I received this as a gift and it was great fun to read. It contains 26 short stories revolving around Xmas by some of the great writers such as Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Ellery Queen, Damon Runyan, etc. A great gift for the mystery lover!

(The numerical rating above is a default setting within Amazon's format. This reviewer does not employ numerical ratings.)

Whether your shortwave interest is home news from Ireland, Nigerian music, clandestine political movements, or just plain curiosity about the rest of the world, this is the only guide you need.

Written in understandable English with the beginner in mind, the Passport will be useful to the advanced listener as well, with up-to-date listings for the most exotic stations and their addresses, equipment tips and recommendations, advice on recording programs, a channel-by-channel guide, and much more. A new and special feature is the guide to Web Radio, where you can listen to the world right through your computer.

With this guide and a modest shortwave receiver, you're off to great listening adventures.

First they destroy his good name. Then they turn his friends against him. Then they take the millions. Then they kidnap his girl. They even take the penthouse apartment. But all this doesn't make THE SPIDER mad. Because THE SPIDER doesn't get mad; he gets even. Weather Forecast: Bad Times for Bad Guys!

Beginning in 1881 and continuing to 1906, Ambrose Bierce created a series of sardonic word definitions of his own. Many of these were collected and published as The Cynic's Word Book, which he later protested was "a name which the author had not the power to reject or happiness to approve." So in 1911, he pulled together a collection that was more to his own liking and called it The Devil's Dictionary. The entries are a tad uneven in quality, but most are amusing and some are great. Each reader will have his own favorites, some of mine are as follows : ACQUAINTANCE, n. A person whom we know well enough to borrow from, but not well enough to lend to. A degree of friendship called slight when its object is poor or obscure, and intimate when he is rich or famous. ALLIANCE, n. In international politics, the union of two thieves who have their hands so deeply inserted in each other's pockets that they cannot separately plunder a third. BIGOT, n. One who is obstinately and zealously attached to an opinion that you do not entertain. BORE, n. A person who talks when you wish him to listen. CONSULT, v.i. To seek another's disapproval of a course already decided on. CYNIC, n. A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be. Hence the custom among the Scythians of plucking out a cynic's eyes to improve his vision. DICTIONARY, n. A malevolent literary device for cramping the growth of a language and making it hard and inelastic. This dictionary, however, is a most useful work. DISCRIMINATE, v.i. To note the particulars in which one person or thing is, if possible, more objectionable than another. EDUCATION, n. That which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding. FUTURE, n. That period of time in which our affairs prosper, our friends are true and our happiness is assured. HISTORY, n. An account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools.... A member of a large and powerful tribe whose influence in human affairs has always been dominant and controlling... He has the last word in everything; his decision is unappealable. He sets the fashions and opinion of taste, dictates the limitations of speech and circumscribes conduct with a dead-line. POLITICS, n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage. And, my choice for the very best among them : CONSERVATIVE, n. A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others. By all means, read it and pick out your own; you're sure to find a few that tickle your fancy. GRADE : A

Webster's this ain't. Ambrose Bierce, a very angry and witty man, wrote down his personal definitions (1881 to 1906) of various things and concepts, which were eventually compiled into "The Devil's Dictionary." The result is immensely funny in a twisted kind of way.

A bigot is "one who is obstinately and zealously attached to an opinion that you do not share." Disobedience is "the silver lining on the cloud of servitude." Brute is "see: Husband." Patience is "a minor form of despair, disguised as a virtue." Philosophy is "a route of many roads leading from nowhere to nothing." And that's just a few...

Weirdly funny, twistingly witty. It's an enjoyable, very politically-incorrect book that will be over before you want it to be.

Ambrose Bierce was a man of many distinctions - writer, journalist, humorist, and Civil War veteran. We all remember reading his classic story "An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge" in eighth grade English class. Bierce is best known for his ghoulish horror tales, which were on a par with Edgar Allan Poe, but his greatest work was The Devil's Dictionary. A scathing parody of Webster's dictionary, Bierce's volume was a showcase for his brilliant, caustic wit. This is Bierce at his best, mixing comedy with social commentary, unleashing his anarchistic convictions to the hilt! Bierce blasts away at God and country and all that is respected and proper. He defines patriot as "the dupe of statesmen and the tool of conquerors", a Conservative as "a statesman who is enamored of existing evils" and a clergyman as "a man who undertakes the management of our spiritual affairs as a method of bettering his temporal ones" and so on. Nothing is sacred and no one is safe in this classic work of 19th century American literature which continues to attract just as much controversy and outrage today as it did when it was first published. A must read for all students of literature, dissenters, and fans of caustic humor!

Oh, this is lovely! This is inspired! If you find a copy, buy it, read it, cherish it, and know you have my undying envy (I have to rely on libraries).

In this book, Zelazny freely borrows from Stoker, Shelly, Conan Doyle, and Lovecraft (most especially Lovecraft!), screen adaptations of the same, and other popular touchstones. "A Night in the Lonesome October" follows 31 days in the lives of watchdog Snuff and his master Jack, as they prepare for a Halloween ritual. Some players want to bring Lovecraft's ancient gods of chaos back to earth; some want to banish them, at least until the next ritual. Discovering who is who and what is where are vital tasks. The story works in its own right, but the more familiar you are with Zelazny's sources, the more fun it is to read.

The book is not as powerful as some of Zelazny's works, but it is wickedly fun and well worth rereading (many times!) to catch and savor the details.

I hadn't had this much fun just reading a book in ages. The major characters include Jack the Ripper, Count Dracula, the Wolfman, Dr. Frankenstein (and his creation), Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and about half a dozen more odd souls, most of whom have animal familiars, and the whole story is told by Jack's familiar, a dog named Snuff. Zelazny mixes black humor, sometimes manic humor, and lovely writing, and the tapes, read by the author, are as comforting to listen to as a bedtime story by a dear friend.

A Night in the Lonesome October is the perfect novel for those of you who love light, compelling fantasy. Zelazny, a master of simplicity, chooses a watchdog named Snuff to tell his macabre tale of a grizzly event which takes place when there is a full moon on Halloween. The rest of the characters are equally strange, but recognizable and intriguing. All leads, through amusing diversions, to a satisfying ending with plenty of surprises. All in all, it is a sample of vintage Zelazny; a novel to read once you've read all the Amber novels.

I have read this book at least 5 times, and it equally amusing each time. I catch refrences I might have missed previously, and lose myself in the world Zelazny creates. Don't write it off prematurely as typical fantasy. Roger Zelazny was always much more than that.

"And ah, my foes, and oh, my friends, they gave such a wonderful light. Hickory - Dickory - Dock!"

Why do you have to pay for so many advertisments? This book should be free.

The hour-by-hour listings of what's on for each of the major (and not so major) international broadcasters really helps me get my money's worth out of my receiving equipment. I do use the blue pages, which sort broadcasters by frequency rather than time, since I am mostly a casual broadcast listener, but they are invaluable to a DX'er who is simply tuning around and comes across something they are not familiar with. This section would help you locate what you are listening to by frequency and time. My favorite section, every year, is the receiver reviews, since there's so little objective analysis of the hardware available anywhere else.

Most seasoned listeners eagerly await the release of Passport to World Band Radio year after year and most new listeners quickly find it as essential as the batteries or the AC adapter.

In my opinion, this is the ultimate shortwave guide. It has reviews of equipment and listings of most every station every station. It is a good book for both beginners and experienced listeners.

A wonderful channel-by-channel guide to world band schedules. So if you are a BBC junky, or need to tune in China Radio, 'Passport' has conveniently listed their air-time schedules for you. Surprisingly, even though 'Passport' fails to list the contact information for radio and antenna manufactures, they list addresses for hundreds of radio station throughout the world that broadcast. So, if you have been desperate to send 'Radio Vlaandren' your your monitoing information so you can obtian that coveted QSL card to complete your collection, the address and contact persons' name is here.

If you want to start listening to World (shortwave) Radio, this is the first, and maybe only book to buy. I get it each year for the latest listings and reviews. I listen to world radio for alternate news and views, and for world music.

The book starts with up-to-date reviews on radios costing from $50 to $6,000. It has everything you need to get started, which can be no more than getting a radio and plugging it in, or setting up an outdoor antenna if you want to.

The book describes the most accessible stations, but lists more stations than you'll ever be able to hear: hour-by-hour, station-by-station, channel-by-channel.. Lists English broadcasts, but also "voices from home": native-language broadcasts for those living outside their own country.

The only thing that they don't cover that I wish they would is reviews on the new radios that are controlled entirely by a computer. The book describes only very simple antennas, enough for many. It does not attempt to be a guide to designing an outdoor antenna: that's a subject for an entire book.

I prefer this book to The World Radio TV Handbook, the only real alternative.

If, like me, you want to get this book each year when it's available, the authors will notify you if you drop an email to mwk@passport.com.

Tofu Roshi is the alter ego of Susan Moon, a longtime Zen practitioner and writer living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Tofu Roshi's advice to the lovelorn, instructions on meditation, and overall guidance on life gave me many, many belly laughs. Roshi's words are complimented by photos of his (or is it her? Tofu Roshi's gender is rather questionable!) students hard at work to get enlightened. If you know anything about Buddhism, or are involved in a Buddhist group {sangha), and are prone to taking yourself and the practice too seriously, this book is just the right medicine for you.

The interesting thing about Zen is that a humor book about Zen can be just as enlightening as a normal book about Zen. Zen has a strong tradition of humor and self-parody. Susan Ichi Su Moon has a warm heart which shows through her gentle and hilarious book. I couldn't have said it better myself.

This is one of my favorite books! Gahan Wilson has a wonderful drawing style, and is well-known for his imaginative, slightly macabre sense of humor. But when you see his one panel cartoons and illustrations, you always want more. Well, here's more! This is a dense collection of wonderful comic strip stories Wilson did in the 70's. They are about a pre-teen "Kid," and capture boyhood better than just about anything else I've ever read. The Kid is an only child, growing up in a big city. There is great honesty here, with the kid saying (to himself) swear words and imagining those horrible things we all imagined when we were small and easily terrified. Neither condescending nor obnoxious, these strips are gentle, warm and genuinely funny. And, course, they are beautifully drawn. The Kid reads comics, gets sick, build model planes, goes to a relative's funeral, visits the scene of a recent murder, goes to the matinee, and generally has a great set of universal adventures. Especially for this volume Wilson has drawn full pages like "The Sick Bed," 'Mr. Schultz's Cigar Store." I can't believe this book is out of print. A smart publisher could bring this back and do well with it. Will appeal to fans of LYNDA BARRY.

Remember being a kid and trying to figure the world out? If you're forgotten, pick up this book. I even remember the first
"Nuts" cartoon I saw: a sick kid, in bed, with a terrified look on his face, watching as germs the size of lobsters crawl up his bedsheets toward him. "We're germs, kid," one of them is saying to the kid. "We're going to kill you." Horrible, yes, but very, very funny. This is probably my favorite of Wilson's books.

Buy this as a collection of nice black-and-white drawing (the variety of styles is delicious), or as a sort of catalog that will lead to further research of your own, but don't trust a word in it. The "information" here is often simply not true; the biographies of Dali, Crowley, Gurdjieff, Hitler and others aren't just shallow and poorly researched, they are literally, to varying degrees, fictional. The one on Crowley contains errors of fact and tabloid nonsense in nearly every panel; many others are almost as bad. This is what you get when you mix a lazy, opinionated hack writer with the comic book format, I guess--sparkle without substance.

I got this thing as a gift and it is one of the best books I have ever read. It is realistic,well drawn and researched,and enjoyable. It hold artitists,writers,leaders,actors,and more. From funny{Edward Southern}to freaky{Franz Kafka},from good{Thomas Edison}to bad{Aldolf Hitler}and more. Like the others,this is a keeper.

This is the second of the Big Book series, and another gem! Read it, and see what made many historical figures tick (and go cuckoo as well!). One of my favorites, one I can relate to. Can you?

This excellent little book is purported to be a collection of the work of a purely fictional writer named William Ashbless.
The authors originally created him when they were literature students at Fullerton State University near L.A. Over the years he has either appeared in or been referred to in most of their books and Tim Powers considers him a "good luck charm".