Bates Books

Picked this up for an extended Northern California hiking and riding trip. I purchased about four others as well and I used all of them as each has a little something different. Not a single one was useless and none warranted less than 4 stars. I would reccomend doing the same rather than just picking one for your trip.

Pros - 1. This book is a very easy read. 2. Lots of very good information that you wouldn't find any place else. 3. The book is always prominently at the different Mammoth sport goods stores so its clearly popular.

Comments - 1. I really disagreed with one of her recommendations. But that is completely understandable. 2. There seems to be a little problem in mammoth with food being completely cooked at their restaurants. My wife got food poisoned at one place and my kids weren't feeling real good. The next day I talked with a "local business manager" who said she doesn't recommend restaurants in mammoth for this reason. The bottom line is to make sure your food is completely cooked and if it isn't send it back ! There are just too many fun things to do in mammoth instead of being sick.

What a great book! Thanks to the author's casual style and comprehensive knowledge, reading MAMMOTH FROM THE INSIDE is like getting "insider" postcards from a good buddy. A must-have book for outdoor enthusiasts.

As an avid skier and hiker I have found Mammoth from the Inside to be a goldmine of information. I keep it in my Jeep so I can find those great, really special, out-of-the-way Mammoth places Dunn Bates has discovered.

Very well written and concise guidebook on Mammoth Lakes and the surrounding area and region. We enjoyed Ms. Dunn-Bates light sense of humor, which made for easy and understandable reading. My wife and I have been residents of Mammoth Lakes for over 20 years, making the trek to L.A. and back many times, and Ms. Dunn-Bates wrote about stops and sights along 395 that we now must make time for! Good job!

Love for Lydia is set in the small-town English countryside. It's exactly as where the author, H. E. Bates lived. Bates was a prolific (100+) author and this is one of his best received tales. Others include, "The Darling Buds of May" and "My Uncle Silas". To emphasize the importance of these three books; all were made into television series and are available on DVD yet today.

TRUTH ABOUT LOVE FOR LYDIA:
The book is about a teenage girl coming of age and learning of love.

It is not a SEX, SEX, SEX book.

The book follows the life of fictional Richardson (the "I" in the story) and his own search for what love is or means.

The book is not pornographic, unless you consider the one-time mention of dancing in a brassier, or the noticing a breast in the hospital, or the intimations of having made love without spelling out the act. This story is of looking for love, not acting it out.

Truth is, there is abundant kissing. STEAMY?

Alex, Blackie, Tom, as well as Richardson fall in love with Lydia--who can help it?, she's beautiful, fun, and charming. But she started out shy and withdrawn. Skating and dancing breaks down the shyness and life becomes a whirlwind of joyous activity--to excess--even to a life-threatening binge. Loves die and others grow. Who will win Lydia's love, once she discovers what it is for herself? That's what makes the book worth the read. That's what made it into a television series.

The revealing of love's journey in this story is what makes it a reprint decades after the author's 1974 death. The story is timeless, and the location seems sometimes to be describing an American location, instead of the true English scene.

Don't buy this if you are looking for a cheap, hot, romance novel. This is a classic romance. Bates takes young love and passes it through years of exposure. As Lydia asked herself, "Will you love me, even if I'm bad to you?"

OK, so I'm a guy. Ladies, you'll love this book for some of your own reasons, like fantastic descriptions of clothing and settings. Flirtatious dialogue. Romantic male actions (flowers and such). It's so honest and true-to-life, perhaps that's what makes it a can't-put-it-down book.

Love depicted between Lydia and her male associates is nearly as PG-rated as that found involving Mr. Aartemann, in "Mr. Aartemann's Crayon."

Lydia is a symbol of the Twenties -- a time when young women were learning to be more direct and uninhibited by morality. As a rather shy girl who inherits a great deal of money at a young age, Lydia is surrounded by young men anxious to please. But instead of settling on just one, Lydia soon finds that she can enjoy two or three young men buzzing around her as long as she likes. She plays them against each other and allows each one to think that only he has won her heart. But all the while, her own lifestyle is growing ever more reckless and self destructive.

The sex scenes in this book are very steamy. Deep down Lydia is the type of girl who really just can't get enough. But she's also very good at pretending to be cold and haughty when dealing with her gentleman friends. When dealing with the well to do lads who offer marriage, she can be quite stiff, yet the secret flings she has with local working lads are very sexy and raw.

The narrator of this book is honest and true. He is the only young man in the village who sees Lydia for what she is. The sad thing is, he can't help loving her. But finally he walks away. When that happens, Lydia becomes truly heartbroken. There are more parties, and more wild affairs, and of course there is more drinking. Lydia smokes and drinks and is the very picture of the glamorous young, always having fun and being quite scandalous.

Yet all the time, there is a hollowness in her life she can't understand. The last chapters of the book show Lydia really reaching a decision to reach out honestly to the man she loves. Of course you don't see that right away. At first she just feels blue without knowing why. It's so touching the way she has one jazz record that reminds her of that honest young love, and she plays that record only when alone in her room. You see her lying around after a late night, resting in her room and listening to the music, and thinking. Is this all she wants from life? Gradually she drops off to sleep on the bed, and the faces of all the young men she's kissed come back to her. But when she falls asleep she pictures herself with that special young man, not dancing to hot jazz or making out in a car, but the time he taught her how to ice skate on the frozen river.

Lydia knows what she has to do. But does she succeed? LOVE FOR LYDIA is a sexy book with some really romantic moments.

Donna Lewis' song I love You Always Forever was inspired by this book. It is the best song!!!! The book is very good....I just want to say you should read this!!!!!1

This book has one of the most accurate descriptions of wintertime that I have ever read. It's a beautiful book that should not be read quickly-- one should savor it rather, because every sentence is so elegantly crafted that you practically want to memorize it. It's one of the few books I always have with me.

HE Bates is one of the most under-rated authors of the Century and this book is his masterpiece. It is the story of the love of a young man for the beautiful Lydia, and how their love has painful and tragic consequences for them both and their friends. It is a story of warmth, love lost and love found, of growing up, of rejection and hope. HE Bates had a profound love for the countryside and it shines through in the detail of his narrative. A few books teach you more and more each time you read them: this is one of them.

This books is more easier to understand then the other book by Thomas Quackenbush. This book is more practical in that it explains the principles of better eyesight and how to improve on it. The Relearning to See book is great but it's more of a scientific academic fact kind of book. This book is more motivating as it gives case studies and proof that the method works. You can't get this priceless information anywhere else. It is my opinion that this book is the best book out there on natural improvements of eyesight. If you have only one book to choose for eyesight. Get this one. It's a legend in it's own right.

This book is an important addition to Better Eyesight Without Glasses and Relearning to See.

In his introduction the author refers to the contents of the Better Eyesight magazines as a treasure chest. Actually this compilation is priceless! It is chock-full of absorbing information ---articles by Dr. Bates, case studies and many testimonials from people of all ages and all walks of life --- covering supposedly irreversible conditions such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, cataracts, glaucoma and many more. If you are not amazed by what you read in at least one case history, then you'd better have someone check you for a pulse. The book also confirms that Dr. Bates' teachings had nothing to do with eye aerobics and everything to do with relearning how to RELAX the mind and the eyes for better vision and improved overall health.

Even though I'm not a novice at natural vision improvement (see Relearning to See review), this book has greatly inspired me. The moment I began reading Better Eyesight, it was like stepping back in time to get personal advice from Dr. Bates in his clinic. It was also uncanny to read many unique observations so similar to my eye re-education experiences. I'm on the homeward stretch of my 20/20 goal (or keener!) and Better Eyesight has bolstered my motivation. It's helped remind me to quickly recognize and correct myself when I lapse into poor vision habits and my progress has surged.

Dr. Bates humbly stated that he had no external cure to improve eyesight. It was nature's way of healing and he cited cases where people improved their vision with no knowledge of his teachings. (I know of two adults who hated their prescribed glasses as kids, quit wearing them, and their sight returned to normal.) However Dr. Bates found that most people, especially those who'd worn lenses for any length of time, needed to relearn the relaxed use of their eyes to have any chance of reversing locked-in strain and blur.

Dr. Bates appeared to have high scientific principles, yet knew the limitations of science and the dangers of submissive adherence to authoritative dogma. He once believed the orthodox teachings and it took him many years to reconcile their errors to his satisfaction. His findings were well documented and published in the medical journals and scientific literature of the day and apparently went unchallenged. Instead Dr. Bates was ostracized and ridiculed in such a bigoted and arrogant manner. He seemed to take it all in stride with a sense of humor by interspersing his wit in many articles squarely aimed at the nay-sayers.

Better Eyesight also gives glimpses of Dr. Bates beyond the eye clinic. His ethics, values and philosophy towards industrialization, mass-education and modern medicine closely parallel views of more contemporary social critics such as author Ivan Illich. In Limits to Medicine --- Medical Nemesis, Illich provides a definition from a medical dictionary of iatrogenic conditions or disorders. In essence, they are those caused by medical intervention. Progressive myopia has to be the granddaddy of all iatrogenic disorders, mainly due to the prescribing of full-power compensating lenses, and not the genetic disorder falsely invented.

Another interesting facet of Dr. Bates was his discovery of adrenaline, now a household word when we hear overpaid professional athletes on TV talk about their adrenaline rush. Yet sadly the benevolent work of improving vision naturally for which Dr. Bates dedicated his life is so little known and has been so grossly maligned. Thankfully his teaching methods and writings were preserved and have been edited and annotated by the author in this legacy. Hopefully it will help set the record straight and give Dr. Bates more widespread recognition that's long overdue.

Maybe some future day when these teachings become mainstream principles a museum will house a chamber of horrors displaying artifacts of the iatrogenic era. Animated lifelike figures in a "Blind Faith" section could depict people straining to see through Coke-bottle glasses, poking bloodshot eyes to insert contact lenses and having corneas burned by lasers. Aghast parents will be at a loss to explain to their children how so many people willingly paid to be maltreated in the name of progress.

I am amazed by how much this book has helped me. Bates' principles really do work! I have only been reading the book for about a month, yet my eyesight is improving. I can't wait until my next eye appointment so I can surprise my ophthamologist (who gave me stronger glasses at my last eye exam -- they are now too strong for me to wear!).

William Bates was a scientist, researcher, visionary, and a rebel. In his magazines are presented a multitude of case histories about his patients. We get to hear the stories of a wide variety of individuals, their temperaments, and what techniques worked for them. The style is dated, but the essence of his teachings are timeless.
An invaluable resource in your 'vision' library. It's large, but can be digested in bite size articles. A wonderful collection.

"The Human Face" is filled with full-size color photographs of faces from cultures around the world, of every age, of every emotion. Photos of faces illustrate chapters on Origins, Identity, Expressions, Beauty, Vanity, and Fame. This book stresses how important "faces" are to our lives -- the first thing a human infant responds to is a face. Findings in science and cultural studies are cited, still the book's language is easy-to-read and breezy. Fascinating. Wish the information was more in depth. Still worth it. You may not look at the people you know in the same way.

great book, good read and some really good pictures. this is such a unique fun book to read i read it over and over again and love looking at all the cool and colorful pictures. this book tells all about the human face from the begining of time and where it originated up until what we are today. it covers many diffrent areas and topics relating to science, beauty, expressions etc... , it has everything you could think of! it covers everything you ever wanted to know about the face. i recomend this book to anyone whos interested in how humans interact with eachother and facial expressions and what we consider beauty and why, or even if you like science! buy this book today, it's worth it.

This book tells the story of why we are drawn to faces thirty minutes after being born, when even then our eyes can barely focus. This inborn fascination with faces continues as we grow up and become fascinated with the face of the one we love.

Brian Bates brings his experience in psychology and biology to this beautifully bound collection. He has taught imagination techniques for actors, including face and mask work and has directed plays at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

This book is a journey of self-discovery. It explores the social and psychological aspects of the face. It is sometimes said, you never forget a face, but can forget a name. That has often been true for me. Why is it that I can remember a face so well?

We all have seven universally recognized facial expression: anger, fear, happiness, sadness, disgust, surprise and contempt. But we can make up to 7,000 discrete expressions. This work explores beauty in the eye of the beholder versus a universal agreement on which faces are beautiful. The area of sexual attraction and the naked truth behind facial features is interesting for many reasons.

On a bright yellow page the index lists origins, identity, expressions, beauty, vanity and fame. The pages are visually stunning. With colored pages and black writing contrasting with white pages and pictures. The pictures of two individuals from birth to middle age showed how we change over time.

I was intrigued by the "Expressions" chapter. Lady Diana's Eyes told the tale of her life as she moved from innocence to unhappiness. Did you know that the natural smile and the "masking/fake smile" uses different muscles to produce a similar effect. I tried this and it is an interesting experiment. The natural smile seems to use more muscles and includes my eyes feeling more brightened. When I try to produce a fake smile, I feel my face is in fact not quite as alive.

Then, onto what really matters: Kissing. ;~} A few pages on that and suddenly you turn the page and start to yawn...literally. Just the picture of a yawn is contagious. Why? I yawn again and find it difficult to look at the picture and not keep yawning! After yawning three times, I turn the page!

The chapter on beauty includes many famous faces. Julia Roberts, Calista Flockhart, Sophia Loren...they can be found here smiling. This chapter also shows that people who are beautiful are not always happier than everyone else. There are some very revealing pictures of a woman, before and after plastic surgery!

Vanity is a revealing chapter with a beautiful painting of the Greek myth of Narcissus, where a young man was so enamored with his own face, he falls in love with his own reflection.

By the time you reach the last pages, you will know an incredible amount about the human face. A fashionable collection of human faces, to help you understand why we are sometimes so intrigued by the faces of the famous, or of those around us.

Guaranteed to bring a smile to your face!

~The Rebecca Review

This book actually surprised me in it's depth and content. It didn't appear to be very long even though it is rather tall. It covers the origin of the human face and goes on to explain why we are fascinated with the face as well as how faces are used in commercials and movies to promote ads, gain sympathy, or provoke anger. It is very scientific yet easy to understand. Quite humorous as well. Very beautiful photos. There is so much in the book I can't begin to list it all. I really learned a lot from this book and I have recommended it to many friends.
I highly recommend this book.

Wow...What an awesome book! As an orthodontist, I found it incredibly interesting. Needless to say, I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the human facination with the face. Also, be sure to check out the video/DVD that was produced after the book. Great fun with John Cleese and Elizabeth Hurley, with additional material. Especially fascinating- the section on facial beauty with Dr. Stephen Marquardt.

This book is the story of an eighteen year-old who entered service in 1943, went through infantry basic training, and wound up being sent to Burma as a replacement to Merrill's Marauders in time for the siege of Myitkyina. It was written because my wife, Joyce, persuaded me to write my experiences for our six children, as I had not talked about my combat experiences except to some high school history classes.

I stayed with my battalion through two campaigns in Burma, the orth Burma and Central Burma campaigns. Our battalion was incorporated into the 475 Infantry Regiment, a part of the Mars Task Force. I pull no punches in giving the enlisted man's (worm' eye) view of infantry combat.

RFB

Richard Bates has drafted one of the most captivating WWII stories I have ever set my hands upon. As is so often the case, real life proves to be more interesting than fiction. With his honest, no gloss style, Mr. Bates had me up till the wee hours of the morning finishing his book, I could not put it down. A must have!

Mr. Bates has truly captured an exceptional experience. And he tells it in a vivid and insightful manner. While this takes the reader back many decades, the author's adventures and lessons could not be more current -- and important given today's world situation.

Having read many historical works, both military and otherwise, I have read none finer than Mr. Bates' piece concerning his service during the Second World War. By employing both vivid descriptions and subtle imagery, Mr. Bates successfully engrosses the reader in the events that transpired around him sixty years ago. Mr. Bates also holds something that many historical authors lack: ACTUAL WRITING SKILLS! His writing style is every bit as polished as his content is absorbing.

While those interested in WWII should definitely give this a look, this is a book that anyone would enjoy having. Not merely a memoir, Mr. Bates shows us the end results of the most dramatic changes a young man could undergo. This is a thoroughly impressive achievement, and offers readers a step back in time to a point that's best not forgotten.

Its always interesting to hear about the war from the soldier's point of view. And the saga of the Marauders in Burma is one of the most harrowing of the war. Fascinating all the way through.

The animals have great expressions on their faces. Entertaining book with a happy ending. Just the right amount of text on each page to retain the attention of a young child (probably those on the younger side of 3-7). It only got 4 stars (3 1/2 if I had that option) because 1) there was a full moon during the dark night. 2) the bear was hungry for meat but (spoiler!) not at the end? 3) this book does not have many "hidden things" - we like looking at books with "things" hidden within each page, things that we find after reading the same book many many times. BTW, points 1 was raised by my younger son and our explanation was nights were always dark in the forest. Point 2 was raised by my older son who was (and still is) in the habit of asking insightful questions... I'm glad to get this book for a bargain but wouldn't spend the full hardcover price.

I have a two year old daughter who loves this book. I also have a nine year old daughter who thinks that this book is alot of fun. They both enjoy the nice surprsie at the end of the book after all of the built up suspense! This book is a treasure!

This is simply the best children's book I've read in a long time. The story is compelling, surprising, and fun. The text is perfectly balanced and easy to read. My 4 year old daughter loves it, and I love to read it to her. This is one I never get tired of.

Adorable and well illustrated. The author leads the young reader to believe that Mouse and Mole are headed to their own demise. This book is a great read aloud also and I have used it in my classroom. Children love the meter of the ryhmed text. Highly recommended. You'll love the happy ending.

Mouse and Mole are two teensy-tiny creatures in the woods. There's a BIG GIANT hungry bear there too. "Then, one dark night. . ." Mouse and Mole venture out and travel through the woods. Meanwhile the bear is getting hungrier and hungrier. Of course, they meet. . .and, the ending will surprise you! You will fall in love with the characters because the illustrations are so well done. But the best part of all for me, as a teacher, is the rhythm and rhyme of this story. Kids love to hear good verse and Lisa Wheeler has it!

Great read for brides to be. Author provides valuable lessons for those hard to make decisions when including your friends in your wedding plans.

Makes an excellent gift to your bridesmaids.

This book will help all Brides maintain their sanity during an otherwise stressful time. A must have for any woman planning a wedding. Mrs. Bates definelty knows weddings. I highly recommend this book.

This book will help all Brides maintain their sanity during an otherwise stressful time. A must have for any woman planning a wedding. Mrs. Bates definelty knows weddings. I highly recommend this book.

This book is essential for a wedding party. The author covers all ground on wedding party Dos and Don'ts.

In the nerve-racking time of my wedding planning, this book helped me to deal with communication with my Bridesmaids. I gave each one a copy of the book and it helped us to be open and honest with each other...I truly believe it helped me to keep these friends and to enjoy our time togther insted of adding stress to the situation. Thank You Ms. Bates!!!

A visual record of a cross-country trip that was inspired by the poem America the Beautiful with vibrant, expressive watercolors set in pastels and earthy tones.

There are fourteen panoramas in this thirty-two page book that covers east to west and north to south. One line of the first verse is placed on one side among the two-pages. The waterfalls appear misty with the dark clouds looming behind. This image was captured in rainbow colors tapering off as the water hits the bottom. The rolling hills are dotted in pinks, purples and greens as the spacious skies flow across the page.

Then we have the calm ness of the bulls or buffalo grazing before turning to find the purple mountains majesties. The fruited plains consist of teal green and blues showing a few people working in the fields. This is a beautiful picture that gives the image of working in the fields as rewarding and serene. The second page with America! as the text is spectacular with tall bare trees as if you were standing down at the bottom looking up at them. It appears to be a moment captured of a father and son looking at the forest.

This is a beautiful one-of-a-kind book that deserves to be sitting on the coffee table to highlight the splendor in these images set to this patriotic song. Inside are man-made wonders, natural ones, ancient dwellings, glaciers, desert, sea and rain forests. The colors evoke a range of emotions as you flip through the pages of America the Beautiful. Now that I have these portraits nestled in my memory the song will take on such new meaning.

Readers young and old can delight in the beauty that can be found along the roads traveling inside the United States. This would make a great gift for anyone planning summer excursions within the country. America the Beautiful would be appreciated by older relatives to remind them of the locations they have visited as well as offer the younger ones a sense of the beauty that is found at these places while learning the words of the poem and singing the song.

Samuel Ward (1847-1903) was the organist at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark in 1882. One day a melody popped into his head as he was riding the boat back from Coney Island. He called it "Materna" and it was first published in 1888.

Katharine Lee Bates (1859-1929) was an English professor at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. In 1893 she made a trip by train to Colorado. From the to of Pikes Peak she saw the Rocky Mountains in one direction and the Great Plains in the other, and she felt inspired to write about the beauty of America. Her poem was published in the Fourth of July issue of The Congregationalist in 1895. Her poem was popularly sung to Ward's tune, and they were first published together in 1910.(...)

Later in the 1900s Neil Waldman was staying at a kibbutz in Israel. His friend Moti Shuvai insisted that they take a road trip together through America. They traveled from New York through the Northern Rockies, down along the Pacific Coast, back through the Southwest and the South to New York, 13,000 miles. Waldman combines his sixteen paintings, "a visual record of that first cross-country trip", with the words to "America the Beautiful", written by Katharine Lee Bates, to make a children's book that celebrates the scenic glory of America. "...it should inspire readers with a desire to see these wonders for themselves."(School Library Journal)

In the foreword he says this, "...I have traveled to four continents and more than a score of countries, but nothing I have seen can match the magnificent splendor that lies within our own borders."

Parents will have a chance to tell about when they have visited these places, or make plans with their children to do so, because an appendix describes all of the places featured in the paintings. They include Niagara Falls, The Great Smoky Mountains, The Grand Canyon and the California Redwoods. Families also could talk about the beautiful places in Michigan or even Livingston County that Bates and Waldman unfortunately never had a chance to see. Or other places you have visited that are not included like Florida, Alaska, or Hawaii.

This book also helps to make art and poetry accessible to children of all ages, and each child can relate to it in his own way. The folks at Publishers Weekly relate to it like this: "...he renders each vista in thick, impressionistic strokes from a predominantly violet palette, choosing his colors as if from a paradigmatic sunset." (If that helps you at all.)

Also included are all four stanzas and sheet music.

The book has good illustrations and it has the song five times. The illustrations go very nicely with the words to the song.

I wanted to just "read" the book to the kids. But gosh, I started singing it. And did they love it. I sang and flipped pages as fast as I could. Over and over. I teach preschool and this was America week. This was pretty much the only book about America their "level." It has beautiful "impressionistic" painitings of all sorts of beautiful and significant places in America that you can talk about. And if you are proud and interested, the kids will be too. We sit on a map rug so the kids are getting familiar with all our landmarks. But this book helps learn the song and gets them familiar with our nation. The last page has a picture of the Statue of Liberty in the harbor, "from sea to shining sea." I felt so good to read this to the kids. Please get this to make not only children feel good about where they come from, but also you as well!

The illustrations are just beautiful, I will use the book to teach my students the beautiful song of the same title.

This book is a wonderful way to introduce the song "America the Beautiful" to a child, and enjoy it yourself at the same time. Wendell Minor has done an outstanding job of illustrating the words to this song by painting pictures of real places to match a couple of song lines at a time. It makes one feel like they are being swept across the country as they read or sing the words, as if we were seeing exactly what Katherine Lee Bates was seeing when she wrote the original poem. I also like the fact that at the end of the book there is a spread which again shows a small picture of each of the illustrations and then tells the reader where this place really is. Overall, a very good way to learn/enjoy the song.

This book is an excellent depiction of the song. We have been reading it with our daughter since she was 2 years old, and now she is quite familiar with the words of the song as well as with many areas of the country, major landmarks, and significant events. This is a great addition to your library.

Wendell Minor has been busy this year, having illustrated picture books documenting 2 American heroes, which were published only a few months apart. INTO THE WOODS and RACHEL tell the stories of patriots, John James Audubon and Rachel Carson, respectively, who struggled to preserve the beauty and health of their native land. Now Mr. Minor has produced another picture book of equal radiance, focusing on the country that those heroes, and he, obviously love. The author is, like Audubon and Carson, another American legend, Katharine Lee Bates. Although her name is not familiar to many people, the poem she wrote certainly is. Here the entire song--not just the first few lines that most Americans have memorized--is emblazoned above Mr. Minor's spectacular paintings. Were she alive today, Ms. Bates would surely find this book comparable to the beauty of the country she wrote about in the first place. AMERICA depicts not only the "purple mountains" and "amber waves of grain" of the first stanza, but breathtaking landscapes from every corner of the nation. The monumental natural landmarks--enormous cliffs of the West, Niagara Falls, the Grand Tetons--are shown as well as quieter, but equally striking, scenes of farmers harvesting wheat in Iowa and steamboats pushing across the mist-shrouded Mississippi River. Even the light beams in Manhattan where the World Trade Center once stood are captured forever in an elegant painting. AMERICA allows readers to visit the most far-flung and spectacular areas of the nation in only 5 minutes, so realistic and compelling are the illustrations. And seeing Bates's poem in its entirety will rekindle readers' feelings for our musical heritage, no matter how many patriotic tunes they've heard since 9/11. This book is a dignified and vibrant testimony to the greatness of this nation, worthy of being shared with all kinds of patriots, young and old, for years and years.

I purchased this book for my daughter for her second birthday. We have read it so many times over the past year, that she is the only child her age that knows all four verses of this wonderful song.

Wonderfully colorful and powerful illustrations! I especially like the refreshing and unique interpretations of each phrase--
Nice as a coffee table book too.

The odd thing about this book is why it took so long to come out. Chris Gall is an illustrator and the great-great-grandnephew of Katherine Lee Bates so I wonder why he had not created these pictures ages ago.

The sixteen stunning pictures were engraved on clay-coated board which makes them very graphic rather than watercolor soft and I enjoyed the little design touches here and there, for instance a picture of some Shoshone Indians in a boat passing a very streamline looking waterfall or a small town snow scene with the buildings placed at different angles to each other.

The choice of image is also refreshing, to illustrate 'A thoroughfare for freedom beat. Across the wilderness!' has a family with their Airstream parked in the open landscape or 'Thine alabaster cities gleam, Undimmed by human tears!' showing a window cleaner eating his lunch and sitting on one of those Art Deco eagles on the Chrysler Building. This kind of originality and warmth comes across from each picture.

The book is well produced and it occurs to me that these illustrations are so good and all the same size that they are worth framing, depending on one's favorites.

I had pre-ordered several copies of "America the Beautiful," by well-known illustrator, Chris Gall in January 2004. Simply put, Chris Gall is one of my favorite artists of all time. His style is bold, campy, and original.

Today, I received the books and I was AMAZED.

The book, "America the Beautiful" is BEAUTIFUL. What is even more beautiful is that Chris Gall shares in the preface how a framed copy of Katharine Lee Bates' verse, written in her own hand, inspired him so much as an artist as he was growing up.

Gall bestows a MAGNIFICENT tribute to his great-aunt's stirring song. Each line of Bates' meaningful verse is paired with a beautiful illustration by Gall. These works of art depict a nation blessed with God-given gifts; a nation built on justice, optimism, hope, and a shared love of America's land.

After viewing this book, which is pristinely made with thick paper and rich colors, I intend to buy several more as gifts. There are wonderful images of the Statue of Liberty, Pike's Peak, immigrants, the Apollo II, and my very favorites - the firemen of Sept. 11th, and the WWII Tuskegee Airmen.

Because "America the Beautiful" is not just a book which is great for artists or children or to grace the coffee table (although that is where MINE is going!), it is a work of art - which magnificently stirs the patriot within us all...