I lived in Finland for six months and Sweden for two months, and most of them were in Lapland - Swedish or Finnish, what's the difference? Then I hitched down the entire coast of Norway (four days minimum since drivers, rare anyway, won't pick you up)to Oslo, back to Sweden, back through Denmark and into Germany. The temperature dropped to 32F, and I felt very warm indeed.

I loved Scandanavia and I fit right in, with my droll and melancholy Irish background. But there's no denying that the people there tend to excessive brooding, stoicism, analysis, jealousy, drinking and inferiority complexes. Their food is not so all bland-white as the book implies, but it hits it pretty well on the button, that they are very suspicious of spices, and "food that hurts" (all these darn trendy ethnic restaurants).

Their clothes fit the weather - if it's not freezing and snowing, then it's raining, windy, foggy, or at least overcast. Forget your happy California fantasies or take them elsewhere. So they all look plain, uniform and functional, well, it's cold! Have you been to Alaska? That lumberjack look ain't too pretty but it will do when there's icicles on your moustache.

The funniest part for me was the illustrations of the various types of Scandanavians and how to distinguish the nationalities. Naturally, the model is always the same whether it's Erik Erikson, Lars Larson, or Jukka Suomilainen.

Of course this book is aimed more at Scandanavians living in USA, especially in the Minnesota area. I haven't been there, but I surely will go and see how the polyester pants are doing. In fact, they remind me a lot of my parents' Irishness except that we make noise, have great wit and humor and drink less.

Read this book and then drown your sorrows if you are a Swede!

My sister and I were talking about this book yesterday and I checked to see if it was still available. Thank goodness it is!

I first read it in 1987 and laughed out loud at parts. It is all so true. If you grew up in the Midwest with Swedish-American parents like we did, it is all familiar. Particularly funny are the photographs and captions.

Sections on the Lutheran Church are just the way it was for us. Jello was the food of choice at every church occasion that required food and from what I've heard still is.

I think it helps if you have a Scandinavian background so you can understand the jokes which are so funny to us, but may not be to outsiders.

I still get a laugh each time I look at it.

During my internship this book and the Washington Manual of Medical Therapeutics were the 2 books I couldn't live without.They give you quick information to solve almost any problem.

If you need quick information, or to reforce your knowledge in the Emergency Room, this manual could help to solve almost any problem. This is not a text book, is a reference where you can find a quick answer.

this is what i expect from Louis Cha, an involving storyline and lots of kung fu stuff that i can't understand but still enjoy...
this book has both.
it's a great book, but i wish it were longer, cuz when i get into a book i don't want it to end. even "outlaws of the marsh"(2000+ pages) seems short when you're done reading it.

here are some recommendations.
"Musashi"
"Taiko"
"Outlaws of the Marsh"
& "The Deluge"

While Jack McTague does work for one of the most unastounding universities in the country, his own abilities as both a teacher and a writer ought not be undervalued.

In his book, British policy In Palestine, Dr. McTague evaluates in clear and deliberate prose those factors and key players that took a leading part in the shaping of the current Arab-Israeli conflict. For it is in these years that the roots of the conflict have their origin. The book itself is a thorough evaluation of these years, with interesting analyses of both the characters and the moral problematics that color the conflict.

It is, without a doubt, an excellent piece of prose delivered by an academic that deserves a far more intellectually exciting environment than he is currently privy to.

I am a Mastercraftsman, and I use this text not only for training apprentices, but for myself when I have a woodworking question. I feel that this is the finest woodworking textbook available to the serious woodworker today. Very highly recommended. Robert Black

I am the founder of St. Louis, Missouri's first charter school - the St. Louis Charter School... This book is an invaluable resource on national education and urban trends. It is packed with a wealth of data on schools, student, and cities. Once you have read the book, you will be armed with real numbers, case studies and examples to use in planning and promoting your own charter school or engaging in conversations with others about education reform and the history of public education in America.

this item was great for my 10 year old who enjoys making up poetry herself

This is a rare find, because it concentrates on a book by Celine. Hailing 'Journey' as a masterpiece, the book analyzes the key components and the picaresque adventures of Bardamu. Good companion.

I am an electrical engineer and PE, designing control systems. Although, I have not read this book cover to cover, it is setting on my desk and I use it frequently as a reference. It is an excellent source for creating electrical drawings, whether you are fluent in schematic generation, or just getting started. It contains information at all levels of understanding. I borrowed it from a CAD designer I work with, and it appears to be written for CAD designers. I have looked for a reference book of this nature- they are very hard to find. The reason I am writing this review is I came to amazon.com to buy it- a definite necessity for my professional library!

I love discovering little-known books like this. "Ecstasy" is a nicely wrought mood piece from Dutch author Louis Couperus (1863-1923), who at present could hardly be more obscure among English-speaking audiences. A delicate and enigmatic tale of a young widow and her relationship with a restless, cosmopolitan fellow, this novel makes no innovations in the art of fiction, but it is notable for its psychological acuteness; the author is very good at describing his characters' internal conflicts. Some readers will have trouble putting up with the baroque flourishes (this is one of those 19th Century novels where the characters rarely talk like human beings), but I quite enjoyed it.