As a history buff the title caught my interest. The thorough and precise knowledge of the writers, the b&w photos and the easy to read text makes this book a delight to own and share with younger readers. It's format featuring suggested tours, chronological data, appendices, and index give information which could be helpful to today's traveler,even though the book was written in 1940. It includes Architecture of Homes and Federal sites. Agriculture addresses the farmer's effort to supply the needs of the people. Commerce and Industry informs the reader of the many and varied ways Virginians of that age made a living. Another section on cities and towns takes one to the main thoroughfares of interest. READ IT !! AND THEN SHARE IT WITH A LOCAL HISTORY CLASS.

I recently moved into my first apartment and didn't have a lot of money to decorate. I also knew what look I was going for but didn't know how to get it. Making Color Work did it all for me! It led me through the entire decorating process and gave me tons of small tips that have made a HUGE difference. The book also helped to make my apartment stand out and not just look like everyone else's. My apartment is now classy and cozy and it makes me smile whenever I walk in the door. I highly recommend this book to anyone, even people who aren't just starting out because there are decorating tips and ways to save money that you'd never think of!

Virginia Woolf does such a wonderful job of revealing the many facets of an individual. In this book, she applies that task to couples in love. It is a marvel that she not only identifies the many nuances of a glance, a word, a movement, but that she also conveys them to the reader in a perfect sentence. This book, unlike some of her others, seems written to appeal to a broader audience. It is "easier" than some of her other fiction, but is by no means a bore for Woolf fans.

Here is an artist at work, painting the nuances of the heart, creating living people, reacting to the subtleties of mood, ambiance, the weather, and external perceptions that make up how we live and who we are. No matter what you think of these people, you have a chance to live with them and understand them, feel their conflicts, their love, and their pains. Virginia Woolf is the ballast that offsets all the one-book-wonder authors, the cynics, the nasty moderns, and those authors who have given up on anything positive in the world. Like Shakespeare, her work will live on long after so many others are forgotten. That's because she offers us art, hope, vision, and the truth about our humanity. It's all here in this book, if you choose to read it.

Woolf portrays the fascinations of self-discovery through relationships with other people, and she also looks into the intricacies of love--are we aware of love? What is the importance of love in a person's life? Does one need it to be happy? Taking a peek into the answers of these questions along with adding delightful humor that made me laugh out loud made this book terrific. The characters are interesting and you can choose for yourself whether or not you like them. I would definitely recommend this book--its many levels are enjoyable for all ages and both sexes!

The text relates the history of the Blue Ridge Parkway, from initial conception through to completion, which actually didn't happen until 1983 with the opening of the Linn Cove Viaduct. That is interesting enough, but the real merits of this book are in the gorgeous photographs, which stretch all along the length of the Parkway and cover all seasons and moods. Organized in milepost order, they brought back fond memories of the places I've visited (Peaks of Otter, Mabry Mill) and hopes to visit all the rest someday.

This is a book I've turned to often as an inspiration for photographing the Blue Ridge mountains. The writing is very good and informative. The pictures are stunning. A good introduction for someone who is thinking about going to the BR Parkway and needs some guidance.

A pleasure to own this book.

This book is very good for the beginners who want to learn how to play the guitar, recorder. However, this is not a book solely about learning to play a musical instrument. Instead it is a book which uses musical performance as a vehicle for learning about music.

This book is very useful for college music fundamentals classes and is adaptable to different situations. Highly recommended!

The photography in this book is beautiful. However, if you are looking for pictures of outdoor Nantucket scenery, then you may want to choose another book. This book shows a lot of the inside of homes & their backyard gardens. It is a great background reference. It is clear the author did a lot of research of historical Nantucket when writing this book. Overall, there are a handful of really nice pictures of Nantucket, but mostly of the inside of older or newly renovated homes on the island. Great for decorating ideas!

A beautiful collection of 300 full-color photographs of Nantucket's gardens and houses. The author and photography is able to capture the unique vegetation and landscape that adorns the historical houses. I was impressed with the photography of the interiors of some of the most famous homes on the island. A quality collection of homes, gardens, history and culture. I would recommend for anyone who enjoys traveling to Nantucket. A perfect gift to bring home for the cofee table.

"The Voyage Out" was Virginia Woolf's first novel. This work is much more even and mature than many writer's first books, however. True, "Voyage Out" is a much more typical novel of the time (it was published in 1915). Her later works would be much more experimental, and "Voyage Out" indicates some of this - the multiple viewpoints and emphasis placed on character's inner lives are both key aspects of this work. And Woolf's mastery of the English language; her ability to write of both the "big events" and the "everydays" of life in a new and exciting way that skirts the melodrama of some of the earlier Victorian novelists is in full flower. Michael Cunningham's introduction, while pretty basic as far as biography and literary criticism go, is a good introduction to Woolf that doesn't put too much of an emphasis on her life over the merits of her work, a tendency that is all too frequently indulged in. Most people nowadays have heard of Virginia Woolf, and may know that she was mad and committed suicide; most people are, however, not aware of the key place she plays in the development of the English novel, and of the power her works still have. Cunningham has some interesting things to say about the place her writing and particularly her fiction play in our view of literature. (Michael Cunningham's most recent novel, "The Hours", is a sort of improvisation which plays off of and comments on Woolf's novel "Mrs Dalloway"; "The Hours" also features Virginia as a character. One more interesting note about "The Voyage Out" is that it introduces us to Richard and Clarissa Dalloway who will go on, of course, to be key players in "Mrs Dalloway"). Just as Cunningham's essay is a good introduction to Woolf Scholarship and Biography, "The Voyage Out" is a good place to start. Not only is it the first of her works, but perhaps more immediately accessible than some of the later works. However, this accessibility is not at the expense of greatness - "The Voyage Out" is not a "lesser Woolf novel" by any means. On the contrary, it deserves to stand with "Mrs Dalloway", "To the Lighthouse" and "The Waves" as a key part of her work.

Rachel Vinrace, a young woman not quite acquainted with the ways of the world, accompanies her aunt and uncle (the Ambroses) to South America, where she eventually falls in love with a young aspiring writer. Swirling around this tale of doomed love are the many other characters who all influence each other and are themselves influenced. Most of the novel is about Rachel, but Helen Ambrose is equally central to the story, as a comparison to her niece and in her own internal voyage. Chronicling the inner lives of her characters, Woolf, in her first novel, explores the awakening of first love, the influences of men (and the culture they have control over) upon women, the confusions we as human beings have in our daily communications with others. Originally entitled "Melymbrosia", "The Voyage Out" went through many revisions as Woolf claimed language for her own uses and effectively began a new literature (for her time), where the internal life and the interconnectedness of humanity are the central themes.

I first read Dr. Lee's "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause," and then this book. I found the premenopause book to be a much easier read, but recommend reading both books (and I'm a slow reader.)The information made so much sense of bodily changes I've experienced 10 years earlier than most women. I'm relieved to find out I'm not losing my emotional or physical balance. After reading the book and also having a benign cyst removed, I've dropped birth control pills, started using progesterone cream and supplemented my daily vitamins. I feel better, my migraines and arthritis have abated, have no more night sweats and won't miss having a period. I am also shopping for a new (enlightened) ob/gyn.

This book answered many questions I had about PMS, cramps, weight-gain and painful breasts in the run-up to it, irregular periods, and many, many others, which no doctor has ever addressed adequately for me. I am only 30, but looking back on my life and diet from the perspective offered by the book, I can see that I have done everything to create an estrogen-dominance condition in my body, which in turn has resulted in these symptoms. What several years of birth-control pills, low-fat/high-carbohydrate dieting, excessive consumption of caffeine and sugar, and a high-stress job. The authors explain that estrogen dominance is a condition endemic to our culture and yet very badly understood (or simply ignored) by conventional medicine and pharmaceutical industry. It is a precursor to many illnesses, particularly those related to women's reproductive health (including infertility, breast cancer, cervical cancer, urinary tract infections, fibroids, etc.). They emphasize a balanced diet and stress reduction as crucial factors in bringing your hormones back to normal, and explain the use of natural progesterone in alleviating estrogen dominance. Loads of rarely available information on how the meet packed with hormones and antibiotics (almost all the meat in your local supermarket) and produce sprayed with pesticides (almost all the produce in your local supermarket) contribute to women's deseases. Get this book - it may very well help you forestall a hysterectomy, infertility, breast cancer or a painful menopause.

I have read this fine book as well as the earlier volume by Dr. Lee "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause". I feel that both of these books contain information that every woman and really every person needs to know. We live in a dangerous world. A world full of invisible or unnoticed chemicals that impact the reproductive and general health of all of us, especially those of us in the industrialized world. It is essential to know what is happening and how chemicals are changing our health. Forewarned is forearmed. Many problems that we are calling "normal" in today's world are not normal at all and speak to the need for balance of our hormones. Men and women will benefit from this information. Young women are not immune from the dangers in the environmentthat cause hormonal changes. Please read this. Don't have invasive surgery without first reading this book, it could change your life.

Comedy, in the strictest sense, is concerned with ultimate forgiveness and reconciliation. In Shakespeare's play, "The Tempest," the protagonist, Prospero, must come to terms with his brother Antonio, who conspired to have him driven from his duchy in Milan, and with the world of social interaction in general.

Magic, Power, and Conspiracy are the foundational thematic elements through which Shakespeare effects Prospero's reintegration into human society. Thrown into a boat with his infant daughter Miranda, Prospero comes to live on a nearly deserted island in the Mediterranean Sea. Prospero's concentration on developing his proficiency in Magic caused him to become alienated from his political and social responsibilities in Milan, leading to his expulsion. His brother Antonio conspired with Alonso, king of Naples, and seized the power Prospero forsook for book-learning.

Prospero hears of a sea voyage undertaken by his enemies, and, using his Magic, whips up a storm, a great tempest, which causes his enemies to be shipwrecked on his island. On the island, Prospero exercises total power - over the education of his daughter, his slave, the deformed Caliban, and now over his enemies. He engages Ariel, a sprite, to orchestrate the division of the traveling party, and to put them through various trials to exact vengeance and ultimately, submission from them.

"The Tempest" is a fine effort from Shakespeare, but the power relations in the play are problematic. Prospero's insistent dominance over the action of the play is extremely troubling. Although he is presented as a benevolent character, Prospero's relationships with Miranda, Caliban, and Ferdinand, King Alonso's son, complicate his overall worth as a man and an authority figure. The dynamic between the slave Caliban and the drunks, Trinculo and Stephano, is also very unsettling.

Overall, "The Tempest" remains a whimsical flight of imagination, while exploring intriguing themes of education, political intrigue, and romance. Certainly, it is still a well-constructed and entertaining play after nearly four hundred years.

This is Shakespeare's 2nd last play. Yet, nothing indicates that he was running out of steam. The images are beautiful. Stephano, Caliban, and Trinculo are memorable as the bumbling conspirators. Miranda and Ferdinand are fine as the two young lovers. Ariel is striking as Prospero's loyal servant. Prospero is a magnificent creation. Not only does he offer several beautiful and memorable passages, but he is well drawn as a character who was unfairly forced into exile. He also makes his prison his paradise. In addition, he is a fine representation of Shakespeare himself: "Knowing I loved my books, he furnished me / From mine own library with volumes that / I prize above my dukedom" (1.2.166-168). His speeches in 4.1 and 5.1 also reflect how Shakespeare himself was contemplating the end of his career. The story itself is very well drawn. Shakespeare grabs our attention with a storm at sea. He offers us a reflection of himself, comical touches, beautiful images, profound passages, beautiful language, young lovers, comical villains, and deep messages. If you like this, be sure to read his final play "Henry VIII."

Yes, there is once again murder brewing in the play of Shakespeare but only in a comical way. Not able to claim to be a Shakespeare expert, I have only read four of his other plays. However, it is in my opinion that this be the best one, most likely because it is a comedy and is much lighter that his other plays. This classic play tells the story of the former Duke of Milan who was wrongly dethrowned by his brother. Using his magical power that originally expelled him from Milan, he is able to bring the King (Alonso), Alonso's brother (Sebastian),his own brother (Antonio) and other servants to the his mostly vacant island. Ordering about the spirit Ariel, he manipulates his way into an interesting and funny situation. There is much to gain from reading this wonderful play which is one of Shakespeares last. I recommend this book to Shakespeare lovers and even more so, to variety readers such as myself. You won't be dissapointed by the plays light mood which is much better than Shakespeares serious murder stories.

I picked up this book because I was looking for a "front end" to a disciple-making program for my local church. I found a few things I can use. While Barna's passion is well-founded, he chooses to make the same arguments that has lead to a spiritual dichotomy: 84% of American's claiming a "Christian" faith while our society and culture crumble. It seems we have the evangelism part down, but we lack the proof that what we preach works in our own lives. (Barna briefly hits on "disciple-making" in this book and goes on to write a great book on the subject, "Growing True Disciples"). If the energy and resources put into evangelism were put into disciple-making, Christianity would have a profound impact on ourselves, our families, churches, neighborhoods, and world. Barna doesn't make this argument, so I my opinion, this book falls short in identifying "Evangelism that Works".

This book provides many good ideas but falls somewhat short on presenting how-to items succinctly.

What I was looking for was a book I could use to teach a class on relationship evangelism. Furthermore, my ideal is a book that addresses post-modern people (especially Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers) with their common aversion to embracing any exclusive or absolute truth. This book worked very well, but I had to work harder than I would have liked in creating my own group study guide.

This book, like most on the subject, takes a narrative approach to each chapter. What I would have liked but did not find were:
1. Discussion or review questions at the end of each chapter
2. Application exercise(s) at the end of each chapter, focused on building lifelong habits.

The content is there, but not split out in a clear, action-oriented recap. Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry & Mary has similar strenghts and weaknesses.

A promising new book that I may use is Evangelism Outside The Box (Rick Richardson, 2000).

Older books that have worked very well for me in teaching others are: (roughly in order of preference): Power Evangelism (John Wimber, 1992), Witnessing Without Fear (Bill Bright, 1987), Out of the Salt Shaker (Rebecca Pippert).