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Book reviews for "Stanley-Jones,_Douglas" sorted by average review score:

Los Chistes Favoritos de los Niños 9
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Editorial y Distribuidora Leo, S.A. de C.V. (01 February, 2001)
Author: Angye Douglas
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LO MEJOR QUE PUEDE UNO PONER EN EL CORAZON
DE LOS HIJOS, ES UNA SONRISA LIMPIA..
Y DE AQUI, SALEN RISAS Y CARCAJADAS...

ESTOS SON MIS LIBROS FAVORITOS
entre los chistes para niños...Y este es de los que màs me gustan, porque tengo toda la colecciòn...
Los chistes son muy buenos y los dibujos tambien...

MY MOM IS MONEY WISE
AND SHE BOUGHT FOR ME...TWO BOOKS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE...
Beuase this book has coloring drawings AND THE BEST JOKES FOR KIDS


Outside the Bungalow: America's Arts & Crafts Garden
Published in Hardcover by Penguin USA (1999)
Authors: Paul Duchscherer and Douglas Keister
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Unique style beautifully presented
This book covers the architectural aspects of the property surrounding the bungalow - gates, arbors, fences, walls, paths, steps, water features, courtyards, patios, pergolas, porches, outdoor furniture, etc. The photography and color illustrations are superb and it is hard to take your eyes off the photos to actually read the text! And although the photos were taken at the present, the authors have not neglected the history of these dwellings and have included beautiful colored postcards that were so popular during the 1920s and 1930s. An introductory sections discusses the movers and shakers of the Arts and Crafts Movement, like William Morris, William Robinson, Gertrude Jekyll and Gustav Stickley. The final chapter is devoted to the architectural firm of Greene and Greene, whose style was a major influence. Most of the houses and gardens photographed here are on the West Coast (mainly Seattle, WA, Portland, OR and Pasadena, CA) although there are some Rhode Island properties included as well. A final section is devoted to planting the garden and includes lists of plants which are good for any situation imaginable. This is a wonderful book - beautiful, unique and inspiring!

Nothing like it.....
Disclaimer: I'm a bit biased, because its my home on the cover, despite this, the book is a crucial tool, there was so obvious a need for a book on this topic, one that relates to what people were wanting to do with their homes, and helping them to avoid. to a point, having to scrounge through years of bound periodicals in the library, and random drives through promising neighborhoods in search of inspiring examples....not that you would get to see the back yards.
Doug and Paul have gone out of their way to search out appropriate examples for all three of their bungalow books together, ranging always from the garden shed to the Gamble house. This is the only in-print book I'd recommend for the topics of Arts & Crafts fencing, walls, paths, site integration etc.
Having seen many of these sites in person, I can say that photographer Doug Keister, has brought a focus that many would miss in person. My wisteria only blooms 4-5 weeks a year, but of course, they got it then.
My only complaint is that the photos are so compelling that many might never get to read all the text, which is what the book is all about.
There is some validity to the point above about a West-Coast bias to the topics, but when you consider that virtually every other A & C garden book has a English tilt, it seems less a problem. There is room for a knowledgeable Mid-Westerner to write a good book as well. "Outside the Bungalow" is not the last book that should be written on the topic, just the best, by far, so far.

Excellent resource for creating a "complete" environment
What a great resource for those who feel that their home begins outside in its surroundings. The bungalow has never really gone out of style and continues to hold national appeal. This book is full of ideas that cross the spectrum from simple to ellegant. It draws the reader outside of the bungalow and gives one cause to reflect on making the outside environment beautiful, comfortable, unique and completmentary to the structure itself. Many of the small towns in Southern California have undergone a second life with downtown revitalization projects that have extented into the older neighborhoods. Duchscherer & Keister give the reader an appreciation for the beauty that can be created around these older homes.

The constant theme running through this book is the timeliness of the garden. The garden didn't come into being during the Arts & Crafts period, it simply became a tremendous complement to the home.

Don't be discouraged if you don't live in a Greene & Greene, the effort and love you put into the setting of your home, will give you the same level of pride in ownership. You may not be able to have the largest or most expensive home on the block, but you can have the most beautiful garden.

Many of the gardens in the book have multiple photographs which are cross-referenced to give the reader an almost 360 degree visualization. The only suggestion I would make is that the author include an overview of those superlative gardens and identify the various views to provide the reader with an even better understanding and appreciation of the home's surroundings.


Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers
Published in Digital by Falcon Publishing ()
Authors: Doug Ladd, Douglas M. Ladd, and Frank Oberle
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Average review score:

Excellent reference
This book set a high standard for the soon-to-be Falcoln series. The stunning photographs complement the confident text. Ladd's book has been a constant companion when I search out prairie remnants. A professional, consummate work that should find a place on every botanist's bookshelf.

These are all native plants
I felt I should comment on one part of Rissa's review. She mentions that Queen Anne's lace is not in this book, and feels this is a detriment. On the contrary, this is one of the best features of the book: it contains only NATIVE plants, and not many of the invasive, non-native weeds, like Queen Anne's lace, which are very difficult to control in prairies.
If you don't see a common plant in this book, it's likely because it is an imported weed.
There are many, many "wildflower" identification books that include everything-and-the-kitchen-sink, adding to the common confusion about what a 'wildflower' is. (For instance, Dame's Rocket should be on the 'weed' list, but it's in most of the 'wildflower' mixes.)
If you are looking for an all-inclusive book, the Golden Press,"A Guide to Field Identification of Wildflowers of North America", ISBN 0-307-13664-7 is helpful because it includes the weeds, but tells where they came from and how far they have spread across North America. Of course the USDA's PLANTS website (plants.usda.gov) is the best internet source for this technical information.

This book makes it easy
Just as it is hard to look up the spelling of a word in the dictionary, until you know how it is spelled, it can be hard to identify a plant until you know what it is. This book of photographs of common prairie flowers, grouped by color, is pretty easy to flip through until you find the plant at hand. The caveat is that many 'pink' flowers are in the 'purple' section, but this is true of many flowers (few people really consider 'purple coneflower' to be purple.)
If you want just one field guide to get you started with these gorgeous plants, this is the one I would recommend.


The Angell Memorial Animal Hospital Book of Wellness and Preventive Care for Dogs
Published in Hardcover by McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Books (05 December, 2002)
Authors: Darlene Arden, Gus Thornton, and Douglas Brum
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One of the best books on dog health and raising a dog
This is one of the best books that I have read in a long time about dog health and care. This type of book is a must for every dog owner. I especially like the side bars, "Tricks of the Trade." As a dog and cat behaviorist, I wish that all of my clients would read this book, it would go a long way to help them care for their dogs. I did not think that Darlene Arden could write another book equal to her " The Irrepressible Toy Dog," but this book equals her earlier book in quality and accuracy of information. I hope she plans to write a cat book of this nature.

A must read for all dog owners
Ms. Darlene Arden writes with such ease that you can hardly put her books down.
This book is like having an encyclopedia on Dogs handy.
The book covers everything you need to know about your furkid. From puppy hood to adults. A MUST READ to all dog owners. (Vets should have one too,)
Thank you Ms. Arden for all your hard work and for writing this book. I love it!!

Covers all stages of life with sound and practical advice
The Angell Memorial Animal Hospital Book Of Wellness And Preventative Care For Dogs is a straightforward guide specifically intended for pet owners seeking to take proper and reasonable steps to help their beloved canine companions live long and healthy lives. From proper care during puppyhood; to checkups and cancer prevention in the middle years; to helping a dog age gracefully; and the inevitable day one must say goodbye, The Angell Memorial Animal Hospital Book Of Wellness And Preventative Care For Dogs covers all stages of life with sound and practical advice and is very highly recommended reading for dog owners everywhere.


Back to Basics: Rediscovereing the Richness of the Reformed Faith
Published in Paperback by P & R Press (1996)
Authors: David G. Hagopian, Douglas J. Wilson, Douglas M., Iii Jones, and Roger Wagner
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Best Intro to the Reformed Distinctives that I Have Found
I've read several of the books that are often suggested as introductions to Reformed thought. This is the first one that doesn't focus on Calvinistic soteriology to the exclusion of other equally (or perhaps more) important aspects of the Reformed view of what Scripture teaches. My only real quibble is that the title ought to be Back to Intermediates, because there are more foundational doctrines than these - but all Protestants agree about those.

The book is divided into four sections, each written by a different author:

Doug Wilson contributes the chapters on salvation. He very able covers justification and predestination. Doug Jones contributes the section on covenantal theology. Covenant theology is the true heart of the Reformed viewpoint. These few chapters ably lay out the scriptural basis for it and explore the implications of it. A third section concerns the church, including its nature, the sacraments, and church discipline. This is the weakest section of the book, but still adequate for the overall purpose. Particularly, one wishes that more time would have been spent on the nature of worship and on the place of the sacraments in the corporate life of the church. Finally, Hagopian himself handles the section on the Christian life, which is mostly a theology of sanctification. This is perhaps the most immediately practical of the sections.

Each chapter ends with a dozen or so review questions. We are considering using this book in a Sunday school class, so that is a very definite plus. Any criticism that could be leveled against the book would be on the basis that it could have treated a subject more thoroughly, but doing so would have necessitated expanding the book beyond its purpose.

Exceptional!!!
This book is responsible for introducing me to the Reformed faith. For years I had been told of the "evils" of Calvin and his twisting of God's character... afterall, he's a lawyer... and who can trust those guys? But what I found shocked me! The reformed faith actually made sense (go figure...)and had no semblence to the caricature the critics like to draw of it.

I was going through a rough time in my faith and I decided to re-examine things I had been taught in church when I stumbled on this little gem of a book. This book was the stepping stone to my discovering the Reformed faith and gave me a firm foundation that had never been built in my life. I continue to return to my copy from time to time for its concise examples, thoroughness and extremely readable style... my paperback edition is extremely dog-eared.

If you are interested in testing the waters of historical, evangelical Pretestantism, I heartily recommend this book as a launching point.

Skip Grace Unknown - This is a Great Intro to Theology
I read Sproul's Grace Unknown, and while it may be a good basic introduction this book is far superior. The writing is good enough to communicate deep issues of theology to those without much exposure, as well as thorough enough to satisfy those who have put much time and thought into understanging God's character. Douglas Wilson writes the section on Conversion and if you have never read anything from this man, please do so quickly. He is always two or three steps ahead of most of the writers you would recognize and respect in terms of his originality and thoughtfulness.


Cardinal Rules of Advocacy: Understanding and Mastering Fundamental Principles of Persuasion
Published in Paperback by National Institute for Trial Advocacy (01 May, 2002)
Author: Douglas S. Lavine
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Time tested and consistent with current persuasion theory
Persuasive argumentation is a critical point of trial advocacy. Even the best legal argument with the most solid logic is useless if it can't be used to persuade the judge or jury to your position. "Cardinal Rules of Advocacy" presents the fundamental principles of persuasion in a clear and easy to understand format. Some of the most important rules are making sure that you understand your audience, tailoring your argument toward that specific audience, establish and enhance credibility, thinking creatively before the trial, total preparation, reframing the issues, and answering and posing questions. Chapter three is an excellent analysis of creative thinking for presenting your case, fallacies, and appeals to emotions. This provides a good solid basis for an argument which when coupled with the credibility and reframing the position produces a persuasive communication. This is a highly recommended read for anyone who needs to persuade others.

Cardinal Rules of Advocacy
Cardinal Rules of Advocacy is exceptional as a practical and thought-provoking guide to understanding and mastering the fundamental principles of persuasion, especially for the trial lawyer. Judge Lavine's lucid prose, erudition, wit, and years of experience as a successful trial lawyer and respected jurist all contribute to a book of uncommon insight and utility.

Probing deeper than other books about trial advocacy that merely focus on the rules of evidence, Judge Lavine's book discusses in depth such topics as identifying the audience, establishing and enhancing integrity and credibility, the necessity of thinking creatively, the importance of total preparation, and the need to frame the issues, focus on key themes, and use language precisely and persuasively. The text is greatly enhanced by well-chosen illustrations from law and literature and, at the end of each chapter, musings and exercises that provide the basis for stimulating discussion about each topic covered in the book.

As an experienced trial lawyer and law school teacher of trial advocacy, I have found Judge Lavine's book to be an excellent resource.

speak now and take your piece
Cardinal Rules Of Advocacy is a wonderful book for teaching people how to form and craft an argument. As a college instructor, I find the book to be an extremely valuable text for working with students who have to learn how to stand before an audience and present a cogent,thoughtful, concise and entertaining position on complex issues. All too often, my students fumble and stumble their way through public speaking and debate. But the Cardinal Rules of Advocacy offers insightful methods and techniques for people who want to learn the important skill of making a persuasive argument. As an added bonus, the book features Lavine's incisive prose and sly wit.


The Go-Between (Penguin Classics)
Published in Paperback by Penguin USA (Paper) (1997)
Authors: L. P. Hartley, Douglas Brooks-Davies, and Douglas Brooks-Davis
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Wistful, chaste, and utterly captivating.
Resembling both McEwan's Atonement and Frayn's Spies in its plot, this 1953 novel, recently reprinted, tells of a pre-adolescent's naive meddling in the love lives of elders, with disastrous results. Set in the summer of 1900, when the hopes and dreams for the century were as yet untarnished by two world wars and subsequent horrors, this novel is quietly elegant in style, its emotional upheavals restrained, and its 12-year-old main character, Leo Colston, so earnest, hopeful, and curious about life that the reader cannot help but be moved by his innocence.

Leo's summer visit to a friend at Brandham Hall introduces him to the landed gentry, the privileges they have assumed, and the strict social behaviors which guide their everyday lives. Bored and wanting to be helpful when his friend falls ill, Leo agrees to be a messenger carrying letters between Marian, his host's sister, and Ted Burgess, her secret love, a farmer living nearby. Catastrophe is inevitable--and devastating to Leo. In descriptive and nuanced prose, Hartley evokes the heat of summer and the emotional conflicts it heightens, the intensity rising along with the temperature. Magic spells, creatures of the zodiac, and mythology create an overlay of (chaste) paganism for Leo's perceptions, while widening the scope of Hartley's focus and providing innumerable parallels and symbols for the reader.

The emotional impact of the climax is tremendous, heightened by the author's use of three perspectives--Leo Colston as a man in his 60's, permanently damaged by events when he was 12; Leo as a 12-year-old, wrestling with new issues of class, social obligation, friendship, morality, and love, while inadvertently causing a disaster; and the reader himself, for whom hindsight and knowledge of history create powerful ironies as he views these events and the way of life they represent. Some readers have commented on Leo's unrealistic innocence in matters of sex, even as a 12-year-old, but this may be a function of age. For those of us who can remember life without TV and the computer, it is not so far-fetched to imagine a life in which "mass communication" meant the telegraph and in which "spooning" was an adults-only secret!

Rich and evocative
I first read The Go-Between in my English class in my last year of high school. Returning to the book some 20 years later, I found it an even richer text than I did as a schoolboy.

The author's use of the older Leo's retrospective narrative provides flexibility to alter recollections and timelines in a way that allows him to introduce symbolism to the text - the heat as a guage of the sexual relationship between Marion and Ted (he first notices its destructiveness at the moment he finds out of the true nature of their relationship by glancing at the unsealed letter) - the belladonna / deadly nightshade (even the two names provide contrasting meanings) as a symbol of Marion which he eventually destroys - phallic symbols such as the cricket bat and the gun for Ted (the latter which destroys him both physically and metaphorically).

Hartley's text is also a critique on the 20th century. The story is placed in 1900 and the great hopes of Victorian/Edwardian Britian - the progress of science, the progress of human society and the height of Empire. The shattering of Leo's life and hopes evokes the reality of the 20th century West. Denys and Marcus are killed in WW1 and the 10th Vicount and Vicountess Trimington by WW2. The signs are there at the time of the illusion of this sense of progress for the new century, with the frequent references to the Boer War and the disfigurement of Trimington.

There are some minor quibbles with the story. The emotional collapse of Leo seems disproportionate to what he saw - he may not have known what "spooning" was but he was aware of the intensity of Marion and Ted's relationship. However, it adds dramatic impact and does not detract from the brilliant integration of the text - its use of language, symbols and narrative patterns.

The past is a foreign country...
Leo, an old man in his sixties, is clearing through his old papers when he comes across his diary from the summer of 1900. On opening the diary, memories which he has burried for over fifty years come flooding back and he is forced to re-live the summer which changed his life for ever.The main novel is set in 1900 but the prologue and epilogue (post-World War II)form a framework to it.
The main themes of the novel are loss of innocence and the destruction of a 'golden age'. Leo's loss of innocence at the climax of the novel foreshadows the loss of innocence that Europe is about to suffer as the twentieth century unfolds. The emotional scars that Leo suffers are also a reflection on the world's inability to ever fully recover from the world wars.
The characters within the novel are highly effective because of their complexity - for example the reader is forced to question themselves whether Marian's manipulative nature is generated by selfishness or from the fact that she is incredibly miserably and desperatly trying to escape from her mother's social ambition.
The Go-Between is full of intense imagery including that of the belladonna plant which represents passion and female sexuality as something beautiful and highly desirable but ulitmately deadly.
The tragedy which ends the main novel is deepened by the epilogue which discusses the fates of all the characters within the novel and the way in which they appear to be 'cursed'. Whilst The Go-Between is by no means a cheerful novel, it is highly thought-provoking and provides a fascinating insight into the charmed life of the wealthly in Edwardian England before it was destroyed by the Great War.


Jennie
Published in Audio Cassette by Brilliance Audio (1994)
Author: Douglas J. Preston
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Jennie Archibald: Very Good, Very Gentle, Very Brave
An amazing, thought-provoking book, "Jennie" is the fascinating story (actually a composite of several case studies of the time period) of Jennie, a chimpanzee raised as a human as part of an experiment to see how chimps acquire language. Because one of my main interests is language, I found this book extremely interesting.The research presented in this book (which is based upon real experiments) has major implications for both chimps and humans. As a story, "Jennie" is weak in parts: the characterizations can be sketchy and in some places the presentation of the information (diary entries, interviews, etc.) seems kind of gimmicky. However, this should not deter you from a most interesting read. "Jennie" shows the human side of scientific research (except, of course, for the little fact that the book's main character is a chimpanzee).. It's about the malleable nature of perception. It's about evolution, and ethics. This book raises many more questions than it answers-- and that is what it is designed to do, as the most meaningful gift a writer can bestow is to make his readers think. After reading this book, I found myself questioning exactly what my relationship, as a human, is to the world around me.

Great story w/ intruiging Scientific/Philosophical Questions
Preston uses the points of view of several different characters through their journals or scientific writings to give an account of the story of Jennie, a chimpanzee taken into captivity by an American scientist. Through these varied perspectives and with a touching story, Preston raises all sorts of questions about what sets humans apart from animals, where God fits into the natural world, etc...there's all sorts of fuel for thought. Excellently written, thoroughly researched, and an all out great book. I'm a more complex thinker for having read it, and I've recommended it to many of my professors and friends.

Jennie
Jennie was truly one of the most heartbreaking books I have ever read. The title character, a chimpanzee, was as human as any person I have known. No one could come away from this book unaffected. I first read this book two years ago, and I am still haunted by it.


Unix System V Release 4: An Introduction
Published in Paperback by McGraw-Hill Osborne Media (01 February, 1996)
Authors: Kenneth H. Rosen, Richard R. Rosinski, Farber James M., Douglas A. Host, Richard P. Rosinski, and James M. Farber
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Great Unix book for beginners and intermediate users
Had to give this one four stars, though, instead of five. The chapter on Tcl/Tk and Expect (chapter 20) is loaded with errors - probably editorial in nature (lots of places where parentheses are used instead of brackets "{}" and these WILL cause errors if you try to run the commands.). Otherwise, this is a fine book for learning Unix or going beyond the beginner level. The authors not only know their stuff, but they communicate it well. Highly recommended!

Essential Book for your UNIX Reference Library
I own the first and second editions of this book. I keep a copy at home, and one at work. It is comprehensive guide to the UNIX operating system. I always look here first for any questions or help I need with UNIX. I would recommend this book for anyone that uses UNIX.

still the best overview
I owned the 1st edition before and just received my copy of the 2nd. Imo, this is still the best general description of traditional Unix systems. There are so many important topics and utilities covered in this book that I recommend it to every Unix user. Classical Unix tools (shells, roff, ed, vi, awk), scripting languages (tcl, perl), programming tools (make, lint), networking, it is all there. This is certainly not my only book on Unix, but one of the few that I would never give away.


Skull Full of Spurs
Published in Hardcover by Dark Highway Press (01 May, 2000)
Authors: Richard Laymon, Brian Hodge, Jason Bovberg, Kirk Whitman, Allen G. Douglas, Jack Ketchum, and Yvonne Navarro
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Weird Western Tales had nothing on this book.
Inspired by Joe R. Lansdale and DC comics such as Weird Western Tales and Jonah Hex, Dark Highway's Skull Full of Spurs left a big ole smile on this cowpoke's face. Jack Ketchum's story Luck, about a man who continues to get himself killed over and over and the unfortunate fates of his killers was one of the books highlights. Another was Richard Laymon's story The Hangman, a great and surprisingly funny story about a vengeful ghost. The stories about the midget sheriff, a magic bullett which hangs in midair in the middle of main street and Cthulhu mythos in the old west are all also great. Pick this book up.

Twisted, Twisted, Twisted
Skull Full Of Spurs lives up to its name: It is truly a roundup of weird Western tales that will shock you, scare you and entertain you to the uttermost degree. I had a blast reading this book and anyone who's a fan of horror fiction will, too.

The book contains 12 stories, all of them good, none of them bad. But of course, some stand out against the others. Jack Ketchum's "Luck" is a great little campfire tale, Rick Hautala's "The Screaming Head" is about a horrifying folklore legend that comes to life and Yvonne Navarro's "Divine Justice" plays with the idea of heaven and hell in a Western setting.

But there are three great masterpieces of the bizarre in this book. Richard Laymon's "The Hangman" is a classic ghost story mixed with the elements of the Western tale and ends up being a great, satisfying read. Lawrence Walsh's "The Devil's Crapper" is a funny and twisted story that will make you laugh with every word and every sentence. And Adam-Troy Castro's "The Magic Bullet Theory" (the longest story in the book) is an epic tale that is brilliantly written and highly satisfying.

And if that's not enough for you, there are also stories by Edward Lee, M. Christian, Nancy A. Collins and a very twisted, very disturbing story by Robert Devereaux. Skull Full Of Spurs has it all; horror, action, fantasy, humour... It has something to please every reader of the genre. This is one collection you'll want to come back to time and time again. So saddle up part'ner and get ready to be entertained!

A helluva fun read
I just finished Skull Full of Spurs and I thought it was great. My favorite was the story by Edward Lee. It's a real departure for him. The Brian Hodge story is also quite good. I haven't enjoyed a book this much since Razored Saddles. I'd like to see more of these weird western type stories hit the shelves.

Highly recommended.


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