Titles Books

When I ordered the Encyclopedia, I resigned myself to slugging through mountains of information and end up "What did that say again?"

Well, I am pleased to say that there was the mountain of information and more often than not I knew what it was saying. The definitions in were to the point, crisp and relevant to the times. Rev. P. Stravinskas had the insight to include information an ordinary Catholic needed at 7PM Sunday in a mad rush to complete an assignment.

Where the encyclopedia lost me were in some definitions that were necessarily lengthy. Obviously, some white space could have saved me time in re-reading the whole passage. But, with the value of the information included, I believe the Encyclopedia is an excellent resource for those of us who are not scholars in the catechism of the Catholic Church.

Those who know Fr. Stravinskas know that he likes to keep things short and to the point, so that the average person can understand what he's teaching without getting lost in detail. On another note, Our Sunday Visitor has a reputation for printing only the best quality of Catholic books. This collaboration brings out the best traits of both.

It is faithful to the Church's basic teaching since the Second Vatican Council, it fits into one large volume using a print size that will not strain your eyes, it is wonderfully organized to cover a wide variety of topics relevant to the Catholic faith, and its entries are informative while being written at a level the average Catholic can understand.

For these reasons, this is simply one of the best modern Catholic Encyclopedias on the market. Every Catholic family and college student who is interested in their faith should own one.

Easy to read. Comprehensive, concise, orthodox. Great reference to have in order to look up any subject about the Catholic Church in one Book.

If you want to know what the Catholic Church teaches this is a great reference book. Father Stravinskas teaches what the Church teaches, and not just his own personal opinion. I'd recommend anything he wrote. It's wonderful to know you won't be misled. Nice book for dipping into, too!

Nigel Roebuck is widely considered to be one of motor racing finest scribes. In this book, with a bit of an odd title (since it focuses on much more than just the F1 championship battles, but our Nigel acknowledges that), Roebuck again narrates miscellaneous stories and anectodes, remembrances and conversations from the world of Formula One. Never boring, with that Roebuck-wit and humour, it not only captivates but it also amuses. Of particular interest are his opinions, whether you agree with him or not. Roebuck covers the whole spectrum, from the modern Formula One cars and the knee-jerk reactions to safety improvements, to perceptive studies of personalities like Mika Hakkinen, Michael Schumacher, Enzo Ferrari, Sid Watkins, and Jacques Villeneuve-- amongst the many. A book for the serious Formula One fan, who appreciates the great history of the sport as well as its many great characters. A must on any Formula One student's shelf!

Nigel Roebuck, one of the finest journalists to cover motorsport in general and Formula One in particular, presents in this book a wonderful series of sharp vignettes covering the entire period of the modern World Championship. Roebuck begins at Imola in 1994, when, as he puts it aptly, "everything changed" with the tragic death of Ayrton Senna and the introduction of knee-jerk "safety" improvements which have led only to boring racing and have not, as we learned earlier this season, prevented what are, given the nature of the sport, inevitable tragedies. Hard as it is to believe, the "turbo years" of the late 70s and 80s are beginning to look suspiciously like a final golden age, which they certainly weren't at the time, but, given the emasculation of tracks, over-dominance by a few teams, and drivers who do not understand the history of the sport and drive like they're the only man on the track, they're beginning to look pretty good in retrospect. But I digress. Between the covers of this book you'll find incisive portraits of several great drivers (among them Phil Hill, Piers Courage, James Hunt, Ayrton Senna, and Jochen Rindt), car owners (the great Rob Walker, who long after his car-owning days were over wrote wonderful F1 journalism for Road & Track when R&T was still a great magazine), and others associated with the F1 scene (journalist Denis Jenkinson, F1's official doctor Professor Sid Watkins, and current F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone). He also writes of several races - the great slipstreaming duel at Monza in 1971, the first win for Renault in 1979, Dallas 1984 which ended with Nigel Mansell trying to push his car over the finish line in the blazing heat. As an added incentive, there are sections of black and white and color photographs. More and more nonfiction books seem to be doing away with illustrations, and with F1 being the visual spectacle that it is, we can be glad that Roebuck and his publisher resisted this new and unfortunate trend. Turn to the section of color plates and feast your eyes on the first photograph - Fangio in the Maserati 250F at Monaco in 1957. The greatest driver, the greatest car, the greatest race; one picture says it all. Highly recommended to anyone interested in Formula One.

When I first saw this book's title, I nearly gave it a pass, thinking it was just one more in an already well-covered niche. But Nigel Roebuck's name was enough for me to chance it. (If you've read his columns you know he's always interesting.) This book is really unique. Despite the title, it's not an attempt to condense a history of 50 years of racing. It's more like a collection of essays about people and events that are not well covered elsewhere. I've read a LOT of books about F1 (cars, teams, drivers, ...) but each chapter of this book had new and intriguing things to say. It was a really enjoyable read, as well.

This book is one of the best books that I've ever read. It does not concentrate on the stats or indeed particularly on the winners of the World Championship. It takes a personal look at the people, races and years that have shaped F1 from it's very begining. It is a great read for any F1 fan as Roebuck succeeds in not only jogging our memory of the past but also telling untold behind the scenes stories in detail not to mention a tinge of humour. I trully love this book, in fact I think I've read it cover to cover at least 3 times if not more.

I thought this story was a brilliant idea. The illustrations are colorful and funny. I think the humbugs will capture children's imaginations. Younger children might be trying to stay awake to catch humbugs now, instead of just Santa Claus.

Only problem I had with the book was at times the rhyming of the narration was a bit forced and so in reading it I lost the tempo and thus a little enjoyment.

Fun book for kids & adults. Enjoyable to read & a good reminder that the little vexations around the holidays don't have to ruin your Christmas spirit. I'm going to buy a bunch of these as presents.

This book is a delight! I purchased it for my grandchildren last Christmas (2004)and they couldn't get enough of it. "Read it again, Grandma!" They laughed, searched for the humbugs in the tree and examined each and every beautiful picture for hiding humbugs. I took it to read to my preschoolers at school and they giggled and paid rapt attention - not an easy feat with 3 & 4 year olds. I'd recommend this book for anyone - a small child or a grownup with a child's heart hidden inside - as a Christmas classic to treasure!

I bought this book at a writing seminar for teachers. It is a delightful Christmas story to share in your classroom or with your own children. The Humbugs are adorable little bug like creatures who try to test the strength of your Christmas spirit. It's about having Christmas spirit and how it can't be crushed because of the things it represents. It's a terrific and timeless tale!

Cinderella is, in my opinion, the all-time favorite classic Disney story for little girls. There's got to be a reason why there are so many grown-up books and movies referred to as "Cindarella stories!"

Don't settle for immmitations -- get the original for your kids!(And enjoy re-reading it yourself!)

This is a good, short adaptation of the Disney movie version of the classic "Cinderella" story. Keeps some of the new characters that the Disney crew created, including Lucifer the cat and the mice that Cinderella protects. Touches on all the main points of the movie, and sticks pretty closely to the movie's plotline. Perfect tool for encouraging kids who like the movie to also pick up a book and read.

We have this golden book and it is one of my 3 year old daughter's favorite books to have read to her. It is the perfect length (not too long of a story, and not too condensed). The illustrations are also nice. I highly recommend this book and your princess should not be disappointed!

-Cinderella is the best young girl story there is! In my opinon it's better than snow white, jazmin's aladin, and the little mermaid. It's a classical story with young romance! It's a definite happily ever after story!

My daughters eyes were sparkling when I showed her this book. "Cinderella is beautiful" were her exact words. She loves that she looks just like her. I was surprised to find these books on Amazon and have purchased most of the series. This is truly a blessing to our family.

Jump at the Sun is filling a WIDE gap in the market with these classic fairy-tales by satisfying some of the long-unmet interests of African-descent populations. Our American culture is FLOODED with images (photographed or drawn) of European-descent individuals that imply the following message: "This is how beauty is defined." Think about it: when is the last time you have seen a truly dark-skinned, thick-lipped individual whom the mainstream media or Hollywood have boldly declared as beautiful, or even attractive?

It is, indeed, good to open up this beautifully illustrated adaptation of Cinderella with my two little princesses, and help shape their concept of beauty, affirm their sense of self-esteem, and build upon their positive self-image. We've had the book for a couple of years now, and they still enjoy reading it (and looking at the illustrations!).

This is a lovely story that is appropriate for all ages. My girls loved it. It is nice to have fantasy books that feature black girls. I was tired of all their books either having pictures of white children or being about being proud of being black. Sometimes they just want to read a fun fairy tale that happens to feature brown faces. My kids are two and four...not ready to be in the struggle just yet.

This is one of my favorites of this book series because it makes the whole princess stage that all little girls go through accessible to little girls of color. My four year old loves seeing that a princess can look like her. I was thrilled to find this book.

David Ginn is one of the premier school performers in the United States. He teaches and lectures about magic and school show creation all over the United States. This book tells, in a simple, easy-to-read style, how to do a number of easy magical tricks that don't require a lot of skill or manipulation to perform. But it is not enough to be able to do the tricks. One must also be entertaining while doing them. This book helps performers to be entertaining and funny while performing magic. And that is a pretty amazing stunt all by itself!

David Ginn's CLOWN MAGIC is well written and beautifully illustrated, giving the reader a wealth of information. He covers a wide variety of "magic" skills from the presentation to the actual production of the illusion. This is a must for those in the clowning/magic entertainment field.

This is a very good book. It teaches you a lot on clowning not just funny magic tricks but also how to behave as a clown. This book was very helpful to me and I'm shure it will be helpful to you to. If you are thinking of buying a clowning book, this one should be at the top of your list.

Incredibly highly recommended! Although a comedy magician (not a clown - there is a difference!), David Ginn clearly understands the difference, and has adapted many of his magic skits to a clown's world. Among his other credentials, he's taught at the UW-La Crosse Clown Camp.

My second graders enjoyed this book very much. It's an enjoyable tale that lends itself to great discussion and writing.

I liked this story a little and i think you did a very good job with the words and i think you are the best kid writter that i have heard so far. thats all i wanted to say!

If you like star gazing then you will like this book because it is about a coyote and he wants to go to the moon and find the sars secret.So he goes to the moon and he places the stars in the shape of animals.He foes back home and tells allthe animals about what he did.All the animals like what he did and through him a great feast.After the feast he told the animals:I will always be your friend and the friend of your children and your children's children.If you listen carfully at a full moon you may here Coyote.He is telling you to look out ypur window to see what he has made and to dream.I like Harriet Peck Taylors books.I really hope you injoy this book.Because I really,really did.So I hope you do too.

One evening, crafty Coyote climbs to the moon to discover the secrets of the heavens. Instead he finds a way to make the most wonderful pictures for all the world to see. When the other animals of the canyon look up at the sky the next night, they're in for a big surprise.

Based on a Wasco Indian legend, this story about the origin of the constellations is joyfully retold and vibrantly illustrated by Harriet Peck Taylor.

Harriet Peck Taylor's interest in coyote lore began with a young coyote who lived in the foothills near her home. "It used to follow me on hikes with my dogs," she says, "and once even touched noses with them."

Ms. Taylor received her B.F.A. in painting from the University of Colorado. In her paintings, which are in public and private collections, she tries to capture natural beauty because "if people can appreciate the beauty of the land, they will perhaps want to protect it."

Harriet Peck Taylor lives in Boulder, Colorado, where she is a full-time artist and enthusiastic stargazer.

Though first published back in 1915, this comparatively short work has inspired philosophers and thinkers since its first appearance, and has been cited by many as their insight and inspiration. Frederick Bailes, to take just one example, said that the application of Troward's insights enabled him to overcome a supposedly "incurable" disease (diabetes).

What is so important about the Troward insight? Essentially, Troward was a judge who applied rigorous logic and the evaluation of evidence to understand the way the universe came into existence, and how it works. He demonstrates that, as neither matter nor energy could (in themselves) have initiated the design process, there must be a creative inspiration - this may be called God, though Toward prefers "Spirit". A later readership might call it "the cosmos". The name doesn't matter - the principle is that of a guiding and designing intelligence, essential to the creation of a logical universe.

From this, Troward argues, it follows that the process of creation must be one of thought - the universe was created by the application of rational design to the static elements of matter and energy. From this, it follows that we should employ the same design process to achieve our objectives, whatever these may be.

I'm sure that I've not explained this very well, but hope that this will get you thinking. Read this book. Not only can it change lives - better yet, it can show you how, and why, the change process operates.

This book is Multi-layered and fascinating. Heartily recommend The Creative Process to anyone who is willing to reach beyond the race mind and consider freedom, joy, light, life, love, peace, power, truth, and beauty. Try this mindset on--it works!

This book is great. I bought this book as it was recommended by the famous author Ernest Holmes, who also writes on this topic. In fact, Troward's writings influenced Ernest Holmes and the Science of Mind movement. Holmes was able to put Troward's principles to the test and he was able to cure people of illness by mental treatment or what he calls "making a demonstration".

When I bought this book, I thought the early 1900s language was a little hard to read. But one day I was really bored and I read it, and it actually was very inspiring. His ideas and principles he puts forth about Truth, God, Mind, Love, Light, Peace etc, are truly amazing, and they really makes sense! As you read towards the back of the book, more and more wow principles are put forth by Troward. He suggests that most religious people are talking about the eternal heaven to go after this life. Yet he correctly asserts that heaven is a state of consciousness and conditions where we experience Light, Joy, Peace, Abundance etc in our life now. And since heaven is eternal, that means it is past, present and future and forever. Then it must be already here now - unless we do not know how to access that infitine givingness and love of God. We do not need to delay a heaven of joy, love and abundance like most religious teachers claim. And he goes forth to tell you how you can access that, and explains why it is so. And that is how Ernest Holmes could use these principles and treat people to have perfect health and abundance.

Lastly, different from other books which teach about "you must think of the things you want, not what you dont want". Troward goes one step further and teaches a way where you can only think about good things as REALITY.

Get this book!

I found this book via the recommendation in Your Mind Can Heal You by Frederick Bailes. It's astonishing that it was originally published in 1915, because the ideas are quite contemporary. Thomas Troward (1847 - 1916) was an assistant commissioner and later divisional judge in the North Indian Punjab from 1869 until 1896. He wrote several small volumes that have had a profound effect on the development of spiritual metaphysics, in particular that of the New Thought movement, of which the teaching known as Science of Mind is Troward's most direct legacy. Unlike a lot of metaphysical authors who treat the personality/conscious mind as some sort of "necessary evil," Troward believes that the whole purpose of Life & Evolution is the further development of the personality in the self-contemplation of Spirit. His reasoning on the nature of Spirit (perfect Life, Light, Love, Power & Beauty) is very convincing as are all his arguments. I have only read it once but feel that a 2nd and 3rd reading is required to fully comprehend this marvelous and fascinating book.

The questions capture my 5 month old's interest, and the noises are fun to make. I improvise voices and energy levels with each animal so it seems to change with each reading. As he grows it will encourage him to enjoy his food.

This book, I got for my Granddaughter and she likes it. My daughter reads to her everyday, more than
once and always at bedtime.

When I first received this book, I was a little disappointed, but my daughter (17 mon) loves it. She likes to make all of the sounds of the animals. This is a favoite that she picks each night for me to read to her before bed. It is fun to read and make the sounds of the animals for her.

My two year old son loves this book. The pictures are good and the sounds are fun to make. This book is a quick read which is great for those toddlers with a short attention span. We read it multiple times a day.

Margery Allingham is a great writer. Albert Campion is a classic figure in mystery literature and I hope they never stop reprinting her books. I haven't been able to read many Allingham books but I can say that this is one of her best. The mystery is fascinating and she provides a wonderful twist in the plot right in the end. Just when you think it's all figured out. Wham! Even Campion is shocked. This is the first Allingham I read and I was hooked. Campion is such an intrigueing character. Sometimes he's not even the main character in her books, but he's still a force to be reckoned with. A character that adds much warmth and richness to Allingham's books and particularly this one, is Magersfontein Lugg, Campion's valet, butler, cook, etc. He also happens to be a former burglar, I believe. Writers like Allingham don't happen all the time and I wish I had discovered her sooner. Any book written by her is bound to be good and I also recommend Tiger in the Smoke. Wonderful suspense too.

No doubt Allingham fans will remember Uncle William from "Police at the Funeral." William's near miss with the British legal system and the death of his mother having left him at loose ends, so he decides to write his memoirs. Having lived an unexceptional life, William decides to make it up out of whole cloth. Unexpectedly, the book, "Memoirs of an Old Buffer," becomes a comic bestseller. To ice the cake, a musical review, starring Jimmy Sutane, the dancer, is a runaway success. All should be roses.

Unfortunately, this is not the case. Freak accidents and practical jokes have dogged the cast of the play, and nerves are running high. Uncle William calls in Albert Campion to help resolve the problems and return things to normal. After a backstage visit Campion accepts an invitation to Sutane's country house, where he meets Sutane's long time friend Squire Mercer, his understudy Benny Konrad, supporting actress Chloe Pye, and many other players in the drama about to unfold. Much to Campion's shock he find's himself stricken by Suntane's wife, Linda. Everything comes to a head when Chloe Pye falls off a road bridge directly in front of Sutane's moving vehicle. The inquest is inconclusive, unable to decide if se was pushed, fell, or jumped.

Completely befuddled by his feelings for Linda, Campion has difficulty focussing on the case. He withdraws, providing help only sporadically. Not even the sudden tragedy of the bombing murder of Benny Konrad, which leaves 15 people dead or injured, seems to rouse him from this state. Finally, it is the pleas of Linda herself that arouse him to the hunt again. Even so, it is an unwilling Campion that follows the trails to their inevitable, tragic conclusion.

This is one of Allingham's most difficult books. Truly, we are not used to an unwilling Campion. Without the precious antics of Magersfontein Lugg, Campion's manservant, the overall tone of the book would be darkly somber. Yet the writing is some of her best. Character depictions are deep and well made. There are moments in the dialog and narrative that attain an almost poetic clarity. The plot is complex and moves along well. And, for those of us who do not always pay close attention, the ending is a bit of a surprise. Allingham has wandered onto uncharted waters in "Dancers in Mourning," and she has done very well.

Uncle William Faraday (POLICE AT THE FUNERAL) was at lose ends for awhile after Albert Campion cleared up that bit of unpleasantness for the family a while back. After his mother passed on William needed something to occupy his time - and replenish his bank account, and so decided to write his memiors. Unfortunately Uncle William, other than that distastful murder business, had not led a very exciting life and his memiors reflected that. Being Uncle William he had no problem spicing them up a bit. Anyone else would have been exposed as a fraud but once again Uncle William was undeservedly lucky and his book was adapted for the stage, becoming a hit musical. When his old friend Campion turned up again Uncle William was happily included in the perpetual cast party being hosted by the star of the production, Jimmy Sutane, at his country house.

Sadly this is where the luck runs out and the trouble begins. Albert quickly becomes involved in the midst of things, sorting out the petty practical jokes that have been plaguing the production, unearthing old scandals, current rivalries and the odd murder or two.

This is the ninth CAMPION novel and Allingham has really hit her stride, Campion is now very much his own person with his own unique style. The mysteries (and there are several questions to be answered) are all clever, the clues are fairly laid out for the reader to follow and the characters, both old and new, come to life. This is an excellent read, definitely a 'must' for fans of the series but it would probably be better to begin the series with the earlier books.

I've often wondered what it would be like if Margery Allingham decided to write an English country manor mystery. I knew instinctivley that it would be nothing like anything we've seen from Patricia Wentworth or even Agatha Christie. Well, now I need wonder no longer. This is an English country manor mystery like none you've ever read before. For one thing it is much more sinister and much darker than the books from this genre usually are. Secondly, it's written by the grand mistress of crime Miss Allingham herself. We are treated to another look entirely at Albert Campion - different than anything before. The main difference is that he is much more personally involved with this one than he usually is, and he knows that too. And because he knows that he is not comfortable with it and tries repeatedly to pull himself away, but finds that he can never successfully withdraw from trying to solve these crimes. The book is also different for Miss Allingham and her hero Campion because it is set within the theatrical set. And what an excellent job she does of portraying the artistic temperament. It also goes to show that not only Ngaio Marsh can excel in this particular arena. You must read this book if you are interested to hear more since I will not spoil the fun for anyone. If you've never read Margery Allingham before this may be a good place to start, but bear in mind that the plot is quite different from most of her books about Campion.