While making a compelling case for the Earl of Oxford as the writer of the Shakespeare plays, Warren Hope and Kim Holston have also provided an exemplary history of the Shakespeare authorship controversy. What's amazing is that DeVere's name hadn't become prominent in this controversy until the first part of the 20th century. Yet, the ground under the Stratford actor, Will Shakspere, had been eroding for nearly a century. The buildup to the Oxfordian-Stratfordian struggle (now taking place in the pages of Harper's magazine) is both dramatically and lucidly conveyed in this work. I was agnostic on this issue for many years; the combination of The Shakespeare Controversy and other research convinces me that DeVere's time has come. I highly recommend this book for its meticulous scholarship and excellent writing.

This tape is one of the most beautiful meditation tapes I've every listened to. The two wooden flutes weaving and intertwining in and out are like going back thousands of years to a serene temple, or like sitting on a mountain top and having the beautifully simple yet masterful music waft over you. I feel very relaxed and recharged at the same time! I listen whenever I need a recharge, a re-focus, an energize, or to get my creative juices flowing. Thank you!

No matter how hard I search, I've yet to find the "perfect" book on herb use and herb growing. This book isn't perfect, but it does have some real strengths.

Rodale's ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HERBS is organized in a strange way--everything, and I mean everything--falls into alphabetical order. For example, "Gardening with Herbs falls between "Foxgloves" and "Garlic" and "Growing Herbs" falls between "Grindellia" and "Hawthorn."

The book is printed on semi-gloss paper so it will stand up to use and not crumble in a few years. Each entry contains line drawing illustrations and a few sections of the book are highlighted with color photos.

The plant profiles are succinct, covering topics such as 'history', 'cultivation' and 'uses.' Many entries contain material from other sources such as Maud Grieves' A MODERN HERBAL Vols. 1-2. Some information is repeated without attribution or verification. I always find "They say" and "It is thought" offputting, while I appreciate direct citations of which there are many in this book.

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA covers some topics not readily found in other books. The most useful of these is a compendium discussing the "Dangers of Herbs" (located between "Dandelion" and "Deadly Nightshade." The editors have compiled the FDA listing of "tricky" herbs (could kill or cure depending on use) from PREVENTION magazine, as well as similar ratings from James Duke's CRC HANDBOOK OF MEDICINAL HERBS, Jean Rose's HERBS AND THINGS, and Varro Tyler's THE HONEST HERBAL. You realize on reading this section that everything is relative.

The biggest problem with the misuse of herbal remedies is the misclassification of plants by the practicioner. To be an herbal healer one simply must understand botany. The second biggest problem is conflicting information about what a plant will or will not do based on singular accounts (which could be the result of a misclassification of plants or a misapplication of the plant extract). The third problem is idiosyncratic plant and human interaction. One man's poison can be another man's elixer. As with synthetic drugs, each individual has a unique chemical compostion and the herb in question may or may not be effective, or in some cases may provoke an allergy. Of course, there are some herbs that are downright deadly as every mystery reader knows.

This wouldn't be a Rodale book with out a section on "Pests" and "Pest Control" or the synergistic and conflicting effects of various plant combinations in the garden. This information and the sections on poisonous attributes make the book worth it's cost. All I can say about plant combinations can be summed up to this...plant catnip. You'll have to read the book to find out which kind.

This book has *fabulous* illustrations of the plants it details - something usually lacking from herbal books by way of plant identification. The plant descriptions and suggestions for use, as well as the old lore associated with each one are all very useful, and well formatted for easy lookup.

The only thing it doesn't have is the same thing most herbal books lack: complete and comprehensive information on the dangers of certain herbs - although I understand that the reason is that since this isn't a licensed medical text, they're not allowed to present thier information as actual medical advice, and so some of the precautions fall under that umbrella. As with any book on herbs, the reader must remember that the information, especially the warnings, are not necessarily complete.

That said - this is a really useful book with lots of great information, that you'll be glad to add to your herbal library at home.

Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs is the best herb resource I have ever found, and that is saying a lot, since I own over twenty, and have checked many others out from my local library. It is thorough, interesting, more complete than any other text (no herb book can be complete - it would be thicker than a telephone book!), and always enjoyable to read. Reading it as a child was the initial inspiration for my love of herbology. Most entries start with stories about the plant, or a short talk about it's particular history. Some of those stories are better than most I see in print.
If I could, I would give this book a ten star rating. If you are starting out in this field, this is the place to start. This book is my bible

A fine book but the salt ratio is too high especially in the recipe for Rosemary Bread. It could be a typo but 2 tablespoons of Kosher Salt destroyed the taste. If you buy the book, I would suggest that you match the recipe with other similar recipes to check the ingredients.

This book clearly explains how to create great breads without adding alot of yeast. The sponge starters create a "moist, chewy texture with more flavor, a nicer crust, and a longer shelf life than straight yeast breads." Amy is telling the truth. I've baked 2/3's of her breads and am totally happy with the results. I gave this book as a present to a friend who has never been able to achieve a truely Italian loaf of bread. She thought I was a master bread maker. The truth is Amy is a master bread maker and I can read and follow instructions. If you really want to create wonderful breads this is the book for you.

This book has inspired me too also follow my dream of owning a bakery. The recipes are fabulous and easy to make with a easy to follow format.

This latest and last living collection of William Stafford's work covers the past 20 odd years of his poetry as well as giving the reader some new, never before published work including the poem he wrote on the day that he died. This collection gives us an overview of Stafford's poetry that reveals him to be a man who is both interested and amused by the world around him. The book is divided into four sections, each of which is full of intelligent and meditative work reminiscent of the best of E.B. White's essays. While White was an essayist (not just a children's writer), and Stafford a poet, both men revel in unraveling the intricacies of the world using nothing more than the simple information provided to them in their daily lives. In "Stories From Kansas", Stafford simplifies the voracious egos of humankind into silly yet proud tufts of grass, "Little bunches of/grass pretend they are bushes/that will never bow./ They bow..." "The Way I! ! t Is" is reccomended reading for those who like a little zen with their humility or a little salt with their watermelon.

(excerpted from "Sic Vice & Verse" review by Carlye Archibeque.)

When I read the poems of William Stafford, it feels less like reading and more like "listening." There's something about his voice that calls me to attention, that makes me notice not only the words on the page but all the sounds that attend my mornings: the return of the finches to the Hawthorne tree, for example, or the rustle of wind in the new cherry blossoms. As I re-read some of my favorite poems from The Way it Is, I find myself in a strange situation; I feel as though I have traded places with the poet, "partly propped up" on the sofa in his den at 4 a.m., where he wrote every day until he died in 1993. Perhaps it is because he often tells us so much about the writing process itself; Stafford's poems are imbued with that particular room; they arise from that private space he allows us to enter for a few moments at a time. He often brings in the same details over and over, the mundane yet transcendent things he notices in the early hours: sunlight moving across a wood floor, trees "still trying to arch as far as they could," the houses that "waited, white, blue, gray..." The things themselves, as in the poetry of William Carlos Williams, become the containers of ideas, thought, emotion. The diction is simple, the rhythm a comfort; before we know it, we've been lured into a place of transcendence without even trying.
The sun becomes a constant companion to the writing act, a kind of muse that illuminates the hand at work. For instance, the last poem he wrote, just hours before he died, begins with the line: "Well, it was yesterday./Sunlight used to follow my hand." Towards the end, he reiterates: "I listened and put my hand/out in the sun again. It was all easy." Perhaps the knowledge that these are the last lines Stafford will write adds to their poignancy (that hand will soon be stilled, in darkness), but I feel privileged, every time I open this book, to be in the presence of a voice that speaks so simply and yet with such passion. Because of the sheer number of poems and writings Stafford left behind, there are bound to be some clunkers, some lines that seem overly simplistic and sentimental, but the force of Stafford's voice overcomes these occasional lapses. The Way it Is is a "must have" for the writer's library; crack open the book at the start of your own writing session and you'll remember why you ever wanted to be a writer in the first place.

Wow ! Every review for every book written by this woman awards five stars. Classic literature doesn't even score that well. This phony should be a little smarter. All of this is coming from a non-competitive "martial art" school that tests four times a year. Spiritual values cost a lot !

This is my favorite book of all I have read. I stumbeled over it beeing an exchangestudent in the USA. It give you great insight to life and encourages everyone to be all they can be and enjoy life. A better book I don't know if it exists. If your in to life or not this is one great way to go ! Love, live, prosper as one as in you and as one as human beings as a whole Enjoy life !

This is an outstanding book due to Ms. Kim's practical view of our lives and how we can achieve our own success in the 20th century. She presents her ideas in a very straightforward manner, yet, she leaves one with the freedom to apply her ideas to our own lives. I was very impressed at the simplicity of the tools she proposes we use. In the section on purity she tells us that if we are feeling down a very useful tool is to ask ourselves what would make us happy. This process is so basic it has helped me to lower my stress by allowing me to focus on what I wanted instead of feeling that I was the victim of something uncontrollable. Grandmaster Kim is one of those very special authors who has the capability to help us influence our own lives. 7 Steps to Inner Power is a powerful book that I will be passing out at our next Manager's meeting.

I found the author's tone supercilious and condescending, and the people I met and places I visited MUCH more warm and inviting than this book would suggest. The only place I found people a little "snotty" in the whole country was Bucharest - and they were nicer than the average Manhattanite, that's for sure! Your ideas about poverty and wealth WILL be challenged, your sense of humor will be expanded and thoroughly spanked, and if you don't try to buy everything that isn't for sale (or haggle over already [low] prices) you'll be amazed at how generous people are, too. Yes there are tourist traps galore, with inflated prices and rotten service, but not nearly as many as in say, the average coastal town in Maine.

After having spent two weeks last summer as well as several small ventures in and out of the country in the fall, I have to say that this guide is by far the best one to use for travels throughout Romania. There are a few inconsistencies here and there regarding buses, restaurants and hotels (most notably price-wise...quite forgiveable), but overall the book is extremely well put together and informative. I had the Rough Guide for Romania throughout my travels, but I always found myself using LP's guide instead. The only thing I would recommend for an improvement is the inclusion of a few more "off the beaten path" areas such as the Csango enclave in Moldavia and the Kalotaszeg region in Transylvania (the brief mention of the Kalotaszeg is rather insubstantial), as well as the oft-ignored Danubian town of Braila, which has a very pleasant and attractive town center. Perhaps it could use more expanded sections on Wallachia and Moldavia as well, since Transylvania is by far the most covered region in the book (an understandable decision, though it sometimes seems as though coverage of other areas is too skimpy in comparison). Regardless, for the first edition of the guide, LP has done an excellent job, and I'm sure the next edition will see a few more additions to fill out the book.

The guide section on Moldova is exceptionally helpful and accurate. It can be depended upon for correct and accurate information. A couple latebreaking items of information: The Wam's burger outlet is now closed. McDonalds has opened in Chisinau. The current enxchange rate is L4.58 = US$1. The exchange rate for the currency of Transdniestr (the Kupon) is now 846,000 Kupon = US$1.

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand it excels in terms of content, tackling the more complex issues of .NET remoting including the creation of custom channel sinks; on the other hand it is severely let down by its poor presentation.

The book doesn't come with a CD, although viewing the code in its entirity is essential to understanding the issues presented in this book. Fortunately the code is available for download from the net.

The authors often fail to provide a substantial overview of the particular topics discussed in this book and present pieces of code in a piecemeal fashion which has no relevance until you reach the end of the chapter and are able to piece it all together.

This is a good book, but if you are new to the topic of .NET remoting, as I was, then prepare to dip into MSDN and spend time reviewing the code, in order to get a true understanding of this topic.

This manuscript was extremely helpful to my colleagues and me in our most recent project. For anyone dealing with a .Net initiative involving any sort of distributed, and most importantly scalable, application this guide is a must read.

This is a good book for a starter. If you are just getting into liking ancient Egypt this is a book for you.It tells of the gods and what they did and other cool things about them. Hey, I don't wanna tell ya the whole shebang about 'cause I think you should read it for yourself. I f you are just entering the knowledge of the Ancient Egyptians you should learn of their religion and of their gods and way of life. I'm tellin ya this is a good book and it is just the thing you need to start to learn about Ancient Egypt. Sincerely Mike Gratto.

You will find this book very helpful if you are new to Active Server Pages. The book describes very clearly what ASP is, how it works, what it does, etc. This book will also make the beginner comfortable with how to write basic VBscript or similar in order to code their Active Server Pages. Wonderful coverage is given to all the basic ASP objects, their properties, and methods and how to invoke the power of each. This book has some funny prose to it and is not overly in-depth, but it will make a newcomer comfortable with integrating their current html skills, client-side scripting skills, and ASP into useful applications.

This book is not just about ASP. This book contains chapters on just about everything you can put on a website. (dynamic) HTML, client (in vb) and serversidescripting (vb & jscript). Building components, java-applets, database-access. You name it, and it's there. The downside is that this quite expensive book it not detailed enough. The only chapters that are reasonably complete are the ones about Jscript and VBscript. The others will not get you much further than some "hello world"-like application. The other thing that I don't like about the book that it is very Internet Explorer oriented. The chapters on HTML are completely unusable for netscape-browsers, and this is the only book I know that boasts Vb as a client-side scripting language. Add the very irritatng introductions of the chapters and there you have it. Not a book for pro's, but I can imagine it being usefull for people who wish to know a little about a lot of things and are prepared to buy seperate books for the items they are actually interested in.

Excellent guide for developping dynamic, Interactive Web Site. This book goes into relevent details and guides you through the process of development without assuming that you have 20 years of development experience behind you.

I would recommend it for junior developpers