Works Books

This is a truly amazing book. In addition to excellent coverage of the techniques needed to successfully tan hides -- the thing that sets this book apart from all others I've found is the excellent coverage of the concepts underlying hide tanning (i.e. why the techniques work).

I highly recommend this book over all others if you want to learn how to make high-quality hides.

This book was well written, entertaining, and motivating. I'll definitely be tanning some hides this fall, and I plan to keep the book close as a reference. I appreciated the level of detail and the photos & drawings which answered all my questions about the tanning process. It also contained a healthy dose of humor to lighten things up a bit. I couldn't be happier with the book!

I bought this book wanting to learn how to make buckskins and that is exactly what it does. I received the book in the mail and could not put it down until I finished. Matt Richards' takes you from the raw skin all through the steps to the finished buckskin. I would recommend this book to anyone, even if you didn't wish to make buckskins you will learn a lot about the history and the process of how buckskinning works. Once I bought the book I had to buy the video, which is also Great! I enjoyed it from the visual point of view, by being able to actually see the process, while Matt goes step by step. Love both the book and Video!!!

Deerskins into buckskins is a wonderful resource. Matt Richards completely breaks down the science of tanning into an understandable form that even newby tanners can utilize. This book only covers the wet scrape process, but he provides insight as well as alternative methods. I would definately recommend this book to anyone interested in making their own buckskin as a hobby or small scale company. Matt also keeps it fun, this is not a dry list of things to remember.

I had been brain tanning for many years when I first read this book. After trying some of Matt's ideas, my hides came out softer the first time and had very few hides that needed re-softening.

Matt's book is simply written, his ideas and techniques are solid, and if you follow his instruction, you WILL make great leather. I once met a young lady that showed me her first four hides she ever brain tanned. They were great, and she learned how to do it from this book. In fact, I use his book in the brain tanning classes I teach. It is that good.

The kids loved this Dragon book. There many small models of dragons in it and the kids built them all in about 20 minutes. They loved them and thought the models were great.

this is a great source and reference book for drawing dragons.
it's also extremely cool for little kids and big kids alike.

Good book. Some what hard to read and understand in certain areas but very interesting.

This is a great book. I loved it but it was very short for the price I paid.

My son and his friends are nuts about the dragonology series. This handbook has stickers, puzzles, lore, and fantastic illustrations. The entire book is made to appear as a relic from 1893. I love the "oath of a dragonologist" included in the front. My son very earnestly inscribed his name here: "I ___ ___ do solemnly swear to conserve and protect those dragons that still remain and in no way to harm them or reveal their secret hiding places to those who do not believe in them or would wish them anything other than good fortune." It's a real treat!

Wonderful - the shots were amazing. I really enjoyed just leafing through the book and let the visions just wash over me.

From the elephant up to the insect, from the cayman up to the seal every animal looks us in the eyes deeply. "Less than the human being: - the monkey follows in the system of zoology according to an immense ravine. If one, however, once wanted to organize the animals after her bliss, cosiness etc., then some people would come to stand anyway apparently under the miller donkeys and hounds ... ", 250 years ago the nature scientist Georg Christoph Lichtenberg already wrote. However, he did not have a camera yet to hand to cover this. Frans Lanting, however, shows us the determination with which snow geese and ibisses, penguins or zebras are away to something, shows us her family care and the dignity of animals in liberty - at times, when more and more people feel caught - a book which reminds us that "upright walking"- that synonymous of the philosophers for courage and self-respect - that you can make it true even on all four paws...

Frans Lanting does it again in Eye To Eye--a brilliant collection of intimate portraits and daily activities of various animals. Like Jungles, it's a book that no natural photographer should be without. When you can see the individual hairs in a courgar's fur coat, it makes you kind of wonder what it would be like to be that close to one.
Looking at Lanting's work is always like looking through a book of artwork, as if he is the Picasso of photography and we are looking through his masterpieces.

Wow !!! How can anyone get so close?!

These photographs are stunning. The talent of Frans Lanting oozes from these pages.

There is a closeness to the subjects here that borders on the intimate. In some cases, one wonders how he actually managed to get the shot.

The focussing and exposure is spot on and the composition is perfect.

I have tried to follow this type of photography and I am only too aware of how difficult it is to obtain these sorts of images.

I take my hat off to Frans Lanting. This is a brilliant work. A completely unique approach to wildlife photography. His behind the scenes narrative to the shots is illuminating.

This book is a valuable reference for all nature photographers. Sensational !

Frans Lanting is one of the great wildlife photographers of the world. He has published many books showing wild animals but "Eye to Eye" is certainly one of his most famous. It consists of dramatically close-up photographs of animals, always concentrating on the eyes of the subject.

The book is divided into three parts: "One on One" shows photographs of single animals, often so close that the frame is filled completely with just the animal's eyes. "Two by Two" usually shows pairs of animals, although there are occasional shots of larger groups. Often the pictures are of mother and child, or mates, but a few shots show conflict. "All in All" shows shots of larger groups of animals. The book also contains a two page section called "Behind the Camera" in which Lanting discusses his photographic philosophy but provides few hints that will allow others to copy his style. Finally, perhaps because the text of the main sessions is limited to species name, there is a section of thumbnails with a brief statement concerning the picture. I found this section to be particularly inadequate since I often said to myself "How did he do that?" but got no help in finding an answer.

These are amazing pictures, primarily because Lanting has managed to get so close to his subjects. In a few pictures we can see that that is a result of enlarging and cropping, but in most cases the pictures are sharp enough so that so that we realize he was really close to the animals. Moreover, with a few exceptions, these are not captive animals. I for one would not like to take a picture of a wild lion at a distance of twenty feet. At least one critic has suggested that this book raised the bar for all wildlife photographers, forcing them to get closer to their subjects, and placing more stress upon photographers and subject.

There are moments of great intimacy, particularly in the "Two by Two" section, where the pictures of parent and child tug at our heartstrings. It's hard not to see human characteristics in these photos. The book also benefits from its layout, grouping its subjects by actions. Thus there are pictures of a huge flock of butterflies followed by pictures of ibises, penguins, snow geese, zebras and elephants all purposefully on the move to some destination. I also particularly enjoyed facing pictures of a lion and a leopard, moving toward the centerfold in mirror image.

These are great photographs because the photographer got so close to his subjects. But they are also mostly documentary. Few of the pictures rise to the level where the form rather than the subject makes them art, although I was particularly struck by a picture of Oryxes carefully treading their way across the Namibian sand dunes. But when I compare Lanting's photographs to the work of other wildlife photographers like Art Wolfe, I can see the difference. The pictures in Wolfe's "The Living Wild" show each animal in its environment, where Wolfe was better able to concentrate on the composition of his subjects to create a more artful picture.

Not withstanding this quibble, "Eye to Eye" is a great book, and readers are unlikely to soon forget these close encounters with the other living inhabitants of our planet.

The primary purpose and goal of a writer's workshop is to help writers improve their writing. Simply stated, but often quite difficulty to accomplish because like most things in life, writer workshops can be classified into one of three categories -- the good, the bad, and the mediocre. Now in an updated and expanded second edition, award-winning writer and teacher Josip Novakovich's "Fiction Writer's Workshop" is clearly one of the good ones in the form of a comprehensive instructional that covers every aspect of the art of fiction while providing aspiring and practicing writers with all the tools and techniques useful to developing the consistent, day-to-day discipline so fundamentally necessary for becoming a success professional at the literary craft. Offering more than one hundred writing exercises, with each exercise including a specific statement of purpose to guide the aspiring author through every step of the creative process, "Fiction Writer's Workshop" also provides self-critique questions with each exercise for assessing written works with an eye toward identifying weaknesses and strengths before moving on to the next lesson. Enhanced with the full text of eight acclaimed short stories complete with analysis and exercises suitable for modeling and the reinforcement of 'lessons learned', "Fiction Writer's Workshop" is appropriate for all fiction writers regardless of personal writing styles. Especially recommended for those aspiring to write publishable works of fiction, the "Fiction Writer's Workshop" should be considered indispensable reading for anyone who has every considered or attempted writing the kind of novels and short stories that would attract the attention of academia, the general populace, and generations of future readers yet unborn.

I own the first edition. I'm a sculptor but in coming up with ideas I have recently thought of writing stories involving my characters. I borrowed this book from a friend about three years ago and rediscovered in on my bookshelf about two weeks ago. I love it. Buy the second edition. It includes short stories.

This book is a must read for anyone who has trouble getting started. The mantra that has been beaten into my head over and over by most college professors is the importance of writing everyday. However, that's often easier said than done. Outside of CW courses, class assignments and workshops, it's been very difficult for me to get started and I've never been big on journaling. This excercises in this book have provided me with countless "assignments" to help get the creative juices flowing. If you find that you need a little push to get going, this book is for you.

I have taken several classes lately and with them gotten several books. Most of them have at least some valuable information to make one a better writer with modern examples, but this book is unique in that you never feel like the author is giving you lines in which you are supposed to color inside of to make a good picture. You never feel pressured either. Since I am a beginning writer, this was the perfect atmosphere for me because there was room to learn new things, and reject some things without feeling I am suffering long-term as a writer. If one feels a strong sense of personal voice, this is the best book to acquire and develop new skills (as well as refine existing ones)

Once you have read an introductory book like Brayfield's Bestseller or Kings 'On writing' this is the book to buy and use.

Novakovich covers there basic elements: Setting /Character/Plot/PoV/Dialogue & Scene/Begins and endings / description/ vice and revision. He uses numerous examples form published literature and each chapter concludes with a number of good exercises.

One topic Novakovich does not cover is writers block. Maybe that is because he provides the solutions. Writers block is either due to lack of ideas or anxiety about one's writing. Novakovich provides the solutions - a chapter on the sources of fiction and a reference book to dip into every time one feels a anxious.

The beauty of Fiction Writers Workshop is the exercise - do them - and that all aspects are covered in one short book. That is also its disadvantage. Successful writing is complex, it requires fluent and adaptive use of a number of skills. To become fluent you will need to read and practice each in greater depth than can be provided in one book that covers them all. Don't make the mistake I made of going in depth on one skill first. It can lead to imbalance. Start with Fiction Writers Workshop and you will gain a balance.

Readers of this review can review it - tick the box 'useful' or 'not useful'. There is something I have noticed in those reviews. If reviews are critical then people are less likely to tick the box - 'useful' and more likely to tick the box 'Not useful'. What they are in fact saying is 'It was a nice review'. For a writer that is the worst kind of review. It leads you up the garden path. An author needs is honest candid review.

I'm not being nice about Fiction Writer's Workshop. It is that good.

just Jack

If you are into gardening like I am, this is an excellent, colorful resource! It will help identify those interesting little bugs in your gardens. I only wish it had a section of natural preventions/controls to go along with each insect.

THIS WILL SHOW YOU THE REAL DEAL OF THE DOG EAT DOG UNIVERSE OF BUGS, IN YOUR FRONT AND BACKYARD...............

This is a great book it has wonderful pictures so that you may identify the bugs that you are looking for. I purchased one for myself and one for my daughter and we both love them.

I received this as a gift after I mentioned that I loved the Orkin insect zoo at the Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. It was not a book I would have bought for myself, but it has become indispensable bedtime reading! The pictures are vibrant and accompanied by hard-to-forget descriptions and explanations. I especially love the pictures taken by Whitney Cranshaw himself. This book is very accessible to those who are interested in the secret tiny life that exists off of their back porch, people who don't know where to start and therefore keep pushing it off. Even the way the bugs are organized in the book is perfect- Leaf Chewers, Sap Suckers, Gall Makers, Twig Damagers, Branch Borers, Bulb Feeders... doesn't this sound like the most beautiful poem in the world??

This bok is very inclusive in it's content and very easy to look up insect for information or identification. It is used by Master Gardeners in our part of the country wth great appreciation for a book of such quality buyt yet affordble.

This book is absolutely inspiring! Unlike many other books geared toward military spouses(that just tell you how to understand the military), this book tells you how to enjoy and thrive in your military life!I recommend this to all military spouses, a must read book. Thank you Kathie and Holly for all you do! -Alison Turner, Fort Lewis, WA

This book was great on giving advice on how to create a life for yourself (from getting a job, meeting people, volunteering). It listed lots of other books and websites that I didn't know where out there for me.

Kathie and Holly were the keynote speakers at a Women's Conference on our base recently. They were funny and inspiring. Hearing them speak and reading their book was the kick in the pants I needed to start setting goals for MYSELF again. I bought a book for myself and for a friend that was struggling with the military lifestyle.

Every military spouse should read this book! I read it TWICE and learned even more the second time though. It has inspired and motivated me to "Get a Life Too". I have had so much fun writing my list of 101 Things to Do Before I Die. I discovered that there are so many amazing things that I have already experienced thanks to nearly 10 years as an Army wife. I even managed to get my husband to read a few select chapters and he agrees that it is well written, very informative, and hilariously entertaining (read: funny but true stories). After reading this book you will want to buy one for all your military spouse friends. Yes....it is THAT GOOD! Happy reading!

This book certainly answers the cry for "Help!" expressed in its title. It uses personal examples from the authors and many other military spouses, and gives positive, practical steps for thriving, not just surviving, in military life. The authors have thoroughly researched, thought through and lived out their own advice. An excellent resource for new military spouses, this book is a bright spot of encouragement for spouses of every experience level.

This is an important book for anyone starting a home staging business. I started a home staging business before I read this book. However, upon reading it I realized how much I did not know and decided to go through decorate-redecorate.com for home staging certification. The book is detailed, current and full of relevant pointers, tips and information on the art and business of home staging. Anytime Barbara Jennings publishes a book on this topic I will read it (after reading this book I bought two of her other books: Decor Secrets Revealed & Where there's a Wall there's a Way). Jennings is clearly a consummate authority on the subject.

I loved this book- it is very thorough and contained everything I needed AND more that I haven't even gotten to read yet- I am still implementing ideas from what I have read! Barbara is not trying to impress people with her credentials, she is trying to help them with her experience! If you are considering staging for a living- get this book!

I recently bought 2 books on Staging, since I'm currently wondering wether to pursue it as a new career. Right off the bat, this book is very inspiring in it's voice and the writer's accomplishments. I'm barely into it, but it's already gotten me back to feeling excited about the possibilities. As opposed to the other staging book i'm about to review, and ended up returning.

The layout is like reading a term paper, but it's kind of nice reading on such a big format for a change. No color pictures to speak of, but if you're buying this, you're not looking for color ideas. Just tell me what the biz is all about, and what i could expect from giving it a go, is all i'm looking for.

I'm really enjoying the way that it's written as if the author is talking to you. It's much more entertaining, and it makes me feel like she's there for any questions, which she says she is!

So based on the 30+ pages or so i've read, this book is a definite for those looking for some insight into this growing business.

I'm in the process of reading 2 of Barbara Jennings books.
Am finding her to be highly thorough and knowledgeable.
Every bit of info is useable. Let you know later if I
make lots of money putting her techniques to use.
Many thanks, Gerri

I ordered the book based on another review about it. I was pleased with the information contained in it, however, I will say that it is written like she is speaking to you and feels at time to be unorganized as to topic. With the subtitle leading you to believe you can be up and running in 7 days, there really is not a Seven Day plan as such, but you need to extract what is needed from each chapter. I also found a few of the things she suggested in staging to be a bit odd, ie: cleaning out gutters. Although I realize this would be necessary in selling a home, I do not feel this should be the job of a Home Stager. There is a lot of marketing information and some good ideas as to how to market the business, which I did find helpful. Most books like this on this topic generally tout the products of the author and this is no exception to that. However, unlike another well-known home stager-author they are not mentioned on every page. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to start this business, but I also feel that if you have no design background, this book will not help in that. My suggestion is to read all you can on the subject, take what works for you, then build your business.

This is a must have for horse lovers. The photos are outstanding. The text is also worth the purchase.

Great focus on a limited number of similar horse breeds.

I KNOW HE LOVES HORSES BECAUSE OF THE WAY HE PHOTOGRAPHS THE ANIMALS EYES!!! HE IS A MASTER!!

Overall, I'd have to agree with the reviewer's comments from Lakewood, OH.

Anyone familiar with Vavra's work will recognize his dreamlike, romanticized approach to horse photography. More "artsy" in style, tone and layout - than the straight forward approach.

Lots of soft-focus photography with heavy post-production image editing (layering of horse upon background, and vice-versa). I own two of Vavra's books (this being the second one to "Equus: The Creation Of A Horse"), so whether or not one likes this style of equine photography is a matter of personal taste. Still, this is a beautifully printed and bound book, with some outstanding equine photography.

See my review of "Equus: The Creation Of A Horse" for further reviews of Vavra's work.

Forward by William Shatner (yes, Captain Kirk!).

If you are a horselover and enjoy books on equine photography in general, check out the work of Gabrielle Boiselle, Johnny Johnston, Henry Dallal, Fulvio Cinquini, Jennifer Forsberg Meyer, et al. All have made their career photographing horses, and it shows. Boiselle is a personal favorite.

I WISH I HAD KNOWN ABOUT THIS GUY BACK WHEN I HAD MY HORSE!!
HE MUST LOVE THE ANIMALS BECAUSE, HE PHOTOGRAPHS THEM SO, WELL!! HE FOCUSES ON THE EYES OF THE ANIMALS IN MANY PICTURES AS IF, HE IS LOOKING AT THEIR SOULS!!! I DO NOT REGRET PURCHASING THIS BOOK AT ALL!!!!!!!!! I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS TO EVERYONE WHO LOVES HORSES!!!!!
SHIRLEY GREER

Living is easy when you follow Jane Brody's advice to health eating. The recipes are easy to follow and have ingredients common to most kitchens. Some of the recipes are a bit bland but can easily be spiced up with a little help from a kitchen herb garden or spice rack.

I have used Jane Brody's book so much that the pages were yellow and torn. I was glad Amazon could supply me with a crisp, clean copy.
I put the old one in our high-rise book exchange area. It was gone the next day.

I have a 20-year-old softbound copy of this cookbook that is in tatters, so I am very happy finally to find a fresh copy. I have made many of the recipes in this book and my family has a couple of all-time favorites, especially the pork with green beans and the vegetarian lasagne. While the basic recipes are wonderful, I frequently find them to be bland. My cookbook is filled with margin notes about what herbs and spices I have tried over the years to enhance the recipes. Nonetheless, this is a treasured part of my cookbook library.

The first part of the book is lots of info about nutrition and so on, very interesting and informative (like talking about how potatoes have gotten a bum rap, there really healthy, she mentions one guy who lived healthily for 300 days on nothing but potatoes (and a little margarin). The second part is a few hundred recipes, which are great - easy, delicious, pretty fast, a lot of them with ingredients we keep around the house. Some of our favorites - the chili recipes, the spaghetti pancakes, multigrain pancakes (good with soy flour and blueberries), etc. This (along with books from Moosewood, Tara Duggan, and the Quick Vegetarian Pleasures book) is one of primary cookbooks; we use it all the time. Highly recommended.

I bought this cookbook back around 1992 and the tattered paperback is the most used cookbook in my kitchen.

I live with a vegetarian, so most of what I've cooked has been the meatless recipes, and without exception, they have all been wonderful! Some of these recipes are also my potluck dinner staples (esp the Tri-Color Chickpea Salad). The Quick Lasanga with Bean Sauce has been the hit of every party I've taken it to, and the Lentil soup is to die for.

At one point, I went through a heavy-duty baking phase, and tried many of the muffin and quick bread recipes in this book. Again, there wasn't a dud in the bunch - everything I baked was excellent and won praise from all who partook.

Most of the recipes in this book are very good "as is" (they don't need much futzing with). There is some prep work involved (lots of chopping of veggies and the like), so many of the recipes do take some time. Almost half of the book consists of information about food, nutrition, cooking hints and techniques, which I've found to be very useful. Personally, if you have to have one main cookbook, I'd say that this should be it!

The copy of the book which I got was really tattered and scribbled all over.
I am not really with it.

This is by far the best Abe book out there...actually makes "learning" fun!...be careful about loaning this one out!

This is the best book on Lincoln I have ever read. A true joy to read.

Knowing little other than the obvious facts about Lincoln, I was amazed, entertained, and simply captivated by this Carnegie masterpiece. Lincoln's poverty-stricken childhood, his lackluster days as a lawyer, his love of poetry, his political career - it's all covered in great detail and conveyed in a very appealing and straightforward style. Carnegie's research and dedication towards this book are deservedly well-applauded. The story of how this very mortal man became so admired, so loved, and such an American icon is simply priceless. This monumental work is a must-have for anyone's collection.

THIS BOOK WAS GIVEN TO ME . THE COPY I HAVE IS THE 1932 PRINTING . I KNOW NOW HOW LUCKY I AM TO OWN IT AFTER FINISHING . IT WAS VERY HARD TO PUT DOWN . OTHER BOOKS I HAVE READ ABOUT HIM DIDN'T TOUCH ON HIS GENTLENESS AND HOW IT AFFECTED NOT ONLY HIS MARRIAGE BUT, THE WAR. SOMETIMES I THINK NOW, HE WORRIED TOO MUCH ABOUT OTHERS FEELINGS . SUCH AS INEPT GENERALS AND THAT LUNATIC WIFE , MARY TODD WHO'S TEMPER TANTRUMS WERE INFAMOUS. LIKE HE HAD ENOUGH " ROCKS IN HIS SACK " WITHOUT STRIFE AT HOME. I SO PITY HIM , EVEN NOW THAT HE IS BEYOND ALL CARES AND WOE . GOD BLESS YOU SIR AND GIVE YOU THE PEACE THAT SO ELUDED YOU HERE ON EARTH .