I haven't done much weaving in the past 15 years, so I looked for my old favorite, Key To Weaving. Along the way, I ran across this book and found so much great, technical info. It was especially inspiring as I was looking to learn about color-and-weave effects, and huck lace. Forget Key To Weaving. This book has taken its place.

Helene Bress' incredible accomplishment in THE WEAVING BOOK can hardly be understated. She has compiled thousands of samples of handweaving that illustrate the basic weave structures, and the myriad variations thereto that make handweaving a lifelong avocation of learning and discovery.

Weaving theory is presented in a clear & straight-forward text. What is the most valuable are the photos of the samples themselves (the weaving the work of a small group of weavers, including Doromay Keasbey, and the photos the work of Allen Bress, the author's son). As a beginning weaver, it is often very hard to visualize a fabric from a draft, and until you learn to do that, drafts are nearly useless. These thousands of samples are presented in a way that makes the relationship between draft and fabric clearer. Not only will a novice find plenty of inspiration here for original projects, but will come away from working with this book better able to understand and productively use the classic pattern books, as well as those books which treat in depth the weave structures introduced here.

A greedy reader (like myself) could wish that the samples were illustrated in color -- the color pages of examples are tantalizing -- but the author and her colleagues wisely understood that color reproduction would have made the book far too expensive. Even with the significant discount available from Amazon.com, THE WEAVING BOOK is still a serious investment. If you are a novice weaver, buy this book before almost any other. If you are an experiecned weaver, there is plenty within its covers to make it a valued reference and idea source.

The Weaving Book is one of the most used volumes in my fiber library! Ms Bress illustrates four common threadings on the loom and then demonstrates the myriad possibilites by altering only the treadling and tie-ups. The book has many, many photographic illustrations and is easy to read. A tremendous resource.

I am 16 years old and I think this book was one of the best books I have ever read.I don't read very much but I read this book in about 3 hours. It tells you the truth about being on death row. And has changed my mind about the death penalty. I am going to recommend this book to everyone I know.

This is an excellent book for everyone who has any interest in the Death Penalty. The letters in the book will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you scream! This book is compiled in such a beautiful way that it makes you appreciate that although some of these people may have committed horrible crimes, they are still human, and still have feelings. I have had the pleasure and honor of writing to one of the inmates profiled in this book, and it has been an experience I will never forget

This is the nearest you will ever be to the lowest echelons of hell - read "Welcome to Hell" and weep for the discarded and unwanted members of our throw away society. This is Death Row's own voice - the voice of men who have been shunned and abandoned, sometimes by their own families, whose lives are deemed to be worthless and yet who show through these writing that they retain their essential humanity and still have much to offer

Winning Ways is a step by step book for development and learning of powerful and subtle ways of communicating with people. I was first introduced to Helen Clinard's "ways" in 1993, became a student, and with practice and nurturing, have endeavored to incorporate these skills into my daily living, that is to make them become so natural that they are behavioral habits. Helen Clinard's insights into human communication behaviors, were ahead of their time, sort of precursors to recent emphasis and popularity of Emotional Intelligence in management training. The book is technical, thorough, uses graphical models, and incorporates many day to day examples to help the reader. A must have for those in executive coaching and counseling professions.

I use this book as a communication training resource for suprvisors. The skill outcomes are concrete and applications oriented. Another advantage of the book is that it is written in a developmental format. Everything is in a stepwise order. Each part builds on the skill previously presented. I recommend using this book as a training guide for communication training with people who want well defined, concrete, applications-oriented training. I liked it so much I brought in the author, Ms. Helen Clinard, to do the training. I also recommend this book as a self-help guide to individuals wanting to learn concrete and useable communication skills. It is clearly written, easy to understand and the skills are effective when practiced in real life situations.

If it is true -- and I believe it is -- that effective communication is the key to success in business, life, and parenting, then this book is a "must buy!" The "seven skills" taught in this book are really interlocking parts of a single framework for understanding and interacting with human behavior that can transform all the relationships in one's life. I have used the skill called "Tracking Positives," for example, to teach first-time supervisors how -- pragmatically -- to (in Dr. Johnson's words) "catch employees doing something RIGHT!" I know parents who have been able to open up long-closed channels of communication with their adolescent children by practicing the skills in this book. And I have watched as volunteers have been able to use these skills to break through to people on the edge of hopelessness. If you are serious about communicating effectively or if you know someone who should be -- buy this book!

This book is so refreshing! A great one to pull out when feeling frustrated/angry/sad/lost. Very insightful phrases, thoughts, philosophies. Everyone should have this on the shelf for those days with a little extra motivation is needed...

I've read my fair share of books about Wisdom. This is different,... every passage with their illustration from great artists like Van Gogh and Monet has enough impact to make you completely absorb what is being said through these words. Don't take my word for it, .. read it and you'll know what I mean. This book made a difference in my life. Truly .. wisdom in it's true form !

If one was to search for a lifetime to find inspiration, happiness, peace and the one element that would complete your life, this book would be your guide. Its pages contain incredible wisdom for those who wish to recieve it and peace for those who wish to find it. The beauty found in its words is reflected in its design and artwork and it is a pleasure to browse through. I highly recommend this book as a gift to share with friends, or as a salve to soothe your soul.

Dear Mr. Blacke,

I came across your book, The Witch of Burchard Street in a small bookstore in Sarasoto FL and I enjoyed it so much, I had to write a note to let you know.

I also had a mentor who still talks to me in memory all the time. He was a third generation psychic who may have appeared too rough and too tough to the outside world, but he taught me more than I have ever learned from anyone else. He and your Haddie shared many of the same thoughts and characteristics. Thank you for sharing.

Blessings, Arielle

About the Author from the cover: John D. Blacké was born in Watertown, New York at the beginning of the Second World War in 1941. Until he was eight years old he was under the constant influence of his grandfather, who was an Indian shaman. With the Mohawk culture firmly tucked under his belt he began living what would seem a normal life, but he soon found that the prevailing Christian beliefs didn't coincide with the faith taught to him in his early years. This theological confusion led to a series of traumatic experiences that culminated in a chance meeting at the age of thirteen with the "neighborhood witch," Helen (Haddie) Clubberson. In 1962 he became a priest in her coven. After her death in 1965, John became a wanderer and traveled extensively until 1974 when he became involved with a practicing witch by the name of Verot BnSulka, who initiated him as a high priest in his secret order in Canada. Still a wanderer, he left the order and investigated several other groups, including the Inner Peace Movement and the Rosicrucians, AMORC. In 1979, back in Watertown, John was initiated as Lord of Smiths in a Heathen Warrior Group known as the Witan. In 1989 he formed the Moody Hill Theod where he was known as Lord Ealdoraed. At present he has returned to college to obtain three more degrees, teaching French, Art and Theology.

What a wonderful book for all ages of people to read when they are seriously searching to understand life, religion and self. The words seep into your heart and awaken a feeling of truths. I'll treasure it forever. Thank you John Blacké for your wisdom and insights, the book really helped me tune into what is real about life.

Courage and Integrity in Science: A Precious Rarety

The Woman Who Knew Too Much: Alice Stewart and the Secrets of Radiation by Gayle Greene. Dr. Stewart is a British physician and epidemiologist (born in 1906 into a large family of physicians) who revolutionized the concept of radiation risk. In the 1950s, while surveying childhood mortalities in the British Isles, she finds that then quite common X-ray examinations during pregnancy doubled the risk for childhood cancer. Fueled by the wrath of radiologists, her work has been viciously derided among the medical establishment for more than two decades. In the 1970s, she finds that some workers at nuclear weapons production sites, such as Hanford, WA or Oakridge, TN are dying of radiation induced cancers, showing that presumed "safe" levels of occupational exposures put these workers at a twenty times higher risk than officially admitted. With that finding she places herself on the "enemy list" of an immensely powerful nuclear weapons establishment, including its scientific elite, and at the center of an international controversy over radiation risks. Stewart's fascinating story, a collaborative memoir told by herself and Greene with verve and humor, is one of a woman scientist's ingenuity, independence, perseverance, compassion, and integrity, a fascinating tale in the checkered history of a mostly male-dominated science. Rudi H. Nussbaum, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Physics and Environmental Science.

The book spans the lifetimes of Dr. Stewart and her parents. It offers a fascinating description of medicine in Britain in the late 19th century, the entry of women into the medical field, and the institutional resistance in the second half of the 20th century to the fact that low levels of radiation are dangerous. Given the recent announcements by the US Government concerning health risks in the nuclear arms industry, this is a timely and fascinating book. Well written and researched.

As Research Director of the Hanford Veterans Cancer Mortality Study I have worked closely with Dr. Alice Stewart. I have learned from her, laughed with her and admired her as the most extraordinary human being I have ever known. But, I never knew her well enough. You must read this book! It will give you a new understanding of the meaning of courage and integrity. More importantly - have your children, especially your daughters, read this book. Thank goodness Gayle Greene has written this eminently readable biography of Alice. It allows us to understand where her drive comes from and how Dr. Stewart can suffer the slings and arrows of the federal scientific pygmies who attack her work. The heart of the story, and a key to Dr. Stewart's personality, can be found in the juxtaposition of the the ending words of Chapter 13 where Professor Greene says "Alice is called in by...radiation victims, her investigations turn up cancer in excess ... the studies are handed over to official bodies...the official studies invoke the A-bomb data to discredit her finds....Time passes." 'It's a long, slow business,' she (Dr. Stewart) says." Compare this with one of Dr. Stewart's favorite quotations, "truth is the daughter of time." She has waited, we will wait; but Dr. Helen Caldicott is right "her work may (I say 'will') receive the recognition and thanks of the future." When one finishes reading this marvelous book one cannot help but think of George Sand saying "humanity is outraged in me and with me. We must not dissimulate nor try to forget this indignation; which is one of the most passionate forms of love." Thank the Good Lord for this stunning creature called Alice Stewart. And thank Gayle Greene for helping us to know her just a bit better.

that is as captivating as it is beautiful. It's a wonderful bedtime tradition, for both children and parents. This amazing poem is a timeless classic; there's always something new to discover from the entrancing journey of our trio of fishermen! It's perfect for people of all ages. Come along, and bring somebody you love on the voyage on Wynken, Blynken, and Nod; you won't regret it!

I was not introduced to this poem until I was 18. We were performing it in concert as a part of Midge of Gold which is a collection of children's tales set to music. I fell in love with it and when I found out it was an actual book, it became one of the first gifts I give to parents and children. The melody is one that stays with me and it's a great lulaby. This book is worth more than what you will pay for it. I have not met one person who read it as a child and didn't love it. The poem and illustrations are wonderful. Buying this book for your child, or any child, is a great investment.

This is a book that my father grew up on, and after having kids of his own, read it to us. As we grew up, this book had somehow disappered, and, having missed it so much, set upon looking for it on the internet. This is a beutiful children story, but not only for children... Don't miss it!

This collection of brief biographies of 100 women from different walks of life, living in different places, periods and cultures, who each served God in her own unique way is incredibly inspiring and motivational. My 8 year old daughter, who insisted that I read parts of this book to her, actually said this was a "cool" book. My only disappointment is that Oprah Winfrey, who is one of the most high profile God loving women in recent times, was not included.

One of the few books that I read that gave me an incredible feeling at the end. You know, when you finish the book, close it, and sit still for about 30 minutes in a world of wonder. I never knew that women invented so many important tools that play a major role in our lives. I especially enjoyed reading about Mother Teresa whom I came to know as a totally incredible person. Her good deeds, kindness, and wisdom are great examples to follow and live by. Thank-you Helen Kooiman Hosier for a wonderful and inspirational book. My only regret was that I bought this book at a nearby bookstore and paid almost twice as much as I would have compared to Amazon.com.

This book blew me away. It is worth every cent even if all you do is look at the pictures. This book inspired me to become a geologist.

The study of Mount St. Helens is detailed and easy to follow. My friend got this book and now I am going to for a college resarch project. It provides the graphics and information necessary to get a good look at such a fantastic event of nature.

If you want to see wild Alaska, don't skip over Southcentral just because you see cars and tall buildings in Anchorage. The hikes detailed in this book start on or near the road system. But you're far more likely to see moose, bear, dall sheep, and other wildlife on these trails than in the remote bush. Some of the trails are crowded (by Alaska standards--perhaps six hikers per mile) in the sunny season, but others see very little traffic. And, even on the most crowded trails such as McHugh and Bird Ridge, you escape most other hikers after about a thousand feet. By the time you work your way into the high valleys, you're usually the only one up there. The views are astounding, and the weather far, far nicer than SE or SW Alaska. Worth a look, even if you're only in Anchorage for a few days.

First, I should say that "for hikes in the vicinity of Anchorage" is a little misleading. Southcentral Alaska includes thousands of square miles worth of gorgeous trails and hikeable terrain, and this book is probably the best one to help you get out there. It includes maps for all hikes, as well as vital statistics like distance, estimated hiking time (take with a grain of salt!), total elevation gain, and seasons that it's open. Indexes in the back help you look for a hike by season, area, length, or children-suitability.

After 17 years in Alaska, ten with the same dog-eared copy of 55 Ways, I haven't been disappointed yet.