Delderfield's To Serve Them All My Days is a book that I have read frequently over the years. I found it after I watched the PBS Series. It is a very interesting period in British history - the end of "the war to end all wars" and the start of World War II. It is a time of social change, economic downturn and political upheaval. Delderfield uses the vantage point of a boy's school in Dorset to look at these issues and events. It is an extremely successful tactic. But what makes this book even more memorable are the people, from the stationmaster on the first page to the last boy on the last page, these charecters all have a very human aspect that connects to you immediately. Even the not so admirable or more difficult to like charecters make an impression.

This book is one that should be in everyone's library. It is a must have for teachers - maybe not to use as a teaching guide, but to show that our problems of today, stimulating learning, school politics, funding, are not new. Nor are the problems with parents.

This is a fine book and I recommend it highly. It is just the book for a cold rainy day and a goes well with a hot cup of tea and a scone.

When I became a teacher, my uncle gave me his copy of this book. He said it was a wonderful novel and I would take pleasure in it. He was so right! Delderfield makes PJ, Bamfylde and the whole crew come to life in my imagination. I have been even luckier to have gained access to the wonderful Masterpiece Theatre rendition of it as well. If anyone lives near either the LA or NY site of the Museum of TV and Radio, you can see the miniseries, too! It is 13 hours long but well worth it.

To Serve Them All My Days is probably the greatest book ever written about post World War One life in England. Like other readers I regularly go back and revist the likes of PJ, Algy and the boys of Bamfylde. I am lucky to be able to regularly visit the Devon countryside where the novel was set. RFD loved his Devon and the people that live in it. Having read To Serve Them All My Days and other RFD classics like Diana, I now see Devon through RFD's eyes. If you haven't read any other RFD books I stongly urge you to try, I promise you wont be dissapointed. He is my oldest and dearest friend whose stories I return to whenever I need a lift.

This collection of fifty-six classic problems in probability is a first-rate work. All of the solutions are well written and easily followed. The reasoning is general enough to allow you to go on and solve related problems. Examples are birthday matching, trials until success, cooperation, gambler's ruin, and Buffon's needle.
If you have a soft spot for problems in probability, this book is an inexpensive must.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.

Working through the colorful problems in this book is a great way to (re)learn and apply basic probability principles. There is a great deal of independence between problem so you are never quite sure how tough or easy the next one will be. On the other hand, several of the problems are clearly follow-ons that allow the exploration or expansion of some of the more interesting issues.

Though I've worked through the problems a couple of times, I bought a replacement copy when my original was "permanently borrowed" from my desk at work.

Even if you are not a big probability fan, you are more than likely to find something enjoyable in this book. Some of the problems are wasy, some are hard, and some are just strange, but it makes for a very entertaining diversion for the mathematically inclined.

If you've ever kept a scrapbook of old photographs, you'll understand the fascination of this collection. Instead of grandmothers, aged aunts or toddler cousins, this book reveals life from the dimmest past. With photographs and drawings, Briggs and his colleagues have restored to view rare animals that lived in ancient seas. These are our earliest forebears, and for that reason alone, this book is worth repeated scrutiny. The images, with their stories of discovery and restoration, are offered in a spirit of shared discovery. These are very special creatures and it behooves us all to understand their value.

Although the book is targeted for professional paleontologists, the authors give us text nearly as illustrative as the images. They are part of the team who personally enticed many of these fossils from their lithic prison. Beginning with an account of Charles Woolcott's trek into the mountains of British Columbia, they go on to describe the environment in which these creatures lived. The significance of the Burgess Shale fossils, of course, is that they are images of soft body parts, usually lost as fossilization proceeds. At the time of the original find in 1909, such artifacts, especially ones of such ancient deposition were pricelessly rare. Woolcott himself understood their value to science, but never dedicated the necessary time to tease out their full secrets. It took Briggs and others, particularly Simon Conway Morris to apply the painstaking effort to recreate the body forms locked in the shale. In so doing, they overthrew a number of blithe assumptions made by a number of commentators, in particular Stephen J. Gould who had popularized the Shale finds, but sadly misinterpreted what they represent.

As you slowly turn over the pages of this book, reflect on the vast ages separating you from these creatures. The sea has always kept some bizarre secrets, but few can match the multi-spined Hallucegenia or mud-burrowing Ottoia. Haplophrentis might be mistaken for a Roman dagger lost in the sea until you read that its maximum length was but 30 millimetres long. A more formidable denizen of these waters is the Anomalocaris, with its hooked feelers and rasping mouth. Swimming in a sea with this half-meter long predator might not have been dangerous, but observing it might best be done from the beach.

This book is a clearly valuable contribution to our understanding of life's history and the process of evolution. It belongs on the shelf next to the other albums of family history. Take it down from time to time and simply open it at random. With half-closed eyes it isn't difficult to see these creatures in their daily lives, clutching rocks, swimming through the water, or burrowing into the bottom. They are your forebears, and deserve as much of your respect as does Aunt Matilda.

This is a wonderful book. It is chock-full of photographs of Burgess shale fossils. The photographs are full page photographs and are accompanied by drawings that illustrate what the plant or animal probably looked like. The text is informative and easy to follow for a layperson.

"The Fossils of the Burgess Shale," the non-geologist will find this book fascinating and understandable - yet the author did not "water down" the facts for those of us who have the technical background in the fields of geology and paleontology. The only drawback of the book was that some of the species listed in the back were not included in the pictorial portion of the book. I do understand that if Briggs had placed them all in the book the volume would have been over a 1,000 pages in length; however, several of the species not included are equally spectacular!

The first third of the book provides a brief history of the site and it's significance within Cambrian paleontology; the remaining two-third portion of the book provides clear photographs and line drawings of the animals entombed in this special location. I have used this book in teaching about the Cambrian explosion. Students were awed by the content of the book. If you are interested in invertebrate paleontology; this book is a must!

If you enjoy WWII aircraft, and appreciate the breath taking detail and accuracy of Rikyu Watanabe illustrations, you must have this book. I found my copy 3 years ago at OshKosh, and have been offered (...)for it - no way was I parting with it. It is, without question, the finest piece of reference / art work on these 12 aircraft I have ever seen. Vet, IFR Priv. pilot, R/C aircraft modeler.

I'm a WWII airplanes enthsiast, and this book has filled all my expectations. The text, the scaled drawings, the fold-out panels, everithing is exceptional in this complete guide of WWII airplanes. The drawings of this book are incredibly detailed, and if you're meticulous, you'll never find a book like this. My grandfather was a WWII pilot and became nostalgic when he saw the plane he had flown.

In my opinion, the most beautiful book of WWII aircraft which has ever been published.

I have flown the F4U-5NL Bu.No. 124511 found in the picture on page 253 with Ens. Cawley's name on the side. He was one of our squadron mates in VC-4, NAS Atlantic City in the early 'fifties.

Brings back many fond memories. Highly recommended to all aviators and aviation enthusiasts.

J.D. Williams Lcdr. USNR (Ret)

Dr. Lorraine Monroe is a force to be reckoned with. Tenacious in all aspects, once she discovered who she was and what power she possessed as a leader, there was no turning back.

I choose to read about Dr. Monroe simply from the title of her book Nothing's Impossible and to learn what further lessons I could learn in and outside the classroom. As an administrator, I too believe that nothing is impossible and I was curious to see hear how "a dedicated educator" as Jimmy Carter described "conquered the most overwhelming challenges in life". I was not disappointed. As I read, reread, dog-eared pages highlighted and shared with my colleagues those familiar Monroe Doctrines (witty sayings and profound statements) I continued to believe that perseverance and believing in yourself enough not to back down for what you believe in, is part of the leaders make-up.

Dr. Monroe further encouraged my thinking that sometimes as a leader, it's better to just "do your thing" and ask questions later, even it means getting your hands slapped later.

I would encourage administrators in all lines of work to learn from these lessons, because no matter where you work, those you're working with are 'students' in your 'classroom' even if it's in the corporate office.

In the final chapter of the book, although the message reverberates all through the book, Monroe brings back the point that leadership is the key to school change. In her words, the message of the leader is "I am here to support you in whatever way you choose, as long as your way improves children's academic and social achievement."

Everyone should read this book. I just started it and I am already hooked. The energy and enthusiasm leaps from the pages and "kicks" you into action. Although I am not an educator, I was greatly encouraged as a parent-to-be by this book. Thank you Dr. Monroe for being obedient to God's calling and preparing the way for our future leaders.

I found about Dr. Lorraine Monroe on 60 minutes. She took one of the worst public schools in Harlem, New York and turned it around to the point that it is one of the top three public schools in New York and 96% of it's students are accepted into college. I believe that her insights and strategies can be used to improve any workplace or organization. Remember, she isn't some theorist - she actually has dramatic results in the real world -under some of the toughest odds imaginable!

She has some great strategies that can help anyone. Here is an example:

"I developed the habit of never asking my superiors at the Board of Education for permission to carry out any innovation or other "risky" venture. I felt that if I asked, they would usually say no. After all, they were cautious, conservative people, interested in keeping their present jobs or moving up within the heirarchy. Taking risks isn't a good way of accomplishing either goal.

.....My supervisor would come to the school for periodic visits, and I'd either tell him about our latest venture or let him see it for himself. I figured that it would be hard, even for a dyed-in-the-wool bureaucrat, to try to stop a program that was already running successfully. This approach worked like a charm; the supervisor was generally pleased to realise that the successful new program, whatever it was, had been started under his administration. As the saying goes. "Success has many parents." When something is working, people are always ready and eager to bless it and share the credit."

Some more of the Monroe Doctrine:

"I learned from Mr. Littwin that it's impossible to run any organization from behind a desk in an office. You've got to walk around, watch people work, schmooze with everyone, and make yourself visible. It's the only way to really know what's going on and to have a true impact on the operation."

Pick up this book to get some inspiration on how you can make a dramatic difference in your organization.

"Unforgettable" lives up to its name, and then some. This poignant love story is told from the point of view of a shy young man named Charles, who tells the tale of how he met and fell in love with his high school sweetheart, Cindy. While growing up in a small town in Arizona has both good and bad points, it lends a very special atmosphere to this exceptionally sweet love story. Charles helps Cindy train for the "Miss Rodeo Queen" contest, and overcomes his shyness to join her on stage at school to sing a duet. Cindy and Charles also share special time together on picnics, parties, dances, and camping as their love for one another deepens in their idyllic high school years.

Unexpected twists and turns of fate cause emotional and physical upheaval in Cindy and Charles' lives following graduation from high school. Even so, the romance shared by these two young lovers eventually proves its power for transcending all obstacles -- even death. "Unforgettable" may well have you crying tears of release by the end of the book, as it did for me. This book will help restore your faith in the power of love, and will bring you a greater sense of what really matters in life -- making it unforgettable.

Well I read your book yesterday. I decided to wait until the anniversary of my wife's death. Maybe a mistake, I don't know. But anyway, I hated it. I did not hate the book, rather I thoroughly enjoyed it. But I hated the pain and the hurt and emotions it brought out. There were so many memories from the past. I hated the pain of remembering. The hurt of, at the age of 25, finding what true unconditional love really was and the emotions of losing that after 22 wondrous years. My late wife made me promise that I wouldn't put my emotions away again and go back inside myself. I didn't realize how much I had put away from every one and even from myself. Your book brought out all of this. I bawled like a little kid during and after reading it. I didn't know I had so much dammed up inside of me. But I needed to release it all, and now that I have I feel an inner peace that I haven't felt in a long time. So I guess this book was about the best therapy I could have gotten anywhere. I know the author understands losing a loved one, and I feel so sad for him and his loss. So thanks for this book, I've unburdened myself of a lot of self induced pain. And now I really am ready to love and live again. Thank you for writing a very emotional book. Even though I hated what it forced out of me, I love what it brought back out of me, my old self. This book I will treasure forever. And I plan on reading it time and again. The author did an excellent job. I'm going to give a copy to my Hospice worker, so maybe she'll understand more about what it is like to lose some one you love besides family. She tried to help our support group but admitted herself that it was hard to understand as she had never experienced it herself. I think this book will help a lot.

I loved this book. All the hype about it was more than acurate. It is so wonderfully emotional and inspirational that I just couldn't stop reading it until I was to the end. I think the author did a great job and this would be the idea book for any one of any age. Thanks a million to the author and I hope he continues to write for our enjoyment for years to come.

In order of publication, this is the 5th book in the Richard Sharpe series , but the 11th in a "timeline". As such , the author Bernard Cornwell has smoothed out his writing style to give Sharpe a lot more depth of character and a three dimensional aspect lacking in some of the earlier adventures.

In addition to Richard Sharpe ,Major Hogan , Wellington , and Patrick Harper , there are many interesting new characters introduced--La Marquesa (Helena) , Lord Jack Spears , "El Mirador" , and of course a vile villian , Colonel Laroux. All of these characters are artfully blended to achieve an exciting military adventure in which our hero Sharpe is gravely wounded ,and is rescued by his friend Patrick Harper. After being nursed back to health , Sharpe seeks his vengance against the man who wounded him.

The plot of this story involves a possible comprimise of the intelligence network of Major Michael Hogan and the possible exposure of his top agent , the mysterious El Mirador. Colonel Laroux , sent by Napoleon Bonaparte himself to destroy El Mirador , proves to be a ruthless enemy devoid of any honor. To reveal any more than this would indeed compromise the book's enjoyment for the reader , so I'll stop right here.

This volume seems to have it all--excitement,intrigue,romance,and of course the inevitable battle action! Of the 11 volumes I have read in timeline order , this one is right at the top of "my list" along with "Sharpe's Tiger" and "Sharpe's Triumph" for sheer entertainment value and excitement! Five stars and highly recommended.

I have been reading the Sharpe series "mostly in order". Sharpe's Sword, to my taste, was the best so far. Cornwell had really matured as a writer by this time. I would not have expected a description of a near-fatal wound and its effects on a character we absolutely KNOW is going to survive to be so riveting and stirring. As always, Cornwell's closing historical note is like dessert after a fine meal, or perhaps more correctly like the moment where a magician steps back to reveal his secrets -- and you're left more in awe than ever, wondering, "How does he do it?"

I keep lists of the 20 to 40 books I read each year (anal, eh?), and this is the first in years I've given a full 5 stars. (I even forgive Mr. Cornwell now for the only regrettable book in the series so far, "Sharpe's Battle".) Highly recommended.

Why did I like this book?
*Excellent adventure
*Thrilling intrigue
*Exciting military strategies
*Extraordinary camaraderie
*Vicious villains

I don't know pick one...I enjoyed Bernard Cornwell's "Sharpe's Sword". The year is 1812, the location is Salamanca Spain. It is here that General Wellington must battle the French forces for the Western portion of the peninsula. Wellington's goal is to defeat the French, Sharpe's goal is to survive and be with his men. Captain Sharpe finds himself surrounded by spies and treachery, friends become enemies and enemies become friends. Sharpe can only place his trust in his faithful chosen men or in the doughty Major Hogan. Everyone else is suspect. Unlike the other Sharpe books, "Sword" doesn't spend a lot of time with the battles. Sharpe is drawn into a different battle field... the battle field of palace intrigue. Before long Sharpe is sharing the company of the beautiful... and mysterious La Marquesa. He battles the evil Colonel Leroux. Leroux's claim to fame is his usage of torture and cruelty. Along the way Sharpe is shot, lied to and very nearly stabbed by the same sword he covets.

I started with the PBS/BBS series, graduated to the audio tapes and now have read most of the novels. I wholeheartedly endorse the Sharpe series. It's great entertainment.

Most surf books are small waves breaking in shallow water, this guy sees beyond horizon.

One of the greats has finally written about his love of surfing and the history of the sport, including its professional beginnings. Thank you, Fred, for baring your soul and sharing your stories. Now we will have them for all time.

What a great book. A surfer's book! Fred kept it short, sweet and heartfelt...all a surfer requires. I don't agree 100% with his beliefs but he speaks honestly and with a spirit only a Hawaiian could fully grasp. His political platform gets my vote. His last page gave me goosebumps. I have done many things in life non-surfing related but more than anything else, to say "I am a surfer", says it all!

Novelizations of Biblical tales rarely work well. Some religious authors over glorify the characters, making them saints, reducing their credibility and immediacy. Non-religious authors usually try to reinterpret the Bible to fit a "modernized" word-view or social gospel, which changes the meaning of the story. Fortunately, Buechner avoids both of these pitfalls with this re-imagining of the lives of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. He ruthlessly depicts ancient cultures, full of graphic sex and violence, where God chooses a few unworthy messengers to carry out his work amid the backdrop of pagan gods and brutal animal sacrifice.

While the forefathers of the Jewish and Christian faiths are more wholesome and generally better behaved than their contemporaries, they often misinterpret the meaning of God's words, leading to bad decisions and dysfunction. Jacob ends up married to two squabbling sisters, siring children by his servants, and watching his older sons sell his favorite son into slavery. In fact, when you think about it, Jacob makes very few good decisions and leads a troubled life no one would envy. Yet, out of the turmoil, he becomes a "hero of the faith" and changes the course of history forever.

Buechner has a gift for direct, strong, image-laden prose that moves his story forward without too much analysis or "preaching". His voice is at times sorrowful, humorous, or downright cranky. His account embellishes on the Biblical versions without contradicting them. He relishes in showing us his characters' flaws and mistakes, all the while highlighting the work of "the Fear" in their lives. I urge you to read this book; you'll never look at Genesis the same way again.

Frederick Buechner's training and experience as an ordained Presbyterian minister, combined with his incredible literary skills make reading his works a pure joy. His retelling here of the story of Jacob, son of Isaac (whose name means Laughter), brings to life like no other author I've read the struggle toward God, the intra-family strife, and the sheer battle to stay alive in harsh times and an unforgiving landscape.

Jacob was not a perfect man -- but his yearning toward God was earnest and all-consuming, at the very core of his being. Buechner shines the light of his talent on Jacob's life, on the right and wrong decisions and actions, on the joy and sorrow, on the good times and the difficult -- and he does so with a loving hand, making no judgements, illuminating the whole and allowing the reader a multitude of aspects upon which to meditate and ponder, drawing parallels to our own lives and times as we do so.

The novel depicts a time during which people struggled within themselves -- and with their traditions -- to make the transition from worshipping many gods to worshipping one, and that transition was not an easy one. We can see the same struggle going on within our world today -- if we blur and expand the meaning of the word 'worship', we can see too many things that we value and allow to control our lives that should be peripheral to our journey, such as money, power, &c. Early in the book, Jacob makes reference to this transition (from p. 7), speaking of the 'old gods': 'When I say that I have forgotten their names, I mean that I cannot remember their names without trying. Maybe they also remember me. Who knows about gods? Maybe they have seen every step I have taken ever since. Maybe they are still waiting for me to capp once again on their queer and terrible names.'

The question of the Name of God is addressed in several places in this wonderful novel. He is referred to as 'The Fear', as 'The Sheild' -- but not given a name in the true sense of the word. He is never referred to as 'Elohim' or 'Jehovah'. On p. 161, during a physical struggle with God on the bank of the river Jabbok, God gives Jacob a new name: '"(Your name) is Jacob no longer...Now you are Israel. You have wrestled with God and with men. You have prevailed. That is the meaning of the name Israel" I was no longer Jacob. I was no longer myself. Israel was who I was.'

The question of the Name of God is burning within Jacob's soul. From the same passage: 'He was too close to me to see. I could only see the curve of his shoulders above me. I saw the first glimmer of dawn on his shoulders like a wound. I said, "What is your name?" I could only whisper it. (God replies:) "Why do you ask my name?" We were both whispering. He did not wait for my answer. He blessed me as I had asked him.'

On p. 184, Jacob experiences a bit of an epiphany on this subject: '(God) refused me his when I asked it, and a god named is a god summoned. The Fear comes when he comes. It is the Fear who summons.'

There is love, loss, spirituality, adventure, struggle, life and meaning within the pages of this book -- it has been written with talent and understanding and seeking, and it is a story that may be enjoyed and appreciated on many, many levels, as entertainment and as inspiration. I can wholeheartedly recommend ALL of Patrick Buechner's fiction as a rewarding literary experience.

Jacob, to be truthful, had never really spoken to me before this novel. This hauntingly beautiful retelling seeks to explain why he acted the way he did without whitewashing him.

The well known stories of his relationships with his parents and twin brother Esau are here, as well as his two wives and sons and the famous ladder dream and wrestling match with the angel.

Jacob is no saint (for instance, the fact that he barely sees Bilhah and Zilpah as people when he thinks of them at all subtly brings the point home of what being a slaveowner really means), but he has spoken to Mr. Buechner through the ages about why he was justified in doing what he did to Esau and preferred Joseph to such an extent over his other sons (Joseph, incidentally, is the most loveable character in the book, finally breaking the cycle of pain as the embodiment of the reconciliation of Jacob's mind to Esau's heart, and Jacob's retelling of Joseph's story - presumably from what his son told him after their reunion - is beautiful and one of the highlights of the novel). Through his life there is only one constant - God - and their relationship reminds us how frightening the Lord must have seemed at times to the patriarchs and matriarchs long before the Good News.

Buechner's voice for Jacob is utterly compelling, and the novel is biblically sound with one major exception. Like many before him and doubtless many who will follow, he doesn't deal with the thorny Biblical fact that Dinah was raped and Jacob wasn't all that concerned about it (the issue is skirted by theorizing that Jacob knew Dinah loved Sheckem and what happened between them was consentual).

This will eventually become a classic. Please note that at times it is rather sexually explicit - definitely an R rating.

This book starts out by showing reader a technique of removing philosophical sunglass a typical person usually have when they look at objects. Then it wanders to signify it by relating it to something big, difficult to understand/not clearly stated, and appeal to feeling.
For example, 1. Trying to make mysterious,something that is quoted here and there from Eastern philosophies, some of philosophers quoted are not even related to zen philosophy,
2. Using Pope, Archbishop, big religious figures,
3. Describe nonerotic aspects of drawing nudity
This book is filled with many interesting sketches, pretty easy to read, is educational if you have never thought about aspects of seeing.
I would recommend this book to people who focus too narrowly in their professions.

This book is about developing the artist mode of seeing. By drawing what you see you will see better and then be able to draw it better which will allow you to absorb the whole of nature by paying attention to its small details too. The book is an eye opener- Author- Creative Painting For The Young Artist

Where has this book been? I started drawing and painting a few years back and have bought lots of books, but none like this! I don't think of myself as a Zen person or a mystic, but this book really speaks to me. The drawings are beautiful, but go beyond a superficial beauty. Even if one is not interested in drawing, there is lots in this book to recommend it. It is not just a book about seeing and drawing, it is a book about truly living.