Barker Books

I showed this to my small children, older nieces, sister, mother, friends, and grandmother. It appealed to all of them. I bought the deluxe book of flower fairies, the complete flower fairy book and the paper doll book. I needed them for art reference books.

The difference in the first two is:
The deluxe book has a history of the author, her sketches and inspirations, timeline, her prosesses, lots of botanical notes. very collectiors edition, silver leaf and all.

The complete book has fairy's has a 1 page intro of the author then goes straight into images and poems. each has the seasons collections, but the complete has; in addition, the fairies of the garden, trees, wayside and a flower fairy alphabet.

I purchased this book as a Christmas gift for my sister, who loves Barker's illustrations. It arrived even more quickly than scheduled, in great condition.

Cicely Mary Barker's eight little flower fairies books were published between 1923 and 1985 making her a household name, especially in Great Britain. Published at the height of the "fairy-mania" that swept England during the early decades of the 20th century they captured in sweetly beautiful images and verse the wonder that many people felt about these elusive tiny creatures. Cicely Mary Barker (1895-1973) was predominately a self taught artist who during her lifetime suffered from ill-health and physical fragility, thus she escaped into the world of the imagination and make believe. Her unselfconscious, delicate and jewel like watercolors were influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, fellow women illustrator Kate Greenaway (1846-1901) and her love of England's many gardens.

Her inspiration for the flower fairies came from the lush English countryside and observing young children at her local village kindergarten where her sister worked as a teacher. Her fairies are delicately and truthfully observed depictions of these young children in naturalistic poses and postures, standing on or clinging to botanically correct and beautifully rendered flowers. Being no bigger than 20cm tall they live and sleep in their birth flower taking care of their respective tree or plant, as the tree or plant grows so they grow in wisdom and power too. Fairies were most popular in the late Victorian and the Edwardian ages but they continued to hold sway over the imaginations of countless children (primarily girls) up into the early modern era... and beyond.

This enchanting and wondrous volume is a collection of all eight flower fairies books including: flower fairies of the spring, summer, autumn and winter and the flower fairies of the alphabet, trees, garden and wayside. As some of the most timeless depictions of the world of faery Cicely Mary Barker captured the innocence and naivety of childhood in exquisitely rendered illustrations and simple verse. While some may see these fairies as "safe" and "tame" depictions of the primal and elemental forces of nature, in my mind they capture the spirit of a bygone era when peoples mores and values were just plain different to ours, if not in some ways better. As such her little fairies lack the cynicism, artificiality and worldliness of the modern age and will continue to hold sway over the minds of generations of fairy lovers to come and will bring out the child within in anyone willing to let themselves go.

Sixty Five years ago, when I was a little girl, I sat at my fathers feet looking at a book that had marvelous pictures of beautiful fairys, so stunning were their bright colors and silky wings that it completely took my breath away for never could I have pictured anything quite so awsome as these tiny little creatures, that I was sure were hiding beneath the petals of flowers in mothers garden, that I had yet to see. I kept this memory all my life sharing it with my children, when they were little, and now my grandchildren. Imagine my astonishment to once again see these beautiful little people again. Take a trip back to childhood and enjoy this beautiful book, share it with your children but keep it for the child that is you.

Beautiful book - I am painting a mural for my daughter's room and wanted to get all the images possible so I bought all the books by this author thinking I was getting a menagerie. But I wasted $ on shipping both ways when I had to send them back upon seeing the smaller tree, flowers, and seasons books were all put together in one place. Just wanted others to know that this large hardback pretty much has it all.

I just purchased my third copy of this book: read the first one to bits, one of my (normally trustworthy) friends jacked the second and no one will be allowed to touch the third. Take Douglas Adams craziness + Terry Pratchetts upbeat humor and imagination = a refreshingly funny novel where mankind is not perpetually cast as overly violent/barely civilized animals or whiny "get in touch with my feelings" emotional cripples trying to solve the problems of the universe. Pompous or pseudo intellectuals need not bother, you will not get it.

Like I said, Don't be fooled by other reviews on this book. I hate to read since a lot of what I had to read in High School was complete drivel to me and put me off of reading for a long time. Anybody who gave this story a bad review probably loves Henry David Thoreau poems and that was one classic author who needed to be put out of his misery before he published his acclaimed TRASH!
Phil Phoglio is more of an illustrator but also wrote in his own fair right {Myth Adventures, VERY HIGHLY RECCOMMENDED BY ME AT LEAST} but this was a cooperative effort and it paid off. This was one of the few books that I read cover to cover non-stop. Just when you thought you were going to predict what was to come the autors threw something new into the mix catching the reader by surprise. The remarks of the humor being sexist by other reviewers shows the poor level of their understanding of the 'human condition' or cultural behavior. We are all sexist pigs at heart and the idea of a New York street gang taking control of a powerful star ship and being faked out by special forces soldiers described as goergous women in bakinis delivering a huge stack of pizzas fit well. What the hell does one think a bunch of adolesent punks would want when in control of a star ship? Money, Cars, and beautiful women (none of which they could afford or get since they were adolescent punks in New York city). If you want sexist try "Star Trek the next Generation" (granted not a book but a fine example of my point). Captian Picard is a diplomacy spouting liberal sissy boy too afraid to get any woman who threw herself at him in bed blowing around in a galaxy where all the aliens have nothing more than a pat of latex on their foreheads while the second in command Will Riker was falling in love with every new alien they came across in every episode. It was nothing but the Love Boat with Photon Torpedos. Next Gen had more sex (and inter species sex) in it than all of the seasons of the Love Boat put together. At least with Babylon 5 the idea of inter species sex was covered very well. Many times there were compatability issues preventing it from happeneing and other times the non-humans being proposed didn't take it well. It would be like getting busy with a dog to them. To call Illegal Aliens sexist is short sighted. Needless to say I lost all respect with Star trek thanks to Next Gen. Illegal Aliens was refreshment for the mind in a world of mediocer sci-fi. I thought the real good sci-fi died in the mid sixties and yes I read A LOT of paperback sci-fi from the fifties and sixties. Issac Asimov was a brilliant author in his day as was Authur C. Clark so I do feel qualified to rate the quality of this story. Titles like Analog and Sci-Fi weekly should come to mind with any avid Sci-Fi reader and I liked a lot of what they contained. Red Sands of Mars was around long before the movie (which stunk) Red Planet came out. I could go on with the titles of sci-fi books I read in the past but I am addressing Illegal Aliens which was the most unique sci-fi written in recent history. it does not beat an old idea into the ground.
This story was well laid out and flowed evenly with surprise after surprise and many of the aliens were nothing like what any sci-fi autor would describe like the R'porrians. R'porrains are cockroaches with a penchant for destroying other planets' economies and stripping them of all their resources and they are so prolific they were blockaded on their homeworld by the galactic federation. Another oddity was Silverside, an intellagent Death Machine with free will who became a crime lord. What was even funnier was how frustrated the Gee (the galactic police force) got while trying to catch up with "the All That Glitters" {the stolen space ship that landed in Central Park in the beginning of the book} while it was crewed by humans trying to make it to the headquarters of the Galactic Federation.
If anything this is one book that dearly needs to be made into a movie or an animation. This is not Star Trek at all and does not take any political stance one way or the other. This is not what I would consider intellectual reading and if that is what you seek GO ELSEWHERE AND QUIT WHINING ABOUT THIS BOOK'S LACK OF WHATEVER! It was written to entertain and not in the mindless way that many other books were written. It does not cater to the least common denomonator and does not barrage you with so much technical information that it leaves many readers confused. The most technical thing said in the book was a comment the ship's engineer Trell {captured by special forces when the ship was captured from the street gang who controlled it. The original crew hated him so much he was kept locked up in the engine room because he was a pacifist and the original crew would have spaced him if they didn't need him so badly. Trell actually is an intellagent plant. Go figure.}. Trell turned out to be more than willing to tell us about the ship he manned and described the ship's need to be white as "serious mojo that made the ship go really fast" since the explanation was too complicated for us to understand. The story manages to simplify stuff that gives physics majors a bad headace and helps make the story readable.
This is one story that will not leave you behind nor is it mindless. It was written with heart and deserves to be read. The only thing this story lacks is being a more visual experience where many reviewers who had to complain might finally understand. If you need an epic go read "war and peace" and quit complaining. This is no classic like the "Illiad and the Odessy" or "MacBeth" but what the hey, This is not placed in the past or writen in the past and is not intended for scientific reading or gripping social commentery. it is a funny story and nothing else. It was not intended to be openly sarchastic about any one thing in particular. It lacks the dry sacastic tones of Monty Python but it does posses a more subtle hint of it. It is not a social commentary ever so popular to the liberal crowd. It does say some mild things about our society but not enough to detract from the main plot of the story which was us seeking admittance into the Galactic Federation once we found out about its exsistance in a stolen space ship.
Come into this book with an open mind and don't look for this to be a serious read. Nick Pollatta did a great job writing this story and as long as you are not reading this as an intellectual (the bane of entertainment) you will be pleased. You also will be wondering why nobody put this to film yet!

OK. I gave it 5 stars because I didn't want to ruin its rating, when it is evidently so beloved by every other reviewer. It was really only worth 1 or 2 stars. I read this because of its high rating,but didn't find it the equal of, say, just about any other science fiction book. Having said that -- I did get a real laugh out of the first few chapters. The street gang vs the aliens was definitely amusing. But once that was done....
I do think the authors are good at describing people. This would probably make a good "made for TV movie." And it did leave me with a certain good will towards the writers. But that is really all. Can't recommend it.

This novel was more fun than I anticipated. Aliens land in New York and the UN first contact team takes over the world to deal with them. This is almost 2 books. The first half deals with the first aliens who land on earth and the second half what earth does in retaliaton to what they find out about people-out-there.

This book sends up tonnes of standard SF stories and is fully tounge-in-cheek. It has a cast of eccentric characters and aliens who really aren't any better or worse than humanity itself.

For a fun satire on the whole SF genre this book is a good read (as long as you aren't expecting anything too sophisticated..)

So nice to see this puppy back in print! all you folks selling it for 80.00+ go soak your dirty heads! One of the great stories from TSR's heyday. I read this sucker the first time while a senior in high school way back in 89 and it still makes me bust a gut! Fun,wacky and a great read!update 2/18/06 I guess I should add this book is extremely sarcastic,sophmoric and juvenile(it was intended for teens after all)I do think the way it portrays humankind as self absorbed and unable to accept defeat is right on(its at once a strength and a weakness). I guess if you were teenager reading it for the first time never having lived during the cold war you might rate 2-3 stars

This is a must have referance/gangster/outlaw book. If this subject or even this era of history intrests you at all this book is a goldmine.

If there's a bible to crime, this is it. There are hundreds of books out there that deal with Depression Era crime. You can buy them all and plow through them for information, but seldom know how accurate that information is. On the other hand, you can get this one volume and have it all at your fingertips. Researched in detail and written with a light finger, this well-laid out book is easy to read. You get the dates, times, details, photos and personnel that made America's Golden Age of Crime what it was. Get it; read it; refer to it. It's a winner on all levels.

Not much can be added to previous reviews. This updated edition has given my earlier dog-eared copy a rest. For anyone who does any kind of Prohibition era crime research, this book is a must have by two of the masters in this field. The most complete compendium of crime information from that period available today. Whether you research or just enjoy reading about crime, this book is tops.

For those of us interested in true-crime, particularly the Roaring Twenties and the Depression era, this is THE reference book. This hugely informative and significantly expanded version of the earlier Public Enemies Almanac by Helmer and Mattix has photos, timelines, biographies and lists galore. Not a book that is intended to be read cover-to-cover, this is a crime browser's dream. The bibliography, which is fully annotated,is worth the price.
Writer, researcher, crime aficionado, or whatever, this book should be at the top of your list.

Respected authors William Helmer and Rick Mattix have provided us with a reference book of nearly 900 pages relating to "the gangster and outlaw era: 1920--1940." The book is divided into seven sections dealing with all facets of crime during this turbulent era. Parts of this book can be read like any other book while criminal incidents from various years are listed chronologically. I feel this part of the book can be best used as a reference. The book contains numerous photos, several of which I have never seen before. The big shots of both Chicago and New York are all here as are the depression-era desperadoes. Depending on your interest level you may feel you are being told more than you care to know. However, as I said, much of this book can be used as a useful reference book to your crime library. If you do have such a library this book would be a worthy addition. Co-author Rick Mattix has reviewed numerous crime books on Amazon, and his opinion carries considerable weight with me in whether or not I decide to purchase a book.

Belle Poitrine... literally the beautiful bust, but in reality the big bust. The biggest bust of all time.

Is it tongue in cheek? Did it happen?? Did it happen just that way?? Or has time, booze and a "happy outlook" altered the history of the most ridiculous success story ever told? I'll never tell, but intent historian that I am, I constantly read and reread this irreverant tale of trickery, chicanery and outright unapologetic greed. And I mean that in the best possible way!!!!

Humble beginnings, fortuitous marriage after marriage, brides in black and a crackjack whip smart brain that thank goodness was used for the good of mankind. Belle tells you girls how to spin assets into stocks, bonds and real estate. The Suze Orman of her time. It's a bit of The Women, a smidge of Auntie Mame, a heaping dose of Lorelei Lee without the heart of gold all undressed with pictures to chronicle the life and times of the greatest legend in her own mind. Lemonade without sugar!!!!

Keep it by your bed. It's my favorite bedtime story. Pull it out time after time and open it anywhere once you've read it through. The sheer ridiculousness of it all makes it one of the best reads as told by one of our best creators of giggles, belly laughs and overt hyucks and guffaws. Mame Dennis without proper restraint(s).

I discovered this book after the Auntie Mame duo and I couldn't stop laughing. It was an excellent combination of pseudo-memoir and wacky photographs that fit and enhanced the tale of Belle Poitrine (look up the French) perfectly. Her rise and decline was so familiar based on the autobioraphies of that time but with much more absurdity and hilarity. It seemed pretty outré even given the greater censorship strictures of that day.
A wonderful read.

When it comes to the "classics" of gay/camp literature, I always seem to find myself behind the curve. My friends can praise and recommend a camp classic year after year and I just can't muster enough enthusiasm to read it. In fact, it wasn't until the early 1990s that I finally read the entire TALES OF THE CITY oeuvre - blasphemy in gay circles, and considerably beyond the heyday of 28 Barbary Lane. I guess I just need to come to the gay classics in my own time and can't be lead to them by other people's tributes, no matter how emphatic. Anyway, it was just yesterday that I finally read LITTLE ME by Patrick Dennis (circa 1961- making the book only slightly older than me): this, despite the fact that this novel was re-released and embraced by a third generation of gay men as recently as 1989. And I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it, laughing out loud on nearly every page - all the while asking myself why I didn't read this one sooner. Maybe then I could have appreciated and participated in some of the jokes and one-liners that were all the rage among my circle of friends back in the late 80s and early 90s. This is my punishment, I guess, for always feeling like I have to boycott the latest gay trend. On the bright side, reading LITTLE ME now has given me an opportunity to remember my old friends from that bitter-sweet period in gay history - many of whom are no longer with us. And finally, I can laugh along with them, even if only in spirit. For others out there like me who have not yet picked up a copy of LITTLE ME ... if you don't want to read it for yourself, read this one for your friends! And for the newest generation of gay/camp devotees, read this one together with YOUR circle of friends ... you'll be glad you did.

So Campy, so Fabulous, so hilarious. Could also be titled "memoirs of a woman who wanted to be a drag queen".
I had seen the stage play of the same name and laughed to the point of near incontinence. The book brings all of the memories back into the present state of mind. Thankyou so much for the pictures too.

My God - I don't even know where to begin on how great this book is - pure hilarity from start to finish. If you are familiar with the work of Patrick Dennis, than you're in for a real treat. If his writings are new to you, well, you're in for a crash course.

Written with perfect, tongue-in-cheek camp humor, the autobiography of Belle Poitrine is the perfect send-up of the best Hollywood autobiographies - hysterically self-absorbed, condescending and - best of all - full of absolutely hysterical photographs by the great Cris Alexander. Belle's rise to fame from her childhood black sheep status, mid-life trials and tribulations, countless marriages (most often ending in widowhood) and more are all represented - once you're under the spell of her life story, the book is impossible to put down. And, please, do not rush to find out the ending - it's utterly priceless, and worth the wait, but to get the full, hilarious effect, you have to read everything leading up to it.

Read at your own risk - if you do, you'll surely be telling everyone you know about it - the humor is most contagious, and you'll be compelled to share. Enjoy!!!

The notes of the NIV Study Bible are helpful for average Bible readers. The maps and time lines are also very helpful.

The NIV is one of a number of "dynamic equivalent" translations of the Holy Scriptures. There is no perfect translation, since translation is inherently interpretation, but the NIV does a pretty good job of bringing the Scriptures, originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek, to modern English. I prefer the NRSV for more serious study, but the NIV is a great devotional Bible.

The King James Bible was the best in its day. In today's world, it is NOT closer to the original Scriptures as some think, but as its translators say in the forward, it is a revision of a revision and was meant to be improved upon as the English language evolved. That is what translations like the NIV and the NRSV attempt to accomplish. We have uncovered better Greek manuscripts now and understand the language better.

As a former publisher of Christian material, a comprehensive study Bible was essential to my profession. Although I have several Bibles, this one with the large print is definitely one of my favorites.

I was very excited about buying the so-much-heard NIV bible. After all, it was a lutheran priest who recommended me this book. My first impression about the NIV bible was that it has plenty of archeological and historical information that, for sure, will support you in giving you a strong background in history that you can use to re-create in your mind the kindoms and kings from the the bible.

This is the only good point. From the 20,000 comments, 90% are worthless since they seem to repeat the same verse with different words. Moreover, by giving so much unnecesary information in the comments, one ends up by spending more time in reading those comments that reading the bible itself!!

But this is not the main reason why I rate this book with only 2 stars. The most important fact is that the verses style these NIV guys created are so devily modified from the sacred scriptures, so cold, so lack of heart and so "mathematical", that your feelings for the bible you are in danger to loose.

Just go to internet, find a web where NIV and James King verses are compared, and you will understand why I not only describe this book as bad but as ... too.

This is easy to read and the words of Jesus are in red. I highly recommend it.

I have used many different translations over the year. Most are pretty good, some are excellent. The NIV, in my opinion, is the best combination of accuracy and readability currently available. The Study Notes, maps, etc., are very useful.

NIV Large Print Reference BibleRecieved this book in perfect condition much sooner than expected. More than satisfied with transaction Thank you AMAZON.COM.

I finally found a study Bible that has helped me so much in reading the Bible. I loved it so much i have sent out 3 books to family. Now we have an online Bible study group. I would Highly recommend this Bible to everyone.

I purchased A Niv Study Bible in Large Print, it came pretty fast. I liked the product so much, I purchased a second one as a gift.
Thank you

If anyone is serious about Bible study, get this Bible. I was worried because I anticipated a very large and unmanageable bible. It turns out, that the size is actually smaller than other full-size bibles. It is thick, but one gladly lives with that minor inconvenience in exchange for the wealth of information. If any of you out there is bilingual, I'd suggest the "Vida Plena" NIV Spanish Study Bible (also by Zondervan, unfortunately, this one has a very small print). One study Bible complements the other, for "Vida Plena" has around 80 articles that are priceless!, but its concordance is actually a reference in alphabetical order by theme/word, while the English version has a reference and a concordance by theme/word but no articles: the informaation contained in those articles has been spread out throughout the notes and sometimes you are referred from one "note" to another "note". I have two other English versions so called "study bibles"... They cannot compare to this one. I absolutely love it, and if I could, I'd give it a 10 stars rating.

I love this Bible! I have a number of other Bibles that are very nice, but this one is fast becoming my favorite. I enjoy have the wealth of study aids at my disposal and how they make the Bible come alive. Best of the Best!

by far the best book for new mothers, and if you received it as a new mother, you know it's essential for the next time, and the next time... I doubt there is a question a mother couldn't find an answer to here. Perfect gift for a baby shower. Should be compulsory for new mums.

This book was given to me by an Australian friend. I own a couple of baby books as I am a first time mom without any support group. (just moved abroad before the baby came). My little one is now 10 months old and I have to say this book answered all the little questions I had. It gives many options for different problems, like feeding or sleeping, yet it does not preach or impose anything on you like so many books that make you feel like the worst mom on earth. That common sense approach is what I like about this book. Every mother/child is different and there is no universal solution. If you follow the recommendations in Baby Love you will feel save and provide well for your baby.
The book gives lots of information on different age groups, like newborn, 3-6months, 6-9months and 9-12months. It addresses changes that happen during that time in behavior, motor skills, feeding and sleeping. It reassures you with smaller medical problems and tells you when it's better to call the ped.
Over all I love this book and I will buy the toddler-version too.

I bought this book based on some of Robin Barker's mini-guides sent to me by my sister-in-law in Australia when I had my first child. They were so useful and down to earth that when I had my second child recently, I ordered this book, having ditched all my others in disgust! Apart from the excellent advice, the great thing about her is that she refuses to take a dogmatic stance (neither overly rigid or overly liberal) or judge parents for what they need to do to get by. At the same time, she offers practical advice and options for different approaches to try. She isn't mealy-mouthed and doesn't contradict herself or leave you with the impression you're going to unalterably hurt your child by taking a different path (unlike What to Expect). Having had a baby who cried a lot, she talks to you directly about this and helps you deal with the emotions well. Get this book - throw out the rest!!!

New to babies? Afraid of babies? They are more durable than you think. This Aussie author knows of what she speaks. A 'baby nurse' and mother, pragmatic world traveler and military wife, Robyn Barker gives plain spoken advice to parents new, young or old.

This book was literally a life saver (mine!) As a new mum, every question or worry I had, but was too embarassed to ask, was answered in Robin's book. The easy index at the back made it such a handy reference. Filled with common sense answers and advice, it helped me be a more confident mum. A must have for new mothers!

The book is all pop-ups that show how the fairies live and hide. My ten year old received this book for her birthday and it's the one gift she didn't want to put down to open up more presents.

I love pop-up books and have been a long-time Robert Sabuda fan. Well, after buying a couple of Cicely Mary Barker's fairy books, I think they are quite wonderful in their own right. In "How To Find Fairies", we have a beautiful pop-up book that allows us an 'intimate' look at fairies and their habitats. As the great video review posted by another reviewer shows, there are altogether 5 big spreads that show us the different habitats of fairies, such as the tree top fairies that are concealed amongst leaves, the forest floor fairies that hide in the hollow of old tree stumps, fairies that make their home in the garden hiding amongst colorful flowers,fairies that conceal themselves amongst the brush by the wayside, and finally fairies that live in the marshlands which also happen to be the abode of the royal couple, Kingcup and Queen of the Meadow.

The video review posted by another reviewer has illustrated the beauty of this book, but the beauty is not just visual. The text enhances the visuals as it gives basic yet useful information about fairies and their habitats. And of course, the last page contains a delightful surprise! Highly recommended for fairy lovers and pop-up enthusiasts of all ages!

This is a beautiful, but somewhat fragile1book -- probably more satisfying for girls than boys. Make sure thr recipient is old enough to handle it without tearing it.

This really is a fantastic book. What beautiful pictures and illustations. My daughter loved it.

How to Find Flower Fairies

This book is wonderful. It is beautifully done. Not just for children. Adults enjoy this book, as well. I have sent it to my grandchildren, and their parents are enchanted with the book, too. I highly recommend this book for all ages.

I bought these books for my granddaughters and we have enjoyed them together. It's a wonderful way to encourage young artists to expand their talent. My daughter is a teacher and is excited to use them also.

These books are incredibly helpful for teaching art, and for a supplement to science and history. We use something else for handwriting but no matter - they are a huge asset even if you just use them for learning to draw. I highly recommend splurging and buying the whole set at once as it makes the cost of the books only $7.50 each (at $60 for a set of 8) and then you have a wide variety of subject matter handy when you need it. I must say that for whatever reason though, this item took forever to get to me. I love Amazon and had never, and have never again experienced such a long delay, but of couse it was well worth the wait!

We love these books. We home-school and have been using these books since the beginning of the school year. My two boys are older, 3rd and 5th grade, but we still use this to practice cursive writing and to work on basic drawing skills. It has really helped the boys to break down their drawing subjects in simple shapes. The kids really like the animals in the last few books. We would recommend these for any family.

This book set is engaging and fun for children. The books show pictures that were drawn by other children. Each lesson has an object or scene for drawing and writing. The lesson includes a picture which has about six to eight consecutive and detailed steps to help the child complete the picture. The child is encouraged to look at the whole picture and then focus on the simple and common shapes that are arranged together to complete the picture. There are teaching tips that are easy to implement. The writing portion of the book is suitable for younger, early elementary aged children, however the drawing portion of the book is suitable for older children as well as younger. It is easy to adapt the writing portion to meet the needs of the older child.

This is a well-rounded approach to developing fine motor skills and an inspirational resource for learning how to draw better. The only critical remark I have is that IMO it would have been better to have the handwriting samples in slanted 'modern' manuscript (a.k.a. d'nealian), rather than the standard manuscript. Graded levels of difficulty in handwriting copy work would also help. As it is, it seems that the drawings are relatively more complicated than the writing.

If you haven't read Regeneration, you are making a big mistake if you read The Eye in the Door before Regeneration. Regeneration sets the stage for The Eye in the Door and provides much background information that you need to appreciate this book.

Those who liked the first book in the Regeneration trilogy, Regeneration, will absolutely adore The Eye in the Door. The characters from Regeneration return, and you have a chance to find out the consequences of the treatments they received from Dr. William Rivers in Regeneration. Pat Barker builds on the tensions, damage, doubts, and despair of mid-World War I to show how much more desperate matters were for the British by the spring of 1918.

In developing these themes, Pat Barker does a masterful job of explaining how a soldier has to operate both by emotion and by objective distance in order to function. From there, she helps us use the crucible of war to see how that duality is important to everyday functioning for all people.

As the title indicates, the book builds on a central metaphor of everyone being under observation as doubts build about Britain's ability to win the war. Those on the margins are most under pressure and at greatest risk.

I thought that the portrayal of Lieutenant Billy Prior was brilliant. He comes across as the kind of complex, interesting character that can help us learn a lot about Ms. Barker's messages for us. The eye metaphor is nicely developed in the context of Billy's life.

Brava, Ms. Barker!

THE EYE IN THE DOOR is the second installment in Pat Barker's marvelous Regeneration trilogy. In this volume the principle characters of Dr. Rivers and Prior have left Criaglockhart War Hospital and are now living in London. Although Dr. Rivers has taken a new position treating shell-shock soldiers who have returned from the front in France, he continues to keep in touch and treat his former patients from Criaglockhart, especially Prior. Amidst the bombing and blackouts of wartime London, Prior continues to suffer from war neurosis as he embarks on solving a mystery that involves his childhood friends and acquaintances. He is confronted by England's societal fixation with fear and scapegoating of those who are believed to deter from the war effort (mainly war deserters and homosexuals). Individuals are often forced to hide their true attributes from society during this time of societal finger pointing and blaming. As in the previous volume of this trilogy, the characters of Prior and Dr. Rivers are well developed and nuanced. I continually enjoy reading about their trials and tribulations, and look forward to reading the third and final volume in this trilogy.

THE EYE IN THE DOOR (spoilers)

Ms Barker's epigraph, a quote from Stevenson, sets the tone: "It was on the moral side, and in my own person, that I learned to recognize the thorough and primitive duality of man. I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both."

I am hampered in critiquing the trilogy, since I've read only the first two works, REGENERATION and THE EYE IN THE DOOR. The first of these concentrates on the relation between the enlightened, humane Dr Rivers and the war hero/war protester Siegfried Sassoon, who has been labeled a war neurotic ("shell-shocked") in order to avoid confronting his rational case against the war. Both Rivers and Sassoon are historical characters who the author effectively fictionalizes (their dialogues, etc).

The second novel focuses on the relation between Rivers and Billy Prior, a relatively minor character in the first. The book is set on a wider stage than REGENERATION, which was confined to the (real) mental hospital of Craiglockhart in Scotland. Here we are in London, during the crisis produced by the initial success of the Germans' spring offensive in 1918. As happens during defeats, the search is on for scapegoats seen as undermining the war effort, groups like pacifists and ... who are seen as destroying the nation's "moral fiber." Ludicrously, the leading anti-... crusader, lays the blame on the Germans, who are said to have sent homosexual agents over before the war to corrupt English youth.

Billy Prior, on medical leave from the front, works for a counter-intelligence agency, but his loyalties are divided, since his earliest friends are pacifists and "conchies" (conscientious objectors). The result of these divided loyalties is a split consciousness, where the fugue state ("Hyde") takes over at times, doing things that the "daytime" Billy is not aware of, but whose consequences nevertheless he must face. It is this split consciousness that Rivers must deal with-and on one occasion, he deals directly with "Hyde," who speaks of Billy in the third person.

At the crisis of the novel, Billy's alter ego betrays his closest friend, something that the daytime Billy at first denies doing, but which he finally comes to suspect he has actually done. Rivers treats the psychological phenomenon by making Billy see that it is basically Oedipal, that he actually wished to kill his father, who had, in Billy's sight and hearing, beat and abused his mother. One manifestation of this hatred is "Hyde's": punching the agent provocateur Spragge, who looks like Billy's father. To complicate the issue, his father is a socialist/pacifist, a fact which may contribute to Billy's ambivalent attitude to his pacifist friends, one of whom he helps, as he betrays the other.

Sassoon make another appearance here, having gone back to France (partly at Rivers' suggestion), and once again been wounded (by friendly fire). But Sassoon's appearance doesn't seem to contribute to the plot of this novel, tho it may have a role to play in the trilogy as a whole. (Maybe his divided consciousness is relevant, since he was very effective at killing Germans, but at home becomes a "dove") Another seemingly extraneous thread is Manning, one of Billy's sex partners.

But basically a rich novel, recalling a key point in Western history. In many ways, WWI was more traumatic than WWII, since it occurred after almost a century or relative peace in Europe. And, as Barker makes clear, WWI was harder on soldiers than was WWII.

Trivia: Why were French troops show on the covers of the paper editions of the first two novels? They play no role in the novels themselves (tho they played the major role on the Western Front).

People existing against a war background-normal people doing normal things whilst shouldering the burden of their experiences, their fears and societies norms and expectations.

A lovely book that always has the lightest of touches in the darkest of moments. Nothing is simple and nothing is complicated, but everything is ambiguous and dwarfed by "the front" and what is expected.

The writing is always simple, but the ideas, concepts and dilemmas dealt with are complex and impossible to resolve. Class and duty are themes; the most interesting theme in my opinion is that of being a pacifist, a father figure to your men and a violent war hero simultaneously. (By the nature of things, war heroes are violent.)

My one regret is that I have only just realised that this book is part of a trilogy and that I have read it out of sequence... although on the positive side it means I have two more books to explore. I would strongly recommend this book; I have just gone and bought one of Sassoon's books as a direct result of it awakening school hood poems by him and Wilfred Owens.

After reading "Regeneration", the second novel of the trilogy "Eye in the Door" expands in terms of characterization and plot complexity. Whereas Regeneration is superb in its exploration of the consciousness of Siegfreid Sassoon and his psychiatrist, Dr. River; Eye in the Door expands the character of Billy Prior to become one of the most psychologically well developed and complex characters in English fiction.

Billy Prior , a bisexual, has both male and female lovers in this novel. These relationships are embedded in the homophobic atmosphere of war torn London. Prior, suffering from "shell shock" struggles with his identify of war hero and pacifism. He struggles with childhood trauma in a society where repressesions are let lose in a war charged atmospher.

The book is beautifully written. Whereas Regeneration explores Sassoon's struggles to brng meaning into a meaningless situation, Eye in the Door explores more of the societal struggles with the war and individual reactions to the pressures of a war time society.

I loved this book and would give it 10 stars if I could.