Q Books

When I picked this up, I thought it would just be a horror book. The story of Dr. Jennifer List Gilbert, a very ordinary and lonely woman whose extraordinary and unwanted "gift" repulses all the other people in her life. It begins with a sociopathic intruder to the Gilbert home dying an inexplicable and painful death during a home invasion robbery. The story of the police officer trying to get to the bottom of the mysterious death is interwoven with the strange and sad life story of Dr. Gilbert. Scary, suspenseful, tragic - I've read this book so many times I've worn out my copy and need a new one! Definitely recommend.

When I picked this up, I thought it would just be a horror book. The story of Dr. Jennifer List Gilbert, a very ordinary and lonely woman whose extraordinary and unwanted "gift" repulses all the other people in her life. It begins with a sociopathic intruder to the Gilbert home dying an inexplicable and painful death during a home invasion robbery. The story of the police officer trying to get to the bottom of the mysterious death is interwoven with the strange and sad life story of Dr. Gilbert. Scary, suspenseful, tragic - I've read this book so many times I've worn out my copy and need a new one! Definitely recommend.

A truly unusual book written 20 years ago. I've read it several times to relive the thoughts of the main characters and their stuggles with the amazing power of Jennifer.

When on honeymoon in 1928, Tom and Kate List are in a motor car accident that leaves Kate with a broken hip. Not knowing she was already pregnant, she receives a turn-of-the-century x-ray during treatment. Nine months later, her daughter Jennifer is born.

Jennifer is different from all the other children, in an indefinable way. The only person who does not feel any discomfort in her presence is her own mother. Even Tom has an aversion to his daughter.

`The Killing Gift' is a story of Jennifer's achingly lonely life, alone as she grew up and alone as a young college woman and even alone after her eventual marriage. Starting with an incident of a broken vase when she was but a child, strange things happen around Jennifer when she is upset or cornered.

Her only friend is Ellen Compton, a beauty who is so self centered she has no room to fear what Jennifer is; and her husband Dr. William Gilbert is a kind and quiet man who does not notice much around him. Even in the presence of the only two people who have ever tolerated her, Jennifer is alone.

The book skips around from Jennifer's past to her present, when maniac killer Amos Roberts is found dead in the Gilbert's apartment. Assigned to the case is Captain David Stavitsky, a homicide cop obsessed with a case folder of criminals who escaped prosecution. Amos Roberts was one of his obsessions, until now.

Stavitsky digs into the death of Roberts with tenacity, uncovering Jennifer's past and trying to solve the mystery around the woman.

Absolutely perfect read for lovers of detective novels or horror novels, very fast and compelling storyline with enough shivers in it to leave a satisfying, tingling taste in your mouth. Enjoy!

This is a story about a woman who is a recluse. Attacked by an armed man, the main character kills him by wishing him dead. The homicide detective who investigates the crime becomes enthralled with this woman and her killing gift. Excellent suspense story, more suspense than horror. It's a Putnam Award Novel. definitely worth a look.

Lovely! "Teachers" was probably my favoriate poem; however, the poems deserve to be treaured by re-reading again and again.

Ordinarily, I'm not a poetry fan for the most part, but Kate's writing was so beautiful and moving that I was hooked on this book. Musically crafted language, haunting in the way the words stick in your head. Luminous imagery that beckons everything from pop culture (e.g., The Brady Bunch) to a dead raccoon in a pool. She has a way of making the mundane funny, tragic, and transcendent in the same breath. There's a lightness, warmth, and grace in her approach. Thumbs up.

From Skeleton Mold "...And a sheet metal dollhouse peopled with plastic mother, father, and child, joined by a skeleton mold. The tiny tags at their heads now mark where I snapped them apart. Long ago melted together in swirling plastic they hardened, and each was separated from its kind." This is a beautiful book about growing up.

"Like All We Love" delivers refreshing poetry that reads like your childhood is right there with you again -- from the ice cream bars of childhood to the pop culture, tv icon-crazed days of the teen years, to facing parental mortality. Her use of imagery touches a universal cord -- to love and lose, to be loved and to revel in the intimacies of relationships.

A friend gave me this book and I was amazed at how freeing it felt! Typically, I am not a huge fan of poetry, but Kate's book was so eye-opening that people from all walks of life will enjoy her style.

Write more for us please!

The littles go exploring is a story about when a family of
very small people called the littles
and there adventres.
The names are Tom Lucy baby Betsy, and Granny, Uncl;e Pete and Uncle Nick.
The Littles were tiny people with tails. They lived secretly inside the walls of the house owned by George W. Big and his family. No big people had ever seen a Little or any other tiny families that lived in th houses in the big valley. They kept in touch by letters that were delivered by cousin Dinky and wife Della in his glider.
I thout thils story was cool because we got to go exploring. I would recommend this story to a friend. I look forward to reading other books in the series.

The book is about littles or little people. They live in the Biggs wall. Their grandpa disappeared.They are trying to find him. They found a little room. Do you think that grandpa was in the little room? Read the book and find out! I like the part were they find the room. I do not like the part were they go down the chimeney.

The Littlies go Exploring was so exciting. The Littlies are a family of small people. The interesting part of this family is that they have tails! In this story the characters are Mrs. Little, Mr. Little, two uncles, a sister, a bother, and a young baby sister. The family goes on many adventures in the book. There was one main adventure but all I'm going to write is that they are looking for someone in the family that went missing a long time ago. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves adventures and exciting settings.

Once I saw this book ¡¥The Littles Go Exploring¡¦,
written by John Peterson,the natural colour and the beautiful picture of the cover attract me to choose this book.
The story was said about some tiny people who went exploring to find an old man called Grandpa Little.He was a smart man who was the first little to understand electricity and had made the trip to explore the place,but unfortunately he is unsuccessful and lost his way.
After I read it,I think the most interesting part was the part about the Littles family found Grandpa Little.they tries to solve all theproblems when they went exploring.
I think the main character Tom and Lucy were the cleverest and bravest children in the family.They told their parents immediately when they discovered the secret room and they discuss with them.It shows that they were cooperative with the family members.Also,when UncleNick said that he needed two volunteers to go along,Tom answered that he could go very quickly.he didn¡¦t mind to lose his life tio find Grandpa Little.And Lucy,she was curious about everything and had her own decisions.Although she was very little,she provided a lot of opinions about the plan to find Grandpa Little.It shows that she was a wise girl and did all the things sensibly.
I really enjoy this book because of two reasons.First of all,I think the story is very interesting,it made me easily to put in it.Also,it is very meaningful,because it can tell us a lot of things about our life.I hope I can make myself clever,brave,confidentand mature like Tom and Lucy.I think this book is suitable for everyone,so I think you shouldn¡¦t miss it!

I think this is a good book because it keeps you interested. This is probably the best book I ever read. Let me tell you what the book is about. The story is about old Grandpa Little who everyone thinks is dead except Granny Little until Tom and Lucy find a secret room with Grandpa Little's journal. And then the Littles go exploing to find out that Grandpa Little is not dead. This is a good book for any age and so are all The Littles books. If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would.

This is the best single volume text on the basics of classical Theosophy that I have found. Personally, I have read it cover-to-cover twice, plus it was the basis of an excellent correspondence course on Theosophy that I took through Theosophical University in Pasedena.

Judge clearly explains all of the more fundamental principles of the perennial philosophy in clear language and well organised chapters. While he does use some of the Sanscrit terminology, he is very careful to render the definition into English as closely as possible. While this book was originally published nearly 110 years ago, I still considerate it the best primer for the serious student (those who go beyond mere pamplets and lectures.)

I am dismayed that so many people seem to think that Theosophy, and the Society, is somehow obsolete and "quaint" in modern times. Look closely at anything of worth in your modern spiritual "revolution"- chances are you will find it all revealed in greater detail in either this volume, or certainly in, _Isis Unveiled_ and _The Secret Doctrine_....

Main Theosophy `s book "The Secret Doctrine" by H.P. Blavatsky is very hard to understand without some previous readings on the subject. I think that "Ocean of Theosophy" is one of those books. It describes many Theosophy subjects such as cosmogenesis, anthropogenesis, reincarnation, death, karma in a more simpler way but it does not mean that it is easy. So this book should be read several time and each time you discover new things that you haven't thought of or even been conscious of. That's the magic of this book!

Main Theosophy `s book "The Secret Doctrine" by H.P. Blavatsky is very hard to understand without some previous readings on the subject. I think that "Ocean of Theosophy" is one of those books. It describes many Theosophy subjects such as cosmogenesis, anthropogenesis, reincarnation, death, karma in a more simpler way but it does not mean that it is easy. So this book should be read several time and each time you discover new things that you haven't thought of or even been conscious of. That's the magic of this book!

This is the best single volume text on the basics of classical Theosophy that I have found. Personally, I have read it cover-to-cover twice, plus it was the basis of an excellent correspondence course on Theosophy that I took through Theosophical University in Pasedena.

Judge clearly explains all of the more fundamental principles of the perenial philosophy in clear language and well organised chapters. While he does use some of the Sanscrit terminology, he is very careful to render the definition into English as closely as possible. While this book was originally published nearly 110 years ago, I still considerate it the best primer for the serious student (those who go beyond mere pamplets and lectures.)

I am dismayed that so many people seem to think that Theosophy, and the Society, is somehow obsolete and "quaint" in modern times. Look closely at anything of worth in your modern spiritual "revolution"- chances are you will find it all revealed in greater detail in either this volume, or certainly in, _Isis Unveiled_ and _The Secret Doctrine_....

Main Theosophy 's book "The Secret Doctrine" by H.P. Blavatsky is very hard to understand without some previous readings on the subject. I think that "Ocean of Theosophy" is one of those books. It describes many Theosophy subjects such as cosmogenesis, anthropogenesis, reincarnation, death, karma in a more simpler way but it does not mean that it is easy. So this book should be read several time and each time you discover new things that you haven't thought of or even been conscious of. That's the magic of this book!

Mary Leonhardt, the author of several other volumes on the process of getting your kid to love to read, speaks to the problem from two angles: she has taught English for over 20 years, and she has three children of her own (she includes several anecdotes from her experience in raising them). Look through the second chapter of this book and you immediately find yourself saying, "This makes so much sense!" (The one thing she should have mentioned--which is one reason I rate the book at four stars instead of five--is that teachers almost invariably "teach" any literary work, from story in a reader to a poem to a full-length novel, by requiring the students to pick it to pieces and analyze it to death, which is *not* what authors have in mind and which can turn a kid off reading faster than anything else in the known Galaxy. It would have me, if I hadn't loved to read well before I ever darkened the doors of a school.) Her solution: since school reform is almost impossible (owing to government regulation and the entrenched bureaucracy--although she does have words of praise for the rediscovery of "whole language"), parents (and teachers) should allow and encourage young people to read *what interests them*. If that means Richie Rich comics and what some readers (and parents) call "trashy" or "drugstore" books (like Kathleen Woodiwiss romances), then that's what you have to give them. Leonhardt understands that no child can learn to love to read unless he/she is given books that are *fun* to read, that speak to that particular young reader's individual interests and personality. In short, no kid is a carbon copy of any other kid, and they shouldn't all be expected to read the same stuff!

Leonhardt's suggestions for parental action are workable and logical, and she includes a bibliography of suggested reading that ranges from comics and magazines to venerable "summer-reading-list" titles, all annotated to explain why kids might like them. (Once you've exhausted this, online Readers' Advisory found at various public-library websites may suggest other possibilities.) If you want your kid to read, and can't homeschool, she may be your best hope.

As a kindergarten teacher and mother of two teen-aged sons, I have to say that this book changed both the way I teach and the way I approach the loaded topic of reading with my sons. I had been a book snob for years, not allowing certain kinds of books based on comics or movies into my home or classroom. After reading this book, I called a meeting for the parents of my students and told them I was going to scour the thrift stores that weekend for "trashy" books with high kid appeal. I bought books with Star Wars characters and Scooby Do on the covers, and my kids were clamoring to borrow them.
With my teen-agers, I told them I was taking them to the book store and that they had to pick something out. My 17 year old rolled his eyes but picked out Maus, which he loved. My 14 year old got The Weekly World News, (a tabloid) and now wants a subscription. Please get this book back in print.

This book is an extremely thoughtful and provocative book aimed at parents who are avid readers yet are struggling with a child who is not as interested in reading. The book is probably best targetted towards parents of junior high and high school students, but I found it useful even though the object of my own concern is a 2nd grader who does not share her parents' or siblings' interest in reading.

Ms. Leonhardt's argument is very thought provoking - her belief is that kids become avid readers by, well, READING - she isn't as concerned with WHAT they read as with getting them reading something. Thus her analysis suggests that it's OK if kids are drawn to comic books, "trashy" books, etc. and that parents should perhaps back off a little on the "quality" of books in order to allow kids to become hooked on reading. She believes that once a child becomes an avid reader, they will branch out. The key is to get them to become an avid reader.

This book is loaded with ideas and thoughts to use to try to motivate a child to read, and contains a reading list at the end of suggested book titles.

I haven't done justice to her argument - this book is well written, clearly argued, and supported with evidence. It makes a real page turner in its own right for a parent struggling with this issue. It is a breath of fresh air.

On balance, I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who fits the title's description.

This book is a treasure chest waiting for you to open. The author admits that even children who have been read to since they could sit up may not love reading, and this unloads the burden of guilt that many of us have been carrying around for years. Leonhardt also provides many concrete suggestions for parents and teachers. This book is a must for all homes and schools.

This is a fabulous book for frustrated parents of children who can't/won't read. After I read it, I took my 11 yr. old daughter out, let her buy any 3 magazines and she read them right away. This book is clearly written and organized, with a very helpful recommended reading list at the end. I highly recommend it

This book is flawless. I'm a personal trainer and it has been an invaluable resource in dealing with my clients' nutrition needs. Sometimes they need a little convincing when it comes to breaking some of their bad habits and this book explains it all in plain english, and the meal plans are fantastic.

This book is working better than i have expected i have lost a little more than what i personally thought in twenty-eight days and i have cheated a little lol but i am doing great i give this book a 5 star rating

Aimed at men, this huge reference book tells it all about diet for optimum health. Includes meal plans.

Great book. I wanted information to help me know what kinds of food I should eat. I enjoyed reading this book and the diet plans were very helpful. I wish that the book had more information that was applicable for women so that my wife and I could both benefit.

A good book with very useful and mostly new information. It's a massive book and well worth the price. There are a variety of week-long meal plans. Something to reference again and again.

A wonderful book about the worlds greatest ship. Well set out, lots of great information and great pictures. Captain Warwick has done a wonderful job !

A wonderful book about the worlds greatest ship. Well set out, lots of great information and lots of great pictures. Captain Warwick has done a wonderful job !

A wonderful book about the worlds greatest ship. Well set out, lots of great information and great pictures. Captain Warwick has done a wonderful job !

I had the wonderful opportunity of working on board the Queen Elizabeth 2 during my career at sea. I served for 10 months as the Captains' Steward and during that time met many wonderful and interesting people.
These days I work as a Butler for one of the former passengers I waited on at the Captain's table, many years ago so in a way, it is a reunion of sorts.
I found this book to be very informative and and full of wonderful photographs. I especially enjoyed the look "behind the scenes," that many passengers don't get to see when they are on board. People who have actually sailed on the Queen Elizabeth 2 will no doubt enjoy this book and all that Captain Warwick has included.
David Robinson
thebritishbutler@hotmail.com

I think this is a wonderful updated edition of the book. It has new pictures of it's 1994 refit. The only disapointment was the deck plan in the inside cover was not updated. This is though a wonderful book to have if you have been on the QE2, planning to go on it, or just interested in ocean liners.

This book was a score! The fabric swatches are wonderful and Sally Queen has listed along with each type of fabric what its' uses were in the 18th century.

Sally's book is wonderful resource. The swatches of fabric are terrific to use for reference in purchasing period correct fabric. The information that accompany's each swatch is priceless to anyone that is interested in 18th century costume design. This book is also a perfect "follow-up", after attending any of Sally's seminars.

Textiles for Colonial Clothing is a good source book for anyone re-creating period clothing or who is researching period clothing. It contains a description of most types of fabric referred to in the 18th century, accompanied by a fabric sample of the cloth. This is helpful, since many of the terms used for fabric in the 18th century do not have the same meaning today. Anyone who is re-creating period clothing or who is researching period inventories should have access to this book as a reference guide.

First: the author is really serious about accuracy in reproducing textiles from historical dress, and this isn't something to pick up prior to whipping up a colonial-era dress for Halloween. Second: textile swatches are generous and encourage touchy-feely types to compare to modern textiles. Author has been working on this for a while, and has finally produced a reference guide to Georgian (aka Colonial) era fabrics, mostly those related to better women's wear but also a few worn by servants (I finally figured out what drougget is - that was really bugging me) and each swatch is on its own page, with technical information relating to that fiber type and its historical production and use, plus many have anecdotes and quotes to help create a real setting in which the textile existed. For any costumers passionate about historical recreation, or for museum curators or textile professionals, this will be the defining reference for the era. Principally refers to English and colonial American dress, which differs markedly from the rest of Europe. The author caught me fondling the sample book on display in the dealer's marketplace at the recent Costume College, and had I had the funds with me I would have bought a copy then and there, despite the fact that I am not a historical specialist. I'd recommend this book without reservation for anyone needing factual information about dress during the 1700's, from shifts to ballgowns.

This book is really useful in providing a few different views of the 'levels' of clothing worn in the 1700s (servant vs. middle class for example) as well as great swatches of modern fabrics that would be appropriate for colonial-era clothing recreations.

Anyone who has ever read--or especially studied-- the 4 cannonical gospels cannot come away from them without asking a very basic question: why do the gospel accounts of the life of Jesus of Nazareth vary so greatly? Indeed, much of what the casual reader thinks he knows about the events narrated in the gospels, is a conflation of the events as told by the 4 evangelists. But which version is true, when they all disagree so much in content? Powell argues, in this marvelously well-written and readable volume, that in order to accurately know what really happened 2000 years ago, one must get as close to the original source as possible, because it is there, not in successive re-tellings and conflations of the real story, that the historical truth can be gleaned.

Powell asserts that John's gospel, traditionally ranked as the fourth and latest gospel, is the "odd man out", so to speak, because it differs so vastly in content from the 3 synoptics: Mark, Matthew and Luke. He convincingly argues that because John's gospel is the most primitive and most devoid of the mythology and theology that plague the later synoptics, his must be the first, and therefore the oldest; the closest in time to the events it relates, and therefore the most likely gospel to be accurate from a historical point of view.

Most Biblical scholars will readily admit that what has survived to become today's scriptures has evolved from stories that originated as verbal re-tellings of word-of-mouth renderings of historical happenings. But time has a way of corrupting history, whether innocently or by design, especially when long periods of time elapse between the historical event itself, and its final appearance in written form. And even in written form, errors in transcription, problems in language and translation, and an evolving understanding of what was previously not well understood at the time, all contribute to a final written version being, at times, starkly different from the original event it would report. Powell takes great pains to examine and compare, often verse-by-verse, the various renderings of the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth, and demonstrates how theological and mythological colorings have often changed-- sometimes subtly, at other times vastly, the gospel accounts of the life that forever changed the world, and why it is necessary to do some digging to un-earth the story as it really happened.

One cannot help but walk away from this book with a profound rethinking and revamped understanding of the life of Jesus of Nazareth, as related in the gospel of John, perhaps seeing him for the first time as a very 'human' being with an important message for the world. I think that anyone who is willing to approach this book with an open and inquisitive mind will thoroughly enjoy it, and profit from reading it.

This theory fits so well with recent liberal scholarship, it's just a matter of time before other authors reconsider the gospel dating. The Christ-myth books (The Christ Conspiracy, The Jesus Puzzle, Deconstructing Jesus, The Jesus Mysteries) describe how the story began first as history-style myth and then later became reified as actual historical events of a single, toweringly influential Jesus figure.

In Paul's authentic epistles, Jesus is mythical, and in the synoptic gospels, Jesus is historical. Why place John after the synoptics, then? It makes more sense to see John as the bridge from the mythic early epistles to the later synoptic Literalist/historicizing gospels, to form a smooth progression.

The more I read other recent books, the more I keep being drawn to The Unfinished Gospel. Right now there is a tension building up; it's so inconsistent with the latest conception of the transformation of Christianity in the first few centuries to assume the John is later than the synoptics. This book may become a classic, because there is an established minority of scholars who agree that John reflects earlier traditions than the synoptic gospels.

I expect that once the other contemporary scholars consider how perfectly this book's redating fits in with their theories of myth-making and historicizing, this book could garner a lot of attention. Gnostic, esoteric, and Christ-myth scholars should consider this book.

Powell argues for John's gospel as being the earliest written, with Mark being written in answer to John. The idea that John 21 was the original ending to Mark rather neatly solves the problem of why Mark ends so abruptly. Mark's ending was transferred to John to help "smooth over" the differences between the two gospels. Powell's arguments for the primacy of John are good, but they fail to carry the day. Mark doesn't appear to be written in answer to anything. It appears to be written by a man who simply wants to tell the story of Jesus in a language which is not his native tongue. If either of the gospels appears to be an "answer" to anything, it is John. John takes great pains to elevate the "beloved disciple" over Peter, an indication that Peter occupied a highly respected place in the early church and that the author of John might have harbored some resentment of Peter. Regardless of whether you agree with Powell's conclusions, you can appreciate his scholarship and the cogent arguments he makes to support his views.

Near the end of a ten year study on the Bible and Christianity, involving dozens of books on the subject, I came upon "The Unfinished Gospel". Finally it all came together and made some kind of sense. Powell presents, in my opinion, an incredibly sound theory bridging the chasm between rational thinking and the origins of the Christian religion, enabling both to co-exist. Sounds hard to believe, I know, but he really does pull it off. Absolutely a must read for those of us "cursed" with a too-logical mind to accept on faith the Christian doctrine. A good book also for any Christian or biblical scholar willing to look objectively at the story from a rational viewpoint. Extremely well written and easy to read.

This excellent and very readable book provides an unusual view of the order and importance of John's gospel relative to the synoptic gospels (Mark, Luke, and Matthew). The author examines the internal evidence in John's gospel, compares it to the material in the synoptic gospels, and deduces that John's gospel must have been written before the others. This reversal of the usual dating sequence implies that John's gospel gives us an earlier, and possibly more accurate picture of the life of Jesus and the formation of the early Church. Evan Powell points out that John's gospel does not mention the institution of the Eurcharist at the Last Supper and that there is an absence of traditions such as virginal conception of Mary, no angels at Jesus birth, no temptation by Satan, no casting out of demons, no transfiguration on the mountain, and no ascension. He notes that John's technical vocabulary is very limited in that many words that became integral to Christian expression never appear in his gospel, but do appear in the synoptic gospels or in the Pauline letters. Further, there is an absence of any description of the Church as an institution. Words such as apostle, church, and gospel are absent. Therefore Powell concludes that John's gospel was composed earlier than the others, before the Jesus movement had formed institutional structures and a well developed mythology.

Because of the many times Peter is mentioned with negative connotations, the author concludes that during the foundation of the early Church, John organized a community with a view of Jesus' life quite different from the community led by Peter. Another point he stresses is that "the beloved disciple" (John) is mentioned in a scene showing John reclining on Jesus' bosom and that this scene implies that John considered himself heir to Jesus' ministry. Only in the last chapter of John (i.e., John:21) are the conflicts between the leadership of Peter and John resolved, but this chapter is commonly believed to be an addendum no! t written by John. Powell believes that Chapter 21 was constructed from the missing portion of Mark's gospel which has a surprisingly abrupt ending often noted by biblical scholars. The problem can be overcome by re-attaching the twenty-first chapter of John and noting how well it fits Mark's writing style and themes. Powell maintains it was revised and added to John's gospel to gloss over the differences between the teachers and the teachings of the Johnine and Petrine communities.

Whether or not Powell's conclusions are validated by future research, they provide an intriguing picture of what might have occurred as a monolithic Church evolved from many small and independent communities.

CS:

I received this book and believe it is as expected. Price is at FMV (Fair Market Value). I have not yet proof read it but what I have seen it makes a great reference for those who collect currency. However, it would have been helpful to include the Friedberg number in the Appendix along with the description. Yes, this number can be variable but you have included prices that are also variable and approximate. It may have been better to give a ratio(range)year column price divided by the face value of the currency.

This book was exactly what I expected. Good photos and stories behind 100 of the most famous notes in history. Great as a reference or as a coffe table book.

This is an incredible book to have in your library if your a collector of U.S. Paper Currency or not. Stunning pictures of each of the notes this book goes into great detail in discussing. I have this book and the 100 Greatest U.S. Coins book sitting out in my livingroom for all to see and everyone who has stopped by can not help but pick up these books. Then the oh's and ah's start pouring out !!! Absolute incredible book to have in anyone's private library without a doubt.

It is the rare numismatic book that is educational AND entertaining. This book is one of those rare books.
I wrote a review of this book for the Bank Note Reporter, the newpaper for collectors of paper money. I have included an only slightly altered version of that review below.

My best purchase at the Chicago Paper Money Exposition was a copy of the new book 100 Greatest American Currency Notes by two of my favorite numismatists--Q. David Bowers and David M. Sundman. Chet Krause and Cliff Mishler wrote a foreword for the book making that four of my favorites all in one book. No, that is not right. Tom Denly was something called valuations editor for the book so that makes five of my favorite--and greatest--numismatists all in one volume.
In short, the book is beautiful to behold and a joy to read. That sums it up quite nicely, but I do have a lot more to say about it. I feel that I am particularly qualified to do this because I had started a book with exactly the same premise. I still have my notebook with my work. That means that they stole my idea! Of course that is easy to say after they have completed their work and I only have a notebook. It is also untrue. The original idea was Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth's popular 100 Greatest American Coins. Imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery. I must also say that Bowers and Sundman did a far better job than I would have done (not that I did not have a few enhancements).
The basic premise of the book is to select and discuss the 100 greatest American notes. The authors have done this admirably. The basic methodology was to survey a wide group of dealers asking them to list what they considered to be the top notes. While the methodology was good and the results were great, my first complaint is that I would have liked to have learned more about the methodology. The authors tabulated the results then provided the discussion. As the creators of this project, they have a greater insight than anyone on the subject. I would at a minimum have liked to read more of their thoughts on the results, but these are small complaints.
If you have not seen the book you can cast a silent vote right now for your top note or top ten. Now that you have done that, you will probably not be surprised that the clear favorite of the survey was the "Grand watermelon" ($1000 Series 1890 Silver Certificate). The authors expected it to be number one and I had it number one in the notes for my book. You have to figure that a note with a nickname like that would come in first or to look at it the other way that a note worthy of being first would have a nick name. Indeed, nine of the top ten have nicknames.
Two pages are devoted to discussing the grand watermelon and each of the top ten notes. Thereafter it is one page per note. This is the meat of the book. Indeed, the book could just as easily have been something like 100 Great Paper Money Stories.
The two Davids excelled in the preparation of the text to describe the notes. They supplemented the illustrations of the notes and their discussions with additional illustrations (some of these of coins (gasp)). Most ot these are excellent and some are great in both content and quality. They are a highlight of the book. This seems to be an appropriate place to mention the superb quality of book production. It is color throughout and truly excellent. My one complaint is that the book is in a large format 10 x 12 inches. Many people will consider this a feature. Authors (including me) like these large formats, but they are harder to read. They look great on the coffee table, but are difficult to handle curled up in a chair or in an airline torture seat.
I did not know that the watermelon description of this note could be traced back to an 1891 newspaper story. Perhaps I had read this before, but if I had, I had forgotten it. The entire quotation from the paper is included. From the footnotes at the back of the book I learned this interesting tidbit. The quotation is "From an 1891 clipping, no day date, in a scrapbook compiled in 1891 and 1892 (now owned by Q. David Bowers)." I found many of the notes worth reading.
Each entry includes a box with "historic Market Values" and "Commentary on Value." This is the work of the valuations editor. This book is not a catalog of values (I like that), but the inclusion of this information is interesting in its own right and is nice balances with the text and graphics. When I was working on my project, I had not thought of anything like this.
Number two in the survey is the $500 national bank note. It is a good and obvious choice. It was also number two on my list.
The third note in the survey is Massachusetts Bay Colony 5-shilling notes of December 10, 1690. It is the first government-issue American paper money (according to Eric Newman). Among other interesting (amazing) things that I learned in this entry is that in the 17th century the annual calendar ran from March 25 to March 24. I also learned that the unique example of this note resides in the Essex Institute, Salem, Massachusetts. That is certainly an appropriate city. I wonder if the note is on public display.
The balance of the top ten are very interesting indeed. Instead of being great rarities they are dominated by relatively common notes and certainly are affordable in circulated grades to most collectors. The one exception is number eight, the "Spread Eagle Note" (Series of 1862 and 1863 $100 Legal Tender note).
The others are respectively in positions four though ten (except eight): Lazy Deuce ($2 National Bank Note), $5 Educational note (Series of 1896 Silver Certificate), and Bison Note" (Series of 1891 $10 Legal Tender note), $1 "Educational Note (Series of 1896 Silver Certificate," $20 "Technicolor note" (Series of 1905 Gold Certificate, and the "Indian Chief" (Series of 1899 $5 Silver Certificate).
The other ninety notes include a wide array of interesting and historical notes. The entry on every single one is worth studying, but to me the most interesting (especially for discussion here) are those that might not be obvious choices.
United States fractional notes get two entries on the list. Interestingly, number 14, the fractional currency shield, is not a note at all, but a virtual collection of notes. Having said, that I think that it is a good choice.
Four Confederate notes make the list with several of them having nicknames (the Indian Princess and Montgomery notes (two denominations making the list)).
That vast, amorphous, and ill defined area known as obsolete notes are also included. Numbers 23 and 24 are Santa Clause notes and polar bear notes even though they are more categories than actual notes. Again, I think that they were good choices.
I was pleased and even a little surprised to see both World War II issues (Hawaii and North Africa) make the top 100. They won their places because of their extraordinary historical reasons for issue.
These various categories of notes included in the book are the apparent reason for the awkward book title. I offer this criticism with respect because I struggled with this problem in my unversion of this book. If you say United States notes you probably should not include Confederate notes. Colonial and Continental notes would not really fit. "Obsolete" notes would be in doubt too. Even American notes (as chosen) presents some problems. Does American include Canada? Mexico? I do not like the term currency notes, but I understand the problem. Bank notes does not fit because most of the notes selected were not issued by banks under any definition. Many people (unfortunately) would simply say currency but that is a very bad choice because currency is coins and paper money. In most constructions paper money does not work (100 Greatest American Paper Money). Even notes has some problems. Certainly, national bank notes are notes. but are silver and gold certificates notes? In the final analysis, having said that I do not like what we was used, but I do not have a better title.
I love the book, but I disagree with some of the choices. That is one of the wonderful aspects of books of lists. They are certain to generate discussion if not controversy. I was surprised that no error or star notes made the list. I can understand that they can be excluded as being sort of varieties of other issues, but, still, I think that a token from either or both of these categories could have been included.
You will probably not be surprised that I think that a military payment certificate should have been on the list. Having said that, I should be prepared to tell you which one. I gave that considerable thought in my work. I considered the unknown replacements and the unique replacements. Of course there is the Series 541 $5 with its attractive design and world record price history. I thought about the unique specimen booklets for Series 541 and 591. I really liked them because they have nicknames ("Comptroller Booklets"). Finally, I decided that the best choice would be the unique specimen and progressive proof set of Series 661. It does not have a widely recognized nickname, but it is still a good choice. I had a brief exchange with Tom Denly on this very subject after drafting this review. He said that he thought that if an MPC were to be included, it should be something like a Series 692 $10 or $20 because they would be very recognizable and would also be collectible. I like his thinking!
There are other good features good features of the book that I have not mentioned. The formatter is all quite good. You can imagine my surprise at finding my name mentioned. Earning that honor as an old timer (my term) is a double edged honor. The selected bibliography and recap of the top 100 in an appendix are also useful.
I expect that this will be a very successful book, just as the Garrett-Guth version on coins was. Can it generate more spinoffs like the 100 Greatest World Notes, or even the 100 Greatest National Bank Notes? I doubt it, but I would love to have both of those in my own library.
If it is not obvious, I highly recommend 100 Greatest American Currency Notes by Q. David Bowers and David Sundman. It was published by Whitman Publishing and should be available wherever numismatic books are sold and even in many book stores at around $30.