"The Diaries of Adam and Eve" is a sweet, humorous and romantic piece and it had me laughing out loud one minute.......and crying the next. Mandy Patinkin and Betty Buckley are outstanding in their "reading" of Twain's words; actually, it's more a theatrical performance than a simple reading. Their expressive voices give life to Adam and Eve and provide us with complex characters full of wonder, innocence, wisdom, joy, and sorrow. There are so many wonderful passages throughout this book that I find something new to marvel at each time I listen. This recording will touch your heart.

The Diaries of Adam & Eve is an incredible representation of both sides of Mark Twain. The cynical side that most people seem to know, as well as a softer side that has largely been kept hidden.

From the unflinching stubborn "maleness" of Adam to the innocent yet knowing Eve, this book is an amazing testement of Twain's love for his ailing wife. It was her persuasion that led him to write the sweetly naive character of Eve. The gentleness of the work is very touching and may be a surprise for people who think that Twain was just a tetchy grown-up Tom Sawyer. Adam and Eve both have equal say in various "experiments" in their new world and their wonderful differing interpretations of shared events make the characters pop off of the page and into your soul.

I would also recommend the audio version of this book as read by Mandy Patinkin, Betty Buckley, and Walter Cronkite. The true musical nature of the text and the spirit of Twain's words really come to life in a spoken format and may move you to tears.

Even Mark Twain's ephemera charms. This well edited collection of separately written pieces creates the whole that Twain himself might have made. It features his most insightful depiction of a female persona, Eve, who is the one truly engaged protagonist in this glimpse into Eden. She is the seeker, the thinker, and the emotionally active partner -- in short, the whole person. It is no wonder that Eve names the animals and discovers fire, while Adam lolls in a tree and complains about her talkativeness. He is remarkably complacent for a miracle of creation. Twain imaginatively and humorously evokes the naivete and sense of wonder of these two innocents as they discover the world and each other -- learn, even, to recognize that they are human. The fact that God is just a voice, mentioned once or twice, and the Fall is the unfortunate incident that changes their lives demonstrates that Twain was not interested in a religious parable. These diaries are his reflection on the nature of male and female personalities and the bond that draws and keeps men and women together. Though it feels somewhat incomplete, the book is an enjoyable quick read. The editor's afterword recounts the history of these writings and connects the diaries to the author's own personal life, affirming its very personal nature. This is a lovely book to give to an engaged couple, a married couple, or anyone who enjoys Mark Twain's unique genius.

As a licensed nursing facility administrator for the past 10 years, I've had the opportunity to closely observe physiological, psychosocial, and biochemical changes that my elderly male residents exhibited. After reading Dr. Robert Tan's book, I now have a better understanding that the possible root of their depression, memoryloss, and bone loss was hormonal. Like many other geriatric professionals and the public at large, I only believed that this hormonal imbalance could only occur in women. Had I known what I know now from Dr. Tan's research, I could have easily taken steps to promote appropriate treatment plans for my male residents who were probable candidates. Now that Dr. Tan has shed light on this subject, I have faith that family members and other geriatric professionals alike, will also learn the truth about andropause and can offer help to their residents and patients.

Dr. Tan has brought a very important, but underappreciated topic to the common man. In simple language, he explains the various features of Andropause and also adds various real life scenarios. For the serious reader, solid research data is included. Every adult male (and female concerned about her 'significant other'), needs to read this book. I also recommend this book to physicians because this topic gets scant attention in the medical school curricula....

Robert Tan, MD, has written a book with feeling and true character. He explains how he comes to his conclusions, he shares personal stories, and he tells us about his research. This book is for anyone who would like to learn more about this mystery. I really enjoyed his book and feel that 'The Andropause Mystery' will surely open the door for future research in this area.

"Mr Willowby's Christmas tree/Came by special delivery./Full and fresh and glistening green-/The biggest tree he had ever seen." So big, in fact that when it stood in place in the parlor, it not only touched the ceiling but "bent like a bow." Mr Willowby realized that something must be done, and had his butler, Baxter, chop off the top. And what happens to that tree top, makes for a wonderful and endearing Christmas story..... Originally published in 1963, Mr Willowby's Christmas Tree is just as fresh and magical today, as it was all those years ago. Robert Barry's rhyming text is lyrical and joyous, and complemented by his delightful and expressive artwork. Perfect for youngsters 3-8, this is a charming and simple treasure of a book that really captures the holiday spirit, and is a lovely read-aloud story the entire family will want to share again and again, year after year.

Each year when my family is able to be together, we curl up around the christmas tree and read Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree. It has become a family tradition and one that I cherish, even as an adult.

We were so concerned about this book going out of publication and to know that it is being sold again is wonderful - If you are looking for a story you all can share, year after year, this is the one!

It has seen us through over thirty years and is still going strong!

I am 29 years old and have never forgotten the story of Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree. I cherished the book as a child and have a special place in my heart for it still today. This book is enjoyable to read any time of year not only at Christmas. I enjoy giving hardcover versions of my favorite childhood stories as treasured gifts. This book deserves more than 5 stars. I do not wish to give a summary of this story, but encourage you to please read and ENJOY!!!

Although one's search begins with an alphabetized listing, the main body of this thesaurus (its original concept) is organized by category. This means that to find a synonym for e.g., "trouble", you will not simply be presented a list all the possible meanings of the word but you can choose your search depending upon the sense you are looking for. If you mean "annoyance" you will be sent one place for synonyms (nouns, verbs, adj, adv); if your meaning is more "presume upon" you will be sent somewhere else. In the case of "trouble" there are about a dozen places to go in the thesaurus depending upon the subtlety of meaning you are looking for. If you are a writer, this reference work is a sine qua non. Look no further than here for the best thesaurus in the world.

These days it's tempting to believe that you can do without a printed thesaurus. Thesauri are available on the web and there are even thesauri built into word processors. But these are pale substitutes for Roget's sixth edition.

It is much more comprehensive than other Thesauri, but it is still very easy to use. The index in the back contains an alphabetical list of words, and with each, an associated list of finer-grained definitions. For example, suppose you want to describe someone as "mopey" but that word doesn't seem quite right. When you look it up in the index you'll find "sullen" "glum" and "unsociable." Obviously, these have somewhat different characters. Next to each there is a reference to an entry to synonyms organized by category (instead of alphabetically). These lists make up the bulk of the book. Thus, the entry for "sullen" will lead you to a list of words similar in meaning to "sullen," and so on.

What makes this thesaurus easy to use is that the index at the back of the book is complete, so you seldom if ever have the experience of trying to look up a word and then find that it's not there, so you have to try to think of a synonym yourself to gain entry to the thesaurus. Second, there are 330,000 words in the listing of synonyms by category. Considering that the average college student's vocabulary is 60-80,000 words, this thesaurus should satisfy you.

One final note: if you really hate to shell out the money for this book, at least consider getting a used copy of the 5th edition, which came out in the early 90's and it still servicable.

A dictionary of synonyms or a "thesaurus in dictionary form" (now that's phony titling) requires that you think of one of the words by which they sorted the language. A true thesaurus, though, while unfamiliar at first like any new and powerful tool, will let you find the word you are looking for when you can't think of ANY word to start. All you have to do is go to the area with the right sort of ideas and browse a bit. This book only gets better with time. Every writer of every sort needs a copy of this. (Oh, and the index makes a great spelling list for all the words science- and law-obsessed spellcheckers leave out.)

If you're looking for the definative guide to Six Sigma, you've just found it. From fundamentals to advanced program management, its all here. I first read Pande and Holpp's little 87-page book "What is Six Sigma." The impressive guide convinced me that I needed to pick up a copy of their "The Six Sigma Way." I'm really glad that I did. As a management consultant, I can say without reservation that the ideas expressed in this book are applicable to almost every manager -- regardless of whether or not they are currently involved in a formal Six Sigma program. In addition to enhancing quality, the Six Sigma framework is very useful in identifying and removing irrelevant processes from your product or service operations. Saving your Company both time and money... and freeing up your employees for more value-added work. In addition, I would also recommend Hammer and Champy's "Reengineering the Corporation" and Ashkenas, Kerr, and Ulrich's "The GE Work-Out." Overall Grade: B+/A.

Over the years, I have worked with dozens of small-to-midsize companies, all of which were in dire need of improving one or more of the following: cost reduction, culture change, customer retention, cycle-time reduction, defect reduction, market-share growth, productivity improvement, and product-service development. You can thus understand why I was curious to know to what extent (if any) Six Sigma could be helpful to small-to-midsize companies.

By now we have become well aware of the success of Six Sigma initiatives at major international corporations such as ABB, Allied Signal/Honeywell, Black & Decker, Dow Chemical, Dupont, Federal Express, General Electric, Johnson and Johnson, Kodak, Motorola, SONY, and Toshiba. Once having read this book, I am convinced that -- with certain modifications -- Six Sigma could perhaps be even more valuable to small-to-midsize companies which, obviously, have fewer resources. What exactly is Six Sigma? The authors provide this definition: "A comprehensive and flexible system for achieving, sustaining, and maximizing business success. Six Sigma is uniquely driven by close understanding of consumer needs, disciplined use of facts, data, and statistical analysis, and diligent attention to managing, improving, and reinventing business processes."

The authors identify what they call "hidden truths" about Six Sigma:

1. You can apply Six Sigma to many different business activities and challenges -- from strategic planning to operations to customer service -- and maximize the impact of your efforts.

2. The benefits of Six Sigma will be accessible whether you lead an entire organization or a department. Moreover, you'll be able to scale your efforts, from tackling specific problems to renewing the entire business.

3. You'll be prepared to achieve breakthroughs in these untapped gold mines of opportunity -- and to broaden Six Sigma beyond the realm of the engineering community.

4. You'll gain insights into how to strike the balance between push and pull -- accommodating people and demanding performance. That balance is where real sustained improvement is found. On either side -- being "too nice" or forcing people beyond their understanding and readiness -- lie merely short-term goals or no results at all.

5. The good news is, Six Sigma is a lot more fun than root canal. Seriously, the significant financial gains from Six Sigma may be exceeded in value by the intangible benefits. In fact, the changes in attitude and enthusiasm that come from improved processes and better-informed people are often easier to observe, and more emotionally rewarding than dollar savings.

The authors organize their material as follows: Part One: An Executive Summary of Six Sigma; Part Two: Gearing Up and Adapting Six Sigma to Your Organization; Part Three: Implementing Six Sigma -- The Roadmap and Tools; and finally, The Appendices: Practical Support. According to Jack Welch, "The best Six Sigma projects begin not inside the business but outside it, focused on answering the question -- how can we make the customer more competitive? What is critical to the customer's success?...One thing we have discovered with certainty is that anything we do that makes the customer more successful inevitably results in a financial return for us."

If anything, it is even more important for small-to-midsize companies (than it is for the GEs of the world) to answer these two questions correctly and then track and compare their performance in terms of what their customers require. The well-publicized objective of Six Sigma is to achieve practically-perfect quality of performance (ie 3.4 defects for every million activities or "opportunities") and this is indeed an ambitious objective. Collins and Porras, authors of Built to Last, would probably view it as the biggest of Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs). In that book, they assert that the most successful and admired companies have the ability -- and willingness -- to simultaneously adopt two seemingly contrary objectives at the same time. Stability and renewal, Big Picture and minute detail, creativity and rational analysis -- these forces, working together,, make organizations great. This "we can do it all" approach they call the "Genius of the And."

Pande, Neuman, and Cavanagh suggest that all manner of specific benefits can result from following "the Six Sigma way." For example, Six Sigma generates sustained success, sets a performance goal for everyone, enhances value to customers, accelerates the rate of improvement, promotes learning and "cross-pollination", and executes strategic change. All organizations (regardless of their size or nature) need to avoid or escape what the authors refer to as the "Tyranny of Or." Here in a single volume is about all they need to seek "practically-perfect quality of performance." Whether or not they ultimately reach that destination, their journey en route is certain to achieve improvement which would otherwise not be possible.

I found the book to be clearly written and even fun in places. It provides a solid and practical overview of the principles of Six Sigma. It explains Six Sigma as a flexible system to help manage processes in companies. It addressed all the questions I had in trying to decide whether Six Sigma is appropriate for my company. It provides much practical and non-dogmatic advice about how to implement. I bought the book to prepare my self to fight against the six sigma way. After reading it, I am very enthusiatic and am planning to propose this approach for my company. I highly recommend the book for anyone needing an overview of the topic from a management perspective.

Have no illusions about this book -- Bill Barnett delivers on his promise! We tend to make life more complicated than necessary! Bill strips away all the fluff and gets to the point on what works in the real estate investing business. This book is
truly a manual to get you on the road to wealth.

Bill Barnett offers non-stop suggestions throughout the entire book on how to improve your ability to buy, rehab-if-necessary, and market real estate. I've been a real estate investor for over 40 years and I learned an amazing number of new techniques and ideas by simply reading this book. I've also had the pleasure of meeting Bill personally, and he's a great resource to have on your team.

Are You Dumb Enough To Be Rich is a clear, concise, funny, easy to follow road map to get a beginning real estate investor up and running.
Mr. Barnett takes the fear and uncertainty of the business away by giving the reader a great "pitfalls" and "summary" section at the end of each chapter. Without overwhelming the reader, Are You Dumb Enough To Be Rich gives you true "soup to nuts" techniques on how to get into real estate investing without trying to sell you another seminar or a sequel to the book. If after reading some of the other "How To" books you are still looking for a resource to get you going, read this book, It will put money in your pocket!

I recommend this financial dictionary to my students--professionals in the securities industry--who are training for securities examinations. Because the definitions are written in plain English, it makes my job a lot easier.

As a novice to the investing world a book like this is an excellent resource. The definitions are laid out in an easy to understand format. Also, there are over 5,000 definitions.

Anyone that's involved in investing should have this book--whether you're a broker, banker or investor--because it has every investing-related term, as well as the latest jargon on the Street.

Some enterprising publisher of lapsed titles--perhaps Dalkey Archives or someplace similar--should publish a new edition posthaste. "The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters" is a walloping good read, full of excitement, humor, and vivid characters. In places it reads as if Mark Twain and Henry Fielding had put their heads together for a collaboration. Robert Lewis Taylor wrote several books about teenage boys coming of age on the frontier, but "Jaimie McPheeters" was the first and by far the best.

I was fortunate to stumble across this book in our local used bookstore. My children and I read it together and absolutely loved it. The children think it is much better than any of the books their schools have required them to read. It is exciting, insightful, educational, and mostly just fun. Read this book!

Having read this book over 20 years ago, it has stuck in my memory as one of the Greats, where dozens of other titles are all but forgotten, and it is out of print?! A Pulitzer Prize winner, no less! This book needs to be available to hand down to my children and yours, and their children after them!

Kip Russell lives in average small town America with slightly eccentric father and loving mother, when he wins a space suit in a competition. He rehabilitates same and is suddenly kidnapped and finds himself in an alien spaceship headed to the moon. He teams up with a supergenius little girl and a friendly alien to defeat the aliens and save the world.

While this is a simple adventure story on its face, it has deeper levels. First of all, there are discussions of science which are interesting and educational--look at where Kip figures to himself that they are really going to Pluto, and how he schemes to fill the cell he is in with water so he can float out the top.

There are also social messages woven in. Kip learns to appreciate his parents a bit more--to him, they are just "his parents", but through hints dropped several times in the book, we come to appreciate his father far more than for just, rather oddly, bundling up a box of small change and shipping it off to the IRS every April 15. Even if we were not explicitly told about Mr. and Mrs. Russell towards the end (and, frankly, I wish we weren't, it is too unsubtle), we would come to appreciate them for the way they steered Kip to maximize his potential. However, they were less successful in making Kip a social individual, and that is what starts to change during the novel.

At the start of the novel, Kip displays really good relations with adults, but limited, and not so good, relations with his peer group. Kip starts out a bit of a loner--he has friends, but none seem really important to him (certainly no one helps him in Oscar's renovation). At the end, he's more assertive and, having identified himself with humanity in the climactic scene, may have found himself quite a bit more. I suspect there's a lesson for Heinlein's juvenile readers there, many of whose spiritual home was in the stacks of the library. Nothing wrong with that, but . . . Heinlein manages this better than he does in Glory Road, where Scar comes home, wins the lottery, kicks sand on the bully, etc., etc.

A good read, but then go back and read it again.

I think I must have been around 9 or 10 when I read "Have Space Suit Will Travel". I found it in the school's library and was immediately taken with the book. I must have read it and re-read it a dozen times by the time I moved on to Junior High. Heinlein took a common theme in boy's literature- the young boy who goes off to sea- and moved it into the twenty-first century in this tale of a boy who finds himself suddenly swept off Earth and involved in a struggle far away in space.

I recently gave a copy to my nine year old nephew who is similarly entranced with the book; not bad for a sci-fi epic written over fifty years ago. Any book that can drag a twenty-first century schoolboy away from the high-tech amusements of today certainly qualifies as a classic.

Have Space Suit Will Travel is one of the best sci-fi I have read. The environmental descriptions are well done and the character interaction is believable even in the midst of a scene on Pluto (if you can believe that!) Mr. Heinlein makes the scenes come alive with descriptive narration and it is easy to suspend reality when reading this story. The story takes the reader on a journey from a young man's back yard to the moon then to Pluto and beyond. Of course, the message in the work is very strong. Definately a good read!

I am currently adapting FUEL INJECTED DREAMS into screenplay form and I must say that it is the most challenging venture of my life. I love this book more than any I have read in the last ten years and must say that I am truly blessed to be in the position that I am in at this moment. Sadly, author James Robert Baker is no longer with us but I can only hope to do his incredible novel the justice it deserves. By all means, if you can find it, FIND IT! You won't be sorry. Hopefully, a reprinting of the book will come about upon release of the film.

I read this book some time ago, and have been trying to buy a copy ever since. The story seems too strange to have any hold in real life. But who knows. The characters seems familiar and the things that happen to them could almost happen to you.

The weirdest thing though, was that shortly after I had read Fuel Injected Dreams, I read "Be My Baby", by Ronnie Spector with Vince Waldron. That was a scary experience. Where one is fictional, the other is true, painfully true. Read them both.

I visited Rhodes together with a friend in the eighties, and bought a couple of paperbacks, one of which was "Fuel-Injected Dreams." I didn't catch on to it right away, and read it straight through only when I got back home, and that wasn't the last time I read it, and I lent the book to a friend, and we both agree that it is a stunner. So much happens in the book that it's impossible to remember every amazing turn of event if you read the book, say, every two years. The book really gets your adrenaline flowing, and "Adrenaline" happens to be the title of another of Jim's novels. "Dreams" is an equilibristic tour de force, and James Robert Baker was the man who dreamed the novel for us, and I will always love him for doing so, may he rest in peace.