Travel Books

Harold Bloom writes that what makes some authors great to the point where their work approaches the canonical is "strangeness, a mode of originality that either cannot be assimilated, or that so assimilates us that we cease to see it as strange." This meditation on ruins will surely withstand the test of time as well or better than some of the memorials of history that it describes. It has piqued my interest in something that I'd never given much thought to. I have been within walking distance of a couple of places the author writes about, and passed on the opportunity to visit them. Histories comprise more than half of my leisure reading, but somehow I couldn't muster the curiosity to explore a historical ruin in the same way I would with museums & historic landmarks (that are still in one piece). This wonderfully written book has changed that for me. Highly recommended, a book that you will likely want to re-read every few years, and take with you on visits to Rome, Sicily, Wales and more.

To read In Ruins cover to cover is a continuous delight, but you could dip in anywhere and find yourself enthralled in an instant. Michael Woodward has a well-stored memory but wears his erudition lightly. He is now the director of the Holburne Museum of Arts in Bath, but his book surely reflects the five years he worked in Sir Hans Soane's museum in London. That incredible collection, housed in Soane's own home and left, by his direction when he bequeathed it to the nation, exactly as it was at his death, is a wondrous assemblage of antiquities. It appears chaotically haphazard but indeed was not, and the contents of this book have something of the same quality. Vignettes, quotations, anecdotes, reminiscences of journeys among ruins, romantic elegies, musings deeply felt, pour helter-skelter from Woodward's lively mind. The book has its structures; it has its themes. They are not starkly revealed but the underpinnings are there.
Woodward's opening chapter launches us, appropriately, in Rome. The Romans believed their city of 800,000 people was eternal and why not? Rome had walls ten miles long studded with 376 towers, crossed by nineteen aqueducts feeding more than 1,200 drinking fountains and close to a thousand public baths and the whole decorated with 3,785 statues - and all this dwarfed by colossal public buildings. How could such magnificence perish? The extraordinarily elaborate water supply provides the clue. The barbarians broke the aqueducts and soon the population was a poverty-stricken remnant, perhaps 30,000, huddled beside the Tiber. "From the fall of classical Rome until the eighteenth century" Woodward reminds us, "the only houses in the Forum were the cottages of lime-burners and the hovels of beggars and thieves." What were left were magnificent ruins and those ruins have inspired poets, artists, philosophers and theologians down the centuries. They even inspired the Fuhrer who after his first state visit to Rome decreed that all Nazi monuments should be built of marble, brick and stone - no concrete. The ruins of the 1,000-year Reich must be suitably grandiose - that is, like Roman ruins! And how grandiose the Roman ruins were! In the Middle Ages men thought the ruins of the baths of Caracalla were the work of giants. The chapter is chiefly devoted, however, to the Colosseum, and a whole series of characteristic reflections and vignettes, stories and quotations from literary visitors of different centuries. He also laments - not for the last time - the work of those who have destroyed an extraordinarily inspiring ruin in their efforts to preserve a monument. "Poets and painters like ruins, and dictators like monuments." The Colosseum was once a giant's garden haunted by owls and nightingales. Now it is sterile. It is a recurring theme. Ruins are important in their own right, not just because of what they once were, and should not be relentlessly cleaned up and re-pointed to make them permanently monumental. The trees, shrubs, creepers and flowers, are all part of the inspiration of ruins: "bare ruined choirs in which the sweet birds sing."
Through successive chapters we follow Woodward's schoolboy steps to Verulam (Roman St Albans) and share his disappointment that the walls were insignificantly low: Roman ruins but nowhere near so grand as the ruins of Rome. The older Christopher, however, sees them as an exemplar that reminds us of the mortality not just of Man but of his works. Francis Bacon, ennobled by his king, took "Verulam" as his title to remind himself that all pomp and state is but passing vanity. Woodward follows the footsteps of the tormented ploughman poet, John Clare, to a ruined arch and scattered stones, all that survives of a town destroyed in the Wars of the Roses. There he was inspired to write "Elegy on the ruins of Pickworth". Bitter at the inequalities of wealth he saw around him Clare was consoled by the "exemplary frailty" of men's possessions.
At first I marvelled at Woodward's courage in boldly inviting comparison with Rose Macaulay's justly famed The Pleasure of Ruins. He had nothing to fear. It stands the comparison very well. Late in the book he devotes a long admiring passage to Macaulay's extraordinary life. She was, he tells us, an early and potent inspiration and it shows.

Everything you wanted to know about ruins but hadn't thought to ask. The role ruins play in the imaginative life of European culture: a reflection on mortality and the transience of civilizations, among other interpretations. Modeled after "The Haunts of the Black Masseur" it is often fascinating, consistently well-written but on occasion seemed to go on too long. The last chapter was the most moving as the personal histories seemed the most tragic and affecting. An intriguing cultural history, as told by an obsessed historian as a labor of love.

Its' difficult to describe this book, or even what its about...but I couldn't put it down for two days (The time it took to read it). I suppose the best way to describe reading it is that is was like sitting down at a nice pub by the fire and listening to a very, very interesting person speak.

Woodward has that all too rare combination of being extraordinarily intelligent, thinking and feeling, and able to express it.

Have you ever looked at a ruin, and found your imagination running away? Have ever wondered why ruins seem to evoke more thought from people -from poets like Shelly (covered in the book) and artists of the Romantic period?

Short of going there and contemplating yourself, this book is the next best thing, in fact, i would recommend if before anyone goest to see

IN RUINS by Christopher Woodward is one of the most genteel, warmly evocative, yet scholarly extended essays about beauty that has appeared in a while. Only a true artist could 1) come up with the idea of meditating on ruins of past civilizations and 2) recreate historical places not only through his own perceptive eyes but also through the eyes and writings and drawings and paintings of artists for the past two hundred years. Woodward finds beauty in the "neglected" ruins, the old sites where nature has nudged the surfaces with wild flowers, mosses, crawling vines, and ground swells, preferring this respect for times past to the wild flurry of the preservationists who seek to 'restore' these treasures to their 'original glory' but often invite tourism with its adjunctive sales, stands, and souvenirs. He has visited the ruins of Rome, of Sicily, Cuba, England, etc and is distraught when he finds these various havens for poets sequestered with guardrails and other implements of distraction. "..the artist is inevitably at odds with the archeologist. In the latter discipline the scattered fragments of stone are parts of a jigsaw, or clues to a puzzle to which there is only one answer, as in a science laboratory; to the artist, by contrast, any answer which is imaginative is correct." "What [poet] Shelley's experience shows is that the vegetation which grows on ruins appeals to the depths of our consciousness, for it represents the hand of Time, and the contest between the individual and the universe." Of the 'Picturesque Movement' in England, Woodward writes referring to the latter day artist John Piper "I know perfectly well I would rather paint a ruined abbey half-covered with ivy and standing in long grass than I would paint it after if has been taken over by the Office of Works, when they've taken of all the ivy and mown all the grass." Woodward talks about even the transporting of ruins from, say, Libya to England (as per King George IV in 1827 importing the Roman ruins of Leptis Magna to his Gardens at Virginia Water). "A ruin is a dialogue between an incomplete reality and the imagination of the spectator." And finally in his thoughts on war monuments and memorials he writes "Is it ever possible to preserve the 'strange beauty' of war, to capture the moment of 'dust in the air suspended'?"

Each of these eloquently written thoughts and musings is unlike anything else you will find in books on art history, architectural history, or even philosophy. Christopher Woodward has graced our libraries with a little volume that holds dear the intangible, the corporeal transience, the lasting loveliness of man's time on this planet as protected by nature. This is truly a beautiful book that begs for moments of your indulgence, away from the madding crowd.

Keillor is probably best known in the Midwest where his tales of the imaginary town of Lake Wobegon are heard on many radio stations in that region. This book is set in a variety of real Minnesota towns and depicts life in the rural Midwest. Those from these stomping grounds will easily relate to the short stories contained in this book. But even if you dwell in a California metropolis you will still find a warmth, perhaps uncommon, yet very appreciated. Take, for example, the following exerpt quoted from The Notebooks of Carl Krebsbach:
"It was the annual January thaw, nature's way of arousing false hopes and tempting the good people of Lake Wobegon to let lown their guard and not wear a scarf so that nature can kill them. A form of natural selection to reduce the optimist population and promote the survival of embittered stoics who believe that fate is against them. Which it is.
The thaw means that snow on the roof melts and freezes on the overhang of the eaves, forming a dam to back up the water so it can get under the shingles and freeze and gradually rip our house apart, which is nature's goal, to obliterate us. Nature is not benevolent towards us, it wants us out of here. It's good to know this. In summer, you can almost believe otherwise.
Luckily, summer is soon over. As it turns cold, our mood improves. we're excited. Cold is a stimulant. So is danger. It's good to have nature to deal with. That's why self-pity declines in the fall. People don't sit around and anguish over what to do with their lives. Instinct tells you. You're a mammal. Stay warm. Stay close to the food supply. Shovel the roof. Make babies. Make a few extra in case the wolves get one. And then on a cold night in January, you walk out in the moon light and agsinst all reason, beyodn all expectation, you're utterly happy."

In addition to Keillor's down-to-earth story telling this book contains wonderful photography by Richard Olsenius. I actually bought this book because I am a fan of photojounalistic photograghy. Great writing and great photography, a bookshelf is incomplete without this volume.

I was what you would call a "Noobie" to all of Garrison's work until recently. I picked up this book at a college library after speaking to my mother about the Minnesota author project I was recently assigned. She was familiar with his work and suggested that I look into it....so I did. I never thought that this would open up such big can of worms, and I mean this in a good sense. After reading the book from cover to cover, I went on the internet to find out more about Garrison's work and turned up some very interesting search results. I then read it again and now I guess you could say that I'm hooked on the Lake Wobegon saga and I am planning on picking up a couple of his earlier writings related to Lake Wobegon.
I really enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend this book to anyone who has vast, little, or no knowledge of Lake Wobegon.

I was what you would call a "Noobie" to all of Garrison's work until recently. I picked up this book at a college library after speaking to my mother about the Minnesota author project I was recently assigned. She was familiar with his work and suggested that I look into it....so I did. I never thought that this would open up such big can of worms, and I mean this in a good sense. After reading the book from cover to cover, I went on the internet to find out more about Garrison's work and turned up some very interesting search results. I then read it again and now I guess you could say that I'm hooked on the Lake Wobegon saga and I am planning on picking up a couple of his earlier writings related to Lake Wobegon.
I really enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend this book to anyone who has vast, little, or no knowledge of Lake Wobegon.

Fans of Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" are already an imaginative sort. We know what Arlene Bunsen looks like, or Pastor Inquist. We've got a good idea how Roger Hedlund has been rotating his crops, and the main goings on on Main Street. We don't need pictures of this area because we already know it by heart--we've seen it on the radio. This book does exactly what it should...it doesn't dispel our images of Lake Wobegon, but gives us pictures of its neighbors and people living their lives in rural Minnesota. All the images are sepia toned. With a few exceptions, the subjects are unposed and candid, getting ready for the prom, or readying the field for corn.

The composition of the shots are superb. The short prologue gives a first person retelling of how Keillor invented the town that "time forgot and the decades cannot improve." That introduction, however, is so short that it's almost unfair to say that this is a Garrison Keillor book. He essentially wrote the foreword (although it's not titled that way), and the pictures tell the real story.

My only disappointment is that there isn't any color. Certainly sepia tones give us nostalgia the way we'd like to remember it, but sunset on a farm is something you can't appreciate in shades of brown. Rural life has its monochromatic moments, to be sure, but there's enough color and life to help us remember that not everything is nostalgia.

This gripe doesn't detract from the beauty of this book, though. Thankfully we never see Lake Wobegon, only hints and shadows. It allows us to preserve our preconceptions, but gives us a deeper feeling of connection with the area. If you're a fan of APHC, you probably already own this book (or you should). If not, take a look at a lifestyle that might be foreign to you.

From the Central Minnesota prairie, in beautiful black and white pictures and picturesque prose, here is the Genesis of Garrison Keilor's magical mythical Lake Wobegon, site of "A Prairie Home Companion." Here we get to *see* the strong women, good-looking men, and above average children of and for whom he speaks on Saturday nights. Accompanying Richard Olsenius' stunning photography (how can the viewer not be deeply moved by the picture of the veterans at the St. Wendell cemetery on Memorial Day?) are excerpts from the Radio Show, interviews with inhabitants, and essays and musings from Keilor - like this:

"Culture isn't decor, it's what you know before you're twelve. It sticks with you all your born days. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. You can try to wrestle free of it, like those geese who trail the V-formation, trying to look as if they aren't part of this bunch, as if flying south were a personal decision on their part, but your feint towards independence only makes it clearer who you really are. Some people like hot dish better if it's called cassoulet, or pot roast if it's pot-au-feu. Fine. Suit yourself. Same difference."

Whatever you call those culinary delights, you'll like this book. Come see Father Kleinschmidt's Annual Blessing of the Snowmobiles. Ja, you betcha! Reviewed by TundraVision.

The Bond Lover's Bible is how I would describe this book. It is highly detailed (with references to Bond books and films)and exceedingly well-structured, whilst looking up references around the capital is simplicity itself. The book should be far more widely known than it is - not only because it is so very good, but because its companion volume, the almost completed "James Bond's Britain", is apparently unlikely to make it into print on the strength of sales so far for "James Bond's London". Highly recommended!

As a James Bond fan, having just gotten home from a trip to London, I have to say, having this book with me was truly indispensable. I found myself looking up the places where the Bond films were shot, and the book give you the details on how to get there, including subway stops. As one person said, a map would have been real helpful, but the information is pretty extensive without it. I highly recommend it.

An excellent compendium of places and locations that have played a part in both Bond Books and Bond Films. The detail and descriptions are impecable and Gary's research has definately paid-off.

Particular note goes out to the two introductory writers, Peter Hunt and Christopher Lee, who both offer excellent background and depth.

One downside is that a map would have been quite effective to achieve the sense of geography and distance to these locations. As only a one-time visitor (so far!) to London, I don't quite know the relationships to the districts and locales, etc. In this case a map would have been quite helpful.

James Bond and London, the capital of Britain, go hand in hand. A James Bond adventure, whether it is cinematic or literary, would hardly be complete without some form of patriotism towards Mother England and off hand I can only think of a few adventures (mainly short stories) where no scenes talk place in Britain. This simple fact, coupled with the fact that every man wishes to be like James Bond, gives good reason for a book such as James Bond's London to be written.
Gary Giblin took up the challenge of writing such a book in January 1998. I shall not go into full details here as they're covered in Jordan Charter's interview located here. However, what started as a book entitled James Bond's Britain eventually had to be subdivided into two books. As a result of a lot or hard work James Bond's London was published in December 2001.

To begin with, James Bond's London isn't your average book, nor is it what I originally envisaged it would be; but that's not a bad thing, quite the opposite actually. What Giblin has presented is a travel guide to the world of James Bond in London. Quite simply, the book is the most useful source for anyone who wants to travel in the footsteps of James Bond, something, which could easily seem a mammoth undertaking.

Giblin has been very particular in the material that he has covered. By his own admission in an interview with CommanderBond.Net he has omitted literary material not written by Ian Fleming; of course indicating he is a purist to the work. Giblin has also omitted non-EON Productions cinematic material; again a sign of purity as there is only one true James Bond film series.

That said, the amount of material Giblin has included is still amazing. There a literally hundreds of locations that can be found in the novels and in the films. What is most amazing about the film locations is how many of them were used for non-British locations in the films. For instance the car park from Tomorrow Never Dies is actually in London and not Hamburg. Also, aside from locations that we read of and watch are locations where significant events of the Bond world took place. For instance, the birthplace of Ian Fleming or the former offices of EON Productions. If it's Bond related and it's in London you'll find it in "James Bond's London".

Thankfully, for those of us not well versed in travelling around London Giblin has an explanation of how to get to each location. Not only does he include the standard address, suburb and postcode but also details for getting there via the London Underground. As a part of this he's mentioned the platforms and the stations one should use and once leaving the station which streets one should follow.

The locations in the book are also well categorised. Rather than organising the locations by film, novel or perhaps relation Giblin has taken the initiative of organising them by location. So one could simply spend a day in a certain part of London and visit several Bond related locations. The guide makes it that simple.

As for the detail on each location Giblin has included quite a lot. To describe each location Giblin has used icons to begin with; for instance a clapperboard icon represents a film related location. As a part of the textual description for each location Giblin has not only included Bond related information but information on the locations non-Bond history. Readers will not only learn a great deal about Bond but a great deal about London too.

In passing good comments about the work that Giblin has done one must also highlight downfalls to "James Bond's London" - something that is not an easy task let me assure you. While I can find no fault in the material that Giblin has presented I must say that I was disappointed to find that the book was not offered in a hardback edition. However, in saying that one can definitely appreciate the fact that Giblin and the Daleon, whom published the book, made all attempts to keep the prices low. My only other complain is about one of the icons in the book; the skull and cross bone. The icon is disproportionate and according to Giblin this is a problem that occurred at the printers.

All in all James Bond's London is a must have for any Bond fan of any calibre. Gary Giblin has researched extensively into all aspects of the locations and the films and help from Bond legends such as Peter Lamont have made this a completely unique and factual reference guide.

This book gets high marks as it is invaluable for discovering exact London references to buildings (hotels, restaurants, etc) associated with James Bond (the films and Ian Fleming). The reviews that others have written about this book are right on the mark. Congratulations Gary.

Also of interest is Gary's Alfred Hitchcock's London. Check it out.

Harriet Williams (Hattie) is an artist from Chicago. She gets a job creating illustrations for the Museum's Egyptian curator Thomas Harris' new book about Ancient Egypt. The illustrations are progressing quite well except for the face of Hatshepsut, a female Pharaoh. In order to get her in the right frame of mind Thomas allows Hattie access to an ancient necklace that once belonged to Hatshepsut. However, upon touching the necklace, Hattie is transported to Ancient Egypt where she must pretend she is Hatshepsut in order to save the Pharaoh's stepson and heir apparent to the Egyptian throne from a traitor that threatens to murder the boy.

Lady of Two Lands is a wonderfully entertaining time travel romance. The author does a lovely job of showing contrast in daily life, attitudes towards women, and material possessions between modern day and Ancient Egyptian times by integrating interesting bits and pieces of real history into the story. Moreover, whenever the author deviates from these realities, she explains how these deviations could have occurred. These aspects add an extra aspect of depth and realness to the storyline and add a deeper understanding of the reasons that the romantic relationship is forbidden further increasing the anticipation of the potential romance.

Elizabeth Delisi's LADY OF THE TWO LANDS is an interesting time-travel that takes us back to the time of Hatshepsut and her royal architect, Senemut.

The story plays off the true facts of the female pharaoh's reign and the suspected romance between her and Senemut.

Research shows that Hatshepsut did indeed rule the two lands of upper and lower Egypt, and her temple was one of the most beautiful ever created, though after her death, many images of her were destroyed in an apparent attempt to erase her memory from history.

What Ms. Delisi tells is her version of the rule, and concentrates on the relationship between the female pharaoh and the man she trusted more than any other, Senemut. It is a very carefully rendered insight into the lives of both and the relationship that ensues.

LADY OF THE TWO LANDS is a well-researched story that will take you back in time to an ancient Egypt where magic was never doubted and the impossible made possible.

Sheri L. McGathy
~:.*.:~~:.*.:~May the magic always brighten your world~:.*.:~~:.*.:~

Harriet "Hattie" Williams was an artist. She was hired by the Egyptian Curator of a museum to sketch illustrations for his book about Hatshepsut, the first female Pharaoh to rule ancient Egypt.

While holding a necklace that had once belonged to the famous ruler, Hattie's essence was sent backward in time thirty-five hundred years to reside in Queen Hatshepsut's body.

Hatshepsut was poisoned during the funeral of her husband. She searched her relatives through the millennia and selected Hattie to be the one to help her. Hattie was to temporarily BE Hatshepsut. Hattie's duties were to protect the stepson, eight-year-old Prince Tuthmosis, (heir to the throne) and determine the identity of the betrayer. Once done, Hattie would return to her own time and body.

Hattie was not really given a choice. Thus she wanted only to complete her tasks and return home. Hattie found one person she somehow knew she could trust named Senemut. He was the tutor of Hatshepsut's little daughter, Princess Neferure. Promoted a highly honored position and given the title "Steward of Amun", he became not only Hattie's trusted advisor, but also her love.

***** I cannot tell you how WONDERFUL this story is! The author managed to make the story come alive. The characters seemed REAL. The tale is fast paced and the reader will not become bored. It is available in various electronic formats AND in paperback. Highly recommended! *****

Elizabeth Delisi's LADY OF THE TWO LANDS is rich with details of ancient Egypt through the eyes of a heroine, Hattie Williams, who travels through time to become the Pharaoh of the two lands of Egypt. The story captures the romance and intrigue as Hattie and Senemut uncovers the murderous plot against the Pharaoh and Prince Tuthmosis. When reading the story, I felt drawn to the glory of ancient Egypt. I would recommend this book to those who are fascinated with the lifestyles of great Egyptian rulers. Although the plot was slightly predictable, the story was quite engaging and has inspired me to do more research on Pharaoh, Hatshepsut and Prince Tuthmosis.

Reviewed by CCR's Gracia Mason

I just finished reading Elizabeth Delisi's LADY OF THE TWO LANDS. An interesting time-travel that takes us back to the time of Hatshepsut and her royal architect, Senemut.

The story plays off the true facts of the female pharaoh's reign and the suspected romance between her and Senemut.

Research shows that Hatshepsut did indeed rule the two lands of upper and lower Egypt, and her temple was one of the most beautiful ever created, though after her death, many images of her were destroyed in an apparent attempt to erase her memory from history.

What Ms. Delisi tells is her version of the rule, and concentrates on the relationship between the female pharaoh and the man she trusted more than any other, Senemut. It is a very carefully rendered insight into the lives of both and the relationship that ensues.

LADY OF THE TWO LANDS is a well-researched story that will take you back in time to an ancient Egypt where magic was never doubted and the impossible made possible.

Sheri L. McGathy
~:.*.:~~:.*.:~May the magic always brighten your world~:.*.:~~:.*.:~ ...

Toby is the coolest boy because he knows everything and he always saves the girls. I want to go with him on a big advenure so he can save me too. I learned how to draw Toby too because he teaches me that in the back of the book.

Hello. This book is fabulous. I have two boys and I am also a homeschool instructor. I created a lesson plan based on the Toby Digz books and now it has been thrown into our weekly studies.
The publisher of this series seems to have discovered what boys today are looking for because every child in my class adores these characters. (The girls love it too, especially due to the fact that Lauren Lane, Toby's friend is a smart homeschooled girl. Keep these coming, and tell the publisher we need activity books based on the stories.
Ava Warnick

Hooray! My kids love this little boy with the James Bond gadgets. I am pleased with this series. The kids can't get enough. If you are a parent looking for that new book, one that will excite your child and make them WANT to read, then this is your series! We love Toby Digz.

It's about time. My children are smart kids. I have always had a difficult time finding chapter books they would actually engage in, but this new series hit the mark, Toby Digz is a great character and I was so impressed with the format of the book.
The author has gone out of his way to obviously keep the kids interested. When you reach the last pages, there are all sorts of unique charts and games. This man know his audience well! Good job Tommy Nelson! Keep them coming.

I love the Toby Digz books! This book was so fun it made me want to learn more about Egypt. Thanks for writing these books and please write more!!

The updated, expanded edition of The Last Album: Eyes From The Ashes Of Auschwitz- Birkenau is out, and no less hard-hitting than the original. These black and white photos were not supposed to reach the world: the Nazi order to destroy all personal photos brought to each concentration camp was meant to destroy memories as much as evidence. Despite this mandate, author Weiss uncovered an archive of over 2,400 photos brought to Auschwitz by Jewish deportees across Europe - photos hidden and saved, at great risk to their owners. These photos accompany a traveling exhibition which is making its way around the world, presenting over 400 of these photos and how the deportees arrived at Auschwitz - and how Weiss came to discover them and to research their roots. A 'must' for any serious Jewish history collection - and many a general interest holding, as well.

"The last Album" by Ann Weiss is well organized and well written. It contains 400 remarkable
photographs that were brought to Auschwitz-Birkenau by victims in 1943. These photographs were taken
prior to the Holocaust and depict people bursting with life. This is an extremely unique book, and contains material that was lovingly researched for a period of 15 years. The beauty of this book is that the
photographs and the research accomplished brings to life people that were lost during the dreadful time of
the Holocaust. The book like the author is soft, sweet, articulate and brilliant

I read this book by chance, yesterday, Memorial Day 2003.
Been crying.
It's like Schindler's List or Sophie's choice.
How could they do it?
How can we let them continue doing it?
The animals still are around us, although using another names, another symbols, another motivations.
I kept reading, hoping to find some of the people to be safe at the end, but almost everybody was killed.
Binim, Rozak, Mayer, Bronka, so many of you.
I miss you, my friends.

After reading this book, I feel this should be in every house in every country. You hear so much about the people and the numbers killed that sometimes it doesn't seem real but this book makes it very real. The pictures are so powerful and at the same time so ordinary - they could be pictures of anyone's parents or grandparents. The most haunting pictures are those of the children - you have to wonder how many survived. The stories of the survivors bring it all home - "There's the aunt of the little girl I used to babysit", etc. I found it amazing that these pictures did survive 40, 50 years before being discovered again. Anyone who denies the Holocaust happened should read this book and then try to still say it never happened. Thank you Ann Weiss for bringing these pictures and the stores behind them out of the darkness.

This book is an amazing piece of history. The fact that so many photos brought into Auschwitz have survived is phenomenol as all personal effects were automotically burned by the Nazis murderers. When viewing the photos in this book, which were brought in by those of the Sosnowiec-Bendzin transport, it would also be advisable to read Tadeusz Borokowski's book "This way to the gas ladies & gentleman' as this book covers the particular Sosnowiec-Bendzin transport and outlines in gruesome and terrifying detail what became of many of those on this transport. The photographs bring back to life many who are gone and also tells you those who survived, which is a relief to realise that some of those from the Polish ghettos made it. These photos bring back a lost world that will never return and along with Roman Vishniac's collection of photographs are a piece of history that is very much worth investing in.

(...)
The book starts out with vet Lauren Townsend operating on a tabby when she gets the first sign she is about to have a vision. As quickly as she could, she leaves for home because she never likes the reaction of others when they see her in her trance-like state. Through the killer's eyes, she "sees" a murder taking place, even though it's something that will happen, not something that has happened yet. With the few clues she gets, Lauren travels to Foothills Guest Ranch in Borland, Alberta, where she hopes to be able to find the lady she saw in her vision.

Cal Taggart is the owner of the ranch Lauren is visiting. He's an ex-bullrider who is in danger of losing his ranch and to help save it he opened a dude ranch. It's something he hates to do but to keep from losing the ranch, he'll do it. Sparks fly as soon as Lauren and Cal meet, but Cal is leery of letting anyone get close after his disaster of a marriage and all the unlucky happenings going on with the ranch.

Lauren doesn't know what to think when the lady in her vision turns out to be someone close to Cal, his ex-wife. Should she tell him what she saw or keep quiet and try to figure out who the murderer is herself, since no one has ever believed her when she's spoken of her vision? And despite getting close to Cal, will she lose him when her secret comes out?

LAUREN'S EYES is an engrossing story that had me captivated from the first page to the last. It had all that I look for in a book -- a strong heroine, a hero who just oozed charm, and a mystery that needed to be solved. Throw in some hot sex and I'm not even sorry that I didn't get to bed last night until 5 in the morning. Fast-paced and keeping you on the edge of your seat to know what happens next, LAUREN'S EYES is one not to be missed. :) Ms. Wilson packs quite a punch in this tale and I look forward to reading her again.

Mad

Lauren's Eyes definitely deserved its win in the Rising Voice of Romance contest. Norah Wilson kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the book, and though I'm usually good at figuring out who the villain is long before a book is over, I had to resist turning to the end to find out this time. I wasn't able to guess, because Norah is a master at keeping you guessing.

The romance was realistic and fraught with tension, the mystery was well-developed and page-turning, and there isn't a speck of sappiness to be found. Now if I could just find a Cal of my own...

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

If a reader is looking for a passion filled romance with a lot of suspense and a dash of the paranormal, in a unique western setting, this story will meet that need.

Lauren Townsend has the sight. She would often get visions of horrible crimes about to happen, and her latest shows a murder waiting to happen. So off she goes to Western Canada, and a guest ranch, where she suspects the crime is going to occur. She never expects that this trip will change her life irrevocably.

Cal Taggart runs a guest ranch in western Canada and is struggling to make ends meet. This is further hampered by the fact his closest neighbor wants to buy up his land, as he has all the other ranches in the area, so he can sell it for higher profit. Cal had spent his entire life trying to live up to his father's expectations of him, and the pending failure of his ranch is just one more thing of which his father can disapprove.

When Lauren and Cal meet, sparks begin to fly immediately. However, her doubts color her perception of him when she discovers the women she must save is his ex-wife, Marlena. Cal has been disillusioned by love and the last thing he wants is a new relationship. When accidents start happening around the ranch and danger beckons, Cal and Lauren must work together to keep his ranch safe... and his ex-wife as well. But how can Lauren explain why she is so worried about Marlena without him turning from her, unable to accept her gift? Can they overcome their doubts about themselves and each other to be happy together?

Lauren and Cal are both imperfect people who are striving always to be the best that they can. Lauren only hopes to put her special talent of seeing events yet to happen to good use, helping those in her visions, never wanting anything for herself. Cal, a retired rodeo rider, only wants to be happy, and to prove to his demanding father that he is successful and not a failure. They need each other, as they are the perfect match. She can help him realize the only person he needs to please is himself. He can help her realize that it is acceptable to want to be happy doing things for herself. The rest of the colorful cast of characters add depth to the story, all being so well developed that they are not just two-dimensional plot fillers, but important in their own right to the story unfolding about Cal and Lauren.

The plot is wonderfully done, and the mystery of "whodunit" is so well done that readers will be trying to solve the mystery right up to the heart-pounding climax. There are good nail-biting action scenes and tender moments of love and character growth. The suspense is well done, as is the sexual tension between Cal and Lauren. Readers will feel the emotions of the characters, from love to fear to anger to sadness. All of these factors combine to bring about a story that will keep one engrossed from the first page through the last.

Ms. Wilson, Dorchester's 2003 "New Voice in Romance Winner" is most definitely an author to watch. This, her first mass-market release demonstrates her skill for telling a good story, with plenty of suspense and scorching romance. This reviewer is a fan and will be eagerly awaiting more books by this rising star.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, June 2004. All rights reserved.

Lauren's Eyes is a delight. You'll only be disappointed when it's over!

Lauren is such a brave and sympathetic heroine, it's easy to cheer for her. Cal is a luscious hero -- sexy as all hell. All the characters are multi-dimensional and contribute to the intrigue. Buy this book. Buy 2 because you'll want a keeper and a "loaner" copy.

Lauren's Eyes is a book that drew me in and wouldn't let go. I loved the characters. Cal Taggart is a handsome hero, and Lauren Townsend a compelling heroine with psychic ability. The mystery is intricately interwoven into a story I read from cover to cover in no-time-flat. You'll love this book.

Leadership is one of those things that everyone recognizes when they see it but is difficult to define. Part of the problem is that it has so many forms. There is leadership on the battlefield, in the boardroom, in the factory, at academic institutions, in sports teams, in other words there is a leader in just about every activity involving more than one person. It is also a hard activity to carry out, because in nearly all cases the authority that the leader exercises is not based on any authoritarian right. Successful leadership is a partnership between the leader and the led, which means that the leader derives a great deal of their authority from the consent of the governed.
In this book, Rehkopf discusses the strategies good leaders employ from the perspective of the hospitality industry. He has managed hotels and resorts and opened golf and country clubs. His knowledge of the subject matter is thorough, yet his main themes are simple. If you are a manager, interact with your people, take an interest in their welfare and listen to their concerns. Leadership by controlling force is a managerial dead end, it works for a short time, as eventually people will leave. The first to leave will of course be your good people, as they are the ones with the most pride in their work and can more easily find another job.
The advice offered up in this book is sound, the American business world would be much more efficient if more managers were to follow it. Unfortunately, that is not the case. For a variety of reasons, so many managers choose to insulate themselves from their workers. While some professional distance is necessary in the work place, there are times when the human element must take precedence. By applying the basic courtesies of human interaction, good managers can motivate to an extent that no threat can ever achieve.
This book contains a simple blueprint for successfully managing a business in the hospitality industry. As such, all that aspire to or are currently managing in the business would be aided by reading and applying the advice.

Here's the book I wish someone had shared with me years ago.

This is a practical, back to the basics, presentation of every day service opportunities. Ed shared a copy of this book with me and I in turn shared it with one of our General Managers. She was so excited about its content that she requested I send more copies for her managers. We now utilize the book in management training programs, and all of our Department Managers receive a copy.

This book develops a level of understanding among our teams' managers that service is important to everyone, and when customers receive great service consistently, great results will occur.

Thanks Ed for sharing your valuable experiences with us!

For an industry that often lacks leadership guidance and supervisory training, this book delivers the key ingredients needed on the journey to becoming a sound leader. Well-written and easy to read, this book is beneficial for both experienced and new leaders. Rehkopf uses composite examples from his own diverse career in the hospitality industry as the basis for the book. A must read for every management trainee and aspiring leader.

Rehkopf hits a home run with this book. It is logically written, easily read, and full of pertinent examples. Although directed to the hospitality industry, the lessons are applicable to anyone in a leadership role. I've used it in my business and bought copies for all my mid-management people. This book is for owners, managers and all people who aspire to be an owner or manager one day.

A well written and concise book which presents a practical guide on leadership. This book was easy to read and offers many good examples of how to be an effective service based leader. An excellent training tool for all levels of management.

In this fabulous book, it tells you the remarkable story about how the first teddy bears were made. Not only is the story exellent, but it has fabulous illustrations! GREAT JOB MR. MURPHY! i give this book an A+++++++++++++++.
-Stephanie,
Connecticut

The Legend of the Teddy Bear is a "must have" book for every home. It's a beautifully illustrated story that all children will enjoy while actually learning a piece of history. Imagine a child in your life explaining the story to an adult who doesn't know how the teddy bear got his name! This book belongs on all bookshelves, it will captivate children and adults alike. Looking forward to reading more from Frank Murphy!

I didn't read the book. I gave it as a birthday gift to my niece who is a teddy bear enthusiast. The rating I gave was based upon her overwhelming response to the book.

She was so taken with the story that she excitedly wrote a letter to the author. To his credit, the author responded with a handwritten letter that, along with the book, became a show-and-tell project for her 2nd grade class. She talks about the whole thing with stars in her eyes. It's truly priceless.

I give 5 stars to both the book and the author.

Cuddling Teddy Roosevelt is kinda strange...but cuddling a soft bear is better. Who would've known that the teddy bear was named after a president!
In this children's picture book, children will be amazed that they know a bit of history after they read this beautifully written/illustrated book.
~Erin
Age 11

This book appeals to all teddy bear lovers- young and old! It is a great way to share history with children. My kindergarten class throughly enjoyed it cover to cover! A must for anyone who ever had / or has a teddy bear!!

So few modernists understand the depth and sophistication of traditional knowledge. Wade Davis is such a refreshing exception

As far as I'm concerned, Davis is a five-star writer across the board. Not only does this man have more scientific knowledge than he knows what to do with, but he writes about people and plant life with equal flawless prose. This is a good 'starter' book for those who have not yet read him (or, who only heard of "The Serpent and the Rainbow"). His intense interest in, profound respect for indigenous cultures and their people quite obviously generate the trust and knowledge he receives in return. Like his beloved mentor, Harvard's Edward Schultz, he will literally go to 'the ends of the earth'and stay however long it takes so that he may absorb and understand what he finds there. His descriptions (and direct experience)of psychotropic's from the jungles and their place in the culture, should be read by the multi-national plunderers - as well as those whose only frame of reference is Timothy Leary. The natural world around them provide every, single necessary item of life and sustenance for the people. The huge, central-to-life importance of the Shaman is masterfully illustrated. It should be obvious that I cannot say enough in praise of Wade Davis. Go and discover him for yourself, get lost in the wonder of his world - and marvel . . .

Wade Davis is both an exceptional anthropologist and an exciting writer. The remote and unique cultures that he records in this work give us home bound and over-weight readers a glimpse of hope in the human potential that we all share. We may not be able to travel as he has but through his vivid and engrossing writing, we can celebrate the human spirit that he has witnessed first hand. The special people he introduces to us see the world in different lights, sounds and smells than we do from our homoginized world view. We need to understand these cultures as a way to balance our own as we try to look beyond it to find new ways to meet the ever changing reality of our existence.

an anthropologist and the author of several books (perhaps the best known of which is 'The Serpent and the Rainbow'), Wade Davis is explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society and has quite literally traveled the world to search out and study other cultures and their uses of sacred plants. In "Light At The End Of The World: A Journey Through The Realm Of Vanishing Cultures" he has compiled essays based on his researches into the lives, traditions, beliefs, customs, and ceremonies of tribal cultures that range from the Canadian Arctic to the deserts of North Africa, from the rain forests of Borneo and the Amazon, to the mountain communities of the Andes and Tibet, from the swamps of the Orinoco to the wilds of British Columbia, to the cultural landscape of Haiti. All of these cultures share one thing in common - they are in danger of losing their unique ways of life in the face of expanding technological and population encroachments and competitions for resources. A strongly recommended addition to academic, community, and personal library Anthropology and Social Issues reference collections and supplemental reading lists, "Light At The End Of The World" is a compelling read that is an engaging as it is informative, as compelling as it is instructive.

Wade Davis' long career among isolated peoples and cultures has given him an enviable insight. He manages to connect with people at many levels. They are free and open with him, an obvious outsider. Their stories, legends, life modes all come to light under his gentle persuasive powers. In this outstanding account of his travels and his studies, we share much of what he and his mentors have learned.

The primary message in this book is how cultures vary with their environments. Worldwide, Davis notes, only about five per cent of humanity live in areas relatively untouched by European intrusion. They are scattered, often living in what we deem as "savage" or "desolate", yet they survive and flourish when allowed. Hardly rigid in outlook, these people have learned well how to adapt to changing conditions. They have come to know just how to deal with what Nature has provided. Centuries of experience are put to use on a daily basis, following seasonal and other variations. Their knowledge of the local plants in particular has stood them well, and they have much to offer us. Davis describes how this has developed in many regions, with the Amazon basin an area of his special interest.

Davis acknowledges two special influences in his work - David Maybury-Lewis, his tutor, and Richard Evans Schultes who had spent many years in the Amazon area. Davis followed them, but as his study interests grew, so did the range of his travels. North of the Amazon Basin, he enters the mountains of Columbia to learn the ways of the Kogi and Ika people. He takes us to Northwest British Columbia, where the Grizzly retains a meagre residual territory and meets Atehena [Alex Jack] to learn the ways of the shamans who formerly operated there. In lands once part of the Inca empire, he learns the uses of coca leaves - both social and medicinal. Haiti possesses numerous cultures, many with strong ties to the African homeland. That continent's sad history of imperialist intrusion probably created more artificial "national" boundaries than any other region of the world. Such intrusion causes displacement and Davis is witness to the shamanic rituals of a people only recently forced into a nomadic life.

The author concludes his narrative by describing two areas as opposite as one could imagine - the Red Centre of Australia and the snowy reaches of the Canadian Arctic. He recounts the utter innocence of the European invaders in both regions. British explorers and colonists suffered heavily as a result of their failure to understand how "primitive" people could survive better than "well-equipped" Victorians with their advanced technology and ideals of superiority. As elsewhere, long centuries of experience taught the Aborigines to find water in unlikely places and the Inuit to travel lightly and efficiently. Only in modern times have researchers arrived at an understanding of what "primitives" accomplished.

As he freely confesses, however, the work has only begun. This book is not only informative about how indigenous people have survived conditions deadly to us, but provides pointers about how to apply their knowledge for the benefit of us all. Medicines are but one step in what can be adapted for our use. And more Wade Davises are needed to do the tasks before us. Those new scholars, however, must go to those people to learn, not to change their ways to conform to ours. That would be artificial and self-defeating. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]