G Books

Roy G. Williams and Terrence E. Deal are an incredible duo to describe the intricacies of effective management and leadership in all organizations. Their insight and experience is particularly helpful in the leadership realm of public education. "Discovering your opposite" is a unique perception to reflect on one's own view of leadership. As a public school administrator, we seldom take the time to reflect on our lenses of leadership. The need to identify a balance in our manager/leader role is essential as pointed through their examples of current leaders among us: Rudy Giuliani, Donald Burr and Hillary Clinton. Their case studies were not only interesting, but relevant to the four leadership styles of a Rationalist, Politicist, Humanist and Culturist. What a wonderfully positive way to imagine the flow of effective school leadership! Williams and Deal allow me to define my current leadership tendencies and discover where I wish to develop into my "dance of school leadership".

In over 40 years of leadership and management covering manufacturing, textiles, furniture, municipalities and hospitals, this book is the clearest, most effective management/leadership book ever. Takes Dr. Deals' book to new and exciting directions. Predict great things for this effort. What is next?

The path to the publisher's door is crowded with authors anxious to reveal "the way" to develop strong leaders and effective managers. Most offer guides that are unreadable beyond page 50 because they reveal nothing more than a reshuffled list of the habits of successful CEO's or a new George Patton story. A generic title could be: "I Am Publishing This So I Won't Perish".

Professors Williams and Deal have broken out of the pack with "When Opposites Dance". What is new is the combination of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Deal's "Cognitive Frames" - with a bit of Jungian psychology - to explain the importance of a manager achieving a balance between the Adam and Eve in his life. The clear logic of the premise will allow the most combat-hardened military leader to begin to look for his feminine side without cringing.

What really sets this book apart is its readability. The use of twelve well-known Americans as illustrative examples (college freshmen will recognize most of the names) will hold the reader's interest. If you are seeking to develop your own management/leadership style, and particularly if you are training others in the art, buy this book.

Military Leadership Instructor

This book should be mandatory reading for every MBA candidate. Boards of directors across the country are wondering why their best and brightest can't get the job done. The answer, in many cases, is that there are too many managers and not enough leaders. Dr. Williams and Dr. Deal provide an interesting and insightful examination of that issue.

Expert educators Roy Williams (Adjunct Professor of Leadership, Vanderbilt's Peabody College) and Terrence Deal (University of Southern California) combine their considerable expertise and experience in When Opposites Dance: Balancing The Manager And The Leader Within, to knowledgeably examine the four natural styles of managing and leading (rational, political, humanist, and culturist) and explore how to balance managerial tendencies against the needs of workers within the context of current and volatile situations for optimum productivity. An exceptionally well written, personality examining, and goal-oriented self-help aid, When Opposites Dance is very highly recommended reading for corporate managers and executive policy makers.

I agree with all the reviews written about this wonderful book. This book would make a great movie. Billy's writing is so real that you feel like you are living the story. This is a story that you will want to read over and over.

I was briefly put off by the run-on pattern of the dialogue but quickly found my rhythm and couldn't stay away from the book until I finished it--and was sorry I had no more of it to read. I hope to be able to ask the author how much, if any, of the book was part of his family history. Makes me hope to find some of these marvelous stories in my own family. Geneology doesn't interest me as much as visualizing individuals by the stories about them.

I just have to say that this was one of the most wonderful books I have ever read. I could almost see myself there, watching all the events unfold before me. The author used such detail that you would have believed he was there witnessing the events firsthand. The author must have known great love in his life to bring that much passion to the written word. I can't wait to read more books from this surprisingly delightful author. It is a definite must read for anyone who still believes in(or is hoping for) true love.

I laughed, I cried, this book became part of me. The characters were true, the history is right and the only reason this book won't get made into a movie or mini series would be that it's too real. The vision of how Native Americans co existed and the troubling questions of slavery are secondary to the daily stuggle of subsistence living on the frontier. The highs are towering and the tragedies are heart breaking. Just like real life. Somebody do Oprah a favor and pass this winner on to her. Everyone should read this. The questions today are no less profound than they were then. My new favorite book.

I thought this book contained very realistic dialogue-- the author did his research. The historical information was relevant and alive- not just abunch of dates and names. I wish he would write a book about Vietnam.

I read this book to my son's kindergarten class and they all loved it. They were very excited while I read the story! All of Keiko Kasza'a books are great!!!

I found this story to be very clever and funny. My 3 1/2 yr son thoroughly enjoyed the main character, the wolf, who at first is the typical wolf but shows his loving and caring character at the end. My son enjoyed this story not only for its humor but also because the wolf is so likable. Keiko Kasza's other similar book, Lucky Day, is also funny but my son did not find it as enjoyable simply it didn't have that same likable main character.

The students love this book, we usually read it on 100's day, and hide chicks around the room. The students enjoy how the author always makes the prey in her books smarter than the hunters.

This terrific book says alot with few words. The watercolor pictures are beautiful, and the text is carefully written. We adore the picture of the wolf carrying a 100 pound cake to fatten up the chicken before he eats her. The ending is so sweet it leaves you feeling like life is great. I consider this one of my favorite read alouds.

With all the wonderful picture books out there for children, it seems silly to say that children need only one book on such n' such a topic. Unfortunately, that's sometimes how my little mind works. Take, for example, this book. Now I had been familiar with the amazingly funny and well-written, "My Lucky Day" by Keiko Kasza. What I didn't know was that almost ten years before its publication, Kasza preceded her modern-day classic with something called, "The Wolf's Chicken Stew". Intrigued by other works by this author/illustrator, I decided to seek out this earlier work. After all, "The Wolf's Chicken Stew" appears on the New York Public Library's list of 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know. Unfortunately, my reaction was akin to those fans who listen to an artist's mature works and then go back to that same artist's earlier (and weaker) material. Using almost exactly the same formula that would later appear in "My Lucky Day", Kasza tries to send up the classic predator/prey fight for supremacy with a twist at the end. But instead of knowing laughs, we're left with a sweet but weak finish.

Says the book, "There once lived a wolf who loved to eat more than anything else in the world". Some of us can sympathize. When he spots a lone chicken ah-walkin' in the woods one day, the wolf sets his heart on a delicious chicken stew. Just the same, he can't deny that the chicken is a scrawny critter. One that undoubtedly needs some fattening up. So off the wolf goes to bake some tasty treats to fill the chicken's belly. He whips up 100 pancakes, 100 doughnuts, and "a scrumptious cake weighing a hundred pounds". Each gift is left on the chicken's doorstep and when he believes the time is right, the wolf peers into bird's home only to be welcome by a still thin chicken. The reason for this is clear enough. It appears that Ms. Chicken has quite a brood of young. The baby chicks thank the wolf profusely and instead of popping them in his mouth, the soft-hearted fellow finds himself charmed and thinking about possibly baking them a hundred scrumptious cookies in the future. The last shot in the book is of a basket filled with cookies and various fluffy chicks vying for a treat.

The ending is unexpected and kids will love the abrupt turnaround the wolf goes through. He starts out snarky and ends up a softy. Kids love it when supposedly "bad" characters go through this kind of redemption. I was impressed especially with Kasza's grasp of subtle words and phrases that dot this book. You don't find the term "scrumptious" in every book (though you probably should) and certainly not in the ones that come from authors that are just as comfortable writing in Japanese as they are English. The illustrations compliment the text beautifully. The wolf is both menacing and oddly fuzzy. Even when he is mere steps away from the oblivious fowl in his pounce position, you never really fear that he's gonna go through with it. Kasza shades and details her pictures with delightful watercolors. You can detect shadows in the wolf's thick fur and every last doughnut is nicely rounded.

Of course, I much prefer "My Lucky Day". THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is an example of picture book brilliance. Just the same, there's a lot to be said for "The Wolf's Chicken Stew". It's fun and funny to the kiddies and has all the makings of a fine family classic. Definitely a pick that would be better for younger picture book readers than older ones. A good readaloud to groups of little ones as well.

I highly recommend this book which tells the story of Dr Hendern,American child surgery and Boston Children Hospital. It is very well written and beautifully describes one of the hardest working men in the US.Mr Miller deserves a medal for a job well done .

This book has a real sentimental value to me because Dr. Hardy Hendren is my doctor. I had a kidney condition when I was born and the hospital I was at did not know was what wrong with me but when my parents brought me to the Boston Children's Hospital where Dr. Henden works at, he knew what to do and preformed my surgery. The book is brilliant because of the man it is about.

It's not easy to find words adequate to do this book justice. It's primarily the biography of Dr. Hardy Hendren, recently retired chief of surgery at Children's Hospital in Boston. Dr. Hendren has performed operations that seem to be nothing short of miraculous. The book is a tribute to his indomitable spirit, and an inspiration to anyone looking for examples of what a man can accomplish when he puts his mind to it. I don't throw words such as "towering" or "genius" around lightly, but even those words seem inadequate when applied to Dr. Hendren. Read the book, and be inspired.

I agree with an earlier reviewer that the book seems to get side-tracked occasionally with descriptions of other surgeons at Children's Hospital. However, I found this a microscopic negative compared to the overall value of the book. Hence the five stars.

the author tries to do too much in this one book. On the one hand it is about a plastic surgeon who specializes in pediatric congenital anomalies. The biographical information with details about some of his cases is excellent. However, the author takes on too much by making it a book about Children's Hospital also, including cases that have nothing to do with the featured surgeon. I enjoyed it but it could have been better organized into two books.

"The Work of Human Hands" is an excellent story detailing the work of Doctor Hardy Hendron - a fantastic human being - This story is impossible to read without gaining a heightened sense of what is truly important. I am also a writer and I have suffered a dire family emergency that has a happy ending - I am detailing the work of the terrific surgeons at The Children's Hospital of Buffalo, New York and I can only hope to do as terrific a job as G. Wayne Miller did.

100 Days of Monsters is a fun journey through 100 days of artist Stefan G. Bucher's life. Each day starts with a great drawing of a "Monster," and includes stories and comments from many of his avid readers. Each monster is endearing in its own way, and Stefan's unique way of creating these characters, only makes them more endearing.
I highly recommend this book. Just think of it as a really good picture book for adults!

This is a great book. Very well put together. The little unexpected tidbits of an off the wall comment here and some all but hidden messages in the the fine print there make it not your everyday, ordinary book. This one is fun in all respects. The Monsters are all distinct personalities and the stories accent their lives. I love it!!

My friend would go to the blog site and she would make up stories about the picture's. Not being as artistic as she is I thought oh well. But once I started to get into Stefan Bucher's method's and thought process I realized how great it was to read the book. Thank You Stefan Bucher. ( please look for
Sequena/Annie Nordmark in the book my friend writes great stories for the pictures )Thanks

This book was just a neat thing to check out everyday. Still. It gives me a smile every time he starts with just one blot of ink and spreads it, from there it becomes a living, personified, under the bed madness!, type creature that lurks off every new page. Its grand, most definitely worth checking out!!!

Once upon a time, a control enthusiast with a pen drew himself a monster--and the rest is history.

You can test-flight this book at Bucher's site, www.dailymonster.com, where all 200 of the monsters he eventually released still live--going to their jobs, having their babies, reading and writing and dancing and taking over the world--doing all the things monsters do. I encourage you to do so, and then buy this book.

Someday someone you are talking to will rail against the web, talk about all the terrible things on it, all the bad people. Then you can point to 100 Days of Monsters, and you can say, "Things like THIS--people from all over the world sharing a creative moment, interacting to make something beautiful and funny and playful--how would you make something like THIS happen, if not for the internet?" And if not for, it goes without saying, Stefan G. Bucher and his band of authors.

I came to the game too late to be part of the book--but oh, it was a lovely thing to have my child come downstairs every morning and say, "Mom! Did you monster yet?"

What a wonderful time. I thank you, Stefan. You did good. You didn't just talk the talk, you walked the walk. You followed your heart, and it shows. :)

Although this book isn't all-inclusive (after all, the title is 100 old roses), this is the book I reach for first. It's great when I'm trying to find out more information on a rose in a catalog, or looking for an old rose for a specific spot. First of all, I can't resist the pictures (but they may be slightly misleading as in the case of Blanc Double de Coubert which I've never seen growing with the great cutting stem as shown). Second, the text makes for amusing reading. It's oppinionated, and I like that. Third, there's the handy Index of Old Garden Roses by Color in the back. It's actually a little summary: flower style, plant type, and class e.g. Madame Isaac Pereire: cupped, tall, Bourbon. Very handy. The only thing that would make this better is if it had scratch and sniff (unfortunately not realistic)...since scent is such a subjective thing (I was so hot for Louise Odier until I smelled her and was surprised to find that I didn't like the fragrance).

If you are interested in growing roses and want to try some that are not just your basic Hybrid Teas, this is a wonderful book to get. You will drool over the pictures and the text is excellent. The pictures take one page and are a gorgeous shots of the bloom with a long stem and leaves. On the opposite page is text which goes into great detail about the rose characteristics, growth patterns, habits, vigor, etc. It is an invaluable book when trying to decide what old garden roses to introduce to your garden.

This format is so beautful and so useful, that I have purchased all of the gardening books in this "series" by this publisher. It is rare to get such excellent photos in combination with such useful text.

I started growing roses about five years ago and became frustrated with Hybrid Teas because of blackspot and their generally fussy behavior and stiff, formal flowers. This book and Liz Druitt's book were instrumental in getting me to try old garden roses, and am I glad I did! I would highly recommend this to both beginning gardeners and experienced, alike.

As others have previously mentioned, this is by no means the "authority" on the old roses, but what a wonderful little book it is! You don't have to work out twice a week in order to lift it and thumb through it, and it will fit in the back pocket of your overalls. The field guide is the area of the book I use most- the pictures are of a rose branch, often including buds, partly opened flowers and plenty of leaves, so you get a good idea of what the flowers, leaves and cane colors look like together, and that is not something many books offer. The pictures are taken on a clean white background and show the true form of the rose bloom. I like the author's style of writing and the fact that he often gives his opinion of the rose and the nature of it's scent, as well as the facts of it's growth habit. He also lists the roses by color in the back of the book, and that is a nice reference touch.

This is is a great reference book to take to the nurseries or on garden expeditions because it is so portable and offers so much information on each rose. We all know how vague some of those nursery tags can be, and if you don't have a photographic memory the easily found details quickly let you know if the rose you are considering will grow 4X4 or 10X10 in your area and whether or not it *really is* the rose that you want to plant beside the steps going to the back door! (I know- it would be just lovely there, wouldn't it....)

I have this book as well as the "100 English Roses" by the same author. They are not the books I reach for on a rainy day when I am looking for design inspiration, but they *are* the ones that I constantly reach for when I am doing the actual planning and planting and need the facts, and also the ones that my friends love to borrow. These are not expensive books, and it will be money well spent.

Saxon Holt's color photos embellish nearly every page of this gardener's guide to old rose varieties. Unlike many rose books which assume prior knowledge, this advises a range of gardeners with details on the rose's growing needs and methods accompanying the full-page color photo of its flower. Highly recommended: 'the' pick if only one or two rose books were to be included in a home gardening collection.

This book is fabulous. I am a beginner and it covers each rose in depth. At the front of the book is fascinating history on roses. Especially how roses were such a commodity in the 1600-1700 & 1800's. They even stopped a ship blockade to let the roses in.

Ooka the Judge was a real judge who tried cases with fairness and justice long ago in Japan. These timeless stories capitvate children's interest and pique their imaginations. There are at least 10 stories by I.G. Edmonds about this Japanese judge - you should really read them all. The stories are great springboards to lively discussions of fairness and justice, and honor. This book belongs in everyone family's library!!

There was a Judge named Ooak, he was sent to resolve some issues. He was asked to judge 3 of the following problems:
1. Should he punish a man for stealing a smell?
2. Order a barber to give an ox a shave?
3. Call in a willow tree as a witness to a crime?
One day there was a very poor student that could only afford plain rice to eat and a small apartment, which was above a tempura shop. One of the days he was eating his plain rice he smelled the food when the owners caught him. He demanded monies for stealing a smell. They went to court and you will have to read the book to find out what happened next!
Two men walked into the court room who were arguing over a contract. If the barber would give haircuts to the worker and his helper in return for all the wood the worker's ox brought in.
The Judge is faced with a tuff descion if this one man is guilty, he pleads that he never has been to the place they accused him of going. to be continued

Well, there was a Judge that was named Judge Ooka and he was left with three big decisions on should you punish a man for stealing a smell should he order a barber to give an ox a shave and to call in a willow tree as a witness to a crime Well fisrt. It all started with a poor student and he rented a room they fries food becuase onder was a food shop but all he could afford was plain rice everyday all day when finally the store keeper caught him smelling the food and then he yelled thief I think you should pay him then the student said no I can not because he only has enough money to pay the rent so he took him to court and the judge said he should pay the same price so then he told the student to take out a dollar bill and crunch it as he did that the judge says there you go your payed back.
One day they went to court to settle an argument they barber said he would give a free shave to him and his helper if he gives all the wood that his oxs brings and then that also means the cart but then the worker said he gave him a shave but not his helper but then the barber said he did then the worker said no the ox is my helper and the judge ordered the barber to shave the ox or no deal so then the barber had to shave the ox or no wood.
There was a man and there was a big crime and they new he was guilty and he pleeded he never had been there so then the plantiff said lets postpone a week to bring the willow tree in for a witness the the defendent said it was inpossible because the tree was on the cliff it would fall in the river if cut then at that moment they clearly shown he was guilty he had been there before and had committed the crime.

Well, there was a Judge that was named Judge Ooka and he was left with three big decisions on should you punish a man for stealing a smell should he order a barber to give an ox a shave and to call in a willow tree as a witness to a crime Well fisrt. It all started with a poor student and he rented a room they fries food becuase onder was a food shop but all he could afford was plain rice everyday all day when finally the store keeper caught him smelling the food and then he yelled thief I think you should pay him then the student said no I can not because he only has enough money to pay the rent so he took him to court and the judge said he should pay the same price so then he told the student to take out a dollar bill and crunch it as he did that the judge says there you go your payed back.
One day they went to court to settle an argument they barber said he would give a free shave to him and his helper if he gives all the wood that his oxs brings and then that also means the cart but then the worker said he gave him a shave but not his helper but then the barber said he did then the worker said no the ox is my helper and the judge ordered the barber to shave the ox or no deal so then the barber had to shave the ox or no wood.
There was a man and there was a big crime and they new he was guilty and he pleeded he never had been there so then the plantiff said lets postpone a week to bring the willow tree in for a witness the the defendent said it was inpossible because the tree was on the cliff it would fall in the river if cut then at that moment they clearly shown he was guilty he had been there before and had committedthe crime.

This book is a wonderful book. The Case of the Stolen Smell is quite interesting in how it is solved. This book is highly recommended.

5 Steps to Expert is just what the doctor ordered. Dr. Paul Schempp has produced a "manual" for anyone to follow from novice to expert. This book is well written, easy to read and free of the usual "business babble" readers typically have to plow through to gain an understanding of the author's message. Further Dr. Scempp's methods are based on his many years of research coaching sports figures.

After reading 5 Steps to Expert, you'll come away with an understandable and doable step-by-step plan to achieve success and become the expert others will envy.

Diane Bogino
Author Finding Your Bootstraps: 11 Steps to Overcoming Thinking & There's Something Funny About Humor in Presentations

Wonderful product that will aid anyone interested in improving their business. Has helped trememdously in improving my business and personal acumen

Once again, Paul Schempp has provided evidence as to why is he considered one of the leading scholars on expertise in the world. His practical, but research based book is of great value to anyone interested in learning about how expertise evolves and the indices of expertise. Schempp lays the content out in a well written, logical way - one that should help people in a variety of professions as well as in one's personal life. This is a great addition to the literature.

In my view, being perceived as a "jack of all trades" or a generalist is poor personal branding, but being perceived as an expert in an area is smart positioning. Paul Schempp has written a powerful and clear-cut book on how you can bootstrap yourself into being an expert in your field. Whether you are an executive in a corporation, a professional or an entrepreneur, this book will show you how to go from beginner to elite performer.

What separates Schempp's book from most books in this genre is that his is not based on his opinion. Schempp offers a framework for anyone desiring to get better based on empirical findings presented in an encouraging yet realistic manner. His writing style has a deferential tone rather than the overly patronizing style that many researchers use. He does an exceptional job of translating research findings for those who have neither the time to rifle through nor the access to scientific literature. In other words, Paul Schempp is a scholar of the first-rate. He is, better yet, the everyman's scholar and a model for all academics to follow.

Excellent documentation on Jamestowne which proved my relationship to my Jamestowne Ancestor. The book was accepted as proof for my membership in the Jamestowne Society.

Excellent documentation on Jamestowne which proved my relationship to my Jamestowne Ancestor. The book was accepted as proof for my membership in the Jamestowne Society.

There is no better source of authoritative information on the founders of America than this three volumn set about the Jamestown settlers from 1807 to 1824.
The reserch effort to update information for the 400th. Anniversity of the founding of the Jamestown colony was a monumental effort and the work of author/compiler/editor John Frederick Dorman,F.A.S.G. is as authorative as it gets.
These three volumns are a must read for anyone who traces ancestery to the earliest American settlers. This source traces the 1st. six generations of those who arrived in America prior to 1824 and surrived.

If you have (or think you have) ancestors who arrived in Virginia before 1624, this book is a "must-have". The research is impeccable, the footnotes are fascinating, and the indices list every ancestor. This three-volume series is an essential aid to any genealogist who is tracking down early Virginia ancestors. Because of a family Ahnentafel chart, I knew the names and relationships of the people I was looking for, but did not know any of their places or dates. Thanks to the indices at the back of each volume of this wonderful set of books, I now have all the dates and places back to 1610.

FAMILIES (R-Z)
Reynolds, Robins, Rolfe, Rookings, Royall, St. Leger, Salter-Weld, Savage, Scarburgh, Sharp, Sharp-Baugh, Sheppey, Slaughter, Smith (Arthur), Smith (Richard), Smith (Roger) , Southey-Harmar-Littleton, Spencer, Stephens, Strachey, Swann, Tatum, Taylor-Cary, Thorowgood, Tooke, Townshend, Trussell, Utie, Utie-Bennett, Vassall, Waters, West, West (Anthony), Whiting, Wilkins, Williams, Willoughby, Wood, Woodhouse, Woodliffe, Woodson, Woodward, Wroughton, Wyatt, Yeardley, Zouche

The final volume of the most important work ever to appear on Virginia genealogy!

This is the third and final volume of the legendary Adventurers of Purse and Person, a monumental compendium of genealogies of the founders of Virginia during the formative period 1607-1625 and the culmination of more than twenty-five years of research by the widely respected Virginia genealogist John Frederick Dorman.

It contains accounts of forty-six pre-1625 Virginia settlers or members of the Virginia Company of London whose families later came to the colony, with thirty-six of them traced to the sixth generation. Individuals ranging from R-Z (Reynolds to Zouche) identified in the work must have been resident in Virginia during the period 1607-1624/25 or members of the Virginia Company of London in order to be designated "adventurers," and it is their descendants alone who qualify for membership in one of the most distinguished hereditary societies in America, the Order of First Families of Virginia. Adventurers of Purse and Person is their story, a collection of genealogies of all adventurers with proven descents into the sixth generation.

Prepared under the auspices of the Order of First Families of Virginia to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, this new edition of Adventurers of Purse and Person extends the lines of descent of the founding families documented in previous editions from four generations to six, bringing most families down to the Revolutionary or early Federal periods. The purpose of the work is to establish descents of the approximately 150 individuals who can be identified as (1) Adventurers of Purse (i.e. stockholders in the Virginia Company of London who either came to Virginia in the period 1607-1625 and had descendants, or who did not come to Virginia during that period but whose grandchildren were resident there); or (2) Adventurers of Person, 1607-1625 (i.e., immigrants to Virginia who left descendants).

The foundation of the work is the famous "Muster" of 1624-25---essentially a census taken by the Royal Commission which succeeded the Virginia Company to determine the extent and composition of the Jamestown settlements. In the Muster, which is reproduced in entirety in Volume One, the name of each colonist appears with the location of his home and the number in his family, together with information about his stock of food, his supply of arms and ammunition, his boats, houses, and livestock. In all, about 1,200 persons are named in the Muster, of whom approximately 150 are shown in this work to have left descendants to the sixth generation.

In addition to the Muster, this work builds on the investigations of dozens of scholars, correcting, revising, and supplementing the best genealogical scholarship of the past half century. New discoveries, newly available information, and a further reevaluation of evidence concerning previously accepted relationships have led, in some instances, to wholesale changes in the accepted genealogies. In consequence, this fourth edition brings together the results of all the most recent scholarship on these families, expanding the limits of what is presently known and opening up possibilities for research beyond the sixth generation.

In the Foreword to this volume, Carter Branham Snow Furr, President of the Order of First Families of Virginia, writes: "Thanks go to those earlier genealogists and researchers as well as to those who assisted our current genealogist in his research. Mr. John Frederick Dorman has labored continuously since the publication of the third edition of 1987 to compile lists of new genealogical lines as well as the massive histories of all six generations, where available. It is he who deserves the ultimate gratitude of our Order and the public for giving us this most complete and comprehensive genealogy of our earliest Virginia ancestors."

HIGHLIGHTS

* Volume Three covers a total of 46 families that were established either by settlers of Virginia prior to 1625 or members of the Virginia Company of London whose descendants came to Virginia later.
* Of these 46 families, 36 are traced to the sixth generation.
* Over 6,500 individual descendants resident in Virginia (or subsequently in other states) are identified.
* Family accounts are supported by nearly 10,000 footnote citations to manuscripts or published records.
* The index contains 20,000 name, place, and subject entries, many with multiple page citations.

I've probably read this book a dozen times from cover to dog-eared cover; my paperback copy is literally falling apart! I still open it sometimes just to read a couple of pages from the middle, and I'm always entertained by Ellerbee's wit.

Wit: a combination of rational intelligence and humour. Ellerbee displays both in abundance, and her writing style is pitch-perfect. She's worked in network news long enough to have seen all of it's strength and weaknesses, and long enough to have lived through one-too-many comical misadventures. Some of her anectodal experiences are downright hilarious:

Stealing Reagan's golf cart for a joyride. Spying on a button manufacturer from a rooftop across the street (to learn before the competing networks who'll be chosen vice president for a presidential campaign). Getting unintentionally stuck in the middle of a homecoming parade for the Iran hostages. Using dinner trays to "surf" down the aisle of a flying airplane. A rubber duck on the set. A "thing and a thing." And so it goes...

There are also some suprising revelations, such as Ellerbee's confession to a back-alley abortion, and her discovery that Ohio didn't become a state until 1954!

Read this book and be entertained... and simoultaneously enlightened about the field of broadcast journalism.

There can be few things more enriching, entertaining, and inspiring than merrily wending one's way through the fascinating memoirs of this legendary journalist. Ms. Ellerbee can now be seen on her marvelous news program for children on Nickelodeon, which is one of the greatest programs in the history of television. Ms. Ellerbee's thrilling story is sure to deeply touch all who read it, evoking both tears and laughter, often simultaneously. This is one of the greatest books in the history of the world, and should be on every required reading list in every institution of learning in the world.

It was a pleasure to read about another journalist's battle in succeeding in one of the most competitive field. If you want to know what a reporter has to go through, you'd want to read this one.

There are some books that should never be resigned to the dustbin and this is one of them. The message is timeless and, despite the humor, frightening. Ms. Ellerbee's wisdom is needed more today than it was back in 1988.

Direct, honest, and brilliantly written, Ellerbee's masterwork gives the reader an inside look into the world of broadcast journalism. Her 80's program NBC News Overnight was a unique vehicle for intelligent reporting and videography. It was the last show of its kind on network news TV which, if anything, has gotten worse since the writing of this book. When Ellerbee's Nickelodeon children's programs are more intelligently written than most of the so called "adult" news programs on TV, that's scary. It is unfortunately the case.