Beck Books

this was a very good book. it has a lot of info on george and his life on and off tv. i just wish it had a little more about his life on the andy griffith show. but all and all you can't go wrong with this book. i met george about 10 years ago and he is a vey nice person and very down to earth. good job george i did enjoy the book.

Besides of this book having alot of factual data about the reknowned"Andy Griffith Show"and "HEE HAW" .There's also imformation about George Lindsey who portrayed Goober on that show who wasn't quite as popular as Barney Fife but when Don Knott's left the show,I think Goober(George Lindsey)contributed greatly to help keep the show popular until the series ended.Both Andy Griffith and Don Knotts have video biographies about their life and rich careers.I would like to see in the future that both superb actors George Lindsey(Goober) and Jim Nabors(Gomer) will someday deservingly have video biographies.Also Jim Nabors(also from Alabama) needs to write an autobiography about him and his rich career without all the dirt and sensationalism!!It's been long overdue!!We're all anxiously waiting!!

This is the fourth book I have read on the subject of The Andy Griffith Show... Mr George Lindsey portrayed the character of "Goober" on this show and it's spin-off Mayberry RFD, and also on Hee-Haw. Not many people know that Mr. Lindsey was a student at the American Theatre Wing, attending on the GI Bill, and was trained in the Stanislavski Method of acting. His life story in this book is at once compelling and inspiring, for he truly is a student from the "school of hard knocks". Anyone wanting to know what it was like for a struggling actor starting out in the 50's trying to break into show business, and all the ups and downs of fame that comes with an actor's life, will be fascinated. He tells us in detail about all the people he has known, and experiences--both good and bad, with warmth and a sly sense of humor! He tells some crazy stories about himself that may raise a few eyebrows, but his candor is refreshingly honest in this day and age. I now have a new respect for Mr. Lindsey, and his often misunderstood character, the loveable Goober Pyle. You will too after reading this book!

A long-time admirer of George Lindsey the actor, I am now also an admirer of Mr. Lindsey as an author and, more importantly, as a fine human being. Although some of the details of his early life were quite sad, this story is an affirmation of the value of determination, hard work, and talent. Once the reader has started, it is hard to stop. The narrative flows nicely, and provides the reader with a wealth of interesting information and insights from a man who has made generations laugh. Thank you, Mr. Lindsey - Well done!

George has come forth and given fans the details they crave, the stories we hoped to read, and an even closer look at celebrity told by someone who seemed to handle it better than most.

As a fan of almost any sitcom star book I can find, this one took me a while to purchase. After all, it was Goober. After a chapter or two I was reading full speed to the end. Not only was it entertaining and informational but I learned things. Always the hallmark of a good book.

I have new respect for George Lindsey.

Ms. Beck is simply the most practical and helpful Zen author for the average reader seeking to find pragmatic help in their life from the study and application of Zen teachings. You don't have to go to Zen meetings or wear a robe to get a wealth of help in your life from either of Ms. Beck's two books or this audio book. I have read many of the Zen texts and sampled dozens of Zen writers over the past forty years. She is the most readable, the best.

I read "Everyday Zen" 6 months ago, and loved every insight it provided. Full of practical, intelligent ideas that i immediately used in my everyday life.
I was hoping for the same practical, clear discussions on this CD. But i didn't get that. Instead, Joko presents a series of talks to her students, that stress the importance of "constant sitting". Over and over again she stresses the need to 'keep sitting', and 'you may feel you have made some progress, but you have barely begun.' Then, she gets into a mystical discussion of the 'nemonal' and 'phenomenal' world. Ugh. That metaphysics is so abstract as to be beyond proof. The listener is forced to either believe or not believe, rather than to hear, consider, and then accept or refute.

I have deep respect for Joko Beck, based on her earlier texts. But this one did not help me in any way.

This is another insightful gem by one of the most poetically frank teachers America has to offer. If you are looking for a "feel good" alternative to your life's problems, this is not for you. If you are looking to "fix" your life, this is not for you.

If you are open to understanding your daily struggles, facing them with brutal honesty moment by moment and willing to sit with them, not run from them, this might be a good start. One reviewer below mentioned she read a book by her six months ago and wanted more of that here. This is exactly what you should NOT expect when approaching Joko Beck and this CD. In fact, it's that "expectation" that contradicts her entire teachings! The idea here is to open yourself to insight. Insight into life as we struggle upstream.

After reading and listening to Joko's work we slowly unfold (if also sitting) and we discover that we no longer need to "struggle" against the stream. We can open up to it now, as it washes over us and experience what lessons it has to offer. That is what you will get a glimpse of with this CD and her other books. But, only a glimpse. As Joko explains in all of her work, you must practice every day in order to truly experience what life has to offer us, moment by moment.

Joko's work is a beautiful reminder and invitation to open yourself to life. I for one have humbly accepted her offer and owe her my deepest gratitude. Give this CD a whirl and do not forget to pick up her two quintessential books on practice, Nothing Special & Everyday Zen.

The compassion and clear message found in Nothing Special & Everyday Zen comes through in these CDs. There are differences. The books are organized into themes. The CDs are a set of talks with some Q&A, so you can hear her think and how she interacts with her students without editing. The books have more metaphors, like ice cubes and containers. The talks are more direct.

There are three and a half-hours of talks and Q&A. The questions were hard to hear in a car, but she is always easy to hear. Section titles:

CD 1. Concentration, Reactive emotion-thought, Core beliefs, False emotion and true emotion, Being zero, Elegance is refusal, Radiance, Our changing perception of radiance

CD 2. The simplicity of practice, The necessity of persistence, Life as beautiful and fierce, The no-self, Living in stillness, The important questions, The absolute and relative, True practice never stops, The importance of the vow, Patience

CD 3. Being in the box, Getting out of the box, Rapidly moving out of the box, Life as it is, Embracing failure, Developing steadiness, Being in practice for a lifetime, The three easy steps of practice, The key to freedom.

If you have a practice or are trying to start one, don't pass this up.
The first 10 minutes of the first talk provides all the instruction you need for at least your first few years of practice.
Thank you Joko, you're a gift!

This book is fun for a Panther fan. It can be used in 2 ways, either removing the stickers and placing them on some object as normal, or by using the book itself which has backgrounds in it and the stickers can be
re-used over and over again by setting up scenes then removing them and setting up different ones. Neat.

If you love stickers and The Pink Panther... this sticker book OF The Pink Panther is your's to own. :)

Purchased for my [kid]. He loves these sticker books! There are stickers that are placed on certian pages that keeps them busy, and they also include exta stickers just for fun.

Good stuff for kids!

My daughter ordered this and loved it. The stickers are very high quality and well made. They are too nice to stick on anything so she looks at the book.

I picked this at random and was very pleased. It had lots of action and also a lot of realistic behavior from our hero (and some action that definitely stretched my imagination!).

I read this in a day and was sad to see no more novels by this author.

I found a remainder hard copy of the book for $4.95 and figured even though I never heard of the author, what could I loose. Suprisingly, it was an excellect story, it was written just as well as Tom Clancy could have done with about half the pages as Clancy would use - and the characters were all well developed. A newly honored war hero (Lieutenant Turzin) is recruited into the pentagon by Sherman (a former presidential canidate) and Admiral Forsten (vise chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff) to assist them in their personal plans. Upon realizing their possible treasoness behavior and falling in love with Sherman's mistress, Turzin has a lot of serious work cut out for himself.

The book starts with a Grisham approach you would find in "The Firm". A hero gets a top job in the Pentagon and is lured by his respect to his boss. Then somewhere in the middle, the book turns into a fast pace Clancy. I read the book in three days. Something I haven't done in a long time. In fact I spent four hours transfixed on the last chapters as the plot begins to unfold. Keep it up Mr. Callahan. You're a natural.

I find political/military intrigue interesting and this story fills the bill. I enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys this type of novel. A good read, I could hardly put it down.

Callahan's story and writing is great, but what makes this audiobook is the outstanding performance by Michael Beck! Beck brings to audio what John Wayne, Bogart and Louis Gossett, Jr. brought to the silver screen with a dash of Rich Little. Beck really makes the story come alive. His ability to produce a voice for each of the characters, including the women, is nothing short of fantastic. Do not miss this performance!

I know a few things about WW II, but there are things in this book that I never heard before. In a word, fascinating.

My parents lived through the war, my dad on the Eastern Front, and then a prisoner, and my Mom was a school girl in a large German city.
My mother-in-law was a child in Coventry during the bombing. It is hard to imagine the hell people went through. As these survivors die off with old age, the life they lived will disappear. This book preserves history and memories.
This book was one of the most interesting reads I have had in my life. I first borrowed it from the library, but will now be buying it. A must for any armchair war historian.

In his preface, the author says he was moved to write this book by observing first hand during a 1946 train journey the skeletal remains of German cities. It is, of course, difficult not to feel sympathy for the 600,000 plus civilians who died in the Reich under a hail of enemy bombs, mortars and bullets. The author tells a vivid tale of cellar life, cold and misery as the nazi regime crumbled and collapsed in an orgy of destruction. The account is more impersonal than, for example, Cornelius Ryan's "When The Kissing Had To Stop" which described the last days of Hitler's Berlin from the vantage point of the citizens themselves. The author speculates, but does not answer, how the citizens of US cities today would respond to utter devastation of their environment. Given the very different nature of warfare today, and our dependence on cyberspace for communications, it is a question well worth debating.

�Under The Bombs� by Earl R. Beck, Sub-titled: �The German Home Front 1942-1945�, University Press of Kentucky, 1986.

History Professor Earl R. Beck understands the need for an evenhanded presentation of facts and conditions, and his book, �Under The Bombs�, is very balanced presentation of the conditions that existed in the Nazi Reich in the years from 1942 to 1945. Beck neither defends nor attacks the bombing of German cities and German civilians. The Professor does not sensationalize the bombing raids on German cities, but, in a rather quiet and an almost dispassionate fashion, describes the impact of so many tons of bombs dropped on so many civilians. In so writing, Dr. Beck actually presents a cogent case against aerial bombing.

This book, however, is NOT a collection of statistics about the number of bombers, the tonnage of bombs, and the quantity of casualties and the horror of war on civilians. The book is really about the German people and how they suffered during the bombing raids. Enough details are given to cover the general history of the air war against Nazi Germany, but Professor Beck emphasizes aspects that others have not. For example, he gives more coverage to the firestorm in the German city of Hamburg (see his chapter, �Bombing Achieves Holocaust�), than the more famous (infamous) firestorm in the eastern German city of Dresden (later in the war). I wonder how many people were offended by the equating of the firestorm to a holocaust? Further, Dr. Beck quietly asserts troubling facts, �Unable to �attack Germany by land, with the fighting in Italy still far away from the German borders, and� the British had only one way to bring the war home to Germany � from the air�. P. 64. Dr. Beck states that the British were �prisoners� of the weapons they possessed. On page 65, Beck relates how Britain�s Air Marshall Harris initiated the modern concept of the body count, by ��keeping account of the effects of aerial bombardment in terms of the degree of destruction �and the number of persons killed.�

On the other hand, this book attempts to relate personal feelings, gleaned from countless records and interpretations of Party correspondence. For example, the Party could not tolerate church services being held for the dead in the bombed cities. Dr. Beck relates how the Nazis worked to develop a more acceptable party procedure for such funerals. The book contains many details on the life of the individuals in the Third Reich and their morale. Stalingrad was the turning point. Dr. Beck then documents how the Nazi Party attempted to control every word spoken, in fact, even the thoughts of the Germans, by swift punishment for �defeatist� actions, words or sayings. If you ever have wondered why there was not more German resistance to the Nazis, read this book. Beck�s description of the promulgation of a �Nazi Christmas� (p. 105) is particularly telling. This book is a worthwhile,well written assessment of the state of mind of the German civilians and the deterioration of that state as the War wore on.

Professor Beck's book presents a sympathetic and detailed account of the hardships suffered by German civilians from 1942 to the end of the war three years later. He reports with great specificity on everything from the proportion of incendiaries in Allied bomb loads to the percentage of barley in German bread rations. Beck's compassion for civilians' suffering and his admiration for their toughness come through clearly on every page, as does his contempt for the hypocrisy and self interest of the Nazi elite. All of this is fine, but I was disturbed by the narrowness of Beck's vision. The complicity of the German public in the persecution of German Jews is barely touched on, and nowhere does Beck acknowledge that German rations, meager as they were, were paid for by the starving peoples of Occupied Europe. Perhaps I'm unfairly criticizing Beck for failing to produce a book he never set out to write. Still, I can't accept it when Beck talks about the betrayal of the German people as Hitler's greatest crime. Beck's compassion is so narrowly focused it becomes a kind of moral blindeness.

It's probably the best book to help psychotherapists using Cognitive Behavior Therapy principles and techniques.

Very Good. I have learned a lot about managing challenging problems with challenging patients.Cognitive therapists in training can't miss it.

This is a great book for novice therapists. The chapters have specific case examples and tips on what to say in each situation.

This is a highly practical guide for using cognitive therapy with patients who present challenging issues mental health practioners, whether you are a veteran or a novice

Chock-full of numerous detailed case scenarios, this work will enrich the practice of novice and experienced practioner alike.

Therapist have long been reporting that they are seeing increasingly difficult cases in their practices. Axis I and Axis II comorbidities have become the rule rather than the exception. By systematically addressing these challenges in this clearly written and eminently readable new volume, Judith Beck takes cognitive therapy to a new level. therapy does not seem to be going well, most clinicians can think of another therapist who they think would fare better.

We will be all the better as clinicians from benefitting from Dr. Beck's knowledge and expertise in putting together this scholarly, yet practical resource.

My 2 year old son loves all the Elliot Moose and friend's stories (since we started reading them to him when he was a few months old). He loves to have us read them to him over and over. Recently, he started "reading" them to us! Elliot is such a loving character, that has fun adventures with his friends. These books also have wonderful illustrations we use to teach our son, and have him point out things he knows and learn new words.

"Elliot Bakes a Cake" is another wonderful story from Andrea Beck in which Elliot works together with his friends to do something nice.

In this one, it's their friend Lionel's birthday. They've decided to make a cake, but haven't quite mastered the art of cooking. Though things are rocky, in the end, they come with a great way to still celebrate Lionel's birthday.

This is the second book in the Elliot Moose series.

I love this story and the pictures of the toys are really good.It made me happy and sad and parts of it were funny. I like how everyone helped each other figure out the recipe. Elliot is very cute. My mom and I are going to make the cake and I think everyone should get this book!

Elliott the Moose leads his stuffed animal buddies in an adventure to make a birthday cake for Lionel Lion. They've got lots of problems in the kitchen, the least of which is how to open the full-sized oven! Separating eggs proves to cause great problems as do other directions in the recipe. The stuffed animals are cute. The fabrics the illustrated has used to create them have wonderful texture and colors. The cake recipe is at the end of the book. Good book to share with young ones who are learning to cook.

Thomasina Beck, of the revered Victoria & Albert Museum, is the one to go to for expert and complete histories of needlework. Her text is engaging and the attendant photographs and drawn illustrations gently pull you through the book; by the end you have gleaned a wealth of insight into the British embroiderers and their work of the past 400 years. Every page has illustrations with an average of perhaps one-third text and two-thirds pictures. If there is more detail than you desire--and it is QUITE THOROUGH--just skim through. From whatever level of interest you bring, you will not be disappointed in what you take away. True, this book is in no way frivolous or for the faint-of-heart if you like only light excursions into histories.

The book is 160 pages long with fairly fine print, an excellent bibliography and complete index. It is on the expensive side but it is worth the investment.

Highly, highly recommended.

If you are looking for a gift for a needleworker, either yourself or someone you like, consider buying this book for them. It is a beautiful walk through the history of needlecrafting from the Renaissance (mainly in England), and it has beautiful pictures and an engaging text. The reader will have a better understanding of how the needlearts effected all aspects of material culture in the periods considered. Here needlework is treated as a long continuum of women's interests and knowledge, along with the variations that made eachperiod unique. Great for history buffs, too!

I only wished for more graphics of her source material. Think this book would interest any needleworker who also loved to read English history (in spite of the title, it's mostly about England). Whenever one looks at history from a unique POV, in this case needlework, one's understanding is deepened. It could also be subtitled: "How rich women wasted time".

Thomasina's book is full of beautiful illustrations, examples, and photos, but it is rather hard to read. There seem to be no clear cut examples or divisions between the different embroidery ages, except the chapters themselves. I have found myself going back and saying, "Now what made the Stuart embroiderers distinctive?" I only wish that there were some sort of summary at the end of each chapter to clarify each 'age,' because there is so much information mentioned in each chapter. There were also items and names mentioned throughout the book that needed further clarification, such as the history of a sweetbag. Where did that come from? As I said before though, it is full of beautiful illustrations and could serve as a helpful guide in designing reproduction patterns. It would also make a good coffee table book.

There are approximately 110 tales told in 22 languages.
The stories range from the comic to allegories and romantic
sequences. For instance, there is a tale entitled "A Friend
in Need". It relates the friendship between a tortoise and
a fox. A leopard visits and tosses the tortoise back into
the water. Another tale relates the best of flowers.
According to Birbal, clothing is the product of flowers.

A tale on non-violence describes a holy man asking a snake
to cease biting things although hissing is acceptable.
The stories enunciate themes which are not common
to the subtle English humor handed down over the centuries.
The acquisition is valuable as a potential conversation piece.

It doesn't matter what country your from, these tales are classic. Sure there's a lot of cultural lingo in these, but nothing to the point that brings the reader into a state of confusion. Basically it's easy to understand the essence of the tales. A delightful read, you'll laugh, and you'll probably learn something too.

This is the book I got my hands onto from a person who is not an Indian origin. Being an Indian, I'd say that this is the very good collection of stories from India from all different states/languages compiled in simple to understand english.

At the center of this book is an uninterrupted treasuremine of oral tradition folktales. If the reader looks through the extensive scholarly introduction, she learns that the tales have been organized around a series of themes (men's quest tales, woman's tales, animal tales...) and the significance of various aspects of the storytelling tradition. This organization allows the reader to approach the book from any level. She can just read the stories, uniterrupted by scholarly comments, or she can learn more about how they fit into a larger context. A nice book for the person interested in a quick and easy read.

This basically documents the architect's work but is not a great book. The photos, although good, are not top quality. There are lots of construction drawings, in a separate section (forcing a lot of flipping back and forth, BTW), but they were not redone for the book, are tiny reproductions of the originals, so not too readable. You usually at least get a floor plan, and some rough sketches in the text section, but the point of the book is not to explain how these buildings are built.

The worst aspect is the commentary by the two authors, mere filler material. The best are the words of the architect himself, who can offer background on all his projects, and who comes across as very sincere.

This Review is not only an Engineer's perspective of Murcutt - it's also, in a way, a definitive statement that Murcutt has the perspective required of an Engineer.
As a marine engineer with a keen professional and personal involvement with architecture, I have grown to respect Glenn Murcutt deeply. This book expresses much of what could be said about him, about his work, his principles and his motivation.
I have been most impressed by the interpretation of Murcutt's architecture by the engineers associated with him, as well as the fruit borne in the lives of younger architects who have studied under his guidance, and have continued to co-labour with him in Australia today. If only it were so all over the world!
The influence of Murcutt in our day must surely rank with that of Aalto during the past century.
Inspired and highly recommended reading and study for all students of architecture, regional modernism and vernacular materials, as well as engineers with a passion for design.
Brent O'Callaghan
Engineer - Cape Town

I have been into Murcutt's work for a few years now, but I have been disappointed by the lack of good books on his work. Until now, the best book around was Phaidon's '3 houses'. The only projects I have been able to see have been single family houses in the middle of the australian brush--so it was pretty cool to see this book with houses (or at least A house) in an urban area as well as larger commercial type buildings (like the education center).

As far as I know, all of his projects are shown in the book--built and unbuilt in great detail. The first 30 pages or so of the book is a collection of essays by both the authors and Murcutt. Then the book gets into his projects chronilogically--each with photographs, sketches and drawings.

The last part of the book is a collection of 'blue-print' drawings showing the plans and more importantly the construction details of all his buildings--all in pretty good detail showing dimensions and materials.

Im stingy with my book money--but I definately feel like I got my money's worth outta this one.

The Pritzker laureate selected his favorite buildings for this handsomely illustrated monograph, with its insightful text by two Australian architectural professors who know his work well. Nearly a third of the pages are devoted to drawings that illuminate Murcutt's meticulous approach to design.