you are looking at, next time you see a classic 911? Read this book and you'll know.

Good overlook of Porsche 911 Car History
This book presents a good overview (facts, models, pictures) of the Porsche 911 since its creation until mid 90's. It does include some vehicle numbers and performance data. But it is not a technical manual. I think its a good start from potential 911 restorers, to get acquainted with the 911.


Peter Norton's Assembly Language Book for the IBM PC
Published in Paperback by Prentice Hall (1986)
Authors: Peter Norton and John Socha
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My first Assembly book
This book has the great advantage of presenting such a difficult subject just like a personal teacher would do. It's written in a clear way and explains some important concepts about the 8086 processor.My advice is:if you want to learn assembler here's a good book to start with (even if it seems a little dated!)

Great book/ Great authors/ A must-read
I've read this book, and I really liked it. It is great. It teaches assembly language in a simple a versatile way. If you want lo learn Assembly language, this is a MUST-READ.

A must book on assembly concepts and tutorials
Norton and Socha's authority makes this book a must to every "beginner" assembly programmer. This book presents basic items such as binary numbers, registers & basic arithmetic inside the 8086 family processors into part 1. The contents of the book becomes closely related with DSKPATCH - a real program written in assembly - so the reader has a UNIQUE opportunity to see how real programmers (and here Norton is a PC guru) use step-wise refinements techniques and modular projects in a real world. The 2nd edition is based in MASM 5/5.1, Borland TASM and OPTASM features. Maybe we must wait for MASM 6.1 update... then it'll become a rating 10...


The Books of Magic: Transformations
Published in Paperback by DC Comics (1998)
Authors: John Ney Rieber, Ney John Reiber, and Peter Gross
Amazon base price: $10.36
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Pretty good, kind of confusing
I started reading this series after I read Neil Gaiman's Books of Magic miniseries, which is really really good. Unfortunately I've only been able to get ahold of 2, 3, and 4, this one. The plot isn't as good as Gaiman's, it's just not quite as convincing as a real world that exists beside our own, something that Gaiman and the Sandman in particular are phenomenal at. But I still enjoyed this book. The art was nice and I especially like the addition of Tim's girlfriend Molly, who's quite a bit of fresh air. Since I came in on the middle of this story though, I couldn't quite grasp what was going on at times.

blows hard!
a very pleasant book,something you can sit down and enjoy

fourth trade paperback of the series
This book is the republication in a paperback portfolio of the issues #21-25 of the books of magic on-going monthy comic book and presents the latest encounter of timothy hunter with death of the endless and the transformation of tim into a cat among other things. The correct sequence of tpbs of the books of magic is this: * books of magic- the miniserie colection published before the montly comic book. * the books of magic bindings- issues #1-4 of the montly comic book. * the books of magic sumonings- issues #5-12. * the books of magic reckonings- issues #13-20. * the books of magic transformations- issues #21-25. If you buy one of the books of magic you'll just ending like me buying all of them, because it's kind of hard not to be complete overwhelmed by the juvenale and simpatetic writing and constrution of the caracters which presents most pleasant british personalities


John Ford
Published in Paperback by University of California Press (1978)
Author: Peter Bogdanovich
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kjh
Bob Dylan used to introduce his drummer as "the only drummer better than no drummer at all". That pretty well sums up this John Ford book.

What you can't see from home is that the book is truly tiny, about a quarter inch thick and six inches square. It's only 144 pages long; the last 35 of those pages are a John Ford filmography and the first 35 are a Bogdanovitch essay.

The interviews in between are similarly miniature, and in typical Bogdanovitch fashion they revolve more around anecdotes and personalities than film making and theory. For instance, here's what Ford says about my nominee for his best film, My Darling Clementine:

"I knew Wyatt Earp. In the very early silent days, a couple of times a year, he would come up to visit pals, cowboys he knew in Tombstone; alot of them were in my company. I think I was an assistant prop boy then and I used to give him a chair and a cup of coffee, and he told me about the fight at the O. K. Corral. So in My Darling Clementine, we did it exactly as it had been. They didn't just walk up in the street and start banging away at each other; it was a clever military maneuver."

And that's it. A good story. But a short one. Not much about the film itself, though, is there? The longest statements go on for about one full page.

Ford's thoughts on film making are scattered throughout, and it's good stuff:

-On his dislike of close-ups: "We've got this big screen - instead of putting a lot of pockmarked faces on it...play a scene in a two-shot. You see people instead of faces."

-On actors: "If you get the first or second take, there's a sparkle, an uncertainty about it; they're not sure of their lines, and it gives you a sense of nervousness and suspense."

-On film music: "I don't like to see a man alone in the desert, dying of thirst, with the Philadelphia Orchestra behind him."

Ford talks about almost every film he ever made, including most of the silents that no one's ever seen. You can read the book in one sitting, and by the end you'll have a sense of who John Ford was and what he was all about. Since Ford hated giving interviews, but was very patient with Bogdanovitch, this one is something of a standout.

It's a good book, I just wish there was more of it.

(A poster below slags the Hitchcock/ Truffaut book; don't listen to him, that book is marvelous.)

Ford on the Record
I love film interview books. There has become a great tradition of directors interviewing directors for all of posterity. Bogdanovich was successful at getting a great number of the leading directors on the record. This was his attempt at debriefing John Ford.

John Ford was quite an elusive character. He was considered a great artist inside and outside of Hollywood during his life. This short book isn't a bad attempt to have him comment on those films most precious to him and to us. Unlike Orson Welles, who made only a few films over 40 years, and spoke on them extensively with Bogdanovich, Ford speaks just a sentence or two or maybe a paragraph on some of the greatest films of all time. Grapes of Wrath? "I liked the idea of a family going out and trying to find their way in the world." She Wore a Yellow Ribbon? "I tried to copy the Remington style there." The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance? "I think they were both good characters and I rather liked the story."

I hope I haven't made it sound too simplistic, because Ford actually reveals the most important parts of his films with very few words. Just reading a sentence or two and watching the film gives you the idea of what Ford was trying to convey. It may even give these films new meaning.

The Legendary Directors Talks...Really?
This book by Bogdanovich is the first attempt to portray the art of this truly great poet in cinema. If you are looking for the facts about his life, just forget this book. But if you are REALLY interested in what kind of person he was, this classic book still remains one of the most poignant portrait of a great filmmaker. Ford rarely tells the truth, and many things that he said in this book is now considered or confirmed to be untrue by biographers and scholars. But it is not only the facts that makes a man. Through the "lies" (if you may called it), you learn a lot about his great sense of sarcastic humour, and his way of capturing people's heart: in many occasion, Ford makes fun of Bogdanovich, yet without hurting his feelings. How many people can talk to somebody like this? I, personally, have never met. Telling stories is itself an art, for somebody like Ford. And through him telling stories, you can feel the poet inside him. Actually, Ford is more honest than most of the directors of his generation. Think of Alfred Hitchcock's self-glorification as he was interviewed by Truffaut. Ford doesn't do that. He is humble and never tries to boast about his "art". He says, he just put the camera before something he found interesting. He never tells about all the difficulties he had to go through to achieve that, but you if you are a careful reader, and somebody who knows his films, you can just feel it. Bogdanovich's introduction, describing the great artist at work during the shooting of Cheyenne Autunmn is so beautiful and sad it will bring tears to your eyes.


Kayak Routes of the Pacific Northwest Coast
Published in Paperback by Mountaineers Books (2003)
Authors: Peter McGee, Bc Marine Trail Association, and John Dowd
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Good GENERAL information
Good information basically summarized. Most regions described are generalized but it gives you good information to start from. Maps could have been much better though.

very informative
A really nice book for people who are new in sea kayaking. Have lots of information like outfitters, transportation, maps, etc. It's a good book to read for info. and to pick the best place to kayak in the NW if you have only a few days in the region.

Great practical advise for finding parking and camping sites
Invaluable guide. This book does not just tell the reader where to park and where to camp, also includes history, low impact camping tips, advice on ethics and hygiene and manners.

The chapters on various island groups are described by different authors, with uneven quality. We have been to areas covered in three chapters, The Discovery Islands, The Clayoquot Sound, and the Gulf Islands. The details of the two of the chapters were precise, the hazards were as described (as we discovered when we did not take them seriously enough - I was almost run over by a whale watching boat in the fog off Vargus Island, a hazard that we had not taken seriously even though it was clearly described in the chapter).

The chapter on the Discovery Islands in some cases offered vague or incorrect details as to the location of camp sites.

For some reason, we did not find this book on the Amazon web site by using searches that should have found it, for example kayaking British Columbia. But our local Kayak store carried it.


Seeing Ear Theatre: A Sci-Fi Channel Presentation
Published in Audio Cassette by Dove Books Audio (1998)
Authors: Terry Bisson, James Patrick Kelly, Allen Steele, Brian Smith, John Kessel, Gregory Benford, Peter Coyote, Mark Hamill, Michael O'Hare, and Marina Sirtis
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Very compelling stories
This tape is well done. The sound effects create an atmosphere that draws in the listener. The actors are dramatic, but not overly so. The short stories themselves are well written, delivering edge-of-the-chair suspense (or knee-slapping comedy, as the case may be).

It's finally here....and worth the wait!
As most net surfers are aware the Sci-Fi Channel's web site has included a section devoted to science fiction radio drama...Seeing Ear Theatre. One aspect of which includes originally produced productions cerated especially for the site and which has featured performances by many well-known SF actors as Micheal O'Hare,Mark Hamill,Marina Sirtis,and others. With a few exceptions, a lot of the dramas are based on recent short stories by SF writers such as Terry Bisson, Allen Steele, John Kessel and Gergory Benford. With the release of this audiobook editon(which includes introductions by SF's resident angry young{sic}man Harlan Ellison)now one can listen to these stories anytime you want. The best stories(IMO)are the Three Odd Comedies and The Death of Captain Future (which despite the pulpish-sounding title is a darkly humorous tale set in the future history of Steele's previous works such as Orbital Decay and Clarke County,Space). If you like audio drama-- especially newly produced audio drama...you'll love this collection and you may also want to check out Vol. 2 which should be on sale soon(I know I can't wait).

Into the Sun!
WOW what a story! Brian Smith could sell this as a short story by itself it is so good IMO. I just wish they sold a hard copy of these writings--not just audio! I have been reading Sci Fi for a long time. This guy is great! Reminds me of 2001, a space odyssey a bit. Worth the price just for this one folks! I noticed there are no other books by Brian Smith for sale on Amazon. What's up with that? He needs to write books, and Amazon needs to sell them--geez, do I make myself clear?


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