New Jersey Books

Having spent much of my life in the Pennsylvania/New York region, I was delighted to find that this book contained most of the sights that I have come to love, as well as a large number that I was not familiar with. It is a "Blue Highways" (i.e., off the Interstate) type of guide, and is fun to read. Highly recommended for anyone planning a vacation in this region.

The National Geographic Driving Guides are by different authors and due to weak editing and selection, vary widely in quality. This one and the one for Texas and the Middle South are excellent. The California guide by Jerry Camarillo Dunn is awful. The Florida one falls somewhere in the middle. I have not read the others yet.

I found this book to be invaluable in planning our vacation in these three states. The book gave us suggestions of routes to take with time estimations included. Places of interest were rated allowing the traveler to make maximum use of his/her time. I have since purchased others in the series and will continue to recommend these guides to friends.

Great book for to research genealogy or local history. It's even a great book just to curl up with! The writer did an excellent job! I would love to hear more from her!

This book is an excellent resource for not only finding the old burial grounds in NJ but the explanations of the different funerary art and customs that Janet Sarapin details along with the approriate pictures as a pictorial guide. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who desires to know more about the old burial grounds and their history. These old burial grounds are also a living history of our country.

The Poggendorf File is as much about being "burned out" on the day to day of life and work, and searching for an escape, as it is about mental illness and psychiatry. The story starts out with the narrator lamenting his circumstanes -- something obviously has gone terribly wrong, and danger looms -- and telling us he "never wanted to be a doctor." Subsequent chapters delve into a backstory filled with the narrator's dead-end jobs, and introduce us to an interesting central character -- a psychiatrist with hypochondria.

It's about a quarter of the way through the book -- when the narrator and doctor meet, that things really get interesting. No spoilers here, but the title (drawn from Poggendorf's Illusion - a famous optical trick) hints that things may not be as they seem, and you can't always believe what you see.

Though I was impressed with the detailed descriptions of hospital work, and the vividly drawn images of the mentally ill, I was more moved by the book's central message about the inherent frailty of individual identity -- the biggest illusion of all.

If you liked Fight Club and American Psycho, The Poggendorf File -- best described as a tale of life, death and identity theft -- is for you. This insightful dissection of the human experience is Eccles' first novel. The author's previous work can be found on the popular Websites The Morning News and McSweeney's Internet Tendency. Several of his humor pieces were also published in Mountain Man Dance Moves, released last year by Vintage.

Equal parts dark, disturbing, funny, and true -- The Poggendorf File tells the story of a hypochondriac psychiatrist, a severely disturbed patient, and a meddlesome tenant, as their lives intersect, changing them all. The book flips between two narrators, weaving between fantasy and reality in a series of interconnected plotlines. While telling a compelling story, it also grants the reader an unfiltered look into the "day to day" of hospital life, and illustrates the terrible toll of mental illness on both patient and doctor better than anything I've read.

All in all, The Poggendorf File is a great read, and a great first novel. Looking forward to more from this author!

William Wharton is one of the best writers. This book is beautifly written, very deep and one of those that will keep you up all night to finish it. I loved it ! Its good for younger readers as well.

I prefer to remain a reader rather than a reviewer. Nevertheless.. let me recommend this book, that I really liked when I read the Italian translation a few years ago.

I had long been interested in the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton as well as Einstein, so this book seemed a natural. While as it turned out Einstein does not figure that prominently in the book, on the score of being an invaluable history of the IAS, the book is all one could hope for. The Institute has been in existence for 75 years, but most of this book's attention is devoted to the early stages of its creation and development under the direction of Abraham Flexner, the distinguished guru of medical education in this country in the early 20th century. Louis Bamberger and his sister, Caroline Bamberger Fuld, department store owners in Newark (flush with cash from having sold out to Macy's), decided to create a New Jersey educational institution of some sort around 1929. Fortunately, they were brought together with Flexner, who had worked extensively with the Rockefeller Foundation's General Education Board, and who developed into the idea man as to how their wishes could be implemented. The book carefully recounts Flexner's ideas on how the Institute could be created and what its goals should be; naturally, Flexner served as the first Director from 1930-1939. The first school Flexner sought to develop was Mathematics, which is examined in great detail by the author who is a math professor. For the most part, math jargon is absent from the discussion. How the first math superstars were recruited and locating the Institute at Princeton (rather than Newark) are the subjects of an interesting discussion. Eventually, the author moves on to the other schools, such as Economics and Humanities, and recounts their formation and development as well. But these discussions are never as extensive as that of mathematics. I was surprised to see Felix Frankfurter pop up as an advisor to Flexner and a trustee. Several brief chapters update the history of the Institute to the present, including the involvement of such key figures as J. Robert Oppenheimer, Lewis Strauss (before they became deadly enemies), and George Kennan. Well written, with excellent notes and references, the author has clearly benefitted from access to Institute records and some important interviews. All and all, a very interesting read about a critical intellectual resource of this nation.

The amount of sheer intellectual might that resided at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton during the early years is extraordinary. The scientific equivalent of a rock star, Albert Einstein, was of course the original prize, yet Kurt Godel, John von Neumann, Oswald Veblen and others also added a great deal. This book is an extremely detailed look at the founding of the institute, the reasons why it was created and the difficulties encountered as it moved from idea to reality.
The level of detail that Batterson presents is amazing. There are records of salary negotiations; internal disputes over how the Institute will be managed and the personal political disputes that seem to be an inherent feature of academia. Given the political and economic conditions of the times, some of these problems are understandable. Hitler was on the rise in Europe and many of the best minds were fleeing the continent for safer areas. The great economic depression had taken hold and despite a great deal of effort by the political leaders, it continued to linger and no one seemed to have an answer. Therefore, it is a tribute to everyone that the Institute was founded and so many great minds were collected in one place.
One of the more interesting points is made at the end of the book. Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman declined a position at the Institute. He preferred to stay at a university because he believed that the lack of contact with students and new ideas was a detriment to progress. There is some merit to that; few really new ideas have emerged from the people at the Institute after their appointment. Batterson has a counter argument, noting that these are people whose appointment was based on them having had one or two truly outstanding ideas. To expect them to have a few more after that is perhaps asking too much of them.
As a consequence of the level of detail this book is at times a tedious read. If you are interested in the overall view of the Institute then you will often find it uninteresting. However, it is the definitive history of the Institute for Advanced Study, so on that basis it must be given the highest possible praise.

Although this book is miniature it is packed with information about your sun-sign. The feature of this book I enjoyed most was that it paired your sign with each of the other eleven signs (including itself; Scorpio and Scorpio). For example Scorpio and Leo. It then described the chances of a relationship between the two. Another feature I enjoyed was the different chapters about Scorpio. Such as your talents and careers, body and mind, and Scorpio at a glance. I know that you will enjoy this small book as much as I have.

This pint-sized book about the Scorpio birth sign exceptionally covers in a concise, informative and very pleasurable to read style, all the basic information any astrology follower would enjoy having around in a single, beautifully illustrated, compact volume, more than suited to be carried around everywhere.
In merely eighty pages, it offers a fascinating look at many of the qualities and traits of the Scorpio personality as studied by astrology and their relationship to almost every aspect of daily life, including:
*The Sign of the Scorpion
*Character and Personality
*Signs and Symbols
*Health and Fitness
*Home and Family
*Careers and Goals
*Pastimes and Play
*Love among the Signs
As a bonus, it also contains a brief introduction to the history of Astrology.
This is a fun read for everyone.
--Reviewed by Maritza Volmar

In spite of some internal problems this seller offered and delivered excellent product with excellent communication.

The hard-to-find and out-of-print book arrived in excellent condition and the photographs are just outstanding and well representative of the Pine Barrens.

The images in this book are breathtaking. It's a real treat to thumb through this book. If you are a fan of nature photography, you will want this book; and if you are not a fan of nature photography, this book will turn you into one!

Working as an information and referral (I & R) professional for over 20 years, I always found the Self-Help Directory an invaluable resource. The latest edition does not disappoint. On the second day of having a copy of the new edition, we turned to it first when we needed to make a referral for a Grandparents Caring for Grandchildren question. As I expected, I found a number of resources right away. The book is laid out in an easy to use format, separated by county. And there are pages and pages of national resources as well. The index is easy to use and comprehensive.

The reference staff of our library loves this resource and always keeps it handy in our Ready Reference section right by the reference desk.

Buy this book if you make referrals. It's a fantastic resource.

As a member of a maternal and child health non-profit organization in New Jersey, there are many instances when New Jersey residents contact our agency looking for resources and support groups. This Directory is an amazing source of current, relevant information on numerous topics covering all counties in New Jersey (also International agencies), along with contacts, phone numbers and website references. It enables anyone in our organization to respond with immediacy and accuracy to almost any request for information from the public. This book provides recommendations to support groups throughout NJ on many health issues and always includes links for the parents or health care providers to find more information. I have relied on this resource for years (and it is always updated). Every public service agency in New Jersey should have one of these!!

The Silk Scarf covers a tumultuous time in our nation's history: entering World War I, the prejudicial treatment of Americans of German ancestry, factory strikes and Women's suffrage. This is the backdrop for a moving story of two generations of the Hoffman family that spans twelve years. The differences between cultures, social mores and expectations of men and women in Bayonne, New Jersey provide tension and growth as the elder Hoffmans survive strikes at the silk mill while the younger Hoffmans establish their own families and place in post World War I America.

I strongly recommend The Silk Scarf to readers with interests in American history, the Americanization of German immigrants, and the effect of social and political influences from this time period on family life. Sandy Schauer writes convincingly and knowlegibly about this historical period and her characters are portrayed with warmth and introspection.

I'm glad I've made The Silk Scarf part of my home library.

Karen E. Glinski

Kind of like an old James Stewart movie, this book is written with style and good manners. The story-line follows a family of German immigrants who are employed in a silk mill in the postcard lovely town of Bayonne, New Jersey. With each page you feel like you've entered their lives and are working alongside them, drinking coffee in their small kitchens and worrying with them about all the events that headlined the households (and newspapers) of most Americans during that era. It is a gem and highly recommended. More good historical fiction: The Steinbeck Centennial Collection: The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, East of Eden, The Pearl, Cannery Row, Travels With Charley, In Search of America (Boxed Set)

Skudera's Ultimate Guide To New Jersey by travel expert Michael Skudera is a superbly combined travel reference and multimedia traveler's guide to the state of New Jersey. The invaluably useful site and route descriptions are packed with information about the locations and their hours, and are enhanced with black-and-white photos, and offer up-to-date information about the great places to visit throughout the state. An accompanying CD-ROM (which requires Windows 95/98/XP) showcases the print text with over 3,500 color photographs, illustrating 1,000 points of interest, and provides printable maps, and ways to visit places with the click of a mouse before actually investing one's travel time. Skudera's Ultimate Guide To New Jersey is confidently recommended as being a truly first-rate guide for on-site tourists and armchair travelers alike.

As a lifelong resident of the Garden State I thought I knew pretty much everything important about New Jersey. After I took a look at this book I saw I didn't know anything. Every section in "Skudera's Ultimate Guide to NJ" is greatly detailed with each destination's history and any info needed(i.e. address, hours of operation, and ticket price) for visitor's of the attraction. The CD that accompanies the book is even better! It contais an easy database to use where you can look up just about all the information that is in the book, I believe it might even contain more than the book. Plus the picures contained on the CD are great. There are so many destinations to read about in both the book and the CD, I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to get through them all. I recomend this book for every New Jersey resident, and with the gift giving season coming up I think it would be a great item for someone who has moved away and misses the Garden State!