Robert Stone Books

As a young teenager, I babysat for a woman who loved to read novels. The best ones, she told me, had stories that never leave you. A Stone for Danny Fisher is one of those novels.

At my advanced age, I've lost count of the number of books I've read that really mattered to me. But when I'm in a nostalgic frame of mind, and go back to the book shelf for something to read again, Harold Robbins' magnificent autobiorgaphical novel is one that comes to mind.

I read this book only recently, after my dad recommended it to me. I had heard of Harold Robbins before, and had looked into his novels, but this is probably the best of his works. Danny is one of those characters you can feel for. Robbins manages to entwine his readers in the life of Danny by creating a very realistic story that everyone can, at one point, relate to. I enjoyed the novel immensely as it comprised of ups and downs, and looking back at it, I can't really point out one part which might have been better than the other. Being from a different generation from my dad, I can say that it is one of those books you recommend to your kids years from now, as I recommend it to my friends and family. It's very real.

I snuck this book from my Mom's bedside table and read the whole thing in one night. It was a wildly exotic tale for an 11 year old girl living in the woods in industrial Western Pennsylvania, and since I listed it as one of the three 'unforgettable reads from my childhood', I can't wait to read it again. And my Mom wasn't even mad at me for reading it!

I read this book when I was in College, oh about 20+ years ago. I have read more books than I can count since then. I am horrible about remembering Authors, Titles and story lines. This is one of the very FEW that I remembered them ALL. I think that this book should be a classic to be read in schools along the lines of "A Scarlett Letter", "Ethan Frome" and others.

I will be purchasing this book for my daughter to read and pass on to my sons...Truly a classic...Too bad Mr. Robbins abandoned his true talent.

Harold Robbins, as he became more successful, mastered the art of the pulp fiction stereotype and much of his later work was pure trash. But his initial novels demonstrated what talent the man had, and are as different from his later trash as cheese from chalk. A Stone For Danny Fisher is his best book ever in my opinion : had he never written another book, this alone would have made him an author to remember.

Set in Depression era New York (Robbins himself was born and raised in Brooklyn, though in vastly better circumstances), this is a coming of age story with a difference. Danny Fisher narrates his own story in the first person, starting with a short, stark depiction of his family meeting at a pre-arranged place and then cutting to flashback mode to explain why. He tells of a Jewish kid growing up in the gritty streets of hard-bitten Brooklyn, battling anti-Semitic abuse, using boxing as a way of escaping the economic fates closing in on his family. No punches are pulled as we experience with Danny the world of organised crime, first as victim, then as onlooker, finally as willing (even enthusiastic) participant. Danny is an anti-hero here, but rarely a villain, so sympathetically and starkly are his story and dilemmas painted. Reading it the first time as a teenager, this book had me outraged and disillusioned repeatedly as Danny takes his knocks and too often faces rejection, even betrayal. At heart, he is still a little boy and remains so till the bitter-sweet ending, where the flashback ends and we rejoin the opening scene.

A high quality book, a story that grips the heart, a sparse writing style that wastes no words, a glimpse at the best and worst of human life. Highly recommended.

the chalk box kid

The Calk box kid









Crcc the walls where about to fall down Gorge ran to the other side



The Calk Box Kid by Clyde Bulla was about a kid named Gorge likes to plant and draw flowers .One

day Gorge moved to a knew town and a knew school but Gorge did not make any friends .Gorge did

not talk to anyone. Gorge got bulled by this kid named Vince because he said'' you think you school is

better then ours just because it bigger



My favorite part was when Gorge stood up to this boy named Vince. Vince was the meanest person in the whole entire school.



I think the author's purpose was to teach us to make friends, be nice to others, and to have fun at school.



I think a lot of kids should read this book because I give this book five stars. You learn some things like how to be a good friend and how to treat others like you want to be treated.
By Eugene



Crcc the walls where about to fall down Gorge ran to the other side



The Calk Box Kid by Clyde Bulla was about a kid named Gorge likes to plant and draw flowers .One

day Gorge moved to a knew town and a knew school but Gorge did not make any friends .Gorge did

not talk to anyone. Gorge got bulled by this kid named Vince because he said'' you think you school is

better then ours just because it bigger



My favorite part was when Gorge stood up to this boy named Vince. Vince was the meanest person in the whole entire school.



I think the author's purpose was to teach us to make friends, be nice to others, and to have fun at school.



I think a lot of kids should read this book because I give this book five stars. You learn some things like how to be a good friend and how to treat others like you want to be treated.
The Calk box kid









Crcc the walls where about to fall down Gorge ran to the other side



The Calk Box Kid by Clyde Bulla was about a kid named Gorge likes to plant and draw flowers .One

day Gorge moved to a knew town and a knew school but Gorge did not make any friends .Gorge did

not talk to anyone. Gorge got bulled by this kid named Vince because he said'' you think you school is

better then ours just because it bigger



My favorite part was when Gorge stood up to this boy named Vince. Vince was the meanest person in the whole entire school.



I think the author's purpose was to teach us to make friends, be nice to others, and to have fun at school.



I think a lot of kids should read this book because I give this book five stars. You learn some things like how to be a good friend and how to treat others like you want to be treated.
By Eugene

When you read this book you will be amazed! This book is amazing
to me and probably to you to.I mean I love this book it's amazing I hope you will like this book very,very much if you want to find out more information you'll have to read it!!!!!

The Chalk box kid teaches you a lesson about how to deal with life when
you move. It shows you that you can make a place your own. It was a wonderful book.Gregory creats a chalk garden. As 3rd graders we give it 5
stars!

This is my favorite book ever because it was about chalk and I like to write with chalk.

I like this book a lot because I like to write with chalk.I would also like to have a garden.

Stone is one of those authors capable of inspiring an almost religious fervor among his admirers. This book made me see why. Not since Dostoevsky's The Possessed has an author stared so deeply, and so unflinchingly, into the dark - the dark around us and the dark within. Stone excels at depicting both. He portrays the third world as it was, and for the most part still is - a place without justice, where ideals run into reality with generally fatal results. The sense of simmering tensions always on the verge of violent eruption - omnipresent in such places - is made palpable. It is a place to test even the strongest faith. And into this Hobbesian jungle he throws characters already haunted by demons of their own. Not since Malcolm Lowry has spiritual torment been laid out so hauntingly. Stone tackles the great topic of our times - the disparity between haves and have nots - and transcends it. He makes it clear that the comfort and security we enjoy in America depends in part on maintaining order, however oppressive, in countries like Tecan. But he also shows that, far from a case of immorality, this state of affairs is necessitated by the brutal nature of reality. Ultimately, the moral outrage that stews just underneath the surface throughout is left with no object - it isn't the fault of men or nations, or even of human nature, so much as the fault of reality itself.

stone writes a thinking person's adventure in this novel set in central america in the 1970's [80s?]. you can find elements here of Conrad [Heart of Darkness], Hemingway and others as Stone's characters navigate the moral, spiritual, political and physical dilemmas of a third world country on the verge of revolution. he does it all while firmly rooted in the nitty gritty of the physical world with sometimes stunning description. i would guess that stone has traveled extensively in central america given the strength and detail of his scenery.

only a few criticisms here. i found the beginning somewhat slow/opaque as stone establishes his characters & plot in the book's first half. the pace quickens in the second half once he's dispensed with this work. additionally, there are not a lot of sympathetic characters here. that makes stone a realist, which i appreciate, but also makes it a little harder sometimes to empathize. Having said that, by midpoint you do develop empathy for Justin, and to an extent for Pablo and Holliwell, though both the latter are flawed characters.

nonetheless stone is a master, one of the greatest novelists plying his trade today.

The incendiary hint of Revolution simmers on the surface of a South American country beset by poverty and the all-consuming appetite of corporate gluttony. The rolling green hills and sparkling beaches of Tecan are perfect for exploitation. The land is already littered with an assortment of "investors" jockeying for inside information. Revolution spells opportunity, out with the old regime, in with the new, and a tidy profit to be made along the way. The only question is whether to "run with the Rabbit or hunt with the Hare?"

Saints and sinners compete in this Third World nightmare, each with a different agenda. It's an ideological train wreck and the ultimate victims are the disenfranchised. The name of the game is greed and the players are the usual: privately owned corporations, interested governments, a militia trained to fight insurrection, various criminals, religious zealots and a panoply of hired spies and assorted operatives. Our personal guide is Frank Holliwell, an American anthropologist with "Company" ties from his days in Vietnam, visiting the region ostensibly to give a lecture. Holliwell becomes one more pawn in a dangerous game with incredibly high stakes.

In the final act, no one is who he seems in this Darwinian struggle for dominance. The common people are disposable, the cause is mutable and the quality of civilization a casualty of events. Enter at your own risk, this is Robert Stone at his best. But know this: you step into chaos in this novel (with no separate chapters) that jolts from one state of anxiety to another, watching over your shoulder at every turn.

In its setting and background a Flag for Sunrise rests firmly in Graham Greene and Ernest Hemmingway territory - a fictional Central American country run by a right wing military regime. The cast of characters holds few suprises - the whisky priest, the idealistic nun, the american abroad, the sadistic secret policeman, various members of the world intelligence services.

What struck me about a Flag for Sunrise was its uncomprimisingly dark view of the world and the politics that makes it function. A world where all that is important is power and strength and your ability to harness these forces for your own self interest. A world where morals have no place, in fact a place where morals will get you killed, often slowly and painfully.

Yet somehow the book remains rivetting. You know that it is going to end badly for those characters that you like, at times it is difficult to turn the page, but you do anyhow and what happens is often worse than your darkest imaginings. But it is also honest.

This is the second Robert Stone novel that I have read and I am certain that it will not be the last.

The problem with political thrillers is that they often become clliche and predictable. There is often a desire, either by the author or the industry, to paint these as modern westerns with well-defined good guys and bad guys. Rarely do we get a novel of more disturbing complexity which challenges our notions of morality and suggest a social structure which lead to corruption of values and moral virtue. Only the best take this opportunity for developing a sense of noir, protraying the darkness of human ambition and petty venal sins, that is often missed. John Le Carre is a notable exception who has remained dedicated to his genre. Rarely do novels produces the types of characters that strive to overcome those structures or achieve some victory, or reach a pivitol moment of epiphany. Such greats include Conrad's The Secret Agent, or Greene's Quiet American. To these one should add Stone's A Flag for Sunrise. There is genre fiction, and there is fiction that transcends genre and which stands distinctive as a work of literature. This definitely falls in the later category.

A Flag for Sunrise brings us back to the 1970s and 1980s, where America is fighting a war against communism along it's southern periphery, the backyard of Central America. It is a period often forgotten or glossed over by modern Americans who think of this period as that time when Reagan won his war against Communism. Stone brings us back and cuts out a small story within a bigger story- of a pair of missionaries holding out on a small beach in some fictional South American country, as the world around them falls to the chaos of revolution and a coming apocalypse.

One of Stone's strengths is capturing the sense of hollowness of the Post Vietnam Era. This is a time of pessimism, when the potential for evil in foreign policy is very apparent, and where Americans are suffering an identity crisis about their place in the world. This is a powerful theme in Stone's work, seen espeically in The Dog Soldiers, but here it is especially powerful.

This is a thriller with a powerful set of characters: disillusioned American vets from the Vietnam War, an idealistic nun, well intentioned journalists, manipulative revolutionaries, despotic policemen, aging pirates and smugglers, political manipulators, spies and hired guns. These people collide with intense drama and tragedy. At the heart of the story are three characters, a disillusioned veteran of Vietnam, the idealistic nun and a military deserter whose vacuous nature becomes a cause of destruction. They remind us that in the turbulence of political change, individuals exist and struggle to survive in these tidal forces. There is a horror here, of structure and character, of vice and ambition, and of the dark side of the human heart and perhaps those aspects of our humanity that finally may redeem us. What is achieved is a work of art that stands far and above most political fiction you will likely read in a long time.

Highly recommended. This is another story which begs Americans to reconsider the price of empire and one of the landmarks of 20th Century Literature. Dog Soldiers has often been criticially acclaimed, but a Flag for Sunrise is probably Stone's best.

This is a must read for anyone interested in non-conventional medicine.

A couple of illnesses in the family triggered my fourth re-read of this wonderful book.

I agree with all the positive reviewers here.

Dr. Fulford had wonderful insight into the medical field, questionable medical practices, life, living, and the afterlife.

One thing I didn't see mentioned in the reviews is the exercise section of the book. It has 8 unique exercises that are for overall health, nothing to do with athletic ability or conditioning.

This book is a keeper for sure, and one that you will re-read, too.

This is an excellent book reviewing the amazing Doctors way of using his Ostopathic training. It is a profound reason to consider Alternative Medicine over the oft accepted Allopathic way. A most enjoyable read.

A friend of mine who is a massage therapist and is exploring cranio-sacral work gave me this book. I have had pains in my lower back and neck for several years now; i've also been through some painful events 20 years ago, and again 10 years ago with the loss of my respective parents. My current life is very busy with famile (children), work and projects and emotionally difficult at times with a strained relationship with my husband. Overall though I'm a positive and upbeat individual believing in the spiritual and soulful nature of humans, beyond just mind and body. I've been more and more interested over the years in the relationship between body, mind and spirit since the death of my mom which has been a very difficult and painful event for me at a time that I was just starting in life (I wasn't 20 yet).
I am considering seeking treatment with a DO for my back and neck pains, and reading this book has emphasized the importance for leading a balance life and not just 'patching' some areas with perhaps a visit to the chiropractor's office that will mostly focus on the spine or taking muscle relaxant medicine or simple pain medicine. This is a great book, with a lot of food for thoughts and practical exercises for anyone to do. I am thankful to my friend for giving me this very valuable book and wish that I would have received it while Dr Fulford was still alive so that I could have thanked him for giving this testimony to us.

The reviews explain this short book very well. I really enjoyed the first few chapters. His transition into more philosophical healing ideas in the later chapters didn't do as much for me, but if your a fan of Weil or even Chopra you'll appreciate them.

Dr. Fulton really makes the reader consider Osteopathy as a medical alternative.

I had always thought of writing to Playboy to beg them to publish a book of their centerfolds. Nothing can compare to the awe-inspiring beauty that is captured by the full-sized centerfold images. This item is a must-must-have for any true Playboy fan. I will never part with this beautiful collection which was truly a godsend.

Just as Taschen are releasing a 2nd edition of the massive 'Stanley Kubrik Archives' on October 8, so too are Chronicle Books, releasing a 2nd edition of this huge book of Playboy centrefolds with a $50 retail and $36.50 Amazon pre-order price. - Oct.4
At this moment, Amazon has a very large discount ($150, not $500) on the first printing, probably due to the spreading awareness of the future edition. It is apparently not an up-to-date issue, including the centrefolds from Nov. 2006 until present, though it probably should be after waiting 23 months for the new edition. Wait till October, or 'get it while it's hot'.

This item is spectacular in every way. This book comes in a leather case that, by itself is truly amazing. As expensive as this item is, it is really worth every penny.

DOWNSIDE
This item is huge and weighs almost 40 pounds so Amazon charges like $12 in shipping costs. Thankfully, I was able to purchase this from a 3rd party seller on Amazon and saved quite a bit of money when I added up the item cost and shipping (the 3rd party seller only wanted $3.99 for shipping)!! It came real fast in perfect condition. I am thrilled with this purchase.

Well worth the discounted price offered by Amazon. For anyone/everyone who is a fan of Playboy Magazine, and not just for the articles, I recommend this book highly (if one can afford it)! The women are spectacular, and the photography is the best in the business. The protective leather suitcase is a really nice touch, and the quality of the paper is also excellent. (It weighs a lot, though). Again, well worth the $$!

For awhile the price was dropping by about $10 a day, as if they were trying to find the price people were willing to pay -- for a couple of days it listed as low as $170, and then it suddenly jumped back up to $315 (and now I'm regretting that I didn't grab that price while I could). If nobody buys it at the current price maybe it'll start dropping again. It's worth a try...

I enjoyed the artistic expose of what we find in the mineral world. It was informative and will make a excellent source to some one who is intrested in minerals.

This is the BEST ART BOOK I have ever found to give as a present. The photography is stunning. Atkinson has accomplished something wonderous and filled with beauty. This is a unique collection you want to show your family and friends and, perhaps, it will even reconcile your enemies. The accompanying commentary by the famous and near famous is sweet icing on a very substanial and fulfilling cake.

As a photographer-artist I am hapy to come upon this book. Although Atkinson is more of a scientist his impeccable craft presents this part of nature - stones - as rich food for the mind and imagination. For me this book is a companion to The Deep which is filled with photographs of creatures in the deeo sea.

Yes, on enjoying this very fine book one is awed at the origin of "abstract in nature". Many fine observers have been there,in the closeup but not to the extent Bill Atkinson has done. Really inspiring, one can but wonder where it might end... or does it not. Not only a fine addition to a fine library,it is printed to wow!,but a sure continous return will remind any Photographer where they stand.

These photographs look like abstract art at first, but as you study them you realize they have a flow, complexity, and range of colors that paintings can't duplicate.
I also recommend Mineral Masterpieces which shows the sculptural shapes as well as the infinite range of colors in the best crystals.

I read this book in one go. Once I started, I just could not put it down. Besides giving the reader a great inside look behind the scene of the 1972 tour madness of the Rolling Stones, the author also provieds us with an excellent snapshot of the political and social situation in the USA during the early seventies. Of course, you get all the juicy details of groupies, drugs and playboy bunnies - but you also get a feel for how depressing at times the isolation of a major tour can be. You should definitely buy this book, if you love Rock'n'Roll, no matter if you are a Rolling Stones fan or not !

I think I know this book by heart. I can still recite the tour cities and dates. And... ahem, ahem, I really believe the reason they got Keith out of jail in Warwick, RI was not because of "the show must go on" (please!), but because Keith would've started heroin withdrawl. Get it?

This could easily be subtitled "Fear and Loathing on the Concert Trail." A fantastic book that features intelligent writing and an unsentimental look at the cast of characters that accompanied the Rolling Stones on their tour of America in '72. I just finished re-reading it and I still think its the best look at life on the road. Highly recommended even if you're not a stones fan.

I purchased and read this book when it was first published in the 1970s. It is a no-holds barred account of a rock band at its creative and decadent zenith during the legendary 1972 tour of America. Greenfield intersperses his blow-by-blow description of life on the road with vignettes of the interesting and off-beat fans and groupies that swirl around the vortex of the world's greatest rock and roll band. Particularly interesting is the drama surrounding the arrest of Keith Richards at a Boston airport prior to a concert, the scramble to get him out of jail thanks to the intervention of the mayor of Boston, and Keith's triumphant return to the stage. This is a Stones legend and this book tells it like you are there. Well-written and informative, I think I may just re-read this classic for the Nth time. A must for any Stones fan's bookshelf.

Full of casual sex and violence, this is a salacious account of life on the road with the Rolling Stones. Greenfield excels at nailing personalities and describing the fishbowl the band lived in. The Stones begin the tour in a vulnerable state of mind, scared that their glory days are behind them. Their braggadocio picks up considerably as the tour progresses. Near the end we have 16 year old girls doing "favors", beatings are given to anyone who steps out of line, groupies being filmed "in action" (despite Bill Wyman's 10 yr old kid hanging around!) for that infamous tour movie who's title I can't even mention here. Plenty of cruel nihilism. Oh well, I didn't read this expecting a nursery rhyme! This book delivers, warts and all.

Gargoyles have gotten to be very popular recently, and any gargoyle fan ought to get the book _American Gargoyles: Spirits in Stone_ (Clarkson Potter) by Darlene Trew Crist, with photographs by Robert Llewellyn, because American gargoyles are fun. It wasn't the original job of gargoyles to be fun. One of the explanations of how gargoyles got into their exalted positions in churches is that they were placed there to entice pagans to come and worship at Christian locales. Those who ran the churches thought that pagan symbols, and scary ones at that, were a good marketing ploy. Perhaps we American moderns are simply amused by carvings of fearsome dragons, but there are plenty of gargoyles shown here that are deliberately humorous caricatures.

The pictures are a treat. This is not a big, coffee-table book, but there are scores of pictures from many American sacred, commercial, and academic buildings. Though American gargoyles reflect the traditions of Europe, many are truly American. The University of Pennsylvania, for instance, has a strictly medieval style of quadrangle, complete with gargoyles, but one of them is a football player. At Washington National Cathedral, there is a gargoyle showing a crooked politician; he has horns, a big belly, a cigar, and a pocket full of dollar bills. There are a pair of gargoyles there which were given by a grandmother in thanks for her two grandsons. One is angelic and one is demonic, and she never said which is which; the grandsons are now grown up and still don't know. A weeping sea turtle is there as a statement of environmental protection. Out of the mouth of a monstrous duck stares a tourist with a camera, a payback from the carver who was the subject of thousands of pictures as he worked.

_American Gargoyles_ could have been a lot bigger, but Crist has included a reading list for those who want to see more. It is a good-looking and informative book.

Having read this book, I have a new outlook on American Gargoyles which truely are spirits in stone. This book is very educational, picturesque,informative, well written and I simply love it!

I bought this as a gift for someone and now I wish I would have also bought myself a copy! The pics are great, as is all the information regarding gargoyles. Only drawback for me, I thought it was going to be bigger, it's no bigger than maybe 10x10 or so.

This book is one of the best books I got from amazon. I got the two books Holy Terror's and American Gargolyes... it was a great deal. The book is loaded with pictures of gargoyles from across america and desrcibes what type of gargoyle and where it is located in america. The photographs are beautiful and descriptive through out the book. If you gargoyles get the two books for the price of one. Highly Recommended!!!!

I was a little skeptical when I first picked up "American Gargoyles: Spirits in Stone" but a friend had reccomended it so I decided to read it. Boy, am I glad I did! If I hadn't I would have missed out on the wonderful details, breathtaking pictures and an all around fascinating history of American Gargoyles. The pictures are well shot, and I have to admit, were the first thing that caught my eye. But, when I sat down to read the text the author shared all these captivating little details about the gargoyles which I loved! The author tells you the story behind a particular gargoyle and if there is anything special you should look for when you see it. This book was so fascinating that I was inspired to take a trip to some of the sights mentioned in the book and check out the gargoyles for myself. I reccomend this book to all readers, it appeals to all audiences.

My kids loooove this book. They have listened (cd included) to it so many times they have it memorized.

The story in and of itself is a masterpiece to say the least with its poetic style and beautiful, playful illustrations. Adding the CD just makes it come alive for the reader or listener!!! As a former classroom teacher I can see so much creative writing coming from it; to say nothing of the unending pictures that will be drawn all about it and the stories from those pictures. It can definitely be used in classrooms as part of extended health/science lessons teaching children about the best eating habits. The CD makes it a MUST HAVE classroom story from Kindergarten to 6th grade and even older. The 6th graders could write a play and act it out for the younger grades on parent's night. Every child should have this book & CD or at least hear this adventure story. I hope the author is contacting every librarian in every school there is and the public libraries too!!!

My six-year-old was mesmerized with the graphics and narration.
He held on to the book for an hour or two, walking around the house after the first read.
You won't go wrong with this one if you want some fun while the kids are learning about eating right.

Our family reads the Doc Broc book together to talk about how living alkaline foods give us energy and help us to "be healthy and strong like Doc Broc". This is an important message for our children who are surrounded by the unrelenting mass marketing of acidic foods and drinks.

Below are reviews from my daughters:

"I am a eight year old girl and I love the Doc Broc book.

My favorite recipes in the book are Vegan Chili and Grapefruit Super Soy Pudding.

I like the part when Big Bad Burger Bully burps in Doc Broc's face! Then Lucious Lettuce ripped off a piece of her skirt and threw it at Big Bad Burger Bully. He got blinded. Then he jumped on his skate board and it lead him straight into a wall. There were pieces of cheese, ketchup, mustard and mayo all over the room, too much of a mess for a mop or a broom.

I learned that health is not only healthy - it is fun as well. I think that other kids deserve a good life too, free from sickness and weight." - Stefanie

And from my five year old...

"I learned that if you eat alkaline you'll feel good that you taked care of yourself good." - Caroline

This story book is a classic! Written like a poem, it's really catchy. Kids will love this book and the parents will too. It's simple, educational, inspiring and carries a powerful message. At last a book that really steps youngsters into understanding the truth about healthy foods and healthy bodies.

I thought the pictures were adorable, bright and colorful and there are some really hysterical details. I like the fact that kids get to journey through and learn about the digestive system on this adventure.

I loved the CD that allows kids to listen and read along on their own if they want to. The background music makes it really impacting and the sound effects will make kids laugh.

The recipes are actually delicious!!! From breakfasts, to dinners, to quick and simple deserts, and there are some really healthy alternatives to fast foods. I'll eat these foods every day, you don't need to be a kid to enjoy this food!

All round, this books a winner!

I can hardly wait to start laying out my own little "stone henge" and with this book I now know how! I always wondered how they did it, now thanks to Rob Roy, not only do I know how they did it, but now I know how I can do it too! Rob provides history, lore, safety tips, labor saving "secrets" of the ancients, great anecdotes and practical and technical instruction on site selection and preparation, stone selection and preparation, constuction of safe and durable megalithic structures, and even a human and spiritual side of the subject that can be quite energizing. With this book anyone can find their own connection to our ancient ancestors! In addition to all the information provided, this book also harbors some very phenominal photographs of both ancient and modern megalithic structures around the world. If you buy only one book this year, buy this one...if your disapointed then you have no soul!

Here's that book on engineering that bridges the gap between the left and right brain. Rob Roy captures you with an engaging writing style that'll accidentally open the secret door to some other very intriguing dimensions. Go for the science -- stay for the spiritual rousing. Well thought out and perfect for any awareness.

Genuine magic. Rock on, Rob -- in every sense.

Any one interested in Stone Circles should read this book! It is just not another coffee table edition. This is an excellent study in circles, their meaning and how they were constructed.

There are detailed accounts of travelling to many stone circles around the world - new and old, with even chapters on how to build a stone circle and the alignments.

An excellent new, fresh look at the stone giants that haunts us today and their relationship with our lives.

Rob Roy's book, Stone Circles, is perhaps the most comprehensive and masterful work on the topic of stone circles by a living author today. There is much more to megalithic stone circles than just the movement and placement of massive dormant objects. When properly placed, they become permanent monuments to a timeless spiritual perspective. Considering our fragile and tenuous hold on life, we humans, especially in modern times, would do well to learn about and understand these marvels of engineering, determination, and dedication. Rob Roy's book gives us all a good place to start.

Years from now, when I'm asked what books impacted my life in major ways, I'm sure I'll immediately list "Stone Circles" as one of them. This is partly because the book came along at a time when I was developing an interest in standing stones and sacred places but mostly because it treats megalithic architecture as a living art: not just a phenomenon from the past to be studied, but a way to connect, as the ancients did, with the earth and with the cycles all around us. This book truly is a "modern builder's guide to the megalithic revival." It speaks of ancient standing stones at Stonehenge, Avebury, the Orkneys, and other sites, but concentrates primarily on contemporary stone circle builders and on practical information for doing this ourselves! It's filled with incredible photos and the stories of contemporary megalithic architects and builders, as well as a wealth of technical information. Thank you, Rob Roy, and thanks to all of your colleagues for lighting a flame in me - before, I had an interest in megalithic architecture, now I am an (amateur) "megalithic anthropologist." That means that I have an interest in the study and application of how human culture and big stones interact - not just in the context of the past, but here and now. I have a small circle of stones on a shelf at home that I rearrange, am going to build some temporary circles at the beach in a couple of weeks, and I can hardly wait to go to work in the back yard this summer! Two thumbs way up for Stone Circles!