Farkle McBride is a musical genius. At the age of three he plays the violin. At five it's the flute, at seven the trombone, and at nine he's mastered percussion. However, Farkle is never quite satisfied and destroys each of his instruments a year after mastering them. It isn't until he's ten that he realizes that what he loves best is hearing all the instruments together and is called upon to conduct an orchestra.

Lithgow has a wonderful sense of rhyme and the onomatopoeia is a delight. C.F. Payne's illustrations are beautiful and his Farkle looks rather similar to a young John Lithgow.

Kids enjoy listening to the book and if you really want to read into it, it's filled with lessons. For example, the book introduces children to the wondrous sounds of an orchestra and it illustrates that it's good to try new things and keep learning.

I didn't not like the fact that Farkle destroys every instrument he owned. That illustrates the Farkle is basically a spoiled brat whose parents obey his every whim. Of course, that whole characteristic of Farkle could be used as a lesson, too. Then again, maybe Lithgow never intended for there to be any lessons in the book. Some books, after all, are just fun to read in and of themselves. In that case, it's a very fun and entertaining story to read.

This is one of the best children's books out there. I have read this book to several grade school classes (K - 3rd) and it's always a winner. Mr. Lithgow does a wonderful job of putting words to the sounds of instruments and his rhyme is fantastic.

Mr. Payne's illustrations are brilliant and are the finishing touch to this a new "classic"

It seems that there is a rush of actors writing children's books with varying degrees of success, but Mr. Lithgow does a first class job. If he decides to abandon his day job - he has a brilliant future as a children's author.

Buy the book - you or your children won't be dissappointed.

Farkle McBride is definitely a remarkable little guy. He could play the violin at three. But was bored with violin playing at four. At five he discovered the flute. But at six decided it was not for him. When Farkle was seven, he took up the trombone, but then gave it up too. Next he tried percussion, but decided that was not quite right for him either. After thinking and thinking he realized that his very favorite sound was all the different instruments playing together...the orchestra. And so when the conductor gets sick, Maestro Farkle McBride steps in, finding what he really likes to do most at last. John Lithgow as written a terrific children's book, full of rhythm, rhyme and wonderful sound effects. His text is complimented by C.F. Payne's very expressive and detailed, larger than life illustrations. This is a delightful story that will charm and amuse all youngsters aged 4-8 and is a wonderful introduction to both musical instruments and the orchestra. The Remarkable Farkle McBride is a winner and a wonderful addition to all home libraries.

Payne Harrison tries to bury this book beneath fifth-grade level prose. Luckily, he fails... barely. 'Thunder of Erebus' is a fine, rollicking, action-packed military adventure novel. The premise - WWIII fought on the Antarctic continent - is intriguing, if a little far-fetched. The attack on the Russian carrier Tblisi is brilliant. In fact, every military confrontation in this novel is riveting. Unfortunately, Harrison's idea of character description would be more at home on a Hollywood casting couch. Can't you show me what a character's physical attributes are without describing them in a 400-word paragraph? If the author put half as much thought into the style of his narrative as he did into the choreography of the warfare, 'Erebus' would be a 4- or 5-star novel.

I was a huge fan of Harrion's "Storming Intrepid", and was therefore extremely happy when his second effort came out. At first I was kind of disappointed because it didn't jump right into action like "Intrepid". Instead, Harrison spends the first half of the book building all the necessary elements for the second half, which then just explodes. I'm glad I stuck with it, because I usually dump a book if after 50-75 pages I'm not hooked. I'm glad I stuck with it because "Erebus" became one of my favorite books. I read the first half of "Erebus" in about a week, and the second half in two very long nights. The degree of action, detail, and just great storytelling all coalesce and makes "Erebus" very difficult to put down. I'm not even a fan of the Clancy-style books, but I always keep an eye open to see if a new Payne Harrison is out

To Payne Harrison: I saw a young boy touch Thunder Of Erebus on the shelf. He paused, and then went on. I stopped him and said that that book was one of the best I've ever read. My squadron has enjoyed it, too. Let's have more of your writings! Thank you, Steve Hutchinson, aka Col. Wrecking Crew.

When I buy a book from online, I trust one star more than five stars. Because that realy save my money.

The is the first book I have read with REAL marketing insightsinstead of some fluff written by a consultant. I highly recommend this book...

I am an Internet executive who has read most books on Internet marketing. I can honestly say this was the best book on Internet marketing I have read to date. The interview format solicits true insider advice, and is extremely useful and practical. I was especially impressed by John Herr's chapter (VP of Buy.com). Great book!

It was very hard to tell from the description or the reviews that the book is almost exclusively designed for the wind-borne sailor. For example there is very little on multiple alternator charging systems and all pictures of boats are of sailboats.
As a result I have a brand new copy for sale.

This book gives an overabundance of information about the electrical and electonic system aboard a boat. Some of the diagrams are not accurate i.e. the thing the author is trying to explain will not work if you construct it the way he is suggesting you should.

It took me a bit to get used to the format of the book, its all outline style, point 1, 1a 1b etc. I did catch some mistakes in some tables... it seemed that wiring sizes in one table were different than another table. I wish some areas had more detailed infomration. But there is a LOT of information here, and he covers every category I can think of. I am currently in the process of rewiring my DC and it is very helpful. I use it in conjunction with Nigel Calder's book, and each has good info. Over all I prefer Calder, but like having both.

Ignoring the normal quibbles anyone would have with anthologies' selections is easy when you check out Payne and Hunter's volume--or, rather, try to check it out. Like others in the Blackwell series, _Renaissance Literature_ is rendered useless by its size print: far too small to be seen comfortably for even a moment, far FAR too small if you'd like to read, say, _The Faerie Queen_. Not recommended, not recommendable.