I would recomend this book for all readers. This book teaches you about Ben Franklin and how he invented magic squares. It also tell you about some of the other things that Ben Franklin invented. Some things are stoves, a special rocking chair, the first library, and much more. Then it explains how Ben Franklin became a clerk of the Pennsylvania Colonial assembly. For many days Ben listened to the other members argus. Then one day Bean started doodling. Ben doodled people, new inventions, and his pet squirrel. The other members were still arguing so Ben decided to do a math puzzle. The math puzzle had turned into magic squares. This is how we have magic squares today.

I came to find that this book can make history fun to learn about and that young kids should read this great book about Ben Franklin. Ben Franklin was always busy. He was a writer, a scientist, an a inventer. in this book you will learn some of Ben Frankiln's inventions. The main idea of this book is to tell you how Ben came up with magic squares. How do you think he came up with magic squares. Find out what some of Ben Franklin's inventions and how and why he came up magic squares when you read this great book Ben Franklin and the Magic Squares!!
Katie

Mr.Murphy , My teacher was the Author of this book! I just know that last month. I think it was a great book, there were a lot of stuff about Ben Franklin. But if you want to study Ben Franklin, don't read it, because there were not much informnation in it, it will just raise you time. But if you want to read something for fun, read it, there were some funny picture in it.

I read this book some years ago, mostly because I had read a few of the Destroyer series, which I found fun, but hardly of the caliber this book achieves. I found it to be one of the best crafted pieces of historical fiction I had ever read. Sapir does a wonderful job of weaving together the stuff of legends and history with the magnitude of the Grail. He splices it all together with modern political intrigue and builds the search around such well developed and complex characters it is truly a read which will stay with you, as it has with me, for years and years. A truly enjoyable book and one I look forward to reading again and again.

The quest is as engrossing as it is educational. It has elements of "The Death of Arthur", "The Source", and "Indiana Jones and Last Crusade". The story is richly told, the villian truly evil and yet fascinating. It is such a good story, well told, that I recently ordered a replacement for the volume I lost when I loaned it a friend. A long time fan of "The Destroyer" series, I found this book to be an elegant departure.

Richard Ben Sapir is a master of historical fiction and "Quest" is his masterpiece. This simply is one of the best novels I have ever read. "Quest" is the modern-day search for the Holy Grail. The Cup of Christ is followed throughout history, resulting in the rise and fall of governments, fortunes won and lost, and inevitably, murder and international intrigue. The characters are extremely engaging and actually became a part of me as I read. If you enjoyed "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," find and absorb this thriller.

Another exellent novel by Richard Ben Sapir-"The Body," a novel of historical fiction set in context of an archeological dig. A crucified body is discovered in a rich man's tomb; the discovery reveals information that changes the lives of all in the encounter. Breathtaking and spiritually enriching!

I read this a long time ago, but since I am a voracious reader, I have prolonged coming back to this classic so that I can fully enjoy it again. If you can find it(try resale stores)I recommend you buy it(and no, I did not receive any kickbacks for writing this revue).Enjoy the book!

One of his better books, nice twisting plot, and a long book! If you like any of his other books you'll love this one. And best of all it can be read, over, and over, and over and over.....you get the idea.

This atlas has well written, thoughtful, and comfortably readable text. The authors' own interest in and kowledge of the history is evident. (Not everyone can write about historical demographics with enthusiasm.) The overall organization is chronological. Information is both global (focused on the entire Eastern European area as countries inter-relate over the years) and country by country (rather like snap-shots of individual countries at different times). The maps are black and white (same in hard and soft bound) but contain a lot of information, details, details!...right down to the battle lines on certain dates. There are so many maps and charts that printing in color would probably make the book incredibly pricey.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Depression-era history, and how it shaped a popular American figure. Though brief in text, this book is chocked full of interesting and amazing stories of the Senator's life and battles. Mr. Cramer's personal portayal comes across as if he where there; And is able to boil the essence of Bob Dole down into an enjoyable one to two sitting treat. Well worth it!

For all you Wraith players and storytellers who don't have any spectres in the game-- You have NO IDEA what you are missing! And, if you do have spectres but not this sourcebook, you could be doing a LOT better!

"Dark Reflections: Spectres" is Black Dog's first Wraith book. It does a GREAT job describing the mentality and characteristics of Wraiths who have fallen into their shadow. Storytellers will see how to properly incorporate spectres into the game, and players will learn how to properly play them.

Get this discontinued tome while you still can!

Mithril is an excellent first sourebook from Sword and Sorcery. It gives a good overview of the city itself (although the city map is of at best average quality), provides details of the church of Corean (with new rules for paladins and monks as well as one new prestige class), and includes excellent regional material for the northeast portion of Ghelspad.

Specifically, the book gives us a map and description of Mullis Town (as well as a few adventure hooks), and shows a map detailing the human, titanspawn, and orcish areas of influence in Lede. The adventure hooks are well done, as they incorporate sufficient detail to make "filling in the blanks" easy, but remain concise. The descriptions of the various orcish tribes and their political/social environment is a great jumping point for a campaign that could treat orcs as more than faceless cannon fodder.

Equally important, Mithril itself, despite its lawful good character. has a wide variety of options and tensions within that can lead to all manner of adventures - ranging from exploring the ancient catacombs beneath the city to ethnic human/half-orc conflict to political and religious intrigue.

Overall, a good book and a great buy. Although, like most S&S products, the art is all monochrome (and frequently not up to the standards of Wizards of the Coast products), this is a minor complaint because the content is great.

I teach classical Hebrew, in a four-semester program at the undergraduate level. So, I'm always looking for excellent teaching materials to help my students read and comprehend the beautiful and barbaric language of the ancient Biblical texts. There are plenty of introductory grammars, many of them very good. But there are not many textbooks available to help the second year reader.

It is this unreached audience that Ben Zvi,Hancock and Beinert target so well in this book. I'll hazard the guess that even if there were half a dozen or more such texts readily available, this one would still surpass them all in usefulness to the student.

As the sages and rabbis are wont to say, "baruch hashem."

BG Curtis/Geneva College

This is one massive tome. Clocking in at over 1000 pages, in dense ten point font, Richard Ben Cramer packs an enormous amount of information into his account of the 1988 presidential race. The scope of the book is amazing. We don't just get to see the candidates on the campaign trail, but we learn about their lives, and what experiences they endured that have created the right balance of traits that make them want to run for the American Presidency. Cramer starts out by looking at George Bush and Bob Dole, and then concentrates on Democrats such as Michael Dukakis, Richard Gephardt, Gary Hart and Joe Biden.

Cramer has a cocky and cynical writing style that doesn't hesitate to shoot daggers at those deserving of scorn. One of his biggest targets is the media, and the so-called power brokers that can make or break presidents (Cramer calls them "big-feet"). People like David Broder, Jack Germond and Howard Fineman all fall under Cramer's critical eye. Cramer shows how the media obliterates people for their own benefit. Bringing down a candidate isn't done for the good of the country over serious issues, but rather to build careers and increase the salaries of the media darlings. The question "Who is watching the media?" looms large in this book. Cramer also targets the campaign teams who mold and buff a candidate so that he can be elected, no matter what the cost. These are the folks who are brought in to dig up dirt, lie, and raise lots of money so they can buy elections. People like John Sasso and Lee Atwater are the most prominent of these figures, and are painted in less than flattering terms by Cramer.

Some of Cramer's observations can get tiresome. How many times do we need to hear about George Bush making new friend because it "will be neat"? His cynicism can get old too, but since he's dealing with politics, it's totally understandable. I've seen several of the people talked about in this book on TV recently, and I immediately thought of them in terms of this book (Hey! There's Joe Biden! I wonder if he's buying a new house!). I also laughed out loud whenever Cramer talked about Elizabeth Dole. He would write her words in North Carolina accent, and you could almost hear her talking!

Only those interested in politics will probably enjoy this book. Since some of the people in this book are still involved in politics today, this book still has merit. I read the other day that Joe Biden might be an early prospect for president in 2004. Clear your calendar, too, as this is a long read. Recommended.

In a previous review, I noted that "The Boys on the Bus" set the standard for political books. What It Takes exceeded that standard, and set a new one.

In this reporting of the 1988 Presidential election, Richard Ben Cramer presents THE authoritative review and analysis of the candidates, the nominee, and the eventual president.

This book is not for the faint of heart. At over 1000 pages, this book makes "Truman" seem like a Cliff's Notes review of a presidency.

What the length does provide is ubelievable insight into what made the candidates tick, and why they were successful, or unsuccessful, in conveying their story and message to the American people.

For those who want to know, this is the one book to read.

"What It Takes" is simply a stunning book. The life stories of six 1988 Presidential candidates (Bob Dole, George Bush, Joe Biden, Mike Dukakis, Dick Gephardt, and Gary Hart) are told here, but Cramer's book is more than a simple biography. Their stories are told in deep, meaningful ways with more insight shed upon their beliefs and thoughts than a 1,000 dull press clipings. Cramer's prose is nothing short of brilliant. He has a natural writing voice that is beautiful to behold.

In terms of personalities, I particularly found the passages about Dole & Biden illuminating.

What can I say? It's Benjamin Franklin! One of our beloved American forefathers with so much wisdom, it applies to not only our fellow Americans, but to the worldly human race. This compilation is full of tidbits from his "Poor Richard's Almanac" columns written for the hungry wisdom and logical seeking people back in early America. This is a timeless collection of suggestions and instructions that make perfect SENSE. Buy this and learn about YOUR life and how to make life better for not only yourself, but the others around you.

A wonderful book of sayings that espouse Ben Franklin's views on life. In general, he was an advocate of honesty, hard work, moderation in all indulgences, and being a good person. While these may sound like simple principles, the wittiness and cleverness with which they are presented make them memorable and therefore useful.

Buy two copies of this book -- one for yourself and one for your child when they reach their teenage years. You'll both be better off. My copy is marked up so I can easily find my favorite sayings, and I find myself flipping through it often.

Anyone, whom has any ounce of education, common sense or wit for that matter, should know that Benjamin Franklin should be and is still (even as I write this very moment) considered one of the smartest, wittiest and most cerebral person/scholar/learned man to have live in (or have been born for that matter) in this country. Poor Richards Almanack by Benjamin Franklin is not an exception and is filled with a plethora of witty, funny and educational allegories, poems and short parables, e.g., "Fish and visitors stink after three days". I absolutely loved this book and would definitely recommend it to the aspiring scholar/learned man or philosopher; and I do consider it, i.e., Poor Richards Almanack by Benjamin Franklin to be one of the cornerstones in the intellectual man's library.