Well written and with occasional engaging flashes of humor, Five Miles High gives a well-drawn picture of the large Himalayan expeditions of the past. At the same time as expedition members are having their food cooked for them and having their gear carried by numerous "coolies", they are walking a much greater distance, and in some ways subsisting in harsher conditions, than climbers do today. The contrasts with the present day are perhaps the most interesting thing about this book. "Boy's First Adventure Book"-ish illustrations at the chapter headings add a charming retro touch.

Five Miles high is an extremely interesting and very readable firsthand account of the 1938 American Expedition to climb K2, the second highest peak in the world. The book is a reissue of the original book describing the expedition and is authored by two team leaders with additional contributions by the other four team members. Of particular interest is their description of their trek through the Karakoram just to reach the mountain in the days when the primary hauling of supplies was done by ponies and porters. The contrast between the preparations and efforts involved in this expediton and the efforts described in all of the current Mt. Everest books is amazing. All in all, you'll find this a very enjoyable book to read. The same authors also wrote a second book describing their 1953 expedition - K2, The Savage Mountain. This one also has been recently reissued.

When I first tried to work through Goodwin's Grammar in learning ancient Greek, I was astounded at the sheer impenetrability of his system. It took me at least two weeks to find the verb "to be"! But once you get the hang of it, there's nothing like it for systematicity, thoroughness, and detail. Next to the LSJ lexicon, it's the most important volume for any student of classical Greek.

Like the reviewer below, it took me some time to get the hang of using this book--and I agree also that it was worth the effort. _Greek Grammar_ is not a textbook, and it is definitely not a good place to start if you are teaching yourself. Like other nineteenth-century grammars (Gildersleeve's Latin grammar, for example, also highly recommended), this work starts from the assumption that you already know the basics. Once you've got a fair grounding in accidence (inflections, etc.) and can read a little prose, however, you are bound to start wondering "why" about all those rules. That's where Goodwin comes in. Thorough, systematic, carefully cross-referenced with plenty of examples (all translated), this is a veritable encyclopedia of classical Greek. It demands careful study, but it repays you for it handsomely. The only two provisos I have are that the print is very fine and may be hard on tired eyes, and that some of the terminology may differ from that used in modern texts (e.g., Gavin & Betts "strong aorist" vs. Goodwin "2nd aorist"). I bought my copy when I was just starting Greek, and it sat on my shelf untouched for over a year. Now, however, I use it all the time.

As a Lincoln enthusiast and teacher I found Charlie B's book outstanding. The writing is entertaining, informative, and exudes a love for Lincoln. The cartoon graphics and printing are excellent. I found neither misprints nor factual errors.Overall the treatment of Lincoln is charming without being debasing. It is very readable. I wish I could produce a book as enjoyable as this one.

Honestly Abe: A Cartoon Biography Of Abraham Lincoln is a novel and effective approach to introducing the life and work of Abraham Lincoln, second only to George Washington as America's greatest president to date. This compendium of engaging, challenging, and informative cartoons is further enhanced with a bibliography, a list of outstanding Lincoln web sites, and a glossary of historical and archaic terms. Honestly Abe is a sound and fascinating biography that will fascinate and inform readers young and old. Highly recommended for both school and public library acquisitions, and a "must" for students of the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln.

"How can you print a piece of your own soul," Dickinson, p. 51

This is the 2nd in the Krull and Hewitt's "Lives of ..." series. The book contains 19 chapters on 20 writers in birth order: Murasaki Shikibu (973?-1025?), Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Jane Austen (1775-1817), Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), Charles Dickens (1812-1870), Charlotte & Emily Bronte (1816-1855 & 1818-1848), Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), Mark Twain (1835-1910), Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924), Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), Jack London (1876-1916), Carl Sandburg (1878-1967), E. B. White (1899-1985), Zora Neale Hurston (1901?-1960), Langston Hughes (1902-1967), Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991)

This is a perfect book for young adolescents and pre-teens who as they grow and mature frequently feel awkward. Krull introduces us to the idiosyncrasies of the literary. Some of the authors were loners, eccentric, a wee bit peculiar. Michael Jackson's behaviors might seem normal when held in comparison. Some retreated into themselves. Some sought out adventures. Some as adults were unsuccessful at the ordinary.

Some worked at a young age to support the family. Some took daily walks, very long daily walks. Some were not healthy and therefore wrote in bed. There were some similarities and some differences, but they all shared a singular conviction to write and write they each did well.

Hewitt's delightful portraits of the writers are precious. My favorite portrait is of Frances Hodgson Burnett of "The Secret Garden" fame. Her hat is the secret garden.

Given the high price of the book, I was surprised that Krull did not include a list of the authors' books and/or poems and the publication years. END

This book is a fun and informative book. The pictures are filled with humorous meanings and hidden information. The book keeps the reader's attention by keeping the included information short and simple, but also makes sure that the reader gets as much possible about the author. This book is great for kids and students to use as a report source as it is filled with great information. Kids would rather use this book as an information source rather than an encylopedia since the information is easy to understand. Authors in there are some you may not know, ( Murasaki Shikibu) and some well know ones ( Charles Dickens). I am glad I purchsed this book. I really liked the pictures which are so vibrant with color. This would make a great buy.

This is the first book specifically focused on Oriental culture and symbolism that I have picked up in my entire life (for me, an aspiring writer, not to know something so enticing? - preposterous!). Quite instantly presented me with an insatiable interest of the subject. Precise, academical, and completely accessible for literally anyone (it was accessible for me!), Outlines is the perfect reference work for an aspiring beginner. It is illustrated in black-and-white where illustrations might be expected, all specific terms are followed by the Chinese hieroglyphs, and, overall, this seems to be a very solid and well-written work. The only reason I am giving this book a mere four stars is that of caution: how can I, a total beginner, know if this book isn't lying?

As with the previous reviewer, this was also one of the first in my collection. An excellent dictionary-style reference work which examines the historical, legendary and every day significance of about two hundred objects and concepts which play key roles in Chinese culture. Footnoted with sources, it is an excellent spring board and encourages the reader to do more in depth study on the wide variety of topics touched on in this volume.

I really enjoyed this story. I really liked it when her family felt sorry for her and let her have that cat. It's about a little girl on her way to Missouri with her family, Ma, Pa, Kate, Benjy, Duffy, and Doris.

My 7 yr. old advanced reader found this book not only reasonable to read, but it held her excitement at wanting to know what would happen to each of the characters as the wagon train progressed on its journey and met real dangers. It was not too scary, but filled with the concerns of real life in the pioneer days. The story developed the unfolding of a girlhood friendship in such a way as to show a young reader ways to ease into a relationship. It was a delight to read with a child and educational in many ways.

As a medical transcriptionist, there are many times when a doctor will say the name of a drug incorrectly or I cannot quite understand what the doctor is saying. In the Quick Look Drug Book, there is a section in the back of the book called the Indication/Therapeutic Category Index. In this section, you can look up the patient's diagnosis and it will list the medications used for that illness. Most of the time I am able to determine what drug the doctor is referring to by using this method. It has saved me a lot of time and effort over the years. I highly recommend this book if you are a medical transcriptionist.

Great book! Use it a lot, but would like to have the latest vesion..

Sam Price

This is a very beautiful field guide, but where are the crayfish?

This is the 3rd book in the "Audubon Society Nature Guides" series that I've purchased, and they continue to be a pleasure to read and use. For anyone who lives near, will be travelling to, or has a general interest in Wetlands, this book is an essential. Not only is it beautifully illustrated and easy to use, but it's also a great general guide to Wetlands in the US. I am in the Chicagoland region, and almost all of the book applies to our area. Highly reccomeded for anyone from the novice to Wetland professional.

Fiona MacCarthy's background is in design, which brings a lovely perspective to her biography of Morris. MacCarthy also writes well, which is a plus in a book this size. She writes with affection for her subject, but without any of the bizarre idolatry with which some people approach Morris. He was a crashing bore as a poet, a mere amateur painter, a gifted fabric designer (but there are many gifted fabric designers), and a Socialist who knew only marginally more about what people actually do for a living than did Ruskin. Nevertheless, Morris was a volcano of artistic activity and heart-felt social ideas, and therein lay his genius. MacCarthy does an excellent job bringing Morris's genius to life in this first rate biography.

Most books about William Morris are like rainbows, filled with colorful images. Simply because he made so many wonderful and colorful embroideries, tapestries and patterns, and because color itself is something people like, and therefore buy.

This book doesn't have many colors inside, but it contains many black and white photographs, that are of great interest for those who like to read about William Morris and his time. And the combination of text and photographs create so many images in your mind, that you forget about color.

For the same people, this is the the final book about William Morris and his life. It's not the book to buy, if you want to know all about his printing of books in Kelmscott Press (there you have to go for Peterson's books), but it's the book about all the other stuff you want to know about Morris - and everything, you didn't know, you would want to know.

Having spent more than 5 years on this matter, Fiona MacCarthy has succeeded in making an extraordinary and therefore the final biography on William Morris.

More than 700 pages with more than 100 pages of source and reference notes.

It's a book to read and to read again and to use, when you're working with text about the period, the arts & crafts movement - or simply with Morris. Buy it, even if you don't have the money - wear the old jacket another year. You won't regret.

As long as it's out of print, you have to go to the library, where you should tell them to order some more books, so they print more.

This is a charming book that lets children (and adults) know that sometimes what appears to be perfect, isn't. The pictures a lovely and engaging and the story moves along well. My four year old declared "it should be a movie". Definitley a good bed time story.

Okay, I wish I was a kid again. Can I be a kid again?! I bought this book because it was about a knight who was curious and I can't think of a more perfect quest for a knight than curiosity. This is a little gem of a book and it could be made into a wonderful movie. It's art. It's a wonderful story about a knight who goes on a quest and learns that everything perfect is not so perfect. But that's okay. Even flawed it can be magical. William is a terrific character. The art work is fantastic, and I want to be young again. Mothers of young children should read this to them often. It's got a great message and it's clever. Not enough books for little boys either, and this is a great one. Buy it now.