Anderson Books

We have read most of the Billy and Blaze books and this is our favourite. Two reasons: 1) This book shows the most exciting riding scenes, and 2) This book shows Billy and Blaze at their bravest moment. We also recommend Blaze Shows the Way; again for the dramatic riding scenes.

I like Billy and Blaze books and I like what happened in that book Blaze and the Forrest fire and it said in the book that Billy's dog Rex goes with them on rides and one day he's sick. Billy and Blaze is about a boy and his pony who race to the forest fire to set and speeed the alarm. But one day he was sick? It reminds me of Paul Brandt's CD Calm Before The Storm.

My 7 yo son loves the Billy and Blaze series. This series is an excellent one for boys. Even if you don't think they have an interest in horses.

There is great adventure, like only a boy could imagine. And the stories are not so inane that the parents reading them cry for mercy. ;-)

I recommend it and my son highly recommends it.

C.W. Anderson has outdone himself with this Billy and Blaze story. I love most of his Blaze series with its timeless feel and innocence; what life used to be about. Blaze and Billy are put in a situation of defending the entire forest. They must make their way over hill and dale to alert the neighbouring farm. Will they make it... well I wont spoil it for you. Blaze and the Forest Fire is a unique and wonderful book. You will love it.

I read one CW Anderson book when I was a horse-crazy girl. Now I'm a horse-crazy middle-aged women. I was thrilled to find my original favorite book available on Amazon.com and enjoyed the wonderful pictures and sweet stories so much that I'm buying the whole series. Great books for kids - and wonderful books for those of us still "kids at heart" when life was simple and all you wanted to do was gallop your magic pony across the fields.

An older book with a timeless story. I highly recommend it.

The is the BEST of the charming and beautiful Billy and Blaze series by CW Anderson. Billy gets a human friend this time, who loves horses as much as Billy does. This friend wants a gray spotted pony for his birthday--Billy and Blaze have to go FIND him one. It's a hackneyed plot (no pun intended, Hackney lovers) but it is done right without any silliness. But this is a Billy and Blaze book, and any collector of them know the REAL reason to buy a Billy and Blaze book are for the amazing CW Anderson pencil drawings! It is amazing to see, over the course of the series, how much this man had improved as one of the top equine artists of this country and he is sorely missed. This is a great book to read as a stress-reliever for pony loving adults, or a bedtime story for children

The Billy & Blaze series was my absolute favorite in gradeschool-- the illustrations are gorgeous, and the stories are well thought out and written superbly. I remember signing this series out of the school library over and over and over again... now as an adult, I am THILLED to see it offered here at Amazon. None of these books will disappoint a horselover-- no matter what age you are!

My son LOVES the Billy and Blaze series......the books are exciting to read, educational, and very well written............we all enjoy them! Great for children age 4 and up!!!!

Never too old to read children's books, these were my favorites and I collected several as a cherished memory. With all the electronic toys for kids these days it is refreshing to read about what kids used to do for fun. It teaches that communing with nature and animals provides a healthy interest in the bigger world they we eventually support ourselves in.

I can still remember sitting in the children's reading area of our public library (about 20+ years ago!) reading every Billy and Blaze book I could get my little hands on! If you have a child who loves horses and adventures, you need to purchase this and other books in the series. The books are easy to read with the right amount words to keep a youngster's attention, and the illustrations are perfect!

This book is perfect for the very young horse lover it is easy to read and has wonderful pictures. It is a story of one boy and his pony who helps another boy with his pony. My 4 year old grand-daughter loves it. All of C. W. Anderson books are a pleasure to read for both the young and old horse lovers. I have enjoyed them since I was a child. The pictures are almost as good as a photo. I recommend this book to all horse lovers.

Doug Anderson is a poet of rare authenticity. His work is layered, nuanced and resonant, capable of being forceful and tender, direct even as it alludes to the mystery of what we don't see beneath what we do. He delivers white hot emotion viewed through dispassionate eyes, and a connectedness that finds release only by going deeper into itself. Anderson writes political poems that ache with sad knot of love and love poems that crash through the senses like the assaults of war. His humor is wry and dry, but always there is the sense that it has been reached by way of tears, shed and unshed. I can't recommend his BLUES highly enough. Like the musical genre, it is a layered book, in which love and loss hold hands.

I discovered Doug Anderson's collection of poetry _Blues for Unemployed Secret Police_ when he was invited to teach a poetry workshop at my high school several years ago, of which I participated in. Doug talked to us about his poetry, his experiences in Vietnam, read some of his poems (from this collection) to us, and then helped us with our own poems by providing critiques. His manner, his poetry, and his humility--as well as his willingness to come to a high school and teach to a bunch of self-important high school students. Doug's poetry is riveting, it draws you in, and its beautiful in its humility. I recommend this collection to everyone.

The poetry of Blues For Unemployed Secret Policy dramatically reflects Doug Anderson's experiences growing up in the sixties, serving as a field medical corpsman in Viet Nam, and confronting the modern era where "a good torturer can always find a job." Anderson's poetry is passionate, humorous, original, and ranges from bad politics to love gone wrong. The Oracle: On the altar the flies of God/swarm on the pomegranates and roasted oxen./We say we want to know the truth/but as the light sweetens/and the priestess does not arrive/we grow comfortable with the old lies./I want and do not want the razor-edged/pendulum that swings in my heart./The woman gone and why./Years of wide-eyed blindness./There is tenderness in all gathered here/in the shade of the temple./When we were young we dreamed/of a plateau where everything/could be seen in all directions/and suffering evaporated in wisdom./Silence is the power/that pools in the shadows of words/and when finally we stop speaking/it pins us to the ground

Anderson's first book, The Moon Reflected Fire, won prizes, among them the prestigious Kate Tufts Discovery Prize. Such a strong first book leaves a poet plagued by the cynic's question,"sure, that book was good but can he do it again?" Blues for Unemployed Secret Police is Doug Anderson's answer and it is a resounding YES. This is one of those rare books in which stunning poem is followed by stunning poem, where we come to understand that the poet's earlier focus on Vietnam was an instance of a larger focus on the complex beauty and darkness which attend any real look at our deepest natures. Anderson compels our attention because he knows that the intensity of experience, whether pain or joy, which can be easily identified in extreme situations is also present when we find ourselves walking down a city street wondering why we are drawn to its noise and confusion (see Babylon) or when we are watching a "live petroglyph" "drawing the story of light larger in each twirled telling" (see Lizard). Anderson lives (uneasily) with his own beast, and with "the new evil" that "pours into the deep cup with the evil I have already seen" without forsaking what is good and nourishing in the world and among us (see Kimono, see Crow, see Coyote). Listen to this: "We don't come with souls, we make them up out of our ripening and our going to seed." How do you NOT read a poet who can write that?

This book is for everyone. Pastor Bernie is a brave man for coming out and sharing his experience. I know this book will touch someone enough to admit they have a problem and seek help!

This book was real...it touched upon things that real people need to know to heal. There were great suggestions and "road maps" to help other men who suffer from the same temptations. Thank you Bernie, for changing our lives. God Bless you and your family!

Interesting an informative book regarding as well as brutally honest an courageous regarding Pastor Anderson's addiction to Porn and struggles to maintain his recovery .

The section regarding triggers and high risk situations is an excellent one such as mentioning Computer Sites to avoid.

This book "Breaking the Silence" is well written. Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Thanks Pastor Anderson for your courage on such a sensitive matter that so many Christians need to deal with, and take their head out of the sand.
Thanks!!!!

I was first introduced to Bruce through the Book, "Breaking Through the 4 Barriers to Quality. I found the book to get right to the root of the problems that every business faces. More importantly the book gave detailed solutions as to how to overcome these problems. For over a year now, Mr. Snell has been coaching our company helping to install systems to help us overcome those barriers. I think the 4 Barriers to Quality should be required reading for every business in the Country.

If these companis read Mr. Snell's book we would certainly have a much better enviorment for conducting business.

Jerry Fowler, CRS, Broker, CBR
Jerry Fowler and the Results Team Realtors
Columbia, SC

This books has giving me success and put my buissness on the headline

Bruce snell's book put my buisness way ahead of my competitio

Bruce Snell lays out in a down-to-earth manner why businesses of all sizes struggle with quality production. What's more, he lays out a solution as well. You don't need a college degree in business administration to understand his simple and very appropriate concepts for business today, expmplified by his two rules: 1) Treat everyone as you wish to be treated and 2) Do what is morally and ethically correct. What could be simpler? The company for which I am a Vice-President has implemented Mr. Snell's program to do away with the informal and move to a formalized method of business and have seen large gains in just the first year. ANYONE who wants to improve company productivity at any level should make time to read (and re-read) this book!

I first learned of the author, Nathaniel Lachenmeyer, through his memoir, The Outsider. After visiting his website, I saw that he had written a children's book: Broken Beaks. Being a children's author, I knew I had to read this book. I am so glad I did, this book tells a powerful story through a subtle, yet moving message along with wonderful illustrations. This book should be mandatory reading for all families with young children.

In "Broken Beaks," the author manages to introduce the very difficult issues of mental illness, homelessness and ostracism to children in a way that defies stereotype and provokes awareness. One of many powerful messages delivered through this beautiful allegory is that the unfortunate, the ill, and the disenfranchised among us do not cease to have an inner life when they are stricken, nor do they lose possession of their dignity. Rather than reprimanding society for a lack of insight and sensitivity, Lachenmeyer gently instructs. The bird with the broken beak and the man with the broken life come together, in the absence of assistance and understanding from the more fortunate, and they each recognize the other's dignity. They will take care of each other. And through this portrayal their heroic strength and spirit are revealed. This is the perfect approach for children, who do not want or need to be hit over the head with bumper-sticker messages in order to understand weighty issues. This book provides a greatly needed service to the social and moral education of children. Buy this book. Read it to your kids. Talk to them about it. They will contribute to a more enlightened society.

I have heard people say that no children's book that tries to convey a message is any good. To such readers, any book that exists solely to promote a single idea is then enslaved to that same idea and cannot be read on any other level. For my own part, I've never entirely believed this. After all, where would that put, "William's Doll", by Charlotte Zolotow? Or "Tango Makes Three" by Peter Parnell? Heck, Eve Bunting practically began her career with such stories! Still, I picked up "Broken Beaks" with a fair amount of reluctance. It has some beautiful Robert Ingpen illustrations to its name, certainly. And it speaks about the homeless in a compassionate way that children will be able to understand. But was it...well, good? How often have I found myself in he possession of a children's book that just tries too darn hard? Too often. Fortunately, "Broken Beaks" came off as a lovely surprise. Its tone is just about right and its story well-written. Originally published in Australia, the tale is a simplified idea of why some people do less well than others through no fault of their own.

There was a sparrow. A fast, smart, young sparrow. Each day it would compete with its fellow sparrows for the crumbs and drops of food that would come their way from the humans. One day, however, the sparrow woke with a broken beak. The upper portion of the beak was gone leaving only a jagged stump. This made eating near impossible, as the sparrow couldn't compete with its fellows anymore. As it grew hungry it also grew scraggily and people would ignore it. Other sparrows didn't understand what happened to it and thought that the broken beak might be its own fault. One day, however, a human does share his food with the bird. A scraggily dirty human. And on some level the bird realizes that the man has a broken beak too. Just one that isn't as readily obvious. Together then, bird and man, settle down together in a friendship based in need.

Does that sound preachy? It does, kind of, I know. But you have to understand that as Lachenmeyer is writing this he's done so in a straightforward manner. The plight of the bird and the man is sad, but he's not wringing the material out for tears. Instead he's taken a carefully considered story and lets the facts speak for themselves. There's no magical moment when the bird heals its beak. The man doesn't suddenly shed his mental illness like a second skin and become a new man with the help of his little friend. They don't even speak to one another in the same language. This is a realistic story told with realistic pictures that is infinitely accessible to little ones. Explaining to kids why some people are homeless and getting into the logistics behind mental illness is not a simple matter. Better that you can show one kind of problem (a broken beak) and equate it with something internal that no one can see.

All of this might make for a good story, but hand a book of this nature a poor illustrator and away it goes down the tube. Fortunately, Lachenmeyer has had the great good fortune to have been paired with Australian artist extraordinaire, Robert Ingpen. Ingpen has a style that can be described in one word: classy. Nightmarish at times, yes, but a class act through and through. With this particular book the great man has limited his palette to a world of grays and browns. People and animals are incredibly realistic. Ingpen must've studied sparrows for hours on end just to get their little clawed feet exactly right. As for the beak itself, when it is broke, it's broke. It's almost horrific when you realize what you're seeing. So well done there. Of course, while Ingpen blows one away with his illustrations, he's not exempt from the occasional lapse in judgment. At one point the sparrow begs hungrily behind two teen boys in jeans, sweatshirts, and backpacks. The kids are drinking some pop and are obviously contemporary. Later, however, when the homeless man carries the sparrow through the streets on his finger, the people watching in the background are clearly from another time period. The men and women all wear hats and long overcoats and a boy is seen in shirtsleeves. Perhaps Ingpen is attempting to show these people as they appear to the homeless man in question, but it seems somewhat vague if that's the case.

Still, the book is a good read. It reminded me a little of, "Fly Away Home" by Eve Bunting. Both books deal with homelessness and use sparrows to convey difficult to understand situations. While Bunting's book concentrates more on the difficulties faced by homeless children, however, Lachenmeyer tackles the far more difficult idea of what it means to be mentally ill and homeless. For what it is, the book is worth the read. It's a difficult topic in a difficult time, but for those parents who wish to explain this situation to their kids, it will make for a very useful book.

Nathaniel Lachenmeyer has captured, simple and beautifully, the horror of schizophrenia and homelessness -- without mentioning either directly. This books should be in every library and school, and referred to when any child asks about someone who is homessless, or different. A masterful job of handling a very difficult subject. How lucky the world is that Lachenmeyer is one of us, and can interpret for us.

Visiting the Niles Essanay Silent Film Musem and Edison Theater in Niles, Fremont, CA, one is transformed back in time and this book clearly punctuates that time . Anyone with an interest in the history of movies will love this book. It is one of the most comprehensive ever written on the subject of silent movies. It is easy to see the transition from Vaudeville and Nickelodeon entertainment to motion pictures and how so many tried the new entertainment medium that later became the mega studios we know today.

In 1908, pioneering filmmaker and actor G.M. Anderson had a problem. His studio was based in Chicago, and he needed lots of sunshine to film short films for nickelodeons. Unfortunately, the cold Chicago weather made it difficult to film outside for several months. He packed up his troupe and tried filming in Santa Monica, Lakeside, and San Rafael, California, Morrison, Colorado, El Paso, Texas, and other places. Finally, he found the perfect spot for a new studio to use for westerns -- Niles (now Fremont) California.

There, for about four years, he and his Essanay co-workers cranked out a huge number of films, mostly westerns. They were not high art, but they were very entertaining. Anderson became a big movie star due to his "Broncho Billy" character. He became very rich. He bought a legitimate theater, began promoting boxers, and was running the Niles baseball team. By 1915 he had hired the biggest movie star of them all -- Charlie Chaplin.

Unfortunately, the studio was closed in 1916. Chaplin left for more money at Mutual, so Essanay's cash cow was gone. Anderson seemed bored with the "Broncho Billy" films. He only filmed a handful of films after this. Essanay's management wanted to produce longer films in Chicago, not in California.

This books is worth the price for the many, many beautiful and rare photos of Essanay films and photos of the studio in operation. Author Kiehn has assembled an incredibly detailed filmography of all of Anderson's Essany films, and the Essany films made away from Chicago. There is a comprehensive personnel list of everybody that ever worked for the studio. But Kiehn's exhaustive research and his storytelling ability make this a fascinating book.

This book is a must-read for fans of silent films, Charlie Chaplin fans and western buffs. You will not be disappointed.

This book sets the record straight on all the mis-information and incorrect dates about G. M. Anderson from his date of birth to the end of his career. It is a wonderful read about his three roles in "The Great Train Robbery," to his action filled days in Nile, California, to his last days in the rest home. David Keihn has captured Anderson's movie creativity and presented it all in a month by month, year by year sequence. It is a silent screen history lesson that reads like a book of fiction. The beautiful photographs and complete filmography makes this book a must buy for any fan of Western movies or the silent screen.

This is a well told story of the first movie cowboy hero and about the original development many aspects of how to tell a story with moving pictures. It is a well researched book, but is quite readable. It would be of interest to the casual fan of the movies, not just the serious student silent film. There are many beautifully detailed stills and publicity shots.

"Broncho Billy" Anderson was at one time famous around the world. Now he may be forgotten, but much of the language of the movies that we take for granted was invented by him and by his contemporaries. Broncho Billy was in many ways ahead of his time, understanding right away the value of realism and authenticity and the importance of involving the camera as closely with the action as possible.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of the movies or the West.

One of the best baseball books I ever read and I've read lots. I am looking forward to Rudy's next book.

Beind an avid baseball fan all my life, it gives me great pleasure reading Rudy's book on the Dodgers. It brings one back to the time when baseball was a game played by players--not by millionaires. He captures the essence of the day with very fine detail, almost to the point where one can smell the roasted peanuts and hear the Sym-phony band playing. What's more interesting are the beginnings of the safety standards we commonly see today, ie., batting helmets, padded walls, and we all take for granted. It's sad that players had to get hurt or lose their careers for these changes to get made-thanks to the Dodgers. It's a must read. I must give Rudy 10 stars *********

This has got to be the best baseball book i have ever read...and I'm not even a baseball fan!! The author is precise and meticulous with great writing skills. For all baseball fans (and even those who aren't, the historical facts are fascinating) this is a definate must read.

All baseball fans will love this book. It provides wonderful history and insight to the way baseball was played when the sport was more down to earth and before players made millions per year. I learned so much and was fascinated how these characters changed the course of baseball. If you like baseball, this is a must read.

Chi Chi has such a great sense of humor and loves to bet on golf games. He has a great selection of games people can play while playing golf. I enjoyed the book then gave it to a friend who is in charge of our Ladies Play events. Hopefully she can get some ideas from Chi Chi's games.

Letta Meinen

This is a fun book which will get you to practice golf skills painlessly. It is definitely reminiscent of ChiChi who made golf look like so much fun.
I'd recommend it for almost any level of golfer

Very funny books. Many good games to play on golf course. Strongly recommended for all golfers.

Leave it to Chi Chi to make a great game even more entertaining. Here is a great collection of games for singles, groups, even tournaments to enhance one's outing and even provide competition while on the range.

For instance, there's an outing format called Tombstone where each player is given target score (3/4 handicap) and when that score is reached, stop there and mark it with tee and paper showing he reached that. Player that gets furthest wins.

Or Bucket, a driving range competiton awarding points for accuracy with the longest club.

Great fun stuff with wide variety, and improvement hints throughout by a golfer we all know works hard at his game, but has fun doing it.