H Books

This book goes on the shelf between Warner's "Beautiful Swimmers" and Kurlansky's "Cod". So beautifully written you feel at times that your swimming with the Menhaden, feeling their panic when the blues attack and the comfort of the school during the brief respite from attack. Science and poetry in equal measure.

Bruce Franklin has done saltwater ecology a monumental service by explaining the sea's utter reliance on a healthy menhaden population, and exposing a gross dereliction of duty on the part of "regulatory" agencies designed to protect the marine environment. The little fish that few have heard of, is crucial to the health of every species of shellfish and gamefish. The menhaden's unique ability to remove algae and phytoplankton from the water provides a cleansing effect that is of incalculable benefit to all sea creatures.

Largely unfettered by meaningful regulation, the menhaden reduction industry has systematically plundered and devastated the menhaden population, first along the north Atlantic coast, and then the mid Atlantic. Now the ecology of the Gulf coast is threatened by the wholesale plunder of their vital menhaden population.

Franklin provides numerous examples of how the industry, represented now primarily by Omega Protein, continues their rape of the Chesapeake Bay and Gulf coast even though a token and meaningless cap was put on the menhaden harvest in the Bay.

If you want to understand why we need to immediately shut down the destructive menhaden reduction fishery, get this book, read it, then get in touch with your legislators and regulators. Or join the Coastal Conservation Association and become active.

Very informative book. A little scientific for the general public, but great for surf and boat fishermen who target Striped bass and Bluefish.

I found this book when doing a search on "bunker". I am a new recreational angler in NY and while fishing for Striped Bass I usually use bait that is called "bunker". Curiosity ensued and I did a search and found this book. I started to read the background information and reviews and picked up a copy. I was glad I did. What a great read for my commute into NYC. It is chock full of interesting facts and historical data. It opened my eyes to the importance of this fish to us here in the Northeast and to the Atlantic coast in general. Just for kicks I decided to visit Omega Protein's site and as advertised they argue that they are managing the Menhaden (the correct name for this species) resource to as they say "remain productive for the foreseeable future." It was like I was reading the book all over again.

In my opinion this book was well researched and brings the facts home on an issue that I think is important to the recreational fishing community as well as the Atlantic and Gulf coast communities as well. If you are a recreation fisherman, someone who loves seafood or you just have a general interest in marine life and ecology then I highly recommend this book. It will open your eyes to a topic that I think needs our attention. Believe me this is coming from someone who isn't an environmentalist but the reality is spelled out and being objective I realize that the devastation of Menhaden will spell certain doom to many of our great sporting fish.

As I stated this book is a great read and should be on at least every East & Gulf coast anglers list.

Franklin weaves a compelling tale that includes the biology, natural history, fishery development, politics, and ecological significance of menhaden to marine communities along the Atlantic seaboard of North America.

Menhaden are unusual fish. They are filter-feeders that can strain phytoplankton, tiny free-floating photosynthtic organisms, out of the water. That diet causes menhaden to accumulate high concentrations of oil in their tissues, and that makes them a poor food fish for humans. On the other hand, their oily bodies make them a prime food for other fishes, such as bluefish and striped bass - highly prized food fishes for human consumption.

In this book you will read about how over 100 years ago enterprising commercial fishermen found that they could use purse-seine nets to capture huge numbers of these tightly schooling fishes, take that catch to nearby shore facilities, and press their bodies to collect high grade oil in a pre-petroleum economy. They could also use the remaining partsof menhaden bodies to produce either fertilizer or protein-rich animal feed. Then, through increased fishing pressure and improved fisheries technologies manhaden schools that once contained billions of fish were decimated.

You will be amazed when you read about how fisheries scientists uncovered the significance of this low profile fish to the ecology of the Atlantic seaboard, and to estuaries, especially the Chesapeake Bay. Fewer menhaden meant less filter-feeding, and that meant more algae, and that meant ecological shifts...

Maybe menhaden ARE the most important fish in the sea - at least along the North American Atlantic seaboard.

5 stars all the way!

This book should be of interest to sport and commercial fishermen (though the latter will probably not like or believe the main theme of the book), ecologists, conservation biologists, and just about anyone interested in the environment and how the world works.

One of the best books for children ever written. I read it in Russian, when I was a kid. I reread it several times after. I read it to my sons. They both loved it. Why it is so difficult to find? This book should be available to every kid!

I read an abridged version of Sans Famille when I was little, and when I found this book I bought it without a second thought. And the story is just as touching and good as I remember. If you have never heard of this book, read it; you'll love it.

I read this book many years ago in Russian. It is still widely printed there, while virtually impossible to find in English in Canada. It is a beautiful story about a young orphan, Remi. The story begins with Remi finding out that he is in fact not his mother's son, but was found by her husband years ago on the streets of Paris. Now her husband has been crippled in an accident and money has became tight. So to get rid of the boy he secretly (from the mother) sells him to a travelling stranger he met at a tavern.

The book reads very fast and is incredibly emotionally touching. I reread it recently as an adult, and still found it as magical as I did when I was a child.

I read this book when i was less than 10 years old in Vietnamese and it took me almost 30 years to find it in English here. It's one of the most influential books in my life. It's a story of self sufficient, hamonious rapport, and integrity, imho. I would recommend this book and "Nobody's Girl" by the same author to all, especially parents for their children.

I was in third grade. It was the first library book I had ever read. I cried and cried it so emotionally touched me. I read it 3 times. It still is the best book I have ever read. Thank you Amazon for giving me the opportunity to read it again....

Book was received in New, Mint Condition. Was mailed in a very timely manner, and I am extremely happy with my purchase.

Some of the best literature, whether divinely inspired or not, has long been lost to the world, too often for political ends. Fortunately, volumes like this one, admirably edited by James H. Charlesworth, replenish much of what was "lost" between the time of the Councils at Jamina and Nicaea.

Whatever one's creed or intentions, if one approaches this volume in earnest, one will find much of interest including, but not limited to, strong, implied historical evidence of egregious tampering by the early Church fathers of certain non-canonical works. A good example in this collection is 1 Enoch, which had been in the canon for centuries before being finally removed and, in the West, abandoned. In other instances, copies were, on Church orders, simply destroyed. Fortunately, complete copies of Enoch (or Henok) were preserved in Ethopic texts. In fact, the version of 1 Enoch presented in this volume (translated by E. Isaac) is largely structured on the Ethiopic texts, though the Aramaic fragments found among the Dead Sea Scrolls have been consulted along with Greek and Hebrew renditions. Charlesworth has also included many other fine renditions of apocalyptic works, including selections from the Syriac and Slavonian. Even more is to be had in the many non-canonical Testaments presented here, many with apocalyptic passages.

Matters of whether these "rebel" and "outcast" books appeared to be divinely inspired by the various communities that embraced them is a matter of conjecture, though there are strong hints here and there from the various communities of seekers that preserved these texts around the Mediterranean world. Of greater interest to me was the thoroughness with which each non-canonical text has been researched and translated. Charlesworth should be lauded for at least that contribution to our body of collective knowledge about what was being written and by whom at the end of the pre-Christian era and in the early years of the Common Era.

To the truly curious I recommend both volumes, whether for personal enrichment, Bible study, research, or tasting and comparing various translations of non-canonical literature. This is as unbiased a compilation as I have seen in many years. I rank it with the work being done by scholars like Geza Vermes as invaluable to any person seeking a deeper understanding of the great minds on either side of that turbulent millennium (i.e., give or take 300-500 years either way). Of course these writings can lead one's mind to many other insights and down many other paths of inquiry and thought; that is best left for the individual.

Be assured that this scholarly work is exactly that, and is not only highly-informative about the stories, symbols and myths of non-canonical literature that informed the consciousness of the Near East and eventually the Western world, but this volume does so in a highly accessible way. It is easy to read and certainly gives one pause. Savor it.

This and volume 2 are the most up-to-date and scholarly collections of extra-canonical Jewish literature of the Second Temple period in English. Any student or scholar of Second Temple Judaism, Historical Jesus, or Early Christianity will find these tomes invaluable. Each work is prefaced, footnoted, and cross-referenced, making them accessable to non-experts, as well as providing extra textual information of rmore advanced scholarship. well worth the money.

I am neither a biblical scholar nor a theological student, and therefore came to this book by a somewhat circuitous route. After reading several books on the Dead Sea Scrolls, the books of Flavius Josephus, Edward Gibbon's Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire, various Ecclesiastical Histories which I found on the Net, the Jerusalem Bible, Harpers Bible Dictionary, I finally arrived at Volume I of the Ante-Nicene Fathers which I also found on the Net. While I was reading this last work (which I have not yet finished), I came to realise that there was definitely something lacking in my knowledge of the development of Early Christianity. I didn't want to read a book about that topic, I wanted to read the original sources, so apart from the Bible itself, what else is there? Well the Pseudepigrapha for one! So, I looked at what was on the Net, but decided that the translations there were definitely old and somewhat obsolete, and didn't really have much explanation as to what I would be reading.

This book, on the other hand, contains up-to-date translations of the books of the Pseudipigrapha, which are the work of 24 eminent biblical scholars from various parts of the world, and include detailed explanations of the texts. Volume I contains 19 books of Apocalyptic Literature and related works, as well as the testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, Job, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Solomon, and Adam.

It was worth every penny I paid for it, and it took me over three months to read it. I can truthfully say that I read it from cover to cover, all xlix pages of Introductory material and 995 pages of text, including the small type detailed notes which for some books occupy more space than the text itself.

In an introductory chapter, Dr Charlesworth reviews the definition and importance of the Pseudepigrapha along with significant theological conceptions of the main period in which these books seems to have been written (mainly between 200BCE to 200AD).

Each book is introduced by a discussion of the contents, the original language of the text, the probable date, where it was written, its historical importance, its theological importance, its cultural importance, earlier translations, relationship to other books, and a Select bibliography. The texts themselves contain cross references to other biblical texts as well as copious detailed notes on the text itself. For me, it was as important to read the introductory section and the detailed notes as it was to read the texts themselves.

I have to confess I found it very hard to concentrate on the Books on Enoch, which are the first three books covered, and comprise about one third of the book. They were very repetitive, and mystical to say the least, but after I was over that hurdle the going was easier, and I can honestly say that I was somewhat sorry when I reached the end.

Did it meet my expectations? Yes, definitely. How much have I absorbed? Not as much as I would have liked, but enough to know what to look for when I need a reference guide. And I think I will definitely have a better understanding of the various writings of the Ante-Nicene Fathers and their successors.

It's obviously not a book for everyone, but if you wish to read the books of the Pseudepigrapha, I think this book has to be the best of those currently available with its up-to-date translations and comprehensive explanatory notes. I definitely plan to get Volume II.

This was a very interesting read. It offers more insight into the belief systems of the early judeo-christian religion. There are many interesting stories within this volume. If you get into "other views" or the Apocrypha, read this and Volume 2.

One of my favorite lexicons is Oxford Ameican Dictionary by Ehlich, Flexner, Carruth and Hawkins. As a matter of fact, I have been browsing for its publisher Avon Publishers of Bard, a division of Hearst Corporation of NY but could not locate it anywhere. I am so pleased with the entire format of the work that I am now looking for a replacement copy, a hardcover, if it is at all available. If only someone out there could advise where it might be found in and around Toronto, Ontario.

I am not a native speaker of North American English, and as such have relied extensively on OAD for all the help I can get -- particularly in the area of pronunciation. The system is uniquely logical, makes a lot of sense and is easy to master. I've recommended it to so many who are in my position. I would be thoroughly disappointed if I learned that the publication had been discontinued.

I like this dictionary, and use it often, but I have one complaint worth raising: THE PRINTING. Some of the pages seem to have been printed with too much ink, so "o" and "e" both look like solid black circles, and bolded "i" looks like bolded "l". Not a helpful trait in a dictionary!

Granted, I purchased this book because of its carriability, it is not the worst dictionary in the world. It contains a hefty amount of words compared to other compact dictionaries. But, what I traded for succinct entries is what I like about dictionaries: learning the unique history and etymology of a word. Otherwise, this dictionary got me through college.

The _Oxford American Dictionary_ , edited by Dr. Eugene Ehrlich, et al., is the best paperback American English dictionary. Even though the reissue edition of this dictionary is almost twenty years old, I consider it to be the best because it has excellent usage notes sprinkled among the usual definitions of words. Here is an entry with a note on usage: "hope*ful*ly (hohp'-ful-lee) 'adv.' 1. in a hopeful way. 2. it is to be hoped, 'hopefully, we shall be there by one o'clock.' > Many people regard the second use as unacceptable."

According to the editors, this dictionary "contains words and phrases likely to be met in reading and everyday life, including a number of slang, informal, and technical words and phrases." Many proper nouns, common foreign words, and abbreviations are defined, too. I suggest its purchase to university students for classroom use because this dictionary is small enough to be carried in a backpack. Students of English as a foreign language find its pronunciation guides easy to use. Others find it quite handy to keep nearby, in offices and homes, as a quick reference when writing or reading.

Highly recommended!

Need a small, lucid dictionary for looking up words and checking pronunciations? The Oxford American Dictionary (OAD) may be precisely what you need. Then again, it may not; it depends on what you value in a dictionary.

It is important, first, to note that there are essentially two types of dictionaries. Hardcover dictionaries are often large, cumbersome, and not at all portable. Their seemingly excessive size is spent on comprehensive definitions and large numbers of listed words. Paperback dictionaries tend to be much smaller, and are also called 'pocket' dictionaries because they, unlike hardcover dictionaries, can go wherever you go. Because of their smallness, paperback dictionaries contain fewer definitions than hardcovers, and are often forced to go without etymologies, or word histories.

The OAD is a pocket-sized, paperback dictionary. As such, it has certain limitations as well as strengths. Below I provide what are, in my opinion, the positive and negative aspects of this dictionary, followed by some additional commentary.

Pros:
-Highly portable
Although you would need cavernous pockets indeed for the OAD to be a true 'pocket' dictionary, it is compact enough to carry in a suitcase or book bag. The OAD is printed, too, on paper difficult to rip but also lightweight.

-Succinct definitions
One advantage of diminutive dictionaries is that in order to help reduce their size, editors reduce the length of their definitions. Brief, pithy definitions of words are easier and quicker to read than the longer definitions found in larger dictionaries.

-Useful usage advice
Although a dictionary is no substitute for such guides as Strunk and White's _The Elements of Style_ and Bernstein's _The Careful Writer_, the OAD is not afraid to let its prescriptive voice be heard. For example, after defining the word 'inflammable' (meaning 'able to be set on fire'), it is stated that the word 'means the same as ''flammable''; its opposite is ''noninflammable''. Careful writers prefer ''inflammable''.'

-Simplified pronunciation scheme
Most dictionaries, in showing how a word is pronounced, use symbols called 'diacritical marks'. Understanding them requires a special chart, which, though included in the dictionary, is itself confusing enough for many users to skip reading pronunciations altogether. Although this lax act saves people from temporary mental strain, they're punished in the long run by, for example, being caught pronouncing the word 'nuclear' as if it were spelled 'nucular'.

But I digress. The OAD does not use diacritical marks, and instead employs a simplified scheme that is easier to use without an explanatory chart, though one is still provided.

-Eugene Ehrlich is awesome
I didn't say this review was unbiased! One of the OAD's editors, Eugene Ehrlich, is the distinguished author of several excellent nonfiction books, including _Amo, Amas, Amat, and More_ (a Latin phrasebook) and _The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate_ (a delightful sort of dignified rant about dictionary editors who perpetuate what Ehrlich deems poor usage, and much more).

Cons:
-Somewhat outdated
The OAD was published in 1980, and to some degree, it shows. Recently coined words, such as 'newbie', 'microsleep', and 'web' in the sense of the World Wide Web, are not present.

Don't be misled, however, into thinking that a dictionary absolutely must be up-to-date. If that were true, dictionary-makers would sell fewer dictionaries and software-makers, such as Microsoft, would be far less successful.

-Small, ergo not very comprehensive
This is to be expected in a pocket-sized dictionary. If you're going to own a small dictionary, own a large one, too. If possible, go to a real-life, physical bookstore and compare the hardcover dictionaries there. Consider factors such as print size (you'll want the text to be readable without a monocle), page size (you'll want large, but also thick, pages), definitions (do they make sense? are they detailed enough?), and illustrations (do you want quality? quantity? color?).

-Fairly flimsy cover
Books are unlike leather in that they don't improve with wear. Paperback books are not also called 'softcovers' for nothing, and the OAD is no exception. After just a year of regular use, my own copy's cover is bent, torn, and scuffed at every edge. The pages, too, are beginning to warp at one corner in the manner of ancient floorboards.

Not all paperback books have such ephemeral covers. My 'softcover' edition of Seamus Heaney's 'Beowulf' translation is thick, semirigid, and is not going to tear in half any time soon. If only the OAD were printed similarly!

-Paucity of etymologies
Large, hardcover dictionaries invariably feature a plenitude of etymologies, or word histories. They're informative, entertaining, and important if you want to better understand a word--and the English language in general.

Besides reducing the length of definitions and reducing the number of definitions themselves, editors must pluck out countless etymologies in order to make a compact dictionary. The OAD has undergone this treatment, but fortunately, the few word histories it contains are fascinating ones.

-No illustrations
Some dictionaries are ostentatious, overflowing with rich color illustrations; some are utilitarian, with monochrome drawings throughout; and some are irksome, with nothing but words.

Commentary:
Again, I recommend that you never use a paperback dictionary (such as the OAD) without a hardcover one in your possession as well. Hardcover dictionaries are satisfyingly comprehensive, but also unwieldy and expensive. That is probably why paperback dictionaries came into being.

As you can see from the five stars, I unabashedly recommend that you purchase the Oxford American Dictionary. But one last caveat: avoid the 'reprint', the 'mass market paperback'--the one with a red cover. Buy the one with a yellow cover, which is a bit more expensive, but also larger and printed on higher-quality paper, making it much easier to read. If you're considering buying this dictionary and using it with any frequency, you will not regret it.

In this magical book, courage comes from inside. There are no battles with phasers or light sabers or even old-fashioned swords. The battles the characters win come from within. Some of the expressions of courage in this book are very surprising - tests of inner will, caring and generosity top the list.

A really nice selection of characters make up the team in this book who are working to recharge the Cave of Courage so that mankind will have enough courage for the next one hundred years. I think anyone reading this book will end up loving trolls. They have wonderful traits and spirits. The leprechaun and dwarf are good characters too. And we finally get to meet Mother Nature in this installment of the series. Well, sort of - she's a rainbow in this book.

In this story the fairies are not facing monsters. The fairies and other magical beings have to face their own faults and personality defects (greed, fear, etc...) and overcome stereotypes and prejudices. I didn't expect a book about fairies to be quite so philosophical and relevant. This is a very clever children's book that adults might do well to read and take notice of.

This book is not so much about battle-bravery courage as it is about stepping out of a comfort zone to work together effectively. If this was an adult-geared book, it would be about surviving and getting along in the workplace. I think my kids really learned--or were at least inspired--from this, as far as getting along, being kind, and accepting others for who they are.

My daughter learned to write haiku poetry from one of the books in this series. Spiderwort and the Princess of Haiku (The Fairy Chronicles)
I am so proud of her.

She wrote this haiku about Periwinkle and the Cave of Courage:
"The fairies found more
than courage when they traveled
through a shrinking door."

She wrote this one too:
"Haiku is easy
when you know the secret of
counting syllables."

This book has a really fun mix of magical characters and the adventure through the cave really held my daughter's interest.

I went to a birthday party last week. We got to ride on a pony and played games. We got a book to take home and this is my book.
It takes courage to go into a cave. There is a treasure in the cave but they don't take it out. Cinnabar rides on a snake to get a key.That takes courage. The brownies help the fairies.
Annie gave her prize to everyone in the end. I like this book.

I have given two sets of these books away as gifts. I just hope the recipients appreciate them and take good care of them.

Milne's classic children's books are perfectly illustrated by Shepard's clever line drawings. The originals are so superior to the Disney version that they are in a different league altogether. All children should hear the Pooh stories read by a loving adult. And the adult can enjoy Milne's sly humor on a separate plane from the child's appreciation.

The Winnie the Pooh stories are some of the best writing you will ever read. AA Milne has quite possibly the best writing style ever. Unfortunately, the last two books aren't Winnie the Pooh books. They are books of poems (and I really dislike poetry). Some will love that, but I was hoping for more Pooh.

I bought this for my niece, who will be three in January. Still a little old for her, but my sister and brother-in-law are very excited about reading aloud to her!

These books were purchased for grandchildren. I grew up having these read to me, read them all over & over to my own five, and now to the grandchildren.

A. A. Milne uses wonderful language, humor, suspense, making these books and their wisdom last into adulthood - we all have favorite quotes often used to fit specific situations. To this family, they represent the very best childhood literature.

the effects of inhibition and cellular localization of succinate dehydrogenase

I used it as I studied agromy and gave me a strong ground on this subject. I will probably buy it for my personal library, since I always borrowed it from University Of Chile Library.

Lehninger's book remains the best single text in biochemistry, at least in English. A fine book for undergraduates, it is also the one volume that you may keep on your shelf for years to come, and the best biochem text for those whose primary specialty is not biochemistry (e.g. medicine, p-chem, microbio). No text is ever a substitute for the journals if you work in the field, but this book gives a sense of the whole discipline that is beneficial for anyone who may become too narrowly fixed on one topic. Its clear writing is also a blessing, both for those using English as a second language, and for native speakers with some affection for their own language

This book is good, with many charts and diagrams. But it is also true that this book is a little bit difficult for a beginner in biochemistry.

I am student of Agronomy, Ljubljana - Slovenia. This subject is one of the most terrible in our 2nd year, but when I bought this book it was like I found a treasure. I passed the exam at first time and with a good mark. This is the best book I was ever studying from. I wish you to do more books like this one is. My best and kindest regards. All the best in the future, to everyone at the book and to all the readers.

This is an excellent book for all critical care nurses. It is succinct and comprehensive at the same time. It explains things easily and lets you know what you need to know regarding issues such as DKA, etc. It even has a section on different drug calculations when hanging a drip (ie dobutamine), etc. A must have reference for every critical care nurse!

What can I say? The other reviewers have said it all. Anything that I wrote would be simply reiterating what has already been said. This book is thorough, concise, easy to read and reference, and covers all the body systems pertinent to critical care interventions. It should be considered a mandatory addition to any serious critical care nurse's library.

The purchase was a gift to my daughter. I know she has not had time to put it to good use but from what I understand the book is a great reference for anyone in the medical field. She was quite pleased to have received.

This is THE BEST ICU QUICK reference around !!!!!
It is concise, simple language, and very light weight so availablity makes it MOST user friendly. It is updated often so info is very current in all systems. I have worked in ICU for 20 years and THIS is the book my coworkers and I use the most for quick reference.

All my nurse friends just love this book as reference. Thanks

Summary: A comical story of what first appears to be a threatening dragon who the setting's people want to slay. The dragon, however, is of no threat. When St. George is sent to "take care of it" the dragon cowers. When faced with this threat he sullenly, but humorously, replies ". . . Say he can write if he likes, but I can't give him an interview. I am not seeing anybody at present" (page not numbered). The three end fast friends and an uncertain threat is no longer a bother.
The author creates a believable character of a harmless dragon. What usually is portrayed as evil and dangerous, the persona of the dragon generates into a believable story. The twist of the dragon being afraid of St. George adds to the imaginable meaning the writer wants to evolve. Carefully setting the story, the author helps establish the voice of the characters. It evolves into a theme that proves that "things aren't always as they appear."

this is a great kids book. and even i love anything that rhymes. thank you so much.

The original "St. George and the Dragon" story is a frightening tale. Depending on which version you read, the townspeople give the scaly, stinking, vicious, dragon tribute of two sheep per day, and, when they invariably run out of sheep, they begin feeding it their own children. The King is obviously horrified, but what can he do? However, when the lottery selects his own daughter, who should appear but Sir George, (later the patron Saint of England) just in time for the king, if not for the subjects. The daughter worries for his safety, but the knight spears the dragon in its one vulnerable spot, then in a gallant display, borrows the daughter's girdle to drag the wounded dragon down to the town. For his own tribute, George asks only that the citizens become baptized; after this, he cuts off the dragon's head. Not a good ending for the dragon, but then, he wasn't a very nice dragon.

Like others before him, Kenneth Grahame modified this bloody tale for the consumption of the very young, and turned it completely on its head. This dragon would rather sleep than slay, purr than prey, and his true nature is discovered by a tow-headed young boy who gradually becomes friends with the pacifist, poetry-loving beast ("why I wouldn't hurt a fly."). Lay low, he advises him. Naturally, though, St. George arrives, and everyone acts as expected--except for the dragon. He simply refuses to attend his own demise:

"Well, tell him [St. George] to go away," said the dragon. "I'm sure he's not nice. Say he can write if he likes. But I won't see him." The boy, however, understands the underlying social pressures (which echo those of the British class system during Grahame's time) and replies: "But you've got to," said the boy. "You've got to fight him, you know, because he's St. George and you're the dragon."

The dragon, the knight, and the young boy, a person with neither power nor social distinction, make a plan. The plan is simple: Fake it. And so, like one of Vince McMahon's TV "wrestling" matches, St. George and the Dragon have it out, with flames and fury, and, as St. George just barely pierces the dragon in a pre-arranged safe spot. The townspeople, who have brought picnics for the presumed slaughter, were satisfied with the spectacle: "And all the others were happy because there had been a fight, and-well, they didn't need any other reason."

The original story, one of several short studies published in Grahame's "Dream Days" (1898, ten years before Grahame's most famous and beloved work, "The Wind in the Willows") may be found at http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=GraDrea.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=7&division=div1. Grahame wrote "The Reluctant Dragon" long at times, and one sees his concerns with religion and nature so evident in the river adventure scene of Wind in the Willows. Inga Moore takes out most of the slower, descriptive narrative (which might be enjoyed by older readers), and focuses instead on the dragon/boy/St. George relationships and the exciting battle. Compare the following excerpts (the first is Grahame's); this is great abridgement except for the inexplicable deletion of the last sentence, a very funny, modernist touch by Graham:

1. Then a cloud of smoke obscured the mouth of the cave, and out of the midst of it the dragon himself, shining, sea-blue, magnificent, pranced splendidly forth; and everybody said, "Oo-oo-oo!" as if he had been a mighty rocket! His scales were glittering, his long spiky tail lashed his sides, his claws tore up the turf and sent it flying high over his back, and smoke and fire incessantly jetted from his angry nostrils. "Oh, well done, dragon!" cried the Boy, excitedly. "Didn't think he had it in him!" he added to himself.
2. Then a cloud of smoke billowed from the mouth of the cave, and out of the midst of it the dragon himself, shining, sea-blue, magnificent, pranced splendidly forth; and everybody said, "Oo-oo-oo!" His scales were glittering, his long spiky tail lashed his sides, his claws tore up the turf and sent it flying high over his back, and smoke and fire jetted from his nostrils. "Oh, well done, dragon!" cried the Boy, excitedly. "Didn't think he had it in him!" he added to himself.

Moore also displays great taste and talent in her beautiful colored pencil and ink drawings. She draws landscapes and houses in a traditional style with meticulous shading and detail, trees show the undertones of illustration from a 1912 publication. The friendly, easygoing dragon is drawn showing an easy confidence and an engaging smile, but he's actor enough to look ferocious when required. He's drawn in one of the most striking shades of blue since the ceramic in the movie "Diva." Overall, Inga Moore honors the original Grahame story while making the story and pictures maximally entertaining for young children. Publisher Candlewick has done it again; this is an extraordinary book.

Fanciful and charming. I enjoyed reading it to my nephew and he loved it too. The artwork is lovely also. I'm looking forward to reading it again, with or without my nephew.

I bought this book for my future child (due Feb 2006) as part of my growing library. I read it through and thought it was cute, if a bit antiquated (what do you expect for a book that was written over 100 years ago?) Basically, a young boy befriends a dragon. When the townsfolk realize the dragon exists, they call upon a champion to vanquish him, blaming the dragon for crimes that he didn't commit. The boy talks to the champion about his friend and they all agree to stage a fight, rather than fight to the death. Once the play fight is over (the champion only gives the dragon a small flesh wound), it is agreed by all that the dragon will not harm anyone and the townsfolk will stop telling lies about the dragon. Nice moral story.

My only problem with the book is that it has been "sensitively abridged". I'm not sure what that means for "The Reluctant Dragon", but my "sensitively abridged" copy of "The Wind in the Willows" (also by Kenneth Graham) edits out silly things like "splashes of whitewash all over his black fur". If the book has to be so politically correct that it can't even refer to the color of an animal's fur, I'm not sure that I really want to associate with the edition. I'd be curious to compare this edition of "The Reluctant Dragon" with the original text now.

This book and CD are a wealth of knowledge. As a person of African descent, hearing how these persons were treated in a county supposedly for freedom and equality, not only was a horrified but very angry.
I will NEVER forgive this coutry for the ill treatment and hardship that racism and bigotry ahs and still is causing.

This is a must have, must read, must hear book. With the sixty-nine minute recording of the actual slave interviews from the 1930s, we have the only known recording of the actual voices of actual slaves telling their story. Hearing their voices is like being tele-ported back in time. The book itself also examines those same interviews, primarily through "Weevils in the Wheat: Interviews with Virginia Ex-Slaves."

Teachers and speakers will want their students and audiences to hear these voices. They give voice to the voiceless and bring alive these heroic survivors.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction , Spiritual Friends, and Soul Physicians.

For several years I've been reading powerful thought-provoking slave narratives. This is probably the most moving due to accompanying tapes of slaves discussing their thoughts and conditions when they were slaves. This book and tapes should be used in every high school American and World history classes. I recommend this book to everyone above the age of twelve. If you want to begin educating your children earlier about American history, specifically slavery have them read K.J. McWilliams books; The Journal of Darien Duff, an Emancipated Slave, The Diary of a Slave Girl, Ruby Jo, and The Journal of Leroy Jones, a Fugitive Slave. They are based on slave narratives such as this one and include many interesting photos as well as additional information.

I am currently a high school student that read part of this for a Civil War class and let me say this is one powerful book. With people who were the slaves themselves tell you their stories, you learn alot about the antebellum period. I would recommend this book for any mature person due to the fact that some of these stories show the true horror of slavery.

this is a Must for all to have.The Books&tapes show the RawNess and Emotions of Americas Worst NightMare that still Haunts Her.the Voices run Deep down your skin.until SLavery is Properly Discussed and Dealt with America will continue to be a Land of The Unknown.a Must Have Book.