If a butterfly flaps it's wings in china, and a hurricane rages in the Caribean, then an iron bridge built in 1700's Shropshire may cause the downfall of society in the 2100's. If only the past can be altered, just a little bit, then maybe the future disaster can be prevented. Maggie Foster, a woman of the future, travels to the past where she attempts to influence the world's destiny by changing a bridge and hence the course of history. Maggie becomes embroiled in the lives of the Darbys, a wealthy Quaker family, ironmakers destined to shape the future. Although she comes to love the individual members of the Darbys, her motives around the bridge are ultimately at odds with theirs. As she carefully endears herself to the family while ensuring that the bridge will be a failure, she finds herself coming to care as much about the Darbys as she does about the future.

I enjoyed "The Iron Bridge" as a glimpse into history, particularly Quakerism. I think that I learned something about historic attitudes toward sex and came to appreciate the role of iron in the formation of our present society. I highly recommend "The Iron Bridge."

Wow, this book drove home the idea of everyone's place in history. Maggie Foster a young woman from the not so distant future is chosen by her fellow Ecosophians, because of her sympathetic abilities to go back in time to change history. The Ecosophians have determined that a single bridge an Iron Bridge's success propelled man into the industrial age, and caused the economic and social disasters that befell their world.

Maggie was transported into the world of 1773, with nothing but her wits, with the task to change the building of this bridge, so that the future would be altered. Along the way the reader is transported to that time, of ironmakers and Quakers. You are given glimpses into the poverty and the manipulations of politics that shaped that time. If you think about it, continue to shape our time. You also get a sense of what shapes each character and why they do what they do.You get into the skin not only of Maggie Foster, but of that of Abraham Darby III and John Wilkinson. You are shocked by the character of all.

Getting into the character's skin brings you into the sense of how you would fit into the that time, the practices, the home life. You really begin to understand how different some things were then. Ironically, you can also see how similar some were, when it comes to family relationships and the manipulations that go into building the bridge.

The entire book is a surprise, there are some elements, I was unprepared for of a sexual nature, but provide an interesting counterpoint given the sensabilities of the day. The more violent acts would have been accepted in that day and age because of the genders involved,and the ones based in affection would have been reason for an uproar also because of the genders involved. The counterpoint of these two, was not lost on me. All in all, this is the first science fiction book I have read, that was truly set in the past.

I'm sure our salvation as a species is not in our technology, but what we do with it in good conscience. This book drives this idea home.

Great job!

If you like excellent writing and an intriguing plot with a socially conscious (NOT BORING) message, please read this book. Don't just read it -- buy it if you can and help support and encourage this author. This first novel should be on the mainstream bestseller list. This is history, science fiction, fantasy, social commentary and ecology all bundled into one.

In 2043, an American woman makes a one way trip into the Shopshire, England of the 1700's, to alter the building of a bridge. Doing so may save us all. The story gives several views. There is that of the woman, Maggie Foster, as she lands naked in the middle of an earthquake, then must find a place to live and learn the culture of the times. There is the viewpoint of John Wilkerson, swordsmaker and local entrepreneur who is trying to enforce the building of the bridge in iron, to further his own profits. The person Maggie must persuade to alter his construction of the bridge is a Quaker, Abraham Darby, who is torn between a wish to do what is right or what he'd like.

There is a lot of detail about iron and bridge building that some may find interesting -- we skipped over that to read about life in the 1700's, to follow Maggie's romances, to see her struggle to persuade the gentlemen of that period that her opinions count, and to watch her try NOT to make any changes in people's lives -- for if you change one thing in the past, no matter how small, you can alter the future in strange ways.

More of a romance and period piece than science fiction, it is well-written and fascinating to read. Some Friends should be advised that John Wilkerson's lifestyle is less than pure, and given in some detail, and that some of Maggie's experiences are less than conventional, and given in some detail, including her romance with Darby's sister.

Will she be able to alter history without changing people's lives in 1790? Will that be enough to delay the Industrial Revolution? And if so, will a delay really make a difference in saving the environment for the future?

Read and find out. Quaker author David Morse has crafted a beautiful story.

I've been a fan of Colonel David Hackworth's writing since reading his hilarious putdown of hapless, happy warrior Oliver North in a Playboy article entitled "Drugstore Marine". This book handily illustrates why he is held with such regard by his peers, and demonstrates once again that Hackworth is a guy that calls them as he sees them. In "Steel My Soldiers' Hearts", Hackworth recalls his own combat experiences in the darkest days of Vietnam, taking over command of one of the worst units then "in-country". Sent there in an effort by the brass to either prove his newfangled theories of insurgent warfare or shut up, Hackworth attempts to give his theories a fair chance of proving themselves.

However, the job would not be an easy one to accomplish. The troops, demoralized, undisciplined, and literally out of control, were experiencing some of the highest casualty rates in the conflict, and needed drastic intervention to turn them around. Their ability to seek out and successfully engage the enemy was dismal, and they foundered when circumstance suddenly changed, requiring a change in tactics. In the space of a few months, Hackworth wrought a radical transformation, and the statistics of the unit proved it. But to reach his objective of turning the troops around, Hackworth had to take some drastic action, such as firing most of the senior officers and tightening the screws on the troops until they finally heeled.

The results were impressive, and the casualty rates and most other statistics became much more positive. Hackworth had made his point and illustrated the utility of his rather unconventional ideas regarding small unit tactics in Vietnam. This is an entertaining and informative book, and, as usual, Hackworth, who never misses an opportunity to take potshots at conventional military wisdom and the political posturing of the upper echelons of the military, holds forth on his own views here. He also gives us a lot of the gritty details of life out in the bush, from firefights to helicopter landings, from clearing mine fields to avoiding sniper fire from the VC. One finishes the book feeling as though he had trooped along with the unit through the swamps and wetlands of the Mekong Delta, where, twenty clicks out, an enemy patrol is sifting through the brush. This is an entertaining and worthwhile book. Enjoy!

COL Hackworth's focus on soldiering, even keeping the story line at grunt level, is entertaining and thought provoking on the necessity of good leadership. If you can read in-between the colorful writing of COL Hackworth, you will see the influence of his time in Vietnam with BG S.L. Marshall as an analyst of armed conflict. His applications of Observe, Orient, Decide & Act (OODA) loop cycle reduction to get inside of the decision matrix of his enemy is still relevant today in Afghanistan as it was in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. The transformation of 4/39 INF from soft core to Hardcore is worth company level officers and NCO's a read. It relevancy today is that for now and the foreseeable wars to come; it will be fought at the company level with the focus on small unit tactics and training.

COL Hackworth's notability as a writer with a public image sometimes "taints" his deep analytical ability and his true heart to train and lead soldiers. Forget about his public image, his colorful phrases, and his so-called "rhetoric" . . . the book in its raw essence has value to help prepare our soldier's for the type of war we will face. Many of men have written about combat for fame or fortune but few have chosen to pass on wisdom. This book is not another war story.

This is the story of the 4/39th (4th Battalion of the 39th Infantry Regiment) during their stay in the Mekong Delta in early 1969.

Lt. Colonel Hackworth is a proven combat soldier, having served in Korea as a Ranger, and later commanding a battalion of the 101st Airborne earlier in the Vietnam War. When he is named commander of the 4/39th, they are referred to as a "..." battalion by no other than the 9th Division commander, General Ewell. Hackworth's job was to whip these men into, if not a fearsome fighting force, at least a halfway competent one. Early in the book, the reader gets the impression that this is an insurmountable task. The men of 4/39th are portrayed as lazy, shiftless, leaderless, unwilling draftees who are little removed from the civilians they were, except for the (raggedy) uniforms they wear, and the (not well maintained) guns they carry. To turn this battalion into a force the VC feared and respected would take a miracle.

Lieutenant Colonel David Hackworth was that miracle.

Hackworth immediately sets about turning his battalion into a disciplined, knife-edge sharp unit, with competent and daring infantry leaders at every level on down to squad leader. His methods at first seem so petty and chicken----, that the men put out a bounty on his head! However, as the 4/39th begins to see results when they engage the enemy, and Hackworth's sincere concern for their welfare (he once searched the entire country for a pair of boots for a soldier who had an unusually small shoe size), the men quickly come to love and respect him.

As the 4/39th becomes the star battalion of the 9th Division, many upper-level commanders want to ride on its coattails to further advance their careers. Hackworth spits particularly lethal venom on a certain Col. Ira Hunt - the type of man who probably caused us to lose the war. Not only is Hunt incompetent as a combat commander, his extreme ambition causes him to micromanage those under him and is a shameless brown-noser to his superiors. Once when Hackworth's battalion went into combat, Hunt stuck himself in the thick of things, but instead of allowing Hackworth and the other leaders involved in the battle do their jobs, he countermanded sound orders and issued illogical ones which nearly led to a disaster. Later, Hunt had the audacity to ask Hackworth for a glowing recommendation for the "victory" Hunt had masterminded. Hunt's "victory" was about as much a victory as Lee's at Gettysburg.

Throughout the book, Hackworth calls by name those who served with him in the 4/39th, praising those who served well, but diplomatically gives pseudonyms to some of the soldiers who were less than capable under his command. Particularly gracious in my eyes is the way Hackworth lists full names of those men who perished under his command. This is in contrast to many memoirs which state simply, "we lost four men that day."

The reader gets the impression that Hackworth is one of a rare breed - not just brave under fire (he earned eight (8!!) Puple Hearts in his career) but tactically competent and a good enough teacher to show those under him how its done. Another officer I've read about who seemed cut from the same mold was Major Richard Winters, who is featured as an Airborne officer during WW2 in the 101st Airborne Division. Unfortunately, Hackworth's unwavering passion for what he felt was right led him to make numerous enemies within the military hierarchy, and even though he certainly had the brains and guts to make a senior general, he retired a full colonel.

All in all, this is one great read about war, and I highly recommend it.

Roller Coaster by David Bennett is a must-buy for roller coaster lovers. Although filled with various spelling and wording errors, it contains great information and fabulous photos. If you are somewhat interested in roller coasters or amusement parks, buy this book, you won't be sorry. Happy coastering!

This is definitely one of the better coaster books available on the market. It is a couple years old so of course it is missing several of the latest and greatest coasters. Unfortunately it is all but impossible for a coaster book to be update with the rapid additions and changes in the coaster world. This book provides a strong balance between high quality photographs and useful text. The text is broken down into five chapters that focus on the history of coasters and the engineering behind them, biographical information on many of the great coaster designers, insight into the amusement park industry and information on many of the greatest thrill rides of the time.

The history of coasters is pretty much the same as you'll find in most other texts. It is still very interesting to read. The engineering section is quite fascinating, and full of useful information and the biographical information of coaster designers is probably the best information of that type I have ever found. Of course for coaster enthusiasts the highlight of this book is the chapter dedicated to the thrill rides of the time. This chapter is full of wonderful photographs and interesting information including ride statistics.

There are 200 pages of fabulous information and incredible photographs. There are photos of some of the earliest and most historical coasters, to the latest and greatest thrill rides at the time of the printing. Some of the most beautiful photographs that I have seen published. All in all an outstanding book and absolutely a must have for all coaster enthusiasts.

Hello, everyone. I definately recommend this book for anyone as crazy about rollercoasters as myself. It is an excellent book, with parks and rides from all over the world. There are many, many colorful photos. If you're into coaster history, this has about two whole chapters devoted to the coaster past and origin. If you want to know where you can ride all sorts of coasters, or want to know what coasters are in the park you are going to next, this book has it all. Unfortunately, however, with the constant changing of the coaster world, this book is going to be out-of-date shortly, however, it is a great buy right now! I encourage you greatly to buy this book.

Happy Coastering!

This is the second volume of The Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel which covers ironmaking. Like the first volume on steelmaking, this volume gives an historical overview of ironmaking.

Sections include: the fundamentals (Thermodynamics, reactions, physical properties) of iron and steelmaking; Refractories; Coal & Coke; Iron Ores; The Blast Furnace design & operation; and Direct Smelting processes.

I found the sections on the physical properties and thermodynamics are quite good. A good reference for people working in the industry.

Coming from and Iron-making research and devlopment background, I found this volume a useful tool in coming to terms with the various processes that are used for steelmaking.

Additionally information is provided for the physical properties and thermodynamics for the iron & steel making processes. Other operational issues as such as refractory design are also covered.

This is the Bible for understanding the processes involved in steel production. The history and development of the various technologies are fully discussed. The nature of the market, with the critical financial drivers are fully explained. The technical detail is written at a level that will benefit the expert, but in such a way that someone new to the business can understand the concepts and issues without being overwhelmed. This book made it possible for me to work with steel experts without being intimidated by their jargon. Don't leave home without it!

The 34th Fleet Initial Strike Team, Confederation Marine Corps, have been deployed again. This isn't a small unit assignment though, unfortunately things have gone wrong enough on Diamunde that the CMC is going to War. To provide the opening beachhead for the follow-up Army troops, against several armored battalions (read 'Tanks') that intel says aren't in the landing area. If you like the genre, this series is continuing excellently. If you're looking for the "Mobile Infantry" of Starship Troopers, don't look here. These Marines are... Marines with Blasters and better camouflage uniforms. They're still on foot, and still an elite force. If you can still find Book 1 and Book 2, they're worth reading too.

"Steel Gauntlet" (ISBN 0-345-42526-X) is David Sherman and Dan Cragg's third book chronicling the history of the Confederation Marine Corps' 34th Fleet Initial Strike Team (FIST) L Company Third Platoon, among the most deployed units in the Corps. The 34th FIST's mission to Wanderjahr was a success and for thwarting an attempt on the lives of one of Wanderjahr's leaders and the 34th FIST's General, Joe Dean and Rackman Claypoole were promoted to Lance Corporal. Diamunde, a resource-rich planet, has for the fourth time in Confederation history become a trouble spot requiring the use of military force to restore order. This time the Confederation gathers together a force consisting of six of the thirty-six Marine FISTs, the 34th is one the first units to land, two Army Corps, and a large Fleet to end the ambitions of the man who has taken control of Diamunde by force. The major problem that face the Marines, Army, and Navy units is having to relearn how to deal with Main Battle Tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, which have not been seen on the battlefield for 300 years. Before leaving Thorsfinni World to Diamunde, the 34th FIST's commanding officer makes sure that all his troops have been promoted and received all awards due them, including Charlie Bass who is once again promoted to Gunnery Sergeant. This mission will test the skills and bravery of not just the men of L Company Third Platoon, but to all the troops involved on both sides of the conflict. David Sherman and Dan Cragg do a great job in describing the fears and bravery of the infantry having to go against tanks on the battlefield. Further, this book does a good job in blending fact and the probable future of the infantry and of tanks in modern warfare.

Semper Fi! Who else could have written such a compelling book except an ex-marine? The men of 3rd plantoon, Company L, 34th Fist are back and this time there fighting Tanks! Ya gotta love it. This book is filled with so much testosterone that you'll swagger when you walk. If you haven't read the previous two books you'll be able to feel your way through the book, but it's better if you read them in sequence. Nice tech in the book too, although some of it reminds me of tech from a few other books (ie. Rick Shelley's DMC series) But what are you going to do? An infantryman's wish list is probably pretty easy to guess. Buy it Now!

This book is a detailed and thorough text that offers the reader not only guitar construction techniques, but the reasonings behind each decision. Young's writing style is simple and easy to follow, and I found his methods quite comfortable. And you don't have to have the world's greatest workshop to get the job done! The only drawbacks would be the illustrations and photographs, which are black and white and, at times, not as detailed as I would have preferred. But otherwise, this is a solid book with all the info you need to make that first acoustic six- or twelve-string guitar.

I was unable to award this book with zero stars. I've got to be honest: at no point was I wowed or impressed with his "poems." Now, I do not know him personally, nor do I know anyone who does, but he seems to be a man in love with a thesaurus, and not someone interested in doing anything remotely poetic. And 40 bucks for this book is patently ridiculous.

If you absolutely insist on purchasing it, try to find it used.

Better yet, here's my advice for someone who simply must read Mr. Sutherland: this man has absolutely inundated the internet with his poetry. Every e-zine that has accepted submissions in the past five or six years is likely to have published him. If you type his name into a search engine, you will receive hundreds of relevant hits and you will be able to peruse work for hours that rivals the "quality" found in this volume. It's essentially the same experience.

I think the potential buyer should be wary of him and all other poets who publish exclusively on the internet(which to me is a highly dubious decision).

To his credit, he has improved upon the work that he was initially shelling out to e-zines, but that improvement doesn't justify a.) paying for this book, or b.) reading a book-length manuscript of his. Take my advice: browse him on the net.

Mr. Sutherland definitely seems to occasionally strecth language to its fullest, but I was very impressed with the deeper intet of his words and meanings.

He seems to travel in poetic directions that are rare and difficult to maintain, but maintain it he does. I would highly recommend this book to readers looking for a new way at looking at poetry, I just this book wasn't so darned expensive!

All said, he has inspired my writing and what more could another writer or artist want...

"David Hunter Sutherland's first book of verse is not for the beginner, the poet-taster, someone looking for a quick emotional fix. If you are a fan of Bukowski or performance poetry, this volume is guaranteed to stretch your mind."

--C. E. Chaffin, The Melic Review

"Here all language is memorial. Like the black sun at the center of Nerval's lute, this book radiates an eclipsed light, a music lit by the humanizing presence of what it cannot name"

--Bruce Bond American Literary Review.


"David Sutherland's work is gripping at you with forceps. . .the words quickly become a delicacy, part of a perfect mathematical equation all our own."

--Guy Shahar The Cortland Review

This book is descent but a poor substitute in light of better alternatives, namely Zar's Biostatistical Analysis or Sokal and Rohlf's Biometry. Zar's book is my favorite. I am not as familar with Sokal and Rohlf's but know enough that I prefer the organization and context of Zar. The limitations of Steel et al. is the needless use of matrix algebra, the lack of calculations in many cases (instead, the linear model is presented without decomposition into formulas), the brief discription for many of the analyses, lack of good examples, and difficult to follow writing. On the positive side, Steel et al. have a chapter on experimental design, which Zar and Sokal and Rohlf lack, although it is not an easy chapter to follow. My recommendation is to use Zar as your primary "go to" reference on biostatistics.

I found that Steel et al. covered a broad range of methodology needed for biological research, and that the scope of this text is comparable to any statistical manual available. It is very functional as a reference material for troubleshooting any design or analysis problems. As a professor of research methodology, I highly recommend consulting this text for improving the statistical analysis of biological research.

I go back and forth with Danielle Steele's books. Some I love, others are ho-hum, and some have such implausible plots that I don't even bother to finish reading them.

"The Cottage" is one of the better books Ms. Steele has written in a while. The characters are well-developed and, for the most part, likable; the dialog is fun; and the story keeps you interested with its various twists and turns.

I did have problems in a few chapters, and found myself asking questions like these:

How can a man who just lost the wife, whom he professed to be the love of his life, fall deeply in love with another woman not even six months after his wife's death?

How can a father and his child bond so swiftly and completely when they knew nothing of each other's existence for 39 years?

How can a well-educated, independent woman put up with the egocentricities and obnoxious behavior of a man old enough to be her grandfather?

I have to be in the right frame of mind for a Steele book: A hard day at the office, and a need to chill out with some light reading set me on to this book. Although I did say, "Oh c'mon," in several spots, I enjoyed it.

Very good reading. Couldn't put it down after the first couple of chapters!

Yes, that is a strong statement, but I believe THE COTTAGE to be the best novel written in English. And English is a rich language, overflowing with worthy works from both sides of the Atlantic, India and beyond. The only novel as a close contender on my list is Jane Eyre, with its fearsome symmetry and romantic passion.

Danielle Steel has been the bane of students everywhere who suffer reading LEAP OF FAITH in high school. But later on, you, like me, may develop a taste for the classics and this book will reward you richly.

The first few chapters are tedious and overwritten; I nearly gave up at some points but I always thought, "I got this far, I might as well go further." By the end of the book, I was sorry I had finished it and sad that I would no longer read about these characters who had become so intimate to me. That's my measure of a masterpiece. I felt as if I'd lost some friends in the main characters when I closed the book.

The main reason I was bored in the first few chapters was because I found Cooper Winslow so unbelieavably "good" and "pious." I could not relate at all to the character who seemed one-dimensional. And I was not surprised or sorry that he had dwindled his fortune down to nearly nothing, and had to take on roommates. But I believe now that Danielle Steel's early depiction of Coop sets us up to realize that we all often are foolish and close-minded when we are old and ought to believe passionately in "saving the world." Even with the best of intentions, as Steel shows, we often fall short because of societal restrictions and mistakes we make in life. In the final analysis, Danielle Steel makes her point well: we can inspire people and change their lives with one act of kindness and by doing good in our community in our quiet ways. I started out rolling my eyes at Cooper and ended up wanting to emulate him in my own life.

I love Danielle Steel's style of writing - beautifully and distinctively eloquent and expressive, and with such observance and skills in depicting the depths and complexities of human relations and the demands and passions of the heart. The book also explores the issues of "class," "money," "politics," "scandals," and even "murder" - all portrayed brilliantly in high drama and with engrossing suspense.

I am surprised that so many people think the story centers around Cooper. What makes this novel so compelling and fascinating is Danielle Steel's accomplishment in creating an entire village with complex characters so different and yet so similar to each other. I would say this story is as much about Mark Friedman, Jimmy O' Connor, Alex et al as it was about Cooper.

In my copy of the book, there is a quote by Virginia Woolfe that says, to paraphrase, that this book is a great English novel written for adults. This is so true! I am a die-hard Jane Austen fan, but the one major flaw I see with Austen is that she writes about courtship and ends at marriage so it can be easy to write (though in my wildest dreams I could never write as brilliantly as Jane Austen). Courtship is often exciting, romantic, and idealistic. But marriage, and any long-term relationship, involves compromise, trials and tribulations, tests of a couple's strength or the events that reveal the weakness of their bond. This novel examines the full range from courtship to marriage and the difficulties within all relationships. Through all the events, you find yourself sympathizing with each character, even while you realize you loathe what he/she is doing, his/her point of view. What's amazing is that within this complex set of characters lies complexity within each person.

The reason I bought this book was because I wanted to get a taste of what St. Tropez was really like. I wanted to "go" there in my mind. What I got was a book about three late middle-aged couples and the various issues in their relationships. I suppose there is an audience out there who would appreciate this book, buy I am 40 and was bored to death. I did catch the names a few places to visit in St. Tropez (if they are real), but I couldn't really tell you much of anything about the French Riveria other than it is on the Mediterranean Sea and rich people go there to vacation.

Danielle Steel has done much better writing in her former days. I feel like she got lazy on this novel and threw something together to sell a book.

The ending is so ridiculous (even for romance novels) that I hope somebody stops Ms. Steel, before she stikes (writes) again.

Danielle Steele's books are all the same, just different characters. I don't know why I waste my money on them. The story in this book is light, and very predictable. I figured out the story line half way through the book. If you need something to read just to pass the time...then go ahead and purchase this. But if you are looking for a deep romance book or something than keep on looking. Boring!

I have been reading Danielle Steel's books since her very first in 1979; I have all of them in hardcover. I received this book several days ago and I finished it in just a few days. I don't want to reveal the plot because I want you to read the book, but I found it to be easy reading, enjoyable and just as fun as the way she wrote in the beginning. It is a cannot-put-it-down book about three couples, all whom you would like immediately and wish you had them as friends. She has a wonderful way of getting you to like the people she writes about; always making most of them to be not only beautiful in body but in mind and soul. Ms. Steel must basically be a wonderful and heartwarming person herself. I always look forward to each and every book she writes. I am sure you won't be disappointed.