Works Books

i just started (well just INCORPORATED) my catering business. i found this book to be written in an accessible and unintimidating style. Fishman goes to great lengths to give examples, cite external sources for additional information, and generally uncomplicates the IRS jargon. now only if i had read this 6 months ago, i would really be ahead of the game!

This book has the information I have been looking for. It is the most detailed (and clearly written) of any books that I've purchased to help me know what is allowable (and not) as deductions for my small business. Helps in planning as well.
SUPERB!

I read this book after forming a C-Corp in California (using the Nolo guide). Although I am familiar with many biz deductions, this book walks you through many examples of deductions you can take if you plan ahead. I really like the "Day in the Life of..." examples of how you can maximize legal deductions pertaining to mileage. There's an excellent section on home office deductions. My husband, a self-admitted dummy when it comes to expense reports, taxes, etc., picked up the book after I was done, and even he understands the concepts. Already he has found deductions for his sole proprietorship and non-reimbursed employee biz expenses. Great value and so easy to understand. Highly recommend.

This book is a must small business owners because it can improve their bottom line. Although it provides fairly good overview of tax deudctions, it should not be used as a comprehensive reference for tax professionals.

The book is a relatively light read in a highly readable format. Each tax deduction has a good overview and a case example to boot. It isn't, however, an answer to complex tax questions which the book willingly acknowledges should be taken to a tax professional. For most business owners, this book should be sufficient for most of the tax deduction questions they may have. This book certainly answered all of mine.

The book provides valuable information on the probability of an IRS audit (don't form sole proprietorship if you want to avoid an audit) and how one can minimize one's chances of an audit.

Great book. Just one comment. A lot of the text in this book is identical to the text in Tax Deductions for Professionals. You don't need both books; choose one.

This is the ultimate book on Disneyland. It's more than a postcard book, it traces the history of the park & combines descriptive text with some of the best pictures you'll ever see of the park as well as the attractions, past & present. I have most every coffee table photograph book on Disneyland that has been released over the years, & this one is definitely the E-Ticket of the bunch. If you have the excellent 'Disneyland: Then, Now & Forever' (also Bruce Gordon), you have a taste of what you will find here.
The 2nd Edition is also the better of the 2 editions, with added material (1st Edition was 1995, 2nd Edition updates to 2000). I would take the 2nd Edition over the 1st Edition if they were both offered at the same price for this reason. This book is out of print... permanently since the unfortunate passing of Bruce Gordon in November 2007, there will not be any future updated editions.
Speaking of price, this book retailed for $75.00 when it was released. With some patience, this book CAN be found for around $150.00-$200.00 despite what you see here. These copies have been sitting for at least a few years at an inflated value. The book itself is spectacular, the fact that anyone would try to sell the book at $300 & up is shameful.

Let me start this review with the following statement: This is the most prized book in my collection. I'll try not to be too biased. It is also the most expensive and one of the hardest to come by. In the Afterwords section of Walt's Time, Bruce explains how The Nickel Tour came to be:

"We talked to every publisher we could find, and heard the same story, word for word. No Commercial Potential. No audience. No Market. No Deal."

They put the book together themselves: Scanned all of the cards, did the layout of every page and had it printed in Italy. They lugged the books to every convention and sold them through mail-order.

"And guess what: we sold every book we printed". --p. 241, Bruce Gordon, Walt's Time - From Before to Beyond

Disneyland, the Nickel Tour is a look at the first 45 years of Disneyland's history seen through the postcards of the park. In addition to Randy Bright's wonderful Disneyland the Inside Story, The Nickel Tour stands as one of the two most comprehensive books about Disneyland's history. Where it edges out Mr. Bright' work is that The Nickel Tour does cover the past 20 years. Unfortunately, Mr. Bright passed away in 1990 and a second edition is not forthcoming. Bruce Gordon, the primary writer of The Nickel Tour, was an Imagineer and started with the Company in 1980. Mr. Gordon co-authored many books about Disney and there are several that will be published posthumously later this year. Mr. Gordon passed away in November 2007. As it stands, the second edition of The Nickel Tour will probably be the last.

The Nickel Tour is an amazing work on so many different levels: the postcard images, the photographs of attractions that weren't released in postcard form, the historical information and the writing. They begin by sharing pre-opening cards and work their way through the history of Disneyland. One of Gordon and Mumford's strengths is that they write well and can take something as simple as post cards and turn it into an epic look at a theme park. The writing never gets technical and is always filled with reverence, love and a little remorse. Occasionally, they slip in some humor. It is always fitting and they obvious love word-play. The following paragraph could have been presented as just a litany of facts, but they went a different way with it.

"On the left hand side of Main Street, we encounter the Sunkist Citrus House. Long before this view was taken, the Citrus House had actually been two separate stores, one housing "Sunny View Jams and Jellies" and the other housing the "Puffin Bake Shop." By October of 1958, Disneyland had canned the jam and jelly shop and opened a candy store in its place. It was a sweet deal until June of 1960, when the Puffin Bake Shop went stale. (It seems they just weren't making enough dough to stay in business.) And even worse, it wasn't long before everyone was beginning to sour on the candy shop next door. So the two shops were joined together, and in a dedication ceremony held with Walt on July 31, they finally became the home of the Sunkist Citrus Shop. Things were calm until 1990, when the time was ripe to spin around in a circle once more - only to find the Sunkist moving out and the Bakery moving back in! Well, that story certainly had a peel. Orange you glad we wasted all this time? Meanwhile, here's the scoop on the Carnation Ice Cream parlor: in 1997 they split from their original parlor and (having lost their Carnation along the way) floated into the home of the bakery. Then, with perfect Disneyland logic, the bakery moved into - the ice cream parlor! If that doesn't get a rise out of you, nothing will!" p. 121

The sense of history that you get from The Nickel Tour, through the postcards and photographs, has not been presented in any other form. Besides being a reference work for postcards, it is almost a wish book--one you can flip open to any page and see a favorite or long-gone attraction and dream about visiting or re-experiencing. The images are stellar and your appreciation of postcards as art and history will grow.

Bottom Line: This work was obviously a labor of love for Gordon and Mumford. It is hard to stress how important this work is in the Disney Literature. Beside being one of two major historical works about Disneyland, you get a feel for how Disneyland evolved, how Walt plussed the park and how the Disney Company moved forward after Walt. It is the most cherished book in my entire collection. If you are lucky enough to find a copy, get it. I know that many people will dismiss this book because it is about Disneyland, but without Disneyland, there would be no Walt Disney World. The history of Disneyland offers a lot of insight into the growth of Walt Disney World as well.

This book is simply amazing!

www.imaginerding.com

For an excellent crash-course on Disneyland, this book can't be beat. Excellent photos, commentary, and fun back-stage stories. Learn about the park from the idea stage to execution. Truly the best resource book on Disneyland available. Besides photos of every postcard released, there are a number of historic photos as well, and indepth information about each attraction. There are no "tear-out" postcards in this book. Get your hands on it while you can!

What memories this brings back! Not only are the postcards wonderful, but the narrative is very entertaining - much more than I had hoped for - and the postcards are supplemented with some wonderful photos to fill in some of the gaps. A great way for us (we?) older Disney fans to share our memories of Disneyland with our children (and later grandchildren), too. I know I will get many hours of enjoyment from this book over the years to come. I am so glad I decided it might be worth the price - it's worth many times over! 2007 update - Wow, the price I was referring to was $52.50, not the $189 I see it going for now.

I've read "The Art of Walt Disney", "Walt Disney Imagineering", "Disneyland:The Inside Story", and several other books about the Magic Kingdom, and this book is by far the most detailed and enjoyable of them all. Every store that's ever had an address on Main Street...every sponsor that's ever had an exhibit in Tommorowland...IT'S ALL HERE. My only complaint is that I wish some of the illustrations were larger so you could take in more detail...but considering that every postcard ever issued by Disneyland is included, in addition to behind-the-scenes photos and concept art, this is an understandable compromise. Absolutely the best book ever printed on Disneyland.

This Book is not only regiments history and a lott of beautiful accurate illustrated uniforms, is history alive. The only thing this book lack off is sound but thanks to the hands of Don Troiani the paintings are so full of live you can hear it in the back of your mind. Art by Don Troiani, text by Brian C. Pohanka. This book presents in a beautiful landscape format his unique view of the war and the men who fought it. Each painting is accompanied by an extensive background text by noted historian Brian Pohanka The good thing about this book is that if you consider yourself a Civil War historian or reenactorss a just a fan beginning to study the civil war, you won't find the typical error of other authors, this would help you enjoy the painting one by one so you can understand better who and how was this War fought. One last thing DO NOT PUT THIS BOOK ON YOUR COFFEE TABLE people fall in love with this book so fast that they can even stole from you, believe me this is the third time I buy this book. If you enjoy this book you would love Don Troiani's Soldiers In America, 1754 - 1865.

If you are any kind of amateur Civil War historian than you probably grew up looking at the American Heritage or Golden books about the civil war. They were chock full of illustrations from the Harper's Weekly sketches to the bursting with color lithographs of Kurtz & Allison. Yes, these images were full of fully uniformed boys in blue and gray gathered in massive lines firing point blank at each other. And even as a child gazing at these...you wondered...was it really like that?

Then you glimpse your first Troiani painting and you know you are in the presence of the real deal. Don Troiani sweats the details and doesn't just throw something on the canvas and attach a name to it. The event depicted is so vividly and realistically portrayed that you almost know what moment in the American Civil War you are seeing without having to be told.

This wonderful book finally brings together in one place some of Troiani's greatest Civil War paintings. It is a book that no Civil War library is complete without. This is perhaps as close to witnessing the actual event as we are ever likely to achieve.

I only wish the Ken Burns had taken advantage of these paintings and used them in his series on the Civil War. His insistence on utilizing contemporary images reduced his otherwise wonderful documentary to a rehash of what I had already seen a thousand times in my Golden book. Imagine how much richer the story telling as his camera zoomed into a Troiani painting.

It's time to see the Civil War as it was. Trust Don Troiani to show you.

Every Civil War enthusiast should have this book. It's beautiful, enjoyable, as well as educational. Troiani's attention to detail and historical accuracy is astounding. Most of Troiani's work is of active battle scenes with anonomous characters, unlike John Paul Strain's work which focuses on specific leaders in non-battle situations. I recommend both books.

What a nice book, both to the artistic and literary eye. I am fortunate enough to own three Don Troiani signed Civil War prints. This book is dessert, providing a thorough if not complete collection of all the Civil War art I will never own but can now enjoy. Troiani, an avid collector of Civil War uniforms and gear, provides perhaps the most accurate representation of soldiers, regiments and engagements normally limited to what the mind's eye can conjur from words on a page. Troiani not only excells at the equipment's detail, but paints a vivid image of the topography and climate as well as the determination, anguish, fear, and heroism of the soldiers. These are not charactures but the images of people who seem to walk off the page and out of your imagination. Pohanka's commentary complements the art by placing the action within the broader context of the battle and the war. I made this book a gift to myself and, if you appreciate art - either in a historical context or for arts sake - you should as well.

A quick glance of the customer reviews tells one that this book is something special. Page after page of astounding paintings complemented by capable text. The detail of Don Troiani's artwork is such that you can literally spend hours examining them, and if you let others look at the book you can grow impatient trying to get it back!

Drugs for Less should be on anyone's book shelf who is a user of prescription drugs. Michael Cecil, M.D., first of all explains drug pricing for name brand and generic drugs. He then offers seven strategies for lowering your drug costs.

* Learn prices
* Comparison shop
* Buy generic medications
* Slice medications
* Consider other medications in the same class
* Put your government to work for you
* Use pharmaceutical assistance programs

All are helpful and could immediately lower your prescription drugs bills, but two that you may be under-utilizing are the last two. Some states have pharmaceutical assistance programs with income limits much higher than poverty level and most drug companies have assistance programs. It's worth seeing if you qualify.

More than 600 of the most commonly prescribed medications are included. Part II, the Drugs for Less Listing, has nearly 100 medications with their alternatives and the manufacturer's contact number for their assistance program. A number of comparison charts on costs for other medications are also included. The books is loaded with resources; Dr. Cecil provides numerous Web sites and contact information throughout the book.

This is one resource you do not want to be without.

This is a one of a kind book. In today's health mire this gives concrete ways to assist family members and friends who struggle with affordable prescriptions. Every doctor, nurse, healthcare facility, social worker, and individual who needs a prescription should have a copy. I am buying several and giving as gifts. Thank you Dr. Cecil for this invaluable resource.

As a hospitalist, It's frustrating to see patients return to the hospital because they could not afford their medications. This book attacks that problem in a new and exciting way, by empowering patients. It educates and then provides numerous tools for getting affordable medications, like using generics, pill splitting, enrolling in assistance programs, just to name a few. Physicians also should read this book. The easy to read tables make it simple to compare medications within a class and prescribe the least expensive. I'm recommending this to all my patients and colleagues.

This is a wonderful resource for patients who have trouble affording their medications. As a nurse, I see this situation daily. I purchased this book for my father for Father's Day. He had already spent several hours on the internet trying to find this type of information and now it is right at his fingertips! This is a must have for people who need help affording their medications and for those who have family members who need help affording their medications.

This book is AMAZING!!! I had no idea there are such different prices for the SAME DRUG! Even common drugs like birth control pills - can differ in price - by a bazillion dollars. (Rough Estimate) DRUGS FOR LESS shows actual PRICE DIFFERENCES and saves you money. And because it is written by famous physicians - known for their common sense - you can trust it! This book tells you how to get your prescriptions for FREE if you make a certain amount of money or less...heelllloooo...as a Flight Attendant who just took a 40% pay cut due to airline woes...I am telling every Flight Attendant about this book! And my mother and father inlaw who use over $700.00 every month for prescription drugs also need to know about this book! This book should be in every library of every "SUN CITY" residential community in the world! And should be purchased by every Business in America for their EMPLOYEE HEALTH program. I heard about this book when I was doing a television interview for my new Flight Attendant tell-all FLYING BY THE SEAT OF MY PANTS - I was riveted by what DRUGS FOR LESS reveals! Now I can't stop telling everyone about this book. What a fantastic resource! I wish I could make a PA on every flight advertising DRUGS FOR LESS. (But, they don't allow us to sell drugs or books on board.) GET THIS BOOK TODAY and start saving money and living healthier TOMORROW! Then come fly with me!

Marsha Marks

The breadth and scope of this book is staggering. It's an exhaustive tome on pretty much all the genre fiction of the Victorian age, and not limited to the UK fiction of the period either. It's a must read for fans of steampunk, Victorian science fiction, the pulps... But what it really is is an unbelievable gift to writers - the story concepts stuffed into every page of this tome are unbelievable. There is years and years of amazing inspiration here. The book is sold out, but track down a copy however you can.

Where is this book? Why is it sold out? Is it being reissued? Does anyone know?

This thing is a brick. Hardbound, weighing in at just over a thousand pages, this book could stop a bullet or cause serious damage if dropped on the toes. And all those pages are crammed full of entries describing Victorian era novels. All of my favorites are here, plus hundreds of books I've never heard of. All nations and genres are represented, not just
Sci Fi and the Brits. Better still, Nevins is not afraid to editorialize. It's shocking, but not altogether untrue, when he claims that The Wizard of Oz "can easily be interpreted as a horror novel" or that Ivanhoe is superior to Sir Walter Scott's other works in that it "is readable." If you like Victorian fiction, but find its offerings uneven, Nevins can be an invaluable guide. My only complaint about this amusing and informative tome is that it's all but useless as an actual reference work. Entries are organized alphabetically by the names of central characters or settings, rather than by title or by author. To find the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, you would have to look under Sherlock Holmes or Sir Nigel. There are decent see-also references, but no index. Still, I am mostly content to browse its oddly organized pages, in search of the good stuff. This book represents a serious investment in both money and shelf space, but if you enjoy Victorian era fiction, you can't really afford to be without it.

This was given as a gift. The person who received the book enjoyed it very much. It is a good reference resource for writers and artists.

I love this book. It is very comprehensive and I cannot wait for the release of Mr. Nevins next book on Pulp Heroes. We need more books like this.

I had the second edition of this book, published in 2001. There are so far 3 editions, First edition 1984; second edition 2001; third edition 2006. This review is under the second edition. The latest edition was published by Oxford University, in the end of 2006. The price is much lower than this second edition. I am not sure why amazon.com lists the expensive second edition first, not the latest third edition.

I checked the 3rd editon, and it seems to me there are lots of update. Almost all the chapter titles have been changed ..

I bought the second edition for my kids from Borders under 10 bucks in the bargain section. My kids like it very much.

The best book about mammals....

If you cann't find a good bargain, buy the latest edition published by Oxford University Press, not this 3-volume second edition. It's way over priced..

I have an older edition of this book, just found this 2001 edition (new) at a book sale at Barnes & Noble for only $20.00! As a Docent at a local wildlife facility, this is an excellent resource book, as well as good reading material. Super illustrations, with easy-to-understand text makes this a "must-have" for anyone interested in the Mammal world.

Both high school and public library reference holdings strong in animal science will find the second updated edition of the three-volume set The Encyclopedia of Mammals to be an excellent survey of the latest developments in mammal science. A team of editors have produced volumes which lend to both serious study and leisure browsing with a blend of color photos and drawings and articles newly revised to reflect the latest research and trends. From maps demonstrating species distribution patterns to articles that survey conservation issues and mammal natural history, the set seeks to clarify scientific terms and perspectives and will prove a delightful resource for any student of natural history.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I bought the hardcover 931 page 2001 edition that is no longer avail. from Barnes and Nobel on the UK website for 55 USD with shipping included. this is Tons less than the 2001 edition is selling for used or on ebay for that matter!

"The Encyclopedia Of Mammals" is a wonderful book. BN offered a one-volume edition with over 930 pages until sometime in 2003 for under $50. The book covers all the mammals in the world in full color with comprehensive text and weighs about 12 lbs. The current offering is a 3-volume edition by Facts On File Natural Science Library at about $300.

Biology (BN 357/2)

This book has been in my wish list for years, I have been working with leather for the past 3 decades,and
I find this book to be the treasure for those working in the leathercraft world.I am glad that I have this book
in my library of leathercrafting. I am going to study and utilize this book for the years to come. Etsuo Fuwa

A wonderful informative book to help you learn the skills required to do any leather braiding...

This book explains everything you could possibly need to know to get started. It can be a little hard to follow in places but with a little patience it really can be a big help, and has all the answers I was looking for.

For lovers of leather braiding, this work is the Bible. Grant exhaustively covers a wide range of braiding techniques. His attention to detail and step-by-step instructions are superb. Sometimes his drawings are a bit primitive but they serve the purpose intended. His book covers how to make and work with rawhide, tools of the trade for leather braiding, various braid techniques such as twist braids, the Conquistador Braid (a fabulous and intricate braid for making belts, wrist bands, etc.), flat braids, round braids (for whips, etc.), various knots, and a wide range of horse tack (saddle and bridle).

Excellent book for an incredible number of different braids. Lots of pictures and diagrams, (thank goodness) to better teach the techniques. The author throws in a little history education on the use of many braids. The only downer is that it is in black/grey/white, no color. Most of the diagrams are hand drawn (nicely) so it may take a second, third, seventh look to see which direction to go. In this day of CAD and graphics, I guess I expected a better visual. But then, the information that is handed down to the author from long, long ago, may call for this style of visuals? In the end, fantastic book, I'm glad I bought it and I'll keep it, and use it for many years to come.
ab designs LLC

Relevent, thoughtful, thought-provoking. The space beside each day's reading is a great way to keep notes, prayer concerns etc.

I was looking for a devotional book that would give me a simple outline but informative spiritual messages, which I could develope my knowledge into experiences... that would be beneficial for me spiritually. I was very happy to view the subject of chapters that where interesting, and realistic in growth opportunities of learning simple knowledge, that could be applied during my christian walk on this earth.

I am looking forward to reading my daily devotionals and making notes in my fantastic journal, that will assist me in experiencing God day by day!

EXTREMELY good insights and teaching w/ room to write your thoughts, Great for a couple to use for their daily devotions or for just yourself. Not the usual thoughts/teachings/yada yada that you find in most devotiobals. Far above the pack!!

my fault i should have looked at the inserts. i have gone through other studies by the same author and am looking forward to beging this one, right after i finish the one to which i have already commited myself.

A real thought provoking devotional with the last paragraph has a real "can you hear me"? which I have to say "Amen".

i was amazed at the photos. i could not help but to wonder if any of these women and men could be my ancestors. you see so many similarites in the faces on the pages to people you see everyday. i wish there were more in the captions to explain the photos. but when you consider the time that many of these photographs were taken, the captions are in the faces and the demeanor of the subjects. why? is probably the question that could never be answered. and if a reasonable explanation could somehow be given it wouldn't be enough. no matter how broken the mother, father, sister, brother in these photograghs looked. i wish they could all know that their unbearable weight, sorrow and pain helped to develop a strong, defiant, capable and proud race of people.

This book covers generations of history. The pictures are
breath-taking....it gives you a sincere sense of purpose.

This book covers generations of history. The pictures are
breath-taking....it gives you a sincere sense of purpose.

The visual imagery in this collection is terrific, enabling readers' memory, longing, wisdom, regret, sorrow, enormous admiration (of the subjects and all that they represent)- and wonderment. The people and the settings resonate. These are important images. You might well be moved to tears. There is no shortage of emotional appeal to the viewer. One cannot be unaffected by this collection, and all that it represents.

In addition, historically important works of art (engravings and paintings) are reproduced - although unfortunately none in color. The captioning is - for a work of this scope and size, and for illustrations of such power - inconsistent and therefore disappointing, though.

Because it's published by an academic press, I expected a more careful and rigorous treatment. Books of this scope and ambition are few and far between, and one treasures the illustrations - the historic visual record - in and of itself. It's dicey to criticize a collection that has as its focus such a compelling (and neglected) subject: the history of African American women.

The subject matter is terrific - but the book is less so. One wishes that the editors had had an editor. (Why, for example, is the "b" of "black" capitalized? To my knowledge this is not conventional usage, and it detracts.)

So what happened? At times the work seems rushed. For example, three people are photographed, two are identified by name, the third called "unknown." In fact, the writer means "unidentified." Accompanying a photo of a shoeless farm worker is the caption telling one, redundantly, that she is barefoot. A number of captions identify the subject as "Unidentified woman, [location, date.]" That seems lifted directly from states' historical societies' archives. One expects more - or less - but not words that merely interfere with one's experience. One does not need to be told that a photograph is a "photograph."

Occasionally, the editors engage in assumptions regarding the illustrations that, in my view, interfere with the power of the imagery, and reduce the value of this compilation. Guessing as to the subjects' activities in a photograph by Jack Delano, they write that a woman and several children are "possibly waiting for the husband and father to get his hair cut." In fact, one cannot know, and do not need to know, what the people were doing that day. The photo is about much more than that. Another incredible photo of a woman and a girl is accompanied by more guesswork as to the relationship of the subjects (mother and daughter?). There is wordiness to many of the captions. Worst case, there is sometimes unintentional patronization: subjects are identified as "lovely young women," (p. 81) or "fashionable," "attractive" (p.4). The end result is a sense that this book was rushed, and that - despite the impressive pool of archival material from which it was assembled - some corners were cut. The editors use interesting and illuminating quotations in places - but meagerly. There is brief index of names of subjects, and names of quoted women, omitting place names and more.

I wish that the authors of this work either done more, or less. Mostly, I wish that they had more convincingly respected the ability of these powerful and important illustrations to speak clearly to the reader, and had also trusted readers to make the connections between text and visual imagery that is so satisfying and essential to the meaningful experience of organized archival material.

This is a marvelous and moving selection of visual moments, carefully chosen and elegantly captioned. It is refreshingly free of the stuffily convoluted prose one would expect of a book from an academic press. Although the pictures could be said to speak for themselves (and sometimes they can), the information supplied by the gracefully literate writer(s) is helpful and interesting.

Groups of photographs can be wonderful to look at. This collection rises far above what it might have been by means of the exquisite care that was taken in its selection and the highly accessible captioning that accompanies the images.

I'd highly recommend this book for people who already know something about Catholicism, but need a bit more depth in order to understand why Catholics believe what they do. I have used it as a resource for people who are Catholic but it has been a long time since they have had catechesis, or for non-Catholic Christians who want to understand more about Catholicism.

It may be a bit too detailed for someone just beginning the Inquiry or RCIA process unless they want a thorough resource book, but in this case I would definitely pair it with a simplified copy of the Catechism.

It makes a great gift book too!

My seminarian friend recommended it to me. At times Opus Dei can be too black-and-white with no gray in between, but this book is still a wonderful way to connect all of Catholicism. I go to Mass regularly and have gone to a Catholic HS, but I still didn't feel like I knew my faith. This book was able to show me how we do know a lot about our faith, but we just have a problem making sense of what we know. Also, his analogies are brilliant. I use them constantly in explaining Catholicism to others.

This is required reading for the Catholic, literally as many catechism classes require it. It is also very useful for those wanting to learn more about their faith or the Catholic faith in general. It is full of useful information laid out in an informative and well written manner. It is easy to find information and questions. That being said it is also very dry, but its hard to make a book like this a page turner.

I've owned this book now for about 3 years and have read it through all the way, once. I've gone back to sections for refresher information, many, many times. What I like the most about this book is, if you do not have the capacity (time, or stamina) to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) all the way through - this is an excellent way to get "more than the basics" of what is in the CCC in a very clear, concise manner.

From the very first page (just like all catechisms of the Catholic church) it starts with the three fundamental questions. Who made me? Who is God? Why did God make me? Just that first page will have you hooked and you will not want to put it down. I constantly recommend this book to anyone over the age of 13 because it is that clear in it's method of explaining the faith. I do not believe this book is for anyone looking for a "dumbed down" version of the faith, and by that I do not mean there is anything wrong with the book written by Fr. Tregilio called "Catholicism for Dummies." Quiet the contrary, these two books are just for different types of readers.

Another interesting observation on this book is the different kind of people that love it. I have met such different personalities and ages of people (13 to 79) who love this book that I think that fact is also a recommendation of the book.

Read it, it's good for answering all your questions AND will untangle any misconceptions you have developed along the way, or just remind you of what you may have forgotten.

I highly and unreservedly recommend this book.

I use this text frequently for inquirers into the Catholic Faith. Every one says it is witten in a very interesting style. Many can't put it down once begun. Well written and faithful to Catholic Church teaching.