Chase Books

I really needed this book when I first started distribution system modeling in 1987. It should be required reading for anyone in the business. The authors did a fine job of remaining objective in content. I am requiring our younger engineers to read this book before they jump into modeling.

This is one of the best sources of information for water modelers. Chapters are well organized and the information is comprehensive and focuses on the practical aspects of water model development.

This text is absolutely amazing! It is a fabulous reference and "go-to" book for everyone involved in Water Distribution Modeling. It just doesn't get better than this text. Everyone should have a copy.

This book (and a Book it is, not just a softcover publication) provides an excellent mix of theory and practice. The theory being comprehensive but without details that would not be of relevance to the practical user, supplemented by lots of practical applications and advice.
The use of both American and metric units renders the book equally useful to readers on either side of the Atlantic. Last but not least, the complimentary copy of the academic version of WaterCad allows readers who otherwise do not have personal access to a hydraulic network computer program, to work out the various problems and questions at the end of each chapter at their own pace.

In short, a book to be recommended!

Water Distribution Modeling has been a very useful resource for us with our water distribution systems GIS integration.

Advanced Water Distribution Modeling and Management is not only a complete and current reference for professionals involved in water distribution systems but also an essential textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses. In fact, what makes this book different is that it contains from basic hydraulic concepts up to the most recent researches and experiences in a comprehensive language.

Thank-You Haestad Mdthods for developing such a wonderful program. I use this book as a guide almost everyday.

This texttbook, that I recently reviewed, was for me a great experience. This is a must have book for any Civil consultant involved in hydraulics. It is both a guide to water modeling and a practical reference to water distribution operation and management. Thanks Haestad Methods.

This reference has given us an edge in satisfying client needs from the simplest capacity study to the most complex model. It has helped make our competent modelers more efficient and the up-and coming modeler function like a pro. Many common questions and problems are anticipated and clearly answered. Because the book so thoroughly covers system management issues, I believe many parts should be required reading for water resources engineers.

I wish I knew of this book's existence years ago. For too many years, I have been using several other reference books to "answer" my never ending questions and doubts on modeling and related subjects.

It even has reference on non-concontinuous flow condition. A great book with lots of "weight." The price was right, too, I received this gem free as a bonus for signing up to attend a wwebcast sponsored by Haestad.

An incredible book that is sure to cause passion & vision to be stirred in the reader...!

This is a very helpful book, either introducing the reader to the adventure of following the Spirit of God, or recalling those now stuck in a routine back to a more exciting experience with God through Christ.

As I read the chapter on the cage of guilt, I was particularly struck with the section on forgiveness. I have just returned from Romania, where I was able to visit with several young adults who had grown up in the highly dysfunctional state orphanage system (that is way understated). I thought of how they could be in a cage of bitterness toward those who abused them, and in guilt's cage for their abusing of others.

The whole book is helpful, but that chapter really hit a chord in my spirit. I am going to purchase more copies to give to friends.

I didn't know the Celtic name for the Holy Spirit meant Wild Goose, but I find it fascinating. I think most of us sometimes feel stifled by our responsibilities and routines. Most of those burdens can't be cast aside, but as Mark Batterson points out, a life spent following the Holy Spirit, going where God leads is never boring. God sometimes calls us out of our rut to serve in ways we never dreamed. The Holy Spirit can invade our safe little world and set our feet on a new path leading to adventure and a closer relationship with God. When God calls through the Spirit, the only answer must be "Here am I, send me."

Often times in ones life, including my own, we need reminded of the little things. We get so focused and consumed by simply "doing life" that we forget what living on this earth is all about. From the moment of creation we were created for something more than what we see, feel and experience on earth. We were created to be in relationship with something and someone bigger than ourselves. Many of us have found that relationship but the adventure should not stop there. Life as a Follower of Christ is a life meant to be full of adventure and a life spent Chasing the Wild Goose.

Responsibility-Routine-Assumptions-Guilt-Failure-Fear. These are all things we can relate to in our everyday life and according to Batterson these are the six cages that keep us from chasing the goose and living a life full of adventure. By sharing his own personal experiences and offering biblical and practical solutions for change the reader sees how to escape from the cage of life and pursue the life God originally created us for.
Early in the book Mark makes a connection between the zoo and the church that as a Pastor I found as a wake-up call. By going through the motions week after week has the church removed the sense danger, risk and struggle just as the zoo has done to animals? By striving to make people so comfortable in the church environment it is possible that church has become part of the problem by making people less adventurous and participatory in pursing a life in Christ.

Although I connected with each of these cages I was personally challenged the most by Marks discussion on the cage of "responsibility. I assume many of the people who know me would describe me as a responsible person and although this is seen as a good thing by many I realized after reading this book that it has actually restricted me at times from living my Christain life to the fullest. The Christian life requires faith and sometimes faith goes against our, or in this case my, innate desire to be responsible. When God tells us to do something we have to be willing to do it regardless of how crazy it seems. We pray so much waiting for sings from God but Batterson reminds us that often times "signs follow faith". While we look for direction God is telling us to walk on the water first and allow the signs to follow. The beauty of a life filled with faith is the realization that, on our own, we cannot accomplish the plans God has for us and in order for Gods plans to be fulfilled we must strive to become responsibly irresponsible.

What's your cage? We all have one and they keep us from pursuing the adventure God created us for. Wild Goose Chase will open your heart and mind towards welcoming adventure in your life and realizing that a life unfulfilled is a life without Christ and a life with Christ is a ride unlike anything we can experience on this earth in our own strength. Read this book and Chase the Goose!

I really enjoyed the first book by Mark Batterson entitled "In the Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day". I thought that title was unusual, but his new one is ever better: "Wild Goose Chase" - not quite what you would expect for a book describing a life committed to following the Holy Spirit!? Is it worth reading?

I was able to read Wild Goose Chase this week and can answer quite definitely... yes! The subtitle itself gives a great clue as to the focus of this book - "Reclaim the Adventure of Pursuing God". Not a theological treatise, nor a how-to manual for the spirit-filled life, Wild Goose Chase is a heart-to-heart chat from a pastor who loves God, dreams big, learns from failure. This pastor has found in following the Holy Spirit a life of adventure that not only makes us more alive, but honors God and gives Him the chance to shine in our lives. The book spends some times discussing various barriers that can cage us in and prevent us from going on a Wild Goose Chase (Responsibility, Routine, Assumptions, Guilt, Failure, and Fear). The book is easier to read than to describe - here are two favorite quotes from the book:

"Some of us live as if we expect God to say, 'Well thought, good and faithful servant!' or 'Well said, good and faithful servant.' God isn't going to say either of those things. There is only one commendation, and it is the by-product of God-ordained passions: 'Well done, good and faithful servant.'" Right after this he notes that the book following the gospels is not the "Book of Thoughts", but the "Book of Acts".

"Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death."

At about 174 pages plus notes, Wild Goose Chase is a very easy read which I highly recommend.

A very deep map indeed, the second of Heat-Moon's three literary tours-de-force is the story of a county in Kansas. In his first excursion, the best-selling BLUE HIGHWAYS, the author reported on a ten thousand mile sojourn along the old Federal Highways (blue on most maps). PRAIRYERTH grew out of three years of hiking, conversation and archival research in Chase County, Kansas and the result is a living history of both the particular locale and the European invasion of the west. From Knute Rockne's death in a commercial plane crash to Sam Wood's murder to Native medicine, dream walking to newspaper accounts of life on the prairie, and fossils to legends to The Land Institute where Wes Jackson explores the looming demise of the liquid fuel era, this volume casts a wide net. Heat-Moon is clear eyed enough to see the facts and then see beyond the facts to the life between the lines of old courthouse documents and pioneer diaries. He is open to less tangible subtlety as well, admitting susceptibility to hunch, daydream or the message from another's Ouija board. He tells a tale of hawks, buffalo, cowboys and beef, notes the profound damage wrought on the American prairie by McBurger mania and the possibility of recovery in a place of vast flatness and endless wind and sky. He lunches with the dead in old cemeteries and stakes out to observe life in a dying town where nothing happens. There are midnight moonlight hikes and journalistic experiments, pertinent quotes by the truckload and poignant still lifes of moments of love and loss. Such a deep map makes for a long read, but well worth the effort as pieces click into place in later chapters and a pastiche emerges, a hologram in which you can walk between the hills and dip a cupful from a clear flowing spring.

In Blue Highways the inimitable William Least Heat Moon drove across the backroads of America. In River Horse this courageous, spiritually-venerable man floated in a barge across this nation's waterways. In Prairy Erth, he does his exploration mostly on foot. Confining himself to a microcosmic canvas, Least Heat Moon spends over 600-pages describing how he spent months delving into a single county in the heart of Kansas. Packed with maps of Chase County, its hills, waterways, roads and farmsteads, the author tells a sometimes dry but often rich story of one remote but improbably charming spot on planet earth. He meets many of the county's 3,000 residents, hears and tells of the folklore, the history, the textured layers to life in such a location. By the book's end an unknowingly begun spiritual journey reaches its conclusion, which is the way with all of William Least Heat Moon's writings. If you have the time to put into Prairy Erth, it is a compelling book that challenges the nature of individual outlook.

New to William Least Heat Moon, I wasn`t quite sure what to expect with Prairyerth. Having heard about the critical acclaim of Blue Highways, I thought a lesser known work would be the place to start. And I am glad I chose Praityerth.

With Prairyearth, William Least Heat Moon has dug down to the heart of a specific place, in this case, the Flint Hill country of Chase County, Kansas. Not unlike Thoreau`s Walden, Prairyerth is an exhaustive chronicle of one man`s journey to the bottom--historically, geologically and geographically speaking--of one particular and rather insignificant place in the American landscape. Prairyerth, like Walden, is impossible to lump into one clean-cut literary category. Neither pure history, nor pure geology, nor `storytelling` per say, it is rather a brilliant concoction of all three. It is, as the author pens it, a `deep map` of one tiny piece of the New World. And deep it is. Least Heat Moon delves into every square inch, every prehistoric layer of his subject. The result is a stirring and fascinating ride through the discovery, settling, exploitation and ultimate destruction of the American prairie. Half Native American himself, Least Heat Moon walks through the tall grass of the American Sea with much the same spirit of his ancestors. Here was not emptiness as thought the first Europeans, but rather a vast ocean of endless natural wealth. Home to the once vast bison herds, the tall-grassed hills of Chase County were once giant mountains of the Kansas range that were slowly worn down into the Flint Hills of today. Least Heat Moon follows the tracks of the Osage and the Kansa, `people of the wind,` who traversed this area long before Zebulon Pike and John Fremont made their tentative forays across the prairie towards more secure landscapes. The author vividly captures the reverence that the Osage and Kansa held for the `prairie.` Tracking down the stories of the few remaining pure-blood Kansa, Least Heat Moon paints a metaphor for what looms in the future for us, lest we ignore the lessons of the past. Not only does the author richly expose the layer of Native Americana within Chase County, but he does justice to the natural elements of the place as well. Some of the most fascinating parts of Prairyerth are the sections on two of the county`s most enduring denizens, the Osage Orange tree/bush and the Wood Rat, aka Pack/Trade Rat. Least Heat Moon has an ultra sharp eye for interesting detail and oddity and knows how to bring such things to life.

The structure of the work is as ambitious as it is groundbreaking. Every other chapter covers another quadrant of the county. Least Heat Moon spends most of his time analyzing the present inhabitants of the county, trying to distill the essence of `Kansasness.` He chats with the weathered old farmers and ranchers who`ve survived every tornado and flash flood over the last half-century and who entertain no thoughts on living anywhere else. Every voice in the county gets its chance. Feminist cattle ranchers give him the lowdown on castrating bulls, local high schoolers divulge their dreams and the regulars of the Emma Chase Cafe unload gossip unaware of who`s writing it all down. Kansasness, according to the author, is a baffling mix of progressive politics and constrictive convention. A place of often violent contrasts. Kansas was the first state born out of the fires of abolition, first to stimulate integration (Board of Education vs Topeka), yet the `n word` is still commonplace all over the county. The forefather of the county, Samuel Wood, was one of the most eloquent voices among the abolitionists, yet he stopped short of pushing for full integration. Kansas was a place where all people had freedom of opportunity (especially to better oneself economically), as long as everybody kept to his/her own. One of the first states to allow women`s suffrage, it was also one of the first to embrace Prohibition. It also kept its archaic and puritan sex laws on the books until the recent Supreme Court ruling overturned such laws.

In between his quadrant explorations of the county, Least Heat Moon has interspersed chapters comprised of nothing but various epigrams and short passages regarding the state. Coming from sources as disparate as Horace Greeley and Black Elk to graffiti found at the KU library, these chapters are some of the most entertaining and enriching of the book.

William Least Heat Moon is one of the greatest prose stylists I have ever encountered in modern American letters. His writing is rich with metaphor and digression, begging second and third readings of certain passages. While sometimes he expands profusely, Faulkner-like, for paragraphs, clarity is rarely forsaken. It just means reading carefully and slowly. Prairyerth is definitely a book that needs digesting. I took me almost six months to finally devour it up and when I did, I had the distinct feeling of having consumed something grand and very nutritious, albeit a bit heavy. In fact, those without persistent natures would best choose something else to read. Prairyerth is meat and potatoes and requires a lot of chewing. And perhaps that is where the work falls a tad short of its possible ancestor. Whereas one can open Thoreau`s Walden anywhere and revel in the beauty and wisdom (albeit often cryptic) found therein, Prairyerth is nothing if not taken in its entirety. Its just too dense, with too much stuff packed into its innards. In fact, a little editing could have helped the book. Some chapters are a bit superfluous and leaving them out would have only helped the work as a whole. Moreover, Least Heat Moon`s astute observations serve his examination of the natural world far better than they support his delving into the human realm. Somehow a lot of the `characters` of Chase County never fully come to life in Prairyerth. Rather, they seem two-dimensional and oddly trapped on the page. Yet, taken as a whole and for what it is, a grand archaeological and sociological dig through the layers of New World settlement, Prairyerth succeeds grandly. Never has one tiny and often ignored section of the American quilt come to life so vividly and richly as does Chase County, Kansas in Prairyerth. A place so seemingly devoid of life, is, in actuality, overflowing with the past, present and future. All you have to do is look,look carefully. The author himself says it best: `A traveler(who cannot even remotely detect the thousand-mile-an-hour spinning of the planet he rides through space at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, to say nothing of its solar and galactic movements and its precession) writes in his notebook, ~nothing is happening~. Man muses, God guffaws.` Next time you feel that nothing has ever happened or is happening now or will happen where you`re at, pick up Prairyerth and be amazed.

If only every county in the United States had as passionate and articulate a chronicler as William Least Heat-Moon.

I came to "PrairyErth" after having read and loved "Blue Highways." This tome--though longer and less expansive, geographically--possesses many of the qualities I admired in Heat-Moon's earlier work: the narrative tone (there's none of that stuffy, impersonal, third-person prose one finds in some travelogues; the author is himself part of the story), the occasional dips into philosophy and history; the candid interviews with "locals"; and the intense search for meaning in the most ordinary of places.

I have never been to Chase County, Kansas, but after spending a month or so accompanying Heat-Moon through the pages of his book, I feel as though I have. The book is subtitled "a deep map," and that is indeed what the author provides here. Square mile by square mile, the reader is introduced to the prairie, its topography and history, its residents and its wildlife. Heat-Moon correctly understands that the essence of a place is often best captured through anecdote and observation. There is nothing sweeping or grand about his narrative, and that's what makes "PrairyErth" such a delight. It's a detailed, intimate read; one almost has the feeling of looking over the author's shoulder (and back through history) as he ambles and rambles about the quadrangles of Chase County.

If there's one criticism I would offer, it's that Heat-Moon sometimes lapses into needless digressions about himself and the challenges he faced while writing the book. It struck me as a bit self-absorbed--as did the occasional Faulknerian stream-of-conscious, punctuationless prose. These stylistic excesses add little to what is otherwise a magnificent and fascinating travelogue.

If you want to experience Kansas, with its excruitatingly boring places that slowly creep up on you and leave you blissfully satisfied and in awe of beauty; if you're willing to read long passages of flat text just to discover the beauty of burning fields; I highly recommend PrairyErth.

I grew up in Kansas, about 2 hours from Chase county and was always facinated by the hills, the people, and just the auroa that came from Strong City and Cottonwood falls. After reading "PrairyErth" I am even more mesmorized by the locale.

I have been out of the state for 2 years now, and long to go back. Many friends have complained about the long drives through Kansas, the flat scenery, and boring people. PrairyErth brings to life these flat lands and opens up new worlds of community and life.

For me, reading Moon's book was much like experiencing life in Kansas. I did find some of the chapters long, dry, and dull.. but, that's how some Kansas life is. Moon always concludes these sections with a gorgeous snapshot of the land. He shows us what it is like to be in relationship with the land just as we are in relationship with one another.

He concludes the book with a beautiful journey down the Kaw Trail.
"How do you know when the Prairy is in you?"
"When you see a tree as an eyesore."

When I was a little girl (am 50 now), my fifth grade teacher read this book to our class. We were enthralled and could not wait for reading time each day. The name of the book and the story stayed with me all these years with the fond memories of a teacher who changed my life. Mrs. Waite of Bonner Elementary School in Houston Texas 1964 instilled in me a love for reading that has endured a lifetime! Like so many others, I have searched for this book and not found it until today. Thanks to Amazon for bringing this delightful book to children..my grandkids will love it!

I, too, had searched for the Loretta Mason Potts book, long before the internet was invented. Since elementary school (in the late '50s) I thought of it as my favorite book. When I became an adult (with kidlike tastes, still), I went back to my elementary school to look for the book (still before the internet). No luck. They didn't even have a record of it. I thought I'd made it up, and forgot all about it. Until last night, as I was falling to sleep I searched my brain for the name of this book. I remembered the name. I woke up thinking about it. I haven't bought it yet, but I read it when I was a little girl and thought I'd lost the opportunity to read it again. Thank you Amazon, for offering this treasure of a book.

I read Loretta Mason Potts over and over when I was in grade school and junior high, and so did my best friends. I found myself thinking about it again when I was in graduate school, and, terrified that it might be about to be discarded, I wrote to my small-town library and asked whether if they were going to get rid of it I might buy it instead. They very kindly sent it to me free of charge, dull, crinkly library cover and all. (One of my friends truly asked whether I would xerox it for her.)

When I read it again, it was as wonderful as ever. All the tiny things--satin dress, yellow curls, red car, tinkling voices--and the big things--the suddenly nasty children, the bewildered mother, the truth and rightness of the ending--are still magical and always will be. I often think what a wonderful movie it would make--Stephen Spielberg, are you listening? Today the mom who rises above her complacent self to fearlessly rescue her children would not be the bridge-playing, apron-wearing, cigarette-smoking mom of yesteryear, but perhaps a nutrition-and-exercise-obsessed working mom.

My daughter, now 20, borrowed that old library copy to do a book report when she was in the third grade. The magic of Loretta is powerful; having read only the report, the teacher wrote on it in big letters I WANT TO READ THIS BOOK.

I thought of Loretta again this morning, in the grade school library where I volunteer, as I was processing books bought at last week's book fair. Mary Chase--that sounds familiar--could it be? Yes. The Wicked Pigeon Ladies in the Garden has been reissued as The Wicked Wicked Ladies in the Haunted House. Oh, joy! I have never read it and I know it will be a luscious treat.

I feel as though I've stepped into a Mary Chase book myself. So many people my age who all read this book as children and haven't seen it since but were never able to forget it. I can't think of another book from my childhood that came close to having that kind of power to reach out over 45 years and stay alive to so many people. Surely this should be republished and made available for another generation of children.

When you have kids, you start racking your brain, trying to remember what you loved so you can present them with a book you KNOW they'll love too.

Loretta Mason Potts was one of the first that came to mind. It's the story of a girl Loretta Mason, who finds a magic portal into another world where she's treated like a princess. She refuses to go home to her family and insists on living in the Potts house with another family because their house contains the portal. Her mother goes to see her every day, but doesn't mention her again to the other children, and can't think of anything to do about the situation except pay the Potts family to keep her.

The story really revolves around her younger brother, who is the main character, and who finds out that he has an older sister (Loretta) by accident. What's great about this is that you can hand the book to an 11 or 12 year old boy, and watch him get sucked into the story without any concern that it might be a "girl" book because of the title. As the mother of boys, I truly appreciated the fact that it appealed to both genders.

The book is hardcover with no dust jacket. The price may seem high to someone who has never read it, but anyone familiar with Loretta Mason Potts will (like I did) simply purchase it without question, grateful that you FINALLY found it after decades of wishing you still had a copy.

Then hand it to any of your children, boys or girls. It's still weaving magic 50 years after it was written.

I just read this book over the weekend. What fun!

In a nutshell - Saskia is rudely dumped by Felix - wanting to get back at him she gets Phoebe to scheme with her to make Felix fall in love with Phoebe, so that she can then give Felix a public, humiliating dumping - of course Phoebe and Felix fall in love. Phoebe is a great heroine - funny, strong, but a little insecure. Felix was a good match - arrogant, good looking, and also a little insecure. Saskia was a selfish mess and even in the end I found it very hard to like her or care what happened to her. Very good secondary characters, vapid models, actors, artists, and other fabulous people. And of course, there are all of those Fiona Walker laugh-out-loud moments that are in all of her books - her books are like the best romantic comedy you've ever watched times 10.

Keep writing Fiona, you make my summer reading so fun!!

Fiona Walker lets herself down with this book, it can be boring and the story line is silly. Having said that, I read the book and while its not the most enjoyable book that I have ever read, it is midly enjoyable

I've read four of Fiona Walker's novels and truly liked three (French Relations, Well Groomed, and Snap Happy). To be honest, I had a very hard time slogging through Kiss Chase. The basic premise is just too, too far fetched and I really doubt that anyone would actually act this way. I will admit that Walker redeems herself in the last 50 pages - too bad she couldn't have taken that care with the rest of the book.

Pick up a paperback copy of "Kiss Chase", and you're likely to be surprised by the weightiness of it. The book is 808 pages long, printed in fairly small type - definitely not chick-lit in its usual form.

It took me a while to get into "Kiss Chase". The book starts off with so many characters and interlocking stories that it's hard to keep track of them all. Characters are constantly moving back and forth from London to the English countryside to Paris to America, and the narrative skips around between people and places without offering any buffer zone. However, after about the first 100 pages everything starts to click into place, and the plot gets much easier to follow. This is the point at which everything falls into place, and the main plot takes off.

Saskia Seaton, a once beautiful actress, is in shambles. Her fiancé, Felix Sylvian, dumped her in a terribly cruel way, and she's been a wreck ever since - going so far as to try to kill herself. Saskia's discovered that he's done the same thing to other women, and she vows to get revenge. She begs her friend Phoebe to help her give Felix a dose of his own medicine - make Felix fall in love with her, and then dump him in the cruel way that he dumped Saskia. After some coercion, Phoebe agrees, but of course things don't work out exactly as planned.

The book isn't perfect - Felix has done some horrible things to women that made it hard for me to like him at first, and Phoebe was having an affair with a married man, which made me dislike her (there is a lot of adultery in the book, so be warned if that is something that bothers you). But ultimately Phoebe and Felix are so wonderful together that you can't help falling in love with them and hoping that they will be able to get past everything that's in their way. The cast of supporting characters is mostly very likeable, and the unlikable characters are that way for a reason.

If you're willing to slog through some of the more difficult parts of this book, you'll find yourself with a very enjoyable read.

This book is way up there with French Relations and Well Groomed being Fiona Walker at her best.

Its a big thick read (as usual). Not long winded and very readable. Sort of chaotic romatic commedy. I liked most of the characters and I like the writing style.

Will Phoebe end up with Felix?(who has a history of breaking hearts) or will she break his heart (on behalf of an old friend as part of a revenge plot), sounds mad but its great fun.

The title of Chase Von's book caught my attention immediately as would anything that mentions Panthers speaking. I'm from the school of poets who believe in Che Guevara's statement "speak the truth". The truths in Your Chance to Hear the Last Panther Speaks, however, travel the gamut from the personal to the political and back again without getting tired along the journey. The sheer wealth of material makes it highly difficult to pick a few pieces as the best of the bunch.

From the desire to retain a child's innocence in Rainbows:

I hope to always retain
That kind of a heart
I want to always be
The one adult standing
With the children
Looking at the fishes in the aquarium
With wonder

To the challenge to "woman up" in Partway:

Boundaries have been drawn
Limits have been set
And where as I want to reach for the sky
You are afraid to have your feet
Leave the ground


Your chance to hear the last panther speak is a solid delight.

This is a collection of thought-provoking poetry, lyrics, quotes and short stories that tell about life in all its many moments. Most are hope-filled and positive. Others deal with the hurt and loss that occur in our modern day world.

Chase Von has such a deep and meaningful poetic voice. Each poem has a flavor all its own. He uses emotions and images to capture the reader and draw him in to the very heart of the action.

Among my favorite poems were Pink, Blue and Green, A Poem, I Am The Future, and A Letter Home. Each of these touched me very much.

Pink, Blue and Green is a poem that talks about racial intolerance. It is very clever. Not even an albino is free of this bias.

In A Poem, Chase shares the moment when a couple breaks up. He works through the loss by creating a poem. What a fitting tribute to what they once had!

I Am The Future shares the joy and importance a child brings to a family. How they become the focus of the parents. They are their present AND their future.

A Letter Home discusses the heartache of never knowing your ancestors because of slavery tearing cultures apart. I am part American Indian, and it made me think of how my ancestors were devastated, too. This poem touched me the most.

The lyrics are about friendship and love. They stand well on the written page. But, when I've heard some of these performed, they are great!

My favorite is I'm Your Friend. It is a very heart-felt song. Read it when you are sad or lonely.

Chase Von's quotes are quite profound. They make you realize how special his talent is. He can encapsulate a deep thought in such a way that it becomes immortal. His one about the universe being big enough to hold your dreams should be tacked on the wall of every child.

The short stories are very diverse and interesting. My favorite is The Tree and the Butterfly. It talks how helping each other in this fleeting world is important.

In closing, this showcase of selections is only the tip of the iceberg of Chase Von's talent. Take your time and enjoy them. I'll eagerly await the next book!

Dawn Huffaker
Author of Flights of Fancy, Volume 1 (Second Edition)

This varied and earnest volume reveals the devotion Chase has for the power of words. "The Face Of," "Falling Stars" and "Will Be" are highlights, but there is something witty, wise or wisecracking to be found in virtually every poem.

It's obvious that Chase Von, author of this thought-provoking book, is a man of many sensibilities and diverse talent. Whether writing prose or poetry he brings his words to life with vivid clarity, almost as though the reader were experiencing the world through his eyes.

I love short stories so much, I practically devour them, so I bought this book because I had heard that Von's short stories stir the emotions. They were all entertaining and well-written, many resounding with heart-wrenching images of everyday life. And the power of his quotes, lyrics and poetry was an unexpected literary bonus.

A busy man, he also interviews rising stars in various artistic fields--from actors to authors to artists--for the popular Student Operated Press.

Author Chase Von speaks with a positive, inspiring new literary voice. And what a voice! I recommend you experience the pleasure for yourself.

Discovering Chase Von feels as accidental and rewarding as finding a gleaming nugget of gold in a murky stream. In this collection of poems, song lyrics, and short stories Chase Von steps out of the training field of life experiences, and without the academic preparation that is important to becoming a writer yet can paralyze a mind needing to share magic in favor of concentrating on form, communicates some beauty, some terror, some visceral realities most would rather keep secret, and some insights to survival in a world teetering on chaotic collapse.

Von has survived combat in the Middle East, has suffered from post traumatic stress syndrome he so capably describes in his closing 'Story in Four Parts', has witnessed the plague of AIDS ('Wrap That'), has observed still existing disparities of class in this country of 'equality' ('The Bum'), the beauty and the pain and the durability and fragility of relationships ('Safe', for example), our priorities ('Yard Sale'), and other miracles and tragedies that have formed his life. The difference that makes Chase Von so much more poignant than most is his simple, honest, street talk manner of speaking to the reader. He manages to keep our attention throughout the long series of entires in this hefty volume and makes us eager to hear more.

For this reader the short stories are the finest of the three sections of the book (Part I Poems, Part II Song Lyrics, Part III Short Stories). In others' hands placing the short stories on the page in a manner resembling poems (no side justification, spacing irregular between lines, no paragraphs, etc.) might appear contrived, but in Chase Von's control the thought and spoken lines flutter like overheard conversations in another room and add a sense of mystery and artistic distance for the reader to absorb the impact.

The full title of this solid book is YOUR CHANCE TO HEAR THE LAST PANTHER SPEAK and we can only hope this is the first of many volumes of stories and shared from a man raw with emotion and tempered with making reality fit a poet's view. Welcome to the theater of the world, Chase Von! Highly recommended. Grady Harp, October 08

I have been wanting this book since it came out a year or so ago. It did NOT disappoint. There is so much in this book that doesn't come from the show. I remember writing a thesis on this show in college, stating that the website actually becomes a supplement to the show and by doing this, it actually pulls the viewer into the show, breaking the fourth wall. This book does that times two. Are the Sopranos based on actual people? Is it truth or fiction? By the time you get done reading this, you won't care. This is a must read.

A stellar examination of the past, present, and portents of "The Sopranos"! Wow! From the die-hard Soprano fans to all those interested schlumps, this book is the must-read needed on their bookself. An entertaining, voyeuristic, and compassionate look at the Sopranos' lives that mix reality and myth into a remarkable anthology of today's most famous mobster family. The show earned its Emmys and then some; the book compliments the show with its photos and commentary on what will become the most talked about series for years to come. In my opinion, there are only a handful of shows that truly deserve such an in-depth perspective as this one does- and this one hits the mark! Two enthusiastic thumbs up and a congratulations going toward the talented and witty writer, Allen Rucker, the only one who made this fantastic book possible for all Soprano aficionados to thoroughly enjoy. Rucker brings an unique standpoint to the Sopranos' family and lifestyle that I never knew existed. I hope he writes the next updated version! If not, "I have friends, you know!"

I loved this book. I poured over it so many times that I have just about worn it out. It has been like a Bible of sorts to me. Very interesting. Anyone who is a true Sopranoholic like I am will love this book. I just wish they would make an updated version of it. I am going to be so sorry to see the season end and just thinking about the series ending is too much for me to comprehend.

Think of this book as one big Soprano History/Dictionary/Vocabulary book and that is what you can expect. Worth every cent.

Great book to have if you are a die hard Soprano fan like myself. Gives you great insights on the Soprano family tree and it also gives Soprano fans a guide on things that you might have missed out on. Overall, a excellent book! Don't keep this book too far away when you're watching the show because it comes in handy

I'm a big Opera fan, and my grandmother bought me this book because she thought it was about great Italian singers. You can imagine my disappointment when I realized this book was about the characters from a TV show focusing on the Mafia. I don't have a TV, so I'd never seen the "Sopranos" show. Reading about something I had no knowledge of, or interest in, seemed dumb at first, but I had the book so I thought "What the heck! I'll read it". Once I started, I couldn't put it down. It is a very entertaining read, and I would recommend it to anyone, even people with no TVs like me, who enjoy a fun book. Highly Recommended! (Note: I have since seen the show at a friend's house, and frankly I must say I liked the book better than the progam.)

Lucy Chase Williams, where are you? Have you written any oher books besides this splendid tribute to Vincent Price?

OK, maybe you were a little harsh on BACKTRACK, but I admit it is not a film for everybody. Jodie Foster was in her adventurous period then, and making a film by Dennis Hopper was probably a mistake, but give her credit for trying something different! As for Price, he is terrific in the movie, and the whole thing is defnitely a more worthy picture than many which you,
But in the main what can I say, you've done an excellent job, not only interviewing the obvious co-stars and producers, but also some obscure ones. I was thrilled to find an interview with the late Alexander Knox in your book. Knox, who played WILSON in the eponymous 1944 Fox historical epic, gave this interview only a few days before his own death, and reading his words gives the avid reader a new insight into the way Vincent Price saw his own function as an actor, an entertainer, and a man of public policy. I wonder if it's true that Price was a victim of blacklisting; certainly his career changes radically during the McCarthy Era and when it was over, he was firmly typecast in a series of profitable, some very successful artistically almost in spite of himself, B pictures. Did he regret going the horror route? You could never really tell. This book dips a little into Price's resentment at the way Sears ruined his credibility as a collector and art historian.

The book makes us long for the release of more of Price's 1940s films on DVD! How about MOSS ROSE or THE WEB or THE EVE OF ST MARK

The photos are unbelievable, especially the bare-shouldered, long-haired beefcake shot that begins the book (London, 1935, with a pervert behind the camera) or the December 1964 shot in which Elsa Lanchester, Vampira, and Carroll Borland pose with Price at the opening of THE TOMB OF LIGEIA. All these different generations of horror stars frozen forever in one frame: it's like a white version of A GREAT DAY IN HARLEM.

The first part of this coffee-table sized book gives an overview of Vincent Price's life, as well as his career. Obviously not a believer in reincarnation, this section concludes with a quote from Vincent Price himself. "You only get one time around, so why waste a minute of this glorious life?" The remainder of this book discusses every feature film connected with Vincent Price, whether he was the star, co-star, narrator, had a brief cameo or did the voice of an animated character. All 100 entries give the release date of the film, the film studio that made the picture, the running time, whether it was filmed in black and white or color, the cast, the director, the producer, the writer, etc. The next section gives a synopsis of the plot, sometimes followed by quotes from the man himself or other actors appearing in the film, and all concluding with contemporary reviews of the movie. Each entry has at least one photo from the actual film or a candid picture taken on the film set or, at the very least, the accompanying movie poster. Two things struck me while reading this book. One, Vincent Price was a versatile actor who excelled in every genre of film he appeared in, not just horror movies. Two, every actor quoted mentioned his wicked sense of humor, how great he was to get along with, and his professionalism. Of the latter, Gregory Peck summed it up best. "You get a bad piece of material, you do everything you can to improve it...That's what you're supposed to do. That's what Vincent did. I'm sure that he never, in his life, phoned it in, so to speak, or did less than his utmost best..." If you're looking for a book that dishes dirt and recounts gossip, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a comprehensive book of all of Vincent Price's movies, look no further.

Forget the biographical portion of this book - it's short and general, though sufficient to the purpose of what this volume really is, which is a celebration of Price's life and films.

What sells this book is the pictures. Gorgeous stills from all of Price's movies - and quite a few from his life and stage plays, as well - plentifully stuff this beautiful coffee-table offering, on every page. Each film is discussed briefly, along with notes on its place in Price's life and ouevre, and accompanied by comments from his directors, producers and co-stars, and even Price, himself. Each picture is worth a thousand words, and some of them are really remarkable - for instance, cartoon cells from characters Price voiced for Disney studios and Miramax (The Great Mouse Detective and Arabian Knight) and Hanna-Barbera's The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo. There are photos of him with famous seemingly unlikely latter-day admirers, like Alice Cooper. Caricatures and print-ads abound, such as Price selling Tuaca liqueur and Emba minks. Even his image on a long-forgotten Milton Bradley "Shrunken Head Apple Sculpture" kit is on display.

If you're a fan, or looking for a Christmas or birthday present for someone who is, you just couldn't beat the bargain of this book at twice the "price"!

I can hear that silly associate of Patsy Stone's of ABFAB saying "lots of lovely...photos," and besides being a great filmography of Price's work, this book features a host of visuals that aren't the run-of-the-mill variety publicity shots you're likely to find elsewhere. Nice quips from Price himself and colleagues about his films, life, and art-collecting. A great reference for the shelf. Wholly recommended.

on page 252-253 there's a great picture of Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and John Carradine in 1983 during a photo session for the film "House of the Long Shadows", a movie that i like {however, i hate the character that Arnaz, Jr. played because of his cynicism and lack of respect for traditional horror}. the pictures, incidentally, make up for the lack of coverage of Vincent's other careers! there's pictures of his cartoon characters from Disney and Hanna-Barbera. there's posters for the "Butterfly Ball" project plus numerous print ads for products that appeared in magazines. a picture of him with Alice Cooper is also shown! the rest of this book highlights all 100 of Vincent's FEATURE films, which are anything that is shown in movie theatres. i think the book is great! seeing the pictures and movie posters are like walking through time...i wouldn't have added any negative criticism about the movies because it dampens the mood of the book, which is to be a celebration of his career in movies...but there are several harsh criticisms of his films from critics and Vincent himself, who himself was a critic: of art! the book also contains Vincent's now-legendary comments on his own profession just after wrapping up the 1987-released film "The Offspring". in brief, Price announces that he's tired and bored talking about horror films. it's then explained that the film he just finished maybe caused him to be a bit testy with the reporter. Price had realized after his scenes were complete that the producers/director were filming extreme gore and slasher elements to be aired around his narrative parts and it made him furious that his name and image would be grouped with that TYPE of film once again {1984's "Bloodbath at the House of Death" was pretty gory and Price's appearance clashes with the sadistic storyline}. "The Offspring" was a Tales From the Crypt meets Twilight Zone anthology in which Price plays a town historian in rural Oldfield. a picture from that film (a shot of Price at a desk) is here. GET this book!!!

The kind of place anyone would love to reside is the Eastlake Island, such a civilized atmosphere with a few inhabitants living under secured conditions. Its like living in a real golden fishbowl. the Eastlake inhabitants knows about themselves and have the knowledge of their various means of income but until naughty things began to unveil when in an attempt to catch petty shoplifters, scanners where attending to customers in self service stores and the irony began to unfold to a drama of blackmail thieves living among the civilized. The surprise emerged as a perfect opportunity for the latter and which they utilized but like chase, no one goes unnoticed.

My Dear fellow Chase Fans:
We all know what a great writer he was, we have read all of his books. Most of us are so disappointed that his books are not widely available in North America.

We all need to start a users/readers/group online. So we all can appreciate him together and let others know what they are missing.

I read his all of his books back in 80s in Asia. Now I am trying to find them in North America and Can not find all of them.
I want to buy all of his books for collection, but no one knows him in North America.

My salute to all of Hadely fans, lets get together online and celebrate one of the best crime writer in the history.

Thanks, Art. ...

I started reading Chase in 1980 and read all of his books back in Nigeria and i was given the alias Chase! he is simply the best and no other author will hold you spellbound like him. I have a little cutout of him when he died, infact his real name is not JHC, i cannot remember now. Let me recite a passage from his novel "YOU NEVER KNOW WITH WOMEN" just to give you a taste of the guy: (I've been around and i've known a lot of women in my time, they've given me a lot of fun and a lot of grief;now women are funny animals, you never know with them. They do not often know where they are with themselves. It is of no good trying to find out what makes them tick, it just can't be done.They have more moods than an army of cats have lives and all you can hope for is to spot the mood you are after, when it shows up step in quick, hesitate and you are a dead duck! Women are funny animals you never know with them. Love between a man and a woman is a brittle thing.) Ask me who can describe a woman like that? No other author describes a picture and you the reader thinks the description is right in front of you like this guy. It is a shame that he is out of print. Readers of today are surely missing out. A real shame. I hope someone will call me with some. I do not mind the price.

None can touch James Hadley Chase. Others are like specs of dust in front of this giant. But what amazes me more than anything else is that theres not much on his books ... Why?
I have read all his books and possess quite a few.I could rate all his books five stars but can't rate more even i wish,because there are only five.I really pity all those who havent read his books. They are like the stepping stones to get addicted to book reading. Three cheers for James Hadley Chase.

I have read most of Chase's novels and am equally frustrated to learn that his novels are no longer in print. I wonder why? I sure can find many of his books in your listings except one titled -"Consider Yourself Dead". I hope am not confusing this book with "You have yourself a Deal".With all the spy novels set in a world war scenario,this one slides to "typical spy story" type; the plot hovering around just a few characters.As far as I can recall my memory,an intense rivalry between two factions brings about espionage into the picture.Finally,the plot condenses,yet reinforces,to two characters -the Hero and the Villain.It's a typical Gun fight story that I've ever read. If you want to travel back to your childhod and play with guns,then hunt for this book!