This is a must have book if you are a Marx Action Figure collector or even a fan. I have never seen so many excellent pictures that can really help a collector. Since owning this book I have used it on a daily basis.

Tom helps us reclaim out youth, it is great to be able to pick this book and feel like a kid again. My 8 year daughter and I use the book for a guide as we search through the thrift stores and antique stores for the best of the west toys.

Tom Heaton's Encyclopedia of Marx Action Figures is an invaluable tool for any Marx collector. It includes more in-depth coverage of Marx's action figures than any other book to date.

"...a high-quality, hard-cover, beautifully crafted book, which could be a gift, a prize possession of a golfing fan or player-or to anyone who enjoys a little humor."

"The Humorous Golf Poetry of Tom Edwards is quite a good read. I got a kick out of it and I'm a pretty tough critic."

"...a delightful new book...Although I'd rather be beaten with sticks as play golf, I thoroughly enjoyed reading his [Edwards'] witticisms. Edwards may not have mastered the game itself, but he is a gifted wordsmith when it comes to describing his sport in verse."

Whoever found Ioan Gruffudd for the role of Hornblower should be rewarded 10 times over and then some. This book is chock full of fantatic pictures and great insite into the making of this exciting series. I laugh out loud at some of the humor laced throughout this book. The pictures are worth owning this book for on their own, is a must own for any fan of Hornblowaaahhhhh!

I love this book. Aside from the tons of great pictures of the cast, it gives a lot of background on all the characters - including the boat that they used to for filming.

There are brief synopsis' on all the movies as well as a brief rundown of the characters we meet in each movie.

Wonderful interviews, beautiful pictures, and indepth characterization from the actor's perspective.

This is a great book for any Hornblower fan!

If you are a Hornblower fan you must have this book! First, the photographs are amazing including captures from the hit A & M mini series to back stage candids, technical details and beautiful portraits of the stars. Second, the written commentary if fantastic. The writer goes into details of the complexities of filming in a foreign place, supplying food, costumes, transportation and everything else. It also talks about the Grand Turk, the ship they filmed the mini series on. It was interesting to read about how the crew from the film had to work with the crew that actually operated the ship, the movie sailing cast and the makeup and wardrobe people, all on what seems to be a pretty small ship. This book is very well done, and really should be owned by any true Horatio Hornblower fan.

I visited the MOBA at its cinema basement location in Massachusetts, and was enchanted. I am so glad that this book came out to help make the collection visible to a larger audience. Like bad poetry (see "Pegasus Descending" by Waldrop), bad art at its best is unbelievably hilarious. Some bad art is merely bad, but the utter sincerity with which the works in this collection were painted accounts for much laughter. If by some chance you can't tell why the thing is so bad, there are helpful titles and captions by the authors to explain it to you. My favorite is one called "Pals," in which a sad clown with five o'clock shadow is comforted by a monkey that has "Bette Davis Eyes!"

The Museum of Bad Art is a long overdue book, and I was so happy to finally get a copy. This is the one art exhibit I would gladly pay to see in person.

This is incomparable bathroom reading of the highest order. Do not read in public as your laughter will undoubtedly mark you as insane.

I think this book shows you the art and science of fly fishing. this one was best among the books I read for flyfishing. It changed what I see at the stream. After this book, the streams were not the same as I had seen before..

A great guide to approaching the river in a strategic way with methods that can be adapted to whatever conditions you face on the water. I think it's the most useful book on the subject, and is great for anglers of any level of skill.

If you want to learn to catch trout in almost any situation you will encounter then this is the book for you. Written in Tom's low-key style. Solid information. I have been trout fishing, and reading trout fishing books for forty years. I learned more from this book than anything else I ever read. Another must have is Rosenbauer's "Reading Trout Streams.

Jim Whittaker began his life with only one real difference from most of us and that is that he had an identical twin. However from almost the day of his birth onward, his life accelerated beyond what is normal for most of us.
Mr. Whittaker enjoyed some luck in his life, particularly his ability to meet and mingle with some very powerful, influential and skilled individuals. He also enjoyed the benefit of his own hard work - from his days at REI to his climb on Everest and his efforts to put Americans on top of K2. He also had his share of bad luck, a divorce and a bankruptcy. This makes this story so much more entertaining because it is real, it is personal, it is something that could have happened to almost anyone with the drive and love of the mountains that Mr. Whittaker possessed.
The accounts of his alpine adventures, whether on Mt. Rainier or Mt. Everest or K2, are gripping, well written and harsh reminders of why mountaineering is not a sport for the faint of heart. Jim lost many of his close friends through out his life and the mountains claimed many of them. Despite any set back however, he pushed onward. This drive doesn't appear to be the result of a lust for glory or wealth but simply an extension of the man himself. In my opinion, his greatest successes are not the mountains he climbed but the peace and love of nature, family, and the mountains that he has helped others find.
This book is well written and easy to read and the pictures included are breathtaking (I wish there were more!). Reading this text will almost assuredly add a name to your list of personal heroes.

One of the truly great climbing books! The work describes this American Hero's life philosophy of learning and truly living. It describes how to take on an acceptable amount of risk and gain from the experience. I found valuable Jim's philosophy (who I met and idolized as a kid) translated into a world well beyond the mountain - into his political friendship with the Kennedy's, his professional life at REI and Magellan GPS; as well as his efforts to foster nothing short of world peace. I kept finding myself wondering if there was anything Jim had not taken on!

The writing is considerably less melodramatic than a great number of climbing/travel logs, which is refreshing. Straightforward and clear, even when discussing the inevitable loss of life involved in mountaineering.

A memorable quote follows: "It's about making the most of every moment, about stretching your own boundaries, about being willing to learn constantly, and putting your self in situations where learning is possible - sometimes even critical to your survival. Being out on the edge, with every-thing at risk, is where you learn-and grow-the most.

An incredible book. Not because of his achievments (which are very impressive), but because he shares his wisdom regarding life. This comes from a man who's seen it all, and has seen life's ups and downs. Highly recommended.

What a great read. I was inspired especially when finding out that he not only volunteers his time to do search and rescue but that his K9 partner is a Doberman instead of the typical shepards. The stories were wonderful; I got a feel for what true search & rescue is like....not just all happy or gruesome endings. Hope he continues to write additional books.

An awesome book. Light and humorous, yet profound and wise; it takes you on a journey and you return inspired by the courage and faith of both man and dog, and the magic in trusting the invisible. It's moving and inspiring on many levels, and very zen: it's about the journey and not about getting there. It's a gripping read- excellent rhythm of suspense and amusement.

I highly recommend this book, especially if you are an animal lover. Readers will find that Tom Shelby seems to inhabit Michelle's brain and soul. Their relationship is amazing and touching. Mr. Shelby's training tips which follow each SAR story are practical and wonderfully simple. Thank you to Tom and Michelle (and all the other hardworking SAR teams) for your continuing work.

I have not yet purchased the book (I promise I will) but my wife and I recently had the pleasure of meeting the author, Greg Cowman. He tends bar at the Napolean House in New Orleans (quite possibly one of the best bars in the country, by the way.) If his uncle's food comes out as good as the Bloody Mary's that Greg made for us, this has to be a great book!

I worked with Chef Tom at the Upperline. I went from New Orleans to cook in the South Pacific and Aspen. Chef Tom's way of doing things is absolutely classic. He had a way of settling on and emphasizing classic combinations of flavour that I have never seen matched; it was instinctive. After knowing Tom I have never met anyone else worthy of the title "chef". His was a flawless palate, as broad as it was deep. It amuses me to see TV chefs lionized in the media when Tom did his work so well with no applause. Chef Tom said once that there is a difference between cookbooks and recipe books; THIS is a cookbook.

I recieved a copy of this cookbook for my birthday last month. Talk about a gift that keeps giving. I am able to find a delicious recipie for almost any ocassion. Dinner, brunch, picnics, or special events. The easy going instuctions are trustworthy. ( I don't feel I have to try the recipie before an event.) Secrets of a New Orleans Chef has given me compliments from those I've cooked for I never would have expected.Two friends have requested the name of the book for purchase. One of them is a chef in a local Italian restaurant. He said "my" duck was unbelievable.

I highly recoomend this book for amatures and gourmets alike.

Nicole Bullock

What if reality is an illusion? How can you know if *you* aren't part of that illusion? If the world is a construct whose sole purpose is to fool your senses, what kind of conclusions can you draw about the nature of reality? Can you prove you exist? Can you even trust your thoughts? These very large questions if not dismissed consist hyprebolic doubt (aka Cartesian Doubt).

By asking and analyzing these very big questions, Descartes proved that you exist, and while not trustworthy, the mere fact you _have_ thoughts, proves it (Cogito Ergo Sum). Unfortunately, due to the high level of rigor and extreme doubt, it has proven impossible to build upon that very sound foundation, and his arguments trying to take it further do not express nearly the same level of rigor, and pale to his powerful first conclusions.

With the style of analysis and fearlessly examining this, he created the basis and foundation for most modern philosophy, since many schools of thought is based upon getting off his rigorous and rather lonely dead end island of "Cartesian Doubt" with a non-rigorous assumption or supposition.

The book is a fast, and intense read, appearing to have been written over a few days. The reader is taken along for the ride and in my case, my mind was blown at the level of rigor. To me his argument leading to "Cogito Ergo Sum" is as close to a bulletproof, rigorous, perfect argument that you can experience. Its only weakness, though, if you stick to that level of rigor, you really cannot prove anything else besides your own existence!

Definitely worth the price of admission. Especially to non-philosophers like myself!

Dig in!

"A Discourse on Method: Meditations and Principles" is more than a book, it is a challenging and rewarding mental experience. It is a tough read but well worth it just to read "I think, therefore I am" in its proper context (the simple statement that Descartes considers his first principle of philosophy).

The book is divided into three parts. In "A Discourse on Method," Descartes lays out his first principle of philosophy, and his plan for rejecting false assertions and deriving true principles. The "Meditations on the First Principle" is the wide ranging essay where "I think, therefore I am" is expanded to include all of its implications. These implications are wide ranging, from the existence of God, to the existence of our bodies, other physical objects, various scientific principles, and finally, whatever we are able to know as truth. Here is where the book poses its greatest challenge. At this point I was only reading 2-4 pages at a time. Then when I finished this part, I went back and reread a bulk of it to fully grasp the key points of the "Meditations." The third part, "The Principles of Philosophy," wouldn't have been so difficult if my brain hadn't been taxed as it was by the "Meditations." But the Principles are well organized and clearer, making the book more satisfying to read again.

Overall, this book is a treasure as an intense mental revelation. It brings together Descartes' best writing for the general reader, if the reader is up to the challenge.

Can anything be known to be certain? This is a more difficult question than most people might recognize. Rene Descartes says yes and presents us with one of the most elegant thought experiments in the history of philosophy. We begin by calling into doubt all claims of "knowledge"; believing nothing that cannot be affirmed with absolute certainty:
Imagine now that an all-powerful, all-knowing being might exist external to that which we can experience with our senses, i.e., external to the material world (recall that we can neither know this nor know otherwise). Imagine further that this extra-material entity may be a devious trickster, messing with my mind, perhaps to amuse a twisted sense of humor. Because the possible trickster would exist external to the access of scientific scrutiny, I could, in my state of absolute skepticism, never know whether this sadistic consciousness is at work, not only in the material world, not only in my conscious perception of the material world, but in fact in the perceptions of all other conscious beings as well. Thus all scientific proofs might be mere illusion and there could be no means of determining this. In other words, if all material objects and all subjects of thought are inherently uncertain, and this is indeed a logical conclusion at this point in our consideration, what then could be known with certainty? Is then the only absolute certainty this universal and impenetrable uncertainty? Could it ever be truly known that anything exists apart from the possibility of the trickster? Only one thing: that [without regard to whether or not it is being deceived] the mind of the thinker must exist, for otherwise there is not even the illusion that our consideration is happening. Thus the only thing that I may know beyond any doubt is that my mind does exist. Cogito ergo sum, i.e., "I think, therefore I am." This singular certainty is not without further implications. For while we have established that consciousness (i.e., mind) is more certain to exist than is matter, we don't know why this should be true. Or do we? Descartes says that there is a reason we must reach this conclusion and presents his ontological argument for the existence of a perfect and beneficent Mind beyond material constraints and uncertainty (that mind being God).
Whether or not Descartes believed he had "proved" the existence of God is not a very interesting point (apparently he thought so). As Pascal pointed out, such proof -- or disproof -- is not possible within the inherent limits of human investigations (Pascal found nature and reason to powerfully infer God's existence in a probabilistic sense, while "scientific" proofs must be uncertain, uncertainty being the nature of corporeal existence). What Descartes did "prove" is that the idea of an extra-cosmic mind is a rational conclusion (and is rational to a greater extent than any phenomenological observation that we might assume to be "true"). Some claim to rebut Descartes' ontology citing his geometric analogy, which was based in the Cartesian paradigm of his day. This is no great difficulty however, another mathematical illustration might have been developed had Descartes knowledge of 21st century mathematics. In fact, Descartes asserts that his conclusion does not rest on his understanding of geometry (which was about to be overtaken by Newton's mathematics). He believes that he could provide "an infinity" of allegories to illustrate his ontology. Here we find an expression of how Descartes' struggle with vanity leads to some hasty proffers (finite beings cannot wholly examine an infinity, even if we accept the existence of such). Many other thinkers, who agreed with some of Descartes arguments, quickly took umbrage with his more disputable statements. Descartes then rebutted these rebuttals. In fact some of these arguments continue today. Such is Descartes' importance to [some say "modern"] philosophy.
There are still other interesting aspects to these essays: Descartes' method (which is sound), his interest in medicine, physiology, neurology, his anticipation and analysis of "artificial intelligence" (three centuries before science fiction writers 'invented' the idea). Also interesting is the author's plea to the public (the work is clearly addressed to a general readership and not to his nemesis, the Jesuits, as some reviewers mistakenly suggest). Noticeably struggling to maintain his humility, the brilliant Descartes asks to be left to his work in physics. Rather than taking precious time to explain and defend his theories, he wishes to be left alone to focus on his work, asking to be judged and explained by it after his death.

I picked this up in a bookstore because I recognized Tom's name (probably like most of America) and had no idea what a great story teller he could be. The book takes different stories and weaves them together in a most clever fashion. Makes me wonder if it wasn't composed as separate books - then combined - Ha! Caught Ya! That's the secret! I certainly didn't guess what was coming next and that made the ride even more enjoyable. The characters had depth - no broding overwrought fatalists - and they were living very real lives. The humor that is 'snuck in' is great and adds to the whole experience. Good stuff here.

this book was a great read and so very fun. It follows many charcters and then shows how they all converge at the end, it's just a great story and a beautifully written novel.

I just finished reading this wonderful book and felt my heart warmed over. Tom Bodett's writing took me into his characters lives with such grace that they became like my own family. Funny,sweet and thought provoking. I am off to read more of Tom Bodett today!