This short book is an excellent introduction to the new Czech Republic. It begins with a quick look at the geography and climate of the country, and them moves into its history. After that, it does a wonderful job of explaining the Czech Republic, including (but not limited to) its religion, politics, economy, and even the problems facing it. All this is done in a mere 67 pages, but it nonetheless gives the reader a comprehensive understanding of the country.

I enjoyed the layout of this book; it includes many black-and-white pictures, many interesting sidebars, and even a chronology at the back. If you are interested in the Czech Republic, and want a short, concise introduction to the country, then I recommend that you read this book.

My wife and I recently participated in a cultural exchange between Britain and the Czech Republic (CZR). Our library yielded an armful of guide books and coffee-table picture books.

But for our purposes, Mr. Otfinoski's book took the prize. Though intended for younger readers, it offers engaging reading for anyone. The subject matter seems well researched, the writing is lucid, and each chapter includes a selection of bibliographic references. There are plenty of illustrations, mainly black and white but well chosen and relevant to the text they support. Most of all, the book gives a clear outline of the CZR's recent history and paints a believable picture of its current politics, business, culture, and everyday life.

Since the publisher's description hasn't been included in the Amazon listing, here is the table of contents:

1. An Introduction to the Land and Its People

2. From a Medieval Kingdom to a Modern Nation

3. Czechoslovakia under Two Brutal Masters (1918-1985)

4. The Velvet Revolution and the Velvet Divorce (1989-present)

5. Government

6. Religion

7. The Economy

8. Culture

9. Daily life

10. The Cities and Towns

11. Present Problems and Future Solutions

Back Matter: Chronology, Further Reading, and Index

My name is Kimesha Keys. I am going write a review about this guide. All parents should let their child read this book. It tells you about earning, sharing,spending,saving and growing you money. It tells you jobs you can do. Book account and much more.Many people should buy this book it will help you through life.The author Steve Otfinoski did a lot of thinking for writing this book to help kids from 9-12 with money.This book has 128 pages in it but it is not so hard to read.I am glad my mother brought me this book. Now I am going to succeed in life. You wouldn't have to think to about buying this book. Trust me even though I am a stranger this book is great. I hope this review help you about buying this book. If you don't buy this book you are going miss something very important to know during a young age. Bye!! Bye!! I hope you enjoy reading this review by Kimesha Keys.

This book is great!! It has all the ideas and information you need to earn and learn all about money!

This is a highly readable, brief account of the journey of Lewis and Clark, America's premier explorers. The duo set out in 1804 at the behest of President Jefferson to see if in fact there was a "Northwest Passage" (waterway) to the West Coast, and to explore the sorrounding regions. Most fascinating are the tales of encounters with various Indian tribes, as well as the weather related hardships endured by the Corps of Discovery. Reads nicely for young people or as a general introduction to the subject for adults. The book could have used some more illustrations and maps, but otherwise nicely researched.

From a mom's point of view, it would have been nice to make a coin book where you can get the coins in the book without using a hammer and glue. The maker did provide a nice book in a chronological linear fashion and my children and I did enjoy the trivia and facts. This book holds a lot of different coins from easy to rare.

From a child's point of view (Jayde)! On the time lines it would have been nice if they would have the dates in slots so that I would know which ones to look for.

I liked that it gives background information in easy to understand format, and also has coin groups arranged so that it is easy to locate and collect.

This is the perfect beginner start-up book. I got it for my son at six and we use it pretty much every week; it's been a wonderful sharing experience. As far as value goes, we got it at [another website], so it was surely a bargain! Really, we love it and it would be a great value at any price.

It's always a bit dicey for music writers to put into words what they like about a record, and in most cases, the writer will fall back on the lyrics to get his or her point across. Otfinoski can't do that, though, because he tackles an often-overlooked genre of popular music--the rock instrumental. Somehow, he covers just about every angle in an underappreciated area of pop music, and he wisely restricts his survey to a ten-year period, roughly 1955 - 65, covering everyone from the Tornadoes ("Telstar") and the Ventures ("Walk--Don't Run") to Booker T and the MGs and the Ramsey Lewis Trio. Not much is left out, though it would be nice to see some of the artists from the 70s and 80s expanded upon in the next edition, though to be fair, that would force Otfinoski to alter his book's title.

There's not much to dislike here, though some of the more technical musical terms are occasionally misapplied, and if the reader doesn't have a lot of the songs listed, he or she may be less interested. Still, most buyers of this book will have an appreciation for the golden age of instrumentals, and will have Otfinoski's book to refer to as they sift through their old 45s.

This is a very comprehensive, step by step guide to practical writing for school-aged children. The author explains and demonstrates each step and further provides a rationale for some steps. There are also "helpful hints" and suggestions related to social tact. From a school psychologist's perspective, this book could serve as a basis for direct assessment and intervention in the area of written expression. With creative presentation, the book could also be used to instruct teens and adults who have functional-behavior needs.

I was expecting humorous anecdotes, occasional lyrics, and an entire chapter for Weird Al, Dr. Demento, 98 Rock's Twisted Tunes, and other parodies. What I got was a sentence about every song with a pun in the title the author could think of. Many were not even novelty songs! What ties does this guy have to certain record companies? Was this a PC ad for Billboard? Jimmy Buffett is not a novelty song singer, it must be added. And if you are going to erroneously talk about his lyrics, you might as well get the spelling of his name right: B-U-F-F-E-T-T. Two t's, idiot. Buy this book only if you want to show your friends you can rip it up in a display of your strength.

This book is fairly complete, including not only what I would consider novelty songs but also parodies and one-hit wonders. It includes a discography of songs mentioned and many other bibliographical information. At first it was a slow read for me, but once he started mentioning the history of one-hit wonders I love I was more interested. It could have been more up to date, however, for example I would really be interested in information about the "Mambo No. 5" takeoff "Combo No. 5" or other '90s parodies.

Novelty songs were commonplace in both the pre & rock & roll era-A day wouldn't go by without hearing "Cocktails For Two","Witch Doctor",or "The Purple People Eater" on your local radio station-However,with radio undergoing a lot of changes these days,novelty songs have pretty much fallen by the wayside-Steve Otfinoski has done a yeoman job in recapturing a great time-It's interesting that Dr.Demento wrote the foreword-He has the only show that is willing to play this type of stuff-Anyway,if you remember those goofy gems of yesteryear,this book is definitely up your alley.

I was very shocked at the condition in which I received this book. There were black smudges inside and outside of the book. It also looked as if there were sticky fingerprints on several of the pages. I rate this order negative 5. I was aware that I was ordering a used item, but this was worst than I could have imagined.

Teaching writing skills can be daunting if one considers all the rules in addition to the actual process of skill development. I was looking for a book that was straight forward and logical in its approach. Unlike some english books I have seen, it does not skip around. When you scan its table of contents you, as a teacher or student, will immediately know exactly where to find what you are looking for. Then, when you get there, the highlighted headings quickly communicate the specifics for each topic. For example; there are several kinds of verbs; such as linking verbs, action verbs, being verbs, etc. There are also verb tenses, and verb parts. All of this can get jumbled, particularly if one is learning all this for the first time. This book makes it easy to see how these all relate so that students, people learning to write, or those just brushing up on their grammar, can quickly understand and apply things such as parts of speech and punctation. No skipping around or deciphering! You see it, you understand it!