Benn Books

There's a reason why Carl Dair's book has been continuously in print since it was first published in the '50s. It's one of the best introductions to the idea of contrast in design: contrast of size, contrast of weight, contrast of position, and so on. And it's visually inspiring itself, despite being a small, square, one- and two-color volume. Recent printings have unpleasantly tight bindings, but it's still a classic, and one of the best available tools for typographic design.

Unlike other books I have come across, this title is worthy of being on the shelf. More visual examples could have been shown but I say this because I enjoy looking at pictures. The text in this book is definately valuable. $25 is a fair price I'd say.

For some reason Canada seems to produce spectacular typographic writers. I'd never read this book before, but encountering it for CDN5.00 a few years back, I figured I may as well pick it up. Good decision. It's a very well-written book indeed.

I was given this book from my neighbor donating their kid books to my child. I hadnt noticed it until I was tired of reading "The Snoring Monster" for the 57th time and picked up this one. It was so easy to read and had a great moral to it! The ideas in it are simple yet imaginative. I am able to read and REread this book many times without getting tired of it. If you dont have it on your bookshelf you should! PS: It doesnt look like it's printed anymore so I'd try Ebay! :) Good luck! Worth the search for sure!

I was read these stories when my siblings and I were very young, and we loved them all. BarbaPapa and his family are colorful, fun, and teach good lessons to youngsters. Now my older sister is having her first child, and I'm going to search these books down so she can read them to her own kids.

I have owned this book since 1984. I bought it for my two year old daughter. It is a silly book and whenever she was in a bad mood, I would read it to her and she would giggle herself happy again.

Short, funny, poetic. This book reads in about two minutes. It's imaginitive--good rhyming poetry with silly pictures. I bought it for my child by accident and have held it these 6 years for my own pleasure.

My then 8 year old son read The Little Grey Men by this author. We then went on a mad hunt for the sequel. A friend went to England and was able to get it there. She also brought back Brendan Chase. My son was 9 when he read and absolutely fell in love with this book. So much so that I had to read it. I also loved it! We cherish our copy and will read it forever.

This story is set in 1930s England, and concerns 3 teenage boys who run away from home and live wild in a huge local forest to avoid having to go back to school (hence the title, with a 'Chase' being an old English name for forest). They live off the land by eating fish, wild animals that they trap or shoot, and nuts and berries. They get up to lots of interesting adventures, and meet some curious characters, and of course the police are after them continuously. There are parallels with Thoreau's Walden I suppose, and some 'coming of age' issues as the boys reflect upon the life they are missing. The author, 'BB', was a keen naturalist, as is obvious from the text, with lots of references to the beauty of wild animals and the natural world. The book is very well written, with some very poignant passages that still stick in my mind to this day.
The book is intended for children up to the age of 16 I suppose, but could be enjoyed by all ages really, and I think there is a deeper message.

I have to be honest and say that this is my favourite book of all time, so my review is biased. I first read it when young and now reread it when I am feeling down. It is slightly Tolkein-esque in that in nostalgically describes a rural England that no longer exists, and it makes me think about my old childhood (or at least the childhood I wanted to have). I wouldn't pay 70 dollars for it, but if you can get this for 10 dollars then it could be on of the best buys you ever make, particularly if, like me, you are an ex-pat.

This is a comprehensive look at the sculpture work of H. C. Westermann. Excellent paper stock, solid binding, and large, full-color illustrations throughout. This really is one of the best books production-wise and of course, the artwork is excellent. With this book it felt like the definitive story of H.C. Westermann has been told.

Note of confusion: This entire book is duplicated in the "Catalogue Raisonne" book, but the other book also includes a section section containing many black and white images of his entire sculptural output. This is done mainly as a reference resource and not really intended for visual enjoyment (which is why the images are black and white and not color). I personally find black and white images of artwork not enjoyable to look at because much of the texture and nuances are missing so unless you are an H. C. Westermann scholar or collector, the Raisonne isn't necessary in my opinion.

This book is invaluable for Westermann fans. This is the first publication to come along that is comprehensive and includes little known works. There are only a few publications on this artist and they are nowhere near as complete as this one. The photos of the works are large, crisp, and show the details in the work. The history on the artist and his life is informative as well. I highly recommend this for those who know Westermanns work and for those unaquainted with it...this book will win you over.

My mother bought this book at an auction for a few dollars about 20 years ago. I happened to stumble across it in a pile of other books at home when I was 14. I couldn't put it down. For me, this book was magical and truly enlightening for my young mind at the time. I can't believe it's so difficult to find.

The reason I say if you cant buy the mansion at least have a view is that this book is out of print and really difficult to find. Will Durant re-edited this book as the "Story of Philosophy" turning it into more a history and something that could go along with his "Story of Civilization" series. This book originally published in 1929 is a far different book than the later edition. This book is a very lucid and organized book explaining philosophical questions. The book explains how philosophers through the ages handled these problems but is organized not by chronology but by questions.

IT is hard for us after Durant has offered the world such great history to remember that he aimed originally to be a philosopher. Reading this book brings us back to that fold and in reading it one can easily picture our young and yet very well informed Durant writing this book with alacrity and humor. His style is conversational, and full with out being ostentatious or verbose.

IT is a shame that this book hasn't been reprinted since it would make a great work for the introduction to philosophy for students and the reading public alike. Unfortunately, if you want this book you are going to have to hunt for it. I suspect that if you are reading this you are looking specifically for it. If this be the case buy a copy if it is available. If one is not available keep searching you will be rewarded when you stumble upon it...

-- Ted Murena

E. Nesbit wrote three books about the Bastables: The Story Of The Treasure Seekers, in which the six Bastable kids look for treasure to restore treir family's fallen fortunes, New Treasure Seekers, a beautiful collection of wonderful Bastable adventures, and the Wouldbegoods, in which the motley troop goes on vacation with their cousins, form the soceity of Wouldbegoods, (in which the motive is to do one good deed a day) and fail miserably. The first thing Noel does is climb the chimney and fetch down a few bricks, a bird nest and a couple tons of soot. Wouldbegoods is by far the best, but if tou want to read it free go to Google.com, type in New Treasure Seekers, click on first choice and you can red either New Treasure Seekers or Wouldbegoods at your leisure.

Oh, I am sooo in love with Oswald Bastable. I first read the Wouldbegoods when I was twelve, and since then, I've read all the books in the Bastable series. He's the greatest character I've ever encountered. Ah, so real!

This is a lovely, gentle children's story. The story is of a little kitten that wishes she were something other than a kitten. As she tries to act like different animals she learns a lesson about the value of being who she is. The illustrations are simple and engaging and the ending is happy for everyone.

This was my favorite book when I was a young child. My mother says that I demanded that she read it to me every night. It's about a kitten who doesn't fit in with the other kittens, so he goes around the farm seeing if he'd be a better duck, chicken, etc. But he nearly drowns when the ducks go swimming (the ducks save him), and so on. In the end he comes home and is happy to be a kitten with his family. Looking back now that I'm 41, Pitschi's adventures symbolize much of my life. It's surprising to think that when I was 3 I must have had some idea of the future "story of my life."
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Review by Thomas David Kehoe, author of "Hearts and Minds: How Our Brains Are Hardwired for Relationships"

I don't know when I've enjoyed reading a book more than Alvin Benn's REPORTER:Covering Civil Rights...And Wrongs in Dixie. The author zeros in on the crux of a story far better than most writers, and peels away the crust in language that is as simple and eloquent as any writer I know. The warmth, the wit, the poignancy in the vignettes leave you smiling and coming back for more.
The unflinching honesty and objectivity of Al Benn's reporting--even when staring evil in the face or risking a fist in his own--is impressive. His old-fashioned reportage has earned him the respect of peers and readers across Alabama and the South. Read REPORTER and you will see why he is one of the best at what he does.
Benn's book should be required reading for all aspiring journalists. Recent recognition by Auburn University's Journalism Advisory Council--the council honored Benn with the Distinguished Alabama Community Journalist award--adds authority to the opinion that Alvin Benn's career (as told in REPORTER) is worthy of emulation. But you don't have to be a journalist to enjoy reading his book.
The book stirs more than regional interest. There is something in REPORTER for everyone. Read it. I think you will like it.

Warren Trest, author

Al Been is a great story teller! From civil rights to football Al covers the topics with a style that is very unique. Reporter is a great book and an easy read!

If you like to be educated in a relaxed easy to read manner, this is the book.

In Hilaire Belloc's wonderful book on Cardinal Richelieu we are presented with more than a biography, but with a panorama of Christendom, or rather its destruction, accomplished by the man of the title. Belloc shows how the power of the French Crown was vastly extended but that its greatest casualty was the dominance of Catholicism within the what is now Germany and its undermining in France itself. Richelieu's devotion to his royal master, Louis XIII, was greater than his devotion to the Catholic faith though he was a bishop and Cardinal. Richelieu did not wish for the destruction of Catholic supremacy but it was brought about by his excessive devotion to the state. By breaking the temporal power of the Calvinst nobles by arms without any attempt to peacefully bring these people back to the Church he undermined the Faith in France. Richelieu preserved the rupture a common Faith and culture by breaking the power of the House of Hapsburg both in Germany and even northern Italy. Richelieu even paid the king of Sweden, Gustavus Aldophus to attack the Holy Roman Empire in which the Catholic forces were beaten by this military genius. The Swedish king's death in battle saved the Austrian house of Hapburg but deprived it of its acendency over what is now Germany. He did all these things to secure the dominance of the French State which by the end of Richelieu's life was to eclipse both Hapburg Austria and Spain. This is only the beginning of the story of this flawed but truly great man by a great historian.