Journals Books

I highly recommend this signature book. It is well constructed, looks beautiful, and the price was amazingly low.

A perfect book to carry around as you note your thoughts or observations. The feel and appearance gives you a sense of diving into other worlds.

Sketchbook is truly beautiful. Solid binding and good quality paper - a must for any artist.

Just one of a selection of high quality, beautifully crafted, reasonably priced blank books offered by The Paperblanks Book Company.

Whether you are a Writer, a Diarist, or even a Mystic, these books are created for you.

They are offered in a variety of sizes, so that you can take them with you. Or you can collect them and display them in your library.

I bought three of this journal to bring through a book in the set and I was really taken back with the size of the journal - it's huge! It's about the size of musical sheet music.

The closure that looks like black wrought iron is actually a hard flexible material that automatically snaps in place to keep the book closed - it's really beautiful!

The blank cream color paper is of top quality and on this journal the pages have a gold foil at the bottom of the journal. It does not need that on the sides, because the journal would be closed.

If you love to write, sketch, draw and want a LARGE classic majestic looking journal that just looks breathtaking on any book shelf this is the one to get.

If what you are writing or drawing has great meaning to you, then it deserves to be protected in this beautiful journal. Really gorgeous!

I returned this item a while ago, and haven't heard from Amazon since! I may have been over the 30 day limit. But I did send the book back! What should I do now? Sorry!
It was in good condition when I received it. I just didn't need it.

Stephen Stigler is a well-known statistician and author. He is also one of the few statisticians to do intense research on historical facts related to the development of the field. He has written other fine books on the history of statistics. This book concentrates on stories in the history of statistics where statistical analyses were done that had an impact and the statisticians laid their cards on the table. Too often, even today claims are made that require statistical evidence but the evidence is lacking, or some of the assumptions are hidden. Starting with the controversy between Karl Pearson and the Cambridge economists, Stigler shows how important it is to bring out the assumptions and methods used to make the case convincing and how not to fall into subtle traps. He also points out that attribution of a method to a person does not usually go to the discoverer. He calls it Stigler's Law of Eponymy. Examples include Chebychev's inequality discovered earlier by Bienayme and the Gaussian distribution associated with Gauss but known earlier by De Moivre and Laplace. He also includes a chapter questioning whether Thomas Bayes was the discoverer of Bayes's Theorem.
Well written and thoroughly researched, this is a great reference book on aspects of the history of statistics. This book is typical of what we have learned to expect from Stigler.

The author is a well-known statistician who has also a gift as historian. The book is a collection of essays on the development of the main ideas in Statistics. These essays are not in chronological order and overlap on several points. That can create some confusion in the reader. The first essay is about the controversy on the effect of parents' alcoholism on children between Karl Pearson and the Cambridge economists (A. Marshall, J.M. Keynes, A. Pigou). While Pearson expected harsh criticism from the medical profession he was unexpectedly broadsided by economists on the ground of logic instead of data. Pearson's response was: statistics on the table, please. The book goes on clarifying the developments of the main ideas in the field: Central Limit Theorem, Normal distribution, least squares, degrees of freedom, regression, Bayes's Theorem, and so on. It also provide the role of famous mathematicians like Gauss, Laplace, Legendre and others. However, Pearson, Galton and Edgeworth maintain a high visibility in the book. It is not a reference book of the historical development of ideas and intuitions in Statistics, and few chapters reflect more the interest of the author than the coherence with the title "Statistics on the Table. The History of Statistical Concepts and Methods" like in Statistics and Standards, and The Trial of the Pyx, or Apollo Mathematicus. Outstanding and funny is the chapter Stigler's law of Eponymy, which states that no scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer. It is definitively an enjoyable reading and I strongly recommend it to whoever has an interest, weak or strong, in the subject.

Professor Stephen M. Stigler has written a very worthwhile textbook on the history of statistics, or, more accurately, the development of statistics in modern Western civilization. This book is not a strict chronology of the development of statistical science: it is more of a collection of profiles of profound, significant events that shaped the scientific community and the World at large.

Readers will be amazed by the author's knowledge and insights in this special corner of historical research, and can also look forward to a presentation of compelling stories and gripping dramas, complemented by the author's trademark wit and humour.

Given its position as one of the leading college text books in the history of statistics, this book is perhaps less accessible to a general audience compared with the recent crop of "popular science" books such as "Fermat's Enigma"; but any learned readers should nevertheless find this a highly informative and worthwhile book.

Stephen Stigler is a well-known statistician and author. He is also one of the few statisticians to do intense research on historical facts related to the development of the field. He has written other fine books on the history of statistics. This book concentrates on stories in the history of statistics where statistical analyses were done that had an impact and the statisticians laid their cards on the table. Too often, even today claims are made that require statistical evidence but the evidence is lacking, or some of the assumptions are hidden. Starting with the controversy between Karl Pearson and the Cambridge economists, Stigler shows how important it is to bring out the assumptions and methods used to make the case convincing and how not to fall into subtle traps. He also points out that attribution of a method to a person does not usually go to the discoverer. He calls it Stigler's Law of Eponymy. Examples include Chebychev's inequality discovered earlier by Bienayme and the Gaussian distribution associated with Gauss but known earlier by De Moivre and Laplace. He also includes a chapter questioning whether Thomas Bayes was the discoverer of Bayes's Theorem.

Well written and thoroughly researched, this is a great reference book on aspects of the history of statistics. This book is typical of what we have learned to expect from Stigler.

Time goes by quickly and though it is well past headline time for New Orleans and Katrina, revisiting stories that can only come from disaster is always heartwarming and inspirational. The ones in "Stories of Strength" are especially so because it is full of stories (and poems) that could stand on their own in the best of literary journals -- many by authors I know, many by authors I know of.

Editor Jenna Glatzer is a favorite of mine. I feel obligated to reveal that so this review will not appear to be what it isn't. I have enjoyed her children's stories and her how-to books for writers (do search her name on Amazon and review her veritable catalog of books!). So it is not surprising--knowing what I do about her--that she would tackle an anthology like this.

Still, I was constantly reminded of her skills and the craft of those authors she selected for this book.

I loved that the mini-bios of the writers came directly after their stories or poems. That is a convenience for the curious reader.

I loved that she mixed the talents of emerging writers like Cynthianna Appel with those of seasoned ones like Orson Scott Card (a writer from my home state of Utah).

I was thrilled that she didn't neglect poetry in favor of stories.

I liked that she didn't skimp on the size of the book (for that tends to be a trend in these hurried days).

And mostly, I found it amazing that she found so much quality so quickly after a disaster.

By all means, it is not too late to read this one and all proceeds benefit disaster relief charities.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Award-winning author of everything from a chapbook of poetry to a book of creative nonfiction to a literary novel

Each story touches your heart and each author a hero for contributing. My only complaint is that I didn't want the book to end. What a wonderful uplifting volume of essays, sure beats the hect out of those chicken soup series in my opinion.

In all likelihood, you have only heard of a few of the authors whose work is gathered in this book. Even if you aren't a fan of theirs, you know who Orson Scott Card, Whill Wheaton, and a few others are. However, you do know the people of whom they write. In fictional and true stories, they tell of children facing pain, people learning about one another, learning to love again after a heartbreak, cancer patients, marathon runners, grandparents, and many others. A common thread runs through each story. Each of them portrays a variety of strength that won't make front page news or be depicted in a comic book. More than one will make you cheer the spirit that impelled the hero or heroine to face the challenge. Several will make you cry as well. If you buy this book, you will also become a hero in a small way, if there is such a thing as a small hero. Proceeds from this volume will help those who are strong, but need some assistance.

Amanda Killgore

Inspiring. Uplifting. Writers from all over the world, including internationally known writers Orson Scott Card, Robin Lee Hatcher, John Vanek and actor Wil Wheaton (Star Trek and Stand By Me). Makes a great gift for others or yourself. Buy it!

Reader beware. If you read Stories of Strength, make sure you have some Kleenex by your side. The stunningly poignant and gutsy entries in this anthology are a gift of hope and a testimony to the human spirit. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.



The book is organized into various sections which cover the spirit, faith, community and more. Its structure makes it easy to flip open any page to find a dose of inspiration. You will take away lessons learned and a profound appreciation of the good things in life.



Each story has universal appeal, each character relatable. Most are non-fictional personal accounts with a smattering of fictional stories at the end. Whether fact or fiction, however, these stories will touch your heart and speak to your soul. Stories of Strength makes a wonderful gift any time of year. The best part is all the proceeds go to those affected by Hurricane Katrina. Yet another reason to pick up your copy, and a box of tissues, today.

~Christine Louise Hohlbaum, American author of Diary of a Mother and SAHM I Am: Tales of a Stay-at-Home Mom in Europe, lives near Munich, Germany, with her husband and two children. (...)

Awesome collection of photos. I started collecting the same a few years ago and am SO glad I found this book b4 it got "rare"... because it will get "rare".
The pics are HIGH quality on good, heavy paper. The construction is strong and the jacket is nice, as well.
The aquisition was very smooth with quick delivery. I'm very pleased with this purchase ;-)

This book was interesting, but I was hoping for more pictures from the 1800s. The muscle men presented had a good selection of body building pioneers and famous names. The pictures of everyday guys strutting themselves, while providing a time capsule of men feeling proud about their bodies, didn't offer anything outstanding in the way of physical development. If you are looking for links in the chain of what would later become beefcake photos and pioneering body builders, you'd like this book. If you are looking for a definitive history with more pictures of Sandow, Atlas, Joe Weider, and Steve Reeves you might be dissapointed.

I was really, really impressed with this book about Strongman covering the period from the 1880's to the 1950's. The reason I was so impressed with these vintage photos of strongman and those aspiring to be strongman is that a lot of these classic photos have not been seen before. This is a fascinating selection of rare cabinet cards and studio portraits by some of the most famous photographers of that time period. You have your Herculean types such as Tony Sansone (my all time favorite), Eugene Sandow, Jack Lalanne, and many others. But what's really fascinating is all the amateur photos & snapshots of anonymous muscular young men that Robert has brought together for us in his book.

There is a very personal foreword by Jules Bacon, Mr. America 1943, who was one of the most handsome & muscular young men of his time. The introduction by Robert Mainardi is a fascinating account of why he started collecting & how his obsession began as a young man.

Any collector of physique photography should not miss having this volume in their collection. It's a must. Council Oak Books has done a beautiful job in printing this book, from the design of the book to the clear photo reproductions. If you like this book be sure and buy Council Oak Books first vintage photo book called "Sailor." Another beautiful book for your enjoyment and collection. Both are highly recommended.

With this book, Robert Mainardi has produced a marvelous and valuable addition to the history of photography and bodybuilding. This slim (but fully packed, nonetheless) volume contains many priceless physique photographs from the late 19th century to the 1950s-60s. Every page astonishes with the variety and quality of the collection that Mainardi has put together over many years. Some photographs are humorous (to our 21st century minds), some seriously dramatic and beautiful, but all are worth more than one look. One or two of the photos are bitter-sweet in the way they capture an earlier, more innocent and trusting time. Mainardi has written an essay, an introduction of sorts, that lays the foundation for why he collects, as well as some background on the field and people in question. I can't recommend this book srongly enough; it is great to own, and great to give as a gift to someone with an interest in photography, bodybuilding or history.

Mainardi's picture book is more than the vintage beefcake photos I'd expected. His introductory essay is a wonderful personal reflection on the power these images had on him as a boy, shaping both his erotic and aesthetic sensibilities for the rest of his life. In that context, the photos become a kind of study in the masculine ideal; any gay man -- and perhaps many straight men and women -- can find in them the sparks to light up distant sense memories and the dim images we buried in our dreams as children: everything from real body builders to guys like our fathers, uncles and brothers, hamming it up in front of a camera on the beach. A really great little book.

The book I read was given to me by a dear friend. I have read it many times over. It is deep, thoughtful and meaningful - yet uplifting. It truly enriches my life each time I read it.

Unfortunately, the book I ordered over a month ago, has never arrived. I wanted to give it as a gift to someone for the same reasons I just stated. I cannot even get a reasonable ship date from Amazon so I don't even know if it will EVER arrive. I am a very, very unhappy customer of Amazon at this time, but that does not reflect on this wonderful book. Maybe you should order it elsewhere.

Warning: the art in this book will inspire you! If you have never seen the art of John August Swanson, this is a grand introduction. I also recommend "The Story of Ruth: Twelve Moments in Every Woman's Life," another collaboration between Chittister and Swanson.

This is a life changing book. Joan Chittister is a little extreme in her feminist position for me but everything else in her book truly touched my soul and made me rethink some long-held opinions.

This is a beautifully written and illustrated book that makes us see the world in a new light. The author explains issues such as intolerance, war and lonelines as immature reactions that can be understood and overcome by spiritual growth and reverence to the soul and to the natural world.

The book consists of 20 short essays, each pondering one of the seasons in the Book of Ecclesiastes, a time to be born and a time to die, a time to love and a time to hate,a time to plant and a time to sow, etc. and guiding us to meditate and to see life in a fuller and more gentle context.

This is a beatifully illustrated book that can be used as a special gift. I have read and re-read it, which I seldom do, because it always helps me focus on the real virtues of life. I have given it to my ( young adult) children who are now entering the time in their lives where living meaningfully will impact all that they do.

The simplicity of the style and the poetry of the images makes this a delightful book to be turn to time and again. Few authors can say so much in such few words.

I highly recommend this wonderful jewel as Christmas gift for those you most love, for those passing through trial and bafflement, and sadness, for those filled with great joy.

I had not noticed the large and generous size of this book, so favorably available herer on the amazon, before ordering it, and wondered at the large package in my mailbox. It was Sister Joan, speaking large, praying with me with an embrace as wide as all outdoors.

Perhaps we have heard the old song sung by the great American folksinger Pete Seeger, and by others including the Byrds. This book nevertheless brings our understanding, appreciation and entry into this Scriptural verse to a new level. Truly this book serves as lectio divina as Benedictine Sister Joan, winner of the 1992 US Catholic Award for her holy and wonderful work of ministry, meditates carefully on each phrase of this famous Holy Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Each brief phrase of a few words length Talmudically receives pages of commentary of great wisdom and holiness and strength, like a guided meditation.

In fact, this great book can edifyingly find use as a prayer meeting, sitting quietly in chapel, hearing its consoling words. BUt be aware in this context that you might only read a fifth of each chapter at a sitting. Each phrase truly receives many pages of text in this coffee table book sized volume, and each chapter is thick with wisdom and truth, and much to meditate. The chapter on war in particular, published in 1995 someight years before our current situation, breathes a prophetic prescience which speaks deeply to or hearts today. The chapter on restraining from embracing supports not only the mystery of celibacy but also examines the unrestrained consumerism His Holiness now condemns. Each chapter has so much to say; the more slowly you read it the more you receive.

A great gift for the RCIA candidate; a great introduction to the prolific and profound spiritual writings of Sister Joan, a great way to return to the careful contemplation of Holy Scripture in lectio divina.

As if this were not enough we have here the wonderful painting of John August Swanson, with whom Sister Joan also collaborated in The Story of Ruth: Twelve Moments in Every Woman's Life. HIs beautifully detailed painting resembles the ancient medieval illuminations in the Books of Hours, as well as the beautiful Mexican folk art retablos. In a powerful way these iconic images bring home to our hearts the meaning of these verses.

A great gift for yourself. A great gift for everyone on your list, so favorably and readily available here upon the amazon.

I was given this book about 20 years ago. I found it to be incredibly funny - the kind of humour that would make you laugh out loud ages after having put the book down. This will sometimes cause you embarrassment in public places and give rise to "where has he escaped from" looks from surrounding people. Read this book!!

I found this book in a Danish used bookstore in 1978. I bought it for two reasons: 1) it was in English, and 2) it had an illustration on the cover of two WWI fighters and I tend to like war stories. What I found was that it was hysterically funny! As I read it on the European trains, I had to keep leaving the compartment for the hallway so that I could laugh out loud without disturbing the other passengers. Over the years, I have collected as much Donald Jack as I could find, and each book is another installment in the continuing saga of a Canadian and his adventures in war, the world, and women. Mr. Jack has a keen eye for human foibles and presents them in such a way so that we can see some of ourselves in the behavior of the hero and the background players. I highly recommend anything by Donald Jack.

I have remembered this series since I read it many years ago. What I didn't know was how deeply it had sunk into my being. I have re-read the first three books and am amazed at how much of Bandy I see in myself. As the main character, Bartholomew Bandy, developed and grew, he learned many lessons about life, living, and social interaction. It is only now, after many years, that I realize I have taken to heart many of the lessons Bandy learned. This was and still is a very funny story and I am forever grateful to its author.

We have used this book for three long car trips--800 miles each way. It has provided us with a wonderful journal to look back on in later years. In addition, the games, activities, and songs in the book help make a long car ride fun. I just bought four more to give as gifts. This book is wonderful for anyone, not just kids.

Travel can be confusing (and sometimes boring) to children, but this journal can help parents deal with that! My daughter and I found this book in the Houston airport as we were browsing stores during a long layover. I bought it out of desperation (after all, it had markers and blank pages!), but it turned out to be a wonderful investment. It is a very kid-oriented travel journal, with questions, hints, and prompts to guide the young journalist through recording their trip(s). It gives you and your child something to do together while flying or at night in the hotel, and as an extra bonus, it's a great show-and-tell item when your child returns to school. I've saved the journal for my daughter's trunk, so that years from now she can read her own thoughts about Oregon and Arizona! We highly recommend this!! (One aside: smart six and seven year olds will do just fine with this journal if you work with them.)

I had hunted all over for a fun journal or scrapbook for my 2 boys to take on vacation with us to Walt Disney World. I wanted something easy enough for an 8 year old and a 10 year old to fill in on their own, yet have it be something nice enough to keep for a keepsake. I was very happy with this journal and gamebook! There were lots of games in the back of the book that I never heard "mom, I'm bored!" It was broke down into days and I loved that there was a place for them to fill in the weather and their mood for the day! I'd highly recommend this to anyone looking for a fun way to record a vacation and have a great keepsake when it's done. My boys loved writing in it and took it to school for a vacation presentation to their class! The teachers loved the journals and asked where I go them!!

I bought 2 of these journals for my 2 kids to take on a recent cross-country trip to visit relatives. The journals have a page to record what happens each day, plus a whole section of travel games. The kids had fun writing in their journals every day, and now we can look back and remember all the fun we had!

This travel journal is an excellent tool to capture vacation memories and relive them for a lifetime. The journal boasts brightly colored "topic" pages along with markers and stickers which allows the child's creativity to shine through in words and/or artwork. We've used this travel journal for three vacations and wouldn't leave home without it!

We gave the book to our Grandaughter, who is a first-grade teacher, and the children absolutely loved it.
It was an excellent introduction to conservancy of species.

Turtle Summer is an excellent book for teaching children about the great loggerhead turtles and the people who care about the turtles and help take care of them.

Turtle Summer is an outstanding book which can be enjoyed by all ages, even though it is geared for children. The text is very accurate having been written by bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe and the pictures are something to behold. Barb Bergwerf is a superb photographer. Turtle Summer will be a book you will treasure and one you will want to give to all your friends who are interested in nature and our environment. It is a wonderful learning tool for children, too!

The perfect "nature awareness" book! The format of appearing like a scrapbook is captivating. I used this in my 4th grade classroom... much to my students' delight. They loved it! If you plan on going to the beach this summer, especially in the southeast, it is a must!
Ms. Monroe also has some adult novels that are terrific! The Beach House

Turtle Summer, a Journal for my Daughter

This book presents a charming idea for a parent and child: to keep a nature scrapbook. Mary Alice Monroe has written and illustrated this enchanting journal of a mother and daughter's summer surveillance for loggerhead sea turtles on their beach. While watching the turtle nests, they observe and sketch nature's other offerings at the seashore. Like a family photo album, it is an intimate book.

Photographer Barbara J. Bergwerf teamed with Mary Alice Monroe to add exceptional and informative photos, including one of Carolina from the previous Sylvan Dell book, Carolina's Story: Sea Turtle's Get Sick Too! This is a splendid mixture of photos, drawing, and text. Children, ages 4 - 9 will relate to this book and its activities, hopefully clamoring to create a similar journal with their siblings and parents.

Joel Agee's Twelve Years: An American Boyhood in East Germany offers a hilarious and universal account of the passage from boyhood to manhood. Enjoying this book does not require an interest in its unique setting. Never mind that the entire work occurs between 1948 and 1960 in the Stalinist dictatorship of the German (un)Democratic Republic; or that the author's Jewish American mother is living with her children and second husband in the anti-fascist Soviet Satellite of the only recently vanquished Third Reich; or that the author's biological father is Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, James Agee; or that his stepfather is an East German writer whose socialist themes become less relevant the more the dictatorship he lives in takes hold. Joel Agee so powerfully conveys the challenging and exciting passage of a male from age eight to twenty, that distinctions of place, time, name, and circumstance meld into a broader truth.

By page thirteen, the book's ever more ironic and outrageously funny form takes shape -- the fibs to Mom, friendship mischief, the struggle to fit in with peer groups, and the stirrings of sexual awakening that should have long ago made this work a classic.

I too have been urged by friends to write a book about my youth. In 1981, at the age of 18, I decided to reunite with my father and immigrated from the USA to the DDR. I was later expelled in 1986 for political reasons and lived elsewhere in Europe until my return in 1991 following the Fall of The Berlin Wall. I remained there until April of 2000 at which time I returned to the USA.
This book brought back some memories despite the difference in time. (The Author went to the DDR in 1948 at the age of 8. I went to the DDR in 1981 at the age of 18) I had no idea that there had been any other Americans that shared an even remotely similar story and Joel Agee does a great job of telling his story with far more emotion and prose than I ever could.
The book is a wonderful insight into life in a country that no longer exists...from the view point of an American child/young adult. I especially recommend it to anyone who has grown-up or lived in a country where they felt they did not belong. In my opinion, Agee entered the DDR in its infancy and left just as its darkest period began. I entered The DDR at the height of the Reagan Era and witnessed its collapse from within. Two historic phases. I only wish that both of us could have witnessed more.

I read Joel Agee's book "Twelve Years. An American Boyhood in East Germany" in German and in English and tried very hard to get a used copy of his first american edition - without any success. Finally, he is back again with a new edition, and allthough my english is not as good as it should be, I just want to write down some words abaout this book. For me who always lived in Western Germany it is one of the most interesting books about the communist part of Germany, the GDR (in german it's DDR). It was not meant to be a political book, but it has become one anyhow. The reader is not only enabled to follow a very private story of growing up as a boy (including all the problems most man - since they have been boys - know and prefer not to talk about it), but to understand how culture and everyday life had been transformed by the communist ideology in a way that could be critizised only by children: some simply laughed about it and learned, that even only to laugh could have negative consequences. And getting some idea of how adults did discuss the political penetration of everyday life makes you feel glad to be grown up in a non communist state - but still you can understand that this adults they had their living like others had, and that they were fathers and mothers having everyday problems like others had. This book indeed touched and pleased me. It is a marvellous written autobiographical kind of literature. If you'll read it, it will take a part of your heart and your intellect to. You'll have to love it.

"Twelve Years: An American Boyhood in East Germany" is a fascinating memoir. Eight-year-old Joel Agee was brought by his mother and stepfather to the Soviet zone of Germany (what would become East Germany) in 1948 and lived there for the next 12 years. As Agee's stepfather, Bodo Uhse, was a prominent Communist, Agee had the best that East Germany could offer: a villa with servants, summers at the Baltic Sea, and numerous opportunities to recover from his dismal performance at school. Agee does provide an insight as to how the Communist intelligentsia in that country thought -- their explanations for the closed border, their view of the Stalinist (and Soviet-bloc) purges in the early 50s, and their conflicting views of Khruschev's revelations. This memoir is also a coming-of-age story, filled with teenage angst and sexual frustration. What distinguishes this from many other memoirs is that it is exceptionally well-written. Although Agee was never able to get his bearings in the East German school system (or was, as we would say today, a "slacker") his descriptions are almost poetic. Well worth reading.

I'm delighted to see that Joel Agee's memoir is now available again, and I look forward, with pleasure, to re-reading it. In beautiful prose, Agee not only reveals the pains and pleasures of his growing up (it could be anywhere), but gives us a portrait, from an unusual angle, of life in the newly formed German Democratic Republic, i.e.,communist East Germany, during the period 1948-1960. The historian will find the book of particular interest, but so will anyone else who enjoys entering the unsual world of a sensitive young man with a terrific eye for detail, and who is frank about his inner life.

Agee returned to the U.S. just as the amazing 60s were about to roll their thunder, and I can't wait to read his follow-up memoir, his "American Manhood" in another world far removed from the East Berlin of his youth.

As a frequent traveler to Tunica Mississippi, I found Scoblete's discription of his time there to be both halirious and informative. Once in a while you can have a bad or funny experience there, but he seems to have had them all in one trip. I think his was a trip I would have enjoyed, after we were back home, safe in Missouri.
His other events in his wild life are well told, and anyone with an intrest in teaching, or writing, or gambling, or in astral travel will enjoy this book, and I highly recomend it to all.

Wonderful Book

Frank Scoblete's "The Virgin Kiss" does what so many books can't do, it grabs you from the very first paragraph and doesn't let go until you finish the last sentence. If you are looking for belly laughs, sprinkled with first love, innocence, sexuality, and amazing adventures this book is impossible to put down. Scoblete has written a great book for us to truly enjoy.

What can I say that hasn't been said already?

This is a terrific book. You run the gamut when you read it. The book is surreal, humorous, outrageous, side-splitting, frightening, uproarious and thoroughly entertaining.

I just bought a whole bunch to send to my family and friends. I think anyone would find this book completely enjoyable.

A chilling, funny, yet serious journey through the life of "Scobe". From his teenage years, to his years as a teacher, through his latter adventures in the casinos and on television. There's something for everyone in here. Prepare to laugh out loud and get chills down your spine!

The Virgin Kiss is a fast read that is enjoyable from start to finish. Sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, sometimes poignant and sometimes even scary but always fun and interesting. I love a quick-hit memoir - just enough to get a helping of a person's life but not too much to feel that I've over indulged and the Virgin Kiss is the right choice on the menu. I highly recommend it.