... I was expecting a lot more from it. I think it is a shame that Portugal's anti-terrorist wars in Africa (Independence movements?? B.S!) where badly studied. And being portuguese, I could also sense some "white kaffir" mentality surfacing.
But the photos are quite good.
The book itself is little more of a colection of photos and some stories joined together without method.

I acquired this gem from my favorite used bookstore in Denver and am sure glad I stumbled on it! For anyone out there interested in the history of conflict in modern day Africa this has to be on your bookshelf. A great set of photographs from the beginning of the helicopter era coupled with good background from organized military sources and Mr. Venters own hand makes for a great read. The Rhodesian and South West African sections were eye-openers for me. The writing style is unique - a set of "articles" strung loosely together - and easy to read. I can't wait for Mr. Venters' next book.

This is, like most of Al J. Venter's stuff, a _MUST GET_ book.

I have found, like the other reviewer, the plans are often incomplete with measurements which are either missing or require effort to calculate. The plans, although very interesting, are done to a scale that makes measuring the sizes of pieces difficult.

I like the concepts of the plans but felt the author's true goal was to get me to order the full size plans offered in the back of the book.

On the other hand the book has wonderful ideas and if you are the type of person who is able to transform good ideas into your own plans this is a very good book for you.

This book features some excellent designs for construction vehicles that will both satisfy the woodworker and the lucky child that receives the toys. With some disappointment, however, the plans are incomplete, missing various critical views and dimensions, making the toys that much more difficult to reproduce. The alternative is to be creative and "guess" at the dimensions or, purchase full size plans advertised in the back of the book.

As a freelance draftsperson this book is one of four by Sun Designs that I had the pleasure of assisting with. 'Classic Toys in Wood' was a true delight as was the follow up book 'Making Timeless Toys in Wood'. Classic Toys in Wood contains 40 toy plans including; construction toys, a host of fun toys in the 'boat marina' theme, rocking horses, and more. The book itself contains 12 mini plans as well as an illustrated story for children. My niece was just a small child while I was working with the protypes of these toys. She visited often and of course loved to play test them. She especially liked the ferris wheel and all the little people she could put on the ride. Unlike some mass made toys, these stood up to the rigors of play. Along with the mini-plans included in the book you will find excellent step-by-step instructions and materials lists. Full size plans for all the toys shown in the book can be ordered directly from Sun Designs.

I read the first book in the trilogy and picked up A Place Called Sweet Shrub just because the author had killed off so many characters in the first and left much unanswered that I naively thought resolution would come in the sequel. I was wrong. Lucinda had so much going for her in the West Texas hardened by encounters with Christobel and Mrs. Sully that I thought her character would continue to grow. Instead, the book was a grandiose setup for the time displaced rehash of a race riot. The ribald humor was misplaced and characters are killed off haphazardly. I knew not to expect plot resolution, but some motivation would have been appreciated.

It has been three years since Lucy Richards returned from Estelline. Taking over the family hardware store and caring for family has taken her mind off her sister's betrayal and the man she had planned to marry, perhaps too well. Lucy feels that she may be too comfortable, and that life in Bonham may not hold much for her. When Josh Arnold visits Lucy on his way to Sweet Shrub, Arkansas(where he is to read law) he makes it clear in no uncertain terms that he is still interested in Lucy, and that he won't take no for an answer. Lucy discovery that her heart is once again willing to trust combined with Josh's insistance and the impending visit of Lucy's sister and former fiancee, propells Lucy to accept his proposal. Together they move to Sweet Shrub. Just as she had faced change and adversity when she left home to teach, Lucy is faced with a whole new life to claim. She is faced by the prejudices and fears of the townfolk, and must turn to Josh and an inner strength she did not realize she had to survive. This is the second in three books, and is told in a very different way than the first. The author is very skillful in including the events of the early 1900's, impending world war, friction between races and small town dynamics to weave a wonderful story of life in Texas.

"Sweet Shrub" was such a surprise. This book looked like dripy ole' southern novel. BUT...how wrong I was. This book was deep, emotional and I loved the characters. DEEPLY. This is such a great book.....it's clear, enjoyable, and such a pleasant surprise.

Hi. I am not interested at all in this book. Richard Butz is talented, but his books are generally not clear at all. I would highly recommend Scandinavian Woodcarving. While the title may be a turn-off, this book is just for fun carving. Check it out!

Unlike the reviewer before me, I have actually read this book. It is excellent! It is very clear due to its numerous illustrations and instructions. Well worth the money.

I had a great interest in reading this book purely for information on latex allergy. The book in several chapters dealt with the science of the subject well and explained it so I could understand. Hwever, I did not think that it read well. It is laced with exclamation points and alarmist wording. The case studies enclosed were helpful to put a face on the science and understand his message.

An allergy to latex kills. While the book is somewhat dated (1997), it accurately predicted precisely what would happen if this issue was not addressed. The issue was, indeed, ignored. I am highly allergic to latex, which pervades both the medical and consumer world. I have spent too much time educating physicians, nurses, and hospitals educating them on latex and its dangers. I am tired of having to do so. I must as my life depends upon it. I've decided to give a copy to my internist and my allergist. It turns out, I have been allergic to latex as early as 1983, but wasn't diagnosed until 1997. While it may seem alarmist, the cause requires it. Another problem is that it omits important information for patient populations. This may well be the result from the five years since its publication. Nonethless, it is an excellent resource to supplement research from publications in medical journals. If you are unfamiliar with medical terms, keep a medical dictionary (Tabor's or Dorland's) on hand.

While the book presents numerous types of agricultural buildings from all over the U.S., it doesn't go into any sort of detail about any of them, making it of limited reference use.

For what I wanted the book for it is a fantastic resourse. I build model barns and covered bridges. This book has not only given me new ideas but also a history behind them. Love the book.

I don't dominate English very well, but I am very easy of understanding and of carrying out the projects that he explains, everything it is useful and easy of carrying out

this was the first weather almanac i bought since 1978. while the stats are indeed current (up to year 1999) the historical data for most U.S. cities is not reflective of the past, and seems to only track data recorded with a station's new weather equipment, circa 1990s... also, the book itself is largely copied grids from earlier versions of the almanac, difficult to read in some cases. wind data in most cities is not reflected in historical trends.
USA today puts out a graphically pleasing almanac, but the data in their book too is not of super value to the true climatologist. with the vast number of reporting data available today, i would expect a book such as this to include many more cities, and address microclimates. the web itself offers better statistical data than this book; although keeping track of that data ourselves can be cumbersome.

I find this book fairly understandable, easy to follow and a bit of interesting with good pictures!

Do not recommend buying, black and white old, old pictures, unless you feel like taking out a chain saw (or axe) and using antique tools to build one, forget this book.

... I have been building regular frame construction houses and wanted to try something new by building some log homes in the mountains of Colorado where I live. I bought about every book that Amazon had to offer on log home construction. I was excited to get my copy of "Complete Guide to Building Log Homes" as it seemed to be the "bible" I was looking for. I was extremely disappointed. First off the book was printed in 1990 and the material used is 10-15 years out of date with today's construction methods. Even the pictures look like they are from the 1960's. There was even a picture where he tells you how to hand mortice an end joint and he is building a home with bark still on the logs !!!! That just isn't how things are done today. No mention of tongue and groove joints, prefinished and pre cut packages, D-cut logs, etc. He is out of date with todays construction. This book is a waste of money when there are books ... on building log homes that are written less than a year ago. Save your money. I sent mine back !!!!

This how-to guide covers the entire log home building process, from land planning through the time you enjoy the warmth of your new fireplace