Berry Books

This book is really great. It gave me a whole lot more songs and fingerplays to do with my kids.

I love this book. So many rhymes all in one book. I know it will be a valuable resource for me.

This book transcribes the lyrics of 700 very common poems and songs. There is no other information, it is just a book of lyrics with a few words at the end indication the "theme." For example, the lyrics to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" are in the book with a brief caption afterwards that reads: Theme: Counting.

It comes with two CDs that contain 50 of the songs and poems which you probably already have if you've bought more than a handful of children's CDs for your kid.

I would recommend checking it out from the library if you really must see it. On no planet is this worth more than $15 at most.

This book is so much fun! I am an infant teacher and I post songs and rhymes I use with the children each week. This book has all sorts of themes and subjects to work with and it is so much fun to learn new songs and rhymes. You can never know too much when you are a teacher.
Thank you,
Jill

I don't understand how anyone could be disappointed in this book. When I'm starting a new theme I look it up and find dances, songs and fingerplays galore. I've seen this book elsewhere for three times the price. I was delighted with my purchase.

Stephen Berry has written an eminently readable account of the divisions among Mary Todd Lincoln's 13 siblings through the Civil War. The Todd family, which was from Kentucky, split its allegiance, with several members going South to join or marry into the Confederacy. Substantial portions of the Civil War are retold through their individual stories. Few members of the family, including Mary Todd Lincoln, come off looking well. Several of the siblings were opportunists, while others were war criminals. The book also poignantly reveals the political and personal impact on President Lincoln.

I thought that I had read (and knew) just about everything about Mary Lincoln. What a pleasure to read this book and find out so much about Mary's family that I never knew before. Another plus is that the book is so well written that it reads like a novel. I couldn't put it down.

Why did the majority of the Todds choose the South over the North? Their's was a border state that stayed in the Union. They owned too few slaves to have fortunes staked on the system. On p. 174 Berry defines the Todds as being "shrill with hatred... collapsed in self interest and grief". What drove them to this?

Are they really "a once happy family" as Berry says? The litigation over their father's estate belies this. The litigation not only left their father's second wife (mother of 6?) dependent, but also disinherited those, like Mary, who had already had gifts from the father. Did early favoritism cause the rift as much as the war?

Lincoln appears to be the model brother-in-law. Risking charges of favoritism and nepotism, Lincoln helps his Union oriented brothers-in-law (who also married Todds), giving one the ability to contract for provisions (which he exploits and when challenged threatens blackmail) and another a coveted army position away from the fray in the west. He entertains a Confederate Todd in the White House, and provides a pardon for another who will not take an oath of allegiance to the country that pardons her. His tolerance and charity towards his family recalls his tolerance of McClellan and a host of cabinet officers of similarly dubious motives.

Mary personalizes the Confederate allegiance in her family as a fight against her. Maybe Mary was close to being right. Some seem to bask in the status of being able to malign a relative. Others just expect too much which can breed disappointment even under normal conditions. Maybe some of their intensity was a family rebellion against the one grown up who, by chance, had married into their family.

While the book is short, it is not entirely focused. For a book on the family, too many of its precious paragraphs are devoted to sketching the war such as the battles of Manassas and Shiloh and the seige of Vicksburg. I would have liked a reference table in the beginning showing the birth order of the Todds and their marriages. Most importantly it needs some discussion on why the Todds did what they did.

In a lighthearted afterward the author describes his research. While a lot went into this effort, I hope it is not thorough, because I would like to know more of these Todds.

This is an entirely new perspective of the Lincoln family, specifically that of his wife's. While there is much known about Abraham Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, as well as their oldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln, who was the only child to live to a ripe old age, I know very little about the Todd Family, and was especially intrigued that a book had finally been written on this little known side of the Lincoln family. Although the book was short, and, as admitted by the author, only a cursory story of several of the members of the Todd family could be done, it was admittedly an interesting book and whetted my appetite for additional information on the Todd Family. I found that the book added a few more pieces to the complex character and personality of Abraham Lincoln the man, and found further that his "melancholia" that is so much discussed was not solely due to the failures of many of his generals, the exorbitant loss of life in the battles of the conflict, the political intrigues of the Radical Republicans and the Democratic-Copperheads, but also partly due to the inner family turmoil that he and Mary experienced with their own family, specifically the Todds. Truly, Abraham Lincoln was quite prophetic when he said that a "House divided against itself cannot stand", and surely this could be said of the Todd family who themselves were divided with several family members serving in the armed forces of the Confederacy and the Union, several killed in battle, and one assassinated. I would recommend this book, and hope to see further detailed studies of the Todd Family in the future.

Their have been some good Civil War family biographies lately. The Whalen's book on the Fighting McCook's and this book on the Todd family come to mind. Family biographies can help us understand the human cost of the Civil War as no other histories can. As family members die, we understand the war's causalities in very personal terms gaining an idea of what this costs those involved.

The McCook family had no conflicted loyalties, no question of who to fight for nor any hesitations in committing to a side. They were able to establish a record of service fighting for the Union that was unique. The Todd family had conflicted loyalties, questions on who to fight for and hesitated in committing to a side. A large slave owning family from Kentucky with an in-law in the White House would cause problems for everyone. Lincoln, his wife, her brothers & sisters their spouses created a series of confrontations, personal and political problems that make up this story.

The author introduces the Todd family and the principle people giving us a solid foundation for the story. Lincoln tries to keep as much of the family on the Union side as possible. His efforts delay some members "going South" and produce some real political problems in 1861 for him. Each year of the war is a chapter. This allows us to follow everyone from assignment to assignment or battle to battle. Against this backdrop, Lincoln's personal life and family problems becomes worse and worse. Each newspaper story, each battle death adds to Lincoln's problems and Mary's woes. However, at Springfield as Lincoln is buried, the Todd in-laws stand as family.

The author is easy to read and manages to keep all the story lines together. These are not likable people and he clearly does not like them. This come through in a number of places and may have colored the story. In addition, the author makes misstatements about the battle of Shiloh and the POW exchange. None of his mistakes are major but he is accepting of popular stories as opposed to good scholarship. A nice touch is to take each person from 1865 to his or her death. This is always something I look for in this type of book and feel is really important. The author does an excellent job on each person giving the reader a feel for who they were.

Overall, this is a very readable book. The people are well drawn allowing us to see their world and have some understanding of their choices. In addition, the author shows how the divisions in Lincoln's personal family helped him reach out to the national family as reflected in many of his speeches.

Just a glance at the cover art of this wonderful Little Golden Book will make you want to add it to your child's bookshelf. The story of The Little Mermaid is all here, guaranteed to capture your child's attention.

The Little Mermaid is a classic, highly recommended.

I have read this book to my kids a number of times, and they like it. I don't think they understand it, though, from some of the questions they ask. I think the book is fun to read, with lots of good lines to read and good illustrations to match. But I think there is just too much going on in it, and I don't like how there are so many quick transitions from one scene/setting to another.

this was a very good book the picture was just mag nifisant. I rated this one a 4 because I loved the little mermaid and i just cant reading it. I wish I could live under water,well I said it to soon that was my favorite part going back and forth living in and out of water. this book was thrilling but 'it was also tragic with a little touch of romance. this book was a lot like the move it was just easy to under stand.i also would like to say the pictures were good also.

I bought this for my 4 year old daughter. It wasn't quite what I was expecting - the stickers aren't as easily reusable as I would have liked. It kept her busy for a while, though. She enjoyed it.

The lines are thick and very definite, creating a very stark and beautiful image. The paper, though, is thin and cheap, making it impossible to color (pencils poke through too easily, and pens bleed everywhere). There's most of your favorite classic scenes, but you'll be disappointed if you wanted some good shots of Ariel as a human.

This is a good story about different reactions to the slave trade by a father and son stolen from their home in Africa and brought to Jamaica. The way they respond to their new environments (on 2 different plantations 20 miles apart) are so different. It is interesting to learn what is important to each, and see how they adapt. And it is interesting to make some comparisons between the slave system in Jamaica vs American by reading this. The only problem I had with this book is the lack of chapters. It is just one long story with the occasional break of a blank line between paragraphs. Otherwise this is an excellent relatively short book that presents the fictional lifes of two slaves.

Overall I think that this was an ok book and it was pretty informative and showed people what it was like back when there was slaves. I would recommend this book but probably to a little lower grade level,like fourth or fifth grade since it was so short.

I did not like this book, it was boring. There was no action.
I only like Science Fiction books, or non Fiction.

This book is very different and it's not something I would normally read. But it was nice to get out and read different things I don't always think about. It gives the imagination fuel to burn. And the book was very cultured. I would recommend this book to people that like books with different cultures.

I think the book was interesting because I learned alot more about slavery and what could happen if your not careful.

Great collection of preserve receipies for those who can't give away all the fruit and vegies they grow.

At some point after you've sealed your umpteenth jar of strawberry preserves and peach jam, you find yourself asking, Is this as exciting as it gets? Really, your sister and office mates are probably (secretly of course) just as bored with your yearly batches of apple jelly as you are. To keep motivated every harvest time, you repeat to yourself over and over, like a mantra: Made with real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup...

Well imagine their eyes popping out of their heads when you triumphantly hand them your Pear and Ginger Marmalade, Green Tomato Relish, and Plum and Raisin Chutney!
When the title of a cookbook claims the status of Art, expect that it contains inventive, quirky and elegant combinations in addition to the more pedestrian basics. Also, assume that it was not meant for rank beginners any more than it was written by a rank beginner. Jan Berry, the author of Art of Preserving has decades of experience with preserving a wide range of fruits and vegetables, and while she discusses the basic methods in a short preface chapter, it's barely sketched. But more on that in a moment.

In the ten years that I have owned my copy of Art of Preserving, I have tried perhaps a dozen of the 300 or so recipes in this book. It's all I have the nerve, resources or the gourmet gumption, to have tried. From this book I have produced Blood Orange Pommander Brandy, Orange Wine, Lemon Oil, Candied Citrus peel, Blueberry Jam, Apple and Geranium Jelly, Figs in Brandy, Red Bell Pepper Jelly, herb-infused vinegars and sugars, Preserved Ginger, and Banana Jam. I am eager to try several more as time and ingredient availability permit, such as Pumpkin and Rosemary Jam and Melon Jelly. Ah, for an acre of garden space to grow the stuff and a few months every year to harvest and preserve it all! That would definitely be somewhere in my heaven.

In a way, the Art of Preserving is like a look back to pre-industrial times. The author apparently grew up in the Outback under poor circumstances. She had to learn to make do and be very careful with her resources, so I believe that is why none of her recipes here list commercial pectin. Instead, the jams and jellies are set with the natural pectins in apples, quinces, citrus seeds, etc. Some of them require elaborate preparations of more than one day's time to draw the juices out through jelly bags, or marinate ingredients to perfection. In a nutshell, Jan Berry's preserving style is not for those looking for instant gratification.

As to Jan Berry's recommended methods for sealing up jars: waxed paper and a lid. If you want to be decorative, she suggests additionally covering the tops with paper and twine or ribbon. I'm the first to admire the simple rustic charm in this style, but I can rarely use it as I like to ship my jams and jellies as gifts and enter them in fair contests now and then; the official rules prohibit anything but hot water-bath canning methods, sealing lid and screw-rings only. In order to translate her sealing instructions for modern times, it might take a bit of know-how from a more intermediate canner. See what I mean about this book not catering to complete amateurs?

Finally, the photographs are works of art in themselves. Truthfully, TAOP is one of the best-photographed cookbooks I have ever seen, and thankfully, a little more than half of the recipes are displayed in these artfully arranged shots.
I have never seen such a complete and extensive collection of offbeat jam, jelly, chutney and etc. recipes in one place, as in The Art of Preserving. It is certainly a must for preservers who love to gift their jars.

This book, sadly out of print for several years now, is well worth the time and effort to search out if you enjoy preserving above and beyond its original, practical purpose.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle

This a beautiful and inspiring book as you gaze at the pages, but the recipes are not concise. I am an avid canner especially in the art of jams, and find these recipes hard to understand. As far as the canning process goes, I ladel into sterilized jars and process in hot water bath. I do not allow it to cool. This will never provide a good seal. I had great success with the Whiskey Tangelo Marmalade pg32. but the Grapefruit Jam pg. 21 was a disaster. I read and reread the ingredients and instructions and followed them to a T. How can you add 8 c. water to a recipe and cook down for 15 minutes, add sugar, cook down for 30 and get 4 c. of product. I ended up with 8. It never thickened. I, with my knowledge of canning, even cooked it down longer and added pectin and still never set. I would love the author to check out this recipe and see what went wrong. With the citrus recipes, the author needs to specify peeled or unpeeled. In most cases she gives an approximate amount of fruit in numbers, in the grapefruit she says 2 lbs. of grapefruit. That came out to 2 grapefruits for me. Would probably be more successful if she gave an amount in cups after it is prepared. Certo gives you an approximate amount of fruit but also indicates how many cups once prepared. My hats off to Rodney Weidland for his photography, that is encouraged me to purchase this book.

The Art of Preserving is filled with exotic jams,jellies,chutneys, and relishes which are artfully packaged and beautifully photographed. The book is a treat for the eyes! Unfortunately, the author does not provide sufficient detail in her recipes to accurately and safely produce these items. Although an overview of the canning process is provided at the beginning of the book, specific information on how long to process jars is not included with each recipe. If you are a novice canner, I would recommend the Ball Blue Book as good start to your preserving library. Once you are familiar with canning and the necessary steps, you can use the The Art of Preserving for inspiration to jazz up your recipes.

The recipes are well balanced and interesting. My problem with this book is the method of sealing. Jars are often sealed after the ingredients have cooled, so no true seal occurs. Covers such as parchment and cellophane are used. I would certainly want to use USDA approved sealing methods with these recipes. This includes sealing the jars with rubber rings or Ball/Kerr type jar covers and screw lids and processing the jars in a hot water bath from 10-30 minutes depending on the recipe ingredients. (Check web site canning sites maintained by university home economists) I would not feed these recipes to my family without using standard (USDA) food safety precautions for preserving.

Lynne Berry, Duck Skates (Henry Holt, 2005)

It's kind of hard to believe that the same Lynne Berry who was responsible for The Curious Demise of a Contrary Cat wrote this lovely, lighthearted little book as well. I mean, sure, there's the same excellent wordplay, the same mastery of poetry (which Berry does better than many writers of adult books of formal verse), the same sense of whimsy. But, really, no one gets turned into a frog. There should be more books where other beings get turned into frogs.

Lack of biological transmutation aside, if you're looking for a birthday present for your preschooler, it's pretty hard to go wrong with Lynne Berry. The story, ostensibly, is about five ducks who go skating. Yes, the title of the book is quite informative in that regard. But what's going on beneath the surface here is a deep-rooted appreciation for numbers and the wonderful things you can do with them. And Berry takes her five ducks and sections them up in just about every way you can think of. Kids are not only getting an interesting, easy-to-follow story (with super-cute Hiroe Nakata illustrations), but a basic math primer at the same time.

Definitely one for the permanent library. ****

Five fun and slightly cheeky companions enjoying a snowy day, their adventures told in snappy text and delightful pictures. Duck Skates has everything it takes to engage a small child, and then goes a step further with lovely cadence. Here is a book written by someone who understands that picture books are read ALOUD. It rolls off the tongue beautifully, making it a joy for both parent and child.

And the math is so cleverly tucked in there, neither of you will feel a thing.

I really didn't appreciate this book's portrayal of anthropomorphic duck children ignoring a no-skating sign to much fun and no consequence. Sure, sometimes people imprudently ignore safety warnings without sustaining any physical harm, but that's not a message I want to emphasize to my preschooler.

I am a parent and a Preschool teacher in Ann Arbor, MI where the author LYNNE BERRY came to share her book with our school. As a teacher I can tell you the children totally loved the book, excellent rhyming words, great story and wonderfull illustrations. The author did an awesome job with the children (crafts and movement activities).
As a mom, I purchased the book for my child and she loves it so much, she asks us to read it to her one and one more time. Because she likes it so much I got her little rubber ducks to go along with the story. She really enjoys the book!!!

Ducks skating -- it doesn't get much more fun or cute than that, and this what attracted the book to me for our kids. While the artwork and the majority of the story is quite fun, it is unfortunate that the author made the decision to make it seem funny for the ducks to very deliberately disregard/disobey a potentially dangerous warning sign (even if the sign is poorly/inaccurately written) with no consequence -- except for additional fun. While I realize this is merely a children's book and not to be taken too seriously, my bet is that the majority of parents reading this book to their young children would most definitely not appreciate this subtle message this sends.

Banned in Britain. You really feel for Wendy Barry and the staff. Upstairs and Downstairs revelations. You feel you are there at Highgrove. The first time I read this I could not believe it was true !!! The upper class country set of Gloucestershire is all too riveting. A must have.

this is the first book i've read about the royal family. i do trust everything this housekeeper says in the book. she seems very trustworthy and gets into VERY specific details (gossip!) is it wrong for her to have written this book? probably, but who cares?! you get to see the true sides of charles and diana's personalities, from how they treat their help, to how they treat their kids and each other. i read through the whole book with interest, so i must give it a good rating.

The book is written by the woman who worked as housekeeper to Prince Charles and Princess Diana for eight years. Much is made of the fact that it was "banned in Britain" - because the writer breached the confidentiality agreement she signed when she took the job, and would have had to give up the income from it had it been published in the UK. This sums up the book. It's a tattletale book, a dreadful breach of confidence on her part, and heavy on judgement about the royals and their lifestyle. In view of this, I find that I cannot take what Berry says on trust - she's a judgmental gossip and as such not about to write a truth and nothing but the truth book. If you want to read gossip, you will enjoy this book. It's not very well written, the grammar is poor, and Berry is not a good writer. She jumps around in time with her anecdotes, which are based only on what she saw as housekeeper, in one place where the royals lived. Since she was not with them when they were working, she does not describe the work involved, and makes no allowances for how exhausting it must have been, nor can she imagine this. She is critical of Princess Diana, and delighted to pass on others' criticism, while having no insight into what made the Princess what she was. It's a poor, shabby book.

It's a fun read, no doubt about it. Being a Midwestern girl, I'll never know what it's like to be a royal and I found this insider's view fascinating. To be fabulously wealthy, yet get all manner of freebies and presents. To have a staff there ready to wait on you, yet to never be away from their judgemental eyes. What a life! No wonder both Charles and Diana were spoiled and far from perfect. I don't see how anyone could be remotely normal given the lives they led. For this peek into Highgrove, I was grateful. However, Ms. Berry herself seems rather unlikeable. Always gossiping, making sure we know that's she's more educated that the Prince and Princess realized, saying that Diana never would have "dared" lose her famous temper with the housekeeper, it kept me shaking my head. Like other, I'm sure, I suspect if she didn't take this job in the first place just to pen a tell-all.

I got this book from Ebay as it was out of print. And Banned
in London. It was a good book all in all. But, I learned nothing
really new. We all know that Diana had alot of problems
I guess I would as well if I lived with the Royals. Not an
easy family to live with. She did her job and won the hearts
of many people. She is still a hero in my heart. Hey, she was
a person before she was royal.

It's still a Gem.
I am just a general reader. I defer to others expertise and
acknowledge my ignorance.
The purpose of this Literature is to: ignite and sustain a
passion. Not to: promote one's own vain-glorious interests
or "crown" oneself at others expense.
Although I read other Greek Editions, this one will always
have a place in my library. Worn print and all- I think it
enhances it by contributing to a sense of time and distance.
You may have some age related eye issues.
King James works for me, gets better and better.

THIS IS A GREAT TOOL FOR THE STUDENT OF THE HEW TESTAMENT, THE GREEK STUDENT, THE PERSON INTERESTED IN EXIGESIS FOR ANY REASON.
THE LAYOUT IS GOOD AND THE AIDS ARE INDISPENSIBLE. THE PUBLISHER MIGHT HAVE GIVEN US LARGER PRINT FOR EASIER READING. I AM AN INTERESTED STUDENT IN THE RELATION OF RELIGION AND POLITICS. THIS BOOK HAS BEEN A VALUABLE TOOL FOR MANY YEARS AND I KEEP IT WHERE I CAN FIND IT EASILY. YHIS MAY GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF HOW WIDE THE NEED FOR THIS IS. ENLIGHTENMENT THROUGH THE STUDY OF THE ORIGINAL TEXT IS ANOTHER BENEFIT OF THE INTERLINEAR VERSION. IT OFFERS A GOOD INTRODUCTION TO THE GREEK LABNGUAGE AND A REFRESHER COURSE FOR THOSE WHO STUDIED IT TOO LONG AGO.

I've gotten over 10 years of good use out of mine since buying it. No regrets at all.

The print is a bit smaller than I'd like, but of course, its a natural tradeoff: if the print were larger, the book would have to be bigger, and of course, less convenient to carry around. Otherwise, I consider this to be an excellent book, conveniently sized, and a very good value overall. Definitely worth the price.

It's not too impressive. The print type is small, and needs to be reset, because many of the pages are not printed evenly, some have hardly any ink on them. I sent for a replacement, thinking my copy was just defective, but the replacement had worse printing quality than the original they sent me. The paper is good quality, and I like the Lexicon and Synonyms at the back. I got it for $17, and it is worth the price, but I would only use it for reference and not for daily study. If the print quality was better, and the font a bit larger, I would have given it a higher rating.

This is a great all-in-one-tool for those who desire to find the original Greek words from which the English Bible (KJV) is translated, yet who have little or no knowledge of Greek. Under each Greek word is given its literal English equivalent, along with the King James Version in the margins, so that the student can follow along from his/her own Bible. The Greek text used is that of Robert Stephens of 1550, the famed "Textus Receptus," often known by its more popular name, "The Majority Text." In addition, at the back of the book a condensed, but helpful, lexicon is supplied along with an abridged version of Trench's "Synonyms of the N.T." An excellent tool for anyone wishing to "study to show thyself approved unto God" (2 Tim. 2:15)."

I really liked this approach to discipline in theory, but it just dosen't cut it in the real world. I have a very headstrong toddler and he walked all over me with these approaches. I really like Is it a Big Problem or a Little Problem?, which I am currently reading. It has many more real-life solutions than the Discipline book did.

The advice in this book sounds very nice and gentle and compassionate but the problem is that it works only on children who are obedient and fairly submissive by nature. Lots of kids figure out the game after a while. What if your child refuses to stay in "time out"? What happens when you have taken away all the privileges? (and little kids just don't have that many). What about older kids who just laugh at this kind of approach?You'd better go buy another book because Dr. Brazelton doesn't address real discipline problems.

Discipline teaches our children right from wrong and to care about doing right, to think of others before themselves. Too bad we can't raise the current generation of adults all over again. Hopefully today's parents, with the help of this book, will do better.

This is the most useful book on parenting I've ever read. It is clear, straightforward, practical, and respectful of children and parents. Thank you.

I read the book as soon as I got it home. We were having discipline problems with out almost 4 year old and with a new sibling in the mix we didn't want to make drastic changes again in his life. I often read the book when I'm frustrated by my childrens actions and it helps me to understand their way of thinking and how to make the correct discipline choices to fit the exact situation. Thanks Berry Brazelton!

The book others imitate. The difinitive source of information about sustainable gardening (agriculture on any scale, actually), with understandable diagrams and explanations. The concepts are simple; the work much easier than the old-fashioned "row garden"; the results are more bountiful; your health benefits; the fertility of your soil grows; the environment improves.

This will become your bible for planting and growing without chemical fertilizers, insecticides, or weed control.

The sustainable methods of producing the food we eat in a small space makes more sense than the wastful techniques perfected and promoted in the last two generations.

If you can buy only one book on gardening -- this should be the one.

Other resources to consider: "The Backyard Homestead" (Jeavons, et al); "Square Foot Gardening" (Bartholomew) - similar ideas; "Five Acres And Independence" (Kains).

Survival is simpler if it has been your way of life.

After reading the reviews of others, I excitedly bought this book. It turned out to be a relic of the 70's, with all kinds of abstract philosophizing about how putting organic matter into soil is going to save the world. Perhaps revolutionary for its time, it's not very useful for the serious modern gardener.

Although this thin book has gone through five reprints, the passing years seem to have added little in the way of real information. Sure, knowing how to turn soil with hand tools and make a compost pile is useful, but most modern books handle that in a couple of pages. The book's policy of zero tolerance for chemical fertilizer and pesticides is an admirable ideal but a tad too stringent for me. I found the "charts" little more than unfinished notes that were largely indecipherable. The book offers dubious, sometimes contradictory, advice, including instructions on planting by the phases of the Moon. Sources for supplies are referenced with old-fashioned snail-mail addresses rather than 1-800 numbers or URLs. The book has no index!

Frankly, much of the text seems to be self-promotion for the Cause, worthy as it may be, rather than offering solid gardening tips. If you really want to grow more vegetables, get Dick Raymond's Joy of Gardening. He's plenty "green" and offers practical approaches to getting food out of the ground.

This book is not just about growing more vegetables in the vein of "Throw some more ferterlizer on in the garden!" This book is about a way of life, a philosophy. It gives one a whole systems view of healthy, living soil creation and plant growing. When one reads, absorbs and applies the material, it becomes almost a religious experience.

This book is suposed to revolutionize how home gardeners around the world can become self sustaining and yet it can't even be published using metric measures! How do they translate this to other languages and don't even bother using a measurement system that the majority of the world uses?? What a careless oversite on the part of the publisher AND author.
...

This title grew from a 1971 experimental garden in Palo Alto, California instigated by Alan Chadwick and Stephen Kafka. That garden showed that using the biodynamic/French Intensive method produced four times more vegetables than conventional techniques.

Biodynamic techniques were developed by Austrian genius Rudolf Steiner. French Intensive methods were developed in the 1890s by market gardeners outside Paris, a time when horses provided more-than-ample fertilizer and the city provided a ready market for vegetables. Chadwick studied under Steiner and French gardeners.

The method requires double-digging garden beds and adding compost or aged manure. Double-digging to two feet in depth provides loose soil that roots easily penetrate. Plants are seeded or transplanted very close together and form a living mulch, shading roots, causing greater water retention, denying sunlight to weeds. Other aspects of the method are planting and transplanting by the phases of the moon and daily sprinkling rather than periodical flooding.

This material has been recycled four times since the 1974 typewritten edition. I regret to report it is no longer up-to-date gardening knowledge, it will intimidate beginning gardeners, and it will bore experienced gardeners. There is only one new chapter, titled Sustainability, which is mostly promotion of Ecology Action. In addition, Jeavons seems confused. In the first four editions he wrote that he was teaching us the "biodynamic/French intensive method" of Steiner and French gardeners as learned and taught by Chadwick. Now in a chapter titled A Perspective for the Future, he writes that his work is based on the "Chinese Biointensive way of farming." Yet nowhere does he advocate or tell how to use humanure, which is the basis of Chinese food production, as first shown by F.H. King in his book, Farmers of Forty Centuries. Only in the bibliography do we find book listings under the heading: Human Waste. The huge bibliography (36 pages, was 22 pages in the last edition) apparently lists every book and catalog in the Ecology Action library but there is NO INDEX! I find the lack of an index in a nonfiction book to be unforgivable. For instance, looking for crop rotation or mulching methods means scanning the entire 201 pages--and coming up empty.

There are pages and pages of drawings and technical charts that most readers will never use. We find listings of plants and information both barely usable--seeds per ounce, pounds consumed per average person per year--and important--bed spacing, yields--although there is no recognition or advice concerning the many soil types and growing zones. One is dismayed to find--in a book titled How to Grow More Vegetables--more pages of charts about grain, protein source, vegetable oil crops; cover, organic matter, fodder crops; energy, fiber paper and other crops; tree and cane crops--20 pages in all, than about vegetable crops--8 pages.

Promotion of Ecology Action uses a fourteen-page chapter in addition to six more pages of self-promotion in the Sustainability chapter. If you want to support Jeavons' work, send a check to Ecology Action, or buy his book, The Sustainable Vegetable Garden, adapted from this book by co-author Carol Cox, which is smaller and less expensive and has all his best stuff without the wasted pages of charts, drawings and promotion, and it has an index! If you want current gardening information, read authors such as Eliot Coleman and Dick Raymond who are progressive and work with all garden designs, including the mulch method first popularized by Ruth Stout and now used by hundreds of my gardening friends across the country. Most of us have tried the double-dig method and have long since moved on. I recommend you not waste your time, except maybe once for new gardens, depending on soil conditions. Thereafter, use mulch, save your back and spend your time and energy on better pursuits.