Publications Books

Mollison must be credited with promotion of the concept of Permaculture and this book is a world-wide view with enough examples to stimulate the thinking of a designer in any climate. It would be the bible for anyone working as an ecological designer on a worldwide scale. This tome includes not only a wealth of information but Mollison's personal views are given at every opportunity as well. With the breadth of his knowledge it can sometimes be helpful. That said, it is not an easy read. Mollison assumes familiarity with terminology from many disciplines, but with a scientific background it makes it all the more credible.

However, since its publication, there are other books for specific climate types that provide more detail. For those living in temperate climates, particularly the NE US, Dave Jacke/Eric Toensmeier's Edible Forest Gardens is more focused. If you live and plan to practice permaculture in only such climates, it should be sufficient. For the tropics, see [...] for a manual.

The information presented in this book is worth a semester of agriculture, chemistry, and geography classes.

I was initially set back when I went looking for a copy of this classic and discovered that there wasn't a recent printing available and all of the ones on the market were over $100 at the time. Still, I wanted to learn about Permaculture and everyone said that this was the place to start.

I am extremely happy with my decision to buck up and fork over my money. This text is the source from which all others on the topic are written and they pale in comparison.

If you are someone who is looking to homestead, or currently doing so, this book will help you plan your own gardens, manage your land as a whole, and be able to assist others in the community.

Lastly, the book is a nice hardcover, the pages are thick for a tome of this size, and the print is nice and dark. The copy in front of me has been well thumbed, tossed around, and shelved on many occassions and is still holding up nicely. Only the corners are dinged up a little.

Bill Mollison represents the most successful attempt to mainstream practical home-scale sustainable design principles. I found myself needing to do an enormous amount of supplementary research to actually understand what bill was talking about, but to explain them in depth here would have taken away from the thrust of the book - which is mainly to show you example after example (many on every page) at sustainable principles of design put into practice.

The book remains the best book on sustainability written to date. There are some aspects of his system that are lacking that I will briefly draw attention to. Understand that I deeply appreciate his genius, but I want to just mention that these other things need to be integrated into his system to be fully fully sustainable.

1) He doesn't pay enough attention to seed saving and plant breeding. A loss of seed diversity and a re-invigoration of seed savers is essential to truly sustainable self-sufficient design.

See:
Seed to Seed - by Suzanne Ashworth and Kent Whealy
Breed your own Vegetable Varieties - by Carol Deppe

2) He very rarely mentions the role mushrooms and fungi can play in sustainability.

See:
Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World by Paul Stamets

3) He doesn't stress the science behind it enough, which is fine, but leaves you asking sometimes... how do we know this is really ecologically sound? How can I NOT imitate mr. mollison but still create an ecologically sound system? Basically, Mollison's proscriptions are incredibly scientifically informed but not always scientifically explicit.

See:
Plant Ecophysiological Ecology
New Dimensions in Agro-Ecology
Smallholders, Householders: farm families and the ecology of intensive sustainable agriculture - by Rober Netting

4) In relation to the first point, he also doesn't stress the role that evolution plays in sustainability. This is a very complicated problem, see book.

See:
Evolutionary Conservation Biology.

These are not really criticism so much as signs of slight conceptual anal retentiveness on my part... Also please don't forget mollison's OTHER books which are incredible as well, especially the permaculture book of ferment and human nutrition.

I bought this book many years ago and still find myself going back and re-reading it over and over. If you're new to the Permaculture thought process you will be knocked off your horse with the common-sense, integrated approach to gardening and farming systems. I attribute this book and the thoughts provoked by it as the catalyst in seeking integrations and aggregation on many different fronts. This will always be one of the books I will treasure. I wore off the cover and have punched holes in all the pages and keep it in a three-ring binder.

...and probably one of the most fun to read. I read the first 8 chapters while working on a permaculture site on Isla Ometepe in Nicaragua, and ordered it immediately upon returning home.

Bill Mollison carefully and beautifully lays out the theory and practice of Permaculture (permanent agriculture). Permaculture is a holistic design system that sustainably envisions, creates, and organizes the spaces that we as humans inhabit on this planet. It takes everything that I feel is good for the world-Green architecture, local food, water conservation, renewable energy, organic agriculture, etc.-and wraps them into one cohesive scheme for planning the spaces and manner in which we live.

For more information, check out the Permaculture Research Institute's page at www.permaculture.org.au, especially the quick video "Greening the Desert", which is an excellent introduction.

I enjoy this book it help a lot understand in and out of rod building from start to the finish stage i also score it 10/10. I say good for beginner to understand want fishing rod needs to make it and good fishing rods.

I recently bought a copy of the book and loved it. I even bought a copy for my friend for Christmas. Very clear instructions and commentary that is useful. The author even offers his email address if you have questions.

I purchased "Rod Building Guide: Fly, Spinning, Casting, Trolling. The book is excellent, shipping was fast and the packaging was very good.

I just bought this book and I cant wait to build a rod! It has clear insturctions along with great pictures to help you see what you should be doing and what to expect. I really am enjoying all the information in this book. It is not a big book, but has all sort of info for a person who is just starting out!

This book is indispensable to anyone wanting to build their own fishing rod. A basic primer with helpful hints of what pitfalls will truly be encountered and how best to avoid them.

Historical Realism. Middle elementary.

Summary
This picture book is story of Rose Blanche, who lives in Nazi Germany. After she sees a boy trying to escape, she wants to know where the little boy went. When Rose discovered a death camp and the starving people, she started taking them food without telling her mother. "Rose Blance was getting thinner. In town, only the mayor was staying fat." The Russian soldiers come and the camp disappears. Flowers grow where the camp was.

Illustrations
The colors are primarily brown, with detailed and interesting pictures. Each page has a little color, which stands out and reinforces the words (e.g., red dress of Rose, gold Jewish star).

I'm in 7th grade and my teacher read this book to the class when we were learning about World War II. This book has stuck with me for a long time!!! After she read this book I could not stop thinking about it. If you read this book, make sure you have a box of tissues nearby.

I have never heard of this book I picked it up because the pictures are so lovely. I began to read and was struck by it's simplicity and power at the same time.

I became confused at the end I did not know what happened because the author switched from first person to third person.

This book explains so much in such a simple, soft spoken way in the eyes of a small child.

Nothing could be more profound

Congratulations! You have successfully located the best translation of the book "Rose Blanche" available on the market today. While the British and German translations may change significant portions of this tale around and about, the American version (all thanks to hard work of excellent translators Martha Coventry and Richard Graglia) is true to authors Gallaz and Innocenti's original plot and vision. So well done you! Give yourself a pat on the back and a hanky. You'll need it after you finish reading the book.

It's Germany during World War II. As we watch, our little heroine, Rose Blanche, describes the early days of the war. The soldiers are being packed up and shipped away and everyone is cheering them on. Swastikas are plentiful. One day, Rose sees a small boy escape from a van in the middle of the street. The boy is quickly caught and placed within the cramped van once again. Curious, Rose Blanche follows the van to the edge of town and into the forest. There she comes face to face with the children of a concentration camp. After offering them some of her food, the first person narrative abruptly begins to be told in the third person instead. We are told that Rose Blanche continued to bring food to the hungry children. Finally, the citizens of the town flee, wounded soldiers amongst them. Rather than escaping, Rose Blanche makes one last trip to the camp, only to find it empty. A single shot rings out and we see the Communist soldiers filling the now abandoned town. The book ends with, "Rose Blanche's mother waited a long time for her little girl". Flowers bloom, but the single purple bloom the girl placed on the barbed wire has wilted.

Tragedy in the key of E. The text is rather well written, giving no specific person or persons blame, but rather suggesting a collective guilt. Admittedly, I was a little taken aback by the sudden switch in narrative. One minute you know exactly what Rose Blanche is thinking and the next you can only interpret her emotions through descriptions and visual images. A review of this book in the March 2004 issue of "Children's Literature in Education" suggested that this is done so that the reader is given a bit of distance when the girl is shot. Admittedly, I don't expect my heroines to die in the picture books I read but I think we can chalk that up to naivete on my part more than anything else. This is, after all, an incredibly realistic work of fiction. The character of Rose Blanche even attains a kind of religious piousness at the end of the tale. In her final picture, she stands in the position of a saint. Her eyes are downcast, one hand lightly touching her heart, and the other placing a small purple flower on the broken fence.

Which brings us to the illustrations. Innocenti's pictures deftly tell a story within the actual text. In the first few pictures, Rose appears in happy crowd scenes. Then, as she discovers more about the world in which she lives, she is placed farther and farther away from other people. Rose is continually set apart from the others by her clothing as well. Where everyone else is resigned to grays and browns, Rose sports a pink dress with a bright red bow on her head. The illustrations are strikingly realistic, never becoming cartoony or visually inconsistent. Innocenti is deft at the millions of different ways in which light changes a scene. And to top it all off, he's done some of the most brilliant fog I've ever seen put down on paper.

This is a book about seeing what other people won't. The name "Rose Blanche" is explained by the author on the book flap. The Rose Blanche was a group of young Germans that protested the war. Like the heroine of this tale, they were unduly executed for the crime of thinking differently. The best use of this book is to utilize it in such a way that we can never forget how important it is to question authority at all times and to always fight for the truth. It seems that message is more important today than ever. A tip of the hat to the Rose Blanches of the world.

The time period is World War II. The main character is a small girl, named Rose Blanche. This is her story.

Rose is walking about one day through a forest when she comes to a tall barbed wire fence. Inside the fence is a concentration camp, where many people are being held. Rose goes to this place everyday, bringing food to the children.

Then, one day, when she reaches the small clearing where the children are, she finds it gone. Bits of wire and wood are lying littered on the ground, and she holds a small purple flower above the scattered wood.

The flower is a single ray of hope, shining brightly through the darkness. It is a hope that the war will end and hope that the lives of people across the world will return to normal. This book is a symbolism of what one little girl did to make the world a better place. Rose Blanche is truly an interesting, and touching read.
~~**Jessica**~~

There are several things unique about the Aequus edition that are not apparent on their face. First, the editors of this edition sought to restore, as closely as possible, the last edition approved by the original author, Mary Baker Eddy, in her life time. In doing this, among other things, Aequus restore the drawing of Mrs. Eddy that was in that edition. Also, Aequus restored two testimonies, subsequently removed and replaced after Eddy's passing in 1910. Just as the Book started on a note of the coming of light into human thought, so also the last testimony was deliberatly approved by Eddy to end the entire book with the same theme of light. In fact, with the last testimony restored, the last word IS "light," which is exactly as Eddy intended it. She also intended that the last page be a full page. David Keyston and Aequus are to be commended for this courageous and noble undertaking in true Christian education. My hat goes off to them!!

(...) Using words on a page in a book to describe completely un-material ideas about spiritual existence to you and me is a difficult thing for anyone to do. Couple that with the fact that the book's author is trying to essentially show the reader how to wake up to an unseen reality--to show, in the context of primitive Christianity (and not what might be called centuries of classical churchy dogma), that spiritual existence is real, and the material is not, and what that really means to you and me right now and always--and you begin to see how difficult writing a book like Science And Health must have been, or would be for anybody. It's quite a Big topic requiring much thought to understand and "use". A seeming repetition (with intelligent variations) in this book is vital. If you're trying to say "God, good, is All, and man and universe reflect him completely", and you're trying to teach this and show this to the matter-bound reader, you're gonna need more than that one sentence to make that challenging point. I'd say you'd need as many thought-provoking ways as possible, so if your eyes slide off some of the statements, others will perhaps be more understandable to you, and as you read you start to GET it. (...) read Science And Health for yourself and make up your own mind; read it on its own terms, because it has many things to say that you won't find anywhere else, and it says them quite articulately. If you find yourself glued to Dr. Dave on Oprah and reading Deepak, you might want to go deeper to the book that is acknowledged as starting the whole "healing" movement of the twentieth century that we are only now in the last few years seeing bubble up on TV. This one is the real deal and is here to stay.

This 700-page book opened up my understanding of God and the Bible light-years beyond what many traditional theological views ever did. It also helped me give up and destroy appetites for alcohol, tobacco, foul language, pornography, gambling and other forms of laciviousness. It eliminated my dependence on matter for healing and allowed me to trust all my cares to God. This is a book you won't read once. Re-reading it unlocks the Bible's healing message and strengthens your trust in the efficacy of prayer and in the power of the Almighty.

The author, Mary Baker Eddy, was far ahead of her time in what she not only understood about God and mankind, but what she accomplished as a woman over 100 years ago. Other authors have attempted to discuss such ideas as what is real, what is illusion, what is God, Life, Truth, evil, good, etc. but have fallen short in the consistancy of their reasoning and conclusions. I find no contradictions here, only inspired thinking. I have actually had healings as a result of reading this book, and I recommend it to others regardless of religious affiliation.

This is one of those books that seems to have a life of its own. As part of my quest for deeper spiritual insight, I have been reading Science and Health for about 8 years, and every single time I open it, there is something new in there! For the reader unfamiliar with Christian Science, Eddy lays out a method for healing the way that Jesus healed--through oneness of mind with our Father, God. For those wondering what the difference is between Christian Science and other Christian denominations or New Age religions, the great divide between CS and all other systems is the idea that the entire universe was created by God, Spirit, and is therefore totally spiritual, not material. All other theologies, including atheism, make the universe either totally material, or a mixture of spirit and matter. While many people (including me) have been healed of ailments while reading this book as their thought is adjusted to be more in line with the laws of Spirit, I have found the primary effect to be one of complete transformation of character--I am more my Father's girl than ever.

This is a good book to overview the special effects for making movies. It includes history and technics for almost everything but not details. However it is impossible to include details in a book so readers need to find out the details from other resources. Overall this is a good book for gaining knowledge in special effects.

I got the book for my boyfriend. He loved it.The book has a lot of interesting and useful information even if you are just a movie-lover, not a movie-maker

Special Effects is THE BEST book you could wish for on the subject. I have a shelf full of old, an mostly inaccurate books about special effects, but with this new book I could throw the rest away. Also, don't bother with magazines like Cinefex anymore, which are very dry and heavy going. this book is a pleasure to read and has interviews with everyone who is important in the business. There are hundreds of cool photos as well which makes it very good value. Anyone who works in special effects, or is just interested in the movies should read this book. Congratulations to the author Mr Rickitt who has condensed 100 years of movie magic into a single lavish book. Dont take my word for it - BUY IT!

Yes there is great history and education in here, but the mass of photographs tells a truly beautiful tale. The artists illustrated here are for the most part the true pioneers of creating magic on film. Going into a project with truly no proven technique must have been terrifying and adrenaline pumping. Our techniques have greatly improved but since the advent of fully cg fx, the pioneering aspect is minimal. It is very well written but I can't call it a page turner since I spent so much time staring at the pictures. Great for fans and professionals alike.

I'm a film studies tutor and reccommend this title to all of my students. Why has the publisher/author allowed it to go out of print? This is the best book ever written on special/visual effects and one of the best introductions to film making and film technology generally. PLEASE REPRINT THIS BOOK and ideally, make a softback edition at a price my kids can better afford. THANKS!

My first copy was pretty worn, so I decided to buy this edition. Really interesting new stories, not only from the Pardeys expereinces in storms, but also from others. I liked the deductions made by folks from both ends of the experience spectrum, one a real novice, others all along the expereince wave, they all add to the information Lin and Larry share in a very understandable manner. I still think this book is really important. And this edition is definitely easier to navigate. I have the Storm tactics DVD and like it. The two work well together.

The authors give their opinion. It can be discussed but they support it by many examples. I was convinced by the interest of heaving to in bad weather or just to wait and rest at sea. Now, I am buying a parachute anchor...

In my humble opinion this is the Pardey's best book to date. The techniques they present are life savers have no doubt.
M. Bertsche

My wife and I spent four years living on our sailboat (55ft) voyaging from Calif. to the east coast and read every book I could find on heavy weather sailing. About half-way through I came across Pardey's book. I think it's far and away the best volume out there on the subject. Even if you pass on the parachute angle and just plan on heaving-to in a tough situation. Should be in every crusing boat's library, and read and implemented by the skipper.

After reading this book you will know a lot of theory about when and how to heave to. Diagrams and well-written explanations describe methods and techniques of survival during a storm at sea. Also consider "Heavy Weather Sailing" (revised edition) as an excellent source of information on storm tactics and heavy weather sailing. It describes the yacht's stability in more detail.

With all the violence on TV these day,it is nice to get a book for our grandchildren that is sweet and fun to read. I have all John Denver's music and books,this is one of the cutiest.It is a must for grandma,hope you like it as much as I did. Carol

This is the softcover version of the book, but it is a nice addition to my elementary classroom library.

Sunshine on My Shoulders book/CD is so very touching with the warm memories of the heart felt song by John Denver and Christopher Canyon's beautiful illustrations that accompany the music. I am an early childhood teacher and I use the book to demonstrate how thoughts become words, become verse, becomes song. . . . The Music Is You opening song on the CD explains this concept even further! The children, ages two to seven years, are mesmerized again and again through out the story/song. Other teachers and parents even stop to listen. This is a wonderful opportunity to teach about who John Denver was, what he believed to be so important for our lives, in addition to Christopher Canyon's ability to carry on the message in a way that can reach children of all ages!

This is a gorgeous book, with John Denver's lyrics, and beautiful summery illustrations. My daughter has the paperback version and we love it so much that we have been buying the hardcover version as a new baby gift. The book features a brown-skinned little girl - hard to find - and a brown-skinned daddy - even harder to find - swinging, floating on a boat, and playing a guitar! This is a terrific publisher who deserves our support for their commitment to quality children's literature.

This John Denver song, turned into a book illustrated by Christopher Canyon is wonderful. Absolutely beautiful illustrations. One you can sing/read over and over. Very well done. Can't wait for "Grandma's Feather Bed". Dolphin Lullaby and Take Me Home Country Roads are both worth purchasing also. My kindergarten class loves it as well as my children at home.

This is the best Action Figure guide I have ever seen. It is very informative and very accurate, the author even adds his personal take on most of the figures. And talk about bringing back old memories. I actually bought this book for nostalgic purposes and was very pleased. It was nice seeing all the old Transformers from the 80's in one piece. Makes me wish I knew what happened to all my old ones, man I'd be rich if I would have taken better care of them. Hope Mark Bellomo does a guide book for the rest of the Transformers. If you are looking for the ultimate 80's Transformers Action Figure guide, this is it!

I had heard good things about this author, and this guide, from reviews at other Transformer sites, so I bought it (it was also being sold for half price at amazon.com when I bought it). It was well worth every penny! It is very thorough and gives great details on each type of Transformer and each of the "lines of Transformers" that were made up to 1990. Each Transformer is also given approximate prices for what they are worth as well. Granted, the prices will change over time, but this guide will still be a worthy identification reference for a very long time.
I would have given it a 5, but there were quite a few grammatical errors in the book, but it won't affect your ability to understand the information.
My favorite part of the book is that the author appears to have had fun writing it, but takes it seriously enough to make it a very thorough reference guide. A must have for any Transformer fan, from beginner to expert!

This is a great book about the 80's transformers toy line. It has plenty of info on many transformers like their favorite motto to stats. If you are fan and/or collector this book is a must!!!

This is great reference guide. It shows all the Generation 1 Transformers (84-90). It shows all the pieces and a bio of each character. It also shows the value.
As kid I had over 50 of the originals and they are worth a ton of money. I use this book as a guide to purchasing used transformers at Ebay.
I wish he would come out of with with a volume 2 (92-07) which would show all the generation 2, Beastwars, Alternators, Universe,Cybertron, 07 movie, and classics. Which I think are better than generation 1.
Awsome book. I reconmend this book to all collectors.
Also check out the G.I Joe guide.

I'm a TF fan since it first came out in the 80's. I had a few TF in the 80's which I wish I kept in mint or good/playable condition. I started collecting again since the new 2007 live action movie came out. I wish they had the new toys as well. But for the contents of it, it is packed with what you want to know on all the earlier generations of this franchise. I recommend it for all true TF fans and collectors alike.

Can't go wrong with Spurgeon. I bought these volumes for a deeper study of the Psalms, and so far they have been amazing. There's more for each psalm that I can really get in to, but that which I do has been all that I could hope for: reinforcing lower view of self next to high view of God; the only kind of perspective that brings any real sense of hope and encouragement.

Spurgeon is still the best. This 3 volume set is essential for a deep and meaningful study of the Psalms. Great for teaching and preaching research. I'm happy to have purchased it and I recommend it highly.

While Spurgeon's magnum opus is neither technical nor devotional it can meet either of those needs. It is inconceivable that anyone would have an interest in the Psalms and not have these volumes on the shelves.

This writing has really opened the book of Psalms. The teaching of Spurgeon is just beyond words.

This is a great commentary series on the Psalms and has the same feel as Spurgeon's sermons. Great resource for any teacher and pastor to prepare in study for the Psalms. Very detailed, which I can't say the same for other commentaries done during this same time period.

The price once again shows how many people have lost interest in both commentaries and our past church saints.

If you are going to be going through the Psalms in your own study or teaching you should definitely have this at your disposal.

I have read many self help books, but this one was the first that was written in a style for all to understand. I laughed, and cried with the personal stories these ladies shared. I have always thought that we all had to ability to grow and be more loving as a human race, and these ladies showed that in glowing colors. I appreciated their candor and honesty, with a flair for "telling it like it is." I am now smiling more, laughing more, and hugging more. Thank you for showing me that contributing to the human race is that simple.

I was deeply moved by these two courageous and funny ladies.
I bought the book for my mother thinking she would enjoy reading it, but got hooked on the first chapter. I read the book, then bought another for my mother, who could relate to many of the stories. I too, was molested at a very young age, and I am happy to see that a book can treat this topic with such sensitivity and candor.

I am an avid reader, especially anything in the self help department. I was drawn to this book by the cover, but the pages between the cover inspired me, invoked rage, admiration, and taught me that not every self help book has to be full of 75 cent words. I enjoyed the journey these two women took and admire the realistic way in which they shared their personal story. This book has changed my life and the way I view others.
Thank you Carol and Michelle, I can imagine it wasn't easy to write with such candor.

This book is awesome! I mean it is really awesome. I'm 23 years
old, engaged, I will get married in June of 2003. My fiancee made me read it. she didn't like hold a gun to my head, but she made me read it. I loved it. It is not a chick book, but it's about two awesome chicks who say it down and like it is.

My mother bought me this book for my birthday, because she said I have always been seeking acceptance, love, and happiness from others and never myself. I could relate to some of the stories in this book about loving everyone else in life but myself. However, I must say I have not been beat by my husband, or had my best friend molest my son, or run off with my husband. This book taught me that I am responsible for my own destiny, and choices that I make. I found the stories inspirational and then at the end of most chapters there were little things you can do to improve the quality of your life, and your image of yourself. I was blown away that a book has finally come out that deals with true life, and not someone preaching like they are above us all and we will never attain their level of consciousness. Kudos for Carol and Michelle to capture your attention and then show you how you can be just as together and happy without changing your life.