Witness to The Young Republic: A Yankee's Journal, 1828-1870 By Benjamin Brown French and Edited by Donald B. Cole and John J. McDonough is a marvelous journal that time-capsules life in Washington,D.C. from 1828 - 1870. Brown was a political officeholder and knew and became personally aquainted with every president from John Quincy Adams through Ulysses S. Grant.

This book was edited from over four thousand pages that were part of his personal diary... and what a diary it was. French had a flair for writing and he makes a splendid treatment of the events on the political scene of his day, keeping the readers well entertained with fascinating annotations and gossip. French's eventful life is recorded here with a delightful mix of the ordinary and extraordinary characters only an observer with a keen eye can bring to paper.

French kept watch and recorded some very interesting events in American history: as his journal gives us a shrewd but lively entertaining trip through American life; a magnificent sweep across American history, we see comments on personalities, events, manners and political ideology, penetrating observations on the people and events of that time.

One of the most tearful events, as described by French, was his account of Lincoln, as he was at Lincoln's bedside when he died. One of the best accounts in the book is French's description of the events leading to and including Lincoln's Gettysburg address. All in all, this book is very interesting and gives a rare look into events, life and times of that time period and is well worth your time to read. This book is full of information about the leaders of this great country and how they really felt at that time.

There is information about all of the prominent personalities found in this book from that time... making it a treasure trove from which we can get a better picture of how life was, not only public, but private as well.

The collaboration of Linda C. Mayes (Arnold Gesell Associate Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the Yale Child Study Center) and Donald J. Cohen (Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the Yale Child Study Center), The Yale Child Study Center Guide To Understanding Your Child: Healthy Development From Birth To Adolescence is a superbly practical and "reader friendly" guide for parents which compiles the findings and discoveries of the Yale Child Study Center (an organization first founded in 1911) in order to assisting men and women in finding their own parenting style, achieve balance between family and work duties, and acquire ways to strengthen the ties the bind their family relationships and deal with difficult issues arising from new siblings, to school bullies, to divorce and death. The Yale Child Study Center Guide To Understanding Your Child is confidently recommended as being a wide-ranging, eminently readable reference packed with solid information for parents and caretakers of children everywhere.

ukiyo-e woodblock prints. I have been searching for this book for a couple of months. I orginally saw a copy of it in a japanese tattoo shop and fell in love with it. This book is printed on high quality paper using the best copies of the prints that can be found. The color is reproduced perfectly and it is an excellent example of this art form. If you can find it, buy it.

The setting is World War II and in less than an hour a small Norwegian town is captured by the Nazi forces. Peace has been in the hamlet for so long that the Mayor is befuddled as to what is the proper protocol for a city under occupation.

If you believe this is a simple story of naive people then you are just as bad as the Nazi commander who thinks the same. Steinbeck's brilliance has presented us with a complex psychological drama of war. What we have portrayed is a commander who surrenders his common sense and judgement to his far off superiors in controlling the town. He is so sure of his stance even when he sees things are falling apart.

Come to this little hamlet and witness a people whose stubborness won't allow them to be conquered. Feel the alienation of the German soldiers as they become stripped of their humanity and relegated to madness. See those whom you think are naive and stupid rise to the occasion in displaying great courage and leadership.

Steinbeck has done an exceptional job in displaying the horrors and absurdity of the so-called conquered and conquerer. Are the two what they appear to be or are they something more? Find out as the moon slowly comes down.

John Steinbeck fully represents a great American author. His novel, "The Moon is Down" was written as a form of propaganda for its time, and Steinbeck uncovers profound, often unsettling truths about war-and about human nature. In every chapter you read, you can find a descriptive image about the town which has been conquered, and the feelings of its people. This book reveals the evil in human nature, and the reaction of a conquered people. A small town has just been taken over and is now Nazi occupied. The troops come in, and immediately the attitude of this once peaceful town, turns into vengeance. The mayor represents the word of the people. He stays office for a in while, however under the influence and control of the Nazi's. The people of the town show no kindness, and much disrespect to the officers, which in turn makes the Nazi's angry. This leads to the death of many innocent lives. There is much loneliness and danger in the town, which results in many citizens trying to escape to England. Some successfully do, and get to the English leaders to ask for help. The English sends planes over, and drops boxes and parachutes filled with bombs and ammunition for the people of the town to use against the Nazi's. This is where the trouble begins, and certain important lives are lost. Steinbeck includes striking images and fine dialogue throughout the entire novel. Every chapter contains a descriptive image of the town adding to the drama. This, for example, found on page 51, "And over the town there hung a blackness that was deeper than the cloud, and over the town there hung a sullenness and a dry, growing hatred." Even when a line is not in context, we can understand the story by Steinbeck's creative and vivid scenes. He flavors his words in such a way, that we can fully capture the mood of a scene, and the meaning of the novel. Steinbeck helps us to understand the war and the people involved in it. A sense of togetherness is exemplified in the people, and the theme of working together is expressed in their attitudes, as they fight to save one anothers lives. What was happening to them was unfair and immoral, however they stuck through it by understanding that a group is so much better than an individual, and caring for others helps make them and you a stronger person.

I began reading this book without much background, but from the first page I was drawn into the story and set aside the other book I was reading. This is an extraordinary book that contains a moral argument that can apply to any place and any time. The story is told with an economy that is marvelous to behold. Where other authors would have penned a weighty tome, Mr. Steinbeck presents the problems and personalities of his characters in just over 100 pages. This is an ageless story of the conquered vs. the conqueror. Although the setting offered is in Norway during the German occupation of the Second World War, it is a story that took place in many places with the same problems and arguments.

Perhaps the most interesting part of this book is that Mr. Steinbeck does not take sides. The Germans are in Norway to do a job, to take away as much coal as they can, and the people in the village resist the invaders. One of the pivotal characters is Colonel Lanser, a veteran of the First World War who knows what to expect from a conquered people. He knows the various stages of resistance yet is also aware that he will follow orders and can do nothing to change the course events will take. There is fatalism to all of the characters that they must do what they have to and cannot deviate from their courses: the conquered will resist, the conquerors will punish resistance. The drama of this story is central to the story of Molly Morden, whose husband Alex is executed after he kills a German captain. She finds herself face to face with a lonely German lieutenant who wants to talk with her. She begins to see him as just another human being caught up in an impossible situation, but, eventually, he identity as one of the conquered overtakes these feelings. We see both sides in this conflict as the human beings they are, caught up in an impossible situation. We find the conquerors caught in a no-win situation and the conquered certain that victory will be theirs, but at a terrible price.

I think this book should be taught in schools as it gives unlimited possibilities of discussion but also provides a realization that war is terrible for all, and no one has clean hands. I highly recommend this book.

Simon and McQuarrie have succeeded in upbraiding the traditional approach to introductory physical chemistry (thermodynamics first, quantum chemistry second) and explaining chemistry the way it ought to be taught, with the fundamentals of quantum theory and molecular dynamics first. The prose and conceptual progression are accessible to the average undergraduate, yet the book covers, in detail, a spectrum of contemporary topics that almost challenge the scope of a physcial chemistry text. It seems that the precedent for future physical chemistry texts has been set and the drab, awkward Atkins text can be abandoned

One of the most emerging fear of P-Chem students is the rigid dificulty and obscureness of the mathematical background. Many textbooks have unfortunately overseen the importance of treating the mathematics and establishing link between the mathematics and the physical interpretation of chemical phenomenon. McQuarrie's text addresses and amends this problem in a brilliant. Difficult mathematical concepts are integrated along with the appropriate topics and are presented in a concise fashion. The first half of the text discusses topics in quantum chemistry while the rest deals with thermodynamics, statistical mechanics,and kinetics. All the equations are backed by clear explanation and mathematical derivation. When I took quantum chemistry (the first course of the P-Chem sequence), we used McQuarrie and it worked just fine in explaining all the topics covered in lecture.s (such as spectroscopy, perturbation theory, etc). Unfortunately professor from the second semester (thermodynamics) decided to abandon McQuarrie and used instead Atkins' Physical Chemistry, which is absolutely not worth the money and very confusing and difficult to follow. I kept the McQuarrie book and used that as study aids and reference, whereas I trashed Atkins as soon as the semester was over (well, I immediately sold it back). McQuarrie is the only P-Chem book you'll find useful and clear.

Excelent book bringing the subject of Phys Chem to the state of art of last years of the XX century. While chem text books are still 40 year behind the phisics one (e.g. Callen, Reif) McQuarrie first try seems succesful on bringing Phys Chem to what is really done on the universities labs. It is one of the best texts on Quantum theory and spectroscopy for chemists I've read since Pauling & Wilson but it fails when it moves to thermodynamics in a discontinuous way, had McQuarrie followed Callen, for example, this book would be a revolutionary text and not an evolutionary one on thermodynamics. I hope a second edition will sane this and, also, bring a, may be, two volume paperback student edition. From this perspective I'm sure this will be the text book for the next decade, replacing other like Atkins that choosed, in the last editions, to replace content by figures.

The NASB Study Bible is simply the NIV Study Bible adapted for those who prefer the translation of the NASB to the NIV. It therefore includes all the strengths of the NIV study Bible: copious notes, cross-references, concordances, and maps, et al. Few would dispute that in a world of competitive Study Bibles, the NIV Study Bible is perhaps the finest produced by evangelicals.

Why then am I less enthusiastic about the NASB Study Bible? One simple reason: The NIV Study Bible works because the translators of the NIV produced all the notes. Many of the comments focus on the translation of the NIV itself and provide justification for difficult decisions in translation made by the translators. Adapting the notes for another translation almost seems pointless.

Admittedly, Kenneth Boa has admirably adapted the new edition for use with the NASB. Yet doubts remain. Why use notes principally designed for use with another translation? I suppose the obvious answer is that the market lacked a critical study Bible that uses the text of the NASB and that this was the cheapest route. But that raises another question: Must a Study Bible be made available in every translation to cater to everyone's diverse tastes?

Bottom line: If you want the NIV Study Bible, I recommend the NIV edition. If you absolutely must have the NASB then this compromise is certainly acceptable, even excellent, but not ideal. The NASB is one of the few translations that actually works well on its own, without an accompanying study notes because the footnotes and additional readings are so extensive.

If you love the NASB, and are a serious student of the Word, this is the bible for you. It has the award-winning study notes of the NIV Study Bible plus the reliable New American Standard Bible translation with the 1995 update, hailed the most accurate word-for-word (while extremely readable) bible on the market. It has exhaustive center-column references. Charts on almost every bible subject possible are included. Introductions to every book of the bible are extensive and include information on the following: Style, Date, Author, Subject Matter, Cultural Information, and very indepth outlines. There are hundreds of intext maps and a very extensive chronology of the bible included at the beginning of the bible. The best thing about the study notes is that they are not biased to any particular denomination. When more than one view exists on a subject, generally at least three views are presented. Information from all kinds of archaeological and historical sources offers much needed insight to difficult passages. This is your one-stop for cultural, historical and theological information for almost every verse in scripture. I'm a youth minister and this bible is my main source of study and lesson preparation. I find that I don't need much more than this. If you're a minister or just a student of the Word, then you can't go wrong with the NASB Study Bible.

This is the bible for which I've been waiting. I have always been fond of the study tools in the NIV Study Bible, but I have never been satisfied with the NIV translation. The NASB is credited as the most accurate and literal translation. With the 1995 update it's even more readable. The study notes cover historical, archeological, and devotional information. The center-column references are exhaustive. There are very detailed in-text maps and charts that provide supplemental informtation. The book introductions provide extensive information on the background of each book as well as providing a detailed outline. In the back of the bible there are three indexes. There is a subject index, an index to the study notes and the NASB concordance/dictionary. In the front of the bible there is a very detailed chronological timeline. There are also several essays on selected subjects. This is a very useful study tool and by far the most complete study bible in the New American Standard that I've ever seen.

Do not design, or let anyone else design, a large kitchen (over 180 sq ft) without reading this book. Don Silver has got it right. The rules change as the kitchen grows, and everything functions differently. Don's experience in commercial design is very transferable to the large home kitchen.

We used his principles to design a 224 sq ft kitchen, incorporating preparation and cleanup areas with proper entrance and egress to and from the dining room. The results are spectacular. Yes, guests still congregate in the kitchen, but this becomes one of the design parameters.

Nearly all the books and magazines I read on kitchen design as I was planning my own renovation seemed to only address aesthetic issues -- they do show beautiful photographs of elegant kitchens--with a smidgen of design ideas anchored on the sacred magic "triangle."

As an engineer, I was despairing of ever finding a book that would base kitchen design on the true needs and requirements of a very active cook who also enjoys diverse company.

The short opuscule by Don Silvers turned out to meet all my expectations (it does not have beautiful photographs). I found myself nodding, grinning and applauding as I turned page after page and discovered that common sense had finally triumphed in kitchen design. As an example, Silvers recommends the use of 30-inch countertops providing ample elbow room and space for tools and small appliances. While nearly all laboratory cabinets have a 24-inch depth (for the same historical reasons than kitchen cabinets), the tops are always a minimum of 30 inches. It is unfortunate that many of his brilliant ideas will probably never be implemented because the kitchen industry has set standards that will be difficult to change. For example, the narrow depth of nearly all residential ranges and cooktops prohibit the use of several large pots and pans at the same time.

I will incorporate many of Silvers' design concepts in my new kitchen. I actually think that I will also generate my own cabinet lay-out as well as lighting and electrical schemes.

Bravo!

The most useful and practical kitchen design book of all. I have designed cafe kitchens for commercial use and done a small amount of residential work. I found Don Silvers book to offer the kind of practical and useful advice that is priceless if you share his point of view: a kitchen should be a place comfortable for people and cooking. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I believe it will be especially appreciated by those with some design or culinary experience.

It is certainly one of the three best books about Marilyn. As for the other two, one is Maurice Zolotow's book that was published while she was alive (many libraries have it) and Anthony Summers' paperback "Goddess" that's still in print after 13 years.

Mr. Wolfe fits together many pieces of the puzzle, such as the bizarre role Patricia Newcomb has played in covering up the murder for 35 years. As late as the 1990s, when elder statesman Ted Kennedy had given up running for president, Patricia helped Donald Spoto write a wimpy book that tried to exonerate the Kennedys in the murder. Wolfe takes it apart very well. It is clear that Patricia, who now handles publicity for Barbra Streisand, never will divulge the truth unless a good district attorney puts her under oath.

May I please liberate us Marilyn fans from the book review format here and ask a question? Someone please post a "book review" to explain the following. Mr. Wolfe goes on for many pages about Eunice Murray, Ralph Greenson, Henry Weinstein and Walter Bernstein all belonging to the Communist Party. It's the one part of the mystery I don't get. Did these people's party memberships make them pro-Kennedy, anti-Kennedy or some shades in between? All right then, forget Weinstein and Bernstein, who were busy making silly film comedies that few people watch today. Why would Murray and Greenson, who spent so much time spying on Marilyn, do that for the sake of the Communist Party?

Also, Mr. Wolfe neglects to explain something about the day of the murder. Did Dr. Greenson push that needle into her chest with the intent to kill her? Maybe he was unaware of the drug that Bobby Kennedy and intelligence agent James Hamilton had given her a short time earlier. Maybe Dr. Greenson was trying to resuscitate Marilyn, and his needle hit the wrong place. We don't read about him using needles in other parts of this book or in any other Marilyn book. Maybe he was your typical 1960s psychoanalyst who spent 99 percent of his practice talking with patients and giving them pills, which they voluntarily swallowed. So the cause of Marilyn's death could be the homicidal dose given by RFK and Mr. Hamilton complicated by the clumsy resuscitation effort of Greenson. Mr. Wolfe doesn't explain how or if Greenson allied himself with the Kennedys before the moment of death. All we get is an alliance that started immediately after the death. True, an LAPD officer stopped their car for speeding as they sped away from Marilyn's house that night.

But that still makes it possible that Greenson accidentally finished her off, totally unaware of Bobby, and *then* Bobby approached him to say, "It's not your fault, doc, you just help us cover it up, please. The public is too stupid to understand your diagnosis of her mental state, so we'll make Mrs. Murray look like a kindly bespectacled old lady with no connection to show business or politics. Reporters aren't going to ask her about us Kennedys, J. Edgar Hoover, the telephone company records, Frank Sinatra, etc. Let Mrs. Murray and the coroner handle everything. They'll bore the Dickens out of everyone and the reporters will go away after a few days."

That's exactly what happened. Robert Slatzer and two newspaper people did some digging in 1962 (Florabel Muir and Joe Hyams, both based in New York), but no one published anything then.

Can anyone shed light on these issues of the Communist connection and Dr. Greenson's motive? The odds are great that never again will we get a book that addresses these issues. Future books on Marilyn will focus on her movies. Norman Jeffries, Eunice Murray and Ralph Greenson are all dead. Patricia Newcomb is still a professional liar, now doing damage control for Barbra Streisand. (Patricia doesn't want Bahh - bra to make a fool of herself over Vice President Lieberman.)

So, in the absence of another book on the Marilyn murder, and in the absence of a magazine or television piece, could someone please explain what the Communist memberships of Eunice Murray and Ralph Greenson have to do with Marilyn's death? And what was he doing with that needle as the Schaefer ambulance crew watched helplessly? Please post a "book review" with your thoughts. Thank you. If you haven't read the book, please do so. You can order it via the Web.

I must agree with the other people who have offered reviews about this book. If you have been teetering over the suicide/murder scenario since that fateful day in August, 1962...then this book should put to rest any questions you may have over how Marilyn Monrie died. There is no question in my mind that it was murder. It's right there in black and white and it is totally infuriating that a new, honest investigation has never taken place. Wolfe thoroughly researched this with all resources he could get his hands on. It's disgusting that so much vital evidence has mysteriously disappeared. A new investigation needs to take place now. We've already lost some major witnesses over the years and survivors like Pat Newcomb and Norman Jeffries won't live forever. As far as the book itself. It is hard to put this book down. However, the only reason I don't rate it a "5" is because a lot of pages are spent on Marilyn's life story. I've read that all before. But these new revelations from Jeffries cannot be ignored.

This book is miraculous and fascinating! It finally proves what common sense dictates to millions of Americans - that Marilyn Monroe WAS murdered by those b**tards. It finally proves, that without a doubt there was a cover up and the case re: her death needs to be re-investigated to prove that she was not as self-destructive as the publice have been led to believe. It proves most people with a decent instinct to be correct - that she did not commit suicide, and as of today, I will be writing to the Los Angeles district attorney requesting that there be an official trial. Those low-life Kennedys did kill her, and it exposes their immorality and could possibly explain what they delved in during their term. READ THIS BOOK, and I assure you - you will never be the same again. Boy did this book need to be published 30 years ago. Although I am Australian, I beg all American citizens of Southern California in particular to lobby, arouse as much interest as possible to ensure that justice can be done on one of the biggest fabricated cover-ups the US has ever witnessed. The truth has finally SURFACED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

David Karlin's "Teach yourself Microsoft FrontPage 98" is terrific. I purchased the book on a Thursday afternoon and by Saturday I published my site on the Internet. I do not know HTML and I didn't know FrontPage 98 but with Mr. Karlin's well organized and detailed explanations I was able to learn it quickly.

Mr. Karlin's book covers everything you need to know to produce terrific websites, from themes, to frames to working with forms and integrating MS Office with FrontPage 98, it is all there in "Teach yourself Microsoft FrontPage 98."

I am especially appreciative of the chapters that cover the image composer, how to create interesting graphics and text effects to jazz up my website.

This book works both as a tutorial and a reference and I know I'll be referring to it frequently as I continue to play with website design.

The new book, Teach Yourself Microsoft FrontPage 98 In A Week , is one of those unusual texts which captures your attention from the start. It doesn't matter whether you're using FrontPage 98 for the first time or you've been using it since it was released as a beta. It is a comprehensive text, covering everything from active components like applets, and suggestions to make your webpages interesting, to the manner in which images may be manipulated with Image Composer 1.5. Mr. Karlins' pages have tables and illustrations that walk you through the process of starting, animating, uploading and maintaining web pages, in plain English, not drowning in techno-speak. He has successfully reached a balance between the needs of both the webpage beginner and expert. Pages contain ample explanatory text, presented in such a fashion as to delight the novice and fully inform the most experienced webmaster. In short, if anyone is interested in creating webpages in FP 98, this is the best written, and most complete book I have found. I highly recommend it.

When I look for a computer book it is important to me that I feel as if the author is next to me helping me through each task. That is how David Karlins writes in all his books and FP 98 in week is no different. It is clear, helpful,reinforcing after each chapter and as a bonus David provides a great section on using Image Composer something that MS dosen't even include in its manuel that comes with the program. I highly recommend it for the beginner or Pro.

The NIV Study Bible has many excellent features. The notes provide historical context, helpful cross-references, and personal application suggestions. There are also numerous color maps and an abridged concordance at the back that comes in handy in looking up scriptures you can generally remember but can't place.

All contributors to the NIV are Christians who confess the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. They are very good at what they do, and their lack of scepticism is refreshing in comparison with more liberal study bibles, such as the Harper-Collins. The overall approach, however, is awfully conservative, sometimes at the risk of intellectual credibility. For example, traditional attributions of authorship are invariably accepted, including Moses as the author of Genesis through Deuteronomy--a view uniformly rejected by more moderate scholars. [Even the NIV gives a grudging concession that other writers in addition to Moses seem to have been involved in at least limited additions to the text inasmuch as these books relate Moses' death and describe Moses as "more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth" (Nu. 12:3)--an unlikely self-description by the world's most humble person!] To me, it is easier and more intellectually honest to simply admit that these books were the work of many inspired hands and that we don't know who wrote them.

The doctrinal notes are similarly traditional and conservative. For instance, in 1 Ti. 4:10, the author proclaims that "God is the Savior of all Men, and especially of those who believe." The note pours theological cold water on the optimism expressed in this verse by sternly observing, "Obviously, this does not mean that God saves every person from eternal punishment...." To the contrary, I hope and believe that's exactly what it means--but I guess God will be the judge.

To my admittedly liberal way of thinking, the notes tend to take the Bible literally where it fits in with a conservative view point, but, as in 1 Ti.4:10, they brush aside the plain meaning when it does not suit them. Because I found myself fighting with the notes too often, I have moved on to the less dogmatic NRSV Access Bible, published by Oxford University Press. But for conservative evangelicals who hold fast to the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy, this is an excellent resource.

I own a first edition of The NIV Study Bible. The Bible was a gift from my grandparents on my 25th birthday. It is the best Bible I have ever owned. The study notes are outstanding and send me on a journey of discovery everytime I follow a cross reference (no pun intended). I find it impossible not to follow the references on any subject throughout my NIV Study Bible. The New International Version translation makes scripture understandable to the lay person. Each book of the Bible is preceded by an introduction and outline. There are many maps and outlines throughout the NIV Study Bible. Most verses have a study note listed at the bottom of the page and references are listed down between columns. At the end of The NIV Study Bible are indexes to subjects, maps and color maps as well as an extensive concordance. I have left out many features of this excellent scriptural resource. The best recommendation I can give is that I am at this writing ordering copies of The NIV Study Bible for two of my sunday school students.

I think many evangelicals know the Bible only in terms of life application. They don't know the difference between God and God the one and Only (see John 1:18 NIV), nor concern themselves with theological or historical aspects of the Bible. The NIV study Bible should help change this. Its notes are concise, numerous, and very informative. When I got this Bible, it opened up a whole new area of fascinating biblical study that perviously I had overlooked. The translation of the NIV is readable and for the most part accurate (though they sacrifice literalness for the sake of readability a lot). The notes represent the conservative side of theology and I agree with most of what they say, though I always have other versions on hand to broaden the depth of study. My only real big complaint is the lack of the deuterocanon. Though I do not consider the books to be 'inspired' scripture, I do believe for a complete study of the Bible they should be consulted. Maybe in a future addition they will be included. If people ask me which Bible to buy, I usually say this one.