No one would ever have guessed that when Industrial Light & Magic opened its doors in Maren County that day way back in 1975 that they would produce the standard by which other special effects and other effects houses would be judged. ILM has formed the cornerstone of LucasFilm Ltd. a company that has spawned more spin-offs such as THX Sound, Skywalker Sound, all held neatly under the Lucas Digitial banner. Back in the days of Star Wars it was mostly using what was already known, and inventing everything else. ILM has been at the forefront ever since, from the early days of motion control cameras controlled by Apple computers the latest CG marvel like Galaxy Quest, Phantom Menace or Mission to Mars.

The Art of Special Effects deals more with the older films-those before 1986, illustrating a time when computers were not so large a part in the film-making process. It gives the reader a great look at the sheer amount of detail that went into the models, the props, costumes from Star Wars to Explorers, from Raiders of the Lost Ark to the some of the Star Trek films, ILM constantly and consistently proven to innovative. The book as a whole is on a level lower than, say, Cinefex magazine, assuming that the reader doesn't know how blue screening and rotoscoping works or how miniatures are lensed. It is light reading without getting itself bogged down in too much technicality, for those who want that, read Cinefex.

It also strikes me that this book is also best at presenting a dying era. A time when model makers kit bashed hundreds of plastic models just to build a Super Star Destroyer - few companies bother with that any more when everything can be rendered on a Silicon Graphics box and Maya and Soft Image software. Such films as Star Trek: Insurrection used few practical models and a completely CG Enterprise-E. The time of the supremely detailed, hand crafted model or set may be at an end, and I think the industry will be sadder for it. Partially because when I read Cinefex, a lot of what I see is the same-different movie, different space ship, but they're all rendered the same way and most use the same software, with only minor modifications or original code going into it to get a certain look or solve a certain problem.

I suspect the Digital Realm of the movies, while producing better special effects, lacks the mystique of knowing that several people labored for months to build that model. That instead it was modeled by a few people over a period of a week. (Though it should be noted that a lot of films, including the Phantom Menace, used practical models). I suspect their days are number.

Thomas Smith was general manager of Industrial Light and Magic a year before he came to write this impressive book. The book is centred around the film special effects creations of ILM between 1975 and 1985. This includes the then "Star Wars" trilogy, two Indiana Jones movies and other lesser known projects. For the Star Wars fan theres plenty to learn about one of your favourite movies. This book is lavishly illustrated with full colour photos including triple page or gatefold images. The focus though is on how the effects are done and who did them at ILM. From the art work in developing concepts of storylines, through modelling, creature creation, the actual filming methods and matte image creation to the finishing touches of animation and optical compositing this book gives a gradual demonstration of the work of a special effects company. For someone with no knowledge what so ever of special effects this is a good introduction and to those involved it must be fascinating as well. As Thomas Smith points out, while film fans still love the movies from this era (1975-85), movie goers constantly seek new visions on screen. The digital era has brought movies like Toy Story etc but these were just figments of imagination at the writing of this book so its worth noting Thomas Smith's far-sightedness in the final chapter on digitized movies. The format of the book is to take each department of the special effects process and show what it does and where its part comes in the crafting of a movie. In each chapter there are short biographies of the leading people in each area of effects, this is a nice touch as it can serve as guide for those interested in getting involved. Its worth noting, many of those profiled have a long interest in their specialty going back to their youth and through the various twists and turns of working in an industry knew of other members of the ILM company before actually joining this now esteemed organisation. Thomas Smith by no means is setting out to sell ILM's considerable expertise though he tells the story of a company making dreams into reality, itself moving from an idea to a serious business proposition. (As a final note another book on movies of this period Paul Sammons "Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner" contains insightful descriptions about the crafting of a movie not least its special effects.)

Years ago I longed for this book, as it sat on the shelf in the local book store(it was not cheap). I received it with much gratitude on my birthday. Now as a teenager I found a reinterest in this book, and was overjoyed when the next book "into the digital realm" came out. For anyone who is captured by the magic of special effects, this is for you.

Dear Readers,

I must say that this is one of the most outstanding books that I have read in a long time. In a most complicated world that we all live in today it was so nice to read about the simple things that make us what we really are.

Thankyou Renaldo and thankyou Mr Faccio Bello for showing us the way to your heart.

As a bulldog owner I found this book to be not only deeply touching, but very authentic as well. It highlights the animal's personality traits and loving nature. The Shaman Bulldog is a glorious story of how an animal can heal you and bring you face to face with the depths of love within you. It's a glorious tribute to not just the Bulldog, but all animals that give us the gift of their companionship. How few of us deserve them.

This is one of the most endearing books I have read in a very long time. Not just a book for bulldog owners, it is for anyone who has loved, lost and loved again. I couldn't put it down.

The exceptional heroine of this book, Michelle Lovelace, is already a role model for me- her intellect, ambition, and open lifestyle. She's also a champion of worthy causes (such as the rights of Islamic women), an award-winning film actress (Best Actress at Venice), and an international sexual adventuress. However, her dedication to her dynastic role within the ISIS circle becomes in the end a fatal trap. Sensational, yet at the same time highly developed, this book is full of surprises. Also, the humor was very subtle and refreshing.

An un-typical and highly organized political thriller whose athletic prose has enough phoilosophical and historical currents running through it- women's lib, big oil, espionage, nuclear misadventure- to qualify it for the pantheon of Ludlum, Clancy, Forsythe and Higgins. The villainous element is highly effective- the Daughters of Isis, an elitist band of women bent on revenge and sexual chaos, are Terror in female form, making them the flip-side to Charlie's Angels. Prophetic and hard-hitting.

A very graphic peep show into the world of espionage and global power. The characters are realistic and memorable, and I found the action elements- the intrigue and the military and political angles- exceptionally well-researched. The erotica is hi-profile and steamy, and the book has a novel twist on the battle of the sexes- it shows how people, and especially women, can sacrifice their values for the sake of joining mis-directed causes.

As a Chiropractor, I have read dozens of books on the subject over the years. The Chiropractic Way by Michael Lenarz, D.C. is one of the finest books on what we do and why we do it. But more than that it gives real life, common sense advice for our patients written in a manner which is concise and easy to follow. Dr. Lenarz thoroughly covers a variety of chiropractic techniques and philosophies and explains his viewpoints without a defensive or apologetic posture. This is a must read not only for chiropractors and our patients, but for anyone who is suffering from poor health and wants to once again reclaim their health. I'll be ordering extra copies for my reception room and to give to patients.

Good work Dr. Lenarz!!!

I strongly recommend "The Chirpractic Way" to anyone interested in understanding how their body operates on a daily basis and why there might be aches and pains along the way. The book is written in a way that is easily understandable to readers about how chiropractic care can promote wellness in the body - without surgery. The book covers the questions I had relating to chiropractic care. I have watched friends through the years who have been in pain and I always felt unable to articulate why chiropractic care works for me - now I can tell them about this book. THIS BOOK EXPLAINS YOUR BODY!

I like to consider myself well educated about health and how the body works. This book has a straight forward layout that is readable by all, and is extremely helpful to anyone seeking a better quality of life and answers to health problems. I have personaly found the book to be very helpful and I have given several copies to friends who have health challenges. Reading this book will change your life for the better; it's already helped several of my friends.

If you're a Catholic Christian and want to appreciate your faith more, these books will serve you well. If you're not Catholic or Christian and wish to encounter the most persuasive apologetics, this is an excellent place to start.

Chesterton is a wonderful writer. A poet by nature, Chesterton focuses on the material and concrete in ways that seems both paradoxical and wondrous. In "Saint Francis of Assisi," Chesterton takes the most popular saint, and presents all those details that really make us modern secularists most uncomfortable with him. In another book here, he links St. Thomas Aquinas to Francis, showing that, despite their vast differences in temperament, they both strove to save and present the goodness of creation and nature and to rebuke (in word or action) those who would hold the bodily in disdain.

In a sense, the biographies here are more than biographies. They're filled with diversions, and those diversions all point in the direction of the remaining book, "The Everlasting Man," which is presented between the other two. The central point here is that the Incarnation is the central event of human history; it allows us to joyously celebrate the good of creation and nature, as God has blessed matter with His very being.

Also, Chesterton is a real pleasure to read, as this passage shows: "One of my first journalistic adventures, or misadventures, concerned a comment on Grant Allen, who had written a book about the Evolution of the Idea of God. I happened to remark that it would be much more interesting if God wrote a book about the evolution of the idea of Grant Allen."

His wit shines in the conclusion of this anecdote. To his bemusement, his editor castigates *him* for being blasphemous. "In that hour I learned many things, including the fact that there is something purely acoustic in much of that agnostic sort of reverence. The editor had not seen the point, because in the title of the book the long word came at the beginning and the short word at the end; whereas in my comments the short word came at the beginning and gave him a sort of shock. I have noticed that if you put a word like God into the same sentence with a word like dog, these abrupt and angular words affect people like pistol-shots. Whether you say that God made the dog or the dog made God does not seem to matter; that is only one of the sterile disputations of the too subtle theologians. But so long as you begin with a long word like evolution the rest will roll harmlessly past; very probably the editor had not read the whole of the title, for it is rather a long title and he was rather a busy man."

This volume contains the most important works of G. K. Chesterton, his study of St. Francis, his study of St. Thomas Aquinas, and _The Everlasting Man_.

I have chosen the word "study" rather than biography deliberately. Readers looking to find a strict chronological account of St. Francis or St. Thomas according to the modern or postmodern canons of historiography should look elsewhere. What Chesterton does is get you at the heart of these two saints. He tells you what they were all about. He is somehow able to convey to his readers the very air that these saints breathed.

And then there is _The Everlasting Man_. While it is hard to characterize, this is Chesterton's best work. Period. Written as an answer to H. G. Wells's _Outline of History_, Chesterton gets at what is most important in human history: the fact that God became Man in Jesus Christ. It really is an incredible book.

Chesterton had an amazing knack to cut to the heart of the matter. If you want to see what St. Francis or St. Thomas were all about, or to appreciate more the Lord who inspired these saints, I would highly recommend this book.

Ignatius Press has done the world a great favor by releasing their "Collected Works of Chesterton" series. If you can only afford three volumes, get # 1, 2, and 6. If you can only afford one volume, it should be # 2.

Chesterton's book on St Francis is wonderful. Unlike most modern books, it places Francis squarely in Christianity. (Many contemporary books on Francis portray him as a 13th-century hippie, which would have astounded the devout friar!)

The book on Thomas Aquinas is simply the best biography of him ever, and many noted Thomists have agreed with this sentiment.

But "The Everlasting Man" is the true pinnacle of Chesterton's amazing output. In one book he puts "comparative religion" into a new and brilliant perspective. C.S. Lewis listed "Everlasting Man" as one of the reasons he became a Christian, and it really will floor you.

(If you are short on funds you can always buy Everlasting Man as a single volume, too!)

I found Bruce Grubbs's guide essential to locating and navigating the trails of Washington and Garfield counties in southwest Utah. I rode the Green Valley, J.E.M., Thunder Mountain, and Paradise Canyon trails in May 2001, and particularly loved the Green Valley and Thunder Mountain trails. Be careful -- each of these trails has hazards and technical challenges.

The book fits nicely in one's hydration pack or jersey pocket. One thing that Grubbs notes is worth repeating: you have to have an odometer to locate and navigate some of the trails he reviews. Otherwise you won't find them.

Another good source of information is the trail reviews at Mountain Bike Review's website... And some local clubs and stores have useful websites with trail descriptions. Use a search engine to locate them.

I just finished a mountain biking vacation in the Zion area. Between this book and Dean at "Bike Zion," I found some incredible singletrack: Green Valley and Church Rocks in the St. George area, and Gooseberry Mesa, the JEM trail, and Slickrock Swamp just outside of Zion. I rode them all and loved them. I ride in Moab frequently, and the trails on Gooseberry surpass anything in Moab, except maybe Jackson's Hole. The book is very helpful with directions and trail descriptions, but why are not more Zion area rides included? In July, I'm headed back to the area, this time to Brian Head, with book in hand! To the author: thanks for your research and sharing these world-class rides.

This is a super handy book that describes biking trails in Southwestern Utah. With trails ranging in elevation from under 4,000 feet to around 11,000 feet, you can ride just about any day of the year somewhere near St. George or Cedar City. There are trails for all levels of abilities, from advanced to Sunday sight-seeing. Although most trails involve a lot of singletrack layout, there are a few that are on jeep roads or even smoother surfaces. This book opened my eyes to the fact that there is much more to mountain biking in Utah than just heading down to Moab. And I especially like the smaller size of the book, that allows it to easily fit in your back pocket or in your camelback.

Captures very well a particular time and place. The central character, Twylla, has an appealing sweetness, an innocence, just right for the time. She is all the more compelling when corruption and violence erupt around her. Twylla is a fast, fun read.

I cried for this young girl. I think she showed a lot of courage to finally face the ghosts of her past. And I loved the ending. Although the story centers around a mystery, with a fair amount of violence, the book is really about people and making the good choices in life. I recommend Twylla to anyone who wants an unforgettable trip in to the real world of both joy and pain.

As well-conceived mystery thrillers go, this one has terrific character mosaics and a bittersweet if not surreal romance going for it. I see this girl as your typical high school sweetheart trying to run from her past only to get swarmed by really evil people trying to do her in. She brings out the hero in all us home-boys.

My husband, my 15-yr.-old daughter, and I were fortunate enough to pay a visit to historic Brattonsville. Aside from the fact that we were completely enamored of this being one of the sites for the film, "The Patriot"--which is how we found it in the first place, we were fortunate enough to have an excellent and enthusiastic young woman who is a history major (and has been active at Brattonsville since she was 15) as our guide. I had only recently discovered that my family tree goes back to the Revolution. I have always loved historical fiction, but this story thrilled me as I knew I'd be able to use it to finally start (and fuel) those same fires in my 8th grade students. I teach in the Drop-Out Prevention program for unmotivated students, and feel it to be fast paced, therefore interest holding, and easy to read. (I read it in the car on the way home.) My daughter read it and loved it as well. I've asked our reading specialist to order a class set. It's an excellent tool for "Bridges" between Language Arts and Social Studies, either in the middle or high school. ***** Please write more!*****

I am a 14 year old Revolutionary war novel writer in sc. I personally met Cristine Swager; and have a signed Copy of Black Crows and White Cockades. I continually read the novel and enjoy it. Finally some has had the initiative to write a novel about S.C's role in the Revolutionary war. Thank you Mrs. Swager.

I am a 16 year old Revolutionary War re-enactor from South Carolina, and I live about an hour and a half away from Camden, SC, where the story took place. Black Crows and White Cockades has been the best book written about a Southern Rev War family I've ever read. Not only was all the information about the various battles mentioned in Dr. Swager's book extremely accurate, but the characters in the book, particularly Ann, were easy to relate to, which brought the story to life. Black Crows kept me reading and interested until the very last page. Masterful!

If you love English Bulldogs and believe that they are superiorly intellegent along with being emotionally in touch with their owners, then this book is a must read for you. I laughed at the funny capers of Faccia Bello that reminded me of my own bulldog. It also made myself and my bulldog's "daddy" cry at the emotionally compelling story of love and the reality of the loss of a dear companion and friend.

I cannot look into my dog's face the same way anymore-I can't watch her sleep the same way-my entire perspective on dogs has been altered. I cried from Chapter 3 to the last page.

This book in in the genre of Carlos Castaneda meets Lassie. Which is a catagory of books not yet written. Wonderful.

As I was sitting on a bench at the end of a long desolate road, slowly sipping my oolong tea, when I pulled out this book and began to read. Oh the joy. I breezed through the pages as my mind wandered throught the wonderful tales that Mr. Hays spins. I couldn't put the book down and the memories and myths will stay with me for a long time. I recommend this book to anyone that is trying to find their spiritual inner self.

I was a senior in High School when I was first introduced to this author. At that time in my life I seeked guidance in a spiritual sense but found few sources from society to help me. A theology teacher showed me 3 parables from Hays' writing and I quickly went out to buy the book. I won't try to explain the messages you get from this book because everyone takes away something different from reading it. Look at the other reviews and decide for yourself but this book is definetly worth the price and you won't spend too much time reading it since the book's length isn't all that long. Although be forewarned you will probably find yourself picking this book up off the shelf after completing it. I don't think I know anyone who has read it only once.

Fr. Hays is a gifted storyteller. His parables find their way through cynicism and doubt, and work in the reader's heart at a profound level. Having read nearly all of Fr. Hays's books, I recommend _St. George and the Dragon_ as a starting place for his compassionate, loving, inclusive, and atavistic theology. It is the story of a man with a deep spiritual longing who is uncertain how to fulfill it. His mentor appears in the form of an ancient dragon offering assistance, guidance, and a slyly humorous wisdom. This is not a book to be read once and put aside, nor is it a book to be read quickly. It will seem new-age-y to some readers, but it isn't. It will appeal to those who are hurting, those who are young at heart, teenagers, and especially to those whose religious background includes ritual. Everyone embarking on, or already on, a spiritual journey will find something holy here.