Mr. Williams' story is filled with rollicking humor, wit, and wisdom. Vividly written, the reader is drawn into 18th century Charleston, and into the lives of two families, the Dorsets and the Symthes. Each and every character is memorable. You will laugh and cry reading this book. It has a permament place in my personal library. I loved it so much, I rushed out and bought several copies to give to friends and family. Mr. Williams deserves far more credit for his writing genius!

Williams' ambitious novel The True & Authentic History of Jenny Dorset is a refreshing medley of life in Charleston's 18th century, seasoned tastily with charming wit and intriguing characters. A truly enjoyable read, the tale is written with a sincere flare and comes alive to the reader.

More notably is the method in which Williams characterizes each member of the families involved in the story's plot - from the dueling heads, Mr. Dorset and Mr. Smythe, to Old Bob in his amusing stages of senility, and the ostentatious Jenny Dorset herself.

The reader will undoubtedly find the rich story line is highly entertaining, and written in a very lively manner. The tale is penned from the perspective of Henry Hawthorne, the Dorset's discerning and subdued family man servant. Hawthorne patiently abides by the family's somewhat eccentric and unruly lifestyle, and writes about his experiences first-hand, in memoir-like style.

Indeed, this novel is a great story-tellers' delight! The True & Authentic History of Jenny Dorset manifests very engaging humour with every flip of a page - more than once have I been in the throws of violent chuckles over it's whimsical comments and situations. It has quickly grown to be one of my favorites. I highly recommend it.

This book is funny and I loved it.

This book is a remembrance of what was and tells of the pain and suffering of the German Deaf Community under the leadership of the Third Reich. I read this book, not as a hearing person, but as a Deaf person and I felt there pain. This book is horrifying but more so was the persons who were involved in the Deaf community who helped this government succeed to there sick ideas. Crying Hands reaches out from the darkness to shed light on one chapter in the history of our Deaf people and of our struggle over centuries of oppression. This books value is in it history; Deaf Holocaust History. I recommend this book for everyone.

This little book, a nicely translated academic effort that is quite readable, demonstrates the depth of the idea that those who are rendered surperflous are being set up for death. This notion first expressed by Richard Rothstein sweeps across issues of race and nation, and into questions of ablity/disability, perhaps now the most obscured of the social issues that must be addressed by those who seek a more democratic, egalitarian, and civil way of life. The idea that inclusion means ALL, has not reached into the mind-sets of too many on the left, an odd circumstance since many fine efforts like the text at hand show that the old saw, An Injury to One only Goes Before an Injury to All, is quite true. This is a good book for educators, activists, and researchers in all fields.

I first read the book on the medical holocaust in Germany by Dr. Friedlander. I then came across this one in my search for more material having to do with the Deaf in Germany. This book was originally a dissertation, however, Gallaudet Press and the translater, William Sayers, did a great job in turning what would be a dry dissertation into a short, but interesting book.

Horst Biesold is an interpreter who in the performance of his job, came across members of the German deaf community who were finally willing to tell their story about being forced to undergo sterilization. He writes with obvious concern for and about his deaf clients, and the emotional and psychological impact that the eugenics laws had on these people. It is with concern and dismay that I am researching the same subject only in the United States, since the Nazis often wrote that many of their ideas and programs were first proffered by eugenicists in the U.S.

This book is a good reminder that when societies don't stand up for what is right, even when it does not directly affect most individuals, you cannot tell how far the 'slippery slope' is going to go. The Holocaust did not just become the Final Solution for the Jews, but included the gypsies and the disabled, and those who were considered 'life unworthy of life.' With the completion of the Human Genome Project, and proponents of euthanasia getting more vocal, and doctors like Kervorkian, and HMOs who put their bottom line before the worth of people...it is all too possible that this horror could happen again, and in this country. I urge ethicists, physicians, and educators to read this book as well as members of the deaf/disabled community so that we can protect ourselves from those who would put less value on our lives for whatever reason. Karen L. Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

While not exactly a guide to getting into a good school, this book is full of insight on the admissions process.

There are lots of useful tips to be gleaned from the author's true stories of five students (names changed) applying to Princeton.

For example, there's sometimes an enormous difference a good letter of recommendation can make in an applicant's file. Last summer, a student tour guide and Admissions Office volunteer at a prestigious Massachusetts college said that every letter of recommendation is basically the same, glowing text, and so these are given little consideration by the Admissions people. After reading Paul's book, I am convinced that that student was mistaken; I see now how incredibly important a very well-written letter can be. And Paul tells why, in perfect, practical detail.

This page-turner is a great book; it clears up the mysteries, identifies the vagaries, and reveals the sheer humanity of the admissions process. Satisfying reading for the burnt-out parent who needs a break from the Peterson Guide... and a "must" for every high school guidance counsellor.

Getting your kid into a good college is a nerve-racking process for most parents. It certainly has been for us. We have found the customer reviews in Amazon very helpful. That prompts us to distill our ratings of the various guidebooks.

The best short reference on each college is the Princeton Review of The Best (311) Colleges. It gives ratings of academic quality, difficulty of admission, percentage admitted, etc. There is also a brief summary of college life and what each place might be looking for.

Peterson Guide is comprehensive, and has long write-ups for each school. There is a front section for each school, listed alphabetically within each state, and a back section with detailed profiles of selected institutions.

Fiske's guide is interesting, but he basically has something good to say for each school, so careful reading between the lines and for "damning with faint praise" is called for.

The Yale Insider's Guide is extremely subjective, with different students writing various reviews. We did not find it too reliable, except in conjunction with other books.

Likewise for Barrron's Guide to the Most Competitive Colleges. Recent alumni write of their (invariably positive) experiences. Take it with a grain of salt, or read carefully between the lines.

Choosing the Right College by ISN was extremely helpful. Some readers criticized it for being allegedly right wing. We did not find it so. Rather, knowing the point of view of the authors helped us evaluate their observations. Other books do not make their biases explicit. A feature of the book we found particularly helpful was the naming of excellent professors and departments in each college.

Antonoff's College Finder was interesting only in conjunction with other books.

Three books written from the perspective of college admissions officers were very interesting and helpful. They are The College Admissions Mystique, by Mayher, Getting In, by Bill Paul, and most of all A is for Admission by Michelle Hernandez. We strongly recommend that parents and the kids who are the applicants read at least one of these.

Another very helpful book was You're Gonna Love This College Guide, by Marty Nemko. It takes the student through the decision process of big vs. small, urban vs. country, elite vs. the level just below, geography, and so forth. That really got our daughter unstuck in her thinking process.

Loren Pope is another helpful author for those who think that not getting into Harvard is the end of the world.

Three books we did not find to be particularly helpful are Getting Into Any College, by Jim Good and Lisa Lee, The National Review College Guide, by Charles Sykes and Brad Miner (too out of date), and The Real Freshman Handbook, by Jennifer Hanson.

One book we found to be unexpectedly useful was Getting Into Medical School Today, by Scott Plantz, et. al. Even if your child is not interested in medical school, this book puts college in perspective for any post-college program.

We hope readers find our review helpful.

I read this book when it came out 3 years ago and I was directing the college placement efforts of an independent boarding school. I was impressed enough by the depth of Bill Paul's research and analysis of the admissions process at Princeton that I not only invited Bill to speak at a parents' day presentation at the school but ordered 30 copies of the book and put them up for sale after the event. Within ten minutes after Bill spoke, every copy-- including mine-- was gone.

Getting In follows a handful of accomplished high school seniors through the admissions process, offering examples of their essays, snippets of conversations and interviews, and other illuminating vignettes of senior year. At the same time, Bill shadows Fred Hargadon, the Princeton admissions dean, as he attempts to read all the applications and make what would seem to even well seasoned admissions professionals some extremely tough decisions.

The worth of this book lies in its accurate reflection of reality; it suggests that admission to one of the most selective (1 of every 11 applicants) schools is determined not only by academic excellence and extracurricular entrepreneurialism, but by the luck of the draw as well. Indeed, at one point in the book, Hargadon admits-- as I've heard him do on other occasions-- that if the admitted Princeton freshman class were somehow eliminated, he could fashion a statistically identical class from the rejected applicants.

This is not a how-to book; rather, it is a book that gives students with high admissions aspirations-- and their parents-- a context that will prepare them well for realities of the admissions game.

This being one of Shakespeare's less-performed works, I purchased the tape to read with the text, before seeing a production. It's also one of the few audiobooks I've purchased. Worth every penny--like listening to a radio play! Wonderful diction, stirring readings, not what I expected from a play that--let's face it--is confusing for those not versed in English history. Having gone through it once, I can now listen to it without the text and pretty much follow the action. Glad I purchased Parts II and III at the same time.

This being one of Shakespeare's less-performed works, I purchased the tape to read with the text, before seeing a production. It's also one of the few audiobooks I've purchased. Worth every penny--like listening to a radio play! Wonderful diction, stirring readings, not what I expected from a play that--let's face it--is confusing for those not versed in English history. Having gone through it once, I can now listen to it without the text and pretty much follow the action. Glad I purchased Parts II and III at the same time.

As three television series and numerous versions on stage have demonstrated, the Henry VI trilogy plays very well on stage, even when given without cuts. None of the action and certainly none of the characters are particularly complex; although a good deal of background information about Richard II and Henry IV is requisite to appreciating what is happening here. And when "Richard III" follows, this play is made so much clearer appearing as it does as the logical consequence of all the events that came before it. Therefore I am delighted to report (1) are now available as late entries in the remarkable Arkangel Shakespeare series put out by Penguin Putnam, and (2) they make for some terrific listening.

Using some military music and representative battle cries for the many combat scenes and the opening and closing of doors to let us know about entrances and exits, this set gives us a fast-paced account of Shakespeare's dramatic shaping of so many years of tumultuous English history.

Now this play has a large cast and it is very seldom clear just who is speaking at any given moment--a problem endemic to any play on tape with several characters--and it is recommended that one have a text handy during the first hearing. Or if you have seen the magnificent BBC productions of this trilogy, you might be able to know who is speaking from your memory of that series. Suffice it to say, most of the important characters can be recognized by their voices, although (as many critics have pointed out) all the men do tend to speak alike until the very idiosyncratic voice of Richard Gloucester appears late in Part II.

Since the demise of the old legendary series on Decca/London label back in the LP days, this is the only recording we have of these three plays; and we are very fortunate they are done so well.

The "Richard III" came out at the same time and I will record my comments about that set on the appropriate webpage.

Simply very good book exploring the new paradigm in the changing technological world.

In the field of technology change appears to occur at an ever increasing rate. Through innovation in research and development new breakthroughs occur, new products are brought to market, sales brings in money to fund research and the cycle goes on and on. At least this is the way that it is generally thought to occur. In reality hostile takeovers, IPO bids and the like keep interrupting the cycle. Companies refuse to look outside of themselves for innovative ideas or the application of their technology to new ventures. So the system is actually a closed cycle within the company instead of an open one the embraces the value of processes, people, and others outside of the company.

Business innovations create potential but do not have value in and of themselves. It is the business model that turns innovation into profits. We have all seen inferior products bypass superior ones because of a better business model. Unfortunately for the consumer, it is not at all uncommon.

So, the business model itself defines the profit received from an innovation. Why? Because the business model is the single most important factor in determining a suitable market for the innovation, costs, profit margins, and competitive position. The business model determines whether the company will take advantage of all opportunities including those outside itself or just utilize those opportunities that they can produce internally. The authors detail several case studies that point out the difference between closed and open innovation and the results of each very clearly.

The finishing touch to the book is that it clearly details the path to open innovation and how to move a company from a closed mindset to an open one. This is a highly recommended read for anyone wanting to take advantage of technology to increase their profits.

As we have come to expect from Harvard's Professor Chesbrough, Open Innovation is a wealth of insight and knowledge in how organizations can transform themselves by blending the best of their internal know-how and external sources of perspectives. Beginning with an interesting historical vantage point, Chesbrough introduces us to innovation structures as they have evolved at the beginning of the twentieth century, through the establishment of central research & development facilities and beyond. It was historian Alfred Chandler who first researched the economies of scale that resulted from the internal research & development facilities. As it points out in the book, 'these R&D facilities were so successful in extracting more efficiency out of increased understanding that they created natural monopolies in many leading industries, or economies of scope'. But many erosion factors have weathered these fortresses of knowledge, and now Chesbrough maintains that innovations, however clever, are worth nothing until a viable business model is found to exploit them.

The function of a business model, according to the author and colleague Richard Rosenbloom, is to: articulate the value proposition; identify a market segment; define the structure of the firm's value chain; estimate the cost structure and margin, describe the position of the firm within the value network and to formulate the competitive strategy of the offering. So invention is not enough. Organizations most follow the path to commercialization, but that route often means it must work collaboratively with many others. This approach has many ramifications on company structure and ways of working. It is hard for organizations (and their leaders) to work on having core-differentiated capabilities, while still being open with their value network. Therefore, this leads ManyWorlds to assume that those things, which are seen as true differentiators in mature companies, must move away from a specific product advantages and more toward process differentiating capabilities. While there is always a role for product innovators, the model they operate under is not usually scaleable, and companies often grow into either 'economies of scale' or 'economies of scope'. But finding and developing that all important part of the value network becomes a crucial skill in itself.

Open Innovation is a truly excellent book that a review cannot do justice to. With detailed case studies on Xerox (and spin outs), Intel and examples from many other companies, Chesbrough has written an insightful and timely work that draws many threads together. Executives who want to explore how facets of innovation, whether internally or externally motivated, sourced or executed, would not find a better read than Open Innovation.

A collection of 100 or more short stories by O. Henry? My mouth waters already! It's hard to imagine any literary treat that can be enjoyed in small doses more pleasurable than this. I have spent over a year savouring these stories, reading them one by one, tasting his delightful choice of words, digesting his fascinating story-lines, and the warm satisfying afterglow that comes after a typical twist at the end. His stories are superbly outstanding in at least four ways, each illustrated with five of my personal favorites.

Firstly, his brilliant use of language. These stories were written in the first half of the twentieth century, and O. Henry's use of language easily surpasses that of most contemporary writers. Not only does he have an extensive vocabulary, but his writing abounds with similes and metaphors that breathe sparkling life and depth into his stories. "Ulysses and the Dogman" is a fine example of his skills with a language, metaphorically portraying dog owners as victims of Circe, in a hopeless enchantment to their leashed pets. Also exemplary is "Madame Bo-Peep of the Ranches" where a ranch manager has a heart fenced by barbwire just like the ranch on which he lives, and yet the twist at the ending suggests that perhaps we were completely mistaken. "A Comedy in Rubber" uses wonderfully elevated language to farcically portray a class of people today known as ambulance chasers. And "Sisters of the Golden Circle" revolves around the profound bond that exists between two married women who are strangers but yet sisters "of the plain gold band." "An Unfinished Story" employs profound metaphors of angelic hosts to tell the tragic story of poor Dulcie's struggle for survival.

Secondly, his unique insight into the social conditions of his time. O. Henry has a great understanding of the trials of the lower class, frequently picturing the lives of ordinary people of early twentieth century America with sympathetic colours. His characters are frequently the overlooked: the struggling shop girl, the unsuccessful artist, the impoverished. Admittedly, some of his images can be hard to comprehend for modern readers, and the distance that time has placed between us and O. Henry's beloved New York means that some of his verbal pictures will be harder to identify with. But his genuine sympathy for the oppressed cannot be missed. "The Gift of the Magi" is the signature O. Henry story, probably his most famous tale which recounts a poor young couple who both give up a prized possession in order to purchase a gift for one another - but ironically a gift intended to complement the other's prized possession that they have just given up. Another story which displays his ability to picture the social conditions of his time is "The Pendulum", a wonderful portrait of the daily routines of an poor couple and the bursting anxiety of a married man, until the bubble bursts. "The Cop and the Anthem" was the first O. Henry story I ever read, and humorously recounts the unsuccessful attempts of a man to get into jail for the winter. "The Furnished Room" is a tragic and shocking story of suicide, depicting the depths of despair and desperation of the impoverished.

Thirdly, his warm humour. O. Henry has an uncanny ability to portray the mundane and the ordinary in the most elevated language. Frequently he pits two characters together in a remarkable way so that one outshines and complements the other. On other occasions he crafts the most ingenious and humorous schemes for outwitting others. One of his most popular stories is "The Handbook of Hymen", the tale of two men in a winter cabin, one armed with the hilarious Herkimer's handbook of Indispensable Information. And then there's Jeff Peters, a man who comes with the most ingenious money-making schemes, two shining examples displayed in "Jeff Peters as a Personal Magnet" and "The Exact Science of Matrimony". "Let Me Feel Your Pulse" pokes fun at doctors, while in "Next to Reading Matter" an overly eloquent character wins the heart of a senora with streams of articulate talk about the mundane.

Fourthly, his ironic twist. One of the distinctive characteristics of O. Henry's short stories is the ironic twist at the end, which never fails to surprise and entertain, sometimes reversing the entire story line in a concluding one-liner. O. Henry's suspense and trademark ironic twist ensures that readers who have a good literary taste in short stories will not be disappointed. Like the Jeff Peters stories, "The Love-philtre of Ikey Schoenstein" also feature a brilliant scheme, and the way the romantic scheme backfires is unforgettable. Other delightful examples of the glorious ironic twist include "Witches' Loaves" and "While the Auto Waits". The twist that comes at the end of "The Hypotheses of Failure" is so perplexing, that you'll have to re-read the entire story after reading the ending - but completely delighted at the way in which O. Henry has misled you. Perhaps one of O. Henry's best uses of the ironic twist comes in "The Last Leaf", a warm and tragic tale describing how a dying artist proves as resilient as the last leaf on the wall outside, and through the self-less sacrifice of another.

The Wordsworth collection is superlative, because it contains more than 700 pages of literary gems. It consists of 100 stories, showcasing a wide range of O. Henry's short-story talents. A few popular favorites are missing, such as "Schools and Schools", "Shearing the Wolf", "The Green Door", and "The Pimienta Pancakes." But the reality is that nearly all O. Henry's stories feature his trademark ironic twist, as they do his warm humour, his unique insight into the social conditions of the time, and his brilliant use of language, and that every story in this collection is a literary delight worthy of inclusion. The inaccessibility of some references for modern readers does not prevent these stories from being always entertaining and enduring! Don't pass up on these!

O. Henry began writing short stories as a prison inmate, and he quickly fine tuned his skills behind the bars and developed into an excellent story-teller.

The distinctive characteristic of O. Henry's short stories is the ironic twist at the end, which never fails to surprise and entertain. O. Henry's suspense and trademark ironic twist ensures that readers who have a good literary taste in short stories will not be disappointed.

These stories were written in the first half of the twentieth century, and O. Henry's use of language far surpasses that of most contemporary writers.

His stories also demonstrate his unique insight into the social conditions of his time.

This collection is superlative, because it consists of 100 stories, more than 400 pages, and is offered by Amazon.com at an excellent price! Don't pass up on this one!

What an excellent book! I recommend it all who love short-story works

I would prefer to have my questions answered concerning this book. I have read this book thoroughly many times; what I wonder is what makes this book "collectible" and worth [price] rather than [price], as no description is given other than "paperback". Thank you.

I purchased this book in order to better understand what the violin was all about to better understand why the violin was so important to my friend.

This is a wonderful book for those interested in learning about the history of the making of the violin. I myself am a violinist, and can appreciate everything there is to know about the violin. I highly recommend this book to anybody who loves the violin.

Dr. Turner writes with dry wit and intimate understanding of the beauty, complexity, and mystery of the Eastern Shore of VA.

With the recent purchase of a 1926 farmhouse on Hoopers Island on Maryland's Eastern Shore, I wanted to learn more about life on the Bay. My family and I hoped this book would shed light on perhaps a gentler time, with a return to "the basics." William Turner has written a wonderful account of his life growing up on the Chesapeake Bay in the 40's and '50s. The stories are entertaining, with laughs, as well as gasps, as well as tears. My sons, ages 10 and 6, beg me to retell his stories on our drives to our new Eastern Shore retreat home. From bear sightings to pig butchering to duck hunting adventures to sinking boats in the dead of winter, William Turner paints vivid images in our minds of life on the Chesapeake Bay during a time of neighborly help and family closeness. He is an artist, and shares his sketches in this book as well, which further brings home the true meaning of his stories. This is a treasure!

This volume includes ten narratives, but no general introduction, and no introductions to the narratives themselves. A better value for your money is I WAS BORN A SLAVE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF CLASSIC SLAVE NARRATIVES, two volumes of twenty narratives (including nine of the narratives in this volume), for just about the same price. The introductory material in that anthology is far more extensive, and fills in the historical and literary background that will help the reader fully contextualize these masterworks. In addition, it includes significant and astonishing narratives such as those of Josiah Henson (the best-selling slave narrative of all, and one of the main sources for UNCLE TOM'S CABIN), Solomon Northup (a free-born black man who was kidnapped and held as a slave for twelve years), William Parker (who led an 1851 rebellion that some scholars consider the first blow of the Civil War), and Moses Roper and John Brown (the most graphic and horrifying of the slave narratives).

This book is a collection of ten narratives that document the nature of American slavery from colonial times to the eve of the Civil War. There are some familar narratives, particularly that of Frederick Douglass (who has a volume of his own in the Library of America series) as well as many writings that were new to me.

There are two writers from the colonial period,a short account by James Gronniosaw and a loner narrative by Olaudiah Equiano. The latter book has a first-hand description of the notorious "middle passage" -- the transatlantic journey by which Africans were transported to a life of bondage in the New World. This book also features accounts of life at sea during the mid-18th century that reminded me of Patrick O'Brian's novels of sea life during the Napoleonic era.

There are two narratives in the book by women. Sojourner Truth's narrative, as told to a woman named Olive Gilbert, appeared in 1850. It tells the story of slavery in New York State (where it was not abolished until 1827) and introduced me to a strong-willed woman who combined abolitionism with strong religous passion and a commitment to woman's rights. Harriet Jacobs's account, "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" appeared in 1861. Written in a Victorian style, it still tells the story of the trials of a young woman who resisted her master's advances and hid for seven years in a narrow attic before escaping to freedom.

"The Confessions of Nat Turner" became the basis of a controversial novel by William Styron. It is an account recorded by a local attorney, Thomas Gray, of Turner's description, while in jail waiting execution, of the slave rebellion he led in Virginia in 1831. This is a spare account but to me much more impressive than what I remember of Styron's novel.

There is a lengthy account by a slave named Henry Bibb written in 1849. This book describes several escapes, and a slave prison of almost unbelievable cruelty in Louisvill, Kentucky. I found this perhaps the most riveting narrative in the collection.

Jacob Green's narrative appeared in 1864. This is a short tough-minded book by a person who was not afraid to fight back.

The narrative by William and Ellen Craft (1860) describes how a husband and wife disguised themselves to make a 1000 mile journey from Georgia to freedom. (Most escapes occured from the border states, which were themselves extraordinarily difficult.)

William Wells Brown, like Douglass, went on to a literary career after his escape from slavery. He was the author of the first published African-Novel. His narrative (1847) is short but documents convincingly his escappe from slavery in Missouri.

This collection will help the reader understand the nature of slavery in the United States from its beginning to its end. The volume is part of the Library of America's admirable attempt to produce uniform series of the best in American literature, thouught and history. The narratives of American slaves included in this book amply deserve their place in a series that documents the American experience, both for good and for ill.

Ten original slave narratives provide important testimony to the slavery experience and the longing for freedom and provide insights into how a diverse group of writers challenged literary traditions by expressing their pain and anger. From 18th century slaves abducted in Africa to later activists, this provides a fine cross-section of experiences.