W Books

This book is an wonderful read. Graham Mackintosh somehow manages to convey the beauty, loneliness, danger, and culture of Baja in a way that is absolutely captivating. I have spent a fair amount of time in Baja myself working with the fishermen, and I thought his portrayals of these interesting folk was spot on and entertaining. I normally don't write reviews, but I could not put this book down, and good books are few and far between in my opinion! Besides being a great adventure story, this book has another side, which in a sense describes the author's spiritual awakening. He's not there, as are so many foreigners, to amuse himself in Baja as if it were a giant playground; rather he immerses himself in the land and the culture in a way that even most of the locals have failed to do!

Baja is a magical place that you simply can't appreciate from the comfort of your hotel room, RV, or (God forbid) your off-road vehicle. This book will hopefully inspire many people to seek out solitude in one of the last places in the world you can still find it.

This book was the perfect gift for my husband. He keeps talking about his dream of going in the desert, walking, exploring, being away from civilization for a while,... but he's never done it. This book author DID IT!

I have traveled many times down to Baja, his descriptions reflect my impression of the people and places.

Baja is an adventure, even if by air in your own airplane. Hopscotching from place to place on a peninsula that stretches almost a thousand miles south of California, is quick and efficient but, as always in a single engine aircraft, the prospect of an off field emergency landing is on the pilot's mind.

In Baja, where an arid, desolate landscape, and rugged mountains stretch endlessly below the wings and dry riverbeds host cactus and rattlesnakes, nature ups the ante. These inhospitable thoughts are a memory of my flying adventure to "The Baja" in October 1993, but they are nothing in comparison to Graham Mackintosh's incredible journey on foot following the coastline.

As luck would have it Graham was in Mulege (about midway down the eastern coast of Baja on the Sea of Cortez) and attended the well known Hotel Serenidad's pig roast fiesta with us on Saturday evening. In response to our questions, Graham (this was before I read the book) told us how ill-suited and inadequately prepared he was for his adventure. But his appearance belied an iron will, unyielding perseverance, and an indomitable spirit. It took two years to achieve his goal, then another two more to write the book. My fellow travellers and I sat in awe as he recounted his tale.

The inscription he wrote for me in my copy of the book shows his humility. He very generously referred to me as "A Fellow Baja Adventurer," but I know there is no comparison in our experiences. Thanks Graham, I wish you well. Is there a movie in the works?

I originally read this book several years back and now find myself periodically rereading it as its a spiritual journey packaged in a travel adventure. I dream of doing something like it however will probably not. If you like "cultural experiences" with the locals where you travel to you will love this book.

First, I must say that I do not like to race through these novels. Instead, I like to read them slowly and savor every page. That was hard to do this time because this was a real page turner, an excellent follow-up to the previous installment.

Once I had finished The Reverse of the Medal, I instantly began pouring over this one, and indeed it was uplifting. Any fan of these books will be very pleased with this episode.

However, what I like best about these novels is the friendship between the characters. It says alot about honor, devotion, and true friendship, which I believe is the finest element of this series. That quality is particularly apparent in this novel.

Simply put, these books mostly get better and better as they go, and this one is probably my favorite of the lot (up through #14 at this point). Adversity strikes, and the boys are tested to the limit. Wonderful stuff from a spectacular writer.

I don't have time for a long analysis, but these books are fantastic. I am on my second read-through of the series, and this time I am buying them as I read them. I have never been interested in the sea or ships or the military, (I used to wonder why anyone would have a painting of a ship in their house, waste of wall space), but now I have a whole new respect and admiration. Patrick O'Brien brings the English navy to life in a way that evokes feelings of pride, sympathy, horror, elation and pure heart-pounding anticipation. The contrast of the main characters, Aubrey and Maturin, is amusing sometimes, often heart-warming. The galaxy of supporting characters is rich with personalities and details. The only character I really don't like is Diana, but she does lend another facet to Stephen's persona. All in all, I highly recommend this series, they are the best historical novels I have ever read.

After being deprived of his rank as post captain in "The reverse of the medal" Aubrey starts a new career as a "letter of marque" (private man-of-war) is started in this book. It's the characteristic seal of the series, it's a story of efforts and success, it enforces you to have read "The reverse", and to continue with "The thirteen -gun salute". If it will be your first book in the series it won't be the last. Save you don`t like this kinda book, then better don`t step through its board, and keep away of such a seizing.

It is a bit unfair of me to say that Patrick O'Brian's "The Letter of Marque" is a "character-driven" novel. Indeed, one of the many joys of O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series is his ability to sustain and develop such compelling characters over a long series ("LoM" is the twelfth book).

But while there is a fair amount of action in this novel, what distinguishes "LoM" is O'Brian's further exploration of his two heroes, Captain "Lucky Jack" Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin.

The novel opens with Aubrey bereft after being unfairly stripped from the lists in the Royal Navy. Unfairly charged and convicted of a financial scheme in which he played an entirely unwitting part, Aubrey has had his lifeline to the Navy cut as harshly as with a boarding axe. Now this merry captain, who used to delight in dreadful puns and baroque music, has been reduced to a cold, frightening visage. Remote, distant, joyless, Aubrey is at his lowest ebb.

Thankfully, Aubrey's boon companion, Dr. Maturin, has a lifeline. Thanks to a prodigious inheritance, Maturin buys Aubrey's beloved H.M.S. Surprise and outfits her as a privateer - with the titular letter of marque. This letter essentially authorizes the Surprise to be a pirate for the British Navy. While this offers Aubrey a chance to go to sea in his favorite ship, this joy is tempered by the shame that is attached to the word "privateer" by the serving sailors of the Royal Navy. Aubrey feels this acutely.

But privateer or no, the command of the Surprise offers Aubrey the chance at redemption through a heroic action . . . possibly even reinstatement to the lists! And so Aubrey leads the Surprise into various actions, including a complicated night-time raid on a French-held port to steal a ship from under French noses. O'Brian writes these scenes as only he can.

But this novel is not only about Aubrey. Dr. Maturin continues to ply his intelligence trade. He also continues to struggle with his two demons - an addiction to opium and an addition to Diane Villiers, his estranged wife. Maturin has heard that Diane has fled to Sweden with the attractive Swedish colonel Jagiello after she heard (incorrectly) that Maturin was having an affair in Malta. And so Maturin heads north to confront her, and possibly Jagiello, with the truth.

All of these plots allow O'Brian to explore both Aubrey's and Maturin's characters in new ways. Aubrey has had his troubles before with the law, but those were always civil matters involving nothing more than unsavory characters. Here, Aubrey is confronted with shame for the first time. Maturin also must confront his own nature, for as a man of intellect and science, he is not proud to be addicted to either a drug or a woman. And yet he is.

"The Letter of Marque" may be the shortest of the Aubrey-Maturin novels so far, but there is a lot of meat on this small bone. Do not read this novel unless you have read those that come before - the characters won't make nearly as much sense. But you will be thankful once you get to this novel - it is well worth the wait.

Haven't read it yet. But the processing job on the book itself was faulty...several pages were bent over and thus not trimmed properly.

I own the Penguins Classics edition but no matter. The story is wonderfully rich. Boswell really is a master story teller because at no point did the story become dry. I literally read and savored every single word.

All I knew of Johnson is that he wrote the first English Dictionary. But I had no idea this man was full of wit. He had a temper no doubt and definitely went through periods of what sound like moderate to severe depression followed by periods of bursting with energy, joy and wit and incredibly prolific and productive in those bursts, enough so that he surprised most people with his abilities in those bursts of creative genius. I am biased as I am a psychiatric physician but it sound like bipolar disorder to me.

Whatever the case may be, I drank this book up. I'm still reading it, have about 40 pages left and haven't put it down since I picked it up.

A must read just because of the sheer wonderful story contained within!

'No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money,' Samuel Johnson.
Sorry, it is a hobby.

Samuel Johnson the writer of the first comprehensive dictionary of the English language, which was a very big deal in his day as the elite felt the English language was in decline due to it being influenced by so many foreign influences and the marvel of Samuel Johnson's efforts and method of writing made him, according to Lord Chesterfield Lord Chesterfield's Letters (Oxford World's Classics), as someone to be deferred to as the Caesar of the English language. Samuel Johnson, along with his friend and former pupil David Garrick, helped place Shakespeare as the permanent king of the English language; further, Johnson was a great and singular essayist and has an eternal place as a minor poet of the English language. His dictionary shot Johnson into the inner circle of elite in English society.

Boswell's "Life of Samuel Johnson" is a fascinating read as Boswell traces Johnson's life story. Samuel Johnson and Edmund Burke, a friend of his, and together the center of English political and cultural life with the 'Literary Club' that they had both started were big players in forming the English reaction to the major liberal events going on in their day and could be said to be the fathers of modern conservatism. They were alive to face the genesis of modern liberalism, in the form of Jean Jacque Rousseau along with the American Revolution, theirs was the conservative response. 'What hypocrites are the drivers of negroes to be demanding liberty,' Johnson in reference to the Americans. (It is funny that Samuel Johnson was against slavery while the more liberal Boswell was for it). Although, I know Edmund Burke felt England to be in the reconcilable wrong with the American Revolution Edmund Burke's Speech on conciliation with the American colonies,: Delivered in the House of commons, March 22, 1775; ed., with notes and a study plan ... I. Crane (Twentieth century text-books) the Doctor, Samuel Johnson, did not and felt the Revolutionaries hypocritical ingrates. What is good about conservatism lays with these two fellows, Burke and Johnson. It is also amusing that Johnson's conservativism included the observation that countries should be judged by the condition in which their poor lived, disapprobation given to the worse.

Samuel Johnson came from very humble roots and his early life was spent in modest means, fortunately he was surrounded by books. His first years in London were quite a struggle, near pennyless, sometimes sleeping on the streets. The money he ended up getting for writing the dictionary wasn't much in the end, it was the fame that got him some wealth.

A marvelous read. Giving advice about the legal profession, education: his advice - just do it; habits form early and habits are hard to break... lots of interesting views from how to conduct oneself socially (Boswell seemed in constant search of this) to political commentary (one of my favorite was his advice on being weary of those that wrap themselves in the flag)... too much to write about. Boswell, when he first meets Johnson is so filled with awe and reverance but it mellows out some, he even starts playing games with the Doctor; however, he always greatly respects him but the idolitry disipates.

Although Samuel Johnson's conservativeness and strong opinions might turn people off I find it refreshing compared to the stealth tactics of politics today. Politicians don't say what they mean and that is also probably why the Doctor was discouraged from entering politics in his day by some close friends with ties in that area, somethings change only by degree. James Boswell, the author, didn't agree with the Doctor all the time but appreciated the hard, realistic way of looking at things and amusingly delivered (mostly by quirky analogies) that Samuel Johnson did.

Then Boswell is a story in himself. Boswell's Rousseau-ist fever for the notions of the 'Noble Savage, Natural Man' The Noble Savage: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1754-1762 was interesting also; his generation caught it and he had strong sentiments towards it despite Johnson's arguments against its reasoning. This fever also, at the least, lent cover to the American Revolution.

Johnson could only afford one year of college. Received an honarary Doctorate for his dictionary.

One of the books one should read before they turn 20.

The best synopsis of Rousseau and in his own words is probably 'Creed of a Priest of Savoy' The Essential Rousseau (Essentials)

If you feel obliged to wade through the canon once in a while, this won't be a waste of your time, though these days Gibbon's roughly contemporaneous history is a much better read, Boswell's extreme formality being a bit wearing over 1200 pages (in the edition I read).
On the other hand, Boswell's telling of Johnson's life is sprightly and certainly not so tedious as the writings of Johnson himself. People who choose to read the Life will not be disappointed.
On yet another hand, I can easily understand why the library copy I borrowed, though purchased in 1949, had not yet been read (the uncut pages showing me so): except to specialists, I would not recommend this book in lieu of, say, 1000 or so others.
I guess this actually is a useless review: if you have already decided to read this, you shan't have gone wrong; if you're looking for a good read, you're probably not looking here.

I have read alot of biographys until a recently a Cambridge graduate friend recommended the first great biography-Life of Johnson. My British friends have a much better view of literature at large than I do so I listening and purchased this piece. I only appreciated Samuel Johnson for his work with the first English Dictionary which a first edition now retails for over $35000. James Boswell his biographer deplicts his life with such vivid respect and admiration so as to make me better understand what a true friend can be. They obviously had a great relationship for more than 40 years. Samuel Johnson is captured with all his great and abundant humor and deep insight. I love this quote" One man may lead a horse to water but twenty may not make him drink". All in all it is 1400 pages worth reading because its insight into 18th century life in London is so heart felt. Additionally alot of the their conversations took place at a Pub called the Mitre. It is located on Mitcham high street in Tooting, UK. I lived near by and spent a few nights their with friends. Little did I realize I was in the very pub where so many infamous conversations took place some two hundred years ago. A great read.

This book came out when I was pretty young, and it got me interested in astronomy since the age of five. Now planetary science is my career, and I put that down in part to the influence this book had on me as a kid! :)

the magic school bus get lost in space is a very good book read it all the time you will love it

All the magic school bus books are fantastic. This one is no different.
It is great for learning about the solar system.

My 5yr old son is a huge fan of Magic School Bus series.
Especially, Solat system and human body are his favorite among them.
He memorizes the order of all the plantes in the Solar system. Draw pictures about it and make planets with playdough. Great book!

This book is a blast (no pun intended)! Mrs. Frizzle and her class travel to every planet in the solar system. The bus breaks down in the asteroid belt and the students have to find Mrs. Frizzle on a very cold planet. You'll love all the colorful pictures and Arnold's crazy cousin! Blast-off to this book and learn a lot about space in a fun way!

Dr. Hale is the foremost authority on medications and breastfeeding. This book also contains pregnancy categories. A great deal of information is presented and well organized. Written so as to be readable by laypeople.

This is used by the lactation consultants. I purchased for my own personal use. Very helpful and easy to read.

As a busy Women's Health NP, I have used other texts on medication use in pregnancy and during lactation, as well as Dr. Hale's website. I find this book enormously helpful in my practice. It is clear and concise, as well as being very comprehensive. It is great to bring into the exam room to review the information with the patient.

As a new mom, I was very paranoid to ingest any medicines. This book informed me of all medications, AND vitamins. I was looking for a book that also contained herbs. This one has a few, and a good rating system. Very clear, and layperson terms.

As a pharmacist, this is absolutely the first book I turn to for any question about medication and breastfeeding. It's very readable, and has both the quick, "bottom-line" recommendation and an explanation of the quality and quantity of research that led to that conclusion. I recommend it to anyone in the medical field who might encounter a breastfeeding patient as well as any woman who is currently breastfeeding or plans to in the near future. The author's website ([...]) is also useful.

If the answers you're looking for aren't here, or if you're looking for detailed recommendations about medications in pregnancy, try your local teratology information service (www.otispregnancy.org). Most of them accept calls from both the public and health care professionals, many of them handle both lactation and pregnancy questions, and it's free to call and get information. I'm not affiliated with them in any way, but I've found them a very useful resource that doesn't seem to be very well publicized.

Nate The Great lives up to his moniker as the neighborhood detective who works alone in this hilarious and page-turning novel for young readers.

The simplicity of the writing will add to the enjoyment for kids and parents, as well, who will be sure to be reminded of hard-boiled detectives in those old black-and-white movies we've all seen on TV.

You'll love sharing this book (and a big stack of pancakes) with your kids!

Nate is one of the best kid detectives I have ever met. The books are instant classics and I was inspired and interested in reading the whole series since third grade. I will buy the whole collection no matter what, just to have this smart gumshoe in my book case for my own pleasure to read again and again.

This book is a great detective book. Nate helps his friend find a lost picture.

I never did read any Nate the Great growing up...and what a shame. It's amazing that Sharmat can do so very much in terms of story and humor with so few words. It's great for beginner readers and uproariously funny as a read aloud story (especially if you can do the P.I. voice-over effect). This initial installment (I believe there are over 20 in this series) finds Nate the Great on hire for his friend Annie who has lost a favorite picture of her dog Fang. Nate is confidant that he can find the missing painting and sets out to systematically follow all the leads he's been given. He questions suspects and eventually tracks down the culprit, while enjoying meal after meal and snack after snack of, what else, but pancakes (his favorite food, of course).

This book is funny, charming and most of all...my kids just LOVED it! I have a 6 year old and an 8 year old, sometimes story time is tough and we're having more and more trouble finding books that appeal to both a 6 year old by and an 8 year old girl! We'll be reading more Nate the Great, because they both found it hilarious and best of all, Girl easily read it to Boy several times after having it read to them as a bedtime story! Absolutely Hilarious, I give it an A+

With charming illustrations and a clever case-cracking hero, early readers will love to read this book as well as the others in the Nate the Great series. Nate has a kid's dream "job" of being the neighborhood detective, and he is surrounded by quirky companions whose cases he solves. These witty stories with a vintage originality will have kids reaching for the next one . . . and the next. . .

This book should be read by all professionals who are tired of the corporate downsizing and who want a balanced family life. This book is on target about what is happening today in the United States as we begin to move into a different business trend that will grow more and more in the coming years. This book encourages entrepreneurship.

This book is an absolutely comprehensive factual guide to MLM industry.

I am a former marketing lecturer from Europe and have done extensive research on the MLM business model in the European market. I moved to the States a few years ago and continuing my research I think I must have read ever book on this subject.

Dr. King & Mr. Robinson book is the best and the most factual book on this subject that I have ever read. I would highly recommend it.

Of all the network marketing books I've read, this has by far been the most helpful. Why? Because it deals with the real issues that cause difficulties for new marketers, the bad press, the non supportive comments from family and friends, the inevitable periods of depression that come when one is in a self-motivating business, and above all, the necessity of a good team. It IS important to keep one's attitude positive and this book will help you do that, by helping you look the negativity of others and on occasion yourself, straight in the eye. I give it to all of my new downline!

The New Professionals was encouraging and eye opening to the way Networking Marketing was and how it has developed to what it is today. It gave you good ideas how to go about how to find a good Network Marketing business and how to find the right people to join you on your team.

This book is a must read for people seriously looking to change their current J-O-B situation. I value the insight Dr. Charles King and James Robinson has prepared in this book to educate all on the subject of Network Marketing. Thank you to the authors and all those who worked diligently to review these numbers and post them in a format that unequivicably proves why everyone should be involved in a Network Marketing company now. It should be noted that the statistics in this book should be updated every 5 years so we can all see how much growth this industry sees.

This is a very easy to use study Bible. I wish I had had this 20 years ago. It sure would have helped with my early Bible Studies. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to understand and know the Bible.

Looked for this Bible for a few months..finally found it on sale ..I am thrilled & would & have recommend it to everyone. Ease to read,not to big,not to small. The New King James Version is a must to have..I see alot of ppl & ministers are using it now.You will not be sorry to have this Bible in your hands.

My favorite bible used to be the NIV study bible, but for some reason I have a hard time reading the print style. The large print edition is like carrying around a cement block so I was looking for another study bible. This has all the features I like and the printing is easy on the eyes even though I have to wear glasses with anything I read...for some reason the print is easier to read. I love the Word Wealth and the introductions...and most all of the info that comes with this. I love the binding, I bought the genuine leather, and it's very sturdy and well made. I also bought the thumb indexed and really like that feature. It's not too big either. The only thing I don't like as much as the NIV Study are the study notes. Almost everytime i want some additional info and look at the notes, the verse I want more info on isn't covered. The NIV has alot of great, objective info and I would say these study notes are okay, just not as good.

THE NEW SPIRIT FILLED LIFE BIBLE IS ONE OF THE BEST STUDY BIBLE THERE IS AND THE NOTES ARE CORRECT AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND. IT IS EASY TO GET A BIBLE STUDY READY WITH THE CONTENTS IN THE NEW SPIRIT FILLED LIFE BIBLE. I RECOMMEND IT FOR ALL AGES. THANK YOU PATTY RINKER

This bible has broken things down for me and given amazing history on the word of God I love it.

As a former publisher of Christian material, a comprehensive study Bible was essential to my profession. Although I have several Bibles, this one with the large print is definitely one of my favorites.

I was very excited about buying the so-much-heard NIV bible. After all, it was a lutheran priest who recommended me this book. My first impression about the NIV bible was that it has plenty of archeological and historical information that, for sure, will support you in giving you a strong background in history that you can use to re-create in your mind the kindoms and kings from the the bible.

This is the only good point. From the 20,000 comments, 90% are worthless since they seem to repeat the same verse with different words. Moreover, by giving so much unnecesary information in the comments, one ends up by spending more time in reading those comments that reading the bible itself!!

But this is not the main reason why I rate this book with only 2 stars. The most important fact is that the verses style these NIV guys created are so devily modified from the sacred scriptures, so cold, so lack of heart and so "mathematical", that your feelings for the bible you are in danger to loose.

Just go to internet, find a web where NIV and James King verses are compared, and you will understand why I not only describe this book as bad but as ... too.

This is easy to read and the words of Jesus are in red. I highly recommend it.

I have used many different translations over the year. Most are pretty good, some are excellent. The NIV, in my opinion, is the best combination of accuracy and readability currently available. The Study Notes, maps, etc., are very useful.

The notes of the NIV Study Bible are helpful for average Bible readers. The maps and time lines are also very helpful.

The NIV is one of a number of "dynamic equivalent" translations of the Holy Scriptures. There is no perfect translation, since translation is inherently interpretation, but the NIV does a pretty good job of bringing the Scriptures, originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek, to modern English. I prefer the NRSV for more serious study, but the NIV is a great devotional Bible.

The King James Bible was the best in its day. In today's world, it is NOT closer to the original Scriptures as some think, but as its translators say in the forward, it is a revision of a revision and was meant to be improved upon as the English language evolved. That is what translations like the NIV and the NRSV attempt to accomplish. We have uncovered better Greek manuscripts now and understand the language better.

I had the privilege to study the history of the Germanic languages from a photocopied version of the manuscript for this book back in the day. Though the title makes it seem targeted at students of Old English, it actually gives equal weight to all of the Germanic languages, notably Old High German, Gothic, and Old Norse (Icelandic).

Each chapter begins with the parable, "The Sower and the Seed," in the language of the chapter. This text was chosen because it's actually found in the existing manuscripts - - the Bible tended to be translated into the vernacular early on, and disseminated widely - - and because this story has a goodly amount of grammatical action. "A sower went out to sow seeds" gives you three variations on the basic stem of , and you can see how that idea is reflected in each language.

Using the same text also makes for great pedagogy. After a few chapters, the student *sees* the differences immediately, and automatically starts thinking about the language at hand.

It would be easy to make a book like this a collection of reference grammars with a boring list of similarities and differences from one language to the next. Robinson avoids this, and writes in a lively and interesting style. I highly recommend this book if you're interested in the history of the Germanic languages.

This is a wonderful book, and I doubt if any serious reviewer will give it less than five stars. It is exceptionally well-written by an author who wears his immense learning lightly. Devoting a chapter to each of the known early Germanic languages -- e.g., Old Germanic, Gothic, Old Saxon, Old English, Old Frisian, etc. -- Robinson shows how the languages developed, how they shared common characteristics and developed new ones, and how they to some extent must have cross-fertilized one another. In the process, he shares some fascinating information, such as the development of "Futhark," the runic alphabet in which Old Norse was originally written, and makes a cautionary remark which explains that we may know a good deal less about early Germanic writings skills than we think we do: "It is easier to write a letter on a stick than on a stone." He also tackles some deep linguistic issues, such as the reasons why the idea of a language-tree may be misleading, and why the analogy of biological taxonomy to language typology can be problematical. When biological species diverge, they never re-converge. But tribes, armies, villagers, etc., my split up, rejoing, form new groups, etc., so their languages may diverge, reconverge, borrow, meld, and otherwise demonstrate a more complicated history than a "divergence from a common ancestor" model might suggest. For example, Robinson concludes there never was a "common language" which could be called "West Germanic."

Robinson also points out the limits of our knowledge -- so much of our reconstruction of these ancient languages depends upon translations of the Bible and other religious texts that we know very little about the idiomatic usage which surely characterized the "everyday" use of these tongues. We have to be grateful to Robinson for a book which is unlikely to be equaled, much less surpassed, anytime soon.

This book is an exceptional piece of literary work. This book compares old English to it closest continental relatives. I particularly enjoyed the preamble at the beginning of each chapter that discusses the history surrounding the people that spoke such languages as old Saxon, old Norse, old Friesian and other Germanic dialects. This would be a valuable tool to the student or to the armchair Etymologist/early medieval historian.

Orrin Robinson has done what many suggested could never be done -- or done well at any rate: he has constructed a useful, solid introduction to the whole of early Germanic linguistics, hitting all the high points, with concision, without merely paying lip service to each language. It's a terrific starting point for comparative Germanic linguistics -- from which you can move on to more exhaustive works on the individual languages.

Robinson covers seven key Germanic languages here, each in its own chapter: Gothic, Old Norse, Old Saxon, Old English, Old Frisian, Old Low Franconian, and Old High German. In each chapter, he situates the language in its proper historical context, discusses its development from Primitive Germanic, explains its phonology (useful crib notes to refer back to when you need to remember how to pronounce Old Saxon or Gothic! :), talks about the key literary texts in the language, offers two or three reading samples in each language -- with glosses and cognates in the margin and a short glossary following, provides an overview of the grammar, and more. Each chapter also concludes with a Further Reading section, telling those interested in learning more where to turn next.

This is quite a lot to have accomplished in such a relatively short book (c.300 pp.). Robinson's writing is a model of clarity, and the book never plods or becomes too overwhelming or too dry. I've read this book more than once and I refer to it often, which is a compliment of another sort. Very highly recommended indeed!

An overview of the surviving tongues of the Germanic peoples. There are chapters on Frankish, Old English, West Goth, Norse, Old German, etc.
Easy to read. Layman friendly. Short and to the point.