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There Is No Place Like Work...is an excellent tool for an organizational tune-up! My company's vision and mission are current and consistent, we are not looking to start over. But we have many entry level positions and a limited career ladder so we are constantly bringing new people into the organization. Using the tools that are provided in the book helped us to sharpen our presentations (tell our story)better, internally and to outside audiences. Additionally, we use the principals in our strategic leadership team as part of our planning process. This book is a winner!

Do you want to change careers? Do you want to start a business venture? Do you want to be crystal clear as to the direction you want to go with your business? Then might I suggest you read this book. While it is a metaphor to the wizard of oz, it is written beautifully so as to make you decide where you want to go with your business.
The information was just enough to get the wheels turning as to what is important and more importantly why?
I spent the day pondering the message in the book and created a business model that I am looking forward to implement tomorrow.

Good Luck to you.

As a "headhunter" of 15 years, I have been a consultant to companies who are trying to attract top talent to their organizations. I have also worked with top-notch candidates who are searching to associate themselves with companies who are the best in their fields. What I have found is, that, which most excites quality, talented, qualified individuals to a new employer, is the company's leadership, their purpose, their culture and their core values. After reading "There Is No Place Like Work", I concluded that this easy-to-read, easy-to-understand, easy-to-follow and easy-to-implement guide is a "must read" for every business owner, CEO, executive, manager and human resources professional. Kudos to Drs. Margolis and Wilensky for writing a handbook that can help businesses be the best that they can be.

Whether you're starting a brand new business or have been at the helm for 20 years, Ava and Sheila's 5 P's put workplace culture simply and concisely into perspective. From the first page to the last, you will find yourself fascinated by how easily their insights can be plugged right into your situation. This book will absolutely increase your bottom line!

Excellent Reading! I thoroughly enjoyed it and see how it can be beneficial!!!! I plan to put it to good use!!!

My family has been caught up in the home improvement craze for years, but our children have gotten in on the act too since becoming fans of one of those "home makeover" shows. So when we took our teenager to pick out paint chips for his room last summer, we shouldn't have been surprised when he chose a "moon rock" green hue, embedded with grains of sand and flecks of glitter. OK...we invited his involvement in the project, so we were going to have to live with the results! Had I read the new book by Laura Jensen Walker, I would have approached this project and others around our home with a little more wisdom and a lot more patience. This Old Dump: Renovate Without Decking Your Mate, (Revell, September 2004, paperback, 156 pages) offers fun and humorous suggestions for surviving your home improvement projects without destroying your marriage in the process. Laura blends hilarious home improvement tales with practical tips and solutions. The book is a fun, helpful and enjoyable read and offers some great ideas. Highly recommend!

Funny lady Laura Jensen Walker does it again. She has a way of taking any subject, adding a humorous twist, and helping us see ourselves through her hilarious stories and keen observations. After trying to wallpaper with my husband years ago I vowed to never do any home improvement with him again. Thanks to Laura's book This Old Dump I feel like maybe we can buy a fixer upper and still stay happily married.

When I picked up "This Old Dump," I still had paint stuck under my fingernails and wallpaper paste in my hair. I found my sense of humor again, as well as many friends in Laura Walker's book--and recommend it for anyone who's hooked on HGTV or who's known by his or her first name at Home Depot.

Stop! Back away from the paint brush and no one will get hurt. That's the recurring theme of Laura Jensen Walker's delightful book about remodeling your home without wrecking your marriage. Using funny but factual real-life stories, Walker reminds the reader that there are as many decorating techniques as there are colors of paint. Unfortunately, many of them don't mix. This Old Dump is not so much a "how-to" as a how-NOT-to. That is, if you value your marriage. Considering a serious home make-over? Stop! Buy the book first. You'll need the comic relief.

This book is as much about maintaining your marriage as it is about maintaining your house. The perfect book for any couple contemplating a home repair project. The life you save may be your own!

I found this little book to be /Inspirational/Funny/Sad/I wonder is that how God really is. Bob seems to have a much better undestanding of the "spiritual world" than most.That is why I enjoy reading his writtings so much.Thank You again Bob

I liked a lot of things about this book. It's a short read in that it's a series of statements by folks with 'answers' from God in bold below them. Each statement/answer then is a stand-alone thought that can be read and appreciated for itself. I think that God watches Judge Judy on occasion. One person says, "God, I feel like believing in you is a complete waste of my time." God answers, "I know the feeling." Another statement hit home strongly with me. A man tells God that keeping his pickup truck from starting won't stop him from going out & getting drunk that night. God tells him the truck will start after he's gone back inside to say goodbye to his mother who won't be there when he gets back from the tavern. His Mom dies in his arms, in the house, 2 hours later and the man has not had a drink since.

Unfortunately, for me personally, there are several examples of answers from 'God' that perpetuate the 'fire and brimstone,' "You're going to burn in Hell forever" God that turned me off to Him years ago. Fundamentalist Christians will love them but I tend to take that kind of statement with a grain of salt and look for the loving message that I know underlies it if it's really from God. I highly recommend this book as something to have handy for a quick pick-me-up since you can open it almost anywhere and find a useful inspiration of some kind. Even the ones I disagree with make me think and that's not all bad. It was worth the price to me.

I am an avid reader.Having read many books through the years Christian and Non-Christian.I have been helped and blessed by some,entertained by others,but I found this book to be Inspired.I could give this to my teenaged grandsons,best friends,or my mother and all would be able to enjoy and relate to it. It is refreshing and insightful.It will allow you to chuckle,touch your heart and your soul.Give you peace of mind and spirit. Each home would profit by having this book accessible to family members and friends.Its message is profound and I would recommend it as a wonderful gift .

A friend knowing my feelings about God, sent me this book. Be it a real or an imaginary God in this book, it is a God I can believe in. It feels good not hating television evangelist. It was the first time anyone had laid it out so clearly.

There are advantages of being a fulltime pastor for forty-three years. Then there are the disadvantages. I try as best I can not to dwell on the disadvantages. But the one that did bother me the most, was not being able to answer the questions of children. Adults seldom ask really hard to answer questions, like, “What is God’s favorite color?” or “Are their toys in heaven?” or “Why is everything that is fun to do a sin?” I remember this one well, “Why did God choose the Jews instead of us?” Forty-three years I have been talking about God, only to learn that I knew very little about Him. This book is The Spirit at work. A Minister who has not read this book is unlearned regardless of their education.

I first bought this book as I considered opening a vintage goods shop with my mother. It was such a good resource, we each wanted our own copy. I found the information to be very useful as we mapped out our business plan and eventually opened our little shop.
The shop eventually closed when we had to give up our location, and cancer claimed Mom's life. I have been feeling the urge to have a shop again lately, and wanted to re-read the book. Apparently I've lent it to someone who never returned it to me! Mom's copy was nowhere to be found either, so I ordered another copy. A small price to pay for the information and guidance imparted within.

I just found this charming, useful and inspirational book on sale at a local book store. This collaborated effort by a Victoria Magazine contributor and successful small business owners like Debby DuBay, retired United States Air Force officer, was absolutely inspirational and had so many useful tips for a new business owner such as myself. I found information on my business plan and the small business administration, etc. In addition, I tried to contact many of the contributors to the book, but most I could not contact. I boldly contacted Ms. DuBay who enthusiastically provided me with many helpful tips on my new business! I love this book and highly recommend it for all! It is a timeless book!

Purchased this book in Limoges Antiques Shop, Andover, MA from one of the contributors; Debby Dubay, ret, USAF and author of her own series on collecting Limoges porcelain. This book is remarkable and if you are considering starting your own business or turning your passion into a profession this book is a must. Debby DuBay credits The Business of Bliss and Victoria Magazine for her success - but her input was invaluable with the success of this publication.

Wow! If you need a guide on how to turn your passion into a profession - I recommend this book. The experts have been used to provide input, and I love Debby DuBay's story in this book and in The Business of Bliss. The information provided about the Small Business Association is the best and I received a low documentation loan following the outline in this book! I owe my success to Janet and Ms DuBay. Highly recommend this book.

Written by the editors of Victoria Magazine who collaborated with successful women such as author, shop owner, retired Air Force Officer and Veteran Debby DuBay this book is a must. I have tried getting in contact with Victoria Magazine to no avail, but a few of the women they highlighted are still available to mentor women like myself. I am a professional woman who wanted to turn a passion into a career and Ms DuBay has been my mentor. Thanks to this book I was able to contact her. Highly recommend this book.

What is there to say? The guy is funny. He cannot write a bad sentance or a bad book. This is a favorite of mine dealing with Uncle Fred. Let the car note be a little shy this month and enjoy a true master at his art.

I loved the Jeeves & Wooster books so I was sad when I read the last one. Then I decided to move on to other Wodehouse books and have read a few since. I have to say this is one of my favorites! It definitely compares to the hilarity of the Jeeves/Wooster books. Uncle Fred or the Fifth Earl of Ickenham is one of my favorite Wodehouse characters. He always seems to be dragging his nephew Pongo Twistleton (occasionally mentioned as a fellow Drones club member in the Wooster books) into trouble but always seems to get through it as is typical in the Wodehouse books. Anyway, it is a great read, a good laugh, and a lot of fun. On a side note, if you like Wodehouse, the dvd series of Jeeves and Wooster (starring Hugh Laurie from the tv show House) is also very funny. You will see many of your favorite Jeeves story lines in them and they are very true to Wodehouse.

Professors of literature are fond of writing that the three greatest novelists of the twentieth century are Marcel Proust, Thomas Mann, and James Joyce. In this, they could hardly be more in error. The only contender for the title of the greatest novelist of the twentieth or any other century is P.G. Wodehouse, farceur supreme, or, in plain English, an extraordinarily funny writer.

Wodehouse wrote novels and stories that can be easily classified into several series: there are the Bertie and Jeeves novels and stories, the Blandings Castle novels and stories, the Mr. Mulliner stories, the Uncle Fred novels, etc. The characters from one series rarely appear in another. This novel is an exception. Uncle Fred appears at Blandings Castle, where he poses as Sir Roderick Glossop, normally seen in the Bertie and Jeeves novels (and one story); indeed, he encounters Sir Roderick while traveling to Blandings Castle. Uncle Fred, properly, Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistleton, fifth Earl of Ickenham, is a man who "together with a juvenile waistline, . . . still retained the bright enthusiasms and the fresh, unspoiled outlook of a slightly inebriated undergraduate" at the age of sixty or so. It is he who sets in motion the events that enable young lovers to marry and his nephew Pongo to settle his gambling debts. In general, his role is that normally played by Lord Emsworth's younger brother Galahad.

Of course, any reader of Wodehouse novels knows at the start that things will turn out all right for any sundered hearts or frustrated lovers, as he knows that, any time the efficient Baxter appears, he will be discredited despite being thoroughly correct. The fun is in discovering just how it happens.

And what fun it is. Wodehouse's mastery of the English language is unrivaled. He succeeds in producing prose that not only is enjoyable in its own right but also moves events ahead at a pace that is nigh exhausting. In the Bertie and Jeeves novels and stories, it is Bertie's narration that does this. In this novel, it is the dialogue as much as the narration that moves events ahead, establishes the characters, and gives the reader immense pleasure.

This is my very favorite book, and I have been reading it about once a year for the past 15 years or so. I still laugh out loud at every reading. The very complex plot deals with Pongo Twistleton and his Uncle Fred, who visit Blandings Castle as imposters (Sir Roderick Glossip and his secretary, to be exact) in an effort to prevent the Duke of Dunstable from stealing the Empress of Blandings, Lord Emsworth's prize pig, and to keep him from smashing the drawing room furniture with the fireplace poker. Polly Pott (daughter of private investigator Mustard Pott) is also in attendance, pretending to be Sir Roderick's daughter. The story also involves the Duke's two nephews and their romantic problems: It seems Horace Davenport has hired a private investigator (none other than Mustard Pott) to tail his fiancee Valerie (Pongo's sister) and she has called off the engagement as a result, and Ricky's jealousy of his fiancee's attention to cousin Horace has landed him in the onion soup. Money won and lost at Persian Monarchs, the slipping of mickey's into people's drinks, and a Duke who throws eggs at people who whistle The Bonny Bonny Banks of Lock Lomand outside his window add to the hilarity. Of course, Mr. Wodehouse's unique turn-of-phrase doesn't disappoint in this delightful novel. I recommend this book to anyone who seeks diversion from reality. A must-read.

A complete Wodehouse fanatic, I would have trouble giving less that five stars to anything I have read so far. Uncle Fred is a particularly good one to add to the guest room bookshelf----incredibly funny and nice light reading for a few days away from home.

Well laid-out book with awesome pics and logical flow. Definitely a professional work. It does not get very deep in explanations but there is enough material for a novice to get started. Overall: VERY GOOD!

A friend and I are taking an intro to astonomy course and this is one of the recommended texts. I can certainly see why. It's a very clearly written work with a heavy emphasis on planetary and solar astronomy and a lucid discussion of stellar objects visible with personal telescopes, subjects that the noviate astronomer is most likely to find of interest. The author also dedicates two chapters to the subject of theoretical astrophysics at the very basic level of cosmology, ie) the theory of the origin, the possible ultimate destiny of the universe, and the liklihood of the existance of coevil universes parallel to our own. Dickinson also throws his lot in with those who would believe in UFOs, to the extent that while he doesn't believe in the sightings people report--however well meaningly--he does believe that intelligent life is out there and may well already know of our existance. He gives a thorough and lucid outline of why he believes this to be the case. He also summarizes the SETI project and the ultimate change in position on this topic of high visibility astronomers like the late Carl Sagan, Iosif Shklovskii, and Ben Zuckerman. A very interesting book, and one that whets the appetite for further information.

I have always been interested in astronomy and just recently picked it up as a hobby. Terence Dickenson does a wonderful job conveying concepts to the average person. He has made it so easy to understand and so interesting it is difficult to put the book down. The pictures are perfect for those of us with little imagination. My ten year old is even reading it with me. Excellent!

For the layman who is often intimidated by the scope of astronomy and science in general, this book is the ideal place to get started. I've been fascinated by the universe and outer space for as long as I can remember. There is nothing that is quite as majestic and beautiful in the physical world we observe as the unimaginable grandeur of the universe.

The book starts out with a good general overview and then starts out from home (Earth) and then gradually moves out towards other objects in the Solar System, the nearby starts, our Milky Way galaxy, and ultimately out to the farthest reaches of the universe (quasars, galaxies out in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field), examining the deepest cosmological questions.

The writing is non-technical and is easy for the uninitiated to understand. There are plenty of the latest breathtaking photos from the Hubble Telescope as well as clear illustrations. I bought a copy for my mother who has never delved into astronomy and she advised me that the book has been most enjoyable and that it opened her eyes to the wonders of space that she had never known about.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in astronomy but never had the chance to really dig in for whatever reasons. I also recommend this book to the experts who want to encourage their loved ones and friends to appreciate the universe as well. It makes a great gift to high school students, parents, and friends as well. It's one of those books that people will refer to over and over again and contemplate our place in this amazing structure we know of as the universe.

I have never, and I mean never, had my mind blown as much as when I read (still reading, will never stop reading) this book. I can't believe the pictures in this book. You think you've seen everything insane and out of this world there is to see and then you open this up. Ever seen one galaxy side-swipe another galaxy? The images in this book will change you, you will never be the same. I feel so small yet I feel like I'm part of this insane monster of a grand scheme. The descriptions are fantastic, you need no prior astronomy/science education to totally immerse yourself in the cosmos. Starting from earth and reaching out to as far as we have gone this book reads as if you are the explorer aboard your space craft taking it all in for yourself. There isn't a dull second during this read. Every paragraph will make your mouth drop. Realize the creature around you that is your Universe.

Buyer beware: I was expecting this item to be Billy Graham's full-length book of devotions. Instead, it was a spiral-bound calendar of daily devotions. It's still a wonderful source of short, thought-provoking and encouraging selections based on the book, but it doesn't have as much meat as the source. I was able to find a used copy of Dr. Graham's book (same title) on Amazon.

This is a wonderful devotional for daily reading. I have given it to many people as a gift & everyone has loved it. Billy Graham touches your heart in down to earth, easy to understand, Holy Spirit-inspired writings. You won't be disappointed.

I also use this in my daily devotional and have worn-out the tape that was holding it together,... I think anyone would enjoy this very practical and easy to comprehend devotional. Billy Graham is a gifted man.

I have read this book so much that it has fallen apart and I had to order a new book. This book is truely the best to understand what God does and what he is about. I recommend it very much to keep up your daily walk with God. Billy Graham writes great books about God and I can understand the books and enjoy starting my day reading them every morning.

Every days' lesson seems to be a gift from the Lord to help me deal through lifes' lessons. Billy Grahm puts the gospel into terms we can relate to.

Walden Pond is a classic which everyone should be required to read. I read this years ago and wanted to add this one to my library. What a wonderful surprise it was. The pictures enhance this classic. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Thoreaus' works, Nature and getting back to the basics in life. In this busy life we live, it is relaxing to spend time reading this book.

Bought this as a gift for my husband and he really loved the photo illustrations. They are beautiful. Makes a nice "coffee table book".

* "I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion . . . I have thus a tight shingled and plastered house, ten feet wide by fifteen long . . . A lady once offered me a mat, but as I had no room to spare within the house, nor time to spare within or without to shake it, I declined it, preferring to wipe my feet on the sod before my door. It is best to avoid the beginnings of evil."
~ Henry David Thoreau; "Walden"

* "Walden has become as much a state of mind as it is a place."
~ Scot Miller; "Walden - 150th Anniversary Illustrated Edition"

For my birthday in 1984, my dear friend, Marty ("rhymes with party"), gave me the 1981 Avenel books hardcover edition of WORKS OF HENRY DAVID THOREAU. This compilation contained all of the famous transcendentalist's most significant writings and the thirty intriguing Herbert Wendall Gleason, black and white photographs that graced the 1906 publication of Thoreau's complete works.

My dear friend died in an auto accident five years later, but part of his legacy is the passion for Thoreau's philosophy that his gift awakened in me, and that book which occupies a prestigious place in one of my bookcases right between my Holy Bible and my 1st edition copy of Mark Twain's 1872, Roughing It. And my book, though yellowed now, looks pretty good for a volume 23 years without a dust jacket (I nearly always trash the things immediately), and for having been completely read twice, and thumbed through hundreds of times!

A couple of years ago, GFM (Good Friend Melanie) gave me a softcover copy of WALDEN AND OTHER WRITINGS, and I was glad to have it as it contained a couple of essays and excerpts I'd not previously read, and it provided me with a copy of Thoreau's best that I could loan out to others.

Therefore, when my friend, Pooh, and I flew into Philadelphia in late August 2005, to visit the birthplace of our nation, and then to drive north to visit Walden Pond and environs, I did not consider purchasing a copy of this 150th ANNIVERSARY ILLUSTRATED EDITION of WALDEN for myself while in Thoreau's hometown. I already had two copies of this true classic and couldn't see buying a third despite the stunning pictures included in this publication. I did, however, bring home a copy as a gift for GFM. (The woman in the bookstore in downtown Concord, Massachusetts, pointed out to me that the original publishing price - printed on the inside flap of the dust jacket - was $28.12, half a cent less than Thoreau tells us it cost him to build his little house at Walden's shore in 1845. (He officially moved into his homemade home on the appropriate date of July 4th, and an American classic was born!)

One day, shortly after returning from my memorable trip, I borrowed from GFM the copy I had given her, so I could gaze upon the nearly 100 SCOT MILLER photographs once again. And I was so awed by the indescribably gorgeous and practically breathtaking pictures of the Walden area and its flora and fauna, that I realized I needed to own this book like Thoreau needed solitude. And that's how I came by Thoreau's WALDEN for a THIRD time! While Marty's gift reigns for sentimental reasons, the 150th Anniversary Illustrated Edition is tops in exquisite beauty - a lovelier and more profound coffee table book is simply unimaginable; a richer gift for a valued friend couldn't be purchased at ANY price! This edition is simply a divine marriage of Thoreau's insight into the nature of Man and his place in nature, and Scot Miller's illustrations of the natural world wherein Thoreau made those treasured observations over a century and a half ago. Hey, I even left the dust jacket on this book despite the fact that the jacket's photograph is also reprinted on page 2, and it barely even hints at the wonders inside.

In Thoreau's WALDEN, the naturalist makes the following observation in the chapter titled, "Sounds": "I had this advantage, at least, in my mode of life, over those who were obliged to look abroad for amusement, to society and the theatre, that my life itself was become my amusement and never ceased to be novel. It was a drama of many scenes and without an end." And Scot Miller has brilliantly captured with his camera the splendor of that "drama of many scenes" at Thoreau's old stamping ground.

I'm not knowledgeable in the techniques of photography, so I can't explain to you HOW Miller was able to make photographs like these (it seems obvious to me, however, that he must employ an array of various filters and such). All that I CAN tell you is that words can't describe the virtual explosion of colors (like nature vibrantly celebrating that 1845 4th of July within Herself) and the uncommon degree of visible detail (staring at those rocks and leaves in "Still Life Under Ice", I can almost feel the bone-numbing cold that any one of those stones would penetrate my hand with). "Magical Fairyland Pond" is the perfect caption for that dreamlike picture of Walden's sister pond. I can almost hear a lonely dog barking from across the glittering snow while hidden deep in the distant, wooded shore, when I'm lost in the "Sunrise On Frozen Walden Pond." I'm not even going to attempt to describe the "Nature's Palette, Heywood's Meadow" photograph on page 32. Suffice to say that God is "The" Master Painter. Incredible! (And Scot Miller, you're a wonder, too!)

This five-star beauty of a book represents the pinnacle of the publisher's art, and it includes a shot of the exact site of Thoreau's 1845 cabin (previously obscured by a cairn), and Henry's simple tombstone, which I visited at the Author's Ridge section of the Concord cemetary where our hero's physical body gradually became a part of the nature that his spirit loved so much.

On a family vacation many years ago, I visited Walden Pond and walked all around it. In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the publication of Thoreau's Walden, the Walden Woods Project published, in 2004, this illustrated edition of the work with stunning color photographs by Scott Miller of Walden Pond and its environs. The Walden Woods Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of Walden Pond and to the legacy of Thoreau. I found this book a fitting memorial of my walk around Walden Pond and of my earlier readings of Walden. The lovely edition, photographs, and memories inspired me to turn again to Thoreau's book.

Henry David Thoreau (1817 -- 1862) lived at Walden Pond, Masachusetts from July, 1845 -- September, 1847, in a cabin he built himself on a tract of land owned by his friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson. He was two miles from Concord, Massachusetts and one mile from his nearest neighbor. A railroad passed near the pond, and it was frequented regularly by farmers, hunters, picnickers, and others. During the two years, Thoreau left Walden Pond at times to visit friends in Concord, to lecture, and to visit other ponds and sites in the area. He made no pretense of being entirely isolated. In his book, Walden, published in 1854, Thoreau described the first year of his life at Walden Pond (he tells us that the second year was much the same) and his reasons for living there. Much of the book was written at Walden Pond, and Throreau also wrote other works there.

The book is short but it is written in a dense, difficult and condensed style with many long, complex sentences. It is also highly allusive and shows Thoreau's learning in classical literature and his interest in Eastern thought and religion. It is filled with many short, pithy, and provocative comments which have become proverbial in American literature.

In the opening and closing chapters of the book, Thoreau describes his motivations for living at Walden Pond and abandoning the life of commerce. For Thoreau, most people are owned by their possessions. He saw a need to live with little encubrance in order to understand himself and find inner peace. "Simplify, simplify, simplify" was his goal. In one of my favorite sentences of the book, he states (p. 67) "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." Then, towards the end of the book, Thoreau recounts some of the lessons he had learned in the following passage:

"We should be blessed if we lived in the present always, and took advantage of every accident that befell us, like the grass which confesses the influence of the slightest dew that falls on it, and did not spend our time in atoning for the neglect of past opportunities, which we call doing our duty. We loiter in winter while it is already spring."(p/253)

In the middle sections of the book, Throreau describes his life in the woods, again with recognition of his substantial interactions with other people during the time. (He was not a hermit.) He describes the books he read, his activites at his cabin, Walden Pond and woods, the changes of the seasons, and the plants and animals. The pond and its creatures are described with great detail, but Thoreau gives even more attention to internalizing his experiences and explaining their significance to his readers.

Scott Miller's beatiful photographs of Walden Pond add a great deal to this edition. They are well-placed to correspond with the discussion in the text, and they illuminate Thoreau's descriptive passages. The photographs, and the book itself, brought back reading and visiting memories and made me want to see Walden Pond again.

But much as Walden is revered for its descriptions of nature, the book remains for me primarily internalized and intropsective. Thoreau has many polemical things to say which will not, and should not, appeal to all readers. But the book documents the effort of an individual to try to understand his life, to reflect, and to understand change. As I have suggested, it is not an anti-social book as Thoreau was never far removed from friends and company. But it is a book about understanding one's life and learning not to be afraid of solitude or of being with oneself.

Robin Friedman

I'll not dwell on the author's content but on the publisher's choice of binding. Thoreau calls for a complete abandonment of possessions and to always choose the simpler, less expensive if something is needful. This beautiful coffee table book uses expensive glossy enamel paper with gorgeous photographs going way beyond necessity. Every time I picked it up to read, it's irony struck me first and weighed upon me until I set it down. It's a shame really, because with other content it would be luxurious.

The Way We Live: An Ultimate Treasury for Global Design Inspiration

Houses, castles, rooms, gardens, people, colours, moods of every description. Beautifully photographed. As the title indicates the way we live with the following description 'an ultimate treasury for global design inspiration'. It is certainly that. Just wonderful.

Have you ever walked or driven past someone's home and wanted to look inside? Looking through this book is a bit like that on an international scale. The book is a beautiful work of art in itself, the presentation top class, the paper quality excellent, the binding great. It is packed with marvellous photographs of interiors, accompanied by descriptive text. What it isn't is another of those boring interior design books, filled with rooms that are painted offwhite, with large mirrors, potted palms and overstuffed sofas. This book is interior design getting real!

brilliant pictures of landscapes from around the world and homes. I particularly enjoy the pictures of various stairwells together or doorways for example.

Stafford Cliff has collected images from all around the world and with the help of superb photographer Gilles de Chabaneix has done what few other innovators in design have done - created a book that is, yes, about design, but is equally about how climate, place, ethnicity, tradition, cultural philosophies, and history inform the decisions people make about their living environments.

Not just viewing the gracious homes of the wealthy of the planet (though there are plenty of gorgeous 'palaces' of design to please the most art hungry eye), Cliff views the differences geography makes in dwellings, from spectacular vistas of the sea to the mountains and to the deserts, and how the climates influence the manner in which 'design' is used. As interested in discussing and sharing the most humble abodes with the most lavish mansions, Cliff doesn't miss a beat as he and de Chabaneix journey to places obscure and places of notoriety. The emphasis is always on the manner in which the people of these dwellings adapt and incorporate their living spaces to their environment.

A book that is both sumptuous in design itself and tender in its approach, THE WAY WE LIVE will appeal to both students of design and to those who long to understand the essence of living, wherever they travel. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 05

I thought this book was exceptional.
This book deals with design in all parts of the world, but much more than this it gives you the feeling of the cultural richness of people who live in these spaces. It is visually beautiful and evocative.
I think the photography is outstanding. The photograper has a real knowledge about light and composition. It is rare, I think, to have so many excellent photos in a single volume. Along with this, the narrative is direct and insightful.
For those interested in design, the book offers many ideas for all types of settings. None of the ones presented are stereotypical or stiff.
The most winning aspect in this book is the realism and beauty that we are able to see around the world. The colorful, serene, and eclectic nature of many settings make this book a delight to read over and over again.

We love this book. It is very well written and seems to be written just for us. We love to camp, we have a horse, we are members at the zoo. So many things we love to do are mentioned in this book.

Christine Mitchell successfully communicates a much needed message, on a child's level, that both the adopted toddler and the parent need reinforced...the many firsts that they will share. Great job!


Chuck Giacinto - Producer of the Adoptive Music CD releasesThe Spirit of Adoption & Lullabies - For China's Daughters & Their Adoptive Families

The book Welcome Home, Forever Child is a wonderful children's book! This one is different from the children's books I've reviewed in the past, as this one is written particularly for children who are NOT adopted as infants. There is a whole different set of issues and questions that go along with a child who is adopted at an older age. They may remember experiences shared with birth and/or foster families, and have questions about how long they will be with their "new" family.

If you've adopted a toddler, preschooler, or older child, then this book is a MUST for your family! Author Christine Mitchell shares a story of love and the meaning of adoption in rhyming words that children will love to hear and easily understand. It will help create a bond with adoptive parents, and explain to the child what "forever" means.

The illustrations are so sweet. The author has used cats as the characters in the story. I love this because it makes the book appropriate for any type of adoptive situation- transracial, etc. The book starts out by talking about all the important milestones that may have been missed by the adoptive parents, but goes on to primarily focus on all the "firsts" that are to come, with a promise of being there to share in them. I am sure this book will be one that you will read over and over again with your child(ren).

My children and I read this book together. Actually, my older daughter read it to my younger daughter and I. Although my children are older (9 & 12), they really enjoyed it. My younger daughter said "This book should be in the home of every family, not just families that adopted. Every family should have one so their children can learn about adoption". My older daughter loved that Christine Mitchell not only wrote the book, but illustrated it as well. She said "It was smart of her to use cats instead of human beings. Children can relate to animals and also she wouldn't have to decide what race to make everybody. That way it appeals to everybody".

I am a kindergarten teacher and loved this book from the first moment I read it! I was so touched by the message of love, hope, permanence and a lifetime of memories that an adopted child would finally find with his/her new adoptive family. I bought this book for a friend who is in the process of adopting two older children.