Beck Books

I would have thought this book was a complete bore but my 2 year old just LOVES this book. She requests it at least once a day. We talk about colors, (red poppies, white daisies, rainbows) and sounds (bzzzzz for the bee, whoosh for wind) and weather (wind, the hot sun and rain). She will even pour over it by herself and pretend to tell the story.

I am an early childhood educator specializing in children age 24-36 months. My class absolutely LOVES this book! We read it at least three times a day!

The book deals with the biographies of Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Lon Chaney Jr., and Vincent Price. It contains a full filmography as well as hundreds of pictures of the stars. Their films are recounted in great detail and there are rare stills and quotes.

The fact that this particular book is out of print is a crime. While the Horror film may not be the most resepected genre, it certainly deserves better than this. Calvin Beck's book is a great resource for anyone looking into this neglected part of film history. His prose is straightforward and accurate. Reading this book is a must for anyone researching these actors.

My copy of this is starting to fall apart, but I've enjoyed this book over the years. It contains well-written biographies of Lon Chaney Sr., Bela Legosi, Peter Lorre, Lon Chaney Jr., Boris Karloff, and Vincent Price. If you do manage to find a copy of this book, keep in mind it was published before Price's death so it doesn't mention his last few movies or his death. I think I bought this book over 15 years ago. ...possibly 18 years ago.

There are several photos throughout the book - publicity stills, behind the scenes pics, and a few casual shots. There is an interesting photo of Legosi playing Jesus, and he really looked the part. Beck does provide much about the lives of the actors and some of their views on acting. There is a complete filmography for each actor.

The binding does not seem to hold up well under repeated use. I'm not sure how a copy that is simply old might be. I read and studied the photos several times.

I first saw THE NEW TESTAMENT IN THE LANGUAGE OF TODAY in about 1964. It was great. I kept waiting for the whole translation and only found a used copy of it 4 or 5 years ago of the whole Bible. We have many many translations in our home, but this is the best one!

This is a highly recommended Bible for your library! Dr. Beck passed away right before his completion of his work on this fine Bible. His wife and students compiled the many works he had completed and finished this Bible for him. An excellent and VERY accurate translation of the Bible.

I thing sylvester and tweety are da bomb. Tweety is so cute. Sylvester is my favorite though. I watch Sylvester and Tweety almost everytime it comes on.

This is a great book. It tells you all the cartoons They were in. Even before they came together. It has who directed and talked for them. Pictures from back when they were black and white. Cartoons from World war 2 and even show back when Tweety was a quail and not a canary. A must have for all Tweety fans,

Listen closely to find this online. Go to "tablinks" "blogspot" "com". Readily available for nothing. Was there the last time I looked. Enjoy.

This music book takes an exceptionally good sampling from Beck's 30+ year solo career and presents it in very clear tablature (if you've seen any of Pink Floyd's guitar books - ie; Dark Side Of The Moon; Wish You Were here; etc - the TAB is quite comparable). What pleased me most, however, was the inclusion of several gems I've never seen transcribed anywhere else.

The songs included are: AIR Blower - All Shook Up - Ambitious - Beck's Bolero - Blue Wind - Cause We've Ended As Lovers - El Becko - Freeway Jam - Going Down - Goodbye Pork Pie Hat - Guitar Shop - I Ain't Superstitious - Led Boots - Let Me Love You - People Get Ready - Plynth - The Pump - Rice Pudding - Rock My Plimsoul - Situation - Spanish Boots - Star Cycle - Superstition - Where Were You.

I could think of a few more I would've loved to have seen (in particular The Final Peace), but the inclusion of The Pump and Star Cycle alone was well worth the price of the book.

Bottom Line: An absolute must for any guitar playing Beck fan.

Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (7/06)

Malcolm Beck is an expert in organic gardening and shares his expertise in a concise, informative book "Lessons in Nature." He covers composting, fertilizing, mulching, insecticides, as well as tree and lawn care, gardening, beneficial insects and everything else you need to know to create an organic atmosphere in your yard or farm.

I have personally composted yard and kitchen waste for many years and found Beck's writing on composting confirming that I am doing the right thing. Beck indicates that kitchen wastes (vegetables and fruits) have ample nitrogen to create compost. I was always under the impression that heat within the compost pile itself is necessary, however, Beck advises that heat is not necessary. His comment is "I have never seen a forest floor heat up." He further explains, "Nature demands that all organic materials be recycled. The carbon cycle must be completed. Composting is Nature's way of recycling."

The other area of interest in Beck's book was mulching. There are many opinions of what type of mulch should be used, however, Beck suggests that compost is the best type of mulch, with corn cobs being second best. He also keeps reiterating to mimic a forest floor.

Beck's "Lessons in Nature" is a must for anyone wanting to start organic gardening. It is full of to the point information that is written in a lay person's terms. The information is easy to understand and simple of implement into your own garden, whether it be a small backyard garden, a large farm, or a balcony potted garden.

Lifelong organic farmer Malcolm Beck presents Lessons in Nature: 50 Years of Organic Advice from the Southwest's Foremost Composter, Gardener, Farmer, now in a new and expanded edition. Lessons in Nature walks the reader through the numerous details, tips, tricks, and techniques to pursuing successful organic gardening. Chapters address everything from organic insecticides to tree and lawn care, fertilization, organic weed control, how to rejuvenate a worn-out farm, and much more. A valuable "how-to" guide for hobbyist gardeners and serious organic farmers alike, illustrated with black-and-white photographs, Lessons in Nature enthusiastically recommended for its firsthand wisdom.

This is one of my very favorite Christmas books to share with children. Heartbreakingly beautiful pictures and wonderful story. It's a shame it is not more widely available, everyone should own this one!

Beautiful book of pictures and words. One of my favorite lines in all childrens books "opened his eyes wide as wide to see everything and remember it all, all of his life". What a dramatic description of the little angel meeting the son of God.

I've been aquainted with Bud and Lenore for years, mainly through a radio show that Bud produced years ago. and though I've never had the chance to meet them in person, still they have both touched my life in ways I could never begin to explain. So it was with a very joyful heart that Lenore's book finally came up for sale, after many months on back order, and I read it from cover to cover in one sitting, unable to put it down. For those of you who are contemplating reading it, be sure to have plenty of tissue at hand, as Bud forewarned me before I read it, too. It is so beautifully written and so full of faith and hope, during the most tragic time any parent can experience, you won't believe it. Martha was an amazingly beautiful and strong child who had more of an impact on this world than she probably realized, just as Bud and Lenore both have been in their lives. I can't recommend this book more highly!!!

Review of Little Ones to Him Belong, by Lenore Beck Frimoth

I admit my bias up front; the author of this story is my mother, Lenore Beck Frimoth, who is a long-time Oregon resident. However, my rose-colored glasses acquiesce when I gauge the impact this book has had on the lives of many.

This is the story of my mother and father's anguish, struggle, and rediscovery of hope and faith in the face of defeat in discovering their second daughter, Martha, has contracted a terminal illness shortly after she turned three years old. Though simply written, my mother's intent was never to publish, but to somehow unload the emotional burden, and to express her grief in some way. Her vehicle was her gift of words, which she had used often up to that point in writing Sunday School curriculum. This tender story casts not a shadow, but ray of light that widens as the account deepens.

The book's first chapter gets right to the central issue: Martha, the charming, golden-locked three year old seemed to hang onto an apparent cold from which her siblings all quickly healed. A Wilm's tumor, it was later discovered-- and 99% fatal. Suddenly, the world changed for my parents, who had the responsibility of not only caring for a very sick toddler, but three other children, two of them less than 2 years of age. (The youngest being me.) The oldest, Margaret, plays a central role in Martha's life over the next trying months with frequent visits to the hospital, and calming her sister before her numerous procedures and surgeries. Their sisterly exchanges charm the reader, but magnify the building uncertainty of Martha's future. There was hope, but in what?

What develops throughout the rest of the book is the frightening developments of a family in crisis mode, but finding a peace and calm through an authentic faith in a real God, true friendship, and a rallying community of neighbors both inside the church and out.

Though published in 1962, the "Little Ones" legacy has made its mark. There are multiple copies in college, public, and church libraries throughout the west coast, in homes of friends far and near who have been touched by childhood tragedy. "Little Ones" has touched the lives of many parents of young children, both who have lost children of their own, or have had to deal with seriously ill children. One family was so moved by the story of Martha, they set up a college scholarship fund in Martha's name, which has helped contribute to the education of young, service-minded Christian men and women for the last 20 years at Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington.

Finding hope in tragedy, providing peace with those in turmoil, and relying on faith in a loving God at the abyss of despair are themes that are timeless and find truth in any circumstance, and at any time.

Little Ones to Him Belong edges its way gracefully into your heart and stays there; sometimes forever.

--Todd Frimoth
Vienna, Austria

A follow up to the above review...
Lenore Ruth Beck Frimoth passed away on November 26, 2006 after suffering a stroke. Mrs. Frimoth is survived by her husband, The Reverend Elmer "Bud" Frimoth, their three children, Margaret, Christen and Todd; and four grandchildren.

The comments below were presented at the Memorial Service by Todd, her youngest son, and the author of the review above, who has since relocated to Portland, Oregon.

********************
I'm Todd Frimoth, Lenore's youngest son. I'm so pleased all of you are here to remember my mother. She was truly a blessing to us all.

Like my siblings, each of us has our different of memories of mom. As we spoke in Jim's office the other day going over the service, I heard stories I remembered, and some I didn't, or heard for the first time. But what you'll hear that is doused in all those stories, and what I think you'll hear from all of us today, is the deep impression and impact my mother has had on her family, her community and country, and literally on people across the globe but in her soft, simple, understated way.

For those of you who don't know, mom spent the last 30 years of her life as a clown-Wrinkles the Clown, though she hardly had any when she decided to become a clown at age 49. Of everyone in the family, I guess I was the most reluctant one about this whole clowning thing. Both my sister and brother jumped right into it with my parents when they first got started. My dad tells in his book about when I first saw my mother, white-faced and clowning during the worship service in our small sanctuary at Sunset Presbyterian Church. When she came down the isle doing with her Wrinkles get up, I was aghast and just slouched down in the pew, well out of the sights of anyone who might know me!

In a short time, though, I knew just how special it was to have a clown mother. She had a way with kids, esp the younger ones. As a teacher, I asked my parents to do their clown routine at the elementary schools where I taught. Each time during their routine as they publicly transformed from Bud and Lenore to Wrinkles and Doolotz, all eyes were transfixed on Wrinkles and her feather duster. My mom became alive in a way I'd never seen before. Her duster would work the crowd, her contagious smile and engagement with each child turned her into one herself in a way that I can't describe. These kids were endeared to her. They were changed.

Looking back this week at pictures of her clowning in various spots in the world, I was taken by one of them when she and dad nervously clowned at the palace of a Saudi prince when Brenda and I taught in Riyadh. The picture captures mom applying the "mark of the clown", a red ink spot they'd place on anyone who experienced their clowning. A beaming young Saudi boy, in the formal Saudi dress of the region and in a culture very unaccustomed to middle aged adults transforming into clowns, stands eagerly ready to receive the mark. He's changed, too. I often wonder what those kids talk about after receiving that, and just how long they stay on their cheeks! My guess is much longer than any adult!

In my appreciation for mom's clowning over the years, I have a deeper love for her other significant gift that is a huge part of her legacy. That is her gift of words-both spoken and written. Her spoken words were never harsh, and always constructive, and often dashed with tongue in cheek-Dad reminded us this week just how rare it was for her to raise her voice at anyone, despite the stress of raising four children.

Her written words though, carries the weight of legacy that I will cherish for years to come. As many of you know, mom wrote a book as the result of my older sister Martha's death from cancer as a young three year old in the early 60's. "Little Ones to Him Belong" began as a journal of grief and healing and turned into a published work that despite its short 100 pages has touched my life and my family and families across the world in ways I can hardly describe. I remember growing up thinking that all families had sisters who died from cancer. But it wasn't until my freshman year at college when I spent one evening, curled up in the college loft, reading it from cover to cover-so deeply moved and learning so much about my family's grief during that time that I cried myself to sleep that night.

While working in Spokane at Whitworth College, a professor friend and his wife read mom's book after almost losing their son to a tragic drowning accident. He was so touched by her book, and so identified with the near tragedy in his own life, he created a scholarship fund in Martha's name at Whitworth which continues to help deserving, ministry-focused students attend the college each year.

Recently, I did a search on Amazon's huge book database just wondering if somehow my mother's book found it's way there. Long out of print, I was completely surprised to find several used copies spread all around the country. I instinctively decided to buy them all up, just to have for them in supply since often mom or dad would give one to a family who's lost a child, or to a church or college library. In purchasing one of these used books, I received an email from one of the sellers. It read:

"Your book will be shipped Friday, May 19. Thank you, and be blessed by this precious book.

Curiously, I quickly wrote back and asked:

"Just curious-how long you've known of "Little Ones"? The author is my mother, and the subject of the book is my sister. I'm just curious how you came across it.

The next day, I received this note from her:

"I picked up the book many years ago out of a box of books that was being discarded from a church library. As a teacher of young children, I am just attracted to titles about and for children. At the time, I was still journeying through my own grief of infertility, failed adoption attempts, and the finality of a radical hysterectomy. So the book was a great gift to me in many ways.

Now, two adopted children later, 8-), I have left the classroom to homeschool my youngest and for financial reasons have decided to drastically downsize my HUGE book collection.

This book belongs to you, so I am issuing a full refund. God bless"

Fingerprints-I guess that's the metaphor I think of for my mother. Fingerprints that are invisible, and hard to detect when looking for them in dark places. Fingerprints -- often understated and leaves what looks like a slight impression. But like light through a window, suddenly they're there-clear as the day and hard to remove. Each line a contour that is unlike no other. That was mom-unlike no other.

I love you and miss you.

I am finding this book extremely helpful as I prepare to take the National Certification Exam. It's a great way to review material and refresh my memory. I would recommend this to any student who is using the Milady's textbook as it is proving to be a wonderful study aid.

I did a LOT of anatomy review using this workbook and found it very helpful for drumming information into my little brain while studying for the NCBTMB test. Since I didn't go to a comprehensive massage school, I didn't have the massage anatomy instruction that others have had and I found the exercises useful.

This is Henry Charlton Beck's second book in a series all dealing with local history and lore of various sections of the state. Two of the volumes deal with locations found in southern NJ, and this was published a year (1937) after the first book. It has always remained in print.

As in the first volume Beck visits and relates the history of roughly 45 forgotten (there once, now gone) towns (though many of these "towns" were more often just placenames on a map). Where the first volume concentrated primarily on the Pine Barrens region, here Beck spreads out a little more, reaching as far north as Upper Freehold Township and south as Cape May County. Many of the places he writes about are quickly falling prey to developers today: the photo of the sleepy Cassville intersection, which is only a short distance from Great Adventure, is a huge, busy intersection today. Another photo is mis-captioned: on p. 147, what's identified as an old tavern at Washington (a much-visited ruin not far off Rt. 563 just south of Jenkins in the Pines) is actually the walls of a stable.

Beck's books are not only informative, but a lot of fun. He gets the juices flowing for wanting to go exploring, and once you start seeking out some of the places he describes, he fills in the sometimes empty, sometimes vastly changed locations with provocative historical information. Unfortunately, as in the first volume, there are still no maps, but there is an index this time.

This book is the companion volume to the original "Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey". If you own one of them, you must own the other. Excellent for discovering how things used to be (and still are, in some cases). If you live in NJ, and love local history, you need to buy this book.