Becker Books

This book is a waste of money. As a matter of fact, you can find ALL of the tricks explained in this book on YouTube. By downloading the video, I can even explain all the tricks to you.

Shame on Herbert for putting a book out such as this and violating the Magician's Code. I have absolutely no respect for this book. If everyone wrote books like this, illusions would not be half as fun.

David Blaine and his magic is secret no more.

What a way to go!

Buy this book before someone manages to get it off the shelves, it is hot.

Gary S. Becker and Kevin M. Murphy explore the market behavior in a social environment most magnificiently in this book. The insight that I have gained through reading this book cannot be measured by a mere mortal. Furthermore, it astounds me that the sales rank for this book is 72,711, when on my bookshelf it is number 1! This is a must buy for anyone, even if you have no prior knowledge of economics.

This book assumes much prior economic knowledge on the part of the reader. If you are looking for an intuitive, digestable text that highlights the relationships between social and market forces... THIS IS NOT IT.
Becker's ideas, though compelling, are often lost in the academic murk of sophisticated formulas and equation analysis. For example, the first three pages of the opening chapter talk extensively about derivatives of utility functions as they relate to social capital. It felt like I was back in calculus or finance class. This book reads like a textbook. I don't recommend it for anyone with less than an intermediate, working understanding of economic theory.

i would not give this seller even a quarter star. they really suck,my order was never delivered, and eventhough i sent countless emails to the seller it was never replied neither did i get my refund back. i wish there was a contact number to this seller or better still i should just go ahead and report them to the better business bureau.

Excellent shape. It was jsut as ordered and I saved significantly as compared to the bookstore.

I am a student taking a Cellular bio class from Jeff Hardin. While he is a terrific lecturer, I, like many of these reviewers, find the book extremely difficult to follow.

The index is incomplete. The text will highlight a word as if it is the definition (see cis-acting element), while the glossary definition includes information merely glossed over in text. Isn't the text where you are supposed to get a complete description as well as examples, while the glossary provides the concise definition? The glossary definition of endocytosis doesn't even include the directionality of the vesicle. The section on the Calvin cycle is needlessly complex. I found myself viewing an overview on the MIT website, so that I finally understood what the book was getting at. Then I went back to the book and understood the reading.

I shouldn't have to look up each topic online to get an overview before I read the book. For most courses I take, the book is the reference we refer to first. Not so for this course with this book. This is doubling the amount of homework time spent on an already complex topic. The diagrams include many acronyms with little or no explanation. Pretty pictures, but they don't elucidate the key points without a different text for explanation.

I am almost done with this semester and am on my way to getting an AB, the equivalent of either an A- or a B+ at other universities. I do not feel as if I have learned much for the amount of time I have spent, and I am an extremely hardworking honors student.

GET ANOTHER BOOK.

I know that Cell Biology is a difficult subject to master, so there will always be shortcomings in a textbook's ability to communicate the subject in an understandable fashion. However, I thought this book was awesome. I followed the text entirely. I loved the fact that this text was an introductory text and didn't assume that the reader has previous knowledge of the subject. The authors explained everything. In later chapters of the book, they would summarize previously mentioned material, and reference you to the appropriate section of the book if you needed a more in-depth recap. The figures and tables are incredibly helpful in visualizing what is going on within each molecular process. Like I said, loved this book. I will say that I didn't find the CD-ROM helpful at all, but I won't dock points from such a good book for that reason. Good luck to everyone with your studies. Hope you enjoy the text.

I used this text for pre-med biology course-- I was simulataneously taking Biochemistry as well, but more on that later.

The text, while not overwhemingly as detailed as other reviewers write, was all in all okay, but fell short in many areas. One of them is the distinct typographical and grammatical errors that riddled, what seemed, to be the only chapters we covered. There were many sentences that were run-ons, which disrupted the learning and flow of the text (and, in my opinion, a textbook backed by such a major publisher as this, errors like that are out of the question).

Sometimes, for instance in the TCA chapter, I felt that the material presented on Oxidative Phosphorylation seemed out of order, and just a bit too condensed.

The photosynthesis chapter was utterly horrible.

The exercises at the end were poorly written, and seemed to ask esoteric questions about common topics. The answers to these questions were esoteric still.

I felt that the only saving grace about this were the wonderful pictures: I liked how each chapter opened up an exhaustive diagram. Other than that, this is book pretty much only a decent cell bio book, but no biochemistry one.

I ordered this book for a Master's class I'm taking and been a bit of a let down. Shipping was a breeze, and the content of the book is good, but the book is painfully boring. The pages are all black and white, and I have to force myself to continue on to each new paragraph. In general, I'd rather sit down and repeatedly stick pencils in my eyes than sit down and learn from this book about Human Factors.

Used this book for an introductory course to human factors engineering. I'll say it was written in a way that made it easy to understand, with lists and clear examples. I do wish that there were more diagrams for conveying some of the ideas. Including the lens model diagram inside this book along with a brief section on it would have worked wonders, though. Otherwise, it was a good book.

I've used this book in my human factors grad/undergrad class for 4 years. This book is the only text in human factors with up to date information from research in cognitive science, and a cognitive science perspective on human error. The book is weaker on the ergonomics and design side, and quite weak on social aspects of human factors. I use the book in combination with Don Norman's book and the Casey book of case studies.

I do not require students to memorize the book. They use it as a reference for doing problem solving and case analyses. It contains good research references and many important facts and figures that human factors and design professionals need.

This was the single most atrocious example of a "text book" I've ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Very poor editing throughout, and often the outline structure was unnavigable. Adding to that problem, was poor grammar and sections that simply made no sense. "...incentive programs are effective over long periods of time as long as they are not dropped permanently at some point." My suggestion, if you have a class that requires this textbook, find a new class.

Just finished a HF course and this was the required text for the course. This text is awful. Very poor writing, incorrect or misleading info is presented, in the area's of work physiology, etc. The author did not explore or offer ANY additional insight in area's such as bio-mechanics etc.. HUGE sections of the text are pure quotes from other sources.. Very poor.. All I can say is thank goodness I was able to sell the book.

This book should be returned to print. Ms. Becker's book is very well documented and is aided greatly by the fact that she doesn't buy into any romantic notions of the RAF's bravery, commitment, or moral sensitivity. She does point out that the early student protests in Germany had just cause and she does take the Berlin police to task for shooting Benno Ohnesorg and for exonerating the policeman responsible ("It was a whitewash.").

A previous reviewer writes: "Even someone wholly against violence, as I am, will empathize with the bravery and idealism of those who risk extermination in support of a cause." Would he (or she)make the same observation about Timothy McVeigh? Or the members of the Manson Family? The only difference between McVeigh and the Unabomber is political philosophy. What is brave about planting a bomb in a car or a building where innocent people can get killed? Did any of these groups or people ever once directly engage soldiers or even the police?

At one point in the notes at the back of this book, Ms. Becker makes an observation that defines these groups and fashionable leftism in a nutshell: "...postwar middle class children in the prosperous societies which alone can afford these 'hip' politics were educated to believe in compassion as a sentiment rather than justice as a principle."

Some of the writing is a little sloppy and one does occasionally wish Ms. Becker would keep her opinions a little more in the background--she was, perhaps, reacting to the hip cachet that groups like the RAF had (and still have) among the affluent left intelligentsia.

Try to pick up the 1978 edition, which has some up-to-date info about later RAF actions and the suicides of the leaders. Read this book and your ideas about what's going on in places like Seattle and Genoa will change a little.

This tract does provide interesting factual details about one of the 20th century's most feared terrorist cells. But it is a relic of its time--blatant propaganda meant to combat the public sympathy these terrorists' sacrifices had elicited. Even someone wholly against violence, as I am, will empathize with the bravery and idealism of those who risk extermination in support of a cause. Becker has no such empathy, and is obviously so choked with loathing for her subjects that she cannot render them as vivid human beings.

Becker's constant sarcasm, and her cynicism about the motives of anyone whose politics she disagrees with, are unbecoming of a journalist. And I was disappointed by her tendency to toe the official line--depicting these violent activists as common criminals, and downplaying their suffering and the social confusion that made their youthful extremism explicable. Something powerful and relevant could have been gained here, especially given the feminism of the Red Army Faction and the social anomie that spawned it. The principals themselves were interesting enough to merit a more balanced treatment than this. And the grand-standing references to Hitler are incredibly shallow and racist.

All in all, an informative, thorough, but sadly biased record. I only hope it saved some lives.

In this extraordinarily well-researched and highly readable study, the author traces the rise of terrorism in West Germany in the late 1960s, finding its roots in the New Left student protest movement. She shows how a small group of affluent, educated, young men and women, starting off as 'pacifists' - for unilateral Western nuclear disarmament, and against American intervention in Vietnam - went on after the protest movement itself had subsided to use extreme violence against their neighbors, laying bombs in public places to kill and maim indiscriminately. The Rote Armee Fraktion, otherwise known as the Baader-Meinhof gang, declared itself to be Communist. At the same time other terrorist groups, similarly constituted, acted in the name of Anarchism. But whatever the pretext, none had a visible or discoverable cause of its own to struggle for, and the author rightly looks for explanation in the heads of the young mass-murderers themselves. She finds it in their desire to distinguish themselves from their parents' generation. Yet with their fanaticism and destructiveness, anti-Semitism, ruthlessness, cruel and murderous methods, and their hatred of Western democracy, these epigoni resemble their Nazi forebears more than they differ from them.

'Hitler's Children' is by far the best book yet written on the 1968 New Left rebellion and its aftermath in Europe. Jillian Becker is an English novelist and fact-book writer. She sets out the facts in a cool and witty style, and for the most part lets them speak for themselves. To call her book 'self-serving' as one reader-critic does, cannot be justified. She clearly had no interest in the people and events she describes other than as an investigative writer. In London recently I bought the third editon, published by Pickwick Books, which provides a publishing history. Although first commissioned by J.B.Lippincott Company, New York - and subsequently translated into many European languages and Japanese - the later English-language editions have not been published in the United States; but as they cover more ground, and bring the story to its actual conclusion by dealing with the next generation of West German terrorists, they are to be recommended above the first edition.

In this extraordinarily well-researched and highly readable study, the author traces the rise of terrorism in West Germany in the late 1960s, finding its roots in the New Left student protest movement. She shows how a small group of affluent, educated, young men and women, starting off as 'pacifists' - for unilateral Western nuclear disarmament, and against American intervention in Vietnam - went on after the protest movement itself had subsided to use extreme violence against their neighbors, laying bombs in public places to kill and maim indiscriminately. The Rote Armee Fraktion, otherwise known as the Baader-Meinhof gang, declared itself to be Communist. At the same time other terrorist groups, similarly constituted, acted in the name of Anarchism. But whatever the pretext, none had a visible or discoverable cause of its own to struggle for, and the author rightly looks for explanation in the heads of the young mass-murderers themselves. She finds it in their desire to distinguish themselves from their parents' generation. Yet with their fanaticism and destructiveness, anti-Semitism, ruthlessness, cruel and murderous methods, and their hatred of Western democracy, these epigoni resemble their Nazi forebears more than they differ from them.

'Hitler's Children' is by far the best book yet written on the 1968 New Left rebellion and its aftermath in Europe. Jillian Becker is an English novelist and fact-book writer. She sets out the facts in a cool and witty style, and for the most part lets them speak for themselves. To call her book 'self-serving' as one reader-critic does, cannot be justified. She clearly had no interest in the people and events she describes other than as an investigative writer. In London recently I bought the third editon, published by Pickwick Books, which provides a publishing history. Although first commissioned by J.B.Lippincott Company, New York - and subsequently translated into many European languages and Japanese - the later English-language editions have not been published in the United States; but as they cover more ground, and bring the story to its actual conclusion by dealing with the next generation of West German terrorists, they are to be recommended above the first edition.

For 20 years this book has been seen as the definitve account of the terrorist scare in 1970s Germany. But time has not been kind. Jillian Becker's otherwise brilliant biography always suffered from her own politics; now with hindsight it's hard to see where the truth ends and fiction begins. The first section of Becker's book, which covers the genesis of the Red Army Faction in the late 1960s is quite superb. There is extensive, if slightly innacurate, biographical material on the leaders, and a genuine attempt to explain why the peaceful radical student movement became a radical terrorist one. But it's when she turns her attention to the RAF itself that the cracks begin to appear. For instance, Becker repeats with almost insulting frequency the official government line that the RAF prisoners were not subject to intense and deliberate solitary confinement. They were. Anyone who's read Stefan Aust's work 'Der Baader Meinhof Komplex' (the translation is now sadly out of print) will know this to be the case. Becker glosses over the whole imprisonment and trial of the gang, preferring instead to paint them as rowdy youths who were getting just what they deserved. Some of her comments defy belief. Unfortunately, since English-language books on the RAF are few and far between Jillan Becker has become the most comprehensive source on the gang by default. And I'm not denying that her book makes an excellent secondary source. Just be sure to take some of her more extreme comments with a pinch of salt.

Tony Mullen, London, United Kingdom, 21.11.98

I have not read the book but from the reviews it is obvious that this is a diatribe and mock against Franky's own family. This is very sad because my wife and I knew the Schaeffer family, spent time in Switzerland in 1977 and were inspired by their love for the poor in spirit, the spiritually hungry and the destitute souls who came to them from distant lands. We were also encouraged by Dr. Schaeffer's love of wisdom. Consequently, hundreds of young people were exhorted to live a life of dignity, using the gifts that God had given them to honor Him and serve their fellow human beings.
I was inspired by Dr. Schaeffer and the late Dr. Wilton Krogman to conduct original Neanderthal research that had never been done before. I took the first cephalometric x-rays of Neanderthals in the museums of Europe and the Middle East that combined the two disciplines of paleoanthropology and orthodontics. The book "Buried Alive" is the result of that research. My wife used Edith's writings on family life to create a wonderful home for our family with five children.
Finally, the Schaeffers were no "Bible Thumpers", as we would be forced to believe. However, they did acknowledge the absolutes of Scripture, one of which states."Honor your father and mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you." Exodus 20:12 Need I say more?

In this howlingly funny follow up to Portofino and Saving Grandma, Mr. Schaeffer again tackles the theme of religious zeal and hypocrisy, setting the backdrop at a European ski resort. I laughed out loud at the unbalanced Swiss maid, the two-faced sister, the manic- depressive father, and drunken English gentleman as seen through the eyes of an adolescent boy.

There is more to this book than the comedy routine. At the heart of this is a question that has plagued me as a believer for years: where is the line between getting close to God and playing God?

Whether you're looking for a bildungsroman, a nostalgic look at Europe in the 60's, or just a good long laugh, Zermatt will deliver.

As a novel, I found this less satisfying than the previous two books about Calvin because the narrative seemed episodic, rather than an expression of a writer's fully realized vision of time, place, and plot. Simply put, the story jumps from one anecdote to the next: this happened, and this, which made me think about ---, but then this happened...

Such a presentation may well resonate with people able to identify themselves with the author or his experiences. But I could not see what distinguishes this from other coming-of-age memoirs written by Western men, except that Calvin's life seems to have become more and more insular over the course of the trilogy.

I could not identify with the author or his experiences, but it was certainly easy to identify the characters and settings described: n.b., described, not created. To most American evangelicals and fundamentalists, Schaeffer's family of origin is well known for its attempts to define and arguably circumscribe the ideal of Protestant orthodoxy. Caricatures of the family in this book extend even to their habits of dress, which is interesting given the writer's apparent agenda of reclaiming his story from the lore of his family.

Much about the circumstances of the author makes me uncomfortable, but I admit that the novel succeeds in at least two areas. First, it provides literary exegesis of the erotic imagination of an American boy. Second, it virtually assures that no further hagiographic treatment of his family and their mission can take place without somehow addressing issues raised by Schaeffer's books, some of which are mental illness and abuse.

The book surely reads differently for those who do not place Frank Schaeffer in context of his family of origin and of a career developed with family support and connections. But my guess is that this ramble is of greatest interest to those who recognize Edith -- er, ELSA in her trim black suit teaching Bible study in the great room of the chalet. So if you do not know or know of the Schaeffers, the book is a fast, uncomplicated read. If you do know or know of the Schaeffers, you may find yourself wondering whether reading the book makes you party to the sin of detraction. I am thinking about that, myself. A lot.

I have fallen in love with Frank Shaffer's "Calvin Becker" universe. The characters are well developed, and his descriptions make me feel like I've spent lots of time in Portofino and Zermatt (Which I really have!) The stories are well written, and give the reader a feeling like slipping on a soft old sweater and sitting by the fire on a cool, damp winter's evening. However, the relationship between Calvin and his best friend, Jennifer, drives much of the plot in the first two books, and Jennifer is nowhere to be found in Zermatt. I missed her terribly because I want to see what happens to the couple as they grow up. (This is supposed to be a "Coming of Age" story, at least for Calvin.) It's clear that the feelings between the two of them are changing as they get older and closer to adolescence. However, the way that "Zermatt" ends leaves us with clear clues that there is more about the Becker family coming soon. I also got the feeling that Jennifer will be there when the next chapter begins. I certainly hope so!

I've read everything America's best writer on all things to do with fatherhood and family has written. Portofino was terrific, Saving Grandma stupendous, and Keeping Faith, A Father-Son Story About Love and the United States Marine Corps touching. But "ZERMATT" is the best yet. You heard it here first: Zermatt will become an American classic. If you realy want to get inside the head of a fifteen year old boy and the inner dynamic of a family driven by religious delusion, this is the book. For anyone who had a powerful mom, a father doing his best to keep up and religion hanging over them all, Zermatt is the book.

Avertised "like new" ;however, extensive highlighting and even notes crossed out. Corners bent. Condition not at all as advertised!

I wanted to take the Human Geography AP Exam but we didn't have a course at our school so I had to study for it on my own. As there are no published AP guides, my only source of information was this textbook. I not only scored a 5 on the exam, but I also tested out of the second semester of Human Geography once I got to college as well!! Fabulous textbook!

I guess this is a good textbook, but i really dislike this course and my teacher and how shes making us BUY the textbooks for 100 dollars! jeez cheap school

The prose in this book is well-written and easy to read, a blessing given how indigestibly ponderous most textbooks are, even when they're expressing otherwise simple ideas. It's what the text says and doesn't say that's at issue.

On the Middle East, for example, the text notes that Palestinians "migrated or fled" during the 1948 war. Fair enough, it's an attempt not to take sides regarding the wildly different narratives of this event, a tragedy in the lives of 600,000 people. But the text does not even mention that at the same time, in direct response to the founding of Israel, 800,000 Jews in Arab Middle Eastern countries were expelled from these countries. That's a strange omission in a book on human geography. At another point in the book we read that from 1917 to 1948, when Palestine was under the British Mandate, the British ENCOURAGED Jewish immigration to Palestine. I guess that's why so many Jews, fleeing death from the Nazis with nothing but the clothes on their backs, were forced to risk their lives again, trying to land on the beach in the middle of the night from leaky ships out of Cyprus. The immigration quotas imposed on Jews during the British Mandate are a historical fact. I don't know enough about other areas of the world to critique what the text says about them----it would be interesting to hear from other reviewers--but with this level of omission and inaccuracy, can I trust anything else the book says?

In addition, a glance through the book reveals other errors and confusions. Page 4: What are the units for the Gross National Income in the map? US dollars? Or is this a relative scale? Page 14-15: 90% or over of what?? 90% of Calfiornia students said they'd prefer to live in California? California received an approval rating of 90% or over as a place to live? Page 40: The world population distribution says that "1 dot represents 100,000 people". Note that there is ONE dot in the vicinity of, I guess, Calgary and none in the vicinity of Edmonton--both cities now have about a million people, so they should have about 10 dots each, no? And this is just in the first 40 pages.

This book was supposed to be released in December 2005, but there were delays and I received the book only yesterday. There should have been time to pick up mistakes like the above.

First off, let me say that currently I'm a 9th grader that is taking the AP Human Geography course at my school. This is only the third year the AP program has offered this course, and only the first year (I believe,) and I am so glad that our school picked this book.

De Blij presents the information in such a way that it is understandable by high school students, and yet it still retains a very intellectual atmosphere throughout the textbook. He also presents the information in an unbiased context. And during units on religion, and culture (major parts of Human Geography) he doesn't try to preach a religion, or express a bias toward any one.

The information in the textbook is also very accurate and reliable. And during times when there is no exact "right" answer, you won't have to worry about getting a completely rejected view in the academic world, since H.J. de Blij is a highly respected academic.

I could go on and on about how great Human Geography: Culture, Society and Space is, but you can find out more about it by getting the book. I really enjoyed reading it (though I still have a couple more chapters to go), and with the AP Human Geography test looming on May 5, I feel very well prepared for it. If you will be taking the AP Human Geography course in the upcoming year, I highly recommend you to request your school to purchase this book as the main textbook for use. And if your school won't get it, I would still recommend you to purchase it on your own. It's worth every dollar of it. And if you aren't, and your a college student taking a Human Geography course, this book would still be a great study tool.

Oh, and wish me and everyone else taking the AP Human Geography test on May 5!

Actually, this book is amusing and might make a fun gag gift for a golfer, but as a guide to the rules and subtleties of golfs gambling games, it is of little use. My copy goes in my pal's Xmas stocking.

This little gem of a book is great fun. Written by one of golf's best writers, Jeff Williams, "The Hustler's Guide to Golf" is filled with such humorous insights as "the Betting Personalities," (a chapter on players and their betting weaknesses), and "The Sacred Betting Rules," in which the reader is treated to such insights as "don't be afraid to annoy your worst enemy; he'll play worse." When you've stopped laughing long enough to turn to the next chapter, entitled "Blasphemous Cheating Guidelines," you'll have a hard time keeping a straight face after reading such gems as "Practice coughing..." and "Call your opponent at five o'clock in the morning...". "Well-known bettors" is a humorous chapter on the betting escapades of some of golf's best known players. The final chapter details 25 betting games: how to play them, how to win them. That's if you can stop laughing. "The Hustler's Guide to Golf" is for golfers and non-golfers alike, though golfers will have a harder time getting through this book without falling on the floor in stitches. Included with "The Hustler's Guide.." are 8 ball markers marked "Don't Choke". You get the picture.

I was hoping to get more information than this book provides. I have found all the same information on the internet, if not more, than is contained in these pages. In fact, most of the book highlights the history of betting and some of golf's more renown gamblers. the actual betting games section of the book is pretty small.

The best part of the book is that it comes with "Don't Choke" ball markers that are great to mark an opponents ball with.

As a stocking stuffer the book is fine, as an end all and be all to golf side betting, it doesn't cut it.

Being a golf newby, I wanted a book about golf games betting. I learned from a patient friend what a Nassau Bet is, and he kindly told me about the customary side bets such as greenies, sandies, & birdies. When this book arrived, I was surprised to find that nowhere is there mention of these classic side bets, as far as I could tell, so I'm wondering what else is missing.

I found the preliminaries to be tongue-in-cheek funny -- the gambits for getting an "edge". But I've had to order another book from Amazon to see what was left out of this one. I believe I've found what I was looking for in "The Complete Book of Golf Games, by Scott Johnston.

A cute novelty item, but not really useful. Johnston's book "The Complete Book of Golf Games" is much better.

The book was exactly as described. Fast shipping!! I can't wait to sell it - not my favorite of classes =)

The publisher has two versions of the book, each the 10th Edition but with different ISBN numbers. So before you order be careful which one your class is using.

This book was over done ? this book will confuse an accounting student. In fact, they recommend that you purchase a study guide to go along with this book (what does that tell you!!!). Along with a poor accounting lecture you are doomed to barely pass an accounting class with this book. The write up and description of general concepts ? extends to some far out, drawn out, and exacerbated lecture that may have been written by satanic worshipers or something like that. I bought the study guide to go along with this book after I did so poorly on my first exam and now I know why a few did well on their exam?s ? because they bought the study guide!!! The study guide should be used as the main study concept and leave this heavy weighted book on the shelf?

The author should have made this text more student friendly. It was very confusing at times. This book is not worth its cost!

This is an authoritative text (it's on the recommended reading list for the CMA, for example). Unfortunately, the style of writing is not the clearest. Although I'm a straight-A student of accounting, I had to re-read way too many sentences.

This book will fit in the palm of your hand. Read the discription carefully and note size. Also the book is 93 pages not 128. It looks like the big book but is not even close to the same book. It is Edited by Alida Becker, Illustrations by Michael Green, Color Illustrations by Tim Kirk. A Running Press Miniture Edition. DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE COVER!

This book is NOT illustrated by the Brothers Hildebrandt (nor is it written by Daniel Grotta). I was looking for Hildebrandt artwork, so I was completely disappointed.

There is very little value in the information held in this book, but for Tolkien fans, there's still some interesting quotes and poems to pick through. The artistic work really is spectacular. It's a good gift, it's an attractive volume that is of a high quality. I haven't tried out any of the recipes, but they look interesting enough. If anything, it's a volume that you can give to the Tolkien fan that thinks they've got it all.

An essay of Auden's does appear in the book. It is, in fact, a hodgepodge of Tolkien related material, mostly essays (including a short biography) but also stories set in Middle Earth, songs, poems, word games, and even recipies written by other authors. It is an interseting look at Tolkien fandom. I found the black & white interior illustrations simply breathtaking the first time I saw this book. For me, it is the most important Tolkien related book not actually written by him, and the one that is most worth having. I found it at a library over ten years ago, and recently gave up hope of ever seeing it again, but here it is. Be sure to look at my "So You'd Like to Take a Trip There and Back Again through Tokien's World?" Guide.

It's a nice little book, that's it. It has some poems about Tolkien and his world with no rhymes (mostly) and some quotes. Some older people or some professors :) might like it, but not me. The only reason I gave it three stars is because it had two funny poems in there.