Stores Books

This is the Mother Goose of my children's generation. It was always a favorite. The illustrations are humorous and not too frightening (as in "A Real Mother Goose." This book is beloved by all three of my children, and was often their bedtime story pick well into elementary school. I would recommend this book to any parent looking for a comprehensive Mother Goose.

This book is in excellent condition and is exactly as I remember it as a child. It has brought fond memories back and I am sure my god children will enjoy it as much as myself and my brothers did growing up.

As a small child, I read Gyo Fujikawa's Mother Goose with my mom almost every night. As much as I loved the rhymes, I loved Ms. Fujikawa's drawings even more. Her little line drawings created a little world for each rhyme, and her full color illustrations--stretching across both pages--were gorgeous and mesmerizing. How wonderful that it is back in print so that my 2-yr old son can enjoy this book, too. (My own 40-yr old copy is lost somewhere in my mom's garage.) He loves it and clamors for "Goose! Goose!"

They don't make them like this anymore. A beautifully illustrated book. I had "Oh, What a Busy Day" as a child and we looked at the pictures over and over again- never got tired of it. Hoping my child will think the same of this one.

This is more than a kids's book to me: it is a treasured family heirloom.

The Volland Edition of Mother Goose Nursery rhymes is a well-worn book that sits on our lowest shelf for our kids to access freely. This has resulted in a bit of fraying on the edges of the pages and a binding that has started falling apart. But I have no regrets that my kids have returned to this book often and with anticipation when I announce that it is story time.

In this Mother Goose collection, you will find all the favorite rhymes in their original form; beautiful, sentimental, at times seemingly savage to our 21st century sensibilities - they were all written without regard to political correctness. For instance, the little old woman who lived in a shoe actually whipped all her children soundly before sending them to bed (not "kissed"), and Jack and Jill really do "break their crowns" instead of their hats or just bumping their heads. A few other selections mention the deaths of children and animals. Parents will have to prepare to explain some serious things to children after reading some of these rhymes.

The language back then was apparently more sophisticated than modern versions: consider "The Cat and the Fiddle" in which the little dog laughed to see such craft, which rhymes rather better than the later versions' (dumbed down) sport or play. In my opinion, that only adds to their color and charm. Hey, you can use it as an educational opportunity to teach new word usages to your kids.

But the real reason to choose this rhyme book is that the Volland Edition of Mother Goose is illustrated with an eye to beauty that you simply won't find in modern nursery rhyme books. That is what really sets the Volland Edition apart from all the modern collections; magical, perfect watercolors for each rhyme. No picture book since the Volland Edition has matched the quality here and I do believe that children enjoy good artwork and benefit from it greatly. In my case, this very book was inspirational in setting a high standard for my aspirations to become an artist someday.

As a great way to teach children poems and rhymes that will stay with them their whole lives, or as a valued heritage from another century, the Volland Mother Goose is one book every family should experience IMHO.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle

This book is a must read. I understand it is 10 years old but when you read it you forget that. It is relevant to the life we live today. Tony explores all the excuses we (men) use as to why we are not good husbands, fathers, friends etc. Tony crushes all of those excuses using the only book that really matters, the Bible. The Biblical references is what makes this book so powerful. It is one thing to read a book where someone is telling you how they made it through hard times. Most of us will read those types of books and think it does not pertain to me personally. However Tony gave Biblical examples that far exceed any struggles we have ever had in life. One of the examples is of Joseph and how he was imprisoned for all those years. Prison in Biblical times are far worse than they are today despite what stories we hear from those who have been. This book is a life changer, if you open your eyes, ears and hearts to it. It is truly inspriational and I recommend this book to every MAN to read. There is so much I want to write about this book, but I do not want to give it away. There is no excuse in this life for any shortfalls we have. If you read this book I guarantee you will find that whatever you say is holding you back is minor compared to what is in the Bible. So read this book and throw your excuses out the door.

My husband and his men's accountability group love this book.
He says that it has been extremely encouraging to each member and has been extremely helpful to each of them as they study together.

Excuses, excuses, we all use them from time to time. This book states that all the excuses that men make does not change the fact that God has given men responsibilities to their families, church, and community.

Tony Evans writes about all the excuses that men use and addresses them by using men from the bible to show how they overcame.


Obviously No More Excuses applies to men who are responding by the thousands to the call for more devotion to God-principles through the Promise Keepers movement. But it makes worthwhile reading for any man, not to mention encouragment for women. Stop making excuses and Be the man GOD made you to be!!!

This is a great book for a men's study group. Tony re-opens familiar stories of the Bible and tells them in such a real way that makes it easy for us to apply them to our life's today.

This book is nothing but amazing. No More Excuses has changed my life only for the better. Tony Evans starts each chapter with a perfect segway into a story from the Bible that helps you understand where we should be as Christian Men. It's funny how many times I catch myself saying to people, "It sounds like you need to read no more excuses!"

Anyone wishing to experience what Pioneer life [on any frontier] was like for their Grandmothers, Great Grandmothers, etc. and their families, this is a must read! There are interesting descriptions of how the Kansas Pioneers built their Sod Homes on the Great Plains. [Pages 54-55]. The description of the Great Blizzard of New Year's Day 1886, that my Grandfather weathered and loved to tell the story [mid Page 92], was an accidental verification I had sought for years. Family researchers might glean some everyday 'Pioneer life' tidbits, tweeked to fit their state's history, to enliven their family stories. Afterall, all of these amazing Pioneer women experienced the same happenings of their day!

Pioneer Women is a remarkable book. A collection of writings from women who experienced our country when it was raw and their families young. The stories are captivating for all ages.

Since I found that my great grandmother's brother and sister went on a Wagon Train to Nebraska from Bedford County PA in the 1870's and 1880's, I have benn interested in reading about Pioneer Families. This book was actual experiences of the women who survived in the early settlements of this country. How can we not be proud of their determination to survive and how much their faith in God played a role in their daily lives?

I read somewhere that a statistically large number of prominent Americans were born in 19th century Kansas. That was perhaps a result of the hard, but ultimately rewarding pioneer life that is described in these pages. Kansas and the West a century ago were in the vanguard of social innovation and progressive politics in the U.S.

Author Stratton re-discovered the oral histories of 800 Kansas pioneer women collected by her great-grandmother in the 1920s. She has taken this mountain of material and organized it into 15 themes in 15 chapters, giving background on each theme and quoting the pioneer women. For example, one chapter details the long journey to the frontier of Kansas undertaken by many of the women and their families. Blizzards, fatal disease, fear of Indians and other dangers greeted them. Other chapters describe the social life of the pioneer women, the education of their children, frontier churches, and the famous Kansas crusades for suffrage and temperance.

It would also be interesting to read some of the 800 oral histories. The author doesn't tell us where they are or if they are available to the general public. Certainly they should be made available as they are irreplaceable primary sources

The role of women on the frontier has been a popular subject of women writers for two or three decades now. This is one of the better books on the subject -- and one that can be enjoyed by readers of either sex.

Smallchief

In a world where history is written by the winners, we often don't find accounts of history from a womans' perspective. This is a compilation of 800 verbal histories of women that lived through all the well documented times. It paints an intimate picture through the voices of the remarkable women that helped to build this country. The book is well written, with good flow. The chapters are formed well, and it ushers the reader smoothly through time. It would be a worthwhile read for a re-enactor. I bought the book at a local goodwill, and can't imagine giving it up. It has a permanent home in my library. I only wish there was a complete, unabridged, publication of the verbal histories available.

This is my favorite although all of Margaret Rolfe's books are excellent! You won't be disappointed!

With this book you learn to easily foundation piece cats, cows, lions, monkeys, elephants, chickens, bunnies, pelicans, eagles, peacocks, butterflies, cardinals, hummingbirds, kangaroos, and soooooo much more with readily understandable instructions.

The book is a great reference for other sewing projects and consists of 112 pages so it's rather thin. The book covers basic embroidery stitches (chain, french knot, stem, and more) with directions and illustrations, ways to add borders with directions and illustrations, assembling the quilt top, binding, and quilting of the finished work. There's a section pertaining to fabric selection and sewing materials/equipment.

I'd never paper pieced in my life and this book covered all the bases to complete these mini-quilts in a short period of time with professional looking results. I've surprised several family members with my work!

If you need a quilting book with easy to make animals, purchase this book as you will not be sorry.

The cover of this book really does not do justice to the designs inside. They are truly beautiful works of art--unique and magnificantly simple in their construction. The Noah's Ark quilt is a classic. Particularly helpful are two examples of the same animal square with the different types of fabric. One can easily see the dramatic difference that selection of fabric and color make in the final design. As my first project as a quilter, I made the rooster from fat quarters as a birthday present for my sister. If I do say so myself, it looks fabulous! With Ms. Rolfe's techniques of foundation quilting you do not have to worry about cutting exact shapes (except once for the entire block), nor about grain of the fabric. Instructions are clear and easy to follow. For Xmas, I plan to make pot holders from the designs as gifs. I'm even thinking about tackling the Noah's Ark quilt--for myself! I ordered more of her books because I enjoy her easy-going manner to quilting and the professional looking results!

I had been looking for an "Elephant" quilt for my elephant crazed 3 year-old for some time. I finally decided I would probably have to make him one myself. I have intermediate sewing skills but had never quilted before. This foundation piecing method is the way to go! The blocks turn out beautiful everytime. It is so easy and very addictive! There are so many different animal patterns in this book, from farm animals to zoo animals, to Australian animals and more. Something for everyone!!

I had been looking for an "Elephant" quilt for my elephant crazed 3 year-old for some time. I finally decided I would probably have to make him one myself. I have intermediate sewing skills but had never quilted before. This foundation piecing method is the way to go! The blocks turn out beautiful everytime. It is so easy and very addictive! There are so many different animal patterns in this book, from farm animals to zoo animals, to Australian animals and more. Something for everyone!!

I love the Sammy Keys books, Sammy manages to deal with the problems of being a modern adolecent, and solve mysteries too! And while she does it she she manages to stay true to her friends, her family and basic good ideals.

In this exotic story a girl named Sammy Keyes and her friends must solve the mystery of who tried to kill Chauncy LeBard and who stole his 500,000 dollar books!!!!!! Along the way Sammy pulls a prank on her worst enemy Heather Acosta. With the help of Officer Borsch and "Muscles", Sammy finds out who the almost - murderer is!!!!!!!! But if I told you who, it wouldn't be much of a mystery, now would it ???????

Sammy soon discovers that revenge isn't always so sweet, for once she pulls her prank on Heather she ends up with 20 hours of detention!!!!!!! In this particular book it's rather hard to spot the themes and messages, but sometimes that's what makes a mystery so well, mysterious!!! You may think that this book is scary because there is an attempted murder but it's not, it's an awesome book with a couple of funny bits here and there.

This book is an exciting mystery that will take you into it's pages so your standing right there next to Sammy as she unravels the mystery just like a mini Nancy Drew. So since this is such a good book I recommend it to you immensely. Put it on your "Books to read" list or something. I'm serious, read it.
PLEASE??????

I read a pretty cool book called Sammy Keys and the Skeleton Man. The book is about a girl who finds out that a guy dressed up like a skeleton stole stuff from a person named Mr. Frankenstein. The reason why they call him Mr. Frankenstin is because he where's a mask that helps him breath. The skeleton man who stole from his house then sold it to the market. She tries to stop the skeleton man from doing it again, so when she finds out where the skeleton man stole, she goes to his house and talks to Mr. Frankenstein and sees if he remembers anything that happened. When she talks to him he barley remembers anything so she tries to trace the clues to see who did it. It brings her to a store when she finds who did it. She gets him trapped then calls the police. Then the skeleton man goes to jail, and then Mr. Frankenstein gets his stuff back and everything is over.

I think the book's message is when you're trying to look for something and you cant find it you should always try to find clues. I also think that when you're about to give up, don't, because there will be always another way to solve it. Sometimes it will be good to ask someone for advice to help you in some ways. The last thing is you should never steal from anyone or a friend you know might tell on you.

I recommend this book to you because it's a pretty cool book. You will always want to see what happens next. I liked it because it was always brings a questions to the book. I also liked how they always add clues to the book and how they put more characters in the book that's why I like this book.

Sammy doesn't look for trouble, but it usually finds her. In this case, it's on Halloween, when she gets run over by a skeleton with a bag of stolen goodies, who sets a fire in a spooky house. And that's just the beginning. Sammy is right-on, as are her friends, Marissa and Dot. But she doesn't sound nearly as convincing with her adult voices, especially Grams, who sounds like she's 30, rather than 55-plus. Overall, a good mystery, in a great series. This book is Awsome!

7th grader Sammy Keys has got a lot of troubles on her hands. It all started on Halloween at the bush house with her friends. At the bush house no one answered and Sammy saw a fire. After Sammy put it out with a sweater they found Chancey Lebard (the owner of the house, who they call the bush man)tied to a chair. It turns out he was robbed, and sammy was interested an started investigating. The sweater she put the fire out withturned out to be [expensive]. If it got all burn't up, she'd be in trouble.

those are not the only problems Sammy beholds. Her worst enemy Heather wasmaking a fool of her but every one thinks it is really Sammy. as far as Sammy is concerend it is payback time for Heather.

I like every thing about this book. I really like howit has a lot of problems at one time, it makes it more interesting. It also usesgood detail and description. Sammy Keys and the Skeleton Man is full of suspenceand i couldn't put it down. I can't think of anything ididn't like about this book except it had to end.

This is a wonderful book filled with poems by well known authors.
Wonderful for children who enjoy poetry. Highly recommend!

The Kennedys have done a superb job in selecting the poems for this read-aloud. The titles run the gamut of sweetly simple (Langston Hughes' "Piggy Back"), to the powerful (Georgia Roberts Durston's "The Wolf").

There is something for everyone here. Readers will find old favorites-"The Purple Cow"-as well as a few not-so-well-known but soon-to-be favorites such as William Jay Smith's lovely and lyrical "Polar Bear."

The book is divided into nine, themed sections: Plays, Families, Just for Fun, Birds, Bugs, and Beasts, Rhymes and Songs, Magic and Wonder, Wind and Weather, Calendars and Clocks, and, finally, Day and Night.

Making their appearance are, among others, Robert Louis Stevenson, Joan Aiken, Jane Yolen, Gwendolyn Books, A. A. Milne, and Wallace Stevens.

Jane Dyer, as always, does a magnificent job with the illustrations. There are full-page pictures and spot art throughout, extending and enriching the text. Readers will want to linger over the realistic, charming watercolors.

Highly recommended.

Reviewed by the Education Oasis Staff

This large, gorgeous picture book contains 123 poems perfectly suited for youthful excursions into the land of poetry. You will find many favorites here as well as bountiful opportunity to make new friends. Emily Dickinson, Rachel Field, David McCord, Jane Yolen, Christina Rossetti, Langston Hughes, Elizabeth Coatsworth, and Robert Frost are just a few of the amazing talents that grace the pages of this book. From the very beginning where a qote from Isak Dinesen's "Out of Africa" explains the title of the book, we are swept up in a cavalcade of imagery, sound and experience that is a true delight and feast for the imagination. Not only is this a wonderful introduction to poetry for children it is a giant step forward toward learning about creative visualization and self-expression. It is a fortunate child who learns to evoke response from others through the mastery and selection of words. There is no better way to teach the art than to provide a child with the opportunity to experience the magic first-hand. The splendid illustrations in this book cheerily invite one to venture closer and then become the magic carpet that sweeps one from place to place within the book. The subject matter covers a broad range of topics, humorous and thoughtful, and can serve as a wonderful catalyst to further discussion about poetry and the use of the imagination. After a long and satisfying relationship with this book, may I suggest that you place a special magical pen and a blank tablet of paper in the hands of your child and discover the wonders it has helped to deliver. This book is truly an ambassador to creative expression.

Last night, my not-quite-three-year-old daughter spontaneously recited a couple dozen poems from this book to my wife and me. We were astounded. She's been requesting that we read TALKING LIKE THE RAIN to her day and night since I bought it last month, but we had no idea how deeply the poems had sunken in. What better endorsement can one give to such a book? We plan to buy several more copies as presents for my daughter's friends . . . and their parents.

X.J. Kennedy is a terrific poet as well as a top-notch editor. I highly recommend his own children's poetry books, particularly his irreverent BRATS, as well as his poetry books for adults, which include the excellent DARK HORSES and CROSS TIES.

This is a beautiful book both visually and in content. The watercolor illustrations are in the realistic style painted in fine detail. My daughter loves to look at the pictures closely as we read the poems aloud.

The poems selected cover a wide range of topics, themes, and moods. There are funny poems like limericks, serious poems about the seasons, poems about how children sometimes feel (such as the one about the boy who didn't do anything right yesterday, so he's not getting out of bed today) bedtime poems, and poems about child play.

This book was a gift and I love it so much I've since given it to other parents and children to enjoy. Everyone has been enthusiastic about it. When my daughter selects this book (which is often) it's fun for us to browse through the pages and pick poems based on the illustrations or on our mood. We'll say, let's read about sleepytime poems, or let's read funny poems. She never tires of this book. There are hundreds of poems to choose from, but the scope is not overwhelming either.

I give this book my highest recommendation. Every home should have some poetry on the shelf!

Finding this book and getting it so quickly was just what I had hoped for!
Thanks so much

I had this series as a child and LOVED it. This particular book was my favorite in the series. I can still remember the storyline. My set had been handed down to my sister. Now that she has grown up, I'm not sure where they have landed, but I intend to get the entire set again.

My Mom used to read this to me when I was little, and coincidently, I picked it up from our library while writing my personal statement for graduate school. I also am looking for "invisible enemies" like Louis Pasteur's; I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Immunology and Microbiology.

This book was a vivid memory from when I was little so I had to order it. It is humorous while it delivers the life story of rabies scientist Louis Pasteur.

Presents a good lesson featuring the best scientist in history for whom I have a deep respect, but gives me nightmares since I read it as a kid! I researched the real story and some facts are incorrect. If I liked it, yes & no for these reasons. Haunting,& it changed the course of my life.

Well written, easy-to-use book that will be of use to not only beginning bakers, but experienced-but-busy bakers. Dodge provides a wealth of information that is often missing from other cookbooks: (1) what steps can be done in advance, (2) what can be frozen, and WHEN in the baking process it can be frozen, (3) useful adaptations, such as the pan size to use when you double a recipe, and flavor modifications. The measurements are given in cups and teaspoons, and the recipes are geared towards a home cook.

She has a great peanut butter cookie recipe that requires NO flour, which is helpful if someone in your family cannot eat gluten.

Recipe chapters are divided into two overall categories: "baker's express," and "cooking in stages." Each one of those categories contains the following sections: cookies and bars; cakes, large and small; breads; mousses, custards, and puddings; pies, tarts, cobblers, crips. In summary, this is a book that the home baker will actually use, and with great success.

I was working on a project that required multiple baked goods. In my search for a variety, I checked out several baking books from the library. Once my project ended, I had fallen in love with only one book and discovered I had to have the book for my own personal use. That book was, "The Weekend Baker" by Abigail Johnson Dodge.

Now, I'll be honest there are 3 things that I think you should consider if you are considering buying this book.
1. This is a hard bound book, which makes it slightly challenging to keep open on your counter as you work throught he recipe. A couple of #10 cans will easily help you out but it is a bit annoying.
2. This book is said to be for those who love to bake but struggle to find the time. While I agree, I think we forget that there are a lot of people who "love to bake" yet assume baking means boxed cake/brownine mixes, premade pie crusts or frozen cookie dough - it is important to note that this book is for people who love to bake FROM SCRATCH and are too busy. (My friend was disappointed in the book when she discovered Abigail is NOT Sandra Lee!)
3. Further to my note in #2, if you are baker who relies on photo images to assure your finished result is correct, you may be disappointed. While the photos that are in the book are fabulous they are sparse and not available for every recipe.

That being said; The Ginger Snaps on the cover are fabulous! I now have a friend that expects the Banana Cake with Fudgy Frosting every year for his birthday and in a recent search for the perfect "shortcake" this book provided the winning recipe! A wonderful book!

I'm a cookbook junkie on a short bookshelf leash so when I found out about this book, I checked it out of my library before I grabbed my checkbook just in case I was being lead astray by another pretty cover. Boy, did I underestimate this book! If you have an interest in baking, buy this book, buy it now, buy it for baking friends! I did.

It looks like a simple list of recipes that you probably already have in any number of other baking books, and really it is, but what makes this book so useful is that it's like all the best recipes in those books are condensed into one easy to read, easy to follow and easy to grab reference. It saves me time not because of any earth-shattering shortcuts, but because I don't have to sift through 10 baking books to find a recipe I want to make or spend time figuring out how I can spread out the recipe over time -- that's already done. And the author is fabulously reassuring that yes, you can do this if you have a few minutes, and yes, it will be worth it!

My only complaint: an index of recipes at the start of the three main chapters would make finding a particular recipe even quicker. Currently, I have to mark them with post-it flags, making my book look like it's eating a tibetan prayer flag.

Thanks for putting the fun back in baking!!

I purchased this book several months ago and I have to say that every recipe I've made has been superb! I really like the way each recipe is broken down into stages and the added bonus of variations to change things up a bit (if you care to do so). I highly recommend this cookbook to anyone who loves to bake, but can't take a whole day to do so. The author really has a passion for baking and it shows, trust me you won't be dissapointed!! Kudos!!

If I had to keep one baking cookbook this would be it. The recipes are fabulous, easy and always fetch rave reviews. It is a definate asset to both the experienced and novice baker's kitchen.

Very good book for the price, has a good collection of her artwork as well as information about her processes and her life.

I was first introduced to the art of Bev Doolittle when I lived in Alaska back in 1994. I bought my first print in 1997 followed by this book and several more prints. I find her "hidden" imagery fascinating and mesmerizing. I love showing my prints and this book to guests, waiting for their inevitable reaction of surprise when they see the "whole" painting. She really is a rare talent and this book brings her whole collection (at that time) to you. I know some of her original prints are worth thousands now and its unlikely I'll ever own them. But at least I have high quality fold out "mini" prints to enjoy!

To be a part of Bev Doolittle's art is, in itself a gift. I saver each

picture as an example of anothers insite into " my West ".

The book arrived sooner than expected abd was given as a gift. the receipient was very pleased. I have been very pleased with every order I have received from Amazon.

Bev Doolittle's definitive collection (you don't need anything else of hers if you have this one) is a glorious compendium of richly detailed full-color reproductions of her paintings. The optical tricks alone are worth the book's price tag, and the minuteness and authenticity of Doolittle's details rival the paintings of Frank C. McCarthy (another favorite of mine). Anyone who loves illustrations of horses, American Indians, or both cannot call their collection complete without this title.

This is a great instructional manual. Full of enjoyable drills and some nice pieces to play. Streets ahead of just about anything I have seen. The CD is a fantastic option. The 80 page book contains pieces in tablature and musical notation and Mark plays each piece through slowly and then at a faster tempo. It's tough going alright, but I am enjoying it. Not exactly for beginners, but for those of us who want something better to do with their thumb (heheh), this is the book to buy. Highly Recommended.

Many of the other reviews have said it first, but Mark Hanson has created an excellent series of finger picking lesson books.

The Art of Solo Fingerpicking is an intermediate fingerpicking book. If you can only strum a few chords or are new to fingertyle, start off with Mark's The Art of Contemporary Travis Style Picking first and then come back to this one.

The exercises (in both books) are excellent and reinforced by the songs. The exercises are difficult enough to challenge but easy enough so you don't get frustrated. I found myself playing things that I never thought I could play in a very short period of time.

The songs are challenging and excellent. But again, they are not too difficult to frustrate you.

I am an intermediate player and have purchased many lesson books over the years. NONE have taken my guitar or mandolin playing as far as the Mark Hanson finger picking series. I am very critical of my playing. Quite often after a practice session with this book, I find a big smile on my face and say to myself "Did I just play that?"

This book was quite a challenge. I went through the Art of Contemporary Travis Picking rather quickly (by quickly, I mean several months, so this may not be quick to some) so I figured this "sequel" would go by in a similar fashion but this really ups the ante. As a result, the pieces you will learn are much more satisfying to play and listen to. I highly recommend starting with the aforementioned book because most of the picking patterns and special techniques learned there are taken for granted in this book and may add to the learning curve. Believe me, you don't want to be worrying about performing a hammer-on or slur while maintaining rhythm to a variation on the outside-in travis pattern. You will have enough on your plate! You can start with just this book if you're willing to work harder in the beginning.

I like how Mark makes direct references to specific artists, such as Leo Kottke and John Renbourn, and demonstrates some of their contemporary techniques through examples and songs. Some topics discussed are right and left-hand damping, using the thumb to play melody, playing scales (major and chromatic), using harmonics, alternate tunings, rolls (playing 3 to 5 strings in succession and spacing the picking evenly over a beat) and increasing overall speed via effective hammer-on and pull-off techniques (the essence of how the final piece, Strawberry Curl, is played).

The book is not easy, but very little in life that's worth doing is easy. I spent months on the first 9 to 10 pages, but once things started to click, the rest of the book began to go by faster. Once I gained good, relaxed control and coordination on the first song and the following pages of exercises (especially playing a major scale while playing the alternating bass) I was able to make very steady progress but that was a hurdle to overcome. "Devil's Dream" took me some time because of the need to alternate rapidly between the index and middle fingers in the treble while maintaining the alternating bass. But once that control was there, it remained, and I was able to apply it to other pieces I was working on.

Pay attention to the suggested fingerings and always try all ways if more than one is presented. I can easily wrap my thumb onto the 6th string, so I will tend to do that when it makes the overall fingering easier (much to the dismay of classical guitar teachers everywhere).

After working through this book about halfway, I was able to manage some pieces from Fingerstyle Magazine (an achievement in my eyes!) and going into alternate tunings is no longer a scary concept. Traversing the neck to bizarre chord forms, while still not always easy, becomes easier to deal with and something that you accept as normal at this level of playing.

By the way, when you finish this book, you will have some excellent show-off material in your repertoire. My favorite songs are Flier and Strawberry Curl (in Double Drop-D tuning). I heard Mark perform "Flier" this summer when I attended his annual fingerstyle guitar seminar and I made it one of my goals to play a duet on this song with him next summer (if I am able to go back) during the student recital (maybe even at normal tempo!).

I have been playing for over 30 years, this is easily the best instruction book on fingerstyle guitar. It is also alot of fun to play, the book ends and you cry for more!

For me, this book/CD raised the bar for all guitar instruction. I'm actually a pretty decent fingerstyle player now, and it is because of this book. I still have a way to go, and I'm still only a little more than half way through, but this book has taken me SO FAR with my playing. The progression of exercises is very natural; don't move on until you feel comfortable with an exercise, and then come back to it once in a while.



Proceeding along, you get to the first actual "song", Red White and Blue Rag. I still play this one almost every time I pick up my guitar! The tab itself is the best I have EVER seen, with fingering notation in many places. The CD is a great inspiration, and the slow versions of the tunes are indispensable.



I found out about this book from a recommendation on the "Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum", with glowing words from a long line of very experienced players. I gambled and bought it, and I'm a much better player no because of it. Seriously, if you want to get better at fingerstyle playing, this is the book.