But let's be clear right up front. My 5-star rating of this book applies only to the original unabridged version in Johann Wyss' own words. The modernized versions are watered down, time-wasters for word wusses.

When I was nine years old I spent months struggling through this book for the first time. The old style language made for rough going, but I persevered. In the end I was rewarded with more than a classic tale marvelously told; I discovered a love of books and earned self-respect for tackling a tough read.

If I was a teacher whose task it was to introduce students to classic literature, I would skip Dickens and use this book. Kids love adventure, animals, and action. Swiss Family Robinson has it all. It's really a thriller disguised as a literary classic. All book lovers should read this one at least once.

And please don't watch the Disney movie and claim you've "been there, did that" on this story. The movie is totally different and in no way compares.

Never mind the film versions; the original unabridged Swiss Family Robinson is an exciting epic with a lot in it for the whole family.

Our third grade teacher read to us from this book every day and I could hardly wait for the next installment. Finally I got my own copy for a birthday gift, sat on the couch and read it cover to cover in one go. I still have this book, decades later.

From the opening, thrilling tempest scene to the very end and the "rescue", this book has plenty of action as well as creative solutions to problems. There is a lot of material for discussion, how the family solved problems, how they handled disagreements, adversity, disappointment, building of character.

This book definitely teaches values along with the adventure and the values are linked in such a way as to be an integral part of the story.

And Swiss Family Robinson is never boring. There is always an exciting new beast to be discovered, a new plant to use for food or clothing, a new machine or tool to be built, a new part of the island to explore. This is a wonderful book to read out loud to kids until they are old enough to enjoy reading it themselves. If you are bored with re-runs on TV, turn off the box and spend a half-hour or hour every evening reading this aloud. Everyone will have a great time, and kids who are read to, become readers themselves.

There's not many classic books that are more well known than "The Swiss Family Robinson." A Swiss family is stranded on an uninhabited island and there doesn't seem to be any rescues that are lingering around the corner for many years. Soon the family is taming tons of new pets, fighting off animals such as anacondas and lions, and learning how to basically survive off the land the best they can. The Robinson family must keep an eye out for danger while also starting a whole new way of life for themselves.

I thought "The Swiss Family Robinson" was a spectacular adventure/survival book. You can say that the book is pretty much a long diary that is kept by the father of the family of everything that happens to them on the island. The book I read did have many references to God unlike some of the abridged editions. The only thing I didn't like about "The Swiss Family Robinson" is that when the family starts collecting and taming many animals that they find on the island, it gets a little tough to keep up with all the animals' names, but that wasn't bad enough to take anything away from the book for me.

I recommend anybody who likes survival or adventure books, especially if you like reading the classics, to get "The Swiss Family Robinson." I would recommend getting an unabridged version of the book if you can so you won't miss a word.

A dark, stormy night, home alone and talk of demons in every corner waiting....for you. The greatest challenge facing the reader is to discern what aspects of this book are documented fact, what is blatant hype or exaggeration and, in some cases, outright lies.

Having participated in this line of work and study for several decades, I can attest that occurences as depicted in this book do happen from time to time. However, the material is presented in such a spectacular vein one can only question what the true, primary motivation is for writing on this subject in this manner. I suspect the answer is money.

If the text is to be presented, as it is, as fact then the occurences should be reported honestly and unemotionally. If the text is to be presented as fiction then poetic license and creativity is more than appropriate.

I am concerned with the authenticity and the obvious "marketing" approach of this book. I believe the reader, (purchaser), is being sold a bill of goods and that the subject deserves a higher level of respect than it receives. In fact, for the money, I'd recomend a Stephen King novel. At least King does'nt purport to be presenting fact in his writings.

I read this book over 15 years ago. I couldn't finish it. It scared me too much. I lived in a haunted house when I was young and it brought back too many scary memories. If the metaphyical is your cup of tea I recommend this book. I'm looking to buy it again so I can try to finish it this time........

This is the first horror book I read that really scared me. Very interesting and spooky! I was lucky enough to hear Ed and Lorraine speak at a high school a few years ago- they were great. If you never get to meet them (or even if you do) read this book, it's worth it!

These two are still at it, peddling fiction for fact and attempting to convince the world that we are surrounded by the supernatural. A car in the garage, two chickens in the pot and demons in every basement seems to be these folks favorite slogan. Having interviewed several reputable parapsychologists who regard them as "ambulance chasers" of the psychic phenomenon world, I have no compunctions whatsoever in labeling these two exactly what they are: opportunists straight out of the middle ages...

I agree with other critics that some of the books that the Warrens are either featured in or write, such as The Demonologist, or Beware the Night are written in a rather melodramatic fashion. This one is no different, but it is still a must read for a dark and stormy night. No one can deny the chills they get when they read about the Smurl family's ordeal. I first read this book about ten years ago and it scared me so badly that I had to sleep with the lights on for a week. Do I beleive every single word. Not really. Do I think these things really happened in some form or another? Absolutely.

Quite simply this book has it all. From casefiles of the Warren's most frightening cases to guidelines for the amateur ghost hunter, this book will have you reading all night long.(Partly because of the frightening tales) I especially enjoyed the areas in which Ed tells of times when even he feared for his well being. Ed Warren is a demonologist and his wife Lorraine is a trance medium, this combination makes for interesting encounters with spirits and demons alike. If you get a chance to see their lecture near you I strongly encourage you to attend.

Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. Take for example the cheesy cover showing LPs. Books in which the editors choose songs are usually done in a respectful manner and by those who are well steeped in the genre. Not here. Take for example Merle Haggard's "Carolyn" that comes in at #9. Haggard, a prolific songwriter wasn't the one who penned this song. And few Merle fans would even included this in there top 20 songs that Merle performs. And then there's the inclusion of Juice Newton and Oliva Newton John.

For goodness sakes.

If you're going to name the 500 best singles....you might want to include at least one from Alabama. Talk about no-brainers...their exclusion immediately puts this book's validity into serious doubt. Something tells me if you can't find room for the biggest selling, most awarded act in country music history, then why bother? On the plus side, the deserving songs they did include are well-profiled. It's just too bad some editor with a clue didn't stop these guys before they went careening out of control...with some truly bizarre picks. If a country radio station never played it (read some of the examples in other reviews), it AIN'T among the 500 best country singles ever. In fact that would make it impossible. Unless you count Ernest Tubb as one of our greatest rock stars.

It seems unfortunate to me that there are reviews in this forum that judge this book negatively because the reviewers happen to disagree with the authors' choices. Of course you're not going to agree with all the choices (or even most of them), but even if you don't, the simple fact is that Cantwell and Friskics-Warren have crafted a beautifully-written, well-argued text that will start conversations and promote deep and appreciative listening of one of America's finest musical forms. Bravo.

This book is poorly written, offers no insights and generally does nothing more than report the resume of the individuals profiled. In short it offers worthless pablum!!!!!

David Heenan's, Double Lives, profiles 10 individuals who excel in their vocations as well as in their avocations (sometimes more than 1). Sally Ride (NASA), Norio Ohga (Sony), Larry Small (Smithsonian) are a few who's stories are told. Heenan does a nice job of analyzing the "20 Keys" for living a double life. His last chapter will inspire you to wake up and live one too!

This excellent history of Jean Schlumberger and his amazing jewelry is very fine in every respect save one: there aren't enough pictures! Specifically, there aren't enough color pictures. Never one to stick solely to diamonds, Schlumberger made piquant and imaginative use of a wide array of colored gemstones. It's a disappointment that we get to see so many of these creations herein only in sketch or black-and-white photo form. The pieces which are shown in color are blazingly beautiful and intricately detailed--Schlumberger at his very best. All in all, an unevenly enjoyable book.

A fascinating museum catalog with a hard back cover and with an enchanting dust cover, but very lacking of text about a collection of Jean Schlumberger's extraordinary jewels. Had this catalog included more vignettes or even the provenance's of the jewels portrayed, as it does of Diana Vreeland's brooch, and how she propped it up on her night stand to admire, I would have found this book more enriching. Had I not recognized the drawing of Elizabeth Taylor's 'Night of the Iguana' brooch, I would have not known the famous lady who had been presented this Schlumberger treasure by the late Richard Burton. As a fine jeweler of eighteen years, I am as anxious to know and to pass on to my clients how other people's jewels have added enjoyment and meaning to their lives. Jewels are more than art, they are symbols of love and affection, and often they are the only highly valued heirlooms that are passed on from one generation to another. Hence Jewels also represent our immortality and how sad when the stories of those who wore them are unknown to the heirs. This museum catalog of a 1996 Schlumberger exhibition in Paris doesn't give us any titillating provenance's as does Judy Rudoe's "Cartier 1900-1939" exhibition text nor how this important master's creations enriched the collector lives.

I read this book for a class. If you're looking for this book as a casual read, I would recommend against it.

I found it more enjoyable than some of the other social history on the topic that I had to read. Still, I just couldn't get into it. It leans heavily toward an academic rather than a literary style.

Poor illustration, lengthy text,and not very well updated

The author can not explain the molecular aspects of biological processes well. The figures were fine but there are so many books that are far better than this. The author seriously needs to take some writing classes. I had to use another book in conjunction with this one, inorder to make sure I got the concepts correct. Compared to the other book, Eckert Animal Physiology is nothing!

I have been teaching University-level physiology for over 10 years. I have used at least a dozen books, from the "essentials" to the "encyclopedic". For a one-semester course on physiology that emphasizes recurring mechanisms from a cellular and organ-level perspective, with a great introduction to ecological physiology thrown in, Eckert cannot be beat. In my experience, the vast majority of students respond better to Eckert's illustrations than to the endless flow charts that appear in most of the other books. It nicely fills the niche between "just the basics" essentials texts (which are simply not rigorous enough for biology majors) and the "every little detail" encyclopedic texts that most students find bewildering. If I had to learn animal physiology from just one textbook, this would be it; and I'd save the cell & molecular details from one of THOSE specialty texts instead. The ONLY criticism I have about Eckert is its nearly complete lack of consideration of the immune system.

This book, which thankfully I borrowed, could be used by authors worldwide as a shining example of poor research skills, deplorable use of language, and excellent yellow journalism. As an example, the setting of the crime takes place in New Berlin, NY. The river flowing through that small town is the Unadilla, not the Chenango, as reported in this book. Similar errors abound. That aside, the errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax make this a difficult book to read. Additionally, I found this "objective" account to be incredibly biased. Mr. Warren, a basic writing course would be my suggestion, and please make up your mind whether you would like to write an account from one perspective or if you would like to be an objective journalist.

... It is obvious that the book was not properly edited and the material itself is biased. The book seems to solely focus on the murderer's family information, and does not touch on that of the victim's. ... Overall it was a struggle to read and a great disappointment. ...

The typographical and grammatical errors make your teeth grind, the factual content (including geographically) is appalling, and the generalizations about small town life are enough to make anyone who grew up in a small town want to scream. The author's attitude is that he is the only one capable of understanding why April did what she did and that the verdict was justified. If you really want to read the book and you know someone who owns it, borrow it. Please don't give any more money to this author for his lousy effort.

This is not a game worth buying. This is not a game worth ordering. This game is not worth looking at. This is the exact reason why you shouldn't ever click on books you've never heard of.

This is the utterly stupid, bizzarre, non-playable, lackluster, and pointless game that bankrupted TSR.