When I first bought this book, I was sorely disappointed, not by the beauty of the blooms (and they are truly magnificent), but by the fact that they hid the body of the plant underneath in most cases. I didn't know as much about cacti as I do now. I also felt that I couldn't equate my humble little 5" pots to the outdoor giants depicted too. Now I know. You need to know about the flower before you can understand the cactus, and quite often, trying to identify one cactus not in flower from another is almost impossible because so many have similar characteristics. Just wait until the flowers start, and then you understand exactly what's what, and why some succulents look like cacti, but aren't. Sound confusing? It is, to begin with, but Miles Anderson brings it all to life in this glory of a book, and gradually, all the pieces begin to fall into shape. I would recommend this highly to anyone with an interest in knowing what they're growing, or with a penchant for beautiful photographs. Read his advice carefully, and you'll soon have the blooms for your identification. A lovely book.

In my never ending quest to find informative, user-friendly guides on houseplants, this one comes up a definite winner! The author's stated intent is to provide a guide to identification and growing, and the entire book is geared to exactly that, with a friendly, informative tone throughout.

The book is prefaced by a brief overview of shapes and forms, natural habitats, and design ideas. The body of the book is comprised of two sections on plants, one for cacti, the other for succulents. Species are presented alphabetically by genus, with an overview of the genus --its basic forms, preferences, and care-- followed by more detailed descriptions of individual plant species within the genus. Description include particulars of height and form, a rundown of cultivation preferences, and often details on propagation. The appendices at the back get a bit further into care and cultivation, particularly propagation, plus there's a glossary of terms, and several plant lists for conditions and interests. The index includes both scientific and common names.

What I liked best about this book was that it discussed growing environments in terms of tolerances, rather than ideals. It is all good and well to know that a plant grows best at 83 degrees, but how far can you push the envelope before the thing drops over dead? Descriptions like "It grows well in a half day of sun and will tolerate light frost without much damage" are ever so much more interesting and useful! Also, my hat is off to the photographer, for a most excellent job throughout.

I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone with an interest in cactuses. My particular interest is growing and identification of the various (unlabeled) things I've acquired over the last few years.

Arthur Morrison's novel provides an excellent (if harsh) counterpoint to the relative gentility of Great Expectations or Wuthering Heights. You may be thinking, "Dickens and Bronte didn't pull punches," but read A Child of the Jago, and suddenly Pip's life will seem downright bucolic.
Morrison gives the reader a window into the seamy underbelly of Victorian London, and exposes unimaginable living conditions and inhuman treatment. This book is a must-read if you enjoy Victorian literature. It brings to life a part of London that must be experienced to be believed.

The Jago was one of, if not the worst slums in London. Dicky Perrot is the main character of the story and we follow him form age 8 to about 17. His fight for survival and the responsibility he feels for his mother and sister whilst his Father is in prison makes you feel like crying. He has nothing and knows, as the local eccentric put it, that the Jago had got him and that there are only two ways out for him - to become a "Swellmobsmen" ( successful thief ) or death. Dicky is encouraged by the local Parson, Father Sturt, who is tireless in his work with the people of the Jago, to try to make something decent and honest with his life and enjoy all the things that the people who he robs enjoy and manages to secure him a job as a delivery boy for the local chandler. Unfortunately for Dicky he is dismissed thanks to an old friend who does not want him to take the straight and narrow path. After this Dicky goes down hill fast, he loses patience with his mother who takes to the Gin and leaves Em his sister to crawl in the gutter and fend for herself, his Father, disenchanted with life after coming out of prison, does his one last fatal job and at the end we see a small, poor desperate Dicky and like his old friend Beveridge told him years before, there are only two ways out of the Jago... Find out which way Dicky gets out in this excellent and realistic portrayal of life in a London slum at the turn of the century.

While The Doctor (from Doctor Who) is trapped in his own nightmarish story arc, his personal history collapsing, other effects are being felt by some of his former companions.

Bernice, battered from recent adventures, does not appear in this book. Rather, the story focuses on ex-Seventh Doctor companion Chris Cwej. Only he isn't quite the man he used to be.

An agent for a nameless, time-travelling race, he believes he used to travel with an "Evil Renegade" who manipulated and tortured him and killed his colleague Roz.

In London in the 1970s, he meets a young woman called Christine Summerfield, who narrates the novel in the form of a diary. Only it's not the London of the "Doctor Who" universe, where the solar system has fourteen planets and the fifth is locked in a time loop. This is our rather more ordinary Earth, recovering from the Summer of Love, entering the hangover period induced by the 1960s.

Cwej is cagey about his mission, which somehow involves Christine, and shows a cynical, manipulative side which signifies the end of the naive character we know and love. The apocalypse the book promises is a fitting closing chapter in the life of the younger Chris.

Dead Romance ranks among my favourite New Adventures (including the old Doctor Who books), with the guts to take an established universe: Time Lords, Daleks, The People, The Doctor and get under their skin, re-writing them where necessary, showing them from an outsider's point of view.

The Eighth Doctor might be in the middle of all the action, but it's these very real characters who experience and suffer the consequences and side-effects of what he does.

Brilliantly written and eminently re-readable.

According to Christine Summerfield, the 'world ended on 12 October, 1970'. This is the first of many conundrums in Lawrence Miles' fascinating novel in the New Adventures series. Immediately we are led to question the main narrator, a technique the author has used before, but never to such devastating effect. We are forced to witness the barbaric destruction of a whole culture - 'our' culture. Lawrence Miles uses the form of a pulp novel to dismantle the very conception of reality. All the motifs of the New Adventures are here: from Jack the Ripper who threatens Christine's life, to the mysterious race of time travellers, but nothing is quite what it seems. 'Dead Romance' sees the return of Chris Cwej, who appears to be working for the time travellers, who are in trouble. They find their power base usurped by sudden re-emergence of the incomprehensible and unknowable 'Gods'. Christine must help Cwej in his bid to build an escape route for the benevolent time travellers, via an entire universe entrapped within a bottle. However, the owners of the bottle don't want their space to be corrupted, and something much more horrifying has followed Chris in... 'Dead Romance' is a witty, macabre work by a novelist at the height of his powers.

This book was so good and Roger S. Baum really brings all the characters. He finds a different way to bring Dorothy to Oz. He also really describes everything that happens to her on her journey. He makes her adventures really exciting.

Roger is the great-grandson of L Frank Baum, who wrote the original Oz books. In this book Dorothy uses her silver shoes to get to Oz again. The people there are in great danger, from the evil Jester who lives in Princess Gayelette and Prince Quelala's castle.The Jester has the Wicked of the West's magic wand. With it, he has turned lots of people into china, including all of the people of the castle. He also turned Dorothy's friends, the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion, into china. When Dorothy wasn't looking, he even turns Toto into china! Dorothy is very frightened and wants to save her friends. If you are an Oz fan, you'll enjoy this newest book!

Very moving, timeless poetry..

A heartfelt collection of poetry that is sometimes profound sometimes silly...something for everyone from the citizen of Smalltown, USA to the most jaded New Yorker.

Having grown up in the "Plat" mentioned in the book, I enjoyed the walk down memory lane. Bill Sullivan's style of writing held my attention from the moment I started reading till I finished and then I was looking for more. Although the people and events are real, a lot of people growing up in the sixties will see themselves as one of the characters and will enjoy reliving their teen years.

A must read for everyone. If you what to know what life was in the 1950's and 1960's. you must read this one. I couldn't put the book down. I wanted to know what was going ot happen next. This book is an American Adventure, and it proved that not everyone was a hippy back then. Mr. Sullivans use of the english language was perfect. Take your mind on a trip with Bill

This book is undoubtedly one of the best exposures to Shakespeare for children. My eight year old daughter loved it so much she brought it to school and shared it with the class. Her teacher found a copy and made it part of his curriculum. Parents were delighted and tried to find their own copies. I must say this was back in 1978! I have recommended this book over the years to numerous young parents who cannot find this wonderful book. Very sad. To not have this book would be like missing "Pat The Bunny" or "Good Night Moon".

This book and its amazing illustrations will expose your children (and yourself) to the wonderful world of Shakespeare. Several of Shakespeares best known plays are retold as stories, without the complicated language. Bernard Miles is able to weave these tales so well that you get completely drawn into the characters and the time. Reading these as a kid (the stories are long, probably best for 12 and up) gave me an interest in Shakespeare and help me to understand them when I read or saw them as plays. Don't miss an opportunity to get a copy of this book!

This book was a highly enjoyable read and really does the TV series justice. You get to share Palin's experiences throughout his journey in way that the TV series is unable to do. The little stories that he mentions like visiting the prison camp in Siberia, the offers from the "missie's" in China, and the references to his real life going on in the UK all create a memorable experience. Definetely my favorite out of all of his travelogues.

Michael Palin (of Monty Python fame) is more than funny: he's a perceptive and compassionate traveller! I loved his first two BBC travel series and their companion books, so when one day in Seattle, I read in the paper that the next evening he would begin a third, I made sure to tune in. I wasn't disappointed; from a remote Alaskan island so close to the International Dateline that Palin writes: "The Russian soldiers staring at me across the water have already had the day I'm having" to "the southernmost place of worship in the world, outside of Antarctica", this one is as good an armchair journey as any the BBC has produced. Something special: the photography is, as usual, superb, and there's an underwater sequence in the Philipines that has to be seen to be believed. So, either take a year off yourself (that's about what it took Palin), pack your own forty-eight (!) suitcases and spend your own mint to do this trip of a lifetime, or just do it with Mike Palin. After all, that's what books are for, isn't it?

Clearly, a lot of research went into this effor. This is an exciting and interesting book. A recommend to anyone interested in native american or american military history.

A Hero to His Fighting Men. Nelson A. Miles, 1839 - 1925 is a biography of an American hero whose good name has been unfairly tarnished. Miles compiled a flawless record of military feats after he began his army service as a volunteer officer in the Civil War. Following the Civil War, in which he fought in every major battle of the army of the Potomac except Gettysburg, and won the Congressional Medal of Honor for "distinguished gallantry at the battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia, May 3, 1863," he earned fleeting fame on the frontier. Today, few realize that, in turn, he defeated dissident bands of Kiowa-Comanches, Sioux, Nez Perces, and renegade Apaches led by Geronimo, and then skillfully managed the Messiah outbreak f 1890. The climax of his career came in 1895 with his appointment as commanding general of the army. The driving ambition, courage, and self-confidence that were responsible for his military successes and advancement also made him a controversial officer who begot a legion of enemies. Because the judgments of his critics have influenced the way history has viewed Miles it is necessary to reassess the career of the officer who was appreciated in his day as "the idol of the Indian fighters."

One can readily understand why some of his contemporaries did not wish Miles well. For instance, supporters of Jefferson Davis found it difficult to forgive Miles, when, as jailer of the fallen President of the Confederate States of America, he had his prisoner temporarily placed in chains. Equally apparent is how, in the post Civil War army, at a time when there were few opportunities for advancement, jealousies naturally sprang up between Miles and his rivals for promotion. It is also evident why officials in Washington would resent his outspoken criticism of mismanaged bureaus and campaigns. For example, in his 1886 annual report Miles complained about the shoes manufactured at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth and worn by his men on the Geronimo campaign. The Adjutant General had earlier praised the prison for its products. Miles faultfinding partially explains why the government made little effort to honor him for his victory over the Apaches.

A painstaking search that took over fifteen years, of both manuscript collections and nineteenth century newspapers, unearthed information that justifies reexamination of Miles' career. For instance the Adjutant General's bruised feelings concerning the shoes made at Fort Leavenworth does not completely explain Miles' difficulties following the Geronimo campaign. Miles also had to contend with bureaucratic intrigues emanating from the headquarters of his superior officer at the time, Major General Oliver O. Howard. For example, Howard muddied the details of what actually happened when Geronimo surrendered to Miles. As a result, Miles fell into official disfavor. Miles did not publicly air his exasperation at this disservice, but he reacted after he read the published correspondence of the surrender and realized what had happened. In a letter found in Howard's papers, which has not been fully appreciated by some students of the campaign, it is clear that Miles was aware of how the mischief damaged his reputation.

Seething at what he read in the government document, Miles accused Howard of keeping his report "pigeon-holed at Division Headquarters for nearly a month notwithstanding that I was being denounced, meanwhile, from one end of the country to the other for not reporting the fact of the surrender."

In some bewilderment, Miles continued: "You not only failed to set me right when it was within your power so to do, but you seem to have gone out of your way in the opposite direction."

Another instance in which history has misjudged Miles resulted from strained relations between Miles and the Commanding General of the Army, William T. Sherman. Most Indian War historians have been negatively influenced by an impulsive letter written by Sherman, which Miles probably never knew existed. Greater insight into their feud, however, would be gained by considering an interview of General Sherman by a New York Herald reporter that has not been commented upon in other studies of this period.

Miles, who President Theodore Roosevelt dismissed as a "brave peacock" because of his vanity and love of pomp deserves a more accurate epitaph. A Hero to His Fighting Men reminds its readers that in 1910 a balladeer honored Miles, asserting that the general, who was "solid with the ranks," might be a Little partial to the medals on his chest. He's got a darned right to be; He earned 'em in the West.

Note: Great care was taken to insure that although A Hero to His Fighting Men, Nelson A. Miles, 1839 - 1925 was a scholarly study of the General's career, it was also a very readable portrait of a military leader who deserves greater appreciation for his services to our nation.

1998, c. 568pp., 23 illus. Isbn-0-87338-594-

I have begun to use these Road to Reading books in my resource classroom and the students love them. They especially loved Hot Dog. Many of the words are on the state mandated word lists for K-2. The pictures are terrific and the story is interesting and funny to the kids. I thought it was great too-in fact we all fell in love with the little "Hot Dog".

This book was the first one our daughter (4) read by herself. It's pretty good and is at the level of the old "see spot run" books. It's about thirty pages and has nice color pictures.