H Books

Such a cute book!! Both informational and cute. Great for kids and the child within all of us.

Written and drawn in 1959 this children's book taught me a thing or two about a city I thought I already knew a lot about. The pictures and scenes are wonderful in bright colors and include most of the major sites in Paris from "le metro" to Montmartre and the Champs Elysees.

There have been a few of the drawings, or accompanying text, that have been asterisked to reflect the changes that have occurred in Paris since 1959 but if you are taking young ones over I highly recommend this book as a way to make some of what they will see a little more understandable for them.

Once I have found this book at Amazon and I wondered about the Czech name of the author. I got to explore the book and realized that he was a Czech, what a mystery, we have never been taught about him at school (of no type). His books were written in English after he emigrated from the Czechoslovakia and were never published in Czech. I got too amazed and curious about this book, so I bought it, read it and love it! All the pictures and the style he wrote it in. I just feel cheated, that we Czechs do not know nothing about this wonderful books and about the author.

This book has created a fabulous insight into the world of travel for my children. It has compelled us all to take a language course in French and to travel here and put our dreams into reality. It has planted the seed of intrigue and wonderment to which my children seek out this book to read at bedtime.

My granddaughter loves books about Paris; however, she is only 2 1/2 years old. While searching for other books about the city, Paris, we stumbled across this book on Amazon.com. She loves it. It is written in language she can understand and it has many drawings and illustrations to capture her attention. You won't be short changed with this book. We can't wait to order the rest of the books in this series.

I like this book very much. A wide variety of poems that are well written and left me very pleased with this purchase. The simpleness and smoothe delivery of his pen is awesome. A few left me pondering, but still very good. However, I didn't care for the different fonts throughout the book. The size of the fonts were larger than normal too. The art was great.
10 STARS!

A very intriguing book that I enjoyed from start to finish. The substance and the flow of his work has been written in outstanding fashion. The poems are very entertaining- suspenseful, humorous, tragic, romantic, sentimental and educational.

This poetry book is by far the most entertaining book of poetry that I have read in quite some time. There is a magic in this persons voice that projects power and it pleads to be heard, and I just could not stop reading. This is one book that I can actually read more than once! I think he has actually invented some new forms too.

If there is a book of poetry that someone were to acquire today or tomorrow, I would recommend this one wholeheartedly. It doesn't matter who you are, or what you do, I think anyone would love this book.

I should also state that the reason I purchased the book was because of what the cover looked like, very nice work that you don't see in a poetry book.

My friend had picked up the book here, and he let me read it, so I thought an appraisal of it would be appropriate. I'm usually a tough nut to crack when it comes to enjoying others poetry, but after reading his poems, I am convinced he can write really well. This is a new poet that expresses himself and the things around him with vividness.
Actually, he states that he's been writing for 20 years, so he's not really "new." I suppose that I should pick one up for myself, this is a book I could easily read over and over again.

The author is well versed in a diverse mixture of poems. His writing is eloquent, moving, and powerful. If you like Walt Whitman or Robert Frost, just to name a couple, then you will like this book. The art, draw my his brother, is quite good too.
I'm really a huge fan of romance, and his poems in that chapter of his book are stunning. I especially like "Tell me, The Romantic Poet, Upon my word, Regaining a lost love, I love you, Joyful delight, and Something great about you."
The tragedy chapter was also superb. His poems, "He remembers, The sound in my head, Broken Promises, I'm tired, Implore yourself, and Reflections," are great poems.
I might as well tell you about the essence chapter. "The living trees, Responsible drinking, The way of trust, My smile, The friendship, and Do the right thing," are my favorites in that chapter.
There was a few poems that I didn't care for, but there are so many good poems in this book; it eludes me that a person's first book can be so good. I wonder if he has a pen name that he was published under...
I can't wait to share it with my girlfriend.

What a great book this is. I purchased it because he's a member of the armed forces.
His poems are very expressive and pleasurable to read. One of my favorite books in my possession now, and I would recommend it if I were asked.

You would have to be illiterate to not understand the poems contained in this book.

This guy is good with words and seems very well educated.

I own the first and second editions of this book. I keep a copy at home, and one at work. It is comprehensive guide to the UNIX operating system. I always look here first for any questions or help I need with UNIX. I would recommend this book for anyone that uses UNIX.

The Bible of Unix. The one (and final) book you need in UNIX. Your search ends with this book. Well defined examples, explanations, notations. Be it a beginner, intermediate or expert you SHOULD have this book, if you are a Unix user.

Finally, a Unix book that is so comprehensive!

Had to give this one four stars, though, instead of five. The chapter on Tcl/Tk and Expect (chapter 20) is loaded with errors - probably editorial in nature (lots of places where parentheses are used instead of brackets "{}" and these WILL cause errors if you try to run the commands.). Otherwise, this is a fine book for learning Unix or going beyond the beginner level. The authors not only know their stuff, but they communicate it well. Highly recommended!

I bought the original version of this book in 1991-1992. It's still the best UNIX "How-to" book on the market. Absolutely no other book in my "UNIX library" provides more useful information on such a wide variety of topics: shells, networking, user environment configuration, mail, etc., etc., etc. It's all in here. It's especially great for beginners, since it covers all of the basics that normally provide stumbling blocks for beginning UNIX users. I highly recommend it.

I purchased my copy of this book in the late seventies and it is the reference work that I have used most often since that time. Nearly all the areas of basic mathematics are covered and I used it when I was teaching mathematics full time in the eighties. I also found it invaluable when I was solving problems that appeared in math journals and now use it extensively in my role as co-editor of Journal of Recreational Mathematics.
This book, or a subsequent edition when this copy wears out, will always be within arms length on my reference shelf when I am doing mathematics.

I purchased this book new in 1980. It is one of the best math reference books I have seen and that I own. It's coverage is quite broad and rigorous and it treats each subject with care and often works from first principles and introduces the applications and often the historical context. I used it extensively during college and keep it here at work for reference when I need to get up to speed in a certain area of mathematics.

I was a double major in physics and mathematics as an undergraduate and kept this nearby at all times. Of course some texts provide more detail in specific areas, but this is definitely one of the best, if not the best reference review mathematics book available. Very few books or sets of books have the breadth or scope of this book and the technical depth and rigorousness without becoming pedantic or obtuse.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in mathematics or would like a good mathematics reference book that covers most topics that might be of interest. The only issue is that the book was written in 1977 and so does not cover some topics that have been expanded on and become popular since that time. Fractals, computational proofs of theorems, etc.

This is the math book I wish I had in high school or middle school, but I didn't get it until college and it wasn't out in print until late in my high school years anyway.

This is THE book that I use with my home schooled children for MATHEMATICS. It is well written and has clear and comprehensive coverage. Start at page one and go through the text in order. Highly recommended, and I hope that we will see it back in print soon.

If you can get your grubby hands on this book, DO IT.

This book is AMAZING. I really fell in love with it when I checked it out of my middle school library. It was dusty, and no one had checked it out for...TWENTY-FIVE YEARS. I checked it out...and ended up checking it out for the year. Sadly, they did not let me buy it from them. But, to my luck, I found one when I was on ... vacation! Though, it is in poor condition.

This book has so much information. It is very compact and dense. It uses about...hmm...three colors, and black. Each color means something different. For example, each thing in a blue background means it is a sample problem or example. The colors make it absolutely fantastic, and readable.

This has a pretty good overview of A LOT of mathematics up to about 1980. That is, there is no fractal geometry and stuff. And take the word 'overview' lightly...it can get pretty in-depth.

I wish they made these kind of books today, where content and quality is more important than eye-candy and superficial explanation.

Get this book if you can.

I have two editions of this text, both bought back in the 1980s, and it is one of the most amazing books I have ever owned. Over the years, time and again this book has delivered when I needed some quick facts and a refresher on material I may have learned elsewhere. The best part of it is that it is full of illustrations, important when one is trying to obtain intuition on a subject. Not much is missed here, at least as of the date of publishing. Facts that might require pages and pages to uncover in a more comprehensive title on a subject, e.g., differential calculus, are all packed within a few pages in this title, making it a good reference.

I was suprised to see this title is out of print. Hopefully it makes a comeback. So much information never took up so little shelf space as this book. For those who love mathematics, this is a must buy in my opinion.

This epic about a man's journey into the heart of the Australian desert and into his own heart and mind is a classic of modern literature. Johann Ulrich Voss, though he remains always just beyond the reader's grasp as a character, is as memorable as any great figure in modern literature. If Marlow and Kurtz in Heart of Darkness were one man, this would be him.

The novel is also a love story about two people who go beyond the mediocrity of their surroundings to embark on interior journeys where they learn to know themselves and unite with each other in spirit.

For 80% of the novel I was gripped, running home from college to read more and more. My only qualm would be the ending, as the tension dissipates and the last 80 pages or so peter out under the excessive Christian symbolism. But there is no way that a potential reader should be put off by this assessment

Sentence for sentence, word for word, Patrick White is as good a prose stylist as I've ever read. The phrase "tour de force" could have been invented for this book.

This novel opens in Sydney, 1845, with the German explorer Voss preparing to cross the Australian continent. This physical aspect of the novel is loosely based on the ill-fated expedition of Ludwig Leichhardt.

Prior to leaving Sydney, Voss meets Laura Trevelyan. Laura is the niece of one of Voss's patrons and is perhaps the only person apart from Voss himself who perceives that his journey is a challenge of will as much as a geographical journey of discovery. Voss and Laura, despite only meeting four times before he departs, form a spiritual bond which strengthens during the course of the novel.

The novel is about discovery, about triumph and about failure. The physical elements of the journey describe many of the challenges facing explorers within central Australia at the time and combines elements of human suffering and religious metaphor.

The intense relationship between Laura and Voss develops during the course of the journey, and is conducted both through letter and telepathy.

This novel can be read as a simple story of an ill-fated expedition. Alternatively, it can be read as one man's challenge to the physical world, and of the good and evil in each of us.

By the end of the novel, the discovery seems clear, the triumphs and the failures are obvious. Or are they? Perhaps it depends on which viewpoint you choose to adopt.

I recommend this novel to anyone who wants to read well written literature which, under the guise of telling a story, invites the readers to confront their own thinking. The choice is yours.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

This is a deeply sad story of tragic love in Australia's colonial times. Voss, "The German" and Laura, a young Sydney woman, are societal misfits who meet quite awkwardly in drawing room one day. Soon after this meeting, Voss begins his epic journey into the unknown Australian outback. As the journey progresses he realizes his love for Laura and writes her a letter asking for her hand in marriage. She accepts his proposal and a love affair of the minds begins. More letters are written but never received by either party. Amazingly, their love blossoms for each other in a small minded, petty, and class driven society. Sadly, in the end their love is tragically never to be.
I found this book to be extremely well written and deeply moving. I believe that this novel is on par with Bronte's Jane Eyre and I do not understand why it is not on any classical reading lists. There are parts of the book that move somewhat slowly, but each part has its purpose in bringing you deeper into the story. The insights into the human soul are incredibly poignant. If you do decide to give Voss a chance read it slowly and in quite spaces. Soak up the meanings within the writing and enjoy this sad, sad tale.

Patrick White gained fame as the Australian Nobel prize winner in literature, and as a person with a prickly or what some call a difficult personality. He was educated at Cambridge but then settled and wrote in Australia after World War II. He has about a dozen novels and I have read two of them, the other being The Tree of Man which is set in rural but agricultural Australia, not in the Outback as is Voss.

This is a good novel, and it deserves 5 stars. After a dozen pages or so it becomes clear to the reader that White has an unusual style and he is a gifted writer. There is no question about his writing ability.

This particular story starts off in Sydney in the mid-19th century, and White uses real street names and locations in central Sydney, just east of Darling Harbour. Since the same streets still exist today, his setting and references to the city bring a high degree of realism to the story.

The plot is about a man and a woman who become engaged by mail after meeting. Voss is the man, and he leads a voyage of discovery into the Outback, north and west of Sydney. The plot involves the hardships of the trip, the interaction among the characters travelling with Voss, the natives, and what takes place in Sydney with his fiancee while Voss is away on the trip.

The discouraging feature of White's writing is that the characters seem stiff or cardboard, a bit lifeless. Voss is not a man to show much emotion or talk. So, there are many passages where White simply describes the activities. That gives the book - especially in the middle - a dry feel. This was reinforced for me when I read The Tree of Man where White has a similar strong male protagonist, the farmer; but there, White goes into much more depth with the man's personality in the novel.

The tale has a strong and a surprise ending, and the novel picks up as the story closes.

Overall, I enjoyed the read and would recommend the book. It is not a quick read nor is it compelling stuff to digest, but it is an interesting and well written novel.

Big, powerful novel by a skilled storyteller, a master of the Australian landscape and peoples. In the 1800's the German settler Voss meets Laura Trevelyan in Sydney once or twice, then together with an ill-assorted ragtag of followers he sets off on an ill-fated expedition from Sydney westwards through the Australian desert.

Voss's purpose seems to be to get to 'love the land'. Laura waits in Sydney; she's a thoughtful person, different from the others, aware that Australian white society in those days could be shallow and not in tune with deeper things. When Voss and Laura are not together, the relationship takes place in the mind, with some sort of sixth sense resulting in a synchronisation of feelings. The is cleverly done and works well.

Aboriginals figure strongly - they are part of the land, timeless, noble. But, in the period set in this novel, there is a dark side; through and through they come across as bestial savages. They could help and save Voss, who reaches out to them, but instead they thwart and eventually kill him.

Patrick White won the 1973 Nobel prize for literature, and it's not surprising. But his style in Voss is not always easy; he's always invading his characters' minds and trying too hard to explain every nuance of their thinking. This slows it down. Ideas about 'point of view' have to be put on hold in this novel.

Ultimately though it's an indelible experience, and one is left with haunting images of Australia.

What struck me over and over about reading THE WAR OF THE WORLDS was the imagination that fueled this story at a time when men got around by horse and lit their homes with lanterns.

H.G. Wells envisioned space travel, mechanized warfare as well as a killer Heat Ray and a deadly Black Gas the Martians employed to destroy mankind. Simply amazing. And that was only this story! To think he would also write THE TIME MACHINE, THE INVISIBLE MAN, THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU and THE FOOD OF THE GODS! Just think what his mind might have come up with had he seen the technology he forecasted in the 20th Century!

Another well-crafted aspect of this novel is how realistically he writes of the human slaughter as the Martians invade. Either on a personal level (the novel is narrated by one man with a section devoted to retelling what happened to his brother) or a description of the masses fleeing the attack, the story is quite believable. The chaos and carnage of the World Wars decades later kept coming to mind as I read the passages of the crowds fleeing London as the city and country are ablaze under the power of the Martian war machines.

The writing also holds wonderful description and passages. I kept hearing the authoritative voice of Richard Burton from Jeff Wayne's 1978 musical version of WAR OF THE WORLDS as I read the opening, as great a first page of any work of science fiction since.

And did the makers of the 2005 Spielberg movie bother to read the novels? I mean, come on: the section in the book of the men trapped in a house collapsed by a falling cylinder played so much better than the SIGNS rip off sequence with Tim Robbins in the basement in the film!

Even the ending is brilliant (something else discarded by the filmmakers in their effort to remain politically correct).

If I was an English teacher, I'd use THE WAR OF THE WORLDS as a reading assignment, exposing the students to the 1938 "panic broadcast" by Orson Welles and perhaps even show the movie adaptions to engage the kids. I wish my teachers had.

H.G. Wells is best known for his science fiction novels ("War of the Worlds," "The Island of Dr. Moreau," "The Time Machine," "The War in the Air," etc.) but also has an extensive background in the sciences and a keen interest in political philosophy. Specifically, Wells subscribes to Darwin's theory of evolution and believes that the people of the earth should unite under one world government that promotes universal education and a world economy. From this background and these interests, Wells writes his best-known work, "The War of the Worlds."

This novel follows the exploits of an unnamed narrator during a month-long Martian invasion. The inhabitants of Mars--a highly evolved, intellectually superior race of octopus-like brains--find that their planet is cooling to the point of being unable to sustain life. For purposes of survival, the Martians build a giant cannon and shoot "manned" projectiles to Earth as the first wave of a Martian invasion. These projectiles (ten in all) land in the greater-London area and are at first met with curiosity. However, once it becomes known that he Martians are bent on violence and conquest, the inhabitants of England's anxiety rises to a fevered pitch. The British army is useless against the Martians' highly advanced weaponry; the civilians panic and stampede into the countryside; those who remain in London succumb to a variety of mental delusions and insanities because of the hopelessness of the situation and widespread slaughter of humanity.

This reader found "The War of the Worlds" a very enjoyable read. The contrast between technologies (England of 1900 which relies on livestock and railroads versus Martian heat-rays, battle tripods, and black poisonous gas) a highly interesting part of the book. The literary technique of the narrator-protagonist successfully advanced the rising action, climax, and falling action. Finally, Wells' imagination is captivating--Martians (and the antiquated nineteenth-century way in which he describes them and their technology), the variety of human reactions, descriptions of Martian plant-life and physiology, the plans of man, etc., were all engaging and ingenious. This book is highly recommended.

Published in 1898 and set in and around turn of the century London, the story evokes the latest that was known at the time in astronomy, mechanics, and biology. Man had not yet flown and rockets were basically for fireworks. The story has been portrayed on radio, on the movie screen, and I believe even on television. Every telling requires some updating of the story so that modern audiences can get the effect of Wells' tale from more than a century ago.

Mars was thought to have canals and that would imply a civilization. Suddenly there are huge artillery blasts. Gargantuan enough to be seen from earth. These blasts continue for several days and shortly afterward a cylinder crashes into suburban London. It is too hot to touch and nothing more is aroused than curiosity. Finally, the end of the cylinder is screwed off from the inside and exit and begin working on something unseen. The sounds of hammering and machinery tell the people something is being built, but what they do not suspect or understand. Then the craft arises and the heat ray begins laying waste to the people, buildings, and anything in their path.

There are a couple things in the story that are different from most presentations. The creatures fire a canister of a black mist that seems to be a forerunner of the chemical agents of World War I. And the creatures are powerful, but not invulnerable. The people take a couple of them out along the way, but the creatures learn and become tougher in their attacks. More canisters arrive and more machines are built as the attack grows.

The life of the citizens in late Victorian society is also so different that modern life that the details of the story are also often changed, but you can read these differences for yourself. They make for interesting reading as a window on the past. Remember, the story was quite modern when written. And the violence and destruction was quite hyper-real for its audience, but seems tame by modern standards. Have we gained or lost?

Another fact that is often lost on modern audiences is that London was the capital of an empire that spanned the entire globe and controlled 40% of the world's land mass and a similar proportion of its population. The Martians were subjugated the greatest nation on earth as if they were, well, impotent natives out in the reaches of the British Empire. This aspect was not lost on its first audience.

It is still a powerful story and reads better than most of the adaptations show. The narrator is always merely an observer and escapes with the most fortunate of circumstances, but the story lets us meet more people than we get in a movie, and all the adaptations have to leave holes where some of the problems that time has forced into the story because of modern advances make the story implausible.

Still, the Martians end up the same way in every telling and for the same reasons. It is am important plot point, but knowing what we know now, probably quite faulty for an advanced civilization deciding to come and conquer Earth. Our own knowledge of bacteria and viruses would allow us to largely protect ourselves from such things as took the Martians and I doubt we would be so foolish as to enter another world so unprepared for this issue. But the people of the story were quite happy that the Martians were so foolish.

Read this book and you will be able to better judge the adaptations.

An extraordinary tale, War of the Worlds (the first epic tale about martians and man) tells of the great conflict which engulfs humanity when engaged against a power that greatly surpasses her own. Slowly informed of the alien lifeforms Wells soon bombards the reader with imagery of the future of warfare. Aliens terrorize as lasers vaporize, gas mystifies, while man remains helpless against this unslaught of futuristic intellegince. Drizen from house to streets to dens the narrator (one out of millions who flee before the martians, for what else can one do?) is eventually forced to observe the creatures that never rest, horrified by what he sees. After page upon page of war an eary silence suddenly echoes throughout the land, and the narrator ventures to find the world he knew a desert place as both martians and man are devasted and destroyed by the war which engulfs both worlds.

One of HG Wells most enduring novels it has the characteristics which would combine to define science fiction. Origenal and thought provoking it shocks and entertains the reader throughout the 200 paged tale. However, like all of his novels the revolutionary ideas and not the litary magnifisence of the text makes this one of the premere science fiction tales of all time. I recommend reading this piece of literature if you are in high school or above so as to truly apreciate and understand the intricate brillance of the War of the Worlds.

Note: I made some Mormon reader angry over my negative reviews of books written by Mormons out to prove the Book of Mormon, and that person has been slamming my reviews.

Your "helpful" votes are appreciated. Thanks. It took some effort to type up the following wonderful lines from this story about an invasion from Mars. I hope you enjoy them.

"No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinized and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinize the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. With infinite complacency men went to and fro over this globe about their little affairs, serene in the assurance of their empire over matter. It is possible that the infusoria under the microscope do the same. No one gave a thought to the older worlds of space as sources of human danger, or thought of them only to dismiss the idea of life upon them as impossible or improbable. It is curious to recall some of the mental habits of those departed days. At most, terrestrial men fancied there might be other men upon Mars, perhaps inferior to themselves and ready to welcome a missionary enterprise. Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us. And early in the twentieth century came the great disillusionment."

Don't miss the other great novels by H.G. Wells--"The Time Machine" and "The Invisible Man." The wonderful opening lines of "War of the Worlds" are worth repeat readings--note the phrase "across the gulf of space."

I had to read this book for a political science class I was taking over the summer, and I am glad the professor chose this book because I learned a lot about the estate/death tax. This book puts everything into prospective, and explains the pros and cons of the tax. If your interested on how the estate tax works and why we need it read this book.

This review is excellent but I believe that those of us who live in Turtle Island will develop unified systematic responses only when we begin to honour the heritage of First Nations. The common wealth of First Nations was brought about through inclusive and comprehensive accounting practices, which valorized the contributions of all community members. This primary accounting including women's and social work took place in the Production Societies of each community. This accounting unified ownership for all members of the Production Societies. Wampum and other string currencies were issued across the 36 Confederacies of Turtle Island. People not only voted with their Wampum but spent it as currency as well. Ownership was progressive from the early status of an apprentice to the weighted Wampum 'share' holdings of the elder. What is missing in our capitalist and socialist worlds is their unity. Both systems hold part of the puzzle. Both developed as institutional fragments of a once integrated whole. The wonderful thing being that First Nations still hold many clues to understand this ancient system from aroung the world. You can imagine the difference between a whole culture of economic justice and merely a complaint department in a crooked department store. While Gates and Collins book is essential, it is through cultural indigenous economic design that we gain the involvement to make a difference. Western authors tend to keep us in critical analysis but still divided. Douglas Jack, eco-montreal@mcgill.ca (514) 695-3845

Most controversial issues have two sides. The authors of this book present the arguments in favor of abolishing the estate tax in "the best light" by quoting at length and in context the abolition proponents' rationale. They then destroy these arguments by showing how and why they are based on false and often misleading "facts." They also make the case as to why an estate tax on those few accumulated fortunes which are, even under the pre-2001 law, subject to the tax is an important foundation stone of the American Experiment. I am not naive enough to believe that those who have made a career of opposing the estate tax will be swayed by the authors' book, but anyone with an open mind should be.

This extraordinary little book packs a gigantic punch. I'd love to summarize it here, but as soon as you buy the book, get straight to Chapter One. It's enough to make you sick in the stomach.

Is America a "democracy"? After Ch.1 you really wonder. A sample from p. 15: Around the turn of the century, shortly before WWI, the top 1 (one) per cent of the population owned 56.4% of the country's private wealth - at the same time, the authors tell us, "the wealthiest 10 [ten] per cent of households owned 90% of all wealth." Now, think about it: 90% of Americans together owned a mere 10% of the country! (And most of the country's wealth was in private hands, because the government at all levels owned very little of value. There wasn't even a national park in existence!) That's neither justice nor democracy.

American society started to improve since then, especially after the introduction of income tax. But things have again gone in the opposite direction in the last two decades, so that "the United States is now the most unequal society in the industrialized world." (p. 14)

This fact is borne out in the UN Human Development Report 2002. (I was surprised that this authoritative publication is NOT cited anywhere in this book.) This report gives the "Gini Index" for each country, among numerous other data. The Gini Index is not something out of Aladdin: It "measures inequality over the entire distribution of income or consumption. A value of 0 represents perfect equality, and a value of 100 perfect inequality." (p. 197) Ranked are these selected countries in the industrialized world: Denmark (24.7 - the least unequal society), Japan (24.8), other Scandinavian countries (including Finland) at around 26, then Germany (30.0), then English-speaking countries like my own Canada (31.5 - the lowest in this group), Australia (35.2 !!), the UK (36.8 - hardly news, what with their queen and lords), and finally the United States at 40.8. (France, the host of the French Revolution, is a surprising 32.7.) For comparison, developing China is 40.3 (beats the US by a hair - but not for long), India only 37.8 (I guess only a couple of people can be called rich there), and Russia is the most unequal of all at 48.7.....but then Russia is now run by a mafia of ruthless moneylords, much like America a century ago, when men like Rockefeller and Al Capone ran all the shows. (Still it is better than the gulag and secret police. And anything is better than communism.)

Getting rid of the estate tax won't help one bit. On the other hand, not repealing it in and of itself is just a small step in the right direction, hardly enough to stop the country from sliding down the slippery slope to a second Gilded Age. This book makes a very convincing argument why getting rid of the estate tax is truly a form of insanity the name of which is still not in the psychiatric textbooks. Bill Gates Sr.'s position is supported by his son (the world's richest man - mostly self-made). Warren Buffett, the world's second richest man (also self-made), disagrees with them only because he thinks the estate tax as it is does not go far enough. (He'd prefer to tax 100% of the super-rich's inheritance not given to charity.) This estate tax is absolutely, undoubtedly no "death tax" - as though everyone has to pay it, even the poor. Rather, it is really just "rich kids' tax"! Let's start calling the thing by its right name.

Andrew Carnegie is frequently quoted in this book, for good reasons. This mega-hero of the Gilded Age, who rose from abject poverty in a foreign country to become the richest man on earth, literally built America - with the steel from his furnaces, used in railroads and highrise buildings. He went even further than Buffett: "Any rich man [or woman, I assume] who doesn't give away his money to charity BEFORE he dies is a shame and a disgrace to society," as he said over and over. Carnegie certainly practised what he preached. (Before he died he gave away at least 95% of his worth, mostly to create free libraries for people too poor to have books.) Carnegie also believed in the estate tax: "Of all taxes this seems the wisest," in a memorable quote in this fine book.

At a time when many Americans worry about losing their jobs, when every citizen pays for the defense of the country, this is no time for the estate tax repeal - just so that the Forbes zillionaires own and control even more of the country while the rest have nothing or next to nothing. The supremely selfish, extremely greedy, totally irresponsible, unbelievably small-minded and short-sighted people who oppose the estate tax - and therefore dislike this book - hate and despise their fellow Americans more, and do more long term damage to America, than any Middle East terrorists because this kind of injustice (in Buffett's choice word) was what caused the downfall of Rome and is still yet another reason which encourages neo-Marxists everywhere.

This book is densely argued and extremely clearly presented. The 24 pages of sources in this slim little volume show the authors have done their homework, despite the omission I mentioned. Bill Gates Sr.'s authority is undeniable not only because he was already wealthy himself BEFORE his son became the world's richest human being (for at least the past ten years as far as I know), but also because he is himself a highly successful tax lawyer and in charge of one of the world's largest charitable foundations, the Gates Foundation. (One day it will be the world's largest.) If he doesn't know what he is talking about, I don't know who does. This book's Foreword is aptly written by the formidable Paul Volcker, former Fed Chairman.

I can't praise this book enough. It can go further though, as the public and private statements by Warren Buffett - a good friend of both Gates' - explain clearly why. Despite its admirable conciseness, this book can use a good general index at the end. (I want to be sure who said what when and why.)

This brief book strongly explains how society will benefit from keeping an estate tax on the wealthy. It explains how the estate tax allows America to be a meritocratic place where the best and brightest rise to the top and can make the most positive social change. It explains how charity giving will increase during wealthy individual's lifetimes if they know they face a big tax at the end. It gives a brief history of the estate tax and why it was introduced in the first place. It exposes the hypocrisy of Bush's estate tax repeal that expires in 2010. All in all, it provides a very concise argument why we must give back to the society which enabled us to have the potential to become wealthy in the first place. I never thought I'd be able to read through a book on tax law without putting it down. This book is brilliant.

I have three books in my cabin. The Holy Bible, The Complete Walker, and The White Mountain Guide. They are all you need.

You may rail against some of the trail descriptions after finishing a bruising hike that had not been described as such in the Guide.Many breathtaking views are described matter-of-factly. Still, no serious New England hiker, beginner or fanatic, should be without the AMC's White Mountain Guide. It is unmatched for thoroughness and save for a few gaffes, accuracy. Moreover, unlike the also fine "50 Hikes" series by Backcountry Publications or "New England Hiking" by Michael Lanza, the AMC Guide leaves enough unsaid to allow for the best kind of discovery - your own on the trail. There is more than adequate information, though, for planning and safety. I have only two complaints stemming from unfortunate changes made in the most recent addition: (1) the book is larger and no longer fits neatly into a backpack - an odd choice for a hiking book; (2) southern New Hampshire hikes, many fine half day choices, are now covered in a separate book, the "Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide." Despite the AMC's tinkering with what wasn't broken, the AMC Guide still serves the N.H. White Mountain hiker better than any other book.

I just returned from my first trip to the White Mountains, and this book was the best thing I took with me. I stuck to day-hikes only, and found the information in the book to be the most helpful guide I had. The beginning gives an overview of the region, and tips for anyone planning to hike in the White Mountains. I'm glad I bought the book before I arrived, so I was able to make sure I had the necessary equipment to keep me safe and comfortable on my hikes. Experienced hikers may not need the advice, but novice hikers and those not accustomed to the perils of hiking above the treeline will appreciate it.

The rest of the book is devoted to trail descriptions. Lots of them. Although I carried the book and the maps with me on every hike, I found the information was most useful when I was planning my hikes. Once I found the trails (with the help of the guide), they were so well marked that I didn't need to consult the maps. I also used the maps throughout my trip, even when I wasn't hiking. I didn't need to purchase a road map since everything I needed was included.

After I had hiked a trail or two, I learned to "interpret" the descriptions, and figure out what would be the challenging sections of trails. The description of the first hike I choose didn't sound too tough, but I found myself hanging onto a boulder with only one hand and calling my husband back to help me. The description of this section is simply: "leaving the trees, it climbs over open rocks.." There are a few trails that come with serious cautions, such as the paragraph devoted to the Huntington Ravine Trail on the side of Mt. Washington.

The one odd thing lacking from the book is the fact that AMC operates shuttles that can take hikers down from the summit of Mt. Washington (for a fee, and providing the summit isn't closed to auto traffic). I descended on foot, but it seems strange that an AMC book overlooks an AMC service, especially since all of the other AMC operations are mentioned.

The book has a few suggested hikes for each area of the White Mountains, broken down into easy, moderate, and hard. Since this was my first visit, I stuck to these trails. I found them all to be enjoyable.

I can't wait to return, for more hiking. This book makes it possible. Anyone going to the area should purchase it prior to arriving, and keep it handy at all times.

i actually read this book for fun. my copy is extremely dogeared and annotated. it is my guide to life.

This is indeed the bible of White Mountains hiking, and is particularly recommended for anyone attempting a multi-day hike and/or a hike above treeline. Not much I can add to what others have said, except that for casual hikes and dayhikes you should really check out White Mountains Map Book of New Hampshire and Maine (Hiking Maps and Guides) by Steve Bushey, Angela Faeth (Illustrator), Steve Smith (Editor), which has a superb map and brief descriptions of the most popular day trails.

I read this series over the summer and compliment author Stephen Bly on a few levels. I'm not a horse person, I'm quite intimidated by anything bigger than a Golden Retriever. This series, and this book especially, made me feel like I was on vacation in Argenta too, watching all the fun unfold, and I wanted to jump on a horse and follow these characters as they galloped off to the sunset. The scenery depiction and town life felt so real I felt parched from the dust and in need to meet up with Dev if only for a few moments. This story had many laughs, deep, rich characters you truly get to know and care for, and a heart. Just like the Labor Day holiday signals the end of summer, turning the last page on this book was something I wasn't anxious to do.

Looking for an inexpensive get away? Journey with this series for a vacation you'll fondly remember and want to visit again and again.

I was given Wish I'd Known you Tears Ago as a gift. I read the book in one day...it's that good!

It's about a woman who basically runs to a place she loved as a little girl to rediscover herself. Towards the end of her journey she invites her college-aged daughter to join her in hopes of mending broken fences, and building a new bond.

Many strange things happen during the last days of summer that changes the woman's life forever...Will it be for the best? You'll have to read the book to find out.

One thing I can say is that you'll walk away with a few personal revelations of your own.

Stephen Bly is able to bring me to tears either with laughter or
pathos. How he can write so believably about females amazes me.
Having lived with school teachers and hearing their discussions
at holiday meals and family get togethers Develyn and her love
for her students mirrors several of the elementary teachers of
my various family members. But Mr. Bly doesn't stop with
believable characters, instead he keeps me reading to all hours
of the day and night to see what kind of "fix" his characters
will wind up in next.

Delaney perhaps was the least believable of the bunch since
most modern fillies would have solved the dilemma of pregnant
or not in the length of time it took to get to a pharmacy, get
back home and do the test. Then before they stewed for several
weeks would have repeated the test. However, the anguish Delaney
went through and the treatment of her mother throughout the
whole ordeal of pregnant or not parallels well with the relationship existing between daughters and mothers witnessed
in my own experience. With four sisters and myself and numerous
daughters the yin and yang of rearing girls does see-saw endlessly and never seems to be completely resolved with the
realization that both mothers and daughters can truly settle
down to a permanent and lasting peace of simply loving one
another undeservably/unreservably.

Cooper Tallon? What can I say except could we clone a few of
him for the widows of Texas. On the other hand I believe the
Hunter Burkes of the world may have been cloned already. Casey
Cree-Ryder's Jackson is every mother's wish for her daughters.
Which leads back to the fact that Stephen Bly does men quite
well also.

A wonderful tale of Wyoming and the yen most of us have of re-
visiting the wonderful times of our youth and resolving the
heartaches of our middle or senior seasons of life. Made me
want to revist the land of blue skys, wide open spaces and
typical Western people, culture and terrain.

What a hoot....you find yourself smiling or laughing out loud when reading this series. I think the heroine Develyn is capable of stimulating Stephen's creative powers in producing at least 3 more adventures. I didn't want Develyn's summer vacation to end. This is a fun set of novels to escape in....if you're due for a vacation...and there's none in the immediate future...get lost with Develyn and you'll feel as if you'd been there by her side.

A great conclusion to the Horse Dreams Trilogy. Well written contemporary western fiction. Have you known people who just seem to be able to make friends with anyone, from truck stop waitresses to wealthy ranchers, from precocious 10 year olds to eccentic senior citizens? Well, Devy-girl, the main character in this series is one of them! The characters are continuously developed through the trilogy. Each book allows you to get to know new characters, and yet the people you met and loved in the previous books are still continuing to grow and even surprise you in the last. Great life-lessons learned without being preachy. . . well at least it is in character for a middle-aged 5th grade teacher from Indiana.

I've read just about everything there is on the topic of working from home - making money from home - small businesses and more. Cheryl is one of the best at delivering valuable and credible information on the topic for anyone looking to begin their Work at Home career.

As a newbie to the WAHM world, I really enjoyed this book and found it helpful and encouraging. Cheryl has such a great sense of humor - I loved all of the analogies she uses throughout the book and the stories she shares about her kids, who are pretty funny, too. She reassures you that being home with your kids really is worth it - whether you are stressed out or haven't seen the light of day in weeks. After reading this book I finally felt excited and motivated about being a WAHM instead of nervous and scared. Thanks, Cheryl, for the inspiration!

A completely enjoyable read, with a well-researched compilation of tips and insights into the growing prospects of working from home. Each chapter offers motivation, suggestions and "real world" information on making the move from the corporate office to the home office. I especially enjoyed the illustrations and the heartwarming anecdotes about the many ways Moms can profit (both financially and emotionally) from a work at home situation.

This book has great information in areas of how to manage the kids, the job, and keep your sanity. What I enjoyed about this book was that it mixed research as well as prepares you with a bit of real life situations you might stumble across.

As a non-US citizen there was information which didn't apply to me, but still Cheryl Demas book has been a great inspiration for me in trying to figure out how to start a home based business for myself. It's fun, personal and covers a large number of areas. Reading this + other books on the same subject such as "Mompreneurs" has given me a good understanding of what it will take to "set up shop".