W Books

This is the 3rd replacement of this cookbook I first purchased over 30 years ago. I learned to not fear spices and how to make them work together for new flavor. I also bought my daughter a copy. Mine have been well used over the years. I recommend Herb Burgers and Sweet & Sour Purple Cabbage as old standbys that always turn out delicious. This edition has more recipes, I'm excited to try.

Most MDs really don't know much other than to tell patients with elevated blood pressures to cut back on the salt.

All the recipes that I've tried have all been tasty. If you really want to get your food intake in order also read the current bestseller "In Defense of Food".

This book is a "must have" along with "The No-Salt, Lowest-Sodium Cookbook", both are ESSENTIAL for anyone serious about low sodium cooking, lots of great advice, information about sodium content in common foods, great recipes - a real bargain.

I agree, this is a must have for anyone following a low salt diet. Who says food has to be tasteless??? I learned so many cooking ideas from this book.

This book is wonderful for cooking with low or no sodium. I bought this because my parents needed to decrease their sodium and potassium. This book does list the potassium count in the nutrition breakdown which helps me. I highly recommend it for people looking for healthier recipes.

I keep wondering why nearly all of the cookbooks have to be in book form. Use spiral bindings, please. Make them easy to use!

love this book broke down many times on some of the letters great book!!

This marvelous little book offers a parallel and human voice to the more academic books about Vietnam.
There is no "agenda", here just a selection of moving, articulate, impassioned voices talking about their experiences and feelings at the time they were there. Some of the most moving, of course, being those from young people who would die shortly thereafter. We see through the letters in the book that even on the front lines this "war" was seen through a wide diversity of opinions, from those that were totally committed to it, and why (though they tend to become less prevalent as the years pass), to those who came to believe it was not a worthy effort to justify the consequences. And the majority, just confused. A must read.

This is a wonderful book for anyone who wants to see the Vietnam war from the eyes of those who were there. The book is a collection of writings from Vietnam veterans that were written during there time in country. This book shows the War as more than casualty numbers and battle field dates. A good read for everyone.

This book captivated me so that i could not put it down, untill i had finished. It touches your heart and soul. Wonderful read!! Please put it on DVD!!! Thank you :-)

After the amazing documentary about Vietnam that solely exists of actor voice overs of funny, goofy, anxious and heartbreaking letters home from soldiers at the battlefront in Vietnam, accompanied by graphic footage of the war itself, this book came out. It contains the letters read out in the movie, and additionally has some more background information about the soldiers who wrote the letters.

Even without the trained actor voices reading the letters out loud to you, and without the grim and realistic war images, this book is a pageburner. Heart-wrenching accounts of the legacy of war written by the soldiers that fought it, as well as by the people they left behind.

I acquired the leather bound edition of this book when it was published. It wasn't at all what I expected it to be. The book was better. It transformed the way I thought about devotion. I have kept my edition in excellent shape all these years despite using it. If you are thinking about buying the book, I highly recommend it. I don't know what the newer versions are - whether republished or rewritten.

This book has been a continual inspiration and source of God's voice to me. As I read and re-read the content, I find God speaking to me each and every time. I even had my own copy rebound, so that I can be assured to always have it. I have bought copies for others, and am sorry to see it out of print.

This book has really helped me in my daily walk. The book is divided into 52 topical sections like silence, meditation, fasting, distractions, etc. with scriptures to read for each day of the week. There are also hymns, meditations by Christian authors and prayers for each week that relate to the topic. It's something you can do in 10 minutes a day if you're just starting and need to develop the discpline or you could spend 20-30 minutes each day if you want more time in prayer or to meditate on the readings. I highly recommend it and am about to buy a second copy for a friend.

I first read this book on a professor's recommendation in 1985. Disciplines uses a weekly format, including a 2-part reading schedule (1 part for use, and 1 for reading through the Bible in a year), and writings from classic Christian writers through the centuries. Like others, I have started reading many authors after reading their words in Disciplines. The heart is grabbed, the brain is engaged, and God speaks to you every day. My only negative is that there is no sequel, although it is similar to a Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants, an excellent book from the Upper Room.

There are so many choices confronting anyone looking for a half decent devotional guide today. This is the only one I have read that I cannot imagine anyone being disappointed with. I would recomend trying to get a hold of the leather bound edition from 1985 even though it will be a bit spendy. The reason that I recommend that edition is because it is quite a bit sturdier and it will take you through the whole bible in a year as well as the daily devotional readings. The Benson's have gain an incredible balance of focus on spiritual formation with practicle life application. They have avoided the error in many modern devotional guides of just giving a little two minute self help blurb to make you feel better about yourself for the day. They have also avoided the tendencies of certain older guides which seem to focus almost exclusively upon what wretched sinners we all are. If you make the effort to go carefully and patiently through the entire book in a year the Spirit will use it to transform you from the inside out. This devotional is both encouraging, challenging, and will serve you well for years to come. It is structured enough to give solid direction, but flexible enough to work for just about anyone. You also will have gained a great introduction to almost all of significant writers on Christian spirituality throughout history. I just can't for the life of me understand why it has been taken out of print, maybe because it will require more then a five minute commitment each day, but it is well worth it.

I love this book. It's great for a party craft (as I first used it) or for sending/making cards.

I remember this book from when I was a kid. My 4YO loved it when he got this book. We've recently given it as gifts with a stamp pad. I would highly recommend it,since kids can make adorable pictures with little effort.

I used this book for 400 Girl Scouts at a day camp. The fingerprint animals and people worked for all ages and the girls loved to try new things from the book. Thanks for all the great fingerprint ideas. :)

I was not familiar with this book before I bought it; however, it was recommended by the teachers of the students for which this and several other Ed Emberley books were purchased. From the thank yous I have received, this book was a real hit! It is used in a Native American Mission School with great enthusiasm and even better results. What more could you ask for?

I used samples made from the book for a kid's craft at our library. The kid's and myself had a lot of fun.

In Durrenmatt's *The Visit* a hideous--and hideously wealthy--old woman returns to the town of her long-ago youth to avenge a past wrong. Unaware of her intentions, everyone in Guellen is excited at the news of her imminent arrival, but none more so than the old lady's old flame--the shabby shopkeeper Alfred Ill who volunteers to be her personal guide during the visit. Expecting that her return, and Alfred's solicitous attention, will mean a revival of the town's fortunes after years of hard times, the inhabitants of Guellen are nonetheless staggered by the generosity of Claire Zachanassian's offer. But their joy turns to dismay when they discover the one condition the old woman has placed on making them all wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. The good folk of Guellen must deliver up one of their own for sacrifice: her old lover, Alfred Ill.

Will the townsfolk murder Alfred for the money--and the "good" of Guellen--or not? Durrenmatt not only sustains the suspense of this situation throughout most of this rather lengthy three-act play, but, even more surprising, he renders it chillingly plausible. One is reminded of Shirley Jackson's classic story *The Lottery*--a similar atmosphere of claustrophobic, predestined dread prevails in *The Visit,* a sense that there is no escape from the judgment of the community of which one is a member. Indeed, it seems if one is properly socialized one internalizes that judgment and delivers oneself up accordingly for there is no life outside of the community. Such a "voluntary" death becomes a sacrifice and one lives on in the benefit bestowed upon the community. So does society sustain itself by eating its own.

What the old lady wants is justice for a wrong done to her in Guellen long ago. But that desire for justice--and the hurt that goes with it--has hardened over time into an implacable thirst for vengeance that nothing but blood will satisfy. Even within the play, as well as in Durenmatt's postscript, Claire Z. is likened to Medea and it's an apt comparison. Claire is older, wealthier, a confidante of princes and presidents, a serial bride, full of wit and dry humor, and her anger is considerably colder than that of the legendary scorned madwoman of classical literature--colder and thus more lethal.

Aside from Claire Z, who has hardened beyond humanity altogether, *The Visit* is primarily a tale about human weakness--about the temptation for the pleasures of this world and the rationalizations we devise to grab them when the opportunity presents itself. For behind the high-sounding principles and moral outrage of the good people of Guellen is the drive to self-aggrandizement that motivates all of us. Or, as *The Visit* memorably points out--all of us but the rare individual who acknowledges the guilt we all share and prefer to locate solely in our neighbors, the rare individual who, when it's time to point out the source of evil in the world, has the astounding courage to point at himself.

This is as close as you will come to a true depiction of the Swiss. It may be a generalisation but isn't that how generalisations are generally derived? Anyway, the author is Swiss who is supposedly not very popular among the Swiss possibly because it is too close to home/truth.

This book, although somewhat disturbing, is a good read for anyone who desires a look at how humans continually put material objects before their own fellow human beings. Layered in "sick" comedy, The Visit brings the ultimate desire for retribution to life, as well as depicting how even normal people can become vicious with revenge, even when they are not the victim. Furthermore, this book depicts how one person can change the lives of other's lives drastically, because of power and money. When read in the context of seeking the reality of life, the desire for riches, the greed of the desperate, and the need to be "someone" and be defined by worldy possessions, this book truly gives insight, with a bizarre but intriguing tale.

"The Visit" is a play I've never seen, only read. I read it first in high school, leaving me with goosebumps then. It still has that power, now. I can think of no other tale that expresses the power of bitter revenge better than this one. I remember reading somewhere that this was done originally on stage here by Lunt and Fontaine--wouldn't that have been something to see!

I wonder, though, why the 1964 movie starring Anthony Quinn and Ingrid Bergman is never mentioned, and has never been released on video or DVD? I saw it 30 years ago and found it chilling in its own way, though not matching exactly the play.

Like Bertholt Brecht, Friedrich Duerrenmatt (1921-1990) was a proponet of "epic theatre," a style of drama in which the audience is not so much asked to identify with the characters and story but to contemplate them in an detached manner and thereby arrive a certain intellectual and moral conclusions. Although he was the author of several notable dramas, he is not well known outside his native Switzerland and German-speaking Europe--with one exception: Der Besuch der alten Dame, known in English as THE VISIT.

First staged in 1956, it became internationally famous in the late 1950s in a production staged by Peter Brook starring Afred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, which had a successful Broadway run and which toured extensively; it was also filmed, with considerably less success, in 1964 by director Bernhard Wicki and starring Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Quinn. Maurice Valency performed the translation for the Lunt-Fontanne stage version, and for many years his extremely free adaptation was the only English-language version in print. The Patrick Bowles version offered here, however, is much more accurate in translation--and therefore considerably darker in tone.

The story concerns a tiny town which has fallen on very hard times, but which has hopes in the form of a visit from the incredibly wealthy Claire Zachanassian, a woman who was born and raised in the town and who has now decided to make a return visit. Although a distinctly grotesque figure, Claire has a reputation for generosity, and upon her arrival she does indeed announce her intention to endow her hometown with riches beyond imagination. There is, however, one catch: in return, she demands the death of Anton Schill, the lover who wronged her many years ago. The community is outraged and refuses to comply... at least at first. As the play progresses, however, the citizens (including Schill's own family) begin to dream of what they could do with all that money. Is Claire's demand really so unreasonable after all?

Duerrenmatt insisted that his play was a comedy, and it is indeed quite funny, albeit in a distinctly grotesque sort of way. At the same time, however, it is quite obviously a parable on the natures of revenge and greed. Indeed, Claire's revenge is not so much on Schill as it is upon the town itself, as she forces them to faulter through greed by presenting them with a choice between morality and immorality. Although extremely witty, THE VISIT may also be described as deeply cynical, and more than one critic has flatly described it as evil, despicable, and profoundly unsavory. Whatever the case, it is a truly remarkable play, quite unlike the usual fare you'll find haunting either Broadway or the local community theatre. It has also been extremely influential over the years, with perhaps the most obvious example being Arthur Kopit's OH DAD, POOR DAD, MAMA'S HUNG YOU IN THE CLOSET AND I'M FEELING SO SAD. Strongly recommended for fans of far-out theatre.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

This is a wonderful book on weather. And the extreme values it gives are actually fairly interesting and fun to read about. Besides, we all like to know if we're in the middle of truly unusual weather.

The book starts with heat records for every state, both absolute maximums and July averages. As well as maps showing number of days with 90-degree (Fahrenheit) or higher temperatures. We learn about temperature-humidity indexes, heat waves, and even heat bursts. As well as extremes in temperature ranges. There's information about heat extremes in foreign countries as well.

Next we get to cold weather! Heat records for every state, both absolute minimums and January averages. Cold waves. Wind chill. And international extremes. Did you know that near Lake Vostok, in Antarctica, the temperature once reached minus 128.6 degrees Fahrenheit? Brrrr!

We learn about the snowiest cities. And then we get to rainfall records for a big bunch of American cities. There are also records for varying amounts of time. What's the record for rainfall in 30 minutes? It's over 11 inches! And it fell in Sikeshugou, China. And there's material about floods, thunderstorms, hail, and tornadoes. As well as wind and fog!

There is a fascinating chapter on hurricanes. I vividly remember Hurricane Carol, which struck in August of 1954. And there's a picture of Providence, Rhode Island, after it was hit by the storm surge from that hurricane. There is also an excellent map of the American Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean coasts, with probabilities per year of being hit by a hurricane, as well as probabilities of being hit by 125 mile-per-hour winds or greater. The five areas that in 2004 that were "overdue" for a hurricane are listed. Of course, as any technical person knows, being "overdue" for a storm does not increase the chance of being hit, if anything, it decreases it. But it does imply that one may be less prepared for one when it does hit. New Orleans is listed as one of the five areas (it was hit by Betsy in 1965 and not hit again until Katrina in 2005). The book explains that the dikes protecting downtown New Orleans, including the French Quarter, from the water in Lake Pontchartrain would almost certainly be overwhelmed by a Category 4 or 5 storm surge. And that if they were, much of that area could be swamped under 20 feet of water. I wish that more people with the responsibility for protecting the city of New Orleans (or voting for its protection) had been more aware of this, so that some of the damage caused by Katrina might have been lessened.

I highly recommend this book.

This is a well written and fascinating book on weather extremes. I'm only about 100 pages into it, but I enjoyed it so much I wanted to make a brief comment.

Although the book is mostly about extreme weather phenomena, you'll also learn a lot about more normal types of weather, since if you understand how the more extreme storms are generated, you often can understand how the less severe ones occur as well. But this is done in the context of learning about the more severe and extreme types of weather, which I find an interesting approach. After all, there isn't much when it comes to natural phenomena that's scarier than a hurricane or a tornado (well, earthquakes and tsunamis of course are right up there too, but in weather, they're the kings :-)). I once read that a typical hurricane can release each second 100 times the energy in the first atomic bomb (which was a 20 kiloton bomb).

The book discusses weather extremes from rainfall to tornadoes for the U.S. and the rest of the world, including many fascinating topics, such as internally lit tornadoes that glowed with their own light. Witnesses reported orange lightning bolts coming out of the bottom of the spout which would then be sucked up by the violent winds into the interior, thereby lighting up the entire tornado. There are a couple of photos of these sorts of tornadoes, including a black and white one at night showing two luminous tornadoes that obviously had to be internally lit. Very cool stuff and my only complaint was there weren't more photos like this, but then these are very rare phenomena.

Also, the maximum winds typically don't exceed 325 miles per hour, and most tornadoes are usually more like 75-125 miles per hour. This is just one of the many very interesting topics covered.

Overall a very cool book on weather, and I'll have more to say about it later when I finish the book.

Best book on weather I've read since Bomar's Texas Weather. As in Bomar's book, the author understands that it's the unusual weather events that are of most interest to most people, and he doesn't fail to disappoint on that score. A must for all weather nuts.

This is an excellent book and affordable. Some other reference books are very expensive and don't have the great photos and data presentations that this book has (I still highly recommend the others, but they are not cheap). This book saves a lot of time and makes it easy to show other people exactly what you are trying to say, and they will be impressed with the quality of this publication. Excellent book in its own right and can easily double as a "coffee table book" and a great conversation starter.

This is an excellent book that should actually be used as an accompying text to a regular weather text. The cartography is superb and the data is listed in an easy to understand fashion

Professor Urwin has contributed a priceless addition to the collection of great American historical letters. Perhaps one of the best compilations of Wake Island information that at no time reads like the encyclopedia it resembles.
This is a huge and potentially intimidating book that is worth every bit of its seemingly steep price tag. Invest in your brain, you get what you pay for and then some!

REVIEW EVERY BOOK YOU READ, AUTHORS DESERVE YOUR OPINIONS!

Author Gregory Urwin spent years researching the epic defense of Wake Island using uncovered documents, personal interviews of civilian and military survivors, diaries, library archives and just plan hard leg work. The author to this day still honors those that served at Wake by staying in touch with the survivors at their yearly reunions and was instrumental in making the documentary on The History Channel become a reality. 'Facing Fearful Odds' brings the battle to life again through the eyes of those that were there and gives a balanced view on the Devereux-Cunningham contravercy which showed beyond doubt the shabby treatment given to the Navy Commander. The book is a must read to anyone who wants to learn about dedication, friendship, survival and love of country.

Most people only know about wake Island from the William Bendix movie made in 1942 when very few facts of the battle were known. What was know was that in 1941, as most American outposts in the far east fell in hours, this small Island with a garrison of some 450 marines and a few airmen held out for weeks and became a symbol of hope for Americans in a world of otherwise bleak news. The papers called this unlovely rock "The Alamo of the Pacific" in rememberance of that other famous last stand.
What Dr Urwin goes into is the detail beyond these facts, having interviewed survivors from both sides of the battle and poured over navy records he takes Marines who were little more than faceless icons, and made them human, with fears and hopes and lives all their own, and in so doing makes their stand more iconic. He gives them lives and personalities with annecdotes and humor as remembered by their friends in later years that shows them as a uniquiely American force.
Is it a big book? yup. Is it easy to read? Oh Yeah! The early chapters are about the finding, losing and refinding the atoll known as "Wake," then going into how it was developed in an attempts for commercial air travel in the 1930's. These chapters were so easy to read I found myself wondering if there were books on this, A topic I'd previously had no knowledge of or desire in. The writing is that good.
"What better way for man to die, then facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers and the Temples of his gods." yup, sums it up well.

I am a student in one of Dr. Uwrin's classes and he assigned this book for us to read. Usually I get annoyed when this happens because it is usually a way for teachers to throw their ideas further onto students and make them pay (literally) for it. Urwin's is one of only two professor written books that I have enjoyed reading for class. Dr. Urwin's writing is extremely clear and easy to follow, and he grips the reader. The language is not the pompous scholarly language one usually finds in books like this. You don't have to be a student of WWII to read this, anyone could pick it up and read it without problems. And to answer someone's musing that if Dr. Urwin's lecturing is as good as his writing, it is and then some! READ THIS BOOK!

The title, Facing Fearful Odds, is taken from Macaulay's "Horatius at the Bridge" (a poem I lovingly remember reading as a schoolboy), and it's evocative of the dramatic siege of Wake Island in the immediate aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Gregory Urwin is a fine writer who vividly portrays the drama of a handful of Marines and civilian construction workers who repelled daily assaults by the Japanese navy and air force for 16 harrowing days before finally capitulating to overwhelming force. In stunning detail, the author depicts the frantic preparatory events leading up to the siege, the fierce resistance, and the bitter aftermath. It is sad that these heroic events are little known by today's generation.

What is compelling about Mr. Urwin's account of the Wake Island story is his depiction of ordinary men thrust into extraordinary circumstances. Although the Marines were volunteers, many of them joined the Corps to escape the Depression, and many of them never expected to find themselves in such a perilous position. Nonetheless, like Horatius at the Bridge, these men did more than their duty.

Facing Fearful Odds describes how the United States failed to marshal its considerable resources during the year and three months that Europe had been at war; we were dreadfully unprepared militarily, economically and psychologically for the sudden impact of the terrible defeats Japan dealt us. If we view the events of late 1941 in the context of the smug condescension most Americans felt toward Japan, and the fact that we woefully underestimated Japanese military prowess, we can begin to understand how shattering Pearl Harbor was. Americans were angry as hell and damned scared.

Then, a few gritty Marines and civilian construction workers - every one of them a regular "Joe Everyman" with whom any American could identify - held off the mighty Japanese navy and air force for more than two weeks and dealt them a stunning, crushing blow. That we ultimately lost Wake Island mattered little. That these brave men showed the world that Americans could - and would - fight back meant everything to the people at home and to those in the service. These few men lifted America from its fear and helped focus its anger in a powerful resolve to defeat the enemy.

The Marines of Wake Island were expendable, and they knew it. Mr. Urwin enables the reader to imagine why a man would willingly put himself in harm's way knowing - with near certainty - that he was unlikely to survive. One could argue that the man doesn't have a choice, but of course he has a choice - he can surrender. Urwin shows us that the willingness to fight and not surrender came from something more than patriotism. Though they fully expected to die, it was a matter of pride; though they believed no one would ever know it, they were determined to make the enemy pay dearly for American lives. They knew if they did that, someone else might live a little longer.

Facing Fearful Odds is about defiance in the face of certain death, of abject determination to make the enemy pay a terrible price for their arrogance. The men of Wake Island didn't save the world - that was for the men and women who came after them to do. But they saved America's face. Guam surrendered immediately. Wake Island did not.

Several weeks before the battle of the Alamo, Mexican troops marched into San Antonio demanding a siege cannon that the Texan rebels held. The Texans' reply was, "Come and take it." Implied were the words, "...if you can." Gregory Urwin gives the reader a rare opportunity to know how the men of Wake Island felt when they made the Japanese Navy "come and take it."

I bought this for my husband. We are new parents. I'm reading it now. It's wonderful. I learned so many great & useful tips from this little book. It is succinct & very well written; it's even humorous at times. I would recommend this book to new moms & dads.

My husband was very nervous anticipating the arrival of our first child. A few friends had bought him some other books however he did not read one. I believe this was because each had to be at least 300 plus pages and this was intimidating. This book is an easy read but consise. I would recommend this book to anyone with a husband needing a little assurance that they will be a good dad - just need to be themselves.

I bought this book for my husband in anticipation of our first baby, and I think I'm getting as much out of it as he is! Lots of great, practical advice in short, readable chapters. It provides dads-to-be with coping strategies for everything from fussy babies to overexcited mothers and mothers-in-law, and encourages them to play an equal role in the process from day one. I found it to be very helpful in getting a glimpse of the father's possible mindset- how he might feel, react, and how to best share the joys of parenting. 5 stars!

My husband was a little leery of sitting through reading the "typical" baby books together. But, he really liked the approach these authors took - they pride themselves on trying to be funny, but the information is very valuable. We like the "hands-on" approach they recommend with newborns, and my husband has even marked pages for future reference, especially regarding the hospital stay and the importance of personal contact. He's already recommended this to friends, so I guess it goes without saying that "Yes, we'd recommend this to others." We're posting this review as we put their next book in our shopping cart.

We really love this book. It is casual and easy going. No insincere talk or boring chapters. Each chapter is well thought out and has a great point to make. Also it is based in the real world that I live in. The authors understand the issues that normal people deal with in a daily grind because they too have done it. My boyfriend and I read a chapter to each other every night or so before we go to sleep. It has become a very nice bonding and laugh time for us. We love it!

Having never been to Vietnam James Walker's writings brought me into deadly job that the 101st LRRP's faced on those "Long Walks" in the steamy jungle. Mr. Walkers descriptions of being a "newbie", training, insertions, missions, extraction's, after actions are worthy reading to both the novice and the veteran. Fourntue Favors the Bold held my attention well into the late night.

These men "lived" with the danger and wrote history with their blood and lives. A great tribute to the Airborne soldiers that were called LURP's!

I have read quite a few of the abundant LRRP books out there, all of them very enjoyable. If i were forced to pick favorites it would have to be this one, also 'war story' by jim morris, and 'gone native' by allan cornett. (on a slightly different subject SOG by john plaster is incredible) One of the reasons is walker's great sense of humor as he had me cracking up regularly thoughout. These were indeed special men and it remains a tragedy that this war was lost through ticket-punching officers, bureacracy, politics etc....

The introduction on your web site states "A unique,unvarnished look from the only British Citizen serving in the US Army in Vietnam". This is not true. I am also a British citizen, and still am, and served in Vietnam in 1967. There were also many others not only from Great Britain but a lot of other countries too. You only needed a green card to be subject to the draft.

Having never been to Vietnam James Walker's writings brought me into deadly job that the 101st LRRP's faced on those "Long Walks" in the steamy jungle. Mr. Walkers descriptions of being a "newbie", training, insertions, missions, extraction's, after actions are worthy reading to both the novice and the veteran. Fourntue Favors the Bold held my attention well into the late night.

These men "lived" with the danger and wrote history with their blood and lives. A great tribute to the Airborne soldiers that were called LURP's!

I have read this book and I found it exciting and funny in parts. It kept my interest and had an edge of the seat approach. You had to keep reading to find out what happens next. I think James E. Walker should write more books about his experiences. He is a fantastic author in my opinion.

May Sarton is an insightful writer in all of her books. Although I am not a cat lover, I read the book first before deciding whether or not my cat-lover reader friends would enjoy this book. I know they will. The hardcover edition is especially nice for a gift. The illustrations in the book are a treasure as well.

May Sarton, poet and journal-writer extraorindaire, wrote a novella/poem to the Cat, the Gentleman Cat, called "The Fur Person". I have reread this masterpiece every year for the past 25 years. "The Fur Person" is for children and adults, for everyone!

This is a good book both children and adults. Couldn't wait to read the next chapter.

Author May Sarton has given me some of my most reflective reading experiences with her journals but I've been much less organized about reading her poetry and novels. When I spotted her 1957 short novel The Fur Person it was an easy choice to grab it. Sarton spent her last twenty years in Maine, so I have a special interest in her work.

The story, told from the cat's point of view, is of a stray cat, a Cat-about-town. His life on the streets is guided by the Ten Commandments of the Gentleman Cat, such as "Never allow constraint of your person under any circumstances." One day the hunger and homelessness begin to pall, and our cat goes about "finding a permanent home and staff." His search brings him to the home of Sarton and her partner, who are known to the cat as Gentle Voice and Brusque Voice. Once installed in their home in Cambridge, MA, he dines on creamed haddock, keeps the neighborhood cats in line, and has the occasional catnip bender. They name him Tom Jones because he was a foundling, and perform their servant duties admirably. This little parable ends with our cat musing on what it means to be a Fur Person: a status that can only occur "if the human being has imagined part of himself into a cat."

The Fur Person is a short but essential read for cat lovers. The 1978 edition has a preface by May Sarton containing a rare treat: she tells the story of going away for a sabbatical year and leaving house and cat in the care of Vladimir and Vera Nabokov. The great writer used Sarton's study, where he installed a semi-reclining stuffed armchair for his writing -- with Tom Jones draped across his chest.

This is a charming little book that says as much about the people as the cat, and even more about the comfort of home and family. Every lover of cats or of the English language will enjoy it.

Linda Bulger, 2008

This book was given to me as a gift and after reading it I promptly bought 4 from Amazon to give as gifts for the holidays. The author has truly captured her cat's essence. It's beautifuly written and tells just how much love a cat needs and gives. I highly recommend this book.