Virginia Books

In the 1800s, a girl named Virginia wrote a letter to the "New York Sun" asking a very important question --- is there really a Santa Claus? This book is the story of that letter and the text of the complete letter and response.

Cyndy Szekeres lends her amazing talent for illustrations to the story of this letter. Virginia is a cute little kitten in a world of anthropomorphized kittens. Each page contains a portion of the letter or response, along with illustrations that tell a story all their own --- the story of Virginia's Christmas. Thus, this book works on two levels.

I have read this book as a child and as an adult read it to my children. This is truly a piece to read at Christmas time every year.

This realistic fiction book not only shows what kids go through during divorce, but also how to deal with it. Little Casey is definitely going through a hard time. Her mom and Dad are trying their hardest to get her through it. The nice illustrations by Deborah Bargo contribute to the setting and plot where she fakes the chicken pox for her dad to come back, hiding under a shade tree, or just staying with Elmer Elephant, her stuffed animal, to keep her comapany. The way the story was told could be a personal memoir or just to prove a point, but basically it was a normal book...told in sentences. I have read this story over and over again because my parents divorced when I was a very young age. If any childs parents get divorced, this book will help them through it, and be read over and over again!

This realistic fiction book not only shows what kids go through during divorce, but also how to deal with it. Little Casey is definitely going through a hard time. Her mom and Dad are trying their hardest to get her through it. The nice illustrations by Deborah Bargo contribute to the setting and plot where she fakes the chicken pox for her dad to come back, hiding under a shade tree, or just staying with Elmer Elephant, her stuffed animal, to keep her comapany. The way the story was told could be a personal memoir or just to prove a point, but basically it was a normal book...told in sentences. I have read this story over and over again because my parents divorced when I was a very young age. If any childs parents get divorced, this book will help them through it, and be read over and over again!

I PICKED UP THE STUDY GUIDE BY CHANCE AND THOUGHT IT LOOKED INTERESTING. THAT'S AN UNDERSTATEMENT! SINCE I'VE HAD THIS I HAVE BEEN IN A MAD SEARCH FOR THE BOOK. THE FIRST EXERPT IS ABOUT MARY THE MOTHER OF JESUS, IT LITERALLY GRABBED MY HEART I NEVER THOUGHT OF MARY WITH SUCH HUMAN EMOTIONS. YES, SHE IS THE MOTHER OF JESUS BUT MY YOUNG MIND COULDN'T GRASP THAT SHE HADE THE SAME THOUGHTS AS ME! SINCE THEN I HAVN'T PUT THE BOOK DOWN. I'M ALMOST FINISHED WITH STUDY GUIDE BUT I WILL PROBABLY READ IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN. PRAISE BE TO GOD FOR THIS AUTHOR'S UNIGUE SENCE OF RELAYING GOD'S MESSEGE THAT WE ARE NOT ALONE. MANY WOMEN HAVE BEEN WERE WE ARE TODAY. WHAT HOPE WE HAVE IN THE PROMISES OF GOD. I PRAY THAT EVERYONE WHO READS THIS BOOK IS TOUCHED THE WAY I HAVE BEEN.

THANK YOU , LORI GARBARINO

Used to books about Biblical characters, and especially those about Biblical women, being exercises in undisciplined and often anachronistic reading in of filler to what are usually Biblical accounts of sparse detail, I found myself again and again amazed at this book. The author has obviously lived with these women's stories in the Bible for a long time, listening to the flow of the Bible's overall narrative as well as patiently attending to every little detail its writers have given about these fascinating women and the men in their lives.

The author is also an uncommonly gifted story teller in her own right, and while those familiar with the Biblical accounts may think she's not understood this or that woman quite rightly, I suspect most will find her generally persuasive, and challenging even where not convincing on every point.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone, but especially to Christians longing to understand what a life lived in faith in God can be like. Would that someone could produce a book about the Bible's men to match it.

First-hand accounts of events in Medieval history are not easy to come by; reliable accounts are even harder. Odo of Dueil chronicled the Second Crusade, which ended in disaster with the seige of Damascus in 1148. Though Odo did not accompany the crusaders, he did have access to a great deal of first-hand testimony to the event, which only he alone recorded for posterity. Odo's account is also of high literary quality, making it all the more worth reading. Though this translation dates back to 1947, the writing is fresh and does not sound stilted. For more serious scholars, the complete Latin text is included.

The Second Crusade (1147-1149) was a disaster from the Christian perspective. Such a momentous disaster that most contemporary historians of the time did not write about what happened. The author of Chronicon Mauriniacense wrote that "(Louis VII) was not able to do anything useful, worthy or mention, or actually, anything worthy of France" and Otto of Freising says that since everyone knows the magnitude of the calamity and it is not worth repeating. However, Historians need sources to know what happened! The lack of other writings makes Odo of Deuil's De Profectione Ludovici VII in orientem an immensely important document. It also helps that Odo was the royal chaplain of Louis, accompanied him on the Crusade, and thus had first hand knowledge of the events.

Odo's motives are very interesting and very obvious. Ostensibly his reason for writing is to provide his abbot of St Denis, the famous historian Suger, with raw material for a life of Louis VII. However, his chronicle is anything but a dry list of events. His purpose is to put his sovereign in a good light, attribute the defeat to the Byzantine Greeks, and most importantly provide information so that other crusaders in the future do not make the same mistakes. He lays out the route they took, geographic detail, various opinions of various leaders, invents critics of events to further explain them, and how to improve transportation of supplies etc. The main flaw to the work is that the text covers only the first 3/4 or so of the Crusade. It is not known if the rest of the source was lost or even written.

The introduction to this volume is truly remarkable. It is to the point, provides supported reasons for the conclusions made, and information on the manuscripts existing and a summary of the historical events of the Crusade. The Latin text is also useful for historians.

Too many texas children know nothing about the heroes of our state. This is a book that every responsible parent (who call themselves Texan) should read to this little ones. Don't let the stories of people like Deaf Smith die due to the incompetence of our schools or the ignorance of our media. Take up the torch for your family yourself.

A good friend's fourth grader selected this book as a gift from me while visiting my new home. She was completely absorbed by it and stimulated to remember and relate to me the Texas history she'd studied in the past year. I read it, too, and found it a good tale, well told and well illustrated.

Realmente este libro es una joya, es un libro impertible para todos aquellos amantes de la literatura borgeana

Realmente este libro es una joya, para todos aquellos amantes de la literatura argentina y de la obra de Jorge Luis Borges, es imperdible

This book truly changed my life when I enrolled at the University of Virginia during the civil rights years of the 1960s. It was in many ways a roadmap for me during those contentious times. Nowadays whenever I see an old copy at a booksale, I buy it and pass it on. If only there had been hundreds, thousands, like it, the history of the south might have been so much better in the twentieth century. I remember hearing Sarah Patton Boyle speak on campus, and sitting next to her at a church service after President Kennedy was assassinated. I guess what I want to say is that so many books are paper and ink (and some of them tragic wastes of good trees)--and then there are the others. This is one of the others. I recommend it highly. In fact, I have recommended it to the Modern Library for their list of the hundred most important nonfiction books of the century.

Sarah Patton Boyle was a white person born into one of Virginia's "best families." During the 1950s and 60s Boyle became an activist for African American Civil Rights in Virginia. This book beautifully narrates Boyle's awakening to the plight of African Americans, and her response. An honest and forthright account, Boyle details the inner anxieties of a person moving from one world view to another. She chronicles her childhood and indoctrination with the repressive "Southern Code" that guided race relations in the South. According to Boyle, the Southern Code allowed whites to think of themselves as gracious and generous paternalists while economically exploiting African Americans. Not until the 1950s did she see how racist and dehumanizing the whole scheme was. When she did she became an activist in the Civil Rights movement. In the process she lost her belief not only in the goodness of white southerners, but in the goodness of humanity in general. She moved more towards an orthodox Christian worldview that stressed on the one hand the sinfulness of mankind and on the other the need for a strong commitment to love. This book definitely deserves to be considered a signigicant piece of Southern literature and a valuable resource for those interested in understanding the complex history of southern race relations. -Vernon Horn

Very thorough guide. Need to have a good grasp of nutrition concepts before tempting to read. Very helpful with up to date information any dietitian can appreciate.

Messina is a well-known name to vegetarians through her cookbooks, and to the science of nutrition through her scholarly articles. This book, though erudite and intended for dietitians, is valuable to everyone interested in vegetarian nutrition. I would recommend it to physicians, owners of diet salons, nurses, as well as every vegan who wants to understand the value of full nutrition. Great job!

I enjoyed and appreciated the book on several levels:
-It was a trip through technical nostalgia for me from my first encounter with a Bendix digital computer in 1956, to the hand calculating machines, early computers with limited memories and speed, the KayPro Computer, the SOSUS system, use of statistics, and on.
-It was also a trip through management and management systems including the increasing recognition of the equality of women. I also recall the various methods we tried to manage people and projects.
-She certainly made excellent use of her intelligence and capabilities. The author also demonstrated that "variety is the spice of life" with her many positions and her energetic drive. Her foray into the horse racing business was surprising and amusing.
-The fact that she was involved in so many important events and knew important people also makes her sort of a "Forest Gump". Of course this analogy doesn't hold for long since she never wore braces or mentioned that she could run fast.

The lively author keeps us guessing what she'll be up to next! She has had a wonderful variety of experiences with computers over her 50 year career. I'm so used to the PC that it was good to read about what it was like in the early days. I liked her sense of humor.

This book presents a charming look at some important historical dollhouses in the Rockefeller Folk Art Center. Good pictures and texts. Not useful if you are looking for realistic projects for your own dollhouse crafting hobby, but for the historian, this is a wonderful look at historical dolls, dollhouses, and furnishings that were used over generations as toys and learning devices for girls. For extravagant historical dollhouse rooms created by and for an adult collector (that you would perhaps want to emulate in your own hobby), see another book, Miniature Rooms, about the Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago.

I consider this book to be one of the best dollhouse references out there. Every page has color photos. Many of the furniture pieces are photographed individually. Each photograph is clear and detailed. The author is careful to note when a piece is original, antique, or modern. Everything in this book is well-researched and documented. You could carve replica furniture pieces from the photographs in here, they are that good!

Needless to say, the houses featured in here are gorgeous in their own right. My favorite part of this book are the great photos of the Grodnertal peg-wooden dolls. This book contains some of the best Grodnertal photos I've ever seen!