H Books

Are you a storyteller? Do you enjoy hearing stories? Are you even AWARE of the stories around you? This is an insightful and entertaining work of art. I cannot recommend it enough. The authors move you through 7 principles of Jesus' communication, taking you to a deeper level of what it means to truly communicate, to be authentic in the way you lead your life and empathize with those around you.

This book will resonate with the modern reader from its real life examples and glimpses into the lives of your authors (and you may even be surprised at how often you have been in similar situations...buzz buzz). Erik and Jedd weave together intricate stories from the past, the Bible, popular culture and modern life, painting a glorious picture of Christ's love, and how we too can learn to communicate like Christ in our every day life. Communication is about so much more than the words you use; it's about the manner in which you live your life. Get this book, you'll laugh, you'll cry, and you will be amazed by the power of communication. What are you communicating?

I was not as pleased with this work as most of the other reviewers. The principles are good. Their seven principles are certainly needed for communicators in every arena.

I certainly like the end of the chapter summaries that enabled the reader to "Take it with you." The principles are solid.

However, I found the writing a bit odd. It felt as though they slipped into some false-voice "storytelling" mode. It just didn't feel like a natural flow to the chapters. The chapters were filled with illustration after illustration that seemed to distract more than help this reader's understanding. I felt the book could have been more powerful had they eliminated some of the illustrations.

After wading through the storytelling, the principles are valuable and insightful. It just takes a little work to get through their style of "storytelling" and illustration to the meat of the book.

I would, however, recommend it.

GenXers in politics wrestle with the apparent contradiction between the theories of modern mass media persuasion and the simpler communication practices of Jesus. Their discoveries, contained in this book, form a virtual "how to" manual for truly loving people in an over-hyped, over-produced, mass media-saturated age. Medefind and Locksmoe love Jesus, love people, and seek to communicate that love to the world. I recommend this book to anyone with these same goals.
-Matt Robbins
M-Div Student, Fuller Theological Seminary

Very few Christian books have promoted the power and importance of story telling. They may suggest that Jesus used parables and we should too, but they usually fall short in actually teaching you how to do it. While The Revolutionary Communicator does not go into great depth, it does point out the often overlooked type of story - the one line story. This book points out the use of these stories by Christ. For example, chapter five points out, "Rather, He painted the jarring word picture of a man who has a beam poking out of his eye trying to pick a fleck of sawdust from the eye of another." The book calls these word pictures and they are very powerful.

I also liked the way the book starts each chapter by comparing common myths with true realities. I think there is actually some truth in some of the myths, but it's a great way to place the chapters in context. Also, the chapter summaries are excellent. You can read the whole book through, then spend one morning reading the begining comparisons and chapter summaries to really drive the points home.

In fact, I read the book a few months ago. I just took it out the other day and reread the summaries and it all came flooding back. Great book!

Blessings,
Tom Carpenter

This book is great for anyone who has to communicate with people. Christian or not, Jesus, is a great person to model your communication habits after. I bought it because I'm a youth pastor and thought it might help and it has!

I can't count how many times I have read this book. I have three versions and the e-book. I have one copy in the washroom I read a little of it everyday. A must have Epic.

humanity is everything in this book and only thing we have.

I think that all Westerners should be exposed to this classic of the East. Without a doubt, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is one of the very best works of literary art that the human mind had ever produced.
A short synopsis is in order. The novel centers around a rather short, turbulent time in ancient China, following the collapse of the Han Dynasty and predating the rise of the Jin dynasty, the period known as the "Three Kingdoms". In order to rise up against the now-corrupt Han dynasty, the mystic Zhang Jiao began what is known as the "Yellow Turban rebellion". In response to this menace, heroes of China gathered in order to put down this threat. Among these heroes are the virtuous Liu Bei, the loyal and familial Sun Jian, and the cruel and wily (but talented) Cao Cao. After the Yellow Turban rebellion is put down, it is realized that the Han dynasty has grown horribly weak and corrupt, and the heroes leave for home with their own ambitions of ruling China. Liu Bei wishes for the old days (he is a distant relative of the Han line), Cao Cao wishes for personal glory and honor, and Sun Jian wishes to rule China in order to leave it to his sons. Many other players enter the drama (hundreds in fact!), but the story really revolves around these three and their spheres of influence.
The author, Luo Guan Zhong, wrote a book that is at once of strategy, history, psychology, warfare. Although battles are always present, even those readers not interested in warfare can find a great deal in this book. Inevitably, the reader will find himself siding with one of the great Kingdoms of Wei, Wu or Shu, and yet will still feel compelled to feel compassion, elation and sorrow for the others, as their fortunes rise and fall with the changing fates. Each time I read the book (six and counting!), I pull for Liu Bei, who brings himself from commoner status to the highest positions in the land despite his tragic flaw of being TOO virtuous! And yet, I cannot deny enjoying reading about Cao Cao, as he gains support and popularity until the battle of Chi Bi, at which point he falls and must rise again. Also, the ending is fabulous, and unexpected.
However, I must warn the first time reader of the complete deluge of names with which he will be accosted. To further complicate matters, different publishers of the book spell the names in different ways (e.g. Cao Cao=T'sao T'sao, Chuko Lee-ong=Zhuge Liang). I was aided in this struggle by the fact that I had played a game with these characters, so that I was familiar with some of them. The author revels in his knowledge of history, and expects the same of his readers, but the reader may feel completely overwhelmed. Just keep in mind the three main characters, and try to remember who follows whom, and you should do fine (however, it is frustrating when the character Xun Yu introduces the character Xun You, etc.).
"Empires wax and wane, states cleave asunder and coalesce". The first statement in the book is as true today as it was 2000 years ago. If you are a reader who prides himself on his knowledge of the classics, I can honestly say that your mental library is incomplete until you read this book. So, what are you waiting for?

I can't finish all my compliment for this book in this short review. You are not gonna believe it is such a splendid book until you read it yourself. This book is a saga with so much wisdom and humanity. It is as good as ancient Greek epic (with all repect to Greek) if not better. The wisdom in it is uncommonly plentiful. Trojan horse looks children's game after you finished the book. Romance of three kingdoms is a part of Chinese lives and now becoming popular in the world. Many Japanese companies make this book as a must-read for management staff. Read this book and I garantee that your time will be delightfully spent.

Romance of Three Kingdoms is not just the novelized version of the history record "Three Kingdoms". It overtook the heart of both Chinese and Japanese. In Japan even younger generation who rarely read literature enjoy the story in the form of either comic books or in popular PC games. In China many of the Chinese Opera comes from the part of this story.

The story is based on the history of ancient China around late 2nd century to late 3rd century when the Chinese continent was divided by three strong kingdoms,Shu(Gui in Japanese),Wu(GO in Japanese) and Wei(SHOKU in Japanese).

I am familiar with the version of Eiji Yoshikawa, the author of Musashi, focusing more on the story of Liu Pei(Wei emperor),Kuan Yu, Chang Fei, and Chuko Kunming. Liu Pei, an heir of Han Dynasty ruling clan, is a humane leader supported by Kuan Yu, deft both in brain and might maybe eastern version of Knight, Chang Fei,short tempered but really strong warrior, and Chuko Kunming the master of strategy.

Rivaling Lie Pei is another giant Tsao Tsao outstanding ruler who nearly took hold of the whole Chinese continent but blocked by the allied forces of Wu and Wei in 208. Tsao Tsao is a bit demonized in this story but he is in fact one of the greatest rulers China ever had comparable to Napoleon. While Lie Pei who has little power gradually gains by charming a lot of talented people by his couteousness yet with propaganda tactics to demonize Tsao Tsao, Tsao Tsao took advantage of courting the Emperor and with the finest staff collected from the whole continent. Tsao Tsao's Shu finally unites the whole China after his death in 265, with the surrender of Wei but Lie Pei, Kuan Yu and Kunming are still loved and idealized by Chinese public. Wu survives by taking either rivaling sides and with excellent domestic and foreign affairs strategy.

On first reading you will be enjoying the way the characters outsmart the other camps. On second reading you will be struck by the humanity upon which the story is based. It is much more than a legend. It will surely get you closer to the mind of either Chinese and Japanese. But be careful. The way character name is pronounced differ between Chinese and Japanese. Such as Tsao Tsao is pronounced in Japanese as SOSO.

The title Samsara Moon refers to the full moon. The full moon is a symbol of renewal, the beginning of the cycle of all the various phases of the moon that are to follow. With that in mind, I believe Samsara Moon is an apt title for this book.

Samsara Moon begins with the story of Captain Stephen Hamilton, a military man from the Queen's cavalry. Hamilton has dreamed of being in the military and going to India since he was a child listening to his grandfather's military tales. He fulfils his dream and on a trip back to England meets Katherine Grey, the opinionated passion filled beauty woman who captures the military man's heart.

At this point, barely into the first chapter of the book, I thought that Samsara Moon was going to be a beautiful historical love story about the young couple. It was for a few condensed very fast paced pages and then the unthinkable happened, Katherine died leaving behind two children and an utterly broken husband.

What followed in the wake of this tragedy is heart breaking, genuinely realistic, and so filled with hope that I was filled with a myriad of emotion as I followed the journey of Captain Stephen Hamilton.

A great blend of England's colonialism and personal human challenges of family, love and war. I enjoyed every part.

Samsara Moon initially finds our hero, Stephen Hamilton, in the late 19th Century/British Empire era. Soon, the reader is immersed among beautiful images of far-off lands where colorful characters abound. While this tale contains plenty of action to keep the story moving, ultimately Samsara Moon is a tender story of family, faith and determination. S.H. Post has crafted a heartbreaking yet uplifting story full of unexpected and page-turning twists and turns.

Superb debut effort by S.H. Post.

I thought Steve did an excellent job with the Samsara Moon novel. Prior to reading his book my reading interests have been mostly with Crime/Corruption type fictional novels so I was not sure how I would like this Historic Period piece.

Did not take me long to get hooked on this book. Steve's knowledge, vivid descriptives and weaving of historical events made you believe that this was a very true story. His development of the characters in the book really got me interested in and had me rooting for the good ones.

As I got into the book was rooting very hard for Captain Hamilton to persevere and find his way through all his hardships. The fact that he managed to be able to do that and still stay focused on his career with the KDG was very inspiring.

I look forward to the future works of Steve and this book has allowed me to broaden my reading interests.

Samsara Moon struck a special chord with me as I'm currently going thru my own personsal journey in moving to New York City. Throughout the ages, I have amassed friends from various backgrounds: Persian, British, Latin, Asian, etc. etc. This book made me go down memory lane involving my adventures (good & bad) and the wonderful friendships forged along the way. This book made me think of the movie called "Four Feathers", which highlights love, loss, friendship, and nobility. The whole story was seamless and allowed me to get captured in the changing landscapes like a gypsy would do on their travels......

Secret of the Swamp King was another great book in the Wilderking Trilogy. Anyone who likes fantasy should read it.

This series is enthralling for my 10 year old daughter (who reads at a 8th grade level). It has adventure, danger, excitement and folklore to capture and maintain interest.

Young Aidan now serves at the court of King Darrrow. But his popularity also makes him dangerous enemies. Things come to a head when Darrow receives an anonymous letter claiming that Aidan is maneuvering to overthrow Darrow. Furious, the king sends Aidan into Feechiefen Swamp on a perilous quest. When Aidan reaches the swamp, he learns of a feechie war band led by the WilderKing. Who is this imposter? This second installment raises the stakes from the first book

Jonathan Rogers obviously loves C.S. Lewis' world of Narnia (see "The World According to Narnia"), and decided to create another fantasy world where kids and adults alike can see many "heart issues" of life portrayed in a creative way. The Secret of the Swamp King (Book 2 of the Wilderking Trilogy) is a great read for kids as they can imagine themselves in the shoes of Aiden Errolson. Aiden is the main character whose life is followed on his many adventures and challenges through his life in The Realms of Corenwald. Though he lives in a world totally foreign to the reader, it is very easy to relate to his troubles and joys during his journeys.
The book is a great link for the trilogy, leading to the more impressive climax in the 3rd book, "The Way of the Wilderking".
Well worth the time, especially to read with/give to kids.

I've got to hand it to MR. Rogers, he's done a wonderful job of following up on young Aidan Errolson. He's now a few years older and a member of King DArrow's court. True to the biblical parallels with David, Aidan has incurred the jealous wrath of his king. He may be the most loyal member of King Darrow's court, but Aidan is sent on a suicide mission to the Feechiefen Swamp in order to retrieve the legendary Frog Orchid. King Darrow thinks to see the end of young Aidan, but he meets up with his friend Dobro and becomes a Feechie friend to all Feechies. There's someone impersonating the legendary Wilderking out in the Feechifen and Aidan must find out who is enslaving Feechies to the civilizers ways of war and commerce. This book has more action and more intrigue to it. I loved it and read it in two days. Highly recommended!--James Somers, author: The Chronicles of Soone.

This is a very good book. It has more information on more subjects and record sources than any other book I know. It is generally very easy to understand and apply, but I found, when I used it to teach a correspondence class on American research, that it was a bit overwhelming for the beginning student. It is expensive, but its contents justify its price, and everyone who takes American genealogical research seriously should own this book.

A welcome addition to my genealogy library. The source is just what the name implies.

This book is an excellent source for genealogical investigation.

My only complaint is that it arrived slightly damaged (a crushed front cover corner).

I got this book from a reseller, A1, via B&Ns site, for about 35 bucks. NO 'sourcing fee'. 4 bucks shipping. There's no excuse for the price gouging from whomever is selling this via Amazon. Hope you get to see this review! I searched on google with 'The Source, szucs, third' for the edition. I love Amazon but this time they didn't get the best price.

The Source: A Guidebook Of American Genealogy (Third Edition) If you are at all seriously interested in doing genealogical or family history research, this book should be in your library - and should definitely not sit on the shelf. I've been studying, learning about and doing this kind of research for seven years and in that period have read countless books, watched lots of videos, worked through many tutorials and spent hours and hours looking for my ancestral and family connections. I have found The Source to be absolutely the best repository of information about where to find the sources, how to do the work, and - especially - how to use the Internet in this work. Chapters are written by experts in the areas covered, the material is well written and the editors have done an outstanding job of putting it all together in a way that makes sense and flows. There is so much wisdom and information here I find myself taking notes as I read. Absolutely great! A "must have" for serious genealogists - and for anyone really wanting to learn how to find the people in their families who have gone before and left a legacy that helps define who we are.

Well written, easy and clear to read. If you are interested in military special operations, this is a classic. I couldn't put it down.

Mcraven's research into the missions detailed in the book is incredible. I read and reread the introduction and first chapters over and over again. It was such an incredible, point by point analysis of what it takes to make a successful special operations mission. I appreciated the writing style, but it is not light reading. Very thorough, very interesting. Great book.

McRaven's breakdown of special operations theory (or "direct action theory," for those applying these principles for light infantry purposes) is succinct, honest, and practical. Whereas others in the craft often feel the need to mythologize spec ops practices, Mcraven's account is completely candid and methodical. Drawing on case studies from WW2 onward, he makes a good, round examination of how and why spec ops missions succeed or fail.

Simplicity in planning, security in preparing, repetition in training, and surprise, speed, and purpose in execution make for relative superiority: the strength in small numbers. The author's rational formula for examining these factors is crucial, making a science of what many would have you believe is simply "shooting from the hip."

Given the challenges facing the average infantryman in Iraq and Afghanistan, often forced to enter citadels of rubble in small units, this book could be equally well-applied to light infantry action. If you're an NCO on your way to Tikrit, you may want to grab yourself a copy for the plane ride over. (Couple it with a copy of Poole's "The Tiger's Way" while you're at it.)

Admiral McRaven USN enjoys the credibility not shared by many to comment on the secretive world of special operations (SPCOPS).

SPEC OPS illustrates with well-researched and analyzed case scenarios the incredible dedication of various commando operations. It is immediately obvious that the author has "been there and done that." Additionally, and possibly more importantly, he achieves a synergistic effect by combining the traditionally polar disciplines of academics and practical applications into a total work that is truly greater than the sum of its individual parts.

This is a book that I've read more than once and learn something new each time.

For those involved in or studying military affairs read it ...pay attention.

I studied Spec Ops for quite a while.
But all the information I gather was not complete.
Especially those Ops for 20-30 years.

But this book really makes a difference.
Every detail of the Op that you want to know was in it.
Location. situation and planning...results

I think this is a wonderful book for those
who want to study Spec Op Cases!!!

I am so glad Ed Black wrote this book.
Every since Schindler's List I have wondered about those Jews and Zionist who collaborated with the Nazis? Of course Jewish businessmen were/are just as sleazy and opportunist as gentile businessmen, so it should be no surprise that this took place.
Of course all criticism of Jews and Israel is anti-semetic. As we all know, Jews are above criticism in America.
Good work Mr Black.

Glen Yeadon, author of Nazi Hydra in America, had this to say about The Transfer Agreement:

I found it very boring--it was steeped with internal Jewish politics and very little about the actual negotiations with the Nazis or the actual deal and its results. It is geared to Jewish historians and only vaguely to the war and the Nazis... I liked IBM and the War against the Weak - both were good and I bought this one on the strength of the other two. It tried to remain neutral rather than to place the blame on the Zionists. For example, there was no mention of the Zionist who helped load the trains in Hungary to Auschwitz, who was hanged in Israel in the 50s. That type of material was neatly sanitized by omission.

Researchers have recently unearthed `directives' sent from Heinrich Himmler to Dachau, and Mauthausen concentration camps to the effect that all inmates were to be bathed in showers providing insecticides, their heads cleared of hair, their heavy garments that bore Wool Collars were to be burned outright. The reason for such directives was to prevent lice, and leprosy from spreading among all other inmate prisoners.

Gypsies, Polish, Slavs, Soviets (Christians and Jews) who had been incarcerated during the war and routed into the five main Concentration Camps, {which had been established throughout the years 1933 to 1939}, were in their majority suffering lice parasite, notably on youngsters. Himmler ruled "they should be showered in insecticides twice per week in order to remove the nits attached to their hair - difficult to remove without specialized products."

Many inmates were homosexuals' prisoners of war, suffering from venereal diseases - transmissible. This parasite was widely spreading at the time Germany was lacking enough doctors to take care of the prevention process or even to guard against casual means of transmission.

Most doctors were preoccupied with war related engagements; on their priority list was first and foremost to take care of injuries from battles, research, and the last was to worry about concentration camps per se, unless in absolute emergencies like `fear that certain virus might not be contained and would be causing widespread damage'.

In very few pages of this book did the author speak of Concentration Camps - dispersed on ten pages? Even there he did it casually in the context that ""workers were rushed to construct a mysterious political concentration camp at a pastoral village called Dachau...."" """Every train entering Denmark was crowded with German Jewish refugees..""" indicative that the `Transfer' from Germany to Palestine (in transit through neutral Europe - France had fallen by then) gives credence to this book.

Perhaps written books on the `Pogrom' will soon be revisited and be traced back with more up to date material on these most fateful human tragedies of WWII.

This was an area of World History that I had no clue about prior to reading this book. This is indeed a tragic story of the plight of Jews in Europe during Hitler's regime. This book was so suspenseful I simply could not put it down. Black does an excellent job of engaging the reader and does not reveal the details of unfolding events until the last moment. Simply WOW!

As person who is not Jewish I think it is important for everybody to learn the lessons of the Third Reich and the Holocaust. However, equally important is that there were greedy and ideology zealots that contributed to the growth of the Third Reich via the Transfer Agreement, i.e., Sam Cohen and even Hoffien and Landauer. The Transfer Agreement was just that a business arrangement to transfer German Jews to Palestine in return German exports would be bought through Zionist entities to ensure the economic growth and wealth of Palestine. Moreover, what was incredibly stunning was the ability of the 18th Zionist Congress to go against the international boycott movement by suppressing the Revisionists- strong arming them into abandoning their ideology.

This makes me wonder what would have happened if the boycott prevailed and the Third Reich "cracked"? Would there still be a Germany today? Would we even have had the Holocaust? I know it may sound harsh and I am sure I will be labeled an anti-Semite because of this, but the reality is according to Black, the Zionists contributed significantly to the rise of the economic and military might of the Third Reich.

This book is simply a phenomenon in and of itself. It completely forces one to reshape how they view events during that time period. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to learn about a different dimension of relationships between the Third Reich, German Jews, and Zionists. This will definitely throw you off and have you thinking for days. Definitely one of my top 10 books of all time.

I cannot praise the author, his research, his explanations and his writing enough for this singular tome. Like other reviewers have said, the reader goes into this book, whether Jewish or not, with their mouth open at the incredibility of this occurence. It's easy enough in hindsight to make judgement calls about what the the leaders of the Jewish community world-wide should have done about Hitler's rise to power. However, given the economic situation of the time and the Reich's strategems to place all blame for Germany's economic hardships on the Jews throughout Europe, it's hard to determine that even had the massive boycotts been organized and on schedule, would they have work? And even more important, if Hitler was ousted due to the economic stranglehold on Germany,who or what would have taken his place? And would that have been any less devastating for the Jews in Europe.

There are few obvious heros and anti-heros in this book, except for the Nazis as being the ultimate in villains. One man paid dearly for his attempts to save European Jewry...with his life. It was not conclusive as to whome the assassins were and who put out the price on his head. It's all too easy to blame the reactionary groups, but there are obvious questions about whether his death was one of convenience so that blame could be placed by the leading group of Mapai at the door of the reactionary Jewish groups.

Sam Cohen was a businessman through and through. His reasoning to press The Transfer agreement was purely motivated by money, and not the need to either save European Jewry or to establish Israel as a separate state. It is this 'selling' of the agreement by so many that is so mind-boggling. So many were willing to take the wealth of German Jewry (and later the funds that were supposed to be used to save the lives of Jews who had no homes or businesses to return to) and use it to set up a home in Palestine...it's beyond my ability to pass judgement on these men as to their motivation, yet I am not certain I could possibly decide to shake the hands of these men. The fact that there was a need to set up a Jewish state, and that there was all this money to fund its establishment is beside the fact. At no other time, was any other method even considered to rescue the millions of Jews trapped, even the children...this is so reprehensible as to curdle anyone's blood.

And though this happened, our countries, including the U.S. and Britain were equally at fault for closing immigration quotas, even though they knew what was going on in Germany. It was easier to merely close their eyes and ignore The Holocaust, until it became obvious that no one was safe from Hilter and his cronies.

This story is just so incredible that I wish there was some way to make it into a movie that does the story justice. I don't suppose that is a possibility. But it is a tremendous story that needs to be included in European history, as it's impact was great. Edwin Black did a fantastic job. (...)

This is the book, in this format, my mother read to me 50-plus years ago, and it is still as good. I recently purchased four copies. One each for two adult friends who are very ill. Both responded with uplifted spirits. One each for two young women who will be welcoming new "Young" ones soon.
Please note "Disbobedience" was set to music in the '60s by, I believe, the Chad Mitchell Trio, and James James Morrison Morrison Weatherby George Dupree is still warning his mother "not to go down to the end of town unless you go down with me ..."
"Vespers", at the very end, not only brings back memories of your own and your children's innocent childhoods, but also contains a very important message, "Oh, I quite forgot/God bless me."
And God bless you and those with whom you share this book.

One day, I found one of these poems running around in my head 40 years after I first began reading them to my boys when they were very young. As my older son took possession of that copy some time back, I had to order a new one for my 67-year old self just to get the lines absolutely right. It was worth it. My only regret is that I have no grandchildren to drum them into. Charming, literate and comforting.

This is one very good book and can be enjoyed by people from 2 to 92. I've read it to senior citizens as well as my grandchildren. The subjects are universal. The rhyme and rhythm are delightful.

My copy of this book is 51 years old and has my grandmother's autograph. Talk about a lasting gift! I love books as gifts, and this is my all-time favorite.

I had to read this for a little while before I got to a poem I really liked. The first 10 or so poems just seemed incomplete to me. "Independence" caught my eye first. In very few words it pretty much tells us adults that our kids are going to do what they want, despite all the things we say. It's followed by the wonderful poem "Nursery Chairs" where a child pretends the chairs in his house are different things. Then after "Nursery Chairs" is another strong poem, "Market Square" where we learn that there are things all around us in nature that we don't need to get from the market.

"Disobedience" is another interesting poem. It's kind of a role-reversal story about a kid whose mother disobeys his orders to stay away from the end of town, and she gets lost as the result of her disobedience.

"Spring Morning" emphasizes the beauty of nature to us, saying, "It's awful fun to be born at all." Next is "The Island" which has a wonderful closing message that screams, "God made it all - FOR US!" to me.

And there are so many other joyous poems in this quick read too. There's "Jonathan Jo," "Rice Pudding," "The Wrong House," "The Dormouse and the Doctor" (which has some terrific rhythm), a very touching "Little Bo-Peep and Little Boy Blue," "The Invaders," "If I Were King," etc., etc.

But perhaps my favorite poem in the collection is "Halfway Down" which is about nothing more than sitting on stairs. Man, if someone can take such a simple act and make it so astoundingly wondrous, then that person truly must be one of the greatest writers ever.

First of all, I echo all the positive comments already made by other reviewers.

This book is dangerous, in the best sense!

I am a bookworm and consider this one of my favorite books. (It is also incredibly cheap for the quality, and this is true for the hardcover version as well. You should only go for the hardcover version, see below.) It is nourishing to the soul, a delight to any seashell collector, and has surprised, touched and impressed all the non-collectors I have shown it to. I started collecting seashells a year ago and bought this book back then. It has made me immediately aware of the surprising level of beauty that can be found in well-selected specimens, even among very affordable species. It has done this at least as much as the finer photographs on seashell websites online (e.g. femorale, gastropods, topseashells).

The photographs are stunning. Among other qualities, very vibrant, very rich in colour: exquisitely photographed and printed. The scanned sample pages available here on amazon give but a dimmed impression of the actual printed pages.

Rarely have I seen a photographer demonstrate their deep love for their subject this directly and this well. I find that a lot of seashells photographs in other publications simply do not come close to the passion, beauty, communication, feeling, inventiveness and art found in each photograph here. (I am a passionate photographer - have been since a young age - and have been trying my hand at taking beautiful close-ups of seashells for the last year. These attempts have only deepened my appreciation of the photographs in this book.)

This book contains an average of about 2 colour photographs for each page, and close to 2000 specimens and at least 500 species/forms (I counted one day when sick in bed :-). Many photographs show several specimens and/or species combined fruitfully. Others concentrate on a single shell, sometimes taking up the entire page. All have very well chosen and crafted backgrounds - either lush, saturated colors or various more recognizable themes. The only exception is found in one page composed of photographs each of a specimen of a different volute species shown with their incredibly beautiful live animal mantles deployed underneath the shell; these are the only photographs with a plain back background. You will enjoy a selection of the finest examples of the - cheap, affordable and expensive - species and forms the authors, all long-time collectors, deemed among the most beautiful. They bring you super-selected gem specimens from their personal collections and from a number of other personal collections they borrowed from. All this combines to draw you into looking at the shell more carefully, longer and with your aesthetic eye opened up - not something easily done by any means.

The texts contain all kinds of interesting information, some apparently not necessarily known even to very seasoned collectors, as mentioned in other reviews. It is true that there is no detailed index by species, but in this case it doesn't matter too much: if you own a copy you will be looking at it often and will soon start remembering which specimens are included and where. The sections are organized by families.

My only wish, my only suggestion for improvement, honestly, is for James Carmichael to publish a sequel of the same size even now that Leonard Hill, alas, has passed away at a young age. Perhaps not likely but we can dream, no?

(Added a few months later: in the meantime I've found another book they have co-authored, years earlier, called "Shells: Treasures of the Sea". It is also a very worthwhile book with many photographs and much more text than in this book - it is the earlier book in which Hill writes on many aspects of shells including the cultural ones. The photographs are also by James Carmichael, but they are not as fantastic as in the newer "World's Most ..." book: you can see him going in the direction which he has almost perfected in the later book. So my wish remains: for this photographer to consider publishing a sequel with photographs of the same excellence... there are still many more beautiful species and alternate specimens / forms to choose among ... again, not likely at all but a wish nonetheless.)

So do not hesitate and buy yourself a copy. It would be hard to imagine that you will be dissapointed. Even if you are not a seashell lover or collector but enjoy beauty and enthusiasm.

Do get the hardcover version as this book is tall and wide and heavy. The covers of a softcover copy will certainly start bending and cracking very soon. The difference in price is small and in this case not worth saving on.

Expect to dive into this book often. With, dare I say?, love... And expect to become even more mad about seashells.

This is truly the BEST book on seashells IMHO. I love it for the images are incredible - so much so that the photography seems almost 3-D in some instances. The high quality of the images and information (and obvious love for the subject by the author) is unbelievable when you look at the cost for this treasure. It is a bargain for what you gain - beauty, artistry of nature, knowledge of many varieties of mollusks, and unique images not seen in other shell books (many in my own library). This is my favorite of all seashell books, unless I am exploring on the shore when a guidebook is more appropriate. Yes, this is quality coffee table book...but one that will be picked up by you and your guests more frequently than your other books.

My wife purchased this book for our beach house and we decided to keep a copy for ourselves at home. It has every shell that you could ever dream of. Our kids love the book because they can look up shells that they have found in the book and see what they are called and what use to live inside of them.

It is great for anyone that has a room or bathroom using seashells or an ocean decoration theme.

Very good book!

This book is pure eye candy for shell lovers. The photographs are beautiful and the close ups allow you to see the fine detail of many shells. This book can also be used as a shell identification reference as the photos are clearly annotated with the names of the shells.

This book is not by any means scientific.
This book is not an identification guide.
The species list is obviously very incomplete.
but...
Truly marvelous, large-format photography of only the best of the best GEM specimens. Each with a short description, which is VERY interesting to read - these are some real facts about the shells and not the description of what you can see on the photo. I consider myself an advanced collector, and this book is a real relief after reading some of the more advanced publications on shell collecting. An excellent source for some real-life knowledge. Highly recommended - both for collectors, or just anyone.

Very funny! Hilarious pictures, funny context. Whoever this man is, he is one hilarious, nuttyguy! This is a funny view of the Y2K problem, that everyone who panicks about it should definitely get. Bill Gates, watch out for Brad H. Olsen-Ecker! He can surely make anything funny, especially referring to Lady of the Water. Great Book!

That Olsen-Ecker guy is a real crazy kook. The book really puts this whole Y2K thing in a perspective we can all laugh about and silence the hysteria. Olsen-Ecker is one of the great creative minds of the 20th century. It is not just a book but a survival manual for the next millenium. Save those cheese doodles, take the stairs, and cancel that flight to Hawaii. The Y2K hysteria is upon us people! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!!

Fear and loathing on the road to Y2K! A surreal journey in context, in type design, in photos. It's riveting. It's by my bedside. It's a must buy.

The author Bradley Olsen-ecker did a great job creating characters that really had personality. Giving the Y2K situation a very real identity. The story mad a lot of sense, and gave the readers an idea of how crazy Y2K will really be.

Buy this, read it, keep it on your desk. Any time you read in the "real" press that Y2K is going to bring disaster, open this book at random; remind yourself that *this* is what the pundits are predicting. They're nuts. (Well, the author is clearly nuts also, but I mean that in the nicest way.)

And, it's cheap enough that you can buy a batch and have them handy to hand to people who whine about Y2K preparedness. I did.