K Books

This is a well researched and written book about a western icon. Unlike many westerns, this one is a very interesting read - sharing not only the life of Bat Masterson but the gunfighters and others who lived around them and their experiences. For example, a whole chapter is on Jim Masterson and his experiences in southern Kansas and Colorado in the late nineteenth century. Although the book does an excellent job of covering Bat during his Dodge days and especially his two years as sheriff of the county and the "battle of the Plaza" afterwards, I especially liked the stories about his late years in Denver and New York, including his close calls with possible gunfights during that time. Yes, Bat Masterson did not kill 27 men, and only one is credited to him, but it is clear from this book, that the reason for this was that most people stayed clear of him because of the recognition of his prowess with a six gun. This book is not only a history of Bat Masterson but an excellent history of the gunfighters who crossed his path. Consequently, I highly recommend this for any individual interested in that period of US history.

This is probably the best biography of Bat Masterson out there. It is also a good history of 19th Century Kansas is that interests anyone. I learned that alot of western history took place in Kansas so I may want to travel there and check out the sights thanks to this book.

Mr. Dearment has provided an excellent read. The data is presented in a well thoughtout manner while the writing style is easy to read and comprehend. It seemed like there was less of Bat's later life presented then earlier days but that may be because there was more to present. I tend to read mostly non-fiction, historical books and found this to have been a very worthwhile project to read.

Mr. DeArment is one of my favorite authors, when writing of the old west as he is in his element! Most any book on the old west by Bob is going to be a winner. My copy won't make resale as it is reference copy for my library as is dog-eared and highlighted from front to back, with my notes all over the pages. I throughly enjoyed this book and came to have more respect for Bat..than Bat did for Doc.

I bought this book in hardcover when it was first published back in 1979, having that same first edition copy on my shelves. Hadn't read the book in quite a few years and with Encore Westerns now re-running the "Bat Masterson" TV series of the late 1950s thought it time to once again to brush up on the 'real' William Barclay Masterson. While the TV series offers great intertainment it also offers very little solid history or biography.

I have all of Mr. DeArment's books so coming to this book was nothing new to me, but the one thing that struck me during last evening's read was the amount of collateral information included in this book; it is not just a straight biography focused on Bat but included much surrounding information, for example, the founding of Fort Dodge with the later Dodge City becoming just Dodge. The rough, tough edge of the frontier men: some fair and square, others just vicious killers. Whether as DeArment states no evidence exists for Bat's killing anyone, many, many other men with whom he daily associated did kill with some killing more than once. And most famous names of those western times on both sides of the law, were personally well known to Bat Masterson, and he lived to tell about them and the times, too.

It's good to see this book still being read by people not only interested in Bat Masterson but also the west in general. No better way to spend a few evenings than going over this book that is now close to a generation old; but as one reviewer here remarked, it is still the standard bearer for contemporary writings on Bat Masterson. Since I am an avid western reader, fiction and non-fiction, I have most of the newer biographies on Earp and Holiday, but for Masterson no newer book has appeared. Best to read this one if Bat Masterson is your man!

Recommended.

Semper Fi.

This is a good book for science study. We found it suitable for our research and reference it in our educational WEB site [waterfueledsystems.net].
This book was needed when we launched the "California Methanol Experiment" in 1980. On page 208 it mentions one aspect of "Eventually the CO2 content of the atmosphere itself will be similarly recycled, freeing human kind from its dependence on fossil fuels....".
That is exactly what our new engines do as documented in the new patent we filed on December 4, 2006. There is hope if the politics of oil can be improved. This book varifies the potential of water based fuels.

This is a wonderful book, masterly written, both for experts in chemistry, economy and public at large. Such an achievement is rare. I strongly recommend this book. M Apostol

Olah (1994 Nobel laureate carbocation chemistry, director of the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute) and his coauthors do an excellent job going over fossil fuel(coal, natural gas, oil) resources, how close we are to running out of each, the vast number of uses for these resources, and the likelihood of climate change due to their burning. It is assumed that in the future we will have abundant energy available from nuclear and alternative sources. Methanol would then be one of the prime carriers of this energy, and an alternate source for all petrochemicals.

They also cover alternative renewable energy sources, compare using hydrogen versus methanol as a carrier of energy from new renewable energy sources and nuclear energy plants. The authors do a thorough job pointing out the enormous use of hydrocarbons throughout the industrial world for a huge array of products. Not only do we need vast new renewable sources of energy we also need to be able to use this energy to change new carbon sources into useful products. The new source of carbon, methanol from CO2 and H2! Olah, et al shows in great detail how methanol can be changed chemically into the precursors for just about anything and at very high efficiencies. We would use energy from nuclear and new renewable energy sources directly where we can, such as powering our factories and homes' electrical systems. We would use some of this new energy to change CO2 from emissions and hydrogen from electrolysis of water, into methanol to run our cars, trucks, etc., and provide feedstock for all the products now produced from petroleum. Note that methanol formed this way adds no new CO2 since CO2 from the surroundings is used to make it. This is very similar to using ethanol produced from corn or other biomass, except it involves more chemistry.

The new process involves using electrochemical or photochemical reduction of CO2, which forms methanol, formic acid and formaldehyde, CO2 + 2H2 -> CH3OH with additional products which are also changed to CH3OH,
HCHO + HCO2H -> CH3OH + CO2
They don't give a lot of details, because they have a patent pending on the process.

In the interim, while we are developing and building alternative renewable energy sources, we can change coal, natural gas, biomass, etc., into methanol. This is already done to a small degree and existing infrastructure for gas and oil can be used with small adjustments. The authors also compare using hydrogen and methanol, as storage and transport media.

It was a surprise to me that there is more hydrogen in a liter of liquid methanol (98.8 g of hydrogen) than in a liter of liquid hydrogen (70.8 g at -253?C), water for comparison has 111g of hydrogen. Methanol would store and transport much more easily than liquid hydrogen.

The first sources of CO2 would be exhaust gas from utilities and big factories, which generate a lot of CO2, hydrogen would come from water being electrolyzed, CO2 + 3H2 -> CH3OH + H2O. Then as our CO2 capture methods get better it would be captured directly from the air. Anyone in the world would with access to energy, would then have a source for a vast array of chemicals! Note that if CO2 becomes a useful commodity people and nations will compete to pull it out of the atmosphere, and prevent it from being released since it has value. This has much greater appeal than other proposals such as sequestering of the CO2. A lot would depend on how efficient the process is. It would be useful if they would give some information on this, but Olah replied to me that `...we have of course extensive patent coverage filed for and in process. For obvious reasons in our book we could not go into any details.

The driving force for the Methanol Economy is new energy from nuclear and alternative renewable energy sources, which we don't have yet, replacing hydrocarbons as fuel. Olah, et al has great confidence that the many problems facing these new energy sources are solvable. The authors are quite negative on the safety of hydrogen, but don't seem to see a major non solvable problem with nuclear. Nuclear as we know certainly has its problems, and most of us are wary of nuclear. Scientific American had an article (December 2005 issue) on the latest nuclear plant design which uses 99% of the fuel rather than 1% in current plants. It would also have proportionally less radioactive waste, with a much shorter halflife. One of the hookers is using two separate liquid Na (at 600?C) loops as a coolant. Not a minor engineering feat. Another recent Scientific American article Sept 2006, instead sings the praises for 3rd generation nukes with improved technology, but with the same problems we currently have.

A fuel cell is being developed which uses methanol directly.
Anode: CH3OH + H2O -> CO2 + 6H+ + 6e-
Cathode: 1.5O2 + 6H+ + 6e- -> 3H2O
Overall: CH3OH + 1.5O2 -> CO2 + 2H2O
It has a theoretical efficiency of 97%, so far 34% has been achieved, while using H2 and O2 in a fuel cell has a theoretical efficiency of 83%. Of course methanol produces CO2 (which would eventually be used as feedstock) as compared to H2 which just produces water, a great advantage.

Anytime we contemplate huge installations for generating energy, whether they are nuclear or renewable we face the problem of transporting the energy to the user. Methanol, since it can use existing infrastructure of pipelines, trucks, gas stations with few changes would appear to be far cheaper than hydrogen. A July 2006 article in Scientific American `A Power Grid for the Hydrogen Economy' pointed out that our nation's electrical grid is experiencing problems and a possible solution would be to create a new national grid which would carry electricity from distant plants-renewable, nuclear, coal fired etc., by a superconductor cooled by liquid hydrogen. You would have the electricity almost resistance free (about 10% is currently lost in transmission) and the hydrogen for chemical uses. The economics of all these proposals is very hazy.

Some further food for thought is a 1998 study that indicates that the unsubsidized price of gasoline was between $6- 15/gal. A number of other studies place it at $3-11. If their methodology is close to correct then the current subsidy is much higher now, and if this subsidy were available to alternative energy sources they would be much more competitive.

The extraordinarily wide-ranging review of our major energy sources should be manadtory reading for everybody.

The case is then made for developing (and researching further) the use of methanol as a future energy source. It is compelling.

Why do we not hear politicians and the press screaming for this work to be done?

Creating a practical new source of energy whilst having an impact on CO2 greenhouse gases seems to be a possibility.

Wake up world ! - it's time for a paradigm shift.


This is a masterpiece - a remarkable book at an amazingly low price.

1. The author is highly knowledgeable (He won a Nobel Prize for this work.)
2. Applying these concepts in the marketplace would change the global economy.
3. We intend to buy 10 more copies for distribution to others.

We had rented this book from the library and it was such a hit with our four year old son, that we bought it. Colorful pictures and cute story about dinosaurs and pirates.

This is a great story for children who like both pirates and dinosaurs and it is definitely a favorite around our home! There is one line during a brawl between Captain Flinn and the T-Rex that might be a little much for the younger child. The T-Rex says he will cut Flinn up into little pirate sausages and eat him with too much ketchup. For some kids that may need to be reworded but the rest of the content is fine...appropriate for all ages.

This is a great story. It is well written and uses good vocabulary. My son loves it and runs around the house reciting slabs of the text. The pictures are terrific. This book would make a great present for kids (especially young boys) aged between 2 and 6.

We brought this book home from the library and my son just loves this book! We have added it to our gift wishlist! What a wonderful adventure, well-written and perfectly illustrated! This combines my 4-year-old son's two loves at the moment--pirates and dinosaurs! It's fun to read, too!

This book is SO much fun to read for mommy (or daddy or older sibling) and SO much fun to be read to from for the li'l ones (especially preschool boys, but my toddler daughter loves it, too.) What educational value does it have? A lot! It teaches kids that books can be FUN! It also gives a great example of a little ones imagination as the whole adventure with the Pirate Dinos happens in young Flint's mind.

"Yo, Ho ho! Yo, Ho ho! PIRATE DINOSAURS, GO, GO, GOOOOOO!" (Heard around my house all the time now.)

I have just about every kids yoga book out there. This was a great addition to my library however it is way too expensive!?? I am not sure it is worth $40 although it is a great book.

this book is filled with great ideas and tons of yoga info. i also love Jodi...the author!

I just started teaching toddlers and everything in the book works so well. I have learned so much and my kids are having so much fun! This book is very comprehensive. Jody is passionate about her work with kids! She is a real pro and her work with music and movement is a delight!

Although the title put me off at first normally these kind of books are great in their simple concise explanations so I ordered it anyway.

I have to say it's an excellent book, I normally teach adults yoga and am just branching out into teaching children. However I am finding that I can take information from this book to use in beginners adult classes too as its simple, down to earth, no nonsense explanations of yoga make it a lot easier for students (at whatever age) to understand.

An absolute must if you would like to teach yoga to children.

I thought this book was excellent--I'm using it with my four-year-old, who has learned all 5 yanas and is able to recite them. She loves doing the poses and it really changes her mood when she's grumpy. I only wish there were better pictures. Sometimes it is hard to follow the diirections with no pictures.

My absolute favorite clowning book! If you can only get one clowning book get this one! Covers everything!!! Whenever I am writing clown shows I always go to this book. There are so many skit, gag and prop ideas in this book to build off of. It is truly GOLD!!! In addition to all the skit, gag and prop ideas it also covers make up techiniques as well as costuming. This book stays not on my book shelf or even out on a table but in my truck, so I always have access to it even when I am at work. I think one of the things that really makes this book so special to clowning is the fact that it is not just one author, there are around 10!! Each one writing on their speciality or passion.

I really wish they would come out with a second eddition of this book that would include websites and email address of clown scripts, ideas, gags, etc.

Every hobby has one or two definative books. This is it for clowning. Everything I wanted to find out and more. Like any good reference book it started me down the path and I have read several books recommended.

If you are going to get into clowning you need this book.

Having read four customer reviews of this book, I might have had high expectations. Maybe I didn't realize it's true value at first, but after learning various skills, you may want to try others, which didn't catch your interest at first. Then you realize how powerful a tool this book is.

Until now I've focused on juggling and unicycling. The book not only teaches you how to ride a unicycle, -it also provides a lot of amusing variations. Though I knew how to ride before buying this book, it taught me how to ride in a very ridiculous way, seemingly out of control. I've experienced a tremendous effect when acting upon these hints in front of an audience. ...

Just recently I grew interested in the stiltwalking sections and made a pair of wooden tie-on stilts. I'm not exactly an engineer, but following the instructions, all I needed was a saw, some wood, a drill, some glue, some bolts and screws.

Reading the ingenious instructions given sometimes make me laugh out loud, thinking of how it would work in real life. The illustrations are really amusing, and I do enjoy all the hints on starting a clowning business. Lots of detailed information.

Also, the book is packed with numerous jokes and material that can be used for shows. The next stage for me will be learning how to twist balloons into different animal shapes.

I was actually looking for a book on how to put on clowns' make-up for my unicycling. This book is all you need to know about various types of make-up for various clown types, plus so much more. If you're thinking about clowning, either for fun or for money, I highly recommend this book!

I'm considering setting up as a childrens entertainer, so I purchased a good few books. This is without doubt the best of the bunch.

The book covers lots of aspects of clowning, gives great ideas, and is an easy read.

The only downside is that it does not have space to go as in depth in some areas as I would of liked - but there are plenty of speciality books to do so.

I thought this book was informative, extremely informative for new clowns. You get a history of clowning, pictures of famous clowns, and jokes on most of the pages to use when performing. There is a chapter on how to develop your own clown character which also explains the different types of clowns (Whiteface, Auguste, Tramp and Character), their makeup and their character. Mimes are not excluded either! Topics covered are: clown outfits, props, routines, expression, timing, and working with partners. There are even chapters on balloon art, puppets, juggling, stilt walking, unicycling, and balancing objects. I found the last few chapters very helpful. They gave tips on designing your own business cards so people won't throw them away and how to get bookings and also how much to charge. There is a great Publications and Organization section full of books and suppliers. I would certainly recommend this book to any one who is interested in clowning around! This book has it all!

I needed something at work to look up certain words as I come across them. of course this book was perfect. I enjoy having it by my side, just to make sure I know what I'm dealing with and have an understanding of what I am doing. I def. recommend for all you accountants/auditors out there.

This book arrived in perfect condition and within a few days. I am very pleased with my purchase.

This dictionary has it all + simplified examples. Bottom line, if you think it you'll find it.

This book has everything going for it.

1. It is small
2. It is packed with information
3. Definitions are concise yet complete
4. It covers many basic business concepts as well.

This little book puts almost everything at your fingertips: formulas, examples, abbreviations, acronyms, not just definitions. A must have for any accountant or anyone studying the subject. I showed this to my old accounting professor and he wished this was his.

My daughter and I really like this colorful and thorough guide.
It has lots of information and feels like a Field Guide we can take anywhere.

My 4 years old son is a dino lover, and enjoyed the book very much. Especially, he favored the attached mini poster with small images of many dino species.

My 5 & 6 year olds who have been obsessed with dinosaurs for the last 3 years, love this book. They sit and read for HOURS and have learned all the specs on their favorite dinosaurs. As a parent, I think this book has a lot of great information and is simple enough for my 5 year old to read. Hope this helps!

I have a 5 and 7 year old. We all think this book is great! It's colorful and informative and Up-To-Date! One feature I enjoy pointing out to my kids is the little images which compare the dinosaurs size to a human child's size. That way we get an even better idea how big the creatures were.

Promising high interest and educational quality alike is this dinosaur 'field guide' for all ages, which packs in museum-quality dinosaur illustrations, expertise by two paleontologist authors, and details on dinosaur digs and places to see fossils in the field. Web sites, museums, and bibliographies are also included in this highly visual, appealing guide.

My 5 year old went from scribbling and frustration to drawing a discernible hen in 5 minutes! It has already done wonders for her self-esteem. She now says, "I can draw! This is easy!" She wants to draw everything in the book. I wish I had known about these months ago! I just ordered the whole set.

This book has given my 5 yr old son confidence by helping him to draw simple animals that he thought were too difficult to draw. He has not been as interested in the writing part. It would have been nice if it was like a workbook with blank pages across from each page so he could practice right in there.

I homeschool my kids and I bought this book for our art lessons. This is such an easy to follow drawing book. My kids are ages 5,7 & 10. All 3 are finding it easy to follow and their drawings are so good. I like to do the pictures myself. I like how the next step of the drawing is in a different color, it makes it so much easier. My 7 yr old even sat down with the book by herself and drew a picture without any help, and it turned out really nice. Hope this helps.

My girls, 8 and 4, love this book. I am amazed at how well their drawings come out. Not only are their drawings fantastic but the older girl utilizes the writing exercises and thinks they are fun - unlike other writing exercises.

I am a homeschooling mother and would recommend this book to anyone with children, homeschool or not. They will love it.

Bought this for my 5 YO daughter - it gave her incentive to practice her printing - she wasn't allowed to attemp the drawing part until the writing part was finished.
Basically, each page has three-four sentences for them to copy with a full picture already done above it on the same page. On the next page, the main object of the picture (a pig for example) is drawn with basic shapes in a step-by-step manner - even my older girls love to try to draw them.
I can't wait to get the next book in the series - great idea!!!!

It was very poignant for me to read Dr. Underwood's book at this particular time. Our 11-year-old cat had been diagnosed with kidney disease a couple of months ago and we have been expecting his slow demise. I have been reading more of late because I want to spend more time with him and he enjoys sitting on my lap when I read -- otherwise he hides out. So for three consecutive nights I read Dying with Atticus on my lap. I would interrupt my reading occasionally to talk to him, to pet him, to kind of process what I was reading in the book as well as witness his own end-of-life. The book gave me support -- it was and will be very helpful.
Judy Gordon, co-author of The Heroics of Falling Apart: One Couple's Breast Cancer Journey, www.theheroicsoffallingapart.com

This book is well written and easy to read. The book reads as if the reader were having a conversation with the book. As soon as I thought of a question Dr. Underwood was answering it. I highly recommend this book to any one who is concerned with death or dieing. The poem in the back was especially helpful to me after a close friend passed away.

This easy to read short work on the experience of a middle age woman dying prematurely of cancer and those closest to her, is done with such sincerity that it allows the reader to feel all of the emotions of those invloved in the dying process. Author, Judy Underwood (PhD), provides guidance to the reader through her experiences assisting one of her clients through the often times bewildering responsibilities involved as one approaces the end of life. While I had already made some preparations for my own eventual death (will, living will, services, remains), this informative book reinforced many of my beliefs involving dying, but it also elicited the need for me to re-evaluate how some things should be better handled. I urge all to take the one or two evenings it takes to read this well organized book on a most important subject that all too many of us try to ignore.

If you only have time or energy to read one book on the dying process, choose "Dying" by Dr. Judy Underwood. She has written a masterfully clear and compassionate story about her own personal experience in helping a friend through her final illness. The story illustrates the difficult and rewarding process of being there for someone in their ultimate time of need. It parallels my own experiences with the deaths of my parents, a close friend, and finally my daughter at age 21. As much as you give to the dying person, they will give you so much more. You will come away with wisdom, humility, compassion and joy to fill your days, however many there may be. This book is a gentle guide to the facts and choices that arise during the death process. It raises your awareness of what will come and helps you capture the positive moments of life with your loved ones before those moments are gone forever. It is heartfelt, practical, and free of any religious agenda.
As a personal note, I met Judy Underwood on an airplane when she was editing proofs of this book, and I was travelling to see my father 3 months before his death. I couldn't help noticing the title of these pages in her lap and the connection with my recent life experiences. It turned out that we both had migrated to Colorado from our childhoods in New Jersey. Serendipity strikes again!

This book is a perfectly natural, honest and compassionate telling of the path leading to a peaceful death. It details the loving effort of discovery that was required to make it so and shares the learnings so we all can benefit. The book is encouraging and wise, not just in revealing steps and stages, tools and resources, and tips for comfort. It frankly discusses the importance of having open and direct discussions about one's death, and how to close one's life to our own satisfaction. I believe we are more likely to have the experience we want if we and those closest to us know what to ask for. Most of us need help to do that-- this book helps. I plan to send a copy of this easy-to-read book both up and down the generations in my family, and to take it to heart myself. Thank you, Dr. Judy Underwood, for telling this important story.

I thought this was an excellent book. I bought it to help provide some guidance while training my young horse, and it not only gave me a nice guideline of what-to-train-when, but also made dressage much more understandable.

This book focuses on the German dressage training scale. The author explains the steps in training the horse, dividing it into stages (i.e. stage one you focus on A, B, and C elements, stage two you begin developing D and E). He gives some guidelines as to what your horse should be able to do before you push him for more. He then devotes a chapter to each element needed in dressage, in the order it should be developed in the horse (relaxation, regularity, freedom, contact, on the aids...). He finishes with a few miscellaneous chapters on the flying change, transitions, the inclined arena (great for eventers), Prix St. James test, and lateral movements.

This book mainly aims to discuss the development of the young horse, providing a correct foundation for all further work, including eventing and show jumping. It provides more detail about the early years of training, rather than say, development of the piaffe, passage, extensions, etc.

I would recommend this to all dressage riders (especially those just starting out or at the lower levels), to those people interested in putting a good foundation on a young horse (this applies to ALL disciplines!), or to those that just want a better understanding of how to ride a horse correctly. This book has great clarity, is an easy read, I even recommended it to my youngest sister (she's 12).

Don't get me wrong, this is not a book for novices just learning to post. You do need a basic understanding of riding. He's not going to explain how to ask your horse to shoulder-in or get on the bit. I read this with a good working knowledge of dressage. This just put everything into a clear format and made dressage, for once, seem simple to understand (even if its very difficult to perform!)

Very helpful, great ideas on horsemanship and training. A must read for anyone serious about correct, empathetic horsemanship.

This is a book that should be mandatory reading for all aspiring Dressage riders, as well as those who train and start youngsters! This book provides detailed descriptions as well as a thoughtfully laid out format. Kurd follows the German training tree - with one exception that makes sense and gets results quicker! Read the book to find out what it is!

This is a book that should be in every Dressage enthusiast's library! A clearly written, valuable book for any rider, especially at the lower levels of dressage, with a horse of any age.

I am very enthusiastic about "The Elements of Dressage: A Guide to Training the Young Horse" and will be recommending it to my friends and students.

The author's instructions are written clearly and are plentifully illustrated with diagrams and photos.

As well as dressage riders, Western Pleasure and Western Horsemanship riders will find this book to be amazingly applicable to their favorite events. All riders will find that this book is both a wholistic and a specific guide to good horsemanship.