Non-fiction Books

My daughter is over thirty years old. But when she got "Peter's Chair" at 18 months, she asked that it be read to her - over and over - so much that she could open the book, turn the pages, and "read" it to herself. She did it almost verbatim except came up with the word "crocogator" when she saw Peter's favorite play animal. The story is about Peter's acceptance of the fact that his new sister was with the family to stay. Ezra Jack Keats's books are all good, but this is my favorite to give to any child who has a new sibling.

One of my favorite author...love all of Keats books. Great for children who have a new sibling in the home.

I don't know what ken32 is talking about but Peter's Chair has nothing to do with gender difference. It is about a boy, Peter, who is disgruntled at the change that is occuring around the house for his new baby sister Susie. Peter sees that his baby items are being painted over in pink, which is the color that will identify if the baby is going to be a girl. Babies don't care what color their furniture is.
But Peter feeling that everything he has is going to be given to his sister, takes his childhood chair and runs away from home. But he realizes that he isn't a little boy anymore. He is a boy but not a baby. He has to accept change in the household when a sibling is born. Peter is not seen as a spoiled brat. He just doesn't want to have to give in to Susie. Peter learns a valuable lesson and is willing to help his family any way he can.
Ezra Jack Keats, rest in peace, is a good storyteller. His stories are centered around the urban areas. He doesn't paint a negative view of the city. He rather illustrates it as a community of supporting and close-knit citizens. His books dispel the media misconception of the dying city.

This story is about Peter who has a new baby sister. He is very jealous and doesn't want to share his things. Peter finally gives her his old chair that is too small for him. We liked this story because Peter learns to be a good big brother. You should read this story because the pictures are really nice.

This is a wonderful story with delightful illustrations about a young boy who is feeling displaced because he has a baby sister on the way. He is upset to see his old layette painted pink for baby Susie and his infant toys passed down to her.

The one thing that has escaped the fate of the pink paint is his old toddler chair. Peter stashes his chair away and later sets up a clever trap to fool everyone into thinking he is hiding behind the curtains. Peter tries to reclaim his old seat, but he has long outgrown it.

Sadder, but wiser, he accepts his new sister and even gives her a prized gift. This is a wonderful classic!

This is a primary book set in pre-1900s Connecticut. The lovely little story could prompt discussion about holiday traditions and life on the farm in the US. The illustrations provide an amusing and exciting crescendo. The teacher may want to use this book around Halloween as a seasonal story about scaring people, which is not a scary book at all. The book could prompt talk about what life in the US was like during earlier periods: When did this story take place? How can you tell? How was Halloween different then?

First published in 1937, Tasha Tudor's "Pumpkin Moonshine" still has a timeless innocence and appeal. It is a delightfully simple story of a little girl on a farm who picks a pumpkin and rolls it downhill to where she can make it into a jack-o-lantern (or a "moonshine," as they apparently called them in New England, way back when...) A simple story made magical with clean storytelling and wonderful art. (ReadThatAgain)

If you've never carved a "Pumpkin Moonshine" you've missed a wonderful part of Halloween. As a little girl, Tasha Tudors delightful story was a favorite of mine. My children grew up carving pumpkins, not into jack-o-lanterns, but into Pumpkin Moonshines. The "grands" now enjoy grandmothers love for the season and the wonderful "Pumpkin Moonshine" with the re-release of this beautiful little book to be loved by all.

Through the years I have purchased many Tasha Tudor books for family and friends; all have deserved a FIVE STAR rating as far as I am concerned. Her delightful illustrations have been outstanding and reflect the story content almost "word-for-word".
She is a MUST on our book shelf!

My mother read this book to me as a child. It was out of print for a while, but this new printing is excellent. The illustrations (same as orginal version) are superb and the text is quaint but clever enough to keep the attention of small kids or new readers. Highly recommended for Halloween or year round.

There must be a reason why Beverly Connor's mysteries starring Lindsey Chamberlain are not as well known as Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta mysteries, but I'll be darned if I can figure it out. They are fantastic reads! I've read all five in the series -- bought two and borrowed three from the library -- and know I must buy the ones I don't have, so I can have the pleasure of re-reading them.

Questionable Remains is my favorite of the series, since it seamlessly blends a modern mystery with one hundreds of years old. The details are fascinating, and Lindsey Chamberlain is a protagonist to celebrate -- she's smart, resourceful, doesn't take any guff from anyone, yet she's not SuperWoman or perpetually angry, like the aforementioned Kay Scarpetta, whom I have grown to dislike intensely.

My only complaint would be that Ms. Connor cannot possibly write as fast as I can read. Next book, please!!

This is the best of the three Connor/Chamberlain books I've read. It is a pleasurable tour-de-force of multiple story lines always clearly related to the main mystery (ah, but which one is that?). There's harassment against expert witness Chamberlain in one murder case, archaeological digs finding inappropriate bodies, Chamberlain's lightly treated forensic investigations of discovered bones and teeth, a terrifying spelunking adventure after uncovery of more suspicious skeletons, and what seem incidental accusations of financial hanky-panky. Finally, an anthropological story of ancient Spanish perfidy among Georgia and Tennessee Indians is a wonderfully oblique commentary on the other mysteries and worth reading alone. Connor keeps all these threads intertwining to press the story(s) forward and drop clues along the way. The forensics, archaeology, and history are convincingly authentic. Her writing is marred only by wooden romantic interest, some bland subsidiary characters (including the villains), and a final outrageous coincidence to wrap up the hunt.

This is a terrific mystery series. Beverly Connors weaves tales from the present and the distant past together to create an exciting novel. You'll love Lindsay Chamberlain, she is an ambitious, smart woman with an uncanny ability to read a murder scene-even one centuries old. You will not be disappointed in any of the books in this series.

Athens, Georgia author Connor serves up another gripping tale in the second installment of the Lindsay Chamberlain mystery series. Still nursing an emotional scar or two following the events in A Rumor of Bone, Lindsay, a top forensic archaeologist, is asked to investigate the mysterious deaths of three adventurous cavers whose skeletal remains are found deep in the bowels of a Tennessee cave called, appropriately enough, Hell's Slide. How Lindsay is offered the mystery is in itself a fascinating story that presents a story within the story, that of a centuries-dead conquistador who aids the area Native Americans in a vendetta against their pillaging, gold-greedy enemies.

Lindsay's keen eye for finding the truth among the bones correctly identifies the late Spaniard, though her investigation into the deaths of the cavers proves to be more dangerous.

I became acquainted with Beverly Connor when I lived in Athens and can vouch for the quality of suspense and writing. A great lady, and a great writer.

This second installment of Beverly Connor's Lindsay Chamberlain series is better than the first. The author used a lot of very intricate plotting, but with a very smooth flow within the story. I loved the way Ms. Connor weaves all the "small" details into the big picture. She shows us that if you just look at one or two details, you will miss the whole story. In this story, the author uses all these seemingly unrelated events to put together a wonderful story. Of what life was like when the Spanish was discovering this country. And what greed will do to people both past and present. This is a wonderful series, it has good character development and plots. I have still to get the murderer right! Even the past plot line fools me. I thought I had at least that one figured out. Once again, Ms. Connor tricks the reader into thinking things are as they seem. Again, I recommend this book to you. If you like a bit of history mixed into your mysteries, all the better. You don't have to be a history buff though to enjoy this excellent series.

I cannot say enough about Dorothy Dunnett's Series, THEY LYMOND CHRONICLES AND this one from the series THE HOUSE OF NOCCLO. All the books are great reads and I truly loved this one. I am on THE UNICORN HUNT, now and am enjoying it just as much. I will keep reading until I have finished all her books and then find some other good authors. These are filled with terrific characters that just grab you as well as lots of information from history that I am drinking in.

niccolo continues to learn how to use his power, and how to mittigate its impact, as he searches for meaning and love and fun

Ah, the frustrating pleasure of reading a Dorothy Dunnett novel :-) Her writing is dense, her plots are complex, and her characters (especially the male ones, which IMO are infinitely easier to like than the female ones) are nothing short of psychological studies. Often, while reading this book, I felt like I was way in over my head. And yet, I kept going, and the reward of Dunnett's writing, and her story, are well worth the effort, in my view.

In this third part of the eight-part Niccolo series, Nicholas is kidnapped and taken to Cyprus to fight with King James for control of the island, against his legitimate half-sister Carlotta. We meet the engaging courtesan Primaflora, who becomes Nicholas's mistress. We also see some old friends, such as Tobias the physician and Captain Astorre and the faithful Loppe. We meet Nicholas's cousin Diniz, and are reacquainted with the vengeful Katelina van Borselen.

But the vortex, as always, is the dynamic, ingenius, amazing Nicholas vander Poele. In this chapter of the story, we see how Nicholas deals with the stress of so many demands. We see how he deals with the love of two women whom he does not love in return, and the guilt associated with that. We follow him as he tries to play two sides (and sometimes more) of a dangerous game, all so that he can come out the winner. Nicholas is difficult to understand, but fascinating to read about. And in Race of Scorpions, Dunnett ensures that readers will not fail to follow him into his next adventure.

On this, the third chapter in the Niccolo series, we fin Nicholas has been "kidnapped" by the 'presumptuous' King of Cyprus who is actually trying to recover his kingdom from his sister.

Nicholas is able to help the king and at the same time obtain franchises in his dye works and sugar fields. He meets with Katelina, the mother of his only child, only to lose her once more after they reconcile. Finally, once the island is secure to King Zacco, Nicholas is allowed to return to Venice, where he faces once more his rival family, the de St Pol and Riberac.

In this chapter of the story the author makes great use of description in her scenes and they are so vivid! the characters, the settings everything is so masterfully blended with reality and fiction.

I loved this book and I have already started the fourth chapter. Good!

This is the third book in the House of Niccolo series. We join Nicholas as he is trying to move to a new stage of his life after the tumultuous events of Trebizond. Alas, Nicholas and his skills are too well known and he is being courted by many while still being hunted by his enemies.

During this particular journey, Nicholas becomes involved in the battle for Cyprus between the Lusignan 'Scorpions' Carlotta and James. At the same time, Nicholas becomes involved in all manner of affairs and events and also discovers some truths along the way.

Highly recommended. Lady Dunnett brings the history of this period alive while at the same time continuing to develop an enigmatic hero whose skills and abilities (and possibly an occasional flaw) are magnificently showcased.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I've ready this book about 6 times for the past 10 years and it always delights. It didn't hit me, until I started studying ancient Rome that it is the very story of Caesar and Cleopatra, but set in Wall Street, New York (as powerful as ancient Rome!) The story begins identical to the first meeting of Caesar and Cleopatra...just as Cleopatra was brought to Caesar rolled in a carpet and carried by her faithful servant...so is Diana Slade brought to Paul Van Zale concealed in a cart and rolled in by her trusty Geoffry. Paul's wife is barren, just as history says that Caesar's wife Calpurnia was barren. Guess what else? Paul has epilepsy - who else can you think of that historians believe ALSO had epilepsy? Paul's right-hand man Steve is described exactly as Marc Antony...burly, surly and with dynamic charm - guess what? Diana and Steve find an even greater love than Diana and Caesar...oops I mean Paul Van Zale...Paul is assasinated by the son of his ex-mistress (If you know your history...you know that Brutus is the son of Caesar's ex-mistress Servilia...) Paul leaves his fortune to his cunning, clever, sickly nephew Cornelius. Who also mirrors Octavian (Augustus Caesar in later years) Octavian becomes Diana's bitter enemy and vows to take from her the one thing that she holds most dear...Mallingham her ancestral home... Just as Octavian vowed to take Egypt from Cleopatra. Steve is hounded by Cornelius much as Antony was hounded by Octavian and finally dies a virtual suicidal death...When Cornelius tries to take Diana back to New York (mmmh, seems to me that Octavian wanted to bring Cleo to Rome...) Diana gets the last laugh. Paul's son also dies in his early years just as Caesarian did...I can go on and on, but you get the picture. In my youth, I considered this a truly original masterpiece...but I now know that the entire story is the most famous in history and that it did not come from Ms. Howatch's incredibly imaginitive mind. It does not mean this book isn't worth reading...It Is!! We'll just have to forgive her for borrowing from history. I have ready many of her books and they are all wonderful. I usually read them many times.

Howatch puzzles me, her novels look like run of the mill pulp fiction best sellers to judge by the covers but once you start to read them you discover a formidable intelligance. Why doesn't this author have the reputation her skills entitle her to, she is easly up there with Drabble, Murdoch and other Doyens of the British novel.

This book was recommended to me by a friend. It took me a while to actually pick it up and start reading it, but three pages in, I knew I was hooked.

Other reviews mention that this book is a modern re-telling of the story of Cleopatra's affairs with Caesar and Antony, so I won't go into that too much here, except to add that it's a neat conceit, and Howatch works these plot details into the novel flawlessly. There were several moments when I smiled or chuckled to myself when I noticed something I remembered from I, Claudius or The Lives of the Caesars.

However, even if you don't know or don't care about ancient history, this is a gripping, surprisingly fast-paced, incredibly well-written novel. Dinah Slade is a fascinating woman in her own right, rather than a mere shadow of one of history's most infamous characters. Ditto Paul Van Zale, Steve Sullivan, and Cornelius, all of whom leap off the page and seem right at home in the America and England of the early 20th century. The men and women who populate the world of the novel are driven by the same things that drive us: greed, pride, love, lust, ambition, the need for security, and the hope of a better life for their children.

To me, the most fascinating aspect of the book, and the one that might have been the easiest thing for Howatch to mess up, is the fact that the story is divided into six sections, each narrated by a different character (Dinah Slade gets two.) The varying personalities all come to life, giving us sometimes overlapping accounts of the plot line, all of which add up to one heck of a great story.

I just read that the saga continues in The Sins of the Fathers, which I'm going to purchase right now.

I've ready this book about 6 times for the past 10 years and it always delights. It didn't hit me, until I started studying ancient Rome that it is the very story of Caesar and Cleopatra, but set in Wall Street, New York (as powerful as ancient Rome!) The story begins identical to the first meeting of Caesar and Cleopatra...just as Cleopatra was brought to Caesar rolled in a carpet and carried by her faithful servant...so is Diana Slade brought to Paul Van Zale concealed in a cart and rolled in by her trusty Geoffry. Paul's wife is barren, just as history says that Caesar's wife Calpurnia was barren. Guess what else? Paul has epilepsy - who else can you think of that historians believe ALSO had epilepsy? Paul's right-hand man Steve is described exactly as Marc Antony...burly, surly and with dynamic charm - guess what? Diana and Steve find an even greater love than Diana and Caesar...oops I mean Paul Van Zale...Paul is assasinated by the son of his ex-mistress (If you know your history...you know that Brutus is the son of Caesar's ex-mistress Servilia...) Paul leaves his fortune to his cunning, clever, sickly nephew Cornelius. Who also mirrors Octavian (Augustus Caesar in later years) Octavian becomes Diana's bitter enemy and vows to take from her the one thing that she holds most dear...Mallingham her ancestral home... Just as Octavian vowed to take Egypt from Cleopatra. Steve is hounded by Cornelius much as Antony was hounded by Octavian and finally dies a virtual suicidal death...When Cornelius tries to take Diana back to New York (mmmh, seems to me that Octavian wanted to bring Cleo to Rome...) Diana gets the last laugh. Paul's son also dies in his early years just as Caesarian did. Paul's only daughter Vicky married Paul's enemy just as Caesar married his daughter to Pompei...and Guess what? She dies during her pregnancy just as Julia did! I can go on and on, but you get the picture. In my youth, I considered this a truly original masterpiece...but I now know that the entire story is the most famous in history and that it did not come from Ms. Howatch's incredibly imaginitive mind. It does not mean this book isn't worth reading...It Is!! We'll just have to forgive her for borrowing from history. I have ready many of her books and they are all wonderful. I usually read them many times.

I read this book in 1977 & still remember it as a great book. It is quite long, 658 pages but it is very hard to put down. It is intertaining & interesting. I know I will be reading it over & over again.

I got one of the books from an old stack when we were cleaning out my grandmothers house and have been searching for the rest of the books online. I have not been dissapointed! Everyone is as good as the last. These are books I read over and over again and still feel the anticipation and tension between the characters every time.

The sad part is that without a current publisher Simmons will never be able to publish Reynold & Nicolas' stories.

I hold out hope that someday the right person will want these published and will have the power to do something about it.

I am a great fan of Deborah Simmons and have read almost all of her books. I have read all of the currently written books on the de Burgh males. I really liked that the young lady in this book gave as best as she got. I recommend this book as it is a great read.

This is the 3rd book in the de Burgh brother series following "Taming the Wolf" and "The de Burgh Bride." The book was very entertaining and it was great to see serious warrior Simon rubbing his chest and suffering from lovesickness!! Bethia was a great heroine - tough and strong when she needed to be, but also compassionate and caring. Ms. Simmons does a great job at interjecting just enough humor so that we see Simon as man with feelings and not just as a knight who barks commands and expects to be obeyed. The only complaint I have is that the rest of the de Burgh brothers didn't appear until so late in the story!! I hope the next book (maybe Robin's story?) brings up to date on not only Simon & Bethia, but also Dunstan & Marion and Geoff & Elene. But what ever brother is up next - I'll be sure to read all about him!!

This is the 3rd in the series of the deBurgh brothers and although, Geoffrey may always be my favorite (next to his father of course) the tale of the rough, gruff and total warrior Simon being felled at last by his Maiden - Warrior - Lover was a delight to read from the first to the very last page. Not only was it a delight to see Simon brought to his knees but it was probably the most humourous of this series so far. Okay, Ms. Simmons - I am definitely hooked - bring on the rest. Outstanding story - deserves all of these 5 staars and more!

Now, I am a great fan of Deborah Simmons and I have to say that Robber Bride was great. I enjoyed it immensley. I have kept up with Deborah's writing since first book and to this day my favorite is "Silen Heart." I have to tell anyone that if you wish to read a good romance, start with Deborah Simmons. You won't be able to put the book down. She is a icon of our time and I am glad she is here to entertain all us ladies who have dreamed of Knights in Shining Armour and their lady loves.

The Romance Of Atlantis is a really good book, i love reading stories of mythical places. This book made me become an Atlantis fannatic. I give it the highest rating.You should read it!

I read this book so many years ago (I'm 46) and yet I've never forgotten it! I just told my daughter who is an avid reader, about this remarkable book and the remarkable woman who wrote it and my 8 year old daughter now wants to read it, too!
I can't believe the price at [$$$]! Doesn't that tell you something? Please get this book BACK IN PRINT. So many would value from its entrancing images, telling words.

If you've ever read any of Taylor Caldwell's works, you have likely recognized pure genius. But this book takes the cake. She wrote The Romance of Atlantis at the age of twelve, yet it is amazing in its intuitive sence of a world unimaginable to a child in the early 1910's. Perhaps Caldwell really did live in Atlantis at one time...

This is a romance novel, but with a political intrigue element that will keep male and female interested indeed. The incredible thing about this novel, is that Taylor Caldwell wrote this when she was 12! The book is an entertaining twist of maybe accidential cold war history back in the time of Atlantis. Weapon system disarment, overtaxation and a decadent and lazy culture are all discussed against a young and cold weathered enemy. Sound familiar. This should be published agAIN, JUST BECAUSE IT IS GOOD.

A glimpse of the enchanting and sought after Atlantis. Atlantis comes alive with the complex charachter portrayals and detailed descriptions of a Fantastic world. Experience the mundane and the thrills of what it FEELS like.to be Atalantian. Discover What happened! Brilliant, and as always, applicable to our lives today The miracle is that Ms Caldwell wrote this book when she was only in the eighth grade. No one commands English vocabulary quite like Taylor Caldwell. If you have ever had an inkling of Curiosity about Atlantis this is a Must read!!! You do not want to miss this one!!

Cantrip is missing! Having been seconded to assist with the mysterious Daffodil settlement in the Tax Haven of the Channel Islands, he disappears, and there seem to be bodies all over the place, bodies and unlimited suspects who might well have been involved in murdering them - or then again might not. Even murder isn't necessarily on the cards here. Really, it is up to Professor Hilary Tamar to sort things out and find the culprits, and find Cantrip at the same time.

A while ago we were discussion (on a Jane Austen list) the art of the epistolary form of the novel - and perhaps this is the original idea behind Caudwell's form of mysteries - they are very reliant on letter writing. While the first mystery featured letters by Julia from Venice (Thus was Adonis murdered), and the second Serena from Corfu (The Shortest Way to Hades), this has Young barrister, Michael Cantrip, writing from..... well.... all over France - and using the handy mechanism of the Telex machine to send his messages back to the members of the nursery at 62 New Square (and the occassional less than flattering note to their Clerk, Henry).

A very funny, bouynat mystery with the usual Caudwell twist at the end - I guess the unexpected seems to occur every few pages really - The only thing I would mention is that I didn't feel like all the clues were quite at my grasp as they might have been - however, I didn't mind, it was such a rollicking good fun ride. Sometimes I wonder if I read these as mysteries or comedies - they are lovely as both. .

After the relatively disappointing second book in the series (The Shortest Way to Hades) I was enraptured to find The Sirens Sang of Murder on a par with the first Sarah Caudwell, the one that made me sing hosannas and rush out to buy everything she had written. One of the strengths and pleasures of Sirens, as with Thus Was Adonis Murdered, is that a large part of it takes the form of an epistolary novel, in this case through telexes in the hilarious voice of Cantrip. Surely Caudwell is a fan of P.G. Wodehouse, since the hapless Cantrip reminds me irresistibly of clueless Bertie Wooster, even down to his malapropisms and his dotty uncle (reminiscent of Uncle Fred). Having so many adventures related through his harried, well-intentioned, quirky voice ("pottle" is one of his favorite verbs) makes everything that much livelier. Another clever, enjoyable device is the use of hackneyed romance-novel cliches, which circulate due to Cantrip and Julia's collaboration on a would-be bestseller. Added to this heady mixture is the faintly dangerous, sexy whiff of witch lore and the supernatural.

If you enjoyed Thus Was Adonis Murdered, don't hesitate to heed the Sirens' seductive cry.

This is the third of Sarah Caudwell's sublimely funny murder mysteries narrated by Hilary Tamar, professor of legal history at Oxford, and featuring her young barrister friends. All four of these books are hilarious, and this is the funniest of the lot. Not many books in my life have made me cry with laughter, but this one reduced me to tears on several occasions. The adventures of young Michael Cantrip (educationaly disadvantaged, poor boy, he went to Cambridge)in the Channel Islands and in France and Monaco are full of wildly funny incidents. The poor boy has to suffer spending five hours shut in the boot of a car, being locked in a wine celler by a dotty waiter etc, meanwhile back in london his colleagues are having to cope with his barmy uncle. The plot is amazingly convoluted, and like all the books you may find yourself getting a bit lost in the complexity of the financial details, but who cares. Just enjoy the ingenious story, the wonderful characters, the witty dialogue, and Sarah Caudwell'smarvellous style. What a tragedy that there are only four of these marvellous books.

I was delighted with Cauldwell's third book in her too-short series. Much maligned Cantrip always makes me laugh, and you get plenty of him in this book.

The humor is elaborate and depends on convoluted witticisms couched in a pastiche of eighteenth century prose, alternating with sharp observations of contemporary British life and amazingly effective slapstick. This sort of thing has to be done superbly well or it falls flat. This is done superbly well. The plot seems completely fantastic until the murderer is revealed and you realise you should have thought of that person all along. The same setting as the other Caudwells - the London singles bar scene.

In the little town of Wootton Major, they have a wonderful tradition where a special cake is baked every twenty four years, and eaten by twenty four good children. But, when a magical Faery star is slipped into this year's cake, it is eaten by the local smith's son. And so the life of the younger smith is changed beyond anyone's imagination - he is marked by beauty of face and voice, and (unbeknownst to anyone) he can even visit the land of Faery whenever he likes. It is a life of magic and giving.

I have long been familiar with J.R.R. Tolkein's famous books - The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings - but, this cute little book shows that just about everything that he put his hand to he did beautifully! This is a most wonderful little book, one that is sure to charm anyone who believes in beauty and wonder...and maybe hopes just a little that that land of Faery is a real place after all!

I read this book, Smith if Wooten Major, quite a while ago, but i still remember a lot about it. It was a very good book, but some parts did not seem clear to me.
It is about a baker who puts a star in a cake. And when a child eats it that star appears on his forehead. Then they enter another world when they desire to. This tells sbout one person who gets the star and then who has to let it go so someone else can get it.
Right now it is the only J.R.R. Tolkien book i have read, but i am eager to read his book the Hobbit and the Lord of the Ring Trilogy and i will do so soon.

This new extended edition, edited by the estimable Verlyn Flieger, is a must-have for students and admirers of Tolkien. Of course, most of you will already have Smith of Wootton Major on your bookshelves, either in its own volume or in one of the several collections in which it has been reprinted -- so why get another copy?

Because Verlyn Flieger has included several additional (and essential) pieces to the Smith puzzle that have never been available before. These include: Flieger's introduction and afterword on Smith; Tolkien's Note to Clyde Kilby on the Genesis of Smith; his draft preface to a proposed new edition of George MacDonald's The Golden Key, from which kindling the story of Smith was struck -- though the preface was abandoned and the edition of The Golden Key never published; a long essay by Tolkien on the internals of Smith; a timetable and cast of characters with never-before-published details; and most interestingly, the entire draft of Smith, in both typescript and manuscript, reproduced in facsimile.

This is invaluable material for anybody interested in the development and meaning of Smith of Wootton Major. Prior to this edition, Verlyn Flieger quoted from some of these unpublished pieces in her 1997 volume A Question of Time: J.R.R. Tolkien's Road to Faërie, and even Tom Shippey (in The Road to Middle-earth) acknowledged the advantage she had in having seen this material. Now, it's available to all of us.

My one complaint about the book is that it is poorly produced (by HarperCollins, Tolkien's British publisher). The production quality -- and sadly, this is typical of British-made books of the past several decades -- is rather low. The spine is glued, rather than sewn, and it creaks and cracks, threatening to break any time the book is opened. The paper is like stiff newsprint and has a tendency to smudge. Terrible. But unfortunately, this volume has not been printed in the U.S., and the content is important enough to overcome the lackluster production quality.

J.R.R. Tolkien's short work, "Smith of Wooten Major," which he wrote late in life, has already appeared in several fine editions, both by itself and in combination with other pieces by Tolkien, and most of us Tolkien enthusiasts already have it on our shelves. So why another one now, and why should we buy it? There are several compelling things about this book that make it highly attractive to those seeking a deeper understanding of Tolkien as a writer and thinker, and I'll only mention four here. First, this extended edition includes an important never-before-published essay by Tolkien on the story and on Tolkien's views of the nature of Faery, of its importance to him, of faery tales, and of the role of allegory in stories of this kind. It is a fascinating piece that provides new insight into Tolkien's thought as an artist trying to capture glimpses of Faery in his writing. The essay is in some ways an echoing companion piece for his famous earlier essay "On Fairy Stories," in which, among other things, Tolkien outlines his theory of sub-creation that he executed so successfully in "The Lord of the Rings." Second, the book contains never-before-published early notes and draft manuscripts for Smith, several pages of which are reproduced in the book itself in their original hand-written form with helpful transcriptions on the opposite page. These papers not only show Tolkien actively creating and revising his story and the history of its characters, but they also show Tolkien's working methods as a writer and so demonstrate, in a microcosm, the methods he used on such a large scale for "The Lord of the Rings." Third, Flieger's editorial contributions are very helpful. She provides an afterword that discusses the critical treatement of Smith, its genesis as a story, and outlines the new material which, as she says, allow the reader to follow "the authorial progression from explanation to inspiration to formulation to painstaking revision." Flieger's notes are also very helpful, for she points us to relevant matters in Tolkien's other works and illuminates puzzling aspects of Smith. And fourth, this is perhaps the first edition of Smith that takes Tolkien's statements that it is not a children's story seriously. He called Smith "an old man's book, already weighted with the presage of bereavement." Previous editions of Smith have ignored this statement and dressed the tale up as a children's book, presumably based on the unquestioned assumption (which Tolkien questioned very sharply in "On Fairy Stories") that because this is a faery tale, and because it is short, it must be for children. This edition honors Tolkien's view not only of Smith but of the importance of Faery and faery stories in general by beautifully reproducing the tale and the lovely Pauline Baynes illustrations, which were made for the first edition, and by setting them within a handsome hardcover text that Tolkien readers will prize very highly. This is a must have.

People who know anything about the mind of J.R.R. Tolkien know that he disliked allegory. That makes "Smith of Wootton Major" a bit of an oddity among his writings, but not an unwelcome one. It's a sweetly fantastical little fable that drips over with Tolkien's love of real, deep fairy tales.

It takes place in a little town "not very long ago for those with long memories, not very far away fro those with long legs." The Master Cook of that village takes a vacation, and returns with an apprentice in tow. But something odd happens at the Feast of the Cake -- the cook stirs in a "fay-star" with little trinkets in the cake, and it's accidently swallowed by a boy there.

The boy (later called Smith) is changed by the fay-star, which sparkles on his forehead. When he grows up Smith ventures into Faery itself, and even meets the Faery Queen herself. The message she gives him is for her mysterious, missing husband, the King -- who turns out to be the last person anybody in Wootton Major would have expected.

"Smith" is a fairy tale in the best sense. Don't expect cackling witches or convenient loopholes in spells here; Tolkien was too skilled for that. Instead we have majestic fey and sparkling magic, woven with a tidy medieval town. (Not to mention the custom of naming people after their jobs -- Smith, a smith, capisce?) Never once does it become precious or cutesy.

It's among Tolkien's simpler writings. In fact, it's so simple that it barely has a plot -- the vanishing King is the closest thing it has. But Tolkien's writing sparkles with little details of the fey, with only a minimum of description. His glimpses of Faerieland are too brief, but they're also reminiscent of a few passages from "Lord of the Rings."

A sweet, fantastical little story, this is one of Tolkien's lesser-known but still deserving stories. Charmingly symbolic.

"Snappy Little Halloween" is a pop-up book featuring assorted Halloween characters (witches, ghosts, mummies etc).

The illustrations are incredible. The children love to see the scary creatures spring out. Each page contains a short verse on a character.

"Halloween's a time for spells. This witch makes strange things grow.
But - oops! - she's made her nose too long - OH! OH! OH!"

I wasn't happy with the verses. I felt that the author wasn't making a genuine effort to describe these characters. In particular, there is a suit of arms, yet young children (two's and three's) who may not have ever seen one, wouldn't know what the characters name was because it is not mentioned. The same can be said for Frankenstein.

This is another great book in the Snappy series. The pop-ups are big, colorful, and amusing. My 13 month old daughter loves it and we do too.

When I first saw the book, I thought the mummies,witches and monsters might scare my 2 year old daughter. I was so wrong. She loved the rhyming, repetative words at the end of each page. "Halloween's a time for spells, this witch makes strange things grow. But OOPS she's made her nose too long, OH OH OH!" Long after Halloween was over (much to mom's chagrin) we still want the Halloween book. And she could recite it word for word to me, without my prompting her. She would bring it out at times other than bedtime and want to read it to me- or vice versa. The pop -ups were colorful and animated. I would recommend the Snappy series to all moms of toddlers. We had the Christmas and Snowtime versions last Christmas ( my daughter was 18 months) she would sit for half an hour as long as someone read them to her over and over. A great way to introduce kids to reading!

Everything in the previous reviews is absolutely on the mark! An additional joy to this book for my 4-year-old is the way in which many of the pages can be made to "perform" -- the skeleton dances, the haunted suit of armor can "clank" up and down, etc. My son is a great fan of puppetry (my girlfriend is a professional puppeteer, which helps), and this brings a little of a show into bedtime (or any time) reading. Several of his friends also have the book and love it!

These books are wonderful!.. I am a school teacher, specifically I teach French to the elementary level. The children love these books. I translate everything into French and it really helps the kids to remember their numbers, colors etc.
Thanks for such a wonderful teaching aid.