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Encyclopedias Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Encyclopedias
The VNR Concise Encyclopedia of Mathematics
Published in Hardcover by Van Nostrand Reinhold (1977-04)
Author:
List price: $31.95
New price: $81.32
Used price: $16.04
Collectible price: $31.95

Average review score:

A reference that I have used often and will never be without
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-01
I purchased my copy of this book in the late seventies and it is the reference work that I have used most often since that time. Nearly all the areas of basic mathematics are covered and I used it when I was teaching mathematics full time in the eighties. I also found it invaluable when I was solving problems that appeared in math journals and now use it extensively in my role as co-editor of Journal of Recreational Mathematics.
This book, or a subsequent edition when this copy wears out, will always be within arms length on my reference shelf when I am doing mathematics.

Excellent Text for Learning, Review and Reference of Mathematics
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-20
I purchased this book new in 1980. It is one of the best math reference books I have seen and that I own. It's coverage is quite broad and rigorous and it treats each subject with care and often works from first principles and introduces the applications and often the historical context. I used it extensively during college and keep it here at work for reference when I need to get up to speed in a certain area of mathematics.

I was a double major in physics and mathematics as an undergraduate and kept this nearby at all times. Of course some texts provide more detail in specific areas, but this is definitely one of the best, if not the best reference review mathematics book available. Very few books or sets of books have the breadth or scope of this book and the technical depth and rigorousness without becoming pedantic or obtuse.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in mathematics or would like a good mathematics reference book that covers most topics that might be of interest. The only issue is that the book was written in 1977 and so does not cover some topics that have been expanded on and become popular since that time. Fractals, computational proofs of theorems, etc.

This is the math book I wish I had in high school or middle school, but I didn't get it until college and it wasn't out in print until late in my high school years anyway.

Excellent basis for a comprehensive education in MATHEMATICS
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-25
This is THE book that I use with my home schooled children for MATHEMATICS. It is well written and has clear and comprehensive coverage. Start at page one and go through the text in order. Highly recommended, and I hope that we will see it back in print soon.

One of the Best Books on Earth
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-25
If you can get your grubby hands on this book, DO IT.

This book is AMAZING. I really fell in love with it when I checked it out of my middle school library. It was dusty, and no one had checked it out for...TWENTY-FIVE YEARS. I checked it out...and ended up checking it out for the year. Sadly, they did not let me buy it from them. But, to my luck, I found one when I was on ... vacation! Though, it is in poor condition.

This book has so much information. It is very compact and dense. It uses about...hmm...three colors, and black. Each color means something different. For example, each thing in a blue background means it is a sample problem or example. The colors make it absolutely fantastic, and readable.

This has a pretty good overview of A LOT of mathematics up to about 1980. That is, there is no fractal geometry and stuff. And take the word 'overview' lightly...it can get pretty in-depth.

I wish they made these kind of books today, where content and quality is more important than eye-candy and superficial explanation.

Get this book if you can.

Amazing book
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2005-03-06
I have two editions of this text, both bought back in the 1980s, and it is one of the most amazing books I have ever owned. Over the years, time and again this book has delivered when I needed some quick facts and a refresher on material I may have learned elsewhere. The best part of it is that it is full of illustrations, important when one is trying to obtain intuition on a subject. Not much is missed here, at least as of the date of publishing. Facts that might require pages and pages to uncover in a more comprehensive title on a subject, e.g., differential calculus, are all packed within a few pages in this title, making it a good reference.

I was suprised to see this title is out of print. Hopefully it makes a comeback. So much information never took up so little shelf space as this book. For those who love mathematics, this is a must buy in my opinion.

Encyclopedias
Wolf of the Steppes: The Complete Cossack Adventures, Volume One (Complete Cossack Adventures)
Published in Paperback by Bison Books (2006-07-01)
Author: Harold Lamb
List price: $19.95
New price: $11.00
Used price: $9.11

Average review score:

Still very, very good.
Helpful Votes: 11 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-27
I bought this book (and the companion volume) after reading some of Lamb's work in the 'Flashing Swords' ezine and anthology from Pitch-Black Press (Sages and Swords). I'd never heard of Lamb before--and now I've read his work, I'm stumped if I know why that is. Everything that's good about adventure fiction is in this book: strong and cunning protagonists, treacherous villains, and exotic locales, and all written in a clean and fast-paced prose style I wish I could emulate.

I read the whole thing in a week, then read the other volume straight after. When I finished, I went back and read them again.

My only caveat about the books has nothing to do with the stories, but the covers. The stock used for the covers is a little thin, and it warps badly if it gets damp. If you do buy a copy (and you should), then keep the cover away from water, otherwise it will curl and start to come apart.

If you're at all interested in adventure fiction, you should buy this book and any others by Lamb you can. Really, they're very, very good.

[This is the same review I wrote for the other of the two books currently available--but I read them both at the same time, and I have the same comments about both, so ...)

An excellent book
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-27
Among the ranks of forgotten pulp authors, Harold Lamb's obscurity is one of the strangest enigmas. Imagine if you only knew Robert E. Howard or H. P. Lovecraft from a few hints of having been significant once, or inspiring later authors, and their works were unavailable in print. This is pretty much the situation with Lamb, and it is hopeful that this book and its four companions will remedy it.

Because, in fact, Lamb is a master of the genre, easily the equal of REH, HPL and other pioneers of fantastic fiction. The main character, Khlit, a veteran Cossack on the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, is just as iconic as Conan the Barbarian, Ffahrd and the Grey Mouser or Cugel the Clever. His gruffness, practicality, and sharp wit despite being completely illiterate, makes him an appealing protagonist. In turn, his foes, Tatar Khans, schemers of the Chinese court and masters of secret cults and societies, are classic pulp villain material without indulging in base stereotypes. The pacing, including the trademark twist at the end (where I usually cried out "Of course!"), is exemplary. Finally, the locations where the stories take place are well chosen: exotic to modern readers, and presented fantastically, yet with a sharp eye to historical detail and accuracy as well. Lamb's deep knowledge of Asian cultures and customs is remarkable, and he can weave it into his plots without looking intrusive or forced.

It is hopeful that these four volumes will pave the way before more collections and reprints, and that they will introduce many more people to Lamb's excellent works. As someone who had known next to nothing about them even a few months ago, and only discovered the author when he was mentioned alongside Talbot Mundy on a message board, I definitely recommend them to anyone with an interest in great adventure stories. The editor, Howard Andrew Jones, is to be commended for his efforts in making this happen - and the cover illustrator as well for providing four elegant, moody illustrations to adorn them.

The Wolf's Tales Unearthed
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-12
For those interested in historical adventure there is probably no better choice than to pick up this volume and read the epic story of a lone, wily cossack, who leaves his clan and sets about adventuring across Asia. Not only is the volume a bargain - you would be lucky to find a sole story in the original magazine version at the price of the whole volume - it is entertainment pur sang,from the first page to the last. While Lamb gives us great descriptions of battle- and actionscenes, in the end his heroes win by their wits and not by their swords. This gives every storyending the unique "Lamb-twist" In addition the backgrounds and details of the stories are all historically accurate - which does not detract at all from the enjoyment! If you like to have your imagination stimulated by adventures in far lands and other days, this is the book for you!

Biased review
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-02
For honest disclosure, the editor, Howard Andrew Jones, is a friend and colleague.

But that won't stop me from saying "wow". The first tale of Khlit starts off the character at the very audacious age of 50-ish. And Khlit ages as the series goes on. To have this wiley old man have to think his way through the traps and conflicts that beset him and not just rely on sword and brawn, is just so damn cool.

Others have noted how modern Harold Lamb writes. I concur. His prose is evocative without being overly flowery. He sketches a world that is deep and dangerous, but never gets in the way of the story.

And Lamb's exploration of cultures and religions of this region, well, I think that Khlit and Lamb expose us to some very thought provoking situations that pertain to our world, NOW. After all, this is the world of Turkey to China. I think there are some events happening in that area these days that are of import. I'm not saying that this is a history lesson in these pages....but history and culture are nonetheless taught as we follow the wandering Cossack.

Another biased though heart-felt review
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-13
If, like me, you've hunted for Harold Lamb's stories dispersed in old and rare magazines and books long out of print and despaired that you would ever have them all - you will be grateful to Howard Jones for collecting and editing them. I am, even more so because I got to know Howard towards the end of this enterprise and got a glimpse of how huge and intricate his job was.

If you've ever dreamed of adventures in a world younger than ours, where bravery and cunning count for something and danger or treasure could wait around the next bend of the road - these stories are for you.

If you've ever wished for tales that would let you breathe the sharp air of the Hindukush range, feel the burning sun of the deserts, taste the dust of the steppes, see the Cossacks or nomads quarrel, fight and revel - these stories are certainly for you.

Get all four volumes and ride with Khlit, a cunning old Cossack retired from the Sietch, who keeps looking for adventures, alone or with a few companions, in lands where if your hosts regret your parting you never know whether they found your company good or whether they regret they did not have enough time to rob you.

Read these stories, enjoy them and tell your friends!


Encyclopedias
2008 Songwriter's Market
Published in Paperback by Writers Digest Books (2007-10-30)
Author: Ian Bessler
List price: $26.99
New price: $3.11
Used price: $3.12

Average review score:

Good info
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-08
I do recommend this book. It has lots of useful information.
Well worth the money.

Great source of info in one place.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-21
The greatest amount of info in one easy place. It is catagorically written for just the answeres you need.

Valuable book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-05
Excellent resource for any songwriter, performing or not. Contains useful advice on how to prepare demos, copyright, etc, plus a comprehensive list of agents, music publishers, record companies and other useful contacts.

2008 Songwriter's market
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-29
Two virtues make me go 'gaga' over that book:
-The tons of useful information that one needs in the music industry, especially for aspiring lyricists like me
- That it's published annually.
I rest my case.

An essential, core addition
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-05
Now in a substantially revised and completed updated thirty-first edition, the Writer's Digest Press edition of the "2008 Songwriter's Market: Where & How To Market Your Songs" continues to be the premier resource for aspiring and practicing songwriters and musicians to have their music recorded and published. This compilation of information and instruction is enhanced with hundreds of listings for music publishers, record companies, record and music producers, booking agents, interviews with successful professional in the industry, and so much more. Cover market place resources for all genres of music from hip-hop to rock, from classical to country, from pop to kids, the "2008 Songwriter's Market" will prove to be an invaluable, information packed, and thoroughly 'user friendly' resource. Enhanced with listings for songwriter support organizations, conferences, thematically appropriate websites and online communities, "2008 Songwriter's Market" should be considered an essential, core addition to personal, professional, music school, and community library reference collections.

Encyclopedias
The Address Directory of Celebrities in Entertainment, Sports, Business & Politics, Second Edition
Published in Paperback by Americana Group Publishing (2005-01-01)
Author: David R. Moore
List price: $34.50
New price: $14.95
Used price: $6.23

Average review score:

Here's The List of Celebrity Autographs
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-02-09
I have known David Moore for many years and he is the only author of celebrity directories that uses and updates his address list on daily basis. For me, here is a list of celebrities who I have contacted and received autographs through the mail. They are: Sarah Jessica Parker, Bill Gates, Roy Clark, Gillian Anderson, Nicholas Cage, Bill Cosby, James Garner, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Gary Trudeau, Olivia Newton-John, Brandi Chastain, James Watson, Sandra Day O'Connor, Harmon Killebrew, George Bush, Betty Ford, Jimmy Carter, Leann Rhimes, Muhammad Ali, Angela Landsbury, Reba McEntire, Jay Leno, Faith Hill, Tommy John, Tom Hanks, Michael Eisner, Nolan Ryan, Tony Bennet, Colin Powell, Robert Duvall, John Mellencamp, Whoopi Goldberg and many others. If you want excellent results and great customer service, I highly recommend David Moore's book.

Amazing book
Helpful Votes: 11 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2005-01-10
The reader and reviewer who wrote this book is the ULTIMATE has it right. This book is everything an autograph collector needs. Besides the thousands of celebrity addresses, this book backs up the names with celebrity facts. If you want a complete history of actors it is there under the website named in the book, if you want other facts to write to the celebrity about it is there. (the book has celebrity hobbies, celebrity charities, celebrity birthdays, celebrity hangouts and a lot of useful facts about celebrities)This is the only celebrity directory I will ever need. The price of this book is well worth it!!

This Author is an Expert
Helpful Votes: 12 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2005-01-13
After I purchased this book I contacted the author, Mr. Moore to ask him about collecting autographs by index cards or by photographs. He was prompt and very informative with his reply. If you want questions answered about auotgraph collecting, get in touch with him, you will be happy you did.

A Huge List of Celebrity Addresses
Helpful Votes: 22 out of 24 total.
Review Date: 1999-11-20
I am an autograph collector and I was happy to see how complete this book is. I collect astronauts who have walked on the moon, hi-tech business people such as Bill Gates, movie actors like Tom Hanks and baseball sluggers like Sammy Sousa and Mark McGuire. They are in this books with thousands more. It is well organized and I liked the extra features of sample letters and questions & answers about autograph collecting. It is a very good reference for autograph collectors.

Impressive customer service !
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2005-03-15
I e-mailed the publisher to ask for an update of a celebrity address. He was fast with an answer. He also mentioned he has started a new service to autograph collectors. He will answer any question on the subject of autoghaph collecting for FREE!
I will use the e-mail address for finding out autograph prices, how and where to buy and sell autographs plus anything else I can think of. A great offer!

Encyclopedias
Anti-Aging Manual: The Encyclopedia of Natural Health
Published in Hardcover by For Information Pioneers (1997-03)
Author: Joseph Marion
List price: $89.00
New price: $80.00
Used price: $119.95

Average review score:

The overall content of this book was Incredable!
Helpful Votes: 13 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 1999-07-10
The scope of this book was amazing! the entire content and lay out was easy to use. the ammount of information contained within is amazing. It is without a doubt the most complete and comprehensive book of it's kind. I would recommend this book to any one who wants a more complete understanding of herbs, vitamins, diet..etc. I have had the pleasure of meeting and discussing this book with the author Joseph Marion he is a very knowledgeable person in this field and should be commended on his hard work in putting this manual together, it's long over due coming.

Joseph Barlow, M.H.

EXCELLENT
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-13
This guide provides a wealth of information
on virtually everything concerning health, nutrition,
food analysis, treatment of ailments, herbology etc.
I strongly recommend this book.

Finally a book dedicated to herbs & vitamins
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-02-11
This is good attack on modern medicines use of drugs and how they could be avoided.. Since plants can't be patented like drugs so little research is done on thier powers.. But if you buy this book you'll be able to do quite a bit of research on herbs, vitamins, amino acids and power foods.. I could share things that aren't in this book that work but who knows I might want to sell a remedy myself someday..

The book can be sometimes confusing where the information is so thick it becomes confusing.. It doesn't have every rememdy in the world here but is without a doubt the best attempt to do so..

You can find maximium dossages for various vitamins in this book... It is well organized and has a little bit of everything.. If your suffering you might be able to do some deductive resoning to cure yourself of your ailment.. good luck..


THE BEST BOOK ON HERBS/VITAMINS/CURES I HAVE EVER READ.
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2003-07-30
THIS IS A JEWEL PEOPLE. I OWN ABOUT 25 BOOKS ON HERBS, VITAMINS, AND NATURAL HEALING. THIS BOOK IS BY FAR THE MOST USEFUL OUT OF MY ENTIRE LIBRARY. WHEN I NEED TO KNOW SOMETHING, I GRAB THIS BOOK FIRST, AND RARELY DO I NEED TO GO FURTHER TO ANOTHER BOOK.

THE AUTHOR WROTE THIS COMPENDIUM WITH "INFORMATION" IN MIND. IT ISN'T WELL WRITTEN. IT'S MORE LIKE A BRAIN DRAIN OF DATA ON JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU CAN EVER WANT TO LOOK UP. THE GOOD THING IS THAT YOU'LL LEARN AMAZING THINGS THAT YOU WON'T FIND IN ANY OTHER BOOK IN EXISTENCE. THE BAD THING IS THAT SOMETIMES YOU MAY GET ANNOYED WITH THE SEARCH FOR SOMETHING. IT IS CLUTTERED AND AT TIMES LABORIOUS WHEN TRYING TO LOCATE SOMETHING.

I HOPE THE AUTHOR WILL INCLUDE BETTER HEADINGS AND BETTER ORGANIZATION OF MATERIAL UNDER EACH HEADING IN A NEWER EDITION...

BUY THIS BOOK.

The most valuable book you will ever own!
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2005-02-12
I have 3 words for you: BUY THIS BOOK!!

THis is the most informative, thorough, interesting book on natural health I have ever read!

If you hate to read, this book is probably not for you. It's also not for people who have trouble comprehending what they read. People who love to read, who have a intense interest in nutrition, natural health, science, or healing will absolutely adore this book. I guard mine with my life! Especially now that I see it is out of print. If I had the cash, I would buy another copy while I still can. The book is truly incredible! It contains a phenomenol amount of information. Very in-depth details, everything you need to know about specific vitamins, herbs, minerals, amino acids, etc. And also enlightening information regarding some unorthodox healing methods. In depth information about energy, electricity, auras, and so forth. It is absolutely amazing how much information this book contains. The format and organization is unique, and in some ways difficult to follow at first. BUt that's because it contains SO MUCH information! And the quality of the information it contains is worth taking the time to re-read it. The author did an incredible job with this book, and you can tell he put a great deal of time, effort, and research into it! It's worth it's weight in gold!! (And this is one heavy book! :)

Encyclopedias
The Art & Craft of Biblical Preaching: A Comprehensive Resource for Today's Communicators
Published in Hardcover by Zondervan (2005-06-01)
Author:
List price: $39.99
New price: $22.34
Used price: $16.99

Average review score:

First Class
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-08
This is an A-1, first class book. Very inspiring and worth every bit you pay for it. We need better preachers and this book will for sure help you be one!

Practical and a well of resources
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-20
Bought this for my Homiletics class and found it to be very comprehensive and full of ideas. As preaching is more of an 'Art' as the title suggests, the diversity of inputs is greatly appreciated and is invaluable to finding a style that suits me and also to learn from where others have found success. Highly recommended.

All Preachers Should Have This!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-24
I'm getting my Doctor of Ministry degree in preaching, and so I've read lots of books about giving sermons through the years. This is one of the best. Dozens of scholars have written articles divided up into different categories (style, delivery, preparation, application, illustration, introductions, conclusions). Timothy Warren has several articles defending the topical expository sermon. He is strongly committed to expository preaching, but he doesn't necessarily feel that this always has to be from just one passage per Sunday.

Haddon Robinson has a convicting article warning about plagiarism, and he also has a great article about planning your sermons ahead of time.

Rick Warren has a good article about purpose driven titles for your sermons. The title should clearly communicate what the message is about without giving too much away.

John Ortberg discusses the use of illustrations, and there are also articles about outlining and discovering the main point of the scripture passage you are preaching on (frequently referred to as "The Big Idea").

Don Sunukjian has some contributions to the book, and one article warns about using too much alliteration, which is often the result of the preacher forcing his outline on the text.

You could read this book straight through, or you could pick out the articles that interest you at that moment in time. Many of these articles were first made available only to those who had an online membership to a certain website. But now these sterling pieces have been compiled into this thick volume. The book also comes with an mp3 cd. Highly recommended.

great book
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-21
this was an excellent book on preaching. it taught me so many things. i do not agree with everything, but most of it was excellent. i would strongly encourage you to buy it.

Exhaustive Perspective
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-08
This is a thoroughly exhaustive resource in the toolbag of the pastor. The multitude of author's writing on a variety of topics from one end of the field of homiletics to another adds a fresh view to bringing a Holy Word for God to affect the "Fallen Human Condition."

The reviewer had to read the book for a seminary preaching class. It was somewhat tedious reading this long book cover to cover. This is expected when there is such a vast number of author writing, but this cross-over isn't necessarily bad. It does give weight to techniques that are shown to be pragmatic. None of the authors are claiming that "their-way-is-the-best." They are merely showing what's worked for them and what is tried and true. They are passing their perspective on...because everyone has something to learn.

So from the lay minister to the scholar, this is a worthy resource to be in your homiletical arsenal.

Encyclopedias
Authoritative Guide to Lionel's Promotional Outfits 1960 - 1969 (Lionel Postwar Encyclopedia Series) (Lionel Postwar Encyclopedia) (Lionel Postwar Encyclopedia)
Published in Hardcover by Project Roar Publishing (2007-07-31)
Author: John W. Schmid
List price: $89.95
New price: $63.00
Used price: $127.19

Average review score:

Lionel's Promotional Outfits 1960-1969
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-02
This is the best coverage of Lionel's promotional sets of the period in print to date. Highly recommend to all Lionel collectors, and to those who loved these sets peering through various Christmas catalogues, warming a boy's heart in days gone by! Nostalgic and authoritative!!

Best of the Best . . . Leaves Greenberg's Guide in the dust
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-03
One incredible source of Lionel information . . . way more than just sets. Covers promotional outfits with new information purchased from the Lionel archives. This is the first time this information has ever been published!!..."For every Lionel collector, 100s of individual item variations never before documented, a must have for any postwar collector, well worth the money". Written for all types of Lionel collectors . . . first time buyers to hard core collectors.

Impressively informative and enthusiastically recommended
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-04
Drawing upon thousands of authentic Lionel documents, "Authoritative Guide To Lionel's Promotional Outfits 1969 - 1969" is an 848-page illustrated compendium showcasing the more than 700 electric train outfits (also known as 'uncatalogued train sets') that the Lionel company created exclusively as promotional items for retailers that included Sears Roebuck & Co.; Montgomery Ward; Spiegel; Western Auto; A&P; Quaker Oats; and others. Because of the limited numbers manufactured, these promotional outfits are among the most valuable items in the history of model railroading. These outfits never appeared in Lionel's consumer catalogs and information about them simply unavailable -- until now. John W. Schmid has been collecting toy trains with his father for decades. After the 2001 auction in which the Lionel Factory Orders and other miscellaneous internal company documents were purchased, Schmid embarked upon years of extensive research in newly found documents and has now distilled that research into the pages of an impressively descriptive catalog. The result is "Authoritative Guide To Lionel's Promotional Outfits 1960-1969", a work of meticulous scholarship that is unique in the annals of the enduringly popular hobby of model trains and railroads. Included is how all the engine and cars came to be individually packed; descriptions of the original outfit box (including outfit inserts and packaging); pricing for the complete outfit (and even the empty box alone); original production quantities; diagrams for packing the outfit in the outfit box; instruction sheets, packed envelopes, as well as peripherals (track, transformer, oil, wire, smoke, etc.) Also available in a hardcover edition (9781933600031, $89.95), John Schmid's "Authoritative Guide To Lionel's Promotional Outfits 1960 - 1969" is impressively informative and enthusiastically recommended for all dedicated model railroading reference collections.

One of a Kind: This really IS the AUTHORITATIVE Guide!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-23
Wow! This book is a must have for every Lionel collector and individual seeking to find their childhood train set...and the book is a bargain at ANY price. In 2001, the author, John Schmid, purchased internal, long-lost records from the Lionel archives for over $43,000. It took him five years to compile these records and photograph 100s of Lionel train sets into this unbelievable book value. This book contains all NEW information you will NOT find anywhere else.

The book details over 700 of Lionel's most mysterious train sets (outfits), the ones it made exclusively for retailers and promotional firms. Names we're all familiar with: Sears, Wards, Penneys, Spiegel, Quaker Oats, S&H, Western Auto, etc. Since these "special" sets never appeared in a Lionel catalog, NONE the them have been fully documented before. Individuals and collectors have spent years trying to find out the value and contents of these long lost train sets. Now, thanks to John's painstaking research and beautiful photographs, everybody has access to this priceless information.

The "Authoritative Guide..." provides everything that came in a train set, how many were made, who the trains were sold to, substitutions of items, pricing for the train set, pricing for the empty set box, and even how to pack the trains in its set box!

It is also much more than a book about sets, over 60 pages detail new information about the items that came with each postwar Lionel set. Stuff I never knew including how to identify different train cars, engines, boxes, instruction sheets, accessories, envelopes, trucks and couplers, etc.
Everything you ever wanted to know about what is included in a Lionel train set is provided.

As a final bonus, I was able to relive my childhood memories of the retailers my mother used to drag me to. John provides a description of each of the retailers (many no longer in business) that Lionel provided promotional sets. Yes even the US Army sold Lionel trains.

I could go on an on about how great this book is, but it is best to just buy it and see for yourself. You will not be disappointed.

Lionel's Promotional Outfits - Authoritative Guide is "A no.1"
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-02
This book is exactly what it states in the title - "The Authoritative Guide". It surpasses any other documental guide available today because it does not only use marketplace data, rather, it uses actual Lionel data from the company archieves combined with field data to take it to the next level - a level of greater understanding of how and why these sets were created and to their scarcity and value. This book is a bargain at any price! With 848 pages and 700 outfits, it costs the same, if not less, per page, than any other guide. With this new, never before published information, the book will more than pay for itself in no time because now these previously unvalued sets have realized some serious collector values! For years collectors have been wondering what was in all those uncataloged sets Lionel produced in the '60's. Now the mysteries are solved. The volume of detail is incredible. In my 25+ years of collecting, I have never seen as much presented in one volume. Avid collectors will be conversing in terms as never before such as referring to product variations and paperwork by their stock or dash numbers instead of simply by their catalog number. Novice collectors will have the opportunity to quickly become as learned as experts that spent decades on information gathering at train meets around the country. This book will re-energize the toy train hobby and has single-handedly redefined the standard for information presentation. John Schmid's years of work on this book have certainly paid off and we should all be thankful he chose to share this information with the world. I'm already anticipating his next work, whatever it will be. In time, this book will become as much a part of Lionel history as the trains themselves. The renaissance has begun. Well done!

Encyclopedias
The Battle for Bond: The Genesis of Cinema's Greatest Hero
Published in Paperback by Tomahawk Press (GA) (2007-08-10)
Author: Robert Sellers
List price: $32.00
New price: $21.12
Used price: $21.35
Collectible price: $250.00

Average review score:

The Difficult Birth of 007
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-22
This is certainly a good book for the James Bond fan (I include myself).

It's probably worth reading for the general movie fan as well since one can see the roles of chance and chaos in any creative endeavor.

The simple story of producers Albert R. Broccoli & Harry Saltzmann finding the 007 books by Ian Fleming and creating the biggest franchise in movie history just didn't come about that easily. In fact, Broccoli & Saltzmann don't play very big roles in THE BATTLE FOR BOND.

The first third of the book meticulously chronicles Ian Fleming's attempts to get Bond on the silver screen, quoting or just reprinting the letters and cables between Fleming, his friends/business associates, the producer Kevin McClory and screenwriter Jack Whittingham. It quickly becomes a mess.

The middle third discusses the filming of "Thunderball" with plenty of interesting tidbits from actors and crew.

The final third follows the chaotic set of McClory & Sean Connery's "renegade" Bond film, "Never Say Never Again," as well as McClory's attempts to hang on to Bond to his dying day.

What jumped out at me while reading THE BATTLE FOR BOND was just how little happiness 007 and "Thunderball" brought to the principle personalities. Ian Fleming, already in failing health from 60 cigarettes a day and heavy drinking, slowly burned out and died of a heart attack just a few months after settling with McClory. Jack Whittingham also suffered from severe heart problems and risked death to participate in a trial that profited him nothing.

Sean Connery, the actor who would become the biggest movie star in the world in perhaps the most iconic film character of the 20th Century, was sick to death of Bond by 1965's "Thunderball" and miserable. He then returned to the role in 1983's "Never Say Never Again" and was even more miserable shooting that unorganized film.

And Kevin McClory, who begins this saga as a scrappy underdog but ends as a disgraceful, greedy thorn in everyone's side, ends a broken, bitter man, his last tenuous grasp on Bond finally wrenched from his dying fingers by the courts shortly before his death.

I wouldn't call it "The Curse of Bond," but it doesn't look like any of the leads really savored and enjoyed the success of James Bond and "Thunderball."

(Financially, Broccoli & Saltzmann would benefit the most but they don't play major roles in this book. There are plenty of people who complain about how cheap they were--Sean Connery first and foremost--but the author doesn't go into much detail about them.)

A worthy entry in the Bond lore.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-08
The book features not one but two villains, but they are so beautifully brought to life you can see their characters in the round, as it were, humans with failings just like the rest of us. One was Ian Fleming himself, who comes across in THE BATTLE FOR BOND as a pop genius like Warhol with a great invention, the James Bond character, and yet a weakness for trampling over the rights of others out of his sense of clubby privilege which is fairly sickening after a few chapters. So when he employs others to help him sketch out a screenplay that will feature his Bond character, he doesn't even think twice about novelizing their joint effort and publishing it under his own name. He had what became the modern equivalent of the old fashioned "droit du seigneur," and the others were just pawns in his game.

The second "villain who's not really a villain" was the crazy swinger Kevin McClory, technically he was used and abused by Ian Fleming but he sure wound up with his pound of flesh didn't he! Author Robert Sellers, the one man who was able to pick up and tell the whole wretched and confused saga from beginning to end, makes you eventually loathe Kevin, even though he started out as the underdog. Kevin was the type of friend than which you'd rather have an enemy, so you hold him in your embrace just so you can see what he's doing with his hands.

The hero of the book winds up to be Jack Whittingham, a venerable and talented screenwriter whom BOTH McClory and Fleming took up, then cast aside. AND his daughter, the beautiful singer and office manager Sylvan Whittingham, who kept all the papers together for forty years and then finally, with the help of a faithful lawyer, Peter Carter-Ruck, brought all the pieces together to tell a strange and disturbing story of genius gone mad. As Sellers points out, the saga of Carter-Ruck is like a Shakespearean tragedy, but the same can be said for the sad and wasted life of Kevin McClory. At the very end of the book there's a great photo of a little girl, Jack Whittingham's granddaughter, Aimi, inspecting with all the unconscious grace of a child, the neatly cared for grave of her grandad. It's in Malta, of all places, an island he loved.

I did not know a thousand facts that Sellers lets on: that Julie Christie was considered for the role of Domino; that Luciana Paluzzi considered Claudine Auger cold and calculating; that Dirk Bogarde might have been James Bond--or Rod Taylor--both of them I guess, not so bad choices. The angry figure of Sean Connery permeates the flavor of the book like a simmering stew of bad feeling that will not go away. He's great, but like everyone else in the book bar the Whittinghams, his life has been misspent chasing money and licking wounded pride.

A saga big as BLEAK HOUSE and as captivating as CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, except for grown ups.

battle for bond
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-02
A brilliant, well researched indepth study of a ongoing war between two rival film companies on the greatest film hero of all time JAMES BOND and the movies THUNDERBALL and NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN. Buy it now...because in ENGLAND the book has been through the law courts and consequently has been banned from sale, it will be reprinted minus a few items that caused quite a fuss. So buy it now from amazon usa

For Bond Fans
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-05
Alot of the history of THUNDERBALL isn't new to me but Sellers writes a really entertaining and fascinating bit of history. I couldn't put it down until I had finished it -- in one seating. Great treasure of previously unseen material (Connery scouting the State of Liberty for the never made WARHEAD, production drawings, rare photos, etc). As it has been pulled off the market because litigation from the Fleming Trust (who could they be? Fleming's been dead since 1964, his wife died years ago and his only son died from a drug overdose in the early 1970's) so it is going to be harder to get. Worth the effort!

Top Marks!
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-15
There are many of us who do care to know the true story about Thunderball - have a look at the uk reviews! This is a landmark book and contains fresh information on this fascinating subject. Top marks to author Robert Sellers who tells an unbiased factual story about the origins of the Bond movies

Encyclopedias
The Big Book of John Deere Tractors: The Complete Model by Model Encyclopedia
Published in Hardcover by Japonica Press (2000-01)
Authors: Don Macmillan, Randy Leffingwell, and Andrew Morland
List price: $51.55
New price: $219.71

Average review score:

Joan
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2002-12-10
Hi I received my book in good condition. I was very pleased with your company. I will shop with you again. I know my dad will be happy with his Christmas gift. Do you sell glass lamp globes. I have a pink lamp with only the bottom half. I am looking for the top. It is pink with roses and a small covered wagon with a couple of stands of wheat around it. It is raised design that you have to look close to see.

Thanks
Joan

Informative book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-25
This book was purchased as a present for a relative that owns many John Deere tractors, old and new. He has told us thank you for this gift more than any other gift we have ever given him...so, with that being said, it must be a good book!!

Great Gift
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-09
I purchased this for my dad for Christmas and he loved it!

If you love tractors...
Helpful Votes: 13 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2001-11-20
then this is the book for you. I bought it as a gift for a knowledgable friend and he was in raptures. I now know more about John Deere tractors than I ever dreamed it was possible to know! This book covers every John Deere tractor ever made and covers them in great detail. The photos and vintage posters add to the appeal of this tractor encyclopedia.

Wow
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-02-14
The big book of john deere tractors has a bunch of different types of tractors in all kinds of different styles. John deere tractors are very interesting.
I really like reading about tractors they are very interesting to learn about. It seems like every time I read about a tractor I learn a new fact. One fact that I really like that it tells the exact year that they were made. As you go along you find new ways to work on older John deere tractors.

I really liked this book because I like learning new things about tractors. I like looking and reading these books because you can find tractors that you may own yourself. It was very interesting to know all those facts.

Nothing was very confusing about this book I really enjoyed this book. There was only one confusing thing it was the diagrams. Other tan that there was nothing confusing about this book.

Encyclopedias
Boomer Basics: Everything That You Need to Know About the Issues Facing You Your Children and Your Parents
Published in Unbound by McGraw-Hill (2000-11)
Authors: Robert Abrams, Timothy E. Casserly, and Barbara Nodiff
List price:

Average review score:

A great resource guide for Boomers and not-so-Boomers alike!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2000-03-26
I am a reader on the tail end of the boomer generation, yet I found the information provided in the book very helpful in assisting me when trying to place my grandmother in a nursing home. It guided me through the process as well as helping me to understand what she might be experiencing both mentally and physically. I completed the Crisis Information Checklist provided in the book in order to get my affairs in order. I also checked out the author's website and found it to be most useful! I applaud the authors for creating such a valuable reference guide both in text and online!

A Practical Guide To Important Issues Facing 'Baby Boomers'
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2000-02-02
Highly readable with copious references to useful websites. The authors have cut through the chaff by prefacing topics with condensed but substantive overviews. Overall, I found the book to be a good practical resource. A good read.

Great Resource!
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2000-01-27
I have relied on WHAT TO EXPECT DURING PREGNANCY, WHAT TO EXPECT DURING THE FIRST YEAR, and now there is a book to tell us what to expect for every year after that! Great resource. A must for your home library.

A Lifeline..
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2000-01-26
I have spent countless hours worrying about my aging parents and what the future holds for all of us. This publication has given me answers to many questions and explained where to go for additional information. It also hit upon areas that I had never considered before. I want to thank the authors for providing such a valuable resource. The Boomer Basic crisis information checklist is great.

Boomer Basics: Everything you need to know...
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2000-01-19
Great book. Very useful tool. The book really talks to the issues I face today. A must for the library. The website and the website references really make for a complete one stop for issues facing my generation.


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