Boyd Books

A very, thought-provoking book concerning daily decisions that many of us face, as well as the different types of people we meet. Presence of the narrator at most of the important occurences in the story is a bit of a stretch, but is necessary in order to get his observations and then for the reader to formulate his own. Residents of the St. Petersburg, Fla. area will get a kick out of trying to pinpoint locations mentioned in the book.

My mom knows how much I love to play. When I was hospitalized to have my gall bladder removed, she gave me this book. It was so fun! I hated lying there in that cold hospital bed unable to move for 3 days (due to complications). But I had this book to play with! Though the secret messages readers have to decipher with various codes turn out to be either really corny or common knowledge trivia, the bright colorful illustrations and whimsical ideas presented in this collection of nearly two dozen different codes, are fun and exciting.
Some familiar codes include American Sign Language, Castle Code, hieroglyphics, and Morse. Readers will also find uncommon codes such as The Dancing Men code adapted from The Mystery of The Dancing Men featuring Sherlock Holmes.
Children are going to really love this book. It's fun, practical and a quick read. Kids with a penchant for solving or creating their own mysteries are going to love this collection. An answer key is included and a brief history of code making and breaking is also included.
Jeffrey A. O'Hare really did a good job with this book. I highly recommend it because of its fun, versatility and ability to inspire children to read more. As an educator, this is very important to me. I look forward to sharing this book with my students in the classroom during leisure reading and writing times.

A very interesting and entertaining read through Miss Monroe's most memorable moments during her very brief life. Alphabetically indexed and illustrated with Marilyn's various movie stills and modeling photos you can actually imagine her speaking to the reader regarding the various topics that she encountered during her adolescence through her adult life. I found it an enjoyable and entertaining read. Well worth the price. This should be in every MM collector's library. It made a nice addition to my MM collection.

Anyone who regularly buys books will know that the blurb on a book's cover isn't always an accurate guide to what lies within. The information on the inside flaps, for example, is usually written by some PR whizz completely unknown to the author. Publishing houses employ staff to work solely on book covers and some even discourage staff from actually contacting authors. They are experts in packaging a book for sale but oblivious to the wildness of their claims and the factual clangers they drop in their efforts.

See the Stars by Ken Croswell, however, is exactly what its cover, flaps, and publicity material claim it to be, and then some more. It is a "how-to" book aimed at readers over eight which really does get them outside, looking up, and finding the constellations described.

Twelve double-page spreads feature a constellation for each month of the year. On the right page is a "where and when to look" box, a line drawing, and a description of the star pattern; opposite is a large and stunning celestial photo of the constellation in question. Extra information worked into the text means that by the end of the book you've not only learnt twelve constellations in detail but also about stellar temperatures and colours, double stars, the zodiac, the Milky Way, and the planets.

The choice of constellations is no surprise: Croswell has picked the best and brightest star patterns in the sky. All twelve are ideal for readers between latitudes 30 and 50 degrees north. The beauty of the book is that Croswell has restricted himself to just the twelve, giving the reader a feeling of real achievement on seeing these constellations.

A whole year would have been needed to test and review this book thoroughly but two months was the maximum allowed by the Editors. So, with only a Cub Scout Astronomy Badge between them, my 10 and 12 year olds tested it out. They found their way around the book and then the sky with ease. Yet they weren't the first to do this. As Croswell wrote the book, his instructions were field-tested by his non-astronomical editor, then the editor's colleagues, friends, and various offspring. This thorough and rare testing of the text and its subsequent tweaking before publication has really paid off.

Croswell has a friendly, easy style which is already familiar to American readerships. He has introduced children to astronomy through articles and radio scripts written just for them, has authored three books for adults, and is a regular contributor to magazines and newspapers. See the Stars has a "no frills" approach to its subject and provides simple, straightforward help. The book looks a touch old-fashioned next to the UK design-led factual books produced for children in the past ten years. But for a book that really works, choose this one.

If anybody asked me--describe St. Louis--I can now just hand them a copy of this book. Beginning with Pere Jacques Marquette and concluding with Gerald Early, 300 plus years of St. Louis are illustrated through various memoirs, stories, poems, essays and plays as told by St. Louisans (both well known and lesser known).

Not just mere public relations ad campaign for the region, the collection also confronts issues head-on that have plagued the region for quite some time. However many selections also remind us how many great aspects there are in this region to offer its citizens.

The introductions and bios for the individual authors also provide great context and insight to the pieces, as well as including many interesting tibits of information that even the most knowledgable St. Louisian wouldn't know. Kudos to Lee Ann Sandweiss and everyone at the Missouri Historical Society for assembling an anthology very worthy of anyone who "seeks St. Louis."

This book contains detailed pictures of dissections and the color photographs are also accompanied by radiographs. The questions that are asked would definitely help you review for a test. The answers are very extensive and help you to further understand certain functions and clinical details. This book would be a great buy for any first year vet student to help them with their anatomy courses!

A book about a great man and martial artist. I would suggest this book to anyone in the martial arts or for anyone looking for a story about a great person of our time.

The poems in Sidewalk Chalk are inspired by my childhood growing up in Baltimore -- memories of Lexington market, Saturday car-washing, the ice cream truck, park pool, and a close-knit community. My favorite poem in the collection, "Where I Live," extends hope to inner city children.

My wife found this book in our library, and we fell in love with it immediately. It has been a great way for us to teach our two-year-old the story of Christmas. And she has enjoyed being able to read the book to us, as well.

Sitting on the Edge: Modernist Design, is a well put together book, and a rare find in modern furnishing circles. A great review of Michael and Gabrielle Boyd's collection, which as one can see by the list, is stunning. The pictures of the pieces in the collection though are the catch all. Full page photographs, beautiful type, well laid out, and a great collection at one's finger tips, I personally couldn't ask for more, except perhaps the actual pieces of furniture in the collection. If you love Modernist furniture, go with this one!