Washington Books

"Real me" is my favorite of all the chapters but all of them are fantastic!!! Cheever has shown us the funny side of parenting, this is not a "boring how-to-guide" but more sharing of cheever's experence, strenght and hope!!!! Moving, funny, witty and revealing!!!!

This book is warm, encouraging and very funny. She demonstates that having had a difficult childhood does not mean that one cannot be a terrific parent. I enjoyed the way she wrote aobut her children; so much respect, empathy and love.

This is not a "how-to" book or even a book of advice. It is more a memoir of parenting. If you are looking for parenting information, try one of Penelope Leach's or Terry Brazelton's excellent books.

This is Susan Cheever at her eloquent, incisive, sweet-rhythmed best. She writes that her children are the center of her world. Lucky children. And lucky us to be the recipients of her loving, hilarious, honest report back to the outer reaches.

"ON Christmas Eve we all go to church to watch the Christmas Pageant, a thrilling performance involving some real baby sheep and a live donkey who once bucked off the Virgin Mary in a fit of holy exaltation." I was unprepared when I picked up this book for how funny it would be. I also hadn't expected it to be so shrewd in its cultural appraisal. But it is--it's funny and startling, beautifully written. And so smart on the subject of raising children. I really loved it.

Susan Cheever is unafraid to share her failings, her strengths, and her almost frightening love for her children. Her story is deeply personal, and yet, it shines a light on the double-edged sword all mothers are eventually nicked (and often cut) by -- devotion and rage towards one's children, the great humor and tragedy of parenting, feelings of wisdom and of utter bewilderment. A beautiful, funny book, and a tribute to the two children who have helped her grow up.

This book is wonderful- I have used it to entertain out of town guests and for myself and friends on a regular basis. It is a great reference for places you may have never been or to stir your memory of places you have enjoyed going to. Every place mentioned in the book has been exactly as they had written. There were no surprises, but in fact excellent suggestions of ways to truly experience the local life. I just moved to Seattle myself, so I have found the book to be quite helpful. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody new to the area or coming for a visit. Who knows... you may just run into me at one of the local hangouts...

Planning our vacation in and around Seattle was going to be interesting since I had never been there and had no tips and referances to go by. I searched on Amazon.com, and found some interesting books with lot's of tips. I chose the Best Places in Seattle book and once I had received it I fall in love with it. It is very detailed and informative and thanks to this book,I had hotel rooms booked and wonderful ideas of how we were going to spoil ourselfs with fantastic food in wonderful restaurants and of course all the highlights of Seattle were well explained in the book as well. Once we got there it was easy.. the book offeres a map,of the loctions of the hotel and palces to go and really it was a breeze for us to find our way around and let me tell you, the hotels were no dissapointment and the restaurants wonderful. I recommend this book to everyone. The author really wrote it as it is and the star rating of the hotels and more are really fantastic and a big help.She also makes a point to inform you of small details , for example, if the hotel has AC or not or if the service is nice and which floor offers the better view and such. That really is important for some people I am sure. This book helped us a lot to enjoy a wonderful vacation and we will be back. Enjoy Seattle and with this book you will.

Planning our vacation in and around Seattle was going to be interesting since I had never been there and had no tips and referances to go by. I searched on Amazon.com, and found some interesting books with lot's of tips. I chose the Best Places in Seattle book and once I had received it I fall in love with it. It is very detailed and informative and thanks to this book,I had hotel rooms booked and wonderful ideas of how we were going to spoil ourselfs with fantastic food in wonderful restaurants and of course all the highlights of Seattle were well explained in the book as well. Once we got there it was easy.. the book offeres a map,of the loctions of the hotel and palces to go and really it was a breeze for us to find our way around and let me tell you, the hotels were no dissapointment and the restaurants wonderful. I recommend this book to everyone. The author really wrote it as it is and the star rating of the hotels and more are really fantastic and a big help.She also makes a point to inform you of small details , for example, if the hotel has AC or not or if the service is nice and which floor offers the better view and such. That really is important for some people I am sure. This book helped us a lot to enjoy a wonderful vacation and we will be back. Enjoy Seattle and with this book you will.

When my job sent me to Seattle last summer, I searched for a unique guidebook for the city. Unwilling to settle for one of the national guides, I was pleased to discover Best Places Seattle. It is published in Seattle by locals. A particularly helpful section is Top 200 Restaurants and Lodgings which has star ratings (much like Amazon!) Another good feature is the Uniquely Seattle icon beside selected entries to signify places that are unique and special to the city. Other sections include: Lay of the City (getting around), Exploring (attractions), Shopping, Performing Arts, Nightlife, Day Trips, Recreation and others. Entries are referenced on a fold-out map in the front. This map has downtown Seattle on one side and Greater Seattle on the other. These entries also provide the reader with a paragraph description of each place. I practically had this book open the whole time I was in Seattle since it provided me valuable information, especially on restaurants. The book stands by its reviews of restaurants and lodgings and has a whole page devoted to instructions for receiving a book refund if you are misled by them. I must mention that there are no photos in this guidebook, but I don't think they are really needed since the book is so descriptive. I highly recommend this guidebook if you are planning a trip to Seattle.

I'm in debt to this book - I've been using its earlier edition for three years since I moved to Seattle, and it's still the first place I turn to when I want to find something new to do on a weekend. There are entries about the best lodgings, cafes, coffee places, theaters of all kinds including indie. And of course, this being a book about Pacific Northwest, it contains the most complete guide to all the places to visit around Seattle: islands, mountains, places to ski and hike and bike. Whether you live in Seattle or you're just visiting, you will not do better than choosing this book to help you explore this beautiful city. I know I wouldn't have enjoyed my time here nearly as much without it.

I just finished this book in the last couple of days. Excellent all the way through. Carefully crafted examples of what was right and WRONG with the media coverage of the Tet 68 Offensive during the Vietnam war, and the war overall, show the problems with the reporting: in some glaring cases, the bias. I specifically could relate to recent conflicts the comments made about the speed of a story from the start of an event to publication and how that sometimes led to the wrong analysis and conclusion.
The perceptions set forth by the media, either deliberately or by editing mistakes, to the population were in cases wrong and led people in a path to make decisions based on faulty information. For a long time I wondered if my opinions and own analysis of the Vietnam conflict were ill conceived. This book put those concerns in their proper place: even though it was a terrible event, maybe the US could have been done with it sooner and with a better result for all had the true facts, as the media could gather, come to light for the general population instead of an inherently flawed approach with a lot of bias added.
Given that the book was written by a Journalist in the middle of it all gives great validity to the book: yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

How could LBJ forget the blunders of a limited war established by the mistakes of Harry Truman in Korea in less than 12 years? The author outlines all of the questions that cannot be easily answered. How do you end a war once it started? How do you justify the costs in blood and money? And How do you define victory? The writer seems to say, Limited War is like Marriage, easy to get into and hard to exit. The book will enlighten every reader and all American politician responsible for foreign policy should read it. A Superb book for students, professors and men and women in power so it won't happen again.

Peter Braestup's book on the reporting of the Tet Offensive is a critically important book to read for those trying to understand the effect of reporters' all-too-human bias on what information the average citizen has available to him or her, as well as for those looking to find out not only what went wrong in Vietnam, but what the United States and its allies (including South Vietnam) did right - an aspect still all too overlooked.
Though it is critical of some particular newspeople, as well as some politicians and military spokemen of the Vietnam era, the book is highly constructive in tone. Many of the lessons pointed out by Braestrup two decades ago have clearly been taken by the media, judging by the general improvement in war reporting during the current (as of fall, 2001) events in Afghanistan.
It is also a must read for those who question the abilities of democratic states to defend what they believe in.Braestrup lays bare the notions of the time that the allied forces - from ARVN to the U.S. Marines, were not effective, or that they were a corrupt force for undesirable ends.
An added bonus is that Braestrup is a gifted writer; his prose is readable and engaging, and his research is thorough and well documented. This book deserves to be brought out in a new edition (though I did buy mine through the Amazon's used book marketplace, and received excellent service there).

A thorough critique of the press coverage of the Tet Offensive. Amazingly, the press almost universally got it wrong. The U.S. and the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) actually won the battle; the Viet Cong were decimated and never recovered as a fighting force (The regular North Vietnamese Army shouldered the major fighting from then on). It took the NVA (North Vietnamese Army) four years to build up enough strength for another major offensive (1972), which led to the Christmas bombings of Hanoi and the "peace accords."

Written by a journalist, this book is critical but not ideological; the press is not "the bad guy" here. There is plenty of blame to go around. The military misrepresented the strength of the Viet Cong, for its own reasons, and the press went on to misrepresent the battle for its own reasons. The real heresy of this book is revealing how the ARVN and U.S. forces aquitted themselves exceedingly well on the battlefield. Was the war "winnable" on the ground? It certainly wasn't "winnable" politically, but credit should be given to the servicepeople on the ground (and in the air) who did in fact win the battle tactically and strategically.

The original edition was published by Westview Press in 1977; Yale University Press issued an abidged version in 1983 and 1986; another edition was published by Presidio Press in 1994.

This book was a real eye-opener for me. As a Vietnam veteran who served in Vietnam in 1967-68-69-70 and 71, I had always held fast to the premise that media coverage of Tet 68 sabotaged the possible successful conclusion of the Vietnam war in our favour. I had always believed that the american press had deliberately skewed their war coverage towards the negative side.

Braestrup's well documented study of press coverage of the Tet 68 offensive made me re-think all my knee jerk attitudes towards the press.

He presents meticulous summaries of coverage by the major american newspapers and television networks. While some individual papers and networks might have had an anti-war bias most tried to give balanced coverage.

When Braestrup gets into the logistical details of the in media coverage of the war, he really enlightens us. It's easy in hindsight to assume that todays wall to wall coverage of world news was the norm in Vietnam. Braestrup shows us in great detail the limitations in personnel and technology that constrained media coverage of the Vietnam war

If you read his analysis, compiled from his own in-country experience with an in depth analysis of most major news outlets reporting from Vietnam during the war, you as a reader are enlightened and forced to rethink your own pre-conceived notions about the subject.

I found this work one of the most illuminating works of modern history that I have even read.

It's interesting just from Braestrups first hand retelling of his own part in history as a practicing journaslist. His analysis of journalistic coverage of the Vietnam War is incredibly stimulating and educational.

I highly recommend this work to war correspondents, editors and journalism students interested in getting war coverage just right.

John Reid

We find ourselves reaching for this book on a regular basis so we keep it on the coffee table where its easy to find. When you spot an interesting bird out your window you can quickly find it and read all about it. This would be really great to take with you on outdoor adventures too.

What a beautiful, colorful and descriptive study book for the birds of Washington state! Using it I identified three birds I was having trouble finding using a North American Bird Field Guide. The Oregon Junco for one! Seems they come this far to the eastern borders of Washington. This book is a treasure and a learning tool for any new birder in the Pacific Northwest.

We have bird feeders in our garden. They attract a large variety of birds and this terrific book identifies them for us. It also contains interesting information on the varying habits etc. as well as beautiful pictures of the different varietys.

It is very user friendly.

I moved to Washington a few months ago. Locating target birds has become a challenge in this new environment. The comprehensive continent-wide guides (sibley, peterson, golden, NG, etc...) are all wonderful, but are too vague when it comes to locating birds in a state with extremely diverse habitats (such as Washington!) This book has state range maps that are excellent, and I've found very accurate. Whereas the comprehensive guides give you mostly vital statistics about each bird, this guide has a different approach: There is usually a few interesting (and some obscure)facts about each bird. The artwork is nice, but if you're a visual learner, won't suffice for learning field marks so you'll have to supplement this book with another guide that has more artwork/photos. I've been birding for seven years now, and I find these new Lone Pine guides a breath of fresh air. They are easy to page through quickly, locally-oriented, and oddly enough have a really pleasant smell! They've also helped me become a better birder. I've used the Lone Pine Birds of Northern California guide as well while living in the SF Bay Area a couple years ago. I'd recommend this book for beginners and advanced birders. They really cover the bases that the other guides don't.

We purchased this book as a supplement to our homeschool library prior to relocating from Georgia to Washington. We have not been disappointed.

My seven-year-old daughter has become a budding naturalist, thanks in part to these books. I can typically find this book on her nightstand - accompanied by a flashlight for late night reading!

The book is slim but hefty, with lovely sketches of both male and female examples of each bird. Color-coded maps show where the bird species can be found (and when) and a very thourough introduction gives information on the best birding sites, materials to gather prior to "birding" and excellent resources for further study.

My daughter would prefer photographs of the birds, but these are exceptionally beautiful drawings. This is in contrast to the smaller, less expensive "Golden Guides."

HIGHLY recommended.

This is an interesting book if you are into modern dance. Graham was, of course, one of the great innovators of an entirely new genre of artistic expression, modern dance, and she is very open about her constant struggles and triumphs. She is a true American original.

In this book, you meet St-Denis, Eric Hawkins, and Merce Cunningham, and manz others, all of whom were influences on her and whom she influenced. They are fascinatingly placed in both personal and historical context.

While the content of this book is exceptional and extremely valuable, it is oddly structured, kind of a series of vignettes that are not even broken down into chapters. This was disconcerting to me and it made the thread of her narrative hard to follow at times. It was edited by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, opne of her last books.

I recommend it to those already interested, but not to those who are not deeply hooked on dance. This work is full of love, some pride, and the obscure tragedies of her life.

This is my favorite book ever. Martha Graham claims that she is simply a dancer but she is an excellent writer. And, from what I read from Blood Memory a formidable woman. An "artiste" whose thoughts, both deep and candid, are very profound. In all aspects she is truly an "Athlete of God."

I heartily recommend this autobiography to anyone who loves dance, or simply loves life! Martha's unique sense of humor and her trademark style make this book well worth your while

Reading this book, I found myself eagerly copying down quote after quote of Martha Graham's philosophy. Although I'm not a dancer, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Martha Graham's perspective on modern dance, art, and life in general. Moreover, I have great admiration for a woman who has been said to encourage *vagina* envy. You go, girl!

This book was an excellent introduction into not only the dance world, but the world of a dancer. I was given the opportunity to read this for a beginning modern dance class in college and I completely enjoyed it. It provides a wonderful view of not only the style of dancing as a textbook would normally do, but provides a lens for the reader to understand what kinds of reasons an incredible woman such as Martha would have for creating her works of art. I highly recommend this book for anyone, not interested in dance even, as it is also a wonderful story. It made a great impact on me and especially in my reasons for creating a piece. I highly recommend this book.

This moving, never maudlin chronicle of a young man's journey from diagnosis to death from AIDS lets you into David Baum's mind and personality. With all the pettiness and greatness of soul that defines humankind, he takes us with him as his health deteriorates and his relationships change. A great priviledge. Movingly, beautifully written.

Lisa Schamess' first novel draws the reader in with lucid prose that verges on the poetic--and avoids that pretentious mush of self-conscious stream-of-consciousness from which many books suffer. In other words, it's both a good read and art. The book will stay with you long after you turn the last page. Readers who liked The Lovely Bones will enjoy it, and anyone who lived in a big city in the mid-1980s will appreciate the social milieu Schamess describes.

Read This Book! I was so happy to discover this book. Lisa Schamess's writing is haunting, imaginative and always lush. She comes at her first novel with a firmly established, clear voice. Thank you! At first I wasn't sure I would be interested in the subject: Dying, AIDS, gay male architect. I check the "none-of-the-above" box when it comes to describing MY life. But a great author, as Schamess surely is, takes A life and makes it THE universal life. I can't wait for her next book!

BORROWED LIGHT itself possesses a great luminosity, particularly in its prose style, which is at once hard-edged and lyrical, exactly in the right proportion. A wonderful debut novel!

At the age of twenty-five, David Baum was diagnosed with AIDS. Now he's a Washington, D.C. architect, he has a lover named Rich, he is acrid and honest and painfully blunt ... and he is dying. This is his story, the chronicle of his last four years on earth and his struggle to survive his work, his relationships, and his life.

By the time I reached the end of BORROWED LIGHT (which I did unfortunately far into the night), I was sobbing. Seldom have I encountered a book more emotionally devastating. Forget THE LOVELY BONES -- BORROWED LIGHT is neither sappy nor weak, the details are incredibly real, the prose is sheer poetry, and the result is amazing. In fact, by the time I reached the middle sections I had forgotten it was a novel; I read every word with the understanding it really happened. Although initially I found I had to take the story in small doses -- over a period of two days as opposed to my usual book-a-night orgy -- by the time I reached the end I was both shattered and incredibly impressed.

BORROWED LIGHT delivers everything it promises. I could not recommend it more highly.

This is a book which I :
(i) looked forward to reading (after reading the favorable reviews),
(ii) wasn't sure about the quality of the book half-way through reading it, but
(iii) was convinced that it is an important book upon finishing the final chapter.
Broadly, it is a book about Thai Buddhism in a historical and cultural context. It attempts to relate what Thai Buddhism was like before state-led reformations (which began during the rule of King Mongkut, 1851-68) changed the institution. The story told is very subtle - it discusses, amongst others, the role that monks played in the local Thai society during this period. The method that the author employs is very peculiar - the book reads like a personal narrative that is sourced from personal interviews (with senior surviving monks), written recollections by monks as well as 'farang' diarists. This approach, which I thought was almost akin to an oral history is, I think, inevitable given the form and availability of the information on the subject. This approach also makes the book very readeable and appealing as it manages to impart to the reader the feeling of how the past feels like. Stories surrounding the sometimes supernatural feats of monks wandering in forests adds a 'folklore' dimension to Buddhism as practised by Thais that I think is not often conveyed. The stories about individual monks were the ones I enjoyed reading the most. I cared less about 'farang' writings even though their observations sometimes proved informative. Not all the book is centered around Thai Buddhism. For example, the author discusses views on the status of women in Thai society towards the end of the book (chapter 43). The book is partly a social commentary about how Thai Buddhism and society have changed. I sense a tinge of sadness about these changes but the author does not quite say it outright whether the past reforms were mistakes. This is quite understandable, given the sensitivity of the issue due to the exalted status and high esteem in which past and present Thai kings are held. One of my favourite chapter is the last one - the tale of a Dutchman who stole a jade Buddha statue from a forest, only to return it later and to ultimately find the true meaning of life (as a Buddhist monk). The last few words of this chapter (uttered by the Dutchman) was, for me, very memorable: "All our European haste and disquiet has fallen away from me. I have come to realize that quite equanimity is the highest good that we can achieve in this life". Tiyavanich certainly knows how to choose her words very well. This is a book which I read and savoured slowly - one to two chapters daily, every night, before I slid into pleasant dreams. Tonight, upon finishing the book, I lament the fact that I will need to find another good read tomorrow night.

This is a book which I :
(i) looked forward to reading (after reading the favorable reviews),
(ii) wasn't sure about the quality of the book half-way through reading it, but
(iii) was convinced that it is an important book upon finishing the final chapter.
Broadly, it is a book about Thai Buddhism in a historical and cultural context. It attempts to relate what Thai Buddhism was like before state-led reformations (which began during the rule of King Mongkut, 1851-68) changed the institution. The story told is very subtle - it discusses, amongst others, the role that monks played in the local Thai society during this period. The method that the author employs is very peculiar - the book reads like a personal narrative that is sourced from personal interviews (with senior surviving monks), written recollections by monks as well as 'farang' diarists. This approach, which I thought was almost akin to an oral history is, I think, inevitable given the form and availability of the information on the subject. This approach also makes the book very readeable and appealing as it manages to impart to the reader the feeling of how the past feels like. Stories surrounding the sometimes supernatural feats of monks wandering in forests adds a 'folklore' dimension to Buddhism as practised by Thais that I think is not often conveyed. The stories about individual monks were the ones I enjoyed reading the most. I cared less about 'farang' writings even though their observations sometimes proved informative. Not all the book is centered around Thai Buddhism. For example, the author discusses views on the status of women in Thai society towards the end of the book (chapter 43). The book is partly a social commentary about how Thai Buddhism and society have changed. I sense a tinge of sadness about these changes but the author does not quite say it outright whether the past reforms were mistakes. This is quite understandable, given the sensitivity of the issue due to the exalted status and high esteem in which past and present Thai kings are held. One of my favourite chapter is the last one - the tale of a Dutchman who stole a jade Buddha statue from a forest, only to return it later and to ultimately find the true meaning of life (as a Buddhist monk). The last few words of this chapter (uttered by the Dutchman) was, for me, very memorable: "All our European haste and disquiet has fallen away from me. I have come to realize that quite equanimity is the highest good that we can achieve in this life". Tiyavanich certainly knows how to choose her words very well. This is a book which I read and savoured slowly - one to two chapters daily, every night, before I slid into pleasant dreams. Tonight, upon finishing the book, I lament the fact that I will need to find another good read tomorrow night.

This is a fascinating book for those interested in Buddhism or Thailand or just a good read. It is a wonderful collection of accounts of Thai monks in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Their encounters with ghosts, elephants and snakes, and all manner of people provide a slice of rural life in times past. The views of Westerners in Siam at the time provide additional perspectives. Old photographs, engravings, and maps complement the stories. Highly recommended.

...."I recommend this book to anyone who harbors one of more of the following persona: The historian who enjoys pouring over colonial memoirs which detail exotic places and scenes of west-meets-east-for-the-first time;the ethnographer tracking wisdom traditions as expressed in lifestyles of rural villagers; the armchair thrill-seeker who longs for hair-raising jungle adventures; and the spiritual aspirant hoping to meet realized practitioners who are the living embodiment of the Buddha's teachings."

Dr. Kamala Tiyavanich's latest book,"The Buddha in the Jungle," is a wonderful collection of fascinating tales, rich in the exotic beauty and mystery of 19th century Buddhist Thailand. From the horrors of the charnel grounds to the quiet serenity of tropical forest shrines, Dr. Tiyavanich's stories of Buddhist practioners and saints will captivate, inspire and teach the reader. A native of Thailand and a Buddhist practitioner in the Thai Theravada trdition, Dr. Tiyavanich writes in her characteristic style of detail and clarity, making this scholarly work fresh, exciting and easily accessible to every reader. I found this book to be a joy to read and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in Bhuddism.

Lovely book with pictures that will stir memories in the hearts of all native Washingtonians and those who wish they were!

I was given a copy of this book for my birthday several years ago and spent hours pouring over its prose and its historical narratives. I never grow tired of this book.

Credit for this work goes to its author who has accomplished the near to impossible - an engaging and personal history of Washington DC told through the destroyed architecture and the people behind the buildings and their creation. The illustrations are gorgeous, but its Goode's way with worlds that allows the reader to lose themselves in the history of the buildings profiled.

I would imagine that this type of book in the wrong hands would become an academic tome, dry and technical. Goode brings the people of the District to life for the reader, and compels the reader to look for more.

If the book fails, it is in the lack of a comprehensive map of the whole District of Columbia. If you are not familiar with the streets and layout of the city (itself genius) then the book can be confusing.

Ideally, I would suggest this as a gift to anyone interested in history, city planning, government or historical architecture.

Now in an updated second edition, Capital Losses: A Cultural History Of Washington's Destroyed Buildings by Washington history expert James M. Goode is a carefully presented documentation and chronicle of the great architectural and cultural edifices of Washington, D.C., which have been lost to the endless grind of urban renewal in the years prior to 1978. That was the year in which crucial preservation legislation was passed. Packed from cover to cover with black-and-white photographs, enhancing a text which is extensive in detail, history, unique historical insights, Capital Losses is an exceptional architectural tour and a unique resource offering a kind of "window" into the architectural past of the nation's capital.

As you pour over all the wonderful black and white images and run you eyes over the artistry and talent it took to create most of these long gone structures you can help, but pause and take a deep breath. This book has scholarly, exhaustively researched text that enlighens and educates the reader. I agree with one articulate reviewer that stated that the author did not make allowances for market forces and changing times, but having said that, I do believe that most of these buildings could have been saved and used for other purposes, I mean the retrofited old buildings in NYC and Boston, why not Washington. The destruction of so many buildings is unconscionable, and when you see the buildings that replaced them all you do is stare. I was not around in the sixties so i didnt witness the worst of this senceless destruction, but i know that here in Houston, even today, great old buildings are never totally safe, it's no wonder Europeans don't get us, as an American i don't get us either. Highly recommended..the book and perservation.

Unique and engaging, "Capital Losses" is a scrapbook chronicle of Washington, DC-- not as the "nation's capital," but as a collection of neighborhoods, people, and activities.

The book memorializes dozens of buildings lost to the wrecker's ball. Each edifice is featured in a one- to two-page chapter that includes splendid vintage photographs. The accompanying write-ups always discuss design elements, thanks to the authors' encyclopedic knowledge in this area. The story of each structure is then expanded into a discussion of the designers, builders, and notable inhabitants. "Capital Losses" is a survey of history, intrigue, gossip as well as architectural styles. That's what makes this book so fun.

The authors' sympathy for historic preservation is to a fault. Narratives hardly attempt to recognize the social, economic, and technological forces that so often make demolition inexorable. For example, the advent of central air conditioning initiated the doom of many hotel and office structures that could not be economically retrofitted. In addition, the post-war demise of downtown commercial areas also accelerated the decay and eventual destruction of many classic structures.

To be fair, an analysis of causal forces was not the intention of this volume. It pays homage to Washington's folksier history in an elegant manner. This is a wonderful coffee table book.

What a neat book for both kids and adults. I enjoyed reading the book about our Nation's Capital thru the eyes of a child. I look forward to reading more books by Casey Jacobs.

What a wonderful new view of our nation's capital. A great book for children and adults alike. This book is full of fun facts and beautiful pictures. My children and I have really enjoyed it.

I'm a teacher and can't wait to share this amazing kid's tour of Washington DC with my class.

Fun book about our nation's capital. Love the historical facts about our founding fathers.

This is such a nicely done book...beautiful photographs...great information. Casey's enthusiasm for our nation's capital leaps off the pages. The children in your life will love it!

Not only will you enjoy using this book for reference, but it is a lovely book you and guests will want to look through over and over.

The book combines the strikingly beautiful world of pottery with the history of the early days of the Malibu area. The rise and fall of the family pottery business was a sign of the times as the country fought through the depression. The color pictures are wonderful and the family black and white bring life to that era. This is a very entertaining coffee table or study book.

This book is a must have reference for all potters, interior designers, tile makers and setters, graphic artists and color lovers. Malibu Potteries is a group of people that never should have passed on by. This book covers it all with beautiful pictures of the some of their work, along with the information on how it came together. I wish....to go back in time and somehow stop the fire!

A wonderful book of color pictures of the tiles made at the Malibu Potteries. The book provides a history of the pottery, bios of many of the employees and fabulous pictures of malibu tile installtions.

I love the colorful tile designs, but there are also Aztecian terra cotta designs that are inspirational as well. It's all here.

Highly recommended for tile makers and historians.

A fabulous book for artists, history buffs, and others. Beautifully tells and illustrates the brief but engaging history of the Malibu Potteries. Along with full color examples of the designs, finished tiles and installations, the book takes the reader back to the time and place through personal stories and archival photographs. Each time I pick up this book it inspires me. Highly recommended!