Non-fiction Books

This is a lesson on how construct a novel, how to lead the reader through it, and touch the reader with its story and its people. A superb work of art and craftmanship.

A few years have passed since I last read Trevor's novels and hardly could I remember how great he is and his fictions are. I have just finished reading this novel and have come to conclude that all of Trevor's novels should not be missed. Setting against the historical Anglo-Irish complex relationships, the novel tells a sorrowful and poignant love story that spans three generations. Trevor's use of language is subtle, delicate, and controlled and is a first-rate writing. The fact that I'm unfamiliar with the Anglo-Irish history might have undermined my appreciation and comprehension (in a certain way) of this novel, nonetheless, this is a great book and should be recommended to those who love reading.

William Trevor's "Fools of Fortune" is perfection incarnate with elegance, spare yet richly satisfying. A miniature history of the struggles in Ireland rendered on a personal scale.

What can I say? It's William Trevor's prose about love, politics and patriotism. I recommend this book to everyone with a heart beating in their chest. In comparison to his other novels, I find that this book captures the innocence of youth and the loss of innocence that war and times of trouble can bring.

Allright, I admit that as a Yank writer who has taught writing myself, I did at first find William Trevor's constant use of the passive voice somewhat disturbing! That was upon reading "Felicia's Journey," my first, unforgettable exposure to this genius. Since then, I have come to believe that one grand reason to remain alive is to read the rest of his novels: they are that brilliant and awe-inspiring. I do not believe that his 'Big House' novels, this one and "The Story of Lucy Gault," can be excelled for the strength of their immortal tragedy. His use of irony in human endeavor and fate creates masterpieces that illuminate man's virtue and folly as inseparable. Since the loss of Hubert Selby, Jr. last year, Trevor may very well stand alone now as the foremost tragedian in the Western world. Do read these two novels for the sense of finality, futility and hopelessness that Trevor is so masterful at extracting from the both the the barest and the most complicated lives, while spinning stories that carry more momentum than a beach-trash thriller.

Freddy is helping his old friend, Mr. Boomschmidt, with his circus. A mysterious plane has been dive bombing every performance and dropping sacks of flour. What can Freddy do to help? I love Mr. Brooks' writing style.

This Is WONDERFULLY FUNNY, AND WITTY!!!
it is one of the best ones i have ever read it is very smart to put robin hood in it and i love how freddy acts like Lorna Del Parda (Lorna The Lepoard Woman) and how there is Mrs. Wiggins acting like that phantom.
it is highly recomended as a book for all ages and you never get tired of it and the engoyable bean animals to the funny Mr. Boomshmidt are especially witty along with the ten horribles this is Wonderfully Boomshmidt.
Caleb A. Craig.

Freddy has been on crazy adventures but this time its the crazest one yet! Freddy's friend, Mr. Boomshimt is in a delemma and an quandary both. Mr. Condimment, a rich and determend man is after Rose the bareback ridder and there's no stopping him. He has someone divebomb the circus with flour bags and tries to buy the circus from Mr. Boom. He "pops the question" every week but Rose always says "No!" Can Freddy save Mr. Boom without gettong into a quandary too? This is a great book for all ages. Freddy took me some getting used to but he is now one of my favorite books and charatures.

A sweet, retrospectively innocent pre- 9 11 adventure about a pig zooming about in an aeroplane and saving people Pat Robertson would probably think should be deported to Venezuela.

It is only inevitable that the indefagatible Frederic Bean, bank manager, newspaper owner, detective, and overall pig extraordinaire should also become an ace barnstormer. How this comes to be is the subject of "Freddy the Pilot" a 1952 effort by Freddy's creator Walter R. Brooks. It all starts when Boomschmidt's Stupendous and Unexcelled Circus returns to Centerboro a bit early so that Mr. Boomschmidt can enlist Freddy's help in solving a dilemma the circus is in.

The star of the circus is the beautiful Mademoiselle Rosa, a bareback rider whose grace and ability are part of the Circus's special magic. Unfortunately, Watson P. Condiment, a very rich, but not particularly nice, comic book publisher has fallen in love with Rosa. Despite her refusal to encourage him, Condiment is fixated on his goal. So intent is he that he is more than willing to destroy the Circus entirely in order to propel Mademoiselle Rose into his arms.

The nefarious Mr. Condiment has tried many rotten tricks to close the Circus down, but the worst is having a plane dive bomb the Circus, blasting the audience with flour bag bombs. Mr. Boomschmidt keeps having to return the crowd's ticket money and is in great danger of going broke. Freddy summons his courage and decides to beard the mystery pilot in his den. Our pig shows up at the local air field and takes flying lessons. Soon he has his own plane and is preparing for his counter attack.

Freddy, assisted by his partner Mrs. Wiggins, a troop of Robin Hood-like skunks and the Horrible gang of scurrilous rabbits mount the effort designed to save the Circus and rescue Mademoiselle Rosa. The reader can count on a great deal of fun and excitement as one villain after another is rousted and sent on his way. The ingenious plot will even involve the U.S. Army and Uncle Ben's astonishing combination bomb sight and piggy bank.

Once again we are treated to a lovable adventure which teaches by example rather than lecture. The reader quickly finds out that courage, respect, and teamwork are the keys to success and happiness in Centerboro and the Bean Farm. Although late in the series, "Freddy the Pilot" can stand on its own without losing the reader. Kurt Wiese's original illustrations, always a treat, are exceptional in this volume, making it will worth its reasonable price.

The Joker is, and has always been, my favorite fictional character of all time. If you are a fan of the Killing Joke, and are a fan of the dark, psychotic portrayal of the Joker, then this book will definitely please you. I first read the book when I was in fourth grade. The story "On a Beautiful Summers day, he was" disturbed me then and still does now. It was the one story from this book that has stuck with me for all the years since I first read it (about 11 years ago). Check this book out; it's a real treat for Batman fans.

I find The Joker to be a fascinating fictional character, and this collection of short stories definitely manages (at least for the most part) to get at what I feel is the true character of The Clown Prince of Crime. This little overlooked book is probably the best portrayal of The Joker this side of Alan Moore's The Killing Joke.

The quality of the stories is uneven, ranging from brilliant to forgettable. Unfortunately, the very best stories are all weighted toward the first part of the book and sets you up thinking that ALL of the stories will be that good. My favorites are "The Man Who Laughs" and "On a Beautiful Summer's Day, He Was." The latter, while being the least "Joker"-y of the lot, is also the most disturbing. "On the Wire" is also excellent, and although "Jangletown" falls into the average group, it's memorable for its description of the Joker (which brought shadows of Grant Morrison's Arkham Asylum) and the hints at pederasty. Most of the others are average but still entertaining and full of dark, disturbing moments (Bruce Wayne's punchline in "Dying is Easy, Comedy is Hard," the opening of "Bone," and the patricide in "Best of All"). The only story I flat out didn't like was "The Joker's Christmas."

I thought it was an excellent decision to use horror writers for the most part to bring The Joker to life...I can't imagine a genre he more belongs at home in.

Do yourself a favor a grab a copy of this book. It's truly unsettling.

This book consists of several short stories, each written by a different author, and all of them about the Joker. The stories are too short for me to tell you much about them, and besides, part of what makes this book great is the different angles taken on the Joker. Each story focus on the Joker, but each shows a different part of the whole Joker.
I would recomend this to any Batman fan, any comic fan, or anyone looking for good short stories.

"Bone" by Will Murray is worth the price of the book alone. "Oh, I'm collecting kitties and puttin' 'em in bags," sings our emerald-topped antagonist. What he does with them is, well, horrific. Throw in F. Paul Wilson's "Definitive Therapy," a chilling look at The Joker through a psychiatrist's eyes, and Robert Sheckley's "Joker's War," with The Joker somehow caught up in the second World War, and you've got a must-read for fans of this mythos. The rest of the stories are hit and miss, but you won't care. This collection of stories will keep you up late.

To me, this book defines The Joker; A mean-spirited, incredibly intelligent, completely psychotic mass murderer with a way beyond warped sense of humor. I first read this book in High School. Once I picked it up, it was so amazing/disturbing I couldn't put it down until I'd read the whole thing. I wrote a paper on it that got me into AP English. Now 10+ years later, it was so good I'm searching for it again. This book is a KEEPER. Be careful who you loan it to, they might think so too.

The Gay Place is a winner in so many ways: an absorbing, deep novel, a historical novel about a key time in our history, an accurate an perceptive regional novel (about my home town, Austin!) and, the best novel on American, or maybe any, politics ever written. Billy Lee Brammer was a speech writer for Lyndon Johnson who was fascinated by the world where a sentence could start with high minded political goals and end in crude bullying. A world where bribery, humiliation and blackmail were tools of the trade, often for worthy purposes. A must-read American classic that grows in reputation as time passes.

Despite its age and it's fictional nature, The Gay Place is still the definitive book on Texas politics and Austin, and one of the top ten books on Texas overall. The charachiture of Lyndon Johnson is priceless.

This is a wonderful trilogy of novels on state politics. Though they seem disjointed, they are unified around the shadowy figure of the governor, who lurks in the background manipulating people and events down to the minutest detail. Thus, the immediate action taking place is a kind of epiphenomenon, all players that are living chess pieces in the governor's grand game, which is never fully explained: that is the real art of this novel, that it leaves far more unsaid than explicitely stated. The reader has to connect the dots.

In the first novel, the governor has chosen a young legislator for an unaccustomed role in the spotlight: his life, like those of his cohorts, is a mess of alcohol and libertinism, but he is also struggling with his conscience to do the right thing. There are so many layers to what was really happening that it is impossible to explain, because the reader can only suspect what the governor is doing. The governor mixes the most intimate personal machinations, it appeared to me, with a legislative purpose and to depose (even destroy) a potential rival. It reminds me, of course, of LBJ, a politician without equal. One of the really interesting aspects is that the author describes many people just like GW Bush: priviledged, brash, debauched, and inadvertantly wondering what they should be doing. If you read this, you will understand GW Bush and his milieu much better - that is a sign of the timelessness of Bramer's achievement, truly a masterpiece.

The second novel is similar: the governor's enemies are defeated, while he stages and manipulates events to suit whatever his purposes are. It is at times brutal and sad, yet funny and even uplifting, particularly in the scenes of introspection, when the characters have flashes of insight and empathy. The plot, which is only a vehicle to expose cryptic motvations, is the governor attempting to get an appointed young senator to run for a true popular mandate - he is a complex and flawed character, whom the governor sponsors out of respect but also to keep him in his pocket. It is splendidly ambiguous, as is all politics. The third involves similar personal struggles and an ineviablle passing of power, again, very realistic and down to earth. Marriages are destroyed, while politics plays in, and the characters wallow in existential angst while working very hard and yet hardly understanding why. It is a unique combination of themes, a genuine work of literature.

One thing that really fascinated me was how similar this is to a Gore Vidal novel, a kind of comedy of the priviledged who inadvertently do politics while living their complicated lives. The political action is entirely off stage, but solved in their everyday actions and affairs and drunken parties. I have no doubt that Vidal carefullly studied the literary method that Bramer pioneered here, which resulted in his truly fine series of novels on American politics. Finally, tt really is where Bush came from, a reflection on the depth of Bramer's art, almost prescient in its intelligence and lack of facile scrutiny.

Warmly recommended as great art and a unique view into politics.

Not just LBJ, this book is about politics and the ways of power. Very well written, insightful and lyric, it might be the best kept secret in political fiction. On a side note--man did people drink a lot then. Its amazing.

Anyone who loves writing and politics will enjoy this book.

In the 500 plus pages of this remarkable trilogy, Billy Lee Brammer does more to explicate and evaluate American politics, especially Texas politics and even more especially, populist politics as practiced by Lyndon B.Johnson, than all the ponderous Caro-type analyses that weigh us down blur the color and cloy the flavor. More than a portrait of LBJ, the book is an artful depiction of the lure of politics and its terrible cost on those who pursue it. All this is conveyed with humor, sympathy and a clear-eyed vision of the American scene of the 60's.

Montague Rhodes James (1862-1936), Vice-Chancellor at Cambridge, Director of the prestigious Fitzwilliam Museum, and later Provost of Eton, was possibly the world's greatest authority on medieval manuscripts. He is thought to have studied nearly twenty thousand documents. He also wrote ghost stories.

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary was published in a limited edition in 1904 and reprinted nine times in the next decade. He subsequently published three other collections - More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1911), A Thin Ghost and Others (1919), and A Warning to the Curious (1926). M. R. James greatly admired the supernatural fiction of J. Sheridan LeFanu and thought of himself as simply a follower in LeFanu's footsteps.

In the interesting introduction to this Dover edition E. F. Bleiler writes that the "evil that dieth not, but lieth in wait" is a common theme in these chilling stories. This evil that dieth not is best left undisturbed. The curious ones, those seekers of forgotten lore, often discover that knowledge comes at a high price. And the reader may find that sleep comes less easy.

I quite enjoyed this short collection and I am sure that it will appeal to any reader of Victorian ghost stories. A few may seem somewhat familiar as undoubtedly the tales of M. R. James have long served as a source of inspiration for later stories and screenplays.

The stories in this collection include Canon Alberic's Scrap-book, Lost Hearts, The Mezzotint, The Ash-tree, Number 13, Count Magnus, Oh Whistle and I'll Come to You My Lad, and The Treasure of Abbott Thomas.

The ghost stories of M.R. James (MRJ) are widely considered to be the best supernatural literature ever written. "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" was his first collection of short stories to be published (Arnold 1904) and is a fine introduction to this chilling, scholarly author.

However, you might want to spend a bit more money and buy the "The Penguin Complete Ghost Stories of M.R. James." If you completely succumb to the refined but potent horror of this author's writings, only "A Pleasing Terror" (Ash Tree Press 2001) will then do. This book contains all of MRJ's supernatural literature, including story fragments that were never completed, biographies, bibliographies, commentary, and his fantasy novelette, "The Five Jars."

"Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" consists of the following stories:

"Canon Alberic's Scrap-book"--The original title for this story was 'A Curious Book,' and it is one of 'the' classical MRJ invocations of a scholar who unwittingly opens the wrong book and pays horribly for his misadventure. This story and the following "Lost Hearts" were originally read aloud at an 1897 meeting of the Cambridge Chitchat Society, a literary gathering which met for "the promotion of rational conversation."

"Lost Hearts"--This story is unusual for MRJ in that the ghosts participate in an actual physical assault on the villain who had murdered them. It is narrated in the third person by a little boy who is orphaned and goes to live with his elderly cousin at Aswarby Hall (an actual estate in Lincolnshire, now largely demolished). Slowly he begins to realize that there were two other children who had lived with his cousin before him.

"The Mezzotint"--A collector of topographical pictures purchases a mezzotint that shows a view of a manor-house from the early part of the eighteenth century. The picture slowly evolves through a story of murder and revenge from beyond the grave.

"The Ash-tree"--If your Bible falls open to the verse, "Thou shalt seek me in the morning, and I shall not be" do not, I repeat DO NOT sleep in Sir Matthew's old bedroom next to the ancient ash-tree. This story is a unique reworking of the "executed witch's revenge" theme.

"Number 13"--A scholar settles into a Danish hotel to research the town's ecclesiastical history and learns more than he ever wanted to know about a bishop who sold his soul to Satan.

"Count Magnus"--Another story (along with "Number 13") that may have had its origin in MRJ's trips to Scandinavia. Mr. Wraxall, the scholarly hero of this tale dooms himself by reading a forbidden treatise of alchemy and expressing a wish to meet its long-dead (or not so dead) Swedish author. This tale is definitely not for the faint-hearted, especially the scene in the mausoleum of Count Magnus, when the locks start popping off of the sarcophagus.

"Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad"--A Professor takes a golfing vacation on England's East Coast, and agrees to take a look at the site of an ancient Templars' preceptory for an archeologically-inclined friend of his. He scratches around in the ruins and finds a whistle with a Mediaeval Latin inscription on it that can be translated (according to Jamesian scholar Jacqueline Simpson) as: "O thief, you will polish it, you will blow it twice, you will regret this, you will go mad." I think this is the first M. R. James story I ever read, and it terrified me. I can't remember how long I had to sleep with the lights on after reading it.

"The Treasure of Abbot Thomas"--Mr. Somerton deciphers a text from the medieval Latin 'Sertum Steinfeldense Norbertinum,' and an inscription in the painted-glass window of a private chapel, then goes on a treasure hunt to Germany. What he finds, and what throws its arms around his neck while he... All I will further state is that if you should happen upon a German well that has seven eyes carved on one of its stones, under no circumstances should you climb down into that well, most especially not after dark.

If you don't find "horror" fiction frightening, this is for you. These stories scare everyone. This edition also has a very charming cover.

noone could evre make as much out of the traditional ghost story than MRJ. angles, details, objects. by changing one thing, focusing on something else, etc., james shows the potential in the classic elements. he doesn't stretch it too far, and he doesn't have to. he plays around with subtle changes, but his writing is serious. great descriptions, excellent at details, james is considered the ghost story master by a great many. check out how he carries out the details in Canon Alberic with the mysterios book, the descroptions in Ash-tree, the mysterious lurking fear in Count Magnus, or the plot in Oh whistle.....

M.R. James is one of the greatest writers of ghost stories ever; we all know that. Add Nigel Lambert as reader. I enjoy audio books almost as much as print, but never have I heard such a perfect combination of voice and material as in this collection. Lambert masters accents and voices of every kind. This--and the companion volume," A Warning to the Curious" are an unending delight, well worth the price.

I picked up "The Girl Who Remembered Snow" at a secondhand book sale and am glad I did. Charles Mathes is a talented writer and I found his second novel to be touching and engaging. It's written in literate prose, is filled with empathetic characters, has flashes of quirky humor and whimsy, and contains enough interesting plot twists to remind you this is a mystery, not only a bildungsroman.

Struggling professional magician Emma Passant is the girl who remembers snow. Her first real memory is of having her hand held in a snowstorm, although the grandfather who raised her chides her for speaking of it. When Emma's grandfather is murdered, she embarks on a journey of discovery, not only of who committed the crime, but who she is. Along the way, she meets a cast of colorful and wonderful characters, from Big Ed Garalachek, the Chevy King, to Tomoteo, her ten-year tour guide in the benighted island of San Marcos, to Bernal Zuberan, a courtly drug dealer. All of them offer her aid as she wends her way through a psychological terrain of uncertainty and a landscape that begins in San Francisco and ends in Paris.

This is the kind of novel you wish you could keep reading for a while longer!

My only quibble with this book is that the plot verges on something out of Ludlum or (yikes!) Sheldon. But the narrative is wonderful -- smooth and well-paced -- and the characters are interesting and well-drawn. In a field crowded with wooden and poorly-edited clunkers, this was a refreshing find. I hope Mr. Mathes gets noticed by the paperback majors soon -- he deserves it.

This book was incredible. I've read it three times, and every time I get caught up in the story and the characters. My mother read the book, and also loved it. Emma is so well created that I start to feel like I'm living her story, and experiencing what she experiences. I definitely recommend this to everyone!

i read this book in one sitting and couldn't turn the pages fast enough! emma as heroine is alive, spunky and full of zest--her inquisitiveness makes the story happen...a clever title which ties the entire story together!

Oh how I love a good mystery! The characters in this book are well developed and pleasurable to read about. Highly recommended!

After reading the other wonderful praise by fellow reviewers, I actually bought the book (since it's now out of print)from a zbook dealer amazon referred. What a great find! This book was a joy to read. I loved Lucy McAlpin Trelaine and can't wait to see her next appearance...Tak Wing is a wonderfully quirky character and his unusual funeral parlor made me hysterical! Follow Lucy as she travels from Chicago to Weehawken NJ to the island of Lis in Scotland to determine her true identity as well as information on her deceased parents. Humor and bizarre secondary characters abound! Please Mr Mathes, more Lucy!!!

This was my best book of the year and one of only two "ten" ratings I gave in '97. I want to know Tak Wing. Do you think he will move to Eugene, OR? Lucy thinks of herself as a failure but is a winner with every turn of the page. Suspenseful & delightful! I WISH this was the first in a series, HINT! HINT!

I enjoyed the book so much that it's 1:30 in the morning, 23 degrees outside and I'm wrapped in a blanket,developing popsicle toes, while online, checking to see what else Charles Mathes has written. Enjoyed the characters very much but felt cheated that we didn't get to "see" more of Lucy and Mike together.

This is the best sort of light read: excellant characters, compelling plot, and WONDERFUL humor. I wanted it to go on and on....and I totally agree with the first reviewer: let's have an encore!

The book is so well written and the characters so likeable that it really bothered me to be done with the book! I simply adore Tak Wing and his unique fellow employees as well as Lucy, the main character. Though I also thoroughly enjoyed his other book and Emma Passant, this one is my favorite of his and of any other author I have read yet this year.

I really love this book because it has such a sweet story. Everytime my daughter gets out of the bath and I dry her off, we laugh at her "pruney toes." She always shares this book at school and the teachers love it as well!

The younger girls love this book, but my Kindergarten age daughter loves it too! Very cute for Fathers to read to daughters, too! A must read for bedtime!

I bought this book for my husband to read with my three year old daughter. From the very first time that he read it to her, she loved it! She loves to wear gowns now not jammies and the other night they were out in the kitchen making star sandwiches and jam with magic spices. Not all of her books inspire her like this one! It's wonderful!!

This was my niece's 5th birthday gift. She decided on the first reading that the story was about her and her daddy. Now months later this book continues to be a nightly favorite -- for both daddy and his princess. Such beautiful pictures, and such beautiful thoughts to sleep on.

A royal bath, nightgown spun of gold and a star shaped princess treats. Expect nothing less for a princess. Not just any princess, but Princess Pruney Toes. Share in the loving bedtime ritual of a father and daughter and learn what the princess really wants most of all.

I recommend The Greek Treasure because it illustrates all of Schliemann's flaws, while allowing us to sympathize with him as a human being. It is the only book I've read which tells his side of the story. People tend to forget that he expended enormous amounts of time and money to begin his excavations, only to face governments and armchair academics who schemed to steal the credit, as well as the means for him to recover his expenses. Yes, by today's standards, he was not the ideal archaeologist; but neither were the other archaeologists of his age. And you can bet their envy at the time still haunts us today. His modern critics simply perpetuate their cynicism. But I believe the truth is less harsh. The tools of his age were crude. Hundreds of locals were brought in for manual labor, and often stole what they found. No one had worked at the scale he did before. No one had proved it could be worthwhile. So in the final analysis, I think we must be grateful to him, for his vision, and his audacity. This book shows us both.

I read this book many, many years ago. It was actually the first Irving Stone book I ever read. I still remember how much I enjoyed reading it, and I can still remember the story. Brilliantly written. You seem to be living among the characters. Irving Stone has the gift to write, all based in real-life facts. Again, a must read for any history-novel lover.

Approximately 15 years ago I bought this book aout Heinrich Schlieman, and his discovery of the ancient lost city of Troy. He studied Homer, and believed the city did exist. In his late 40's he met a very young Greek girl in Athens. He asked her father for her hand in marriage, and her father agreed.The museum in Athens holds not only the treasures he unearthed at Troy, but he found the mask of Agamemnon, and other treasures (the Lion's Gate) showering Sophia with these treasures. I loaned this book, and never received it back. I have looked for it for years. I cannot believe this wonderful book has not been reprinted and available. It is Irving Stone at his best.

Schliemann's story is fascinating and deserves to be read! Stone weaves this historical novel with great respect and honesty, recounting the brilliance and flaws of this heroic man. This is an excellent book with an in-depth look at Greek culture coinciding with the life of a self-made millionaire and self-educated archeologist & linguist. Schliemann literally changed the way we look at Greek history in the face of almost impossible opposition!

Reviewed by David Lundberg, author of Olympic Wandering: Time Travel Through Greece

"and replied: 'Hector, you must be mad to talk to me about a pact. Lions do not come to terms with men, nor does the wolf see eye to eye with the lamb-they are ENEMIES TO THE END. It is the same with you and me. Friendship between us is impossible, and there will be no truce of any kind till one of us has fallen and glutted the stubborn god of battles with his blood. So summon any courage you may have.

THIS is the time to show your spearmanship and daring."-From Homer's Iliad

Henry Schliemann, like Alexander the Great, knew the Iliad by heart, the ancient story of the Trojan War immortalized by Homer. He was convinced he knew he could find the city thus proving its historicity. The Greek academics didn't believe him, he didn't believe them. To find Troy was his dream of a lifetime. He manages to marry a young Greek girl, 20 years or so younger than himself, and soon thereafter, their lifetime of digging begins.

I loved this book. In reading this historical novel of Irving Stone, you'll learn a little about modern (1900) and ancient Greek culture. I remember getting a little bored reading the last half of it, but digs are usually that way most times until you unearth something spectacular. The most interesting point to me was in a note of Stone's at the end, explaining that the treasure of Priam, kept in the Berlin Museum, disappeared somehow when the Russians marched toward Berlin late in WWII. Hmm.

This engagement calendar has everything you need (except for the stickers...). It has enough space to write whatever you have planned each day. Each page is made of a thick glossy paper and each page contains a photograph of kitty in a different place in the world, doing something different and even dressed differently! It's very good to carry everywhere. It's got space to write phone numbers and notes. I totally recommend it =)

I think it is the cutest engagement calendar. It was at a good price and shipped very quickly.

The pictures are too cute and I like how it is longer than just a year!

This planner is perfect for people who have one or two things a day to keep track of, like a job interview, or a meeting with friends. It's a nice calendar too, so you can sort things weekly and keep track of what's ahead of you. The still photographs of plush hello kitty dolls are colorful and whimsical, reminsicent of Dare Wright's The Lonely Doll. They almost have a mind of their own, as though Hello Kitty were really alive and about town. This product is really well suited to people with a short agenda as it doesn't hold much per day, but is flashy enough to keep one's attention unlike so many others. Another great feature is that is covers 15 months, so it is perfect for students or anyone who could use more kitty! I had this same planner with hello kitty a few years back, but it was 12 months only and I had to wait until school was half-way through. Overall a fun and useful product, great for a collecter or anyone who enjoys a bit of fun in their everday event management.

this calendar its cute and practical its a 16 month calendar, so the first month is september and it ends until january 2007 it also had extra pages for addresses and phone numbers and 7 extra pages for notes,and if you love hello kitty as i do you can see her in a different part of the world every week so looks so cute, perfect gift for hello kitty kitty lovers and if you love hello kitty you need to get this calendar, dialy planner, im sure you gonna love it...